cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unspaced Text Interferes with Both Word Identification and Eye Movement Control

Subjects read either normal text, text in which the space information between words was absent (either spaces were removed filled with x), or text in which spaces were preserved but the words were flanked by x. In two experiments, reading rate decreased by approx. 50% when space information was not available, suggesting that reading unspaced text is relatively difficult. The removal of space information increased the effect of word frequency on the fixation times for selected target words, indicating that word identification was interfered with by the lack of spaces. In addition, removal of space information influenced the initial landing positions on words, indicating that eye movement control was affected by the absence of spaces. Further analyses were conducted that explored the relationship between these two effects.
Interstitial Lung Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects 1-2% of the general population. Although often thought of as primarily a localized inflammatory disorder with associated joint destruction, it is a diffuse systemic disease. Extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis can be demonstrated in almost 50% of patients with RA, and include pulmonary, cardiac, ocular, renal, hematologic, and neurologic involvement. In this article, we review recent studies of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in RA with a focus on clinical and pathological features of rheumatoid arthritis associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). We discuss an approach to the diagnosis and treatment of RA-ILD including potential biomarkers, and conclude by outlining areas for future research.
The Multiple Model CPHD Tracker

The probability hypothesis density (PHD) is a practical approximation to the full Bayesian multi-target filter. The cardinalized PHD (CPHD) filter was proposed to deal with the “target death” problem of the PHD filter. A multiple-model PHD exists; in this work, a multiple model version of the considerably more complex CPHD filter is derived. It is implemented using Gaussian mixtures, and a track management (for display and scoring) strategy is developed.
In Vivo Modeling of Interstitial Pressure in the Brain Under Surgical Load Using Finite Elements

Current brain deformation models have predominantly reflected solid constitutive relationships generated from empirical ex vivo data and have largely overlooked interstitial hydrodynamic effects. In the context of a technique to update images intraoperatively for image-guided neuronavigation, we have developed and quantified the deformation characteristics of a three-dimensional porous media finite element model of brain deformation in vivo. Results have demonstrated at least 75-85 percent predictive capability, but have also indicated that interstitial hydrodynamics are important. In this paper we investigate interstitial pressure transient behavior in brain tissue when subjected to an acute surgical load consistent with neurosurgical events. Data are presented from three in vivo porcine experiments where subsurface tissue deformation and interhemispheric pressure gradients were measured under conditions of an applied mechanical deformation and then compared to calculations with our three-dimensional brain model. Results demonstrate that porous-media consolidation captures the hydraulic behavior of brain tissue subjected to comparable surgical loads and that the experimental protocol causes minimal trauma to porcine brain tissue. Working values for hydraulic conductivity of white and gray matter are also reported and an assessment of transient pressure gradient effects with respect to deformation is provided.
Dating characteristics leading to unwanted vs. wanted sexual behavior

In 1987 Muehlenhard and Linton studied risk factors for sexual aggression by comparing recent dates with dates on which sex unwanted by the female occurred. The present study compared recent dates, unwanted sex dates, and dates on which sex wanted by both partners occurred, and was stimulated by concern about the accuracy of conclusions drawn from studies focusing on unwanted sex dates. European American and Latin American participants' responses were compared. Participants were 267 female and 148 male community college students. Some risk factors for unwanted sex dates replicated Muehlenhard and Linton's findings and did not characterize wanted sex dates in the present study. Some characteristics of unwanted sex dates, however, were also true of wanted sex dates. Many participants reporting unwanted sex dates also reported willingly engaging in some forms of sexual behavior during those dates, causing questions about the precise meaning of participants' descriptions of unwanted sex. Responses from European vs. Latin respondents were similar, except that significantly fewer Latin respondents reported wanted sex experiences.
Regulation of cardiac output during upright exercise in patients with aortic regurgitation.

The change in cardiac output during upright exercise in patients with aortic regurgitation (AR) is not well known. We measured left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) and volume, regurgitant fraction (RF), total cardiac output and forward cardiac output at rest, and peak upright exercise by means of radionuclide angiography in ten normal subjects and 15 patients with AR. In the normal subjects, there was no significant change in the end-diastolic volume but there was a significant decrease in the end-systolic volume (p = 0.0001) and a significant increase in EF (p = 0.0001). The increase in cardiac output during exercise was due to increases in both stroke volume and heart rate. In patients with AR, there was a significant decrease during exercise in RF (53 ± 15% at rest, and 45 ± 15% during exercise; p = 0.03), and in end-diastolic and endsystolic volume (p = 0.02, and p = 0.003, respectively). The EF increased during exercise (p = 0.003). The total stroke volume did not change (68 ± 19 ml/m2 at rest, and 67 ± 14 ml/m2 during exercise; p, NS). Thus, in patients with AR, individual changes in EF, RF, and volume are quite variable, but as a group a decrease in RF and an increase in heart rate contribute to the increase in forward flow. The total stroke volume may not increase during exercise, despite an increase in EF and a decrease in end-systolic volume because of a concomitant decrease in end-diastolic volume.
Ontogeny and phylogeny of shape and diet in the South American fishes called piranhas

