cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
It's a just world no matter which way you look at it.

ABSTRACT According to the confluence theory (D. Trafimow, 2009), there is a general tendency of associated mental elements to become compatible with each other. It is possible to derive a reversibility principle from this theory; effects that have been shown to go in 1 direction also can be shown to go in the other direction. Two experiments applied these ideas to just-world phenomena. In Experiment 1, the authors replicated traditional just-world effects but also demonstrated that they occur in the reverse direction. In Experiment 2, the authors extend the notion of compatibility by showing that the value participants assigned to luck is influenced by the assumed goodness or badness of the person involved. The authors also obtained a “contagion” effect whereby a person associated with the target person was tainted by the target person's goodness or badness.
Identification of an antiapoptotic protein complex at death receptors

Stimulation of death receptors activates the extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway that leads to cell death. Although many steps of this apoptotic signaling cascade are known, few mechanisms that counterbalance the death signal have been described. We identified an antiapoptotic protein complex associated with death receptors that contains glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), DDX3 and cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein-1 (cIAP-1). GSK3, DDX3 and cIAP-1 are associated in cells with each other and with death receptors. Blocking the actions of GSK3 or DDX3 potentiated caspase-3 activation induced by stimulation of four different death receptors in several types of cells. GSK3 restrained apoptotic signaling by inhibiting formation of the death-inducing signaling complex and caspase-8 activation. Stimulated death receptors surmount the antiapoptotic complex by causing GSK3 inactivation and cleavage of DDX3 and cIAP-1 to enable progression of the apoptotic signaling cascade, but the antiapoptotic complex remains functional in cancer cells resistant to death receptor stimulation, a resistance that is overcome by GSK3 inhibitors. Thus, an antiapoptotic complex of GSK3, DDX3 and cIAP-1 caps death receptors, providing a checkpoint to counterbalance apoptotic signaling.
Does Dissatisfaction With Health Plans Stem From Having No Choices

Data from a 1997 nationwide telephone survey are used to assess the relationship between choice and public opinion about managed care. We found that only a minority of the working-age population effectively control what health plan they get. Persons without choice were markedly more dissatisfied with their health plan, especially when enrolled in managed care. In multivariate analysis, how respondents rated their health plan depended as much on whether they lacked choice as on whether they were enrolled in managed care. Persons without choice also had more negative opinions about managed care in general. The results suggest that the managed care "backlash" may persist so long as consumers have little control over health insurance decisions.
Sleep Disturbances in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Severe Intellectual Impairments.

Sleep disturbances are a significant problem for persons with developmental disabilities. These problems occur at a higher rate than what is observed in the typically developing population, and persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) appear to be at a higher risk than individuals with other developmental disabilities. However, another major risk is intellectual disability (ID). These two groups of disorders overlap to a substantial degree. Thus, persons with ASD and ID appear to be particularly susceptible to sleep disturbances. These sleep problems can have serious consequences beyond sleep, particularly with respect to increased challenging behaviors and as an impediment to learning. Despite these concerns, adults with ASD and ID have been largely neglected with respect to the study of these nocturnal difficulties. In this report, 168 adults with ASD and ID were compared to 166 adults with ID alone in regard to sleep disturbance and related difficulties. Individuals in the ASD group presented with ...
The cell-cycle dependence of the spectra of proliferating normal and neoplastic single cells using confocal resonance Raman microspectroscopy

Confocal resonance Raman (RR) spectra were collected from single proliferating cells and analyzed to detect spectral patterns that are cell-cycle dependent, as a consequence of cellular proliferation — normal or abnormal. The cells’ biochemical age at each time point was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining to identify the presence or absence of cellular components that appear and/or disappear as the cells proceed through the cell-cycle. The RR spectra were collected and compared for each time point as the cells proceeded through the cell cycle to determine what spectral vibrational patterns are cell-cycle dependent. In this study, the question is whether the cell-cycle dependent RR spectral patterns of the vibrational modes observed in proliferating normal and neoplastic single cells are due to a state of cancer or are simply the consequences of the cells’ changing internal biochemistry due to the process of cellular proliferation --- normal or abnormal.
Sources of normal and anomalous motion in retinoscopy.

