cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rates of catabolism calculated from 14CO2 production: artifacts and realities.

We present evidence that the metabolism of acetate and ethanol by the liver markedly decreases the yield of label from mitochondrial [14C]acetyl-CoA to 14CO2. The production of [14C]acetyl-CoA from a [14C] labeled substrate can be calculated from the production of 14CO2 if one assesses (1) 14CO2 reincorporation and (2) the yield of label from [14C]acetyl-CoA to CO2.
Husserl's Theory of the Phenomenological Reduction: Between Life-world and Cartesianism

This essay attempts a renewed, critical exposition of Husserl's theory of the phenomenological reduction, incorporating manuscript material that has been published since the defining essays of the first generation of Husserl research. The discussion focuses on points that remain especially crucial, i.e., the concept of the natural attitude, the ways into the reduction (and their systematics), and finally the question of the "meaning of the reduction." Indeed, in the reading attempted here, this final question leads to two, not necessarily related, focal points: a Cartesian and a Life-world tendency. It is my claim that in following these two paths, Husserl was consistent in pursuing two evident leads in his philosophical enterprise; however, he was at the same time unable to systematically unify these two strands. Thus, I am offering an interpretation which might be called a modified "departure from Cartesianism" reading that Landgrebe proposed in his famous essay from the 1950s, in which he was clearly influenced by Heidegger (a reading that is still valid in many contemporary expositions of Husserl's thought). This discussion should make apparent that Husserl's theory of the phenomenological reduction deserves a renewed look both in light of material that has since appeared in the Husserliana and in light of a new incorporation of the most important results of recent tendencies in Husserl research.
Assessing integrated assessments

Integrated assessment of global environmental change is a relatively new field that is beginning to define itself and its forms of practice. As yet, the field has not grappled directly with issues of quality control and assessment of quality, and this work is a first attempt in that direction. We argue that if integrated assessment is to be successful in the long run, then building and maintaining credibility via quality control procedures is a necessary condition for realizing its potential. We highlight a number of pitfalls in the practice of integrated assessment, and discuss their causes. We buttress our concerns using examples from both within climate change integrated assessment, and from the history of other similar endeavors. We also provide a number of suggestions that we hope will serve to alleviate some of these pitfalls. For instance, tools, methods, and assumptions from disciplines form archetypes for components in integrated assessment models, and we need to apply greater scrutiny to these archetypes. Further, tools which may be reasonable to use in particular disciplinary, geographical, or temporal contexts may be unsuited to the broader contexts inherent in integrated assessment studies of global environmental change.
INFLUENCE OF MANNITOL ON SALVAGING MYOCARDIUM DURING VENTRICULOTOMY

The purpose of this study was to measure changes in coronary flow and the extent of myocardial necrosis occurring after ventriculotomy in 5 control dogs and 7 dogs receiving mannitol (M). M was infused 1 hour before and 4 hours after vertical incision of the right ventricle. Coronary flow was measured with 9 micron microspheres (during anesthesia) before and 15 minutes after incision and (during wakefulness) at 4 and 24 hours after incision. At 48 hours the dogs were killed and the areas of necrosis measured by planimetry of photomicrographs. M increased serum osmolality from 282 ± 4 (SEM) to 331 ± 3 mOsm. In controls coronary flow (ml/min.100g) to myocardium within 1 cm of the incision fell from 61 ± 8 pre-cut to 40 ± 6 at 15 minutes, 43 ± 10 at 4 hours, and 45 ± 11 at 24 hours. Coronary flow to more distal myocardium did not fall significantly after incision. In M animals coronary flow to the incisional region fell from 71 ± 15 to 41 ± 5 at 15 minutes, 20 ± 3 at 4 hours and 28 ± 6 at 24 hours. Heart rates, cardiac outputs, right ventricular, and aortic pressures did not differ between M and control animals. Control dogs had necrosis involving 21.1 ± 3.7% of the right ventricular cross sectional area compared to 24.6 ± 2.8% in M dogs. Necrosis did not extend beyond 1 cm from the incision in control animals. These data indicate that infusion of M after ventriculotomy did not increase coronary flow and failed to reduce the extent of myocardial necrosis.
In vivo fertility of rams in relation to sperm-zona pellucida binding and sperm-zona pellucida penetration of ovine oocytes

Sperm-zona pellucida (zona) binding and sperm-zona penetration have been suggested for use as in vitro bioassays of fertility since both are essential steps in the fertilization process. The correlations of sperm-zona binding and sperm-zona penetration with the in vivo fertility of sheep were investigated in this study. In vivo fertility was estimated from a heterospermic insemination trial using cryopreserved ram semen. Neither zona binding, zona penetration nor the ability to undergo an acrosome reaction was significantly correlated with the in vivo fertility of the rams (P = 0.78, P = 0.66, and P = 0.85, respectively). These results suggest that the zona binding and zona penetration bioassays may not be useful estimators for assessing cryopreserved ram sperm fertility.
Myocardial blood flow and oxygen consumption during postprandial lipemia and heparin-induced lipolysis.

