cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Direct and Indirect Chemical Methods for Exposure Assessment

Publisher Summary The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Analytical Chemistry Branch at Research Triangle Park has been involved in a long-range research program designed to detect and assess human exposure to pesticides and similar toxic organic compounds. The primary approach involves the development of direct and indirect chemical methods and their application to the assessment of various human exposure situations so that indices of exposure can be developed. The practical focus of this conference is on the determination and assessment of human exposure resulting from the agricultural use of pesticides. The chemical methods that are discussed in this chapter can be applied to field studies for that purpose and to assess human exposure to toxic chemicals used in other situations as well. They can also be used effectively in nonclinical laboratory studies designed to model exposure or to generate survey data useful in performing risk assessment.
Sleep-wake disturbances and frailty in community-living older persons.

Frailty is a geriatric syndrome that is commonly defined by three or more of the following features: slow gait speed, low physical activity, exhaustion, reduced grip strength, and weight loss.1 In community-living older persons, frailty is highly prevalent and is associated with adverse outcomes. Prevalence rates range from 7% in those aged 65 to 74 to approximately 40% in those aged 85 and older.1–3 Adverse outcomes include greater risk of falls, disability, institutionalization, and death.1 Strategies for the prevention and treatment of frailty remain to be elucidated, in part because the underlying pathophysiology of frailty has not been firmly established.4 Proposed contributing factors include systemic inflammation, overactivation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, malnutrition, depression, cognitive impairment (neurodegenerative disorders), and cardio- and cerebrovascular disease.1,4 Sleep–wake disturbances are generally categorized according to the presenting symptoms of insomnia or hypersomnia (e.g., drowsiness).5,6 In older persons, these symptoms are highly prevalent and associated with adverse outcomes.5,6 In the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE), involving 9,282 community-living persons aged 65 and older, 25% reported napping, and 43% reported insomnia symptoms.5 Adverse outcomes associated with napping include falls, cardiovascular disease, and death, whereas insomnia symptoms are associated with poorer health, cognitive decline, depression, disability, and institutionalization.6 Whether sleep–wake disturbances play a role in the pathogenesis of frailty is uncertain. Because they share some common features (e.g., low physical activity) and predict similar outcomes, it was postulated that sleep–wake disturbances might be associated with frailty. The current study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of frailty according to the presence of sleep–wake disturbances, including daytime drowsiness and insomnia, in a cohort of community-living older persons and to determine whether the association between sleep–wake disturbances and frailty is independent of potential confounders. Because sleep–wake disturbances are potentially remediable,6 establishing such an association could help to inform subsequent interventions designed to reverse or prevent the progression of frailty.
Did the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe see moving local structures

The divergence of the momentum density field of a large-scale structure generates a secondary anisotropy contribution to the cosmic microwave background (CMB). While the effect is best described as a non-linear extension to the well-known integrated Sachs–Wolfe effect, due to mathematical coincidences, the anisotropy contribution is also described as the lensing of the dipole seen in the rest-frame of a moving mass. Given the closeness, there is a remote possibility that local concentrations of mass in the form of the Great Attractor and the Shapley concentration generate large angular scale fluctuations in the CMB and could potentially be responsible, at least partly, for some of the low-multipole anomalies in Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data. While the local anisotropy contribution peaks at low multipoles, for reasonable models of the mass and velocity distributions associated with local superstructures we find that the amplitude of temperature anisotropies is at most at a level of 10−2 μK and is substantially smaller than primordial fluctuations. It is extremely unlikely that the momentum density of local mass concentrations is responsible for any of the large angular scale anomalies in WMAP data.
George Eliot and the British Empire

In this study Nancy Henry introduces a set of facts that place George Eliot's life and work within the contexts of mid-nineteenth-century British colonialism and imperialism. Henry examines Eliot's roles as an investor in colonial stocks, a parent to emigrant sons, and a reader of colonial literature. She highlights the importance of these contexts to our understanding of both Eliot's fiction and her situation within Victorian culture. Henry argues that Eliot's decision to represent the empire only as it infiltrated the imaginations and domestic lives of her characters illuminates the nature of her Realism. The book also re-examines the assumptions of postcolonial criticism about Victorian fiction and its relation to empire.
Assessing Communication in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Communication deficits are a core symptom or ASD, and the assessment of individuals with these disorders requires both formal testing and careful observation of natural and seminatural communicative activities. For children in prelinguistic phases of communication, assessment is aimed at establishing the communicative basis for a formal language system and looking at the frequency, range, and means of expression of communicative acts. Children in the early stages of language use will need to be assessed not only in terms of their vocabularies and sentence structures, but with regard to the unusual communicative patterns that often accompany ASD, such as echolalia, pronoun errors, and significant deficits in pragmatics and receptive language. Some children at this level may require evaluation to determine the best alternative mode of communication if speech has not yet emerged, and an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system should be considered. For individuals at advanced language levels, assessment will focus on social uses of communication (particularly pragmatic, narrative, and prosodic skills), and may include an assessment of their written language. For people at all developmental levels and at all points along the autistic spectrum, a comprehensive evaluation of strengths and needs in the area of communication is essential to the development of an effective plan for improving communicative competence. Keywords: assessment; communication; evaluation; language; speech
Revenue Sharing and the Intrastate Fiscal Mismatch: A Critical View

