cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multivariate analysis of the association between oocyte donor characteristics, including basal follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and age, and IVF cycle outcomes

Objective To determine whether oocyte donor FSH and age are independently associated IVF cycle success. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting University hospital-based IVF clinic. Patient(s) Three hundred twelve donor/recipient pairs undergoing oocyte donation IVF. Main Outcome Measure(s) Number of mature oocytes and embryos, clinical pregnancy, and live birth rates. Result(s) Donors' basal FSH levels were not associated with IVF cycle outcomes. However, for every year increase in donor age, the number of mature oocytes decreased by 0.39 and the number of embryos decreased by 0.25 resulting in 1 less embryo for each 4-year increase in age, even in young donors. For every 100 pg/mL increase in estradiol on the day of hCG administration, the number of mature oocytes increased by 0.49 and the number of embryos increased by 0.36. For each additional 75 IU of gonadotropin used during stimulation, the likelihood of pregnancy and live birth decreased by 3.5%. Conclusion(s) Donor oocyte IVF cycle outcomes were not associated with donor basal FSH. However, donor age and estradiol level on the day of hCG administration were significantly associated with numbers of mature oocytes and embryos obtained, and the amount of gonadotropin used in the stimulation was significantly associated with the likelihood of pregnancy and live birth.
Effects of Strategy Instruction on Summary Writing of College Students.

Abstract Unskilled writers in a large urban university were taught summarization strategies based on T. A. van Dijk and W. Kintsch's (1983) text-processing theory. College freshmen enrolled in a prefreshman writing course (n = 147) were randomly assigned to three conditions for 2 days of classroom instruction in constructing a summary. Summarization instruction conditions were argument repetition or generalization with a control group taught to examine personal judgments of importance. Analysis of test summaries showed instruction in generalization was significantly more effective for stating a thesis statement. Both argument repetition and generalization were significantly more effective than the control condition in judging the importance of content. Implications for further research and for reading instruction are discussed.
Altered norepinephrine regulation in bulimia: effects of pharmacological challenge with isoproterenol.

Abstract While abnormalities in central norepinephrine regulation may contribute to abnormal eating patterns in bulimia nervosa, alterations in function of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system could contribute to the decreased metabolic rate and increased anxiety responses previously reported in these patients. To assess β-adrenergic receptor sensitivity in bulimic patients, we studied cardiovascular and hormonal responses to acute pharmacological challenge with intravenously administered isoproterenol. In comparison to healthy controls, binge-abstinent bulimic patients had significantly reduced mean baseline plasma norepinephrine level, pulse rate, and systolic blood pressure, and significantly increased chronotropic responses to isoproterenol infusion. Decreased sympathoneural activity may contribute to a tendency for bulimic patients to maintain body weight despite low caloric intake.
Direct Observation of Domains in Wet Lipid Bilayers

Domain structure and phase separation in hydrated lipid bilayers have been imaged directly by selected reflection dark-field electron microscopy. Domains in multicomponent bilayers are much smaller than those in single component bilayers, in agreement with results obtained by selected area electron diffraction.
c-Myc-mediated Regulation of Telomerase Activity Is Disabled in Immortalized Cells

Myc overexpression is a hallmark of human cancer and promotes transformation by facilitating immortalization. This function has been linked to the ability of c-Myc to induce the expression of the catalytic subunit of telomerase, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), as ectopic expression of TERT immortalizes some primary human cell types. c-Myc up-regulates telomerase activity in primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and myeloid cells. Paradoxically, Myc overexpression also triggers the ARF-p53 apoptotic program, which is activated when MEFs undergo replicative crises following culture ex vivo. The rare immortal variants that arise from these cultures generally suffer mutations in p53 or deleteInk4a/ARF, and Myc greatly increases the frequency of these events. Alternative reading frame (ARF)- and p53-null MEFs have increased telomerase activity, as do variant immortal clones that bypass replicative crisis. Similarly, immortal murine NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and myeloid 32D.3 and FDC-P1.2 cells do not express ARF and have robust telomerase activity. However, Myc overexpression in these immortal cells results in remarkably discordant regulation of TERT and telomerase activity. Furthermore, in MEFs and 32D.3 cells TERT expression and telomerase activity are regulated independently of endogenous c-Myc. Thus, the regulation of TERT and telomerase activity is complex and is also regulated by factors other than Myc, ARF, or p53.
SOCIAL BEHAVIORISM ON EMOTIONS: MEAD AND MODERN BEHAVIORISM COMPARED*

This paper presents George Herbert Mead's work on emotions from the perspective of social behaviorism and compares it with the modem behavioral analysis of emotions. The two positions are strikingly similar. The main difference between modern behaviorism and Mead's social behaviorism is that contemporary behaviorists have access to a larger empirical data base and more refined theoretical models than Mead had. The modern behavioral analysis of emotions confirms most of Mead's basic observations and expands upon them. Empirically oriented symbolic interactionists who identify with Mead's social behaviorism can benefit by drawing upon the extensive behavioral research and theories developed in the decades since Mead worked. In fact, there is an enormous potential for developing productive research and theory at the interface between Mead's social behaviorism and modem behaviorism in the study of emotions and most other social psychological topics.
Osteosarcoma associated with Thorotrast administration: report of two cases and literature review.

