cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elementary Students' Views of Explanation, Argumentation, and Evidence, and Their Abilities to Construct Arguments over the School Year.

Science includes more than just concepts and facts, but also encompasses scientific ways of thinking and reasoning. Students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds influence the knowledge they bring to the classroom, which impacts their degree of comfort with scientific practices. Consequently, the goal of this study was to investigate 5th grade students' views of explanation, argument, and evidence across three contexts—what scientists do, what happens in science classrooms, and what happens in everyday life. The study also focused on how students' abilities to engage in one practice, argumentation, changed over the school year. Multiple data sources were analyzed: pre- and post-student interviews, videotapes of classroom instruction, and student writing. The results from the beginning of the school year suggest that students' views of explanation, argument, and evidence, varied across the three contexts with students most likely to respond “I don't know” when talking about their science classroom. Students had resources to draw from both in their everyday knowledge and knowledge of scientists, but were unclear how to use those resources in their science classroom. Students' understandings of explanation, argument, and evidence for scientists and for science class changed over the course of the school year, while their everyday meanings remained more constant. This suggests that instruction can support students in developing stronger understanding of these scientific practices, while still maintaining distinct understandings for their everyday lives. Finally, the students wrote stronger scientific arguments by the end of the school year in terms of the structure of an argument, though the accuracy, appropriateness, and sufficiency of the arguments varied depending on the specific learning or assessment task. This indicates that elementary students are able to write scientific arguments, yet they need support to apply this practice to new and more complex contexts and content areas. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 793–823, 2011
Scattering from thin dielectric straps surrounding a perfectly conducting structure

Dielectric straps can support very heavy targets and have low backscattering levels, especially at low frequencies (below 8 GHz); thus, they can be used effectively to support targets during backscattered field measurements. The scattered fields of nonmagnetic dielectric straps surrounding a perfectly conducting structure are presented, and the computed results are compared with experimental data. Empirical formulas for the strap scattered fields are also given. These formulas are good for general convex structures whose radii of curvature are large compared with the wavelength and are expected to give a reasonable estimate of the true backscattered fields from the dielectric straps when used as a target support structure. >
A developmental‐genetic analysis of aggressive behavior in mice: IV. Genotype‐environment interaction

Etude de la plasticite du developpement comportemental apres selection pour l'agression chez la souris. Etude de la generalite des effets genetiques chez des souris elevees dans differents environnements sociaux. Discussion des implications d'une approche developpementale genetique dans l'etude des interactions sociales
Polymer adhesion vs substrate receptor group density

The effect of substrate receptor group density on polymer adhesion was investigated. Model substrates with varying −NH2 density on Al2O3 were prepared by a self-assembly of mixed amine-terminated s...
Modern Excitation Systems for Large Synchronous Machines

AN EXCITATION SYSTEM consists essentially of an exciter and means for its regulation. Originally, manual control of voltage was used widely. With the development of power systems using modern apparatus, automatic control, in general, has come to play an important part in the progress of the electric power industry. Therefore, it is in keeping with this progress that voltage regulators have been used increasingly and have become an important factor in making possible further economies and improvements in system reliability. The increased use and acceptance of voltage regulators has been a great stimulus to the advancement of the art with the result that with the past few years several new types have been developed, placed in regular service, and are performing successfully.
The Venetian privilege and music-printing in the sixteenth century

Any scholar involved in the study of sixteenth-century music printed in Venice is bound to be familiar with the phrase 'con gratia et privilegio'; yet within the framework of music-printing as a whole, the uses and significance of the printing privilege have remained somewhat obscure. The Venetian prints on which the privilege indication appears now lie scattered across the globe, but Venice continues to guard part of her brilliant past the archives of the Serenissima Repubblica still yield documents which clarify our understanding of the production and protection of prints during the Cinquecento. Few European cities could rival sixteenth-century Venice in sheer quantity of book production. Music books represented only a small fraction of the total, though more music prints probably originated in Venice than in any other centre. The Venetian oligarchy attempted to regulate this massive industry with legislation concerning books in every discipline. These laws have been published and referred to a number of times, from the seventeenth century until the present,' while those surviving documents which
Memory, executive cognitive function, and readiness to change drinking behavior.

