cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monozygotic twins and triplets in association with blastocyst transfer.

Purpose: To compare the incidence of monozygotic twins following blastocyst versus day-3 embryo transfer (ET). Methods: A retrospective analysis of the outcome of assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles utilizing blastocyst ET during 1999–2000 was compared to a similar group of patients undergoing day-3 ET during 1997–1998. Results: Blastocyst ET was used in 75 cycles with 2.0 ± 2 embryos transferred. The comparison group consisted of 90 cycles with day-3 ET and 3.0 ± 2 embryos transferred. Conclusions: High pregnancy rates are maintained with blastocyst ET even though fewer embryos are transferred. The rate of monozygotic twins is higher with blastocyst ET than with day-3 ET. This increase may partially negate the benefit of reduced high-order multiple gestations attributed to blastocyst ET.
Spatial analysis of Schistosomiasis in Hubei Province, China: a GIS-based analysis of Schistosomiasis from 2009 to 2013.

Background Schistosomiasis remains a major public health problem in China. The major endemic areas are located in the lake and marshland regions of southern China, particularly in areas along the middle and low reach of the Yangtze River. Spatial analytical techniques are often used in epidemiology to identify spatial clusters in disease regions. This study assesses the spatial distribution of schistosomiasis and explores high-risk regions in Hubei Province, China to provide guidance on schistosomiasis control in marshland regions. Methods In this study, spatial autocorrelation methodologies, including global Moran’s I and local Getis–Ord statistics, were utilized to describe and map spatial clusters and areas where human Schistosoma japonicum infection is prevalent at the county level in Hubei province. In addition, linear logistic regression model was used to determine the characteristics of spatial autocorrelation with time. Results The infection rates of S. japonicum decreased from 2009 to 2013. The global autocorrelation analysis results on the infection rate of S. japonicum for five years showed statistical significance (Moran’s I > 0, P < 0.01), which suggested that spatial clusters were present in the distribution of S. japonicum infection from 2009 to 2013. Local autocorrelation analysis results showed that the number of highly aggregated areas ranged from eight to eleven within the five-year analysis period. The highly aggregated areas were mainly distributed in eight counties. Conclusions The spatial distribution of human S. japonicum infections did not exhibit a temporal change at the county level in Hubei Province. The risk factors that influence human S. japonicum transmission may not have changed after achieving the national criterion of infection control. The findings indicated that spatial–temporal surveillance of S. japonicum transmission plays a significant role on schistosomiasis control. Timely and integrated prevention should be continued, especially in the Yangtze River Basin of Jianghan Plain area.
Synthesis of new rigid rod helical polymers through the living polymerization of carbodiimides using titanium(IV) complexes

Restricting the conformational degrees of freedom within a polymer's backbone can have the effect of extending the chain and endow the material with a number of interesting properties including high modulus and strength, chirality, and liquid crystallinity. Synthetic routes into rodlike polymers usually involve step growth processes, and consequently, it is often difficult to synthesize these materials with high molecular weights and impossible to obtain narrow polydispersities. In order to access materials with these attributes, the authors have been interested in developing living, chain growth routes into extended chain polymers. In particular, they have focused on living routes into polyisocyanides with bulky imine substituents that adopt 4/1 helices and alkyl polyisocyanates that adopt 8/3 helical conformations. Although both helical, polyisocyanides and polyisocyanates have widely different conformational and rheological properties because of differences in their respective helix inversion barriers and persistence lengths. For various applications, the authors have been interested in designing systems possessing the persistence lengths of polyisocyanates but with inversion barriers approaching those observed for polyisocyanides. Their conceptual approach to this problem was to replace the carbonyl group in the polyisocyanate backbone with the more sterically demanding imine group of a polyisocyanide.
Vertical connection of carbon nanotubes to silicon at room temperature using a chemical route

The vertical connection of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to silicon based on a chemical route at room temperature has been realized, using polyethylenimine (PEI) as a binding material between them. Chemical hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction between PEI, CNTs, and silicon effectively connect the CNTs to silicon. In this process, CNTs always keep their pristine structure and shape, so the unique physical properties of CNTs are maintained. Electric transport at this junction shows a tunneling behavior, which verifies PEI as a molecular link between CNT tips and the silicon. Control of both interaction and surface termination of the materials at the molecular level allows us to bind the CNTs to the silicon surface without modifying the properties of either.
Using the algebra of aggression in forensic practice

A conceptual framework for the analysis of aggressive behaviour is described that takes into account both psychological and physiological determinants as well as both personal and situational factors. The system should assist forensic practitioners in making diagnostic and predictive assessments of violent offenders and in formulating individual management and treatment plans.
Photoreactivity of expanding monomers and epoxy-based matrix resin systems

