cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect on lipids and lipoproteins of a contraceptive vaginal ring containing levonorgestrel and estradiol

Lipids and lipoproteins were studied in controls and women using contraceptive vaginal rings (CVRs). The groups were comparable for race, age, parity, obesity indices, alcohol ingestion, smoking, diet and exercise. Fasting blood samples were obtained twice before CVR treatment, after 2 and 7 weeks of treatment and 1 week thereafter. The women using the CVR had a significant incremental reduction of cholesterol from baseline to treatment which was distributed among all the lipoprotein classes. The cholesterol/HDL-C ratio was significantly increased with treatment. All mena changes were within the reference range. The reduction in HDL and especially in the subclasses HDL 2a and HDL 2b were significant and outside the reference range. The LDL/HDL ratio increased significantly, while the LDL/HDL 2a+2b ratio increased significantly outside the reference range with treatment. Of the lipid and lipoprotein measurements that changed significantly with treatment, HDL-C, HDL, HDL 2a LDL/HDL and LDL/HDL 2a+2b changed significantly towards baseline in the 1-week-off treatment. The potential reduction in predicted coronary risk with the use of the CVR suggested by a reduction in cholesterol was counterbalanced by a reduction in HDL-C and increases in the cholesterol/HDL-C and LDL/HDL ratios. The potential clinical implications of these findings remain to be determined.
WIVES WHO WORK FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME: SOME CORRELATES OVER THE STATES OF THE USA

Hayghe (1982) noted that, by 1980, dual-earning families constituted about 5 2 % of all married couples. Families in which the husband alone brought home a paycheck (and wives were presumably full-time homemakers) had shrunk to only 31 %. Srudies of the effect of wives' employment o n the family have produced mixed results. For example, while Pleck and Staines (1982) reported that husbands with employed wives were more likely to work the conventional pattern of days and to average a shorter work week, Staines, et al. (1986) reported that husbands with worhng wives registered significantly lower job satisfaction and life satisfaction than husbands of housewives, and Pleck and Staines (1982) suggested that there were increased opportunities for conflicts in job schedules for husband and wife. The present smdy estimated both the possible associations and the impact of working wives on the family. From a n economic perspective, wives choose to work because either their husbands are unemployed or family income is low. As a consequence of wives working, the birth rate might decline, for working wives may decide to not have children or to postpone the decision to bear children. Wives working may also be associated with divorce rates. A working wife encounters a wider variety of men than a housewife and may increase her chances of finding an alternate mate. Entering the labor market also gives a wife another source of gratification, making her less dependent upon her marriage for happiness. The 48 continental states of the USA were chosen as the sample. As 1980 was the first year the Bureau of the Census collected data on full-time and part-time employment by wives for each state, this cross-sectional study of the percentages of wives working full-time and part-time separately began then. The percentages of wives working in the labor market full-time and part-time for each state were obtained from the US Census, Detailed Popitlation Characteristics ( P C 8 0 l ) , Table 216. Other data were obtained from the 1984 Statistical Abstracts of the United States. The divorce rate in 1980 for each state was obtained from Table 122, the birth rate in 1980 from Table 87, the median family income in 1979 from Table 770, and the male unemployment rate for 1980 from Table 638 (1981 edition). The percentage of wives working full-time was negatively correlated with males' unemployment rate (Pearson + = -0.42, one-tailed P < ,005) and the median family income ( r = -0.25, fi < ,051. Perhaps a high male unemployment rate reflects a poor job markec which makes it difficult for both men and women to find full-rime employment? In 1980 the general level of economic activity was stagnant and rhe na-
Semi‐annual oscillation of the global divergent circulation

The multi-year outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) and velocity potential (χ) generated from the 200-mb wind fields of the National Meteorological Center and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts were used to examine the structure of the semi-annual divergent circulation and its relation with tropical cumulus convection. As inferred from the semi-annual mode of the asymmetric OLR component (OLR E ), the east–west differential response to the solar heating between the Asian-Australian (AA) monsoon (60°E−120°W) and the extra-AA monsoon (120°W−60°E) hemispheres sustains a distinct semi-annual mode of the asymmetric divergent circulation with a wavenumber-1 structure. This semi-annual mode of the asymmetric divergent circulation, represented by the asymmetric velocity potential (χ E ), develops in time coherently with the semi-annual mode of tropical cumulus convection, which indicates a faster response in the extra-AA monsoon hemisphere. That is, the negative centres of semiannual OLR E anomalies and the divergent center of the semi-annual χ E field appear in the extra-AA monsoon hemisphere in April/October and in the AA-monsoon hemisphere in January/July. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0870.1992.t01-3-00001.x
Food Aid Dependency in Northeastern Ethiopia: Myth or Reality?