Abstract The transtheoretical model of Prochaska and DiClemente [ Psychother. Theory Res. Prac. 19 (1982) 276] postulates that cognitive skills are critical for drinking behavior change. Memory and executive cognitive function likely influence the execution of skills that are implicated for both motivating and sustaining drinking behavior change. Participants who met criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence ( N =117) were administered a battery of standardized memory and executive cognitive function tests that included the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R), Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT), and Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST). Lower verbal and higher delayed recall memory score at baseline significantly predicted precontemplation, higher verbal memory scores predicted contemplation, and better attention–concentration at baseline significantly predicted reduced drinking at 3-month follow-up, after controlling for baseline alcohol consumption. The study findings indicate that explicit memory processes may have utility for predicting readiness to change drinking behavior.
Improving Memory Hierarchy Performance through Combined Loop Interchange and Multi-Level Fusion

Because of the increasing gap between the speeds of processors and main memories, compilers must enhance the locality of applications to achieve high performance. Loop fusion enhances locality by fusing loops that access similar sets of data. Typically, it is applied to loops at the same level after loop interchange, which first attains the best nesting order for each local loop nest. However, since loop interchange cannot foresee the overall optimization effect, it often selects the wrong loops to be placed outermost for fusion, achieving suboptimal performance globally. Building on traditional unimodular transformations on perfectly nested loops, we present a novel transformation, dependence hoisting, that effectively combines interchange and fusion for arbitrarily nested loops. We present techniques to simultaneously interchange and fuse loops at multiple levels. By evaluating the compound optimization effect beforehand, we have achieved better performance than was possible by previous techniques, which apply interchange and fusion separately.
THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF ISOLATED 17,20 LYASE DEFICIENCY. • 519

Human P450c17 catalyzes the 17α-hydroxylation of pregnenolone to 17OH pregnenolone and of progesterone to 17α-OH progesterone; the same P450c17 enzyme also catalyzes 17,20 lyase activity on the sam...
Measurements of efficiency and time resolution of multiwire proportional counters

Abstract This paper describes efficiency measurements of multiwire gas proportional counters in a 1 GeV/ c particle beam. Results are presented as a function of the location of the particle traversal relative to the wires. Timing spectra relative to coincident scintillation counters show that 99.5% efficiency can be achieved throughout the sensitive area with a full width time resolution of 60 ns. Counter construction is outlined, and a new integrated circuit amplifier-discriminator is presented.
Surface spin-flop and the antiferromagnetic spin-flop transition

The role of the surface spin-flop state in the antiferromagnetic spin-flop phase transition in Mn${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ is examined. Demagnetizing and Lorentz fields are included in the analysis. It is shown that the surface spin-flop state is equivalent to an ordinary spin-flop domain residing at the surface of the crystal, and that the mechanism for bypassing the energy barrier between the bulk antiferromagnetic and spin-flop phases is domain formation.
Multiple roles of pleckstrin homology domains in phospholipase Cβ function

Since their discovery almost 10 years ago pleckstrin homology (PH) domains have been identified in a wide variety of proteins. Here, we focus on two proteins whose PH domains play a defined functional role, phospholipase C (PLC)-β2 and PLCδ1. While the PH domains of both proteins are responsible for membrane targeting, their specificity of membrane binding drastically differs. However, in both these proteins the PH domains work to modulate the activity of their catalytic core upon interaction with either phosphoinositol lipids or G protein activators. These observations show that these PH domains are not simply binding sites tethered onto their host enzyme but are intimately associated with their catalytic core. This property may be true for other PH domains.
Computer‐mediated communications and the Chinese students in the U.S.

Abstract The adoption of computer‐mediated communication (CMC) system has been one of the most important developments in technology and communication over the last decade. This article examines how the Chinese students in the U.S. have utilized the CMC network and what social impacts such usages have brought about.
Preparation of monodisperse silica particles: control of size and mass fraction

Abstract We extend the work of Stober, Fink and Bohn (J. Colloid Interfac Sci. 26 (1968) 62) to establish the ranges of reagent concentrations which result in the precipitation of monodisperse silica particles from ethanol solutions containing ammonia, water, and tetraethyl orthosilica. A correlation is presented which can be used to predict final particle sizes over concentrations of 0.1-0.5 M TEOS, 0.5–17.0 M H 2 O and 0.5-3 M NH 3 . The maximum particle size achievable for these conditions at 25°C is ⋍ 800 nm and near the maximum, monodispersity is difficult to maintain. The effects of reaction temperature are studied and particle size distributions are analyzed. A seeded growth technique for preparing larger particles and/or increasing solids mass fraction up to a theoretical limit of ⋍ 24 wt% of silica is described.
The Relative Importance of Treatment Outcomes A Delphi Group Weighting in Mental Health

Cost-effectiveness studies require one to estimate overall program effectiveness using multiple outcome measures. However, one must first establish the relative importance of the different outcomes. Using an iterative process of group discussion, voting, and feedback of results, subjects ranked nine outcome scales in priority and assigned importance weights. Improvement in client ability to be self-supporting was judged the most important outcome, with symptom reduction second. Involvement with friends and substance abuse were judged the least important outcomes. The group achieved a high degree of consensus, as measured by convergence towards increasingly precise and distinct importance weights.
PRENATAL PATHOGENESIS OF MACROORCHIDISM IN THE FRAGILE X SYNDROME

