cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emergency Laparotomy in the Critically Ill: Futility at the Bedside

Background. Critically ill patients are often evaluated for an intra-abdominal catastrophe. In the absence of a preoperative diagnosis, abdominal exploration may be offered despite desperate circumstances. We hypothesize that (1) abdominal exploration for such patients is associated with a high mortality and (2) commonly obtained physiologic measures at laparotomy anticipate mortality. Methods. All acute care surgery (ACS) patients undergoing emergency laparotomy at a quaternary referral center during a 3-year period were reviewed. Inclusion was defined by emergency laparotomy in the operating room (OR) in a patient with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score ≥4 or bedside laparotomy in the ICU (BSL). Mortality was the primary endpoint and was stratified by demographics, admitting service, surgical findings, and physiology. Comparisons between OR and BSL were by Fisher’s exact and Mann–Whitney tests. Results. 144 patients underwent emergency laparotomy (45 BSL vs. 99 OR). Overall mortality was 55.6% (77.8% BSL vs. 45.5% OR; ). Mortality by admitting service was cardiac 71.4% (), medical 70% (), ACS 42% (), and other 36.4% () services. Preoperative lactate levels were higher in nonsurvivors (2.7 vs. 8.5 mmol/L, ), as was vasopressor use (62.5% vs. 97.5%, ), acute kidney injury (51.6% vs. 72.5%, ), leukocytosis (53.1% vs. 71.3%, ), and anemia (45.3% vs. 71.3%, ). The presence of any identifiable abdominal pathology established a 90% mortality rate. Conclusions. The need for BSL portends an extremely high mortality rate and is likely useful in preintervention counselling. Emergency OR laparotomy leads to mortality in nearly half of such patients and is anticipatable based on concurrent abnormal physiology.
Bombs Away: Militarization, Conservation, and Ecological Restoration

David G. Havlick. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2018. 204 pp., maps, illustrations, notes, index. $35.00 cloth (ISBN 978-0-226-54754-1).Not long after graduating from college I landed a...
Two carbon homologation of carboxylic acids via carbon radicals generated from the acyl derivatives of N-hydroxy-2-thiopyridone: Synthesis of Cn+2 α-keto-acids from Cn acids. (The ‘three carbon’ problem).

Abstract Reaction of olefins containing a three carbon atom chain with carbon radicals generated from carboxylic acids furnishes adducts that are precursors of the corresponding two carbon atom longer α-keto-acids. The keto-acids are furnished in high overall yield.
Microplastics in Tampa Bay, Florida: Abundance and variability in estuarine waters and sediments.

Abstract This study provides the first measurement of microplastic abundance and distribution in surface waters and sediments in Tampa Bay, FL. Microplastic concentrations in discrete water samples ranged from 0.25 to 7.0 particles/L with an average of 0.94 (±0.52) particles/L. Samples taken with a 330 μm plankton net had 1.2–18.1 particles/m3 with an average of 4.5 (±2.3) particles/m3. Discrete samples were 200 times higher than net samples, suggesting substantial losses or undersampling with the net. For both discrete and plankton tow samples, there were no significant differences in concentrations between stations or regions. Intense rainfall events in the summer always preceded samples with substantially higher counts. Most (>75%) microplastics were fibers. Using an average value of 1 particle/L, Tampa Bay contains ~4 billion microplastic particles. Surface sediments had an average of 280 (±290) particles/kg, ranging from 30 to 790 particles/kg. Highest concentrations of microplastics were found in sediments close to industrial sources; lowest values in Middle and Lower Tampa Bay are consistent with shorter residence times.
An Interview with Kevin Lipscomb, CIO of Averett University, USA

It is by now a well-known and widely accepted fact that information technology and education go hand-in-hand. According to a brief search of the Web, there are over 1500 universities and colleges i...
Chapter 14 – More Projects

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a brief overview of the possibility and scope for various projects based on the employment of mathematics. Titles like Analysis of Applied Mathematical Models as well as Mathematics for Dynamic Modeling by Edward Beltrami, Academic Press, 1987 may provide viable sources as primers for such endeavors. UMAP Modules are designed to show how undergraduate math is applied in a host of areas.
Intermediate adhesion maximizes fluidity and migration velocity of multicellular clusters

Collections of cells exhibit coherent migration during morphogenesis, cancer metastasis, and wound healing. In many cases, bigger clusters split, smaller sub-clusters collide and reassemble, and gaps continually emerge. The connections between cell-level adhesion and cluster-level dynamics, as well as the resulting consequences for cluster properties such as migration velocity, remain poorly understood. Here we investigate collective migration of one- and two-dimensional cell clusters that collectively track chemical gradients using a mechanism based on contact inhibition of locomotion. We develop both a minimal description based on the lattice gas model of statistical physics, and a more realistic framework based on the cellular Potts model which captures cell shape changes and cluster rearrangement. In both cases, we find that cells have an optimal adhesion strength that maximizes cluster migration speed. The optimum negotiates a tradeoff between maintaining cell-cell contact and maintaining cluster fluidity, and we identify maximal variability in the cluster aspect ratio as a revealing signature. Our results suggest a collective benefit for intermediate cell-cell adhesion.
Simplified Comparison of Oversize and Overweight Vehicles Permit Fee Structure in the U.S. Western States

This paper provides a simplified comparative assessment of oversize/overweight (OS/OW) vehicle permits and fees in the U.S. western states and includes a review of current permitting practices, fee...
Opioid Prescribing Patterns among Retina Specialists in the United States.