The relative photoreactivity of five expanding monomers (EMs) in homopolymerization, and as comonomers in a candidate low shrinkage dental matrix resin, were evaluated. The EMs were 2,8-dimethyl-1,5,7,11-tetraoxaspiro[5.5]undecane (DM-TOSU); 3,9-diethyl-3,9-dipropionyloxymethyl-1,5,7,11-tetraoxaspiro[5.5]undecane (DEDPM-TOSU); 1,3-dioxane-2-one (DOO); 4-methyl-1,3-dioxane-2-one (M-DOO); and 5,5-diethyl-1,3-dioxane-2-thione (DE-DOT). The candidate low shrinkage resin system was an 80/20 mixture of UVR-6105 epoxide/polytetrahydrofuran (Mn ≈ 250). All reaction mixtures contained a diaryliodonium salt as a photoinitiator and camphorquinone as photosensitizer. Reactivities were evaluated using photodifferential scanning calorimetry. For homopolymerizations, the reactivity ranking (based on time to exotherm peak and total enthalpy) was DE-DOT ≫ DM-TOSU > DOO > M-DOO ≥ DEDPM-TOSU. In the comonomer system, the reactivity ranking was M-DOO > DEDPM- TOSU > DM-TOSU > DOO ≥ DE-DOT. This experimental work was substantiated and extended by molecular modeling studies employing the AM1 semiempirical method. Heats of formation of protonated EM structures, and heats of formation and potential energies of possible polymerization pathways were estimated. The relative reactivities of EM-based polymerization systems are related to chemical structure and the dominance of the most favored reaction mechanism. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1715–1724, 2000
Protein kinase C (PKC) regulates contractility of myometrium from pregnant women

PREGNANT WOMEN VICTOR FOMIN, ANDRIS KRONBERGS, MATTHEW HOFFMAN, University of Delaware, Biological Sciences, Newark, Delaware, Christiana Hospital, Newark, Delaware OBJECTIVE: Prematurity is one of the most significant problems of human pregnancy. According to the March of Dimes, the rate of premature birth increased between 1981 and 2003 by 30% (from 9.4 to 12.3%). A detailed knowledge of the mechanisms of uterine contraction can help to improve clinical control of abnormal uterine function and reverse this trend. Important regulator of smooth muscle contraction is protein kinase C (PKC). However, the role of PKC in uterine (myometrial) contraction remains unclear. This study was designed to investigate an effect of PKC on contraction and intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]i) in myometrium from term pregnant women. STUDY DESIGN: The myometrial samples were obtained at the time of cesarean section surgery according to the protocol approved by Christiana Hospital and University of Delaware IRB Committees. The isometric contraction (tension) and [Ca]i were measured simultaneously in fura-2 loaded myometrial strips. RESULTS: The PKC activation with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) increased tonic contraction time and dosedependently reaching maximum after 2hrs at 10 -6M with no effect on [Ca]i. PDBu first potentiated KCl(50mM) contractile responses followed by their inhibition after 1 hr incubation with no effect on the amplitude of the [Ca]i response. PKCalpha inhibitor Go6976 decreased the PDBu effect on the tonic contraction. The depletion of PKCalpha protein with the specific antisense oligonucleotide decreased the KCl-induced contractile and [Ca]i responses. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that PKC regulates uterine contraction through different signaling pathways. First, PKC (possibly PKCalpha) stimulates KCl-induced contractile responses followed by their inhibition due to yet to be determined mechanisms. PKC also induces myometrial tonic contraction without changes in [Ca]i. (Supported by NIH R55 HD45802).
Inventory models with inventory-level-dependent demand: A comprehensive review and unifying theory

Marketing researchers and practitioners have long recognized the demand of many retail items is proportional to the amount of inventory displayed. Recently, two distinct types of inventory control models reflecting this relationship have appeared in the literature, models in which the demand rate of an item is a function of the initial inventory level and those in which it is dependent on the instantaneous inventory level. We present a comprehensive overview of this literature and demonstrate the equivalence of the two types of models through the use of a simple, periodic-review model. An alternative approach to sensitivity analysis for inventory models with inventory-level-dependent demand is also presented.
Detail-preserving adaptive conditional median filters

We propose a conditional median filter that is able to preserve significantly more image detail than the conventional median filter when suppression of impulsive noise is desired. It does so by means of bypassing filtering when the local signal variation is below an adaptively adjusted threshold. Another advantage of our algorithm is that it is simple to implement and it can be used with any of the available fast median filter algorithms. In addition, it can be easily integrated into existing median filter hardware. We compare the complexity of our algorithm with that of another proposed algorithm with similar filtering objectives. The performance of the new algorithm on real images is compared to that of median and center-weighted median filters.
Foucault and ancient polizei: a genealogy of the military pastorate

