cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical aggression in the family and preschoolers' use of the mother as a secure base

The quality of child-mother attachment relationships is context sensitive. Conflict and aggression in the marital relationship as well as aggressive discipline practices may diminish a child's confidence in her or his mother as a secure base. We investigated whether physical aggression against the mother, exposure of the child to it, and use of aggressive physical discipline practices were related to attachment security. Forty-five preschoolers and their mothers from a nonclinical, middle-class population were studied. Security scores were obtained from observers' descriptions of children's behavior at home. Mothers reported on marital conflict, physical aggression from their spouse, exposure of the child to aggression, and use of physical discipline practices. Findings indicate that marital conflict, physical aggression, exposure of the child, and use of physical discipline are significantly and negatively associated with security. Regression analyses show that physical aggression contributed unique information to the prediction of security, and that physical discipline did not mediate the associations between physical aggression and child security. Clinical implications of the findings presented are discussed.
Classification of left ventricular thrombi by their history of systemic embolization using pattern recognition of two-dimensional echocardiograms

Abstract Although one can diagnose left ventricular (LV) thrombi by two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE), the factors associated with peripheral embolization, given a 2DE with LV thrombi, have not been well delineated. Therefore we looked at 2DE and clinical variables that included texture features in the 2DE of 38 patients whose 2DE had LV thrombi and questioned these patients to see if clinical embolization had occurred in the 8.9 ± 6.1 month (± SD) average follow-up period. Eight patients, four with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and four with dilated LV and decreased LV systolic wall motion, had clinically apparent leg or brain emboli, whereas the remaining patients did not. Emboli occurred within a week of obtaining the 2DE in question. The variables considered were the age of the patient, the type of heart disease present, warfarin administration, exercise tolerance, standard M-mode measurements, LV dyssynergy by 2DE, clot size and mobility, and gray scale statistics which include run length, Sobel edge points followed by 50% gradient thresholding, gray level second-order statistics, offset 1 and gray level difference statistics, offset 1. The values of the variables were then entered into an expert system (Expert Ease) in order to achieve classification of patients into emboli versus no emboli groups, while using a minimal number of variables. The only variables that were needed included run length, long runs emphasis, gray level difference statistics (entropy, contrast, mean, and angular second moment), gray level second-order statistics (contrast), and warfarin status. When probability statistics were applied to this schema, its accuracy was predicted to be at least 96%. These results suggest that a small number of 2DE texture and clinical features can be used to detect LV thrombi that are at high risk for systemic embolization.
Irreversible thermodynamics of a stationary interface

Abstract The methods of irreversible thermodynamics are applied to heat flow and mass transport on interfaces. It is shown that the temperatures and concentrations may be found by solving a coupled system of parabolic differential equations with radiation-type boundary conditions at the interface.
Limiting absorbing belt for a quasiperiodically driven mapping of the shift of intervals

For a discontinuous dynamical system with discrete time on a two-dimensional cylinder generated by a quasiperiodically driven mapping of the shift of intervals with overlapping, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a limiting semiinvariant absorbing belt whose width lies within the same limits as the width of overlapping. In the case of overlapping of constant width, this belt is invariant, and the dynamics inside the belt is equivalent to a skew shift on a two-dimensional torus.
Effects of adjacent surfaces of different shapes on regurgitant jet sizes: An in vitro study using color Doppler imaging and laser-illuminated dye visualization

Abstract Objetives. The present study was designed to estimate the influence of different-shaped adjacent surfaces on regurgitant jets as assessed by color Doppler imaging and laser-Illuminated dye optical visualisation, Background. Because color Doppler techniques provide real-time two-dimentional imaging of flow, the evaluation of valvular regurgitation by analysis of variance-encoded regurgitant jets by this method has been widely used in clinical studies. However, recent studies have demonstrated that color Doppler jet sizes are affected not only by several hemodynamk factors and instrument settings but also by the interaction between jets and adjacent wall surfaces. In clinical conditions, jets may interact with adjacent walls of variable shapes that might have different effects on the jet size. Methods. An in vitro model was constructed consisting of a rigid, optically clear receiving chamber that had no outlet resistance and had a pulsatile pump ejecting through 1.5, 2.3 and 3.1 mm2inflow orifices into the chamber. The surfaces were flat or smoothly and equally curved, convex and concave aluminum positioned at 0,2 and 4 mm from and to the side of the inflow orifices. The pump was run with stroke volumes from 0.5 to 3.0 ml and with a pulse frequency of 70 beats/min, The echocardiographic and laser beams were aimed at the inflow orifice imaging jets perpendicular to the surfaces (vertical view) through the central plane of the jet flows. Maximal jet areas were measured by both color Doppler techniques and laser-illuminated dye visualization. Results. Color Doppler study showed fair correlation between the jet areas and the stroke volumes (r = 0.83 to 0.99), but the jet sizes under different surface conditions were variable. All the surface jet areas at a jet-surface distance of 0 and 2 mm were smaller than free jet areas at the same stroke volume for both flat and convex surfaces (p Conclusions. Our study suggests that the different-shaped adjacent surfaces with different degrees of flow alterations resulted in variable decreases in jet size and that color Doppler imaging could not encode and image the angled and low velocity swirling events well when jets flowed along the curved surfaces. These effects need to be taken into account when interpreting color Doppler images.
Group tests for selective screening of inborn errors of metabolism

