cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quercetin. a Potential Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapy

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews quercetin as a potential complementary and alternative therapy for cancer. Quercetin is mentioned to be one of the most common flavonoids found in health foods or herbal products and its biological activity is important in understanding the health benefits of these compounds. The beneficial effect of quercetin is believed to be due to its ability to act as a free radical scavenger and its potency to inhibit the proliferation of transformed epithelial cells. This chapter discusses quercetin absorption, blood concentration and its role as an antioxidant and effect on cancer. The molecular action of quercetin is described and its role on cell cycle regulation, DNA damage and induction of apoptosis in tumor cells. Dietary administration of quercetin in a rat model showed reduction in incidence of mammary tumor induction to carcinogens. The anti-tumorogenic activity of quercetin have a dose-dependant effect, with lower concentration resulting in chemoprevention and higher concentrations have pro-oxidant or potential direct therapeutic properties.
Psychometric properties and analysis of the physical activity Social Influence Scale for adults with traumatic brain injuries.

The study consisted of (a) assessing the validity and reliability of the Social Influence Scale (SIS) for adults with brain injuries and (b) examining the types and sources of social influence and demographic variables that affect participants’ physical activity behaviors. Three confirmatory factor analyses, intraclass correlations, and a repeated measures MANOVA were completed on responses from 402 adults with brain injuries. Results provide evidence of the validity and reliability of the SIS, and post hoc analyses revealed that participants reported receiving different types of social influence from family, friends, and caregivers. Findings have implications for specialists and suggestions are provided on ways to enhance the physical activity participation of adults with brain injuries.
Tannen, Deborah (b. 1945)

One of the most prominent sociolinguists and discourse analysts, Deborah Tannen has contributed immensely to the analysis of spoken discourse by examining aspects of conversational style, gender, frames, poetic features, narratives, and argument. Her primary focus has been on social interaction, and more recently on gender and family communication.
Meet your match rating: providing skill information and choice in player-versus-level matchmaking

Previous work has demonstrated the effectiveness of rating system-based matchmaking for level ordering within the particular constraints of human computation games. However, players were not informed about the rating system, nor allowed to choose the difficulty of upcoming levels. Informing players of the ratings used in the system and offering them choice of upcoming level difficulty may enhance feelings of competence and control respectively, thereby further improving player engagement. Thus, we attempted to improve player experience by both exposing players to the underlying rating system, as well as offering them choice of level difficulty. We found that players cognizant of ratings both attempted and completed more levels than those who were not. Though additionally offering choice did not significantly affect behavior, we found that player choice was influenced by the outcome of the preceding level. Moreover, we did not observe any significant impact on self-reported measures of subjective experience.
Patient Characteristics at Prostate Cancer Diagnosis in Different Races at an Academic Center Serving a Diverse Population

Abstract Background In the United States, the prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and death rate has been greater in non-Hispanic black (NHB) men than in non-Hispanic white (NHW) men and slightly lower in Hispanic men than in NHW men. We compared the sociodemographic and baseline prognostic factors at the diagnosis of PCa in different races/ethnicities at a large, academic center serving an ethnically diverse population. Methods The Montefiore Medical Center Cancer Registry was used to generate a comprehensive list of all patients with PCa diagnosed from 2004 to 2014. The clinical Looking Glass (a proprietary searchable database of patient information) and individual patient medical record review were used to obtain data, including age at diagnosis, socioeconomic status (SES), clinical Gleason score, clinical stage, and prostate-specific antigen level at diagnosis. The patients were classified by self-identified race/ethnicity as Hispanic, NHB, NHW, or other. The χ2 test was used for categorical variables, and analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for continuous variables. Results We identified 2352 patients with newly diagnosed PCa during the study period, including 778 Hispanic, 1046 NHB, 486 NHW, and 42 other. The NHW men were significantly older at diagnosis (Hispanic, 63.2 years; NHB, 63.4 years; NHW, 67 years; other, 63.0 years; P Conclusions At our center, the clinical features of men from different racial groups differed significantly at the time of newly diagnosed PCa. Differences included age at diagnosis, SES, Gleason score, and proportion with metastatic disease. Our pairwise comparisons between different ethnic groups suggested that PCa in Hispanic men might be more similar to that in NHB than to that in NHW patients and are generally more aggressive at diagnosis.
Policy Brief—Using Lessons from Reverse Auctions for Renewables to Deliver Energy Storage Capacity: Guidance for Policymakers

AbstractAs renewable technologies grow cheaper, intermittency is emerging as a critical challenge for achieving large-scale renewables deployment in the electric power sector. Energy storage is par...
TCR signaling: it's all about the numbers.

