cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hormones and nocturnal penile tumescence in healthy aging men

There is no information on the relationship between endogenous pituitary and gonadal hormones and nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) in healthy aging men. Sixty-seven married volunteers ages 45–74 years were studied in the sleep laboratory for 4 nights with the last night devoted to sequential blood sampling every 20 min. Bioavailable testosterone (bT) correlated significantly with several NPT measures while total testosterone, estradiol, LH, and prolactin were mostly unrelated to NPT. All bT—NPT correlations lost their significance after adjustment by multiple regression for the effect of age on both bT and NPT variables in the total subject sample. Analysis of bT—NPT relations by age groups revealed a significant association between bT and duration NPT in men ages 55 to 64 years, but no statistical relations in younger and older age groups. Changes in the central threshold of activation of NPT as age progresses may explain the age-dependent effect of bT in sleep erections.
Covariance matrix patterns invariant under multiplication and inversion

Abstract A covariance matrix with one value on the diagonal and a second value everywhere else has an explicit inverse with the same pattern. This paper explores a new matrix pattern, which arises from the covariances of second-moment statistics of exchangeable r.v.s. It is shown that multiplication and inversion of matrices with this new pattern are pattern-invariant. Extensions are indicated for larger formulations that involve different-sized submatrices.
Prehospital misidentification of tachydysrhythmias: A report of five cases

Identification and treatment of tachydysrhythmias is an important element of prehospital care. Five cases of prehospital misidentification of tachydysrhythmias are presented to highlight the challenges and pitfalls of field management. The literature is reviewed and discussed in light of new therapies and technology. Guidelines for patient subgroups potentially benefitting from on-line medical control and biotelemetry are explored.
Space-based LH2 propellant storage system: subscale ground testing results

Abstract An orbital cryogenic liquid storage facility will be one of the essential elements of the US Space Program to realize the benefits of space-based cryogenic propulsion vehicles such as NASA's space transfer vehicle (STV) for transporting personnel and scientific packages from a space station in low earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous orbit (GEO), the moon and beyond. Long-term thermal control of LH 2 and LO 2 storage cryotanks is a key technical objective for many NASA and SDI programmes. Improved retention using refrigeration, boil-off vapour-cooled shields (VCSs), multilayer superinsulation (MLI) and para-ortho (P-O) hydrogen conversion are the required state-of-the-art techniques. The cryotank system level development testing (CSLDT) programme has supported the development of these technologies. Under the programme, trade studies and analyses were followed by the design and construction of a subscale LH 2 storage facility test article for steady-state and transient thermal tests. A two-stage gaseous helium (GHe) refrigerator was integrated with the test article and used to reduce boil-off and/or decrease the time required between passive test configuration steady-state conditions. The LH 2 tank, mounted in a vacuum chamber, was thermally shielded from the chamber wall by MLI blankets and two VCSs. The VCSs were cooled with either LH 2 boil-off gas (through an optional P-O converter) or refrigerated GHe. The CSLDT test article design, assembly and results from 400 hours of thermal tests are presented along with important conclusions. A comparison of predicted and measured steady-state boil-off rates is provided for 10 test configurations, and the system time constant is addressed. Also presented are some of the unique issues and challenges encountered during these tests that are related to instrumentation and control.
A comparison of anticoagulants for the analysis of glucose concentration and for haematological measurements in bovine blood

Abstract Blood samples were taken from 18 cows into a potassium oxalate-sodium fluoride mixture, or a potassium oxalate-ammonium oxalate-ammonium fluoride mixture, or into ethylene diamine tetraacetate. Haematocrit, and the concentrations of glucose in the blood and blood plasma, were determined in each sample. Blood samples from another 6 cows were taken into the same anticoagulant mixtures and stored at 4 °C., room temperature, or 37 °C. The concentrations of glucose in the blood and plasma, haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, erythrocyte count, and haemoglobin concentrations were determined at intervals of up to 96 h. after collection. Blood taken into the potassium oxalate-sodium fluoride mixture had reduced values for haematocrit, but there were no significant differences in haematocrit between samples taken into the other 2 anticoagulants. Little difference in the glucose concentrations of whole blood was apparent in samples taken into the 2 fluoride containing anticoagulant mixtures, but plasma concentrations of glucose were significantly lower in the samples taken into the potassium oxalate-sodium fluoride mixture. Consistent values for all determinations were obtained up to 96 h. when samples were stored at 4 °C. Some haemolysis and glycolysis occurred during storage at higher temperatures. This was more severe in the potassium oxalate-sodium fluoride mixture than in the potassium oxalate-ammonium oxalate-ammonium fluoride mixture. It is concluded that the latter is preferable for blood to be used for the determination of glucose concentrations and for haematological measurements in the metabolic profile testing of dairy herds.
Identification of sex pheromone of calendula plume mothPlatyptilia williamsii.

