cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diademed Sifaka (Propithecus diadema) Ranging and Habitat Use in Continuous and Fragmented Forest: Higher Density but Lower Viability in Fragments?

The mechanisms through which forest fragmentation threatens the survival of mammal populations remain poorly known, yet knowledge of this process would greatly aid conservation efforts. I investigated ranging behaviors of diademed sifakas (Propithecus diadema) in continuous and fragmented forest at Tsinjoarivo, eastern Madagascar, using focal animal observations to examine home range size, daily path length (DPL), and habitat use relative to forest edges over 12 mo. Sifaka groups in forest fragments had home ranges that were 25–50 percent as large as continuous forest groups, and moderately reduced DPLs. Continuous forest groups foraged more than expected near forest edges while fragment groups avoided edges. Fragments have higher population density than continuous forest; however, several lines of evidence suggest that fragment groups' food resources may be denser, but lower quality. Continuous forest groups appear to be energy-maximizers, maintaining large ranges and preferentially feeding in rare fruiting trees found only in continuous forest interiors, while fragment groups appear to be time-minimizers, using small home ranges and primarily feeding on mistletoe (a fallback food in continuous forest). Therefore, the consequences of fragmentation on long-term viability remain unknown; it is possible that the advantage of increased density is outweighed by longer-term demographic challenges, or other threats (e.g., nutrition, health, social behavior, disease). When animals stranded in forest fragments exhibit complex and potentially unpredictable responses, simple ecological proxies (e.g., incidence patterns and density) are probably inadequate in assessing population health and viability. Ecological study and monitoring is essential in judging the viability of fragmented populations.
Fire Response of Organic Polymeric Materials (Organic Materials in Fire: Combustibility)

Organic polymeric materials exhibit a wide range of fire performance when evaluated separately. However, the performance of combinations of materials cannot always be predicted from the performance of individual materialstested separately. The physical and thermal response characteristics of many materials, and of many combinations of materials, have a greater effect on their fire response characteristics than their chemical composition. For many generic materials, chemical composition changes may have reached the point of diminishing returns because combustibility cannot be reduced further without seriously affecting desirable performance characteristics. Attention to the design and engineering aspects of materials may be the most cost-effective and in some cases the only means of ensuring their safe use.
Big Business, The State, and Free Trade: Business Participation in the NAFTA Negotiations

INTRODUCTION Mexico's negotiation of NAFTA closely reflected the characteristics of the state's negotiating team and its ties to the private sector. These negotiations marked an important turning point in Mexican policy making, opening it up to the participation of limited, powerful elements of the business community. Though many business leaders had initially been highly skeptical of the sincerity of the government's offer to consult with the private sector, a high level of continuous interaction took place between the government negotiators and the COECE representatives during the NAFTA negotiations. According to an announcement by President Salinas in March 1992, government negotiators had already conducted 1,333 meetings with the representatives of the private sector to discuss the negotiating issues, including 522 from the very beginning of the NAFTA process until the initiation of the formal negotiations in June 1991, and 811 meetings through the side room during the negotiations from June 1991 to March 1992 ( El Financiero , 18 March 1992). The pace of contact picked up as the negotiations progressed. According to SECOFI calculations, by the time the negotiations ended in August 1992, more than 2,600 meetings had been held between the government negotiators and private sector representatives (SECOFI 1993b). The next section examines the nature, extent, and impact of the interactions that took place during the negotiations through the private sector's “side room” at the negotiating sites. It also analyzes the varying roles of the different strata of the business community, paying particular attention to the wide gap between the levels of participation of small and large business representatives.
The role of fat, fatty acids, and total energy intake in the etiology of human colon cancer.

A high correlation between national per capita disappearance of fat and national rates of colon cancer led to the hypothesis that consumption of fat, especially from animal sources, increases risk for colon cancer. Over the past two decades, this hypothesis has been tested in numerous case-control and cohort studies. In general. neither case-control nor cohort studies find that the total fat composition of the diet increases risk of colon cancer. Case-control studies frequently find that total energy consumption is related to a higher risk of colon cancer, but this result is difficult to interpret because physical activity appears to be protective whereas obesity increases risk. In contrast with the results for total fat, epidemiologic data regarding the role of specific fatty acids are sparse. Nonetheless, useful information regarding major fatty acids may be inferred from the numerous studies that have examined major sources of various fats in relation to colon cancer. Intake of red meat or beef has been related to colon cancer risk in most case-control and cohort studies, whereas dietary fat from sources other than red meat. including dairy, poultry, and vegetable oils, does not increase risk of colon cancer. The apparent influence of red meat does not appear to be mediated through its total lipid content, suggesting that other factors such as heterocyclic amines formed during cooking may be critical. Mechanisms whereby fat or red meat may influence colon carcinogenesis are discussed, although none appear compelling.
Flying Spin Qubits