Quantitative mass spectrometry applied to T cell activation reveals key insights into signal-transduction pathways. These data identify selective alterations in the concentration of proteins in activated T cells and detail previously undescribed protein–protein interactions.
Automated Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Measurement Using Super-pixel Analysis

The optic nerve is a part of the central nervous system surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid and is encased in a sheath. Changes to the cerebrospinal fluid due to injury, tumor rupture and so on can increase intracranial pressure (ICP) and can result in changes in the sheath diameter. Measuring the changes in the sheath can be done through ultrasound imaging with which the optic nerve sheath diameter can be measured. Since this approach is non-invasive, it would reduce the cost for patients and healthcare if sheath diameter could be used as a predictor of increase in ICP. However, the manual measurement of the nerve sheath diameter is very time consuming and could be affected by human errors. In this paper we propose an image processing approach in which the optic nerve sheath diameter is measured automatically. In our proposed method, we first denoise images and then detect the region of interest using a simple line integral method. After that by analyzing super-pixels we measure the diameter. We compared the results of the proposed method with manual measurements from two experts. The average percentage of error between the proposed method and the experts’ measurements did not substantially differ from the error between the two experts.
Early-life determinants of excess weight in children born heavy.

Infants born heavy are vulnerable to later obesity, but it is unknown whether obesity-related risk factors present between conception and delivery predict their postnatal weight trajectory. We modelled the weight trajectories of infants born high birth weight (HBW, greater than or equal to 4000 g) and/or large for gestational age (LGA, greater than 90th percentile) using data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (N = 371). A high percentage of infants were both HBW and LGA, but the trajectories were modelled separately. Weight of infants born heavy begins high, gradually decreases, and then levels off by 12 months. Delivery method was the only predictor of weight. Caesarean-delivered HBW infants were heavier than vaginally-delivered HBW infants although this effect disappeared by 12 months. Findings indicate that early-life influences are not necessarily deterministic of the postnatal weight trajectory of infants born heavy. Future research is needed to examine postnatal behaviours that may be implicated in the relationship between large size at birth and later obesity.
Central hypothyroidism improves with age in very young children with Prader-Willi syndrome

OBJECTIVE Abnormalities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis have been implicated in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS); however, limited information is currently available on age-dependent alterations in the HPT axis. We herein investigated age-dependent differences in thyroid hormone levels in PWS children. DESIGN/PATIENTS/MEASUREMENTS Free T4 (FT4), free T3 (FT3) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations were retrospectively compared between genetically confirmed PWS children (N = 43, median age: 11.2 months) and controls (N = 85, median age: 14.5 months) matched for age, sex, body weight-SD score (SDS), height-SDS, body mass index-SDS and serum albumin level, a marker of the nutritional status. Subjects were subdivided into two groups based on their age: an infant group aged between 1 and 11 months (PWS: N = 22, controls: N = 30) and a toddler group aged between 12 and 47 months (PWS: N = 21, controls: N = 55). None of the subjects had ever been treated with growth hormone or levothyroxine. RESULTS After adjustments for confounding variables, in the infant group, FT4 levels (pmol/L) were significantly lower in PWS (11.24 in PWS vs 14.32 in controls, P = .0002), whereas no significant differences were observed in FT3 or TSH levels. In the toddler group, no significant differences were noted in FT4 (12.23 in PWS vs 15.31 in controls, P = .10), FT3 or TSH levels. The FT3/FT4 ratio was significantly increased in PWS in both groups. FT4 levels were positively correlated with age in PWS. CONCLUSIONS Infants with PWS had lower FT4 levels, but FT3 levels were normal, indicating that the levothyroxine replacement therapy may not need to be routinely performed.
COMMUNICATING MARKETS: COMPETITION POLICY DISCOURSE AND DIGITALPLATFORM POWER

Digital platforms elude legal and regulatory frameworks traditionally used to address market power, speech, and disinformation issues. One of the dominant policy responses to addressing these issues involves reforming competition policy to better manage digital platform markets. This case study examines how stakeholders, including tech giants, their competitors, regulators, and advocacy groups deploy competition policy to address platform power in a series of 2019-2020 U.S. congressional hearings on the subject, with implications for the wider global debate. The article traces the politics underlying these debates, which manifests in variations in stakeholders’ definitions of platform power and their proposed solutions, reflecting tensions over the role of the state in managing markets and in addressing non-economic concerns associated with digital platforms. The article concludes with a consideration of what this politics implies for policy interventions aimed at addressing platform power.
Pericardial Disease and Hemodynamics

In this chapter, we will discuss several different key aspects of pericardial physiology and pathology, including acute and chronic inflammatory states of the pericardium, cardiac tamponade, and chronic constrictive pericarditis. In addition, we will provide an overview of pressure-volume loops.
An Introduction to American Sportswomen’s Apparel

Uniformly, it would seem, both sporting and non-sporting American publics have opinions about what girls and women should wear while engaging in athletic forays both private and professional. Titillating or tortuous, appealing or atrocious, skimpy or serious, those uniforms that sportswomen wear have long been under scrutiny in terms of their interpretation, mediation, and simple comfort. Sometimes they are not even uniforms, per se, as prescribed by a particular sporting organization, but instead might be individual choices by individual athletes. Sometimes they are dictated by societal notions such as Victorian modesty, sometimes they need to conform to particular religious protocol or patriarchal control, and sometimes “uniforms” might be determined by peer pressure. Or not.
How Do Colleges and Universities Support Multifaith Chaplaincy? The Causes and Effects of Different Institutional Approaches