Selective screening for inherited metabolic disorders can be performed efficiently by chromatographic techniques. Each technique is suited for a well-defined group of substances present in urine, plasma and CSF. A comprehensive screening programme may involve the analysis of amino acids, organic acids, imidazoles, purines and pyrimidines, oligosaccharides and mucopolysaccharides in urine as well as very longchain fatty acids in plasma. The experienced laboratory, in close co-operation with a specialized paediatrician, will make a positive diagnosis in 6% of the refered samples, providded a careful selection of the patients is made. Our experience of 10 years of screening revealed 100 different defects; 30% of these were so-called amino acid disorders, 50% organic acidurias and the remaining 20% miscellaneous defects. Chromatographic methods are well suited for the discovery of novel defects. In this respect group screening tests will remain of major importance for the study of inborn errors of metabolism.
Convective Performance of Nanofluids in Commercial Electronics Cooling Systems

Abstract Nanofluids are stable engineered colloidal suspensions of a small fraction of nanoparticles in a base fluid. Nanofluids have shown great promise as heat transfer fluids over typically used base fluids and fluids with micron sized particles. Suspensions with micron sized particles are known to settle rapidly and cause clogging and damage to the surfaces of pumping and flow equipment. These problems are dramatically reduced in nanofluids. In the current work we investigate the performance of different volume loadings of water-based alumina nanofluids in a commercially available electronics cooling system. The commercially available system is a water block used for liquid cooling of a computational processing unit. The size of the nanoparticles in the study is 20–30 nm. Results show an enhancement in convective heat transfer due to the addition of nanoparticles in the commercial cooling system with volume loadings of nanoparticles up to 1.5% by volume. The enhancement in the convective performance observed is similar to what has been reported in well controlled and understood systems and is commensurate with bulk models. The current nanoparticle suspensions showed visible signs of settling which varied from hours to weeks depending on the size of the particles used.
The use and effectiveness of an emergency department observation unit for elderly patients

Abstract Study objective: Emergency department observation units are cost-effective alternatives to hospital admission for selected patients. However, the use and effectiveness of these units in the elderly population is unclear. We sought to describe the use of an ED observation unit by elderly patients (≥65 years), to determine whether the ED observation unit is effective for them in terms of ED observation unit length of stay and hospital admission rates, and to compare efficacy and return visit rates between younger and older patients. Methods: This is a retrospective observational cohort study of consecutive adult patients sent to an ED observation unit from 1996 to 2000 at a high-volume tertiary care suburban teaching hospital. ED observation unit length of stay of less than 18 hours and admittance rates of less than 30% were used as indicators of efficacy. Diagnosis, length of stay, hospital admission rates, and 30-day return visit rates were compared between younger and older patients. Results: Twenty-two thousand five hundred and thirty adult patients were observed, with 37.2% older than 65 years of age. The most common diagnoses in elderly patients were chest pain (24.0%), dehydration (11.7%), syncope (6.5%), back pain (4.6%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (3.8%). Length of stay in the ED observation unit was longer for the elderly than younger patients but still averaged less than 18 hours (15.8 hours [95% confidence interval (CI) 15.7 to 16.0] versus 14.4 hours [95% CI 14.3 to 14.5], respectively). Elderly patients were more likely to be admitted from the ED observation unit than younger patients (26.1% versus 18.5%); however, their overall admission rate remained less than 30%. Compared with younger patients, the odds ratios for inpatient admission of elderly patients was highest for back pain (2.10; 95% CI 1.62 to 2.73), pyelonephritis (1.78; 95% CI 1.16 to 2.71), and chest pain (1.65; 95% CI 1.44 to 1.89). Thirty-day related return visit rates between age groups were similar (9.4% versus 7.6%). Conclusion: Elderly ED observation unit patients had ED observation unit lengths of stay and hospital admission rates that were effective for an ED observation unit setting and ED return visits rates that were comparable with those of younger patients. [ Ann Emerg Med. 2003;41:668-677.]
Non-immune erythrocyte rosette formation of bovine peripheral blood and thymus lymphocytes.

