cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feminine Virtue's Network of Influence in Early Modern England

In contrast to the paradoxes of chastity that appear to limit women’s options, prescriptive literature often portrays obedience as a virtue that is both performative and reformative. Early modern women were not taught to be unquestioningly obedient but rather that they had a responsibility to be virtuous: to perform submission in order to reform others. This model of performance requires women critically to analyze behavioral prescriptions, because the proper performance necessitates interpretation on their part; this shows that self-reflection is possible and even encouraged. Texts discussed include Robert Snawsel’s A Looking-glasse for Married Folkes and Robert Greene’s Penelope’s Web .
Fresh Water: Temperature of Maximum Density Calculated from Compressibility

Measurement of sonic velocities in water provides an accurate method for determining the equation of state for water. A simple equation of state for fresh water yields the temperature of maximum density as a function of pressure.
High-valent iron complexes with tetraamido macrocyclic ligands: structures, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and DFT calculations.

Abstract Iron complexes of tetraamido macrocyclic ligands (TAML) are unique synthetic oxidation catalysts. In general, the central Fe III ion ( S = 3/2) is surrounded by four, almost planar, deprotonated amide-N σ-donors although the full suite with new generation systems includes some substitution of amides with related donor functionalities. Oxidation under different conditions affords a variety of high-valent forms of iron–TAMLs. This review provides a summary and discussion of structural and spectroscopic features of complexes oxidized by one equivalent above the ferric state. These comprise Fe IV –TAML high spin ( S = 2) and intermediate spin ( S = 1) systems, wherein the oxidation equivalent can be taken from the metal (Fe IV ) or the ligand (TAML radical-cation Fe III ), and coupled spin ( S = 0) systems of μ-oxoiron(IV) dimers. The discussion is principally based on data obtained by X-ray crystallography, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations.
Counting Configurations in Designs

Given a t-(v, k, ?) design, form all of the subsets of the set of blocks. Partition this collection of configurations according to isomorphism and consider the cardinalities of the resulting isomorphism classes. Generalizing previous results for regular graphs and Steiner triple systems, we give linear equations relating these cardinalities. For any fixed choice of t and k, the coefficients in these equations can be expressed as functions of v and ? and so depend only on the design's parameters, and not its structure. This provides a characterization of the elements of a generating set for m-line configurations of an arbitrary design.
The spinal cord ventral root: an afferent pathway of the hind‐limb pressor reflex in cats.

1. In anaesthetized cats the sciatic nerve was cut and the central end was stimulated at a high frequency and voltage. This caused an increase in arterial blood pressure and a rise in heart rate. The pressure response was diminished by dorsal root section but not completely eliminated until ventral root section (L4-S3). The tachycardia response was abolished by dorsal root section alone. 2. In other cats capsaicin was injected intra-arterially into the hind limb, causing elevations in both blood pressure and heart rate. Similar to the sciatic nerve stimulation experiments, the pressor response was principally reduced by dorsal root section but was further significantly decreased by ventral root section (L1-S3). The rise in heart rate was prevented by dorsal root section alone. 3. It is concluded that, in cats, the afferent pathway of the pressor response to sciatic nerve stimulation and to hind-limb capsaicin injection are conducted principally in the dorsal roots but also to a small extent in the ventral roots of the spinal cord. Although the tachycardia response appears to be conducted only through the dorsal roots, it is possible that at lower resting heart rates and by stimulation of a large population of the unmyelinated skeletal muscle afferents, the ventral root is a functional pathway.
Durability of TBCs with a surface environmental barrier layer under thermal cycling in air and in molten salt

Abstract In order to protect the thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) from oxidation and hot corrosion attack, several barrier coatings on top of the yittria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) TBC have been evaluated. Thermal cycling tests in air and hot corrosion resistance tests in molten Na 2 SO 4 were used to determine the durability of these coatings. Barrier layers investigated include mullite (3Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 ), BAS (BaO·Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 ) and calcium silicate (1.8CaO·SiO 2 ). Mullite and BAS barrier coatings showed the best promise as potential hot corrosion barriers. TBCs with mullite or BAS barrier showed life similar to that of standard YSZ TBC under thermal cycling in air, while demonstrating the ability to limit seepage of salt into YSZ in hot corrosion test. In order to avoid the coating damage due to seepage of salt through the edge, there is a need to examine the hot corrosion resistance on coupons that are completely enclosed by the coating.
Quantifying the Effect of BCR Clustering on Plasma Membrane Organization