The role of the physical state of plasma as a determinant of oxygen availability to the myocardium has been investigated during the course of alimentary lipemia. After the development of substantial plasma lactescence, the coronary blood flow (nitrous oxide method) and myocardial oxygen consumption were assessed in 7 normal human subjects and repeated after heparin-induced lipolysis. The lipemic state was further contrasted with a control fasting group, comparable in age and sex. The mean coronary blood flow for 15 fasting controls was 83 ml. per 100 Gm. of left ventricle per minute with a myocardial oxygen extraction of 11.04 volumes per cent, and a myocardial oxygen consumption of 9.0 ml. per 100 Gm. of left ventricle per minute. By contrast, the mean coronary blood flow during maximal lipemia in the 7 subjects fed cream was 20 per cent below normal, with a value of 67 ml. per 100 Gm. per minute (p=< 0.01). As the extraction of oxygen was not significantly affected, the calculated myocardial oxygen cons...
In memoriam: Philipp Blacksmith, 1921-1999

A brief biography of Philipp Blacksmith (1921-1999) is given highlighting his professional achievements.
The President as Ethical Role Model:Instituting an Ethic of Leadership at Fisk University in the 1950s

In many cases, student activism on college campuses stems from alienation – alienation of one generation from another, alienation of students from administration. The atmosphere in Nashville, Tennessee, at Fisk University during the early 1950s included neither of these ingredients. Most students admired their professors and respected the University president. In the case of Fisk, activism grew out of a shared sense of values and demonstrated leadership – as well as a response to outside oppression. This leadership and these values were passed on to students by Fisk’s charismatic president, Charles S. Johnson. The purpose of this historical research is to explore the approach to activism that Charles S. Johnson advocated and instilled in the students at Fisk University. How did Johnson develop his values and convictions? On which principles were they based? How did he pass them on to others? And, how can Johnson’s example help today’s college presidents contribute to a renewed sense of activism among thei...
The Transformation of Wall Street: Seligman's History of the Securities and Exchange Commission

In this period of deregulation the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has remained somewhat above the fire and calls for massive retrenchment. It came into existence in the wake of the stock market crash of 1929 and revelations of serious insider manipulations and fraud in the unregulated market of the 1920s. The SEC has aroused business ire on occasion. But its service as a securities market policeman, its contribution to the rehabilitation of the traumatized markets of the 1930s, along with its relative autonomy and quality of bureaucratic service, have given it a special place in the roster of regulatory bodies. Nevertheless, in recent years the conservative drift has brought with it critiques designed to show that the SEC has been ineffective and unnecessary,' and the regulatory reform proposals put forward by the Bush committee (SEC chairman John Shad is a member) have recommended a less active SEC, more narrowly confined to its core antifraud mission. Support for the SEC remains strong, however, and Joel Seligman's book is a notable contribution toward that end.
Coulomb corrections in the calculation of ultrarelativistic heavy ion production of continuum e + e − pairs

Coulomb corrections to perturbation theory for producing electron-positron pairs in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions are considered in a part-analytical, part-numerical approach. Production probabilities are reduced from perturbation theory with increasing charge of the colliding heavy ions, as has been previously argued in the literature. It is shown here that the reduction from perturbation theory comes from the appropriate physical spatial cutoff of the electromagnetic potentials arising from the colliding ultrarelativistic heavy ions.
Socioeconomic barriers to biogas development in rural southwest China: An ethnographic case study

The household biogas system has a potential to offer significant health, economic, and environmental benefits to millions of households in rural China. In 1997, the Chinese legislature declared biogas as a national energy development agenda, and the Chinese government subsidies for biogas have been increasing since then. Nevertheless, only about 12 percent of rural households utilize biogas. In poor regions, the figure is much lower. At present, biogas counts for merely 1 percent of energy consumption in rural China. In this article, drawing on my ethnographic fieldwork, I examine the socioeconomic barriers to biogas development in rural Southwest China. My central question is: what are the factors that prevent farmers from utilizing biogas and how can development agencies help remove such barriers? Anchored in anthropological insights on technology adoption, this study first identifies main barriers to biogas adoption through a villagewide survey. Then, I examine such barriers in their socioeconomic cont...
Adiposity and Incident Heart Failure in Older Adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study