The sex pheromone of the calendula plume moth,Platyptilia williamsii was identified as (Z)-11-hexadecenal (Z11–16∶Aid). Extracts of female sex pheromone glands contained several compounds when analyzed by capillary and packed-column GLC. However, airborne collections of volatiles from glands contained only one of these compounds, having the same retention time asZ11–16∶Ald. GC-MS and microozonolysis analyses of the natural product were consistent with those of syntheticZ11–16∶Ald. In a flight tunnel, males oriented upwind and touched sources ofZ11–16∶Ald and gland extract with equal frequency. Field tests of syntheticZ11–16∶Ald already have shown it to be a potent sex attractant for males of this species. This study further supports the hypothesis thatP. williamsii and a sympatric species,Platyptilia carduidactyla, are not reproductively isolated by chemical differences in the composition of the sex pheromone, but rather by temporal differences in sexual activities.
Activation of Progesterone Receptor by ATP

Progesterone-receptor complex from freshly prepared hen oviduct cytosol acquired the ability to bind to isolated nuclei, DNA-cellulose and ATP-Sepharose when incubated with 5–10 mM ATP at 4°C. The extent of this ATP-dependent activation was higher when compared with heat-activation achieved by warming the progesterone-receptor complex at 23°C. The transformation of progesterone-receptor complex which occurred in a time-dependent manner was only partially dependent on hormone presence. The ATP effect was selective in causing this transformation whereas ADP, AMP and cAMP failed to show any such effect. The non-hydrolizable analogs of ATP, adenosine 5′-[α, β-methylene]triphosphate and adenosine 5-[β, γ-imido]triphosphate were also found to be ineffective. Presence of 10 mM sodium molybdate blocked both the ATP and the heat-activation of progesterone-receptor complex. Mn2+ or Mg2+ had no detectable effect on the receptor activation but the presence of Ca2+ increased the extent of ATP-activation slightly. EDTA presence (> 5 mM) decreased the extent of receptor activation by about 40 % and was, therefore, not included in the buffers used for activation studies. Divalent cations were also ineffective when tested in the presence of 1–5 mM EDTA. The steroid-binding properties of progesterone-receptor complex remained intact under the above conditions when analyzed for steroid-binding specificity and Scatchard analysis. However, the ATP-activated progesterone-receptor complex lost the ability to aggregate when tested on low-salt sucrose gradients. ATP was equally effective in activating the rat-uterine estradiol-receptor complex at 4 °C and influenced the transformation of 4-S receptor form into a 5-S form when analyzed on sucrose gradients containing 0.3 M KCI. The presence of ATP also increased the rate of activation of progesterone-receptor complex at 23°C. These findings suggest a role for ATP in receptor function and offer a convenient method of studying the process of receptor activation at low temperature and mild assay conditions.
Endogenous Positive Allosteric Modulation of GABAA Receptors by Diazepam binding inhibitor

Summary Benzodiazepines (BZs) allosterically modulate γ-aminobutyric acid type-A receptors (GABA A Rs) to increase inhibitory synaptic strength. Diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI) protein is a BZ site ligand expressed endogenously in the brain, but functional evidence for BZ-mimicking positive modulatory actions has been elusive. We demonstrate an endogenous potentiation of GABAergic synaptic transmission and responses to GABA uncaging in the thalamic reticular nucleus (nRT) that is absent in both nm1054 mice, in which the Dbi gene is deleted, and mice in which BZ binding to α3 subunit-containing GABA A Rs is disrupted. Viral transduction of DBI into nRT is sufficient to rescue the endogenous potentiation of GABAergic transmission in nm1054 mice. Both mutations enhance thalamocortical spike-and-wave discharges characteristic of absence epilepsy. Together, these results indicate that DBI mediates endogenous nucleus-specific BZ-mimicking ("endozepine") roles to modulate nRT function and suppress thalamocortical oscillations. Enhanced DBI signaling might serve as a therapy for epilepsy and other neurological disorders.
How many high production chemicals are rodent carcinogens? Why should we care? What do we need to do about it?