Purpose Besides the classic "with," "against," and "neutral" absence of motion, retinoscopic reflexes can display anomalous "with" motion in myopia. A model is presented that explains the source of this anomalous motion, as well as quantifies the appearance of retinoscopic motion in myopia and hyperopia. Methods Various 2 x 2 matrices were created to describe schematic eyes for a +20 D trial lens, a Gullstrand #1 schematic eye, and an infant schematic eye. Rays from the retinoscope were traced paraxially through these matrices over a full transit of the retinoscope beam across the pupil. Retinal position of the edge of the reflex visible to the observer was plotted as a function of pupil sizes from 2 mm to 16 mm for -5.00 D and +2.00 D refractive errors for the +20 D trial lens. Results The edge of the retinoscopic reflex could be formed by one of two sources: the edge of the retinoscope beam itself, or the shadow cast by the beam against the edge of the pupil. Anomalous "with" motion arose in myopia when the edge of the reflex was formed by the edge of the beam. The edge of the beam was also visible in hyperopia but did not create anomalous motion. The retinoscope peephole was not involved in the formation of the edge of the reflex. The degree of anomalous motion increased with greater myopia and pupil size. Measured pupil sizes needed to completely eliminate anomalous motion agreed well with those predicted by the model, except at the largest pupil sizes. The limit for anomalous motion depended only on pupil size, refractive error, and working distance but not on whether the system matrix represented the trial lens, a Gullstrand #1 eye, or an infant eye. Conclusions Seeing the edge of the beam at large pupil sizes during retinoscopy creates anomalous "with" motion in myopia but may make the reflex easier to see in hyperopia. Anomalous "with" motion in myopia can be managed by adjustment of pupil size, working distance, or net corrected refractive error. Aside from possible effects of aberrations, retinoscopic motion appears to be consistent across various paraxial optical systems for a given refractive error and pupil size.
Psychological Antecedents of Risk-Taking Behavior in Construction

AbstractDespite strong advancements in construction safety performance over the past few decades, injuries still occur at an unacceptable rate. Researchers have shown that risk-taking behavior, originating mainly from inaccurate perception and unacceptable tolerance of safety risk, is a significant factor in a majority of construction injuries. Based on psychology research that suggests cognitive interactions between emotions and risk perception, the hypothesis was formed that there are objectively measureable differences in construction safety risk perception between people in different emotional states. To test this hypothesis, a controlled experiment was designed and conducted that (1) induced various positive and negative emotions in 69 subjects using validated movie excerpts; (2) measured emotional states using a validated post-film questionnaire; (3) exposed participants to construction hazards within a high fidelity virtual environment; and (4) measured subjects’ perceptions of the risk related to ...
MTV-style home video generation via tempo analysis

Intelligent video pre-processing and authoring techniques that facilitate people to create MTV-style music video clips are investigated in this research. First, we present an automatic approach to detect and remove bad shots often occurring in home video, such as video with poor lighting or motion blur. Then, we consider the generation of MTV-style video clips by performing video and music tempo analysis and seeking an effective way in matching these two tempos. Experiment results are given to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed techniques for home video editing.
Redesign of a Hospital's Internal Medicine Service

Hospital internal medicine and family practice care were redesigned in July 1995 at Kaiser Permanente of Colorado. The objectives were to provide for a full time dedicated inpatient team, improve continuity of care, and establish a two-tiered process of admission. Physicians were divided into four tracks that marked varying degrees of time in the hospital. A position of triage physician was created that screened all potential admissions to internal medicine. Hospital inpatient days per thousand members, unadjusted lengths of stay, patient readmission rates, and satisfaction questionnaires were obtained both before and after the change. The change achieved significant reductions in unadjusted average lengths of stay and days per thousand without diminishing quality of care, as reflected by hospital readmission rates and by patient satisfaction surveys.
Probabilistic Presentation of the Still Water Loads of Tankers. Which Way Ahead

This paper analyzes the state-of-the-art concerning this subject. The objectives are (1) to provide data of still water bending moments and shear forces that were collected from loading manuals of dozens of tankers, (2) to conduct statistical analysis of the loading cases, and (3) to discuss possible ways for further improvement of knowledge about the variability of still water loads during real ships’ operation.
Spectacle and Vulgarity: Stripper Dance at Temple Festivals in Contemporary Taiwan

Starting in the early 1980s, female striptease shows mounted on the backs of trucks, known as "electronic festooned vehicles" (EFVs), have been popular entertainments offered to the deities at temple festivals. The EFV takes the "realities" of contemporary Taiwanese society—sexism, capitalism, and social hierarchy—and re-presents them in an evocative/provocative form.
Vibrational energy relaxation pathways of water

Abstract Vibrational energy relaxation (VR) of the OH stretch ν OH and bend δ H 2 O in water is studied by the mid-IR pump with anti-Stokes Raman probe technique. The broad ν OH band in water consists of two inhomogeneously broadened subbands. VR in the larger red-shifted subband ν OH R , with T 1 =0.55 ps, is shown to occur by the mechanism ν OH → δ H 2 O (1/3) and ν OH → ground state (2/3). VR in the smaller longer-lived blue-shifted subband ν OH B , with T 1 =0.75 ps, occurs by the mechanism ν OH → ground state. The bending fundamental δ H 2 O decays directly to the ground state with T 1 =1.4 ps.
Nitrogen oxides, regional transport, and ozone air quality: Results of a regional-scale model for the midwestern United States

An overview of the role of NOx in the formation of rural O3, regional transport and its potential impact on urban air quality is presented. An analysis of a specific O3 excursion in southeast Michigan (8-2-90) is performed based on a combined urban and regional-scale model. The regional component of the model represents transport and photochemistry from sources as far away as Texas. Results suggest that rural O3 and regional transport sensitive to NOx emissions and relatively insensitive to changes in volatile organic carbon (VOC) emissions. This differs from the situation in urban areas, where O3 is sensitive to both NOx and VOC. Regional transport and upwind NOx emissions have a significant impact on peak O3 in Detroit. Implications for urban and regional-scale abatement strategies are discussed.
Frontal lesions and illumination effects upon the activity of the albino rat