Abstract An E-rosetting reaction is described which gave 92.1%±2.4 (mean±S.D.) E-rosettes with bovine fetal thymocytes and 48.2%±8.4 with with bovine peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) preparations. Both culture conditions and culture medium were critical factors in obtaining maximal and reproducible E-rosette numbers. Optimum rosette formation occurred when bovine PBL and neuraminidase treated sheep erythrocytes (nSRBC) were reacted in L-15 culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS). Other media including 100% FCS, MEM with 10% FCS, and RPMI-1640 with 10% FCS were less satisfactory. Cultural conditions found to be optimal for enumeration of bovine E-rosettes are similar to those reported as optimal for detection of human T cells. The specificity of rosette formation by bovine thymus derived (T) lymphocytes was shown by demonstration of (1) rosettes and surface membrane immunoglobulins (mIg) on different cells in PBL, (2) rosette formation by the majority of fetal thymocytes, and (3) no inhibition of rosette formation by anti-immunoglobulin serum. Using the E-rosette and mIg assays for presumptive bovine T and B lymphocytes, respectively, it was possible to differentiate from 57.5 to 90% (75.2%±9.3) of cells in bovine PBL preparations, and from 90.2 to 97.5% (94.2%±2.1) of cells in bovine fetal thymocyte preparations into T and B cells.
Evaluating the dose to the contralateral breast when using a dynamic wedge versus a regular wedge

The incidence of secondary cancers in the contralateral breast after primary breast irradiation is several times higher than the incidence of first time breast cancer. Studies have shown that the scatter radiation to the contralateral breast may play a large part in the induction of secondary breast cancers. Factors that may contribute to the contralateral breast dose may include the use of blocks, the orientation of the field, and wedges. Reports have shown that the use of regular wedges, particularly for the medial tangential field, gives a significantly higher dose to the contralateral breast compared to an open field. This paper compares the peripheral dose outside the field using a regular wedge, a dynamic wedge, and an open field technique. The data collected consisted of measurements taken with patients, solid water and a Rando phantom using a Varian 2300CD linear accelerator. Ion chambers, thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD), diodes, and films were the primary means for collecting the data. The measurements show that the peripheral dose outside the field using a dynamic wedge is close to that of open fields, and significantly lower than that of regular wedges. This information indicates that when using a medial wedge, a dynamic wedge should be used.
Performance Characteristics of Conventional and Prototype Humidifiers and Nebulizers

The output of water from conventional and experimental humidification devices was determined under conditions similar to those encountered by a patient who is intubated and spontaneously breathing. Absolute humidity was measured by a modified dewpoint hygrometer, and relative humidity at 37°C was then calculated. Only two of the unheated pneumatic nebulizers tested were capable of delivering near 100 percent relative humidity at 37°C, while both ultrasonic nebulizers tested were able (at maximum outputs) to more than double this humidity content. An external heat source was necessary to increase the water content of gases delivered from pure humidifiers (no particulate water output) to above 50 percent relative humidity at 37°C. No correlation could be made between visible fog and actual water content in the humidified gases. Frequent changes in control were necessary to maintain a constant output when the heated humidifier was run continuously for a six-hour period, while prolonged warm-up periods were necessary prior to achieving stable outputs when the ultrasonics were so tested. The most efficient unheated pneumatics, however, maintained a stable and satisfactory output throughout the six-hour test period. It was concluded that the newer pneumatically driven, unheated nebulizers are capable of delivering gases with nearly 100 percent relative humidity at 37°C, therefore eliminating the need for heated or ultrasonically driven nebulizers for routine clinical use.
Direct Measurement of a pKa near Neutrality for the Catalytic Cytosine in the Genomic HDV Ribozyme Using Raman Crystallography

The hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme uses a cytosine to facilitate general acid-base catalysis. Biochemical studies suggest that C75 has a pK a perturbed to near neutrality. To measure this pK a directly, Raman spectra were recorded on single ribozyme crystals using a Raman microscope. A spectral feature arising from a single neutral cytosine was identified at 1528 cm -1 . At low pH, this mode was replaced with a new spectral feature. Monitoring these features as a function of pH revealed pK a values for the cytosine that couple anticooperatively with Mg 2+ binding, with values of 6.15 and 6.40 in the presence of 20 and 2 mM Mg 2+ , respectively. These pK a values agree well with those obtained from ribozyme activity experiments in solution. To correlate the observed pK a with a specific nucleotide, crystals of C75U, which is catalytically inactive, were examined. The Raman difference spectra show that this mutation does not affect the conformation of the ribozyme. However, crystals of C75U did not produce a signal from a protonatable cytosine, providing strong evidence that protonation of C75 is being monitored in the wild-type ribozyme. These studies provide the first direct physical measurement of a pK a near neutrality for a catalytic residue in a ribozyme and show that ribozymes, like their protein enzyme counterparts, can optimize the pK a of their side chains for proton transfer.
The Pesticide Methoxychlor Disrupts the Fusion of Myoblasts into Myotubes in Skeletal Muscle Cell Culture