Abstract Well documented cases of heterochrony are relatively scarce, in part due to the lack of well founded phylogenies and rigorous methods of quantifying ontogenetic trajectories. Here I attempt to document the importance of heterochronic growth in determining body shape in piranhas, a group of South American fishes. Ontogenetic trajectories for individual species are described and a method of detecting evolutionary changes in such trajectories is presented. Correlations of body shape changes with heterochronic changes in trophic morphology and feeding behavior are also discussed.
Sleeping with the Enemy: Recent Scholarship on Sexuality in the Book of Judges

Reviewing the publications of the last three decades, this article demonstrates that the period in question has been predictably marked by sharply increased attention to the sexual aspects of the book of Judges, and especially by sustained attempts to discover sexuality in the texts that had been commonly read with little to no reference to it. Refreshing as it is in many respects, this trend suffers from multiple vulnerabilities, including the exegetes’ tendency to stretch semantics of the biblical lexemes, ignore the syntactic layout and context of the discussed fragments, rely on problematic sexual symbolism, and produce interpretations that are less than edifying for contemporary Western audiences. As a result, much, although by no means all, of the recent quest for sexuality in Judges is unsustainable, as far as both the text and the reader are concerned.
What the papers say: Cellular dedifferentiation and spore germination inDictyostelium may utilize similar regulatory pathways

Cellular dedifferentiation is an important developmental response to perturbations in morphogenesis. In the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum this process gives cells the flexibility, when multicellular development is disrupted, to respond to nutrients and reinitiate vegetative growth. Recent studies in D. discoideum described by Soll and colleagues(1) show that genes previously thought to be expressed only during spore germination are also expressed during induced dedifferentiation, suggesting that similar molecular mechanisms are involved in these two developmental processes. It should now be possible to determine whether the developmental programs that control dedifferentiation during spore germination also control conversion of cell types in the multicellular organism.
Forces and efficacy in endodontic irrigation systems

Abstract Measurements of the pressure necessary to activate three commercially available types of endodontic irrigation systems were obtained from an in vitro testing procedure. In addition, the irrigation process was observed in simulated 1 mm. diameter root canals prepared in clear acrylic. Except for one patented system, the force necessary to depress the plunger of an irrigation syringe was found to increase as the size of the needle decreased. The most effective irrigation was observed when the larger needles of a blunted, open-end design were inserted to the full length of the preparation.
Atypical antipsychotics in the EPS-vulnerable patient.

'Typical' antipsychotic agents can lead to a variety of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), including parkinsonism. The efficacy of a number of atypical antipsychotics in reducing psychosis without a detrimental effect on motor function has been studied in the group of patients most vulnerable to EPS, those who already have parkinsonian symptoms. Multiple open-label studies with clozapine strongly suggested that at low doses the drug was an effective antipsychotic and did not impair motor function. This was confirmed by two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. A disadvantage of clozapine is that it can cause agranulocytosis and therefore patients require ongoing hematological monitoring. Studies with both risperidone and olanzapine have produced conflicting results, with some patients showing an overall improvement and others exhibiting severe deterioration of motor function. As with clozapine, multiple open-label studies with quetiapine have consistently demonstrated that it improves psychosis without impairing motor function. Double-blind trials are yet to be performed: however, the existing data, coupled with the lack of required blood monitoring, have led some experts to recommend quetiapine as the drug of choice for treatment of drug-induced psychosis in patients with parkinsonism. The atypical antipsychotics have also been tested in the largest group of EPS-vulnerable patients, the demented elderly. Results from a number of trials are described here. These data are more difficult to interpret as the number of variables is far greater than for the population with parkinsonism. However, the evidence to date indicates a generally low incidence of tardive dyskinesia with atypical antipsychotics.
Estimates of the risk of bladder tumor promotion by saccharin in rats.

Abstract Tumor data from an initiation-promotion biossay in rats are used to illustrate how urinary bladder tumor risk estimates can be modified to reflect tumor promotion by saccharin. Assuming equal carcinogenic potency in humans and rats, the estimated human risk is equal to the probability of tumors in rats due to saccharin promotion following administration of an initiator times the ratio of the proportion of humans that are initiated to the proportion of initiated rats. The proportion of initiated humans may be somewhere between the proportion of deaths due to bladder cancer in the U.S. population, 0.005, and 1.0. The proportion of initiated animals in the bioassay may be somewhere between the proportion of animals with bladder tumors, 0.41, as observed in an initiated group, and 1.0. Hence, the ratio of the proportion of initiated humans to animals may be between 0.005 and 2.4. Then, the risk of bladder tumors is estimated to be between 0.005 and 2.4 times the estimated risk of tumors in rats promoted by saccharin following administration of an initiator. An upper limit on bladder tumor risk is estimated to be between 0.00038 and 0.18 times the percentage of saccharin in the diet. If a threshold dose exists for saccharin bladder tumor promotion which is above the saccharin consumption level of all humans, then the risk is zero.
Danilo Kiš and the Hungarian Holocaust: The Early Novel Psalm 44

