cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Structures, Language, and Emerging Social Competence in Autistic and Aphasic Children

Abstract The autistic child's attentional, motivational, and cognitive impairments, evident during the earliest periods of sensorimotor development, may later become masked by more striking peculiarities in language and social attachment, and by contrasting talents in specific, isolated areas. In primary childhood aphasia, the cognitive structures necessary for social attachment and early symbolization are relatively intact, but conceptual development is limited by linguistic handicaps and may eventually resemble the though disturbance of childhood psychosis. When a child's spontaneous, socialized language is impoverished, he may make use of fixed verbal codes which are tied, loosely or closely, to the immediate social and affective context. Analysis of such language features and their relation to other types of performances reveals the distinction between creative language use and normal imitation, on the one hand, and the adaptive mechanisms of autistic children, on the other. Since language is enriched in parallel with the formation of representations of oneself and others, central language disorder blocks the path toward the normal regulation of anxiety and appreciation of feelings. Meticulous observation of language-deviant children over long periods of time, guided by theory of normal linguistic and cognitive development, can reveal underlying competencies and patterns of dysfunction, and help clarify the structural basis and functional significance of symptomatic behavior.
Dielectric dispersion in cellulose nitrate solutions

The dielectric dispersion of cellulose nitrate solutions in acetone was studied over a frequency range of 100-500 KC by a resonance method using substitution techniques to measure the capacitance. An abnormally narrow region of dispersion was found which could not be reconciled with the Debye type of absorption. By assuming the solvated chain molecule to have the form of a loosely held random coil it was possible to explain the experimental, dispersion curve on the basis of resonance absorption. Speculation on the similarity of the shape of the dispersion curves to those found for distribution by fractional precipitation suggested a possible correlation between them. In the case of at least one polymer the derived correlation proved satisfactory.
Exercise reduces gonadal atrophy caused by short photoperiod or blinding of hamsters

The effect of voluntary exercise upon several reproductive parameters was assessed in male Syrian hamsters. Forty-two animals were caged in five groups and then blinded: Ten housed five per plastic cage; eight housed individually in plastic cages; six housed individually in plastic cages with 15 cm exercise wheels in the cage; eight housed in Wahmann steel activity cages with 36 cm wheels locked to prevent rotation; ten housed in functional Wahmann running wheel cages. At 16 weeks after blinding, animals with access to functional running wheels had significantly larger testes (3.7 +/- 1.0 g) than those with no wheels or locked wheels (1.86 +/- 0.6 g; mean +/- SD; p less than 0.001). These results suggested that voluntary exercise reduces testicular atrophy caused by blinding. A second experiment was run in which the animals were subjected to a short photoperiod (LD 6:18) for 12 weeks instead of blinding. Similar results were obtained except that access to the small exercise wheels did not affect testicular atrophy: Mean testicular mass of animals in individual cages = 0.79 +/- 0.3 g, small wheels = 0.74 +/- 0.4 g, functional Wahmann wheels, 2.56 +/- 1.0 g, locked Wahmann wheels 0.52 +/- 0.1 g (p less than 0.01).
Enhancement of “CP-odd” Higgs boson production in the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model with explicit CP-violation

Abstract We calculate the production cross section of the “CP-odd” Higgs boson via gluon fusion in the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model with explicit CP-violation in the stop sector. We show that there is a parameter region in which the cross section is enhanced by a factor of about 1000, as compared to the case without CP-violation in the stop sector. In the parameter region where the “CP-odd” Higgs boson can decay into a stop pair, the stop pair events will be the important signature of the enhanced “CP-odd” Higgs boson production. In the case where the “CP-odd” Higgs boson cannot decay into any superparticles, the γγ and ττ decay channels could become important for discovering the “CP-odd” Higgs boson. We also discuss the constraints from electric dipole moments of electron, neutron and mercury on the viable parameter space mentioned above.
Solubility: it's not just for physical chemists.

Solubility data are used to make crucial decisions from the earliest stages of drug discovery throughout the development process, but often the decision-maker is far removed, in terms of both organization and scientific background, from the scientist who generates the data. Here we provide a reference point for consumers of solubility who are presented with increasingly sophisticated strategies to measure sooner, faster or more accurately. We discuss the fundamental forces that govern solubility, the role of physical–chemical parameters such as pH and pKa, and the principles involved in different solubility measurements. Our ultimate goal is to enable a decision-maker, when presented with solubility data, to have in hand the tools to evaluate not just the magnitude but also the context and appropriateness of those measurements to the drug in question.
Finite element modeling of perforated PZT-polymer compositest

Abstract Perforated PZT-polymer composites with 3–1 connectivity patterns have been fabricated by drilling square holes perpendicular to the poling direction in prepoled PZT blocks and filling the holes with epoxy polymer. The influence of the separation between the holes on the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the composite was studied. The finite element method has been used to calculate the stress distributions in this composite. The hydrostatic dh and gh coefficients have been calculated by summing the individual element polarization. The calculated values are compared with experimental results.
Fibrinogen half-life in children with cyanotic congenital heart disease.