We studied the effect of the estrogenic pesticide methoxychlor (MXC) on skeletal muscle development using C2C12 muscle cell culture. Various concentrations of MXC or beta-estradiol (E) were added to the culture media. MXC (100 microM) disrupted myoblast fusion into myotubes, but 10 microM MXC or 10 microM E had no effect. Correlated with the diminished size of the myotubes, the clustering of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) was inhibited by 100 microM MXC, but not by 10 microM MXC or 10 microM E. However, since clusters of AChR receptors did form, the postsynaptic clustering mechanism remained intact. Since E did not disrupt myoblast fusion into myotubes or the clustering of AChRs, we conclude that the abnormality induced by MXC is mediated by a mechanism of action that is independent of E. We believe this to be the first demonstration that MXC induces abnormal effects in the process of muscle development in skeletal muscle cell culture.
Multi-Variable Control of the GE T700 Engine using the LQG/LTR Design Methodology

In this paper we examine the design of scalar and multi-variable feedback control systems for the GE T700 turboshaft engine coupled to a helicopter rotor system. A series of linearized models are presented and analyzed. Robustness and performance specifications are posed in the frequency domain. The LQG/LTR methodology is used to obtain a sequence of three feedback designs. Even in the single-input single-output case, comparison of the current control system with that derived from the LQG/LTR approach shows significant performance improvement. The multi-variable designs, evaluated using linear and nonlinear simulations, show even more potential for performance improvement.
Aggregating changes to efficiently check consistency

Evolving complex systems from one consistent version to another is a challenging problem. Each version usually requires multiple changes in multiple system components having subtle functional dependencies. Mitigating the costs incurred to check the consistency of a new version is an important concern. An efficient approach to guarantee consistency of the new system is proposed. System components are modeled as communicating finite state machines. A change is a set of update rules that add or delete transitions in the system components. Given a set of changes, the proposed approach automatically generates an aggregated update comprised of groups of update rules. The interactions among the update rules are analyzed in terms of their impacts on the states of the system. Groups of update rules are computed such that each group contains one special rule whose impacted states subsume that of the others in the group. If that rule preserves consistency then the entire group preserves consistency. The proposed approach has been applied to consistently evolve a family of cache coherence protocols with highly encouraging results.
Profiles by sex of brain MRI and cognitive function in the framingham offspring study.

Objective: To examine whether there are sex-specific associations between brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures and neuropsychologic (NP) test performance. Background: Differences in cardiovascular risk factors have been linked to decreased total cerebral brain volume and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). Although brain morphology has been related to cognitive performance, few studies have addressed sex-specific effects in this relationship. Methods: Framingham Offspring who were stroke and dementia-free underwent a brain MRI scan and NP testing (n = 2085; 978 men). Factor analysis identified 4 domain-specific NP factors. MRI participants were divided into 4 MRI subgroups based on measures of total cerebral brain volume and combinations of the presence of WMH and silent cerebral infarcts (≥ 3 mm). Results: Overall, the relationship between MRI and NP measures was similar between the sexes. The exception was that only men showed a positive relationship between executive function and cerebrovascular disease defined as large WMH volume plus silent cerebral infarct. This finding was attributed only among men with Framingham Stroke Risk Profile scores > 90th percentile range (P = 0.0019). Conclusions: Measures of brain atrophy and subclinical markers of vascular disease showed that sex does not significantly alter the relationship between MRI and NP, except among men and women who are at high risk for stroke; these men show poorer performance on executive function, whereas the women do not.
Bilski blundering biotech.

Is the Federal Circuit's decision in In re: Bilski yet a further restraint on patenting biotech and pharmaceutical inventions?
Evidence for a shallow early or middle Wisconsin-age lake in the Bonneville Basin, Utah

Relatively complete stratigraphic records of the Bonneville cycle and of at least one and probably two earlier lacustrine are exposed along the Bear River below Cutler Dam in northern Utah between altitudes of 1290 and 1365 m. In most exposures the unconformity between the Bonneville Alloformation and the underlying unit, herein named the Cutler Dam Alloformation, is marked by slight erosional relief and by a weakly to moderately developed buried soil, herein named the Fielding Geosol. In truncated profiles, the Fielding Geosol reaches a maximum of stage II carbonate morphology. Wood from near the base of the Cutler Dam Alloformation yielded a 14C date of >36,000 yr B.P. (Beta-9845). Alloisoleucine/isoleucine (aIle/Ile) ratios of Sphaerium shells from the Cutler Dam beds average 0.15 ± 0.01 in the total hydrolysate, which is significantly greater than the average for Sphaerium shells of Bonneville age elsewhere in the basin. Therefore, the Cutler Dam Alloformation is older than 36,000 yr B.P., but much younger than deposits of the Little Valley lake cycle (140,000 yr B.P.?) which bear shells having significantly higher aIle/Ile ratios. The Cutler Dam Alloformation along the Bear River may be broadly correlative with marine oxygen-isotope stages 4 or 3. Fine-grained, fossiliferous, marginal-lacustrine facies of the Cutler Dam Alloformation are exposed at altitudes near 1340 m, and are probably the highest exposures of sediments deposited in the early or middle Wisconsin lake in the Bonneville basin.
Effects of menstrual cycle and oral contraceptive use on calf venous compliance.

