cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pediatric Care Coordination: The Business Case for a Medical Home

Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) have complex health care issues that require multiple providers, as well as numerous procedures and medications that potentially can interact with each other to endanger health and safety (Chapter 5). The American Academy of Pediatrics created the Medical Home program in 1992 in a policy statement that defined the concept and recommended an infrastructure for children with conditions that fit the special needs criteria. That policy statement was updated in 20021 to include several enhancements (with emphasis on the concept of the Medical Home for ALL children) and specifying the following list of services provided: 1. Family centered care 2. Unbiased and clear information 3. Primary care, in the broadest definition 4. Assurance that care for acute and chronic conditions is continuously available 5. Continuity of care, including transitions to other providers 6. Appropriate and timely referrals to pediatric medical and surgical specialists 7. Interaction with early intervention programs 8. Care coordination
Detailed Chemical Abundances of Globular Clusters in Local Group Dwarf Galaxies

We present detailed chemical abundances of Fe, Ca and Ba for 17 globular clusters (GCs) in 5 Local Group dwarf galaxies: NGC 205, NGC 6822, WLM, the SMC and LMC. These abundances are part of a larger sample of over 20 individual elements measured in GCs in these galaxies using a new analysis method for high resolution, integrated light spectra. Our analysis also provides age and stellar population constraints. The existence of GCs in dwarf galaxies with a range of ages implies that there were episodes of rapid star formation (SF) throughout the history of these galaxies; the abundance ratios of these clusters suggest that the duration of these burst varied considerably from galaxy to galaxy. We find evolution of Fe, Ca, and Ba with age in the LMC, SMC, and NGC 6822 that is consistent with extended, lower-efficiency SF between bursts, with an increasing contribution of low-metallicity AGB ejecta at late times. Our sample of GCs in NGC 205 and WLM are predominantly old and metal-poor with high [Ca/Fe] ratios, implying that the early history of these galaxies was marked by consistently high SF rates.
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, and NutsOpen image in new window

Meat is the edible portion of mammals—the flesh of animals used for food. “Meat” may by some definition include rabbit, venison, and other game, as well as the non-mammals poultry and fish. The flesh from various animals may be used as food throughout the world.
HPV-Associated Cervical Neoplasia

This chapter addresses common benign changes in the cervix as well as in situ and invasive lesions associated with human papillomavirus (HPV). Metaplastic changes of both the squamous and columnar epithelium of the cervix are very common, including transitional cell metaplasia and tubal/tubo-endometrioid metaplasia. Additionally, various hyperplastic glandular proliferations may be seen, such as microglandular hyperplasia and lobular endocervical glandular hyperplasia. Cervical inflammation from various etiologies is extremely common and associated with characteristic reactive epithelial changes. Various alterations are also seen in women who are pregnant or taking exogenous hormones, for example, stromal decidualization and Arias-Stella reaction. While most of these benign findings are usually readily recognized as such, careful morphologic assessment and application of immunohistochemistry may be necessary for distinction from the preneoplastic and neoplastic entities which they may mimic. HPV-related squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix have undergone many changes in terminology, and are now classified as low grade (LSIL) and high grade (HSIL). HPV-related glandular intraepithelial neoplasia is termed adenocarcinoma in situ, and variations such as intestinal differentiation may be seen. Diagnosis of these lesions and distinction from benign mimics is aided by ancillary studies. Invasive HPV-related carcinomas include many subtypes of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Classification systems, diagnostic criteria, and important pitfalls for all of these entities are provided. Additionally, the role of cytologic–histologic correlation and new management guidelines are briefly discussed.
Network interdiction with asymmetric cost uncertainty

Abstract We study a shortest-path interdiction problem in which the interdictor acts first to lengthen a subset of arcs, and an evader acts second to select a shortest path across the network. In this problem, the cost for an evader’s arc consists of a base cost if the arc is not interdicted, plus an additional cost that is incurred if the arc is interdicted. The interdictor is not aware of the base costs when the interdiction action is taken, but does know that the base cost values are uniformly distributed within given (arc-specific) intervals. The evader, on the other hand, observes the exact value of the base costs, plus the additional costs due to interdiction actions. The interdictor’s problem is thus to maximize the expected minimum cost attainable by the evader. We provide a partitioning algorithm for computing an exact optimal solution to this problem, leveraging bounds gleaned from Jensen’s inequality as proposed in an earlier study on a maximum-flow interdiction problem. We also provide several algorithmic strategies for accelerating the convergence of the algorithm and demonstrate their effectiveness on randomly generated instances.
Assessment of Dermal and Inhalation Exposure to Permethrin During Field Treatment of Military Uniforms.