Light and electron microscopy of fetal testes at 16 and 22 weeks of gestation, following prenatal diagnosis of the Fragile X Syndrome, revealed that the morphogenesis of the macroorchidism begins prior to 16 weeks and is progressive throughout gestation.
An interesting algebraic variety

In this article I would like to describe the structure of the Igusa compactification of the Siegel modular space of degree two and level two. This space is of particular interest for several reasons. For one thing, it lies in the intersection of a number of different areas of mathematics--Riemann surfaces, theta functions a nd automorphic forms, algebraic geometry, and differential topology. For another, it is a special case of several general constructions--t hose of the theory of compactifications, geometric invariant theory, resolution of singularities, and symplectic geometry. Further, there are a number of different and fruitful methodsalgebraic, analytic, geometric, and topological--with which to analyze this space. (Not to be neglected is the chance to impress the reader with an object whose name has 13 words, thereby being 6 1/2 times as good as the Fermat conjecture.) The point of this article is that this space has a beautiful and intricate geometric structure, which I shall attempt to describe well enough for the reader to appreciate. I will begin by describing elliptic curves (thereby, like Proust's madeleine, taking the reader back to the halcyon days of graduate school) and then discuss our situation, which is a generalization thereof. Recall that an elliptic curve (as in figure IIa) is C/L, the complex plane C modulo a lattice L. (A lattice is the set of integral linear combinations of two non-collinear vectors based at some point of the complex plane.) Without changing the elliptic curve, we may normalize the lattice by requiring that the vectors be based at the origin, the first vector be the standard unit vector in the x-direction, and the second vector have positive y-coordinate, so that the lattice is specified by the endpoint of this vector, i.e. by a point x in S 1 = {zeC[Imz>O}
Homozygous Disruption of the Tip60 Gene Causes Early Embryonic Lethality

Tat-interactive protein 60 (Tip60) is a member of the MYST family, proteins of which are related by an atypical histone acetyltransferase (HAT) domain. Although Tip60 has been implicated in cellular activities including DNA repair, apoptosis, and transcriptional regulation, its function during embryonic development is unknown. We ablated the Tip60 gene (Htatip) from the mouse by replacing exons 1–9 with a neomycin resistance cassette. Development and reproduction of wild-type and heterozygous animals were normal. However, homozygous ablation of the Tip60 gene caused embryolethality near the blastocyst stage of development, as evidenced by inability of cells in Tip60-null blastocysts to hatch and survive in culture. Monitoring cell proliferation and death by detecting EdU-substituted DNA and TUNEL labeling revealed suppression of cell proliferation concomitant with increased cell death as Tip60-null cells attempted to hatch from blastocysts. These findings indicate that Tip60 is essential for cellular survival during the blastocyst-gastrula transition of embryogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 238:2912–2921, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Isolation of brain-infiltrating leukocytes.

We describe a method for preparing brain infiltrating leukocytes (BILs) from mice. We demonstrate how to infect mice with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) via a rapid intracranial injection technique and how to purify a leukocyte-enriched population of infiltrating cells from whole brain. Briefly, mice are anesthetized with isoflurane in a closed chamber and are free-hand injected with a Hamilton syringe into the frontal cortex. Mice are then killed at various times after infection by isoflurane overdose and whole brains are extracted and homogenized in RPMI with a Tenbroeck tissue grinder. Brain homogenates are centrifuged through a continuous 30% Percoll gradient to remove the myelin and other cell debris. The cell suspension is then strained at 40 μm, washed and centrifuged on a discontinuous Ficoll-Paque Plus gradient to select and purify the leukocytes. The leukocytes are then washed and resuspended in appropriate buffers for immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. Flow cytometry reveals a population of innate immune cells at the early stages of infection in C57BL/6 mice. At 24 hours post infection, multiple subsets of immune cells are present in the BILs, with an enriched population of Gr1+, CD11b+ and F4/80+cells. Therefore, this method is useful in characterizing the immune response to acute infection in the brain.
Post Mortem Chromosome Analysis

Chromosome studies were done on a total of 19 post mortem blood samples in order to determine how suitable post mortem blood would be for this purpose.Chromosome analysis can be successfully carried out if the sample of blood is taken less than 24 hours after death and sample has nearly normal hemoglobin and hematocrit values. However, it is more important that the sample should have a sufficient number of lymphocytes. This is generally found in blood samples with higher white counts.The perinatal group had 42% successful cultures whereas the adult group had 33%. This may be due to relatively high white count and higher lymphocyte count in perinatal cases. Incidentally, there were three cultures which showed a fibroblast-like cell growth in 72 hours.
Electrochemical fluorination of chlorine-containing amines

