cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spectroscopic evidence of hippocampal abnormalities in neocortical epilepsy.

Lesional neocortical epilepsy (NE) can be associated with hippocampal sclerosis or hippocampal spectroscopic abnormalities without atrophy (dual pathology). In this study, magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) was used to determine the frequency of hippocampal damage/dysfunction in NE with and without structural lesion. Sixteen patients with NE [seven temporal NE (NE-T), nine extratemporal (NE-ET)] and 16 controls were studied with a 2D MRSI sequence (Repetition time/echo time (TR/TE) = 1800/135 ms) covering both hippocampi. Seven NE patients had MR visible lesions (NE-Les), nine had normal MRI (NE-no). In each hippocampus, 12 voxels were uniformly selected. In controls, mean (± SD) NAA/(Cr + Cho) values for each voxel were calculated and voxels with NAA/(Cr + Cho) ≤ (mean in controls – 2SD in controls) were defined as ‘pathological’ in patients. Eight of 16 NE patients had at least two ‘pathological’ voxel (mean 2.5, range 2–5) in one hippocampus. Four were NE-Les and four NE-no. Three (43%) NE-T patients, had evidence for hippocampal damage/dysfunction and five (56%) had NE-ET. The ipsilateral hippocampus was affected in six of eight NE patients. Evidence for unilateral hippocampal damage/dysfunction was demonstrated in 50% of the NE patients. The type of NE, i.e. NE-Les or NE-no, NE-T or NE-ET, had no influence on the occurrence of hippocampal damage/dysfunction.
Optical Data Destruction System : Device Design and Test Results

An optical data destruction system using a high power laser beam is introduced. The system exposes data marks on optical media to a focused high power line beam. The exposure changes the physical and optical properties of the data marks and surrounding layers, making retrieval of the data impossible. Maintaining the focused laser beam on a data layer is achieved by a focus servo using a diffractive optical element (DOE). The system performance is evaluated from a number of destruction experiments on CD-Recordable (CD-R) and CD-ReWritable (CD-RW).
Design and implementation of an offload engine for internet group messaging protocol multicast snooping

As internet protocol (IP) networks in the enterprise space continue to mature, with regards to stability and availability, the desire for these networks to deliver multimedia content will grow. Although IP networks have long had enough bandwidth to support multimedia streams, the deployment of this content seems to have been somewhat limited in the enterprise. The control mechanisms for multicast traffic, both at the IP layer and the data link layer, are still the areas that have not been adopted as widely as their more common unicast counterparts. The authors examine the internet group messaging protocol (IGMP) snooping process that currently runs on enterprise switches and propose an offload hardware engine to accelerate it. Currently, many enterprise switches handle this task with a general-purpose processor within the switch. Although this process adds very little to the overall load of systems currently, as multicast transmissions become more commonplace, the need for this process to be offloaded onto specialised hardware will be a necessity, in order to maintain the stability of the switch and the surrounding network. The proposed hardware model simulations reveal significant increase in the number of packets per second that can be handled compared to software implementations.
Delayed complications after endovascular AAA repair in women.

Purpose:To assess whether women suffer more delayed complications or require more interventions after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair.Methods:Over a 2-year period, 245 patients (203 men, 42 women) underwent endovascular repair with the AneuRx stent-graft at our institution. Baseline, operative, and follow-up data were reviewed and outcomes compared between men and women for complications or secondary procedures beyond the 30-day postoperative period.Results:The 42 (17.1%) women treated with the AneuRx graft experienced more technical complications (17% versus 8.3%; p<0.05) and acute conversions to open repair (6/7, 86%; p = 0.0005). At 30 days, systemic morbidity was significantly higher in women (26% versus 5.3%; p = 0.001.) However, mortality (2.3% versus 1.5%), length of hospital stay (2.6 versus 2.9 days), and major endoleaks at discharge (0% versus 1.6%) were similar. Over a mean follow-up of 11.3 months (range 1–26), graft limb occlusion occurred more frequently in female patient...
CAREERS IN FEMINISM

In the early days of the second wave of the women's movement, women on the liberal end of the feminist spectrum began to work together on issues of equity in economics and education. They developed strategies for lobbying for legislation and administrative regulations affecting women and began to build political networks through which they could accomplish reforms. Women associated with the Women's Equity Action League played an important part in this process and, in so doing, shaped or even transformed their own careers.
Experimental Techniques to Study Linear Burning Rates of Heterogeneous Liquid Monopropellants

This paper presents methods used to investigate the combustion behavior of liquid monopropellants with or without additives, with a focus on nanoscale particles as burning rate modifiers in nitromethane. The combined effects of nanoscale aluminum and fumed silica on the burning rate were tested at pressures ranging from 3 to 13 MPa, using a pressure-based technique. Distinct differences in burning rate were observed between burns using a quartz-lined cavity and those employing steel. An analytical model was used to estimate the temperature profiles of quartz, steel, and layered strand burner tubes, indicating that the higher burning rates measured in the steel cavity were likely caused by a combination of heat transfer and catalytic effects. A mixture of 1% silica, 5% aluminum, and 94% nitromethane by weight produced burning rates that were 60–70% higher than those of neat nitromethane across the range of pressures. The close match between the burning rates of neat nitromethane gathered in this study and ...
A comparative study of thoracoscopic vs open removal of benign neurogenic mediastinal tumors.