Introduction Permethrin is a common pesticide spray-applied to civilian clothing and military uniforms for protection against biting arthropods in an effort to reduce risks to arthropod-borne diseases. During mass clothing spray events, exposure is possible through the dermal, inhalation, and ingestion routes. The potentially exposed population during a spray event includes the pesticide applicator(s) and working party (personnel who handle clothing/uniforms by positioning on the ground, flipping, and removing after spraying is complete). Previous investigation is limited regarding permethrin exposure via multiple routes of entry. Additionally, most exposure assessments are limited to pesticide applicators rather than working party that support applicator personnel. The purpose of this investigation was to conduct a multi-route exposure assessment for all personnel normally participating in mass permethrin military uniform treatments. Materials and methods The protocol and Informed Consent Document were approved by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) Institutional Review Board (IRB) before fieldwork initiation (IRB number: USUHS.2019-032). Sampling occurred during routine spray events performed by 14 U.S. Navy personnel (3 applicators and 11 working party) over 2 days. Personal exposures were measured with dermal sampling, and airborne concentrations were measured with area air sampling. Permethrin area air sampling and analysis were conducted using OSHA Versatile Sampler-2 sampling media (n = 36). Dermal exposure was measured using dosimeter gloves (n = 26) and a dermal patch (n = 26) worn by study participants. Results All air samples were reported below the 0.4 µg limit of quantification. Glove sample results ranged from 45 to 120,000 µg and patch results ranged from 0.57 to 45 µg. A repeated-measures ANOVA showed non-statistically significant differences in dermal concentrations (P-value = .8340) between the applicators and working party in patches and gloves. Conclusions Results suggest dermal contact is the primary route of exposure compared to inhalation when mass spraying clothing with permethrin. Similar dermal exposures between these two occupations may necessitate reconsidering risk assessment procedures, training and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements for mass spray uniform treatments. Specifically, while PPE requirements for applicators are highly regulated by the Armed Forces Pest Management Board and include items such as Tyvek suits, chemical protective gloves, and air-purifying respirators, PPE was not regulated for working party personnel before this investigation.
MFT supervision in the era of telehealth: Attachment, tasks, and ethical considerations

Virtual platforms have been growing in use for marriage and family therapy (MFT). However, the unprecedented circumstances of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic required MFT supervisors and supervisees to shift to telehealth. It is necessary to explore the experience with MFT telehealth supervision to support the application of the existing supervision literature. A sample of American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisors and MFT supervisees (N = 48) completed a survey evaluating the transition to telehealth supervision. A mixed methods design was used to explore common themes and the association with adult attachment and supervision tasks. Results indicated there are benefits and limitations identified by supervisors and supervisees. Attachment style and supervision tasks were associated with telehealth preference, connection and engagement during supervision. Recommendations for conducting telehealth supervision and future research are discussed. Practitioner points Focus on building secure attachment between supervisor and supervisee to provide more conducive supervisory relationships;Understand potential limitations, benefits and ethical considerations for supervisors and supervisees utilising telehealth. Focus on building secure attachment between supervisor and supervisee to provide more conducive supervisory relationships;Understand potential limitations, benefits and ethical considerations for supervisors and supervisees utilising telehealth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Live From My Living Room: Perceived Organizational Support Among TV News Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

As members of the media, TV news workers were considered essential employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many employees went into the field to cover stories related to the pandemic, which include...
On the correlation between plastic strain and misorientation in polycrystalline body-centered-cubic microstructures with an emphasis on the grain size, loading history, and crystallographic orientation

Abstract The correlation between plastic strain and crystallographic misorientation, grain size, grain orientation, distance from grain boundary, and loading history were investigated experimentally and numerically for body-centered-cubic (BCC) polycrystalline microstructures based on a misorientation deviation (MD) approach. Nine monotonic tensile experiments were performed on two BCC titanium alloys inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The influence of reference orientation was explored both at the grain scale and at the mesoscale using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The correlation between global plastic strain and the MD was quantified. The tendency for orientation change was quantified as a function of plastic strain and grain orientation for three crystallographic orientations (i.e., [100], [110], and [111]) with respect to tensile direction. The subpopulation of small grains exhibited a lower level of misorientation dispersion compared with larger grains, and this discrepancy became more pronounced at higher strains. An empirical equation was proposed to estimate the level of misorientation dispersion for individual grains as a function of grain size and global plastic strain level. Two interrupted in-situ SEM experiments were performed, and this resulted in a significantly increased misorientation compared with uninterrupted tests performed to similar plastic strain levels.
Misdiagnosis of capillary malformations in darker skin phototypes.