The B cell antigen receptor (BCR) is an integral part of the adaptive immune system that communicates binding of antigen in the extracellular environment through the plasma membrane. Antigen binding to the BCR results in phosphorylation of intracellular tyrosine activating motifs (ITAMs), which subsequently bind to and activate numerous proteins involved in BCR regulation. Interestingly, many of the proteins regulating the early stages of the BCR signaling pathway are linked to the inner leaflet by saturated lipid anchors which tend to be associated with liquid-ordered membrane phase in model membranes. Also, the BCR becomes transiently detergent resistant following antigen-induced BCR clustering, suggesting that BCR clusters become coupled to membrane order following stimulation. In this work, we aim to characterize how BCR clustering could reorganize plasma membrane lipids by quantifying co-localization of BCR with fluorescent markers of liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases. We utilize two-color super-resolution fluorescence localization microscopy (STORM and PALM) in live and chemically fixed CH27 B cells to simultaneously image BCR and membrane anchored proteins, and we quantify their co-clustering using correlation functions. Our results from chemically fixed cells show that proteins anchored to the plasma membrane inner leaflet through saturated acyl-chain lipid modifications exhibit increased co-localization with BCR upon antigen stimulation, whereas those without lipid modifications or those anchored through branched acyl-chain modifications are not significantly co-localized with BCR before or after stimulation. These results are contributing to our long term goal of elucidating the role of lipid mediated interactions in the regulation of BCR signaling.
Consistency of a myopic Bayesian algorithm for one-dimensional global optimization

A sequential Bayesian method for finding the maximum of a function based on myopically minimizing the expected dispersion of conditional probabilities is described. It is shown by example that an algorithm that generates a dense set of observations need not converge to the correct answer for some priors on continuous functions on the unit interval. For the Brownian motion prior the myopic algorithm is consistent; for any continuous function, the conditional probabilities converge weakly to a point mass at the true maximum.
Contractibility of Whitney continua in C(X)

Abstract We show that there are Whitney maps on the 2-cell such that Whitney continua in the hyperspace of the 2-cell are non-contractible, non-locally contractible, and have non-trivial Chech cohomology in dimension 2. This implies that contractibility, local contractibility, being an AR, being an ANR, and acyclicity in Cech cohomology are not Whitney properties. We show, however, that contractibility is a Whitney property for the class of dendrites.
Newburg Porous Carbonate Zone of Lockport Group (Middle Silurian), Northeastern Ohio: ABSTRACT

The Ohio driller's "Newburg sand" or Newburg zone lies in a stratigraphic position approximately equivalent to part of the Guelph Formation of the Lockport Group (i.e., at the top of the Lockport and just below the Salina A Unit of the Cayugan). The Newburg is characterized by a higher overall porosity than the rest of the Lockport. The porous dolomite extends downward as much as 80 to 100 ft (25 to 30 m) below the top of the Lockport. More than one interval may be porous. Stratigraphically, the base of the Newburg zone parallels the top of the Lockport regardless of whether the Lockport is thick or thin. The thickening of the Lockport occurs locally, especially where there has been a thickening of the lower unit of that group, the Gasport Formation. The thick Newburg zon in the upper Lockport tends to overlie thick Gasport and may reflect reef or reefoid buildup in the Guelph Formation. Mapping of the Lockport surface shows that local structure is caused by the thickening. The small local structures can be detected several hundred feet up-section because of the draping effect of overlying beds on the more rigid Lockport dolomites. Structural mapping of the top of the Lockport or of the top of the Devonian "Big Lime" (Columbus Limestone) may reveal areas of potentially productive thickening of the Newburg zone. The Newburg usually contains salt water. Accumulation of commercial gas is controlled both by local structural features and by changes in the relative percent porosity in the Newburg and consequent change in the total porosity feet. Examination of production records from four Newburg gas pools in Summit County, Ohio, shows that the largest and longest yields come from wells located high on structure. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1174------------
On Existence Proofs for Multiple RFID Tags

The ability to securely authenticate RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags is of paramount importance in RFID-tagged applications where the integrity of the system as well its security can be compromised by an adversary. RFID tags have resource constraints including limited memory and processing capacity which restrict utilization of cryptographic primitives that have been used in other applications. We consider the case where two or more RFID tags need to be simultaneously scanned. Juels (2004) provided a proof for the simultaneous existence of two RFID tags. Saito and Sakurai (2005) later showed the proof described in Juels (2004) to be vulnerable to `replay attack', and proposed new proofs to alleviate this problem. However, the proofs provided by Saiko and Sakurai (2005) are not immune to `replay attack.' We propose a modified proof and provide its security analysis
Mentoring Among Women Lawyers1

Considerable controversy exists as to both the nature and efficacy of mentoring among women professionals. As noted by Wrightsman, this controversy persists largely because researchers have failed to use a common scientific definition of the concept. In the present research a survey of existing studies was used to set a more stringent criterion of mentoring than that usually employed. Data were then gathered from a sample of women lawyers in the State of Oregon. Results indicated that those meeting the more stringent criterion perceived themselves as more successful and satisfied in their careers than those not meeting it. Those women who said that they had mentors but who did not meet the criterion reported themselves as less successful and satisfied than those who claimed to have a mentor and met the criterion. These results are seen as demonstrating the value of the more stringent criterion as well as the possible value of true mentors to women professionals.
MANAGEMENT OF THE BURIED PENIS IN ADULTS

