cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
β-Carotene inhibits the oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein

Several lines of evidence indicate that oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) may promote atherogenesis. Hence, the role of antioxidants in the prevention of LDL oxidation needs to be determined. β-Carotene, in addition to being an efficient quencher of singlet oxygen, can also function as a radical-trapping antioxidant. Since previous studies have failed to show that β-carotene inhibits LDL oxidation, we re-examined its effect on the oxidative modification of LDL. For these studies, LDL was oxidized in both a cell-free (2.5 μM Cu 2+ in PBS) and a cellular system (human monocyte macrophages in Ham's F-10 medium). β-Carotene inhibited the oxidative modification of LDL in both systems as evidenced by a decrease in the lipid peroxide content (thiobarbituric-acid-reacting substances activity), the negative charge of LDL (electrophoretic mobility) and the formation of conjugated dienes. By inhibiting LDL oxidation, β-carotene substantially decreased its degradation by macrophages. β-Carotene (2 μM) was more potent than α-tocopherol (40 μM) in inhibiting LDL oxidation. Thus, β-carotene, like ascorbate and α-tocopherol, inhibits LDL oxidation and might have an important role in the prevention of atherosclerosis.
Observations on the hemodynamic properties of a thiophanium derivative, Ro 2-2222 (arfonad), in human subjects.

Observations on the hemodynamic properties of a thiophanium derivative (Arfonad) have been made on normotensive nonpregnant and pregnant subjects and on patients with hypertensive complications of pregnancy. The drug was given by single intravenous injections and by intravenous drip infusion. The hypotensive effects of single injections where compared with those of a standard tetraethylammonium chloride (TEAC) test. The authors observed that the hemodynamic effects of Arfonad were similar in some respects to those of tetraethylammonium chloride or spinal anesthesia. A fall in the cardiac output occurred when the blood pressure fell following Arfonad administration. The authors discuss these hemodynamic effects in terms of differences in response to ganglionic blocking agents of the various groups of subjects studied.
Analysis of histophysiologic responses of the rat hypophysis to androgen treatment

The concentrations of LH and FSH were measured in the blood and adenohypophyses of castrated male rats exposed to high levels of testosterone propionate for 1 to 18 weeks. In intact male and female rats, similarly treated for 1 to 5 weeks, blood levels could not be measured but pituitary hormone levels were. Histological study of the pituitary gonadotrophic cells of all groups revealed a striking correlation between their regression, in response to androgen treatment, and the decline in pituitary LH stores. No light-microscopic correlate of the marked, progressive increase in pituitary FSH concentration was detected. Thus, when the pituitary FSH:LH ratio had increased 90 fold, all gonadotrophs appeared inactive. Although these studies failed to reveal the specific cellular source(s) of FSH and LH, they did clarify several aspects of the dynamics of the pituitary secretory responses to orchidectomy and androgen treatment. In the light of this information, the suggestion is made that the greatest dichotomy between pituitary FSH and LH stores is not coincident with — and probably occurs later than — that between LH and FSH secretion. Such asynchrony between the various phases of the FSH and LH secretory responses to these treatments (castration and/or androgen administration), may explain several seeming discrepancies among earlier reports on this subject.
Sildenafil Increases Systemic Saturation and Reduces Pulmonary Artery Pressure in Patients with Failing Fontan Physiology.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sildenafil in patients with failing Fontan physiology. Design. A retrospective chart review was performed to compare history and available data in patients with Fontan circulations before and after starting sildenafil. The paired and unpaired Student's t-tests were used for statistical analyses. Patients. Six patients at our institution with Fontan physiology, persistent symptoms of cyanosis or effusion, and poor hemodynamics as measured in the catheterization laboratory were placed on sildenafil. One patient was not included in the analysis because of insufficient length of treatment. All patients had symptoms of failing Fontan hemodynamics with either persistent cyanosis or effusions. In this group, the mean pulmonary artery pressure was greater than 15 mm Hg (17.4 ± 1.5 mm Hg) with mean estimated pulmonary vascular resistance of 3.5 ± 1.0 Wood units × m2 prior to starting sildenafil. Results. Sildenafil significantly increased the systemic arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation in this group (82.8 ± 7.3% pre-treatment vs. 91.0 ± 5.5% post-treatment, P = .017). In the four out of five patients who have had follow-up catheterizations, there was a significant decrease in pulmonary artery pressure (17.4 ± 1.5 mm Hg pre-treatment vs. 13.8 ± 2.1 mm Hg post-treatment, P = .018) and in estimated pulmonary vascular resistance pre- and post-sildenafil treatment (3.5 ± 1.0 Wood units × m2 pre-treatment vs. 2.0 ± 0.4 Wood units × m2 post-treatment, P = .031). Conclusions. Sildenafil may be a useful adjunct to therapy in patients with failing Fontan physiology likely through its function as a pulmonary vasodilator.
Assessment of left internal mammary artery graft patency and flow reserve after minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass

