cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tobacco use, immunosuppressive, chronic pain, and psychiatric conditions are prevalent in women with symptomatic mesh complications undergoing mesh removal surgery.

Purpose To identify demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with symptomatic pelvic floor mesh complications who underwent mesh removal at our academic medical center. The secondary goal was to determine patient-reported outcomes after mesh removal. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective review of consecutive patients from 2011-2016 undergoing removal of mesh graft for treatment of symptomatic mesh-related complications. Patient demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, and mesh factors were evaluated. Outcomes after explant were determined by the Patient Global Impression of Improvement and a Likert satisfaction scale. Results One hundred fifty-six symptomatic patients underwent complete or partial pelvic floor mesh removal during the study period. Mid-urethral slings comprised 86% of explanted mesh grafts. Mesh exposure or erosion was identified in 72% of patients. Eighty-one percent of patients presented with pain, and 35% reported pain in the absence of exposure or erosion. Pre-operative comorbidities included psychiatric disease (54.5%), chronic pain (34.0%), irritable bowel syndrome (20.5%) and fibromyalgia (9.6%). Forty-three percent of patients reported current or past tobacco use. At mean follow-up of 14 months, 68% of responding patients reported improvement on the Patient Global Impression of Improvement after surgery. Conclusions This research identified tobacco use, and psychiatric, immunosuppressive, and chronic pain conditions as prevalent in this cohort of patients undergoing mesh removal. Surgical removal can improve presenting symptoms, including for patients with pain in the absence of other indications.
Endogenous oxytocin inhibits hypothalamic corticotrophin-releasing hormone neurones following acute hypernatraemia.

Significant prior evidence indicates that centrally acting oxytocin robustly modulates stress responsiveness and anxiety-like behaviour, although the neural mechanisms behind these effects are not entirely understood. A plausible neural basis for oxytocin-mediated stress reduction is via inhibition of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurones in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) that regulate activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Previously, we have shown that, following s.c. injection of 2.0 mol L-1 NaCl, oxytocin synthesising neurones are activated in the rat PVN, an oxytocin receptor (Oxtr)-dependent inhibitory tone develops on a subset of parvocellular neurones and stress-mediated increases in plasma corticosterone levels are blunted. In the present study, we utilised transgenic male CRH-reporter mice to selectively target PVN CRH neurones for whole-cell recordings. These experiments reveal that acute salt loading produces tonic inhibition of PVN CRH neurones through a mechanism that is largely independent of synaptic activity. Further studies reveal that a subset of CRH neurones within the PVN synthesise mRNA for Oxtr(s). Salt induced Oxtr-dependent inhibitory tone was eliminated in individual PVN CRH neurones filled with GDP-β-S. Additional electrophysiological studies suggest that reduced excitability of PVN CRH neurones in salt-loaded animals is associated with increased activation of inwardly rectifying potassium channels. Nevertheless, substantial effort to recapitulate the core effects of salt loading by activating Oxtr(s) with an exogenous agonist produced mixed results. Collectively, these results enhance our understanding of how oxytocin receptor-mediated signalling modulates the function of CRH neurones in the PVN.
Cancer screening utilization by residence and sexual orientation.

Although few studies have examined screening uptake among sexual minorities (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer), almost none have examined it in the specific context of rural populations. Therefore, our objective was to assess how cancer screening utilization varies by residence and sexual orientation. Publicly available population-level data from the 2014 and 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were utilized. Study outcomes included recommended recent receipt of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening. Independent variables of interest were residence (rural/urban) and sexual orientation (heterosexual/gay or lesbian/bisexual). Weighted proportions and multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess the association between the independent variables and the outcomes, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare utilization factors. Rates for all three cancer screenings were lowest in rural areas and among sexual minority populations (cervical: rural lesbians at 64.8% vs. urban heterosexual at 84.6%; breast: rural lesbians at 66.8% vs. urban heterosexual at 80.0%; colorectal for males: rural bisexuals at 52.4% vs. urban bisexuals at 81.3%; and colorectal for females: rural heterosexuals at 67.2% vs. rural lesbians at 74.4%). In the multivariate analyses for colorectal screening, compared to urban heterosexual males, both rural gay and rural heterosexual males were less likely to receive screening (aOR = 0.45; 95% = 0.24–0.73 and aOR = 0.79; 95% = 0.72–0.87, respectively) as were rural heterosexual females (aOR = 0.87; 95% = 0.80–0.94) compared to urban heterosexual females. For cervical screening, lesbians were less likely to receive screening (aOR = 0.62; 95% = 0.41–0.94) than heterosexuals, and there were no differences for breast screening. We found that rural sexual minorities may experience disparities in cancer screening utilization associated with the compounding barriers of rural residence and sexual minority status, after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare utilization factors. Further work is needed to identify factors influencing these disparities and how they might be addressed.
The Walking Dead: Morality, Health, and Longevity in the Xuanxue Method of the Xiang’er Commentary on the Laozi

This chapter examines the Xiang’er commentator’s methodology, how he works with the Daodejing, and how his “commentary” text fits into the evolving commentarial stream that leads to the approaches taken by Xuanxue thinkers, or at the very least, how it sets the stage for the way in which they work.
Event-triggered cooperative stabilization of multiagent systems with partially unknown interconnected dynamics

