cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF STIMULUS HIGHLIGHTING AND VARIATION IN NUMBER OF TRIALS ON CHILDREN'S INCIDENTAL LEARNING

Children aged 8 and 12 years performed a task requiring attention to the “relevant” element in each of several two-element stimuli, then were tested for memory of the second, or “incidental” element in each stimulus. Highlighting the relevant element (i.e., circling the element in red) lowered the amount of incidental information acquired. However, highlighting failed to alter the basic developmental result–an increase with age in performance on the initial task but a decrease in incidental recall. As in previous studies, the latter result is believed to reflect a developmental improvement in children's selective attention to task-relevant information. Since highlighting was designed to facilitate the initial discrimination of relevant from incidental material, the data support the view that this initial discrimination process is not a key factor in the developmental trend toward greater selectivity in attention. In another comparison, the developmental results were found to be the same whether the initial task consisted of 2 or 6 trials; thus, older children's superiority in attention deployment is evident from the outset of a task and, contrary to the author's earlier view, does not become more pronounced as the task progresses.
TOURIST ROLES, PERCEIVED RISK AND INTERNATIONAL TOURISM

Abstract International tourists can be classified according to the degree of novelty and familiarity sought. This study investigated the hypothesis that tourists seeking familiarity would perceive higher levels of risk associated with international tourism than those seeking novelty. A random sample of US-born young adults was surveyed. Seven risk factors were identified: health, political instability, terrorism, strange food, cultural barriers, a nation’s political and religious dogma, and crime. Three-way ANOVAs revealed that women perceived a greater degree of risk regarding health and food. More experienced tourists downplayed the threat of terrorism. However, tourist role was the most significant variable, with familiarity seekers being the most risk adverse.
A central crack in a rectangular sheet where its boundary is subjected to an arbitrary anti-plane load

Abstract By use of the Fourier transform and Fourier series, this paper discusses the general solution of the stress intensity factor in a rectangular sheet containing a mode III central crack, where its boundary is subjected to an arbitrary anti-plane load. As the examples of numerical computing, gives the results of all kinds of rectangular sheets carrying a concentrated shear force S and uniformly distributed shear stress τ. From these results, we can find that (1) all of the stress intensity factors k III are alike for concentrated loads having different applied points on a strip with a central crack perpendicular to its edges; (2) if the ratio a : b of the length of a crack and the width of the rectangular sheet is larger than a definite value, these factors will produce a wave, i.e. they first decrease gradually, and then increase very quickly following the height h of the sheet becoming less and less unless the concentrated load acts on the center of the crack.
VEEP - A Vector Editor and Preparer

VEEP, a VEctor Editor and Preparer, is an intelligent, interactive editor for the entry and update of test vectors which are the inputs to logic simulation. Since being introduced in Bell Laboratories and Western Electric in February 1981, VEEP has been able to increase the productivity of vector writers more than 25% by providing users a powerful system that reduces much of the job's drudgery, and allows for quick specification and updating of tests.
Effects of alloy stoichiometry on environmental embrittlement in Ll2-ordered (Co,Fe)3V alloys

Recent studies have demonstrated that a large number of ordered intermetallics exhibit environmental embrittlement in air at ambient temperatures. The embrittlement involves the decomposition of water vapor at metal surface, resulting in the generation of atomic hydrogen that diffuses into the alloys and causes brittle intergranular fracture. The authors' recent studies have shown that Ll[sub 2]-ordered (Co, Fe)[sub 3]V alloys containing 25 at. % V exhibit the environmental embrittlement. For instance (Co[sub 78]Fe[sub 22])[sub 3]V alloy showed a high ductility of 36% when tested in vacuum at room temperature, whereas the ductility decreased to 20 and 16% when tested in air and distilled water, respectively. In this paper, the study of environmental embrittlement in (Co,Fe)[sub 3]V is extended to include effects of alloy stoichiometry. Hypostroichiometric alloys containing less than 25 at.% V were prepared and tensile tested in various environments at room temperature. The results are compared with those from the stoichiometric (CO,Fe)[sub 3]V alloy and other Ll[sub 2] intermetallics and discussed based on available models predicting the grain-boundary cohesive strength.
Specific and Nonspecific Immunoregulatory Events in the Clonal Response of Human Lymphocytes in Vitro

Stimulation of sensitive leucocyte populations with near optimal concentrations of soluble microbial antigens results in vigorous lymphocyte proliferation when 3H-thymidine incorporation is measured after 4-8 days. Lymphoblasts in these cultures revert to small lymphocytes after 10-14 days, at which time they are often refractory to any stimulant including the original incubating antigen. When these primed lymphocytes are irradiated with 500-1000 R to block their proliferation and added to fresh leucocyte culture from the same individual (autologous), they usually, but not invariably, reduce the proliferation of the unirradiated fresh leucocyte cultures. Exposure to 6000 R reduced the suppressor activity. Reduction was specific for the microbial antigen with which they were originally generated, but, more often, a combination of both specific and nonspecific suppression was observed. These data provide good evidence, with reciprocal specificity, for the generation of antigen specific suppression in vitro.
Relationships among vocational training, income, and job complexity of high school dropouts and high school graduates