Study objective To assess the relative benefit of thoracoscopy vs open thoracotomy in the removal of benign neurogenic mediastinal tumors (BNMTs). Design Retrospective comparative study of thoracoscopy and open thoracotomy. Setting Patients underwent surgery at the thoracic surgical services of two institutions from 1988 to 1994. Patients who underwent thoracoscopy were operated on more recently, 1992 to 1994. Patients who had thoracotomies underwent resection from 1988 to 1992. Patients All adult patients undergoing isolated removal of BNMTs at both institutions were included. Eleven patients underwent removal by posterolateral thoracotomy while six patients underwent thoracoscopic removal. Interventions BNMTs were removed by standard posterolateral thoracotomy or by three-hole thoracoscopic techniques with extension of incisions and conversion to an open procedure as necessary. Measurements and results Larger tumors were more difficult to remove thoracoscopically. Two cases of transient postoperative ptosis were noted among the patients who underwent thoracoscopy. Operative time was longer in the thoracoscopy group (171 vs 112 min; p Conclusions Thoracoscopic resection of BNMTs can be achieved safely and effectively with more rapid postoperative recovery when compared with an open thoracotomy approach to these mediastinal tumors.
Seasonal Variation in the Succinic Dehydrogenase Activity of Bovine Spermatozoa

Summary The effect of season upon the succinic dehydrogenase activity of bovine spermatozoa has been investigated by a manometric method. Succinic dehydrogenase activity of bovine spermatozoa has been found to vary in a manner which was significantly correlated with the mean monthly temperatures as obtained from the local weather bureau. The effect of washing upon the succinic dehydrogenase activity of bull spermatozoa was found to be seasonally dependent, as well. These observations have been discussed in relation to their importance to research in the physiology of reproduction, and to the application of reduction tests as a measure of semen quality.
ELECTROPRODUCTION OF NUCLEON RESONANCES

Abstract We compute the differential cross section for the process e + p → e + pr where pR is a nucleon resonance characterized by parity πR, spin J, and mass MR. The two inelastic form factors describing this cross section are expressed in terms of three amplitudes characterizing the (p, pR) electromagnetic vertex. The kinematic and analytic structure of these three amplitudes as a function of q2 are discussed. The case of the 33 resonance is discussed in some detail.
Familial Aggregation of Multiple Myeloma and Central Nervous System Diseases

Degenerative central nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and lymphoreticular malignancies such as multiple myeloma occur with increased frequency with advancing age. Relatives of early-onset Alzheimer's disease patients may have an increased risk of lymphoreticular malignancies. This led us to evaluate the family history of central nervous system diseases in a case-control study of multiple myeloma. Thirteen of 439 multiple myeloma cases had one or more first-degree relatives with degenerative or demyelinating central nervous system disease. In comparison, there were nine "positive" family histories in 1,317 matched hospital controls (relative risk = 4.4, 95% confidence interval = 1.9-10.3). Relative risks for the component categories of Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and miscellaneous degenerative central nervous system diseases were 3.0, 4.0 and 11.9, respectively. Our findings suggest that the degenerative and demyelinating central nervous system diseases and the lymphoreticular malignancies may comprise an etiologically related group of "protean diseases." These diseases may have a shared genetic susceptibility, possibly an immunologic abnormality. The varied disease manifestation in family members suggests a second necessary etiologic step of a variable and possibly environmental nature.
A rounding algorithm for integer programs

Abstract There exist general purpose algorithms to solve the integer linear programming problem but none of them are polynomial. Polynomially bounded rounding algorithms have been studied, but most of them are problem specific. In this paper we study a generalized rounding algorithm that is polynomial, characterize matrices that may be used in this scheme and identify a class of integer programs that it solves.
Energy dependence of /sup 40/Ca+/sup 12/C elastic scattering at 90/sup 0/ and 180/sup 0/

Excitation functions have been measured for the elastic scattering of $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$ + $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ at 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The excitation functions at the two angles are found to be anticorrelated, an effect which is quite similar to that observed previously in $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ + $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ and $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ + $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ elastic scattering. It is found from distorted-wave Born-approximation analyses of the energy dependence that the one-step elastic transfer process is probably not responsible for the observed resonancelike structure around 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} nor for the anticorrelation in the excitation functions at the two angles in $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$ + $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ scattering.NUCLEAR REACTIONS Elastic scattering of $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$ + $^{12}\mathrm{C}$; measured $\ensuremath{\sigma}(E,180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{})$ and $\ensuremath{\sigma}(E,90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{})$; DWBA analysis for the elastic transfer reaction $^{12}\mathrm{C}$($^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$).
TRIGGERS OF SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST IN CHILDREN: A PARENT SURVEY