Abstract We consider a stabilization problem in interconnected multiagent systems subject to both matched and unmatched modeling uncertainties. We propose a mixed graph theoretic and optimal control formulation, build a two-layer structure with separate agent and control layers, and capture the architectural aspect of cyber–physical systems. The control layer, to be designed, represents a linear cooperative control strategy and is built by control nodes, communication protocol, and information broadcast event-triggered strategies. We propose a systematic design framework to obtain two robust static gains such that the same control layer implementation can be used for both matched and unmatched modeling uncertainties. In the proposed event-triggered strategy, each agent uses only two decoupled impulsive approximators to determine its information broadcast events independently of other agents. We prove exponential convergence to the origin of all trajectories of the proposed two-layer interconnected multiagent system under the linear cooperative protocols; free of Zeno behavior in spite of the partially known nonlinearities over the agent layer and non-synchronous, non-periodic communication over the control layer. We also study practical stability with Zeno-freeness in order to reduce the noise sensitivity of the event-triggered strategy, or the number of the information broadcast events. We examine the feasibility of our ideas in simulation.
Analyses of the 5’ Ends of Escherichia coli ORFs

Abstract Sequence biases at 5’ ends of coding sequences differ from those of the remainder of ORFs, reflecting differences in function. Internal sequence biases promote translational efficiency by several mechanisms including correlating codon usage and tRNA concentration. However, the early region may also facilitate translational initiation, establishment of the reading frame, and polypeptide processing. Here we examine the beginnings of the ORFs of an Escherichia coli K12 reference genome. The results extend previous observations of A-richness to include an overabundance of the AAA triplet in all reading frames, consistent with the hypothesis that the beginnings of ORFs contribute to initiation site accessibility. Results are also consistent with the idea that the first two amino acids are under selection because they facilitate solvation of the amino-terminus at the end of the ribosomal exit channel. Moreover, serine is highly overrepresented as the second amino acid, possibly because it can facilitate removal of the terminal formylmethionine. Non-AUG initiation codons are known to be less efficient than AUG at directing initiation, presumably because of relatively weak base pairing to the initiator-tRNA. But non-UAG initiation codons are not followed by unusual 3’ nearest neighbor codons. Moreover, the four NUG initiation codons do not differ in their propensity to frameshift in an assay known to be sensitive to base pair strength. Altogether, these data suggest that the 5’ ends of ORFs are under selection for several functions, and that initiation codon identity may not be critical beyond its role in initiation.
Myth and Symbol in Vico and the ‘Romantik’: Some Remarks

On March 5, 1787, Goethe, in Naples, noted in his travel journal his acquaintance with the work of an old writer considered a man of unfathomable depth (unergrundliche Tiefe): Giovan Battista Vico. A glimpse of the book, that the knight Filangieri handed him as a sort of relic, gave Goethe the impression of “sibylline presages of good and justice… founded on serious reflections on past and life” (“Sibyllin- ische Vorahnungen des Guten und Rechten… gegrundet auf ernste Betrachtungen des Uberlieferten und des Lebens,” Goethe, 1862:235) and thought that the German nation might find such a patriarch in Hamann. This philosopher, a great Schwarmer of the early German Romanticism had gotten a copy of the Scienza nuova ten years earlier in Florence, and wrote about it to J. G. Herder, who, when traveling through Italy in 1789, was perhaps directly acquainted with Vico’s work. It seems, however, that Herder had no insight of the depth of the Neapolitan philosopher and of the great affinity with his own thinking (see his reference in his Briefe zu Beforderung der Humanitat)(1881, v. 18:246). Still in the early XIX century, Vico’s philosophy, besides some explicit references in Fr. H. Jacobi (Ueber den gottlichen Dingen und ihre Offenbarung, 1811) and Fr. von Baader, had not penetrated German culture, in spite of the translation of the Scienza nuova, published in 1822 by Weber.
An unheard benefit of phosphodiesterase inhibition

Noise-induced hearing loss is caused primarily by damage to auditory hair cells; however, humans are unable to regenerate damaged hair cells, necessitating the development of new therapeutic strategies to protect auditory hair cells. A new study suggests that the use of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors may provide a protective therapeutic route for hearing loss (pages 252–259 ).
Flexible growing rods: a pilot study to determine if polymer rod constructs may provide stability to skeletally immature spines