Abstract High school dropouts ( N = 100) and high school graduates ( N = 100), of which half of each group had received vocational training and the other half had not, were compared on data taken from the inactive employment applications of the Fort Walton Beach, Florida State Employment Office. The sample ( N = 200) consisted of an equal number of males and females while 30% were minority group members. A two-way analysis of variance showed that completing vocational training was positively correlated with higher income and job complexity level. The existence or absence of vocational training was a more potent influence on income level and job complexity than was completion of high school.
Localization of allantoinase in glyoxysomes of germinating castor beans

Abstract Intracellular localization of allantoinase was studied in germinating castor bean endosperm. Glyoxysomes and mitochondria were separated by density gradient centrifugation. Using isocitrate lyase and fumarase as the respective marker enzymes for the separated organelles, allantoinase was found in glyoxysomes but was absent in mitochondria.
Implantation in the macaque: expansion of the implantation site during the first week of implantation.

Abstract Data accumulated over several years of investigating implantation in macaque monkeys have been used to estimate the rate of expansion of the initial implantation site, the increase in volume of the site, and the rate of arterial invasion by cytotrophoblast columns. In addition the expansion of the secondary implantation site has also been estimated. The primary implantation site expands from an average diameter of 0.268 mm on day 10 to 4.93 mm on day 16–17. It expands in thickness from 0.064 mm on day 10 to 0.96 mm on day 16–17, and in volume from 0.0036 mm 3 on day 10 to 18.34 mm 3 on day 16–17. During this period of rapid expansion in extent and volume of the implantation site, trophoblast invades the endometrium, forms a lacunar stage, and initiates villus formation; consequently these very considerable changes in structure occur when the implantation is still very small yet growing rapidly. The secondary site expands from 0.23 mm in diameter on day 12 to 2.8 mm on day 17. The rate of penetration of cytotrophoblast into endometrial arteries diminishes from 0.602 mm per day on day 12 to 0.171 mm per day on day 16, using the straight-line method of estimation. This diminution in rate is consistent with the hypothesis that cytotrophoblast cells generated at the anchoring villi migrate over cytotrophoblast cells that have attached to the endothelium of the endometrial arteries in advancing the intraluminal columns of trophoblast. It is hoped that the summaries provided will be useful to investigators using macaque monkeys to analyze aspects of implantation in primates.
Spider predation on forest-floor Collembola and evidence for indirect effects on decomposition

Summary Spiders are major predators in forest-floor leaf litter, yet little is known about their impact on prey populations and on forest-floor processes such as litter decomposition. This experiment investigated the effect of removing spiders on Collembola densities. We also examined the potential indirect effect of spider removal on rate of litter disappearance. Twenty-eight 1-m 2 plots were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: O – open, no manipulations; F – fenced, no litter sifted, no spiders removed; FS – fenced, litter sifted, no spiders removed; and FSR – fenced, litter sifted, spiders removed. In early August, we sifted the litter in the FS and FSR plots, removing all encountered spiders from the FSR treatment. A month later, we placed into each plot one 15 × 15-cm litterbag filled with a known amount (ca. 3 g) of dried straw. After six weeks, litterbags were collected and fauna were extracted in a Kempson-McFadyen apparatus. Decreasing spider predation increased densities of Collembola, and increased the rate at which straw disappeared from litterbags. These results indicate that spider predation may reduce Collembola densities enough to lower rates of litter disappearance on the forest floor.
Health Economic Evaluation of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and Actinic Keratosis

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and actinic keratosis are becoming an increasingly important healthcare problem. There are approximately 1 million cases of NMSC in the US each year, primarily basal cell carcinomas, and the incidence is increasing. Although NMSC is significant in terms of both health risk and the resource implications for treatment within healthcare systems, our understanding of the health economics of NMSC is limited. The purpose of this article was to systematically review and assess published health economic studies of the treatment of NMSC and actinic keratosis, taking into consideration key aspects of guidelines set by drug purchasers and key reimbursement agencies, and to provide recommendations for appropriate modelling approaches and data collection for health economic studies of NMSC and actinic keratosis. We systematically reviewed the published literature from 1965 to 2003 for health economic evaluations of treatments of NMSC and actinic keratosis using the search terms: (’skin cancer’ or ‘non melanoma skin cancer’ or ‘basal cell carcinoma’ or ‘actinic keratosis’) and (’decision model’ or ‘decision theoretic’ or ‘decision analytic’ or ‘health economic’ or ‘cost effective’). Studies using one of the following methodologies were included: cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, cost-utility, cost-minimisation, cost-of-illness, cost-consequence, and treatment cost analysis. We identified eight studies evaluating NMSC. One of these studies also evaluated actinic keratosis. Although several studies satisfied some of the basic requirements of health economic evaluations, the majority had serious shortcomings that limit their usefulness. There are a few high-quality health economic evaluations assessing treatments for NMSC or actinic keratosis. However, our analysis suggests that additional data on treatment practice patterns and epidemiology need to be collected, and incorporated with efficacy and safety data in a formal decision-analytic framework to assist decision makers in allocating scarce healthcare resources.
Birth Order Effects and Rebelliousness: Political Activism and Involvement with Marijuana

