cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Results of Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy Surgery on Elite and Nonelite Track Athletes

Twenty-seven track athletes/runners with chronic Achilles tendinopathy underwent a retrospective review of 37 surgical Achilles procedures performed between 1990 and 1999. There were 22 males and 5 females. Average age of the group was 36.6 years (range, 16-75 years). The mean "return to activity" (RTA) was 10.6 +/- 6.3 weeks. For elite athletes, RTA was 7.9 = 4.8 weeks. For nonelite athletes, RTA was 15.0 +/- 6.2 weeks, and was statistically higher (p = .003). There was no significant difference between males' and females' RTA. Average follow-up for the group was 4.7 years (range, 1-10 years). Runners on average ran more than 60 miles a week. There were 14 elite and 13 nonelite athletes, including four Olympians, five sub-4-minute milers, and four National Champions. Return to competition and "100%" were 25.0 and 25.4 weeks, respectively, for the elite group. Return to competition for the nonelite group was 27.0 +/- 11.0 weeks. Eighteen patients underwent peritenolysis with a mean RTA of 7.7 weeks. Of this group, four patients with concomitant bony procedures had significantly slower RTA as opposed to the 14 patients who had peritenolysis only (mean, 4.5 weeks). Four patients had Achilles debridement for mucoid degeneration, and a mean RTA of 12.8 weeks. Eleven patients had Haglund-type procedure (retrocalcaneal exostectomy) had a mean RTA of 15.1 weeks. Six Achilles tendocalcinosis repair patients had a mean RTA of 12.0 weeks. There were three reoperations, two of which were performed by the author. Using the Testa Achilles tendon surgery rating scale, this group of patients had 34 "excellent" and 3 "good" results. The patients who underwent a reoperation were able to achieve "good" or better results.
Transection of fibers crossing the lateral border of the lateral hypothalamus: fragmented spontaneous ingestive patterns and reanalysis of "regulatory deficits" in rats with sagittal knife cuts.

Abstract Rats bearing sagittal knife cuts lateral to the LH showed fragmented meal patterns. Both drinking and locomotor activity occurred during the interruptions in dry chow meals. This fragmented pattern resembles that found in rats with LH lesions, yet it is anatomically unlikely these knife cut animals sustain damage to any known salivary pathway. The cut animals were also found to show delayed drinking responses after intracellular or extracellular dehydration, yet they increased their water intake normally when offered a salty chow. They showed impaired glucoprivic feeding. The similarities of these findings to those in LH and other preparations are discussed.
A Multiple-perspectives Construct of the American Global City

The term `global city' bestows an image of an urban place that is contemporary, international, multicultural, `wired', cosmopolitan, polarising and having geographically boundless power. Neverthele...
Expression of two cloned mRNA sequences during development and germination of spores of the sensitive fern, Onoclea sensibilis L.

A library of complementary DNA (cDNA) clones has been prepared from poly(A)+RNA of spores of the sensitive fern, Onoclea sensibilis L. By differential hybridization with labeled probes made to poly(A)+ RNA of spores, gametophytes and leaves, two spore-specific clones (pOSS68 and pOSS194) were selected and characterized. Northern blot analysis showed that RNA sequences homologous to the two cDNA clones first appear in the post-meiotic spore and increase in abundance during spore maturity. Both RNA sequences decay during photoinduced germination of the spores and do not reappear in the gametophytes. In spores imbibed in the dark under conditions which do not favor germination, no significant decrease in pOSS194-mRNA abundance is noted. In contrast, the decrease in pOSS68 mRNA in dark-imbibed spores parallels that observed in photoinduced spores. The predicted amino-acid sequence of pOSS194 has a striking similarity to the early light-inducible proteins expressed during the greening of etiolated pea and barley seedlings, whereas that of pOSS68 shows some homology to proteins encoded by late-embryogenesis-abundant mRNAs of angiosperm embryos.
Social Facilitation Effects via Interpersonal Distance

Summary A review of the proxemic literature suggests that violations of interpersonal distancing norms may increase arousal. The present study attempted to integrate this finding into a social facilitation framework. It was proposed that if distancing violations are associated with greater arousal, then close interpersonal distances may increase the arousal produced by the presence of a coactor and intensify the behavioral and physiological effects expected within the social facilitation paradigm. Three interpersonal distances between a coacting female confederate (C) and the Ss (36 male and 36 female undergraduates) were manipulated within a 3 (close, moderate, and far interpersonal distances) by 2 (sex of S) design; a single control group without the presence of the C was also included. Behavioral performance on a hidden-word task, a physiological measure of arousal, and several self-report measures were the main dependent variables. Results indicated a consistent pattern of sex by distance interactions...
Campus-based retention initiatives: Does the emperor have clothes?

There has been very little previous evaluation research that examines the effects of interventions on persistence.
Practical considerations for the rapid screening for pesticides using ambient pressure desorption ionisation with high-resolution mass spectrometry.

