cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resource Allocation in Conglomerates under Moral Hazard

This paper investigates the resource allocation decision in conglomerates under moral hazard. We consider a firm where the input factors are unknown managerial ability that is common to all divisions, capital allocated to each division, and intangible resources that the manager allocates to each division. While capital allocation across divisions is fully observable, the allocation of intangible resources is only partially observable. The divisions differ in how informative of their cash flows are about managerial ability. The manager maximizes perceived ability. In this set up, we show that divisions with more informative cash flows about the manager's ability receive more than the first-best allocation of both capital and intangible resources. This allocation inefficiency results in conglomerates being valued less than a portfolio of single-segment firms. The paper shows that the diversification discount increases with the variance of informativeness, and the correlation, between the divisions. The discount decreases as the observability of the intangible resource allocation improves. The model also highlights a cost of segment reporting, namely, that it creates avenues for managers to distort their perceived ability at the expense of shareholders.
Model‐specific selection of molecular targets for heart failure gene therapy

Heart failure (HF) is a complex multifaceted problem of abnormal ventricular function and structure. In recent years, new information has been accumulated allowing for a more detailed understanding of the cellular and molecular alterations that are the underpinnings of diverse causes of HF, including myocardial ischemia, pressure-overload, volume-overload or intrinsic cardiomyopathy. Modern pharmacological approaches to treat HF have had a significant impact on the course of the disease, although they do not reverse the underlying pathological state of the heart. Therefore gene-based therapy holds a great potential as a targeted treatment for cardiovascular diseases. Here, we survey the relative therapeutic efficacy of genetic modulation of β-adrenergic receptor signaling, Ca(2+) handling proteins and angiogenesis in the most common extrinsic models of HF.
A low cost implementation of automated RF test of a LNA

A low cost, automated, high volume RF test setup for a low-noise amplifier (LNA) was realized. A standard production DC test system and handler were modified with the addition of a standard vector network analyzer to measure sparameters at 1.9 GHz. Motivation for a low cost RF test methodology came from the need to minimize production costs of the high volume MBC13916 LNA. The solution achieved accurate and reliable low cost RF testing. An in-depth analysis of the test data was performed to correlate the data to the existing RF test setup and to verify the impact on the final cost per part of performing RF test.
Development of a power dense and environmentally robust traction power inverter for the second-generatio chevrolet VOLT extended-range EV

By significantly re-engineering to reduce physical size and mass of the traction power inverter module (TPIM) for 2nd generation Chevrolet VOLT Extended-Range EV it is possible to mount the inverter to the transmission and meet all performance targets, maintain high reliability and environmental robustness. The Chevrolet VOLT is an electric vehicle with extended-range. It is capable of operation on battery power alone, and on hybrid/ engine power after depletion of the battery. 1st generation Chevrolet VOLTs (VOLT-1) were driven over half a billion miles in North America from October 2013 through September 2014, 74% of which were all-electric [1, 12]. For 2016, GM has developed the 2nd generation of the VOLT (VOLT-2) vehicle and “Voltec” propulsion system. This effort by GM and Delphi provides a significant cost benefit to the overall system by eliminating costly AC traction cables. Effort was taken to the electrical design of the power switch to achieve efficiency target and thermal challenges. A novel cooling approach enables high power density while maintaining a very high overall conversion efficiency. Design focus was applied to the mechanical design of this TPIM to provide extremely stiff frame required for reliability in the transmission environment and reduce integration cost.
Effects of transdermal testosterone gel on bone turnover markers and bone mineral density in hypogonadal men.

OBJECTIVE Androgen replacement has been reported to increase bone mineral density (BMD) in hypogonadal men. We studied the effects of 6 months of treatment with a new transdermal testosterone (T) gel preparation on bone turnover markers and BMD. DESIGN This was a prospective, randomized, multicentre, parallel clinical trial where 227 hypogonadal men, mean age 51 years (range: 19–68 years) were studied in 16 academic and research institutions in the USA. Subjects were randomized to apply 1% T gel containing 50 or 100 mg T (delivering approximately 5–10 mg T/day) or two T patches (delivering 5 mg T/day) transdermally for 90 days. At day 91, depending on the serum T concentration, the T gel dose was adjusted upward or downward to 75 mg T/day until day 180. No dose adjustment occurred in the T patch group. MEASUREMENTS Serum T, free T and oestradiol, bone turnover markers and BMD were measured on days 0, 30, 90 and 180 before and after treatment. RESULTS Application of T gel 100 mg/day resulted in serum T concentrations 1·4 and 1·9-fold higher than in the T gel 50 mg/day and the T patch groups, respectively. Proportional increases occurred in serum oestradiol. Urine N-telopeptide/creatinine ratio, a marker for bone resorption, decreased significantly (P = 0·0019) only in the T gel 100 mg/day group. Serum bone osteoblastic activity markers (osteocalcin, procollagen and skeletal alkaline phosphatase) increased significantly during the first 90 days of treatment without intergroup differences but declined to baseline thereafter. BMD increased significantly both in the hip (+1·1 ± 0·3%) and spine (+2·2 ± 0·5%) only in the T gel 100 mg/day group (P = 0·0001). CONCLUSIONS Transdermal testosterone gel application for 6 months decreased bone resorption markers and increased osteoblastic activity markers for a short period, which resulted in a small but significant increase in BMD. Ongoing long-term studies should answer whether the observed increases in BMD are sustained or continue to be dependent on the dose of testosterone administered.
Duality and gaugino condensation in superstring models