Two cases of osteosarcoma are described arising in patients who had undergone angiography with Thorotrast during childhood. In both patients, there was radiographic and pathologic evidence of radioactive thorium dioxide deposition in bone as well as throughout the reticuloendothelial system. Thorotrast deposits were demonstrated in the immediate vicinity of the primary tumors by both histology and autoradiography. Previous cases of osteosarcoma associated with Thorotrast administration from the literature are cited, and possible causal relationahips are discussed between thorium retention in bone and neoplastic transformation by chronic radiation.
Fluorescence spectra and biological activity of aerosolized bacillus spores and MS2 bacteriophage exposed to ozone at different relative humidities in a rotating drum

Abstract Biological aerosols (bioaerosols) released into the environment may undergo physical and chemical transformations when exposed to atmospheric constituents such as solar irradiation, reactive oxygenated species, ozone, free radicals, water vapor and pollutants. Aging experiments were performed in a rotating drum chamber subjecting bioaerosols, Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam (BtAH) spores and MS2 bacteriophages to ozone at 0 and 150 ppb, and relative humidities (RH) at 10%, 50%, and 80+%. Fluorescence spectra and intensities of the aerosols as a function of time in the reaction chamber were measured with a single particle fluorescence spectrometer (SPFS) and an Ultra-Violet Aerodynamic Particle Sizer® Spectrometer (UV-APS). Losses in biological activity were measured by culture and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) assay. For both types of aerosols the largest change in fluorescence emission was between 280 and 400 nm when excited at 263 nm followed by fluorescence emission between 380 and 700 nm when excited at 351 nm. The fluorescence for both BtAH and MS2 were observed to decrease significantly at high ozone concentration and high RH when excited at 263 nm excitation. The decreases in 263 nm excited fluorescence are indicative of hydrolysis and oxidation of tryptophan in the aerosols. Fluorescence measured with the UV-APS (355-nm excitation) increased with time for both BtAH and MS2 aerosols. A two log loss of MS2 bacteriophage infectivity was observed in the presence of ozone at ~50% and 80% RH when measured by culture and normalized for physical losses by q-PCR. Viability of BtAH spores after exposure could not be measured due to the loss of genomic material during experiments, suggesting degradation of extracelluar DNA attributable to oxidation. The results of these studies indicate that the physical and biological properties of bioaerosols change significantly after exposure to ozone and water vapor.
Sperm Output of Dairy Bulls with Varying Degrees of Sexual Preparation

Summary The sperm output value of false mounting relative to other sexual preparation stimuli was assessed by ejaculating 151 mature dairy bulls weekly for ten consecutive weeks after imposition of zero, one, two, or three false mounts during a planned duration of 0, 5, or 10 min of active sexual preparation. The average values for motile sperm per ejaculate obtained from the bulls with a planned duration of 0 min were 4.95, 8.35, 10.12, and 9.84 billion for zero, one, two, and three false mounts, respectively. The comparable averages for the bulls with a planned duration of 5 min were 10.22, 10.14, 10.99, and 12.66, respectively; and for the bulls with a planned duration of 10 min were 11.61, 12.35, 10.94, and 14.31, respectively. The averages of 8.32, 11.00, and 12.30 billion motile sperm for 0, 5, and 10 min of preparation, respectively, differed significantly (P The evidence supports the contention that the various sexual preparation stimuli are additive and that they conform to Fechner's Law.
Vancomycin use in a university medical center: comparison with hospital infection control practices advisory committee guidelines.

Objective To compare actual vancomycin use in a hospital with the guidelines proposed by the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Design One-month prospective survey of all patients given vancomycin. Data were collected from patient and laboratory records and discussions with prescribing physicians. Setting Four hundred sixty-one-bed tertiary-care university hospital. Results Only 35% of the 101 vancomycin orders written during the audit were consistent with HICPAC guidelines. Twenty-eight patients were begun on vancomycin for the treatment of documented infections due to beta-lactam-resistant gram-positive bacteria or because preliminary culture results suggested such bacteria were present. Seven methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, two ampicillin-resistant enterococci, and 10 coagulase-negative staphylococci were recovered. Vancomycin use was judged inappropriate in 66 patients. The drug was used empirically without obtaining appropriate cultures (44 patients), as surgical prophylaxis (6 patients), for primary treatment of antibiotic-associated colitis (3 patients), for convenience in a hemodialysis patient (1 patient), or for other reasons not recommended by HICPAC (12 patients). Conclusions Vancomycin use in our teaching center often was inconsistent with HICPAC guidelines. Information from the audit will be useful for designing strategies to improve vancomycin use.
Chance-It: an object-oriented capstone project for CS-1