A rapid screening method for pesticides has been developed to streamline the processing of produce entering the United States. Foam swabs were used to recover multi-class mixtures of 240, 140, 132 and 60 pesticides from the surfaces of apples, kiwis, peaches and tomatoes. The mixtures were selected to span a large range of chemical classes, polarities, solubilities and sizes to provide a broad look at how this technique will perform for a variety of analytes. The swabs were analysed using direct analysis in real-time (DART) ionisation coupled with a high-resolution Exactive Orbitrap™ mass spectrometer. This study expands the types of commodities analysed using this method and explores the feasibility of compositing multiple units of produce per batch to analyse a representative sample. It was established that whilst smooth-skinned produce, such as apples, maintained a high detection rate for the pesticide mixtures even when ten apples are swabbed with one foam disk, commodities with rougher surfaces, such...
The effect of point defects on the STM image of graphite

Abstract Theoretical studies have been done on graphite with substitutional point defects using the extended Huckel band method. Calculations show that there is an unexpected altitude dependence of the charge density directly over the defect which is characteristic of the defect's chemical nature. Furthermore, a point defect acts as a perturbation to distinguish two sublattices which exist in pristine graphite and it creates a charge enhancement in the atoms directly surrounding it.
Study of older adults' use of self-regulation for COPD self-management informs an evidence-based patient teaching plan.

Purpose People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have frequent hospitalizations and emergency department visits, often due to COPD exacerbations which worsen disease status. Recognizing exacerbations is challenging; patients must distinguish between day-to-day COPD symptom variations and exacerbation symptoms. Self-regulation theory (Bandura, 1999) is useful for understanding symptom recognition, interpretation, and response. In this article a qualitative study of self-regulation use by 28 older adults with COPD (Brandt, 2005) is summarized. Methods Twenty-eight community-dwelling older adults were interviewed. Data were analyzed using the interpretive description method. Results and Discussion Informants used self-regulation behaviors in varying degrees. Most attended primarily to their breathing, comparing their usual degree of breathlessness and intensifying their everyday self-management practices if breathlessness worsened. Clinical Relevance A theory- and evidence-based COPD teaching plan for use by rehabilitation nurses is presented that includes attention to exacerbation recognition.
SdrF, a Staphylococcus epidermidis surface protein, contributes to the initiation of ventricular assist device driveline-related infections.

Staphylococcus epidermidis remains the predominant pathogen in prosthetic-device infections. Ventricular assist devices, a recently developed form of therapy for end-stage congestive heart failure, have had considerable success. However, infections, most often caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis, have limited their long-term use. The transcutaneous driveline entry site acts as a potential portal of entry for bacteria, allowing development of either localized or systemic infections. A novel in vitro binding assay using explanted drivelines obtained from patients undergoing transplantation and a heterologous lactococcal system of surface protein expression were used to identify S. epidermidis surface components involved in the pathogenesis of driveline infections. Of the four components tested, SdrF, SdrG, PIA, and GehD, SdrF was identified as the primary ligand. SdrF adherence was mediated via its B domain attaching to host collagen deposited on the surface of the driveline. Antibodies directed against SdrF reduced adherence of S. epidermidis to the drivelines. SdrF was also found to adhere with high affinity to Dacron, the hydrophobic polymeric outer surface of drivelines. Solid phase binding assays showed that SdrF was also able to adhere to other hydrophobic artificial materials such as polystyrene. A murine model of infection was developed and used to test the role of SdrF during in vivo driveline infection. SdrF alone was able to mediate bacterial adherence to implanted drivelines. Anti-SdrF antibodies reduced S. epidermidis colonization of implanted drivelines. SdrF appears to play a key role in the initiation of ventricular assist device driveline infections caused by S. epidermidis. This pluripotential adherence capacity provides a potential pathway to infection with SdrF-positive commensal staphylococci first adhering to the external Dacron-coated driveline at the transcutaneous entry site, then spreading along the collagen-coated internal portion of the driveline to establish a localized infection. This capacity may also have relevance for other prosthetic device–related infections.
The BRIDGE project: Bridging the gap between university and schools.

BRIDGE (Being Responsive to Individual Differences in General Education) is a partnership between university faculty and two elementary schools, focusing on the collaborative practices and programs in general and special education. University faculty have adopted new roles as facilitators, rather than “experts,” in working side by side with teachers seeking to increase their sense of professional efficacy. Teachers at the two sites collaborate with university faculty and each other in acquiring new information and practices within four initiative areas. The four initiatives, designed generally to support professional development toward meeting the needs of struggling students, are (a) collaboration between special and general education, (b) family liaisons, (c) teacher research, and (d) teacher education. University student teachers at these two schools receive their clinical education in settings ripe with teacher inquiry, collaboration, and ongoing development of new and creative strategies.
Coherent optical eigenstate memory.