This article examines institutional approaches to multifaith chaplaincy across private institutions of higher education. Based on a pilot study of eight nonreligious colleges and universities, the ...
The brain stem auditory evoked response as a tool in neuro-behavioral toxicology and medicine.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the brain stem auditory evoked response as a tool in neuro-behavioral toxicology and medicine. The brain stem auditory evoked response (BAER) is becoming a standard tool in the neuropsychologist's armamentarium, being relevant to the detection and evaluation of a variety of cerebral disorders. It has been found to be altered by such conditions as multiple sclerosis, tumors, closed head injuries, hearing disorders, and so on. Because of increasing concern about the deleterious effects of environmental and industrial chemicals and the absence of any general and reliable methodology for adequately assessing early signs of neurotoxicity, there has been increasing interest in determining the efficacy of event-related potential (ERP) techniques in such a context. Such procedures have several advantages. They are objective, culturally nonspecific and versatile. Also, ERPs contain unique information and can be studied in both animals and humans. The relevance of several electrocerebral responses to neurotoxicology has already been demonstrated.
Disaggregating ethnoracial disparities in physician trust.

Past research yields mixed evidence regarding whether ethnoracial minorities trust physicians less than Whites. Using the 2002 and 2006 General Social Surveys, variegated ethnoracial differences in trust in physicians are identified by disaggregating a multidimensional physician trust scale. Compared to Whites, Blacks are less likely to trust the technical judgment and interpersonal competence of doctors. Latinos are less likely than Whites to trust the fiduciary ethic, technical judgment, and interpersonal competence of doctors. Black–Latino differences in physician trust are a function of ethnoracial differences in parental nativity. The ways ethnoracial hierarchies are inscribed into power-imbalanced clinical exchanges are discussed.
Colloids in Medicine

Excerpt Colloid chemistry has been defined as "the chemistry of the infinitely little." It can perhaps be better defined asthe chemistry of films, surfaces, and interfaces,for the peculiar energies...
Effect of error in theoretical Earth tide on calibration of borehole strainmeters

[1] Since the installation of borehole strainmeters into the ground locally distorts the strain in the rock, these strainmeters require calibration from a known source which typically is the Earth tide. Consequently, the accuracy of the observed strain changes from borehole strainmeters depends upon the calibration derived from modeling the Earth tide. Previous work from the mid-1970s, which is replicated here, demonstrate that the theoretical tide can differ by 30% from the tide observed at surface-mounted, long-baseline strainmeters. In spite of possible inaccurate tidal models, many of the 74 borehole strainmeters installed since 2005 can be “calibrated”. However, inaccurate tidal models affect the amplitude and phase of observed transient strain changes which needs to be considered along with the precision of the data from the inherent drift of these borehole instruments. In particular, the error from inaccurate tidal model dominates the error budget in the observation of impulsive, sub-daily, strain-transients.
Abstract P217: Reduced Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 Activity Levels are Linked to Apolipoprotein C3 Loss-of-Function Mutations: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Introduction: Higher lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (LpPLA2) levels are associated with higher CHD risk. LpPLA2 is primarily transported in LDL particles and was shown to be associated positively with LDL-C but negatively with HDL-C levels. The mechanism for the negative association with HDL-C is unclear. One hypothesis is that LpPLA2 is increased in small dense LDL (sdLDL) generated with delayed clearance of lipoproteins as exhibited in atherogenic dyslipidemia. Apolipoprotein C3 (ApoC3) was shown to inhibit lipoprotein lipase’s lipolytic activity. ApoC3 loss-of-function (LOF) mutations are associated with lower triglycerides and sdLDL levels and higher HDL-C levels, reduced postprandial lipemia and reduced CHD risk. However, the association of ApoC3 LOF mutations with LpPLA2 activity is not known. We hypothesized that LpPLA2 activity levels will be lower with ApoC3 LOF mutation. Methods: In 4453 individuals of European ancestry in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study we examined...
Acinetobacter, Aeromonas and Trichococcus populations dominate the microbial community within urban sewer infrastructure