Summary Food aid dependency among Ethiopian farmers frequently is claimed with serious policy impacts. This article explores this assertion with reference to South Wollo, Ethiopia, one of the country’s largest recipients of food aid. It uses household economic and ethnographic data from the 1999–2000 and 2002–03 droughts when food aid imports were very high. By examining patterns of food aid distribution and resource allocation among groups of food aid recipients and non-recipients, the article suggests that food aid has not encouraged dependency-like behaviors. It suggests that few farmers would be foolhardy enough to significantly alter their actions, since food aid delivery is too uncertain and poorly timed.
Absorption of antibiotics from the rat lung.

SummaryFive antibiotics were administered intratracheally as solutions to anesthetized rats. The times necessary for 50% absorption ranged from 1.9 to 33 min. Chloramphenicol was absorbed most rapidly followed by doxycycline, erythromycin, and tetracycline, with benzylpenicillin showing the slowest rate. A comparison of pulmonary absorption rate, molecular weight, and lipoid (chloroform)/water partition coefficient of the drugs indicated that lipoid solubility is more important than molecular size in determining the relative absorption rates. The absorption process for benzylpenicillin, doxycycline, and erythromycin did not become saturated when drug concentrations were raised 10-5000-fold, suggesting that these antibiotics are absorbed mainly by a process of simple diffusion.The authors are indebted to Mrs. Jean C. Henderson for her excellent technical assistance.
Defect-related luminescent patterns in bulk silica and optical fibers stimulated by sub-band gap (248 nm) excimer laser irradiation

Abstract Spatially variant luminescence excited by 248 nm excimer laser irradiation in oxygen deficient silica optical fibers is contrasted with that in oxygen rich fibers for the for the first time in this paper. The defects responsible for the various luminescent bands are identified and correlations are made with the emission observed in the bulk form. In addition, the variation in luminescence excited at different segments along the length of the fiber during irradiation is also reported and discussed.
Cerebral Hemodynamics in Preeclampsia and Eclampsia

Objective: To test further the hypothesis that preeclampsia and eclampsia are associated with cerebral vasospasm. Design: Prospective case study. Setting: Inpatient obstetrics service of an urban public hospital. Patients and Methods: Eleven women with eclampsia (mean gestational age, 32 weeks), preeclampsia (meangestational age, 36 weeds), or normotensive pregnancy (mean gestational age, 35 weeks). Middle cerebral artery (MCA) velocity was measured bilaterally in all patients by means of transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Results: Eclamptic patients (n=3) had significantly higher mean flow velocities and lower average pulsatility indexes than did normotensive patients (n=4) (average MCA-mean flow velocity, 165 vs 79 cm/s [ P =.007]; average MCA pulsatility index, 0.51 vs 1.1 [ P P =.003), but similar mean flow velocities (average MCA—mean flow velocity, 82 cm/s; P =.8). Conclusion: Significantly higher MCA velocities in eclamptic, but not preeclamptic, women compared with those in normotensive pregnant women suggests that moderate to severe vasospasm is associated with eclampsia.
Field testing of an optical fiber temperature sensor in a geothermal well

A program has been initiated for developing and field testing optical fiber sensors to monitor in situ physical and chemical parameters in highly corrosive environments, such as geothermal wells, oil wells, and hot-water boiler reactors. The difficulty of sampling hot geothermal fluids or reliably measuring physical and chemical properties of brines in wells limits the authors understanding of in situ conditions in geothermal fields. In this communication, the authors report a test of the concept of utilizing optical fiber based sensors by measuring the temperature profile of a geothermal steam well. The purpose of this paper is not only to demonstrate that a temperature optical chemical sensor (optrode) can be used to obtain realtime information from a geothermal well, but also that great potential of the optrodes can be exploited for measuring physical and chemical parameters in the field. It is believed that this is the first real-time, in situ, geothermal well measurement to have been made using an optical fiber sensor.
Opportunities and limitations in ultra high speed SRAMs

Several design approaches and technologies have shown impressive abilities to produce SRAMs with densities greater than 1Kb and access times less than 25ns. Panelists will examine opportunities to develop further these technologies and produce a density of ≥64Kb and access time of ≤5ns. Issues to be probed include the access time of merged bipolar memories and the cell sizes and economics of GaAs memories.
The Jewish Merchant-Colony in Madras (Fort St. George) During the 17Th and 18Th Centuries

One of the major innovations in the general structure of Fort St. George during the governership of E. Yale was the establishment of a municipal corporation in December, 1687, suggested originally by Sir Josiah Child in London. This was regarded as the greatest domestic event in the history of Madras during the governorship of E. Yale. In order to give the resident merchants of the place more local selfgovernment and to let them share as one collective and responsible body in the ever-increasing administrative problems, the authorities of the East India Company in London encouraged the formation of the Madras Corporation, called "Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the town of Fort St. George and city of Madrassapatam". Twelve Aldermen were to assist the Mayor in the administration of the Corporation, of whom three should be selected permanently from the Company's servants, while the other nine should be the heads of the representatives of the various religious and ethnic groups in Fort St. George, Armenian, Portuguese, Hebrew, Gentue and Moors. On December 32, 1687, the following Charter of the Corporation granted "by the Governor and Company of Merchants Trading into the East Indies to the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of Madras" was issued:
Attenuation of formalin-induced nociceptive behaviors following local peripheral injection of gabapentin.