Fibrinogen half-life was determined in 3 healthy individuals and in 17 children with cyanotic congenital heart disease. Fibrinogen half-life was normal in the healthy individuals and shortened in 9 of the 17 patients. The simultaneously performed coagulation tests were often pathological but did not lead to a clear diagnosis of the haemostatic defect and did not correlate with the fibrinogen half-life. Significant correlations were found between fibrinogen half-life and red cell count (P<0.001), packed cell volume (P<0.001), mean corpuscular volume of the red cell (P<0.001), platelet count (P<0.01), aortic oxygen saturation (P<0.001), base excess (P<0.01), and maximal amplitude of the thrombelastography (P<0.001). The results indicate a definite relationship between the hypoxaemia and the frequently observed disturbance of haemostasis in cyanotic heart disease. The chronic hypoxaemia causes a partly compensated intravascular coagulation with increased fibrinogen metabolism.
So what do you think of the organization? A contextual priming explanation for recruitment Web site characteristics as antecedents of job seekers’ organizational image perceptions

Abstract Although job seekers’ organizational image perceptions can influence attraction to recruiting organizations, little is known about how these perceptions are formed or modified. To address this research gap, the authors drew from research in social cognition theory and demonstrated that recruitment Web site characteristics influenced the development and modification of organizational image perceptions via a priming mechanism. Results of two studies showed that having technologically advanced Web site features and depicting racially diverse organizational members served as contextual primers and influenced participants’ organizational image perceptions. Results also revealed that participants’ familiarity with recruiting organizations moderated the effects of these Web site characteristics on several dimensions of organizational image such that effects were weaker for more familiar organizations. These findings suggest that organizations can manage job seekers’ organizational image perceptions through strategic recruitment Web site design; however, such attempts may be tempered by job seekers’ familiarity with the organization.
Curbing the Tobacco Menace

The report by Lightwood and Glantz1 on the short-term economic and health benefits to be gained by an aggressive antismoking campaign directed at adult smokers provides a thoughtful analysis designed to encourage policy makers to take appropriate action. Since the perspective comes from Dr Glantz, who has devoted an entire career to combating the pernicious tobacco habit, one is inclined to heed his advice. Cigarette smoking has been cited as the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and a major contributor to the huge annual economic costs imposed by the cardiovascular and lung diseases it promotes.2 3 It was estimated in the Framingham Study that cigarette smoking accounted for 55% of the coronary events observed in a cohort aged <55 …
Hildegard Of Bingen: Visions And Validation

Some years ago, wrote the Flemish monk Guibert to his friend Radulfus, strange and incredible rumors reached his ears at the Benedictine monastery of Gembloux. They concerned an old woman, abbess of the Benedictine foundation at Bingen-am-Rhein, who had gained such fame that multitudes flocked to her convent, from curiosity or devotion, to seek her prophecies and prayers. All who returned thence astonished their hearers, but none could give a plausible account of the woman, save only that her soul was “said to be illumined by an invisible splendor known to her alone.” Finally he, Guibert, impatient with rumor and zealous for the truth, resolved to find out for himself. In the year 1175 he wrote to this famed seer, Hildegard, with mingled curiosity and awe. Surely she had received “rare gifts, till now practically unheard of throughout all ages”; in prophecy she excelled Miriam, Deborah, and Judith; but let her recall that great trees are uprooted sooner than reeds, and let her keep herself humble.
Theoretical considerations in applying benefit-cost and cost-effectiveness analyses to preventive dental programs.

Benefit-cost analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis can be used to evaluate preventive regimens and aid policy-makers in making resource-allocation decisions. This paper demonstrates the application of benefit-cost and cost-effectiveness analyses to preventive dental programs. The two analyses are defined and described, and the purpose of each technic is compared. For a hypothetical community, four dental preventive programs are described: community water fluoridation, school water fluoridation, weekly school-based mouthrinses, and school-based sealants. Benefit-cost ratios and cost-effectiveness ratios are calculated for each program first assuming steady-state conditions, i.e., maximum caries reduction, and then for a 20-year period. Both explicit and implicit costs are included. Underlying assumptions and limitations, as well as the effects of changes in caries rates, differential attack rates, and discount rates on the outcome, are discussed. The analysis reveals that community water fluoridation yields the greatest net benefits and most favorable B/C and C/E ratios. School water fluoridation and mouthrinsing programs are the next most cost-effective, with similar B/C and C/E ratios when the implicit cost of teachers' time is omitted from the calculations. The school-based sealant program yields negative net benefits.
Presidential Influence and Minority Party Liaison on Veto Overrides New Evidence from the Ford Presidency