Despite its merits, minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass surgery (MIDCAB) has been criticized for variable left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft patency rates, prompting the frequent use of postoperative LIMA angiography. Noninvasive transthoracic Doppler interrogation of LIMA grafts has recently been shown to have utility for assessing patency and flow reserve after conventional bypass surgery, but data after MIDCAB has been limited. The objective of this study was to assess LIMA graft anatomy and physiology in 54 patients after MIDCAB using angiography and noninvasive LIMA Doppler imaging. The right internal mammary artery (RIMA) was studied as a control. LIMA flow reserve in response to adenosine was evaluated in a subgroup of 18 randomly chosen patients with patent grafts. LIMA angiographic patency was 93%. Forty-four patients (81%) had obtainable LIMA Doppler data. Patent grafts had a diastolic dominant flow pattern with a peak diastolic/systolic velocity ratio of 1.3 +/- 0.6 and a percent diastolic time-velocity integral (TVI) of 70 +/- 11%. These data were significantly different than the RIMA control values of 0.2 +/- 0.1 and 30 +/- 10%, respectively (p <0.05). Occluded grafts had absent flow or a systolic dominant pattern. Adenosine-induced increases in LIMA peak diastolic velocity from 48 +/- 20 to 105 +/-28 cm/s (p <0.05 vs baseline) and diastolic TVI from 21 +/- 10 to 37 +/- 19 cm (p <0.05 vs baseline), yielding adenosine/baseline ratios of 2.4 +/- 0.9 and 2.0 +/- 0.7, respectively, which was consistent with normal flow reserve. The diastolic flow velocity reserve response was inversely related to baseline diastolic flow (r = -0.69). In conclusion, MIDCAB can be associated with a high rate of LIMA potency and favorable physiologic Doppler flow patterns. Correlation of these findings to long-term patient outcome after MIDCAB is warranted.
Multipoint scales: Mean and median differences and observed significance levels

Researchers in human‐computer interaction (HCI) often use discrete multipoint scales (such as 5‐ or 7‐point scales) to measure user satisfaction and preference. Many knowledgeable authors state that the median is the appropriate measure of central tendency for such ordinal scales, although others challenge this assertion. This article introduces a new point of view, based on a human factors consideration. When decision makers read a usability report or attend a briefing, they may make decisions based on the magnitude of the difference between the measures of central tendency for key dependent variables. A major criterion that should affect the choice of presenting means or medians is the strength of the relationship between this difference and the observed significance levels of appropriate statistical tests. The results from two series of “real‐world” usability studies showed that the mean difference correlated more than the median difference with the observed significance levels (both parametric and non...
10 Learning and Strategic Alliances

Abstract Various researchers have suggested that an important explanatory factor for the growth in strategic alliances is that alliances provide a platform for organizational learning, giving firms access to the knowledge of their partners. The notion that alliances are a vehicle for learning is the basis for an important and cross-disciplinary stream of research. This chapter examines theoretical and empirical research in the alliance learning area. We have two central objectives. The first is to integrate a large body of research by examining the key research questions addressed. The second objective is to critically examine the existing research as the basis for establishing a research agenda. Although the alliance learning area has generated a substantial amount of research interest and spawned wide-ranging types of inquiry, many important and substantive managerial issues remain underexplored.
Why American Poverty Rates Stopped Falling in the '70s, and Why a Better Story Was Not Told About It

ABSTRACT Against welfare dependence models, this paper argues that in the '70s Americans flooded the labor market, helping to suppress wages and make more people poor. It also argues that capitalist markets normally generate unemployment, which sustains poverty; capitalist nations in Europe with less poverty don't have better free markets but their governments pay needy people more. These facts were invisible in the U.S. because the right framed the poverty debate. Because of the weakness of democratic socialism and because liberalism was not very radical, there was little opposition. American conservatives fixed people's attention on bad poor people and bad government rather than a failing economy and stingy government policies.
Hydrolyzable tannins: Potent inhibitors of hydroperoxide production and tumor promotion in mouse skin treated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in vivo

The anti-oxidant and the anti-tumor-promotion activities of several hydrolyzable tannins (HTs), including a commercial tannic-acid (TA) mixture, were examined in mouse skin treated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in vivo. A single application of TPA gradually increases the hydroperoxide (HPx)-producing activity of the epidermis, which is maximally stimulated at 3 days and returns to control levels at 9 days. Pre-treatments with TA and ellagic acid (EA) strongly inhibit, in a dose-dependent manner, this HPx response to TPA. Total inhibition by TA lasts for about 16 hr, beyond which it is substantially reduced but not completely lost. TA can also reduce the level of epidermal HPx when it is applied 36 hr after the tumor promoter. EA is an antioxidant 10 times more potent than TA and n-propyl gallate (PG), which are equally effective against TPA-induced HPx production. Gallic acid is the least effective of the HTs in inhibiting HPx formation. TA also inhibits the production of HPx induced by several structurally different tumor promoters and the greater HPx responses produced by repeated TPA treatments. When applied 20 min before each promotion treatment, twice a week for 45 weeks, several HTs inhibit the incidence and yield of papillomas and carcinomas promoted by TPA in initiated skin. Overall, TA is more effective than EA and PG in inhibiting skin-tumor promotion by TPA, suggesting that the anti-oxidant effects of HTs are essential but not sufficient for their anti-tumor-promotion activity.
The Frontal Hydraulic Head: A Micro-α Scale (∼1 km) Triggering Mechanism for Mesoconvective Weather Systems