Danilo Kis's little known second novel, Psalm 44 (1962) is his first major prose work about the Holocaust. This novel was published for the first time in Hungarian translation in 1966 and English translation in 2012. The novel is quite different from Kis's later works on the Holocaust, the autobiographical trilogy comprising Early Sorrows, Garden, Ashes, and Hourglass. The first difference is in setting. In Psalm 44, a number of important flashbacks take place in Ujvidek/Novi Sad, the region of northern Serbia (then Yugoslavia) under Hungarian occupation after 1941; much of the rest of the book takes place in Auschwitz and associated camps in Poland. The amount of Hungarian material is significant, but the inclusion of so much material from Auschwitz is not found elsewhere in Kis 's oeuvre. The second difference is in the author's graphic portrayal of gruesome atrocities. For the literary historian, Psalm 44 is an important milestone in the development of Kis 's thematic and stylistic inventory. For other historians, the novel functions in part as a microhistory of the Ujvidek massacres (the "Cold Days") of early 1942. Kis 's quest to find his own voice to attempt to convey the tragedy of the Holocaust—as important for the entire human family and the very region of Central Europe as it was for his own family—finds a parallel expression in the confusion, exhaustion, and skepticism of the characters in this novel.
Nondestructive examination of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) reaction control subsystem (RCS) propellant tanks

This paper assesses the feasibility of using eddy current nondestructive examination to determine flaw sizes in completely assembled hydrazine propellant tanks. The study was performed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) project to help determine whether existing propellant tanks could meet the fracture analysis requirements of the current pressure vessel specification, MIL-STD-1522A and, therefore be used on the TRMM spacecraft. After evaluating several nondestructive test methods, eddy current testing was selected as the most promising method for determining flaw sizes on external and internal surfaces of completely assembled tanks. Tests were conducted to confirm the detection capability of the eddy current NDE, procedures were developed to inspect two candidate tanks, and the test support equipment was designed. The non-spherical tank eddy current NDE test program was terminated when the decision was made to procure new tanks for the TRMM propulsion subsystem. The information on the development phase of this test program is presented in this paper as a reference for future investigation on the subject.
Predicting the cation–π binding of substituted benzenes: energy decomposition calculations and the development of a cation–π substituent constant

This work proposes a new substituent constant, termed Π+, to describe cation–π binding using computational methods at the MP2(full)/6-311++G** level of theory with Symmetry Adapted Perturbation Theory (SAPT) calculations on selected cation–π complexes. The correlations between binding strength (Ebind or ΔH298) and common parameters for describing cation–π binding (∑σm, ∑σp, ∑(σm + σp), or Θzz) are decent (r2 between 0.79 and 0.90). SAPT calculations show that variations in the electrostatic (Eele), exchange (Eexch), induction (Eind), and dispersion (Edisp) component energies to the overall binding are almost entirely due to differences in arene–cation distances (dAr–cat). Eele varies most with dAr–cat; however, Eind seems to be the primary term responsible for the ∑σm, ∑σp, ∑(σm + σp) and Θzz parameters not accurately predicting the cation–π Ebind and ΔH298 values. The Π+ parameter largely reflects electrostatics, but it also includes the impact of exchange, induction, and dispersion on cation–π binding of aromatics, and the resulting correlation between ΔH298 or Ebind and Π+ is excellent (r2 of 0.97 and 0.98, respectively). Importantly, the Π+ parameter is general to cation–π systems other than those reported here, and to studies where the cation–π binding strength is determined using computational levels different from those employed in this study.
Comparison of retention performance between young rats with fimbria-fornix lesions and aged rats in a 14-unit T-maze.