We present a method for encoding and transporting qubits within a dimerized Heisenberg spin-1/2 chain. Logical qubits are localized at the domain walls that separate the two possible dimerized states. The domain walls can be moved to produce "flying spin qubits". The topological nature of these states makes them stable against a wide class of perturbations. Pairs of domain walls can be used to generate Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen pairs of entangled qubits. We discuss speed limitations within an exactly solvable three-spin model and describe a possible physical realization using quantum dot arrays.
CHARACTERIZING GRAZING DISTURBANCE IN SEMIARID ECOSYSTEMS ACROSS BROAD SCALES, USING DIVERSE INDICES

Although management and conservation strategies continue to move toward broader spatial scales and consideration of many taxonomic groups simultaneously, researchers have struggled to characterize responses to disturbance at these scales. Most studies of disturbance by feral grazers investigate effects on only one or two ecosystem elements across small spatial scales, limiting their applicability to ecosystem-level management. To address this inadequacy, in 1997 and 1998 we examined disturbance created by feral horses (Equus caballus) in nine mountain ranges of the western Great Basin, USA, using plants, small mammals, ants, and soil compaction as indicators. Nine horse-occupied and 10 horse-removed sites were stratified into high- and low-elevation groups, and all sites at each elevation had similar vegetation type, aspect, slope gradient, and recent (≥15-yr) fire and livestock-grazing histories. Using reciprocal averaging and TWINSPAN analyses, we compared relationships among sites using five data sets: abiotic variables, percent cover by plant species, an index of abundance by plant species, 10 disturbance-sensitive response variables, and grass and shrub species considered “key” indicators by land managers. Although reciprocal averaging and TWINSPAN analyses of percent cover, abiotic variables, and key species suggested relationships between sites influenced largely by biogeography (i.e., mountain range), disturbance-sensitive variables clearly segregated horse-occupied and horse-removed sites. These analyses suggest that the influence of feral horses on many Great Basin ecosystem attributes is not being detected by monitoring only palatable plant species. We recommend development of an expanded monitoring strategy based not only on established vegetation measurements investigating forage consumption, but also including disturbance-sensitive variables (e.g., soil surface hardness, abundance of ant mounds) that more completely reflect the suite of effects that a large-bodied grazer may impose on mountain ecosystems, independent of vegetation differences. By providing a broader-based mechanism for detection of adverse effects, this strategy would provide management agencies with defensible data in a sociopolitical arena that has been embroiled in conflict for several decades. Corresponding Editor: D. P. C. Peters.
Resveratrol engages AMPK to attenuate ERK and mTOR signaling in sensory neurons and inhibits incision-induced acute and chronic pain

Despite advances in our understanding of basic mechanisms driving post-surgical pain, treating incision-induced pain remains a major clinical challenge. Moreover, surgery has been implicated as a major cause of chronic pain conditions. Hence, more efficacious treatments are needed to inhibit incision-induced pain and prevent the transition to chronic pain following surgery. We reasoned that activators of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) may represent a novel treatment avenue for the local treatment of incision-induced pain because AMPK activators inhibit ERK and mTOR signaling, two important pathways involved in the sensitization of peripheral nociceptors. To test this hypothesis we used a potent and efficacious activator of AMPK, resveratrol. Our results demonstrate that resveratrol profoundly inhibits ERK and mTOR signaling in sensory neurons in a time- and concentration-dependent fashion and that these effects are mediated by AMPK activation and independent of sirtuin activity. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is thought to play an important role in incision-induced pain and resveratrol potently inhibited IL-6-mediated signaling to ERK in sensory neurons and blocked IL-6-mediated allodynia in vivo through a local mechanism of action. Using a model of incision-induced allodynia in mice, we further demonstrate that local injection of resveratrol around the surgical wound strongly attenuates incision-induced allodynia. Intraplantar IL-6 injection and plantar incision induces persistent nociceptive sensitization to PGE2 injection into the affected paw after the resolution of allodynia to the initial stimulus. We further show that resveratrol treatment at the time of IL-6 injection or plantar incision completely blocks the development of persistent nociceptive sensitization consistent with the blockade of a transition to a chronic pain state by resveratrol treatment. These results highlight the importance of signaling to translation control in peripheral sensitization of nociceptors and provide further evidence for activation of AMPK as a novel treatment avenue for acute and chronic pain states.
Assembly-Line Balancing---Dynamic Programming with Precedence Constraints

This paper approaches the assembly-line balancing problem as a sequencing problem involving precedence constraints that prohibit the occurrence of certain orderings. This approach permits the formulation of a dynamic programming algorithm for the exact solution of small assembly-line balancing problems. A generalization of this algorithm combined with a successive approximations technique is used for the solution of large problems. In addition, certain combinatorial problems associated with partially ordered sets are formulated and discussed in detail. These problems arise whenever sequencing problems with precedence constraints are treated by dynamic programming techniques.
The Error-Oriented Motivation Scale: An examination of structural and convergent validity