AbstractPurpose: Buried penis, most commonly seen in children, is particularly debilitating in adults, resulting in the inability to void standing and it affects vaginal penetration. The pathophysiology, including scar contracture of the distal soft tissue and skin envelope with concurrent descent of the abdominal fat pad, represents a surgical challenge. We developed a management algorithm to evaluate and treat adults with buried penis.Materials and Methods: From January 1, 1994 to May 1, 1996, 7 patients 23 to 66 years old presented with buried penis. Diabetes mellitus, a common co-morbid condition, was present in 5 patients, and 5 of 7 were morbidly obese.Results: Surgical correction was performed in 5 patients with excellent results in 3. Resection of scar contracture was sufficient to provide adequate length and none required release of the suspensory ligament. Panniculectomy was performed in 1 patient. One man requiring a graft to achieve adequate penile coverarge required reoperation. This patient ...
Fabrication of self-assembled photonic-crystal structures by centrifugation and spin coating

We have developed a simple, low-cost process for the fabrication of high-quality three-dimensional artificial-opal and inverse-opal photonic crystals. The process is based on the self-assembly of a template from a uniform suspension of polystyrene microspheres, which is sintered for added strength and subsequently back-filled with high-index material. The template formation is assisted by a combination of centrifugation and spin-annealing, which requires relatively short process times and inexpensive laboratory equipment. The process has been used to fabricate polycrystalline photonic crystals with photonic stop gaps in the mid-IR portion of the spectrum. Details of the fabrication process and fabricated samples will be presented. In addition, Fourier-transform IR reflection spectroscopy has been used to characterize the samples; the results are shown to be in excellent agreement with band structure diffraction calculations.
Diversity of Fungi, Bacteria, and Actinomycetes on Leaves Decomposing in a Stream

Although fungi, bacteria, and specific bacterial taxa, such as the actinomycetes, have been studied extensively in various habitats, few studies have examined them simultaneously, especially on decomposing leaves in streams. In this study, sugar maple and white oak leaves were incubated in a stream in northeastern Ohio for 181 days during which samples were collected at regular intervals. Following DNA extraction, PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was performed using fungus-, bacterium-, and actinomycete-specific primers. In addition, fungal and bacterial biomass was estimated. Fungal biomass differed on different days but not between leaves of the two species and was always greater than bacterial biomass. There were significant differences in bacterial biomass through time and between leaf types on some days. Generally, on the basis of DGGE, few differences in community structure were found for different leaf types. However, the ribotype richness of fungi was significantly greater than those of the bacteria and actinomycetes, which were similar to each other. Ribotype richness decreased toward the end of the study for each group except bacteria. Lack of differences between the two leaf types suggests that the microorganisms colonizing the leaf biofilm were primarily generalists that could exploit the resources of the leaves of either species equally well. Thus, we conclude that factors, such as the ecological role of the taxa (generalists versus specialists), stage of decay, and time of exposure, appeared to be more important determinants of microbial community structure than leaf quality.
The role of chemokines in melanoma tumor growth and metastasis.

Chemokines represent a large family of polypeptide signaling molecules that are notable for their role in chemotaxis, leukocyte homing, directional migration, and G protein coupled receptor activation. Chemo kines have recently been implicated in tumor progression and metastasis. The demonstration of chemokine expression and receptor activation in melanoma tumor cells themselves, and the tumor infiltrating leukocytes, may have important implications in terms of tumor progression and tumor cell homing to metastatic sites. In addition to their chemotactic and cell homing properties, chemokines and their receptors also play a part in other biologic functions relevant to oncogenesis, including cell proliferation, protease induction, tumor growth, and angiogenesis. Melanomas, and the cells derived from them, have been found to express a number of chemokines, including CXCL8 (interleukin-8), CXCL1–3 (MGSA-GROα–γ), CCL5 (RANTES), and CCL2 (monocyte chemotactic protein-1), which have been implicated in tumor growth and progression. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated organ-specific patterns of melanoma metastasis that correlate with their expression of specific chemokine receptors, including CXCR4, CCR7, and CCR10. This review will focus on the current biology of chemokines and chemokine receptors in the context of understanding their potential roles in melanoma progression and metastasis, and is not meant to be a comprehensive review of chemokine biology. Con tinued understanding and progress in the determination of the role of chemokines and their receptors in tumorigenesis and metastasis, including melanoma, may lead to novel approaches in the treatment and management of this disease.
Bioactive constituents from Asparagus cochinchinensis