Young (3-months) and aged (24-months) male F-344 rats were pretrained in one-way active avoidance in a straight runway for 3 days. Then two 10-trial daily sessions were given in a 14-unit T-maze in which the response requirement was to negotiate each of 5 maze segments within 10 s to avoid footshock. One day or one week after acquisition, bilateral electrolytic lesions were made in the fimbria-fornix of young rats (1-day lesion or 1-week lesion). Corresponding sham operations were made for remaining young rats (1-day sham or 1-week sham). Aged animals did not receive any surgical treatment. One week after surgery, a 10-trial retention test was conducted to assess the lesion effects on retention and to manipulate the interval between acquisition and lesions. Aged animals were tested in the maze 1 week after acquisition. Results revealed that rats with fimbria-fornix lesions exhibited significant impairment compared to sham-operated groups on all retention performance measures including errors, runtime, number of shocks, duration of shock, and alternation errors. The number of errors and alternation errors of lesioned animals were still higher than those of sham-operated animals at the second half of the retention test, whereas other non-cognitive measures for lesioned animals recovered to control levels. The interval between acquisition training and lesions had no influence on retention performance. Although performance of aged rats during acquisition and retention trials was significantly worse than that of young controls and lesioned animals, a similar recovery pattern during retention testing was found for young rats with fimbria-fornix lesions and aged rats, i.e. both groups showed significant declines in non-cognitive measures with less decline in cognitive measures. These results suggest that the fimbria-fornix is partially involved in retention of 14-unit T-maze performance and that the age-related retention deficit observed in this task may be related to impaired transmission through this pathway.
Mormon demographic history II: the family life cycle and natural fertility

The concept of the family life-cycle has been central to a substantial body of literature in both demography and family history.1 Because the information necessary for a full description of the family life-cycle is often difficult to obtain in most of the studies made, twentieth-century perioddata have been used. Glick has provided a somewhat longer time series with his description of the life-cycle of the American family beginning with cohorts born during the latter part of the nineteenth century, although he was forced to use a combination of data sets and various estimation techniques.2 Even with the longer time series generated by Glick, it is fair to say that the portrait of the American family life-cycle which begins with cohorts of women born during the 1880s reflects a 'modern' pattern. This modern pattern emerges from an analysis of a population in which the life-cycle was strongly influenced by declining and controlled fertility, improving levels of infant survival and increasing parental life expectancy. Evidence of the nature of the family life-cycle in the United States under earlier and very different, demographic conditions is not in general available.' It is difficult to estimate patterns of change in the family life-cycle for the entire American population during the nineteenth century, but it is feasible to secure estimates for segments of the American population. In this paper, for example, we shall deal largely with a frontier population. It is also a population which is unique in its high level of fertility, consequently providing us with an opportunity to examine the nature of the life-cycle under conditions of natural fertility. This paper is intended to achieve the following specific purposes: to extend the study of the family lifecycle to selected birth cohorts born in the United States during the nineteenth century (1800-69), arid to examine the features of the family life-cycle under conditions of high natural fertility.
Implantable spinal catheter and drug delivery systems: Complications

Epidural and intrathecal drug delivery systems are used chronically for the management of intractable pain. Complications of these systems include infection, drug-related toxicities, and mechanical failure of the device. A working understanding of these potential complications is necessary for the clinician to be successful in avoiding these sequelae when possible, and identifying and managing difficulties when they arise. This report examines the literature in the area of complications of intraspinal devices. Infection of externalized indwelling epidural catheters occurs at a rate of 5% to 12% and is a result of contaminated infusate, spread along the catheter track, or hematologic seeding. Contaminated infusate is likely related to the number of times the system is “opened” for bag, tubing, or filter changes. The use of epidurally-infused vancomycin as a catheter sterilization technique is explored in a 53-year-old cancer patient. A review of the literature available on device-related meningitis is presented. Spinal drug related toxicities range from simple side-effects, to hormonal suppression, and preservative-induced injury. Mechanical complications including pump and catheter failure are reviewed.
Associations of physical activity duration, frequency, and load with volumetric BMD, geometry, and bone strength in young girls.

Summary More efficacious physical activity (PA) prescriptions for optimal bone development are needed. This study showed that PA duration, frequency, and load were all independently associated with bone parameters in young girls. Increased PA duration, frequency, and load are all important osteogenic stimuli that should be incorporated into future PA interventions.
Loss of heterozygosity for the NF2 gene in retinal and optic nerve lesions of patients with neurofibromatosis 2.

Individuals affected with the neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) cancer predisposition syndrome develop specific ocular lesions. To determine whether these lesions result from altered NF2 gene expression, microdissection and PCR were used to investigate 40 ocular lesions from seven eyes of four NF2 patients for LOH, with markers that flank the NF2 gene on chromosome 22q. NF2 protein (merlin) expression was also evaluated in these lesions, using immunohistochemistry. Retinal hamartoma was observed in all seven eyes, including one with combined pigment epithelial and retinal hamartoma (CPERH). Retinal tufts were present in four eyes (three patients), retinal dysplasia in two eyes (two patients), optic nerve neurofibroma in one eye, iris naevoid hyperplasia in two eyes (two patients) and pseudophakia in all eyes. Markers were informative in three patients (six eyes from three unrelated families). One patient was non-informative due to prolonged decalcification. All retinal and optic nerve, but not iris lesions, demonstrated consistent LOH for the NF2 gene. Merlin was not expressed in the retina, optic nerve, or iris lesions. These results suggest that inactivation of the NF2 gene is associated with the formation of a variety of retinal and optic nerve lesions in NF2 patients.
Synovial fluid analysis and equine joint disorders