Most people enjoy playing games. Most CS-1 students will enjoy a final project that involves computational game-playing. Chance-It is a simple two-person dice game with many possible strategies at varying levels of sophistication and complexity. These features make the problem of formalizing and encoding a strategy to play Chance-It an interesting final project for CS-1.This paper describes an object-oriented final project for CS-1 in which students build Player1 and Player2 classes to play Chance-It. A ChanceItGame class and driver are provided to coordinate the interactions of these classes. The project provides students with an enjoyable introduction to object-oriented design and the problem of formalizing and codifying human strategy in software. Examples are given in C++, but convert easily to Java.
Some tradeoffs for interfaces to piezoresistive sensor arrays

The author presents a quantitative study of some of the tradeoffs between interface electronics complexity, numerical computational burden, and number of array accesses that exist in the implementation of sensing systems using piezoelectric arrays. For each level, it is shown what information can be obtained, and algorithms are given that extract the stated information from the array. For the most capable interface, tradeoffs between computation and the number of array accesses exist; algorithms that exploit these various tradeoffs are given. >
The current anatomical description of the inferior glenohumeral ligament does not correlate with its functional role in positions of external rotation

The objective of this study was to determine the strain distribution in the inferior glenohumeral ligament at 0 degree, 30 degrees, and 60 degrees of external rotation with an anterior load applied to the joint. Five cadaver shoulders were dissected free of all soft tissue except the glenohumeral capsule and a 7 x 11 grid of strain markers were affixed to the inferior glenohumeral ligament. The location of these strain markers was then determined for a reference strain configuration and while a 25 N anterior load was applied to simulate a clinical exam for instability. The magnitude and direction of the maximum principal strains were then determined at each joint position. For all specimens, the magnitude of the maximum principal strains were significantly greater for 30 degrees and 60 degrees of external rotation when compared to 0 degree of external rotation. Furthermore, when comparing 30 degrees to 60 degrees of external rotation, three of the five specimens were significantly different. Additionally, the previously described regions of the inferior glenohumeral ligament could not be identified with a qualitative evaluation of the strain distribution pattern for each specimen at all external rotation angles. This indicates that our current description of the three regions of the inferior glenohumeral ligament does not correspond to its functional role. Additionally, the directions of the maximum principal strains across the inferior glenohumeral ligament became more aligned with one another as external rotation was increased. The complex strain distributions observed indicates that future studies should treat the inferior glenohumeral capsule as a continuous sheet of fibrous tissue.
Change in Community Colleges Through Strategic Alliances: A Case Study

Strategic alliances are becoming more prevelant as a means to address external pressures facing community colleges. This research presents findings of the formation of a consortium of five two-year technical colleges to counter the threat of closure. While the colleges were successful in averting shutting down, the planned change attempted through the alliance failed.
From DNA damage to mutation in mammalian cells: a review

The relationship between DNA damage and mutagenesis in mammalian cells has yet to be fully unraveled. The fixation of mutations in all organisms is determined by the balance between coordinating or competing processes involved in DNA repair and synthesis. Whether DNA repair and mutagenesis in mammalian cells is inducible and error-prone as in the bacterial SOS model or primarily the result of constitutive processes is still under investigation. Several lines of evidence suggest, however, that these processes in mammalian cells are not strictly analogous to those of the SOS in bacteria. This review will briefly summarize the SOS mechanisms that are active in mutation fixation in prokaryotes. The review of mutagenesis in mammalian cells is presented in two sections, the first of which outlines information regarding mutagenesis of target genes on extrachromosomal or integrated viral probes and vectors in eukaryotic cells. The second section details the state of our knowledge on mutagenesis of eukaryotic chromosomal DNA.
Cellular effects of endotoxin in vitro: mobility of endotoxin in the plasma membrane of hepatocytes and neuroblastoma cells

Lipopolysaccharide labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-LPS) was used to examine interactions between endotoxin and plasma membrane in isolated rat hepatocytes and mouse neuroblastoma NB41A3 cells. At the same endotoxin to cell ratio, hepatocytes bound more toxin than did neuroblastoma cells. At a dose of 12 micrograms/mg dry wt, a bound mobile fraction of between 60 and 75% of FITC-LPS was found on hepatocytes at 25 degrees C with a lateral diffusion coefficient (D) of 4.0 X 10(-9) cm2/s. In neuroblastoma cells, the mobile fraction was larger (85-90%), with D 1.0 X 10(-8) cm2/s. D was temperature-dependent between 10 and 37 degrees C and increased from 1.8 X 10(-9) to 1.0 X 10(-8) cm2/s in hepatocytes and from 9.4 X 10(-9) to 1.9 X 10(-8) cm2/s in neuroblastoma cells. In both types of cell, nonviable (cells which did not exclude Trypan blue) as compared to viable cells showed different recovery patterns and 100% of the probe molecules were mobile. These results suggest that: (1) endotoxin binding to mammalian cells consists of two subpopulations with different mobilities; (2) binding of the immobile fraction is dependent on cellular integrity; and (3) the differences in binding, lateral mobility, and size of the immobile fraction in hepatocytes and neuroblastoma cells may be due to variations in membrane composition and/or number of binding sites.
History-based device graphical user-interfaces