Abstract Gabapentin (GP) has been shown to have antihyperalgesic properties and the site of drug action is reported to be the central nervous system. The goal of the present study was to determine whether GP also has a peripheral site of action. Rats received intraplantar 20-μl injections of 6, 60 or 600 μg GP+2% formalin, 300 or 600 μg S-(+)-3-isobutylgaba+2% formalin, 600 μg R-(−)-3-isobutylgaba+2% formalin or formalin alone. The two lower doses of GP significantly reduced flinching and lifting/licking behavior during phase 2; however, phase 1 behaviors were unaffected, 600 μg GP significantly reduced these nociceptive behaviors during both phases. 600 μg S-(+)-3-isobutylgaba also reduced formalin-induced nociceptive behaviors; however, 600 μg of the isomer R-(−)-3-isobutylgaba had no effect. The antihyperalgesic effect of GP (1) was not due to a systemic effect since animals injected with 600 μg GP in one hindpaw and 2% formalin into the contralateral hindpaw developed nociceptive behaviors which were no different than those seen in animals injected with formalin alone; (2) was not due to a local anesthetic effect since needle sticks within the drug-injected region evoked paw withdrawal behavior which was not different from pre-drug levels; (3) was blocked by 20 μl d -serine but not by l -serine. Although the mechanism of action of GP has yet to be elucidated, these results indicate that GP has a peripheral site of action and thus may offer a novel therapeutic agent for topical or local treatment of pain of peripheral origin.
Validity, Gender Research, and Studies of the Effects of Career Development Interventions

Aux Etats-Unis et dans d'autre pays, il y a encore des differences sexuelles dans les genres de professions embrassees par les hommes et les femmes et de grandes disparites dans leur remuneration. Il faut comprendre que ces resultats dus au systeme educationnel et aux conseils en orientation pourraient etre ameliores par une recherche sur ce theme, qui adopterait une perspective sociale interactionnelle, des vues sur la construction sociale des categories sexuelles, et influencerait le changement de perspectives des theoriciens en orientation professionnelle. Il y a aussi des changements dans le concept de validite, tels, qu'a la fois, les faits et l'ethique sont concernes. Un cadre est propose ici qui rapproche la logique de l'argument validation et la recherche sur les differences sexuelles, et suggere un eventail plus large de mesures pour l'etude des interventions en orientation professionnelle. In the U.S.A. and other countries there are still sex differences in types of occupations entered by men and women and large disparities in their earnings. Understanding these outcomes of the educational and career counselling systems may be enhanced by gender research, which adopts a social interaction perspective, views gender categories as socially constructed, and has resulted in changes in the views of career development theorists. There have also been changes in the concept of validity, such that both evidence and ethics are considered. A framework is proposed here that draws on the logic of validation argument and gender research, to suggest a broader set of outcome measures for studies of career development interventions.
Electro-optical characterization and analysis of CuPc-based solar cells with high photovoltage

Organic solar cells using the CuPc and PTCBI semiconductor layers were studied. A high open circuit voltage of 1.15 V was obtained in a device with ITO/PEDOT:PSS/CuPc (15 nm)/PTCBI (7 nm)/Al structure. Results were interpreted in terms of a modified CuPc-Al Schottky diode for the thin PTCBI case and a CuPc-PTCBI heterojunction for the thick PTCBI case. Also, the formation of a thin aluminum oxide layer under the aluminum electrode was postulated. This layer has a beneficial aspect wherein shunting losses are reduced and a high photovoltage is enabled. However, it adds greatly to the series resistance to a point where the short circuit current density is reduced. CuPc Schottky diodes with an ITO/PEDOT:PSS/CuPc/Al structure yielded a high V oc of 900 mV for a CuPc layer of thickness 140 nm. The V oc increased with increase in CuPc layer thickness.
Periadolescent nicotine exposure causes heterologous sensitization to cocaine reinforcement.

Abstract There is increasing concern that abuse of tobacco during periadolescence increases the potential for later abuse of other drugs. To test this hypothesis, Sprague–Dawley rats received once-daily injections of either water or 0.4 mg/kg nicotine from postnatal day 35 through 44. Beginning on postnatal day 80, animals were tested in a 12-day cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Prior nicotine treatment enhanced the dose–response to cocaine. CPP training with 3.0 mg/kg i.p. cocaine increased time in drug-paired chambers by 50% in control rats and 94% in nicotine-exposed animals. Thus, periadolescent nicotine exposure produced long-term sensitization to an indirect-acting dopamine agonist.
Scaling application properties to exascale