While several studies have reported a positive association between overall adiposity and heart failure (HF) risk, limited and inconsistent data are available on the relation between central adiposity and incident HF in older adults. We sought to examine the association between waist circumference (WC) and incident HF and assess whether sex modifies the relation between WC and HF. Prospective study using data on 4,861 participants of the Cardiovascular Health Study (1989-2007). HF was adjudicated by a committee using information from medical records and medications. We used Cox proportional hazard models to compute hazard ratio (HR). The mean age was 73.0 years for men and 72.3 years for women; 42.5% were men and 15.3% were African Americans. WC was positively associated with an increased risk of HF: each standard deviation of WC was associated with a 14% increased risk of HF (95% CI: 3%-26%) in a multivariable model. There was not a statistically significant sex-by-WC interaction (P = 0.081). BMI was positively associated with incident HF (HR: 1.22 (95% CI: 1.15-1.29) per standard deviation increase of BMI); however, this association was attenuated and became nonstatistically significant upon additional adjustment for WC (HR: 1.09 (95% CI: 0.99-1.21)). In conclusion, a higher WC is associated with an increased risk of HF independent of BMI in community-living older men and women.
A Cross-Cultural Survey of Symptoms in Depression

Using his Self-Rating Depression Scale in six foreign countries, the author found that self-ratings of depressed patients were comparable between countries and differed significantly from scores of normal subjects and nondepressed patients. There was high correlation between the self-ratings and physicians' global ratings of depressed patients, and between scores on this test and other specific depression rating scales.
A Likelihood Ratio Test against Stochastic Ordering in Several Populations

Abstract The likelihood ratio test is often used to test hypotheses involving a stochastic ordering. Distribution theory for the likelihood ratio test has been developed only for two stochastically ordered distributions. For testing equality of distributions against a stochastic ordering in several populations, this paper derives the null asymptotic distribution of the likelihood ratio test statistic, which is characterized by minimization problems and has no closed form. A Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to study the limiting distribution. Because the limiting distribution depends on the specific values of the unknown distributions under the null hypothesis, asymptotic and bootstrap approaches are proposed to overcome practical difficulties and implement tests based on the likelihood principle. Asymptotic validities for these tests are established and simulations are carried out to check their performances for finite sample sizes. The tests are applied to an example involving data for survival time f...
The fortnightly tide and the tidal triggering of earthquakes

In this paper we test the southern California network earthquake catalog and the world-wide earthquake catalog for a fortnightly tidal periodicity and find none. In studies that test the hypothesis of tidal triggering of earthquakes, it is usually necessary to resolve the tidal shear stress onto the plane of the fault and in the direction of the slip vector to determine if the stress is compatible with the fault motion (Heaton, 1975, 1982). This analysis requires accurate focal mechanisms and knowledge of the focal plane on which slip occurred for as many earthquakes as possible to improve the statistical sampling of the data set. However, if we consider the fortnightly tide, which is a simple amplitude modulation, focal mechanism information is not required. Our analysis assumes that we have a large data base of earthquakes with varying mechanisms. The alignment of the slip vector with the tidal shear stress will vary from earthquake to earthquake. However, if tidal triggering of earthquakes does occur, more earthquakes should be triggered out of the total population when the tidal stress is large than when it is small. If the largest semi-diurnal tide is normalized to an amplitude of 1.0, the fortnightly tide would have an amplitude of 0.17 on this scale and a period of about 2 weeks (Munk and MacDonald, 1960). Therefore, the effect on the occurrence of earthquakes by the tidal shear stress will be modulated with a 2 week period. Considering the fortnightly tide allows us to utilize entire catalogs of data to test the tidal triggering hypothesis without knowledge of the focal mechanisms.
Observation of induced coherence in two-photon downconversion

By using two mutually coherent light beams of adjustable intensity to induce downconversions of the signal beams in two similar nonlinear crystals and then allowing the two idlers to interfere, we measure the variation of the induced degree of coherence as a function of inducing intensity. The key parameter N is the average photon occupation number per mode of the inducing field. We show experimentally that the induced degree of coherence is given by N/(N+1), as is expected theoretically.
Power electronics and drives-technology advances and trends

Summary form only given. The technology of power electronics and variable frequency drives has gone through intense evolution in the recent years, and it is now finding widespread acceptance in numerous applications. This paper starts with an introduction that gives a perspective of the technology, which emphasizes its importance in industrial automation, energy saving and environmental pollution control. The recent advances of the devices, particularly IGBT and MCT, are reviewed and the future potential of SiC and diamond materials is discussed. Power converter technology, with particular emphasis of the potential of soft-switched converters, is reviewed. The recent advances and future trends of devices, converters, machines, DSPs, control and estimation techniques are widely reviewed, giving examples of their application. Fuzzy logic and neural network based intelligent control are discussed, again giving examples of their application. Finally, a perspective of the 21/sup st/ Century trends is discussed.
A Three‐Dimensional Analytical Tool for Modeling Reactive Transport

In this note, we present a public domain analytical reactive transport modeling tool (ART3D, version 2.0). The tool is developed in FORTRAN and can be used for solving a system of a set of partial differential equations coupled with a first-order reaction network. ART3D uses a novel analytic solution technique proposed by Clement. The new software includes options for performing Monte Carlo simulations and automated parameter estimation.
The Special Value of Epistemic Self‐Reliance