Due to limited screen space on mobile computers, device GUIs can span multiple screens-requiring tedious scrolling and tabbing for commands. History-based device GUIs can significantly reduce required space by only presenting the commands a user typically needs based on the user's behavior over a short training period. Moreover, history-based UIs and model-based UI generation are symbiotic. Generation relieves programmers from the overhead of logging and interpreting the interaction histories. Conversely, history-based user-interaction noticeably lowers inherent UI generation time by omitting unneeded commands.
Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 Photometry of the Globular Clusters M3 and M13: Binaries and Intrinsic Broadening on the Main Sequence

We study the color-magnitude diagram (CMD) morphologies of M3 and M13 using high-precision Hubble Space Telescope photometry. Asymmetric broadening above and to the red of the main sequence is apparent. We use extensive artificial star experiments to synthetically reproduce chance superposition and photometric error and examine whether a main-sequence binary population is required to account for the observed asymmetric broadening. We find that the most probable binary fraction fb in the center of M3 lies between 6% and 22%. For those stars of M3 with distances from the cluster center between 1 and 2 core radii, the most probable value of fb lies between 1% and 3%. The similar radial distributions of binaries and blue stragglers (BSs) support the model that the BSs in the center of M3 are of collisional origin. A similar comparison between the color distributions of real stars and artificial stars in the CMD of M13 suggests that the real star distributions are consistently broader than the artificial ones. After corrections of real and artificial differences in color uncertainties, we find evidence for an intrinsic color dispersion among main-sequence stars of about 0.013–0.014 mag in both the center and outer regions of M13. This is larger than the expected value resulting from the spectroscopically observed [Fe/H] dispersion and might reflect differences in [C/Fe] and [N/Fe] that have been noted spectroscopically among upper main-sequence stars in M13.
Heterogeneous repair of N-methylpurines at the nucleotide level in normal human cells

Abstract Base excision repair rates of dimethyl sulfate-induced 3-methyladenine and 7-methylguanine adducts were measured at nucleotide resolution along the PGK1 gene in normal human fibroblasts. Rates of 7-methylguanine repair showed a 30-fold dependence on nucleotide position, while position-dependent repair rates of 3-methyladenine varied only sixfold. Slow excision rates for 7-methylguanine bases afforded the opportunity to study their excision in vitro as a model for base excision repair. A two-component in vitro excision system, composed of human N -methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG protein) and dimethyl sulfate-damaged DNA manifested sequence context-dependent rate differences for 7-methylguanine of up to 185-fold from position to position. This in vitro system reproduced both the global repair rate, and for the PGK1 coding region, the position-dependent repair patterns observed in cells. The equivalence of in vivo repair and in vitro excision data indicates that removal of 7-methylguanine by the MPG protein is the rate-limiting step in base excision repair of this lesion. DNA “repair rate footprints” associated with DNA glycosylase accessibility were observed only in a region with bound transcription factors. The “repair rate footprints” represent a rare chromatin component of 7-meG base excision repair otherwise dominated by sequence-context dependence. Comparison of in vivo repair rates to in vitro rates for 3-methyladenine, however, shows that the rate-limiting step determining position-dependent repair for this adduct is at one of the post-DNA glycosylase stages. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that a comparison of sequence context-dependent in vitro reaction rates to in vivo position-dependent repair rates permits the identification of steps responsible for position-dependent repair. Such analysis is now feasible for the different steps and adducts repaired via the base excision repair pathway.
Monoclonal antibody (AFH1) immunoreactive on morphologically abnormal basal melanocytes within dysplastic nevi, nevocellular nevus nests, and melanoma

Abstract The mouse monoclonal antibody AFH1 was produced using formalin-fixed, sham paraffin-embedded human melanoma cell culture line A375 as immunogen. Reactivity of this antibody was assessed by immunohistochemical techniques against formalin- or acid alcohol-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue as well as formalin- or acid alcohol-fixed unembedded lesions. Ninety-seven nevomelanocytic lesions, neurofibromas, epithelial lesions, and a plasmacellular infiltrate were evaluated. AFH 1 was immunoreactive on 54 of 55 nevocytic lesions (98.2%), 15 of 16 primary melanomas (93.7%), a lentigo maligna, and nests in 21 of 21 dysplastic nevi (100%). Of 100 consecutive basal melanocytes of intraepidermal melanoma cells counted in each lesion, mean AFH1 immunoreactivity for nonnested basal melanocytes in nevocellular nevi was 3.8%; for dysplastic nevi, 13.8%; and for intraepidermal melanoma cells, 78.0%. When nonnested basal melanocytes were subdivided into cytologically normal and abnormal cell groups, AFH1 immunoreactivity was 9.4% and 72.6%, respectively. AFH1 recognition of the lentiginous portion of dysplastic nevi corresponds statistically to the appearance of abnormal melanocyte cytology, nest formation, or both. Using 50% immunoreactive nonnested melanocytes as the criterion, AFH1 seems to distinguish primary melanoma from dysplastic nevi with a sensitivity of 93.8% and a specificity of 95.8%.
Low temperature heat capacities of superconducting niobium and tantalum carbides

