cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clusters of Ultrasound Scattering Parameters for the Classification of Steatotic and Normal Livers.

Abstract The study of ultrasound tissue interactions in fatty livers has a long history with strong clinical potential for assessing steatosis. Recently we proposed alternative measures of first- and second-order statistics of echoes from soft tissues, namely, the H-scan, which is based on a matched filter approach, to quantify scattering transfer functions and the Burr distribution to model speckle patterns. Taken together, these approaches produce a multiparameter set that is directly related to the fundamentals of ultrasound propagation in tissue. To apply this approach to the problem of assessing steatotic livers, these analyses were applied to in vivo rat livers ( N = 21 ) under normal feeding conditions or after receiving a methionine- and choline-deficient diet that produces steatosis within a few weeks. Ultrasound data were acquired at baseline and again at weeks 2 and 6 before applying the H-scan and Burr analyses. Furthermore, a classification technique known as the support vector machine was then used to find clusters of the five parameters that are characteristic of the different steatotic liver conditions as confirmed by histologic processing of excised liver tissue samples. With the in vivo multiparametric ultrasound measurement approach and determination of clusters, steatotic can be discriminated from normal livers with 100% accuracy in a rat animal model.
The New Vertical Merger Guidelines: Muddying the Waters

The new U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Vertical Merger Guidelines focus on how vertical mergers are likely to affect static pricing incentives. While vertical mergers can create incentives to increase prices, they can also provide incentives to decrease prices. Which of the possible outcomes is likely to occur depends on details that are generally difficult to measure. Potential competition between dominant firms, the theory of potential harm to competition that the 1984 Department of Justice Merger Guidelines stressed, remains a more compelling rationale for blocking vertical mergers than the likely effect on static pricing incentives.
The dove and the star: enduring ideas from seventh-century Ireland

In the cosmology of Augustinus Hibernicus, scriptural data are combined with the classical theory of the four elements as the sole components of all matter. For him the dove at the baptism of Christ was a semblance fashioned from the element air. Similarly, the Magi saw a semblance of a star temporarily fashioned from the element fire, and he stressed also that Scripture never said that the star guided the Magi all the way from the East. The fortuna of these ideas is followed into the high middle ages.
CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES Solid Waste Management

SB 533 replaces the Solid Waste Management Act and creates a Solid Waste Management Authority, creating a plan for reducing solid waste by twenty-five percent locally and statewide by 1996, and establishing mandatory recycling plans for governmental agencies and for several waste products. SB 478 amends the Georgia Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Act to allow landfills situated within two miles of significant ground water recharge areas to operate without liners and leachate systems, provided that the landfills received approval to operate before March 15, 1989. The Act also restricts the opening of new solid waste thermal treatment technology facilities. Decisions regarding opening of new facilities are left to the discretion of the director. Purely private facilities are not restricted.
Persistence of donor cells in neonates after fetal and exchange transfusion.

Abstract Cytogenetic analysis was performed on the peripheral blood of 14 male infants who had received fetal transfusions of maternal blood and on 48 infants who had received exchange transfusion with donor blood of the opposite sex. Similar observations were made on the 167 donor blood packs prior to transfusion. Maternal lymphocytes have persisted for longer than 2 years in the peripheral blood of 4 infants who received fetal transfusion. In contrast, no donor lymphocytes were identified beyond 6 to 8 weeks post transfusion in the infants who received exchange transfusion with donor blood of blood bank origin.
Epidemiological-environmental study of lead acid battery workers. II: Acute effects of sulfuric acid on the respiratory system

Two hundred and twenty-five (225) workers in five lead acid battery plants were administered a questionnaire containing work-related symptoms, underwent spirometry, and had personal samples for H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ taken over the shift. Most personal samples were less than 1 mg/m/sup 3/ H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/. Mass median aerodynamic diameter of H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ from area samples in the formation areas was 2.6-10 ..mu..m. Workers with a higher exposure to acid did not have an increased rate of acute work-related symptoms. Changes in pulmonary function over the shift were not related to levels of airborne lead or airborne acid, sex, age, or smoking status. In acclimated workers, there is no evidence of acute symptoms or reductions in pulmonary function over the shift at concentrations less than 1 mg/m/sup 3/.
Rousseau's Rediscovered Communion des Coeurs: Cosmopolitanism in the Reveries of the Solitary Walker

Among his various interventions into the debate between patriotism and cosmopolitanism, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's most direct and forceful statements expressed a preference for patriotism. As a resul...
Exploring barriers to utilization of poison centers: a qualitative study of mothers attending an urban Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Clinic.

