cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endurance exercise-induced expression of autophagy-related protein coincides with anabolic expression and neurogenesis in the hippocampus of the mouse brain.

Autophagy and neurogenesis play a pivotal role in maintaining cellular homeostasis of neurons in the brain. Endurance exercise (EXE) serves as a potent regulator of both autophagy and neurogenesis in the hippocampus of the brain; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of the dual expression remains unclear. Thus, we examined the signaling pathways of EXE-induced autophagy and neurogenesis-associated protein expression in the hippocampus. C57BL/6 male mice (10 weeks old) were randomly divided into two groups: control group (n = 10) and EXE group (EXE, n = 10). Our results showed that EXE increased expression of autophagy-related protein [LC3 II, BECLIN1, autophagy-related 7 (ATG7), p62, LAMP2, CATHEPSIN L and transcription factor EB] in the presence of anabolic signaling expression (AKT-mammalian target of rapamycin-ribosomal S6 kinase). Intriguingly, long-term EXE-mediated neurogenesis in the hippocampus was observed despite the downregulated expressions of canonical neurotrophic factors (e.g. brain-derived neurotrophic factor, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factors and nerve growth factor); instead, upregulation of neuregulin-1 (NRG1)-mediated signaling cascades (e.g. NRG1-extracellular signal-regulated kinase-ribosomal s6 kinase-cyclic adenosine mono-phosphate response element-binding protein) were associated with EXE-induced hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Our data, for the first time, show that EXE-mediated expression of autophagy-related protein coincides with anabolic expression and that NRG1 is involved in EXE-mediated neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Taken together, this study provides a novel mechanism of hippocampal autophagy and neurogenesis, which may provide potential insight into developing therapeutic neuroprotective strategies.
Remarks on adsorbent surface barrier to adsorbate mass transport

The existence of a skin resistance for adsorbate mass transport at the surface of a pelletized adsorbent particle or at the surface of adsorbent crystals within a particle has been proven by many macroscopic and microscopic experiments. An isothermal and isobaric column dynamic test method may be used to approximately estimate the relative magnitude of the skin resistance.
Developing a Virtual Reality Approach toward a Better Understanding of Coordination Chemistry and Molecular Orbitals.

A virtual reality (VR) session was introduced to an advanced inorganic chemistry class, a class available to junior and senior undergraduate students at the University of California, Los Angeles. T...
CXCR4/SDF-1 axis mediates multidrug resistance of breast cancer

725 Multidrug resistance (MDR) and metastasis are two important properties of cancer progression. MDR phenotype in highly migratory tumor cells often becomes enhanced at metastasis sites. Once cancer cells have spread and formed secondary masses, they are largely incurable due to their enhanced MDR. MDR has been frequently associated with elevated expression of one or more ATP binding cassette transporters such as MDR-1, MRP-1, and BCRP. However, the regulation of these transporters remains controversial. CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) has been shown to be involved in the metastasis of breast cancer and plays an important role in cancer progression. Because metastatic breast cancer remains a generally incurable and fatal disease due to the development of MDR, preventing MDR is a critical problem that needs to be addressed. In this study, we investigated whether CXCR4 is involved in the MDR of breast cancer. We measured expression levels of CXCR4 and MDR-related genes in MDR cells and compared to those in drug sensitive cells. The effect of CXCR4 on expression of MDR-related genes was evaluated. In addition, we assessed whether silencing of CXCR4 with siRNA or blocking CXCR4 interaction with stromal derived factor 1 (SDF-1) using a CXCR4 antagonist downregulates expression of MDR-related genes and increase drug sensitivity in vitro and in vivo. Our study demonstrates that CXCR4/SDF-1 axis may mediate multidrug resistance of breast cancer. The results of this study greatly enhance current understanding of chemoresistance mechanisms as it relates to management of metastatic breast cancer in the clinic. Our findings suggest that CXCR4 antagonists may themselves be potential drugs to prevent and reverse MDR.
Counselor Surveillance of Digital Self-Monitoring Data: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective This pilot study tested counselor access to participants' digital self-monitoring (SM) data as a means of improving long-term lifestyle modification (LM) outcomes. Methods After 12 weeks of weight-loss treatment, participants (N = 77) were randomized to LM or LM+SHARE for weeks 13 to 52. All participants received monthly phone calls and weekly text messages from weeks 13 to 52 and were instructed to engage in daily digital SM of weight, eating, and exercise. In LM+SHARE, but not LM, counselors had access to SM device data. Assessments were conducted as weeks 0, 13, 26, and 52. Results Retention, engagement, and treatment satisfaction were excellent. LM+SHARE participants, compared with LM, had more frequent SM of weight and eating. Weight loss continued at a similar rate in both conditions from weeks 13 to 26. From weeks 26 to 52, those in LM regained approximately 2 kg, whereas those in LM+SHARE maintained weight loss, a significant difference. Nonetheless, total weight loss did not significantly differ by condition. Engagement in dietary SM mediated the effect of condition on weight. Conclusions Counselor access to SM data is feasible and acceptable. Additional research is warranted to determine whether it can meaningfully improve outcomes.
Feedback-Control Based Adversarial Attacks on Recurrent Neural Networks