The current paper describes an analysis of the factor structure and convergent validity of the Error-Oriented Motivation Scale (EOMS). The EOMS is an attempt to validate a context-general and brief measure of error orientations theoretically similar to the Error Orientation Questionnaire (EOQ) written by (Rybowiak, Garst, Frese, and Batinic (1999)). Motivation theory, particularly approach/avoidance motives and goal theory, was chosen as a foundational model for the new EOMS measure, arguing that errors take on properties of goals when they occur by creating a discrepancy, which generates arousal and direction toward a solution. In this article, the factor structure of the EOMS is examined, as well as expected correlations with subscales of the EOQ. The discussion focuses on the advantages of the EOMS measure and suggestions for its further validation and use in applied settings.
The benefits and costs of underwriters’ social capital in the US initial public offerings market

This study explores the factors that influence the degree to which brokers in mediated markets employ their social capital to benefit either buyers or sellers in the context of underwriters’ involvement in the US initial public offerings (IPO) market. This study finds that the embeddedness of the lead underwriter with institutional investors in an IPO deal network is negatively associated with IPO stock underpricing when demand for the offering is low, thereby benefiting the seller, but is positively associated with the amount of underpricing when demand for the IPO is high, thereby benefiting the buyers. High underwriter embeddedness with institutional investors also reduces the negative relationship between underwriters’ reputation and underpricing.
Revolution, Interrupted: Gender and Microfinance in Nicaragua:

Now reaching over 100 million families, the burgeoning microcredit movement has come to play a dominant role in the international development agenda. This is especially true in Nicaragua, where microcredit has supplanted the Sandinistas’ more radical approaches to poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment. Survey and focus group data from borrowers with seven prominent Nicaraguan microfinance institutions show that women benefit less than men from microcredit because they get smaller loans and they invest those loans in less lucrative businesses. Also, these women are constrained by household responsibilities. These findings call into question neoliberal notions that market forces can solve societal problems such as gender inequality.
Ternary codes of steiner triple systems

The code over a finite field Fq of a design is the space spanned by the incidence vectors of the blocks. It is shown here that if is a Steiner triple system on v points, and if the integer d is such that 3d ≤ v < 3d+1, then the ternary code C of contains a subcode that can be shortened to the ternary generalized Reed-Muller code ℛF3(2(d − 1),d) of length 3d. If v = 3d and d ≥ 2, then C⟂ ⊆ ℛF3(1,d)⊆ ℛ F3(2(d − 1),d) ⊆ C. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
An ontogenic study of histamine and mast cells in the fetal rhesus monkey

Abstract This study was designed to determine the presence of cell-bound histamine and mast cells, if any, in the lung and skin of nonhuman primate fetuses and neonates. The results indicate that cell-bound histamine can be detected in both tissues of the rhesus monkey fetus by 60 days of gestation, the earliest age examined, at levels that are 2% to 3% of levels present in yearling animals. Levels increase markedly during the last life mo of gestation; however, at birth, levels are only 12% to 46% of those observed in the yearling and are lower than levels observed at 150 days of gestation. Mast cell numbers in lung and skin of the fetus closely parallel histamine content.
Immobilization of native and denatured DNA on Sephadex G200.

Abstract An efficient method for the immobilization of DNA on Sephadex G200 in the presence of water soluble carboiimide is described and investigated in this paper. An increase in the extent of binding was observed when the incubation temperature of the DNA-Sephadex mixture was changed. It was found that native DNA immobilized to Sephadex with higher efficiency than denatured DNA. However, the stability of native DNA-Sephadex complex was about the same as that of denatured DNA-Sephadex. The size of DNA released by DNA-Sephadex after incubation of a suspension of the complex was the same as that of the DNA used for immobilization. The binding mechanism of DNA to Sephadex is discussed.
Endogenous fluorescence emission of the ovary

Epithelial ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate among the gynecologic cancers. Early detection would significantly improve survival and quality of life of women at increased risk to develop ovarian cancer. We have constructed a device to investigate endogenous signals of the ovarian tissue surface in the UV C to visible range and describe our initial investigation of the use of optical spectroscopy to characterize the condition of the ovary. We have acquired data from more than 33 patients. A table top spectroscopy system was used to collect endogenous fluorescence with a fiberoptic probe that is compatible with endoscopic techniques. Samples were broken into five groups: Normal-Low Risk (for developing ovarian cancer) Normal-High Risk, Benign, and Cancer. Rigorous statistical analysis was applied to the data using variance tests for direct intensity versus diagnostic group comparisons and principal component analysis (PCA) to study the variance of the whole data set. We conclude that the diagnostically most useful excitation wavelengths are located in the UV. Furthermore, our results indicate that UV B and C are most useful. A safety analysis indicates that UV-C imaging can be conducted at exposure levels below safety thresholds. We found that fluorescence excited in the UV-C and UV-B range increases from benign to normal to cancerous tissues. This is in contrast to the emission created with UV-A excitation which decreased in the same order. We hypothesize that an increase of protein production and a decrease of fluorescence contributions of the extracellular matrix could explain this behavior. Variance analysis also identified fluctuation of fluorescence at 320/380 which is associated with collagen cross link residues. Small differences were observed between the group at high risk and normal risk for ovarian cancer. High risk samples deviated towards the cancer group and low risk samples towards benign group.
Disseminated Sporotrichosis Associated with Treatment with Immunosuppressants and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Antagonists