Objective. Prior research regarding poison center utilization identified risk factors for underutilization including race/ethnicity and acculturation. The purpose of this study was to understand factors contributing to underutilization of poison centers by low-income and minority mothers. Methods. Focus groups were conducted with women attending an urban Women, Infants and Children clinic. Transcripts were analyzed for themes and key points. Results. Twenty-two English-speaking mothers and 21 Spanish-speaking mothers participated in 7 groups. Participants viewed poisoning as a serious problem to which all children are susceptible. English-speaking mothers had heard of the poison center but were unaware of services provided. They preferred to use the 911 system, which was viewed as immediate medical assistance and was an easy number to remember. Women questioned the credentials of the poison center staff. Spanish-speaking mothers had limited knowledge of poison centers and were concerned about language barriers. Conclusions. To increase utilization of poison centers, educational interventions must address these specific needs and misconceptions and should be produced in Spanish and English versions.
Two-Quantum Many-Body Coherences in Two-Dimensional Fourier-Transform Spectra of Exciton Resonances in Semiconductor Quantum Wells

We present experimental coherent two-dimensional Fourier-transform spectra of Wannier exciton resonances in semiconductor quantum wells generated by a pulse sequence that isolates two-quantum coherences. By measuring the real part of the signals, we determine that the spectra are dominated by two-quantum coherences due to mean-field many-body interactions, rather than bound biexcitons. Simulations performed using dynamics controlled truncation agree with the experiments.
Through Veterans' Eyes: The Iraq and Afghanistan Experience

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Larry Minear Year: 2010 Pages: 270 Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc. ISBN: 9781597974868 (hard cover). Prices: $44(hard cover).
Pancreatic Resection in the Octogenarian: A Safe Option for Pancreatic Malignancy

Background The incidence of pancreatic cancer is age related; patients older than the age of 65 represent 60% of all cases. We assessed our institution's experience and outcomes with pancreatic resection for malignancy in patients in their ninth decade. Study Design We reviewed records of patients undergoing pancreatic resection for malignancy at our institution between 1990 and 2007. Demographics, laboratory, treatment, and outcomes data were gathered. Comparisons were made between patients older and younger than the age of 80. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and comparisons between groups were performed using the log-rank test. Regression methods were used to evaluate predictors of outcomes. Results There were 517 pancreatic resections for cancer reviewed. Of these, 27 patients were 80 years or older (age range 80 to 91 years), compared with 490 patients less than 80 (range 20 to 79 years). The distribution of clinical characteristics was similar between the 2 groups. The majority of patients undergoing pancreatic resection harbored a mass in the head of the pancreas, so the most common procedure was pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 398, 78%). There were no significant differences in complication rates for younger and older groups (59% vs 52%, respectively, p=0.4), median length of stay (11 vs 12 days, p=0.33), or perioperative mortality rates (3.7% vs 3.7%, p=1.0). Overall survival between the 2 groups was similar (21.9 vs 33.3 months, p=0.18). Conclusions Pancreatectomy for malignancy is a safe option for the elderly. Patients older than age 80 achieved similar results, with similar rates of perioperative complications and mortality. Pancreatectomy for cancer offers a similar survival benefit in both groups.
Preclinical studies of gossypol in prostate carcinoma

Hormone refractory prostate cancer remains an incurable disease and the discovery of newer agents with higher cytotoxic activity is required. Gossypol is a phenolic compound isolated from cottonseed oil which has been shown to have anti-spermatogenic effects. In in vitro studies, gossypol appears to inhibit the growth of rat prostate cancer cell line MAT-LyLu and human prostate adenocarcinoma cell lines PC-3, LNCaP and DU-145. In vive, gossypol appeared to inhibit tumor growth of subcutaneously implanted MAT-LyLu cells in Copenhagen rats. Gossypol may be an active agent for the treatment of hormone refractory metastatic prostate cancer.
Genetics of abnormal human fertilization

The purpose of this study was to assess the genetic status of abnormal zygotes following assisted fertilization. Dispermic, monopronucleated and digynic zygotes were allowed to cleave intact or after enucleation, and on the biopsied blastomeres, multiplex polymerase chain reaction and fluorescent in-situ hybridization were performed. It was found that the distal pronucleus was usually male in origin in dispermic embryos, and that the sex ratio was restored when they were enucleated; however, they became mosaic at metaphase and their genetic heterogeneity was not restored after enucleation. Monopronucleated zygotes derived from standard in-vitro insemination can be transferred to the patient, since they usually showed normal diploid complement in their cells. On the contrary, single-pronucleated zygotes derived from intracytoplasmic sperm injection were usually activated parthenogenetically, but not fertilized. Digynic embryos, unlike dispermic ones, had a very low incidence of mosaicism, and when present, such mosaicism originated at a later embryo division. Most of the digynic embryos were triploid, indicating that the first division was normal and bipolar; moreover, when the female pronucleus was removed, they became diploid and their genetic status was considered normal. The recognition and understanding of fertilization abnormalities allow the identification of methods leading to their avoidance or correction.
Structural model for thermal expansion in MZr2P3O12 (M=Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs)