Numerous studies have shown that the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone have multiple effects on the vasculature. Thus our goal was to investigate the effects of estrogen and progesteron...
Direct aging of Al-1.7 at. % Cu between the reported GP zone solvi

From the evidence presented here and that of other authors the authors conclude that a true GP II solvus line does not exist and that the transition from GP I and GP II is simply a coarsening process. However, an alternative may exist. That is, we may be dealing with a phase selection process related to competitive heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation kinetics that is highly composition dependent. In this case, for the alloy studied, here, the time-temperature ''window'' for GP II stability may be so restricted that it is not possible to reach conditions for critical nucleation (either homogeneous or heterogeneous) without being preempted by heterogeneous nucleation of THETA' prime. Studies of Cu-Be alloys indicate that such stability ''windows'' expand as aging kinetics become more sluggish with decreasing solute. The change in kinetics is primarily due to decreases in driving force (i.e. decreases in critical undercooling) which scale with the solidus and each metastable transus. If this is the case, it may be possible to directly nucleate GP II in alloys of lower Cu content. This type of examination is currently in progress. The authors report their initial attempts to nucleate THETA''double prime as the first phase by quenching anmore » Aiota-1.7 at % Cu alloy directly to a temperature predicted to be within its time/temperature domain, and describe the phase evolution during isothermal aging.« less
Faunistic and zoogeographical characterization of the benthic infauna on the Carolina continental slope

Abstract The species composition of the benthic infauna on the Carolina continental slope is described, based on the analysis of 146 quantitative ☐core samples taken between 1983 and 1986 and in 1992. The samples were collected between Cape Hatteras and the Charleston Bump in depths ranging from 600 to 3500 m. From these samples, nearly 1300 species were identified, more than one-third of them being new to science. Almost half of all she species were polychaetes, the largest family being the Spionids with 63 species. Arthropods accounted for about 22% of all species, about one-third of which belonged to the tanaidaceans. Among the mollusks (16% of all species), the largest group was thyasirid bivalves. Pogonophorans were represented by 15 species. Distributional patterns of some of the major taxa are discussed, and the existence of a zoogeographical barrier off Cape Hatteras and/or Cape Lookout is revisited. The most striking difference between the slope off Cape Hatteras and comparable depths further south (e.g. Cape Lookout) is the greatly reduced number of polychaetes off Cape Hatteras. The zoogeographical barrier reported by Cutler [(1975)Deep-Sea Research,22, 893–901] exists for most cumaceans, some aplacophorans, and many polychaetes identified from the present data set, but it appears to be virtually non-existent for bivalves.
Electrocardiographic effects of right atrial pacing and nitroglycerin in atherosclerotic rhesus monkeys

Abstract Right atrial pacing at rapid heart rates induced ischemic S-T segment changes in 19 atherosclerotic, male rhesus monkeys. Prior administration of nitroglycerin (100 μ/kg, i.v.) prevented the S-T segment alteration at a given pacing rate in 5 animals, attenuated it in 12 others, and had no effect in the remaining 2. The results of these studies are similar to earlier ones in atherosclerotic rabbits.
Precipitation and temperature are associated with advanced flowering phenology in a semi-arid grassland

Advances in spring blooming of wildflowers have been associated with climate change; however, the majority of long-term community-level studies have been conducted in humid-temperate regions. Less is known about phenological changes in herbaceous, semi-arid plant communities. We recorded first-bloom date of common spring wildflowers in a semi-arid grassland in the Rocky Mountains, USA from 1995 through 2008 and analyzed these data along with mean monthly temperature and precipitation. Advanced flowering predominated; 75% of the 32 species displayed a negative linear regression slope, and this trend was strong for nine species (slope < 1.0, p < 0.10). Only one species showed a strong trend for later flowering. Mean advance for all 32 species was 0.61 days/year and mean advance for the nine species displaying a strong tendency to flower earlier was 1.6 days/year. Species flowering early showed stronger trends toward advanced flowering than later species. Average March temperature and January plus December precipitation, falling mainly as snow, were explanatory variables in the best multiple linear regression model for mean first-flowering date of strongly advanced species. Our results suggest that flowering phenology may be changing faster and precipitation may play a more important role in semi-arid grasslands than in humid-temperate systems.
Hate Crime Research: Design and Measurement Strategies for Improving Causal Inference

The credibility revolution in the social sciences has placed new emphasis on research designs that provide strong evidence of cause and effect. The next generation of hate crime research must move ...
An Irishwoman in China

In 1916, Emily de Burgh Daly, a Protestant from Roscommon, published An Irishwoman in China, an account of her twenty-four years as an expatriate. Daly sets out to provide a ‘simple record’ of expatriate life, and that account conforms at first to our expectations of travel writing as a narrative presentation of difference—of foreign others and exotic landscapes. However, in Daly's case, the narrative evolves to include complex and conflicted accounts of political upheaval and foreign intervention in Manchuria. In these episodes, in spite of her enthusiastic adherence to the British Empire, Daly begins to interrogate the presence of Western powers in China and to sympathise with Chinese resistance to foreign rule. Periodic visits to Ireland, on the other hand, occasion the consolidation of imperial identity. We find that, in Emily Daly's case, geographic distance and racial alterity create opportunities to renegotiate the boundaries of imperial self and Other. On home soil, however, those boundaries are r...
Risk factors associated with participation in the Ontario, Canada doctors' strike.