Low temperature heat capacities of superconducting niobium and tantalum carbides measured for carbon concentration and crystal structure effects
Magnetic aspects of the ferromagnetic “bulk metallic glass” alloy system Nd–Fe–Al

Abstract Detailed structural and magnetic characterization was carried out on nominally amorphous melt-spun ribbon based on the composition Nd 60 Fe 30− x Al 10+ x to pursue the origins of its anomalously large coercivity values. The combined structural and magnetic analyses point to the existence of antiferromagnetic motes within the melt-spun ribbon. The average diameter of these motes is 1.2±0.5 nm and their crystal structure is related to the Nd 6 Fe 13− x Al 1+ x , δ -phase structure, which under equilibrium conditions is the primary solidification phase near the Nd 60 Fe 30 Al 10 composition. These motes are hypothesized to strongly couple to the ferromagnetic matrix phase in an “exchange-bias”-type manner and confer extremely high values of coercivity at low temperature. The composition dependence of the δ -phase Neel temperature is reflected in the composition dependence of the onset of large values of coercivity in the melt spun ribbons. The results obtained from melt-spun ribbons are compared to those obtained from a 10 gm drop-cast ingot 6 mm diameter of the same nominal composition and are found to be internally consistent. Delineation of the solidification pathway in the vicinity of the composition RE 60 Fe 30 Al 10 provides a sound physical explanation of the variety of microstructures and associated variety of magnetic behavior found in cast and melt-spun forms of this material.
Clinical alignment variations in total knee arthroplasty with different navigation methods

Abstract Background We compared the resulting alignment in 90° of flexion and in full extension after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with two navigation systems using different techniques: a measured resection (MR) system and a gap — balancing (GB) system. Methods Varus and valgus alignment in extension and flexion was compared in 100 consecutive patients who had TKA with an MR distal–femoral-cut-first technique at one institution and 100 consecutive patients in whom a GB tibial-cut-first technique was used at another institution. Alignment deviation of three degrees or more from neutral was considered an outlier. Results No significant difference between the groups in coronal alignment in extension or flexion was found, but there were three times the number of outliers for clinical alignment in flexion for the MR group compared to the GB group. Conclusions The use of the GB tibial-cut-first computer-assisted TKA navigation may provide a more consistent clinical alignment in flexion than systems using an MR technique. Level of evidence Therapeutic study. Level 2.
Academic Misconduct in the Early 21st Century

Knowledge of the use of software applications that perform line-by-line comparisons of programs is not enough to squelch the tide of academic misconduct cases.
Loxapine: Fifteen years’ clinical expenence

The authors review the accumulated clinical experience with loxapine, with particular emphasis on the more recent literature. Indications, dosage, and pharmacokinetics are discussed for oral and parenteral preparations. Of particular interest is the use of the newer oral or intramuscular concentrate for rapid control of acute psychotic symptoms. Adverse effects and drug interactions appear to be comparable to those seen with other neuroleptics.
Dynamics of the U1 Small Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein during Yeast Spliceosome Assembly

U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) may function during several steps of spliceosome assembly. Most spliceosome assembly assays, however, fail to detect the U1 snRNP. Here, I used a new native gel electrophoretic assay to find the yeast U1 snRNP in three pre-splicing complexes (delta, beta1, alpha2) formed in vitro. The order of complex formation is deduced to be delta --> beta1 --> alpha2 --> alpha1 --> beta2, the active spliceosome. The delta complex is formed when U1 snRNP binds to pre-mRNA in the absence of ATP. There are two forms of delta: a major one, deltaun, unstable to competitor RNA; and a minor one, deltacommit, committed to the splicing pathway. The other complexes are formed in the presence of ATP and contain the following snRNPs: beta1, the pre-spliceosome, has both U1 and U2; alpha2 has all five, however, U1 is reduced compared with the others; and alpha1 and beta2 have U2, U5, and U6. Prior work by others suggests that U1 is "handing off" the 5' splice site region to the U5 and U6 snRNPs before splicing begins. The reduced levels of U1 snRNP in the alpha2 complex suggests that the handoff occurs during formation of this complex.
The Impact of Departmentalization on Interoccupational Cooperation