Abstract The electrochemical fluorination of chlorine-containing ethers has been studied. In general, it was found that a chlorine bonded to an a -carbon atom in the ethers was readily removed during electrochemical reaction in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, whilst a chlorine bonded to the β-carbon atom was retained to yield β-chlorinated polyfluoroethers. Through the use of this method, several new chloropolyfluoroethers, e.g. 2-chloro-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether, 2,2-dichloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl trifluoromethyl ether 2,2-dichloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether, 2,2-dichloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl chlorodifluoromethyl ether, 2-chloro-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl chlorodifluoromethyl ether and 2,2-trichloro-1,1-difluoroethyl trifluoromethyl ether, have isolated and characterized.
Benzodiazepine anticonvulsant action: γ-aminobutyric acid-dependent modulation of the chloride ionophore

Brain-specific benzodiazepine receptors are allosterically coupled to chloride ionophore-associated binding sites for sulfur-35-labeled t -butylbicyclophosphorothionate. The specific binding of t -butylbicyclophosphorothionate to fresh unwashed rat cortical membranes is inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of five benzodiazepine agonists but not by the antagonist Ro 15-1788. Their inhibitory potencies in this assay are closely related to their antimetrazol activities. Studies with solubilized receptor-complex preparations establish an absolute requirement for γ-aminobutyric acid (3 to 10 M), strongly suggesting that the antagonism of metrazol-induced seizures by the benzodiazepines involves an action on the chloride ionophore mediated through the low affinity γ-aminobutyric acid receptor.
Medical Malpractice Reform: The Role of Alternative Dispute Resolution

Background Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) refers to techniques used to resolve conflicts without going to the courtroom. As healthcare and malpractice costs continue to rise, there is growing interest in tactics such as early apology, mediation, and arbitration in the medical arena.
Mapping the Hierarchical Structure of Coping: Unifying Empirical and Theoretical Perspectives

Consumer researchers have become increasingly interested in the study of coping. This research contributes to this emerging paradigm by investigating structural theories of coping using a hierarchical modeling approach to better understand the basic dimensional properties of this multifaceted construct. This research makes gains along several fronts. First, the authors empirically examine a new lower order theory of coping based on a comprehensive synthesis of the literature, reconciling nomenclatural and conceptual redundancies found in the structure of coping literature. Analyses across 2 studies using different methods offer support for a 2-dimensional higher order model of coping. Finally, a third study using an experimental approach validates these findings by showing unique effects relating an approach-avoidance based higher order model to theoretically predicted emotional antecedents. By examining the mapping of lower order coping strategies onto several higher order coping theories, this research addresses the extant disjuncture between coping theory and measurement found in the literature and offers reconciliation between these 2 perspectives. The findings suggest the need for future coping research to focus on other 2-dimensional theories beyond problem-focused versus emotion-focused coping. The findings build on the synergies among the many coping perspectives, and the implications of a better understanding of coping's hierarchical structure for consumer researchers is discussed.
Incidence of postoperative intraabdominal abscesses in open versus laparoscopic appendectomies

Risk for intraabdominal abscess (IAA) after laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) remains controversial. A 2008 Cochrane Review suggests almost a threefold increase in the incidence of IAA after LA compared with open appendectomy (OA). The authors conducted a retrospective chart review of all appendicitis patients 18 years and older undergoing appendectomy from 1996 to 2007 at one military treatment facility and one civilian hospital in Hawaii. Data collection included demographics, procedure, presence of complicated appendicitis (defined as perforated or gangrenous appendicitis at surgical or pathologic assessment), and presence of postoperative IAA on computed axial tomography (CAT) scan. The review identified 2,464 patients with appendicitis. A total of 1,924 LAs (78%) and 540 OAs (22%) were performed. The comparison of laparoscopic and open appendectomies showed no significant differences in the number of postoperative abscesses (2.2% vs 1.9%; p = 0.74). The patients with a diagnosis of complicated appendicitis were significantly associated with a higher incidence of postoperative abscess formation (67% vs 25%; p < 0.01), which had an unadjusted odds ratio of 6.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4–11.0; p < 0.01). No significant difference in the development of abscess in patients with complicated appendicitis could be found between LA and OA (5.9% vs 4.1%; p = 0.44). No significant difference in the occurrence of IAA after LA versus OA was found. The patients with complicated appendicitis experienced a greater number of IAA than the patients with uncomplicated appendicitis.
Bilateral medial pectoral neuropathy in a weight lifter

Weight lifting has occasionally been associated with focal neuropathies of unknown cause. We describe a case of progressive bilateral medial pectoral neuropathy in a body builder. Whereas the medial pectoral nerve passes through pectoralis minor to reach the pectoralis major, the lateral pectoral nerve has no such intramuscular course. We postulate that weight lifting and concomitant pectoralis minor hypertrophy in our patient produced intramuscular entrapment of the medial pectoral nerves.
The specificity of histones in chicken erythrocytes.