A coherent optical memory is described. The device operates on the principle that an optical resonator employing a holographic grating can have user-prescribed eigenmodes. Each information entity (e.g., an image of a cat) defines an eigenmode of the resonator. The stored information is accessed by injecting partial information (e.g., an image of the cat’s ear) into the resonator. A gain medium internal to the resonator amplifies the field belonging to the eigenmode that most resembles the injected field; the other eigenmodes are suppressed through a competition for the gain. A simple optical memory exhibiting associative recall is demonstrated.
A technique for studying the greater auricular nerve conduction velocity

A technique for studying sensory nerve conduction velocity of the greater auricular nerve according to one of the conventional methods is described. Latency and conduction velocities obtained from 35 nerves in 20 healthy adults were 1.7 +/- 0.2 msec (SD) and 46.8 +/- 6.6 m/sec (SD), respectively. This technique is easy to perform and is useful in documenting traumatic and other neuropathies involving the greater auricular nerve, as illustrated in the case report in this article.
The Role of Cognitive Function in Postoperative Weight Loss Outcomes: 36-Month Follow-Up

Cognitive dysfunction is associated with reduced postoperative weight loss up to 2 years following surgery, though the role of cognition at more extended follow-up is not yet understood. Thirty-six months following bariatric surgery, we retrospectively compared obese and non-obese patients on 12-week postoperative cognitive performance. We hypothesized that early postoperative cognitive dysfunction would predict higher body mass index (BMI) and lower percent weight loss (%WL) in the total sample at 36 month follow-up. Fifty-five individuals undergoing bariatric surgery completed cognitive testing at preoperative baseline and serial postoperative timepoints, including 12 weeks and 36 months. Cognitive test scores were normed for demographic variables. Percent weight loss (%WL) and body mass index (BMI) were calculated at 36-month follow-up. Adjusting for gender, baseline cognitive function, and 12-week %WL, 12-week global cognitive test performance predicted 36 month postoperative %WL and BMI. Partial correlations revealed recognition memory, working memory, and generativity were most strongly related to weight loss. Cognitive function shortly after bariatric surgery is closely linked to extended postoperative weight loss at 36 months. Further work is necessary to clarify mechanisms underlying the relationship between weight loss, durability, and cognitive function, including contribution of adherence, as this may ultimately help identify individuals in need of tailored interventions to optimize postoperative weight loss.
How Decoupled Is U.S. Agricultural Support for Major Crops

Organization (WTO) negotiations, it is useful to look at the direct and indirect impacts of U.S. farm programs on agricultural production and trade. U.S. agricultural support, as reported to the WTO, exceeded $58 billion in 1997. Most of the support was reported in the green box as "minimally trade distorting," while about $6.2 billion was reported in the amber box as potentially "trade distorting."' However, amber box program expenditures greatly expanded in 1998 and 1999 due in part to generally lower commodity prices. With increased farm program expenditures, the market impacts of major programs need to be evaluated relative to potential production and trade distortions as background for WTO negotiations. This paper examines the links from four U.S. agricultural programs to agricultural production and trade. Programs discussed are production flexibility contracts, crop insurance, marketing loans, and disaster assistance. To the extent that programs expand domestic production, the impacts can be partially transmitted to world markets through increased exports and lower prices. With the elimination of deficiency payments and the introduction of production flexibility contract payments in the 1996 Farm Act, commodity-specific links between income support payments and production were largely eliminated (Young and Westcott). Production flexibility contract payments are not related to current production and prices. Nonetheless, these payments raise farmers' wealth, which may subsequently impact agricultural investment decisions. The 1996 Act retained the non-
Learning software engineering basic concepts using a five-phase game

Unfortunately, the stereotype of a software engineer or computer scientist is one who spends his whole day in a cubicle programming. Other aspects of software engineering, such as holding meetings with the customer and users to gather requirements, documenting requirements, design, and testing are not talked about. Many middle and high school students believe this stereotype and become disinterested in a prospective career in software engineering. As a result, we developed a game prototype to teach software engineering basic concepts to middle and high school students. Our game allows a student to explore the various phases of the software life cycle, which are requirements, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. The waterfall software life cycle was practiced while developing this game, and every student in the Information Visualization course participated equally in the development of the game. In addition, visualization techniques were used to develop this game.
Fertilizer 15Nitrogen Recovery by Corn, Wheat, and Cotton Grown with and without Pre-Plant Tillage on Norfolk Loamy Sand

Cropping systems must efficiently use N inputs to be sustainable environmentally and economically. This research was conducted to determine the fate of 15 N fertilizer that was applied to corn (Zea mays L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), or cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown in a 2-yr, three-crop rotation on Norfolk (Typic Kandiudult) loamy sand. A total of 48, 2.3- by 2.3-m microplots were established, half into plots that received surface tillage (disked) and half into non-disked plots. Corn and wheat received a split application of urea [CO(NH 2 )2] plus ammonium nitrate (NH 4 NO 3 ) solution (UAN) that had a 5 atom percent (ATM%) 15 N isotopic label. Cotton was fertilized with NH 4 NO 3 containing a 5 ATM% label. The amounts of 15 N removed in the harvested portion of treated and subsequent crops, recycled in crop residues, or remaining in the upper 90 cm of the soil profile were determined. Corn, wheat, and seed cotton yields ranged from 1485 to 7410, 1850 to 2270, and 120 to 2510 kg ha -1 respectively, with significant differences caused primarily by seasonal rainfall or temperature extremes. No-till significantly increased cotton yield, presumably because of water conservation. Crop removal accounted for 20 to 34% of the fertilizer 15 N, while another 20% was accounted for by soil profile analysis to a depth of 90 cm. Approximately 50% of the 15 N was apparently lost through denitrification, volatilization, or leaching below the root zone. Most of this loss appeared to occur during the cropping season in which the 15 N was applied. This suggests that for optimum fertilizer efficiency and environmental sustainability, crop production practices on Coastal Plain soils must account for all N sources that plants can draw upon, and should accommodate several fertilizer N management options including split applications, injection beneath the soil surface, and/or using less mobile forms.
Machine learning approaches to gene recognition