Abstract Cage activity under conditions of light and dark was studied in normal rats, rats with frontal cortical ablations, and rats with deep ablation of the frontal poles. The effects of the lesions were significant and the effects of illumination varied among the three groups of subjects.
A spectral sequence determining the homology of Out(Fn) in terms of its mapping class subgroups

We construct a covering of the spine of the Culler?Vogtmann outer space Out(Fn) by complexes of ribbon graphs. By considering the equivariant homology for the action of Out(Fn) on this covering, we construct a spectral sequence converging to the homology of Out(Fn) that has its E1 terms given by the homology of mapping class groups and their subgroups. This spectral sequence can be seen as encoding all of the information of how the homology of Out(Fn) is related to the homology of mapping class groups and their subgroups
Physical Sciences: Sunspots And Planetary Orbits

THE possibility of a relationship between the periods of the sunspot cycle and the periods of the rotation of the planets has been investigated by several authors1–5. Such an interaction could be mediated by non-linear processes of gravitational wave conversion of the type which may, for example, be responsible for the acceleration of the equator of the Sun6,7. On the face of things, the most likely relationship should be that between the sunspot cycle and the period of rotation of Jupiter, gravitationally the dominant planet, but non-linear may imply that cross modulation products representing the combined effects of two or more planets may be the most easily recognizable.
High-quality approximation of eigenvalues in structural optimization

A new function for approximating natural frequency constraints during structural optimization is presented. The Rayleigh Quotient Approximation (RQA) presented here icreases the quality of the approximate frequency constraint by approximating the modal strain and kinetic energies instead of the frequency eigenvalue itself
Thermochemical studies of benzoylnitrene radical anion: the N-H bond dissociation energy in benzamide in the gas phase.

The thermochemical properties of benzoylnitrene radical anion, C6H5CON-, were determined by using a combination of energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation (CID) and proton affinity bracketin...
A comparison of two methods of measuring conditioned taste aversions

Two methods of measuring conditioned taste aversions were compared. Following adaptation to a daily 10-min water drinking schedule, rats were made ill with an injection of cyclophosphamide after presentation of a novel-tasting fluid. Three days after this treatment, Ss were tested by (1) measuring the amount of the novel fluid consumed on the continuing 10-min access schedule or (2) measuring their preference between plain water and the novel fluid. When the drinking behavior of the conditioned animals was compared with that of appropriate controls, the preference method proved to be the more sensitive.
Composite Medium with Simultaneously Negative Permeability and Permittivity

We demonstrate a composite medium, based on a periodic array of interspaced conducting nonmagnetic split ring resonators and continuous wires, that exhibits a frequency region in the microwave regime with
Inhibition of Dugesia tigrina auricle regeneration by inhibitors of polyamine synthesis

Results are presented that indicate polyamine synthesis inhibitors increase the flatwormDugesia tigrina's auricle regeneration time. This study serves as evidence that endogenous putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are necessary for the flatworm regeneration process.
Changes in nuclear macromolecules and nucleolar volume associated with selective ribosomal cistron activation by ethylene

Abstract Pieces of leaf base tissue from the equatorial region of the third turgid onion ( Allium cepa L.; yellow, sweet Spanish, quiescent tissue) leaf base with two visible major nucleoli (volume = 0.51 μm 3 ) and two inactive minor nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) in the outer epidermal cells were placed in shallow water (time = T 0 control). After 3 h ( T 3 control), the two visible nucleoli enlarged (178% of T 0 ) and changed shape (from 88% round and 12% oval at T 0 to 5% round, 68% oval, 20% elongated-oval, and 7% dumbbell). The minor NORs remained inactive. Nuclear RNA and non-histone protein (nHP) increased (RNA = 128% and nHP = 134%, compared with T 0 data, set at 100%). The content of DNA and histone protein (H) in nuclei remained unchanged. Major nucleoli in pieces of onion placed in 10 −5 M ethylene enlarged and minor nucleoli became visible in 33% of the nuclei; i.e., ethylene acted as a selective ribosomal cistron regulator. The nucleolar volume (212% of T 0 ) was statistically greater than those for T 0 and T 3 . DNA and H remained unchanged (not statistically different) but RNA (159% of T 0 ) and nHP (169% of T 0 ) were greater (statistically significant) than those for T 0 and T 3 controls. Cobalt chloride (10 −5 M Co) alone or in 10 −5 M ethylene (Co + E) inhibited the enlargement of some of the major nucleoli and completely inhibited the appearance of minor nucleoli. The nucleolar volumes for the cobalt and for cobalt-ethylene treatments were significantly less than those for T 3 controls and ethylene treatment at T 3 . DNA and histone did not change. RNA and nHP were significantly less than the amounts obtained in T 3 controls and ethylene treatments suggesting inhibition or reversal of the ethylene-induced activation. We infer that when ethylene activated minor NORs, it stimulated rRNA, mRNA, and nHP synthesis. The amounts of rRNA that moved from the nucleus into the cytoplasm and of nHP that remained in the cytoplasm are not known.
Oral contrast enhances the resolution of in-life NIS reporter gene imaging