Isolierung, qualitative und quantitative Charakterisierung der Histone von Huhnererythrocyten wird beschrieben. Mittels Gelfiltration an Sephadex G 75 wurde eine Fraktion des Histons, charakteristisch fur die Huhnererythrocytenzellkerne isoliert und analysiert. Diese Fraktion, als F2c bezeichnet, ist ein Teil des lysinreichen Histons F2, reich an Lysin, Alanin, Serin und Arginin (z.B. 21,0, 15,1, 11,9 und 10,6% respektive). Threonin konnte als N-terminale Aminosaure in dieser Fraktion festgestellt werden.
Wavelet Transform-based Network Traffic Prediction: A Fast On-line Approach

High speed network traffic prediction is essential to provision QoS for multimedia applications while keeping bandwidth utilization high. Wavelet transform is a powerful technique for analyzing time domain signals. When combined with LMS, wavelet based predictor can achieve better performance than time domain predictor for MPEG-4 VBR videos and self-similar traffic. However, the computational complexity in predicting each wavelet coefficient is high. In this paper, LMK (Least Mean Kurtosis), which uses the negated kurtosis of the error signal as the cost function, is first proposed to estimate wavelet coefficients, then, by analyzing the wavelet coefficients of two consecutive data sets, Reduced Computation Complexity Wavelet LMK (RCCWLMK) is proposed to reduce the computational complexity. Simulation results for a wide range of MPEG-4 videos and network self-similar traffic show that RCCWLMK not only incurs smaller prediction error, but also reduces the computational complexity greatly.
Phase-aberration correction with a 3-D ultrasound scanner: feasibility study

We tested the feasibility of using adaptive imaging, namely phase-aberration correction, with two-dimensional (2-D) arrays and real-time, 3-D ultrasound. Because of the high spatial frequency content of aberrators, 2-D arrays, which generally have smaller pitch and thus higher spatial sampling frequency, and 3-D imaging show potential to improve the performance of adaptive imaging. Phase-correction algorithms improve image quality by compensating for tissue-induced errors in beamforming. Using the illustrative example of transcranial ultrasound, we have evaluated our ability to perform adaptive imaging with a real-time, 3-D scanner. We have used a polymer casting of a human temporal bone, root-mean-square (RMS) phase variation of 45.0 ns, full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) correlation length of 3.35 mm, and an electronic aberrator, 100 ns RMS, 3.76 mm correlation, with tissue phantoms as illustrative examples of near-field, phase-screen aberrators. Using the multilag, least-squares, cross-correlation method, we have shown the ability of 3-D adaptive imaging to increase anechoic cyst identification, image brightness, contrast-to-speckle ratio (CSR), and, in 3-D color Doppler experiments, the ability to visualize flow. For a physical aberrator skull casting we saw CSR increase by 13% from 1.01 to 1.14, while the number of detectable cysts increased from 4.3 to 7.7
Pattern Generalization with Graphs and Words: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis of Middle School Students' Representational Fluency

Cross-sectional and longitudinal data from students as they advance through the middle school years (grades 6–8) reveal insights into the development of students' pattern generalization abilities. As expected, students show a preference for lower-level tasks such as reading the data, over more distant predictions and generation of abstractions. Performance data also indicate a verbal advantage that shows greater success when working with words than graphs, a replication of earlier findings comparing words to symbolic equations. Surprisingly, students show a marked advantage with patterns presented in a continuous format (line graphs and verbal rules) as compared to those presented as collections of discrete instances (point-wise graphs and lists of exemplars). Student pattern–generalization performance also was higher when words and graphs were combined. Analyses of student performance patterns and strategy use contribute to an emerging developmental model of representational fluency. The model contribute...
Confirmatory factor analysis of the Maslach Burnout Inventory among Florida nurses

Burnout among human service professionals, such as nurses, has been studied in various countries for years using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). This paper reports on confirmatory factor analyses using LISREL that examined the factorial validity of the MBI. The sample consisted of 151 registered nurses from west-central Florida. Modifications of the initial hypothesized three-factor structure were necessary to adequately fit the data. Findings are compared to the published normative values for the MBI and to similar studies of European nurses. Recommendations for measurement models of the MBI in future studies that use structural equation modeling techniques are offered.
Ionization by Low and Intermediate Energy Ion and Neutral Beams

One of the most important basic processes that take place in collisions of atomic systems is ionization resulting in the emission of electrons. A complete understanding of this process is complicated by the fact that electron emission can take place via a number of mechanisms, some of which are related. Simple measurements of the cross section for electron ejection as a function of projectile velocity does not usually provide enough information to unravel the various mechanisms. But cross sections which are differential in the angle and energy of the ejected electrons, which are now available for protons on a variety of target gases, can be used to elucidate these mechanisms. While most of the experiments of this type have been done at high energies (above, say, 100 keV) there is now data available at energies as low as 5 keV for protons on various gases and to 15 keV for neutral hydrogen atoms on helium gas. At these low energies the angular distributions tend to become less anisotropic than at higher energies and do not yield as much information, but from the energy distributions integrated over angle the authors have been able to construct a mechanism which describes the resultsmore » quite well. Also they have found a simple empirical equation for the cross sections differential in ejected electron energy which is of great potential usefulness to workers in various applied areas in which secondary electrons from collisions are involved.« less
Laboratory-based versus non-laboratory-based method for assessment of cardiovascular disease risk: the NHANES I Follow-up Study cohort