An important stated objective of the General Revenue Sharing (GRS) program is to reduce the fiscal mismatch among local governments, especially between the problem-ridden center cities and the more affluent suburbs. To do this, the GRS intrastate allocation formula was designed to allocate funds among localities inversely with per capita income, the measure both of need and per capita fiscal capacity. The basic findings from the analysis of intrastate formula distributions are: (1) relatively little equalization in the per capita income sense occurs among localities within stales, (2) there are substantial variations in the degree of equalization among states, and (3) the lac of and differences in equalization can largely be explained by the role of the tax variable in the formula. Therefore, the formula requires change if it is to perform its equalization role satisfactorily. Some proposals formula change are made.
Hydroecological factors governing surface water flow on a low-gradient floodplain

Received 2 May 2008; revised 13 January 2009; accepted 28 January 2009; published 28 March 2009. [1] Interrelationships between hydrology and aquatic ecosystems are better understood in streams and rivers compared to their surrounding floodplains. Our goal was to characterize the hydrology of the Everglades ridge and slough floodplain ecosystem, which is valued for the comparatively high biodiversity and connectivity of its parallel-drainage features but which has been degraded over the past century in response to flow reductions associated with flood control. We measured flow velocity, water depth, and wind velocity continuously for 3 years in an area of the Everglades with well-preserved parallel-drainage features (i.e., 200-m wide sloughs interspersed with slightly higher elevation and more densely vegetated ridges). Mean daily flow velocity averaged 0.32 cm s �1 and ranged between 0.02 and 0.79 cm s �1 . Highest sustained velocities were associated with flow pulses caused by water releases from upstream hydraulic control structures that increased flow velocity by a factor of 2–3 on the floodplain for weeks at a time. The highest instantaneous measurements of flow velocity were associated with the passage of Hurricane Wilma in 2005 when the inverse barometric pressure effect increased flow velocity up to 5 cm s �1 for several hours. Time-averaged flow velocities were 29% greater in sloughs compared to ridges because of marginally higher vegetative drag in ridges compared to sloughs, which contributed modestly (relative to greater water depth and flow duration in sloughs compared to ridges) to the predominant fraction (86%) of total discharge through the landscape occurring in sloughs. Univariate scaling relationships developed from theory of flow through vegetation, and our field data indicated that flow velocity increases with the square of water surface slope and the fourth power of stem diameter, decreases in direct proportion with increasing frontal area of vegetation, and is unrelated to water depth except for the influence that water depth has in controlling the submergence height of vegetation that varies vertically in its architectural characteristics. In the Everglades the result of interactions among controlling variables was that flow velocity was dominantly controlled by water surface slope variations responding to flow pulses more than spatial variation in vegetation characteristics or fluctuating water depth. Our findings indicate that floodplain managers could, in addition to managing water depth, manipulate the frequency and duration of inflow pulses to manage water surface slope, which would add further control over flow velocities, water residence times, sediment settling, biogeochemical transformations, and other processes that are important to floodplain function.
Research and Social Work

From the beginning there has been a strained relationship between social work practice and research. The choice of moral imperative or empirical knowledge as a base for social work has been debated for decades. The Flexner speech emphasized science as the knowledge base for a profession at a time when social workers were, in fact, establishing practice wisdom as the intellectual foundation for practice. The result has been an official commitment to research but a very limited demand from the field for actual research. In the university the research model of the sciences dominates. Research interests of social work faculty tend to reflect the science model even though the resulting research may have little relevance for practice. There is a need for a nationwide research strategy for social work which focuses primarily on the empirical study of social work practice.
The Evolution of Lake-Effect Convection during Landfall and Orographic Uplift as Observed by Profiling Radars