Background: Surgical treatments for early onset scoliosis (EOS), including growing rod constructs, involve many complications. Some are due to biomechanical factors. A construct that is more flexible than current instrumentation systems may reduce complications. The purpose of this preliminary study was to determine spine range of motion (ROM) after implantation of simulated growing rod constructs with a range of clinically relevant structural properties. The hypothesis was that ROM of spines instrumented with polyetheretherketone (PEEK) rods would be greater than metal rods and lower than noninstrumented controls. Further, adjacent segment motion was expected to be lower with polymer rods compared to conventional systems. Methods: Biomechanical tests were conducted on 6 skeletally immature porcine thoracic spines (domestic swine, 35-40 kg). Spines were harvested after death from swine that had been utilized for other studies (IACUC approved) which had not involved the spine. Paired pedicle screws were used as anchors at proximal and distal levels. Specimens were tested under the following conditions: control, then dual rods of PEEK (6.25 mm), titanium (4 mm), and CoCr (5 mm) alloy. Lateral bending (LB) and flexion-extension (FE) moments of ±5 Nm were applied. Vertebral rotations were measured using video. Differences were determined by two-tailed t-tests and Bonferroni correction with four primary comparisons: PEEK vs control and PEEK vs CoCr, in LB and FE (a=0.05/4). Results: In LB, ROM of specimens with PEEK rods was lower than control at each instrumented level. ROM was greater for PEEK rods than both Ti and CoCr at every instrumented level. Mean ROM at proximal and distal noninstrumented levels was lower for PEEK than for Ti and CoCr. In FE, mean ROM at proximal and distal noninstrumented levels was lower for PEEK than for metal. Combining treated levels, in LB, ROM for PEEK rods was 35% of control (p<0.0001) and 270% of CoCr rods (p<0.01). In FE, ROM with PEEK was 27% of control (p<0.001) and 180% of CoCr (p<0.01). Conclusions: PEEK rods decreased flexibility versus noninstumented controls, and increased flexibility versus metal rods. Smaller increases in ROM at proximal and distal adjacent motion segments occurred with PEEK compared to metal rods, which may help decrease junctional kyphosis. Flexible growing rods may eventually help improve treatment options for young patients with severe deformity.
A 3.4–3.6-GHz high efficiency Gallium Nitride power amplifier using bandpass output matching network

This paper presents a high efficiency Gallium Nitride (GaN) class-F power amplifier (PA) which uses a Chebyshev bandpass filter to realize the optimal fundamental and harmonic impedance matching. The bandpass output matching network also absorbs the output parasitics of the power amplifier. A prototype PA is implemented to verify this idea, which delivers output power of 37.5 dBm with peak power added efficiency (PAE) of 78% and gain of 13.5 dB at 3.5 GHz, and PAE above 74% in a 200 MHz bandwidth.
UBA domains of DNA damage-inducible proteins interact with ubiquitin.

Rad23 is a highly conserved protein involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER) that associates with the proteasome via its N-terminus. Its C-terminal ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to humans. However, the cellular function of UBA domains is not completely understood. Recently, RAD23 and DDI1, both DNA damage-inducible genes encoding proteins with UBA domains, were implicated genetically in Pds1-dependent mitotic control in yeast. The UBA domains of RAD23 and DDI1 are required for these interactions. Timely degradation of Pds1 via the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway allows anaphase onset and is crucial for chromosome maintenance. Here, we show that Rad23 and Ddi1 interact directly with ubiquitin and that this interaction is dependent on their UBA domains, providing a possible mechanism for UBA-dependent cell cycle control. Moreover, we show that a hydrophobic surface on the UBA domain, which from structural work had been predicted to be a protein–protein interaction interface, is indeed required for ubiquitin binding. By demonstrating that UBA domains interact with ubiquitin, we have provided the first indication of a cellular function for the UBA domain.
An Emerging Role: The Nurse Content Curator

A new phenomenon, the inverted or "flipped" classroom, assumes that students are no longer acquiring knowledge exclusively through textbooks or lectures. Instead, they are seeking out the vast amount of free information available to them online (the very essence of open source) to supplement learning gleaned in textbooks and lectures. With so much open-source content available to nursing faculty, it benefits the faculty to use readily available, technologically advanced content. The nurse content curator supports nursing faculty in its use of such content. Even more importantly, the highly paid, time-strapped faculty is not spending an inordinate amount of effort surfing for and evaluating content. The nurse content curator does that work, while the faculty uses its time more effectively to help students vet the truth, make meaning of the content, and learn to problem-solve. Brooks.
Pseudotype formation with La Crosse virus glycoproteins

Pseudotype formation is a powerful tool for analysing mechanisms of virus neutralization and entry, since it allows for analysis of glycoprotein properties without the necessity for preparing recombinant genomes. Using recombinant vaccinia viruses, we prepared pseudotypes of La Crosse virus with recombinant glycoproteins cloned from the monoclonal antibody (MAb)-resistant variant V31. The resulting pseudotypes became partially resistant to MAb 807-31. Furthermore, when the V31 glycoproteins were incorporated into a second MAb-resistant variant (V33), the pseudotyped virus became sensitive to neutralization by the MAb (807-33) originally used in its selection. These results suggest a simple technique for the incorporation of glycoprotein mutations into bunyaviruses, allowing analysis of mechanisms of neutralization and other virus entry functions.
The value of changes in deer season length: an application of the nested multinomial logit model.