Specific triggers for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in youth are unclear. Parent Heart Watch members with children who had SCA were surveyed. Questions included 1) occurrence 2) prior symptoms: evaluation, diagnoses 3) family history 4) medications, other triggers 5) activity 6) circumstances.
Evaluation of a method for improving the teaching performance of attending physicians

Abstract The effects of an intensive feedback method on the teaching performance of ward attending physicians were evaluated. Sixty-four attending physicians were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups: (1) intensive feedback, (2) videotape control, (3) questionnaire feedback, or (4) questionnaire control. The method was evaluated using the teachers' subjective assessments, ratings of videotapes of ward rounds, and trainee ratings. Seventy-five percent of the intensive feedback group rated their treatment definitely beneficial in contrast to less than 13 percent of teachers in other groups (p
Anemia is associated with worse symptoms, greater impairment in functional capacity and a significant increase in mortality in patients with advanced heart failure.

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between anemia and heart failure (HF) prognosis. Background Although it is known that chronic diseases, including HF, may be associated with anemia, the impact of hemoglobin (Hb) level on symptoms and survival in HF has not been fully defined. Methods We analyzed a cohort of 1,061 patients with advanced HF (New York Heart Association [NYHA] functional class III or IV and left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] 14.8 g/dl. Results Mean Hb was 13.6, and values ranged from 7.1 to 19.0 g/dl. The Hb groups were similar in age, medication profile, LVEF, hypertension, diabetes, smoking status and serum sodium. Lower Hb was associated with an impaired hemodynamic profile, higher blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, and lower albumin, total cholesterol and body mass index. Patients in the lower Hb quartiles were more likely to be NYHA functional class IV (p Conclusions In chronic HF, relatively mild degrees of anemia are associated with worsened symptoms, functional status and survival.
Overexpression, purification and crystallographic analysis of a unique adenosine kinase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Adenosine kinase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the only prokaryotic adenosine kinase that has been isolated and characterized. The enzyme catalyzes the phosphorylation of adenosine to adenosine monophosphate and is involved in the activation of 2-methyladenosine, a compound that has demonstrated selective activity against M. tuberculosis. The mechanism of action of 2-methyladenosine is likely to be different from those of current tuberculosis treatments and this compound (or other adenosine analogs) may prove to be a novel therapeutic intervention for this disease. The M. tuberculosis adenosine kinase was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the enzyme was purified with activity comparable to that reported previously. The protein was crystallized in the presence of adenosine using the vapour-diffusion method. The crystals diffracted X-rays to high resolution and a complete data set was collected to 2.2 A using synchrotron radiation. The crystal belonged to space group P3121, with unit-cell parameters a = 70.2, c = 111.6 A, and contained a single protein molecule in the asymmetric unit. An initial structural model of the protein was obtained by the molecular-replacement method, which revealed a dimeric structure. The monomers of the dimer were related by twofold crystallographic symmetry. An understanding of how the M. tuberculosis adenosine kinase differs from the human homolog should aid in the design of more potent and selective antimycobacterial agents that are selectively activated by this enzyme.
Holt-Oram syndrome: penetrance of the gene and lack of maternal effect.

Holt-Oram syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder with variable expression. From a review of published pedigree data and of a family reported here, we have found that penetrance is 100 % if appropriate studies, including wrist radiographs, are performed. There does not appear to be a significant maternal effect on the severity of expression in affected offspring.
The software radio architecture

As communications technology continues its rapid transition from analog to digital, more functions of contemporary radio systems are implemented in software, leading toward the software radio. This article provides a tutorial review of software radio architectures and technology, highlighting benefits, pitfalls, and lessons learned. This includes a closer look at the canonical functional partitioning of channel coding into antenna, RF, IF, baseband, and bitstream segments. A more detailed look at the estimation of demand for critical resources is key. This leads to a discussion of affordable hardware configurations, the mapping of functions to component hardware, and related software tools. This article then concludes with a brief treatment of the economics and likely future directions of software radio technology. >
Accurate and sensitive diagnosis of geminiviruses through enrichment, high-throughput sequencing and automated sequence identification