Bioassay-directed fractionation of the dried roots of Asparagus cochinchinensis led to the isolation of a new spirostanol saponin, asparacoside (1), two new C-27 spirosteroids, asparacosins A (2) and B (3), a new acetylenic derivative, 3' '-methoxyasparenydiol (4), and a new polyphenol, 3'-hydroxy-4'-methoxy-4'-dehydroxynyasol (6), as well as five known phenolic compounds, asparenydiol (5), nyasol (7), 3' '-methoxynyasol (8), 1,3-bis-di-p-hydroxyphenyl-4-penten-1-one (9), and trans-coniferyl alcohol (10). Compounds 1, 6, and 8 demonstrated moderate cytotoxicities in a panel comprised of KB, Col-2, LNCaP, Lu-1, and HUVEC cells, with IC(50) values ranging from 4 to 12 microg/mL. The structures were determined by spectroscopic and chemical methods.
Extraction Selectivities of Crown Ethers for Alkali Metal Cations: Differences between Single-Species and Competitive Solvent Extractions

Separation factor values for pairs of alkali metal cations determined in competitive solvent extractions of alkali metal picrates from aqueous solutions into chloroform by a variety of benzo- and cyclohexano-group-containing crown ethers vary significantly from extrapolations based upon the results of single-species extraction experiments. For almost all of the crown ether−alkali metal cation combinations examined, the separation factor values are greater for competitive solvent extraction. In view of the unexpected results for sodium picrate extraction by dibenzo-24-crown-8, the solid-state structure of the isolated complex was determined.
Variability of content of deoxyribonucleic acid in L-strain fibroblasts.

IT is well known and has been amply demonstrated that the deoxyribonucleie acid content of normal ‘resting’ mammalian cells in the host is constant from cell to cell and tissue to tissue. The germinal tissue is the single exception, having instead exactly half the quantity of acid. This has been felt to reflect the constant chromosome number of these cells.
Photochemically initiated electron transfer catalyzed substitution reactions of metal carbonyl complexes

On etudie les complexes de ruthenium, d'osmium et de fer substitues par la dimethylphenylphosphine. Mecanisme de reaction
Lubricant Limiting Shear Stress Effect on EHD Film Thickness

A Grubin-like EHD inlet analysis utilizing a non-linear viscous fluid model with a limiting shear stress is reported. The shear rheological equation requirs only a low shear stress viscosity and the limiting shear stress both functions of pressure. Values employed for these properties are taken from measurements on typical lubricants. Reductions of EHD film thickness are found to be up to 40 percent compared with the standard Grubin prediction for typical operating conditions. Slide-roll ratio, limiting shear stress dependence on pressure, and atmospheric pressure value of limiting shear stress are new variables required to determine film thickness with the first two being more important than the last. The EHD film thickness is reduced by increasing slide-roll ratio and/or decreasing the pressure dependence of the limiting shear stress.
Benchtop testing and comparisons among three types of through-the-scope endoscopic clipping devices.

Background Through-the-scope (TTS) endoscopic clipping devices are widely used. No benchtop testing or direct comparisons of these endoclips have been performed to show their rotational ability and inherent mechanical strengths during closure and after deployment. This study aimed to provide benchtop data that can be used to guide clinical applications and to promote future device research and development.
Long-term survival of emergency department patients with acute chest pain☆

To evaluate the long-term prognosis of patients with acute chest pain, prospective clinical data and long-term follow-up data (mean 30.1 +/- 9.4 months) were collected for 1,956 patients who presented to the emergency department of an urban teaching hospital with this chief complaint. During follow-up of the 1,915 patients who were discharged alive from the emergency department or hospital, there were 113 (6%) cardiovascular deaths. No differences were detected in the post-discharge cardiovascular survival rates after 3 years of experience with patients who were discharged from the emergency department with a known prior diagnosis of angina or myocardial infarction (89%) and patients who had been admitted and found to have acute myocardial infarction (85%), angina (87%), or other cardiovascular diagnoses (87%). Patients who were discharged from either the hospital or the emergency department without cardiovascular diagnoses had an excellent prognosis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified 5 independent correlates of cardiovascular mortality after discharge: age, prior history of coronary disease, ischemic changes on the emergency department electrocardiogram, congestive heart failure and cardiogenic shock. These findings indicate that the postdischarge cardiovascular mortality of patients with chest pain who are discharged from the emergency department with a known history of coronary disease is similar to that of admitted patients with angina or myocardial infarction. These data suggest that the same types of prognostic evaluation strategies that have been developed for admitted patients with ischemic heart disease should also be considered when such patients present to the emergency department but are not admitted.
When Isms Become Wasms: Structural functionalism, Marxism, feminism and postmodernism

L'A. explore les divers courants theoriques enseignes en anthropologie depuis les annees 1950 (fonctionnalisme, structuralisme, materialisme historique) : tous intolerants vis a vis des theses theoriques et resultats anterieurs et consideres comme demodes. L'A., anthropologue feministe, suggere que la realite des objets d'etude en anthropologie se comprend mieux par une critique approfondie des textes ethnologiques. Elle critique les conditions classiques de l'enquete ethnologique qui, faisant partie d'un vaste processus social, ne reconnaissent pas suffisamment les methodes de l'observation participante. Pourtant la sociologie et l'histoire sociale reconnaissent les merites de cette derniere et fournissent des analyses descriptives qui seront un heritage important pour les generations futures de chercheurs. L'A. critique egalement le role de domination des ethnologues, generalement des hommes blancs. Elle conclut avec la defense de l'anthropologie post-moderniste qui ouvre de nouvelles perspectives en transformant les structures memes du champ de l'anthropologie.
Tapping the lexical store of the adult aphasic: analysis of the improvement made in word retrieval skills.