Sodium iodide symporter (NIS) reporter gene imaging is an excellent technology for noninvasive cell fate determination in living animals unless the NIS-transduced cells reside in perigastric organs such as the spleen, liver, diaphragm, omentum, pancreas, perigastric lymph nodes or perigastric tumor deposits. Here we report that orally administered barium sulfate enhances CT definition of the stomach, masks background gamma ray emissions from the stomach and enhances signal detection from radiotracer uptake in NIS-transduced organs.
Modeling the kinetics of vinyl chloride cometabolism by an ethane‐grown Pseudomonas sp.

Pseudomonas sp strain EA1 was isolated under aerobic conditions using ethane as the sole organic carbon and electron donor source, with an observed yield of 0.99 mg total suspended solids/mg ethane (0.85 mg volatile suspended solids / mg ethane) and a maximum specific growth rate of 0.015 d−1. When grown on ethane, EA1 cometabolizes vinyl chloride (VC) at a maximum rate of 0.350 μmol/mg volatile suspended solids/d and with a half saturation constant of 0.62 μM VC. The rate of VC use by EA1 is twice as high when ethane is also provided, even though consumption of ethane is almost completely inhibited until VC is consumed. The presence of ethane also reduces the total amount of VC cometabolized. A model was developed that adequately describes the batch kinetics of VC cometabolism in the presence and absence of ethane, as well as ethane metabolism in the presence and absence of VC. Terms are included that increase the initial rate of VC use in the presence of ethane (according to the ratio of initial ethane concentration to the half saturation coefficient) but decrease the total amount of VC cometabolized. Parameter estimates for the model were obtained using a step-wise experimental approach, with varying initial concentrations of VC and ethane. Strain EA1 completely dechlorinates VC in the presence and absence of ethane. Measurements of soluble chemical oxygen demand indicate that approximately 50% of the VC consumed is mineralized, with the balance released as soluble, nonchlorinated products. Ethene is not used as a substrate by EA1 but it does inhibit ethane metabolism and VC cometabolism. In mixtures containing all three compounds, more VC is degraded and at a faster rate compared to VC plus ethene. The results suggest that ethane-enhanced biodegradation of VC may contribute to VC removal at the aerobic fringe of groundwater plumes undergoing reductive dechlorination. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 71: 274–285, 2000/2001.
Long-term outcome and mortality trends in early-stage, Grade 1-2 follicular lymphoma treated with radiation therapy.

Purpose: To analyze long-term outcomes and causes of death in patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) for localized, low-grade follicular lymphoma. Methods and Materials: Between 1972 and 2000, 106 patients with Stage I–II, Grade 1–2 follicular lymphoma received RT alone or radiation and chemotherapy (RT/CT). Seventy-four percent had Stage I, and 26% had Stage II disease. Seventy-six percent received RT alone, and 24% received combined RT/CT. Second malignancy rates were compared with an age- and sex-matched population. Results: Median follow-up was 12 years. Median survival time was 19 years. The 5-, 10-, and 15-year overall survival (OS) rates were 93%, 75%, and 62%, respectively. Age ≥60 was the only significant adverse prognostic factor with respect to OS. There were 35 deaths, 20 of which were attributable to lymphoma. Freedom from treatment failure (FFTF) rates at 5, 10, and 15 years were 72%, 46%, and 39%, respectively. Forty-seven patients (48%) relapsed. Tumor size >3 cm was the only significant adverse factor for FFTF. Observed incidence of second malignancy did not significantly exceed expected incidence. Conclusions: Although patients with early-stage, low-grade follicular lymphoma have long median survival, the leading cause of death remains lymphoma. However, patients receiving RT do not have significantly elevated cumulative incidence of second malignancy.
Minimal index torsion-free subgroups of Kleinian groups

A Kleinian group Γ is a discrete subgroup of PSL(2, C), the full group of orientation-preserving isometries of 3-dimensional hyperbolic space. In the language of [T1] Q = H3/Γ is a hyperbolic 3-orbifold; that is a metric 3-orbifold in which all sectional curvatures are -1, and for which Γ is the orbifold fundamental group (see [T1] for further details). A Fuchsian group is a discrete subgroup of PSL(2, R) and as such acts discontinuously on the hyperbolic plane. We define Γ to be of finite co-volume (resp. co-area) if the volume (resp. area) of the quotient orbifold Q is finite. By Selberg’s Lemma, if Γ is a Kleinian (resp. Fuchsian) group of finite covolume (resp. co-area) it contains a torsion-free subgroup of finite index. By definition any torsion-free subgroup cannot contain any finite subgroups of Γ , so the index must be a multiple of the lowest common multiple of all orders of finite subgroups of Γ (see [CFJR] for a proof). Γ being of finite co-volume implies there are only finitely many conjugacy classes of finite subgroups. Thus, we make the following
Stereotypes and stigma: biased attributions in matching older persons with drawings of viruses?