We report a case of disseminated sporotrichosis in a 49-year-old man who was treated with multiple immunosuppressants, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha antagonists (etanercept and infliximab), for presumed inflammation arthritis. This case illustrates the potential for infectious complications related to the use of cytotoxic immunosuppressants and anticytokine agents, such as TNF-alpha antagonists.
Evidence of two inapparent nonoccluded viral infections of Culex tarsalis

Abstract Culex tarsalis from a mosquito colony maintained at Bakersfield, California, were infected with two noninclusion cytoplasmic viruses. Both viruses were polyhedral with average diameters of ca. 56 nm and 33 nm for C. tarsalis virus 1 and 2 (CTV1 and CTV2), respectively. CTV1 particles had an average prevalence in the colony of 24% over a 2-year period and CTV2 had a prevalence of 5%. The viruses were first observed in negatively stained preparations of crushed heads using sodium phosphotungstate. Both viruses were seen in thin sectioned material from the salivary glands, fat body, and nervous tissue of infected mosquitoes. CTV1 was retained through six serial passages by needle inoculations of infected mosquito suspensions into virus-free C. tarsalis adults. An estimated total dilution of >;1018 indicated CTV1 had multiplied in C. tarsalis. The coincident appearance of CTV2 in some of the inoculated mosquitoes through the 5th passage suggested that this virus also multiplied on serial passage. CTV1 had a median incubation period of ca. 6.6 days in adult C. tarsalis kept at 25°C. Preliminary data indicated that the median survival period of male and female C. tarsalis injected with CTV1 was reduced 2 or 3 days over that of inoculated control insects when incubated at 25°C. Infection may cause a degeneration of salivary glands in adult females. CTV1 did not infect Culex pipiens and did not produce plaques in Vero or duck embryo cell cultures.
The pig as a potential xenograft donor

Miniature swine have several advantages over other potential donor species as a xenograft donor for clinical use. Among these advantages are: (1) unlimited availability; (2) size (similar to human beings); (3) breeding characteristics; (4) physiologic and immunologic similarities to humans. Because of the genetic disparity between these two species, routine immunosuppression will probably not suffice for the long-term survival of pig to primate xenografts. Studies are therefore underway to induce tolerance across this species barrier, utilizing a mixed chimerism approach which has previously been successful for allogeneic and concordant xenogeneic combinations. Hyperacute rejection has been eliminated by an absorption technique and pig kidney xenograft survivals up to 13 days have been achieved.
Conflict management among close peers.

Conflict is a ubiquitous feature in the lives of adolescents. In the course of a given day, a typical high school student participates in an average of seven disagreements with various individuals (Laursen, 1989). Indeed, children and adolescents spend more time each day engaged in conflict than in cooperation (Barker and Wright, 1955). Since conflict is an inevitable part of interactions, constructive management is a requisite skill for social competence. Children of all ages recognize that conflict can disrupt a relationship, but the awareness that successful conflict management involves a resolution satisfactory to both parties does not develop until adolescence (Selman, 1980). Although this awareness is often interpreted as evidence of a more complex understanding of interpersonal relationships, there has been little discussion of the implications that different conflict resolution strategies hold for adolescent relationships. Interpersonal conflict is a microcosm-a brief, insightful event that reflects larger patterns of socialinte~ction wi~hin arelationship (Collins and Laursen, 1992). Cognitive advances provide adolescents with a growing appreciation of the dangers that conflict poses to relationships (Hartup, 1992). Therefore, adolescents increasingly resolve disputes in a pragmatic, discriminating fashion, negotiating to avoid harming fragile relationships while pressing demands (when possible) in some instances and submitting (when necessary) in others.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy with dynamic multileaf collimators

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has been considered as a means of providing dose distributions that conform to concave target volumes. For computer-controlled multileaf conllimators (MLCs) to be used to modulate x-ray beams, some procedure must be used to determine the sequence of leaf positions used to produce the desired modulation. This article derives and compares four leaf-sequencing algorithms. MLC leaf sequencing can be accomplished by representing the areal intensity modulation of a beam with a series of beam profiles. A velocity-modulation equation for computing the modulation required for a one-dimensional profile, described originally using more extensive algebra, is derived using a graphic approach. The velocity-modulation approach is compared with an equal incremental step-and-shoot approach derived by Bortfeld and Boyer. An areal step-and-shoot technique derived by Xia and Verhey is introduced and compared with the profile-by-profile methods. Finally, an approach is considered using multiple repeated arcs developed by Yu. This wide variety of methods can yield an approach to IMRT that conforms to the engineering constraints imposed by the design of a particular linear accelerator.
Acetylation and Phosphorylation Post-Translational Modifications of the CapZ β1 Subunit Regulate FRAP Dynamics Leading to Myocyte Hypertrophy