Frank Sulloway (1996) has claimed that later-borns are more likely to rebel against the status quo than are firstborns. The two studies reported here attempt to examine more fully Sulloway's claims about rebelliousness. The studies draw on archival data from studies of high school and college students in a midwestern state between 1969 and 1982. The current studies compare the effects of birth order, gender, family size, and father's education on two self-report measures: participation in protests and demonstrations, and involvement with marijuana. The data on involvement with marijuana provided support for Sulloway's thesis that later-borns are more rebellious than firstborns, but the data on participation in protests and demonstrations did not. These mixed findings, which contribute to the ongoing debate about Sulloway's theory, are discussed.
Cellular compartments of GABA in brain and their relationship to anticonvulsant activity

The effects of GABA-elevating agents were examined with respect to the cellular compartments in which GABA increases occurred and the brain region(s) that mediate the anticonvulsant activity of these compounds. Changes in GABA occurring in the presence and absence of GABAergic nerve terminals were estimated in vivo using rats in which the GABA projection to the substantia nigra (SN) was destroyed on one side of the brain. One week post-operatively, the GABA concentration in the denervated SN was 10–20% of control. The net increase in GABA content of the denervated SN was compared to that of the intact SN after intraperitoneal injection of amino-oxacetic acid (AOAA), di-n-propylacetate (DPA) and γ-vinyl GABA (GVG). In the intact SN, all drugs produced significant increases in GABA. In the denervated SN, both AOAA and GVG produced marked increases in GABA (nearly equivalent to those obtained in the intact SN) whereas DPA was without effect. It therefore appears that the DPA-induced elevation of GABA depends upon the presence of GABAergic nerve terminals whereas AOAA and GVG primarily elevate GABA in non-nerve terminal compartments. An increase in GABA associated with nerve terminals was obtained with GVG only after a latency of more than 12 h following a single injection. The time course of elevation of nerve terminal-associated GABA coincided with the time course of anticonvulsant action of GVG; both effects were maximal at 60 h after a single injection. Taken together, our results indicate that the ability of DPA, AOAA and GVG to protect against chemically- and electrically-induced seizures is directly correlated with increases in nerve terminal GABA and not related to increases in other GABA compartments.
Direct inhibition of Col E 1 plasmid DNA replication in Escherichia coli by rifampicin.

COLICINOGENIC factor E1 (Col E1) is a small bacterial plasmid (4.2×106 daltons) present in colicinogenic strains of Escherichia coli1 to the extent of about twenty-four copies per cell (Clewell and Helinski, unpublished results), which continues to replicate in the presence of high levels of chloramphenicol, a specific inhibitor of protein synthesis, although the chromosome only completes current rounds of replication and ceases (Clewell and Helinski, unpublished results). The average rate of Col E1 semiconservative replication in the absence of protein synthesis is, in certain conditions, faster than (as much as eight times) the normal rate of synthesis (Clewell, unpublished results). Replication continues for 10–15 h after the addition of chloramphenicol, resulting in nearly 3,000 copies of Col E1 DNA per cell. We are taking advantage of this system to study the effects of a number of antibiotics on DNA replication and now report evidence that rifampicin (an active semisynthetic derivative of rifamycin B)2, an antibiotic known specifically to inhibit bacterial DNA dependent RNA polymerase3–6, has a dramatic inhibitory effect on Col E1 DNA replication.
Identification of two new exons and multiple transcription start points in the 5′-untranslated region of the human cathepsin-B-encoding gene

Transcripts for cysteine protease cathepsin B (CTSB) were found to be highly variable in the 5'-UTR (untranslated region). In cDNA clones from a human gastric adenocarcinoma cDNA library, we have identified two new exons (designated 2a and 2b) between exons 2 and 3 in the 5'-UTR of the gene. All of the exons of the 5'-UTR could be alternatively spliced to produce several transcript species. In addition, transcription was initiated from more than one promoter region. Using RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) and primer extension assays, CTSB mRNA species were found to differ among tissues and between a glioblastoma sample and a cell line derived from it. Exons 2a and 2b were detected more frequently in tumor samples than in matched normal samples. Thus, factors related to the cell differentiation and environment seem likely to determine the types of transcripts that are expressed which in turn could influence the overall steady-state level of CTSB mRNAs and their rate of translation. Interestingly, at least three upstream translation initiation codons were observed and could constitute a means of controlling translation initiation.
Cancer mortality at very old ages.