Abstract High production volume (HPV) chemicals are produced in or imported to the US in amounts greater than 1 million pounds per chemical per year. The EPA has identified thousands of HPVs. Due to their abundance, such chemicals bring a substantial risk for human exposure, and as a result some level of adverse consequences to health are to be expected. In order to examine the potential for cancer risk associated with HPVs, this paper examines HPVs that have been tested in the National Toxicology Program’s rodent cancer bioassay. The chemicals tested in the bioassay represent a small sample of the universe of environmental chemicals to which people are exposed. Unexpectedly, 60% of the 128 HPVs evaluated in the bioassay proved to be rodent carcinogens. This value compares to a predicted prevalence of only 16.5% carcinogens in a previous study. The previous study concluded that HPVs were less likely to be toxic by a variety of other test criteria as well. However, the approach involved identifying putative carcinogens using quantitative chemical structure-activity relationships (QSAR) in contrast to the direct tabulation of bioassay test results performed here. Detailed examination of bioassay results reveals that test outcomes depend heavily on route of administration as well as on dose level, sex, strain, and species used. Since most of these factors have little or no apparent relationship to chemical structure, results of this study suggest that QSAR, as well as virtually all other alternative methods, may not generally provide accurate predictions of carcinogenic potential. As we wait for efficient and effective methods for predicting carcinogens to be developed, people continue to be exposed to environmental carcinogens. Progress on regulating environmental carcinogens as well as on developing more effective test methods has been minimal since “war on cancer” began approximately 30 years ago. The present study questions whether the current strategy for dealing with environmental carcinogens will ever be successful. Close examination of rodent cancer test results seems to suggest that almost all chemicals may have carcinogenic potential in some genotypes under some exposure circumstances. If this hypothesis is correct, it would explain the general lack of progress in developing methods to differentiate carcinogens from noncarcinogens. A completely new strategy for dealing with cancer caused by exposures to environmental chemicals seems to be needed.
Thermal and Oxidative Properties of Physiologically Relevant Free Fatty Acids by Dielectric Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Physiologically relevant fatty acids and related organic acids are basic for human life. The essential fatty acids, linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids, are sourced from vegetable seed oils (corn, sunflower, safflower), and margarines blended with vegetable oils. The functions of these special acids are in the synthesis of prostaglandins and membrane structures. Growth cessation and dermatitis occurs with a deficiency of the fatty acids. A typical therapeutic dosage of the essential fatty acids is up to 10 g per day. The polyunsaturated fatty acids. linoleic (9,12-octadecaidienoic), linolenic (9,12,15-octadecatrienoic), and arachidonic (5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic) are referred to as essential fatty acids. They unlike other lipids must be provided by diet. Arachidonic acid can be produced in the body by linoleic acid. This thermal analytical study is to determine fatty acids’ physical transitions [melting] by DSC at low temperatures and their surface properties by low frequency dielectric analysis and relate those properties to the inherent amount of unsaturation in the fatty acids. It is our premise that the degree of unsaturation will affect low temperature melt temperature and electrical properties, e.g., electrical conductivity and complex permittivity. We have observed that the DEA properties of the air-aged liquid fatty acids indicate that the electrical conductivity and complex permittivity can be correlated with the degree of unsaturation. It is our objective to establish a relationship between the amount of unsaturation, number of double bond sites and the electrical properties, complex permittivity, and electrical conductivity.
Contracting Out Parks and Recreation Services: Correcting for Selection Bias Using a Heckman Selection Model

Abstract Despite the growing scholarly attention on the efficiency rationale of contracting out, the empirical evidence to support claims that contracting out service delivery reduces service costs has not been forthcoming. Using transaction cost theories, this research explores park and recreation service provision costs across contractor sectors, controlling for the choice to contract out a service or not. The two-stage Heckman model indicates the importance of competitive markets and economies of scale in reducing transaction cost risk which local governments must face. This research also addresses how state and local institutional settings define the context in which policy decisions are made and implemented.
DNA-based prenatal determination of the RhEe genotype

Background Maternal antibodies to RhE may cause severe hemolytic disease. Based on recent RhD and RhCE sequence information, we have developed a DNA-based testing methodology to determine the RhEe genotype of fetuses at risk for RhE hemolytic disease from amniotic fluid (AF) or chorionic villus samples. Case RhEe testing was undertaken in a fetus at risk for RhE hemolytic disease. Maternal serum anti-E titers had risen between 12–15 weeks' gestation. Optical density (OD 450 ) AF readings also rose slightly between 22–24 weeks' gestation. Both maternal serum titers and AF bilirubin measurements provided early indications that the fetus might have the RhE antigen. Using amniotic cells obtained at the first amniocentesis, DNA was extracted and analyzed for the RhE gene sequence. The use of two primer pairs from distinct sites in the RhCE gene, plus analysis of parental DNA, greatly minimized the possibility of false results. The fetus was determined to be Rhe/Rhe by molecular analysis. The DNA result was confirmed by serologic typing at birth. Conclusion DNA-based RhEe genotyping of at-risk fetuses provides accurate and timely information that is useful in the management of RhE-sensitized pregnancies.
Slow-Wave Sleep-Imposed Replay Modulates Both Strength and Precision of Memory

Odor perception is hypothesized to be an experience-dependent process involving the encoding of odor objects by distributed olfactory cortical ensembles. Olfactory cortical neurons coactivated by a specific pattern of odorant evoked input become linked through association fiber synaptic plasticity, creating a template of the familiar odor. In this way, experience and memory play an important role in odor perception and discrimination. In other systems, memory consolidation occurs partially via slow-wave sleep (SWS)-dependent replay of activity patterns originally evoked during waking. SWS is ideal for replay given hyporesponsive sensory systems, and thus reduced interference. Here, using artificial patterns of olfactory bulb stimulation in a fear conditioning procedure in the rat, we tested the effects of imposed post-training replay during SWS and waking on strength and precision of pattern memory. The results show that imposed replay during post-training SWS enhanced the subsequent strength of memory, whereas the identical replay during waking induced extinction. The magnitude of this enhancement was dependent on the timing of imposed replay relative to cortical sharp-waves. Imposed SWS replay of stimuli, which differed from the conditioned stimulus, did not affect conditioned stimulus memory strength but induced generalization of the fear memory to novel artificial patterns. Finally, post-training disruption of piriform cortex intracortical association fiber synapses, hypothesized to be critical for experience-dependent odor coding, also impaired subsequent memory precision but not strength. These results suggest that SWS replay in the olfactory cortex enhances memory consolidation, and that memory precision is dependent on the fidelity of that replay.
Hyaluronate synthesis by synovial villi in organ culture.