Purpose To determine the opioid prescribing patterns among retina specialists and to assess predictors for high-volume prescribing. Design Retrospective cohort study. Participants American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) members in the 2013 through 2016 Medicare Part D Prescriber database. Methods American Society of Retina Specialists members within the United States were profiled from the ASRS member directory as of April 2019. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use Files for 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 were accessed. Data were collected and analyzed regarding the prescribing patterns for opioid drugs for all participating ASRS members. Main Outcome Measures Mean number of opioid prescriptions written annually by retina specialists, prescriber rates compared with all prescriptions written, and geographic distribution of opioid prescriptions written by retina specialists. Results The authors identified 1518 ASRS members in the Medicare database in 2016. Members had written a total of 14 127 prescriptions in 2016, with 66% of members writing at least 1 opioid prescription. On average, members wrote 11 opioid prescriptions per year. Almost one fifth (21%) wrote more than 10 prescriptions annually. A minority (6%) wrote more than 50 prescriptions. Among those writing more than 10 prescriptions annually, approximately 35 opioid prescriptions were written annually with a mean supply of 4 days. Using multivariate analysis, the factors associated with increased number of opioid prescriptions were male gender (β = 2.80; P Conclusions American Society of Retina Specialists members prescribed opioids at a rate (1.5%) lower than the national mean of all prescribers across all medical specialties (6.8%). Male gender and a practice location in the South were correlated to number of prescriptions. Further research is needed to elucidate the appropriate indications for the prescription of opioids among retina specialists.
Effectiveness of Bariatric Surgery in Increasing Kidney Transplant Eligibility in Patients with Kidney Failure Requiring Dialysis

Severe obesity can increase risk of complications after kidney transplantation. There is a paucity of literature on bariatric surgery outcomes in renal transplant candidates. The objective of this study was to analyze outcomes of bariatric surgery as a weight reduction strategy for patients with kidney failure to enhance eligibility for kidney transplantation. We performed a retrospective analysis of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program database at a single institution for patients with chronic kidney disease receiving hemodialysis therapy (CKD G5D) undergoing bariatric surgery between 2011 and 2018. Of 2363 patients who underwent bariatric surgery, 38 (1.6%) had CKD G5D; median age (range) was 49 years (33; 69), 52.6% were female, and mean BMI was 44.2 kg/m2. Twenty-four patients underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB), and 14 patients underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Seventeen patients (46%, n=37) had a BMI≤35 at 6 months, while 25 patients (75.8%, n=33) achieved a BMI≤35 at 12 months. Of these, 18 patients (47%) were listed for kidney transplant, and 8 patients (21%) received kidney transplant. There was no statistically significant difference between sleeve and LRYGB procedures in patients who reached BMI of 35 at 12 months (P=0.58). Median length of stay was 2.3 days. Thirty-day readmission rate was 2 patients (5.3%), and 2 patients (5.3%) required reoperation (one for bleeding, one for acute recurrent hiatal hernia). No mortality occurred. Laparoscopic bariatric surgery offers effective weight loss for CKD G5D patients to achieve transplant eligibility with acceptable outcomes.
ERP implementations: the role of implementation partners and knowledge transfer

ERP systems are difficult and costly to implement. Studies show that a large portion of the overall implementation cost can be attributed to consulting fees. Therefore it becomes crucial to use consultants effectively to keep the overall costs low. On one hand organizations want to reduce the engagement of costly consultants, but on the other hand hardly any organization has the internal knowledge and skills to implement an ERP system successfully without external help. Choosing the right consultants and using their skills and knowledge appropriately, as well as transferring and retaining essential knowledge within the organization becomes essential to the overall success of an ERP system implementation. In this article the authors suggest a framework, which explains how the role consultants assume and the knowledge the implementing organizations have and obtain during the implementation, impacts the outcome of the project.
Chapter 6 SiC Microwave Devices