Prior studies of executive-legislative relations have not adequately examined presidential influence on veto overrides. This research posits that presidential liaison with party leaders in Congress can play a crucial role in forging sustaining coalitions and is an element of presidential skill that has been overlooked. The study examines Gerald Ford’s relations with the 94th Congress and focuses on legislators’ decisions to change positions to sustain the president’s vetoes between the passage of the original legislation and veto override attempts. Archival data are integrated into a multinomial logistic regression analysis of vote-switching by Republican legislators to test the impact of leadership contact on voting decisions. The results emphasize the importance of partisan linkages between the White House and the minority party leadership organization on Capitol Hill as part of Ford’s bicameral strategy to halt veto overrides.
Efficient Electrically Small Antenna Facilitated by a Near-Field Resonant Parasitic

An electrically small electric-based metamaterial-inspired antenna system that is designed for narrow bandwidth operation near 300 MHz is presented. It consists of a lumped element-based resonant parasitic element that is introduced into the very near field of a coax-fed monopole. It is demonstrated that several idealized lossless versions are capable of achieving a near perfect impedance match to the source and, thus, have overall efficiencies near 100% without an external matching circuit. It is established that the entire system makes effective use of the radiansphere volume it occupies. The overall efficiencies are shown to remain high even when conductor losses are introduced. Potential frequency agility is also demonstrated.
Using synthetic data to explore the usefulness of prism's parameters at inferring causes of changes in normalized annual consumption

Abstract PRISM's linear regression of energy per day vs heating degree days (HDD) per day is widely used for the weather normalization of energy use in buildings. While Normalized Annual Consumption (NAC) is PRISM's most robust result, changes in the regression parameters intercept, slope, and reference temperature are often cited to infer the physical changes in the buildings under consideration. Using DOE-2 simulations of energy use, we show that such use of parameters other than NAC is inadvisable in a mild climate, due to significant nonlinearity in the relation between energy use and heating degree days. PRISM's unique feature is its adjustment of the reference temperature for HDD calculations to maximize the linearity of energy/day vs HDD/day, so that each house or group of houses under examination has its own reference temperature. This method of reference temperature adjustment, in a mild climate such as San Francisco's, results in significant misstatement of the actual reference temperature, base-level consumption, and heat part parameters. The distortions are not consistently biased. Further, the standard errors of the parameter estimates sometimes provide insufficient warning of the problems attendant on the use of changes in these parameters to explain physical changes in the building.
Heredity, gender and the discourse of ovarian cancer

Abstract Healthy women have elected to undergo preventive, or “prophylactic” surgery in order to lower perceived risk for ovarian cancer for some time. The development and commercialization of cancer susceptibility tests has altered the justification for prophylactic surgery. As a result, the rationale for undergoing oophorectomies (the removal of the ovaries) has taken on greater significance in biomedical discourse as a reasonable course of action for women who have been told they have a significant risk for these cancers. Although new in many respects, cancer susceptibility genetic tests are incorporated into old frameworks for defining, understanding, and treating disease. This essay addresses what some of those discursive/material conditions are, in part by addressing fundamental assumptions that inform the ways in which genetic medicine is interpreted and crafted in response to women's cancers. BRCA research, I argue, represents the powerful intersection of heredity and gender bias in biomedicine. T...
A PDE approach for quantifying and visualizing tumor progression and regression

Quantification of changes in tumor shape and size allows physicians the ability to determine the effectiveness of various treatment options, adapt treatment, predict outcome, and map potential problem sites. Conventional methods are often based on metrics such as volume, diameter, or maximum cross sectional area. This work seeks to improve the visualization and analysis of tumor changes by simultaneously analyzing changes in the entire tumor volume. This method utilizes an elliptic partial differential equation (PDE) to provide a roadmap of boundary displacement that does not suffer from the discontinuities associated with other measures such as Euclidean distance. Streamline pathways defined by Laplace's equation (a commonly used PDE) are used to track tumor progression and regression at the tumor boundary. Laplace's equation is particularly useful because it provides a smooth, continuous solution that can be evaluated with sub-pixel precision on variable grid sizes. Several metrics are demonstrated including maximum, average, and total regression and progression. This method provides many advantages over conventional means of quantifying change in tumor shape because it is observer independent, stable for highly unusual geometries, and provides an analysis of the entire three-dimensional tumor volume.
Munna Spinifera, a New Species of Isopod Crustacean From Bathyal Regions in the Gulf of Aden 1)