While Foucault claimed that biopower, as a form of political pastorate, did not exist in ancient Greece, he did take the view, following Hegel, that the ancient ‘ethical community’ [sittlichkeit] constituted a kind of ‘political technology of the individual’, an ancient form of ‘police’. In this paper, I trace Foucault’s conception of ‘police’ in his Tanner Lectures to Hegel’s analysis of politeia as the origin of the modern polizei. Through an examination of politeia in ancient political and military literature, I uncover a military–pastoral technology, founded on the relation not between shepherd–flock, but between leader [hegemon] and follower [epistatae]. I suggest two forms that a military–pastoral technology has taken shape, both in the politeia of the Spartans and in the early American Republic. This line of inquiry, I conclude, would not only suggest that a political pastorate existed in ancient Greece, but would also force us to re-consider modern forms of ‘police’ through the lens of a military–...
Fast Fourier Transforms for Wreath Products

Abstract In this paper fast Fourier transform algorithms (FFTs) are constructed for wreath products of the form G[Sn]. Examples of interest include the hyperoctahedral groups Bn (the symmetry groups of the n-cube) as well as more generally A[Sn] for any abelian groups A and also the full wreath products Sm[Sn] and their iterates, often identified as automorphism groups of spherically homogeneous rooted trees. In general, direct computation of the discrete Fourier transform for any finite group H requires |H|2 operations. The algorithms presented in this paper provide substantial speed-ups for general wreath products G[Sn], which for the particular examples mentioned above reduce the |H|2 bound to O(|H| log4 |H|). Thus new classes of finite groups of close to minimal linear complexity are obtained. Applications to data analysis, signal processing and molecular spectroscopy are discussed.
Applying western organization development in China: lessons from a case of success

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore a successful case of a Chinese state‐owned enterprise (SOE) as it applied western organization development (OD) approaches. Specifically, this study seeks to answer two questions: How has western organization development and change (OD/C) been applied in one Chinese SOE? and What lessons can be learned from this successful case?Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a single case design to gain an in‐depth understanding. The case study is the methodology when the focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within a real‐life context.Findings – The findings reveal that the organization successfully uses a number of western OD techniques in creating a shared vision, establishing a performance‐based human resource management system, and standardizing budgetary and cost control procedures. The success of the company's change effort is largely attributed to leadership, standardization of management systems, commitment to learning and training, and partnershi...
Where did all the benches go? The effects of mall kiosks on perceived retail crowding

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how density conditions caused by multiple kiosks in shopping mall walkways affect shoppers' shopping outcomes based on psychological reactance theory and behavioural constraint theory.Design/methodology/approach – The experiment uses a one‐factor between‐subjects design with two levels of density conditions (high vs low). A total of 382 respondents participated.Findings – The findings of this paper indicate that respondents perceive the environment with kiosks as crowded and this perception of crowdedness negatively affects their approach behaviour, leading to lower intentions to patronise.Practical implications – Findings provide practical information to mall managers by indicating that kiosks within a shopping mall negatively affect shopper patronage and approach intentions. Thus, mall managers need to pay more attention to the environmental atmospherics of the mall itself.Originality/value – The paper is the first empirical research which examines how kiosks wit...
Ovarian regulation of cyclic changes in size and activity of corpus allatum cells in Blattella germanica

The roles of the ovary and egg case in the regulation of the development and activity of the corpora allata were studied in Blattella germanica adult females. The corpora allata of ovariectomized females exhibit a delayed pattern of development and activity compared with intact females. Implantation of a young ovary into ovariectomized females resulted in a faster activation of the corpora allata to the same peak juvenile hormone biosynthetic rates exhibited by intact females. Injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone caused transient declines in both the activity and the size of corpus allatum cells. Insertion of a waxed egg case into the genital atrium of ovariectomized females, with or without injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone, mimicked the 21-day pregnancy in intact females and caused corpus allatum cells to become small and inactive. The size and activity of corpus allatum cells increased again when the inserted egg case was removed manually or had been carried by the ovariectomized female for more than 3 weeks. In both intact and ovariectomized females, the activity of the corpora allata, as measured by the spontaneous and farnesoic acid-stimulated rates of juvenile hormone biosynthesis, and corpus allatum development, as reflected by the size of cells, always exhibited the same patterns and responded concurrently to the various ovarian factors. These results indicate that ovarian factors, both stimulatory and inhibitory, regulate juvenile hormone production mainly by inducing changes in the cellular machinery rather than in rate-limiting enzymes.
pCO 2 in Sea Water and its Effect on the Movement of CO 2 in Nature