Departmentalization may be defined as the manner in which the work of an organization is allocated among its divisions.* Consider, for example, a hypothetical business corporation which produces cars, airplanes, trains, and trucks. After the nature of its output has been determined, the corporation must still allocate production among its different divisions. The type of allocation used is the corporation's departmentalization.
Holocene meteoric dolomitization of Pleistocene limestones, North Jamaica

Wholesale removal of the unstable carbonate phases aragonite and Mg-calcite, and precipitation of calcite and dolomite is currently taking place where phreatic waters (the modern water table) invade 120,000-year-old Pleistocene biolithites (Falmouth Formation), North Jamaica. Pleistocene rocks presently in the vadose zone are relatively unaltered, and consist of mineralogically unstable scleractinian biolithites. At the water table, a narrow zone of solution, a ‘water table cave’ is commonly encountered. Below the water table the rocks are invariably more highly altered than those above. Mg-calcites are very rare, and considerable dissolution of aragonite has commonly occurred. Dolomite occurs as 8–25 μm, subhedral to euhedral crystals replacing micrite, or precipitated as void linings. The isotopic composition of the dolomite (δO18=-1·0 %0, δC13=-8·4 %0), and its high strontium content (3000 p.p.m.) suggest precipitation as CO2-oversaturated meteoric groundwaters invade the mineralogically unstable biolithites, dissolve Mg-calcites and Sr-rich aragonites, and de-gas. Because some dolomitized rocks are enriched in magnesium relative to unaltered biolithites, addition of magnesium to the system is necessitated, and is probably derived from sea water in the mixing zone. Phreatic meteoric diagenesis is thus demonstrated to be a rapid process, and to be capable of dolomitization.
Spreading depression of negative wave of direct cortical response and pyramidal tract responses

Abstract (1) The effect of spreading of depression (SD) in cats and rabbits on elements subserving the negative wave type of direct cortical response (N wave DCR) was studied by confining SD to either the stimulated site or the responding site. When SD occupied the N wave DCR stimulated site, a 2 min block of excitation occurred. Axons at the stimulated site are directly excited by the applied currents to give rise to the N wave DCR and a block at the stimulated site is evidence for the action of a depressive cut preparations and GABA to the N wave DCR recording site, the duration of the block varied but was generally longer; recovery time took approximately 3–13 min. The longer lasting effect was related to an action SD on dendrites of pyramidal cells. (2) A radial descent of SD into the lower layers of the cat cortex was shown by a depression first of the N wave DCR followed later by a depression of the antidromically activated pyramidal tract (PT) cells recorded extracellularly with microelectrodes. The latency-depth relation gave a rate for the downward propagation of SD of 0.75 mm/min measured between cortical depths of 1–2 mm. Depression of the antidromic PT response was brief, lasting approximately 1.4 min, consistent with a depressive agent acting directly on the membrane of the PT cell. (3) Just preceding PT cell invasion there was often a short period of increased activity as evidenced by a repetitive discharge. A similar brief period of repetitive discharge was also seen for a short time after recovery of PT responses. This was interpreted as a ‘release’ phenomenon with neurons in the upper layers of the cortex having an inhibitory effect on the lower layer PT neurons. (4) In some cases SD did not fully penetrate into the deeper layers as shown by depression of the surface N wave DCRs with PT cell responses remaining undepressed. This phenomenon suggests a variation in the safety factor for downward propagation in the cortex.
Overseas expansion activities of North American franchises

Internationalisation of business is a topic of interest to both academics and practitioners. Despite their explosive growth in both developed and developing economies, nearly a decade has passed since Shane's study of overseas expansion by North American franchisors, and few studies have addressed the phenomenon of international expansion by franchise firms in the past five years. Using a sample of 1054 franchise systems and Shane's Learned Monitoring Capability (LMC) metric, the study reveals significant differences between firms that are actively pursuing overseas expansion and those that are not.
Computational Modeling of Firmly Adhered Cell and Blood Flow Interactions in a Micro-Channel

The interactions of cells with dynamic blood flow as they adhere firmly to a micro-channel wall are investigated. The cell is modeled either as a rigid solid or an elastic solid protrusion on a micro-channel wall. Blood is simulated using a validated non-Newtonian blood viscosity model (Walburn and Schneck model). We determine the effects of cell deformability on the force generated on the cell as the deformation progresses. The amplifications of mechanical stress and force on an adherent cell due to blood flow in a micro-channel are predicted. This two-dimensional model is solved by the finite volume package (CFDRC, CFD Research Corporation). This study shows that the pressure drop and drag force on the adherent cell are sensitive to the cell’s morphology, especially for the large ratio of cell diameter to channel height (d/D>0.5), the stresses and forces of deformable cells can be much smaller than that predicted based on the rigid cell model. These calculations may be used to predict blood flow interactions with cells in a micro-vessel. The modeling approach is useful in understanding the behaviors in cell adhesion and rolling.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Susceptibility of Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) Life Stages to Elevated Temperatures used During Structural Heat Treatments