As laboratories round the world produce ever-greater volumes of DNA sequence data, efficient computational analysis techniques are becoming essential. This article surveys several efforts that apply machine learning techniques to gene recognition. Machine learning methods are well suited to sequence analysis because they can learn useful descriptions of genetic concepts when given only instances, rather than explicit definitions, of those concepts. This article looks at several such approaches to gene recognition in two broad classes: search by signal and search by content. >
Memory development in adolescence: Relationships between metamemory, strategy use, and performance

Abstract Eighth and tenth grade students were asked to study and recall a list of paired associates. The word pairs were available either throughout an 8 sec per word study period or only at the beginning and were composed of either high frequency or low frequency words. After recall, students were asked to indicate which of several study strategies they had used with each word pair (read pair carefully, rehearsal, visual elaboration, verbal elaboration). In addition, they were asked which of these strategies would have had the best effect on recall. Knowledge of appropriate memory strategies (metamemory) was positively related to strategy use, and strategy use was positively related to recall performance at both ages. Improved performance with materials available throughout study and with high frequency word pairs was explained by increased use of elaborative strategies. Age differences in performance were explained by increased strategy effectiveness. These results are discussed in relation to changing relationships among metamemory, strategy use, and performance with age.
Disconnect between emergency contacts and surrogate decision-makers in the absence of advance directives

Background:The role played by emergency contacts can be extensive particularly for chronically seriously ill patients. If the patient’s condition suddenly deteriorates, the emergency contact may be...
A Combinatorial Formula for the Schur Coefficients of the Integral Form of the Macdonald Polynomials in the Two Column and Certain Hook Cases

In this paper, we prove that the integral form of Macdonald polynomials Jμ [X; q, t] has the property that Jμ [X; q, t]/(1−q)n has Schur expansion with positive polynomial coefficient. Our proof proceeds by constructing constructing combinatorial formula for the Schur coefficients when μ is either a two column shape or a certain type of hook shape.
Aqueous phase oxidation of sulfites by ozone in the presence of iron and manganese

Abstract The oxidation of sulfurIVspecies by ozone in aqueous solution was studied at 295 K, with pH between 4 and 6, pO3 between 0.3 and 2.0 ppm (v), SIV between 5 × 10−6 and 1 × 10−6 M, and Fe and Mn between 1 × 10−4and 5 × 10−6 M. Throughout this range the oxidation rates were simultaneously first order in SIV and pO3, and in the absence of added Fe or Mn displayed a rate coefficient equal to 0.12 + 0.02 mm−1 ppm (v)−1. With added Fe or Mn at concentrations above 10−5 M the rate coefficients each show maxima near to pH 4.5 of 0.27± 05 × 105M−1 min−1 ppm−1and 0.68 ±.08 × 105M−1 min−1 ppm−1. respectively. Near this pH the rates were first order with respect to concentrations of the metal ions. A phosphate citrate buffer system at 10−4 M slows the Fe catalyzed oxidation. No non-additive effect of simultaneous catalysis by Fe and Mn was observed.
Heat transfer in a partially insulated rectangular enclosure of heat generating porous media

Abstract The modeled system consists of a fluid filled, uniformly heat generating porous media in a two-dimensional rectangular enclosure. The enclosure has coincident isothermal and adiabatic boundary conditions to simulate a partial in-ground storage bin. The upper half of the rectangular region has an isothermal boundary condition and the lower half is modeled as adiabatic. An explicit, transient finite difference scheme was used to determine non-dimensional isotherms and streamlines for a single heat generation rate and a range of enclosure aspect ratios, height/width (H/W). Results show that small aspect ratio enclosures (H/W H / W ≥ 1 ). In contrast, maximum temperatures in the rectangular regions with the lower half of the boundary modeled as adiabatic are only slightly greater than temperatures in identical enclosures with only the lower boundary adiabatic. The maximum temperature attained in a simulated enclosure is primarily a function of volume (H × W × 1) and not a function of aspect ratio.
HOP: A process model for synchronous hardware: semantics and experiments in process composition