Individual canine synovial villi were used to establish short-term synovial organ cultures. These villi incorporated /sup 3/H-glucosamine into highly-polymerized /sup 3/H-hyaluronic acid (/sup 3/H-HA), which was the only /sup 3/H-glycosaminoglycan identified in the culture medium. Some /sup 3/H-HA, and larger amounts of other /sup 3/H-glycosaminoglycans, were recovered from cultured tissues. Culture medium /sup 3/H-HA content was proportional to the surface area of cultured villi. Organ cultures of nonvillous synovium were compared with villi; nonvillous cultures synthesized less /sup 3/H-HA per mm2 of their synovial intimal surface than villi. These cultures complement cell culture techniques for in vitro studies of synovial lining cell function.
Provenance of sandstone inclusions in the Paleozoic Sierra City mélange, Sierra Nevada, California

The Sierra City melange between Bowman Lake and East Fork Creek contains abundant feldspar-poor and feldspar-rich sandstone inclusions. A petrologic study of samples from these inclusions indicates that the average feldspar-poor sandstone is composed of 69% Q, 4% F, and 27% L. In contrast, the average feldspar-rich sandstone is composed of 34% Q, 46% F, and 20% L. On the QFL provenance-discrimination diagram of Dickinson and others, the feldspar-rich sandstones plot in the dissected magmatic-arc field, and the feldspar-poor sandstones plot in the recycled-orogen field. Previous work indicates that detrital zircons in the plagioclase-rich sandstones were derived from a source that probably included Upper Cambrian/Lower Ordovician rocks and that feldspar-poor sandstones contain round to subround Precambrian detrital zircons. These data indicate that feldspar-rich sandstones were derived from lower Paleozoic volcanic/plutonic rocks and that feldspar-poor sandstones probably were derived from associated metasedimentary, sedimentary, and volcanic rocks. The location of the source of the sand-sized feldspathic and volcanic detritus in the Sierra City melange is problematical. The source may be an unidentified magmatic-arc terrane located somewhere along the Pacific rim.
Effect of a large prostate gland on open and robotically assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcomes based on gland size between robotically assisted radical prostatectomy (RALP) and open RP (RRP), as larger prostates might increase the difficulty of RP. PATIENTS AND METHODS We reviewed 660 patients who had RALP and 340 who had RRP from May 2003 to August 2006; the patients were divided into two groups, with a prostate of >75 and ≤75 g. The clinical characteristics, surgical approach, perioperative and postoperative outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS Patients with large prostates were significantly older (P < 0.001), but had a lower pathological stage (RALP, P = 0.046, and RRP, P = 0.008) than patients with small glands, regardless of technique. There was no difference in length of stay or transfusion rates between the groups. A large prostate increased the operative duration of RALP (P < 0.001) but not of RRP. For both RALP and RRP, positive margin rates were lower with larger glands (RALP, P = 0.014; RRP, P = 0.033). Overall, the positive margin rates were lower with RALP (9.9% and 19.0%) than RRP (18.5% and 35.5%) among patients with larger or smaller (P < 0.001) glands, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Prostates of ≥75 g had fewer positive margins than smaller glands, regardless of surgical technique. There was also a significant decrease in positive margin rate in among prostates of >75 g in favour of RALP. Thus, RALP appears to be comparable with RRP for patients with large glands, and might reduce the positive margin rate.
Phenomenology of precipitation in copper-20 pct nickel-20 pct manganese

The precipitation phenomena in the alloy copper-20 pct nickel-20 pct manganese have been investigated. Utilizing transmission electron microscopy as the principal tool; the effects of aging temperature and time as well as prior cold work were studied. For all aging temperatures the reaction products are the solute depleted fcc solid solution and an ordered structure with fct symmetry. Three aging temperatures characterized by different precipitate morphologies were studied. At 350°C discontinuous precipitation is the predominant mode of decomposition. Precipitate colonies nucleate at grain and twin boundaries and eventually grow through the entire structure. Microtwinning of the colony matrix accompanies the precipitation reaction. At 450°C both grain boundary nucleated discontinuous precipitates and fine periodic homogeneous arrays are observed in the absence of cold work. The fine periodic arrays coarsen and eventually form nuclei for the ordered fct phase. The coarsening of the periodic arrays prohibits the growth of the discontinuous precipitate early in the process, so only a small volume fraction of discontinuous precipitate is formed at the grain boundaries. Aging subsequent to cold work results in ordered, fct precipitates heterogeneously nucleated on dislocations. At 500°C no precipitate is observed in the absence of cold work. When aging is preceded by cold work, the ordered fct phase appears as heterogeneously nucleated Widmanstatten laths. No grain boundary nucleated colonies are observed at this temperature.
Intubation and tracheostomy paradigm paralysis.