Crafting adversarial inputs for attacks on neural networks and robustification against such attacks have continued to be a topic of keen interest in the machine learning community. Yet, the vast majority of work in current literature is only empirical in nature. We present a novel viewpoint on adversarial attacks on recurrent neural networks (RNNs) through the lens of dynamical systems theory. In particular, we show how control theory-based analysis tools can be leveraged to compute these adversarial input disturbances, and obtain bounds on how they impact the neural network performance. The disturbances are computed dynamically at each time-step by taking advantage of the recurrent architecture of RNNs, thus making them more efficient compared to prior work, as well as amenable to ‘real-time’ attacks. Finally, the theoretical results are supported by some illustrative examples.
Breastfeeding Difficulties Predict Mothers’ Bonding with Their Infants from Birth to Age Six Months

We examined the association between breastfeeding difficulties and trajectories of bonding in the first 6 months postpartum. Each month for the first 6 months following birth, 121 mothers of newborn infants (age = 23–45 years, M = 32.31 ± 4.79, 57% White, 23% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 9% Multiracial, 1% Black/African American) were invited to complete self-assessments of bonding. At the first postpartum assessment, mothers who intended to breastfeed also reported whether breastfeeding was more difficult than they had anticipated. We conducted linear mixed modelling to test whether early breastfeeding difficulty was associated with bonding trajectories and examined whether effects remained when accounting for postnatal depression symptoms. We found main effects of breastfeeding difficulty (β = − .20, 95% CI [ − .34, − .06]) and postpartum month (β = .13, 95% CI [.07, .20]) on bonding. On average, women who reported breastfeeding difficulty reported lower bonding than women who did not (Cohen’s d = − 0.44, 95% CI [− 0.81, − 0.06]). Additional analyses indicated that, independent of breastfeeding difficulties, women who reported higher postnatal depressive symptoms across the first 6 months postpartum reported lower levels of bonding, on average. Further, within-individual decreases in postnatal depressive symptoms across the first six months were associated with relative improvements in bonding across this period. Our findings suggest that mothers who experience breastfeeding difficulties are at risk for reduced bonding with their infants in the first 6 months after birth. Moreover, while postnatal depressive symptoms are also associated with reduced bonding, the effect of breastfeeding difficulties on bonding persists over and above the effect of postnatal depressive symptoms.
Societal Trust and Going Concern Assessments: Boon or Bane?

Following the severe liquidity and credit problems that companies faced during the financial crisis of 2007-2008, there is heightened interest in reasons why auditors might not issue going-concern opinions (GCOs) to financially distressed clients who seem to warrant such opinions. We examine whether auditors in high societal trust countries exercise less caution, and consequently insufficient professional skepticism, when assessing the ability of entities to continue as a going concern. Using a large sample of observations across several countries, we find a lower incidence of GCOs in jurisdictions with high societal trust. Corroborating this result, we find that this effect varies predictably with cross-sectional variation in litigation risk, management turnover, and auditor turnover. We also find that high societal trust is associated with fewer GCO Type I misclassifications, but more GCO Type II misclassifications. We further investigate managements’ faithfulness in financial reporting and find that societal trust positively affects financial reporting quality only when a company is not in financial distress. This suggests that auditors do not adequately perceive that companies in high trust countries become less trustworthy as their financial condition deteriorates. Our study highlights how an informal control mechanism can have beneficial effects across multiple economic contexts while posing problems in the auditing context.
Teaching the Dao: monotheism, transcendence, and intercultural philosophy

This paper considers Daoism from the perspective of teaching Chinese philosophy in a Western setting: To what extent can we think of the Dao as a single unifying principle that organizes the whole field of experience? And is the Dao an absolute foundation—like God—which is meant to be a metaphysical ultimate? To answer these questions, I compare Daoism with monotheism in the Western tradition, and I argue that the Dao is an immanent principle of wholeness rather than a transcendent ideal. I discuss some of the difficulties of teaching the Dao De Jing and The Book of Zhuang Zi in a Western setting; but at the same time, I suggest that Daoism is an important philosophy for anyone who is concerned about the natural world and the increasing threat of environmental disaster. Finally, while Western philosophy seems to prioritize theory over practice, in Daoism practice is given priority over theory, and this is why Daoism is still appealing as a form of spiritual life. For the sake of consistency, I use Pinyin for Chinese philosophers’ names and some of their texts throughout.
Who Will Control Atomic Power