BACKGROUND Mortality rates of all malignant neoplastic diseases combined and of most individual kinds of cancer increase with age through most of the human life span. What happens to cancer mortality rates near the end of the life span has not been described previously. People age 85 years and older are commonly considered as a single category; however information is available for cancer mortality of patients older than 85 years in 4 age groups, each covering 5-year spans. METHODS Age-stratified mortality rates of all of the patients with malignant neoplasms combined and of cancers of several sites in 5-year age groups from 50 years to more than 100 were calculated from United States vital statistics and Census data from 1990. RESULTS Mortality rates of all of the patients with malignant neoplastic diseases combined and for cancers of most individual sites peak between the ages of 80 and 100 years, and decline after ages older than those. Although mortality rates generally increase with age, the relative frequency of cancer deaths declines with age from nearly 40% of all deaths between the ages of 50 and 69 years, to 4% of all deaths in patients older than age 100 years. CONCLUSIONS People who survive to ages approaching 100 years are relatively resistant to the causes of death, including cancer, of the majority of people who die at younger ages. The basis of this resistance to cancer may be attributable to several recognized genetically controlled steps in the pathogenesis of cancer. Cancer 1996;77:1367-72.
Approaches for the experimental examination of the dialectic

A great deal of attention has focused on the potential benefits of the dialectic during strategic decision making. Some field studies have shown favourable perceptions of the dialectic. Exclusive use of field studies, however, is inadequate for a comprehensive evaluation of the dialectic. Controlled studies in the laboratory and the field are needed. Operationalizing the dialectic and measuring its effectiveness in controlled settings has been the subject of debate. This paper reviews three controlled approaches—lens model studies, creative task experiments, and case studies. The applicability of these approaches to dialectical research is discussed. Basic assumptions underlying controlled research are that the dialectic can be created in controlled settings and its effectiveness can be measured in terms of better decisions.
Efficacy of supplemental instruction to enhance student success

Abstract Attrition within nursing programs is costly to the student and educational programs. There is little evidence regarding the effectiveness of targeted remediation programs for assisting at-risk students in achieving academic success. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of supplemental nursing instruction on student success. Students were enrolled in a targeted course, Application of Nursing Concepts, which included activities designed to promote the development of critical thinking skills. Chi-square test revealed sufficient evidence to support that there was a significant difference in academic outcome, with the participants more likely to achieve success ( r = 9.435, p = .009). Of the 13 students who were not successful, only 1 failed while receiving assistance. The remaining 11 were not successful in nursing courses for which no remedial assistance was available. This analysis strongly supports the belief that the remediation was effective in assisting at-risk students with academic success.
Native Speakers of Arabic and ESL Texts: Evidence for the Transfer of Written Word Identification Processes

English as a second language (ESL) teachers have long noted that native speakers of Arabic exhibit exceptional difficulty with English reading comprehension (e.g., Thompson-Panos & Thomas-Ruzic, 1983). Most existing work in this area has looked to higher level aspects of reading such as familiarity with discourse structure and cultural knowledge to explain native Arabic speakers' ESL reading difficulties (Abu Rabia, 1996). However, higher level processes often depend on lower level processes, such as letter and word identification, and deficient lower level processing can inhibit reading comprehension (Koda, 1990). Given important differences in the written representation of vowel information in English and Arabic writing, it was hypothesized that the English reading comprehension difficulties experienced by Arabic speakers might also reflect nontarget-like lower level processing of letters and words. Two experiments compare the reading processes of native Arabic speakers to the reading processes of native English speakers and non-Arabic ESL learners and provide some evidence that native Arabic speakers are less aware of vowel letters in English texts than either control group. This differential awareness of vowel letters may contribute to native Arabic speakers' ESL reading comprehension difficulties. The implications of this research for ESL pedagogy are discussed.
Understanding and overcoming cyber security anti-patterns

This article presents an empirical and practice-based analysis of the question, why despite substantial investments, there are still major security weaknesses in today's information systems. Acknowledging that cyber security is not a purely technical discipline, the article takes a holistic approach and identifies four anti-patterns that are frequent in practice and detrimental to the goal of achieving strong cyber security. The first anti-pattern is that decisions about security are frequently based on intuition rather than data and rigor; this introduces cognitive biases and undermines decision quality. Second, many organizations fail to implement foundational security controls and consequently, are easy targets for opportunistic and novice attackers. Third, there is an overreliance on the relatively static threat knowledge in products such as virus scanners, while an inability to learn and adapt dynamically opens the door for advanced threats. Fourth, weaknesses in security governance create systemic control gaps and vulnerabilities. The article describes each anti-pattern and presents specific steps that organizations can take to overcome them.
Peripheral nervous system myelin and Schwann cell glycoproteins: identification by lectin binding and partial purification of a peripheral nervous system myelin-specific 170,000 molecular weight glycoprotein