Abstract Measurements from the NOAA Boulder Atmospheric Observatory (BAO) 300 m tower, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Sabreliner aircraft, and the NOAA GOES-5 satellite, give evidence for the cross-front scale collapse of nonprecipitating surface cold-frontal zones to horizontal distances of ∼1 km or less. The leading edges of these frosts possess the characteristic structure of density current flows: an elevated hydraulic head followed by a turbulent wake. Vertical motions at the frontal heads exceed 5 m s−1 at 300 m (AGL). The ascent at the frontal head may act as a (∼1 km-scale) triggering mechanism for the release of potential instability and the formation of intense squall-line mesoconvection.
RELIGIOUS INTERMARRIAGE: AN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

This paper develops an economic framework for analyzing the relationship between religion and marriage. The economic and demographic implications of religious intermarriage are farreaching: it is known to be associated with substantially higher rates of marital instability and with lower levels of fertility (Beckeret al, 1977; Lehrer, 1992), thereby also influencing female labor supply and investments in child quality. Religious intermarriage may be viewed as either a problem or an opportunity by denominations concerned with the size of their membership in the current and future generations. In addition, intermarriage tends to enhance the melting-pot aspect of the American culture, blurring distinctions along ethnic and religious lines, with important implications for social policy. Yet there is no systematic theoretical model for an economic perspective on the determinants of intermarriage.
Clearing of psoriasis after cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass oxygenation: a corollary to clearance after dialysis?

SUMMARY A 54-year-old man had severe psoriasis with associated arthritis for 10 years. Attempts at therapy with tars, topical steroids and a short course of ultraviolet light were unsuccessful. His psoriasis cleared 6 weeks after cardiac surgery requiring cadiopulmonary bypass oxygenation.
Mental Health Service Use by Adolescents in the 1970s and 1980s

Abstract Shifts in the use of mental health services by adolescents between 1975 and 1986 are examined by levels of care—outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential treatment center, and inpatient. Data from National Institute of Mental Health surveys of U.S. facilities include client characteristics (age, sex, race, diagnosis, clinical history) and treatment characteristics (referral source, type of intervention, length of stay). Major increases in mental health service use were observed for all levels of care during this period. Nonetheless, a relatively small percent (less than 2%) of adolescents in the U.S. received any type of mental health service in 1986. The clinical and treatment variables available were only moderately helpful in differentiating levels of care. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry , 1991, 30, 1:144–150.
Isolated analdosteronism. III. The ability of aldosterone antagonists to alter electrolyte balance in the absence of a potent mineralocorticoid

Abstract The influence of several aldosterone antagonists on sodium, potassium, and chloride balance was investigated in a subject with an isolated deficiency of aldosterone, but with otherwise intact adrenal cortical function. Spironolactone, progesterone, and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone have previously been reported to induced a natriuresis in normal subjects and in patients with adrenal cortical insufficiency only when concurrently treated with desoxycorticosterone or aldosterone. These agents were demonstrated to produce sodium loss in the subject studied even in the absence of a potent mineralocorticoid. Although qualitatively similar, less pronounced sodium diuresis occurred in the present study. It is suggested that the observed effects of the administered steroids reflect an antagonism of the renal tubular effects of the glucogenic steroids, which in the subject with aldosterone deficiency appear to serve a significant, but not totally compensatory, mineralocorticoid function. It is concluded, therefore, that the action of these antimineralocorticoid agents is not confined to an antagonism of the more potent salt-retaining steroids, but under certain circumstances may exert their renal tubular effects in the presence of other steroids possessing a relatively minor mineralocorticoid activity.
Messenger RNA in heat-shocked Drosophila cells.