[Eine neue Isopodenart (Asellota) Munna (Neomunna) spinifrons wird beschrieben. Sie wurde gesammelt auf der RV Vema - 14 Cruise im Golf von Aden, Indischer Ozean, nordostlich von Britisch-Somaliland, geogr. Breite 11°59.4'N, geogr. Lange 44°21'E., aus 1261 m Tiefe, mit kleinem biologischen Schleppnetz. Diese Art ist nicht nahe verwandt mit den zwei in der Nahe gefundenen Munna-Arten. Sie zeigt nachste Beziehungen zu arktischen Arten., Eine neue Isopodenart (Asellota) Munna (Neomunna) spinifrons wird beschrieben. Sie wurde gesammelt auf der RV Vema - 14 Cruise im Golf von Aden, Indischer Ozean, nordostlich von Britisch-Somaliland, geogr. Breite 11°59.4'N, geogr. Lange 44°21'E., aus 1261 m Tiefe, mit kleinem biologischen Schleppnetz. Diese Art ist nicht nahe verwandt mit den zwei in der Nahe gefundenen Munna-Arten. Sie zeigt nachste Beziehungen zu arktischen Arten.]
BNIP3 is essential for mediating 6-thioguanine- and 5-fluorouracil-induced autophagy following DNA mismatch repair processing

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) processes the chemically induced mispairs following treatment with clinically important nucleoside analogs such as 6-thioguanine (6-TG) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). MMR processing of these drugs has been implicated in activation of a prolonged G2/M cell cycle arrest for repair and later induction of apoptosis and/or autophagy for irreparable DNA damage. In this study, we investigated the role of Bcl2 and adenovirus E1B Nineteen-kilodalton Interacting Protein (BNIP3) in the activation of autophagy, and the temporal relationship between a G2/M cell cycle arrest and the activation of BNIP3-mediated autophagy following MMR processing of 6-TG and 5-FU. We found that BNIP3 protein levels are upregulated in a MLH1 (MMR(+))-dependent manner following 6-TG and 5-FU treatment. Subsequent small-interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated BNIP3 knockdown abrogates 6-TG-induced autophagy. We also found that p53 knockdown or inhibition of mTOR activity by rapamycin cotreatment impairs 6-TG- and 5-FU-induced upregulation of BNIP3 protein levels and autophagy. Furthermore, suppression of Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) expression with a subsequent reduction in 6-TG-induced G2/M cell cycle arrest by Chk1 siRNA promotes the extent of 6-TG-induced autophagy. These findings suggest that BNIP3 mediates 6-TG- and 5-FU-induced autophagy in a p53- and mTOR-dependent manner. Additionally, the duration of Chk1-activated G2/M cell cycle arrest determines the level of autophagy following MMR processing of these nucleoside analogs.
MicroRNAs are exported from malignant cells in customized particles

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are released from cells in association with proteins or microvesicles. We previously reported that malignant transformation changes the assortment of released miRNAs by affecting whether a particular miRNA species is released or retained by the cell. How this selectivity occurs is unclear. Here we report that selectively exported miRNAs, whose release is increased in malignant cells, are packaged in structures that are different from those that carry neutrally released miRNAs (n-miRNAs), whose release is not affected by malignancy. By separating breast cancer cell microvesicles, we find that selectively released miRNAs associate with exosomes and nucleosomes. However, n-miRNAs of breast cancer cells associate with unconventional exosomes, which are larger than conventional exosomes and enriched in CD44, a protein relevant to breast cancer metastasis. Based on their large size, we call these vesicles L-exosomes. Contrary to the distribution of miRNAs among different microvesicles of breast cancer cells, normal cells release all measured miRNAs in a single type of vesicle. Our results suggest that malignant transformation alters the pathways through which specific miRNAs are exported from cells. These changes in the particles and their miRNA cargo could be used to detect the presence of malignant cells in the body.
Assessing the Relationship between Human Capital and Firm Performance: Evidence from Technology–Based New Ventures:

We assess the role of human capital in the growth and development of new technology–based ventures, based on longitudinal data from 198 high–tech ventures. Our empirical results imply that there is...
Investigating the dose dependence of median pixel value in CT lung images of patients undergoing stereotactic body radiation therapy

We investigated the relationship between the local dose delivered and median pixel-value change following radiation therapy (RT) by comparing anatomically matched regions of interest (ROIs) in pre- and post-RT computed tomography (CT) scans. Six patients' clinical pre-treatment baseline CT scans, follow-up CT scans, treatment planning CT scans, and dose maps were collected. The lungs were extracted using an automated segmentation algorithm, and demons deformable registration was used to register each patient's follow-up scan and treatment planning scan to their baseline scan. Median pixel values were calculated in anatomically matched ROIs in the baseline and deformed followup CT scans, and mean dose delivered to the same ROIs was determined from the deformed dose map. Pearson's correlation coefficients, rank correlation coefficients, and linear modeling were utilized to quantify the relationship between median pixel-value change and mean dose delivered. Pearson's correlation coefficients for the six patients ranged from -0.13-0.67. Rank correlation coefficients ranged from -0.12-0.80. Linear regression analysis on the six patients' combined data yielded a slope of 2.62 (p < 0.001) and R-squared value of 0.24. General positive trends were observed between radiation dose and median pixel value change, but no two patients had the same relationship between these variables, indicating it may not be possible to generalize patients' reactions to varying dose levels of radiation. Thus, an individualized method for evaluating normal lung tissue damage based on changes in each patient's CT scan following radiation treatment may be required to assess radiation-induced lung damage.
Arsenic addition to soils from airborne coal dust originating at a major coal shipping terminal