Abstract We present a language “hardware viewed as objects and processes” (HOP) for specifying the structure, behavior, and timing of hardware systems. HOP embodies a simple process model for lock-step synchronous processes. An absproc specification written in HOP describes the externally observable behavior of a process. A collection of absprocs may be composed to form a larger process, using the operators parallel composition, renaming, and hiding. In this paper we present the communication primitives of HOP, illustrate HOP through several examples, and then present its operational semantics. We present an algorithm PARCOMP that is based on HOP's semantics. We illustrate three uses of PARCOMP: (i) inferring concise behavioral descriptions of systems from their structural descriptions; (ii) static detection of control timing errors during behavioral inference; (iii) productive and run-time efficient functional simulation using the inferred behavior.
Redundancy in the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills

The latest revision of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), Forms 7 and 8, consists of 11 subtests, nine of which are combined to yield three subtotal scores and one composite score. As part of one school district’s testing program, the ITBS was administered to one group of beginning fourth grade students and one group of beginning eighth grade students. A factor analysis was performed for each of the two groups on Levels 10 and 14 of the ITBS. The intercorrelations provided by the 1977 fourth and eighth grade national standardization sample for these same levels were also factor analyzed. Results of all the analyses showed that there was essentially one common factor with little evidence that the user would gain much non-redundant information from the 15 scores yielded by the
RAPID: a free, portable GUI design tool

1. ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe RAPID, the Rapid Ada Portable Interface Designer. RAPID is a graphical GUI design tool that allows the user to visually lay out a user interface, and have the Ada code that creates this interface generated automatically. The generated code will run on any platform supported by Tcl/Tk. 1.1
A comparison of microLC/electrospray ionization-MS and GC/MS for the measurement of stable isotope enrichment from a [2H2]-glucose metabolic probe in T-cell genomic DNA.

Measurement of the proliferation of lymphocytes and other high-turnover cell populations in vivo can be accomplished through the incorporation of an isotopically labeled DNA precursor into actively dividing cells and the subsequent determination of the isotope enrichment in the isolated genomic DNA from selected cell populations. Two published gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) methods were successfully modified by our laboratory whereby a postinjection methylation reaction, rather than silylation or acetylation, was used to form a volatile derivative of deoxyadenosine (dA). We also developed a second robust microcapillary liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization (μLC-ESI)/MS method that is faster and more sensitive than the GC/MS method and does not require sample derivatization. Following administration of [6,6-2H2]-glucose to human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients, peripheral blood was drawn; cells were obtained by lymphapheresis and fractionated. DNA was isolated from the desire...
Sexually transmitted diseases enhance HIV transmission: no longer a hypothesis

In this article a causal link between HIV-1 transmission and classic sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has been demonstrated. It discusses the biology of HIV-1 transmission and presents in-vitro and clinical studies that show that STDs enhance HIV transmission.
Adiabatic time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory in nuclear physics☆

The adiabatic limit of time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory (ATDHF) is developed in a systematic way so as to provide a basis for the description of large amplitude, slow, collective motion in nuclei. A variational principle is used to find the best approximation to a solution of the time-dependent Hartree-Fock equation in the form of a parametrized wave packet φ(p, q), p, q being time-dependent c-numbers. The mean energy for the wave packet φ(p, q) defines a classical collective Hamiltonian H(p, q). The evolution of the parameters p and q is described by the canonical equations of motion associated with H. A set of self-consistency conditions, of a formally stationary type, determines possible optimal wave packets. An iteration scheme for the solution of the self-consistency conditions is proposed. The quantal interpretation of the classical description of collective motion embodied in the Hamiltonian H(p, q) is discussed. Finally, two simple, well understood illustrative examples are presented to illustrate the application of the general formalism developed in this paper.
Langmuir wave solitons and spatial collapse in plasma physics

Abstract We discuss recent new results concerning coherent nonlinear structures associated with electron plasma or “Langmuir” waves. In the one-dimensional, adiabatic, and Hamiltonian limit, the envelope of such waves obeys a simple cubic nonlinear Schrodinger equation which possesses a well-known exact solution containing nonlinear entities such as solitons and breathers. Our emphasis in this paper is on the effects of: dissipation and external driving, which can lead to chaotic or intermittent states; higher spatial dimensionality, which leads to self-focusing; and non-adiabatic-ion corrections, as embodied in the so-called Zakharov equations, in which supersonic effects and/or ion-acoustic waves may play an important role.
Firing Properties of GABAergic Versus Non-GABAergic Vestibular Nucleus Neurons Conferred by a Differential Balance of Potassium Currents

Neural circuits are composed of diverse cell types, the firing properties of which reflect their intrinsic ionic currents. GABAergic and non-GABAergic neurons in the medial vestibular nuclei, ident...
Relationship between cellular calcium and prostaglandin synthesis in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells.