In the dermatologic medical literature, there is an underrepresentation of conditions in individuals of color. Due to the lack of representation, it may be harder for clinicians to recognize certain diagnoses in patients with darker skin phototypes leading to misdiagnosis and affecting overall patient management, outcomes, and satisfaction. Here, we present four Black or Indigenous People of Color who were initially referred for hyperpigmentation, hemihyperplasia, or cafe au lait spots and found to have syndromic capillary malformations.
Generalized Hate: Bias Victimization against Non-Asian Racial/Ethnic Minorities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

While much attention has been focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hate crime victimization among the Asian population, there is reason to expect that other racial/ethnic minorities ma...
The Efficacy and Safety of Methylnaltrexone for the Treatment of Postoperative Ileus.

BackgroundPostoperative ileus (POI) is a surgical complication resulting in increased morbidity and length of stay (LOS). Usual care for POI includes bowel rest and gastric decompression. It has be...
Prevention of Central-Line Associated Bloodstream Infections: 2021 Update.

Despite a large volume of research in prevention, central line-associated bloodstream infections and catheter-related bloodstream infections continue to cause significant morbidity, mortality, and increased health care costs. Strategies in prevention, including decision about catheter placement, insertion bundles, adherence to standard of care guidelines, and technologic innovations, shown to decrease rates of catheter-related bloodstream infections and central line-associated bloodstream infections are described in this update. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has resulted in increased health care-acquired infections, including central line-associated bloodstream infections.
Collagen-mediated platelet activation and PI3K

Phosphatidylinositol 3–kinase (PI3K) is a phospholipid kinase that is involved in diverse cellular events, including the prevention of apoptosis, regulation of glucose metabolism, chemotaxis, and cell proliferation. It is far from obvious what role this enzyme would play in a platelet—a
Fluidized Bed Reactors

The name “fluidized bed reactors” (FBR) is a generic term and encompasses a variety of engineering systems including chemical reactors, combustors, gasifiers, calcifiers, driers, etc. The common characteristic of the FBR class of engineering systems is the presence of the solid particles that are carried by the fluid and exist in a fluidized state. The carrier fluid effectively lifts the solid particles and carries them to different parts of the FBR, where the fluid velocity is lower, e.g., close to the walls of the FBR. There, the fluid drag is insufficient to keep the particles suspended, and as a consequence, the particles fall to parts of the system where the fluid velocity is high enough to lift them again. This circular particle motion enhances any flow instabilities, such as vortices and turbulence, and results in very high levels of mixing for both the particles and the carrier fluid. Fluid–particle interactions in FBRs typically include momentum exchange, mass exchange (reactions), and energy/heat exchange. The presence and movement of the solid particles in a fluidized state adds to the flow agitation within the FBR and, thus, enhances all fluid–particle interactions as well as the mass, energy, and momentum exchanges. This chapter starts with a short description of the types of FBRs, their parts, and the types of air distributors. The heat and mass transfer processes in FBRs are examined in detail, including the effects of particle sizes and fluidization velocities. A large part of this chapter gives useful details on the flow and heat/mass transfer processes in several industrial types of FBRs, such as catalytic cracking and catalytic synthesis, thermal cracking, coking, combustion and gasification, and other chemical and nonchemical processes. The final part of the chapter includes a short description of the MFIX code, an open-source code, which is currently being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy with the collaboration of several universities and industrial corporations.
Anodic Electrodeposition of Cerium Oxide Thin Films I. Formation of Crystalline Thin Films

Cerium oxide thin films have been produced by anodic electrodeposition with a preferred orientation onto a variety of substrates. The Ce(III) ions are complexed with suitable organic ligands in solution to form stable complexes in basic pH solutions. Ligands with mild complexing power are suitable for the formation of cerium oxide films by anodic electrodeposition. The deposition conditions investigated include deposition modes, substrates, complexing agents, pH, temperature, and current density. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy characterizations of the cerium oxide films show that the texture of the films can be controlled by temperature, pH, and current density. XRD analysis reveals that CeO 2 thin films deposited with crystallite sizes as small as 6 nm are possible with this method. A preferred (111) orientation of polycrystalline CeO 2 is formed when the plating bath temperature is higher than 50°C and the current density lower than 0.30 mA/cm 2 . XPS results reveal that the cerium oxide films deposited at room temperature are nonstoichiometric.
Searching for conformationally-selective small molecule therapeutics using ion mobility-mass spectrometry (227.1)

Mass Spectrometry (MS) plays a number of key roles in the discovery and development phases for modern pharmaceutical compounds. Historically, however, MS has had a relatively limited role the drug discovery process in comparison to high-throughput fluorescence and radiometric screens. This picture may be changing, however, as many presumptive protein targets are coupled to human disease pathways through specific protein-protein interactions and protein conformations, rather than through enzyme activities. This fact is driving the development of high-throughput analytical tools that put a stronger emphasis on protein structure information. We have been actively developing nano-electrospray ionization coupled to ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) into such a tool. Our IM-MS protocols include the collision induced unfolding (CIU) of proteins and complexes, which functions as a highly-sensitive and selective analog of isothermal calorimetry for gas-phase protein-ligand complexes, able to characterize prot...
Human resources engineering: a new challenge.