We evaluated the population structure and temporal dynamics of the dominant community members within sewage influent from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Milwaukee, WI. We generated > 1.1 M bacterial pyrotag sequences from the V6 hypervariable region of 16S rRNA genes from 38 influent samples and two samples taken upstream in the sanitary sewer system. Only a small fraction of pyrotags from influent samples (∼ 15%) matched sequences from human faecal samples. The faecal components of the sewage samples included enriched pyrotag populations from Lactococcus and Enterobacteriaceae relative to their fractional representation in human faecal samples. In contrast to the large number of distinct pyrotags that represent faecal bacteria such as Lachnospiraceae and Bacteroides, only one or two unique V6 sequences represented Acinetobacter, Aeromonas and Trichococcus, which collectively account for nearly 35% of the total sewage community. Two dominant Acinetobacter V6 pyrotags (designated Acineto tag 1 and Acineto tag 2) fluctuated inversely with a seasonal pattern over a 3-year period, suggesting two distinct Acinetobacter populations respond differently to ecological forcings in the system. A single nucleotide change in the V6 pyrotags accounted for the difference in these populations and corresponded to two phylogenetically distinct clades based on full-length sequences. Analysis of wavelet functions, derived from a mathematical model of temporal fluctuations, demonstrated that other abundant sewer associated populations including Trichococcus and Aeromonas had temporal patterns similar to either Acineto tag 1 or Acineto tag 2. Populations with related temporal fluctuations were found to significantly correlate with the same WWTP variables (5-day BOD, flow, ammonia, total phosphorous and suspended solids). These findings illustrate that small differences in V6 sequences can represent phylogenetically and ecologically distinct taxa. This work provides insight into microbial community composition and dynamics within the defined environment of urban sewer infrastructure.
Effect of Hyperglycemia on Human Monocyte Activation

Our recent study defined the chemokine-induced human monocyte signaling under normoglycemic condition. To explore the hyperglycemia-induced monocyte signaling, we performed adhesion, migration, and transmigration assays on human monocytes obtained from THP-1 cell line in the presence of normal (5 mM) and high (10 and 20 mM) glucose concentrations without chemokines. We observed augmented (P < 0.01) monocyte adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cell monolayer at 10 than 5 mM glucose with no further increase at 20-mM glucose concentration (P < 0.07 vs 10 mM; P < 0.01 vs 5 mM). But incremental increases in monocyte migration (P < 0.01), transmigration (P < 0.01), and stress fiber response (P < 0.01) were observed at 10- and 20-mM glucose concentrations in comparison to 5-mM glucose concentrations. We found gradational increase (P < 0.01) in phosphorylation of Akt(S473) and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK3β(S9)) in hyperglycemia (10 and 20 mM) when compared with 5 mM glucose. Furthermore, hyperglycemia (both 10 and 20 mM)-treated monocyte showed up-regulated phosphorylation of p101 and p110γ subunits of PI-3 kinase in comparison to 5 mM glucose. Hyperglycemia-induced monocyte migration was restored to basal levels in the presence of PI-3 kinase inhibitor, LY. These observations imply that modest hyperglycemia per se, as is commonly observed in diabetic individuals, is a potent stimulator of monocyte activity even without chemokines.
Very Long Baseline Interferometer Measurements of H2O Masers in Orion A, W49N, W3OH and VY CMa

A review is presented of the results of very long baseline interferometer measurements of the H2O emission regions in Orion A, W49N, W3OH and VY CMa. The observations were made in June 1970, February 1971, and March 1971 using the 120-foot antenna of the Haystack Observatory, the 140 and 36-foot antennas of the NRAO and the 85-foot antenna of the Naval Research Laboratory.
Psychological distress following urban earthquakes in California

During and following a disaster caused by a natural event, human populations are thought to be at greater risk of psychological morbidity and mortality directly attributable to increased, disaster-induced stress. Drawing both on the research of others and that conducted at the Center for Public Health and Disaster Relief of the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) following California earthquakes, this paper examines the extent to which research evidence supports these assumptions. Following a brief history of disaster research in the United States, the response of persons at the time of an earthquake was examined with particular attention to psychological morbidity; the number of deaths that can be attributed to cardiovascular events and suicides; and the extent to which and by whom, health services are used following an earthquake. The implications of research findings for practitioners in the field are discussed.
O and of Stars

My intention here is to discuss the ‘high temperature’ portion of this symposium and call attention to those stars that are called Of. There are some similarities in spectral appearance to WR stars, e. g. emission lines. I should first like to define what I think are the essential differences among four groups of hot stars; O stars: Stars that have only absorption lines in the visible spectrum. Type O is distinguished from type B by the presence of He II 4541 at MK dispersion. It may be that some (supergiants) O stars will have emission lines in the rocket UV region but this description will be primarily concerned with ground based observations.
Intelligence Level and Background Factors in Learning Disorders

Background data on 364 Ss referred to a university remedial clinic for children were related to level of intelligence. Significant differences were found for referral problems, family background, health history, developmental problems, and behavior problems.
Yeast mutation accumulation experiment supports elevated mutation rates at highly transcribed sites.