A method is described for measuring pCO 2 in sea water. A gas phase is analyzed continuously by infrared absorption for CO 2 while it is equilibrated gently with the water in a countercurrent column. It has been used to determine the changes in pCO 2 produced by variations of temperature and total CO 2 . Partial pressure shows large changes for small increments in these two independant variables. These properties of sea water are useful in estimating the movement of CO 2 between the atmosphere and oceans. It appears, for instance, that most of the fossil fuel CO 2 released by man has been effective in increasing the percentage of this gas in air. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1960.tb01302.x
Cross-layer modeling of adaptive wireless links for QoS support in heterogeneous wired-wireless networks

Future wired-wireless multimedia networks require diverse quality-of-service (QoS) support. To this end, it is essential to rely on QoS metrics pertinent to wireless links. In this paper, we develop a cross-layer model for adaptive wireless links, which enables derivation of the desired QoS metrics analytically from the typical wireless parameters across the hardware-radio layer, the physical layer and the data link layer. We illustrate the advantages of our model: generality, simplicity, scalability and backward compatibility. Finally, we outline its applications to power control, TCP, UDP and bandwidth scheduling in wireless networks.
The effect of stress whitening on moisture diffusion in thermosetting polymers

Abstract The effects of stress whitening on the moisture diffusion rate and concentration in a polymer adhesive containing a secondary phase were investigated. This was accomplished by performing an absorption test on both stress whitened and virgin samples of the bulk adhesive and comparing the rate and amount of moisture diffusion in each. The presence of stress whitening in samples was not only observed visually, but also confirmed analytically using the “Bilinear RAMOD-2” equation. Experimental results reveal that visibly-present stress whitening resulting from fracture does indeed affect the rate and amount of moisture absorption in a polymer adhesive. Consequently, a diffusion model representing two different regions, stress-whitened and non-stress-whitened, is proposed for path of diffusion in polymer adhesives.
Use of the ADAMTS13 Activity Assay Improved the Accuracy and Efficiency of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Suspected Acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Context.—Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (A-TTP) is a rare but significant disease requiring rapid diagnosis and treatment. The diagnosis is often difficult because of variability in the presence of specific clinical criteria. The primary etiology of A-TTP involves inhibitors directed against ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13). Literature has shown that the ADAMTS13 activity assay is sensitive and specific for identifying cases of A-TTP, and application of this test as an on-site screening method has not been fully explored. Objective.—Our objective is to determine if the ADAMTS13 activity assay can be used as a successful, on-site diagnostic modality to rapidly identify cases of A-TTP and prevent unnecessary use of prophylactic therapeutic plasma exchange. Design.—A retrospective analysis was performed including 152 patients with clinically suspected A-TTP, screened using the ADAMTS13 activity assay. Results were correlated with poten...
An improved model for the disking process

Abstract The disking process is an alternative to diamond-sawing for the cutting of brittle rods and bars. Disking involves positioning a pre-cracked, brittle cylindrical rod snug inside an elastic, annular sheath and subjecting the composite to biaxial fluid pressure. At a critical pressure the crack runs across the section of the rod producing a clean cut. A model that considers the influence of the interface between the rod and the sheath is presented here for predicting fracture pressures. The model is based on linear-elastic-fracture-mechanics. A concentric circular cylinders model is assumed with the flaw modeled as an annular crack perpendicular to the interface. The bond at the interface is considered to be imperfect and is represented by distributed shear springs. Stress intensity factors at the crack tip are determined as a function of material, interface, and geometrical parameters. Analytical results indicate that the shear stiffness of the interface strongly influences the stress intensity factors and consequently the fracture pressures. These analytical results compare favorably with experimentally determined fracture pressures.
Persistent effects of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate: possible implication of vesicle traffic.