Abstract The issue of gaugino condensation in superstring generated N=1 supergravity models is reconsidered. We show that gaugino condensation related to the breaking of an R-symmetry is consistent with broken supersymmetry, zero cosmological constant and duality transformation. The latter implies the existence of a massless pseudoscalar, related to a non-compact symmetry, which reflects the gauge invariance of the antisymmetric tensor field of superstring theories.
Daring to take action: Charles McBurney and the evolution of the treatment of appendicitis.

At the turn of the century in Wyoming, a physician was called to see a 12-year-old girl with right lower quadrant pain. The doctor explained to the girl’s parents that she had “McBurney’s disease” and would require an operation. Outside a covered wagon, which served as the girl’s home, by the light of a campfire and a kerosene lantern held by the patient’s father and with chloroform administered by the mother, the first appendectomy in the Territory of Wyoming was successfully completed. The physician, Dr. Dana Carter, had never seen an appendectomy performed but had read a description of the operation by Dr. Charles McBurney in a medical journal. Although McBurney was not the first to perform an appendectomy, his name has become most closely associated with the procedure because of his advocacy of early intervention and his description and dissemination of the technique of the procedure, including the now famous “McBurney’s point.” Born in Massachusetts in 1845, McBurney graduated from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons (PS fax: (212) 305-4061
Contrast as a function of component duration

Behavioral contrast was studied as a function of the duration of two components of a multiple schedule: a constant component (a variable-interval 1-min schedule) alternated either every 5 sec or every 180 sec with a variable component (a variable-interval 1-min or an extinction schedule). The rate at which three pigeons pecked for food during the constant component revealed a strong reinforcement interaction, when component duration was 5 sec, but not when component duration was 180 sec. The results add to previous findings that component duration in concurrent and concurrent-like schedules of reinforcement affects both preference for a component and reinforcement interactions between components.
LSD-induced effects in elephants: Comparisons with musth behavior

Musth is a condition observed in male Asiatic elephants and is characterized by aggression and temporal gland secretions. A classic and controversial 1962 study attempted to induce a musth syndrome in an elephant via treatment with LSD. Two elephants in the present study survived dosages of LSD (.003-.10 mg/kg) and exhibited changes in the frequency and/or duration of several behaviors as scored according to a quantitative observational system. LSD increased aggression and inappropriate behaviors such as ataxia. Results are discussed in terms of musth and drug-induced perceptual-motor dysfunction.
Nitrogen as an ablative reactant in dissociated air

F from merely playing the role of a diluent for oxygen, there is increasing evidence that nitrogen participates chemically in the high-temperature combustion' or ablation of condensed phases. % A common feature of these recent examples (the combustion of zirconium and aluminum droplets, and ablation of the Apollo heat shield material, respectively) is that the nitrogen effect cannot be anticipated from experiments carried out in pure nitrogen alone, i.e., the nitrogen/oxygen combination is essential. We wish to report here a striking laboratory example of the combined effects of nitrogen with oxygen in determining the ablation rate of an important refractory material (SiC) chemically far simpler than the Apollo heat shield. § In the course of a kinetic study of the attack of pyrolytic silicon carbide filaments by each of the gases 0(0), O2(0), N(gr), and N2(0) at subatmospheric pressures and surface temperatures above 1800° K, an extremely high collision efficiency for the N(0) + SiC(s) reaction was observed. Consideration of the previously mentioned precedents immediately suggested an examination of the kinetics of SiC(s) attack in N(gr) + 0(0) mixtures, with the results reported below.
Growth instability of the alkaline phosphatase repressor.

Abstract Inhibition of DNA synthesis does not prevent thermal derepression of alkaline phosphatase in a phoStss mutant of Escherichia coli.
Effect of cough technique and cryogen gas on temperatures achieved during simulated cryotherapy

Background Cryotherapy is often used to treat cervical precancer in developing countries. There are different methods and cryogen gases used for cryotherapy, including the freeze-flush-freeze (cough) technique employed to minimize gas blockage. However, there is limited information to compare their effectiveness.
Diagnosis, complications and treatment of Paget’s disease of bone