This chapter highlights the importance of cooperation between the United States and England in the development of radar, which was instrumental in equipping the Allies to prevail in World War II. It also sets out US President Truman’s belief that this international cooperation among military, academic, and industry agencies was as important of a wartime battleground as the front lines of the war itself. This cooperation relied in large part on a shared language, and this idea that effective communication could underpin national security was discussed in relation to technology development and public education for decision-making about computer innovations.
Multi‐Spacecraft Observations of Interplanetary Shocks

This paper presents the analysis of a number of interplanetary shocks observed by near‐Earth solar wind monitors. Single and four‐spacecraft shock normal determination methods are compared and it is demonstrated that the four‐spacecraft timing method is not generally more accurate than the single‐spacecraft Rankine‐Hugoniot fit. Moreover, the single‐spacecraft methods, unlike the four‐spacecraft ones, allow the determination of possible shock surface curvatures. Examples are presented where significant shock curvature are observed that can lead to 5–10 minutes forecast error for bow shock arrival times.
Ultrastructural histochemistry of the dento-epithelial junction. I. Phosphotungstic acid periodic acid-silver methenamine and periodic acid-thiosemicarbazide-silver proteinate.

The phosphotungstic acid (PTA), periodic acid-silver methenamine (PA-silver) and periodic acid-thiosemicarbazide-siiver proteinate (PA-TSC-SP) histochemical techniques for electron microscopy were utilized in a study of the dento-epithelial junction of young adult Rhesus monkeys. PTA, PA-silver and PA-TSC-SP staining reactions successfully differentiated the basal lamina as a reaction-positive layer from the reaction-negative layer of the dental cuticle. These results indicated that the basal lamina but not the dental cuticle contains glycoprotein-rich material. Therefore, it was suggested that the basal lamina, because of its ubiquitous presence at the dento-epithelial junction and glycoprotein content, plays the key role in the adhesion mechanism, whereas the role of the inconsistent (size and presence) dental cuticle as a similar glycoprotein-cementing structure may be ruled out. The similarity of the basal lamina at the dento-epithelial junction to that found between the epithelium and the underlying connective tissue was confirmed again, not only with respect to their common structural features but also to their identical stainabilities to various PTA solutions and the PA-silver and the PA-TSC-SP techniques.
Origins and Health Consequences of Stress-Induced Ovarian Dysfunction

Normal ovarian function is thought to protect women against coronary heart disease (CHD) and osteoporosis by delaying the pathobiological processes underlying these conditions. Supporting this propo
Series-cascade nonlinear adaptive filters

It is known that certain classes of nonlinear systems can be represented by one of three cascade models: i) a linear filter followed by a memoryless nonlinearity (Wiener model), ii) a memoryless nonlinearity followed by a linear filter (Hammerstein model), or iii) a linear filter, a memoryless nonlinearity, and a second linear filter (LNL model). In this paper we consider LNL adaptive systems with an FIR linear system at the input stage and a FIR linear system at the output stage. Then combining the linear input stage and the memoryless nonlinear stage of the LNL model is considered, resulting in the series-cascade of a Wiener system with a linear output stage. Adaptive algorithms are derived for these structures and experimental examples are shown to illustrate their performance.
Process‐dependent residual trapping of CO2 in sandstone

This paper demonstrates that the nature and extent of residual CO2 trapping depend on the process by which the CO2 phase is introduced into the rock. We compare residual trapping of CO2 in Berea Sandstone by imbibing water into a core containing either exsolved CO2 or CO2 introduced by drainage. X-ray computed tomography measurements are used to map the spatial distribution of CO2 preimbibition and postimbibition. Unlike during drainage where the CO2 distribution is strongly influenced by the heterogeneity of the rock, the distribution of exsolved CO2 is comparatively uniform. Postimbibition, the CO2 distribution retained the essential features for both the exsolved and drainage cases, but twice as much residual trapping is observed for exsolved CO2 even with similar preimbibition gas saturations. Residually trapped exsolved gas also disproportionately reduced water relative permeability. Development of process-dependent parameterization will help better manage subsurface flow processes and unlock benefits from gas exsolution.
Neurogenesis in the fish retina

The retinas of teleost fish have long been of interest to developmental neurobiologists for their persistent plasticity during growth, life history changes, and response to injury. Because the vertebrate retina is a highly conserved tissue, the study of persistent plasticity in teleosts has provided insights into mechanisms for postembryonic retinal neurogenesis in mammals. In addition, in the past 10 years there has been an explosion in the use of teleost fish—zebrafish (Danio rerio) in particular—to understand the mechanisms of embryonic retinal neurogenesis in a model vertebrate with genetic resources. This review summarizes the key features of teleost retinal neurogenesis that make it a productive and interesting experimental system, and focuses on the contributions to our knowledge of retinal neurogenesis that uniquely required or significantly benefited from the use of a fish model system.
An evaluation of term dependence models in information retrieval

In Practical retrieval environments the assumption is normally made that the terms assigned to the documents of a collection occur independently of each other. The term independence assumption is unrealistic in many cases, but its use leads to a simple retrieval algorithm. More realistic retrieval systems take into account dependencies between certain term pairs and possibly between term triples. In this study, methods are outlined for generating dependency factors for term pairs and term triples and for using them in retrieval. Evaluation output is included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the suggested methodologies.
Clustering of elderly patient subgroups to identify medication-related readmission risks.