Summary In this study, four aphasics who had obvious word-finding difficulties were drilled over a period of 18 therapy sessions on 20 of 40 words each patient failed to retrieve, on a pre-therapy confrontation naming test. No work was devoted to the other 20 words. At the conclusion of each 6 sessions, the patients were retested on the 20 drilled and, 20 non-drilled words. Though there was some inter-subject variability, all showed essentially the same pattern of improvement. During the course of therapy patients showed not only significant improvement in their ability to retrieve words drilled on in therapy, but they also responded correctly and with reduced latency of response to the non-drilled items. Improvement was noted also on non-drilled items outside the superordinate categories from which drill words were selected. These data support the argument that in amnesic aphasia there is no reduction in the lexical store itself; but rather an impairment of the ability to retrieve bits of information from the lexical store. Therapy is viewed as a mechanism for improving the general retrieval process and not a setting for teaching vocabulary via rote memorization.
A multi-attribute approach to understanding shopping behavior

This paper attempts to explain shopping center choice behavior in the Peoria area using Attribute Salience, Determinant Attribute Analysis and Factor Analysis. Thirteen shopping center selection attributes were developed by interviewing about 3000 Peoria shoppers and a review of the relevant literature. Attribute Salience and the Determinant Attribute Analysis indicated almost the same attributes to be relatively important and determinant: availability of parking, quality of merchandise, variety of merchandise, distance from home and atmosphere of shopping area. The factor analysis model in all 4 cases extracted a merchandise-atmosphere index and a convenience index, indicating that the basic assumptions of the traditional gravitational models which use shopping center square footage and distance as proxy variables for utility and disutility should be reconsidered.
Preparation of some phenyl pyridyl ethers with antifungal and antibacterial properties.

2-Methyl-4-chlorophenyl-4′-pyridyl ether (II) and 2-chlorophenyl-4′-pyridyl ether (III) were prepared by condensation of N -pyridyl-4-pyridinium chloride hydrochloride (I) with appropriate phenols. These compounds were found to be effective as antifungal agents but were less effective as antibacterial agents. Compound II had the greatest antifungal activity and the least toxicity.
Evaluation of turbulence models for three primary types of shock-separated boundary layers

Zero-equation (algebraic), one-equation (kinetic energy), and two-equation (kinetic energy plus length scale) turbulence eddy viscosity models were used in computing three basic types of shock-separated boundary-layer flows. The three basic types of shock boundary-layer interaction discussed are: (1) a normal shock wave at transonic speeds, (2) a compression corner shock at supersonic speeds, and (3) an incident oblique shock at hypersonic speeds. The models tested are simple, unmodified models used extensively for incompressible, unseparated flows. A comparison of computed and measured results for the compressible, separated flows described herein indicates that model performance is dependent on flow configuration with no distinct superiority of one model over the other for all three flow configurations.
Excitation of lithiumlike ions by electron impact

Collision strengths $\ensuremath{\Omega}$ for electron-impact excitation of Civ and Arxvi are calculated in a five-state close-coupling approximation for energies up to 3 times threshold energy. These results are combined with previous calculations for Nv and Neviii and isoelectronic fits are given for $\ensuremath{\Omega}(2s, 2p)$ and $\ensuremath{\Omega}(2s, 3l)$, where $l=0, 1, 2$. In addition, polarization of the resonance $2s$, $2p$ line is calculated for Li-like C, N, Ne, and Ar up to 12 times threshold. A common feature is that the polarization changes from positive to negative at about 9 times threshold energy.
Morphological differentiation of astroglial progenitor cells from EGF-responsive neurospheres in response to fetal calf serum, basic fibroblast growth factor, and retinol