Paget’s disease of bone is a disorder of focal bone remodeling that occurs in the adult skeleton, and that increases in prevalence with aging. The natural history of Paget’s disease of bone is the progression of bony overgrowth and deformity, with most complications arising from these ‘…changes of shape, size and direction of the diseased bones’ (Sir James Paget 1877). There has been considerable interest in the morbidity and mortality of patients with Paget’s disease of bone, and studies addressing these issues, as well as the evaluation and treatment of Paget’s disease, will be the focus of this review. A brief review of the epidemiology and a case study will be used to illustrate specific issues arising in the evaluation and treatment of patients with Paget’s disease of bone.
Beyond Stigma: Barriers to Discussing Mental Health in Refugee Populations

Mental health stigma remains one of the most commonly cited reason for why refugees fail to access mental health services. This study looks beyond stigma to explore refugees’ perspectives on why it is difficult to discuss mental health. Ethnocultural methodologies informed 13 focus groups with 111 refugees from Burma, Bhutan, Somali, and Ethiopia. Findings describing reasons why it is difficult to discuss mental health include a history of political repression, fear, the belief that talking does not help, lack of knowledge about mental health, avoidance of symptoms, shame, and culture. Recommendations for empowering and educating refugees are discussed.
Rapid neuroadaptation in the nucleus accumbens and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis mediates suppression of operant responding during withdrawal from acute opioid dependence

Single injections of morphine induce a state of acute opioid dependence in humans and animals, measured as precipitated withdrawal when an antagonist is administered 4-24 h after morphine. Additional morphine exposure at daily or weekly intervals results in further increases in withdrawal severity, suggesting that acute opioid dependence reflects the early stages in the development of a chronic state of dependence. The current study evaluated the role of the nucleus accumbens (NAC), bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST), interstitial nucleus of posterior limb of the anterior commissure (IPAC), and central amygdala (CeA) in the expression of antagonist-precipitated suppression of operant responding for food as a measure of withdrawal from acute opioid dependence. Rats trained on a fixed-ratio 15 schedule received one or four daily injections of morphine, with the lipophobic opioid antagonist methylnaloxonium (16-2000 ng) infused into one of the brain regions or the lateral ventricle (i.c.v.) 4 h after the final morphine injection. After acute morphine methylnaloxonium was more potent upon infusion into the NAC (17.9-fold potency shift), BNST (6.8-fold) and CeA (5.5-fold) than it was upon i.c.v. administration. Following repeat morphine the NAC and BNST but not CeA continued to show greater sensitivity relative to i.c.v. infusion (12.9-, 8.7-, and 3.2-fold potency shifts, respectively). The IPAC was insensitive to methylnaloxonium after acute or repeat morphine at doses that reliably suppressed responding upon i.c.v. infusion (125-500 ng). Thus, among the components of extended amygdala examined in this study, rapid neuroadaptation within the nucleus accumbens and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis appear to play the most prominent role in antagonist-precipitated suppression of operant responding during the early stages in the development of opioid dependence.
Individual differences in locomotor activity and sensitization.

Abstract Male rats were screened for locomotor activity in a novel environment and divided into high (HR) and low (LR) responders based on whether their locomotor activity score for the first hour was above or below the median locomotor activity for the subject sample. Subsequently, the locomotor activity score for the peated administration of either amphetamine (AMPH; 0.5 mg/kg), cocaine (10 mg/kg), scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg) or saline was monitored in separate groups of HR and LR rats. HR rats had significantly higher overall scores than LR rats for all 3 drugs. Both HR and LR rats developed tolerance at the same rate to repeated scoppoamine administration. In contrast, only HR rats showed pronounced sensitization to the locomotor stimulating properties of AMPH and a direct correlation was evident between the locomotor response to novelty and the magnitude of sensitization. These results suggest that an individual's response to a novel environment can, to a certain extent, predict drug-induced locomotor activity and that individual differences in the response to novelty and sensitization to AMPH may result from individual variations in a common neural mechanism.
Thoughts on the Gnosis of St John

The background and purpose of this paper require some explanation. It is not the product of a New Testament scholar, able to weigh and balance theories as to date, origin and doctrinal background of the text attributed to St John, nor to assess the identification of its author with the beloved Disciple elsewhere mentioned or with the author of the Apocalypse, nor to consider his relationship to Gnostics or Stoics or Essenes or other influences in the contemporary Jewish or Christian ambience. It is only the effort of one who recognizes in St John's Gospel, if read with an appropriate hermeneutic, a supreme mystico-religious document which can provide guidance at every turn of the spiritual life, but which, if read in another manner, becomes only the expression of a hard-line particularism, which is not less unacceptable in that it acclaims a particular standing in a special relation to another particular on which we all depend for our existence and for all our properties. Conceive of God, or the supreme object of worship, as a particular among particulars, and as much other than ourselves as other things and persons are other, and religious reverence becomes a repugnant form of heteronomous idolatry, wrought up, moreover, with the blind acceptance of a large number of historic and cosmic myths. But conceive of God as being something beyond category-differences, and which as much transcends particularity as it transcends any form of abstract universality, and which incorporates in strict identity all those values of Truth, Love, Beauty, Justice, etc. which are all simply universality in action, and which, moreover, as much transcends personality and personal relationships as it also may have in them its supreme expression, and religion and worship at once acquire a perfect sense and reference. And it further becomes possible to give visionary body to that sense by conceiving of a Kingdom in which all personal relationships will be perfected, and by putting at the centre of that Kingdom something which still bears the features of the historic person in whom the Gospel of the Kingdom was first promulgated and lived. It is in the light of such a hermeneutic that St John's Gospel can truly illuminate the spirit, instead of flooding it with mere doctrinal bombast. Whether such an interpretation be spurned as Gnostic, or Alexandrian, or Hegelian or simply old-fashioned New England 'transcendental', it remains one that gives the 'good news' of Christianity some purchase on the contemporary mind, and which ensures that its glorious myths, rites and disciplines will not
Polarisation-rotating quasioptical reflection amplifier cell