Increasing deer populations can be controlled through manipulatingharvest limits or season length. While such actions often result in benefitsto hunters, both motorists and the agricultural sector also benefit as alower deer population leads to fewer incidences of harmful human-deerencounters. Traditional recreation demand models are often employed toexamine the welfare implications of changes in daily hunting bag limits.Studies measuring the effects of changes in season length, however, arenoticeably absent from the literature. This study uses a nested randomutility model to examine hunter choice over site and season selection toderive the values of changes in season length.
Quantum Statistical Thermodynamics of Two-Level Systems

We study four distinct families of Gibbs canonical distributions defined on the standard complex, quaternionic, real and classical (nonquantum) two-level systems. The structure function or density of states for any two-level system is a simple power (1, 3, 0 or -1) of the length of its polarization vector, while the magnitude of the energy of the system, in all four cases, is the negative of the logarithm of the determinant of the corresponding two-dimensional density matrix. Functional relationships (proportional to ratios of gamma functions) are found between the average polarizations with respect to the Gibbs distributions and the effective polarization temperature parameters. In the standard complex case, this yields an interesting alternative, meeting certain probabilistic requirements recently set forth by Lavenda, to the more conventional (hyperbolic tangent) Brillouin function of paramagnetism (which, Lavenda argues, fails to meet such specifications).
Clinical science: prospects, payment and public policy

The last several decades of this century have witnessed significant changes in health care financing and delivery. Similar changes have occurred within laboratory medicine. While government involvement has been principally in insurance and the control of costs through regulation, the demise of the Clinton Health Plan ushered in an era of deregulation and market competition. In this environment, clinical science and clinical scientists have a new challenge: to prove their worth by establishing methods in which their services and tests are more clinically efficient than competing approaches.
Energy decay in Burgers turbulence and interface growth: The problem of random initial conditions. II.

We present a study of the Burgers equation in one and two dimensions $d=1,2$ following the analytic approach indicated in the previous paper I. For the problem of the initial conditions decay we consider two classes of initial condition distributions $Q_{1,2} \sim \exp[-(1/4D)\int({\nabla}h)^2$d{\bf x}] where $h$-field is unbounded ($Q_1$) or bounded ($Q_2, |h|\leq H$). Avoiding the replica trick and using an integral representation of the logarithm we study the tractable field theory which has $d=2$ as a critical dimension. It is shown that the degenerate one-dimensional case has three stages of decay, when the kinetic energy density diminishes with time as $t^{-2/3}$, $t^{-2}$, $t^{-3/2}$ contrary to the predictions of the similarity hypothesis based on the second-order correlator of the distribution. In two dimensions we find the kinetic energy decay which is proportional to $t^{-1}\ln^{-1/2}(t)$. It is shown that the pure diffusion equation with the $Q_2$-type initial condition has non-trivial energy decay exponents indicating connection with the $O(2)$ non-linear $\sigma$-model.
WE‐C‐J‐6B‐01: Fast 4D Imaging: Breaking the Speed Limits in MR and CT

Advances in MRI and CT have made it possible to produce time‐resolved series of 3D volume images. In CT the increase in detector rows to the present value of 64 ‐ or even 256 ‐ has brought a significant increase in image quality and reduced acquisition times. The emergence of volumetric cone beam systems employing flat panel detectors also offers the possibility of rapid 4D acquisition. In MRI, 4D sequences have been facilitated by the introduction of multi‐coil parallel imaging methods and several acquisition schemes using novel k‐space sampling schemes. The vast majority of MRI applications use Cartesian acquisitions employing phase encoding. This line‐by‐line scan through k‐pace produces spatial resolution that is linearly related to acquisition time. This is basically a k‐space speed limit imposed by the Nyquist theorem. For dynamic applications this tradeoff between temporal and spatial resolution is unacceptable. When highly undersampled radial acquisitions are used, spatial resolution is determined by readout resolution rather than the number of k‐space lines acquired. The price paid for violating the Nyquist theorem is streak artifacts. However, when the data acquisition is done using a time‐resolved 3D radial acquisition called VIPR(Vastly undersampled Isotropic PRojection imaging), the streaks are often tolerable and have permitted acceleration factors up to 60 relative to Cartesian acquisition for applications such as phase contrast imaging where background signals are cancelled and streaks can only be generated by the vessels of interest. Undersampled cone beam acquisition using an array of x‐ray sources combined with large area detectors has been proposed as a means of increasing the temporal resolution of CT and appears to have similar properties to 3D undersampled MRI acquisition.
Composite Structure Design of O-Rings Using Material Behavior to Decrease Strain Energy and Permanent Deformation

The performance of elastomeric seals degrades over time in use due to the development of permanent material deformation. The existence of localized high stress regions below seal-housing contact areas led to consideration of improving O-ring design by modifying material behavior to decrease strain energy, and so permanent deformation, in these regions. Photoelastic stress analysis was used to experimentally characterize the stress and strain fields in O-ring sections and to validate finite element models used in design studies. O-ring section designs that included small inset regions of different material behavior than the larger surrounding section were investigated with the intent of manipulating and reducing the strain energy content. Finite element models of O-rings were used to characterize the strain energy content and distribution for inset materials with various stress-strain behaviors. Measurements of permanent deformation and load-deflection behavior of specimens held under applied compression over time showed dependence of the amount of permanent deformation on strain energy. Design rules were extracted from results of studies in which inset region material stiffness, stress-strain behavior, size, and location in the larger section were varied. O-ring sections with regions of less stiff material result in lower strain energy and more uniform strain energy density distribution than the typical one-material seal. Inclusion of less stiff softening stress-strain behavior material insets in the larger O-ring section produced reduction in strain energy level and favorable redistribution of the high strain energy density regions compared with the conventional one-material one-material-behavior design. Similar concepts will apply to the design of other elastomeric structures in which permanent material deformation affects structure performance.
Spatial analysis of vegetation patterns in southern Western Australia: implications for reserve design