Abstract Introduction High Risk Medication Regimen (HRMR) scores are weakly predictive of hospital readmissions for elderly home health care patients. HRMR is composed of three elements related to drug risks: polypharmacy (number of medications); Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIM) known to be harmful to the elderly; and the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) that weighs drugs by the complexity of their dosing and instructions. In this paper, we hypothesized that HRMR scores are more predictive for demographic subgroups of elderly patients. The study used Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) variables to identify subgroups of patients for whom the HRMR measures appeared more predictive for hospital readmissions. Methods OASIS and medication data were reused from a study of 911 patients (355 males, 556 females; mean age 78.9) from 15 Medicare-certified home health care agencies that established the relationship between HRMR and hospital readmissions. Hierarchical agglomerative clustering using the Jaccard distance measure and average-link method identified patient subgroups based on the OASIS data. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses evaluated the predictive strength of the HRMR variables for each subgroup. Additional False Discovery Rate (FDR) analyses assessed whether the clustered relationships were chance. Results Clustering of OASIS data for 911 patients identified six subgroups: patients with Good Functional Status ( n =382); Females with Moderate to Severe Pain ( n =354); patients with poor prognosis needing functional status assistance ( n =419); patients with Poor Functional Status ( n =287); Males with Adult Children as Caregiver ( n =198); adults living alone with spouses as primary caregiver ( n =127). ROC results relating these subgroups to HRMR risks were strongest for Males with Adult Children as Caregivers (AUC: polypharmacy, 0.73; PIM, 0.64; MRCI, 0.77). The findings for this subgroup also met the FDR analysis threshold ( Conclusions A risk of medication-related readmissions in elderly men with adult children as caregivers is consistent with research showing problems in medication adherence when seniors are supported by informal caregivers. The results from clustering analysis present a hypothesis for research on HRMR and on the relationship between adult caregivers and their fathers.
Orbital control, climate seasonality, and landscape evolution in the Quaternary Rocky Mountains

Abstract While climate has long been implicated in the extensive erosion of Eocene through Miocene-aged basin fills in the Rocky Mountains, lack of precise, high temporal-density datasets of landform ages has made it difficult to detail the mechanisms by which climate increased relief. A dense dataset of (U–Th)/He dates from the Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana, USA, indicates correspondence between elevated exhumation and peaks in orbital eccentricity. Here we use an atmospheric general circulation model to investigate the potential role of eccentricity in enhancing erosion in the Rocky Mountains. We find that with high orbital eccentricity (0.05767), elevated seasonality (the moving vernal equinox of perihelion [MVELP] = 270°) results in 10–100% more summer precipitation and surface runoff than low seasonality (MVELP = 90°). Under low orbital eccentricity (0.0034), precipitation and runoff changes across a precession cycle are negligible. These results suggest that elevated eccentricity could, indeed, be associated with more intense summer precipitation and runoff, which could then drive higher landscape erosion rates. This finding could explain the occurrence of ~ 100-kyr cyclicity in Powder River Basin landform ages and provides a clear, non-glacial, link between climate variability and landscape evolution in the Rocky Mountains. In this, and other low-to-mid-latitude sedimentary basins, runoff volume and not glacier dynamics may be the variable that exerts primary control on landscape evolution.
The tolerability and pharmacokinetics of N-butyl-deoxynojirimycin in patients with advanced HIV disease (ACTG 100)

Twenty-nine patients were enrolled in a phase I dose-escalating tolerance trial of N-butyl-deoxynojirimycin, an alpha-glucosidase I inhibitor that inhibits human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 replication by altering glycosylation of gp120. Dosing was begun at 8 mg/kg/day and subsequent doses were 16, 32, 48, and 64 mg/kg/day. The maximum tolerated dose was not achieved because of slow accrual and because the study was stopped after the finding of cataracts in initial long-range rat toxicology studies. These cataracts were later shown to be transient and not found in other animals. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal, with diarrhea and flatulence occurring in most subjects, which seemed to partially improve on a modified diet that excluded complex carbohydrates. Grade III elevations in liver function tests were seen in two patients. Grade III leukopenia and neutropenia were seen in seven patients, but were only severe enough in two to require discontinuation. No significant trends in CD4 cell counts or HIV-1 p24 levels were noted.
The viscosity of pressurized 4He above Tλ