The concept of human resources engineering is introduced, which is the process of using human skill resources as factors in design trade-off studies. The development of the military's response to human resources needs in systems is traced from the reacting phase, through the current predicting phase, to a possible future phase involving some degree of control. The implementation of the control phase will require a human resources engineering technology. The establishing of such a technology will require research in the areas of data structuring, methods for relating data to design and life cycle costing, and computerized banks of human resources data.
Simulation Studies of Different Dimensions of Users' Interests and their Impact on User Modeling and Information Filtering

Modeling users in information filtering systems is a difficult challenge due to dimensions such as nature, scope, and variability of interests. Numerous machine-learning approaches have been proposed for user modeling in filtering systems. The focus has been primarily on techniques for user model capture and representation, with relatively simple assumptions made about the type of users' interests. Although many studies claim to deal with “adaptive” techniques and thus they pay heed to the fact that different types of interests must be modeled or even changes in interests have to be captured, few studies have actually focused on the dynamic nature and the variability of user-interests and their impact on the modeling process. A simulation based information filtering environment called SIMSFITER was developed to overcome some of the barriers associated with conducting studies on user-oriented factors that can impact interests. SIMSIFTER implemented a user modeling approach known as reinforcement learning that has proven to be effective in previous filtering studies involving humans. This paper reports on several studies conducted using SIMSIFTER that examined the impact of key dimensions such as type of interests, rate of change of interests and level of user-involvement on modeling accuracy and ultimately on filtering effectiveness.
Integrated graph cuts for brain MRI segmentation

Brain MRI segmentation remains a challenging problem in spite of numerous existing techniques. To overcome the inherent difficulties associated with this segmentation problem, we present a new method of information integration in a graph based framework. In addition to image intensity, tissue priors and local boundary information are integrated into the edge weight metrics in the graph. Furthermore, inhomogeneity correction is incorporated by adaptively adjusting the edge weights according to the intermediate inhomogeneity estimation. In the validation experiments of simulated brain MRIs, the proposed method outperformed a segmentation method based on iterated conditional modes (ICM), which is a commonly used optimization method in medical image segmentation. In the experiments of real neonatal brain MRIs, the results of the proposed method have good overlap with the manual segmentations by human experts.
DCE-MRI pixel-by-pixel quantitative curve pattern analysis and its application to osteosarcoma.

Purpose To present a novel curve pattern analysis (CPA) method to characterize and quantify signal curves from the dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data without any prerequisites such as arterial input function (AIF) or T1 measurement. Materials and Methods CPA parameters represent characteristics of the scaled DCE signal curve. Simulations were performed to investigate the dependence of CPA parameters on T1, TR, and flip angle. In vivo studies were performed on five pediatric patients with osteosarcoma. Parametric maps were generated using the CPA method and a pharmacokinetic model-based method for comparison. Results Simulations show that CPA parameters varied less than 2% when T1 changed from 300 msec to 1500 msec, and less than 10% when the flip angle changed from 30° to 40°. Various curve patterns can be qualitatively identified and recognized from CPA parameter maps. Simulation and in vivo studies showed that the CPA parameter had a strong correlation with kep, with correlation coefficients of 0.9983 in the simulation and 0.95 in the in vivo studies. Conclusion A novel CPA method is presented. Simulations and in vivo studies showed that the CPA method provides a feasible alternative to quantifying DCE-MRI studies with possibly higher repeatability by minimizing variations potentially induced by AIF and T1 estimations and model dependence. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;30:177–184. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Spurious heart disease in athletic children

Three adolescent children are presented who had in common muscular physique, bradycardia, and electrocardiographic and/or roentgenographic evidence of cardiomegaly and systolic murmurs. One subject also had systemic hypertension. By cardiac catheterization, all three were found to have essentially normal hemodynamics. The abnormal clinical and laboratory findings can be explained by the effects of exercise. Because it is easily confused with organic cardiovascular disease, the pediatrician should be aware of this syndrome.
GSK-3β: a signaling pathway node modulating neural stem cell and endothelial cell interactions