Exascale computing systems will execute computationally intensive tasks on unprecedented amounts of data. Tuning the design of such systems for a specific application or for an application domain is a challenging task as it is not yet possible to analyze the actual run-time behavior of exascale applications. Run-time properties, such as the memory access pattern, the available instruction-level parallelism and the instruction mix, are valuable information for architects to tune the processing elements, the memory system and the communication infrastructure.We propose a methodology for extrapolating application properties at exascale from an analysis of workload sizes feasible on current systems. The methodology is suitable for applications scaling over different parameters (e.g., the number of vertices and edges represent two parameters in a graph algorithm). The proposed methodology combines a) a statistically sound approach for model selection and b) knowledge coming from computational theory, such as the order of complexity of the application under analysis. Compared with state-of-the-art techniques, the proposed methodology reduces the prediction error by an order of magnitude on the instruction count and improves the accuracy of memory access pattern prediction by up to 1.3×.
Effects of Physicians' Feelings of Empowerment & Service Quality Perceptions on Hospital Recommendations

[This abstract is based on the authors’ abstract.] Using physician survey data, this study finds that physician empowerment and service quality perceptions affect whether a doctor is likely to recommend a hospital to peers, which can be used to measure ..
Development and validation of a series of three-dimensional finite element models of the equine metacarpus.

Abstract Three-dimensional finite element (FE) models of the left metacarpi of five adult horses were developed from quantitative computed tomography data, using the algorithms of Keyak et al. (1990, J Biomed. Engng 12, 389–397). The metacarpi were then equipped with 12 rosette strain gauges and loaded non-destructively in a mechanical testing machine. The bones and the models were loaded in axial compression, with the load evenly distributed across the distal row of carpal bones, and with a point load placed mediad to the sagittal midline, to a load equivalent to three times body weight (−15 kN); and in sagittal four-point bending to −2 kN. Maximum and minimum principal strains from the models were compared with those at the strain gauge rosettes. There were significant (p These data suggest that the models are robust and accurate predictors of surface strains. Validation of these models lends further support for the use of this method of automated three-dimensional FE modeling, with its emphasis on accurate, individualized portrayal of structural geometry and material distribution, in research applications, and specifically for the use of these models in the study of the biology and mechanics of the equine metacarpus.
Learning Visual Object Categories for Robot Affordance Prediction

A fundamental requirement of any autonomous robot system is the ability to predict the affordances of its environment. The set of affordances define the actions that are available to the agent given the robotâs context. A standard approach to affordance learning is direct perception, which learns direct mappings from sensor measurements to affordance labels. For example, a robot designed for cross-country navigation could map stereo depth information and image features directly into predictions about the traversability of terrain regions. While this approach can succeed for a small number of affordances, it does not scale well as the number of affordances increases. In this paper, we show that visual object categories can be used as an intermediate representation that makes the affordance learning problem scalable. We develop a probabilistic graphical model which we call the CategoryâAffordance (CA) model, which describes the relationships between object categories, affordances, and appearance. This model casts visual object categorization as an intermediate inference step in affordance prediction. We describe several novel affordance learning and training strategies that are supported by our new model. Experimental results with indoor mobile robots evaluate these different strategies and demonstrate the advantages of the CA model in affordance learning, especially when learning from limited size data sets.
SpyFeet: an exercise RPG

One compelling aspect of computer RPGs is the promise of player agency: the ability to make significant and desired choices in a large, complex, and story-rich environment. Giving players meaningful choice has traditionally required the creation of tremendous amounts of hand-authored story content. This authoring paradigm tends to introduce both structural and workload problems for RPG designers. Our hypothesis is that reducing authorial burden and increasing agency are two sides of the same coin, both requiring advancement in three distinct areas: (1) dynamic story management architecture that allows story elements to be selected and re-ordered in response to player choices; (2) dynamic dialogue generation which takes history and relationships into account; and (3) an authoring interface that lets writers focus on quests and characters. This paper describes SpyFeet, a playable prototype of a storytelling system designed to test this hypothesis.
Assessment and treatment of depression during pregnancy: an update.

Mood disorders are twice as common in women as compared with men and frequently cluster during the childbearing years [1]. With significant data supporting the effectiveness and tolerability of pharmacologic treatments to treat a spectrum of psychiatric disorders, growing numbers of women are treated with psychotropic medications during their reproductive years. Though pregnancy has traditionally been considered a time of emotional well-being for women, conferring ‘‘protection’’ against psychiatric disorder, at least one prospective study describes rates of major and minor depression approximating 10% [2,3]. Other studies also note clinically significant depressive symptoms during pregnancy (antenatal depression) [4–7]. Furthermore, women with histories of major depression appear to be at high risk for recurrent depression during pregnancy, particularly in the setting of antidepressant discontinuation [8]. Women with histories of major depression who are treated with maintenance antidepressant therapy frequently seek consultation regarding the use of these medications during pregnancy. Some of these patients may seek advice about potential change or discontinuation of antidepressant treatment before conception; others may present early in the course of pregnancy following documentation of pregnancy. The clinician faces certain challenges when making recommendations regarding the treatment of depression during pregnancy in the context of both of these clinical scenarios. All antidepressant medications diffuse readily across the placenta though placental passage of these compounds is variable [9]. No psychotropic drug, including antidepressants, has yet been approved by the Food
A New Parasitization Record of Haliaspis spartinae (Diaspididae) and Encarsia ellisvillensis sp. nov. (Chalcidoidea: Aphelinidae) From the United States