Publisher Summary In this chapter, the operation and performance of various radio frequency (RF) and microwave electronic devices fabricated from silicon carbide (Sic) are investigated. The investigation makes use of circuit-oriented RF performance simulators that include physically based models of the devices. The utilization wide-bandgap semiconductors such as Sic for fabrication of high frequency and microwave electronic devices have been of interest to device physicists and researchers for many years. Sic is the only compound in the Sic system that exists in the solid state, but it can occur in many polytype structures. There is interest in the use of Sic devices for applications such as microwave power amplifiers that can be used in phased-array radars, base station transmitters for mobile communications, high-efficiency and broadband radar transmitters, and other applications. The early attempts to utilize Sic material were hindered by technological problems related to crystal growth, purity, and doping, and to problems associated with the development of suitable ohmic and rectifying contacts.
1.2.3 Web‐based Aerospace System Evaluation Software: The Development and Assessment of Conceptual Space Missions

The conceptual design of aerospace missions occurs when resources are at minimum, the trade space is vast, and experts are distributed. GINAware provides a quantitative methodology to evaluate vastly different mission architectures and offers a collaborative environment to share resources. This paper outlines the GINAware methodology: a model driven system engineering design process that develops, assesses, compares and optimizes conceptual space based missions. The process utilizes some established design tools, information technology and applies the Generalized Information Network Analysis (GINA) framework. Together, these tools help the end-user systematically define the design, capability, and performance metrics of a mission. This process has been published on the World Wide Web in an effort to encourage collaboration and to foster productivity. A case study of NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder mission is developed to illustrate the process.
The Climate System and Climate Change

This chapter introduces the basics of the climate system and climate change. How do we know climate is changing? How are future changes simulated? What causes natural and anthropogenic climate change? These questions are answered here, forming a foundation for climate change understanding that is needed to explore biological responses.
Wavelets: an overview, with recent applications

Summary form only given. Wavelets have emerged in the last decade as a synthesis from many disciplines, ranging from pure mathematics (where forerunners were used to study singular integral operators) to electrical engineering (quadrature mirror filters), borrowing in passing from quantum physics, from geophysics and from computer aided design. The author presents an overview of the ideas in wavelet theory, and shows how it fits into the different disciplines in which it is rooted. Some recent applications are discussed, including a nonlinear "squeezing" of the wavelet transform, inspired by auditory models, with applications to speech processing; and a discussion of the nonlinear approximation and why wavelets are so successful in the nonlinear approximation.
Supersymmetry and gauge invariance constraints in a U(1) x U(1)'-Higgs superconducting cosmic string model.

A supersymmetric extension of the U(1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}U(1)\ensuremath{'}-Higgs bosonic superconducting cosmic string model is considered, where the action is constructed from scalar chiral and vector superfields. The chiral superfields are assumed to transform separately under the Abelian gauge groups, and the constraints imposed upon such a model due to renormalizability, supersymmetry, and gauge invariance are examined. For a simple model with a single U(1) chiral superfield and a single U(1)\ensuremath{'} chiral superfield, the Witten mechanism for bosonic superconductivity (giving rise to long-range gauge fields outside of the string) does not exist without the introduction of extra chiral supermultiplets. The simplest model that can accommodate the requisite interactions for a superconducting cosmic string solution with long-range U(1) gauge fields requires five chiral supermultiplets. An investigation of the bosonic sector of this model indicates that a solution is admitted describing a gauge string surrounded by supersymmetric vacuum. By considering the effects of the gauge string background upon the remaining scalar fields of the theory, it is concluded that a parameter range exists for which the U(1) charged scalar fields condense within the core of the string, making it a superconducting string that can carry charge and/or current. It is also found that the neutral scalar field can be associated with particle bound states that are localized within or near the string core. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Novel models for efficient shared-path protection

Summary form only given. As widespread deployment of high-capacity dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) systems is envisioned, achieving efficient shared-path protection, which protects a bandwidth guaranteed connection from a single link (node) failure using a link (node) disjoint pair of active path (AP) and backup path (BP), becomes a key design consideration. We have introduced two parameters (/spl epsi/ and /spl mu/) into the objective function of integer linear programming (ILP) models for dynamic provisioning of restorable, bandwidth guaranteed connections using shared-path protection. By using /spl epsi/ (0 0 can avoid the pitfall of choosing very long backup paths that is common in existing models (where /spl mu/ = 0), thus reducing the BP length and consequently restoration time. One of the pleasantly surprising results is that, by combining an appropriate /spl epsi/ (e.g., 0.1) and /spl mu/ (e.g., 0.2), the proposed models can achieve a TBW consumption with shorter BP than the existing ones.
Paul Bowles' knowledge of Arabic: personal observations

It is generally recognised that Paul Bowles (1910–99) has been instrumental in generating a world-wide interest in Morocco and its culture both as a creative writer and translator. To paraphrase a remark made by Allen Hibbard (2004), Bowles is so closely linked to Morocco, his adopted home, that his name, for many in the West or elsewhere, cannot be invoked without thinking of Morocco. Bowles is specifically credited for his pioneering effort to promote numerous Moroccan works he translated or adapted from Arabic and the Moroccan vernacular or ‘Moghrebi’ as he called it. What is unique about his role is the fact that he had no knowledge of Arabic and the fact that his command of Moroccan Arabic was questionable or less than adequate for him to undertake his translation projects without the use of an intermediary language. This essay will address both issues mainly on the basis of personal conversations I had with Mr Bowles in Tangier and a review of the Arabic words or phrases he used in his works. It wil...
Renal transplant ureteric obstruction by periureteric fibrosis