AbstractA pronounced snowfall maximum occurs about 30 km downwind of Lake Ontario over the 600-m-high Tug Hill Plateau (hereafter Tug Hill), a region where lake-effect convection is affected by mesoscale forcing associated with landfall and orographic uplift. Profiling radar data from the Ontario Winter Lake-effect Systems field campaign are used to characterize the inland evolution of lake-effect convection that produces the Tug Hill snowfall maximum. Four K-band profiling Micro Rain Radars (MRRs) were aligned in a transect from the Ontario coast onto Tug Hill. Additional observations were provided by an X-band profiling radar (XPR). Analysis is presented of a major lake-effect storm that produced 6.4-cm liquid precipitation equivalent (LPE) snowfall over Tug Hill. This event exhibited strong inland enhancement, with LPE increasing by a factor of 1.9 over 15-km horizontal distance. MRR profiles reveal that this enhancement was not due to increases in the depth or intensity of lake-effect convection. With...
Evaluation of a hearing compensation algorithm

A new hearing compensation algorithm based on a homomorphic multiplicative AGC (automatic gain control) is evaluated and compared against commercially available digitally programmable analog hearing aids. Both quantitative (speech recognition threshold and speech discrimination) and qualitative tests (estimation of perceived quality) were used in the evaluation. The new algorithm is shown to have made significant progress in restoring normal or near normal hearing for hearing impaired individuals.
Purcell, Edward M.: Research in Nuclear Magnetism

Professor Bloch has told you how one can detect the precession of the magnetic nuclei in a drop of water. Commonplace as such experiments have become in our laboratories, I have not yet lost a feeling of wonder, and of delight, that this delicate motion should reside in all the ordinary things around us, revealing itself only to him who looks for it. I remember, in the winter of our first experiments, just seven years ago, looking on snow with new eyes. There the snow lay around my doorstep—great heaps of protons quietly precessing in the Earth’s magnetic field. To see the world for a moment as something rich and strange is the private reward of many a discovery. But I’m afraid it has little bearing on the sober question we must, as physicists, ask ourselves: what can we learn from all this about the structure of matter? It is my privilege to tell you now of some of the things that can be learned. Let us begin with the most direct application of nuclear induction methods, the measurement of nuclear magnetic moments. The basis for this is the resonance condition
Observer variation in quantitative assessment of rheumatoid arthritis. Part I. Scoring erosions and joint space narrowing.

Six observers, including two bone and joint radiologists, two general radiologists, and two senior radiology residents, compared scores to quantitate radiographic findings in the hands and wrists of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In the scoring system used, erosions and joint-space narrowing are graded separately. This scoring system differs from other methods in that equivocal findings are not scored, while ankylosis, subluxation, and dislocation are scored, and data from postoperative joints are included. Total radiographic scores were highly significantly correlated for all observers (R = .908-.958, P less than .001), as were subtotal scores for erosions (R = .723-.931, P less than .001) and joint-space narrowing (R = 0.843-0.966, P less than .001). Analysis of proximal interphalangeal, metacarpophalangeal, and wrist-joint scores showed highly significant correlations for all observers in each location. Highly significant correlations were found among three separate readings of two bone and joint radiologists (R = .950-.961, P less than .001). This scoring system provides highly consistent and reproducible results, even in the hands of less experienced observers.
Impact of obesity on health-related quality of life in patients with chronic illness.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between over-weight and obesity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with chronic conditions typical of those seen in general medical practice, after accounting for the effects of depression and medical comorbidities. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Medical Outcomes Study. SETTING: Offices of physicians practicing family medicine, internal medicine, endocrinology, cardiology, and psychiatry in three U.S. cities. PATIENTS: We surveyed 2,931 patients with chronic medical and psychiatric conditions. The patients completed a self-administered questionnaire at enrollment and had complete data on height and weight. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Body mass index (BMI), chronic medical conditions, and depression were obtained by structured interview. Health-related quality of life was measured by the SF-36 Health Survey. Patients who were over-weight (BMI 25.0–29.9 kg/m2), patients with class I obesity (BMI 30.0–34.9 kg/m2), and patients with class II–III obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2) had significantly lower adjusted physical function scores (by 3.4, 7.8, and 13.8 points, respectively) compared with nonoverweight patients. Patients with class I and class II–III obesity also had significantly lower adjusted general health perceptions scores (by 2.8 and 4.4 points, respectively) and lower adjusted vitality scores (by 4.0 and 7.1 points, respectively), compared with nonoverweight patients. No significant differences between nonoverweight, overweight, and obese patients were observed for the mental health scale. Women with elevated BMI had significantly lower HRQOL scores compared with the scores of obese men in several domains. Additionally, blacks with elevated BMI had significantly lower scores than whites in several domains of HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity have the largest association with physical function measures. Recent national standards, which have lowered the threshold for defining overweight, identify patients who are more likely to have clinically significant reductions in HRQOL and functional impairment.
Upper bound to the density jump at the boundary of the Earth's inner core.