Procurement of multipotential neuroglial stem cells is possible with the addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF). Stem cells will differentiate into neurons and glia upon the removal of EGF from the culture medium. We have previously characterized the neuronal differentiation of stem cells derived from long-term cultured nonpassage neurospheres. In the current study, we (1) characterize the morphological differentiation of the astroglial progenitor cell from 3-mo-old neurospheres, (2) examine whether the astroglial progenitor cells from neurospheres of different brain areas exhibit different differentiation responses to the same exogenous signals, and (3) test the effects of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and retinol on differentiation. Cerebral cortex, striatum, and mesencephalon cells were obtained from Embryonic Day 14 (E-14) rat fetuses and were dissociated for the procurement of neurospheres in chemically defined medium supplemented with EGF. After 3 mo in culture, the neurospheres, derived from each of the three brain areas, were subcultured into three groups on chamber slides: (1) basal medium, (2) the basal medium plus 20 ng/mL bFGF, and (3) the basal medium plus 10 muM retinol. Phenotypic expression of astroglial cells was examined after 14 days subculture. Our findings indicate that the 3-mo-old cultured nonpassage neurospheres contained numerous multipotential stem cells that stained positive with nestin, and that environmental factors played an important role in influencing the differentiation of astroglial progenitor cells. As detected by glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), astroglial progenitor cells turned into protoplasmic astrocytes in the FCS-containing basal medium, fibrous astrocytes in the presence of bFGF, and spindle-shaped astrocytes in the presence of retinol. There were no noticeable differences in differentiation among astroglial progenitor cells of the various brain region-derived neurospheres in any of the three medium conditions. Peculiar varicosity-and growth cone-like structures on the long slender GFAP-positive processes suggest that neuroblasts and glioblast may share common morphologies, features, or common progenitor cells during initial differentiation in vitro.
Discoloration of poly(vinyl butyral) in cells exposed to real and simulated solar environments

The discoloration of poly(vinl butyral) (PVB) films used in solar cell modules is described. Transmission absorption, Fourier transformation IR absorption and atomic absorption spectroscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy were used for this study. The discoloration of the PVB has been found to be affected by oxygen, moisture, temperature and light. However, the most severe discoloration observed is clearly associated with the migration of positive silver ions, which can be accelerated in the presence of electric fields. The metallization is the source of the silver, and the data are consistent with an interfacial reaction between the silver and PVB followed by transport into the polymer.
Selective heart rate reduction with ivabradine slows ischaemia-induced electrophysiological changes and reduces ischaemia–reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias

Heart rates during ischaemia and reperfusion are possible determinants of reperfusion arrhythmias. We used ivabradine, a selective If current inhibitor, to assess the effects of heart rate reduction (HRR) during ischaemia–reperfusion on reperfusion ventricular arrhythmias and assessed potential anti-arrhythmic mechanisms by optical mapping. Five groups of rat hearts were subjected to regional ischaemia by left anterior descending artery occlusion for 8 min followed by 10 min of reperfusion: (1) Control n = 10; (2) 1 μM of ivabradine perfusion n = 10; (3) 1 μM of ivabradine + 5 Hz atrial pacing throughout ischaemia–reperfusion n = 5; (4) 1 μM of ivabradine + 5 Hz pacing only at reperfusion; (5) 100 μM of ivabradine was used as a 1 ml bolus upon reperfusion. For optical mapping, 10 hearts (ivabradine n = 5; 5 Hz pacing n = 5) were subjected to global ischaemia whilst transmembrane voltage transients were recorded. Epicardial activation was mapped, and the rate of development of ischaemia-induced electrophysiological changes was assessed. HRR observed in the ivabradine group during both ischaemia (195 ± 11 bpm vs. control 272 ± 14 bpm, p < 0.05) and at reperfusion (168 ± 13 bpm vs. 276 ± 14 bpm, p < 0.05) was associated with reduced reperfusion ventricular fibrillation (VF) incidence (20% vs. 90%, p < 0.05). Pacing throughout ischaemia–reperfusion abolished the protective effects of ivabradine (100% VF), whereas pacing at reperfusion only partially attenuated this effect (40% VF). Ivabradine, given as a bolus at reperfusion, did not significantly affect VF incidence (80% VF). Optical mapping experiments showed a delay to ischaemia-induced conduction slowing (time to 50% conduction slowing: 10.2 ± 1.3 min vs. 5.1 ± 0.7 min, p < 0.05) and to loss of electrical excitability in ivabradine-perfused hearts (27.7 ± 4.3 min vs. 14.5 ± 0.6 min, p < 0.05). Ivabradine administered throughout ischaemia and reperfusion reduced reperfusion VF incidence through HRR. Heart rate during ischaemia is a major determinant of reperfusion arrhythmias. Heart rate at reperfusion alone was not a determinant of reperfusion VF, as neither a bolus of ivabradine nor pacing immediately prior to reperfusion significantly altered reperfusion VF incidence. This anti-arrhythmic effect of heart rate reduction during ischaemia may reflect slower development of ischaemia-induced electrophysiological changes.
The potential economic value of screening hospital admissions for Clostridium difficile