Relative to their normal counterparts, transformed epithelial cells have a distinctive and quantifiable three-dimensional shape. Biophysical and mathematical methods are used to distinguish these extremes in cells from two lines, cultured from rat liver and tracheal epithelium, respectively. Cells adopted a more transformed-looking configuration transiently when exposed to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) (Plummer and Heckman, [1990] Exp. Cell Res., 188:66–74). The purpose of the present work was to dissect the physiological processes involved in the shape change. Ruffling activity, known to be PMA-stimulated in other cells, was investigated. Although the ruffles appeared less robust than normal, PMA stimulated ruffling activity over a 5 h period. The number of sites where ruffling was initiated declined by 5 h, however, and suppression was seen by 10 h. Cells from both lines adopted the transformed shape configuration when exposed for 2 h to monensin. When the subset of shape features changed by this treatment was compared with those originally changed during transformation, it was found that monensin-treated cells mimicked the features of transformed cells. Its effect on ruffling was, however, unlike PMA's. Thus, the phenotype was unlikely to arise from ruffling itself but might be a process driven by ruffling. Chloroquine also stimulated cells to assume characteristics of transformed cells. Since both it and monensin could interfere with endosomes and with the processing of endocytosed contents, this was a likely site of action. Experiments were done to determine whether PMA also affected the processing of extracellular fluids. When the accumulation of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was measured, the rate was found to be higher in PMA-treated cells from 5 min, the earliest time assayed, onward. The results suggest that the transformed type of cell in these cell lines showed a constitutive dilation and/or reorganization of some portion of the endosomal pathway. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in Older Rural Couples: The Impact of Work, Stress and Health

PURPOSE: Older farmers experience a high rate of suicide, and depression is closely aligned with suicide among agricultural workers. Depressive symptoms may be influenced by work patterns, work satisfaction, stress, and health status. In addition, members of a couple may affect each other's depressive symptoms. The purpose was to determine whether depressive symptoms score is predicted by hours worked on the farm, satisfaction with work, number of health conditions, perceived stress, and demographics in a sample of older farm couples, and to assess the degree of influence on depressive symptoms spouses have on each other. METHODS: A total of 494 couples participated in the initial interview for a longitudinal study of farmers aged 50 and above. Data from husbands and wives were used together in a multilevel, dyad-based regression model to determine predictors of depressive symptoms. FINDINGS: Men's depressive symptoms scores were predicted by their own number of health conditions and stress and by their wives' stress and health conditions. Women's depressive symptoms scores were predicted by their own work satisfaction, stress, and number of health conditions and their husbands' time spent working on the farm and stress. CONCLUSIONS: Stress management may be particularly important in older farm couples, since perceived duress of 1 member of the dyad impacts both. Work factors and health conditions also affect depressive symptoms in older rural couples, but these may be less easily modified. Language: en
Further results in likelihood classification of QAM signals

Maximum likelihood decision theory is applied to the problem of classification of quadrature-modulated digital communication signals. Several aspects of the existing low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) results are extended to the moderate and high SNR environments. An approximate probability density function (PDF) for the single-term approximation to the average log-likelihood-ratio (ALLR) which is valid at all SNR values is presented and its superior accuracy, compared to the low SNR pdf, is verified via computer simulation. Computer simulation is also used to show that multiple-term approximations to the ALLR may provide significant performance gains relative to their individual terms. A simple, practical method for setting the threshold of the ALLR test is presented and it is shown, through simulation, that little performance degradation is suffered relative to the optimal setting, which is difficult to determine analytically in most cases. True signal pre-processing techniques are also presented, and it is demonstrated that their use significantly improves the robustness of the classification algorithms for phase-shift-keying signals in frequency-uncertain environments. >
Generalization of figure-ground segmentation from binocular to monocular vision in an embodied biological brain model

Monocular figure-ground segmentation is an important problem in the field of Artificial General Intelligence. A solution to this problem will unlock vast sets of training data, such as Google Images, in which salient objects of interest are situated against complex backgrounds. In order to gain traction on the figure-ground problem we enhanced the Leabra Vision (LVis) model, which is our state-of-the-art model of 3D invariant object recognition [8], such that it can continue to recognize objects against cluttered backgrounds that, while simple, are complex enough to substantially hurt object recognition performance. The principle of operation of the network is that it learns to use a low resolution view of the scene in which high spatial frequency information such as the background falls out of focus in order to predict which aspects of the high resolution scene are the figure. This filtered view then serves to enhance the figure in the input stages of LVis and substantially improves object recognition performance against cluttered backgrounds.
Is there a third way? A response to Giddens's the Third Way.

Since the early 1990s, there has been in the United Kingdom and the United States a new political position referred to as the Third Way that claims to be intermediate between neoliberalism and social democracy, transcending both. This new position represented by the Clinton administration in the United States and the Blair Government in the United Kingdom, assumes that both social democracy and neoliberalism are obsolete and calls instead for a new set of public policies that are defined as the Third Way. This article analyzes the most detailed account of the Third Way in the English-speaking world, written by Professor Giddens. It shows that Giddens stereotypes both the neoliberal and the social democratic positions to an unrecognizable degree, failing to portray the varieties of social democratic policies in existence today in developed capitalist countries. The author shows how the Third Way is merely a recycling of liberal positions in some social policy areas and Christian democratic positions in others. Where the Third Way intends to be innovative--as in the U.K. New Deal program--the programs are pale copies of successful labor market policies carried out by northern European social democratic parties. The author concludes that the Third Way, with its questioning of the universalistic welfare state and its preference for assistential and means-tested programs, signifies a break with the social democratic tradition, transforming it into a hybrid between Christian democracy and neoliberalism.
Dynamic response of thermal data capture unit