The mechanism by which more thin filaments are built during cardiac hypertrophy is not fully understood. Very rapid increases the dynamics both actin and the actin capping protein (CapZ) following mechanical flexing suggest that a post-translational regulation is the underlying mechanism. Neonatal rat ventricular myocytes in culture were stimulated to hypertrophy by a neurohormone (10μM phenylephrine, PE, for 24 hr). CapZ dynamics were analyzed by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) using CapZβ1-GFP. After PE treatment, CapZ dynamics increased above resting controls by ∼3.17 fold (p=0.0004). Post-translational modifications of CapZ were analyzed by 2D gel electrophoresis. After PE treatment, 2D spots of CapZβ1-GFP have an increased negative shift, suggesting that post-translational modification of CapZ is up regulated. To identify the types of post-translational modifications, 2D western blotting and mass spectrometry (MS) was applied. Increased post-translational spots included the acetylation of K199 and phosphorylation of S204, which are both close to the actin-binding region of CapZ. To test whether CapZ acetylation was mediated by HDAC3, located at the Z-disc of myocytes, the class I HDAC inhibitor (5μM trichostatin A / 5hr) and HDAC3 activator (10μM theophylline / 24hr) were applied. CapZ dynamics with trichostatin A increased by four-fold (p=0.01), and the effect of PE on CapZ dynamics was blunted by theophylline (p=0.09). Thus, the increased sarcomere remodeling during cardiac hypertrophy may be induced via altered acetylation of CapZ, which is mediated by HDAC3. In addition to MS identification of phosphorylation sites, post-translational modifications were reduced by dominant negative PKCɛ, suggesting a regulatory role. Together the acetyl and phospho posttranslational modifications of CapZ reduce the capping property and may increase thin filament assembly. NIH HL62426 (BR) and AHA 12PRE12050371 (Y-H L).
A quantitative description of tetanic and post tetanic potentiation of transmitter release at the frog neuromuscular junction

1. End-plate potential (e.p.p.s) were recorded with a surface electrode from frog neuromuscular junctions blocked with high Mg and low Ca to study post-tetanic potentiation (potentiation). 2. The magnitude of potentiation was not directly related to the number of conditioning impulses, but was a function of the frequency and duration of the conditioning stimulation. 3. Potentiation was always greater following an equal number of impulses delivered at a higher frequency of stimulation. 4. Plots of the magnitude of potentiation against the number of conditioning impulses would sometimes show an upward inflexion depending on the parameters of stimulation. 5. These experimental observations were described by a model based on the assumption (1) that potentiation is linearly related to a residual substance, R(t), which accumulates in the nerve terminal during repetitive stimulation, and (2) that each nerve impulse adds an identical increment, r, of this residual substance. The data were not described by assuming a 4th power relationship between potentiation and R(t). 6. The upward inflexion in potentiation (see paragraph 4) is described by the model as resulting from an increase in the time constant for the decay of potentiation as the magnitude of potentiation increases. 7. The increment of residual substance r added by each impulse was independent of the amount of transmitter released during the conditioning train. This increment typically increased transmitter release by amount 1% of the control level in the absence of potentiation. 8. Suggestions are given to explain why potentiation of transmitter release, which is thought to arise from an accumulation of Ca-2+ in the nerve terminal, can be described assuming a linear relationship between potentiation and R(t), the proposed substance responsible for potentiation, under experimental conditions in which a 3rd to 4th power relationship would be expected to exist between external Ca concentration and evoked transmitter release.
Expanded norms for the controlled oral word association test

The Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) is a measure of a person's ability to make verbal associations to specified letters (i.e., C, F, and L). This measure is a useful component of a neuropsychological battery as it is able to detect changes in word association fluency often found with various disorders. In order to generate current norms for the elderly and aid in interpreting their performance, the COWAT was administered to a group of community-dwelling elderly persons. Information regarding total numbers of words produced as well as frequency of perseverations, breaking set, using the same word stem, and using a proper noun is provided.
Neuromuscular complications of bone marrow transplantation

Six children are reported with neuromuscular complications of allogenic bone marrow transplantation. Myositis occurred in 4, chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy in 1, and myasthenia gravis in 1. Chronic graft-versus-host disease was present in 3. The onset following bone marrow transplant may be delayed.
Business Basics:: A Guide To Selection Sources

Collection development in the field of business is an exciting and rewarding professional activity. It is a field that is constantly changing with the subject matter varying from the theoretical to the very practical. As a result, business materials are extremely numerous and of a very diverse nature. Currency is very important in a business collection, which makes the job of the business librarian a continuing challenge.
Organization of cholinergic synapses in the cat's dorsal lateral geniculate and perigeniculate nuclei