Philosophers have long held that epistemic self-reliance has a special value. But, this view has recently been challenged by prominent epistemologist Linda Zagzebski. Zagzebski argues that potential sources of support for the claim that epistemic self-reliance has a special value fail. Here I provide a novel defense of the special value of epistemic self-reliance. Self-reliance has a special value because it is required for attaining certain valuable cognitive achievements. Further, practicing self-reliance may be all-things-considered worthwhile even when doing so is a less reliable way of getting to the truth than relying on others and even when doing so is flatly unreliable in getting to the truth.
Computer Network Security Fundamentals

Before we talk about network security, we need to understand in general terms what security is. Security is a continuous process of protecting an object from unauthorized access. It is a state of being or feeling protected from harm. That object in that state may be a person, an organization such as a business, or property such as a computer system or a file. Security comes from secure which means, according to Webster Dictionary, a state of being free from care, anxiety, or fear (Kizza JM, Social and ethical issues in the information age, 2nd edn. Springer, New York, 2003).
USING AIRBORNE MULTISPECTRAL IMAGERY TO EVALUATE GEOMORPHIC WORK ACROSS FLOODPLAINS OF GRAVEL-BED RIVERS

Fluvial processes of cut and fill alluviation and channel abandonment or avulsion are essential for maintaining the ecological health of floodplain ecosystems char- acteristic of gravel-bed rivers. These dynamic processes shape the floodplain landscape, resulting in a shifting mosaic of habitats, both above and below ground. We present a new and innovative methodology to quantitatively assess the geomorphic work potential nec- essary to maintain a shifting habitat mosaic for gravel-bed river floodplains. This approach can be used to delineate critical habitats for preservation through land acquisition and conservation easements, often critical elements of river restoration plans worldwide. Spa- tially explicit modeling of water depth, flow velocity, shear stress, and stream power derived from surface hydraulic measurements was combined with airborne multispectral remote sensing for detailed modeling of floodplain water surfaces over tens to hundreds of square kilometers. The model results were then combined within a GIS framework to determine potential nodes of channel avulsion that delineate spatially explicit zones across the flood- plain where the potential for geomorphic work is the greatest. Results of this study dem- onstrate the utility of integrating existing multispectral remote sensing data coupled with time-lagged ground-based measures of flow hydraulics to model fluvial processes at rela- tively fine spatial resolutions but over broad regional extents.
On Turning Stereotaxic Surgical Failures into Positive Learning Experiences in the Undergraduate Physiological Psychology Laboratory

Failure is frequently the end point of laboratory exercises in physiological psychology that involve stereotaxic surgery by inexperienced students. This article suggests that lab instructors enjoin their students to pursue the potential location of misplaced brain lesions using a variety of simple behavioral tests and the Thompson (1978) stereotaxic atlas.
Dynamic Localization of G-Actin during Membrane Protrusion in Neuronal Motility

Summary Background Actin-based cell motility is fundamental for development, function, and malignant events in eukaryotic organisms. During neural development, axonal growth cones depend on rapid assembly and disassembly of actin filaments (F-actin) for their guided extension to specific targets for wiring. Monomeric globular actin (G-actin) is the building block for F-actin but is not considered to play a direct role in spatiotemporal control of actin dynamics in cell motility. Results Here we report that a pool of G-actin dynamically localizes to the leading edge of growth cones and neuroblastoma cells to spatially elevate the G-/F-actin ratio that drives membrane protrusion and cell movement. Loss of G-actin localization leads to the cessation and retraction of membrane protrusions. Moreover, G-actin localization occurs asymmetrically in growth cones during attractive turning. Finally, we identify the actin monomer-binding proteins profilin and thymosin β4 as key molecules that localize actin monomers to the leading edge of lamellipodia for their motility. Conclusions Our results suggest that dynamic localization of G-actin provides a novel mechanism to regulate the spatiotemporal actin dynamics underlying membrane protrusion in cell locomotion and growth cone chemotaxis.
Use of Standardized Outcome Measures in Physical Therapist Practice: Perceptions and Applications