Summary In this report, we review our experience of comprehensive synovial fluid analysis in over 2500 equine cases studied over the past two years. These investigations have indicated that synovial membrane inflammation and articular degeneration are important factors in many common joint disorders and contribute significantly to joint dysfunction. Information gained through synovial fluid analysis can indicate the nature and extent of intra-articular pathologies and is a valuable adjunct to other diagnostic techniques in establishing diagnoses, selecting treatments, and developing realistic prognoses. Variations in joint fluid parameters were shown in this study to be useful in differentiating a normal joint from such disorders as traumatic effusion acute synovitis, chronic synovitis and leukocytic synovitis. The most helpful synovial fluid parameters in this study were relative viscosity, hyaluronic acid, mucin clot, protein, leukocyte count and cartilage fragments.
Measurements of total scattering cross sections for low-energy positrons and electrons colliding with krypton and xenon

Total scattering cross sections have been measured in the same apparatus for positrons and electrons of well-defined energies (0.35--100 eV) colliding with krypton and xenon using a beam-transmission technique. The positron total cross sections are largest at the lowest energies studied, and decrease in a manner very similar to the elastic scattering cross-section calculations by Schrader and by McEachran et al. The total cross sections for positron-krypton, xenon collisions experience abrupt changes in their slope at the respective positronium-formation thresholds indicating that positronium formation may be an important contributor to the total cross section above the formation threshold. The present electron measurements are in good agreement with the recent measurements of Wagenaar. Estimates of potential errors in the present measurements due to incomplete discrimination against small-angle forward elastic scattering are made.
Esophageal obstruction caused by a left aortic arch and an anomalous right patent ductus arteriosus in two German Shepherd littermates.

Objective— To present details of surgical management of an unusual vascular ring anomaly in two German Shepherd littermates. Study Design— Clinical case report. Study Population— Three-month-old intact male and female German Shepherd littermates. Results— In each dog, the esophagus was obstructed by a vascular ring comprised of the left aortic arch, an anomalous patent right ductus arteriosus, and the pulmonary artery ventrally. Surgical treatment consisted of dividing and oversewing the patent right ductus arteriosus. Neither dog has clinical signs of esophageal disease one year after treatment. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance— This vascular ring anomaly should be considered a possibility in any young dog with esophageal obstruction and a machinery murmur.
The effects of funneling on space upset rate (microelectronics-space irradiation)

The complete three-dimensional analog of the usual upset rate integral is explored, exhibiting explicitly the average over solid angle which is often finessed or ignored. This permits a precise statement of how funneling can be included in the chord distribution, and an approximation is written which applies directly to the usual formalism. The mixed way that measured funneling contributes or does not contribute to input quantities is analyzed, and an algorithm is developed which includes funneling. Examples show what effects funneling adds to the no-funneling case. >
Kinetics of the reduction of neptunium (V) with uranium (IV) in aqueous perchlorate and chloride media

Abstract The kinetics of the reduction of neptunium (V) with uranium (IV) has been studied in aqueous perchlorate and chloride media. The reaction was found to be complex. A possible mechanism has been suggested which explains the observed kinetics in both the cases. Specific velocity constants and activation energies have been determined and compared with the values found in a separate study of neptunium (IV)-uranium (IV) reaction in similar media.
Schooled to Work: Vocationalism and the American Curriculum, 1876-1946

In this trenchant interpretation of the rise of vocational education, Herbert M. Kliebard explains how Americans turned to public schools for answers to the problems of an increasingly urban, industrial society. Tracing the evolution of job training as an educational ideal, Kliebard analyzes the construction of vocationalism through three overlapping but distinctive stages. In the first stage, manual training is promoted as a pedagogical reform and moral corrective. In the second stage, vocational training for the new industrial workplace emerges as a major component of the American curriculum and contributes to its bifurcation. In the final stage, preparation to enter the workforce begins to eclipse other educational purposes. Concluding with a Deweyan critique of vocationalism, this book offers a much-needed perspective with which to view current debates about the meaning of public education and the transition from "school to work."
Transport Phenomena in Zonal Centrifuge Rotors. IX. Gradient Properties of Ficoll and Methyl Cellulose (M-278)

Abstract Concentration-dependent diffusivities of Ficoll and methyl cellulose (M-278) in aqueous solution were measured by a microinterferometric method for solute concentrations ranging from 0.050 to 0.700 g solute/ml of solution for Ficoll and from 0.050 to 0.200 g solute/ml of solution for methyl cellulose. Empirical formulas for the diffusivity and an activity coefficient of each solute are presented as a function of solute concentrations.
New approaches to antiarrhythmic therapy