To test whether germs are perceived as more harmful and threatening in stigmatized groups, photographs of young Black, young Hispanic, young White, and older White persons were shown for five seconds. Participants (N = 62) matched photographs with five drawings of viruses. The viruses were pre-rated by a separate sample (N = 39) and it was determined that the viruses formed a continuum along a 5-point scale from benign to threatening. Utilizing ANOVA, statistical significance was found (F(3,183) = 3.77,p < .05) between the four groups of photographs, with post-hoc analysis indicating differences between young Hispanic and older White persons. Perceptions of attractiveness (r = .5) may have influenced choice of virus matched with person.
Combination of adenoviral virotherapy and temozolomide chemotherapy eradicates malignant glioma through autophagic and apoptotic cell death in vivo

Conditionally replicative adenoviruses (CRAds) represent a novel treatment strategy for malignant glioma. Recent studies suggest that the cytopathic effect elicited by these vectors is mediated through autophagy, a form of programmed cell death. Likewise, temozolomide (TMZ), a chemotherapeutic agent used for the treatment of malignant gliomas, also triggers autophagic cell death. In this study, we examined the potential to combine the two treatments in the setting of experimental glioma. In vitro, pretreatment with TMZ followed by CRAd-Surivin-pk7 enhanced cytotoxicity against a panel of glioma cell lines. Western blot analysis showed increased expression of BAX and p53, decreased expression of BCL2 and elevated level of APG5. Treatment with TMZ followed by CRAd-Survivin-pk7 (CRAd-S-pk7) led to a significant over-expression of autophagy markers, acidic vesicular organelles and light-chain 3 (LC3). These results were further evaluated in vivo, in which 90% of the mice with intracranial tumours were long-term survivors (>100 days) after treatment with TMZ and CRAd-S-pk7 (P<0.01). Analysis of tumours ex vivo showed expression of both LC3 and cleaved Caspase-3, proving that both autophagy and apoptosis are responsible for cell death in vivo. These results suggest that combination of chemovirotherapy offers a powerful tool against malignant glioma and should be further explored in the clinical setting.
On the optimality of polar codes for the deterministic wiretap channel

The wiretap channel introduced by Wyner [1] in 1975 consists of a transmitter with a confidential message for an intended receiver that needs to be kept secret from an eavesdropper. The secrecy capacity of the wiretap channel quantifies the maximum rate at which a transmitter can reliably send a secret message to its intended recipient without it being decoded by an eavesdropper. While the secrecy capacity is achievable based upon a random-coding argument, constructing channel coding schemes that achieve the secrecy capacity for a general wiretap channel is still an open problem. In this paper, we show that polar coding is an optimal coding scheme in achieving the secrecy capacity for the deterministic wiretap channel, where the channel between the transmitter and the intended receiver and the channel between the transmitter and the eavesdropper are arbitrary and deterministic.
Nonimaging Optical Transformers For Fiber Optic Applications

Nonimaging optical transformers and their potential applications in fiber optics are dis-cussed. A newly discovered nonimaging optical design is described in detail. The new design known as 01/02 transformer, transforms a Lambertian source with an angular divergence 01 to a Lambertian source with an angular divergence Θ2, while preserving the phase space volume. Its potential applications are in launching light into multi-mode fibers as well as inter-connecting optical fibers. It is particularly in the interconnect problem that very low losses are of critical importance.
The Relationship Between Preoperative General Mental Health and Postoperative Quality of Life in Minimally Invasive Lumbar Spine Surgery

BACKGROUND In assessing poor lumbar surgery outcomes, researchers continue to investigate psychosocial predictors of patient postoperative quality of life. This is the first study of its kind to investigate this relationship in an exclusively minimally invasive patient sample. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between preoperative mental health and postoperative patient-centered outcomes in patients undergoing minimally invasive lumbar surgery. METHODS In 83 adults undergoing single-level minimally invasive lumbar spine surgery, Pearson correlation and partial correlation analyses were conducted between all demographic and clinical baseline variables and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey Version 2.0 (SF-36v2) scores at 6 to 12 months postoperatively. SF-36v2 mental component summary scores (MCS) were used to assess pre- and postoperative general mental health. Post hoc analysis consisted of Pearson correlations between baseline SF-36v2, ODI, and VAS scores, and an identical set of correlations at outcomes. RESULTS Preoperative MCS showed no significant association with outcomes VAS, ODI, or physical component summary scores. Baseline disability correlated significantly and more strongly with baseline MCS (P < .001, r = -0.40) than baseline pain levels (VAS back not significant, VAS leg P = .015, r = 0.27). Outcomes disability correlated significantly and more strongly with outcome back and leg pain levels (P < .001, r = 0.60 and 0.66) than outcome MCS (P = .031, r = -0.24). CONCLUSION In a patient sample with mental health scores comparable to the population mean, there is no relationship between preoperative general mental health and postoperative patient-centered outcomes. Surgeons should consider the dynamic relationships between patient disability, mental health, and pain levels in assessing quality of life at different time points.
Islam in Iran: Turmoil, transformation or transcendence?