Paradigm paralysis, a term originating in the manufacturing business, is the failure to learn new and superior approaches because they differ radically from the generally employed methods in which one has invested time and energy. It is the terminal disease of misplaced certainty. Using a “mini-trach” for ventilatory assistance and airway access1 is an extension of the paradigm that tracheostomy is required for continuous long-term ventilatory support. Because 90% of episodes of respiratory failure in patients with neuromuscular disease (NMD) develop during chest infections,2 mini-trach appears to be justified—until one considers alternatives. A number of centers,3-5⇓⇓ including at least five Muscular Dystrophy Association centers,6 provide continuous ventilatory support without tracheostomy indefinitely for many patients by training them in daytime mouthpiece intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) and nighttime lipseal or nasal IPPV. Intercurrent chest infections are treated by noninvasive IPPV along with manually and mechanically assisted coughing. This has been …
Control of the compressibility of the canine trachea.

Abstract We filled 8 to 13 cm closed segments of the intrathoracic trachea of anesthetized dogs with saline and measured pressure-volume relationships during removal of fluid, an experimental situation which is physiologically equivalent to compression of the trachea. We studied the effects of graded increases in active tension of trachealis muscle using electrical stimulation of the vago-sympathetic trunk. Tracheal compliance during compression was inversely proportional to the estimated active tension of trachealis muscle. With maximal stimulation tracheal compliance during compression decreased to values as low as 25% of that determined without stimulation. With stimulations giving increases in active tension of less than 5% of maximum, significant decreases in compressibility occurred. These findings suggest that tracheal compressibility can be altered by very small changes in muscle active tension and can be finely controlled via nervous control of the trachealis muscle. Evidence is presented that changes in the compressibility of the trachea can occur under conditions where tracheal cartilages do not overlap. Isovolumetric stimulation allowed measurement of in vivo isometric rates of contraction of trachealis muscle and gave data similar to those found by others who used in vitro muscle strip preparations.
Sedimentation‐resistant electrorheological fluids based on PVAL‐coated microballoons

Sedimentation is often a problem in electrorheological (ER) fluids featuring solid particles suspended in a low-density hydrocarbon oil. This problem was addressed by synthesizing particles comprising silica microballoons coated with PVAL using a salt-induced coacervation process. The ER performance of the fluids based on these particles was equivalent to prototypical commercial fluids, both with respect to current leakage and shear stress under steady simple shear flow. For comparing diverse fluids as to these practical characteristics, a dimensionless ER effectiveness number, Er, was proposed: Er = σγ/EJ where σ is the shear stress, γ is the shear rate, E is the electric field, and is the current. The resulting uniform coatings were also found to impart a degree of resistance to breakage.
Structural Characterization of Poly(silylenemethylene)

The molecular structure of the monosilicon analog of poly(ethylene), poly(silylenemethylene), CH3[SiH2CH2]nSiH3, or poly(silaethylene) (PSE), was characterized by means of high-resolution 1H, 13C, ...
Indecent Exposure: Self-objectification and Young Women’s Attitudes Toward Breastfeeding

The sexualization of the breast may lead women who internalize the sexual objectification of their bodies to have more negative attitudes toward breastfeeding. The purpose of the present study was to examine self-objectification in relation to young women’s attitudes toward and concerns about breastfeeding. Two hundred and seventy-five female undergraduates completed a survey with questions that assessed their plans for infant feeding, attitudes toward breastfeeding, concerns about breastfeeding, and self-objectification. Women who scored higher on measures of self-objectification were more likely to view public breastfeeding as indecent and to be concerned that breastfeeding would be embarrassing and would negatively impact their bodies and sexuality. Self-objectification was not related to general attitudes toward breastfeeding or to young women’s future infant feeding plans. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.
AUTHIGENIC CEMENTATION OF SCORIACEOUS DEEP‐SEA SEDIMENTS WEST OF THE SOCIETY RIDGE, SOUTH PACIFIC1

SUMMARY Harmotome-rich scorias and indurated tuffaceous mudstones occur in sediments west of the Society Ridge, South Pacific. Diagenetic alteration of mafic palagonite produces the following authigenic minerals: harmotome, phillipsite, goethite, limonite and montmorillonite. A major mode of induration of pyroclastic-rich marine sediments is the devitrification of mafic palagonite producing the following diagenetic cementing minerals: phillipsite, harmotome, limonite, and to some extent, manganese and ferromanganese oxides.
Posnerian Law and Economics on the Bench