Concepts of antiarrhythmic therapy have undergone major changes in the past decade for a variety of reasons. First of all, electrophysiologic studies — ushered in by the observation1 that His-bundle activation could be recorded simply, safely, and reliably in human beings — have progressed from academic, research-oriented tools providing important data on mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis to procedures that yield useful clinical and therapeutic information. Tachyarrhythmias occurring infrequently can be initiated by cardiac stimulation in the laboratory; the electrophysiologic mechanisms can then be surmised, and the response to antiarrhythmic drugs evaluated. Preliminary information suggests that a drug that prevents the induction . . .
Gastroesophageal reflux strictures in children, management and outcome

Esophageal reflux (GER) strictures are frequently diagnosed late and require a prolonged management programme depending on the severity of the stricture. Management protocols include medical therapy, bouginage, fundoplication, stricture resection and even interposition grafting. Our preferred method is to delay the anti-reflux surgery until the esophagitis is medically controlled, adequate enteral intake with weight gain is achieved and the oesophageal narrowing adequately dilated. We review the results of the approach over a 27-year period (1977–2004). Method: Thirty-one children were treated (mean age at diagnosis 35 months). Diagnosis of GERD was made on barium meal and confirmed by pH studies, gastroesophageal scintigraphy and oesophagoscopy. Stenosed site, its length and nature (i.e. response to dilatation) were documented. Dilatations were carried by prograde, balloon and string-guided techniques. Three fundoplication techniques were used (Boix-Ochoa, Toupet and Nissen). Results: Twenty-two strictures were in the lower third, seven in the mid-third and two in the upper third of the oesophagus. Thirteen (42%) had associated hiatus hernia (HH). Twenty (64%) had a stricture length>3 cm. Twelve strictures were so severe (tight) as to require gastrostomy and string-guided dilatation. An average 5.5 dilatations were required prior to surgery. Only six children did not require post-surgery dilatation. Twelve required more than five post-operative dilatations. Reasons for stricture persistence were identified as failed reflux surgery in seven, candida oesophagitis in two, HIV infection in one and severity of fibrosis in three (two requiring stricture resection). At average follow-up of 5 years, all patients have restored growth without further symptoms. Conclusion: Strictures are a major complication of GER requiring prolonged and intensive management in most cases. Reasons for persistence of stricture after anti-reflux surgery can be identified and require early intervention. Long-term follow-up is essential but results have been good in our hands.
Effect of carbonate content and buffer type on calcium phosphate formation in SBF solutions.

Coating of titanium-based biomedical devices with a layer of carbonated, apatitic calcium phosphate increases their bone-bonding ability. Simulated or synthetic body fluids (SBF) have the ability of forming apatitic calcium phosphates on the immersed titanium alloys within a few days to 2 weeks. Apatite-inducing ability of 5 M NaOH-etched surfaces of Ti6A14V strips (10 x 10 x 1 mm) were tested by using three different SBF solutions all concentrated by a factor of 1.5. SBF solutions used in this comparative study were: i) 4.2 mM HCO 3 - TRIS-HCl buffered SBF (conventional SBF or c-SBF), ii) 27 mM HCO 3 - TRIS-HCl buffered SBF (Tas-SBF), and iii) 27 mM HCO 3 - HEPES-NaOH buffered SBF (revised SBF or r-SBF). While the c-SBF of low carbonate ion concentration (4.2 mM) was quite sluggish in forming a coat layer on Ti6A14V strips after 1 week of soaking at 37°C, Tas-SBF with a HCO 3 - concentration exactly equal to that of human plasma (27 mM) was able to fully coat the immersed strips. Tas-SBF solution was able to coat even the vertically-suspended Ti6A14V strips in 1 week. The coated strips were characterized by using XRD, SEM, and FTIR. The differences in the coating morphology and surface coverage were assessed for each SBF solution of this study. In vitro characteristics of as-coated Ti6A14V strips was compared via the cell attachment, cell viability and total protein amount tests by using rat osteoblasts (7 F2). In vitro tests positively favored the calcium phosphate coatings of the TRIS-buffered, 27 mM HCO 3 - SBF over those of the c- and r-SBF solutions.
A nervous hedgehog rolls into the hair follicle stem cell scene.

In this issue of Cell Stem Cell , Brownell et al. (2011) identify stem cells in the hair follicle bulge that receive Hedgehog signals from adjacent sensory nerves. These stem cells regenerate the cycling hair follicle and, upon wounding, transit into the epidermis to become long-term resident interfollicular epidermal stem cells.
Validation of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale in rural Tanzania.