A quasioptical amplifier cell suitable for power-combining arrays is presented. Orthogonally polarised patch antennas are coupled to the input and output of a resistive-feedback MESFET amplifier. A simple polarimetric reflectometer was developed to test the amplifier cell which solves the problem of imperfect isolation between transmitting and receiving horns and the DC offset problem of quadrature detectors. A peak effective isotropic power gain (EIPG) of 17dB was measured at 4.2GHz with 1% bandwidth which is limited by patch antennas.
Correction to: Zaphod Beeblebrox's Brain and the Fifty-Ninth Row of Pascal's Triangle

and proceeded by induction. We discovered by experiment that a similar rule works with Pascal's Triangle (mod 4): if there are not two consecutive 'l's in the binary expansion of n then there are 2#2(n) entries 1 (mod 4), and no entries --1 (mod 4), in the nth row of Pascal's Triangle. On the other hand if there are two consecutive 'l's in the binary expansion of n then there are 2#2(n)-1 entries -1 (mod 4), and 2#2(n)-1 entries --1 (mod 4), in the nth row of Pascal's Triangle. We proved this by noting that if
DETERMINATION OF FISSION-PRODUCTS AND ACTINIDES IN THE BLACK SEA FOLLOWING THE CHERYNOBYL ACCIDENT

Radiochemical procedures are discussed for the isolation and determination of a suite of radionuclides in samples from the Black Sea following their input from the Chernobyl reactor accident. The samples analyzed include discrete water samples and both suspended and dissolved phases collected by in-situ chemisorption techniques. The radiochemical scheme permits the separation and analysis of134Cs,137Cs,90Sr,144Ce,147Pm,106Ru,239Pu,240Pu, and in some instances242Cm,238Pu, and241Am. The detection techniques employed include various instrumental gamma spectrometric methods, low-level beta counting, alpha spectrometry, and mass spectrometry.
HEGM: A hierarchical elastic graph matching for hand gesture recognition

A hierarchical scheme for elastic graph matching applied to hand gesture recognition is proposed. The proposed algorithm exploits the relative discriminatory capabilities of visual features scattered on the images, assigning the corresponding weights to each feature. A boosting algorithm is used to determine the structure of the hierarchy of a given graph. The graph is expressed by annotating the nodes of interest over the target object to form a bunch graph. Three annotation techniques, manual, semi-automatic, and automatic annotation are used to determine the position of the nodes. The scheme and the annotation approaches are applied to explore the hand gesture recognition performance. A number of filter banks are applied to hand gestures images to investigate the effect of using different feature representation approaches. Experimental results show that the hierarchical elastic graph matching (HEGM) approach classified the hand posture with a gesture recognition accuracy of 99.85% when visual features were extracted by utilizing the Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) representation. The results also provide the performance measures from the aspect of recognition accuracy to matching benefits, node positions correlation and consistency on three annotation approaches, showing that the semi-automatic annotation method is more efficient and accurate than the other two methods.
MYOCARDIAL GLYCOGEN METABOLISM IS MODIFIED DURING CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA AND HYPERINSULINEMIA IN THE FETAL LAMB

I studied the developmental profile of glycogen, glycogen synthase and phosphorylase in myocardia of control fetal lambs at 123, 131, and 142d gestation (term 150d) and in the myocardia of their twins treated with intravenous glucose (16±2 mg/kg/min, M±SE) from 112d onwards. Serum glucose (34±2 mg/dl) and insulin 47±11 μU/ml) were higher in the glucose treated fetuses than serum glucose (19±3 mg/dl, P <0.01) and insulin (14±2 μU/ml, P <0.01) in the controls. Myocardial glycogen was increased 1.2 fold at 123d gestation and 5.0 fold at 131d gestation in the glucose treated fetuses. Enzyme activities were also modified by chronic hyperglycemia.
Going Global: Can Dual-Language Programs Save Bilingual Education?