Background: Standardized instruments for measuring patients' activity limitations and participation restrictions have been advocated for use by rehabilitation professionals for many years. The available literature provides few recent reports of the use of these measures by physical therapists in the United States. Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to determine: (1) the extent of the use of standardized outcome measures and (2) perceptions regarding their benefits and barriers to their use. A secondary purpose was to examine factors associated with their use among physical therapists in clinical practice. Design: The study used an observational design. Methods: A survey questionnaire comprising items regarding the use and perceived benefits and barriers of standardized outcome measures was sent to 1,000 randomly selected members of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Results: Forty-eight percent of participants used standardized outcome measures. The majority of participants (>90%) who used such measures believed that they enhanced communication with patients and helped direct the plan of care. The most frequently reported reasons for not using such measures included length of time for patients to complete them, length of time for clinicians to analyze the data, and difficulty for patients in completing them independently. Use of standardized outcome measures was related to specialty certification status, practice setting, and the age of the majority of patients treated. Limitations: The limitations included an unvalidated survey for data collection and a sample limited to APTA members. Conclusions: Despite more than a decade of development and testing of standardized outcome measures appropriate for various conditions and practice settings, physical therapists have some distance to go in implementing their use routinely in most clinical settings. Based on the perceived barriers, alterations in practice management strategies and the instruments themselves may be necessary to increase their use.
A preschool program for safety and injury prevention delivered by home visitors

Objective—To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and eVectiveness of an injury prevention program delivered by school based home visitors to the families of low income children attending preschool enrichment programs in Washington State. Study sample—The families of children attending preschool Head Start programs in two regions were eligible. A total of 213 families (77.8% of those eligible) from intervention sites, and 149 families (71.9% of those eligible) from concurrent comparison sites, agreed to participate and completed the trial. Intervention—Trained school personnel conducted home safety inspections as part of a planned home visit. Intervention families were oVered educational materials as well as smoke detectors, batteries, ipecac, and age appropriate car safety restraints based on results of the home inspection. Evaluation methods—At a repeat home visit three months later, the proportion of families with a positive change in injury prevention knowledge or behavior among those in the intervention group was compared with the proportion in the comparison group. Smoke detector presence and function were observed. Results—Among families without a working smoke detector at baseline, the intervention was associated with an increased probability of having a working detector at follow up (relative risk (RR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3 to 8.6). Intervention families were also more likely to report the presence of ipecac in the home (RR 4.7, 95% CI 3.0 to 7.3) at follow up and to have obtained an age appropriate booster seat (RR 4.1, 95% CI 1.9 to 8.8). The program was acceptable to client families and to the home visitors who conducted the intervention. Conclusions—Among the families of low income children enrolled in preschool enrichment programs, home safety inspections and the distribution of safety supplies by school based home visitors appears to improve knowledge and behavior related to poisoning, smoke detector installation, and car safety seat use over three months of follow up. (Injury Prevention 2000;6:305‐309)
Ketoconazole in early and late murine coccidioidomycosis.

Ketoconazole (35 mg/kg) was administered orally to mice twice daily, beginning at different intervals after intranasal infection with arthrospores of Coccidioides immitis. When treatment was begun on the fourth day after infection, before extensive extrapulmonary dissemination of the infection had occurred, all animals survived, and extension of the disease from lungs to liver, spleen, and kidneys was prevented. Mortality was 907o in untreated control animals. In most of the drug-treated animals, lung lesions were not rendered free of fungus after 21 days of treatment. When treatment was begun on the 12th day of infection, after extrapulmonary dissemination had occurred, the drug was life-preserving. However, lesions of the peritoneal organs of 30%-60% of the surviving animals and pulmonary lesions of 90%o of these animals harbored viable fungi after 82 days of treatment. Mortality was lower when treatment was given from the 35th through the 120th day after infection to survivors of a challenge dose that was lethal to 28%o of the animals within 30 days. These data indicate that the antifungal activity of the drug observed in vitro also operates in vivo. Mycologic cure was optimal when infections were treated early. It became difficult to eradicate the fungus once it became entrenched in lesions of the peritoneal organs or lungs.
Effects of native forest restoration on soil hydraulic properties, Auwahi, Maui, Hawaiian Islands

[1] Over historic time Hawai‘i's dryland forests have been largely replaced by grasslands for grazing livestock. On-going efforts have been undertaken to restore dryland forests to bring back native species and reduce erosion. The reestablishment of native ecosystems on land severely degraded by long-term alternative use requires reversal of the impacts of erosion, organic-matter loss, and soil structural damage on soil hydraulic properties. This issue is perhaps especially critical in dryland forests where the soil must facilitate native plants' optimal use of limited water. These reforestation efforts depend on restoring soil ecological function, including soil hydraulic properties. We hypothesized that reforestation can measurably change soil hydraulic properties over restoration timescales. At a site on the island of Maui (Hawai‘i, USA), we measured infiltration capacity, hydrophobicity, and abundance of preferential flow channels in a deforested grassland and in an adjacent area where active reforestation has been going on for fourteen years. Compared to the nearby deforested rangeland, mean field-saturated hydraulic conductivity in the newly restored forest measured by 55 infiltrometer tests was greater by a factor of 2.0. Hydrophobicity on an 8-point scale increased from average category 6.0 to 6.9. A 4-point empirical categorization of preferentiality in subsurface wetting patterns increased from an average 1.3 in grasslands to 2.6 in the restored forest. All of these changes act to distribute infiltrated water faster and deeper, as appropriate for native plant needs. This study indicates that vegetation restoration can lead to ecohydrologically important changes in soil hydraulic properties over decadal time scales.
Autologous bone marrow transplantation.