Spartina alterniflora Loisel. and Haliaspis spartinae (Comstock) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), with its parasitoid, were surveyed in Ellisville Marsh, Massachusetts. Average scale density on the damaged leaves was equal to 265 individuals per 10 cm2. Parasitization of H. spartinae was recorded for the first time; however, the percentage was very low at 2.67%. The parasitoid is a new species for science and is described as Encarsia ellisvillensis Japoshvili & Russell sp. nov.
The Death and Life of Urban Design: Jane Jacobs, The Rockefeller Foundation and the New Research in Urbanism, 1955–1965

Between 1955 and 1965, the Rockefeller Foundation responded to the urban crises created by the pre- and post-war housing shortage and heavy-handed urban renewal strategies by sponsoring urban design research projects by Kevin Lynch, Jane Jacobs, E. A. Gutkind, Ian McHarg, Christopher Tunnard, Ian Nairn, Edmund Bacon, Christopher Alexander and others. Drawing on documents from the Rockefeller Foundation Archives, this paper considers the state of urban design theory after World War II and outlines the major sponsored research projects. The work of Jane Jacobs, who was closely involved with the Foundation's urban design research programme, is examined in greater detail, while the early research of Gyorgy Kepes and Kevin Lynch, which became The Image of the City (1960), will be considered in a subsequent paper.
Flow equivalent nets for the performance analysis of generalized stochastic Petri nets

The reduction of the state space of generalized stochastic Petri net (GSPN) models is discussed. For a certain class of GSPNs it is possible to analyze subnets in isolation by keeping the number of tokens in the net constant. The authors construct a flow equivalent net (FEN), which has the same temporal and input/output properties of the original net, but with a strongly reduced state space. The FEN is substituted back into the complement of the original net. >
Surgical management of secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Most patients with renal failure maintained on chronic dialysis have elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and PTH-mediated bone disease (secondary hyperparathyroidism [sHPT]). Elevated PTH production in this setting represents a progressive, exaggerated physiologic response to hypocalcemia by the parathyroid glands, and generalized growth of the parathyroids is an adaptive response to chronic stimulation. Effective medical strategies to reduce PTH secretion and PTH-mediated bone turnover in sHPT (eg, controlling hyperphosphatemia, normalizing serum calcium, and administering vitamin D analogs) has decreased the need for parathyroidectomy in recent years. However, failure of medical therapy because of inadequate treatment, persistent hyperphosphatemia, or acquired parathyroid neoplasia still leads to recommendations for parathyroidectomy in select patients. Furthermore, increased awareness of potential long-term, irreversible cardiovascular effects of uncorrected hyperparathyroidism has led some to advocate parathyroidectomy earlier in the course of this disease. This monograph will review parathyroidectomy for secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism.
Electronic cooling in multilayer epitaxial graphene

Using ultrafast optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy, we measure the low-temperature electronic cooling in multilayer epitaxial graphene and develop a theory of hot-carrier equilibration based on interlayer energy transfer via screened Coulomb interactions.
EVALUATION AND EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

The propositions advanced and defended in this article are: (1) that it is more urgent for educators to reach agreement on their general purposes and goals than to specify in detail the outcomes they seek; (2) that insistance on detailed statements of educational objectives is questionable; (3) that teachers should be more concerned with developing a pupil's cognitive resources than with changing his behavior; (4) that criterion-referenced measures should supplement, not supplant norm-referenced measures; and (5) that conventional test statistics are appropriate for criterion-referenced tests if they are based on appropriate test responses.
Flow Control Using Plasma Actuators and Linear/Annular Plasma Synthetic Jet Actuators

This paper investigates the use of dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators in low Re flow control applications. Three different actuator geometries have been tested: a conventional design using two rectangular strip electrodes (the linear actuator) that produces a nearly two-dimensional horizontal wall jet upon actuation, and two new designs that render the plasma induced flow in the form of a vertical jet that can be either three-dimensional using an annular electrode array actuator construction the plasma synthetic jet actuator, PSJA or nearly two dimensional using a modified linear actuator construction consisting of two exposed electrodes and one embedded electrode, the L-PSJA. The modification in actuator design can be used to broaden its applicability and enhance the flow control effects. 2-D PIV measurements are used to characterize the operation of these actuators in quiescent flow, a flat plate boundary layer, and flow over a circular cylinder. In quiescent flow, these actuators add momentum to the residual fluid with significant velocity fluctuations. The interaction of the plasma induced flow with a mean flow is shown to vary with the actuator geometry. The PSJA and L-PSJA geometries enhance the penetration of the plasma induced jet as compared to the linear actuator. The actuators act as an active boundary layer trip, the effectiveness of which is seen to decrease with increasing freestream velocity. While the PSJA affects the global flowfield, the L-PSJA and linear actuator affect primarily the near wall region. The linear actuator is observed to be a better configuration for flow control on a circular cylinder as opposed to the L-PSJA.
Household Context and Subjective Well-Being Among the Oldest Old in China