Summary Background Around 80% of all cardiovascular deaths occur in developing countries. Assessment of those patients at high risk is an important strategy for prevention. Since developing countries have limited resources for prevention strategies that require laboratory testing, we assessed if a risk prediction method that did not require any laboratory tests could be as accurate as one requiring laboratory information. Methods The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was a prospective cohort study of 14 407 US participants aged between 25–74 years at the time they were first examined (between 1971 and 1975). Our follow-up study population included participants with complete information on these surveys who did not report a history of cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, angina) or cancer, yielding an analysis dataset N=6186. We compared how well either method could predict first-time fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease events in this cohort. For the laboratory-based model, which required blood testing, we used standard risk factors to assess risk of cardiovascular disease: age, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, total cholesterol, reported diabetes status, and current treatment for hypertension. For the non-laboratory-based model, we substituted body-mass index for cholesterol. Findings In the cohort of 6186, there were 1529 first-time cardiovascular events and 578 (38%) deaths due to cardiovascular disease over 21 years. In women, the laboratory-based model was useful for predicting events, with a c statistic of 0·829. The c statistic of the non-laboratory-based model was 0·831. In men, the results were similar (0·784 for the laboratory-based model and 0·783 for the non-laboratory-based model). Results were similar between the laboratory-based and non-laboratory-based models in both men and women when restricted to fatal events only. Interpretation A method that uses non-laboratory-based risk factors predicted cardiovascular events as accurately as one that relied on laboratory-based values. This approach could simplify risk assessment in situations where laboratory testing is inconvenient or unavailable.
Cover Crop, Tillage, and N Rate Effects on Cotton Grown in Ultra-Narrow Rows

There has been recent renewed interest in growing cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in ultra-narrow rows (<10 inch wide row spacing). Residue management information is needed for this cotton production system. The objective of this field study was to determine the effect of winter cover, tillage, and N rate on plant stands, yield, and fiber properties of cotton grown in 7.5-inch row widths. Field experiments were conducted near Auburn, AL [Compass loamy sand (coarseloamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Plinthic Paleudult)] and near Florence, SC [Wagram sand (loamy, siliceous, thermic Arenic Paleudult)] in 1996 and 1997. Treatments were winter cover (cereal, legume, and fallow), tillage (conventional and conservation) and N rate (0, 40, 80, and 120 lb N per acre). Averaged over tillage and N rates, cotton stands following the legumes were 10% and 25% lower than following the fallow and cereal winter covers at Auburn and Florence, respectively. Stands tended to be lower for conservation tillage than for conventional, though differences between tillage systems were only significant in 1997 at Auburn. Tillage did not have a big impact on yield at either location. The response of cotton to N was cover crop specific. The greatest response to N occurred following the cereal cover crop at both locations and the smallest response occurred following the legume. Treatments did not substantially affect fiber quality. These data suggest that seeding rates for UNR cotton on these soils should be 15 to 20% above desired stands with conventional tillage and 20 to 25% above desired stands with conservation tillage. Nitrogen fertilizer application rates should be those recommended for wide-row production systems.
Role of preoperative ultrasonography in the surgical management of patients with thyroid cancer

Background. Cervical recurrence occurs in up to 30% of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. We retrospectively compared preoperative transcutaneous ultrasonography and physical examination (PE) results in the detection of local-regional metastases (lymph node and soft tissue) in patients with thyroid cancer. Methods. Data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of patients with thyroid carcinoma who underwent preoperative ultrasonography. Patients were divided into 3 groups: group 1, those undergoing primary thyroid/neck surgery; group 2, those undergoing reoperation for persistent disease; and group 3, those undergoing reoperation for recurrent thyroid carcinoma. For each group, we recorded the frequencies with which ultrasonography detected disease in a neck compartment (central or lateral) that was normal on PE. Results. Two hundred twelve patients underwent operation for primary, persistent, or recurrent papillary
The Dystrophin Glycoprotein Complex: Signaling Strength and Integrity for the Sarcolemma

The dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC) is a specialization of cardiac and skeletal muscle membrane. This large multicomponent complex has both mechanical stabilizing and signaling roles in mediating interactions between the cytoskeleton, membrane, and extracellular matrix. Dystrophin, the protein product of the Duchenne and X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy locus, links cytoskeletal and membrane elements. Mutations in additional DGC genes, the sarcoglycans, also lead to cardiomyopathy and muscular dystrophy. Animal models of DGC mutants have shown that destabilization of the DGC leads to membrane fragility and loss of membrane integrity, resulting in degeneration of skeletal muscle and cardiomyocytes. Vascular reactivity is altered in response to primary degeneration in striated myocytes and arises from a vascular smooth muscle cell-extrinsic mechanism.
Stroud's Dream Argument Critique

In his recent work, The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism,' Barry Stroud proposes to carry out an in-depth critique of the attempt by philosophers to invalidate all knowledge of an external world on the basis of Descartes' dream argument. His more particular aims in this endeavour are to uncover significant features of any such scepticism and to disclose in the process fundamental aspects of 'human knowledge' itself.2 Thus, among other features of knowledge that his study discloses, he thinks, is, echoing Kant, the idea 'that a completely general distinction between everything we get through the senses, on the one hand, and what is true or not true of the external world, on the other, would cut us off forever from knowledge of the world around us.'3 And a significant feature of Cartesian dream scepticism he believes to have uncovered is that its 'effectiveness' rests upon the philosopher's traditional assumption of an objectively existent world that is understandable 'from a detached "external" viewpoint.'4 It is clear that he would like to be able to show that this tradi-
Walking and the Preservation of Cognitive Function in Older Populations

Purpose: This cross-sectional study takes a unique look at the association between patterns of walking and cognitive functioning by examining whether older adults with mild cognitive impairment differ in terms of the community settings where they walk and the frequency, intensity, or duration of walking. Design and Methods: The sample was based on interviews with 884 adults aged 65 years and older, residing in 4 locations across the United States: Alameda County, California; Cook County, Illinois; Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; and Durham/ Wake Counties, North Carolina. Cognitive function was assessed using a modifi ed Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Mental Alternation Test (MAT). Multiple linear regressions were conducted between self-reported walking activities and cognitive measures, controlling for psychosocial, demographic, health status, functional performance, and neighborhood characteristics. Results: The community setting where people walk and the intensity of walking in their neighborhood were signifi cantly associated with cognitive status. After controlling for individual and neighborhood characteristics, better MAT scores were signifi cantly associated with brisk walking and walking fewer times per week. Compared with the MMSE, the MAT was more likely to be associated with patterns of walking among older adults. Older adults with lower MAT scores were more likely to walk in indoor shopping malls and less in parks, whereas those with higher cognitive function scores on the MMSE were less likely to walk in indoor gyms. Implications: This investigation provides insight into the extent to which walking is associated with preservation of cognitive health, setting the stage for future longitudinal studies and community-based interventions.
Application of PC-based measurement techniques to ASD performance evaluation

Two basic techniques that can be used in a laboratory environment to evaluate the performance of an adjustable speed drive (ASD) are discussed: sampling and direct. The sampling technology relies on computer technology, since it requires reliable, high-performance A/D converters along with sophisticated data interpretation techniques. While several sources of error are possible in the various isolators and current probes/amplifiers required, the sampling technique offers the inherent advantage of highly flexible offline data interpretation possibilities. Sampling measurement techniques can be made nonintrusive so that they do not disturb ongoing associated processes. The direct measurement techniques require sophisticated instrumentation that may not always be convenient or even possible to utilize in a field test. The associated measurement errors are often negligible; however, the inherent bandwidth limitation of the instruments are often a concern.
Phonon dispersions in niobium determined by x-ray transmission scattering

Quasielastic x-ray scattering from thermally populated phonons in crystalline niobium was recorded using a charge-coupled device over a large angular range. The patterns, displayed on a logarithmic intensity scale, reveal rich features. Theoretical patterns based on a lattice dynamics calculation are generated, and a least-squares simultaneous fit of these patterns recorded at several incidence angles yields phonon dispersion relations over the entire reciprocal space. The dispersions along high-symmetry directions are generally in good accordance with available neutron scattering data.
Antibodies for assessing circadian clock proteins in the rodent suprachiasmatic nucleus

Research on the mechanisms underlying circadian rhythmicity and the response of brain and body clocks to environmental and physiological challenges requires assessing levels of circadian clock proteins. Too often, however, it is difficult to acquire antibodies that specifically and reliably label these proteins. Many of these antibodies also lack appropriate validation. The goal of this project was to generate and characterize antibodies against several circadian clock proteins. We examined mice and hamsters at peak and trough times of clock protein expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). In addition, we confirmed specificity by testing the antibodies on mice with targeted disruption of the relevant genes. Our results identify antibodies against PER1, PER2, BMAL1 and CLOCK that are useful for assessing circadian clock proteins in the SCN by immunocytochemistry.
A proposed hypothalamic-thalamic-striatal axis for the integration of energy balance, arousal, and food reward.