Deterioration of the function of a transplanted kidney without obvious cause is usually considered a rejection. Continued deterioration of the renal transplant function should alert the physician to t
Effects of Adjacent Habitat on Populations of Stink Bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in Cotton as Part of a Variable Agricultural Landscape in South Carolina

The distribution of phytophagous stink bugs and associated boll injury in margins of cotton fields bordering various agronomic crops and woodlands were studied in 2007 and 2008. Two commercial cotton fields, ranging in size from 7.8 to 12.1 ha in Barnwell and Lee Counties, SC, were sampled weekly each year along predetermined transects at 0, 5, 10, and 25 m from the outside margin into the cotton field. Stink bugs were sampled using a ground cloth (0.91 by 0.91 m), and quarter-sized bolls (≈2.5 cm in diameter) were collected and examined for internal damage. Density (bugs/row-m) of total stink bugs (adults plus nymphs) was greatest in cotton adjacent to peanut. Boll injury was significantly greater in cotton adjacent to soybean and peanut than in cotton next to other habitats, including corn, cotton, and woodlands, during midseason. Density of nymphs was greatest in cotton adjacent to peanut during mid and late season. Densities of total stink bugs and adults were greatest in cotton immediately adjacent (0 m) to all bordering crops and decreased as distance from the margin increased. Boll injury was greatest in cotton immediately adjacent (0 m) to the bordering crop in mid and late season. Because densities of stink bugs and boll injury vary spatially and temporally along field margins of cotton and can vary significantly based on the adjacent crop, such factors should be considered when developing integrated pest management strategies in cotton.
South Africa — where land reform meets land restitution

Abstract The pending land reform in South Africa represents a major departure from traditional programs designed to aid the landless tiller. The agricultural labor force in South Africa is a rural proletariat. There are few accomplished tillers and small-scale farm managers. Land reform will necessarily await a land restitution process in which millions of Africans, displaced to the homelands, will seek restoration of traditional areas for housing plots, and for a small piece of their patrimony. Only when such amends for past evictions are complete can a coherent redistribution of land occur.
I crashed the boat and wept: Localizing the “field” in critical geographic practice

Abstract Geographers often practice “fieldwork” for research, physically traveling between field and the academy. While critical scholars have contemplated their positionality in the field, what gets overlooked is how academic constructions of their “field” can discount indigenous peoples’ knowledges of “home.” Because academics’ representations of “the field” affirm the subject/object binary, this ontology allows indigenous peoples’ knowledges to be criticized in their emotional expressions of their homelands. In this paper I describe my practices of “field” work to disrupt this ontology—and in so doing, what emerges is my deeply emotional engagement with this “field,” produced through the network of materialities and beings with whom I worked. Network ontologies allow more space for discussing the emotional and affective experiences of a field site, including researcher uncertainty and responsibility. Attending to both conscious and unconscious motives to action is a more rigorous critical practice, and representing emotions can at once benefit research goals (emotional engagements leading to new insights), and lead to new politics of knowledge production and representation: such as opening a space for indigenous peoples to be recognized as legitimate spokespersons about their own beloved landscapes.
Henri Fayol: learning from experience

Examines the debate about the value of the experiences of practising managers in building management theory. Henri Fayol, an advocate of the experimental method, built his administrative theory from his experiences. Examines the development of Fayol′s ideas before the publication of his major work, Administration Industrielle et Generale. A preview of other works reveals new translations and sources of documentation.
Biological activity of hamster interferon-gamma is modulated by the carboxyl-terminal tail

The Syrian golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is highly susceptible to a number of intracellular pathogens. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), the primary macrophage-activating cytokine, plays a key role in the host defense against intracellular pathogens. The hamster IFN-gamma cDNA encodes a 174 amino acid protein that has an additional 17 amino acids at the carboxyl-terminus compared to IFN-gamma of mice and rats. A homologous C-terminal tail is also found in other non-murine rodents. The biological activity of hamster IFN-gamma had not been investigated previously so we first demonstrated the activity of native IFN-gamma in assays of IFN-gamma-induced receptor signaling and antiviral activity against vesicular stomatitis virus. We then tested the hypothesis that the C-terminal tail of hamster IFN-gamma could influence its biological activity. A truncated hamster IFN-gamma, in which the C-terminal 17 aa were removed by insertion of a stop codon at the position corresponding to the stop codon in the mouse sequence, had approximately 10-fold greater activity than the full length protein when measured in the two bioassays. Polyclonal and monoclonal anti-hamster IFN-gamma antibodies specifically inhibited this biological activity. Collectively, these data indicate that this unique structural feature influences the biological activity of hamster IFN-gamma.
Perception, Introspection and Functional Consonance