This article investigates the importance of household context to subjective well-being among the oldest old (aged 80 years and older) in China. Using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, the authors find that living arrangements have strong implications for elderly emotional health. First, living alone is associated with lower subjective well-being. Second, coresidence with immediate family (spouse or children) is associated with positive subjective well-being. Third, compared to living with a son, the traditionally dominant type of living arrangement, coresidence with a daughter appears positively linked to the emotional health of the oldest old. Results highlight the importance of family and cultural context to subjective well-being of the oldest old. They also suggest that the gendered nature of caregiving merits further attention in China and other patrilineal societies.
Silencing of Secretin Receptor Function by Dimerization with a Misspliced Variant Secretin Receptor in Ductal Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Secretin receptors that are key for regulation of healthy pancreatic ductal epithelial cells have been reported to be functionally absent on ductal pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Here, we examine the possible presence and function of molecular forms of the secretin receptor in pancreatic cancer cell lines and in primary tumors. Surprisingly, reverse transcription-PCR and sequencing demonstrated wild-type secretin receptor mRNA in each of four cell lines and three primary tumors. Lack of biological response to nanomolar concentrations of secretin was best explained by the demonstrated coexpression of a second and predominant transcript in each of the cell lines and tumors. This represented a variant of the secretin receptor in which the third exon was spliced out to eliminate residues 44–79 from the NH2-terminal tail. This spliceoform has only recently been recognized in a rare gastrinoma, where it was incapable of binding secretin or signaling, and possessed dominant-negative activity to suppress hormone action at the wild-type secretin receptor (1) . Overexpression of wild-type secretin receptor in Panc-1 cells driven by transfection of fully processed cDNA resulted in normal responsiveness to low concentrations of secretin, establishing the ability of these cells to produce a receptor capable of normal biosynthesis, trafficking, and signaling. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer demonstrated that the variant receptor could form a heterodimer with wild-type receptor, providing a molecular mechanism for its dominant-negative activity. This suggests that missplicing is responsible for expression of a secretin receptor variant having the ability to suppress the function of wild-type receptor by a direct interaction. In 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays in receptor-bearing Chinese hamster ovary cells, the secretin receptor was shown to have growth-inhibitory effects. Suppression of this activity in pancreatic carcinoma might, therefore, facilitate tumor growth and progression of this aggressive neoplasm.
Knowledge organization in intelligent tutoring systems for diagnostic problem solving in complex dynamic domains

Turbinia-Vyasa is a computer-based instructional system that trains operators to troubleshoot and diagnose faults in marine power plants. The simulator, Turbinia, is based on a hierarchical representation of subsystems, components, and primitives. Vyasa is the computer-based tutor that teaches the troubleshooting task using Turbinia. The simulator, an interactive, direct manipulation interface, and the tutor (with its expert, student, and instructional modules) comprise the instructional system. To be effective, knowledge about the system and the troubleshooting task, together with the knowledge to infer student's misconceptions from observed actions and pedagogical knowledge, must be suitably organized and presented to the student. System knowledge is organized in terms of schematics, subsystems, and fluid paths, which are further decomposed into structure, function, and behavior. Information about failures and failure schemas complement the system knowledge. In the paper, the authors discuss the details of knowledge organization and show how they support the functions of the intelligent tutoring system. >
Inhibition of Growth of Clostridium botulinum by Intestinal Microflora Isolated from Healthy Infants

Infant botulism results when Clostridium botulinum spores germinate, colonise, and produce botulinum neurotoxin in the intestine. As the normal intestinal microflora is important in resistance to C. botulinum colonisation in the mouse model of infant botulism, we investigated the effect of intestinal bacteria isolated from six healthy infants (two breastfed, two formula-fed, and two both formula and breast-fed) on the growth of 14 strains of C. botulinum (three Type A, four Type B, three Type E, two Type F, and two Type G) using zone inhibition procedures. We tested 88 anaerobic and 64 aerobic and facultative isolates. Strains of bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, propionibacteria and enterococci inhibited the growth of C. botulinum , as did several strains of the Bacteroides fragilis group. The only clostridium inhibiting C. botulinum growth was C. ramosum , which inhibited both of the Type G strains and one of the two Type F strains. At least two bacterial isolates from each faecal sample inhibited most of the 14 C. botulinum strains. Co-culture experiments with intact faecal samples and C. botulinum spores or vegetative cells indicated that the normal flora of healthy infants had a bacteriostatic, rather than a bacteriocidal, effect on the growth of C. botulinum . Thus, susceptibility to infant botulism may result in part from the absence of these inhibitory organisms from the normal flora of the infant intestine. Keywords: Infant botulism; Colonisation resistance; Bacterial antagonism; Clostridium botulinum .
Clinical and Toxicodynamic Evidence that High-Dose Pyrazinamide Is Not More Hepatotoxic than the Low Doses Currently Used