Existing diagnostic techniques used to identify plant-infecting DNA viruses and their associated molecules are often limited in their specificity and can be challenged by samples containing multiple viruses. We adapted a simple method of amplifying circular viral DNA and, in combination with high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analysis, used it as a virus diagnostic method. We validated this diagnostic method with a plant sample infected with a tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus infectious clone and also compared PCR- and high-throughput-sequencing diagnostics on a geminivirus-infected field sample, showing that both methods gave similar results. Finally, we analyzed infected field samples of pepper from Mexico and tomato from India using this approach, demonstrating that it is both sensitive and capable of simultaneously identifying multiple discrete DNA viruses and subviral DNA elements in densely infected samples.
New Insights on Cheetah Conservation through Demographic Modeling

Researchers have recently argued that ecological factors, especially high levels of cub predation, are more important than genetic impoverishment in limiting wild populations of the endangered cheetah ( Acino- nyx jubatus ). Despite considerable controversy, however, the forces actually driving cheetah population dy- namics remain unclear. We used a combination of demographic techniques to investigate how variation in survival and reproduction might influence the population persistence of wild cheetahs. We parameterized our models using detailed demographic data from recently published, long-term ecological projects on cheetahs of the Serengeti. Results suggest that the influence of juvenile survivorship on population growth rate is rela- tively small compared to the large effects of adult survivorship. This result is consistent across a range of vital rates and is robust to deviations due to sampling error and environmental variability. These conclusions cast a new light on the current cheetah controversy and, more generally, counsel caution in the interpretation of ecological data for conservation and management.
Influence of left ventricular hypertrophy on scar identification during bipolar voltage mapping

Bipolar endocardial signal amplitude (BESA) 80 ms and/or split/fractionated) using 1.5 and 2.5 mV defined border zone cutoff values and compared results to those from 12 ICM patients with no LVH matched for age, sex, scar distribution, and LV ejection fraction. Average BESA in the setting of normal systolic function/no scar was comparable in patients with (4.7 ± 3.0 mV, 95% signals >1.58 mV) and those without LVH (4.9 ± 1.6 mV, 95% signals >1.62 mV). In patients with ICM and LVH versus without LVH, there was a smaller area of dense scar <0.5 mV/total scar (15% versus 23%, p = 0.03) but no significant difference in the size of the border zone, or percentage of abnormal electrograms identified within border zones defined by either the 0.5–1.5 mV or 0.5–2.5 mV cutoff values. Patients with and without LVH with normal systolic function show similar LV endocardial bipolar signal characteristics. Modifying the bipolar amplitude cutoff at the infarct border zone did not increase overall scar size in patients with versus those without LVH. A 1.5 mV-bipolar voltage cutoff used for scar definition seems appropriate even in patients with marked LVH.
CrowdMine: towards crowdsourced human-assisted verification

We propose the use of crowdsourcing and human computation to help solve difficult problems in verification and debugging that can benefit from human insight. As a specific scenario, we explain how non-expert humans can assist in the verification process by finding patterns in portions of simulation or execution traces which are represented as images. Such patterns can be used in a variety of ways, including assertion-based verification, improving coverage, bug localization, and error explanation. Several related issues are discussed, including privacy and incentive mechanisms.
Psychological Science Speaks to Drug Policy

JFK’s paraphrase of Sir Francis Bacon’s famous assertion pragmatically declares that knowledge permits influence and further suggests that such influence intensifies during periods of change. Changes in drug policy may be immanent largely due to the growing recognition that the contemporary approach has failed (Jarvik, 1990). Of course, this failure attests to our limited knowledge and, consequently, our own powerlessness. In turn, this raises a serious question: How can alternative policies be framed given our limited knowledge and our seeming absence of power?
Tests for Autocorrelation and Randomness in Multiple Time Series

Abstract There exist several tests for autocorrelation and randomness in multiple time series. Unfortunately, the exact distributions of these statistics are unknown and the asymptotic distributions that are known do not provide adequate approximation to the exact ones in small samples. In this article, the test statistics are modified. Asymptotically, these modified statistics are equivalent to their original counterparts; however, it is found that the asymptotic distributions of these statistics provide adequate approximation to the exact ones in relatively small samples and possibly when the time series are nonnormal. The adequacy of the approximations is examined by simulation experiments. The original test statistics are based on sample lag cross-covariances, autocovariances, cross-correlations, and autocorrelations standardized by their asymptotic means and covariances. The modified statistics are obtained when the asymptotic means and covariances in the standardization are replaced by the exact mea...
An exceptional horizontal gene transfer in plastids: gene replacement by a distant bacterial paralog and evidence that haptophyte and cryptophyte plastids are sisters.