Objective The purpose of the present study was to test the construct validity, internal consistency and convergent validity of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) in measuring household food insecurity in rural Tanzania, and to determine socio-economic characteristics associated with household food insecurity. Design Key informant interviews and a cross-sectional survey were conducted in February and March 2008. Setting Rural Iringa, Tanzania. Subjects Key informant interviews were conducted with twenty-one purposively selected male and female village leaders. For the household surveys, a sample of 237 households with mothers (caregivers) and at least one child between 1 and 5 years of age were included. Results Approximately 20.7 % of the households were categorized as food-secure, 8.4 % as mildly food-insecure, 22.8 % as moderately food-secure and 48.1 % as severely food-insecure. Two main factors emerged from the rotated principal component factor analysis: (i) insufficient food quality; and (ii) insufficient food intake. Both factors explained 69 % of the total variance. The full food insecurity scale and the two subscales had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.83-0.90). Food security, as measured by HFIAS, was positively associated with maternal education, husband's education, household wealth status, being of an agricultural rather than pastoral tribe and animal-source food consumption; it was negatively associated with maternal age and household size. Conclusions The HFIAS measurement instrument shows validity and reliability in measuring household food insecurity among poor households in rural Tanzania.
Properties and estimation of a production-constrained Alonso model

The Alonso spatial interaction framework encompasses a wide variety of movement phenomenon models; most notably, the â€˜familyâ€™ of spatial interaction models. The production-constrained formulation of the Alonso framework incoporates a destination-related relative accessibility effect and therefore generalizes the traditional production-constrained interaction model. In this paper, the properties and estimation procedures for a production-constrained Alonso model are presented. Two related estimation approaches are developed: an ordinary least squares (OLS) procedure and a maximum likelihood (ML) procedure. The results of estimation experiments for these methods provide important insights for operationalizing the Alonso framework. It is demonstrated that the Alonso parameters can be recovered from a simulated data set if the exogenous weights are measured correctly. However, errors in the measurement of the â€˜trueâ€™ exogenous weights in the data set result in incorrect estimates of parameters.
Developmental expression of α4 protein phosphatase regulatory subunit in tissues affected by Opitz syndrome

Mutations in the Mid1 gene are responsible for X-linked Opitz syndrome, characterized by midline defects of the brain, face, heart, and trachea. The regulatory subunit alpha4 binds protein phosphatase 2A to Mid1 and promotes Mid1 dephosphorylation, in opposition to MAP kinase. To examine the relationship between alpha4 expression and human defects in Opitz syndrome, developmental expression of alpha4 in embryonic day (E) 8-E16 mouse embryos was mapped by immunohistochemistry. At E10, alpha4 was first detected only in the heart. At E11, alpha4 was expressed in epithelium of the mandibular and maxillary arches and in specific subsets of mesenchymal cells within the arches. The fetal heart and brain also highly expressed alpha4. At E16, alpha4 expression broadened to include the heart, brain, skeletal muscle, and tracheal and esophageal epithelium but not smooth muscle. Consistent with immunolocalization in embryos, Western immunoblotting of adult rabbit tissues demonstrated high levels of alpha4 expression in brain, heart, lung, liver, and skeletal muscle with low expression in kidney, uterus, and intestine. Expression in slow type I skeletal muscle was much higher than in fast type II muscle. By using double immunohistochemical staining, alpha4 was coexpressed in mouse skeletal muscle cells containing slow type myosin. Expression of alpha4 overlaps with the tissue defects in Opitz syndrome. The alpha4 gene lies in the linkage interval for FG syndrome, characterized by skeletal muscle and brain defects that coincide closely to the expression pattern of alpha4.
Reflections on the Challenge for Women in International Studies

As the Women's Caucus for International Studies celebrates its tenth year as a section of the International Studies Association in 2006, it is time to reflect on the progress women have made in international studies. Despite a changing climate for women in the field, inequities in the ratio of women faculty to men in many academic departments continues. Women are underrepresented in institutional participation and publications. Some shortcomings are self-selected as women have special commitments that color their ability to compete. Nevertheless, there are ways in which more equitable relationships can emerge. As women seek to identify these ways to serve both their personal chances for advancement …
Developmental toxicity assessment of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) oligomers in CD-1 mice.

BACKGROUND: Although polymers and hydrogels are used successfully in biomedical applications, including implants and drug delivery devices, smaller molecular weight oligomers, such as those investigated here, have not been extensively studied in vivo. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide), or P(NIPAAm-co-AAm), has a unique thermoresponsive behavior and is under investigation as a novel drug delivery system for metastatic cancer treatment. To date, no studies have been published regarding the safety of P(NIPAAm-co-AAm) to the conceptus. METHODS: From gestation days (GD) 6–16, pregnant CD-1 mice were dosed via i.p. injection with aqueous solutions containing 500, 750, or 1,000 mg/kg/d P(NIPAAm-co-AAm). Dams were sacrificed on GD 17 and their litters were examined for abnormalities. RESULTS: P(NIPAAm-co-AAm) caused no statistically significant difference in maternal weight gain or percent resorbed or dead fetuses compared to control values, but fetal weight was significantly decreased in the two highest dosage groups. CONCLUSIONS: At the highest dosages employed, maternal exposure to P(NIPAAm-co-AAm) was associated with decreased fetal weight. However, as the estimated human exposure levels for persons using this system would be some 1,500-fold lower than the lowest dosage administered in this study, the authors feel that this oligomer was not shown to pose a biologically significant risk at relevant human dosages. Birth Defects Res (Part B), 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Skipping Pong and moving straight to World of Warcraft: the challenge of research with complex games used for learning