Asymptomatic Clostridium difficile carriage has a prevalence reported as high as 51–85 %; with up to 84 % of incident hospital-acquired infections linked to carriers. Accurately identifying carriers may limit the spread of Clostridium difficile. Since new technology adoption depends heavily on its economic value, we developed an analytic simulation model to determine the cost-effectiveness screening hospital admissions for Clostridium difficile from the hospital and third party payer perspectives. Isolation precautions were applied to patients testing positive, preventing transmission. Sensitivity analyses varied Clostridium difficile colonization rate, infection probability among secondary cases, contact isolation compliance, and screening cost. Screening was cost-effective (i.e., incremental cost-effectiveness ratio [ICER] ≤ $50,000/QALY) for every scenario tested; all ICER values were ≤ $256/QALY. Screening was economically dominant (i.e., saved costs and provided health benefits) with a ≥10.3 % colonization rate and ≥5.88 % infection probability when contact isolation compliance was ≥25 % (hospital perspective). Under some conditions screening led to cost savings per case averted (range, $53–272). Clostridium difficile screening, coupled with isolation precautions, may be a cost-effective intervention to hospitals and third party payers, based on prevalence. Limiting Clostridium difficile transmission can reduce the number of infections, thereby reducing its economic burden to the healthcare system.
The role of the arbitration process in changing mental illness and mental retardation systems.

Arbitration cases involving misconduct, incompetence and neglect by hospital staff can be analyzed to improve institutional management and quality of care, and help prevent patient abuse. Along with other data, facts presented in arbitration reports can indicate, for example, categories of employees, circumstances, work conditions and procedures which tend to create disciplinary problems. A design for managerial analysis of arbitration decisions is described, and a proposal for corrective action and better supervision is offered to mental health administrators.
O2 tension in adult and neonatal brain slices under several experimental conditions

Brain tissue O2 tension (pO2) was measured in brainstem slices of adult and neonatal rats using carbon fiber polarographic microelectrodes. These studies were performed in order to examine the relation between pO2 and a variety of experimental conditions including temperature, distance from slice surface, brain region, animal age, tissue thickness and ambient O2 levels. Baseline brain tissue pO2 was inversely proportional to temperature and depth from slice surface. White matter had a much higher pO2 than gray matter. Tissue thickness and animal age had major effects on tissue pO2. In slices of 800 microns thick at 37 degrees C, for example, brain tissue pO2 in the adult dropped to 0 mm Hg at a depth of 200-300 microns, but remained above 45 mm Hg throughout neonatal (3-10 days) slices, when O2 tension in the perfusate was about 600 mm Hg. In thicker neonatal slices (1500 microns), pO2 decreased also to 0 mm Hg in deep areas. An N2 environment produced a rapid reduction in pO2 to 0 mm Hg within 15 s, and O2 levels of 21, 10 and 5% induced graded pO2 minima and graded latencies to reach each pO2 nadir. We conclude that: (1) tissue thickness has a major effect on tissue pO2 level: pO2 can reach zero if the slice is thicker than 600 microns in the adult and 1500 microns thick in the neonate; (2) pO2 level is higher in neonatal brain tissue at all ambient O2 concentrations than in the adult; and (3) graded hypoxia produces patterned and graded reductions in tissue pO2.
Exponentially weighted methods for forecasting intraday time series with multiple seasonal cycles: Comments

First, Professor Taylor ought to be congratulated onanother nice piece of work about exponential smooth-ing for intraday time series with multiple seasonal cy-cles. The methods discussed can be roughly groupedinto two categories, depending on how one views thetime series to be forecasted. Below I would like tobrieﬂy discuss the two perspectives, as well as someconnection with functional data analysis and func-tional time series forecasting.Similar time series exist in multiple applications,including electricity demand and hospital emergencyroom patient arrivals, beside the call center volumesanalyzed in the paper. A distinguishing feature of thistype of data that needs to be incorporated by a suc-cessful forecaster is the multi-seasonality. For exam-ple, the call center arrival volume data contain bothan intraday cycle and an intraweek cycle. A commonway of analyzing such data is to view the data as a“long” univariate time series with double seasonality.This is the approach taken by the ﬁrst four exponen-tially weighted methods of Taylor (2010), as well asthe methods of Taylor (2008).Alternatively, one could view the basic cycle (i.e.each day) as the basic data unit, and split the univari-ate time series into daily segments. The sequence of
Performance evaluation of the household ultraviolet water purifier

In this study water disinfection capability of three household ultraviolet water purifiers was studied. The first two purifiers were composed of three housings, namely, for polypropylene yarn cartridge, for granular activated carbon cartridge and for 4-pin ultraviolet lamp. The third purifier was a horizontal water flow system containing a bi-pin ultraviolet lamp labeled as UV water Sterilizer. This study focused on the performance of the cylindrical UV disinfection reactor. Eleven ultraviolet lamps were labeled and placed in the UV sets turn wise. 100 ml of water samples collected from various sites were studied for coliform colonies growth before UV irradiation and after the process. To study the affect of the biodose on the efficiency of UV lamps, one/two ml of sewage was injected in 25 liters of tube well water. The performance of various lamps was studied after 24 hours incubation. The lamps were efficient for low bio-dose but none of the lamps was found efficient against high-bio-dose. The public he...
The Abstract and the Elevator Talk: A Tale of Two Summaries