Radioiodinated lectins were used to detect glycoproteins of peripheral nervous system (PNS) myelin (rat, human, bovine) and cultured rat Schwann cells. Proteins were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis and transferred to nitrocellulose filters. The filters were overlaid with radioiodinated lectins of known saccharide affinities. These included concanavalin A, Helix pomatia, Limulus polyphemus, Maclura pomifera, peanut, soybean, Ulex europaeus, and wheat germ agglutinins. Inclusion of the appropriate monosaccharide in the overlay solution (0.2 M) inhibited lectin binding to the nitrocellulose-fixed proteins. Fluorography permitted identification of 26 myelin glycoproteins and many more in Schwann cells. All lectins labeled a band present in myelin, but not Schwann cells, corresponding to the major PNS myelin protein, P0. Our attention focused on a high-molecular-weight myelin glycoprotein [apparent molecular weight (Mr) 170,000], which appeared abundant by Coomassie Blue staining and which was heavily labeled by all lectins except concanavalin A. A protein with approximately this Mr and lectin-binding pattern was present in human and bovine PNS myelin as well, but not detected in rat Schwann cells, CNS myelin, liver and fibroblast homogenates, or cultured bovine oligodendroglia. Hence this 170,000 Mr glycoprotein is apparently unique to PNS myelin.
Antibodies against a putative heparin receptor slow cell proliferation and decrease MAPK activation in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Heparin has long been known to slow the growth of vascular smooth muscle cells. However, the mechanism(s) by which heparin acts has yet to be resolved. The identification of a putative heparin receptor in endothelial cells with antibodies that blocked heparin binding to the cells provided the means to further examine the possible involvement of a heparin receptor in smooth muscle cell responses to heparin. Immunoprecipitation of a smooth muscle cell protein with the anti-heparin receptor antibodies provided evidence that the protein was present in smooth muscle cells. Experiments with the anti-heparin receptor antibodies indicate that the antibodies can mimic heparin in decreasing PDGF induced thymidine and BrdU incorporation. The anti-heparin receptor antibodies were also found to decrease MAPK activity levels after activation similarly to heparin. These results support the identification of a heparin receptor and its role in heparin effects on vascular smooth muscle cell growth.
A New Model for Wind Farm Layout Optimization With Landowner Decisions

Current wind farm layout optimization research focuses on advancing optimization methods. The research includes the assumption that a continuous piece of land is readily available. In reality, wind farm development projects rely on the permission of landowners for success. When a viable wind farm site location is identified, local residents are approached for permission to build turbines on their land, typically in exchange for monetary compensation. Landowners play a crucial role on the development of a wind farm and some land parcels are more important to the success of the project than others. In order to advance the research on wind farm optimization, this paper relaxes the assumption that a continuous piece of land is available, developing a novel approach that includes landowners’ decisions on whether or not to participate in the project. The optimization results of this new approach show that, for a specific wind farm layout case, we can identify the most crucial landowners and the optimal positions of turbines prior to the negotiation process with landowners. Using this approach, a site developer can spend more resources on persuading these most-important landowners to take part in the project, or approach them in a personalized manner. This will ultimately increase the efficiency of wind farm projects, saving time and money in the development stages.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Cardiac tamponade masquerading as gastritis: a case report

Pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade can develop in patients with virtually any condition that affects the pericardium. A high index of suspicion with proper diagnostic scheme can lessen the concomitant morbidity and mortality. Although cardiac tamponade mimics many medical conditions, internists and primary care physicians should be aware of the physiological and clinical aspects of the disease spectrum. A 31-year-old Caucasian man, with no significant past medical history, presented to our emergency room with acute upper abdominal heaviness of 2 hours’ duration after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time (binge drinking). The coexistence of recent alcohol binge drinking and nonspecific abdominal complaints usually presume a diagnosis of gastritis in our daily encounters in the absence of hepatic, biliary or pancreatic derangements. We present a case in which the presenting abdominal pain turned out to be related to cardiac tamponade. Cardiac tamponade is a sort of cardiogenic shock and is a medical emergency. Clinicians should understand the cardiac tamponade physiology, especially in cases without large pericardial effusion, and correlate the signs of clinical tamponade together with the echocardiographic findings. Drainage of cardiac tamponade is life-saving. A high index of suspicion with proper diagnostic arcades lessens the concomitant morbidity and mortality.
Self-folding thin-film materials: From nanopolyhedra to graphene origami

Self-folding of thin films is a more deterministic form of self-assembly wherein structures curve or fold up either spontaneously on release from the substrate or in response to specific stimuli. From an intellectual standpoint, the study of the self-folding of thin films at small size scales is motivated by the observation that a large number of naturally occurring materials such as leaves and tissues show curved, wrinkled, or folded micro- and nanoscale geometries. From a technological standpoint, such a self-assembly methodology is important since it can be used to transform the precision of existing planar patterning methods, such as electron-beam lithography, to the third dimension. Also, the self-folding of graphene promises a means to create a variety of three-dimensional carbon-based micro- and nanostructures. Finally, stimuli responsive self-folding can be used to realize chemomechanical and tetherfree actuation at small size scales. Here, we review theoretical and experimental aspects of the self-folding of metallic, semiconducting, and polymeric films.
Mountains, monsoons, and megafans