To identify factors associated with participation in the 1986 Ontario, Canada doctors' strike, we surveyed 1,028 physicians; 69 percent responded, of whom 42 percent participated in the strike. Risk factors for participation included income greater than $135,000, being a surgeon or gynecologist, having previously "opted out" of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, being professionally dissatisfied, being politically conservative, favoring political activism by physicians, holding a positive view of the social consequences of extrabilling, and perceiving family, associates, patients and the public to favor the strike. Eighty percent of strikers, but 32 percent of non-strikers, met criteria we established for four strike-prone groups: the "economically rational," the "ideologically committed," the "professionally disaffected," and the "socially malleable." Respondents belonging to one or more of these groups were much more likely to have participated in the strike (64 percent vs 17 percent). Strategies to dea...
Tunnel air quality and vehicle emissions

A general relationship between roadway tunnel air quality and vehicle emissions has been derived. The model includes the effect of pollutant deposition on the tunnel surfaces and dilution from ventilation. The model is applied to air quality measurements of SO2 and particulates obtained at the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel. It is found that, if deposition is neglected, SO2 and sulfate emission factors for both gasoline and Diesel vehicles may be underestimated by ~ 10%. The derived deposition velocities are 0.07cms−1 for SO2, 0.03cms−1 for sulfate, and ~ 0.001 cms−1 for total suspended particulates and paniculate components (except sulfate). The last value is lower than smooth-surface values quoted for aerosol deposition, and the difference between the last two values presumably reflects the approximations in the model and/or the uncertainty in its input data.
Simplified Modeling of Combinatorial Test Spaces

Combinatorial test design (CTD) is an effective test planning technique that reveals faults that result from feature interactions in a system. The test space is manually modeled by a set of parameters, their respective values, and restrictions on the value combinations. A subset of the test space is then automatically constructed so that it covers all valid value combinations of every t parameters, where t is usually a user input. In many real-life testing problems, the relationships between the different test parameters are complex. Thus, precisely capturing them by restrictions in the CTD model might be a very challenging and time consuming task. From our experience, this is one of the main obstacles in applying CTD to a wide range of testing problems. In this paper, we introduce two new constructs to the CTD model, counters and value properties, that considerably reduce the complexity of the modeling task, allowing one to easily model testing problems that were practically impossible to model before. We demonstrate the impact of these constructs on two real-life case studies.
Pharmacokinetics for regulatory risk analysis: the case of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (methyl chloroform).

Abstract A methodology for using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models to derive predicted safe concentrations of noncarcinogens in drinking water for humans based on experimentally determined no observed adverse effect levels (NOAELs) in animals is presented and applied to the case of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (methyl chloroform, MC). For each toxic endpoint and lowest corresponding NOAEL identified for MC, we considered a set of toxicologically plausible options regarding the presumed toxic agent and the metric for effective dose to target tissue. A four-compartment PBPK model for rodents was used to estimate corresponding effective doses to the animals used to obtain the experimental NOAELs. A five-compartment PBPK model was then applied, in conjunction with a multiroute (inhalation, ingestion, and dermal) human-exposure scenario, to calculate alternative concentrations of MC in drinking water predicted to result in corresponding effective doses to the same target tissues in humans. In the case of MC, the PBPK approach to interspecies and interroute extrapolation of toxicity data resulted in lower drinking water concentrations predicted to be nontoxic to humans than corresponding concentrations obtained using a traditional method for determining safe levels.
Kinetic Studies of Isobutane Dehydrogenation and Isobutene Hydrogenation over Pt/Sn-Based Catalysts

Rates of isobutane dehydrogenation and isobutene hydrogenation were measured over Pt/Sn/SiO2, Pt/Sn/K/SiO2, and Pt/Sn/K−L-zeolite catalysts at temperatures from 673 to 773 K and at various partial pressures for a total pressure of 1 atm. Addition of potassium to Pt/Sn/SiO2 enhances the rate of isobutene hydrogenation and isobutane dehydrogenation, and the Pt/Sn/K−L-zeolite catalyst exhibits considerably higher rates than Pt/Sn/SiO2 and Pt/Sn/K/SiO2. The kinetic data for the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions over the Pt/Sn catalysts could be described by a four-step Horiuti−Polanyi mechanism, with rate-limiting, dissociative adsorption of isobutane and quasi-equilibrated adsorption of hydrogen and isobutene. The higher rates observed over Pt/Sn/K/SiO2 and Pt/Sn/K−L-zeolite may be attributed to stabilization of the activated complex involved in the dissociative adsorption/desorption of isobutane on the Pt/Sn clusters within the zeolite pore structure and/or stabilization by the presence of potassium.
GENERALIZED SUSCEPTIBILITIES AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF SOME BCC TRANSITION METALS.