The dynamic response of a thermal data capture unit is calculated for a given missile flight test environment. Power spectral densities calculated from the analytical model were compared with the experimental results. Maximum peak displacements were used to calculate clearances required during the installation phase of system assembly.
Glucose-Lowering Effect of Insulin by Different Routes in Obese and Lean Nonketotic Diabetic Patients

The absorption of insulin and its glucose-lowering effect were compared after the administration of crystalline insulin by sc, im, and iv routes in 29 obese and 10 lean nonketotic diabetic patients, none of whom had consciously received insulin previously. Each of the patients received insulin in a dose of 0.1 U/kg BW by the im, sc, and iv routes in a randomized fashion on 3 different days. Plasma glucose, immunoreactive insulin (IRI), and immunoreactive glucagon (IRG) were measured at intervals over the first 4 h. The t1/2 (mean +/- SEM) after iv administration of insulin in obese and lean diabetics was, respectively, 5.3 +/- 0.2 and 4.8 +/- 0.4 min; these were not significantly different. Intravenous injection produced its highest level of IRI in 2 min in both groups. Thereafter, a rapid drop was observed with return to the basal level by 90 min. Equivalent amounts of im and sc insulin produced a maximal increase in plasma IRI at 60 min in both groups. Plasma IRI after iv insulin injection was significantly higher than after sc and im insulin injections at 10 and 20 min (P less than 0.001) and significantly lower than the im and sc groups at 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, and 240 min (P less than 0.001). After iv insulin, plasma glucose at 30, 40, 50, and 60 min was significantly lower than after im and sc insulin (P less than 0.001), but over the 4-h study period, the glucose-lowering effect and the area under the curves for glucose response to IRI by the three routes were the same in both lean and obese diabetic subjects. The mean basal IRI in lean patients was 18 +/- 4 microU/ml, which was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) than in obese patients (26 +/- 2 microU/ml). No significant difference was observed in fasting IRG in lean (96 +/- 12 pg/ml) vs. obese (108 +/- 10 pg/ml) patients. No significant increase in IRG was noted with equivalent amounts of sc, im, and iv injection in the lean and obese patients. These studies demonstrated that although iv injection of insulin produces a more rapid initial decline in plasma glucose, the overall glucose-lowering effect by insulin given iv, im or sc is similar in nonketotic lean or obese diabetic subjects.
A review of the safety and efficacy of acarbose in diabetes mellitus.

Acarbose is a novel oral antihyperglycemic agent approved for the treatment of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. It inhibits α-glucosidases in the small intestine, an action that delays the digestion and absorption of complex carbohydrates. Subsequently, there is a smaller rise in the postprandial plasma glucose levels and an overall decrease in the glycosylated hemoglobin by 0.5-1.0%. Potential advantages of acarbose include a greater effectiveness in controlling postprandial hyperglycemia, a low risk of hypoglycemia, and a possible delay in initiating insulin therapy. Acarbose can potentiate the hypoglycemic effects of sulfonylureas or insulin. It has not been associated with weight gain and hyperinsulinemia, both of which can occur with sulfonylureas or insulin. Gastrointestinal adverse effects are common with acarbose, and may decrease with continued treatment. Although rare, elevated serum transaminase levels have been reported.
Free amino acid content of chicken muscle from broilers and hens.

SUMMARY Free amino acid analyses were conducted on 24 muscle tissue samples of chicken, both young and old, fresh and aged, in an attempt to show some properties or constituents of the meat which might he related to quality factors, such as tenderness. In general, ammonia nitrogen remained fairly constant throughout the study. Storage resulted in increases in free amino acids, with proline being a major exception. Light meat showed less free amino acids than dark meat, with major exceptions being lysine and histidine. In most cases, broilers had more free amino acids than hens. Taurine concentration was much higher in the dark meat of both broilers and hens. No relation was found between tenderness and the general pattern of free amino acid concentration or between tenderness and the concentration of any single free amino acid.
What is the Representational Theory of Thinking?: A Comment on William G. Lycan

Commentaire de la these entierement empirique du representationnalisme de la pensee presentee par W.G. Lycan
Indexing into controlled vocabularies with XML

This paper presents an architecture to place index references from control vocabularies into XML documents. This provides three advantages currently not present in XML: the ability to simplify the writing of complex document type definitions that refer to control vocabularies, the ability to write XML documents with better indexing, and better retrieval of XML documents.
Classification of subtype of acute ischemic stroke. Definitions for use in a multicenter clinical trial. TOAST. Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment

The etiology of ischemic stroke affects prognosis, outcome, and management. Trials of therapies for patients with acute stroke should include measurements of responses as influenced by subtype of ischemic stroke. A system for categorization of subtypes of ischemic stroke mainly based on etiology has been developed for the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST). A classification of subtypes was prepared using clinical features and the results of ancillary diagnostic studies. "Possible" and "probable" diagnoses can be made based on the physician9s certainty of diagnosis. The usefulness and interrater agreement of the classification were tested by two neurologists who had not participated in the writing of the criteria. The neurologists independently used the TOAST classification system in their bedside evaluation of 20 patients, first based only on clinical features and then after reviewing the results of diagnostic tests. The TOAST classification denotes five subtypes of ischemic stroke: 1) large-artery atherosclerosis, 2) cardioembolism, 3) small-vessel occlusion, 4) stroke of other determined etiology, and 5) stroke of undetermined etiology. Using this rating system, interphysician agreement was very high. The two physicians disagreed in only one patient. They were both able to reach a specific etiologic diagnosis in 11 patients, whereas the cause of stroke was not determined in nine. The TOAST stroke subtype classification system is easy to use and has good interobserver agreement. This system should allow investigators to report responses to treatment among important subgroups of patients with ischemic stroke. Clinical trials testing treatments for acute ischemic stroke should include similar methods to diagnose subtypes of stroke.
The dominant role of psychosocial risk factors in the development of chronic low back pain disability

Study design An inception cohort design was used in which 421 patients were evaluated systematically with a standard battery of psychosocial assessment tests (Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Diagnosis, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, and Million Visual Pain Analog Scale) within 6 weeks of acute back pain onset. Objectives The present study evaluated the predictive power of a comprehensive assessment of psychosocial and personality factors in identifying acute low back pain patients who subsequently develop chronic pain disability problems (as measured by job-work status at 1-year follow-up evaluation). Summary of background data There has been a relative paucity of prospective research in the United States comprehensively evaluating potential psychosocial risk factors that are associated with those injured workers who subsequently fail to return to work and productivity after 1 year because of low back pain disability. Such research has been quite limited because of the time and cost involved in conducting prospective studies. Methods All study patients were symptomatic with lumbar pain syndrome for no more than 6 weeks. These acute patients were tracked every 3 months, culminating in a structured telephone interview being conducted 1 year after the initial evaluation to document return-to-work status. Results Logistic regression analyses, conducted to differentiate between patients who were back at work after 1 year versus patients who were not because of the original back injury, revealed the importance of three psychosocial measures: self-reported pain and disability, scores on Scale 3 of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, and workers' compensation and personal injury insurance status. The model generated correctly classified 90.7% of the cases. Results revealed that major psychopathology, such as depression and substance abuse, did not precede or cause the development chronic pain disability. Conclusions These results show the presence of a robust "psychosocial disability factor" that is associated with those injured workers who are likely to develop chronic low back pain disability problems. Based on these data, a statistical algorithm has been generated that can identify those acute patients who will require early intervention to prevent the development of chronic disability. The second major result is that preinjury or concomitant psychopathology does not appear to predispose patients to chronic pain disability, although high rates of psychopathology have been shown in chronic low back pain. Future research should be directed at emotional vulnerability and psychosocial events in the period after the injury that may lead to chronicity.
Soil fungal community assembly in a primary successional glacier forefront ecosystem as inferred from rDNA sequence analyses

Summary • Soil fungal community assembly in nonvegetated areas on the forefront of a receding glacier was analyzed by cloning of the PCR-amplified partial small subunit (18S) of the ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) from soil DNA samples. • Fungal sequences obtained from areas adjacent to the present glacier terminus (young substrate) represented three fungal phyla, whereas those obtained adjacent to the terminal moraine (old substrate) were distributed among Ascomycetes and Hymenomycetes. The cloned sequences from both substrates represented mainly filamentous ascomycetes or basidiomycetes with a likely affinity to Agaricales. Unexpected biotrophic fungi with affinities to Taphrinomycetes, Urediniomycetes (the rust fungi) and Ustilaginomycetes (the smut fungi) plus an unknown, likely chytridiomycetous group were detected exclusively in the young substrates. • These observations of biotrophic fungi are attributed to an aerially deposited, dormant spore bank, which may also be present in the older substrate but is masked by larger active mycelial biomass. • This study underlines the importance of stochastic events and airborne spore deposition in the assembly of early fungal communities.
Increased amino acid supply potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion but does not increase β-cell mass in fetal sheep