The rate of production of cytoplasmic, heterogenously sedimenting, poly(A)-containing messenger RNA is greatly reduced when cultured Drosophila cells are subjected to heat shock. A large number of discrete RNA species which do continue to appear in the cytoplasm when cells are treated at 37°C have been characterized. Twelve of these poly(A)-containing RNAs are products of the mitochondrial genome, while another five RNAs lacking poly(A) probably represent Drosophila histone mRNAs since those which have been tested hybridize specifically to the region of the polytene chromosomes which contain the histone coding sequences. Six electrophoretically separable fractions of RNA whose appearance in the cytoplasm is greatly stimulated by heat-treatment comprise the majority of the polyadenylated RNA labeled during a heat shock. In all likelihood these RNAs code for the new proteins synthesized by heat-shocked cells since they are associated almost entirely with polysomes and hybridize in situ to regions of the Drosophila chromosomes which puff in response to heat-treatment. The kinetics of synthesis of these mRNAs and the effect of different temperatures on their production have been investigated. A complex relationship has been found to exist between the chromosomal sites which form heat shock puffs and the temperature-induced mRNAs. Three sites, 63C, 67B and 95D, each show hybridization in situ mainly with unique fractions of heat-induced mRNA as expected if a one-to-one relationship between puffs and mRNAs exists. The most abundant mRNA species labels two sites, 87A and 87C, and these loci react to a lesser extent with many other RNA fractions. All the mRNAs show some complementarity with DNA in or very near to the chromocenter. These observations, together with the finding that at least 25 euchromatic chromosomal sites which do not form visible heat shock puffs also hybridize in situ to some degree with RNA labeled in heat-shocked cells, are discussed.
Investigation of Fullerenes for optoelectronic and photonic applications (Abstract Only)

We present and discuss results outlining the use of fullerenes for optoelectronics and photonics. These applications are particularly compelling with the observation of such promising properties as photoluminescence, electroluminescence, large nonresonant optical nonlinearity, and superconductivity. We focus on nonlinear optical properties and their application to high- speed integrated all-optical switching. We present measurements on the dispersion and dynamics of the nonlinear optical coefficients in the near infrared and the figure of merit for photonic switching, indicating very favorable results. The first demonstration of photonic switching using fullerene thin films as the nonlinear medium is presented. Our results show many advantages of fullerenes and fullerene devices, including the simplicity of processing into guided wave structures for nonlinear integrated optics, large nonlinear coefficients, effectively nonlatency,and potentially terabit/sec operation in the near infrared. Comparisons are made with the fiber optic switching approach. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48.
Plant peroxidases—an organismic perspective

Peroxidases are ubiquitous enzymes found in virtually all green plants, many fungi and aerobic bacteria. The isozymic heterogeneity of peroxidases appears to result from de novo synthesis, as well as an array of physiological/ecological determinants including hormones, light, gravity, and infection. Homologies among isoperoxidases from the same species are largely distinguished by the isoelectric point and as well as by protein sequence data. The basic and acidic peroxidases from a number of angiosperms show a greater functional and structural relationship within rather than between these groups. Peroxidases have phylogenetically-correlated similarities based on the chemical nature and redox potentials of the substrates which they can oxidize. Peroxidases often increase as a response to stress, and one of the principle roles of peroxidase appears to be cellular protection from oxidative reactions imposed on all photosynthetic plants. The relationships among the peroxidases, IAA and lignification emerge as a particular adaptation of vascular plants to the land environment. The great catalytic versatility of peroxidase as its predominant character and, therefore, no single major role need necessarily exist for this multifaceted enzyme.
Renal Infarction as a Presentation of Austrian Syndrome: Thromboembolic Phenomenon of Pneumococcal Endocarditis

A 52-year-old unvaccinated and splenectomized man presented with fever, altered sensorium, bilateral flank pain and chest discomfort accompanied with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with a rapid ventricular response. An abdominal computed tomography scan was performed, which revealed a right renal infarct and splenosis. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed, which demonstrated an echodense structure on the mitral valve with mitral regurgitation and a vegetation on the aortic valve with aortic regurgitation. Subsequently, he was found to have pneumococcal infective endocarditis, pneumococcal pneumonia and bacterial meningitis, namely Austrian syndrome. He underwent an early aortic valve and mitral valve repair but still had a poor clinical outcome. Renal infarction has a mortality of approximately 13.2%, which is strongly influenced by the underlying diseases and infectious complications. Medical and surgical treatment initiated in a timely manner is often inadequate. The authors report the first case of Austrian syndrome presenting with renal infarction as a clue to an embolic event associated with infective endocarditis in this study.
Proportion of heritable paraganglioma cases and associated clinical characteristics.

Objective/Hypothesis To determine the heritable proportion of paraganglioma (PGL) and identify clinical features associated with heritable PGL. Study Design Patients diagnosed with head and neck PGLs, identified retrospectively through clinical otolaryngology practices and/or participation in previous PGL research studies, were given a medical and family history questionnaire. Methods Questionnaire information was used to classify participants as having “heritable” or “non-heritable” cases of PGL. Classification of the participants identified through otolaryngology clinics was used to estimate the heritable proportion of PGL. Statistical analysis was performed to identify significant differences in the clinical characteristics of the heritable versus non-heritable groups. Results Among the otolaryngology clinic population, 35% were classified as having heritable PGL. Individuals with heritable PGL were younger on average than those with non-heritable PGL. The majority of non-heritable participants were female, but there was an equal gender ratio among the heritable participants. Individuals diagnosed with a carotid body tumor (CBT) were 5.8 times more likely to be classified as heritable than those diagnosed with PGL at other anatomic locations. Conclusions Approximately 35% of individuals who present to an otolaryngologist with a head and neck PGL have inherited a predisposition for this growth. Among individuals diagnosed with head and neck PGL, those diagnosed with CBT are 5.8 times more likely to have an inherited predisposition than those diagnosed with PGL at other anatomic locations.
Proximity Effects in Monolayer Films: Kinetic Analysis of Amide Bond Formation at the Air−Water Interface Using 1H NMR Spectroscopy