: What is the relation between a perceptual experience of an object X as being red, and one's belief, if any, as to the nature of that experience? A traditional Cartesian view would be that, if indeed object X does seem to be red to oneself, then one's resulting introspective belief about it could only be a conforming belief, i.e., a belief that X perceptually seems to be red to oneself- rather than, for instance, a belief that X perceptually seems to be green to oneself instead. I offer some non-Cartesian, functionalist reasons supporting such an introspective certainty view, based on a concept of logical consonance of perceptual dispositions, according to which both experience-based and belief dispositions cannot diverge in their content, on pain of their having inconsistent manifestations in relevant situations, such as color-sorting tasks. In addition, other views of introspection are criticized from the perspective of this consonance view.
D0 calorimetry tests

Abstract We describe beam tests being made on several calorimeter modules built for the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. Both hadronic and electromagnetic module types have been tested in electron and pion beams with energies between 10 and 150 GeV. We also discuss upcoming second-stage beam tests.
Switching-frequency ripple on DC link voltage in a modular multilevel converter with circulating current suppressing control

This paper investigates the dc link voltage ripple in a modular multilevel converter (MMC). It is found that switching-frequency ripple occurs on the dc link voltage in MMC when circulating current suppressing control is implemented. The mechanism of the switching-frequency voltage ripple is investigated and explained. Circulating current suppressing control will manipulate the average values for the three phaseleg voltages to be equal in order to reduce the low frequency circulating current. However, switching-frequency harmonics appear on the phase-leg voltages as a result, introducing the switching-ripple voltage on the dc link. By modeling the dc link voltage, switching-ripple voltage is derived. Experimental results of a three-phase MMC are presented to verify the theoretical analysis.
Sociocultural Factors and School Engagement Among African American Youth: The Roles of Racial Discrimination, Racial Socialization, and Ethnic Identity

This study investigated the links between racial discrimination and school engagement and the roles of racial socialization and ethnic identity as protective factors in those linkages in a sample of 148, 6th through 12th grade African American adolescents from working and middle class two-parent families. In home interviews youth described their ethnic identity, discrimination experiences at school, and school engagement (school bonding, school grades, school self-esteem), and parents rated their racial socialization practices. Analyses revealed that discrimination was negatively related to school self-esteem and school bonding. Racial socialization had additive effects on school self-esteem and school bonding, but did not moderate the discrimination -- school engagement association. For boys, ethnic identity had additive effects on school bonding, but for girls, ethnic identity moderated the relation between discrimination and school bonding: When girls experienced more discrimination and had lower ethnic identity, they reported lower school bonding. Discrimination, racial socialization, and ethnic identity were not related to school grades.
Rayleigh Wave Studies in Lunar Rocks

An ultrasonic surface wave technique described by the author (1971) is used to verify a hypothesis that links the seismic wave propagation velocities in lunar crust, much too low as compared to those on earth, to the extensive fracturing of lunar rock in the absence of liquids and gases which changed drastically the elastic and inelastic properties of lunar rock. Measurements on lunar rock samples and synthetic analogs suggest that the presence of microfractures have influence on both the wave velocity and Q factor in lunar rocks.
Changes at the iodine nucleus in 1-iodopropane when one hydrogen at the carbon-3 position is replaced by fluorine

Pure rotational spectra pertaining to 1-fluoro-3-iodopropane have been recorded using a Search Accelerated Correct Intensity Fourier Transform Microwave Spectrometer. Two conformers were observed and a total of 148 transitions recorded between 8 and 12 GHz. The complete iodine quadrupole coupling tensor has been determined for both observed conformers of 1-fluoro-3-iodopropane and are compared to those values for 1-iodopropane. Quantum chemical calculations were performed on the title molecule which greatly facilitated the spectral assignments and analyses.
Locating Industrial Parts with Subpixel Accuracies