Abstract The major symbolic structure of Shi'ite Islam in Iran is described through an analysis of popular religious dramas, mass street demonstrations and other widespread expressions of the meanings of the dominant religion. As a force for social change Shi'ism in Iran has been mainly a creator of social turmoil in defence of religious hope for the populace and in the interests of the religious hierarchy. The historic role of religion in Iran has been that of gyroscope trying to keep change from moving too precipitously away from Shi'ite world view. Religion and the clergy are uninterested, neutral or opposed to economic development and modernization, and they are capable of creating turmoil, less so of sparking transformation, and unable to organize society for transcendence.
Subacute developmental exposure of zebrafish to the organophosphate pesticide metabolite, chlorpyrifos-oxon, results in defects in Rohon-Beard sensory neuron development

Abstract Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are environmental toxicants known to inhibit the catalytic activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) resulting in hypercholinergic toxicity symptoms. In developing embryos, OPs have been hypothesized to affect both cholinergic and non-cholinergic pathways. In order to understand the neurological pathways affected by OP exposure during embryogenesis, we developed a subacute model of OP developmental exposure in zebrafish by exposing embryos to a dose of the OP metabolite chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPO) that is non-lethal and significantly inhibited AChE enzymatic activity compared to control embryos (43% at 1 day post-fertilization (dpf) and 11% at 2 dpf). Phenotypic analysis of CPO-exposed embryos demonstrated that embryonic growth, as analyzed by gross morphology, was normal in 85% of treated embryos. Muscle fiber formation was similar to control embryos as analyzed by birefringence, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) cluster formation was quantitatively similar to control embryos as analyzed by α-bungarotoxin staining. These results indicate that partial AChE activity during the early days of zebrafish development is sufficient for general development, muscle fiber, and nAChR development. Rohon-Beard (RB) sensory neurons exhibited aberrant peripheral axon extension and gene expression profiling suggests that several genes responsible for RB neurogenesis are down-regulated. Stability of CPO in egg water at 28.5 °C was determined by HPLC–UV-MS analysis which revealed that the CPO concentration used in our studies hydrolyzes in egg water with a half-life of 1 day. The result that developmental CPO exposure affected RB neurogenesis without affecting muscle fiber or nAChR cluster formation demonstrates that zebrafish are a strong model system for characterizing subtle neurological pathologies resulting from environmental toxicants.
Sentiment, care, and respect

Michael Slote proposes a rethinking of moral education from the perspective of a normative ethics of care combined with his distinctive sentimentalist metaethics. I raise questions concerning the role of empathy in Slote’s picture and argue that empathy is related to respect and sentiments through which we hold ourselves and one another accountable. Care in the sense of benevolent concern is a fundamentally different attitude from (recognition) respect: whereas the former is focused on its object’s well-being, the latter responds to a person’s dignity and authority to make claims and demands of us.
Renal histopathology of stone-forming patients with distal renal tubular acidosis

To define the renal tissue changes in stone-forming patients with distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA), we performed intra-operative papillary and cortical biopsies in five patients. The main abnormalities were plugging of inner medullary collecting ducts (IMCD) and Bellini ducts (BD) with deposits of calcium phosphate in the form of apatite; epithelial cell injury and loss was marked. Plugged ducts were surrounded by interstitial fibrosis, but the fibrosis was generalized, as well, and was a main feature of the histopathology even when plugging was not present. In contrast, common idiopathic calcium oxalate stone formers (SF) never manifest intra-tubule crystals or interstitial fibrosis. Patients with brushite (calcium monohydrogen phosphate) stones and those with cystine stones have many fewer IMCD and BD plugged with apatite (or cystine, in cystinuria), and interstitial fibrosis is limited to the regions around plugged ducts. Patients with dRTA often present a radiographic picture of nephrocalcinosis. Our direct surgical observations reveal that these may be surgically removable stones, especially in patients with well preserved renal function. In all, dRTA SF have a more diffuse papillary renal disease than other SF thus studied, and are also unusual for the degree of interstitial fibrosis.
Stem Cells in the News: CNN and APC Make Headlines

Stem cell self-renewal depends on their ability to divide asymmetrically, with one daughter retaining stem cell identity. This often involves precise orchestration of mitotic spindle orientation, but the machinery used to ensure this outcome is understood in only a handful of examples. In a recent issue of Science, Yamashita et al. provide new insights into the factors that control this process in the male germline of Drosophila, identifying roles for the centrosomal protein Centrosomin and tumor suppressor homologs of the APC family.
Carrier recombination in tailored multilayer Si/Si1−xGex nanostructures