In certain cases, the rivers draining mountain ranges create unusually large fan-shaped bodies of sediment that are referred to as fluvial megafans. We combine information from satellite imagery, monthly discharge and precipitation records, digital elevation models, and other sources to show that the formation of fluvial megafans requires particular climatic conditions. Specifically, modern fluvial megafans in actively aggrading basins are produced by rivers that undergo moderate to extreme seasonal fluctuations in discharge that result from highly seasonal precipitation patterns. The global distribution of modern megafans is primarily restricted to 158-358 latitude in the Northern and Southern Hemi- spheres, corresponding to climatic belts that fringe the tropical climatic zone. No rela- tionship exists between megafan occurrence and drainage-basin relief or area. The ten- dency of rivers with large fluctuations in discharge to construct megafans is related to the instability of channels subject to such conditions. Because of the correlation between sea- sonal precipitation and megafan occurrence, the recognition of fluvial megafan deposits in ancient stratigraphic successions may provide critical information for paleoclimate reconstructions.
Introduction of a Pediatric Neurology Hospitalist Service With Continuous Electroencephalography Monitoring at a Children’s Hospital

Hospitalists, specializing in inpatient medicine, are increasingly being utilized in the hospital setting to improve efficiency, decrease costs and length of stay, and potentially improve outcomes. With these goals in mind and with the purpose of addressing the specific needs of patients on the inpatient pediatric neurology service, we established a pediatric neurohospitalist service in 2009. The primary purpose of this article is to describe the structure and the rationale for a pediatric neurohospitalist service with continuous electroencephalography at a pediatric teaching hospital and to discuss the categories of disease seen by the inpatient neurology service.
Supplementation of Coenzyme Q10 among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality with ever increasing prevalence in the United States and worldwide. There is growing body of evidence suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction secondary to oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of T2DM. Coenzyme Q10 is an important micronutrient acting on the electron transport chain of the mitochondria with two major functions: (1) synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP); and (2) a potent antioxidant. Deficiency in coenzyme Q10 is often seen in patients with T2DM. Whether restoration of coenzyme Q10 will help alleviate oxidative stress, preserve mitochondrial function, and thus improve glycemic control in T2DM is unclear. This article reviews the relationships among oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and T2DM and examines the evidence for potential use of coenzyme Q10 as a supplement for the treatment of T2DM.
Finding the "Democratic Advantage" in Sovereign Bond Ratings: The Importance of Strong Courts, Property Rights Protection, and the Rule of Law

Much scholarship in the political economy literature has investigated the influence of the democratic advantage on sovereign bond ratings by credit rating agencies ~CRAs!+ Missing from earlier work, however, is inquiry into the effects on bond ratings of factors that lower political risk, such as adherence to the rule of law, the presence of a strong and independent judicial system, and protection of property rights+ Using panel data for up to thirty-six developing countries from 1996 to 2006, we find that rule of law, strong and independent courts, and protection of property rights have significant positive effects on bond ratings+ Policymakers wanting to obtain higher bond ratings and increased revenue from bond sales would do well to heed the message contained in these findings+
Host-Range Studies of Lactic Streptococcal Bacteriophages,

Abstract The lytic patterns of 60 bacteriophage races toward 100 single lactic streptococcal strains allowed the establishment of eight phage groups, A through H. The phages within a particular group were generally species-specific. However, several exceptions were noted. Group A phages attacked primarily strains of S. diacetilactis . Groups B through H phages mainly attacked strains of S. lactis and S. cremoris . Groups G and H consisted of one phage that attacked only the homologous host. These host-range data were employed for selection of strains to be used in mixed-strain lactic starter cultures. A computer was used to identify strains which were suitable for composing mixed-strain cultures to provide maximum protection against phage. The strains selected by the computer were arranged in a sequence or rotation system suitable for use in initiating dairy fermentations. Protection from phage infection, as determined by a resistance index, remained high for six successive cultures, but the addition of the seventh culture to the rotation system increased the likelihood of phage attack.
Abnormal digital pressure measurements in diabetic neuropathic foot ulceration.