In this commentary, we extend the cautionary tales regarding dual-language programs raised by several scholars by considering the interface of such programs with global education. We consider the possible pitfalls of uncritically framing dual-language programs within the global education movement in the United States, especially in light of how this new framing will affect the educational opportunities and experiences of Latino/a students throughout the country.
Absorptive effects in exclusive diffraction dissociation

We report a detailed investigation of absorptive corrections in Good-- Walker and Deck-type models for production of three-body final states in diffraction dissociation processes. Beginning with an input elastic diffractive amplitude which is central in impact parameter, the model generates naturally a peripheral structure for inelastic diffraction. For pp $Yields$ (n$pi$$sup +$) p and np $Yields$ (p$pi$$sup -$) p, at small excitation mass, absorptive effects create significant dip structure in the production momentum transfer distribution dsigma/dtdM near t approx. = -0.3 (GeV/c)$sup 2$, in agreement with data from Fermilab and the CERN-ISR. Similar behavior is predicted for $pi$p $Yields$ A$sub 1$p and Kp $Yields$ Qp, but at larger abs. values of t. Distributions in other kinematic variables are much less affected by absorption. We provide a decomposition of the total dsigma/dtdM into partial cross sections for the various angular momentum and helicity states which comprise the low-mass diffractive enhancement. The s-wave amplitude is dominant in both absorbed and unabsorbed models. A pronounced mass-slope correlation is present both in the total dsigma/dtdM and in the s-wave part alone. (AIP)
COMPARISON OF LINEAR DYNAMIC MODELS FOR AIR TRAFFIC FLOW MANAGEMENT

Abstract Traditionally, models used in air traffic flow management are based on simulating the trajectories of individual aircraft. While practical, this approach does not offer any insights into the dynamics of the traffic flow. Recently, two different approaches, (1) aggregate traffic model approach and (2) Eulerian model approach, have been presented to generate linear dynamic models that represent the behaviour of the air traffic flow. The dimension of the linear models is independent of the number of aircraft in the system and depends on the spatial discretization of the airspace. The resulting linear models can be used both for the analysis and synthesis of traffic flow management techniques.
Doubly strange dibaryon in the chiral model

It is shown that the chiral model with SU(3) flavor symmetry predicts a dibaryon state of low mass M (Mroughly-equal2x2 GeV). It is electrically neutral and is an SU(3) singlet with J/sup P/ = 0/sup +/. It corresponds to a six-quark state found in the MIT bag model by Jaffe. It is also shown that there is no stable particlelike state of baryon number 2 which is based on Skyrme's spherically symmetric ansatz for the chiral field.
The role of maternal emotion regulation in overreactive and lax discipline.

The roles of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression as intentional methods mothers use to regulate their own emotion were investigated in relation to mothers’ experience and expression of negative emotion and their overreactive and lax discipline practices. Eighty-two mothers of toddlers completed questionnaires that measured these constructs. Emotion regulation strategies were more consistently associated with overreactive than with lax discipline. More suppression in discipline encounters was associated with less overreactivity, an association partially mediated by expressed negative emotion. Reappraisal, both globally and in the context of discipline encounters, was inversely associated with overreactive discipline. The association of global reappraisal and overreactivity was mediated in parallel by experienced and expressed negative emotion. Surprisingly, global reappraisal, relative to reappraisal in discipline encounters, appears to have more consistent implications for mothers’ emotion and parenting practices in discipline encounters. A reconceptualization of the nature of reappraisal in discipline encounters is suggested. The study is the first to systematically apply methods and concepts from the better-developed basic research literature on adults’ emotion regulation to the domain of parenting.
p75NTR and sortilin increase after facial nerve injury.

Objectives: After axotomy, Schwann cells (SCs), required for successful nerve regeneration, undergo a number of cellular changes including dedifferentiation, proliferation, expression of molecules that support axon growth, and apoptosis. This study investigated the role of p75NTR, sortilin, and proneurotrophins in SC survival after facial nerve (FN) axotomy. Study Design: Preliminary animal study. Methods: With use of FN SCs, expression of p75NTR and its coreceptor sortilin were quantified by immunofluorescence on days 12, 22, and 52 after axotomy in vivo and by Western blot in vitro. Contralateral FNs served as a control. SC apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). To verify a causative role for p75NTR in FN SC death, cultured FN SCs were treated with pro-nerve growth factor (NGF), and apoptosis was determined by TUNEL. Results: Expression of p75NTR and sortilin increased in FN SCs distal (P < .05) to the axotomy compared with the contralateral controls for all time points. SC apoptosis also significantly increased in the distal segment compared with the contralateral and proximal portions (P < .05). ProNGF, a p75NTR ligand, increased apoptosis and p75NTR expression in primary FN SC cultures. Conclusion: FN axotomy increases p75NTR and sortilin expression in SCs, which correlates with increased apoptosis. These findings suggest roles for p75NTR and sortilin in SC loss after FN injury. Sortilin is a novel target in promoting FN healing after injury.
More lung cancer but better survival. Implications of secular trends in necropsy surprise rates.