We elaborate herein a novel theory of basal ganglia function that accounts for why palatable, energy-dense foods retain high incentive value even when immediate physiological energy requirements have been met. Basal ganglia function has been studied from the perspective of topographical segregation of processing within parallel circuits, with primary focus on motor control and cognition. Recent findings suggest, however, that the striatum can act as an integrated unit to modulate motivational state. We describe evidence that the striatal enkephalin system, which regulates the hedonic impact of preferred foods, undergoes coordinated gene expression changes that track current motivational state with regard to food intake. Striatal enkephalin gene expression is also downregulated by an intrastriatal infusion of a cholinergic muscarinic antagonist, a manipulation that greatly suppresses food intake. To account for these findings, we propose that signaling through a hypothalamic–midline thalamic–striatal axis impinges on the cholinergic interneurons of the striatum, which via their large, overlapping axonal fields act as a network to modulate enkephalin-containing striatal output neurons. A key relay in this circuit is the paraventricular thalamic nucleus, which receives convergent input from orexin-coded hypothalamic energy-sensing and behavioral state-regulating neurons, as well as from circadian oscillators, and projects to cholinergic interneurons throughout the striatal complex. We hypothesize that this system evolved to coordinate feeding and arousal, and to prolong the feeding central motivational state beyond the fulfillment of acute energy needs, thereby promoting “overeating” and the consequent development of an energy reserve for potential future food shortages. J. Comp. Neurol. 493:72–85, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of Multielement Capability of ICP-MS

Results obtained from an EPA multilaboratory study of the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method are compared with results for graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) for the elements As, Pb, Se, and Tl, and with results from inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) for the elements Al, Sb, Ba, Be, Cd, Ca, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, K, Ag, Na, V, and Zn. A representative matrix set of 6 waters, 10 soils, and a predigested group of 18 samples was used. A complete two-way analysis of variance was carried out. The statistical study indicates that analytical concentrations averaged over all ICP-MS laboratories agree with those of the reference methods for a number of the elements in each matrix set. There is highly significant variation among laboratories, but replicate determinations within laboratories are satisfactory. The methods show poor agreement with reference values for samples with low analyte concentrations. Detection capabilities for ICP-MS are greater for most elements, and the proportion of outliers is comparable. Moreover, a separate analysis of variance comparing the two types of ICP-MS instruments indicates disagreement of results for some of the elements.
A Note on the Fermat Equation

Fix one of the base variables x1, x2, x3 in the equation x1x4 + x2x4 = x3x4 subject to x1, x2, x3, x4 ∈ Z, x1x2x3 ≠ 0, x4 ≥ 3, gcd(x1, x2, x3) = 1. Then the solutions are bounded. There are no solutions (x1, x2, x3, x4) with P(xi) < e0(log log |xi|)13 for some i ∈ {1, 2, 3}.
Coronary Vascular Effects of Glucagon in the Isolated Dog Heart

Glucagon decreases peripheral vascular resistance by direct action on the arterioles. The present experiments were performed to study the effect of glucagon on the coronary resistance vessels. In isolated hearts from eight dogs the coronary arteries were perfused at a constant rate and the change in coronary pressure was used as an index of change in resistance after the intracoronary injections of glucagon (50 µg/kg). In the beating heart, glucagon caused a 22% decrease in the average coronary pressure (from 102 to 80 mm Hg); however, with this decrease in coronary resistance, myocardial contractility rose an average of 45% (from 11 to 16 units), the average heart rate increased 38% (from 156 to 213 beats/min), and the average coronary venous oxygen saturation decreased from 79.7% to 63.7%. However, when similar intracoronary injections of glucagon were made after cardiac arrest by potassium there was no change in coronary venous oxygen saturation and no significant decrease in coronary pressure. We conclude that the decrease in coronary resistance in the beating heart after glucagon injection is secondary to the metabolic effects of the increased myocardial contractility and heart rate, and that there is no significant direct vasodilating effect on the coronary resistance vessels.
A summer pharmacy camp for high school students as a pharmacy student recruitment tool.

Objective. To determine the effectiveness of a summer pharmacy camp on participants’ pursuit of enrollment in doctor of pharmacy degree programs.Methods. All participants (n = 135) in a pharmacy camp at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy from 2007-2010 were invited to complete an anonymous online survey instrument.Results. Seventy-three students completed the survey instrument (54% response rate). Ninety-six percent of pharmacy camp participants said that they would recommend pharmacy camp to a friend, and 76% planned to apply or had applied to doctor of pharmacy degree program. Seven of the camp participants had enrolled in the UAMS College of Pharmacy.Conclusions. The pharmacy summer camp at UAMS is effective in maintaining high school students’ interest in the profession of pharmacy. Continued use of the pharmacy camp program as a recruitment tool is warranted; however, additional research on this topic is needed.