A structural model is proposed to describe the highly anisotropic thermal expansion in the sodium zirconium phosphate NaZr2P3O12 structure as a result of the thermal motion of the polyhedra in the structure. In the proposed model the rotations of the phosphate tetrahedra are coupled to the rotation of the zirconium octahedra. Of the two versions considered, the first one allows angular distortions to occur only in the ZrO6 octahedra; the second one permits all polyhedra to be distorted.
Abstract 3789: Elevated inorganic phosphate stimulates immediate early gene expression and requires FGF receptor signaling

Dietary inorganic phosphate represents a novel chemoprevention target. Recent results from two different mouse models of tumorigenesis; the two-stage skin carcinogenesis and KrasLA1 lung tumor models suggest that a high phosphate diet increases tumor/papilloma number by approximately 50% relative to a low phosphate diet. Additionally, a low phosphate diet resulted in delayed incidence and growth of papillomas. These results suggest that increased consumption of dietary inorganic phosphate may have long-term consequences on overall health and particularly to tumorigenesis and consequently reducing dietary phosphate intake may be a novel chemoprevention strategy. Our in vitro studies have revealed an active role of inorganic phosphate in altering cell function in various cell types and suggest that the amount of available inorganic phosphate may have significant cell autonomous consequences on cell behavior including activation of ras and ERK1/2 signaling, and increased expression of transformation and metastasis associated genes such as osteopontin (spp1). However, the mechanism by which cells sense and respond to changes in extracellular phosphate resulting in increased proliferation and transformation is not fully understood. We have performed an analysis of the temporal changes in gene expression in response to elevated phosphate. Results identified the strong stimulation of immediate early genes within 15 minutes of exposure to elevated phosphate. Reporter and DNA binding assays revealed the requirement of serum response and AP-1 transcriptional elements and taken together characterize phosphate as a novel mitogen. Furthermore, we have identified the requirement of FGF receptor signaling as one of the earliest events in the phosphate signaling cascade. This finding provides a novel link between growth factor signaling, nutrient sensing and cell growth and tumorigenesis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3789.
A Multiscale Approach for Assessing the Interactions of Environmental and Biological Systems in a Holistic Health Risk Assessment Framework

Advances in computing processing power and in availability of environmental and biological data have allowed the development and application of comprehensive modeling systems that utilize a holistic, integrated, approach for assessing the interactions of environmental and biological systems across multiple scales of spatiotemporal extent and biological organization. This approach allows mechanism-based environmental health risk assessments in a person-oriented framework, which accounts for simultaneous exposures to contaminants from multiple media, routes, and pathways. The conceptual basis and example applications of the Modeling ENvironment for TOtal Risk (MENTOR), and the DOse–Response Information ANalysis system (DORIAN) are presented.
GABA's control of stem and cancer cell proliferation in adult neural and peripheral niches.

Aside from traditional neurotransmission and regulation of secretion, γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) through GABAA receptors negatively regulates proliferation of pluripotent and neural stem cells in ...
The essence of pediatric nursing--translating evidence to improve pediatric nursing care for children, their parents and families.

Translating evidence to pediatric nursing practice enhances the quality of care while new knowledge is developed— thus, the essence of pediatric nursing. THE ESSENCE OF pediatric nursing is to provide exquisite care for children, their parents and families, while creating a supportive healthcare environment. Indeed, the goal of pediatric nursing is to provide quality healthcare for children and their families through family-centered care (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2011). Creating partnerships with parents enhances care by building supportive relationships between parents and pediatric nurses to create a nurturing environment in which children receive quality healthcare that is grounded in research evidence (Christian, 2011a). The practice of pediatric nursing requires a dual approach to healthcare that is focused on caring for children as well as their parents and families. Pediatric nursing practice is dynamic and multifaceted including innovative, developmentally-appropriate interventions for improving care and health outcomes for children and families, sensitive communication to explain the nuances of illness and treatment, teaching children and families about health and illness-related care, while reducing the stress associated with illness and healthcare to improve coping ability. Fundamental to pediatric nursing is the need to educate parents and families about health, illness, and child development (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2011). Educational interventions focus on improving parents' caregiving skills, enhancing coping ability, and providing anticipatory guidance about child health and development (Christian, 2011b, 2011c; Hagan, Shaw, & Duncan, 2008). Creative, pediatric nursing intervention strategies engage children as
Physical Models of Fires and Their Associated Environment

Abstract : Analytical models for fires and their associated environment may be useful tools for predicting and studying the dynamics of flow surrounding a source of disturbance and for studying the production and distribution of pollutants that result from combustion, photochemical processes, etc. The state of the art of fire and environmental flow dynamics is not satisfactorily developed at the present time. Flow field equations are presented as time- smoothed equations of change for an incompressible fluid, and subsequently reduced to simplified two-dimensional flows. The present state of the art allows these equations to be extended to the 2-D fire front as well as the axisymmetric fire plume.
Material microstructure optimization for linear elastodynamic energy wave management