The neurogenic areas of the brain are highly organized structures in which there is dynamic reciprocal modulation of neural stem cells (NSC) and microvascular endothelial cells (BEC) resulting in control of neural stem cell and vascular proliferation, survival and differentiation throughout the life of the individual. Select molecules such as GSK-3β, functioning as signaling nodes, and their downstream signaling components including HIF-1α, HIF-2α and β-catenin participate in regulating and orchestrating the diverse responses involved in this complex process. In this report we demonstrate GSK-3β’s role as a signaling node in two mouse strains (C57BL/6, which have been found to respond to and recover from a hypoxic insult from P3 to P11 poorly and CD-1, which have been found to respond to and recover from a hypoxic insult from P3 to P11 well both in vivo and in vitro) which mimic the wide range of responsiveness to hypoxic insult observed in the very low birth weight premature infant population. Differences in levels of neural stem cell and microvascular endothelial cell GSK-3β activation, β-catenin serine phosphorylation, HIF-1α and 2α, BDNF, SDF-1 and VEGF, β-III-tubulin and cleaved notch-1 expression in C57BL/6 and CD-1 subventricular zone tissues, and cultured NSC and BEC were noted. Specifically, CD1 pups, SVZ tissues and isolated NSC and BEC exhibit less GSK-3β and β-catenin serine phoslphorylation and greater HIF-1α and 2α, BDNF, SDF-1 and VEGF, β-III-tubulin and cleaved notch-1 expression compared to C57BL/6. Correlating with these changes were differences of several neural stem cell and microvascular endothelial cell behaviors including proliferation, apoptosis, migration and differentiation with CD1 NSC exhibiting greater proliferation and migration and decreased apoptosis and differentiation and CD1 BEC exhibiting greater angiogenesis. Further, upon treatment with nanomolar concentrations of a GSK-3β inhibitor (SB412682), C57 NSC and BEC behaviors could be brought to CD1 levels, consistent with the concept of GSK-3β functioning as a multifunctional signaling pathway node, modulating several behaviors in these cells. Lastly, the therapeutic potential of targeting GSK-3β is discussed.
Novel family-based approaches to genetic risk in thrombosis

Summary. The genetic basis of thrombosis is complex, involving multiple genes and environmental factors. The field of common complex disease genetics has progressed enormously over the past 10 years with the development of powerful new molecular and analytical strategies that enable localization and identification of the causative genetic variants. During the course of these advances, a major paradigmatic change has been taking place that focuses on the genetic analysis of measurable quantitative traits that are correlated with disease risk vs. the previous emphasis on the analysis of the much less informative dichotomous disease trait. Because of their closer proximity to direct gene action, disease-related quantitative phenotypes represent our best chance to identify the underlying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence disease susceptibility. This approach works best when data can be collected on extended families. Unfortunately, family-based designs are still relatively rare in thrombosis/hemostasis studies. In this review, we detail the reasons why the field would benefit from a more vigorous pursuit of modern family-based genetic studies.
Insertion reactions involving a triamidoamine-supported zirconium complex

The reactivity of a triamidoamine-supported zirconium complex, [κ5-N,N,N,N,C-(Me3SiNCH2CH2)2NCH2CH2NSiMe2CH2]Zr (1), toward polar, small-molecule substrates including isocyanides, organic azides, carbodiimides, nitriles, and ketones has been explored. The small-molecule substrates were found to react with the Zr–C bond of complex 1via 1,1- or 1,2-insertion modes, affording ring-expanded products containing new zirconium–carbon, zirconium–nitrogen, or zirconium–oxygen bonds. Solid-state structures of a 1,1-insertion product [κ6-N,N,N,N,N,N-(Me3SiNCH2CH2)2NCH2CH2NSiMe2CH2N(NNCH2Ph)]Zr (3) and a 1,2-insertion product [κ5-N,N,N,N,O-(Me3SiNCH2CH2)2NCH2CH2NSiMe2CH2CPh2O]Zr (5) are reported.
Reconciling observations of global temperature change

[1] It is suggested that the much publicized discrepancy between observed surface global mean temperature and global mean atmospheric temperature from 1979 to the present may be due to the fact that the atmosphere underwent a jump in temperature in 1976 (before the satellite temperature series began), and that the surface response was delayed for about a decade due to the ocean heat capacity. The ocean delay depends on both climate sensitivity and vertical heat transport within the ocean. It is shown that the observed delay is best simulated when sensitivity to doubling of CO2 is less than about 1C.
Low-temperature lattice heat conduction in high-resistivity alloys

Abstract It is shown theoretically that for high-resistivity alloys the lattice thermal conductivity K l is proportional to T , the absolute temperature, and to ρ 0 , the residual electrical resistivity. At higher temperatures (but θ 20 ) or lower resistivities, K l becomes proportional to T 2 and independent of ρ 0 this is the behavior generally observed in alloys for which ρ 0 is less than ∼ 10 μΩ cm. The theory is verified by measurements on a series of silver-antimony alloys, in which ρ 0 varies between 12 and 40 μΩ cm.
Enzymology of DNA in replication in prokaryotes