In previous research, we have demonstrated the value of using necropsy “surprise” lung cancer cases, in those in whom lung cancer was not suspected during life, to estimate the size and composition of the “reservoir” of undetected lung cancer in the general population. The current research was done to determine the characteristics and consequences of secular changes over time in the composition of the lung cancer “reservoir.” The results suggest that further advances in diagnostic technology will enhance detection during life of the large “reservoir” of resectable lung cancer, particularly in women. With the increased detection of these reservoir cases during life, the statistical occurrence rates for lung cancer will seem to increase, but survival rates will seem to improve because more of the detected cases will be resectable. (Chest 1989; 96:291–96) YNHH = Yale-New Haven Hospital; CSTR = Connecticut State Tumor Registry; TNM = tumor, node, metastasis
Tissue Plasminogen Activator as Adjunctive Therapy of Empyema in a Child

Pleural effusions and empyemas may complicate 20–57% of bacterial pneumonias. Clinical experience supports the use of fibrinolytic agents as a means of dissolving fibrin, releasing loculations and adhesions, thereby allowing for free drainage via thoracostomy tubes. Currently available thrombolytic agents include urokinase, tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), and streptokinase. Due to manufacturer-related issues, the supply of urokinase has become somewhat limited while streptokinase has the potential for allergic reactions in pediatric patients. The authors report the use of TPA as an adjunct to other therapies for treatment of empyema in a 6-year-old boy with pneumococcal pneumonia.
The group as an effective medium for working with children of chemically dependent families

Abstract This article provides counselors with the foundations of group theory and research specifically geared toward the needs of children growing up in chemically dependent homes.
Litterfall and litter accumulation in red alder stands in western Oregon

Litter production in red alder communities 2 to 33 years old was higher than that reported for any plant community of the temperate regions. Litter production is also atypically high in communities of other nitrogen fixers, which suggests that nitrogen fixation may be an important contribution to the high litter production. Litter accumulates rapidly on the ground during the first 5 years after red alder establishment, but equilibrium is reached at the age of 6 years and maintained for several decades. During this time, the decomposition of litter equals the annual litterfall. In 50 years, cumulative litterfall reaches over 300 metric tons per ha, most of which is decomposed and incorporated into mineral soil. Favorable physical, chemical, and nutritional conditions of soil are created by alder for development of the climax vegetation.
Devazepide, a CCKA Antagonist, Attenuates the Satiating but Not the Preference Conditioning Effects of Intestinal Carbohydrate Infusions in Rats

PEREZ, C., F. LUCAS AND A. SCLAFANI. Devazepide, a CCKA antagonist, attenuates the satiating but not the preference conditioning effects of intestinal carbohydrate infusions in rats. PHARMACOL BIOCHEM BEHAV 59(2) 451–457, 1998.—Endogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) is thought to participate in the satiating action of foods, and some data suggest that it may also mediate their postingestive reinforcing effects. This was investigated by determining if the CCKA receptor antagonist, devazepide, attenuates flavor preference conditioning by intraduodenal (ID) carbohydrate infusions. In Experiment 1, food-restricted female rats were trained 30 min/day to associate a cue flavor (CS+) with ID infusions of 8% Polycose and a different flavor (CS−) with ID water infusions. Half of the rats (DEV group) were pretreated with devazepide (300 μg/kg body weight) and the other half (CON group) with vehicle, 30 min prior to CS training sessions and choice tests. Both groups displayed similar CS+ preferences (CON: 68%; DEV: 69%). In contrast, devazepide blocked the feeding inhibitory effects of ID Polycose infusion and cholecystokinin octapeptide injection in Experiment 2. A higher dose of devazepide (1200 μg/kg) also failed to inhibit preference conditioning by ID Polycose in Experiment 3. These results indicate that, although CCKA mechanisms play a role in the satiating effect of ID carbohydrates, they do not mediate their reinforcing effect. The present study, along with other recent reports, indicate that different mechanisms mediate the satiating and reinforcing actions of nutrients.
Adipose Tissue Collagen and Inflammation in Nonobese Asian Indian Men

Objective: Obesity is thought to be the driving force for activation of adipose tissue (AT) collagen production and inflammation as well as systemic insulin resistance. The objective of this study was to determine whether these AT abnormalities can be found independent of obesity in the presence of systemic insulin resistance. Research Design and Methods: Thirty-eight normoglycemic men (14 Asian Indians and 24 white) were enrolled in the study and matched for age, body mass index, and total body fat. Subjects underwent anthropometric measurement, total body fat determination by underwater weighing, euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamps, and abdominal sc AT biopsy for mRNA extraction and gene expression determination. Fasting blood was collected for adipokine measurements. Results: Both groups were matched for age, body mass index, and percentage of total body fat. Subcutaneous abdominal AT mRNA expression was significantly higher for Col6a3 as well as genes associated with inflammation, CD68, MAC1, and MCP1 ...
Psychophysical Reverse Correlation with Multiple Response Alternatives