Using the energy bands for tungsten calculated by Mattheiss, we have calculated the generalized susceptibilities $\ensuremath{\chi}(q)$ along $\ensuremath{\Gamma}H$ for several bcc transition metals by appropriately adjusting the Fermi energies. The Fermi energies were chosen using Mattheiss's integrated density of states to have the proper number of electrons per atom to correspond to (a) the chromium series, (b) the vanadium series, and (c) europium. We have used procedures developed in our calculation of $\ensuremath{\chi}(q)$ for the heavy rare earths. The generalized susceptibility that corresponds to the chromium group has several small peaks and a prominent, narrow peak very near to $H$. The position of this prominent peak corresponds to the magnetic periodicity of chromium and to a Kohn anomaly observed in the Cr and Mo phonon spectra. The susceptibility for the vanadium group has a peak near the broad dip in the $[00q]L$ branch of the phonon spectrum of niobium. The susceptibility for europium has a peak near the magnetic wave vector for europium. The Fermi surface for Eu derived from this set of bands is quite similar to that calculated by Andersen and Loucks, and the susceptibility shows the important nesting across the tetracube and the superegg pieces of the Fermi surface.
Emulsion Stabilization by Solid Particles—A Two‐layer Approach: Spherical Particles

The displacement energy for two layers of particles at an O/W interface was calculated for configurations in which the contact angle is different for the two kinds of particles, both with regular lateral organization. The radius of the particles is assumed sufficiently small in comparison with the drop radius to use a surface without curvature for the calculations. The results show conditions under which the presence of the second layer enhances the energy resisting coalescence of the drops.
Honey bees are predisposed to win-shift but can learn to win-stay

The ability of honey bees, Apis mellifra, to avoid returns to locations recently depleted of sugar solution (win-shift) or to return to locations recently depleted of sugar solution (win-stay) was tested. Bees collected sugar solution from a small matrix of six cells. During each of a series of trials, they first visited a randomly 'determined set of three cells. They were then allowed to freely choose between the six cells, with the contingencies encouraging either win-shift or win-stay behaviour. Previous research indicates that honey bees use spatial workin'g memory to discriminate previously visited cells from unvisited cells in this experimental preparation (Brown & Demas 1994, J. camp. Psychol., 108, 344352). In the present experiment, bees in the win-shift condition tended to choose previously unvisited cells throughout the experiment. Bees in the win-stay condition learned to choose previously visited cells over the course of the experiment. These results indicate that bees choose locations based on previous visits, either being attracted to, or repelled from, locations recently depleted of forage. 0 1995 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
On the error in Padé approximations for functions defined by Stieltjes integrals

Consdier I(z) = ∫ba w(t)f(t, z) dt, f(t, z) = (1 + t/z)−1. It is known that generalized Gaussian quadrature of I(z) leads to approximations which occupy the (n, n + r − 1) positions of the Pade matrix table for I(z). Here r is a positive integer or zero. In a previous paper the author developed a series representation for the error in Gaussian quadrature. This approach is now used to study the error in the Pade approximations noted. Three important examples are treated. Two of the examples are generalized to the case where f(t, z) = (1 + t/z)−v.
Eigenvalue stability of radial basis function discretizations for time-dependent problems

Differentiation matrices obtained with infinitely smooth radial basis function (RBF) collocation methods have, under many conditions, eigenvalues with positive real part, preventing the use of such methods for time-dependent problems. We explore this difficulty at theoretical and practical levels. Theoretically, we prove that differentiation matrices for conditionally positive definite RBFs are stable for periodic domains. We also show that for Gaussian RBFs, special node distributions can achieve stability in 1-D and tensor-product nonperiodic domains. As a more practical approach for bounded domains, we consider differentiation matrices based on least-squares RBF approximations and show that such schemes can lead to stable methods on less regular nodes. By separating centers and nodes, least-squares techniques open the possibility of the separation of accuracy and stability characteristics.
Effects of Different Intakes of B-Complex Vitamins upon Neuromuscular Regeneration.∗

ConclusionsNeuromuscular regeneration was not appreciably affected by acute vitamin B-complex withdrawal. Excess intakes of these vitamins failed to enhance reinnervation and regeneration. The neuromuscular weakness of regenerating and non-denervated muscles of animals on B-deficient diets was of the order of that found in animals subjected to either acute inanition or food withdrawal and B supplements.
An evaluation of the recent fertility changes in Afghanistan: a parity-specific analysis