Autologous bone marrow transplantation in the acute leukemias and lymphomas offers potentially curative treatment in patients who do not have a histocompatible, allogeneic donor. Results of marrow autografting in the lymphomas are especially encouraging, with disease-free survivals of 50-60% in patients who have failed primary and secondary treatment regimens. In the acute leukemias, one may expect 20-40% relapse-free survival after autologous marrow transplantation. We feel that ex vivo treatment (“purging”) is necessary to eradicate occult tumor cells from autologous remission marrow in hematological malignancies, but this remains a controversial issue to some investigators. Preliminary studies of autologous bone marrow transplantation are promising in multiple myeloma and certain childhood tumors, and autografting is currently being explored in the treatment of other solid tumors such as adenocarcinoma of the breast.
In Situ NMR Study of Gel Pore Structure During Aging and Drying

Low field NMR spin-lattice relaxation measurements of pore fluid were used to study pore structure during aging and drying of two silica gels. The NMR method provides in situ information concerning pore size, size distribution and surface area which is impossible to obtain by other techniques. Surface areas measured for a sol-gel sample aged in a potassium hydroxide solution were compared to similar measurements made on an ethanol aged sample during drying. Surface area and pore size distributions of the corresponding final dried gels were measured by both NMR and nitrogen adsorption/condensation. The measurements for a given sample were in good agreement. The surface area of samples before drying were much higher than after drying and the base-aged sample had a higher initial surface area than the ethanol-aged sample although after drying, this trend was reversed.
When Is the Optimal Time to Screen for Chlamydia in Adolescents and Young Adults With Sickle Cell Disease

Objectives. Louisiana has a high rate of chlamydia, an easily identifiable and treatable sexually transmitted disease. Patients with chronic diseases, such as sickle cell disease (SCD) often forgo routine primary care visits. We hypothesized that patients with SCD have an increased percentage of asymptomatic chlamydia compared with a matched population. Methods. A retrospective cohort study was performed over a 12-month period on eligible patients with SCD (ages 15-30 years). Patients were screened for asymptomatic chlamydia by urine polymerase chain reaction during comprehensive care visits in the SCD clinic. Results. Thirty-four patients underwent testing during the study period, and 4/34 patients (11.8%) tested positive for chlamydia. State data show a rate of 1791/100 000 (1.8%) among a demographically matched cohort. Conclusions. Patients with SCD had a larger percentage of asymptomatic chlamydia than a demographically matched control population. Patients with SCD should be screened by specialists fo...
Privacy-MaxEnt: integrating background knowledge in privacy quantification

Privacy-Preserving Data Publishing (PPDP) deals with the publication of microdata while preserving people' private information in the data. To measure how much private information can be preserved, privacy metrics is needed. An essential element for privacy metrics is the measure of how much adversaries can know about an individual's sensitive attributes (SA) if they know the individual's quasi-identifiers (QI), i.e., we need to measure P(SA|QI). Such a measure is hard to derive when adversaries' background knowledge has to be considered.We propose a systematic approach, Privacy-MaxEnt, to integrate background knowledge in privacy quantification. Our approach is based on the maximum entropy principle. We treat all the conditional probabilities P(SA|QI) as unknown variables; we treat the background knowledge as the constraints of these variables; in addition, we also formulate constraints from the published data. Our goal becomes finding a solution to those variables (the probabilities) that satisfy all these constraints. Although many solutions may exist, the most unbiased estimate of P(SA|QI) is the one that achieves the maximum entropy.
Changes in Employee Attitudes after an Acquisition: A Longitudinal Analysis

Information on job characteristics, facet satisfaction, overall satisfaction, and organizational commitment were obtained from bank employees both before the announcement of an acquisition (n = 108) and after the actual acquisition (n = 49). Correlational analysis and a repeated measures ANOVA indicated significant declines in perceived job characteristics, satisfaction, and organizational commitment after the acquisition. The nature of these changes is discussed along with recommendations for minimizing the disruptive effect of an acquisition.
Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination in Canada and the United States, 1980–1993: What Can the Two Countries Learn from Each Other?