Abstract We have investigated the effects of extracellular and intracellular Ca deficits and of pharmacologic agents thought to inhibit Ca influx or intracellular Ca mobilization on vasopressin-evoked changes of cytosolic Ca2+ levels and PG synthesis in cultured rat mesenteric arterial vascular smooth muscle cells. Vasopressin rapidly increased cytosolic Ca2+ as well as PG synthesis. The increase of cytosolic Ca2+ and the rate of PG synthesis were both maximal within the first minute of incubation. An extracellular Ca deficit of short duration partially inhibited both vasopressin-evoked PG synthesis and the increase of cytosolic Ca2+ by 40 to 60%. Two procedures which deplete cells of some of their intracellular Ca, namely a 30 min incubation in EGIA-supplemented, Ca-lacking media, or a 1 min incubation with ionophore A23187 in Ca-deficient media, decreased PG synthesis by 65% to 100%. The addition of extracellular Ca to Ca-depleted cells restored the ability of vasopressin to stimulate PG synthesis. Two Ca channel antagonists, nifedipine or cinnarizine, had no effect on either vasopressin-evoked PG synthesis or increased cytosolic Ca2+, whereas TMB-8 (10 μM), a putative inhibitor of intracellular Ca mobilization, decreased PG synthesis by 75% by inhibiting acylhydrolase as well as cyclo-oxygenase activities, but had no effect on basal or vasopressin-evoked increase of cytosolic Ca2+, documenting that its inhibitory effect was not a consequence of decreased cytosolic Ca2+. These results demonstrate that decreased cellular Ca levels are associated with decreased cytosolic Ca2+ levels and PG synthesis, and support the hypothesis of a link between, on the one hand, cellular Ca and/or cytosolic Ca2+ and on the other hand, PG synthesis.
Disability Policy: An Eclectic Overview

Despite recent advances, many people with disabilities remain socially and economically marginalized, a situation reinforced by assumptions about disability built into many public policies. Program...
Modeling of time-dependent force response of fingertip to dynamic loading.

Abstract An extended exposure to repeated loading on fingertip has been associated to many vascular, sensorineural, and musculoskeletal disorders in the fingers, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, hand–arm vibration syndrome, and flexor tenosynovitis. A better understanding of the pathomechanics of these sensorineural and vascular diseases in fingers requires a formulation of a biomechanical model of the fingertips and analyses to predict the mechanical responses of the soft tissues to dynamic loading. In the present study, a model based on finite element techniques has been developed to simulate the mechanical responses of the fingertips to dynamic loading. The proposed model is two-dimensional and incorporates the essential anatomical structures of a finger: skin, subcutaneous tissue, bone, and nail. The skin tissue is assumed to be hyperelastic and viscoelastic. The subcutaneous tissue was considered to be a nonlinear, biphasic material composed of a hyperelastic solid and an invicid fluid, while its hydraulic permeability was considered to be deformation dependent. Two series of numerical tests were performed using the proposed finger tip model to: (a) simulate the responses of the fingertip to repeated loading, where the contact plate was assumed to be fixed, and the bone within the fingertip was subjected to a prescribed sinusoidal displacement in vertical direction; (b) simulate the force response of the fingertip in a single keystroke, where the keyboard was composed of a hard plastic keycap, a rigid support block, and a nonlinear spring. The time-dependent behavior of the fingertip under dynamic loading was derived. The model predictions of the time-histories of force response of the fingertip and the phenomenon of fingertip separation from the contacting plate during cyclic loading agree well with the reported experimental observations.
Age-dependent effects of scopolamine on avoidance, locomotor activity, and rearing.

Abstract In Experiment 1, 15-, 17-, 21-, 36- and 90-day-old rats were injected with either physiological saline or 0.5, 1.0, 4.0, 8.0, 16.0 or 32.0 mg/kg of scopolamine (an anticholinergic). Immediately after the injection, shuttle crossings during adaptation were recorded for 8 min, and then the rats were given a single session of 100 two-way avoidance trials. In all ages, scopolamine increased two-way avoidance and intertrial responses throughout training and avoidance and intertrial responses were positively correlated, suggesting that increased avoidance was due, in part, to increased locomotor activity. In addition, scopolamine increased locomotor activity at an earlier age in a stressful situation, i.e. during the intertrial interval, than in a less stressful environment, i.e. during adaptation. In Experiment 2, photocell crossings and rearing were examined in 15-, 17-, 21-, 36-, 90- and 275-day-old rats injected with saline or 0.5, 1.0, 4.0, 8.0 or 16.0 mg/kg of scopolamine hydrobromide. Scopolamine increased photocell crossings in rats 21 days of age and older but did not increase rearing until 36 days of age. Scopolamine also had different behavioral effects in the three oldest ages. Thus, cholinergic involvement in these behaviors changes from at least 15 to 275 days of age. Methylscopolamine, which does not cross the blood-brain barrier, did not alter the behaviors examined in Experiments 1 and 2, suggesting that development of cholinergic neurons in the CNS is responsible for the agedependent behavioral effects of scopolamine.
Review of robotics in foregut and bariatric surgery