This review stresses recent developments in the in vitro study of DNA replication in prokaryotes. New insights into the enzymological mechanisms of initiation and elongation of leading and lagging strand DNA synthesis in ongoing studies are emphasized. Data from newly developed systems, such as those replicating oriC containing DNA or which are dependent on the lambda, O, and P proteins, are presented and the information compared to existing mechanisms. Evidence bearing on the coupling of DNA synthesis on both parental strands through protein-protein interactions and on the turnover of the elongation systems are analyzed. The structure of replication origins, and how their tertiary structure affects recognition and interaction with the various replication proteins is discussed.
R-b in supergravity grand unification with nonuniversal soft supersymmetry breaking

An analysis of supersymmetric contributions to R{sub b} in supergravity grand unification with nonuniversal boundary conditions on soft supersymmetry breaking in the scalar sector is given. Effects on R{sub b} of Planck scale corrections on gaugino masses are also analyzed. It is found that there exist regions of the parameter space where positive corrections to R{sub b} of size {approximately}1{sigma} can be gotten. The region of the parameter space where enhancement of R{sub b} occurs is identified. Predictions of sparticle masses for the maximal R{sub b} case are given. The analysis has implications for the discovery of supersymmetric particles at colliders. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Through the Looking Glass: Reflections of Ageing Women In the Poetry of Nineteenth-Century France

AbstractThis article analyses representations of old women in nineteenth-century French poetry from the perspectives of gender and age studies. It surveys the material conditions of old women and considers canonical male-authored poetry, which tended to portray them either as 'la bonne vieille' or 'la vieille infâme'. These stereotypes reflect a socio-economic context that privileged youthful beauty and denigrated elderly women. Women poets (Girardin, Segalas, Ackermann, Siefert, Krysinska, Vivien) responded to cultural and poetic platitudes about old women, sometimes in acquiescence and sometimes with condemnation. Beyond its anxiety about the physical marks of ageing, women's poetry evaluated identities that shift with the passage of time. The mirror functions as a powerful symbol for this self-analysis, whether reflecting mourning for lost youth or the hopeful exploration of a new identity. In confronting the drama of ageing, women's poetry bespeaks real social burdens and the force of cultural stereot...
Two methods to define and compute visual buffer strips in a forested environment

Several approaches can be used to define and construct visual buffer strips around proposed new facility sites in a forested environment. A visual buffer strip of a given value, defines a region around an object within which the probability of an unblocked view of all or portions of it by an observer are less than the buffer strip probability value. Two primary approaches are used to define visual buffer strips that take into account the size of the vegetative elements and their individual effects on visibility. Several variations and combinations of the approaches are possible. One approach defines a visual buffer strip based on the average probability of a clear view of points along the object by an observer; the other approach is based on the visibility of the feature as a whole. The computation and construction of visual buffer strips based on these two concepts are presented. Comparisons of the two approaches for specific feature shapes are also described.
Optimal multilateral contracts

The purpose of this paper is to derive the structure of optimal multilateral contracts in a costly state verification model with multiple agents who may be risk averse and need not be identical. We consider two different verification technology specifications. When the verification technology is deterministic, we show that the optimal contract is a multilateral debt contract in the sense that the monitoring set is a lower interval. When the verification technology is stochastic, we show that transfers and monitoring probabilities are decreasing functions of wealth. The key economic problem in this environment is that optimal contracts areinterdependent. We are able to resolve this interdependency problem by using abstract measure theoretic tools.
Chemical weathering in two Adirondack watersheds: Past and present-day rates

Rates of chemical weathering in two forested Adirondack watersheds were determined from mineral and elemental depletion trends in soil profiles and from input/output budgets based on precipitation and surface-water chemistry. Long-term rates of weathering have averaged about 500 to 600 eq/ha·yr for both watersheds since the glaciers retreated from the region about 14,000 yr ago. Present-day denudation rates average 1679 eq/ha·yr in the Panther Lake watershed and only 198 eq/ha·yr in the Woods Lake watershed. Mineral weathering reactions in both watersheds involve primarily the dissolution of plagioclase, potassium feldspar, and hornblende. Mass balance calculations, however, indicate that hornblende weathers in disproportionately large amounts in the Panther Lake watershed relative to its abundance in soils and till. Cation exchange in the glacial till mantling the Panther Lake watershed may also play an important role in controlling surface-water chemistry in the basin. In the Panther Lake watershed, the current rate of weathering, which is about a factor of 3 greater than the long-term average, may reflect a recent adjustment for higher hydrogen ion fluxes brought about by acid deposition. The capacity of the thick till deposits in the Panther Lake watershed to neutralize acidity is ultimately reflected by the circum-neutrality of Panther Lake. In the Woods Lake watershed, the soils and thin till deposits cannot effectively neutralize current acid loadings and, therefore, Woods Lake is acidic with a pH below 5.
Prospective assessment of the impact of feedback on colonoscopy performance