This study compares influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in Canada and the United States during the period 1980-1993. In Canada, the annual distribution of influenza vaccine during this period increased from 33 to 146 doses per 1,000 population. Provincial health departments purchased 80%-90% of all doses distributed. In the United States, annual distribution of influenza vaccine ranged from 70 to 102 doses per 1,000 population from 1981 to 1990 but increased to 159 doses per 1,000 population over the next 3 years. Throughout the study period, the distribution of pneumococcal vaccine in the United States greatly exceeded that in Canada. Despite similar recommendations regarding the use of these vaccines in the two countries, vaccination practices have differed. In Canada, success with influenza vaccination but not pneumococcal vaccination appears to reflect active public-sector involvement in programs for vaccine purchase and delivery. In the United States, the recent increase in the use of both influenza and pneumococcal vaccines has occurred in the absence of substantial public-sector involvement and may reflect the entrepreneurial nature of American medical practice.
Electrical Restitution Hysteresis Good Memory or Delayed Response

The action potential duration (APD) of ventricular myocytes depends on the length of the preceding diastolic interval (DI) in a relationship termed “electrical restitution.” The APD shortens with decreasing cycle length and thus with decreasing DI.1 The teleological advantage of this phenomenon is that it provides increased time for excitation-contraction coupling at long cycle lengths while preserving diastolic time for coronary perfusion and ventricular filling at short cycle lengths. Restitution of the APD may also lead to rich behavior in beat-to-beat APD fluctuations. At a fixed cycle length, a perturbation in action potential that shortens the APD results in concomitant lengthening of the next DI, given that CL=APD+DI. The restitution relationship dictates that a prolonged DI will lead to lengthening of the next APD. Thus, the initial perturbation results in alternation in APD between values that are shorter or longer than the steady-state APD. Whether the APD oscillations grow or decay depends on whether the slope of the restitution curve in the region near the steady state is greater than or less than unity.2 In the case of growing APD alternans, regions of myocardium may develop sufficiently long APD on some beats as to be rendered refractory to activation on the subsequent beat. This results in wavebreak and the substrate for reentry and fibrillation.3–5 But there is further complexity in electrical restitution in that the shape and duration of the action potential depend on more than just the DI of the preceding beat.6–9 The APD observed at any given DI is not unique and depends on the history of activation sequence leading up to that beat. In this issue of Circulation Research , Wu and Patwardhan10 report on APD restitution in canine isolated ventricular tissue preparations using oscillatory sequences of DI. These investigators made use …
RECOGNITION THRESHOLDS FOR DIGITS

Summary.-A smdy of the role of form and size upon the recognition thresholds for digits was performed using the Weiss focal variator and Century Old Style Bold digits. Individual differences mere so large as to make any generalization impossible; halving and doubling the standard produced a significant and differential effect upon the recognition thresholds. The quesuon of the role of form in the determination of recognition threshold, the concept of response probability, and the applicability of the Tanner-Swets Model to this type of data was raised. The question of whether some numbers are "easier to see" than others assumes importance as numbers play an ever increasing role in society today, as evidenced by telephone exchanges, ZIP codes, computer punch cards, war planning boards, etc. However, the question whether one number (form) can be recognized more easily than another assumes that visibility is a stable characteristic of the number and holds for all individuals. The findings of Helson and Fehrer (5) challenge this assumption while the findings of Casperson (3) tend to sup port it. This srudy was designed in an attempt to resolve the contradictory findings. The measurement of visibility has been made using a variety of techniques (4, 8); the object of each has been to reduce the task to threshold by varying one or more of the fundamental factors of visibility. The Weiss focal variator (9) has never been used with digits. The focal variator is essentially a system of lenses related to each other so that a visual stimulus can be projected upon a ground glass screen from an unrecognizable blur to clear definition of focus and the degree of clearness accurately measured. It was expected that: (1) there would be no significant differences in the mean recognition thresholds for the digits, (2) no significant relationship between the individual Ss' recognition thresholds, and ( 3 ) no significant difference in the mean recognition thresholds when the digits are doubled or reduced by one-half. METHOD A ppavatas The test patterns were presented in a modified Weiss focal variator. The modification consisted of replacing the original handwheel driveshaft with a constant-speed driving mechanism. The direction of rotation of the driveshaft was controlled by a double internal faced friction pulley interposed between the driveshaft and the 1/50 horsepower Bodine motor. The photometric brightness of the viewing screen was determined at Ss'
Is Probability Theory Sufficient for Dealing with Uncertainty in AI: A Negative View

Abstract An issue which has become a focus of controversy in recent years is whether or not classical probability theory is sufficient for dealing with uncertainty in AI. The topicality of this issue has grown as a result of the emergence of expert systems as one of the principal areas of activity in AI and the development of methods for evidential reasoning based on the Dempster-Shafer theory and fuzzy logic which extend beyond the current boundaries of probability theory. A point of view which is articulated in this paper is that the inadequacy of probability theory stems from its lack of expressiveness as a language of uncertainty, especially for describing fuzzy events and fuzzy probabilities. For example, how would one represent the meaning of the proposition p: it is very likely that Mary is young, in which likely is a fuzzy probability and young is a fuzzy predicate? Furthermore, how can one infer from this proposition an answer to the question: What is the likelihood that Mary is not very young? We show through examples that problems of this type – problems which do not lend themselves to solution by conventional probability-based methods – can be dealt with effectively through the use of fuzzy logic.
Olhares sobre a cidade: um olhar sobre o casario antigo de Cachoeiro de Itapemirim