Because mutation is the ultimate source of genetic variation, understanding mutational patterns and mechanisms is of fundamental importance. Previous studies provided genomic evidence that, in the bacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium, yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and human germ line, the mutation rate of a gene generally increases with the expression level of the gene, likely because of the transcription-associated mutagenesis (TAM) that trumps transcription-coupled repair (1⇓–3). In PNAS, Zhu et al. sequence the genomes of 145 yeast mutation accumulation (MA) lines but detect no influence of transcriptional level on mutability (4). To investigate this discrepancy, we reanalyzed their data.
The evolutionary history of human DNA transposons: Evidence for intense activity in the primate lineage

Class 2, or DNA transposons, make up ∼3% of the human genome, yet the evolutionary history of these elements has been largely overlooked and remains poorly understood. Here we carried out the first comprehensive analysis of the activity of human DNA transposons over the course of primate evolution using three independent computational methods. First, we conducted an exhaustive search for human DNA transposons nested within L1 and Alu elements known to be primate specific. Second, we assessed the presence/absence of 794 human DNA transposons at orthologous positions in 10 mammalian species using sequence data generated by the NIH/NISC ENCODE Project. These two approaches, which do not rely upon sequence divergence, allowed us to classify DNA transposons into three different categories: anthropoid specific (40–63 My), primate specific (64–80 My), and eutherian wide (81–150 My). Finally, we used this data to calculate the substitution rates of DNA transposons for each category and refine the age of each family based on the average percent divergence of individual copies to their consensus. Based on these combined methods, we can confidently estimate that at least 40 human DNA transposon families, representing ∼98,000 elements (∼33 Mb) in the human genome, have been active in the primate lineage. There was a cessation in the transpositional activity of DNA transposons during the later phase of the primate radiation, with no evidence of elements younger than ∼37 My. This data points to intense activity of DNA transposons during the mammalian radiation and early primate evolution, followed, apparently, by their mass extinction in an anthropoid primate ancestor.
Histamine depolarizes rat medial vestibular nucleus neurons recorded intracellularly in vitro

The effects of histamine (HA) on the resting membrane potential and input resistance of rat medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons were investigated using intracellular recording techniques from a submerged brain slice preparation. The exogenous application of HA predominantly produced a concentration-dependent membrane depolarization and induction of action potential firing. The depolarization exhibited a rapid onset, a slow recovery, and usually occurred in the absence of any apparent change in conductance. These effects of HA could be mimicked by the H2-agonist impromidine and were reversibly blocked by the H2-antagonist cimetidine. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) or low calcium/high magnesium-containing media failed to block completely the HA-induced depolarization supporting a direct postsynaptic receptor mediated action of HA. The diminished HA-induced depolarization observed following pretreatment with TTX cannot exclude an additional presynaptic action by HA. The present findings reveal that HA exerts a novel direct excitation of rat MVN neurons through an H2-receptor.
Can the standardized uptake value characterize primary brain tumors on FDG-PET?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of measuring the standardized uptake value (SUV) in primary brain tumors on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Two groups of patients were studied. Whole-brain glucose cerebral metabolic rates (wCMRs) and SUVs were obtained in 20 normal subjects. Twenty-seven patients with histology-proven malignant primary CNS tumors (high-grade gliomas n=22, primitive neuroectodermal tumors n=3, ependymomas n=2) were also studied. The degree of FDG uptake was assessed by visual inspection and thereafter regions of interest were placed over the lesion, the contralateral cortex and white matter and the whole brain. Average (avg) and maximum (max) pixel values were determined in each site. Based on these measurements, SUV, tumor to cortex (T/C) and tumor to white matter (T/WM) activity ratios were calculated. There was no correlation between wCMRs (4.55±0.36 mg min–1 100 g–1) and wSUVs (5.41±0.43) in the normal subjects (r=0.18, P=0.45). In the second group,17 lesions were described as definitely and seven as probably malignant. However, SUVs in these tumors and in the contralateral cortex were not significantly different. Although the SUVs were generally higher in the tumor than in the contralateral white matter, there was a significant overlap between the values. The range of the SUVs was wide: 2.54–11.8 for the tumors, 2.98–9.96 for the cortex and 1.87–6.76 for the white matter. SUVs in the normal cortex were negatively correlated with blood glucose level at the time of the injection. SUVs in the whole brain and in the cortex were lower in patients previously treated by irradiation, even months after completion of the treatment. No correlation was detectable between any of the SUVs and the age of the patients, tumor type, time post injection, use of dexamethasone, patient weight, dose injected and visual score. With cutoff levels of 1.5 for T max/WM and 0.6 for T max/C, the sensitivity of the activity ratios was 74% and 96% respectively. In conclusion, SUVs do not correlate with CMRs across subjects and appear to be of limited value in characterizing brain tumors. Visual assessment and measurement of the activity ratios currently remain the most reliable methods of analysis.
Density functional study of the retrocyclization of norbornadiene and norbornene catalyzed by Fe(