Abstract We describe a systematic approach to design material microstructures to achieve desired energy propagation in a two-phase composite plate. To generate a well-posed topology optimization problem we use the relaxation approach which requires homogenization theory to relate the macroscopic material properties to the microstructure, here a sequentially ranked laminate. We introduce an algorithm whereby the laminate layer volume fractions and orientations are optimized at each material point. To resolve numerical instabilities associated with the dynamic simulation and constrained optimization problem, we filter the laminate parameters. This also has the effect of generating smoothly varying microstructures which are easier to manufacture. To demonstrate our algorithm we design microstructure layouts for tailored energy propagation, i.e. energy focus, energy redirection, energy dispersion and energy spread.
The M.S. program in computer science

The need for graduates from master's programs in computer science and related areas is well recognized [19, 20]. Indeed, some companies have a policy of extensively utilizing master's programs at universities for the continuing education of their employees. The Graduate Study Program of Bell Laboratories is well known. At Honeywell Information Systems it has been found that support of continuing studies at the master's level helps in hiring and retaining personnel, and is beneficial to the dissemination of new technology through the organization [29]. It has been demonstrated that programmers acquire new knowledge primarily from other programmers [17]; periodic influx into an organization of graduates of programs of advanced study is therefore essential if the organization is to retain technical soundness.Universities have responded to this need, but in a rather haphazard manner, with the result that we have today a variety of programs, some of which have very little to do with computer science. Some of the programs are no more than, to use Smoliar's [41] words, “undergraduate programs for grown-ups.” Others are viewed as a first stage in the preparation for research careers of narrow specialization. Late in 1972 Terry Walker [45] conducted a poll of master's degree granting departments. The four primary objectives of a master's program given by the 93 respondents were: prepare a person for a job designing computer software systems, prepare a person for a job as a systems analyst, prepare a person to pursue a doctoral degree in computer science, prepare a person for a job as a scientific programmer. Today one would add a fifth objective: prepare a person for teaching computer science at the junior college level. There is clearly a need to reconcile these different objectives with a unified view of computer science.
Differences in coping effectiveness and well-being among aging mothers and fathers of adults with mental retardation

Abstract In this longitudinal study, we examined stress and coping processes among 133 married mothers (age 59 to 83) and fathers (age 56 to 84) of adults with mental retardation (age 19 to 53). Th...
Temporal and spatial variations in the behavior of shrubsteppe birds.

We documented patterns of activity and microhabitat use by breeding male Sage Sparrows (Amphispiza belli) and Brewer's Sparrows (Spizella breweri) in the semiarid shrubsteppe of northwestern U.S.A. to determine how their behavior varies in space and time and how these variations relate to environmental features. In analyses of several sites with multiple plots that were studied for 2–4 yr, the frequencies of activities and substrate use varied significantly with year, plot, and location. The major activities, foraging and singing, varied inversely with one another. Thus, although the general structure of the activity budgets of these species was stable (i.e. foraging and singing were always the most frequent activities), there was considerable variation in the quantitative details of their behavior in space and time. Using stepwise regression, we related these variations in behavior to variations in environmental features such as the densities of the same or other species, the number of species in the community, and coverages of the different substrate types. Few patterns emerged, and those that did were generally not in accord with our expectations. In particular, patterns of substrate use were not related to variations in coverages of those substrates. Sage Sparrows, for example, increased their use of sagebrush and grass with increasing grass coverage and with increasing densities of Sage Sparrows. Responses to both variables suggested nonlinear threshold patterns.
Cell differentiation in Caulobacter

Abstract The generation of cellular asymmetry is the earliest step in a developmental program. This occurs at each Caulobacter cell division when structural and functional polarity is established in the predivisional cell. To do this, genetic mechanisms act to measure time and to organize cell constituents in three-dimensional space.
Humanitarian Intervention after Iraq: Just War and International Law Perspectives

Abstract During the 1990s, particularly with reference to the context of the conflicts in Somalia, former Yugoslavia, and Rwanda, considerable sentiment favoring humanitarian intervention grew both in just war argument and in discussion of international law. This paper examines the arguments put forward in these two frames and their implications for international behaviour and law. But in 2002–2003, when US President Bush identified the egregious abuses of human rights perpetrated by Saddam Hussein and his regime over a long history as one of the reasons for using military force to oust that regime, this humanitarian intervention argument fell flat. Does this put in question the future of the idea of humanitarian intervention after the Iraq war of 2003? This paper argues that the experience of humanitarian intervention (or non-intervention) and its results during the 1990s must be taken together with the case of Iraq in thinking about the future of humanitarian intervention, and that this future may best ...
The Elusive, yet Critical Challenge of Developing Global Leaders

Due to the effects of globalization, senior executives have launched initiatives to develop global leaders. However, the success of these programs has been mixed at best. Based on reviews of the growing academic literature in the field of global leadership, this article delineates the competencies associated with global leadership, provides information about existing assessment tools that can measure these competencies, and offers specific guidance for developing effective global leadership training programs.
Bioaccumulation, growth and larval settlement effects of sediment-associated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons on the estuarine polychaete, Streblospio benedicti (Webster)