This article aims to present the results of a work proposal developed with some students of History course on Sao Camilo University Center – Espirito Santo. This is a survey of the old houses in the city of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, south Espirito Santo, which used both oral history and the photographic record in an attempt to build a bit of cachoeirense identity from the ways of its inhabitants' living. Among the results found with the completion of this work, there is the discovery of various documents that depict some of the city's daily life and its residents.
Treatment of Osteoid Osteomas Using a Navigational Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation System

Background Percutaneous CT-guided radiofrequency ablation is a safe and effective minimally invasive treatment for osteoid osteomas. This technical case series describes the use of a recently introduced ablation system with a probe that can be curved in multiple directions, embedded thermocouples for real-time monitoring of the ablation volume, and a bipolar design that obviates the need for a grounding pad.
Antenatal care and uptake of HIV testing among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction : Current guidelines recommend inclusion of HIV testing in routine screening tests for all pregnant women. For this reason, antenatal care (ANC) represents a vital component of efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. To elucidate the relationship between ANC services and HIV testing among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, we undertook an analysis of data from four countries. Methods : Four countries (Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda) were purposively selected to represent unique geographical regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Using Demographic and Health Survey datasets, weighted crude and adjusted logistic regression models were used to explore factors that influenced HIV testing as part of ANC services. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Arizona. Results : Pooled results showed that 60.7% of women received HIV testing as part of ANC. Ugandan women had the highest rate of HIV testing as part of ANC (81.5%) compared with women in Mozambique (69.4%), Nigeria (54.4%) and Congo (45.4%). Difficulty reaching a health facility was a barrier in Congo and Mozambique but not Nigeria or Uganda. HIV testing rates were lower in rural areas, among the poorest women, the least educated and those with limited knowledge of HIV. In every country, crude regression analyses showed higher odds of being tested for HIV if women received their ANC services from a skilled attendant compared with an unskilled attendant. After adjusting for confounders, women in the total sample had 1.78 (99% CI: 1.45–2.18) times the odds of having an HIV test as part of their ANC if they went to a skilled attendant compared with an unskilled attendant. Conclusions : There is a need for integration of HIV testing into routine ANC service to increase opportunities for PMTCT programmes to reach HIV-positive pregnant women. Attention should be paid to the expansion of outreach services for women in rural settings, and to the training, supervision and integration of unskilled attendants into formal maternal and child health programmes. Education of pregnant women and their communities is needed to increase HIV knowledge and reduce HIV stigma. Keywords: Antenatal care; prenatal care; HIV testing; PMTCT; MTCT; maternal and child health; low-income countries; sub-Saharan Africa; global health; global maternal and child health. (Published: 18 January 2016) Citation: Gunn JKL et al. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2016, 19 :20605 http://www.jiasociety.org/index.php/jias/article/view/20605 | http://dx.doi.org/10.7448/IAS.19.1.20605
Low-Damage Posttensioned Segmental Bridge Columns with Flexible End Joints for Seismic Accelerated Bridge Construction:

A computational parametric study leading toward the development of a new type of low-damage precast concrete segmental column for accelerated bridge construction in seismic areas is outlined. In contrast to conventional monolithic concrete construction, accelerated bridge construction significantly reduces on-site construction time, total project delivery time, weather-related construction delays, and environmental impact, and it provides improved work zone safety for the traveling public and contractor personnel and high product quality and durability. Low-damage systems provide significantly reduced postearthquake downtimes, repair costs, and casualties. The proposed column design will incorporate internal unbonded posttensioning and flexible joints at the column ends, where large flexural demands occur. These joints will be (flexurally) deformable enough to accommodate large column lateral deformations (drift ratios of 10% or higher) without damage, and (axially) stiff enough to limit initial axial def...
A Second Look at the Relationship between Cultural Theory, Political Ideology, and Political Knowledge

Numerous scholars have employed Cultural Theory (CT) to explain preferences, opinions, and risk perceptions across an array of issues. Recent research by Michaud, Carlisle, & Smith (2009) challenges the CT approach in two critical ways: first, they find that people with low levels of political knowledge are unable to recognize the latent dimensionality of egalitarianism and individualism, which are two of the four worldviews proposed by CT; second, they find that people with high levels of political knowledge treat these two dimensions as if they were opposite ends of a single scale of political ideology. This article presents a quasi-replication and extension of their study using a nationwide sample of 4,387 respondents in which measures of all four dimensions of CT were collected. We find that: 1) people with low levels of political knowledge are able to sort egalitarianism and individualism into coherent worldviews; 2) people with high levels of political knowledge do not collapse egalitarianism and individualism onto a single scale of political ideology; 3) all groups of people, regardless of political knowledge, are able to recognize all four dimensions of CT.