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) to the plant mitochondrial genome has recently been shown to occur at a surprisingly high rate; however, little evidence has been found for HGT to the plastid genome, despite extensive sequencing. In this study, we analyzed all genes from sequenced plastid genomes to unearth any neglected cases of HGT and to obtain a measure of the overall extent of HGT to the plastid. Although several genes gave strongly supported conflicting trees under certain conditions, we are confident of HGT in only a single case beyond the rubisco HGT already reported. Most of the conflicts involved near neighbors connected by long branches (e.g. red algae and their secondary hosts), where phylogenetic methods are prone to mislead. However, three genes – clpP, ycf2, and rpl36 – provided strong support for taxa moving far from their organismal position. Further taxon sampling of clpP and ycf2 resulted in rejection of HGT due to long-branch attraction and a serious error in the published plastid genome sequence of Oenothera elata, respectively. A single new case, a bacterial rpl36 gene transferred into the ancestor of the cryptophyte and haptophyte plastids, appears to be a true HGT event. Interestingly, this rpl36 gene is a distantly related paralog of the rpl36 type found in other plastids and most eubacteria. Moreover, the transferred gene has physically replaced the native rpl36 gene, yet flanking genes and intergenic regions show no sign of HGT. This suggests that gene replacement somehow occurred by recombination at the very ends of rpl36, without the level and length of similarity normally expected to support recombination. The rpl36 HGT discovered in this study is of considerable interest in terms of both molecular mechanism and phylogeny. The plastid acquisition of a bacterial rpl36 gene via HGT provides the first strong evidence for a sister-group relationship between haptophyte and cryptophyte plastids to the exclusion of heterokont and alveolate plastids. Moreover, the bacterial gene has replaced the native plastid rpl36 gene by an uncertain mechanism that appears inconsistent with existing models for the recombinational basis of gene conversion.
An improved forwarding protocol for updating channel state information in mobile FH wireless networks

The purpose of adaptive forwarding is to provide short-term responses to changes in propagation conditions and network topology in mobile store-and-forward wireless communication networks. The primary need for such short-term responses occurs during the time period between consecutive updates to the routing tables. In this paper a new adaptive-forwarding protocol is described and evaluated for frequency-hop (FH) mobile wireless networks. The forwarding protocol operates in conjunction with adaptive routing and adaptive transmission to provide energy-efficient delivery of packets. Channel state information, which is developed in the receivers of the terminals in the network, is used to estimate the energy requirements of alternative routes for use in the routing protocol. For FH networks the channel state information consists primarily of counts of errors and erasures that are generated in the demodulators and decoders. Since channel state information may become outdated, especially for infrequently used links, it is desirable to provide a mechanism for occasionally testing links that have not handled packets recently. A feature of the new adaptive-transmission protocol is that it employs information packets, rather than control packets, to update the channel state information and thereby benefit the routing protocol without adding overhead traffic to the network load.
Breast cancer: has the time come for a less mutilating treatment?

The emotional turmoil which may be induced by the threat of mastectomy was forcefully brought to Dr. Cope's attention by a patient in 1958. He opens his article with the report of the patient; she was treated by irradiation instead of mastectomy. He then goes on to weigh the value of irradiation without mastectomy as a cancer therapy vis-a-vis that of the traditional radical mastectomy. He concludes from the evidence recorded in the literature and from his own experience that for the majority of patients modern high voltage irradiation is a reasonable alternative to surgery, that women should be informed of the alternative and that for psychological reasons “they don't need to be railroaded into having their breast removed.”
Turbulence Radiation Interactions in a Statistically Homogeneous Turbulence With Approximated Coal Type Particulate

Turbulent radiation interaction (TRI) effects are associated with the differences in the time scales of the fluid dynamic equations and the radiative transfer equations. Solving on the fluid dynamic time step size produces large changes in the radiation field over the time step. We have modified the statistically homogeneous, non-premixed flame problem of Deshmukh et al. [1] to include coal-type particulate. The addition of low mass loadings of particulate minimally impacts the TRI effects. Observed differences in the TRI effects from variations in the packing fractions and Stokes numbers are difficult to analyze because of the significant effect of variations in problem initialization. The TRI effects are very sensitive to the initialization of the turbulence in the system. The TRI parameters are somewhat sensitive to the treatment of particulate temperature and the particulate optical thickness, and this effect is amplified by increased particulate loading.
Design and implementation of an undergraduate bioinformatics curriculum in an online environment

Bioinformatics is emerging as a new and exciting field. Biological data repositories are complex and continually increasing in size. Manipulating, analyzing, and interpreting this data requires the use of computers and trained biomedical informaticians. Spending on bioinformatics projects has exceeded a billion dollars in the past year and continues to grow every year. To support this growing need for trained biomedical informaticians, DeVry University has developed an online undergraduate bioinformatics course sequence. Bioinformatics topics are especially suited to online delivery, as much of the software is open source or can be accessed with web clients. This paper evaluates the first two courses in the bioinformatics curriculum BMI310: Bioinformatics I and BMI315: Bioinformatics II. Students have successfully completed both of these courses in a traditional onsite format as well as online. Course content, student retention, student comprehension, student achievement, and student satisfaction are explored and evaluated for the online courses and compared to onsite courses. Student feedback forms have been compiled and analyzed showing no statistical difference in student results between onsite and online courses. Additionally, improvements to the design of the courses as well as the online delivery are included.
Chronic exposure to stretch-shortening contractions results in skeletal muscle adaptation in young rats and maladaptation in old rats.