Photoluminescence (PL) measurements were performed in Si/Si1−xGex nanostructures with a single Si0.92Ge0.08 nanometer-thick layer incorporated into Si/Si0.6Ge0.4 cluster multilayers. Under pulsed laser excitation, the PL decay associated with the Si0.92Ge0.08 nano-layer is found to be nearly a 1000 times faster compared to that in Si/Si0.6Ge0.4 cluster multilayers. A model considering Si/SiGe hetero-interface composition and explaining the fast and slow time-dependent recombination rates is proposed.
UV absorption cross-sections of the monomer and dimer of formic acid

Abstract Absorption cross-sections of the monomer and dimer of formic acid vapor at 302 K have been determined at 1 nm intervals from 195 to 250 nm by non-linear least-squares analysis of the per cent transmission of 29 pressures of formic acid at each wavelength. The observed blue shift of the absorption maximum of the dimer with respect to the monomer and the lack of vibrational structure in the spectrum of the dimer are discussed in terms of the effect of hydrogen bonding on n-π* transitions.
The Basic Contours of the Model of Planned Price-Formation

The only objective basis for the formation of the general level of prices is value. Value is formed in the process of the productive labor activity of persons under conditions of a social division of labor. The members of a socialist society and its production and consumption cells, as well as its territorial production complexes, continually exchange the results of their labor with each other. In the course of this process the necessity of adhering to the principle of equivalence in exchange insistently manifests itself.
Hidden Morbidity With “Successful” Early Discharge

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine if early postnatal discharge (EDC; ≤48 hours) in well newborns had an effect on the rate of hospital readmission within the first week after hospital discharge when compared to infants who remained >48 hours after birth (later discharge, LDC). STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective medical chart review. Charts of infants born between January 1994 and December 1998, discharged as “well newborns” and treated subsequently at a primary children's hospital within 7 days of neonatal discharge, were reviewed. Infants were categorized by length of neonatal hospital stay, level of medical intervention (emergency department treatment or hospital admission), and final diagnosis. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in hospital readmission rate for LDC infants when compared to EDC infants. When considering jaundice alone as an admitting diagnosis, EDC infants were admitted at a higher rate than LDC infants and with higher serum bilirubin concentrations. Readmitted, jaundiced infants had been almost always breast-fed. CONCLUSION: Overall, EDC of well newborns appears to be a safe and reasonable practice. However, the risk for severe jaundice is an unresolved issue that requires a discharge strategy and early follow-up to prevent serious morbidity.
On the conjugacy problem for knot groups

A method is developed to show word and conjugacy problems solvable for a large class of knot groups. The class includes groups of a large number of non-alternating knots for which no previous conjugacy results have been obtained. The method involves a modification of the small cancellation diagrams of Lyndon and Schupp applied to Wirtinger presentations of knot groups. The crucial tool is a dual to each small cancellation diagram consisting of a set of curves in the plane of a projection of the knot.
The Modern State and the Primitive Accumulation of Symbolic Power1

The exercise of symbolic power has become a privileged focus of scholarship on the state, but without much attention to how states acquired this power in the first place. This article lays a foundation for systematic historical inquiry into the primitive accumulation of symbolic power by modernizing states. It introduces an analytical framework for research on how new domains of administrative activity become recognized as legitimate state practices. This framework is deployed to analyze how a popular revolt in northeastern Brazil managed to frustrate the Brazilian state’s attempt to implement civil registration in the mid‐19th century. The conclusion considers broad implications of this analysis for students of modern state formation and suggests the need for comparative historical analyses that historicize the naturalization of state power.
Extended right hepatectomy in a liver with a non-bifurcating portal vein: the hanging maneuver protects the portal system in the presence of anomalies.

Variations in portal vein anatomy occur in 20–35 % of individuals. A non-bifurcating portal vein (PV) was suspected on preoperative imaging in a patient with a large right lobe hepatocellular carcinoma. The single PV curved within the liver parenchyma from right to left supplying second-order branches along its course. Utilizing the hanging maneuver, an extended right hemihepatectomy was safely performed. This approach allowed for preservation of the main PV and its left-sided branches while easily identifying the second-order right branches for ligation. Knowledge of portal vein variations and identification preoperatively by cross-sectional imaging are critical. The hanging maneuver aids in the preservation of the main portal vein and its left-sided branches during right hemihepatectomy in the presence of portal vein anomalies, and this technique can be used to improve safety in hepatobiliary surgery.
Analysis of pressure variations in a low-pressure nickel–hydrogen battery. Part 2: Cells with metal hydride storage

A sub-atmospheric pressure nickel hydrogen (Ni-H(2)) battery with metal hydride for hydrogen storage is developed for implantable neuroprosthetic devices. Pressure variations during charge and discharge of the cell are analyzed at different states of charge and are found to follow the desorption curve of the pressure composition isotherm (PCI) of the metal hydride. The measured pressure agreed well with the calculated theoretical pressure based on the PCI and is used to predict the state of charge of the battery. Hydrogen equilibration with the metal hydride during charge/discharge cycling is fast when the pressure is in the range from 8 to 13 psia and slower in the range from 6 to 8 psia. The time constant for the slower hydrogen equilibration, 1.37h, is similar to the time constant for oxygen recombination and therefore pressure changes due to different mechanisms are difficult to estimate. The self-discharge rate of the cell with metal hydride is two times lower in comparison to the cell with gaseous hydrogen storage alone and is a result of the lower pressure in the cell when the metal hydride is used.
A PC-Based Image Processing System For Automatic Deduction Of Holographically Recorded Displacement