Very limited studies exist on the demography of Afghanistan. Using the only national survey with complete birth history data, the 2010 Afghanistan Mortality Survey, this paper describes the recent fertility changes in the country from a parity-specific perspective. From 1995 to 2009, parity progression ratios, average birth intervals, sex ratio at birth by parity and synthetic lifetime average parity are successively examined. Results show that the progression to higher-order births started to decline in the early 2000s and was accompanied by childbearing postponement. The consistency of the parity analysis is assessed by looking at the sex ratio at birth by parity and comparing the synthetic lifetime average parity to fertility estimates computed from other datasets and/or estimation methods. While the sex ratio at birth indicates strong distortion, casting doubt on the ultimate fertility level, the consistency of the parity-based fertility estimates with other fertility estimates corroborates the fact that misreporting the sex of the child is mainly causing the imbalanced sex ratio at birth and is not significantly affecting the level of fertility. The SPPRs-based analysis provides solid evidence that Afghanistan is in the early stage of its fertility transition.
For the Sake of Peace: Maintaining the Resonance of Peace and Education.

This article is an attempt to develop the idea of peace education for adults through the assumption that, compared to peace education for children, educational approaches for adults are as yet undeveloped. This article also assumes that the progress of educational approaches for adults is necessary to the further development of peace education for children, as well as to the expansion of the theory. In navigating the argument around issues of peace education for adults, the article uses the example of educational issues faced by Amerasians in Okinawa. The article argues that language education is a fundamental aspect of peace education for adults. It also demonstrates that the content of language education for adults is different from the content of language education for children. Furthermore, the article defends peace education for adults, through language education, as the very first step towards creating peaceful conditions for the education of Amerasians in Okinawa.
Propagation of blood function errors to the estimates of kinetic parameters with dynamic PET

Dynamic PET, in contrast to static PET, can identify temporal variations in the radiotracer concentration. Mathematical modeling of the tissue of interest in dynamic PET can be simplified using compartment models as a linear system where the time activity curve of a specific tissue is the convolution of the tracer concentration in the plasma and the impulse response of the tissue containing kinetic parameters. Since the arterial sampling of blood to acquire the value of tracer concentration is invasive, blind methods to estimate both blood input function and kinetic parameters have recently drawn attention. Several methods have been developed, but the effect of accuracy of the estimated blood function on the estimation of the kinetic parameters is not studied. In this paper, we present a method to compute the error in the kinetic parameter estimates caused by the error in the blood input function. Computer simulations show that analytical expressions we derive are sufficiently close to results obtained fromnumerical methods. Our findings are important to observe the effect of the blood function on kinetic parameter estimation, but also useful to evaluate various blind methods and observe the dependence of kinetic parameter estimates to certain parts of the blood function.
Preparation of Dendrimer-Encapsulated Metal Nanoparticles Using Organic Solvents

Preparation of dendrimer-encapsulated metal nanoparticles (DEMNs) within amphiphilic dendrimers in an organic solvent is reported. The important new result is that metal ion encapsulation is driven by solubility differences between the metal salt in solution and the dendrimer interior. This contrasts with previous studies, which have relied on specific interactions between metal ions and ligands within the dendrimer interior to drive encapsulation. This new approach makes it possible to prepare relatively large DEMNs. Both Cu and Pd DEMNs have been prepared and the latter are shown to be catalytically active for hydrogenation reactions.
Concept formation and art: Further evidence on the applicability of Walk’s technique

The Ss viewed five sets of slides, each set consisting of a different painting by each of the following artists: Picasso, Braque, Leger, Morandi, and Carra. Each set of five slides was presented four times. On the initial presentation S had to guess the name of the artist of each painting. On the next three presentations the E supplied the artist’s name for each painting. The percentage of correct classifications on the initial (test) presentations increased progressively from 17% on the first set of paintings to 60% on the fifth set.
Quantitative amino acid compositions at the picomole level using fluorescence scanning

Abstract Simple techniques are described for quantitating dansyl amino acids by direct fluoresence scanning and by photo-copying and densitometry. This technique is accurate between 1.0 to 10 × 10 −12 moles with a lower limit of detection around 1 × 10 −14 moles. It is possible to obtain amino acid compositions on very small quantities of peptides and it seems likely that this method will be useful for automatic peptide sequenators which use subtractive dansyl-Edman degradation as a detection procedure.
The 1970s Tamil cinema and the post-classical turn

This paper explores the way significant Tamil films of the 1970s were distinct from most of the films made by and largely in the major Madras studios – Modern Theaters, AVM, Gemini, and Vijaya-Vauhini – during the earlier decades. It interrogates the seminal moment in the history of Tamil cinema when films such as Aval Appadiththan (1978), Agraharathil Kazhuthai (1978), 16 Vayathiniley (1977) and Uthirippookkal (1979), marked by ambiguous and dark protagonists, avoidance of cliched and cathartic closures, experiments in cinematography and editing, and shooting on locations and new subjectivity, signaled the transition of Tamil cinema from the classical period of the studio system to the post-classical. All these films epitomize a unique period punctuated by the changing power of studios and stars and dramatic changes in technology.