Abstract Macrobenthos of the pristine North Inlet, SC, USA and urbanized Murrell's Inlet, SC, estuaries are predominated by the cosmopolitan spionid polychaete Streblospio benedicti. (Webster) Laboratory experiments were conducted to measure larval settlement and metamorphosis, and sub-adult bioaccumulation/growth rates of S. benedicti when exposed to controlled concentrations of sediment-associated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Larval settlement/metamorphosis was reduced, but not significantly affected (relative to controls) by IX, 5X and 10X background PAH mixture concentrations of the six most abundant sediment-associated PAHs found in urbanized Murrell's Inlet (1X = 0.9 μg PAH per g dry sediment). Bioaccumulation of the most abundant sediment-associated PAH, fluoranthene (FL), was very high in this PAH tolerant species—9.5–13.7X FL sediment concentrations after 28-day exposures. 28-day exposures to 0.26 and 2.4 μg FL · g−1 caused no significant mortality, and significantly effected positive average weight gains in S. benedicti up to 18 days exposure. However, dramatic and significant weight declines occurred from days 18–28 in both FL treatments. Such a strong tolerance of PAH may explain why these polychaetes are not limited to pristine geographic areas, but can, as numerous field studies have shown, recruit well into hydrocarbon-contaminated and organically enriched sediments.
Mapping global D″ P velocities from ISC PcP-P differential travel times

Abstract We analyze 78 793 differential PcP-P travel times reported by stations world-wide to the International Seismological Centre (ISC) during 1963–1987, to examine the seismic structure of the base of the mantle. Data were selected for earthquake-station pairs within a 30–85° distance range, and corrected for ellipticity and mantle path heterogeneity using the tomographic P-velocity model IASP3D-P of Vasco et al. (1994, J. Geophys. Res., 99: 13727–13755). The PcP-P paths sample a very small number of regions of the base of the mantle, limiting the amount of the lowermost mantle, D″, that could be examined. We find that the PcP-P differential times are on average 0.49s greater than the times predicted by the IASP91 model of Kennett and Engdahl (1991, Geophys. J. Int., 105: 429–465), suggesting that that the mean P velocity within a 300 km thick D″ may be 0.35% slower than IASP91 for the regions sampled by our data. We have attempted to create an image of some of the higher wavelength D″ heterogeneity to form a P-wave comparison for the ScS-S (and sScS-sS) study of Wysession et al. (1995a, J. Geophys. Res., 100: 8351). We have therefore used the similar technique of converting the travel time residuals into velocity anomalies in the lowermost 300 km of the mantle, and then stacking and smoothing them to create a geographical coherency plot for D″ lateral heterogeneity. There are five regions with data coverage good enough to allow inferences about D″ P-velocity structure relative to IASP91: (1) velocities at least 0.9–1.2% fast beneath Alaska; (2) velocities at least 0.5–1.0% slow beneath Hawaii; (3) velocities 0.65% fast beneath northern Asia, our region of greatest coverage; (4) a broad slow velocity region (up to −3.0%) beneath the western Pacific and eastern Asia; (5) a complicated region of fast velocity (+0.7%) surrounded by two slow velocity regions (−1.8% and −0.8%) within D″ beneath Central America. The transition from slow to fast D″ velocities moving from beneath the western Pacific Ocean toward Asia occurs in a different location for P velocities than for the S velocities of Wysession et al. (1995a).
Effects of multiple injections of HCG on testis blood flow.

Abstract In attempting to determine whether or not multiple injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) augment testis blood flow, adult male rats were injected with three doses of 10 IU of hCG every other day and testis blood flow was determined on day 5, the day of the final injection. Testis blood flow (mL/100 g testis tissue/min ± SEM) as measured by the 133Xe washout method increased from 10.8 ± 1.3 to 20.4 ± 4.5 (p
A LIE THEORETIC APPROACH TO THOMPSON'S THEOREMS ON SINGULAR VALUES–DIAGONAL ELEMENTS AND SOME RELATED RESULTS

Thompson's famous theorems on singular values–diagonal elements of the orbit of an n × n matrix A under the action (1) U ( n ) [otimes ] U ( n ) where A is complex, (2) SO( n ) [otimes ] SO( n ), where A is real, (3) O ( n ) [otimes ] O ( n ) where A is real are fully examined. Coupled with Kostant's result, the real semi-simple Lie algebra [sfr ][ofr ] n , n yields (2) and hence (3) and the sufficient part (the hard part) of (1). In other words, the curious subtracted term(s) are well explained. Although the diagonal elements corresponding to (1) do not form a convex set in [Copf ] n , the projection of the diagonal elements into ℝ n (or i ℝ n ) is convex and the characterization of the projection is related to weak majorization. An elementary proof is given for this hidden convexity result. Equivalent statements in terms of the Hadamard product are also given. The real simple Lie algebra [sfr ][ufr ] n , n shows that such a convexity result fits into the framework of Kostant's result. Convexity properties and torus relations are studied. Thompson's results on the convex hull of matrices (complex or real) with prescribed singular values, as well as Hermitian matrices (real symmetric matrices) with prescribed eigenvalues, are generalized in the context of Lie theory. Also considered are the real simple Lie algebras [sfr ][ofr ] p , q and [sfr ][ofr ] p , q , p q , which yield the rectangular cases. It is proved that the real part and the imaginary part of the diagonal elements of complex symmetric matrices with prescribed singular values are identical to a convex set in ℝ n and the characterization is related to weak majorization. The convex hull of complex symmetric matrices and the convex hull of complex skew symmetric matrices with prescribed singular values are given. Some questions are asked.
Identification of a Novel Growth Factor-like Lipid, 1-O-cis-Alk-1′-enyl-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (Alkenyl-GP) That Is Present in Commercial Sphingolipid Preparations