In the preceding article, we showed that cholinergic fibers originating from the brainstem reticular formation provide a dense innervation of the lateral geniculate nucleus. In this report we describe the ultrastructure of these fibers and their relations with other elements in the neuropil of the lateral geniculate nucleus. Cholinergic fibers were labeled with an antibody to choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the synthesizing enzyme for acetylcholine (ACh). In the A-laminae of the lateral geniculate nucleus, ChAT + profiles are small and contain tightly packed, mostly round vesicles. Some end in encapsulated synaptic zones where they form asymmetrical synaptic contacts with processes of both projection cells and interneurons. Others form synapses upon the shafts of dendrites. Of the four classical types of vesicle-containing profiles identified by Guillery (Z. Zellforsch: Mikrosk. 96: 1–38, '69; Vision Res. [Suppl.] 3: 211–227, '71), ChAT + profiles most closely resemble RSD profiles (Round vesicles, Small profile, Dark mitochondria). However, as a population, ChAT + profiles can be distinguished from the unlabeled population of RSD profiles because they are larger in size, contain more mitochondria, and make synapses with smaller postsynaptic membrane specializations. Each of these differences is statistically significant and together they indicate that ChAT + profiles are a distinct morphological type of synaptic profile. ChAT + profiles in the perigeniculate nucleus resemble those found in the lateral geniculate nucleus; they also make synapses with obvious postsynaptic thickenings.
Radiation-induced optic neuritis after pituitary adenoma radiosurgery in a patient with multiple sclerosis: case report

Objective and Importance To describe a rare case of optic neuritis onset after Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery. Clinical Presentation Nine years after transsphenoidal subtotal resection of a pituitary adenoma, this 43-year-old woman had elevated serum prolactin levels and headaches. Intervention Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery to residual pituitary tumor. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first report of radiation-induced optic neuritis after radiosurgery in a patient with multiple sclerosis.
Tissue-specific actions of the Ept1, Ept2, Ept6, and Ept9 genetic determinants of responsiveness to estrogens in the female rat.

Ept1, Ept2, Ept6, and Ept9 are quantitative trait loci mapped in crosses between the ACI and Copenhagen (COP) rat strains as genetic determinants of responsiveness of the pituitary gland to estrogens. We have developed four congenic rat strains, each of which carries, on the genetic background of the ACI rat strain, alleles from the COP rat strain that span one of these quantitative trait loci. Relative to the female ACI rats, female ACI.COP-Ept1 rats exhibited reduced responsiveness to 17β-estradiol (E2) in the pituitary gland, as evidenced by quantification of pituitary mass and circulating prolactin, and in the mammary gland, as evidenced by reduced susceptibility to E2-induced mammary cancer. The ACI.COP-Ept2 rat strain exhibited reduced responsiveness to E2 in the pituitary gland but did not differ from the ACI strain in regard to susceptibility to E2-induced mammary cancer. Interestingly, female Ept2 congenic rats exhibited increased responsiveness to E2 in the thymus, as evidenced by enhanced thymic atrophy. The ACI.COP-Ept6 rat strain exhibited increased responsiveness to E2 in the pituitary gland, which was associated with a qualitative phenotype suggestive of enhanced pituitary vascularization. The ACI.COP-Ept9 rat strain exhibited reduced responsiveness to E2 in the anterior pituitary gland, relative to the ACI rat strain. Neither Ept6 nor Ept9 impacted responsiveness to E2 in the mammary gland or thymus. These data indicate that each of these Ept genetic determinants of estrogen action is unique in regard to the tissues in which it exerts its effects and/or the direction of its effect on estrogen responsiveness.
Preparation of Urine Containing Small Amounts of FSH and LH for Radioimmunoassay: Comparison of the Kaolin-Acetone and Acetone Extraction Techniques

FSH and LH were extracted by kaolin-acetone and acetone from pooled urine samples obtained from prepubertal children and normal men. Individual urine specimens obtained from 5 prepubertal boys receiving a short course of estrogen were also processed by the 2 methods. Gonadotropin content of the urinary concentrates was measured by radioimmunoassay. Physiologic changes at levels of FSH and LH far below the prepubertal range can be assessed by preparing urine specimens for radioimmunossay by either kaolin-acetone or acetone.
Chemical Composition and Heat Resistance of Bacillus stearothermophilus Spores

SUMMARY —Heat resistance measurement demonstrated that the rough variant was more heat tolerant than the smooth variant. Spores of the two variants were analyzed for DPA, calcium, manganese, magnesium and zinc. No direct relationship was found between DPA, mineral concentrations and heat resistance.
Creating Job Opportunities for Dietetic Technicians-101

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME : To determine three methods of discovering non-traditional career opportunities for graduates of dietetic technology. Review of recent literature has shown changes in health care delivery. Educators must respond to prepare our graduates for the future. Three different methods were studied to assist students in discovering non-traditional jobs in dietetic technology. First, the Department of Dietetic Technology's Advisory Council met to discuss the issues of health care trends. Their expertise was tapped to determine placement of dietetic technicians in non-traditional roles. The second method was a survey of community businesses involved in the promotion of wellness, fitness and preventative care. The survey asked what types of diet education/assessment were conducted by the business, who was responsible for the assessment/education, and determined their knowledge of dietetic technician's skills and abilities. In effect, the survey was used as a tool to ascertain the community's need for the services which can be provided by dietetic technicians. Lastly, skill building sessions were held with students, to aid in increasing their marketability in the workplace for the next century. Classes on resume preparation and job interviewing provided them with basic skills for job hunting. Discussions and role playing on "networking" and creating "ideal" jobs were explored in class to increase awareness on the changing role of the dietetic technician. Field trips to various facilities such as free standing dialysis units and vendor sponsored food shows demonstrated unique opportunities for dietetic technicians upon graduation. As dietetics continues to grow and adapt to trends in health care, educators must keep in mind skills needed by students to prepare them for the future.
‘I’m Straight, but I Kissed a Girl’: The Trouble with American Media Representations of Female-Female Sexuality:

Nearly 20 years ago, Kitzinger (1987) argued that the shift in psychological research in the 1970s and 1980s toward a liberal-humanistic view of lesbians and gay men as ‘just like’ heterosexuals (rather than intrinsically deviant and pathological) was not, in fact, as positive and progressive as it might have seemed. Rather, she noted that this conceptualization actually reinforced the dominant social order by presenting same-sex sexuality as a matter of private lifestyle, thereby neutralizing its political challenge to heterosexuality. This was, of course, an insidiously effective way of maintaining the social institution of heterosexuality, given that outright condemnation of homosexuals had gradually become less socially acceptable. An analogous critique can and should be made regarding the ‘positive’ and ‘accepting’ portrayals of female same-sex sexuality that have increasingly proliferated in American entertainment media. Over the past 5–10 years, there has been an upsurge of openly lesbian (and less often, bisexual) characters and relationships on American films and television shows (recent films include The Hours, Chasing Amy, But I’m a Cheerleader; Gigli, Lost and Delirious, Everything Relative; television shows include Ellen, ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NYPD Blue, All My Children, Friends, JAG, Melrose Place, Popular, Once and Again, Nip/Tuck, K Street, Coupling, Queer as Folk). More interestingly, however, there have also been numerous depictions of presumably heterosexual women hinting at or experimenting with same-sex sexuality, a phenomenon that has been called ‘heteroflexibility’ (Essig, 2000) (films include Kissing Jessica Stein; 8 Women, Laurel Canyon; Heavenly Creatures, television shows include Ally McBeal, Friends, Will & Grace, Party of Five, Sex and the City – see also the recent Madonna/Britney Spears and Madonna/Christina Aguilera kisses on the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards: ‘Madonna smooches with Britney and Christina’ [MTV, 2003]). On the one hand, feminist psychologists might hopefully surmise that these mass
Ridge-width dependence of midinfrared interband cascade laser characteristics

We report an experimental study of how the light-current characteristics and lateral mode properties of interband cascade lasers depend on ridge width. Narrower ridges provide greater heat dissipation due to lateral flow, along with operation in a single lateral mode. However,sidewall imperfections increase the cw threshold current density somewhat, from Jth = 582 A/cm2 at 300 K for an 11-µm-wide ridge to 713 A/cm2 and 1.07 kA/cm2 for 5- and 3-µm-wide ridges, respectively. The narrowest ridges similarly display a degradation of the slope efficiency. A 13-µm- wide ridge produced 45 mW per facet of cw output power and maximum wall-plug efficiency of 3.5% per facet at T = 20°C. A 5-µm-wide ridge with 3-mm cavity length and no facet coatings operated cw at = 3.5-µm to a new record temperature of 345 K for the 3 to 4-µm spectral range.
EIGHT KEYS TO PASSING PARENT EDUCATION LEGISLATION

In May 1996, Domestic Relations Education on Children's Issues, House Bill 2063, was signed into law by the governor of Arizona after successfully passing through both houses of the Arizona legislature. This new law made it mandatory for all new divorcing parents and unmarried parents with custody/access disputes to attend a domestic relations parent information program that focused on the needs of their children. This article documents some of the key steps for passage of this type of legislation, with illustrations from Arizona's experience. The process began in November 1994, and it took two legislative sessions before the bill became a law.
On instabilities in large deformation simple shear loading

Abstract We obtain finite strain solutions for an elastic-perfectly-plastic isotropic material under simple shear loading. The effects of using the Jaumann, Green-Naghdi, and Truesdell stress rates are examined. An analytic solution is obtained using the Jaumann rate, and numerical solutions are obtained for the Green-Naghdi and Truesdell rates. The shear stress, as a function of the shear strain is nonmonotonic, and consequently ‘unstable’, for all three stress rates, which is contrary to previously published results.
A new reactive mercurial formed by insertion of mercury into the O-Cl bond of (CF3)3CoCl

Abstract Elemental mercury inserted into the O-Cl bond of (CF 3 ) 3 COCl to form a stable white solid which when reacted with CF 3 C(O)Br, CH 3 I, CH 3 C(O)Cl, (CH 3 ) 3 SiCl and CF 3 C(O)SCl gave CF 3 C(O)R f (R f = (CF 3 ) 3 CO), CH 3 R f , CH 3 C(O)R f , (CH 3 ) 3 SiR f and the unstable CF 3 C(O)SR f . Hydrogen was abstracted from (CH 3 ) 3 SiH to form the silate ester. With (CF 3 ) 2 C=NH, (CF 3 ) 3 COH was released leaving a solid residue which when treated with Cl 2 gave (CF 3 ) 2 C=NCl.
The omnivorous diet of modern technology