This paper demonstrates recent advances in automating the data reduction from holographically recorded displacements. The computerized data reduction process is based on the marriage of a carrier-fringe technique and digital image process implemented with a personal computer.
The use of driver inserts to reduce non-ideal pressure variations behind reflected shock waves

Non-ideal shock tube facility effects, such as incident shock wave attenuation, can cause variations in the pressure histories seen in reflected shock wave experiments. These variations can be reduced, and in some cases eliminated, by the use of driver inserts. Driver inserts, when designed properly, act as sources of expansion waves which can counteract or compensate for gradual increases in reflected shock pressure profiles. An algorithm for the design of these inserts is provided, and example pressure measurements are presented that demonstrate the success of this approach. When these driver inserts are employed, near- ideal, constant-volume performance in reflected shock wave experiments can be achieved, even at long test times. This near-ideal behavior simplifies the interpretation of shock tube chemical kinetics experiments, particularly in experiments which are highly sensitive to temperature and pressure changes, such as measurements of ignition delay time of exothermic reactions.
McNeil and Football's Antitrust Ouagmire

Editor's Note—This analysis of the antitrust developments in professional football was originally framed in mid-October, approximately one month after the McNeil decision. At that time, Paul Staudohar ventured some educated guesses about what would eventually happen because of the case. In the midst of this issuegoing to press, it became increasingly likely that the NFL owners and players would reach some agreement. That agreement came on January 6, 1993. The next day, Staudohar updated the manuscript with a "Post-Agreement Comment." The original manuscript was edited to reflect an awareness that the agreement had been reached, but the original manuscript was left largely intact to give readers a flavor of Staudohar's initial thinking as well as a deeper appreciation of the events leading to the agreement. The editor takes full responsibility for any clumsiness that has resulted from updating the manuscript in this way.
Plastic latching accelerometer based on bistable compliant mechanisms

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and testing of a miniature latching accelerometer that does not require electrical power. Latching is attained by using a bistable compliant mechanism that switches from one mechanical position to another when the force on the accelerometer exceeds a threshold value. Accelerometers were fabricated by laser cutting the compliant mechanism switch out of both ABS and Delrin plastic sheets. Packaging consisted of gluing the single compliant layer to a supporting substrate. The switching thresholds of the accelerometers were varied from 10g to 800g by varying the surface area of the free moving section between 100 and 500 mm2.
A stable carbocyclic analog of 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate to probe the mechanism of catalysis and regulation of glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase.

Abstract Glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) amidotransferase catalysis and regulation were studied using a new stable carbocyclic analog of PRPP, 1-αpyrophosphoryl-2-α,3-α-dihydroxy-4-β-cyclopentanemethanol-5-phosphate (cPRPP). Although cPRPP competes with PRPP for binding to the catalytic C site of the Escherichia coli enzyme, two lines of evidence demonstrate that cPRPP, unlike PRPP, does not promote an active enzyme conformation. First, cPRPP was not able to “activate” Cys1 for reaction with glutamine or a glutamine affinity analog. The ring oxygen of PRPP may thus be necessary for the conformation change that activates Cys1 for catalysis. Second, binding of cPRPP to the C site blocks binding of AMP and GMP, nucleotide end product inhibitors, to this site. However, the binding of nucleotide to the allosteric site was essentially unaffected by cPRPP in the C site. Since it is expected that nucleotide inhibitors would bind with low affinity to the active enzyme conformation, the nucleotide binding data support the conclusion that cPRPP does not activate the enzyme.
Postbiopsy renal transplant arteriovenous fistulas: color Doppler US characteristics

Color Doppler ultrasound (US) with point-spectral analysis was performed on eight patients with postbiopsy renal transplant arteriovenous fistulas. Waveform analysis of the supplying artery documented decreased resistive indices in all cases and increased flow velocities in seven. The peak-systolic flow velocity in the arteries supplying the fistulas ranged from 55 to 180 cm/sec (mean, 92 cm/sec), while the range in normal arteries was 20-52 cm/sec (mean, 32 cm/sec). The resistive indices of the arteries supplying the fistulas ranged from 0.31 to 0.50 (mean, 0.45), while the resistive indices of the normal arteries ranged from 0.60 to 0.92 (mean, 0.74). Arterialization of the venous waveform from the draining vein was also documented in all cases. In six cases, the increased flow velocities resulted in increased color saturation toward white in the supplying artery (n = 2) or in both the artery and the draining vein (n = 4), which was detectable on the realtime image. In six cases, flow turbulence resulte...