ABSTRACT Heat treatment of food-processing facilities involves using elevated temperatures (50– 60°C for 24–36 h) for management of stored-product insects. Heat treatment is a viable alternative to the fumigant methyl bromide, which is phased out in the United States as of 2005 because of its adverse effects on the stratospheric ozone. Very little is known about responses of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), a pest associated with food-processing facilities, to elevated temperatures. Responses of L. serricorne life stages to elevated temperatures were evaluated to identify the most heat-tolerant stage. Exposure of eggs, young larvae, old larvae, and adults during heat treatment of a food-processing facility did not clearly show a life stage to be heat tolerant. In the laboratory, exposure of eggs, young larvae, old larvae, pupae, and adults at fixed times to 46, 50, and 54°C and 22% RH indicated eggs to be the most heat-tolerant stage. Time-mortality responses at ea...
General Equilibrium Models: Improving the Microeconomics Classroom.

General equilibrium models now play important roles in many fields of economics including tax policy, environmental regulation, international trade, and economic development. The intermediate microeconomics classroom has not kept pace with these trends, however. Microeconomics textbooks primarily focus on the insights that can be drawn from the Edgeworth box diagram for exchange. This treatment leaves students unprepared for understanding much of the policy-related literature they encounter. The lack of attention can be explained: The technical analytics required to mathematically analyze general equilibrium models overwhelm all but a handful of undergraduates. We offer an alternative approach that overcomes this obstacle by providing Web-based general equilibrium simulations. The simulation approach circumvents the complex mathematics so that undergraduates can master the most important lessons of general equilibrium models.
Calcium, Orai1 and Epidermal Proliferation

Ca2+ influx controls essential epidermal functions, including proliferation, differentiation, cell migration, itch, and barrier homeostasis. The Orai1 ion channel allows capacitive Ca2+ influx after Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum, and it has now been shown to modulate epidermal atrophy. These findings reveal new interactions among various Ca2+ signaling pathways and uncover novel functions for Ca2+ signaling via the Orai1 channel.
A multi-objective approach to virtual machine management in datacenters

Virtual machine (VM) consolidation has become increasingly important for improving efficiencies of resource usage and power consumption in datacenters. Previous work has addressed the problem of placing and replacing VMs in servers, in order to optimize resource management for different criteria, including performance, power and temperature. However, most work has focused on optimizing only one or at most two of these criteria, by separately managing either the platform layer (e.g., power and thermal management) or the virtualization layer (e.g., application performance management). In this paper, a cross-layer control system is proposed to manage the dynamic mapping of VMs to physical resources. The controller unifies the information from different layers to determine control actions such as when, which and where VMs need to be moved, optimizing multiple and potentially conflicting goals. A prototype of the proposed controller and two other competing ones (one without stabilization and the other using a single-objective approach) are implemented on an IBM BladeCenter. Experimental evaluations are conducted using a mix of types of workloads to emulate the variety and dynamics of datacenter workloads. The results indicate that the proposed multi-objective optimization with stabilization significantly reduces unnecessary VM migration by up to 80%, avoids unstable host selection, and also improves the application performance by up to 30% and the efficiencies of power usage by up to 20%.
The key elements of elder neglect:a survey of adult protective service workers.

ABSTRACT Description of the key elements of elder neglect is critical to the development of a case definition. In this brief report, experienced protective service workers were surveyed to capture their field experiences with neglected elders. The workers cited environmental filth, poor personal hygiene and health related factors as the three most common observations. Workers also describe their definitions of the differences between self and caregiver neglect.
Characteristics of spatial memory in cattle

Two studies were conducted to examine spatial memory of cattle. In Study 1, six heifers were trained and observed in a radial- and parallel-arm maze at two levels of complexity. Grain was placed at the end of each arm, and heifers were released individually and allowed to choose arms freely until all grain was consumed. Incorrect choices occurred when heifers entered a previously entered arm. At the 4-arm level, the mean number of correct choices in the first four entrances was 3.83 and 3.60 for the radial and parallel mazes, respectively. At the 8-arm level, the number of correct choices in the first eight entrances was 7.78 and 7.36, respectively. Heifers were slightly more efficient (P < 0.05) in the radial maze in which directional and distal cues were more pronounced. In Study 2, two sets of monozygous twin steers were trained in a radial-arm maze using similar procedures as Study 1. The mean number of correct choices in the first eight entrances was 7.68. A variable delay interval was then imposed between Choices 4 and 5. Steers rarely made errors after delay intervals from 5 min to 4 h. Performance appeared to decline (P < 0.1) after an 8-h delay interval. Accuracy declined dramatically (P < 0.001) after a 12-h delay interval. The mean number of correct choices in the first eight entrances was 7.63, 7.29 and 5.80 for delay intervals of 4, 8 and 12 h, respectively. Cattle appear to have the ability to associate several locations with food resources and to remember the locations for periods of up to 8 h.
Risk factors associated with venous thromboembolism in 49,028 mastectomy patients.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially preventable disease that carries significant morbidity and mortality. Although malignancy is associated with increased risk for VTE, it varies according to cancer type. Despite the fact that breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, the incidence and risk factors associated with VTE in patients undergoing mastectomy have not been well characterized. To address this we utilized the ACS-NSQIP database to identify and characterize independent risk factors for VTE in 49,028 mastectomy patients. We identified 116 cases of VTE in the 49,028 cases analyzed (0.23%). Obesity (BMI > 30, OR = 1.91, p 3 h (OR = 4.36, p < 0.001), and immediate reconstruction (OR = 3.23, p < 0.001) were found to be independent risk factors for VTE. While the incidence of VTE is rare in mastectomy patients, the heightened awareness and increased VTE prophylaxis should be considered in high risk groups.
Neurologic complications after surgery for obesity.