Abstract Two centuries ago the diet of technology (the diversity of materials utilized) consisted largely of natural materials and a few metals. A century later, the diversity in the diet had expanded to perhaps a dozen materials in common use. In contrast, today's technology employs nearly every material in the periodic table, a behavior illustrated in this paper by the material evolution of electronics, medical technology, and the jet engine. Geological deposits in a given country or region tend to have only minimal to moderate elemental diversity, however. As a result, an extensive and diverse metal trade is required if modern technology is to be sustained. Some recent industry responses to elemental scarcity and implications for corporate and governmental policy are discussed.
Stapled intestinal anastomoses in infants.

Abstract Background We reviewed our experience with stapled intestinal anastomoses in infants younger than 1 year and compared operative data and outcome to that of infants who underwent hand-sewn anastomoses. Methods Infants younger than 1 year who underwent an intestinal anastomosis over an 8-year period were identified. Stapled anastomoses were constructed in a side-to-side fashion using standard or endoscopic linear cutters. Outcome variables including operative time, anastomotic failure, and death were recorded. Results Two hundred ninety-five subjects were identified. Hand-sewn anastomoses were performed in 189 cases and stapled anastomoses in 106. Patients who had a stapled anastomosis were older (105 vs 44 days) and larger (5.2 vs 3.1 kg), although 25 stapled anastomoses were performed in infants between 600 and 1000 g. When a stapled anastomosis was used operative time was significantly reduced overall (102 vs 128 minutes) and for individual procedures including resection for necrotizing enterocolitis (85 vs 132 minutes) and colostomy closure (104 vs 141 minutes). There was no difference between hand-sewn and stapled anastomoses in the incidence of adhesive obstruction, stricture, or leak. Conclusions When permitted by intestinal size in infants younger than 1 year, stapled anastomoses were safe and effective and significantly reduced operative time.
The desorption of O2 during NO and N2O decomposition on Cu- and Fe-zeolites

The decomposition of NO and of N2O over a CuZSM-5 zeolite and a Fe-mordenite, respectively, has been studied using tracer techniques. The results demonstrate the high mobility of the lattice oxygen ions in self-diffusion. They afford a possible explanation for the problem of how two extralattice oxygens located at positions remote from each other may combine to form the O2 molecules which are spontaneously desorbed in these redox reactions. They show that a portion of the lattice oxygen mixes into the O2 released on decomposition. The data also show that N18O and N218O undergo exchange with the catalyst oxygen under reaction conditions.
Capsule Commentary on Peterson et al., "Financial Exploitation of Older Adults: A Population Based Prevalence Study"

Elder abuse increasingly has been recognized as an important and distressingly common issue faced by elderly patients. Acierno et al.1 found that 11.4 % of elders reported at least one incident of abuse over the past year, including neglect, emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The present study by Peterson et al.2 highlights another form of abuse, financial abuse, and finds that it is likewise far too common. The investigators determined the prevalence of financial exploitation of older adults (FEOA) by conducting 4,156 random number phone interviews in New York State. The 1-year prevalence of FEOA was found to be 2.7 %, and the lifetime prevalence was 4.7 %. The true prevalence is likely even higher than what was reported given that the study was limited to competent adults (mental incapacity being a previously identified risk factor for financial abuse) and that it relied on self-reporting. In light of the established link between poverty and worse health outcomes,3 physicians would do well to identify victims of financial abuse. To this end, Peterson et al. have identified a distinct set of risk factors for elders at high risk of financial exploitation: African-Americans, those living below the poverty line, those with disability and those with multiple non-spousal household members. It is among these patients that a particularly high index of suspicion should be maintained in order to identify and help victims of financial abuse. Harries et al.4 have reported on a free online training tool that has been shown to enhance a physician’s ability to detect elder financial abuse. Financial institutions have also demonstrated an interest in identifying and limiting FEOA. For example, Wells Fargo has trained their employees to identify and respond to suspected FEOA.5 These efforts form a resource base for physicians to use in the clinic and identify possible partners in the financial industry that physicians may collaborate with in the future to combat FEOA. It is likely more resources will be necessary to adequately address this issue, and this report by Peterson et al. brings the need into focus.
Changes in the inferior alveolar nerve following mandibular lengthening in the dog using distraction osteogenesis

Distraction osteogenesis as per Ilizarov was used to lengthen the canine mandible. In this study, physiological and ultrastructural examination of the inferior nerve was performed. Mandibular body corticotomies were performed, and the mandible was distracted 7 mm. The animals were killed 4 weeks after the distraction was completed. Bone formed within the distraction gap in all dogs. There was no statistically significant difference in the jaw-jerk voltage between control and experimental sides. There was a significant difference between the distracted and control nerves in only one area of one nerve.