The kinetics of amide bond formation in a monolayer film has been studied by proton NMR spectroscopy. Compression of a hexadecyl thioester of N-acetyl glycine (1) and a hexadecyl amide of glycine (2) at the air−water interface produces a single dipeptide product (4) that remains at the surface once formed. Extraction of the reaction mixture from the interface, followed by 1H NMR spectroscopy, provides quantitative data on the rate of product formation. The kinetics of this reaction was examined as a function of surface pressure, subphase pH, and temperature. The monolayer provides an effective molarity for the reaction of ∼500 M as compared to the bimolecular reaction of 1 and 4 in chloroform solution. The first-order rate constant for the reaction of 1 and 2 in the monolayer is less than 70-fold slower than kcat for condensation of the first amide bond in the enzymatic synthesis of the cyclic antibiotic gramicidin S by gramicidin S synthetase. Activation energies of the reaction were extracted from the t...
Analyzing sentiments from street harassment stories

Street harassment is a pervasive problem that typically targets women and LGBTQ community. There are no effective ways to deal with the harassers as the acts of harassment happen randomly and are difficult, if not impossible, to prosecute. Hollaback! is an international movement aimed at stopping street harassment. Hollaback! servers collect street harassment stories from victims around the globe to share, gather statistics, and create awareness. In this paper, we present a preliminary study focused on analyzing a small sample of Hollaback! stories submitted from New York city. The LIWC software [1] is used to measure the positive and negative emotions hidden in each story and correlate it to the socio-economic status of the location from which the story was submitted.
Double electron-muon resonance experiments on muonium in quartz

Double electron-muon resonance experiments on muonium in quartz are described. The observed muon-spin\char22{}rotation spectra show a structure resulting from the coherent response of the system to the radio-frequency magnetic field. The theory of this structure is developed and agreement with experiment is within experimental error.
Requirements elicitation for an intelligent software test environment for the physically challenged

This paper is about the elicitation of the requirements for an intelligent interface for a software test development environment that will accommodate the physically challenged (PC). This research explores the use of eye-tracking mechanisms and digital manipulative user interfaces that are especially enhanced for the PC. In addition these devices provide assistance for the knowledge elicitation phase for an Intelligent User Interface to such an environment. It was never a stated objective of PCTA (Physically Challenged Test Assistant) to include any intelligent augmentation of the environment. It was challenge enough to get a paraplegic to operate the software test environment. However, in the process of evaluating the data collected in the evaluation of the user interface it was discovered that empirical data existed to predict some of the impasses that occur in the software development and more uniquely in the software testing process.
Pacific herring, Clupea pallasi, recruitment in the Bering Sea and north‐east Pacific Ocean, I: relationships among different populations

We examined recruitment and average weight-at-age time series for Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) populations from the Bering Sea and north-east Pacific Ocean to determine similarities. Statistical correlation and multivariate clustering methods indicated Pacific herring populations form large-scale groups. Large year classes occur synchronously among several Pacific herring populations. Multivariate cluster analyses of recruitment and weight-at-age data indicated that Bering Sea herring populations are distinct from north-east Pacific Ocean populations. Within the NE Pacific Ocean, there appear to be three groups of herring populations: a British Columbia group, a south-east Alaska coastal group, and an outer Gulf of Alaska group. Jackknife and randomization tests indicate these groups are robust and not the result of random chance. Deviations from observed herring population groups were examined for indications of anthropogenic perturbations. The Prince William Sound herring populations did not show any strong deviations corresponding to the oil spill of 1989. There might not yet be enough data since the spill to detect changes in the recruitment or weight-at-age data since that time, particularly if oil spill effects were concentrated on the early life history stages.
On the proper interpretation of ionospheric conductance estimated through satellite photometry

[1] As a consequence of the electron continuity equation, ionospheric conductance derived from photometric measurements of the aurora represents a root-mean-square over the field of view and exposure time of the photometer, and not a true average. The magnitude of the discrepancy between these estimates depends on the statistical variance of the electron density within the sampling window and is therefore strongly dependent on both the resolution of the sensor and the activity of the aurora. We use high-resolution optical and incoherent scatter radar measurements to quantify the relationship among the instantaneous (“true”) conductance, the average conductance, and the photometrically derived conductance during an auroral substorm over Sondrestrom, Greenland. For a 36 s exposure time (typical for the ultraviolet imager (UVI) sensor on the Polar satellite), we show that the photometric estimate can be biased from the average value by 40% for Hall and 20% for Pedersen; the mean, in turn, can misrepresent the true conductance by more than 150% for Hall and 100% for Pedersen, owing to undersampling small-scale variability. We develop two schemes for correcting (in the former case) and understanding (in the latter case) these effects using conjunctive ground-based diagnostics.
Quantum logics, physical space, position observables and symmetry

Abstract The concepts of physical space, localizability, position and symmetry are incorporated in the quantum logic approach to axiomatic quantum mechanics. The corresponding structure then reduces to the usual von Neumann Hilbert space model for quantum mechanics.
Early detection of steel corrosion via "turn-on" fluorescence in smart epoxy coatings.