The objective of this research was to investigate skeletal muscle response to a chronic administration of stretch–shortening cycles (SSCs) in young and old rats. Dorsiflexor muscles of old (30 months, n = 5) and young (12 weeks, n = 6) rats were exposed 3 times/week for 4.5 weeks to a protocol of 80 maximal SSCs per exposure in vivo. Skeletal muscle response was characterized by isometric and dynamic performance, as well as by muscle wet mass and quantitative morphological analyses following the exposure period. The performance of the young and old groups was not statistically different at the start of the exposure. By the end of the exposure, however, a statistical difference was noted, as performance increased significantly in the young animals and decreased significantly in the old animals. Muscle wet mass of the left tibialis anterior (TA) in the treated limb was significantly greater in the youngthan in the old animals (p < 0.001), whereas there was no difference in the contra-lateral TA. No degenera...
Climate sensitivity, sea level and atmospheric carbon dioxide

Cenozoic temperature, sea level and CO2 covariations provide insights into climate sensitivity to external forcings and sea-level sensitivity to climate change. Climate sensitivity depends on the i...
Commodity Fetishism and Consumer Senses: Turn‐of‐the‐Twentieth‐Century Consumer Activism in the United States and England

At the turn of the twentieth century, the National Consumers’ League, the Co-operative Wholesale Society, and the Women's Co-operative Guild encouraged people to become ethical consumers. I argue that we can explain their common strategies by invoking commodity fetishism. By casting their consumer activism as a practical response to the fetish of commodities, we explain: 1) activists’ use of sensory techniques – both figurative and literal – to connect producers, commodities, and consumers and 2) their commitment to the ethical power of the senses. This account reveals the virtues of commodity fetishism as a tool for understanding the dynamics of consumer activism.
Facing Autism: Eye Tracking Paves the Way to Underlying Mechanisms

A utism is a highly heritable, increasingly prevalent disorder that is typically diagnosed in children less than 3 years of age. It is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and by restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. Interest in the study of autism has increased exponentially in recent years. It is plausible to attribute this interest to four factors: its increased prevalence; advances in molecular genetics and neurobiology; improvements in our ability to visualize the developing human brain; and the public outcry over the enormous psychological and financial toll that this disorder takes on children, families and communities. If one reflects on where the most rapid advances and serious financial investments are being made in the field of autism research, it would likely be in genetics; for example, the library of genes and gene products associated with the disorder has increased exponentially in the past 5 to 10 years. However, autism is a complex, heterogeneous disorder, one that likely involves numerous neural circuits and genes. As such, it is unlikely that simple genetic explanations will be found for the disorder; moreover, advances in our understanding of the genetics of the disorder will very likely be tied to our ability to carefully and thoughtfully characterize the disorder at the behavioral and neural levels. It is in this context that the paper by Rice and colleagues is so important. The paper by Rice and colleagues that appears in this issue represents the kind of cutting edge, carefully conducted behavioral work that the field requires to move forward. The overall goal of this work is to identify an endophenotype (or intermediate phenotype) of the disorder. In this case, the authors build on an impressive track record of examining eye movements when
Laparoscopic pyloromyotomy: is a knife really necessary?

Background: Laparoscopic pyloromyotomy (LP) is currently accepted as a suitable treatment modality for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS). In this report, we describe some technical modifications of LP using a 3- or 5-mm hook with electrocautery as a substitute for a knife for incising the pylorus. The outcomes of LP using a standard retractable pyloromyotomy knife are compared with those of LP using a hook electrocautery. Methods: The patients with ultrasound proven IHPS who had undergone LP in a single institution from December 2008 to April 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Incision on the pylorus was made with a 3-mm pyloromyotomy knife in the initial 12 cases. However, in the latter part of the study, a 3- or 5-mm hook with electrocautery was used for the incision. A Maryland dissector was used for completing the pyloromyotomy. The results were compared in terms of duration of surgery, complications, time taken to establish the first full feed, requirement of analgesics, postoperative emesis, and postoperative stay in the hospital. Independent sample t test and the Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Of the 27 patients analyzed, 12 underwent LP using a pyloromyotomy knife and the remaining 15 patients were operated on using a hook with electrocautery instead of the knife. The operating time, time taken to establish the first full feed, and duration of hospital stay were comparable among the two groups with no statistically significant difference. No complications were recorded in either group. Conclusions: Use of hook electrocautery for incising the pylorus provides a bloodless field without affecting the postoperative recovery and outcome. It also obviates any need of specialized instruments like a pyloromyotomy knife or other sharp instruments for pyloric incision. World J Pediatr 2012;8(1):57-60
Intrapericardial, Intrapleural, and Intracardiac Pressures during Acute Heart Failure in Dogs Studied without Thoracotomy