Spatial analysis of vegetation and soil data collected from 64 sites in southern Western Australia suggests that both soil characteristics and geographic distance between sites are important predictors of the floristic resemblance of sites on a regional scale. These two factors are largely independent, a finding that may reflect recent, rapid speciation in the study area postulated in other studies. Spatial patterns of plant guilds suggest geographic replacement, and contingent exclusion may be an important mechanism maintaining species-richness. Existing soil and vegetation maps used to delineate reserve boundaries are found to be accurate, although the soil maps include information on vegetation patterns, independent of information on soil patterns. Within broad vegetation formations, there is some correlation of floristics in mallee stands with soil characteristics. Ordination analysis indicates a soil moisture/nutrient axis. In contrast, there are few important correlations of floristics with soil characters in kwongan (sand heath) or halophytic vegetation. Geographic distance between sites is a much more important factor. The absence of edaphic correlations implies that the observed geographic replacement of species between sites is a historical legacy, the result of recent, rapid speciation in the spatially patchy environment. It is concluded that if reserves in the region are to conserve the flora, especially rare species, the reserve system should include replicates of stands within the same broad formations and soil types at intervals less than 15 km, the minimum scale of resolution of this study.
A new automated method for the segmentation and characterization of breast masses on ultrasound images

Segmentation is one of the first steps in most computer-aided diagnosis systems for characterization of masses as malignant or benign. In this study, the authors designed an automated method for segmentation of breast masses on ultrasound (US) images. The method automatically estimated an initial contour based on a manually identified point approximately at the mass center. A two-stage active contour method iteratively refined the initial contour and performed self-examination and correction on the segmentation result. To evaluate the method, the authors compared it with manual segmentation by two experienced radiologists (R1 and R2) on a data set of 488 US images from 250 biopsy-proven masses (100 malignant and 150 benign). Two area overlap ratios (AOR1 and AOR2) and an area error measure were used as performance measures to evaluate the segmentation accuracy. Values for AOR1, defined as the ratio of the intersection of the computer and the reference segmented areas to the reference segmented area, were 0.82±0.16 and 0.84±0.18, respectively, when manually segmented mass regions by R1 and R2 were used as the reference. Although this indicated a high agreement between the computer and manual segmentations, the two radiologists’ manual segmentation results were significantly (p<0.03) more consistent, with AOR1=0.84±0.16 and 0.91±0.12, respectively, when the segmented regions by R1 and R2 were used as the reference. To evaluate the segmentation method in terms of lesion classification accuracy, feature spaces were formed by extracting texture, width-to-height, and posterior shadowing features based on either automated computer segmentation or the radiologists’ manual segmentation. A linear discriminant analysis classifier was designed using stepwise feature selection and two-fold cross validation to characterize the mass as malignant or benign. For features extracted from computer segmentation, the case-based test Az values ranged from 0.88±0.03 to 0.92±0.02, indicating a comparable performance to those extracted from manual segmentation by radiologists (Az value range: 0.87±0.03 to 0.90±0.03).
THE RELATION OF BACTERIOLYSIS TO PROTEOLYSIS : STUDIES ON FERMENT ACTION. XVI.

1. There is no demonstrable increase in non-coagulable nitrogen during bacteriolysis. 2. Bacteria treated with immune serum and complement are so altered that they are more readily digested by trypsin. 3. Bacteria treated with complement alone become more resistant to proteolysis. 4. Bacteria treated with an excess of immune serum and complement become more resistant to proteolysis.
Areal density limits for perpendicular magnetic recording

Summary form only given. It is becoming clear that conventional longitudinal magnetic recording is approaching the superparamagnetic limit and that further density increases must be achieved using an alternate approach. Perpendicular recording with a soft underlayer provides one such approach. Relative to longitudinal recording, it is commonly claimed to possess three major advantages, each exhibiting an apparent flaw that we argue can be solved: 1. The record field is approximately twice that obtainable in longitudinal recording owing to the image field generated by the soft underlayer. However, the coercivity of a perfectly oriented perpendicular grain is also nearly twice that of the unoriented longitudinal grain with equal anisotropy field. Solutions to this problem include a head field that generates some longitudinal components or an incompletely aligned perpendicular media. 2. The demagnetization fields of perpendicularly oriented media favor thicker films that can better resist thermal fluctuations. However, at high densities, the enhanced distance between head and soft underlayer will weaken the head fields and gradients. The solution to this problem rests in the observation that even the recording layer has non-zero susceptibility. 3. Magnetostatic fields do not destabilize transitions in perpendicular recording, unlike longitudinal recording. Unfortunately, they do destabilize the middle of the bit. However, this problem can be overcome by introducing a uniform exchange coupling within the media.
FETAL HEART MITOCHONDRIAL RESPIRATORY ACTIVITY FOLLOWING β-RECEPTOR BLOCKADE IN UTERO DURING HYPOXIA