Richard A. Posner has been one of the most productive and influential scholars working in the field of law and economics. Indeed the prolific and wide-ranging nature of his writings, the vigour with which he has advanced his particular approach and its supporting arguments, together with the absorbing quality of that approach, have in combination resulted in his having set the agenda for much of the scholarship — research and arguments — during the last decade.’In fact much of the work in the field of law and economics represents footnotes to and arguments over his approach and its many applications.
Electron microscopy of the connective tissues between longitudinal and circular muscle of small intestine of cat

Electrotonic spread of applied potentials was observed between longitudinal and circular muscle layers of the small intestine with no rectification. Nexal junctions were demonstrated between muscle fibers of each layer. Connective tissue cells bridged between the two muscle layers. These showed structural characteristics of fibrocytes and of interstitial cells. Some nexuses were seen between connective tissue cells and between these cells and muscle fibers of each layer but in most junctions the membranes were 10-18 nm apart. Since connective tissue can serve for electrical conduction between cultured heart cells and since electrical properties of intestinal muscle permit transmission with low degrees of coupling, it is suggested that interstitial cells and fibrocytes may electrically couple longitudinal and circular muscle layers of cat intestine.
Geographies of identity theft in the U.S.: understanding spatial and demographic patterns, 2002–2006

Identity theft is among the fastest growing white-collar crimes in the United States, although official recognition of it as a criminal act is a relatively recent development. Utilizing theoretical framework established in crime geography, GIS mapping and spatial statistics are employed to conduct a spatial analysis of identity theft in the U.S. from 2002 to 2006. Distinct regional variations, such as high rates in the western and southwestern states, and low rates in New England and the central plains states, are identified for identity theft. Significant spatial patterns of identity theft victims alongside social demographic variables are also revealed in order to better understand the regional patterns that may suggest underlying social causes contributing to identity theft. Potential social variables, such as race/ethnicity and urban–rural populations, are shown to have similar patterns that may be directly associated with U.S. identity theft victims.
Monomethyl branched-chain fatty acids play an essential role in Caenorhabditis elegans development

Monomethyl branched-chain fatty acids (mmBCFAs) are commonly found in many organisms from bacteria to mammals. In humans, they have been detected in skin, brain, blood, and cancer cells. Despite a broad distribution, mmBCFAs remain exotic in eukaryotes, where their origin and physiological roles are not understood. Here we report our study of the function and regulation of mmBCFAs in Caenorhabditis elegans, combining genetics, gas chromatography, and DNA microarray analysis. We show that C. elegans synthesizes mmBCFAs de novo and utilizes the long-chain fatty acid elongation enzymes ELO-5 and ELO-6 to produce two mmBCFAs, C15ISO and C17ISO. These mmBCFAs are essential for C. elegans growth and development, as suppression of their biosynthesis results in a growth arrest at the first larval stage. The arrest is reversible and can be overcome by feeding the arrested animals with mmBCFA supplements. We show not only that the levels of C15ISO and C17ISO affect the expression of several genes, but also that the activities of some of these genes affect biosynthesis of mmBCFAs, suggesting a potential feedback regulation. One of the genes, lpd-1, encodes a homolog of a mammalian sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP 1c). We present results suggesting that elo-5 and elo-6 may be transcriptional targets of LPD-1. This study exposes unexpected and crucial physiological functions of C15ISO and C17ISO in C. elegans and suggests a potentially important role for mmBCFAs in other eukaryotes.
Editorial: Transforming Global Health, Global Health Education, Infectious Disease, and Chronic Conditions in the 21st Century

Chronic and infectious diseases, including health care-associated infections and tropical diseases, represent a large portion of the global health burden. Solutions need to be found while addressing other health priorities identified by the Millennium Development Goals. A number of organizations and initiatives have been created to meet this need. Developing countries in Latin America and several African countries are taking a larger role in the development of robust health systems, capacity building, and education. Integrated, efficient, and equitable health systems that incorporate primary, secondary, and tertiary care models with a research focus are critically needed to fill this void.
Accurately Assessing Expectations Most Important to Restaurant Patrons: The Creation of the DinEX Scale

Over the years, those studying the restaurant industry have attempted to accurately assess what expectations are most important to restaurant patrons. The results have been centered on the domains of food, service, and atmosphere. This research adds the domain of social connectedness and homophily to the model. A scale to accurately and efficiently measure these concepts was created utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research techniques and engaging 5 samples numbering 2,500 respondents. Five stages were employed to provide validity, reliability, stability, and homogeneity. A 20-item sale—DinEX—was created using a two-step confirmatory analysis approach.
The Synthesis of Electron Donor-acceptor Substituted Pyrazoles

A variety of 1,3- and 1,5-donor-acceptor substituted pyrazole derivatives have been synthesized by the cyclocondensation of a,b-ethynyl ketones with substituted phenyl hydrazines. The regioselectivity of the cyclization depends on the reaction conditions in a manner consistent with competitive 1,2- and 1,4-addition followed by ring closure. 1,4-Disubstituted derivatives can be prepared from the corresponding 4-iodopyrazole using palladium catalyzed carbon-carbon bond forming reactions. The pyrazole chromophores are expected to show interesting nonlinear optical properties.
Ultrafast measurements of electronic and optical properties of mid-IR, strain-balanced, superlattice laser materials