In the presence of Fe(+) catalyst, the retro Diels-Alder reaction of norbornadiene (NBD) is predicted to be stepwise with an activation barrier of 18.8 kcal/mol, which is 3.1 kcal/mol lower than the concerted retro reaction. For norbornene (NBN), the Fe(+)-catalyzed retro reaction is also calculated to be stepwise with an activation barrier of 24.9 kcal/mol, which is 8.5 kcal/mol lower than the uncatalyzed stepwise reaction but 3.8 kcal/mol higher than the concerted reaction. The intermediates from the NBD and NBN retro Diels-Alder reactions, C(5)H(6)FeC(2)H(2)(+) and C(5)H(6)FeC(2)H(4)(+), are predicted to have low activation barriers for ligand-to-ligand hydrogen transfers (through an iron-hydrido intermediate) to form CpFeC(2)H(3)(+) and CpFeC(2)H(5)(+) and, ultimately, vinyl- and ethyl-substituted cyclopentadiene-iron complexes, respectively. In contrast to FeC(2)H(2)(+) and FeC(2)H(4)(+), the lowest-energy pathways on the C(5)H(6)FeC(2)H(2)(+) and C(5)H(6)FeC(2)H(4)(+) potential energy surfaces involve only one multiplicity (quartet). The C(2)H(2) and C(2)H(4) complexes of CpFe(+) and C(5)H(6)Fe(+) are compared.
Stereographic image potential of a STEREO mission

THe potential quality increase of the scientific results obtainable with stereographic observations on a Solar- Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission are examined in terms of the science objectives, observables, instrument performance, spacecraft vantage points and stereographic image reconstruction.
Effect of Low Calcium or Low Phosphorus Diets on Free Choice Consumption of Dicalcium Phosphate by Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract A low calcium diet and a low phosphorus diet were fed to lactating cows in two experiments to detect specific appetite for these two elements. Little evidence was shown that dairy cows offered dicalcium phosphate free choice have specific appetite for calcium or phosphorus even after low intakes of 9 and 12 wk, respectively. Hand feeding or blending the required minerals into forage or a complete feed are preferred methods to feeding free choice.
The impact of Vietnam service on heroin-addicted veterans.

Age-matched samples of Vietnam veterans and veterans who did not serve in Vietnam were surveyed at the time that they applied for treatment of heroin addiction. Vietnam veterans were more likely to...
Locational effects of variability of injected power on total cost

This paper introduces locational prices associated with power injection variability. The sensitivity of uncertainty in injected power on system cost is calculated using a probabilistic DC optimal power flow (DC-OPF). This sensitivity may be used as a price for regulation to equitably allocate costs associated with tracking power injections. In this context the price also provides a locational value to energy storage and hence can be used as a tool to investigate best locations for energy storage. As a case study, a 24-bus test system with uncertain variable wind power and uncertain variable loads is analyzed.
Using Debriefing for Meaningful Learning to Foster Development of Clinical Reasoning in Simulation

Debriefing is critical to learning from simulation experiences, yet the literature reports little research describing best practices within nursing. Debriefing for Meaningful Learning (DML) is a systematic process for debriefing in which teachers and students explicate different aspects of reflection and generate new meanings from simulation experiences. The purpose of this exploratory, quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest study was to test the relationship of DML on the development of clinical reasoning skills in prelicensure nursing students when compared with customary debriefing strategies and on students' perception of quality of the debriefing experience. Analysis of data demonstrated a greater change in clinical reasoning skills and identification of higher-quality debriefing and a positive correlation between clinical reasoning and perception of quality. Findings demonstrate that DML is an effective debriefing method. It contributes to the body of knowledge supporting the use of debriefing in simulation learning and supports the development of best teaching practices.
The road extension model in the land change modeler for ecological sustainability of IDRISI

Road development is an important proximate cause of deforestation and consequent biodiversity loss. The interaction between road extension and land use calls for an integration of road simulation into land change models to improve model performance. To date there have been few attempts to simulate road development to support land change modeling. The objective of this research is to develop a road extension model to simulate roads network expansion. This road extension model forecasts the location of individual roads at local scale and produces the given spatial pattern of road network at regional scale. Locating individual roads is divided into two consecutive steps, identifying endpoints and locating routes. Spatial pattern is controlled through altering the local road growth process, specifically limiting the number and locations of endpoints. The road extension model was released in 2006 as a component of the Land Change Modeler for Ecological Sustainability in IDRISI 15.0 (the Andes Edition). The model was applied to simulate scenarios of different road placement strategies in lowland Bolivia. The model results showed that the simulated road network exhibited varying spatial arrangements under different pattern parameter settings. The result provides insights into the ecological consequence of human land use policies. It also calls for an empirical based pattern parameter specification to predict road expansion that maintains existing network patterns.
Temperature Adaptable Hollow Fibers Containing Polyethylene Glycols

Polyethylene glycols (PEG's with average molecular weights of 400, 600, 1,000 and 3,350) incorporated as 57% aq. solutions into hollow rayon and polypropylene fibers, after drying and conditioning, produced heat contents (Q) 1.2-2.5 times greater than untreated hollow polypropylene and 2.2-4.4 times greater than untreated hollow rayon fibers. The resultant Q values in a given temperature interval were reproducible for at least 50 heating and cooling cycles with no adverse change in their thermal performance compared to their first heating and cooling cycle. As monitored by differential scanning calorimetry, these modified fibers had thermal storage and release values useful at tempratures as low at -8 to -48°C on cooling and as high as +42 to +77°C on heating, with little variability in Q values within the same fiber or between different batches of the same fiber containing a particular polyethylene glycol.
A study of biocides for the selection of candidates for carcinogen bioassay