In 1972, Atari released a simple digital game in North America entitled Pong, the game simulated table tennis using two lines as paddles with a square to represent the ball. Video games have since expanded in complexity and player engagement. As a result of this engagement, educational models have been proposed that leverage video games. However, rather than begin with research on games as simple as Pong, many have focused on complex systems based on massively multiplayer online games. This article reviews approaches to designing or using video games for learning and identifies challenges to designing, using and researching games.
Stability of hibernating myocardium in pigs with a chronic left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis: absence of progressive fibrosis in the setting of stable reductions in flow, function and coronary flow reserve

Abstract OBJECTIVES This study was performed to determine whether hibernating myocardium is adaptive or is destined to undergo progressive irreversible injury. BACKGROUND Previous studies have suggested that hibernating myocardium eventually results in progressive dysfunction. Since serial studies cannot be performed in humans, the temporal progression of physiologic and structural adaptations was evaluated in pigs with hibernating myocardium. METHODS Pigs were instrumented with a left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) stenosis (1.5 mm) and underwent physiologic studies three to five months later to quantify regional function, perfusion and 18F-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake. Viability was confirmed by histology and contractile reserve. RESULTS Hibernating myocardium was characterized by severe regional dysfunction (centerline score, −1.9 ± 0.1), reduced resting subendocardial flow (LAD: 0.85 ± 0.03 vs. normal: 1.02 ± 0.03 ml/min/g, p CONCLUSIONS Thus, physiologic and structural features of hibernating myocardium remain constant for at least two months. The absence of functional deterioration or progressive fibrosis suggests that hibernation is adaptive rather than an unstable physiology destined to progress to irreversible injury. The stability of this model appears ideally suited for interventions targeted to improve flow and function in chronically dysfunctional myocardium.
Physiological studies on ergot: Influence of 5-methyltryptophan on alkaloid biosynthesis and the incorporation of tryptophan analogs into protein.

Time-course studies were performed which compared the influence of 5-methyltryptophan to tryptophan on alkaloid formation in ergot strain SD-58. Evidence was obtained that confirms the role of tryptophan as an inducer of alkaloid synthesis. Additional studies were conducted to determine the incorporation into protein of the tryptophan analogs: 5-methyltryptophan, 7-methyltryptophan, and 1-N-methyltryptophan, when they are supplied exogenously to the fungus. Incorporation was observed; however, it was insignificant when compared to the amount of tryptophan incorporated.
PLAY PREFERENCE AND PLAY BEHAVIOR: A VALIDITY STUDY.

A series of studies on :he relationship between children's responses to play inventories and their acruzl free play behavior was planned in collaboration with Vaughn J. Crandall of Fels Research Institute, 0hio.Vrior to the death of Dr. Crandall two initial studies were made at the Fels Day Camp during the summers of 1962 and 1963. Each study involved 50 elementary school age children equally divided as to sex and distributed throughout Grades 1 to 6. The play inventory items were derived from a list which had been shown to have discriminating power in a series of earlier studies (3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11). The children were rated for their competence and participation in masculine and feminine free-play activities. There were problems in establishing an adequately high degree of reliability for some of these ratings. Ratings were also available for other dimensions of free-play behavior (including dependency, aggression, passivity, and achievement) which had been used in Dr. Crandall's large scale studies of children's achievement behaviors ( 1 ) . In the first study involving a play scale composed mainly of formal games and mature items (2), there were consistent relations berween girls' play preferences and their free. play participation and competence. For boys there was no such general relationship between scale responses and free-play behavior. However, sex inappropriate responses did correlate with dependency behavior toward adults, a finding consistent with those of earlier studies (5, 9). In the second study a more inclusive play scale was employed, involving many informal plays as well as games, and many more immarure items (7). In addition, masculine and feminine responses were scored separately rather than combined in one score as in the first study. The results indicated what appeared to be a response set operating for both boys and girls; those who tended to make many responses to the masculine scale also tended to make many responses to the feminine scale. In general, the correlates suggested that high responding girls tended to be more intelligent and more masculine in their free-play behaviors, and the high responding boys tended to be younger and more feminine in their free-play behaviors. The tentative conclusion from these two preliminary studies was that systematic, if not direct, relztionships exist between certain types of play preference and play behaviors and that play scales may be a potential diagnostic device 'A full report of these preliminary studies including tables is available from the American Documentation Institute, Auxiliary Publications Project, Photoduplication Service, Library of Congress, Washington 25, D. C. Remit $2.50 for photocopies or $1.75 for 35-mm. microfilm of Document No. 8111. This research was aided by a grant from U. S. P. H., MH-2238.