The diabetic neuropathic ulcer is typically slow to heal and recurrent. Macrovascular insufficiency is usually excluded as foot pulses are present and ankle:brachial pressure ratios are not decreased. These assessments cannot however exclude more distal vascular disease. Digital pressure measurements enable a reliable assessment of the distal peripheral vascular status to be made. The aim of this study was therefore to use toe pressures to assess the contribution of distal ischaemia in the pathogenesis of the neuropathic ulcer. Sixteen diabetic patients with recurrent neuropathic foot ulceration had their toe pressures compared to 10 neuropathic patients without a history of foot ulceration, 10 diabetic control subjects, and 11 normal subjects. Four non-diabetic patients with neuropathy and foot ulceration were also assessed. All subjects had ankle:brachial pressure indices ≧ 1. Toe pressure was assessed using laser Doppler flowmetry to record the return of skin blood flow. The toe:brachial pressure index (TBI) was then calculated. The diabetic patients with a history of recurrent neuropathic ulceration, had the lowest mean TBI, 0.63 ± 0.14 (SD), compared to the non-ulcerated diabetic neuropathy patients, the diabetic control subjects, and the normal subjects. 0.84 ± 0.11, 0.82 ± 0.1, and 0.81 ± 0.07, p < 0.01, respectively. Three of the four non-diabetic patients with neuropathic foot ulceration also had an abnormally low TBI. Reduced toe pressure measurements are thus found to be associated with neuropathic foot ulceration. The contribution of distal ischaemia in the pathogenesis of the diabetic neuropathic foot ulcer needs to be evaluated. One hundred and eight non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients who had been tested for autonomic dysfunction in 1984/85 were re-evaluated 5 years later. Autonomic function was assessed by means of four cardiovascular tests (heart rate variation during deep breathing and standing, and blood pressure variation after standing and sustained handgrip). Eighteen subjects were lost to follow-up; in the 90 patients who completed the study, both the deep breathing and the handgrip test significantly worsened (respectively from 13.7 ± 7.8 to 11.6 ± 6.3 beats min−1p < 0.01, and from 16.9 ± 8.2 to 12.7 ± 7.1 mmHg, p < 0.001), whereas both the 30:15 ratio and the variation of blood pressure on standing did not change. The impairment of a comprehensive evaluation score (from 2.5 ± 1.7 to 3.0 ± 1.5; p < 0.05) also confirmed the gradual deterioration of autonomic function over the study period.
Toward a Procedure for Minimizing and Detecting False Positive Diagnoses of Learning Disability

Assessment procedures that can significantly enhance motivation to perform are needed so that poor performance due to low or avoidance motivation is not misdiagnosed as indicating ability deficits or as symptomatic of learning disabilities (LD). In this connection, research is under way to investigate the degree to which a highly motivating computer game learning task can improve differential diagnoses of LD. Findings from the initial investigation indicate that a large proportion of students diagnosed as LD were able to learn effectively when pursuing such a task. The results illustrate the key role motivation plays in determining the validity of diagnostic assessment and demonstrate the potential value of similar tasks for use in differentiating, from among individuals diagnosed as LD, those who do not have impaired learning processes.
High Efficiency Dual-Mode Current Modulation Method for Low-Power DC/AC Inverters

Boundary conduction mode (BCM) zero voltage switching (ZVS) current control is a promising soft switching method for microinverter applications. In this letter, different BCM ZVS current control modulation schemes are compared based on power losses breakdown, switching frequency range, and current quality. Compared to continuous conduction mode current control, BCM ZVS control decreases MOSFET switching losses and filter inductor conduction losses but increases MOSFET conduction losses and inductor core losses. Based on the loss analysis, a dual-mode current modulation method combining ZVS and zero current switching schemes is proposed to improve the efficiency of the microinverter. The experimental results show that by using this proposed current modulation scheme, higher efficiency of 0.5% can be achieved with no additional cost for a 400-W three-phase microinverter.
Social Movements, Hegemony, and New Forms of Resistance

In Latin America, new social movements are vigorously and creatively engaging in grassroots organization and local and national mobilizations. Social movements in Bolivia, Brazil, and elsewhere have challenged the conduct of politics in their countries and the region. Their growth and militancy have generated whole new repertoires of action. Indeed, they raise the possibility of at least some form of “rule from below.” They have left the traditional twentieth-century parties far behind to create a nonauthoritarian, participatory political culture. Using existing political space to maximum effect, they are substantially strengthening participatory democratic practice and significantly altering political life. Less clear is whether they are, as Gramsci might conclude, coming together in a new cycle of subaltern actions that can break down the hegemony historically exercised by Latin America’s ruling classes.
Disputed Mission: Jesuit Experiments and Brahmanical Knowledge in Seventeenth-century India

This text aims to take a fresh look at the social and cultural laboratories that were Jesuit missions in pre-colonial South India. Without Portuguese military support, which was confined to Goa and other trade enclaves, the missionaries in the heart of Tamil country found themselves both trapped under the jurisdiction of the local kings, and at the same time free from the increasingly impoverished and ossified Portuguese ecclesiastical authority in Goa. Confronted with social and cultural idioms which appeared to them as both strange familiar, Jesuit missionaries embarked on a titanic, utopian, somewhat naive and slippery project of cultural translation, social engineering and ethnographic description. Before they could effectively convert and establish spiritual authority over souls and bodies, the Jesuits had to ascertain that they possessed the right knowledge of Indian culture.
Linking spatial patterns of bird and butterfly species richness with Landsat TM derived NDVI