Abstract The use class of biocides was studied in order to nominate chemicals as candidates for carcinogen bioassay to the National Cancer Institute. After the application of several qualifying criteria that related to previous, current, or planned carcinogenicity testing and to commercial significance, the preliminary candidate list of 295 chemicals was reduced to a list of 61 final candidate chemicals. Based upon consideration of both the suspicion of possible carcinogenic activity and evidence indicating potential human exposure, the following eight chemicals were nominated: benzethonium chloride, hexahydro‐1,3,5‐tris(2‐hydroxy‐ethyl)triazine, benzyldimethyl(mixed alkyl)ammonium chloride, N‐(3‐chloroallyl)hexaminium chloride, 2,4,5‐trichlorophenol, o‐benzyl‐p‐chlorophenol, l,2‐benzisothiazolin‐3‐one, and zinc pyrithione.
A general fixed rate arithmetic coding method for constrained channels

This paper extends the result of earlier work on the application of arithmetic codes to the constrained channel problem. We specifically present a general length-based fixed rate implementation technique which performs the arithmetic coding recursions during each channel time unit. This technique is superior to an earlier unpublished code for general constrained channels. The approach permits the design of codes for sophisticated channel constraints.
The enthalpy of formation of silicon carbide by fluorine bomb calorimetry

Abstract The energy of combustion of silicon carbide in fluorine was measured with samples of both hexagonal and cubic crystalline modifications. The standard enthalpies of formation ΔH f o (298.15 K) of the α (hexagonal) form and the β (cubic) form of silicon carbide were calculated to be (−17.23 ± 0.46) and (−17.49 ± 0.43) kcal mol −1 , respectively.
Fabrication and Characterization of Isostatically Hot‐Pressed MgO

Isostatic hot pressed magnesium oxide noting brucite and crack formation and reheating effects
Impact of dose to the bladder trigone on long-term urinary function after high-dose intensity modulated radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer

Purpose To determine the potential association between genitourinary (GU) toxicity and planning dose–volume parameters for GU pelvic structures after high-dose intensity modulated radiation therapy in localized prostate cancer patients. Methods and Materials A total of 268 patients who underwent intensity modulated radiation therapy to a prescribed dose of 86.4 Gy in 48 fractions during June 2004-December 2008 were evaluated with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire. Dose–volume histograms of the whole bladder, bladder wall, urethra, and bladder trigone were analyzed. The primary endpoint for GU toxicity was an IPSS sum increase ≥10 points over baseline. Univariate and multivariate analyses were done by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models, respectively. Results Median follow-up was 5 years (range, 3-7.7 years). Thirty-nine patients experienced an IPSS sum increase ≥10 during follow-up; 84% remained event free at 5 years. After univariate analysis, lower baseline IPSS sum ( P =.006), the V90 of the trigone ( P =.006), and the maximal dose to the trigone ( P =.003) were significantly associated with an IPSS sum increase ≥10. After multivariate analysis, lower baseline IPSS sum ( P =.009) and increased maximal dose to the trigone ( P =.005) remained significantly associated. Seventy-two patients had both a lower baseline IPSS sum and a higher maximal dose to the trigone and were defined as high risk, and 68 patients had both a higher baseline IPSS sum and a lower maximal dose to the trigone and were defined as low risk for development of an IPSS sum increase ≥10. Twenty-one of 72 high-risk patients (29%) and 5 of 68 low-risk patients (7%) experienced an IPSS sum increase ≥10 ( P =.001; odds ratio 5.19). Conclusions The application of hot spots to the bladder trigone was significantly associated with relevant changes in IPSS during follow-up. Reduction of radiation dose to the lower bladder and specifically the bladder trigone seems to be associated with a reduction in late GU toxicity.
Molecular weight and film thickness effects on linear optical anisotropy of 6FDA-PFMB polyimides

Abstract Different molecular weight samples of a polyimide, 6FDA-PFMB, were synthesized from 2,2′-bis (3,4-dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane (6FDA) and 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,4′-diaminobiphenyl (PFMB) in refluxing m -cresol at high temperatures through a one-step polymerization route. Films of 6FDA-PFMB ranging from 1 to 100 μm thickness were prepared via solution-casting and investigated using optical prism coupler wave-guide experiments. It has been found that these films exhibit a linear optical anisotropy in the refractive indices. Specifically, they have a large index along the in-plane direction and a smaller one in the out-of-plane direction. Films with this linear optical anisotropy have been recognized to possess uniaxial negative birefringence. For films with a fixed molecular weight, the refractive indices are constant in the film thickness below 15 μm, and the birefringence gradually decreases with further increasing the film thickness. On the other hand, the refractive index along the out-of-plane direction decreases while the in-plane refractive index increases when the polyimide molecular weight increases. Such films can be used as negative birefringent compensators in twisted and super-twisted nematic liquid crystal displays to improve display viewing angles.
Uncertainty reduction: a framework for the integration of visual motion