Pressures at multiple sites in the thorax of supine anesthetized dogs were recorded simultaneously with fluid-filled catheters inserted percutaneously. Pleural and pericardial pressures were corrected to the level of their respective recording catheter tips as determined by roentgenograms. Intracardiac pressures were referred to the midthoracic coronal plane or to the vertical level of the pericardial catheter tip. Pericardial pressures at end-expiration averaged -5.0 cm H2O (range 0 to - 13) and varied with the vertical position of the catheter tip, becoming less negative as the height above the midthoracic coronal plane diminished. Acute right heart failure was produced by partial obstruction of the pulmonary artery by a catheter-tip balloon. Although mean right atrial pressure increased by an average of 26 cm H2O, consistent increases in pericardial pressure did not occur. Similarly, during acute obstruction to left ventricular outflow by inflation of a balloon within the thoracic aorta, left atrial en...
Analysis and design of a reconfigurable dual-strip scanning antenna

This paper presents a simple reconfigurable antenna with beam scanning property. The antenna consists of a driven strip element and a parasitic strip element with tunable lumped L/C loading. An array model is used to understand the beam scanning behavior. The antenna has potential applications in mobile systems due to the simple mechanical structure, portable size, and stable return loss.
THE DIURNAL TEMPERATURE WAVE WITH A COEFFICIENT OF DIFFUSIVITY WHICH VARIES PERIODICALLY WITH TIME AND EXPONENTIALLY WITH HEIGHT

Abstract The partial differential equation for heat diffusion is numerically integrated by the Runge-Kutta method. Solutions are obtained for the diurnal temperature variation with a bounded coefficient of eddy diffusivity which varies periodically with time and exponentially with height. The surface wave is represented by the sum of a diurnal and a semidiurnal harmonic wave. The results may be interpreted to apply over a fairly broad range of diffusivity values and height. With appropriate choices of the various parameters, reasonably good agreement is obtained between theoretical and observational values of amplitude reduction and phase lag as functions of height and time.
An Investigation of the Flow Distribution Inside a Radial Sidestream Inlet of a Centrifugal Compressor

A radial sidestream inlet is commonly utilized in multi-stage centrifugal compressors to introduce additional gas into the mid-stage of the compressor. The flow distribution after the junction of the sidestream and the main return channel of the upstream stage can significantly affect the performance of the next stage. In this study, the mixing between the fluid from the sidestream component and the fluid from the main return channel was investigated numerically using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). A variety of CFD models of different geometry, different boundary conditions, and different grid density were developed to analyze the uniformity of the flow entering the impeller of the next stage. The flow distribution difference between the sidestream CFD model and the CFD model with the sidestream coupled to the main return channel suggests that both the return channel and the sidestream have to be modeled together to get meaningful results. The results of this effort were used in conjunction with production test data to help resolve a performance shortfall of a multi-stage centrifugal compressor with sidestream injection. The test data from the final design is also provided to show the resulting improvement in head rise.Copyright © 2000 by ASME
Prevention through Design Adoption Readiness Model (PtD ARM): An integrated conceptual model.

Background Prevention through Design (PtD), eliminating hazards at the design-stage of tools and systems, is the optimal method of mitigating occupational health and safety risks. A recent National Institute of Safety and Health initiative has established a goal to increase adoption of PtD innovation in industry. The construction industry has traditionally lagged behind other sectors in the adoption of innovation, in general; and of safety and health prevention innovation, in particular. Therefore, as a first step toward improving adoption trends in this sector, a conceptual model was developed to describe the parameters and causal relationships that influence and predict construction stakeholder "adoption readiness" for PtD technology innovation. Methods This model was built upon three well-established theoretical frameworks: the Health Belief Model, the Diffusion of Innovation Model, and the Technology Acceptance Model. Earp and Ennett's model development methodology was employed to build a depiction of the key constructs and directionality and magnitude of relationships among them. Key constructs were identified from the literature associated with the three theoretical frameworks, with special emphasis given to studies related to construction or OHS technology adoption. Results A conceptual model is presented. Recommendations for future research are described and include confirmatory structural equation modeling of model parameters and relationships, additional descriptive investigation of barriers to adoption in some trade sectors, and design and evaluation of an intervention strategy.
Guidebooks and Rankings: The Value of Optional External Reporting

This chapter details the benefits and costs of participating in optional external reporting and considers how best to determine which reports represent the best use of time and resources.
SNRNeg: A social network enabled negotiation service