Amino acids and glucose acutely stimulate fetal insulin secretion. In isolated adult pancreatic islets, amino acids potentiate glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), but whether amino acids h...
Inkjet-printed silver nanoparticle arrays for dental applications

This work discusses the effect of inkjet-printed silver nanoparticle (SNP) arrays on oral bacteria found in saliva in order to determine their potential as a possible path of infection prevention on oral implants and devices. A piezoelectric inkjet printer (FUJIFILM Dimatix) was used to print an aqueous solution of 0.6 wt% SNPs. Tests were performed by growing oral biofilms from saliva using tryptic soy broth (TSB) under static conditions using a 12-well plate. Oral biofilm was grown from saliva on both printed and blank pieces of titanium (Ti) alloy (TiAl6V4; Stryker) contained in 12-well plates. These were then analyzed using crystal violet (CV) and fluorescent live/dead stains followed by imaging by stereo and confocal microscopes, respectively. While there was no significant difference in the ratio of live to dead bacteria present on the Ti alloy pieces, the difference in thickness of biofilm was twofold. The CV stained biofilm images taken using the stereo microscope were analyzed using ImageJ software. A one-way ANOVA test showed a statistically significant difference (p &#60; 0.05) in biofilm coverage on the Ti alloy sample between the printed and blank areas. Within the unprinted areas there was an average of 97.8% biofilm coverage, while in the area of the micropattern there was only 87.5% biofilm coverage.
Somatosensory thalamocortical connections in the racoon: An HRP study

In the North American raccoon (Procyon lotor), representations of the glabrous surfaces of the hand digits are found within separate subnuclei of the thalamic ventrobasal complex (VB) and on separate subgyri of the somatosensory cortex (SmI). In the present study, the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase from SmI to VB was utilized to study relationships between physiologically identified cortical subgyri and somatotopically corresponding thalamic subnuclei. Single large or multiple small injections confined to a single gyral crown led to retrograde labeling of large groupings of cells filling the entire VB subnucleus for the appropriate digit. In the aggregate, the regions of label appeared as thin, wedge-shaped sheets extended in the dorsoventral and anteroposterior dimensions, but flattened mediolaterally, and curving to form a laterally directed convexity; these appear to correspond to the lamellae of monkey VB described by others. These large injections led to labeling of approximately 80% of all large (18-30-micron diameter) cells within the lamella. Single, small, focal injections of a gyral crown led to variable amounts of labeling, ranging from an entire digital lamella to only a small focal cluster of cells. No evidence was obtained for the existence of anteroposteriorly extending "rods" of cells, as reported in primates. Finally, there was a sparse, but consistent labeling of cells of the posterior nuclear group (Po) following gyral crown injections. These results are in agreement with expectations based on prior electrophysiological studies of raccoon VB and SmI, as well as prior anatomical studies of thalamocortical relationships.
Creating an interdisciplinary medical home for survivors of human trafficking.

Health care providers play an important role in identifying victims of human trafficking and addressing their unique medical needs. In response to a recently published call to action in Obstetrics & Gynecology, an interdisciplinary medical home has been created in central Texas to serve as a model for delivery of care to survivors of human trafficking that is sensitive to their history of trauma, or "trauma-informed." An overview of the topic is provided along with a description of the stakeholders involved and the steps that were taken to create the clinic. This information is presented with the intention of educating health care providers on the long-term medical needs of survivors and on how they can establish a similar clinic in other parts of the country. Language: en
Brief Communication: DNA from Early Holocene American Dog

We present the oldest genetically identified dog in the Americas, directly dated to 9,260±170 Cal. B.P. The DNA was extracted from an occipital condyle imbedded in a human paleofecal sample from Hinds Cave in southwest Texas. A 368 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial genome control region was sequenced. These data were analyzed with comparable data, which included other ancient dogs and extant dogs, wolves and coyotes from around the world. Compiled with published data, our results characterize ancient American dogs within clades rooted by Eurasian wolves. In the Americas, these data provide no evidence of local interbreeding with wolves. This is a departure from the genetic pattern in other areas of the world where interbreeding with local wolf populations is apparent. Our discovery of domestic dog bone in a human paleofecal sample provides the earliest direct evidence for human consumption of dogs in the New World. These data support the hypothesis that dogs were a food source for early Paleoamericans.
Inverter for use with very low input voltages

A CONTINUING impetus to advance the technology of static energy-conversion methods is being provided by the demands of our and other nations' rapidly expanding programs of space exploration. Not only the various environmental considerations, but more particularly, the stringent reliability requirements serve to justify the considerable research effort being direct toward the development of static methods for the generation and processing of electric energy for spacecraft.