We describe measurements and calculations of the density and temperature dependence of Auger recombination and the density dependent absorption (or gain) spectra in a 4-/spl mu/m band gap multilayer superlattice designed for Auger suppression. We use these results to estimate threshold current densities, characteristic temperatures, and linewidth enhancement factors in this optimized, mid-IR laser active region.
WHAT COGNITIONS PREDICT STATE ANGER

This study evaluated the relationship between specific cognitions and state anger. Clinical outpatients (23%), workplace recruits (37%), and college students (40%) (N = 236, mean age = 31.68) completed a questionnaire, the Anger Episode Record (AER), which asked them to describe an experience that elicited feelings of irritation, annoyance, anger, fury, or rage. They rated the intensity of their anger, cognitions, physiological responses, behaviors, and consequences for the specific episode. A stepwise multiple regression suggests that cognitions for revenge accounted for the greatest variance in predicting state anger, R = .26, p = .00, followed by demands on event, R = .32, p = .00, self-efficacy, R = .37, p = .00, and demands of others, R = .39, p = .04, respectively. The role of these cognitions in psychotherapy and interventions for angry clients is discussed.
Toward a General Analytic Framework: Organizational Settings, Policy Goals, and Street-Level Behavior

The way frontline workers in human service organizations implement policy is greatly influenced by how their jobs are structured within particular organizational settings. Although scholars of street-level bureaucracy have provided important insights into this relationship in specific situations, they rarely move beyond case study findings toward a more general research approach. Through cross-case analysis of fieldwork from California welfare and welfare-to-work programs, the authors inductively developed a framework for investigating how organizational setting mediates between policy goals and frontline behavior. The authors illustrate the use of this framework for welfare programs and street-level studies more generally using illustrations from their prewelfare reform study as well as from more recent postreform/Temporary Aid to Needy Families studies.
Attentional enhancement during multiple-object tracking

What is the role of attention in multiple-object tracking? Does attention enhance target representations, suppress distractor representations, or both? It is difficult to ask this question in a purely behavioral paradigm without altering the very attentional allocation one is trying to measure. In the present study, we used event-related potentials to examine the early visual evoked responses to task-irrelevant probes without requiring an additional detection task. Subjects tracked two targets among four moving distractors and four stationary distractors. Brief probes were flashed on targets, moving distractors, stationary distractors, or empty space. We obtained a significant enhancement of the visually evoked P1 and N1 components (∼100–150 msec) for probes on targets, relative to distractors. Furthermore, good trackers showed larger differences between target and distractor probes than did poor trackers. These results provide evidence of early attentional enhancement of tracked target items and also provide a novel approach to measuring attentional allocation during tracking.
Analysis and coloring of a shotgun cellular system

This paper analyzes cellular systems where the base stations are placed at random. Analysis compares the base station to mobile link in random systems to ideal hexagonal systems. Under log-normal shadow fading and sectorizing-but no channel planning-the random system has carrier to interference levels within 4 dB and spectral efficiency within 2 dB of the hexagonal system. A simple linear-time channel assignment algorithm reduces each of these differences by 1 dB. Thus, at a modest cost in performance, deployment costs and deployment speed can be greatly reduced.
ReMo : An Energy Efficient Reprogramming Protocol for Mobile Sensor Networks

Existing code update protocols for reprogramming nodes in a sensor network are either unsuitable or inefficient when used in a mobile environment. The prohibitive factor of uncertainty about a node's location due to their continuous movement coupled with the obvious constraint of a node's limited resources, pose daunting challenges to the design of an effective code dissemination protocol for mobile sensor networks. In this paper, we propose ReMo, an energy efficient, multihop reprogramming protocol for mobile sensor networks. Without making any assumptions on the location of nodes, ReMo uses the LQI and RSSI measurements of received packets to estimate link qualities and relative distances with neighbors in order to select the best node for code exchange. The protocol is based on a probabilistic broadcast paradigm with the mobile nodes smoothly modifying their advertisement transmission rates based on the dynamic changes in network density, thereby saving valuable energy. Contrary to previous protocols, ReMo downloads pages regardless of their order, thus, exploiting the mobility of the nodes and facilitating a fast transfer of the code. Our simulation results show significant improvement in reprogramming time and number of message transmissions over other existing protocols under different settings of network mobility.
Relationship between clinical efficacy and laboratory correlates of inflammatory and immunologic activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs

Eighteen rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, who had been treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) only, were enrolled in a 12-week, open-label, randomized protocol to determine whether clinical responses might be associated with improvement in laboratory measures of inflammation and immunologic activity in RA patients treated with NSAIDs. Following a 2-week drug washout period, patients were given either long-acting ibuprofen (2,400 mg/day) or flurbiprofen (200 mg/day); clinical, laboratory, and immunologic assessments were done biweekly for 10 weeks. A clinical efficacy index, utilizing a combination of measures of disease activity, identified 7 “responders” and 10 “nonresponders” (1 patient discontinued therapy because of a rash). Flow cytometric analysis revealed no abnormalities in the numbers of circulating CD3+, CD4+, or CD8+ lymphocytes in the 17 patients. The density of these T cell markers at enrollment was similar in patients and control subjects. However, following the 2-week drug washout, significant worsening of morning stiffness, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) was accompanied by a significant decrease (P ⩾ 0.05) in the density of these T cell surface determinants, as is characteristic of activated T cells. After 10 weeks of NSAID therapy, increased density of CD3, CD4, and CD8 was observed in 47%, 73%, and 50% of the patients, respectively. However, in only the responders was the density of these T cell surface markers increased significantly (P ⩾ 0.04). The responders, but not the nonresponders, also demonstrated significant reductions in the ESR, CRP level, serum IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) titer, and spontaneous synthesis of RF by lymphocytes in vitro (P ⩾ 0.05). There were significant correlations between improvements in the clinical parameters (50-foot walk time, joint score, and global assessment) and reductions in the ESR, CRP level, and serum RF titer (P ⩾ 0.05). These findings demonstrate that clinical improvement in RA patients treated with NSAIDs may be associated with the disappearance of phenotypically activated circulating T cells and functionally activated B cells, as well as with reductions in acute-phase reactants and serum RF titers.
Enhancing reliability of operational interconnections in FPGAs

SRAM-based field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have fixed numbers of wires, switches, and look-up tables. An application does not fully utilize all available components in a FPGA, e.g. wires. In this paper, we propose methods to improve reliability of less reliable operational interconnections by efficiently utilizing unused wires to mark errors dynamically. With these methods, we are able to improve the reliability of more than two-thirds of all interconnections in the studied MCNC benchmarks. As a result, the overall unreliability of operational interconnections decreases more than 20%.
Implementing a low power TDMA protocol over 802.11

A wireless network of remotely located, self-powered video sensors must make efficient use of limited network capacity and power. An ideal media-access protocol for such a network would fully utilize available throughput while using no more power than necessary and maintaining a reasonable level of fairness. To accomplish these goals, the paper proposes and evaluates a time-division multiple-access protocol that may run on top of unmodified IEEE 802.11 hardware. Our protocol uses an 802.11 access point as a controller for a set of 802.11 clients. The controller allocates timeslots to its clients; during its timeslot, a client may send to and receive from the controller. Each client may turn its radio off during other clients' timeslots to save power that would otherwise be wasted contending for a busy channel. We compare and contrast our protocol to other wireless power-saving mechanisms, then discuss the design and implementation of our protocol and its performance compared to standard 802.11 in terms of throughput, power, and fairness. We conclude that our protocol offers a significant reduction in power consumption and improved fairness. Finally, we show that our protocol's throughput is similar to that of standard 802.11.
Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome.

Background: A 47-year-old athletic man without relevant medical history consulted the vascular surgeon because of claudication in his left leg after 50 meters walking. There was no history of trauma and the clinical examination revealed coldness of the left foot. POPLITEAL ARTERY ENTRAPMENT SYNDROME R. Toorop, J. Poniewierski, J. Gielen, M. Maes, P. Van Schil, O. d’Archambeau Key-word: Arteries, extremities
The Psychiatric Consultant as a Change Agent in the Community

As the field of social and community psychiatry continues to expand, psychiatrists are obliged to bring their knowledge and experience to bear on matters of directing and implementing change. The authors describe the role of the psychiatrist as an active agent of change in coordinating a placement program for disturbed adolescents in Los Angeles County, Calif.
The role of the pectoral fins in body trim of sharks

In a large aquarium the leopard shark Triakis semifasciata, sand tiger shark Odontaspis taurus, sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus, and spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias cruised steadily at 0·1-0·7 body lengths s-1. Relative to the trajectory of the shark, the pectoral fins were maintained at a positive angle of ttack regardless of vertical direction. For level swimming the mean angle of attack for the pectoral fin was 11±1·7, 10·1±1·3°, 9·3±1·3°, and 15·0±0·0 for T. semifasciata, C. plumbeus, O. taurus, and S. acanthias, respectively. The long axis of the body was canted at an angle of attack for T. semifasciata and S. acanthias, but trim was maintained during level swimming for C. plumbeus and O. taurus. Hydrodynamic analysis of the body and fin design of T. semifasciata indicated that the pectoral fins could develop suffcient pitching moment to maintain depth and keep the body in trim. Demonstration of positive angles of attack support the hypothesis that lift is generated in the anterior body to counterbalance the lift produced by the heterocercal tail.
Pain for objectivists: The case of matters of mere taste

Can we adequately account for our reasons of mere taste without holding that our desires ground such reasons? Recently, Scanlon and Parfit have argued that we can, pointing to pleasure and pain as the grounds of such reasons. In this paper I take issue with each of their accounts. I conclude that we do not yet have a plausible rival to a desire-based understanding of the grounds of such reasons.