In the present work, we describe the successful application of spiro[1H-isoindole-1,9′-[9H]xanthen]-3(2H)-one, 3′,6′-bis(diethylamino)-2-[(1-methylethylidene)amino] (“FD1”) as a smart indicator in epoxy-based coatings for the early detection of steel corrosion. The FD1 indicator was used for epoxy-based coatings on steel for its desirable property of “turn-on” fluorescence upon forming a complex with ferric ions produced at the anodic site during steel corrosion and because it does not prematurely fluoresce when mixed with the coating precursors (i.e., epoxy resin and amine). This indicator, after incorporation into a filled epoxy coating at a concentration as low as 0.5 wt %, was observed to become fluorescent in areas where corrosion started before any obvious sign of metal damage was observable. FD1 fluorescence was apparent both in areas around a scribed portion of the coating where the metal was exposed and in undercoating corrosion, where the coating surface was intact. This nondestructive method of...
Re-evaluating the 238U-salinity relationship in seawater: Implications for the 238U–234Th disequilibrium method

Abstract The concentration of 238 U in seawater is an important parameter required for applications of uranium decay-series radionuclides used to understand particle export and cycling in marine environments. Using modern mass spectrometer techniques, we re-evaluated the relationship between 238 U and salinity in the open ocean. The new 238 U-salinity relationship determined here is based on a larger sample set and a wider salinity range than previous work in the open ocean. Four samples from 500 to 1000 m in the subtropical Atlantic deviated significantly from their concentration predicted from salinity; these low concentrations are hypothesized to be the result of a remote removal process rather than analytical bias or local removal of uranium. We also bring attention to unique deficits of 234 Th in the mesopelagic zone of the subtropical Atlantic and encourage future applications of 234 Th to delve into the cause of these features. Determining the concentration of 238 U in the open ocean is critical for minimizing uncertainty in the 238 U- 234 Th disequilibrium method, which is a key tool for understanding particle flux to the deep ocean.
Exploring the Use of New Representations as a Resource for Teacher Learning

An important goal of mathematics education reform is to support teacher learning. Toward this end, researchers and teacher educators have investigated ways in which teachers learn about mathematical content, pedagogical strategies, and student thinking as they implement reform. This study extends such work by examining how one elementary school and one high school teacher learned from students' interpretations of new conceptually based representations contained in instructional materials aligned with the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000). Results indicated that teaching with new representations provided a rich context for teacher learning at both the elementary and high school level, and three dimensions were identified along which such learning occurred. The results suggest that pedagogical content knowledge with respect to representations is an important facet of teacher cognition that should be studied in greater depth.
Atomic absorption analyses for Ca, Li, Mg, K, Rb, and Sr at two Atlantic Ocean stations

Abstract Measurements of the concentrations of the elements Ca, Li, Mg, K, Rb, and Sr were made for two Atlantic Ocean Stations, A, 18° 59'N, 22° 30.5'W and B, 10° 56'N, 49° 30'W, and also of the salinity and temperature. There were small variations in the ratios of the concentrations of these elements to chlorinity. The near-surface waters at A, off the African coast just north of the Cape Verde Islands, have higher element-chlorinity ratios than the deeper waters for Ca, Li, Mg, K, and Sr. At B, about 500 miles east of Trinidad, the Sub-Antarctic Intermediate Water and the Antarctic Bottom Water have slightly lower Mg-chlorinity ratios than the North Atlantic waters. The Li-chlorinity ratios for the waters at B are higher than those for Sta. A except for the near-surface sample at A which had the highest ratio measured. At B, the Li-chlorinity ratio tends to decrease with depth, and at A it is greatest for the Mediterranean Water, except for the near-surface point. A batch of Copenhagen Standard Sea Water was analyzed for standardization purposes.
Conventions and Commitments in Distributed CSCW Groups

Conventions are necessary to establish in any recurrent cooperative arrangement. In electronic work, they are important so as to regulate the use of shared objects. Based on empirical results from a long-term study of a group cooperating in electronic work, I present examples showing that the group failed to develop normative convention behavior. These difficulties in forming conventions can be attributed to a long list of factors: the lack of clear precedents, different perspectives among group members, a flexible cooperation media, limited communication, the design process, and discontinuous cooperation. Further, I argue that commitments to the conventions were difficult, due to the conventions not reaching an acceptance threshold, uneven payoffs, and weak social influences. The empirical results call for a specific set of awareness information requirements to promote active learning about the group activity in order to support the articulation of conventions. The requirements focus on the role of feedback as a powerful mechanism for shaping and learning about group behavior.
Molecular Pathology -- Diagnosis of Infectious Disease