Abstract The viscosity of liquid 4 He has been measured by use of a vibrating wire viscometer. This paper reports the values of viscosity in the He I phase, for temperatures above the λ transition and pressures up to 25 atm.
Numerical modeling of crystal growth on a centrifuge for unstable natural convection configurations

The fluid mechanics associated with crystal growth processes on centrifuges is modeled using 2D and 3D models. Two-dimensional calculations show that flow bifurcations exist in such crystal growth configurations where the ampoule is oriented in the same direction as the resultant gravity vector and a temperature gradient is imposed on the melt. A scaling analysis is formulated to predict the flow transition point from the natural convection dominated regime to the Coriolis force dominated regime. Results of 3D calculations are presented for two thermal configurations of the crystal growth cell: top heated and bottom heated with respect to the centrifugal acceleration. In the top heated configuration, a substantial reduction in the convection intensity within the melt can be attained by centrifuge operations, and close to steady diffusion-limited thermal conditions can be achieved over a narrow range of the imposed microgravity level. In the bottom heated configuration the Coriolis force has a stabilizing effect on fluid motion by delaying the onset of unsteady convection.
Prevalence and Correlates of Erectile Dysfunction by Race and Ethnicity Among Men Aged 40 or Older in the United States: From the Male Attitudes Regarding Sexual Health Survey

ABSTRACT Introduction Most U.S. population‐based estimates of erectile dysfunction (ED) prevalence restricted upper age, were not nationally representative, or underrepresented minority groups. Aim To estimate, by race/ethnicity in the United States, the prevalence of ED and the impact of sociodemographic, health, relationship, psychological, and lifestyle variables. Methods This cross‐sectional, population‐based, nationally representative probability survey conducted between May 2001 and January 2002 in the general community setting facilitated equivalent representation among U.S. non‐Hispanic white (N=901), non‐Hispanic black (N=596), and Hispanic (N=676) men aged 40 and older by using targeted phone lists to oversample the minority populations. Main Outcome Measure Estimated prevalence of moderate or severe ED, defined as a response of "sometimes" or "never" to the question "How would you describe your ability to get and keep an erection adequate for satisfactory intercourse?" Results The estimated prevalence was 22.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 19.4–24.6) overall, 21.9% (95% CI, 18.8–24.9) in whites, 24.4% (95% CI, 18.4–30.5) in blacks, and 19.9% (95% CI, 13.9–25.9) in Hispanics, and increased with increasing age. The odds ratio increased with increasing age. Probability also increased with diabetes, hypertension, and moderate or severe lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) overall; age ≥70years and diabetes in whites; severe LUTS in blacks; and age ≥60years, moderate LUTS, hypertension, and depression in Hispanics. It decreased with exercise and college vs. less than high school education overall; with exercise, good relationship quality, and according to alcohol intake in blacks; and with high school or college education in Hispanics. Conclusions The odds of ED increased with increasing age across race/ethnicity when controlling for sociodemographic, health, relationship, psychological, and lifestyle variables. These initial analyses suggest further study of the interrelationships among risk factors for ED. Laumann EO, West S, Glasser D, Carson C, Rosen R, and Kang J‐H. Prevalence and correlates of erectile dysfunction by race and ethnicity among men aged 40 or older in the United States: From the Male Attitudes Regarding Sexual Health survey. J Sex Med 2007;4:57–65.
Antithrombin action of phosvitin and other phosphate-containing polyanions is mediated by heparin cofactor II.

We have examined the antithrombin effects of various phosphate-containing polyanions (including linear polyphosphates, polynucleotides and the phosphoserine glycoprotein, phosvitin) on the glycosaminoglycan-binding plasma proteinase inhibitors, antithrombin III (ATIII) and heparin cofactor II (HCII). These phosphate-containing polyanions accelerate the HCII-thrombin reaction, as much as 1600-fold in the case of phosvitin. The HCII-thrombin reaction with both phosvitin and polynucleotides appears to follow the ternary complex mechanism. The HCII-thrombin complex is rapidly formed in the presence of these phosphate polyanions (each at 10 μg/ml) when 125I-labeled thrombin is incubated with human plasma (ex vivo). None of these phosphate polyanions accelerate the ATIII-thrombin reaction. Our results suggest that the antithrombotic effect of these phosphate-containing polyanions is mediated by HCII activation and not by ATIII.
Nuclear receptors and bone.