Abstract Lysophosphatidic acid, a member of the acidic phospholipid autacoid (APA) family of lipid mediators, elicits diverse cellular effects that range from mitogenesis to the prevention of programmed cell death. Sphingosine 1-phosphate and sphingosylphosphorylcholine have also been proposed to be ligands of the APA receptors. However, key observations that provide the foundation of this hypothesis have not been universally reproducible, leading to a controversy in the field. We provide evidence that 1-O-cis-alk-1′-enyl-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (alkenyl-GP) is present in some commercial sphingolipid preparations and is responsible for many of their APA-like effects, which were previously attributed to sphingosylphosphorylcholine. Alkenyl-GP was generated by acidic and basic methanolysis from ethanolamine lysoplasmalogen, which was present in the sphingomyelin fraction that is used to manufacture sphingosylphosphorylcholine. We present the structural identification of alkenyl-GP, using 1H and13C NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and mass spectrometry. Alkenyl-GP was a potent activator of the mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK1/2 and elicited a mitogenic response in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. In contrast, sphingosylphosphorylcholine at a concentration of 10 μmwas only a weak mitogen and only weakly activated the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases. Alkenyl-GP has recently been detected as an injury-induced component in the anterior chamber of the eye (Liliom, K., Guan, Z., Tseng, H., Desiderio, D. M., Tigyi, G., and Watsky, M. (1998) Am. J. Physiol. 274, C1065–C1074), indicating that this lipid is a naturally occurring member of the APA mediator family.
Karaya gum as a mechanical laxative an experimental study on animals and man

Karaya gum will absorb and hold a large quantity of water. Karaya is not attacked by B. Welchii in vitro, but is slightly fermented by yeast. Experimental evidence fails to prove that Karaya is appreciably disintegrated in the alimentary tract, for feeding Karaya to dogs does not increase the copperreducing substances in the feces; does not increase the sugar excreted by depancreatized dogs; does not effect the D:N ratio in phloridzin diabetes. It does tend to increase fecal nitrogen excretion, although the effect is variable; it does not appreciably affect starch digestion in dogs receiving an excessively high starch diet; and does not inhibit the utilization of vitamin A in rats.
Overnight hospital stay is not always necessary after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.

Objectives: To determine whether patients with obstructive sleep apnea who undergo uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) have a significant incidence of postoperative complications that would justify overnight postoperative observation in the hospital. Study Design: Part 1: review of published medical literature to determine incidence of postoperative complications. Part 2: retrospective review of 117 patients undergoing UPPP with or without additional procedures. Methods: A literature search for existing studies describing the postoperative complications after UPPP for obstructive sleep apnea was conducted. After this, the records of 117 patients who had undergone UPPP at a university-based medical center during a 5-year span were reviewed. Results: Respiratory events occur in 2% to 11% of cases. These include airway obstruction (e.g., laryngospasm), postobstructive pulmonary edema (POPE), and desaturation. Airway obstruction occurred in the immediate postoperative setting. POPE was rare and usually occurred within minutes after the conclusion of the surgical procedure. Desaturation could occur at any time, but the severity was usually equivalent to that found on preoperative sleep study. Hemorrhage occurred in 2% to 14% of cases and had a biphasic incidence, occurring either immediately postoperatively or several days after surgery. Depending on definition, hypertension was observed in between 2% and 70% of patients postoperatively. This was most commonly diagnosed and treated in the immediate postoperative setting. In most reports, arrhythmia and angina occurred in less than 1% of cases. Conclusions: The majority of complications after UPPP with or without additional procedures occur within 1 to 2 hours after surgery. Postoperative oxygen desaturation is usually no worse than that that was observed on preoperative polysomnography findings. A 2 to 3 hour observation period may be suitable for patients after UPPP; if a patient experiences no complications and is maintaining adequate oxygenation and analgesia, same-day discharge from recovery room may be considered.
Automatic analysis of dialect/language sets