Antimicrobial pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic studies suggest that pyrazinamide doses higher than those currently recommended may be more efficacious. However, high pyrazinamide doses are believed to be hepatotoxic. Searches for clinical trials in MEDLINE, EBSCOHOST, and the Cochrane Controlled Trial Register were made. Studies that employed pyrazinamide dose scheduling and pharmacokinetic analysis design were examined. Population pharmacokinetic modeling methods were utilized to identify parameters associated with toxicity. At an equivalent area under the concentration-time curve, the time that concentration persisted above some thresholds was associated with overall adverse events (P = 0.032), arthralgia (P = 0.089), and an elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase level at 3 months (P = 0.067). Next, a meta-analysis was utilized to compare rates of adverse events (i) between different pyrazinamide doses, (ii) between different dosing schedules, and (iii) between pyrazinamide-containing and non-pyrazinamide-containing antituberculosis regimens. The 29 studies selected were heterogeneous (Cochrane Q statistic P value of 95%). For the once-a-day dosing schedule, arthralgia was dose dependent (r2 = 0.996). However, arthralgia was less common with intermittent dosing, consistent with the time concentration persisted above the threshold. Arthralgia was generally clinically inconsequential. The frequencies of hepatotoxicity were 0.057 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.021 to 0.141) for pyrazinamide monotherapy, 0.044 (CI, 0.033 to 0.059) for pyrazinamide-containing combination regimens, and 0.040 (CI, 0.023 to 0.040) for non-pyrazinamide-containing combination regimens. The frequencies of hepatotoxicity were 0.042 (CI, 0.026 to 0.067) for 30 mg/kg of body weight, 0.055 (CI, 0.031 to 0.094) at 40 mg/kg, and 0.098 (CI, 0.047 to 0.193) at 60 mg/kg of pyrazinamide. Thus, high-dose pyrazinamide did not significantly increase hepatotoxicity. This suggests that a considerable portion of hepatotoxicity rates may be idiosyncratic.
Mediated consumer-provider communication in cancer care: the empowering potential of new technologies.

New communication technologies represent a potentially valuable resource for cancer care and education. With the Internet and multimedia programs (e.g. CD-ROMs), health care consumers have access to a wealth of information about cancer and its treatment, can participate in online support groups, and can interact with medical experts across the globe. To be most effective, these interventions must be designed, developed, implemented, and evaluated using a sound conceptual framework that connects factors affecting utilization, the user's experience within the media environment, and post interaction outcomes. This essay presents two health communication frameworks, an expanded model of health care consumer-provider communication and a three-stage model of health promotion using interactive media, to help guide future research and development of innovative technologies for cancer care and education.
A systems framework for safety and security: The holistic paradigm: Regular Paper

New discoveries coupled with the incessant desire to improve performance and reduce cost of products and services tend to encourage the deployment of novel technologies, which are often more complex in nature than their earlier counterparts. However, recent experience bears witness to the need for better vision and foresight in appreciation of the detrimental aspects alongside seemingly beneficial and rewarding facets of modern systems, processes, and products. Among many aspects to the performance of systems, safety is a human-focused and complex socio-technical issue. The classical view of safety is largely biased towards the causality of hazardous states and failure of products, processes, and systems, often taking a narrow technical reliability perspective in place of sensitivity to human dimension. Later philosophies have advocated the extension of failure-based approaches to take into account assessment of likely accidents and consequent harm to people. Against this setting, security, which is a major and more recent concern, is analogous to safety, differing mainly in malicious intent and deliberate causation rather than unplanned random or systematic causes. This paper proposes a new paradigm for holistic systems assurance, of which safety performance and security/vulnerability are key aspects. While principally focused on safety assurance, the proposed paradigm is broadly applicable to any facet of a system's performance and goes beyond the current horizons of systems safety landscape. It develops and proposes a more inclusive approach and extension of current systems safety domain, comprising scope and issues beyond accident causation and consequential loss. It further advocates a more extensive view of loss, encompassing harm to people and damage to the natural habitat as well as detriment to a business enterprise or society at large. References to safety assurance in this paper are synonymous with ensuring health, safety, and welfare of people. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 7: 99–112, 2004
Black and Latino Political Coalitions: Issues Over Candidates

It is often assumed that given their shared status as disadvantaged minorities, relative to Whites, Blacks and Latinos should work together politically. However, as recent elections in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, and New York show, sometimes Blacks and Latinos work together and sometimes they do not. Recent works have focused on the role of racial attitudes in Black-Latino coalition formation and conclude that Black-Latino coalitions are unlikely. Yet the voting record is not so clear. Using data from an experiment, I show that when race/ethnicity is made salient in elections, Blacks and Latinos will rely on cues from co-ethnic leaders when evaluating candidates on a variety of policy issues. The data suggest that possible Black-Latino coalitions may be form in response to specific policies areas and not around candidates.
Vasovasostomy and semen quality.