The present study investigates the contribution of endogenous β - receptor stimulation mediated through hypoxia to the adaptive response of MITO to hypoxia in fetal guinea pig hearts. Twenty pregnant guinea pigs were divided in 4 groups: Gr C (control), Gr H (hypoxia, 7-10% O2 for 1 hr), Gr P (propranolol HCI, 1.0 mg/kg, I.V.), Gr PH (propranolol + hypoxia). States 3 and 4 MITO respiratory rates (RR) (nmol O2/min/nmol a+a3) were assayed with glutamate-malate (GM), succinate (SU), and tetramethyl-p-phenylene-diamene HCl/ascorbate (TMDP). State 3 and 4 RR's in Gr C fetal hearts were 89.9 and 13.7 (GM), 81.3 and 25.5 (SU), 170 and 125 (TMPD), respectively. The Ca++ uptake (murexide method) was 51.3 nmol Ca++/min/nmol a+a3 in this group. Fetal hearts in Gr H had increased State 3 RR and Ca++ uptake (significantly to 159.9 nmol/min/nmol a+a3) but not State 4 RR. Gr P showed increases in States 3 and 4 RR over Gr C by 33% and 28% (GM), 57% and 37% (SU), 26% and 0% (TMPD) respectively. In similar studies in newborn pigs, Gr P State 3 (GM) increased to 137.7 from 70.4 (Gr C). In Gr PH, hypoxia had a less significant effect on the MITO RR and Ca++ uptake compared to Gr H and Gr P (107.7, GM; 147.2, SU; 245.2, TMPD for State 3 and 7.36, GM; 18.8, SU; 122.6, TMPD for State 4 and Ca++ uptake was 144.5). Propranolol increases MITO respiratory activity presumably through sympathomimetic actions. Since effects of propranolol and hypoxia are different (propranolol increased States 3 and 4 while hypoxia increased only State 3), it would appear that the adaptive response to hypoxia is not mediated through β-receptor activation.
INDIUM-BLEOMYCIN SCANNING IN PEDIATRIC MALIGNANT SOLID TUMORS

111Indium labelled Bleomycin (IB) is a new radio-pharmaceutical which localizes in a wide variety of animal and human tumors. In this study of 13 children with malignant solid tumors 20 total body scans were performed. The scans were obtained 48 hours after intravenous administration of less than 2 millicuries of IB (Bleomycin less than 0.4 mg/dose). In 3 patients with lymphoma, 5 with neuroblastoma, 2 with rhabdomyosarcoma, 1 with leiomyosarcoma, and 2 with malignant teratoma an excellent correlation was observed between abnormal accumulations of IB and known sites of tumor involvement. The most precise imaging of tumor was for lymph node and soft tissue sites of disease, both above and below the diaphragm. At 48 hours IB was normally observed in liver, kidneys, and bone marrow. Hepatic and osseous involvement was difficult to assess, necessitating other specific scans for evaluation. The data suggest that tumor scanning with 111Indium-Bleomycin is an extremely valuable technique for staging and serial evaluation of children with solid tumors.
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism associated with retinitis pigmentosa in a female sibship: evidence for gonadotropin deficiency.

Three hypogonadotropic female siblings, aged 19, 19 (twins), and 22 yr, with primary amenorrhea, lack of secondary sexual development, and retinitis pigmentosa were evaluated to determine hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian function and anterior pituitary hormone release. Spontaneous LH, FSH, PRL, TSH, GH, cortisol (F), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S) secretory patterns were determined by assay of hourly blood samples obtained over a 24-h period. Studies of stimulated release of anterior pituitary hormones included: gonadotropin response to LRF (two 10 µg iv pulses at 2-h intervals) before and after 1) estradiol benzoate (5 µg/kg- 12 h, im for 5 days) and 2) repetitive low dose LRF (0.025 µg/kg. 2 h, iv for 5 days); PRL and TSH responses to TRH (500 µg iv bolus); and GH and F responses to an insulin tolerance test (0.1 U/kg). Ethinyl estradiol (50 µg/day, orally) was administered for 4 weeks, after which endocrine evaluation was repeated. The mean basal levels of LH and FSH were simila...
PACAP and VIP inhibit pyloric muscle through VIP/PACAP-preferring receptors

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide with structural homology to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). Two receptor types for PACAP have been described: PACAP preferring receptors are selective for PACAP; whereas VIP/PACAP preferring receptors have similar affinity for both PACAP and VIP. Both VIP and PACAP are present in enteric nerves at the pylorus. VIP is known to exert inhibitory effects on pyloric muscle; the effect of PACAP is unknown. The aims of this study were to determine the effect of PACAP on pyloric muscle and to characterize the PACAP receptor. METHODS: Rabbit pyloric muscle strips were cut parallel to circular muscle fibres and placed in muscle baths. The effect of PACAP and VIP were quantitated as percent of basal motility index (MI). RESULTS: PACAP-27, PACAP-38, and VIP had dose dependent inhibitory effects on the spontaneous phasic contractions of the pylorus. The PACAP-27- induced relaxation was inhibited by the PACAP receptor antagonist PACAP6-27, but was not affected by tetrodotoxin. VIP also had dose dependent inhibitory effects on pyloric muscle. The VIP relaxation was inhibited by PACAP6-27, but not affected by tetrodotoxin. CONCLUSIONS: These studies indicate that, similar to VIP, PACAP inhibits pyloric muscle. The inhibitory effect of the PACAP receptor antagonist on both PACAP and VIP-induced relaxation suggest that PACAP and VIP act at the same receptor, a VIP/PACAP preferring receptor.
Effect of guanine alkylation on mispairing