Dialect variations of a language represent considerable challenges for sustained performance of speech systems. In a given language space, estimation of similarity or diversity between multiple dialects provides valuable information for speech researchers. In the present study, fundamental differences between dialects or closely related languages are explored based on available speech data from those dialects/languages. First, a method is proposed to measure spectral acoustic differences between dialects based on a volume space analysis within a 3D model using log likelihood score distributions derived from traditional Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient features and Gaussian Mixture Models. Next, text-independent prosody features based on pitch and energy contour primitives are proposed to study excitation structure differences between dialects. The proposed dialect proximity measures are evaluated and compared on a corpus of Arabic dialects, as well as a corpus of South Indian languages, which are closely related languages. The presented measures are shown to be consistent and repeatable.
An empirical assessment of Niederhoffer's police cynicism scale

Abstract For some time there has been an intensive effort among police scholars to determine the attitudes of law enforcement personnel. Their efforts have focused particularly on the determinants of police cynicism. However, to date, there has only been one attempt to construct an index estimating that attitude—Niederhoffer's in 1967. Thus, all discussions of police cynicism rest on that index. This paper examines for the first time the reliability and validity of that instrument on a separate population of police personnel. The results were significant. First, it is shown that the index has an extremely low reliability and validity. Then, it is revealed that the index is tapping at least five separate dimensions of cynicism—not one, as police scholars so frequently assert. The implications from this research are great. The most obvious is that it is time to stop discussing the “cynical cop.” Instead, social scientist can begin specifying toward which dimensions of the occupation officers with particular traits are likely to become cynical. Second, the findings indicate the need to develop additional measures of police cynicism that are more reliable and valid than the sole existing index.
Keeping Pace with Extreme Data

The problems of dealing with very large datasets plague scientists these days, despite emerging new technologies. How can scientists keep up with both their own fields and the dynamic science of data management, applying new technologies to their own work? And how might findings from network science inform this process?
Relaxation of 2D turbulence to a metaequilibrium near the minimum enstrophy state.

Relaxation of 2D turbulence has been measured in magnetized electron columns, which follow the same ([ital r],[theta]) dynamics as 2D incompressible fluids. The turbulence arises from shear instabilities on initially hollow columns, then relaxes to long-lasting, axisymmetric metaequilibria. The measured metaequilibrium vorticity profiles are in close agreement with the minimum enstrophy vortices predicted by the selective decay'' hypothesis.
Pion-Hydrogen Phase Shift Analysis between 120 and 217 Mev

An analysis has been made of the experimental angular distributions of negative pion---hydrogen scattering between 120 and 217 Mev. The usual assumptions of charge independence, and contributions from $S$ and $P$ waves only, are used and the six phase shifts determined as a function of energy by means of the Los Alamos MANIAC. The resulting phase shifts are used to predict positive pion---hydrogen scattering in this energy region. Comparison with the experimental data on positive pions enables one to exclude some of the sets of solutions obtained from the negative pion data.Essentially three acceptable sets of solutions are found. Arguments are given why one of these is likely to be the physically correct one. Its characteristics are that the predominant phase angle with $T=\frac{3}{2}$, $j=\frac{3}{2}$ passes through 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} at about 195 Mev, that none of the other phase angles shows a resonance in our energy region, and that the $T=\frac{1}{2}$ phase angles are all small.
Simultaneous measurement of charging levels of multiple aminoacyl-tRNAs.

An assay for the simultaneous assessment of the charging levels of up to 20 tRNAs in a single experiment is described. A mixture of tRNAs is charged with a mixture of radioactive amino acids using a crude preparation of aminoacyl (AA)-tRNA ligases. The AA-tRNAs are collected on filters, washed free of unreacted amino acids, and hydrolyzed on the filter. The free amino acids are eluted, separated by ion-exchange chromatography, and quantitated to provide an assessment of the amount of each of the AA-tRNAs present at the time the charging reaction was quenched. The use of this assay to monitor the initial velocities of charging of a number of tRNAs and to assess in vivo charging levels of tRNA is described.
“Aye, Aye Captain!” Implementing an Induction Initiative to Improve Safety and Outcomes

Childbearing Poster Presentation starting the intravenous line, and monitoring the fetal heart tones. The outcome of this project shows that the surgical site infection rate after cesarean dropped from 2.6% to 1.5% during the quarter in which the project was implemented. Because of the reduced infection rate, costs are reduced for patient readmissions to the hospital and repeat visits to a physician’s office for surgical site care. Implications for Nursing Practice Implications for nursing practice involve a onestep preoperational warming process that takes place during the preoperative period with a forced air warmer for scheduled cesareans. This practice takes place during the time the nurse is doing other tasks to prepare the patient for surgery. On admission to the PACU, fewer nursing interventions are required to treat hypothermia after the surgery.
Choline Esterase and Esters of Thiamine

SummaryThe acetyl ester of thiamine chloride was found to be a poorer inhibitor of choline esterase than free thiamine, while the pyrophosphoric ester had even less inhibitory action. The affinity for the enzyme of the former was calculated to be 5.3, and of the latter 1.7, times that of acetylcholine. The acetyl ester was hydrolyzed slowly by horse serum, the magnitude of the enzymatic splitting being approximately equal to that due to the hydroxylion scission at the same pH (7.4).
Sequential Testing of Product Designs: Implications for Learning