: Nuclear receptors (NRs) represent a class of ligand-dependent and -independent transcription factors with importance to the regulation of development, reproduction, and metabolism. The emergence of new understanding of the structure, function, and role in disease of NRs provides new insights into the interaction between genetics and the environment, with NRs representing new targets for the development of therapeutic agents. NRs play key roles in bone health and contribute to our understanding of diseases and disorders that result in osteopenia and osteoporosis. The Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas (http://www.nursa.org) is an online repository of information about NRs and provides a community-wide resource designed to help catalyze new advances in biology and medicine.
Fish embryos: practical indicators of environmental quality of significance to fisheries

Cyto-embryological analyses of fish eggs collected in nature can be a more sensitive indicator of environmental pollution than more typical assays conducted on artificially-spawned eggs. This is because uncertainties associated with artificial spawning and rearing are dispensed with, as well as because of the sensitivity of some cellular and subcellular analyses. At the same time, such measures can provide information on interannual differences in egg viability of importance in elucidating great, unexplained variability in fisheries recruitment. Extensive experience with fish embryos from ocean plankton has led to the choice of a particularly useful, practical suite of observations for different developmental stages. This includes measures of embryo mortality, mutagenicity, teratogenicity, abnormal cell differentiation, and development rate. Atlantic mackerel egg mortality has been determined to be greater in the surface waters of the New York Bight apex and along the New Jersey coast than in less polluted portions of the Bight. Chromosome abnormality of mid-stage embryos was also greater in more impacted areas of the same water mass, as well as in the somatic cells of adult mackerel and winter flounder, and in juvenile and adult windowpane flounder caught in more impacted areas. Mortality and abnormality of the mackerel embryos showed statisticalmore » associations with toxic hydrocarbons as measured in plankton, and with heavy metals as measured in sea surface waters. The sensitivity, practicality, and relevance of the cytoembryological studies to population dynamics of resource species make this an important means of monitoring environmental quality.« less
Epistemically self-defeating arguments and skepticism about intuition

An argument is epistemically self-defeating when either the truth of an argument’s conclusion or belief in an argument’s conclusion defeats one’s justification to believe at least one of that argument’s premises. Some extant defenses of the evidentiary value of intuition have invoked considerations of epistemic self-defeat in their defense. I argue that there is one kind of argument against intuition, an unreliability argument, which, even if epistemically self-defeating, can still imply that we are not justified in thinking intuition has evidentiary value.
Effect of iodination on the biological activity and metabolism of human luteinizing hormone.

ABSTRACT Studies were performed to estimate the effect of iodine labeling on the biological activity and metabolic clearance of human luteinizing hormone (HLH). Tracer amounts of highly purified 131I-HLH with specific activities of 50–150 μc/μg were mixed with nontracer amounts of human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG) and injected intravenously into 5 monkeys. 131I-HLH was measured by double antibody precipitation and the unlabeled HLH in HMG by radioimmunoassay. The disappearance curves of 131I-HLH and unlabeled HLH were indistinguishable after an initial equilibration period. HMG was iodinated with 127I and assayed by the rat ventral prostate weight assay. There was minimal or no appreciable loss of biological activity, although on some iodinations there appeared to be a slight loss of potency due to the oxidation-reduction procedure. These studies appear to validate the use of 131I-HLH as a metabolic tracer in vivo.
Cardiovascular abnormalities in thoracopagus twins.

A detailed anatomopathologic study of the various developmental malformations encountered in a set of female thoracopagus twins is presented. Special emphasis has been devoted to the analysis and description of the complex cardiovascular abnormalities associated with the conjoined heart and liver of this set of twins. The heart was conjoined with two sets of great arteries. The great arteries of one twin were d-malposed and originated from a single right ventricle; a normally placed aorta originated from a single left ventricle and the hypoplastic pulmonary trunk originated from a rudimentary outlet chamber of the other twin. One twin had two atria with the systemic veins returning to the right one and an anomalous pulmonary venous return terminating in the ductus venous of her liver. The other twin had a single right atrium plus an accessory atrial chamber to which both the pulmonary and the systemic veins returned. There were two umbilical arteries originating from the internal iliac arteries of one twin and two umbilical veins which fused into one as they entered into the ductus venosus of the other twin. The cardiovascular abnormalities of our case have been compared with those encountered in 25 well-documented cases of thoracopagus twins previously reported in the literature. It was concluded that the majority of thoracopagus twins (approximately 75%) had conjoined heart with associated cardiovascular abnormalities making them unsuitable for surgical separation even at the cost of the life of one of them. In addition, an embryological interpretation concerning the possible origin of the cardiovascular abnormalities of our case is presented and discussed.
Is America becoming more equal for children? changes in the intergenerational transmission of low- and high-income status

Abstract This study investigates how the intergenerational transmission of low- and high-income status has changed over time among sons. Comparing two cohorts (sons who were 11–15 years old in 1969 vs. sons who were at the same age in 1979) from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this paper shows that the transmission of high-income status significantly increased while the transmission of low-income status remained stable. These results suggest that it has now become easier for high-income sons to maintain their economically advantaged status than in the past. In contrast, low-income sons’ chances of escaping from their economic disadvantage have not increased to the same extent. This study also has a methodological implication: we need more attention to the non-linearity issue when studying changes in intergenerational economic mobility. Findings from this study demonstrate the need for public investments to promote intergenerational mobility in order to prevent economic polarization across income groups.
Scheduling professionals in the retail pharmacy chain