Soil samples were collected from Norfolk, Virginia in order to examine the extent of particulate coal, and associated arsenic (As) deposition to local soils. The particulate coal originates from the adjacent coal shipping terminal at the Lambert's Point Docks, which is the largest marine coal shipping terminal in the Northern Hemisphere. Particulate coal was separated from soil samples using heavy liquid (i.e., sodium polytungstate) extraction. Sand-sized coal separates isolated from the soil samples were subsequently digested using concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid, and analyzed for As by high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS). Selected total soil digests were also analyzed for As by HR-ICP-MS. Results indicate particulate coal ranges from less than 1% up to ∼20%, by weight, of the soil samples analyzed. Arsenic concentrations in sand-sized particulate coal extracted from these sedi- ments range from undetectable levels(i.e.,<3ng/kg) up to 17.4 mg/kg, whereas total As concentrations in the soils range from 3 to 30.5 mg/kg. The data indicate that particulatecoaloriginatingattheLambert'sPointDocks is an additional source of As to local soils, especially sites proximal to the shipping terminal. Although the particulate coal itself likely poses only minor health hazards (if any), the environmental consequences of As transported with the particulate coal is not known.
Doing business with an American municipality

Abstract Pump manufacturers that do business with sectors of the US government know how difficult the process can be, and how impersonal. Whether dealing with the US federal government on huge project contracts or providing a handful of pumps to a small city, the process can be daunting and feedback often minimal. Procedures, not people, rule the process. Susan Schaibly reports.
Effect of transverse magnetic field on heat transfer to an electrically conducting and thermal radiating fluid flowing in a parallel-plate channel

Der Einfluss eines magnetischen Feldes auf die Warmeubertragung in einer ausgebildeten laminaren Stromung einer elektrisch leitenden, warmestrahlenden, zahen und inkompressiblen Flussigkeit zwischen zwei unendlichen parallelen Platten wird untersucht. Ein konstantes ausseres magnetisches Feld wirkt in der Richtung senkrecht zu den Platten und der Stromungsrichtung. Die auf einer konstanten Temperatur gehaltenen Kanalwande sollen Warme ausstrahlen und diffus reflektieren.
Loss of Nkx3.1 expression in the transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate model.

BACKGROUND The transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate (TRAMP) model has been extensively characterized at the histological and molecular levels, and has been shown to mimic significant features of human prostate cancer. However, the status of Nkx3.1 expression in the TRAMP model has not been elucidated. METHODS Immunohistochemical analyses were performed using dorsal, lateral, and ventral prostate (VP) lobes from ages 6 to 30 weeks. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses were performed to determine relative mRNA expression. RESULTS Heterogeneous loss of Nkx3.1 was observed in hyperplastic lesions of the ventral, dorsal, and lateral lobes. At 6 weeks of age, the ventral lobe displayed profound loss of Nkx3.1. Diminished Nkx3.1 protein was observed in well- to moderately-differentiated cancer lesions of all lobes. Poorly differentiated (PD) tumors stained negatively for Nkx3.1. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses revealed the presence of Nkx3.1 mRNA in each lobe at all ages, albeit reduced to variable levels. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that disease progression in the TRAMP model may be driven by loss of function of Nkx3.1, in addition to p53 and Rb. Lobe-specific disease progression in the TRAMP model correlates with the reduction of Nkx3.1 protein. Regulation of Nkx3.1 expression during tumorigenesis appears to occur by post-transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms. Prostate 67: 1740–1750, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Demands of Immigration Among Indian Nurses Who Immigrated to the United States

Purpose To describe the demands of immigration of Indian nurses who immigrated to the United States, and to compare the demands of immigration of Indian nurses who immigrated less than 3 years ago to those who immigrated 3 or more years ago. Methods A comparative descriptive design was used to examine the Demands of Immigration (DI) total and subscale scores of Indian nurses ( n = 105) who immigrated to the United States between 1985 and 2005, who were categorized into two groups: those who immigrated less than 3 years ago ( n = 44) and those who immigrated 3 or more years ago ( n = 61). The DI total score and subscale scores (loss, novelty, occupation, discrimination, language and not feeling at home) are reported. Study findings are related to previous research on immigration of women and nurses. Recommendations for future research are included. Results There was a significant difference between groups in total DI scores and language and novelty subscale scores. Conclusion Additional research in these areas could help to assess the demands of immigration of Indian nurses and immigrant nurses from other countries.
Neuromodulation Based Control of Autonomous Robots