Summary Background Colonoscopy is an operator-dependent procedure. The medical literature describes disparity in colonoscopy performance with respect to polyp detection, caecal intubation rates and procedural times. Aim To assess prospectively the impact of feedback among a large cohort of colonoscopists on three performance parameters: caecal intubation rate, insertion time and withdrawal time. Method In a prospective clinical study, procedural data from all out-patient colonoscopies performed by attending gastroenterologists at our institution were recorded routinely in a computerized database. Enhanced serial feedback was provided on a quarterly basis for three procedure parameters: intubation to caecum, insertion time and withdrawal time. Feedback (absolute value, % rank and group distribution) was sent by email every 3 months beginning with January 2005 feedback for all of 2004, and subsequently quarterly in April 2005 (for January–March 2005), July 2005 (for April–June 2005) and October 2005 (for July–September 2005). Results Feedback was provided to 58 endoscopists with a median experience level of 8 years. There was a relative decline of 19% in incomplete procedures, with median caecal non-intubation rates decreasing from 4.7% to 3.8% following the introduction of feedback while median insertion times declined from 10.6 to 9.5 mins, P = 0.02. Median withdrawal times did not change significantly, 9.1–8.9 mins, P = 0.6. Conclusions Feedback by email appears to improve colonoscopy performance, enhancing completion rates and shortening insertion times without compromising withdrawal times.
Lysophosphatidic acid signaling controls cortical actin assembly and cytoarchitecture in Xenopus embryos

The mechanisms that control shape and rigidity of early embryos are not well understood, and yet are required for all embryonic processes to take place. In the Xenopus blastula, the cortical actin network in each blastomere is required for the maintenance of overall embryonic shape and rigidity. However, the mechanism whereby each cell assembles the appropriate pattern and number of actin filament bundles is not known. The existence of a similar network in each blastomere suggests two possibilities: cell-autonomous inheritance of instructions from the egg; or mutual intercellular signaling mediated by cell contact or diffusible signals. We show that intercellular signaling is required for the correct pattern of cortical actin assembly in Xenopus embryos, and that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and its receptors, corresponding to LPA1 and LPA2 in mammals, are both necessary and sufficient for this function.
Gene-specific Changes in Promoter Occupancy by Thyroid Hormone Receptor during Frog Metamorphosis IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENTAL GENE REGULATION

In all vertebrates, thyroid hormones (TH) affect postembryonic development. The role of the TH receptor (TR) in mediating the TH signal is complex as evidenced by divergent phenotypes in mice lacking TH compared with TR knock-out mice. We have proposed a dual function model for TR during development based on studies of frog metamorphosis. Here we examined an important assumption of this dual function model by using the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, namely constitutive TR binding to promoters in vivo. We examined two target genes with TH-response elements (TRE) in their promoters, TRβ itself and TH/bZIP (TH-responsive basic leucine zipper transcription factor). By using an antibody that recognizes both TRα and TRβ, we found that TR binding to the TRβ promoter is indeed constitutive. Most surprisingly, TR binding to the TH/bZIP promoter increases dramatically after TH treatment of premetamorphic tadpoles and during metamorphosis. By using an antibody specific to TRβ,TRβ binding increases at both promoters in response to TH. In vitro biochemical studies showed that TRs bind TH/bZIP TRE with 4-fold lower affinity than to TRβ TRE. Our data show that only high affinity TRβ TRE is occupied by limiting levels of TR during premetamorphosis and that lower affinity TH/bZIP TRE becomes occupied only when overall the TR expression is higher during metamorphosis. These data provide the first in vivo evidence to suggest that one mechanism for tissue- and gene-specific regulation of TR target gene expression is through tissue and developmental stage-dependent regulation of TR levels, likely a critical mechanism for coordinating development in different organs during postembryonic development.
On the measurement of extracellular space in slices prepared from different rat brain areas.