Psychophysical reverse-correlation methods such as the "classification image" technique provide a unique tool to uncover the internal representations and decision strategies of individual participants in perceptual tasks. Over the past 30 years, these techniques have gained increasing popularity among both visual and auditory psychophysicists. However, thus far, principled applications of the psychophysical reverse-correlation approach have been almost exclusively limited to two-alternative decision (detection or discrimination) tasks. Whether and how reverse-correlation methods can be applied to uncover perceptual templates and decision strategies in situations involving more than just two response alternatives remain largely unclear. Here, the authors consider the problem of estimating perceptual templates and decision strategies in stimulus identification tasks with multiple response alternatives. They describe a modified correlational approach, which can be used to solve this problem. The approach is evaluated under a variety of simulated conditions, including different ratios of internal-to-external noise, different degrees of correlations between the sensory observations, and various statistical distributions of stimulus perturbations. The results indicate that the proposed approach is reasonably robust, suggesting that it could be used in future empirical studies.
Competing Discourses for Older Women: Agency/Leadership vs. Disengagement/Retirement

Older women are targets of competing discourses. On one hand, they are urged to maintain or even increase their engagement, to translate their experience and seniority into leadership roles finally available to women after many years of struggle. On the other hand, they are reminded that they have earned the right to retire and rest, and are bombarded with messages reminding them to be concerned about the encroaching limitations and problems associated with aging. These competing prescriptions are most evident in the realms of work/career and physical health/activity, where either early disengagement or refusal to disengage can cause problems. Women who exit early from employment may face poverty and deprive society of important contributions; those who resist retirement may face stress, exhaustion, and missed opportunities for fulfillment in other domains. Women who stop physical activity as they age face a variety of health consequences; those who persist run the risk of injury. Thus, women's negotiatio...
Model for cooperative control of positional information in Drosophila by bicoid and maternal hunchback.

The blastoderm of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is unusually well suited for analysis of fundamental questions in animal development. One such question is how genes specify the positional information which determines the developmental pathways (fate) of cells at appropriate spatial locations. In this paper we propose a dynamical model of gene regulation which explicitly describes how positional information is used in the blastoderm. The model is applied to analyze important experimental findings on the dependence of cell fate on the concentration of the Bicoid morphogen. The model shows that positional information in the presumptive middle body is cooperatively determined by maternal products of the bicoid and hunchback genes. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cyclic Staircase Voltammetry

Abstract The use of cyclic staircase voltammetry was investigated in order to study kinetic mechanisms at low concentration levels. The reversible case for c.s.c.v. was studied along with two common kinetic cases: e.c. and catalytic mechanism. For both the e.c. and catalytic case, it was possible to correlate the peak current ratio with the rate constant with one working curve regardless of the step size, the step time or the time in the step in which the current was measured. For the catalytic mechanism, the increase in the peak current of the forward peak can also be correlated with the rate constant, once again regardless of the experimental parameters. Using this technique, high sensitivity can be obtained at low concentrations and fast scan rates as was shown by comparing c.s.c.v. with cyclic voltammetry for micromolar cadmium solutions. The use of staircase voltammetry for the study of the catalytic reaction between iron (III)-triethanolamine and hydroxylamine was demonstrated and a rate constant of 180 M−1 s−1 was obtained, which is consistent with previous work.
Remigration: return of the prodigals--an analysis of the impact of the cycles of migration and remigration on caste mobility.

The focus of this research note is the migration of the Patidar community to East Africa--and remigration to Gujarat India. The primary motive for migration of the immigrant Patidars was to work accumulate money and return to India claiming a higher caste status. By 1931 a sufficient number of the community had become economically affluent and were given a higher caste status by the census enumerators. This study illustrates the transient nature of Indian migration to East Africa and its impact on caste mobility. (EXCERPT)
Fluorescence from the a5P and a3P states of matrix-isolated Fe atoms

Abstract Tunable dye laser radiation has been used to examine the a 5 P - a 5 D and a 3 P - a 5 D transitions of the Fe atom isolated in solid argon and solid krypton matrices. In the solid argon case the excitation spectrum profile indicates that the 5 P 3 state has at least two components separated by 37 cm −1 . Excitation from the 5 D 4 ground state to 5 P 2 involves relaxation to the 5 P 3 level before emission. Pumping into the 3 P 2 state results in fluorescent transitions from the 5 P 3 level as well as from 3 P 2 .
Cholinergic neurons are distributed preferentially in areas rich in substance P-like immunoreactivity in the caudate nucleus of the adult cat.