In the last decade, the robotic platform has been used in different surgical fields. However, the field of foregut and bariatric surgery is still evolving. Most surgeons still prefer laparoscopic techniques because it has proven clinical benefits, does not require complex setups, and does not have high costs compared with that of robotics. The aim of this article is to review the outcomes of foregut and bariatric surgery and its potential clinical advantages. We performed a search on PUBMED for the most relevant articles published in the field of robotic bariatric and foregut surgery in the last 15 years. More than 40 articles were selected and included on this review. Several systematic reviews were also included. Very few randomized clinical trials are available. For the most part, robotic procedures were associated with better ergonomics for the surgeon, better visualization of the anatomy, easier fine dissection (i.e., lymphadenectomy) when required, and higher costs. In foregut surgery, the robotic system is associated with a significant lower rate of mucosal perforation in Heller myotomy compared to laparoscopy. In bariatric surgery, the clinical advantages have not been well documented yet; however, it seems robotics shortens the learning curve of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Foregut and bariatric robotic surgery is a surgical field still in development. For the vast majority of the procedures in this area, the clinical outcomes of robotic surgery are the same of standard laparoscopy. However, the use of robots in selected cases may have specific advantages and may overcome the limitations of laparoscopic surgery. More research is needed, especially large and well-designed randomized clinical trials, to elucidate more accurate conclusions.
Age-related dedifferentiation of learning systems: an fMRI study of implicit and explicit learning

Abundant research finds that in young adults explicit learning (EL) is more dependent on the medial temporal lobes (MTL) whereas implicit learning (IL) is more dependent on the striatum. Using fMRI, we investigated age differences in each task and whether this differentiation is preserved in older adults. Results indicated that, while young recruited the MTL for EL and striatum for IL, both activations were significantly reduced in older adults. Additionally, results indicated that older adults recruited the MTL for IL, and this activation was significantly greater in older compared with young adults. A significant Task × Age interaction was found in both regions-with young preferentially recruiting the MTL for EL and striatum for IL, and older adults showing no preferential recruit for either task. Finally, young adults demonstrated significant negative correlations between activity in the striatum and MTL during both the EL and IL tasks. These correlations were attenuated in older adults. Taken together results support dedifferentiation in aging across memory systems.
Hormone-associated cancer: mechanistic similarities between human breast cancer and estrogen-induced kidney carcinogenesis in hamsters

Estrogens are risk factors for human breast cancer and induce kidney tumors in Syrian hamsters. Mechanistic features of the estrogen-induced hamster kidney tumor model have been compared with corresponding aspects of human breast cancer to gain insight into the mechanism of human mammary oncogenesis. Shared characteristics point to a mechanism of metabolic activation of steroidal estrogens to 4-hydroxylated catechol metabolites that may undergo metabolic redox cycling, a mechanism of generation of reactive free radicals. Tumors may arise in cells genetically altered by various types of estrogen-induced DNA damage. At the same time, these altered cells may respond to estrogen receptor-mediated stimuli in support of cell transformation and growth.
Nucleon decay branching ratios in supergravity SU(5) GUTs

Abstract An analysis of nucleon decay in supergravity unified models is given which includes the Wino, gluino and Zino dressings of LLLL and RRRR dimension five operators, L-R mixing effects, the effects of the third generation and a heavy top quark. While in many models the ν K modes dominate, the analysis here exhibits a class of models where the ν π modes are the dominant decay products and thus present a valid signal for supersymmetry.
Activation of Ligand Reactivity: Thiolate C-S and Dithiophosphate Ester C-O Heterolyses within a Dimolybdenum(V) System.

Ligand reactivity was demonstrated for sulfide alkylation, thiolate dealkylation, and dithiophosphate de-esterification within molybdenum(V) dimers. The cationic complex [Mo2(NC6H4Me)2(S2P(OEt)2)2(μ-O2CMe)(μ-SR)2]+ was inductively activated toward thiolate C−S and dithiophosphate C−O heterolyses. The dealkylations were studied using anionic nucleophiles, and various reactivity patterns were characterized. The de-esterification of the diethyl dithiophosphate ligands produced complexes containing the rare monoester EtO(O)PS22- ligand. This ligand's phosphoryl group was poorly nucleophilic but weakly basic. Crystallographic comparisons between the activated cation and the neutral complex [Mo2(NC6H4Me)2(S2P(OEt)2)2(μ-O2CMe)(μ-S)(μ-SMe)] were conducted to delineate structural differences related to the activation. A crystallographic study was also done of the complex [Mo2(NC6H4CH3)2(S2P(OEt)2)(S2P(O)OEt)(μ-O2CMe)(μ-SEt)2], which provided internal comparison of monoester EtO(O)PS22- and diester (EtO)2PS2- ligan...
The role of endorphins in stress: Evidence and speculations

Several lines of evidence suggest that the endogenous opioid peptides endorphins may play a role in the defensive response of the organism to stress. The present paper summarizes these findings as well as evidence linking endorphins to the anterior pituitary polypeptide hormone adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). Evidence is presented that endorphins may function as trophic hormones in peripheral target organs such as the adrenal medulla and the pancreas. As such they may be part of the physiological mechanisms that mediate adrenaline and glucagon release in response to stress. Endorphins (enkephalins) are also suggested to play a role in the control of the pituitary gland during stress. In such capacity they may act as hormone-releasing or inhibiting factors. Finally, endorphins appear to play a role in the behavioral concomitants of stress. In such capacity endorphins are suggested to function as modulators of neural systems that mediate the elaboration and expression of the reactive/affective components of stress. Speculations on the mode of interaction between endorphins and ACTH in the global response to stress are discussed.
Overview of Strategies for High-Temperature Creep and Oxidation Resistance of Alumina-Forming Austenitic Stainless Steels