Abstract To control operating costs, a zero-one integer programming model is developed to assist pharmacy staff scheduling decisions. Variable scheduling needs are met by the assignment of relief (mobile) pharmacists to help or temporarily replace full-time pharmacists. Assignments of relief pharmacists over a two-week planning horizon are determined with consideration given to variations in wage rates and travel costs together with the underlying corporate, contractual and operating constraints. The developed model has been applied with considerable success using data collected from a business district in the US located in northern Louisiana related to a national retail chain pharmacy. Forecasting the number of chain retail outlets in the near future has been also performed and the results obtained argue in favor of adopting the model by the entire chain.
Spatial weighting of synthetic reference objects for joint correlation by random pixel mixing

An alternate spatial weighting scheme is given for creating synthetic reference objects (SROs) for use in joint optical correlation. The objects are spatially weighted using an aggregate of pixels made up from the objects composing the SRO. An ad-hoc iterative algorithm is presented for finding a workable SRO. The algorithm is demonstrated by using it to find a spatially weighted scale invariant SRO for a random object. The SRO is then compared with a conventional transmission weighted SRO using linear and nonlinear spatial light modulator models. The spatially weighted SRO was found to be more robust with respect to modulator nonlinearities.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Audial and literary cultures: the Bhagavad Gītā as a case study

I am arguing in this paper that in order to study cultures we must first be able to identify the models by which a culture forms itself. I distinguish between audial and literary cultures and audial cultures I further distinguish from oral cultures. Oral cultures used songs to transmit information (like the navigation rules of the Somoans), while an audial culture provides us with a structure ruled by the correspondence between the innate auditory sense of harmony and tone on the one hand and the arithmetic properties and ratios of the vibrating strings on the other. The literary culture takes the eye as the primary sense and organizes sensation by the criteria of a semiotic model that takes sight as primary. These texts are based upon the properties of sentences as embodied in grammar, two-valued logic, mathematics, classical physics, constructivism. Through the identification of culture with Text and by using the Bhagavad Gītā as a case study, I am able to isolate the three following texts from this original audial Text: (a) a semiotic text, alien to the Gītā, and identifiable as the text the reader carries with him/her to the reading of the Gītā; (b) an audial/musical text, or the text-model by which the Gītā, so to speak, wrote itself; (c) the text of the imagination, or a text based on non-cognitive skills for the sake of decision-making; this text we identify as the text of meditation. While the literary or semiotic text is grounded on principles of knowledge and therefore on abstraction, the audial/musical text and the meditation text are both grounded on the imagination and therefore on experience. Thus we establish two origins of language: cognition and imagination. Each develops different skills and the rules of reference are complementary in the sense that what is true or can truly be said in one is not true and cannot truly be said in the other. This paper concentrates in developing the audial/musical model. It shows, in two appendices, the dramatic consequences it carries for translations, transliterations and the transformations of the imagination.
“Ego Patricius, peccator rusticissimus”: The Rhetoric of St. Patrick of Ireland

St. Patrick of Ireland's legend suggests that he was a great rhetor: After all, he drove the snakes out of Ireland. As is often the case, however, the actual story is far more interesting and compelling than the myth. Born to an aristocratic family in fourth-century Britain, Patrick should have studied rhetoric in the Roman system. But when he was fifteen, he was captured by Irish raiders and sold into slavery in Ireland. As a result, he received a different sort of rhetorical education than his peers in Britain, an education that made him uniquely suited to evangelize Ireland.
Who attends programs serving poor children?: The case of Head Start attendees and nonattendees

Abstract Although it is widely known that government-sponsored programs serve less than half the eligible poor children for whom they are targeted, little is known about the characteristics of children who actually receive services relative to those who are eligible, but do not receive services. A case study is presented to examine this issue, using data from the Educational Testing Service Head Start Longitudinal Study (HSLS). In the HSLS, data were collected from over 1,300 children during the spring preceding possible Head Start enrollment in three regions in the U.S. via neighborhood and community canvassing. Most children were between 3.5 and 4.5 ( M =4.2) years of age, and 65% were black. Based on subsequent family decisions about preschool enrollment, 45% of the children attended Head Start, 22% attended another preschool, and 33% attended no preschool. Data included information about familial characteristics, characteristics of the child, and the child's performance on a range of cognitive and motor tests. Children who ultimately attended Head Start were at a disadvantage compared with children who attended other preschools on virtually every background and cognitive measure, and were more likely to be black. Head Start children were likewise at a disadvantage compared with children who ultimately did not attend preschool on most background familial characteristics and were more likely to be black, though they did not differ on the cognitive tests when analyses controlled for the effects of background characteristics. The implications of the data in this case study for future program evaluation, policy, and design are discussed.
Human chorionic gonadotropin, estriol, and testosterone changes in two pregnancies with hyperreactio luteinalis.