Abstract In recent years, the number of services and applications on the World Wide Web has increased exponentially. Consequently, a plethora of services providing similar functionalities are now available, which often poses a challenge for the users in terms of quality-based selection of their required services. Interaction with unknown services raises the issue of trust. Moreover, the service deliverables have to be negotiated and agreed upon, before any exchange can start. In this paper, we present a social network based trust framework (SNRNeg) that facilitates the negotiation of quality of service components. We extract recommendations from the social network (using the trust relationships between different nodes), and incorporate it into a decision model; which is used for negotiating the component Web service(s) of a composite system in an automated manner. Experiment results indicate the applicability and performance of SNRNeg in improving the negotiations for service composition process.
An All Fiber Mode-Locked Tm/Ho Fiber Laser Employing C-band Components

An all fiber mode-locked Tm/Ho co-doped fiber laser at 2 μm is presented that uses a C-band isolator and coupler. We investigate using Er-doped, dispersion compensating, and highly nonlinear fiber for intracavity dispersion compensation.
Constructing and Presenting the Self Through Private Sphere Dress: An Interpretive Analysis of the Experiences of Saudi Arabian Women

The purpose of this interpretive study was to explore how Saudi Arabian women construct and present the self through their choice of dress for the private sphere. The work was situated within the i...
The JSEP Learning Skills Training System

The Army Job Skills Education Program (JSEP) is a dual curriculum that reminds soldiers to use learning skills while they take CAI lessons that train basic math and verbal job competencies. Prior to entering the JSEP basic skills curriculum, soldiers are taught self-motivational techniques and strategies for studying and solving problems. Each type of learning skill is represented and trained by a different character model. These characters appear as prompts throughout the basic skills curriculum to remind soldiers to recall and use their new learning skills. In this article, the rationale for the curriculum model is overviewed and preliminary field trial data are reported.
Intrapopulation variation in the breeding system of Villarsia lasiosperma ( Menyanthaceae ), a distylous species

The restricted perennial diploid herb,Villarsia lasiosperma, of southwestern Western Australia has distylous flowers with dimorphism in style and stamen length, stigma morphology, and pollen size. In order to assess the presence and nature of an incompatibility system in this species, a crossing program was carried out using 17 plants grown from seeds collected in two field populations. Pollen stainabilities of these plants mostly exceeded 95%. Mean seed-set of Longs following intermorph pollinations was c. 24 seeds per pollination and for Shorts was c. 16 seeds per pollination. Approximately three-quarters of the Longs and Shorts produced no seeds after self-pollination; the remainder produced very few seeds following such pollinations. No Shorts produced seeds after intramorph cross-pollinations. However, about half the Longs exhibited various levels of weakened intramorph incompatibility, with mean seed-sets following intramorph cross-pollinations up to half the mean seed-sets following intermorph pollinations. In the behavior of Longs, the incompatibility system ofV. lasiosperma differs from the idealized distylous breeding system, but resembles that of a purported close relative,V. exaltata of eastern and southeastern Australia.
Evaluation of Sugars and Bio-oil Production Using Lead Contaminated Switchgrass Feedstock

A combination of biochemical and thermochemical process to produce sugars and bio-oil by using switchgrass which was grown in lead contaminated soil was studied. Four different process routes which involve fast pyrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis, acid hydrolysis, and their combinations were investigated. The impact of lead content in the switchgrass feedstock used for the production of sugars and bio-oil along with the recovery of lead through the above mentioned routes were evaluated. The yields of sugars from acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis did not seem to be affected by the lead contained in the switchgrass. The chemical product distribution in bio-oil produced from pyrolysis of lead-containing switchgrass and regular switchgrass showed slight differences. The highest overall yields of the liquid products were obtained from the fourth route which utilized all the three process steps, resulting in the lowest yield of bio-char byproduct which had the lowest content lead (2 mg/kg).
Intersemiotic relationships in Spanish-language media in the United States: A critical analysis of the representation of ideology across verbal and visual modes

This study critically explores the representation of ideologies across the verbal and visual modes in 15 articles and photographs from local Spanish-language print media with the goal of determinin...
Reconsidering Causes and Effects of Public Service Motivation: Old Questions, New Evidence from a Sample of Twins

I leverage an identical co-twin control design to assess whether education, political ideology, and spirituality are antecedents of public service motivation and whether hours spent volunteering and a preference for public sector employment are outcomes of public service motivation. I show that, after differencing out unobserved genetic and social endowments, self-sacrifice is decreasing in political conservatism and increasing in spirituality; that commitment to the public interest is increasing in spirituality; that attraction to public policymaking is decreasing in education; and that compassion is decreasing in political conservatism and increasing in spirituality. Commitment to the public interest and attraction to public policymaking predict a stated preference for public sector employment compared to nonprofit and private sector employment, while self-sacrifice and compassion do not. None of the dimensions of public service motivation appear to predict the number of hours spent volunteering. Although low statistical power and measurement error may explain some of the null findings, the results are credibly causal and have a number of implications for a theory of public service motivation, empirical research on the construct, and its potential use in practice.