Industrial machine vision requires speed, accuracy, and low cost. The SUPERSIGHT vision system at General Motors Research locates industrial parts with high accuracy even with low-resolution video cameras. This leads to large savings in the hardware costs of subsequent image processing electronics, and considerable speed improvements over current methods. With a prototype system employing a Reticon 100x100 photodiode array camera, the relative locations of lines, circles, and ellipses in a plane could be routinely determined to 1/10 to 1/20 pixel accuracy, with 1/50 pixel (1 part in 5000) accuracy best case. Theory indicates that there is no upper bound on the accuracy that can be achieved, with the only limiting factor being noise. Primary sources of noise were hypothesized to be fixed-pattern camera noise for within-frame location measurements, and digitization synchronizing error (frame jitter) and mechanical vibration for between-frame measurements. Gaussian digital filters, pixel-by-pixel correction of gain and bias variations, and higher quality solid-state video cameras can reduce the influence of camera fixed-pattern noise. Frame averaging and improved digitizers can reduce frame jitter. In extensions to 3-D surface and edge analysis, multiple-order Gaussian-derivative filters allowed for an efficient means of determining the regression coefficients useful for specifying the 3-D surface shapes of objects from shading, range or stereo data. The Krawtchouck polynomials, the discrete form of the Gaussian derivative functions, allowed more accurate estimates than current facet models of the properties of surface patches, and the locations of edges. Such Gaussian derivative-like operators are similar to the vision operators used by the primate brain, as measured neurophysiologically.
The exchange of phospholipids between cultured chick embryo fibroblasts as observed by autoradiography.

When 3H-choline-labeled chick embryo fibroblasts are placed on a culture dish with unlabeled cells, the latter become labeled within minutes as determined by autoradiography. Evidence presented favors the hypothesis that the material transferred is phospholipid and that the transfer occurs predominantly when cells are in contact.
Conducting a sales training audit

Abstract An operational audit provides a firm with an organized framework to logically, systematically, and comprehensively examine its sales training program. When performed periodically by an objective and knowledgeable source, an audit can help identify and correct actual and potential sales training shortcomings. However, audits do have limitations, which must be taken into account. This article outlines a detailed audit, which can be used by sales and marketing managers to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the firm's sales training program. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.
What Are the Odds: An Examination of Adolescent Interracial Romance and Risk for Depression

Previous studies find that romantic relationships adversely affect adolescents’ psychological well-being, yet none examine the differential effects of adolescent romance for same-race and interracial daters. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), I find that heterosexual adolescents in same-race relationships are more likely to be depressed than non-daters, but interracial daters have greater odds of risk for depression than their non-dating and same-race dating peers. Experiencing a romantic breakup explains the elevated risk of depression for daters in general, and same-race daters specifically, but not interracial daters. Furthermore, the associations that relationship status (dating vs. non-dating) and couple’s racial composition (same-race vs. interracial) have with depression are not moderated by race or gender. The findings highlight the differential effects of same-race and interracial romantic relationships on adolescent’s psychological well-being and t...
Recommendations for an ASTM Standardized Test for Determining G IIc of Unidirectional Laminated Polymeric Matrix Composites

This study was aimed at finalizing the details of a standardized test to determine the Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of laminated composites. A large number of end-notched flexure tests were performed on glass/epoxy, two graphite/epoxies, and on graphite/bismaleimide specimens. Tests were performed directly from the preimplanted insert as well as from Mode II precracks. Results were combined with those from previous experimental and numerical studies and used to extract recommendations for the proposed standard. A compliance calibration method of data reduction was used. It was found that the results from only two compliance tests, along with the compliance from the fracture toughness test, are sufficient to characterize a specimen’s compliance versus crack length relation. Furthermore, the unloading line and compliance data from the non-precracked toughness test can be used to accurately locate the new crack front, which allows determination of both the non-precracked and precracked toughness from the same specimen. It is shown that accurate and repeatable toughness values are obtained provided that the ratio of crack length to half-span length is 0.6, that compliance tests are performed to a target maximum load corresponding to 0.25 GIIc at each crack length, and that toughness values are only accepted if the actual energy release rate during compliance testing is in-between 15 and 35 % of the computed value of GIIc.
New line classifications in Ho i based on high-precision hyperfine-structure measurement of low levels

Doppler-free laser-fluorescence and laser-rf double-resonance studies have been made of the hyperfine structure (hfs) of four strong, previously unclassified visible lines in Ho i; all are shown to connect with low levels. The hfs of the 4f116s24I11/2,9/2 levels is measured in detail, allowing evaluation of the dipole (a01, a12, a10) and quadrupole (b02, b11, b13) hfs radial integrals. The results are in close agreement with the ab initio values of Lindgren Rosen [ Case Stud. Atom. Phys.4, 93– 292 ( 1974)]. The value found for b02 in the 4f116s2 configuration is in reasonable agreement with that of Wyart Camus [ Physica93C, 227– 236 ( 1978)], thereby confirming their finding of a substantial dependence of this parameter on the number of 4f electrons in the core.
Mammalian toxicity and histopathologic effects of 2, 6-dibutyl-4-nitrophenol.