The ability to predict spatial patterns of species richness using a few easily measured environmental variables would facilitate timely evaluation of potential impacts of anthropogenic and natural disturbances on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Two common hypotheses maintain that faunal species richness can be explained in part by either local vegetation heterogeneity or primary productivity. Although remote sensing has long been identified as a potentially powerful source of information on the latter, its principal application to biodiversity studies has been to develop classified vegetation maps at relatively coarse resolution, which then have been used to estimate animal diversity. Although classification schemes can be delineated on the basis of species composition of plants, these schemes generally do not provide information on primary productivity. Furthermore, the classification procedure is a time- and labour-intensive process, yielding results with limited accuracy. To meet decision-making ...
College Adjustment Problems and Attitudes Toward Drinking Reported by Feminine, Androgynous, and Masculine College Women

Two studies compared attitudes toward various issues and adaptations to demands of college life that were reported by feminine, androgynous, and masculine sex-typed females. Study 1 showed that feminine sex-typed females reported lower involvement in academic competition, fewer difficulties with peer pressures, and less exclusion by fraternities and sororities from college social life than did androgynous and masculine females. Androgynous and masculine females gave similar responses, showing high involvement in academic competition, negative reactions to peer pressures, and resentment toward male friends who cancel plans. Study 2 compared attitudes of feminine, androgynous, and masculine female college students toward drinking. Discriminant analysis showed that over 99% of the subjects could be correctly classified according to sex type on the basis of two dimensions: (1) sociable drinking and (2) drinking due to peer pressure and social discomfort. Masculine arid androgynous females were significantly more likely than feminine females to endorse questions related to social drinking. Masculine females showed the greatest potential for problem drinking from social pressures and for escape from social discomfort. Results supported Kelly and Worell's (1977) argument that the adaptive values of different sex-role orientations depend on the demands of the environment.
Comparison of alternative farming systems. I. Infiltration techniques

Quantitative data are needed to understand how alternative farming practices affect surface infiltration of water and associated surface soil properties. We used a rainfall simulator, double ring infiltrometer, small single ring infiltrometers, and tension infiltrometers to measure water infiltration for Clarion loam (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Hapludoll) and for Webster silty clay loam (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Haplaquoll) soils located on a conventionally-managed and an alternatively-managed farm in central Iowa. Steady-state measurements suggested that infiltration rates were somewhat higher for the alternative farming system. Bulk densities were sometimes lower, and volume of large pores was a little higher for the alternative farming system. Small single rings were more reproducible than rainfall simulators or double ring infiltrometers, and data trends were the same as for rainfall simulators.
Electrophysiological actions of VIP in rat somatosensory cortex.

Abstract Electrophysiological and biochemical studies suggest that VIP may exert a facilitating action in the neocortical local circuitry. In the present study, we examined the actions of VIP and VIP + norepinephrine (NE) on somatosensory cortical neuron responses to direct application of the putative transmitters acetylcholine (ACh) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Spontaneous and transmitter-induced discharges of cortical neurons from halothane-anesthetized rats were monitored before, during and after VIP, NE and VIP + NE iontophoresis. In 57 VIP-sensitive cells tested, VIP application (5–70 nA) increased ( n = 18 ), decreased ( n = 36 ) or had biphasic actions ( n = 3 ) on background firing rate. In a group of 20 neurons tested for NE + VIP, the combined effect of both peptide and bioamine was predominantly (70%) inhibitory. On the other hand, inhibitory and excitatory responses of cortical neurons to GABA (11 of 15 cases) and ACh (10 of 18 cases), respectively, were enhanced during VIP iontophoresis. Concomitant application of VIP and NE produced additive ( n = 2 ) or more than additive ( n = 3 ) enhancing effects on GABA inhibition. NE administration reversed or enhanced further VIP modulatory actions on ACh-induced excitation. These findings provide electrophysiological evidence that NE and VIP afferents may exert convergent influences on cortical neuronal responses to afferent synaptic inputs such that modulatory actions are anatomically focused within the cortex.
Four-Bar Linkage Synthesis for a Combination of Motion and Path-Point Generation

This paper develops techniques that address the design of planar four-bar linkages for tasks common to pick-and-place devices, used in assembly and manufacturing operations. Pickand-place tasks often require the exact position and orientation of an object (motion generation) at the end points of the task. Within the range of movement, the motion restrictions are less rigorous with only the position of the object (path-point generation) being specified to avoid obstacles. Established synthesis theory has been developed for either motion generation or pathpoint generation tasks. This paper presents four-bar linkage synthesis methods for tasks that include a combination of motion and path requirements. This synthesis challenge is addressed via two approaches: Geometric Constraint Programming (GCP) and numerical solutions to synthesis equations. Using GCP, a step-by