What is an elevator talk, and what does it have to do with writing a paper? A lot. Imagine you are the president of the nonprofit Light Is The Solution Foundation. The board of directors is meeting at the New York Hilton, and you are waiting to ride the elevator from the 31st floor to the lobby. The doors open, and you suddenly find yourself standing with Bill Gates, whose philanthropic Gates’ Foundation is meeting at the same hotel. Gates notices the logo on your shirt of a small child reading a book by the light of a lantern and asks you, “What is that? What do you do?” Indeed, what do you do now? You have 30 floors, or about 1 minute, to get your message across. So you explain that normal living activities cease in many countries in the world after the sun goes down. Children have no light to read textbooks, mothers no light to cook, fathers no light to earn income. With this background, you then explain that the Light Is The Solution Foundation has addressed this problem by developing rechargeable lanterns that are low-cost, have a battery life of 30 hours, and put out light equivalent to three 60-W bulbs. You have given away 4500 lanterns in one country and have results showing that more children now share books, study together, and graduate at a higher rate. In fact, average incomes have risen by 20% for families who have received a lantern. You have concluded that this unique program could be expanded to any country that has even the crudest electrical grid or generators for recharging the lanterns. This is the elevator talk. Your 1-minute opportunity to summarize what you do, how you do it, the results you produce, and the impact you make. A …
Ambition and the Political Vocation: Congressional Challengers in American Politics

" /t mbition," Joseph Schlesinger argues, "lies at the heart of politics. . . . The central assumption of ambition theory is that a politician's behavior is a response to his office goals." But the structure of opportunity and the structure of ambition have proved extremely difficult to link empirically.' Some years ago Harold Lasswell ridiculed the notion of a political escalator carrying politicians in an orderly and inevitable fashion from the lowest to the highest positions of power in the United States. Various structural and motivational factors do not support such a conception. Yet most commentators would agree that". . . political careers may be subjectively conceived as real and because they are so conceived, have real consequences for the taking of political roles and behavior."2 This premise constitutes the basis for recent theories of political recruitment and has provided a common focus for a small but growing body of empirical research.3
Perturbation Theory for the Transport Properties of Multicomponent Glass Melts

A first-order theory is presented for the calculation of the effects of compositional variation on the transport properties of glass melts. The theory is based upon the modified Enskog theory applied to the high-temperature expansion of the free energy. The theory is applied to a simple two-component glass system and compared to experimental and previous theoretical results.
Some thoughts about endogenous opioids and addiction

I. that there must be endogenous morphine-like substances, it was also supposed that these might be involved in some way in the addiction process [ 1,2 The decade has also seen important advances in research on the ‘reward systems’ in brain, i.e., the neural and chemical mechanisms that subserve primary reinforcement. There was early evidence [3] implicating opioid peptides in these mechanisms, including a demonstration of the selfadministration of enkephalins into the cerebroventricular system. Many believe there may be a final common pathway or some kind of common neurochemistry for all the addictive drugs (including alcohol). This position grows out of the recognition that drug self-administration is the central element in all the addictions. Drugs that are primary reinforcers in animals are also self-administered by people at least by some people and thus have addiction liability. Early in the decade, a World Health Organization expert committee decided [4] to rid our scientific vocabulary of the term ‘drug addiction’ and to substitute the more precisely defined term ‘drug dependence’, embracing both ‘psychic dependence’ and ‘physical dependence’. Dependence, however (and tolerance, too), is a result, not a cause, of addictive behavior. Of course, dependence and tolerance can compound the psychosocial problems and act to sustain a pattern of addictive behavior once established. But dependence and tolerance are neither necessary nor sufficient conditions for the compulsive self-administration of a drug, a behavior that common parlance has defined very well as ‘addiction’. On the other hand, the property of sustaining self-administration is both necessary and sufficient for a drug to be classed as potentially addicting. These remarks, and my attachment to the word ‘addiction’, are somewhat iconoclastic, I know, and even seem to call into question the title of this journal. I am only urging, however, that in applying the WHO definitions we differentiate more carefully between causes and effects, and not hesitate, when appropriate, to speak in language the general public can understand.
Output characterization of a frequency shifted feedback laser: theory and experiment

Frequency shifted feedback cavity (FSFC) lasers can generate continuous broadband radiation or periodic picosecond pulses. To better understand these two different regimes a passive FSFC is modeled and its output in the time and frequency domains is calculated. Calculations of the FSFC output indicate that peaks observed using a Fabry-Perot spectrum analyzer can only occur when the FSFC cavity length and intracavity frequency shift satisfy a resonance condition. Calculations also indicate that a radio frequency spectrum analysis of the intensity should show sharp peaks which are independent of the FSFC frequency shift. Additionally, pulses propagating in a FSFC are insensitive to frequency shift detunings, suggesting applications as a stable source of ultrashort laser pulses. Experimental evidence confirming these findings is reported. Results indicate that a FSFC does not support conventional laser modes. >