The traditional method of identifying a pathogen by culturing it is a key element in forging the causal link between a particular disease and a specific microorganism. However, many kinds of infectious agents, including mycobacteria, fungi, and viruses, either are fastidious and grow slowly or cannot be cultured. In these instances, serologic or histologic methods may identify the infectious agent. Nevertheless, these methods usually yield only circumstantial evidence of infection. Pathologists now have highly sensitive, rapid, and specific molecular methods of identifying infectious agents by the direct detection of DNA or RNA sequences unique to a particular organism. These advances . . .
The new-generation positron emission tomography/computed tomography scanners: implications for cardiac imaging

The exceptionally rapid increase in the number of PET/CT scanners (often 3D only) for oncology may well facilitate an increase in cardiac PET imaging. However, there is only limited literature available as to how 3D acquisitions, especially with the new generation of scanners, will affect cardiac imaging. This situation will undoubtedly change very soon. Similarly, several aspects of CT-based attenuation correction for cardiac imaging remain to be investigated. Although, at the moment, 2D imaging with Ge-68 (or Cs-137) attenuation correction may remain the safest alternative for cardiac imaging, the new-generation PET/CT scanners hold great promise for the future of cardiac PET.
Cardiovascular, respiratory, electrolyte and acid–base balance during continuous dexmedetomidine infusion in anesthetized dogs

Abstract Objective To evaluate the cardiovascular, respiratory, electrolyte and acid–base effects of a continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine during propofol–isoflurane anesthesia following premedication with dexmedetomidine. Study design Prospective experimental study. Animals Five adult male Walker Hound dogs 1–2 years of age averaging 25.4 ± 3.6 kg. Methods Dogs were sedated with dexmedetomidine 10 μg kg−1 IM, 78 ± 2.3 minutes (mean ± SD) before general anesthesia. Anesthesia was induced with propofol (2.5 ± 0.5 mg kg−1) IV and maintained with 1.5% isoflurane. Thirty minutes later dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg kg−1 IV was administered over 5 minutes followed by an infusion of 0.5 μg kg−1 hour−1. Cardiac output (CO), heart rate (HR), ECG, direct blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory parameters, acid–base and arterial blood gases and electrolytes were measured 30 and 60 minutes after the infusion started. Data were analyzed via multiple linear regression modeling of individual variables over time, compared to anesthetized baseline values. Data are presented as mean ± SD. Results No statistical difference from baseline for any parameter was measured at any time point. Baseline CO, HR and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) before infusion were 3.11 ± 0.9 L minute−1, 78 ± 18 beats minute−1 and 96 ± 10 mmHg, respectively. During infusion CO, HR and MAP were 3.20 ± 0.83 L minute−1, 78 ± 14 beats minute−1 and 89 ± 16 mmHg, respectively. No differences were found in respiratory rates, PaO2, PaCO2, pH, base excess, bicarbonate, sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium or lactate measurements before or during infusion. Conclusions and clinical relevance Dexmedetomidine infusion using a loading dose of 0.5 μg kg−1 IV followed by a constant rate infusion of 0.5 μg kg−1 hour−1 does not cause any significant changes beyond those associated with an IM premedication dose of 10 μg kg−1, in propofol–isoflurane anesthetized dogs. IM dexmedetomidine given 108 ± 2 minutes before onset of infusion showed typical significant effects on cardiovascular parameters.
Stability of the 2-D state-space system with overflow and quantization

Two-dimensional (2-D) digital filters are investigated with and without the nonlinear effects of overflow and quantization when implemented in fixed-point arithmetic. A sufficient condition is established for the stability of the linear Fornasini-Marchesini state-space model. The same system is then studied for stability when implemented using two's complement arithmetic. The combined effects of overflow and quantization are considered, and sufficient conditions for stability are derived. >
Size, sex and individual‐level behaviour drive intrapopulation variation in cross‐ecosystem foraging of a top‐predator