The paper presents a control approach based on neuromodulation in vertebrate brains and its implementation on an autonomous robotic platform. The neuromodulatory function is modeled through a neural network for generating context based behavioral responses to sensory input signals from the environment. Three types of neurons are incorporated in the neural network model. The neurons are — cholinergic and noradrenergic (ACh/NE) for attention focusing and action selection, dopaminergic (DA) for curiosity-seeking, and serotonergic (5-HT) for risk aversion behaviors. The neuronal model was implemented on a relatively simple autonomous robot that demonstrated its interesting behavior adapting to changes in the environment.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Market Structure of the Domestic Music Recording Industry, 1890–1988

Abstract The author constructed measures of market structure for the music recording industry for the years 1890 to 1988. This measure can be used both to test a variety of hypotheses about the industry itself and to serve as part of a broader study of culture-based industries. For example, data were used to test a hypothesis relating market structure to the diversity of products issued by the industry (P. J. Alexander 1997). The main finding was that a moderately concentrated market structure provided greater product diversity than an atomistic or monopolistic market structure. Whereas census data and previous studies of the industry provide some information about industry structure, these sources are severely limited in scope and detail. Finally, similar rankings in other culture-based industries (e.g., broadcast television, radio, cable television) might provide a useful index of concentration in those industries.
Right Latissimus Dorsi Cardiomyoplasty Improves Left Ventricular Energetics

Background. The mechanism by which cardiomyoplasty appears to enhance left ventricular (LV) function is not well understood. We applied the time-varying elastance model to study the effect of cardiomyoplasty on LV function, ventriculovascular coupling, and LV energetics in an acute canine model. Methods. Right latissimus dorsi cardiomyoplasty was performed in 5 dogs. The end-systolic pressure-volume relation was generated by using brief caval occlusions. End-systolic elastance, effective arterial elastance, stroke work, internal work, total mechanical work, and stroke work efficiency (stroke work/total mechanical work) were calculated from these pressure-volume data. Myocardial oxygen consumption and overall mechanical efficiency (stroke work/myocardial oxygen consumption) were predicted using the myocardial oxygen consumption-total mechanical work relation. Results. Skeletal muscle contraction significantly increased end-systolic elastance, an index of contractility. Although stroke work did not change significantly, the increase in end-systolic elastance led to a 29% decrease in total mechanical work, a 50% decrease in internal work, and an increase in stroke work efficiency from 53% to 66%. This was consistent with the observed 29% decrease in effective arterial elastance/end-systolic elastance, an indicator of ventriculovascular coupling that is related inversely to stroke work efficiency. Predicted myocardial oxygen consumption decreased by at least 22%, and predicted overall mechanical efficiency increased at a minimum from 16.1% to 18.4%. Conclusions. These results support the theory that cardiomyoplasty unloads the LV by decreasing LV volumes and increasing contractility. These effects appear to improve LV energetics by decreasing total mechanical work without significantly affecting stroke work, resulting in improved stroke work efficiency. The decrease in total mechanical work strongly suggests a decrease in myocardial oxygen consumption and an increase in overall mechanical efficiency.
Acute Hepatitis After Clozapine Administration

The authors present a case report of a cocaine abuser who developed acute hepatitis and an extrapyramidal reaction after administration of clozapine, a novel dopamine antagonist. Previous clinical experience with clozapine is reviewed. Both clozapine and cocaine undergo hepatic metabolism, increasing the potential for hepatotoxicity in selected patients. The authors also review hepatic metabolism of biogenic amines, their central nervous system effects, and the pharmacologic effects of clozapine and other abused substances on bioamine metabolism. Substance abusers' high susceptibility to hepatotoxicity highlights the need for careful monitoring for this form of liver dysfunction when administering clozapine.
Influenza A infection enhances antigen-induced airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in young but not aged mice.

SummaryBackground Although morbidity and mortality rates from asthma are highest in patients > 65 years of age, the effect of older age on airway inflammation in asthma is not well established. Objective To investigate age-related differences in the promotion of allergic inflammation after influenza A viral respiratory infection on antigen-specific IgE production, antigen-induced airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in mice. Methods To accomplish this objective, the following model system was used. Young (6 week) and aged (18 months) BALB/c mice were first infected with a non-lethal dose of influenza virus A (H/HKx31). Mice were then ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized during the acute infection (3-days post inoculation) and then chronically underwent challenge to the airways with OVA. Forty-eight hours after the final OVA challenge, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF) cellular and cytokine profile, antigen-specific IgE and IgG1, and lung tissue inflammation were measured. Results Age-specific differences were noted on the effect of a viral infection, allergic sensitization, airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Serum OVA-specific IgE was significantly increased in only the aged mice infected with influenza virus. Despite greater morbidity (e.g. weight loss and sickness scores) during the acute infection in the 18-month old mice that were OVA-sensitized, there was little effect on the AHR and BALF cellular differential. In contrast, BALF neutrophils and AHR increased, but eosinophils decreased in 6-week mice that were OVA-sensitized during an acute influenza infection. Conclusion With increased age in a mouse model, viral infection prior to antigen sensitization affects the airway and systemic allergic response differently. These differences may reflect distinct phenotypic features of allergic inflammation in older patients with asthma.
Experimental study of underwater stereo via pattern projection