Abstract The distribution of cells stained immunocytochemically for the cholinergic marker choline acetyltransferase was compared to the pattern of substance P immunoreactivity in the caudate nucleus of adult cats using a double-label immunocytochemical protocol and three-dimensional reconstructions of adjacent sections single-labeled for either substance P or choline acetyltransferase. Substance P immunoreactivity was distributed in a highly complex mosaic within the caudate nucleus of the cat. In the dorsal caudate nucleus, substance P-rich zones consisting of either clusters of substance P-positive cell bodies or fibers were seen against a lighter staining background. The density of cholinergic neurons was found to be significantly greater within these substance P-rich patches in comparison to surrounding regions. The pattern of substance P immunoreactivity within the ventral caudate nucleus differed from that in more dorsal regions. Clear substance P-rich patches were not seen in this region, but a large substance P-rich area consisting of a dense plexus of substance P-containing fibers was visible. Embedded within this substance P-rich area were fairly discrete patches of light substance P staining. As in the dorsal caudate nucleus, increased numbers of cholinergic neurons and processes were associated with substance P-rich regions in the ventral caudate nucleus. Choline acetyltransferase-positive perikarya also appeared to be concentrated in substance P-rich areas in the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle. The results of this study suggest that a close relationship exists between the distribution of substance P fibers and cholinergic perikarya in the striatum of the cat.
Wave propagation in layered model due to point-source loading in low-impedance medium - Paper describes the application of photoelastic techniques complemented by the moiré method to the study of wave propagation in a layered model consisting of two transparent photoelastic layers

Dynamic photoelastic and moire techniques were used to study the incident, reflected and refracted waves in a layered model. The model, consisting of two birefringent layers with an impedance ratio of approximately 2∶1, was subjected to point-source explosive loading in the low-impedance medium. The isochromatic and moire-fringe patterns were photographed with a Cranz-Schardin multiplespark camera operating at a rate of 200,000 frames per second. Propagation and attenuation characteristics of waves in both layers were studied. The formation of head-waves at the interface was clearly evident. Stress determinations were made in some instances using photoelastic and moire data.
DEVELOPING AN AUTOMATED PROCEDURE FOR EXTRACTION OF ROAD DATA FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION SATELLITE IMAGES FOR GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS

There is a growing need for automated procedures that can update road databases in Geospatial Information Systems (GIS). Such procedures are in a great demand when the GIS database needs to be updated very frequently and should comprise automated means for extracting road data from satellite images and updating GIS databases using the collected data. In this paper, the requirements for developing an automated procedure which (1) extracts road data from high-resolution satellite images and (2) prepares the extracted data for use in GIS is presented. The procedure includes a region growing algorithm to obtain road features, an edge detection algorithm, an image enhancement algorithm, a vectorization algorithm, and a georeferencing algorithm. The edge detection, image enhancement and vectorization algorithms are tested using three different high-resolution satellite images and the results are presented. Their performance is measured and analyzed individually.
Comparison of the natural fluorescence distribution among size fractions of terrestrial fulvic and humic acids and aquatic natural organic matter

A soil fulvic acid (SOILFA), a soil humic acid (SOILHA) and an aquatic natural organic matter (SUWNOM) sample were separated into a spectrum of size fractions with high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). Fractions were collected and the synchronously scanned and total luminescence fluorescence (TL) spectra were determined for each fraction. Synchronously scanned spectra were difficult to interpret due to the emphasis placed on peak shoulders in the spectra rather than peak maxima. Total luminescence spectra indicate that despite differences in the size distributions of UV absorbing carbon in the fractions, the fluorescence producing moieties of all three samples occur in the same, relatively small size fractions. For the SOILFA and the SUWNOM, 95% of the UV absorbing carbon was coincident with 95% of the fluorescence. However, in the SOILHA, only about 50% of the UV absorbing carbon was coincident with 90% of the fluorescence. Due to the high (>95%) coincidence of UV absorbing and fluorescent carbon in the same size fractions, in situ fluorescence may offer promise for following the movement of natural organic matter in aquatic systems.
Effects of Welfare Reform on Education Acquisition of Adult Women.

Education beyond traditional ages for schooling is an important source of human capital acquisition among adult women. Welfare reform, which began in the early 1990s and culminated in the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in 1996, promoted work rather than education acquisition for this group. Exploiting variation in welfare reform across states and over time and using relevant comparison groups, we undertake a comprehensive study of the effects of welfare reform on adult women’s education acquisition. We first estimate effects of welfare reform on high school drop-out of teenage girls, both to improve upon past research on this issue and to explore compositional changes that may be relevant for our primary analyses of the effects of welfare reform on education acquisition among adult women. We find that welfare reform significantly reduced the probability that teens from disadvantaged families dropped out of high school, by about 15%. We then estimate the effects of welfare reform on adult women's school enrollment and conduct numerous specification checks, investigate compositional selection and policy endogeneity, explore lagged effects, stratify by TANF work incentives and education policies, consider alternative comparison groups, and explore the mediating role of work. We find robust and convincing evidence that welfare reform significantly decreased the probability of college enrollment among adult women at risk of welfare receipt, by at least 20%. It also appears to have decreased the probability of high school enrollment among this group, on the same order of magnitude. Future research is needed to determine the extent to which this behavioral change translates to future economic outcomes.