Summary 1. Large-bodied, top-predators are often highly mobile, with the potential to provide important linkages between spatially distinct food webs. What biological factors contribute to variation in cross-ecosystem movements, however, have rarely been examined. 2. Here, we investigated how ontogeny (body size), sex and individual-level behaviour impacts intrapopulation variation in cross-ecosystem foraging (i.e. between freshwater and marine systems), by the top-predator Alligator mississippiensis. 3. Field surveys revealed A. mississippiensis uses marine ecosystems regularly and are abundant in estuarine tidal creeks (from 0 3t o 63 individuals per km of creek, n = 45 surveys). Alligator mississippiensis captured in marine/estuarine habitats were significantly larger than individuals captured in freshwater and intermediate habitats. 4. Stomach content analysis (SCA) showed that small juveniles consumed marine/estuarine prey less frequently (67% of individuals) than did large juveniles (578%), subadult (73%), and adult (78%) size classes. Isotopic mixing model analysis (SIAR) also suggests substantial variation in use of marine/estuarine prey resources with differences among and within size classes between sexes and individuals (range of median estimates for marine/estuarine diet contribution = 005–076). 5. These results demonstrate the importance of intrapopulation characteristics (body size, sex and individual specialization) as key determinants of the strength of predator-driven ecosystem connectivity resulting from cross-ecosystem foraging behaviours. Understanding the factors, which contribute to variation in cross-ecosystem foraging behaviours, will improve our predictive understanding of the effects of top-predators on community structure and ecosystem function.
Modularized buck-boost + Cuk converter for high voltage series connected battery cells

This paper proposes a new bidirectional dc-dc converter — buck-boost + Cuk converter — for series connected battery cells. Traditionally, in order to balance n battery cells in a string, (2n−1) switches are required by either the buck-boost converter or the Cuk converter. However, by nicely combine the buck-boost converter and the Cuk converter together, the proposed buck-boost + Cuk converter only requires n switches. It achieves almost half of the switch count reduction, without losing the advantage of modularization or sacrificing the device voltage stress, unlike many other existing one-switch-per-cell topologies. Meanwhile, it still maintains the buck-boost battery charge equalizer's best characteristic — simple pulse width modulation (PWM) — 50% duty cycle. Moreover, it offers a solution to bypass the open-circuit faulty cells, and prolong the life time of the whole battery string. Simulation and experimental results are given to demonstrate the functionality of the proposed buck-boost + Cuk converter.
Hierarchy of Preferences toward Disabled Groups: A Reanalysis

A reanalysis of Tringo's (1970) hierarchy of preference toward disabled groups was conducted through multidimensional scaling. The structure underlying social-distance preferences is multidimensional in nature rather than unidimensional as presented by Tringo. The retained 3-dimensional solution was interpreted as focusing on the visibility of the disabilities, the organic versus functional nature of the disabilities, and an element of ostracism.
Undergraduates as Campus Mental Health Workers.

This study evaluated, first, the effectiveness of group experiences in improving the interpersonal functioning of college freshmen and, second, the difference in effectiveness of group discussions led by undergraduate dormitory advisers (with consultation) and by psychology graduate students. A variety of measures of interpersonal behavior was used. Results show that freshmen in group discussions improved in their interpersonal relationships, especially as measured by a sociometric form. Members of groups led by graduate students showed slightly more improvement than those in groups led by dormitory advisers. Differences in group process were also found. Results suggest that indigenous subprofessionals can promote growth on the campus.
Actomyosin transports microtubules and microtubules control actomyosin recruitment during Xenopus oocyte wound healing.

Abstract Background: Interactions between microtubules and actin filaments (F-actin) are critical for cellular motility processes ranging from directed cell locomotion to cytokinesis. However, the cellular bases of these interactions remain poorly understood. We have analyzed the role of microtubules in generation of a contractile array comprised of F-actin and myosin-2 that forms around wounds made in Xenopus oocytes. Results: After wounding, microtubules are transported to the wound edge in association with F-actin that is itself recruited to wound borders via actomyosin-powered cortical flow. This transport generates sufficient force to buckle and break microtubules at the wound edge. Transport is complemented by local microtubule assembly around wound borders. The region of microtubule breakage and assembly coincides with a zone of actin assembly, and perturbation of the microtubule cytoskeleton disrupts this zone as well as local recruitment of the Arp2/3 complex and myosin-2. Conclusions: The results reveal transport of microtubules in association with F-actin that is pulled to wound borders via actomyosin-based contraction. Microtubules, in turn, focus zones of actin assembly and myosin-2 recruitment at the wound border. Thus, wounding triggers the formation of a spatially coordinated feedback loop in which transport and assembly of microtubules maintains actin and myosin-2 in close proximity to the closing contractile array. These results are surprisingly reminiscent of recent findings in locomoting cells, suggesting that similar feedback interactions may be generally employed in a variety of fundamental cell motility processes.
Volatile Composition of Coffee Berries at Different Stages of Ripeness and Their Possible Attraction to the Coffee Berry Borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The analysis of volatile emissions of coffee berries in different physiological states of ripeness was performed using dynamic headspace and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis for Coffea arabica, var. Colombia. The composition of the volatiles emitted by coffee berries is dominated by very high levels of alcohols, mainly ethanol, in all stages of ripeness in comparison with other compounds. Overripe coffee berries have high volatile emissions and show a composition dominated mainly by esters followed by alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes. The lowest level compounds were monoterpenes. 2-Methyl furan was detected in various ripening stages; this compound has not been previously reported as a coffee berry volatile. The presence of ethanol and other alcohols in the volatile composition might explain the effectiveness of using traps with mixed alcohols for detection and capture of coffee berry borers.