Abstract Measurements of the acute toxicity of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-nitrophenol (dibutylnitrophenol; Bayer 28589) indicated that this compound has a low toxicity as evidenced by the following LD50 values in mg/kg when the compound was given intraperitoneally: female rats 260, male rats 270, male guinea pigs 580, female mice 850, and male mice 700. By the oral route the compound was about one-half as toxic as it was when given parenterally. The compound had a relatively high tendency to produce a cumulative toxic action as evidenced by mortality of animals given daily intraperitoneal doses equivalent to or in excess of one-tenth of the acute LD50 or levels exceeding 0.1% in the diet. Microscopic examination of the tissues of acutely poisoned animals showed degenerative changes in the heart, liver, spleen, kidney, and lung. The most pronounced changes consisted of patchy, waxy, degeneration of the heart, mild to moderate fatty changes in the liver, and lymphorrhexis, abortive mitosis, and other cellular changes in the spleen. The kidney exhibited zonal necrosis and degeneration of the tubular epithelium. These structural changes in the kidney were accompanied by functional changes consisting of a reduction in urineconcentrating ability and a rise in blood urea nitrogen.
SERVING HAMBURGERS AND SELLING INSURANCE:: Gender, Work, and Identity in Interactive Service Jobs

Through an analysis of two highly routinized interactive service jobs, fast food service and insurance sales, this article explores the interrelationship of work, gender, and identity. While notions of proper gender behavior are quite flexible, gender-segregated service jobs reinforce the conception of gender differences as natural. The illusion that gender-typed interaction is an expression of workers' inherent natures is sustained, even in situations in which workers' appearances, attitudes, and demeanors are closely controlled by their employers. Gender-typed work has different meanings for women and men, however, because of differences in the cultural valuation of behavior considered appropriate to each gender.
Thickened corneal nerves in multiple endocrine neoplasia type IIb

Abstract Thickened corneal nerves are a hallmark of multiple endocrine neoplasia type IIb, a genetic syndrome characterized by medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, pheochromocytomas, and a distinctive phenotype. Both types of neoplasm may be lethal, but recognition of the ocular and non-ocular stigmata can lead to early diagnosis and successful treatment. Here, a presumptive case of multiple endocrine neoplasia type IIb is presented with background information concerning the phenotype, ocular manifestations, inheritance, diagnosis and management of the syndrome.
Amplitude and Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity

Many spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) rules generate a bimodal distribution of synaptic weights because there is no stable equilibrium state. Our approach augments STDP with amplitude dependence providing negative feedback of synaptic weight to plasticity resulting in weights being driven toward stable values and unimodal distributions. The affects of input correlation on synaptic weight are shown using simulated cortical neurons. It was found that pre-and post-synaptic spike trains effect the mean, variance, and skew of the synaptic weight distributions using amplitude and spike-timing dependent plasticity. In addition, multiplicative synaptic modification noise was found to increase the variance of the weight distribution and induce positive skew.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA sequences which direct spread of virus from comes to central nervous system

Abstract The virulence of a herpes simplex virus (HSV) intertypic recombinant possessing HSV-1 DNA sequences from map units 0.31 to 0.44 and HSV-2 sequences from map units 0 to 0.30 and 0.45 to 1.0 were compared with the virulence of the two parental strains. Following ocular inoculation, both the intertypic recombinant and the HSV-1 parent replicated at the infection site and spread to the peripheral and central nervous system (CNS) to produce fatal encephalitis. The HSV-2 parent also replicated at the infection site but failed to progress to the CNS. However, when inoculated intracerebrally, the HSV-2 strain was as lethal as the HSV-1 parent. Furthermore, the HSV-2 strain could produce thymidine kinase at 37 and 39° in levels comparable to the HSV-1 strain. The results indicate that transfer of the HSV-1 DNA sequences imparted to the recombinant virus the necessary genetic information to spread from the cornea into the central nervous system.
Perceived negative consequences of donor gametes from male and female members of infertile couples

Objective To determine the views toward donor sperm and eggs of both men and women. The use of donor sperm or ova becomes an option for some infertile couples. Design Prospective cohort of infertile couples. Setting Eight California reproductive endocrinology practices. Patient(s) Infertile couples (n = 377) were recruited after an initial infertility clinic visit. Main Outcome Measure(s) From questionnaires administered at recruitment, ratings concerning the impact of the use of donor gametes were assessed. Differences between men and women in attitudes toward donor gametes were compared with analysis of variance (ANOVA). Linear regression was used to identify independent predictors of attitudes toward gametes. Result(s) Women's attitudes toward donor sperm were significantly more negative than their attitudes toward donor eggs (5.1 ± 1.4 vs. 4.7 ± 1.6). Similarly, male donor gamete attitude scores were higher for donor sperm compared with donor eggs (4.9 ± 1.6 vs. 4.1 ± 1.6). Both men and women agreed that the use of donor sperm was more likely to have negative effects on their relationship and negative societal ramifications. Female donor gamete attitude scores were predicted by marital status, race, and education, whereas men's scores were independent of all measured factors. Conclusion(s) Both men and women view the use of donor sperm with more skepticism compared with the use of donor eggs, suggesting a unique underlying perception regarding the use of male donor gametes.
The Development of Memory Efficiency and Value-Directed Remembering across the Life Span: A Cross-Sectional Study of Memory and Selectivity.