One detrimental factor impacting performance of underwater stereo vision is the blurry, noisy, low-contrast imagery typically encountered at turbid water sites. As such, in a passive stereo vision system, establishing point correspondence between reflectance images from different perspectives sometimes may be difficult. At short stand-off distances, structured light based active stereo systems may be a viable solution. In this study, experimental results and image enhancement technique to improve the active stereo vision under different turbidity conditions are discussed. A hybrid design integrating such active stereo system with laser line scan (LLS) to provide high quality stereo vision in turbid water is also introduced.
Glomerular filtration rate estimated by cystatin C among different clinical presentations

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimates from serum creatinine has not been generalizable across all populations. Cystatin C has been proposed as an alternative marker for estimating GFR. The objective of this study was to compare cystatin C with serum creatinine for estimating GFR among different clinical presentations. Cystatin C and serum creatinine levels were obtained from adult patients (n=460) during an evaluation that included a GFR measurement by iothalamate clearance. Medical records were abstracted for clinical presentation (healthy, native chronic kidney disease or transplant recipient) at the time of GFR measurement. GFR was modeled using the following variables: cystatin C (or serum creatinine), age, gender and clinical presentation. The relationship between cystatin C and GFR differed across clinical presentations. At the same cystatin C level, GFR was 19% higher in transplant recipients than in patients with native kidney disease (P<0.001). The association between cystatin C and GFR was stronger among native kidney disease patients than in healthy persons (P<0.001 for statistical interaction). Thus, a cystatin C equation was derived using only patients with native kidney disease (n=204). The correlation with GFR (r(2)=0.853) was slightly higher than a serum creatinine equation using the same sample (r(2)=0.827), the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation (r(2)=0.825) or the Cockcroft-Gault equation (r(2)=0.796). Averaged estimates between cystatin C and serum creatinine equations further improved correlation (r(2)=0.891). Cystatin C should not be interpreted as purely a marker of GFR. Other factors, possibly inflammation or immunosuppression therapy, affect cystatin C levels. While recognizing this limitation, cystatin C may improve GFR estimates in chronic kidney disease patients.
Image display for clinicians on medical record workstations

Image display on electronic medical record (EMR) workstations is an important step in widespread implementation of picture archiving and communications systems (PACS). We describe a pilot project for implementing image display capability that is integrated with the EMR software, and will allow display of images on the physician’s workstation. We believe this pilot will provide valuable information about usage patterns in image display needs, which will be valuable in planning further expansion of PACS in our institution.
Sarcolipin Protein Interaction with Sarco(endo)plasmic Reticulum Ca2+ATPase (SERCA) Is Distinct from Phospholamban Protein, and Only Sarcolipin Can Promote Uncoupling of the SERCA Pump

Sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)ATPase (SERCA) pump activity is modulated by phospholamban (PLB) and sarcolipin (SLN) in cardiac and skeletal muscle. Recent data suggest that SLN could play a role in muscle thermogenesis by promoting uncoupling of the SERCA pump (Lee, A.G. (2002) Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 12, 547-554 and Bal, N. C., Maurya, S. K., Sopariwala, D. H., Sahoo, S. K., Gupta, S. C., Shaikh, S. A., Pant, M., Rowland, L. A., Bombardier, E., Goonasekera, S. A., Tupling, A. R., Molkentin, J. D., and Periasamy, M. (2012) Nat. Med. 18, 1575-1579), but the mechanistic details are unknown. To better define how binding of SLN to SERCA promotes uncoupling of SERCA, we compared SLN and SERCA1 interaction with that of PLB in detail. The homo-bifunctional cross-linker (1,6-bismaleimidohexane) was employed to detect dynamic protein interaction during the SERCA cycle. Our studies reveal that SLN differs significantly from PLB: 1) SLN primarily affects the Vmax of SERCA-mediated Ca(2+) uptake but not the pump affinity for Ca(2+); 2) SLN can bind to SERCA in the presence of high Ca(2+), but PLB can only interact to the ATP-bound Ca(2+)-free E2 state; and 3) unlike PLB, SLN interacts with SERCA throughout the kinetic cycle and promotes uncoupling of the SERCA pump. Using SERCA transmembrane mutants, we additionally show that PLB and SLN can bind to the same groove but interact with a different set of residues on SERCA. These data collectively suggest that SLN is functionally distinct from PLB; its ability to interact with SERCA in the presence of Ca(2+) causes uncoupling of the SERCA pump and increased heat production.
The Gross Intestine Morphology of a Group of Rock-Dwelling Cichlid Fishes (Pisces, Teleostei) From Lake Malawi