Abstract: Motion uncertainty arises whenever there is ambiguity in local velocity vector assignment,such as along a straight contour or in a textureless region. Motion uncertainty can be quantified by corn-puting the entropy of the corresponding velocity probability distribution. We propose a new frameworkfor the integration of visual motion where the objective is the reduction of motion uncertainty. Basedon this approach, we have developed a model that searches for the proper extent of motion integration inorder to minimize motion entropy. By modeling our task as a multi-stage stochastic optimization prob-lem, the control structure for motion integration can be inferred through dynamic programming. Resultsf mm initial experiments demonstrate that our model is capable of analyzing image sequences containingthe aperture problem and textureless regions.Keywords: motion analysis, perceptual grouping, probabilistic inference. 1 Introduction A fundamental difficulty of visual motion analysis is the highly uncertain nature of local motion infor-mation. Consider analyzing the motion of a moving diamond image sequence. Along a straight contourwhere only normal velocity is well-defined, we encounter the aperture problem. In the textureless inte-nor, where no motion information is available, velocity assignment becomes totally impossible. Reliablemotion measurement is obtainable only near the corner, where there is suffIcient intensity variations toconstrain the velocity vector.To deal with the uncertain nature of local motion information, additional constraints are needed.Horn & Schunck first proposed the concept of a smoothness constraint for regularizing velocity field[9]. Hildreth studied a "contour-based" smoothness constraint [8]. Yuffle & Grzywacz investigatedthe role of smoothing in generating coherent motion information [14]. Nagel suggested an "oriented"smoothness constraint in order to avoid blurring across boundaries [10]. Harris, et.al. have implemented"line"rocesses" for preserving boundaries while smoothing [5]. Darrell & Pentland, Wang & Adelsonused yers" to segregate multiple motion prior to smoothing [3], [13].These methods have been successful with image sequences that generate dense flow fields. However,they do not work well with images that have sparse flow fields and large areas of uncertain motion. Thesource of difficulty can be attributed to a lack of clear strategy for dealing with the following problems:
Demographic conditions responsible for population aging.

This article develops and applies two expressions for the rate of change of a population's mean age. In one, aging is shown to be negatively related to contemporary birth rates and death rates. In a general sense, aging occurs when vital rates are too low, as illustrated through applications to the United States, the Netherlands, and Japan. The other expression relates the rate of aging to a population's demographic history, in particular to changes in mortality, migration, and the annual number of births. Applications to the United States and Sweden show that the dominant factor in current aging in these countries is a history of declining mortality. Migration also contributes significantly but in opposite directions in the two countries. The two approaches are integrated after recognizing that the rate of change in the mean age is equal to the covariance between age and age-specific growth rates. A decomposition of this co-variance shows that the two seemingly unrelated expressions contain exactly the same information about the age pattern of growth rates.
Microstructural stability after severe plastic deformation of AZ31 Magnesium

Friction stir processing (FSP) and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) were used to modify the microstructure of twin roll cast (TRC) AZ31 magnesium. The influence of these processes on the microstructural properties of the material was investigated. It was found that both processes produced microstructures with an average grain size of less than 10 pm, suggesting that they have the potential for superplastic deformation. Heat treatments were performed on the TRC, ECAP and FSP materials to assess their microstructural stability. Both the ECAP and TRC material were found to be fairly stable, showing normal grain growth while the FSP material grew substantially at temperatures above 200°C. The activation energy of grain boundary motion of the TRC material was calculated to be 167 kJ/mol.
A Discriminant Analysis Approach to Exploring Changes in Human Sexuality Attitudes among University Students

Abstract This exploratory study seeks to assess the attitudinal changes that graduate and undergraduate students may or may not experience after taking a college Human Sexuality course. The supposition, both by faculty and students, that sexuality courses bestow some beneficial change on the participants, continues to be suspect. A pretest and posttest, 18-item attitude scale, plus a series of qualitative strategies including open-ended questions and personal interviews, were used to evaluate 115 potential attitudinal changes in students over a two-year period. Exploring why certain attitudes change and what causes these changes was a secondary objective. The results of multivariate analyses indicated significant differences between the pretest and posttest for both the graduate and undergraduate groups. An analysis of the qualitative data basically supported the quantitative results and suggested some causal relationships.
Criterion change in continuous recognition memory: A sequential effect

Data from a previous study were reanalyzed to determine the basis for the increasing false-alarm (FA) rate exhibited by subjects as they proceed through a continuous recognition memory task. The results indicated that: (a) the shifting response bias did not reflect an attempt to probability match; (b) the increase in the FA rate over trial blocks was exclusively a sequential effect, i.e., the increase occurred only for trials following the presentation of a new stimulus item; (c) this sequential effect was due to a shifting response bias. It was suggested that the shifting response bias may have resulted from a subjective probability judgment based on a belief similar to that of the “gambler’s fallacy.”