ALKYLATING agents, such as nitrosamines, nitrosoureas, dimethylsulphate, and so on, are known to cause mutations and cancerous growth1–3. Since nitrosamines can be produced by the reaction of amines and nitrous acid, the presence of nitrites and nitrous acid in many food items as well as in the urban environment has become a source of concern4,5. Recent evidence6 has indicated that carcinogenesis and mutagenesis bear a strong relationship to each other, although agreement is not unanimous7. In vivo alkylation of DNA occurs mainly at the N7 position of guanine (G)1–2. Minor alkylation of G at the O6 and N3 positions is also known to occur8–9. Whether alkylation at any one of these sites is mainly responsible for mutagenesis and carcinogenesis is still an open question, although O6 alkylation seems to be favoured3,8–11. We have investigated the effect of methylation at each of these three sites on the ability of G to mispair with a thymine (or uracil), which may lead to a mutation, and the mechanism involved in such mispairing, using the CNDO/2 method of calculation. The calculations are carried out for the 9-methyl purines and 1-methyl pyrimidines to simulate the bases in the DNA helix. The details of the calculations are published elsewhere12. The magnitudes reported are particular to the geometrical parameters used here13. Since we were only interested in the relative effect of various G methylations, the qualitative trends observed here are expected to hold; no attempt at a full minimisation of the geometric parameters was therefore made; (a horrendous task for molecules of such sizes).
Proof of a conjecture of Kahn for non-binary matroids

This note proves a conjecture of Kahn by showing that ifX is a 3-element independent set in a 3-connected non-binary matroid M, thenM has a connected non-binary minor havingX as a basis.
How Hobbes Met the ‘Hobbes Challenge’

'But as men, for the atteyning of peace, and conservation of themselves thereby, have made an Artificiall Man, which we call a Common-Wealth; so also have they made Artificiall Chains, called Civil Lawes, which they themselves, by mutuall covenants, have fastned at one end, to the lips of that Man, or Assembly, to whom they have given the Soveraigne Power; and at the other end to their own Ears.'1
Rank and Privilege: The Military and Society in Latin America

Chapter 1 International War and Government Modernization: The Military-A Case Study Chapter 2 "La Causa Buena": The Counterinsurgency Army of New Spain and the Ten Years' War Chapter 3 Authoritarianism and Militarism in Ecuador Chapter 4 The War of the Pacific Chapter 5 The South American Military Tradition: Preprofessional Armies in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Brazil Chapter 6 The Armed Forces and Industrialists in Modern Brazil: The Drive for Military Autonomy, 1889-1945 Chapter 7 Caudillismo and Institutional Change: Manuel Odria and the Peruvian Armed Forces, 1948-1956 Chapter 8 The Military and Development Chapter 9 The Latin American Military, Low-Intensity Conflict, and Democracy Chapter 10 Military Professionalism and Nonintervention in Mexico
Voltammetry of Ferrocenated Gold Nanoparticles on a Nanometer‐Sized Electrode

So far, almost all electrochemistry theories are based on an assumption that the size of an electroactive molecule is negligible. However, this assumption will not be true if the size of an electroactive molecule is comparable to or smaller than the size of an electrode being used to study the electroactive molecule. In this paper, the electrochemical behaviors of ferrocenated gold nanoparticles have been studied using an electrode with a radius that is smaller than the radius of the particle. This allows for the observation of phenomena which cannot be explained by conventional electrochemical theories. Also, stochastic collision current, which cannot be observed on a macro- or microelectrode, can be directly observed.
Determination of carbonyl oxygen exchange rates in α-ketoacids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Abstract A method for determining the rate of exchange of the carbonyl oxygen in α-ketoglutarate using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is described. The method is based on a new procedure for quenching the exchange reaction by rapid oxidative decarboxylation of the α-ketoacid to the next lower homologous carboxylic acid using concentrated hydrogen peroxide. Using this method the rate constant for carbonyl oxygen exchange in α-ketoglutarate in 0.1 m imidazole buffer, pH 7.5, was found to be (2.8 ± 0.2) × 10−3 s−1 at 25°C. Data obtained using this technique suggest that hydration is the mechanism for carbonyl oxygen exchange in α-ketoacids. The method is also applicable to the measurement of oxygen exchange rates of other α-ketoacids free in solution and bound in enzyme complexes.
Growth of Listeria monocytogenes at 21°C in Biofilms with Micro-organisms Isolated from Meat and Dairy Processing Environments