A family of creep-resistant, alumina-forming austenitic (AFA) stainless steel alloys is under development for structural use in fossil energy conversion and combustion system applications. The AFA alloys developed to date exhibit comparable creep-rupture lives to state-of-the-art advanced austenitic alloys, and superior oxidation resistance in the ~923 K to 1173 K (650 °C to 900 °C) temperature range due to the formation of a protective Al2O3 scale rather than the Cr2O3 scales that form on conventional stainless steel alloys. This article overviews the alloy design approaches used to obtain high-temperature creep strength in AFA alloys via considerations of phase equilibrium from thermodynamic calculations as well as microstructure characterization. Strengthening precipitates under evaluation include MC-type carbides or intermetallic phases such as NiAl-B2, Fe2(Mo,Nb)-Laves, Ni3Al-L12, etc. in the austenitic single-phase matrix. Creep, tensile, and oxidation properties of the AFA alloys are discussed relative to compositional and microstructural factors.
MAC/FAC: A model of similarity-based retrieval☆

We present a model of similarity-based retrieval that attempts to capture three seemingly contradictory psychological phenomena: (a) structural commonalities are weighed more heavily than surface commonalities in similarity judgments for items in working memory; (b) in retrieval, superficial similarity is more important than structural similarity; and yet (c) purely structural (analogical) remindings e sometimes experienced. Our model, MAC/FAC, explains these phenomena in terms of a two-stage process. The first stage uses a computationally cheap, non-structural matcher to filter candidate long-term memory items. It uses content vectors, a redundant encoding of structured representations whose dot product estimates how well the corresponding structural representations will match. The second stage uses SME (structure-mapping engine) to compute structural matches on the handful of items found by the first stage. We show the utility of the MAC/FAC model through a series of computational experiments: (a) We demonstrate that MAC/FAC can model patterns of access found in psychological data; (b) we argue via sensitivity analyses that these simulation results rely on the theory; and (c) we compare the performance of MAC/FAC with ARCS, an alternate model of similarity-based retrieval, and demonstrate that MAC/FAC explains the data better than ARCS. Finally, we discuss limitations and possible extensions of the model, relationships with other recent retrieval models, and place MAC/FAC in the context of other recent work on the nature of similarity.
Effects of antioxidants on the thermal decomposition of fat peroxidesin Vacuo

1. The antioxidants, α-tocopherol, NDGA and hydroquinone, effected a marked acceleration on thein vacuo, thermal decomposition of fat peroxides. Their action, which appeared to be purely catalytic, increased progressively as their concentration was increased.
Electrophysiology in epilepsy surgery: Roles and limitations

Successful epilepsy surgery depends on the localization of the seizure onset zone in an area of the brain that can be safely resected. Defining these zones uses multiple diagnostic approaches, which include different types of electroencephalography (EEG) and imaging, and the results are best when all of the tests point to the same region. Although EEG obtained with scalp recordings is often sufficient for the purposes of localization, there are times when intracranial recordings directly from the brain are needed; but the planning, use, value, and interpretation of the these recordings are not standardized, in part because the questions that are to be answered vary considerably across many patients and their heterogenous types of epilepsy that are investigated. Furthermore, there is a desire to use the opportunity of direct brain recordings to understand the pathophysiology of epilepsy, as these recordings are viewed as an opportunity to answer questions that cannot be otherwise answered. In this review, we examine the situations that may require intracranial electrodes and discuss the broad issues that this powerful diagnostic tool can help address, for identifying the seizure focus and for understanding the large scale circuits of the seizures.
Postnatal Neurogenesis in the Guinea-pig

The young of rats and mice are immature at birth. After birth, their brains grow in size and there is also a marked proliferation of cells which become differentiated into neurones with short axons (micro-neurones). The proliferation of similar cells has now been demonstrated in the hippocampus of postnatal guinea-pigs even though these rodents are born with nearly full-size brains.
A scalable, hybrid scheme for volume rendering massive data sets

We introduce a parallel, distributed memory algorithm for volume rendering massive data sets. The algorithm's scalability has been demonstrated up to 400 processors, rendering one hundred million unstructured elements in under one second. The heart of the algorithm is a hybrid approach that parallelizes over both the elements of the input data and over the pixels of the output image. At each stage of the algorithm, there are strong limits on how much work each processor performs, ensuring good parallel efficiency. The algorithm is sample-based. We present two techniques for calculating the sample points: a 3D rasterization technique and a kernel-based technique, which trade off between speed and generality. Finally, the algorithm is very flexible. It can be deployed in general purpose visualization tools and can also support diverse mesh types, ranging from structured grids to curvilinear and unstructured meshes to point clouds.