Although attentional control and memory change considerably across the life span, no research has examined how the ability to strategically remember important information (i.e., value-directed remembering) changes from childhood to old age. The present study examined this in different age groups across the life span (N 320, 5–96 years old). A selectivity task was used in which participants were asked to study and recall items worth different point values in order to maximize their point score. This procedure allowed for measures of memory quantity/capacity (number of words recalled) and memory efficiency/selectivity (the recall of high-value items relative to low-value items). Age-related differences were found for memory capacity, as young adults recalled more words than the other groups. However, in terms of selectivity, younger and older adults were more selective than adolescents and children. The dissociation between these measures across the life span illustrates important age-related differences in terms of memory capacity and the ability to selectively remember high-value information.
Evaluation of condition indices for estimation of growth of largemouth bass and white crappie

Abstract We evaluated the ability of three condition indices-condition factor (K), relative condition (Kn ), and relative weight (Wr )–to estimate annual growth rates of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and white crappies Pomoxis annularis collected during standardized autumn electrofishing and trap-net surveys of Texas reservoirs. Multiple-regression models for estimation of length increments from initial length (at the start of the growing season) and condition indices had R 2 values of 0.63–0.76 for largemouth bass and 0.46–0.83 for white crappie. However, these models are not useful for indirect estimation ofgrowth rates because growth must be known (initial length equals length at capture minus estimated annual growth). Models based on length at capture and condition indices had R 2 values of 0.22–0.68 for largemouth bass and less than 0.45 for white crappie. The low precision of models based on length at capture indicates that condition provides a weak basis for indirect estimation of growth ra...
Approach to analysis of wear mechanisms in the case of RCCAs and CRDM latch arms: From observation to understanding

Abstract Component wear can affect the ability of a component to fulfil its required function. For a designer or user, it is reasonable to expect wear to occur as soon as parts are in relative motion. It is less obvious to extend this possibility to motions with small or very small amplitudes and loads. However, it has to be admitted that such cases exist. It then becomes imperative to determine the wear mechanisms so that the lifetime of the components and the optimum date of their replacement can be predicted or the degradation can be remedied. For this purpose, standard and widely accepted practice is to carry out simulator tests. Through examples of wear from nuclear reactor components such as the rod cluster control assembly (RCCAs) and the control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) latch arms, an approach for understanding the wear mechanisms and controlling their effects can be undertaken. Cases of wear have been observed on real-life parts, but the first simulator tests have shown deviations from in-reactor behaviour. Comparative examination of the wear facies of actual parts which have operated in reactor or simulators, both control rods and CRDM latch arms, was the key starting point for a new analytical approach, incorporating the formulation of wear mechanism hypotheses which can account for the observed facies. Expert assessment thus highlighted the importance of the environment by revealing that the wear featured a large component linked to friction-assisted corrosion. By including this tribocorrosion aspect, it became possible to reach an understanding of the mechanisms and account for the wear observed in reactor and on simulators. Further well-controlled simulator tests then made it possible to verify the importance of the tribocorrosion processes in a pressurized water medium. Analysis of the physical–chemical behaviour of the original materials (austenitic stainless steel) also explains why surface modifications limit or remedy wear-induced degradations, which accounts for the supply of more than 4000 RCCAs whose nitrided rods do not exhibit any quantifiable wear in the treated zones.
Performance Specifications For Diagnostic Radiologic Equipment: A Delicate Interface Between Purchaser And Supplier

The specification of performance characteristics for a diagnostic radiologic imaging system involves an interplay between purchaser and supplier which often results in inadequate understanding of the imaging requirements by the supplier, and unfulfilled expectations of the imaging system by the purchaser. To diminish the impact of these results, the communicative linkage between supplier and purchaser should be as strong as possible during the development of performance specifications and acceptance testing protocols for the imaging system. As an aid in establishing this linkage, we have developed a statement of performance specifications which accompanies requests for bid proposals distributed to suppliers of diagnostic radiologic equipment. This statement is presented here in its general form; certain modifications may be necessary in its adaptation to any specific radiologic imaging systems.© (1976) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Pragmatism, Neopragmatism, and Public Administration

The project of harmonizing ideals and practical realities often falls to the organs of public administration. Because this task involves the application of general and fixed concepts (policies, laws, standards) to particular and fluid practicalities (situations, circumstances, persons), those in public administration need strategies to deal with unusual or problematic cases. Pragmatism seems to offer such a strategy. But which pragmatism should be used? This article is a philosophical response to two disputes. What distinguishes classical pragmatism and neopragmatism? And which pragmatism holds greater promise for public administration agencies and why? The author discusses how public administration agents might find themselves obligated to philosophize about their agency’s fundamental mission and how the resources of pragmatism might serve that (largest scale) problematic situation. Finally, the author considers two obstacles likely to be encountered by those who employ a pragmatist approach.