Abstract Listeria monocytogenes accumulated in multispecies biofilms grown on stainless steel at 21°C over a period of 8 to 10 d. Two dilutions of tryptic soy broth were used as growth media. Out of eight competitive cultures tested, six reduced accumulation of L. monocytogenes in biofilm at one or both of the nutrient levels studied. However, none of the competitive cultures were able to eliminate L. monocytogenes from the biofilm. A Flavobacterium isolate stimulated accumulation of L. monocytogenes in biofilm at both nutrient levels. The effect of nutrient level on the accumulation of L. monocytogenes was dependent on the type of competitive culture used to produce the biofilm.
Application of the New ISO 2631-5 to Health Hazard Assessment of Repeated Shocks in U.S. Army Vehicles

The U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory conducted a research program to develop a new methodology for health hazard assessment of tactical ground vehicle rides. This paper describes the new method and compares the health risk prediction using the new multiple shocks standard International Standards Organization (ISO 2631-5) to predictions by the current whole-body vibration (WBV) standard (ISO 2631-1). This article also describes the software tool developed to implement both parts of ISO 2631, as well as Army Regulation 40-10. The comparison shows the new standard to be more sensitive to cross-country terrain than other standards. Data analysis demonstrates the applicability of the new ISO 2631-5 standard to tactical ground vehicles, especially in the vertical axis.
Role of the Krebs cycle in ethylene biosynthesis.

SEVERAL reports have appeared in the literature recently on ethylene biosynthesis in fruit and in the mould, Penicillium digitatum. With apple tissue, Burg and Thimann1 concluded, from the findings of isotope experiments, that ethylene is derived from sugar via pathways unrelated to glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, the pentose phosphate pathway or the glucuronic acid pathway. Phon-Chon-Ton2 demonstrated that in P. digitatum ethylene can derive its carbon skeleton from glucose or glycerol carbon atoms and suggested that a long sequence of reactions may have been involved in the biosynthesis of ethylene from glucose.
Estrogen/progesterone synergy in the control of female sexual receptivity in the lizard, Anolis carolinensis.

Abstract Progesterone synergizes with estradiol benzoate to facilitate the onset of female sexual receptivity in the lizard, Anolis carolinensis . Ovariectomized females primed with a subthreshold injection (0.4 μg) of estrogen become sexually receptive within 30 hr after receiving a single injection of 60 μg of progesterone, while animals receiving steroid suspension vehicle alone remain unreceptive. Studies of the time course of the facilitatory role of progesterone indicate that progesterone begins to exert its effect within 3 hr of its administration. A model for the pattern of ovarian hormone production in this species is presented, and the adaptive significance of the influence of progesterone on female sexual behavior is discussed.
Supervised Self-Organization of Homogeneous Swarms Using Ergodic Projections of Markov Chains

This paper formulates a self-organization algorithm to address the problem of global behavior supervision in engineered swarms of arbitrarily large population sizes. The swarms considered in this paper are assumed to be homogeneous collections of independent identical finite-state agents, each of which is modeled by an irreducible finite Markov chain. The proposed algorithm computes the necessary perturbations in the local agents' behavior, which guarantees convergence to the desired observed state of the swarm. The ergodicity property of the swarm, which is induced as a result of the irreducibility of the agent models, implies that while the local behavior of the agents converges to the desired behavior only in the time average, the overall swarm behavior converges to the specification and stays there at all times. A simulation example illustrates the underlying concept.
Blended learning in higher education: Institutional adoption and implementation

Relatively little of the current research on blended learning (BL) addresses institutional adoption issues. Additional research is needed to guide institutions of higher education in strategically adopting and implementing blended learning on campus. The authors conducted a prior study in which they proposed a framework for institutional BL adoption (Graham, Woodfield, & Harrison, 2012), identifying three stages: (1) awareness/exploration, (2) adoption/early implementation, and (3) mature implementation/growth. The framework also identified key strategy, structure, and support issues universities may address at each stage. The current study applies this adoption framework to 11 U. S. institutions participating in a Next Generation Learning Challenge (NGLC) grant and attempting to transition from an awareness/exploration of BL to the adoption/early implementation phase. The study also compares U.S. institutional strategy, structure, and support approaches to BL adoption and identifies patterns and distinctions.
The structure of compressible starting vortices

The structures of highly two-dimensional shock-induced compressible starting vortices were investigated. Density distributions across the vortex were measured by dual-pulsed holographic interferometry. Pressure profiles of the vortex were measured by fast-response miniature Kulite transducers. From these two independent measurements the velocity profile was calculated using the radial momentum equation. The detailed vortex structure is similar to that from the tip of a wing and consists of four well-defined regions: a core region, a logarithmic region, a transition region, and an inviscid region. The distribution of circulation of the vortices can be expressed by a set of empirical formulae. The proportionality constants of the logarithmic region were found to be 0.43±0.01 for three different two-dimensional vortices.
Real-time control system for adaptive resonator

Sustained operation of high average power solid-state lasers currently requires an adaptive resonator to produce the optimal beam quality. We describe the architecture of a real-time adaptive control system for correcting intra-cavity aberrations in a heat capacity laser. Image data collected from a wavefront sensor are processed and used to control phase with a high-spatial-resolution deformable mirror. Our controller takes advantage of recent developments in low-cost, high-performance processor technology. A desktop-based computational engine and object- oriented software architecture replaces the high-cost rack-mount embedded computers of previous systems.