Abstract Extracellular space values were determined with either 14 C-sucrose or 14 C-inulin at different incubation time intervals (30 and 60 min) in rat brain slices prepared from the cerebellum, cortex, striatum and hypothalamus. At both time intervals and in all brain area slices, 14 C-sucrose spaces were larger than 14 C-inulin spaces. Efflux of 14 C-sucrose but not of inulin could be resolved into two linear components with half-times of 1.6 and 15.0 min. Efflux of 22 Na from each of the different brain areas also could be separated into two distinct components, the slower of which was increased by ouabain. Similarities between 22 Na and 14 C-sucrose movements indicate that there is a cellular accumulation of sucrose but not of inulin. An accurate estimation of functional extracellular space in brain slices could be derived from either the 14 C-inulin space or the 14 C-sucrose space corrected for cellular uptake. Values obtained range from approximately 12 ml/100 g (cortex) to 20 ml/100 g (cerebellum).
Adolescents' use of the built environment for physical activity

Background: Physical activity is a health-enhancing behavior, but few adolescents achieve the recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Understanding how adolescents use different built environment spaces for physical activity and activity varies by location could help in designing effective interventions to promote moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The objective of this study was to describe the locations where adolescents engage in physical activity and compare traditional intensity-based measures with continuous activity when describing built environment use patterns among adolescents. Methods: Eighty adolescents aged 11–14 years recruited from community health and recreation centers. Adolescents wore accelerometers (Actigraph GT3X) and global positioning system receivers (QStarz BT-Q1000XT) for two separate weeks to record their physical activity levels and locations. Accelerometer data provided a continuous measure of physical activity and intensity-based measures (sedentary time, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity). Physical activity was mapped by land-use classification (home, school, park, playground, streets & sidewalks, other) using geographic information systems and this location-based activity was assessed for both continuous and intensity-based physical activity derived from mixed-effects models which accounted for repeated measures and clustering effects within person, date, school, and town. Results: Mean daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was 22 minutes, mean sedentary time was 134 minutes. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity occurred in bouts lasting up to 15 minutes. Compared to being at home, being at school, on the streets and sidewalks, in parks, and playgrounds were all associated with greater odds of being in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and achieving higher overall activity levels. Playground use was associated with the highest physical activity level (β= 172 activity counts per minute, SE = 4, p < 0.0001) and greatest odds of being in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (odds ratio 8.3, 95% confidence interval 4.8-14.2). Conclusion: Adolescents were more likely to engage in physical activity, and achieved their highest physical activity levels, when using built environments located outdoors. Novel objective methods for determining physical activity can provide insight into adolescents’ spatial physical activity patterns, which could help guide physical activity interventions. Promoting zoning and health policies that encourage the design and regular use of outdoor spaces may offer another promising opportunity for increasing adolescent physical activity.
Isotope tracer measures of meal fatty acid metabolism: reproducibility and effects of the menstrual cycle.

Oxidation and adipose tissue uptake of dietary fat can be measured by adding fatty acid tracers to meals. These studies were conducted to measure between-study variability of these types of experim...
Forces on dislocations and inhomogeneities in the gauge theory of defects

Abstract Previous studies have shown that the gauge theory of dislocations predicts that effective stress and effective linear momentum are the agencies that drive dislocation in finite bodies with applied tractions. The purpose of this article is to obtain an evaluation of the forces of interaction between the dislocations and the material properties for finite bodies with applied tractions. A careful examination of the variational arguments underlying such calculations is shown to provide explicit evaluations of the forces that arise because of spatial and temporal inhomogeneities. The interaction forces for finite material bodies are shown to have the same form as those for bodies of infinite spatial extent, provided the total stress and linear momentum are replaced by the effective stress and effective linear momentum. Implications of these results are discussed.
THE ACCUMULATION AND LOSS OF DIELDRIN AND ENDRIN IN THE EASTERN OYSTER

Oysters demonstrated an ability to significantly concentrate dieldrin and endrin. Concentration ratios obtained after 168-hr exposures to endrin were 1670 at 0.1Μg/L and 2780 at 50Μg/L. Dieldrin was concentrated to higher levels. Exposure to14C-Iabelled dieldrin at 0.5Μg/L produced whole body concentrations 2880 times the ambient level at 168 hr, while exposure to nineΜg/L of dieldrin resulted in a
Nonlinear polarizability of correlated one-dimensional systems.

Polymers have been found to be materials with very nonlinear optical properties. Previous theories of polymer polarizability have used noninteracting electronic models. We study the effect of electronic correlations on the polarizability and hyperpolarizability of one-dimensional systems. We consider the Hubbard model for interacting systems and solve exactly finite chains in the presence of an electric field. For the case of one electron per site, the linear polarizability decreases with interaction, as expected from the decrease of charge fluctuations. The hyperpolarizability, however, shows a more interesting behavior: it first increases as a function of interaction and then decreases after reaching a maximum. We understand this effect in a spin-dependent Hartree-Fock treatment of the electronic correlations.