Bariatric surgical procedures are increasingly common. In this review, we characterize the neurologic complications of such procedures, including their mechanisms, frequency, and prognosis. Literature review yielded 50 case reports of 96 patients with neurologic symptoms after bariatric procedures. The most common presentations were peripheral neuropathy in 60 (62%) and encephalopathy in 30 (31%). Among the 60 patients with peripheral neuropathy, 40 (67%) had a polyneuropathy and 18 (30%) had mononeuropathies, which included 17 (94%) with meralgia paresthetica and 1 with foot drop. Neurologic emergencies including Wernicke's encephalopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and Guillain-Barre syndrome were also reported. In 18 surgical series reported between 1976 and 2004, 133 of 9996 patients (1.3%) were recognized to have neurologic complications (range: 0.08-16%). The only prospective study reported a neurologic complication rate of 4.6%, and a controlled retrospective study identified 16% of patients with peripheral neuropathy. There is evidence to suggest a role for inflammation or an immunologic mechanism in neuropathy after gastric bypass. Micronutrient deficiencies following gastric bypass were evaluated in 957 patients in 8 reports. A total of 236 (25%) had vitamin B(12) deficiency and 11 (1%) had thiamine deficiency. Routine monitoring of micronutrient levels and prompt recognition of neurological complications can reduce morbidity associated with these procedures.
Methodological considerations, such as directed acyclic graphs, for studying “acute on chronic” disease epidemiology: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease example

Abstract Objective Acute exacerbations of chronic disease are ubiquitous in clinical medicine, and thus far, there has been a paucity of integrated methodological discussion on this phenomenon. Study Design and Setting We use acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as an example to emphasize key epidemiological and statistical issues for this understudied field in clinical epidemiology. Results Directed acyclic graphs are a useful epidemiological tool to explain the differential effects of risk factor on health outcomes in studies of acute and chronic phases of disease. To study the pathogenesis of acute exacerbations of chronic disease, case-crossover design and time-series analysis are well-suited study designs to differentiate acute and chronic effect. Modeling changes over time and setting appropriate thresholds are important steps to separate acute from chronic phases of disease in serial measurements. In statistical analysis, acute exacerbations are recurrent events, and some individuals are more prone to recurrences than others. Therefore, appropriate statistical modeling should take into account intraindividual dependence. Finally, we recommend the use of “event-based” number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent a single exacerbation instead of traditional patient-based NNT. Conclusion Addressing these methodological challenges will advance research quality in acute on chronic disease epidemiology.
Period Effects in the Impact of Vietnam-Era Military Service on Crime Over the Life Course

Many life course studies are based on a few cohorts of individuals born in the early part of the 20th century. Despite the significance of military service in the life course, few studies have addressed the consequences of military service on offending trajectories. This study explores the relationship between military service and patterns of offending in three cohorts of men. Analyses examine both the impact of military service as well as the potential period effects of service during different periods of the Vietnam War. Results suggest that between-individual differences in military service significantly affect criminal behavior. However, the specific direction of the effect depends on when during the Vietnam era these men entered the military. Implications of these results are discussed.
The Omega Fusion Laser System

The OMEGA laser irradiation facility is described with particular emphasis on the laser system, target system and control room. Some of the major systeths integration efforts are explained as well as their interactions. Design considerations and their impact on system performance and schedule are discussed. The problems of operating a users' facility for laser interaction experiments are mentioned. The Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester has designed and is preparing to construct a 30 terawatt neodymium glass laser irradiation facility, called OMEGA, for experiments in laser fusion. This paper describes the various subsystems contained in the facility and some of the requirements for system integration. A detailed description of the Beam Synchronization Subsystem is included as a specific example of the complex systems integration effort involved in the construction of the OMEGA system. OMEGA is designed as a National "Users" facility for laser-matter interaction studies on spherical targets. Figure 1 lists the general system objectives in terms of the overall characteristics and requirements for this sort of facility.© (1977) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.