AbstractDuring a recent 8-year 4-month period 205 men underwent bilateral vasovasostomy. Of those patients for whom followup information was available 43 per cent have produced a pregnancy. Semen analyses after vasovasostomy revealed good sperm counts for the most part but generally reduced sperm motility and viability. Efforts are underway to evaluate whether the defect may be the result of abnormal epididymal function or of sperm agglutinating or immobilizing antibodies.
Sarcocystidae: Toxoplasmatinae (Besnoitia, Toxoplasma) in Marsupials

This chapter summarized our knowledge of two genera ( Besnoitia , Toxoplasma ) within the second subfamily of the Sarcocystidae (Toxoplasmatinae) that infect marsupials. The history of the discovery and naming of Besnoitia from American marsupials is presented. Besnoitia darlingi is the only species to infect marsupials, and it is found only in about four American opossum species; no Besnoitia species are yet reported from Australian marsupials. Pathology of B. darlingi in opossums seems to be variable in time and space and dependent upon the host it infects.
Video Surveillance of Painted Bunting Nests to Determine the Effect of Parental Behavior on Nest Success

Abstract - Declines in populations of Passerina ciris (Painted Buntings) have led to their recent classification as a species of conservation concern. As part of a larger study investigating factors associated with nest success in south-central Louisiana during 2010–2011, we monitored a subsample of nests (n = 14) with video cameras in 2011 to identify nest predators and parasitism events. In addition, we quantified parental activity at the nest to determine if nest attendance and visitation rate during the incubation and nestling stages affected nest success. On average, successful nests were visited less frequently (0.74 ± 0.07 visits/hr) than failed nests (1.04 ± 0.07 visits/hr) during incubation. During the nestling stage, mean nest attendance of successful nests was lower (11.51 ± 1.96 min/hr) compared to failed nests (30.95 ± 3.23 min/hr), and contrary to predictions, mean visitation rate of successful nests (5.46 ± 0.46 visits/hr) was greater than that of failed nests (2.50 ± 0.50 visits/hr). Visit...
The role of predation in determining reproductive success of colonially nesting wading birds in the Florida Everglades

In a sample of 1,609 marked nests of five species of Ciconiiformes in 21 colonial nesting aggregations in the Everglades, evidence of abandonment without destruction of nest contents accounted for 31.3% of failures. In 66.9% of the failures, evidence at the nest suggested either predation resulting in nest failure or postabandonment scavenging of nest contents. In a sample of 106 nests isolated by a nonrepelling tracking medium, we found predation by snakes to account for 23% of nest failures; mammals accounted for an additional 20%. Failures due to these two categories accounted for 12% of the treated nests; abandonments may have been considerably underrepresented in this sample of nests. Mammalian predators rarely visited widely distributed baited tracking stations in the marsh, and we hypothesize that even 5-10 cm of water can substantially restrict travel by raccoons, foxes, and rats. Visitation by mammals to colonies occurred only when the water surrounding them receded, and was not related to the presence of alligators or distance from permanently dry land. We found little evidence of avian predation on wading bird nests, though birds readily scavenged abandoned nest contents. We discuss several attributes of the Everglades marshes which may limit access of predators to nesting colonies.
Age Structure of Horn Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Populations Estimated by Pterin Concentrations

Pterins accumulate in the head capsules of horn flies, Haematobia irritans irritans (L.), as a linear function of time and temperature. Pterin concentrations were used to estimate chronological ages and to establish correlations between chronological age and ovarian development and reproductive success in 12 horn fly populations in 1988 and 1989. Male ages were estimated spectrofluorometrically. There were statistically significant differences between years in population age structure measured by pterins. Survival rates estimated from pterin concentration distributions were consistent with a one-parameter exponential model with constant survival rate. Mean daily survival rates were 0.81 for females and 0.84 for males in 1988 and 0.66 and 0.75 in 1989. Mean lifetime egg production was approximately 26 eggs per female in 1988 and 8 in 1989. Female reproductive success was close to the maximum possible, i.e., there were no net delays in oviposition. Analysis of gonotrophic age distributions provided survival estimates that suggested an increasing risk of mortality with age or age-related biases in sampling.
Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

This chapter discusses interventions for body-focused repetitive behavior exhibited by individuals with intellectual disabilities. After discussing the types of body-focused repetitive behaviors and their functions, the habit reversal approach to intervention is described. Next, evidence based interventions for these behaviors exhibited by individuals with intellectual disabilities are described, including differential reinforcement, response interruption, redirection, and prevention, punishment procedures, and the awareness enhancement device. The chapter concludes with recommendations for practice.