Past research in new product development (NPD) has conceptualized prototyping as a “design-build-test-analyze” cycle to emphasize the importance of the analysis of test results in guiding the decisions made during the experimentation process. New product designs often involve complex architectures and incorporate numerous components, and this makes the ex ante assessment of their performance difficult. Still, design teams often learn from test outcomes during iterative test cycles enabling them to infer valuable information about the performances of (as yet) untested designs. We conceptualize the extent of useful learning from analysis of a test outcome as depending on two key structural characteristics of the design space, namely whether the set of designs are “close” to each other (i.e., the designs are similar on an attribute level) and whether the design attributes exhibit nontrivial interactions (i.e., the performance function is complex). This study explicitly considers the design space structure and the resulting correlations among design performances, and examines their implications for learning. We derive the optimal dynamic testing policy, and we analyze its qualitative properties. Our results suggest optimal continuation only when the previous test outcomes lie between two thresholds. Outcomes below the lower threshold indicate an overall low performing design space and, consequently, continued testing is suboptimal. Test outcomes above the upper threshold, on the other hand, merit termination because they signal to the design team that the likelihood of obtaining a design with a still higher performance (given the experimentation cost) is low. We find that accounting for the design space structure splits the experimentation process into two phases: the initial exploration phase, in which the design team focuses on obtaining information about the design space, and the subsequent exploitation phase in which the design team, given their understanding of the design space, focuses on obtaining a “good enough” configuration. Our analysis also provides useful contingency-based guidelines for managerial action as information gets revealed through the testing cycle. Finally, we extend the optimal policy to account for design spaces that contain distinct design subclasses.
Queer Theory and Feminism

In the academy today, those of us who work on issues and ideas concerning women, feminism, gender, sexuality, sexual ethics, or homosexuality are being surrounded by things "queer." Books are creeping into the gender studies sections of our bookstores that are about the business of Queering the Renaissance, Queering the Pitch, and Making Things Perfectly Queer. The titles promise to tell us what it means to be Queer in America, or how Queer Looks; the scope of their inquiries is vast, ranging from/4 Queer Romance about queers in popular culture to Queer Words, Queer Images about queer communication theory to Queer Noises about queer musicians to Queer Blood about AIDS to Queer Spirits a queer mythology book to Queer Doings in the Navy. These books tell us we are living in a time of Queer and Pleasant Danger, while admittedly many of our straight neighbors seem to be living in Fear of a Queer Planet. For many of us who came of age in the relatively stable reign of what academics now call "cultural feminism," the moves presented by queer theory sometimes seem precarious and disaccommodating. While earlier forms of feminism centered their politics on the transhistorical, transcultural subject of
Analysing pre-colonial South Asia: Mode of production or proto - industrialisation?

Abstract This article attempts to go beyond the “mode of production” debate to examine many of the theoretical and empirical controversies in terms of defining and situating the socio-economic dynamic of pre-colonial India. It tries to explore some broad patterns of production and exchange evolving between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, and compares them to corresponding structures of “proto-industrialisation” that have been suggested as being relevant to European development. It argues that the evidence of persistent pressures for goods and services (made necessary by the rapid expansion of both internal and external demand), the extension and consolidation of markets, the critical role of the merchant entrepreneurs in the structures and strategies of the process, and the gradual shifts in the relations of production, were all suggestive of a similar process of capitalist transformation demonstrated in Europe.
Synthesis and Crystal Structures of N,N′-Disubstituted Piperazines

The structure of 1,4-diphenylpiperazine (1) was determined; it crystallized in the orthorhombic space group Pbca, a = 8.6980(7), b = 8.4287(7), c = 17.6359(15), V = 1292.94(19), Z = 4. Three novel N,N′-disubstituted piperazines were synthesized via reductive amination of piperazine or N-diphenylmethylpiperazine. The products were characterized by NMR and X-ray crystallography. 1,4-Diphenethylpiperazine (2) crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/c, a = 17.9064(13), b = 6.2517(5), c = 14.9869(11), β = 90.613(4), V = 1677.6(2), Z = 4. 1-Benzhydryl-4-benzylpiperazine (3) crystallized in the monoclinic space group Pn, a = 5.9450(2), b = 19.0722(4), c = 8.6084(2), β = 96.4600(10), V = 98.1790(10), Z = 2. 1-Benzhydryl-4-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)piperazine (4) crystallized in the monoclinic space group P2/c, a = 13.5637(2), b = 5.82170(10), c = 24.0645(4), β = 90.613(4), V = 1888.16(5), Z = 4. Comparison of the structures showed significant sp2 character for the piperazine nitrogen atoms in 1. Each structure showed multiple intermolecular non-bonding interactions. The structures of 1,4-diphenylpiperazine, diphenethylpiperazine, 1-benzhydryl-4-benzylpiperazine, and 1-benzhydryl-4-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)piperazine are reported.