A case of hyperreactio luteinalis is presented with measurements of human chorionic gonadotropin, total and free testosterone, and estriol throughout two term pregnancies. Ovulation induction with menotropins resulted in one spontaneous first-trimester abortion, one singleton term pregnancy, and 1 triplet pregnancy that converted to a singleton term pregnancy after spontaneous degeneration of two fetuses in the first trimester. During the first term pregnancy, levels of human chorionic gonadotropin peaked at 34 weeks of gestation (169,000 mlUlml) and levels of total testosterone peaked at the same time (1777 ngldl). Free testosterone (16.6 ngldl) and estriol (10.8 nglml) reached their peak at 36 weeks of gestation. During the second term pregnancy, peak values of human chorionic gonadotropin (150,900 mlUlml) and total testosterone (870 ngldl) occurred at 10 and 5 weeks of gestation, respectively, before two fetuses of a triplet pregnancy degenerated. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1987;157:1126-8.)
Chronic, massive fetomaternal hemorrhage treated with repeated fetal intravascular transfusions

We report the first known case of chronic, massive fetomaternal hemorrhage managed by serial fetal intravascular transfusions. Timing of transfusions was guided by fetal heart rate patterns and fetal movement evaluation. Despite severe anemia and a sinusoidal heart rate pattern, the fetus demonstrated normal blood gases and no sign of hydrops. (Ann J OesTET GYNECOL 1990;162:203-4.)
EFFECTS OF PHRASE STRUCTURE, MEAN DEPTH, AND GRAMMATICALITY ON CHILDREN'S IMITATION OF SENTENCES1

This study investigated whether the tendency to delete function words and inflections of nouns and verbs (telegraphic speech) in an imitation task can be attributed solely to such factors as relative lack of stress and low information value. In addition, questions concerning the nature and size of the encoding unit used to store the sentences prior to recall were investigated. The results indicated that the telegraphic nature of children's (mean age 4 yrs. 4 mos.) imitations is a result not of their inability to perceive and process articles and inflections, but rather of their tendency to delete these at the time of sentence production. Evidence was also found for phrase structure as the encoding unit rather than individual words. Finally, an application of Yngve's sentence mean depth measure failed to account for relative difficulty of sentence imitations.
Mixture-process variable experiments including control and noise variables within a split-plot structure

In mixture-process variables experiments, it is common that the experimental runs are larger than the mixture only design or basic experimental design to estimate the increased coefficient parameters due to the mixture components, process variable, and interaction between mixture and process variables, some of which are hard to change or cannot be controlled under normal operating condition. These situations often prohibit a complete randomisation for the experimental runs due to the time or financial reason. These types of experiments can be analysed in a model for the mean response and a model for the slope of the response within a split-plot structure. When considering the experimental designs, low prediction variances for the mean and slope model are desirable. We demonstrate the methods for the mixture-process variable designs with noise variables considering a restricted randomisation and evaluate some mixture-process variable designs that are robust to the coefficients of interaction with noise variables using fraction of design space plots with the respect to the prediction variance properties. Finally, we create the G-optimal design that minimises the maximum prediction variance over the entire design region using a genetic algorithm.
Effect of superhydrophobic surface morphology on evaporative deposition patterns

Prediction and active control of the spatial distribution of particulate deposits obtained from sessile droplet evaporation are vital in printing, nanostructure assembly, biotechnology, and other applications that require localized deposits. This Letter presents surface wettability-based localization of evaporation-driven particulate deposition and the effect of superhydrophobic surface morphology on the distribution of deposits. Sessile water droplets containing suspended latex particles are evaporated on non-wetting textured surfaces with varying microstructure geometry at ambient conditions. The droplets are visualized throughout the evaporation process to track the temporal evolution of contact radius and apparent contact angle. The resulting particle deposits on the substrates are quantitatively characterized. The experimental results show that superhydrophobic surfaces suppress contact-line deposition during droplet evaporation, thereby providing an effective means of localizing the deposition of suspended particles. A correlation between deposit size and surface morphology, explained in terms of the interface pressure balance at the transition between wetting states, reveals an optimum surface morphology for minimizing the deposit coverage area.
Play, Logic and Reality

“Child's play” is a phrase that is used to describe something that is easy or of little consequence. Little wonder that the topic of play has been a relatively neglected area of research. Recent efforts, however, have begun to examine the role of play in human adaptation, with promising results. However, this research still contains pejorative assumptions about play that are deeply rooted in our culture. The following article will provide a brief overview of several major lines of research that have been aimed at identifying the adaptive value of play. Problems and assumptions in this research will then be explored in order to more fully grasp the limitations of our current view of play. Finally, alternative perspectives will be offered that hopefully will provide new meanings and contexts for understanding play.