Lenth and coiling patterns of the gastrointestinal tract of a group of rock-dwelling cichlid fishes (the 'mbuna') from Lake Malawi, Africa are reported in this study. In the 16 species of primarily herbivorous fish examined, diet and habitat correlated with gut length. Species feeding primarily on diatoms in sediment-rich environments have longer intestines than those feeding on more animal material or in sediment-free environments. The coiling pattern of the gastrointestinal tract is equivalent for all species and does not appear to be taxonomically useful within the group. If intestine length is responsive, in either ecological or evolutionary time scales, to changes in diet, this permits flexibility in the range of dietary items that a particular individual or lineage may consume. Structural specializations, such as intestine morphology, promoting differential resource utilization characterize the adaptive radiation of the family Cichlidae and facilitate ecological coexistence in these high diversity assemblages.
Seawater chemistry and biomineralization: did trepostome bryozoans become hypercalcified in the ‘calcite sea’ of the Ordovician?

Secular variations in the proportion of Mg and Ca ions in seawater during the Phanerozoic have driven alternations between calcite seas (Mg:Ca 2). There is mounting evidence that these changes in seawater chemistry have impacted the evolution of marine organisms constructing calcareous skeletons, favouring calcite as the CaCO3 biomineral during times of calcite seas but aragonite during times of aragonite seas. It has been suggested that some organisms became hypercalcified when the mineralogy of their skeletons matched seawater type. This paper tests the proposal that calcitic trepostome bryozoans (‘stony bryozoans’) became hypercalcified in the calcite sea of the Ordovician. Data on two independent hypercalcification proxies—the diameter of branches, and exozonal wall thickness—have been compiled from the literature for ramose trepostome species from the Ordovician (calcite sea), Devonian (calcite sea) and Permian (aragonite sea). No significant difference was found in branch diameter between the calcite and aragonite sea periods, whereas wall thickness was found to be greater in the Permian than in the Ordovician and Devonian, counter to expectations. Either these two parameters are inadequate as proxies for hypercalcification or, more likely, trepostomes did not become hypercalcified in the calcite sea of the Early Palaeozoic, probably because they exerted a higher degree of control over their biomineralization than some other groups such as corals.
Experiments on the effect of centimetre-length electromagnetic waves on wood-destroying fungi.

In an attempt to devise a practical method of killing wood-destroying fungi, mycelia of Coniophora puteana and Merulius lacrymans were exposed to the beamed radiation from a standard Service radar transmitter transmitting pulses of radiation of wave-length 9.1 cm. Growth of Coniophora puteana on malt agar films on glass slides was checked. Many superficial hyphae were killed. Exposures up to I hr. did not kill the mycelium of either fungus when growing on malt agar slopes or plates, or wood blocks. The only obvious effect was a check in growth whenever drying of the mycelium occurred. It is concluded that the rays have no lethal effect and injure the fungi only through drying of the mycelium due to the increase in temperature which they bring about.
Physiotherapy as an adjuvant to the surgical treatment of anterior chest wall deformities: A necessity?: A prospective descriptive study in 21 patients

Purpose: The authors postulated that physiotherapy as an adjuvant to the surgical treatment of anterior chest wall deformities is only indicated if specific abnormalities can be found that could be corrected by physiotherapy. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether such abnormalities can be found and to evaluate their course during a postoperative period of 18 months. Methods: Twenty-one patients, 16 with pectus excavatum and 5 with pectus carinatum, were evaluated 6 weeks before and 6 weeks, 6 months, and 18 months after surgical correction. Postural impairments, spinal mobility and curvature, muscle strength, and muscle length were evaluated. Results: Preoperatively, poor posture was seen in 10 patients, nonstructural scoliosis in 11, and abdominal muscle weakness in 4 patients. None of the patients had restriction of spinal mobility or shortened pectoral muscles. Six weeks after surgery, poor posture was seen in 9, nonstructural scoliosis in 11, and abdominal muscle weakness in 10 patients. The authors found a higher percentage of recovery for abdominal muscle weakness than for poor posture (90% versus 33%, respectively). Conclusions: The authors found preoperative postural impairments in 52% of their patients, in patients with pectus carinatum as well as in patients with pectus excavatum. In patients without postural impairments, physiotherapy is not necessary, with the exception of postoperative pulmonary care.
2D marine controlled-source electromagnetic modeling: Part 2 — The effect of bathymetry

Marine controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) data are strongly affected by bathymetry because of the conductivity contrast between seawater and the crust below the seafloor. We simulate the marine CSEM response to 2D bathymetry using our new finite element (FE) code, and our numerical modeling shows that all electric and magnetic components are influenced by bathymery, but to different extents. Bathymetry effects depend upon transmission frequency, seabed conductivity, seawater depth, transmitter-receiver geometry, and roughness of the seafloor topography. Bathymetry effects clearly have to be take into account to avoid the misinterpretation of marine CSEM data sets.