THE Earth has an inner core about the size of the Moon. Convincing observations of the seismic waves PKiKP, reflected at steep angles from the inner core boundary (ICB), were announced by Engdahl et al. (annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America), using the Large Aperture Seismic Array (LASA) in Montana (epicentral distances Δ<40°). These identifications agree with expected travel times and wave slownesses1 (p = dt/dΔ), and pPKiKP minus PKiKP time lags.
On the survival of chick embryo cells at low concentrations in culture

Summary It had previously been found that chick embryo cells fail to grow when cultured at low concentration in fresh culture medium. The experiments reported here show that cells die within a day under these conditions. Their survival can be greatly enhanced if calf serum is omitted from, or sodium pyruvate is added to, the medium; these changes, however, do not enable the cells to grow in the absence of conditioned medium.
Hose-induced current enhancement associated with beam propagation.

We use both analytic modeling and computer simulation to show that large-amplitude hose instability of a beam propagating in a gas-filled conducting drift tube can lead to current enhancement. The calculations are applied to explain the results of several recent experiments.
Self-Directed Learning and the Sensemaking Paradox

Educative sensemaking focuses on the needs of self-directed learners, a nonexpert population of thinkers who must locate relevant information sources, evaluate the applicability and accuracy of digital resources for learning, and determine how and when to use these resources to complete educational tasks. Self-directed learners face a sensemaking paradox: They must employ deep-level thinking skills to process information sources meaningfully, but they often lack the requisite domain knowledge needed to deeply analyze information sources and to successfully integrate incoming information with their own existing knowledge. In this article, we focus on the needs of college-aged students engaged in learning about natural sciences using web-based learning resources. We explored the impact of cognitive personalization technologies on students' sensemaking processes using a controlled study in which students' cognitive and metacognitive processes were analyzed as they completed a common educational task: writing...
Improving the diagnostic accuracy of hiatal hernia in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

Background Surgical correction of hiatal hernia (HH) during bariatric surgery has been found to improve patient outcomes and decrease reoperation rate. Although barium esophagram is more sensitive than endoscopy for detection of HH, accurate preoperative diagnosis remains a challenge. The aim of this study is to determine whether diagnostic accuracy improves by utilizing right anterior oblique (RAO) esophagram technique instead of the commonly used upright technique when comparing to the gold standard of intraoperative detection.
Strained heterocyclic systems. VII. The mass spectral fragmentations of dihydrocycloalka[b]quinolines and quinoline N-Oxides†

High resolution mass spectra of compounds 1-6 were investigated. The quinolines (1-3) all exhibit a prominent (M-1)+ peak and subsequent loss of HCN. These processes are consistent with azatropylium ion intermediates. The N-oxides (4-6) all exhibit major peaks at (M-16)+; the abundance of the latter is related to the geometry of the molecule. The four-membered ring compounds (3 and 6) give more complex spectra, which reflect the influence of the fused strained ring.
Editor’s introduction to: a scholarly tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Western Regional Science Association

The paper provides an interpretive guide to the Special Issue commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Western Regional Science Association. The Special Issue contains 13 papers arranged into four groups (1) Perspectives on the Western Regional Science Association, (2) Assessment with a view to the future (3) Current topics—regional issues, and (4) Current topics—urban issues.
The development of nesting behaviour in the siamese fighting fish Betta splendens

Abstract 1. 1. Considered as a group the males began nesting earlier than the females and accelerated at a more rapid pace. This accounted for some, but not all, of the difference between them with regard to nesting activity during the developmental period. 2. 2. The increased nesting activity noted for both sexes as the groups grew older was in part due to increased activity of the nesting fish; i.e. it was not entirely the result of the addition of more nesting individuals. 3. 3. Male nesting activity exhibited greater acceleration during the first and last stages of the developmental period, while female nesting increased gradually throughout. 4. 4. Participation in nesting activity became almost universal by the end of the developmental period. This was true for both sexes. 5. 5. Most nests lasted five days or less, regardless of the sex of their builders. 6. 6. No correlation was discovered between nest duration and the age or sex of the individuals which built the nests. Also there was no evidence that particular individuals tended to build nests of short duration or vice versa. 7. 7. Only the males demonstrated the ability to build nests of a size adequate for the successful nurture of the young. 8. 8. During days 53–150 age appeared to be a factor in the construction of effective nests by the males. Thereafter age had no apparent influence. 9. 9. No evidence was uncovered to indicate that isolation or the presence of neighbours of either sex effected the frequency of nesting activity.
Uterine Secretion in Mammals: Synthesis and Placental Transport of a Purple Acid Phosphatase in Pigs

A fluorescent antibody technique was used to study the site of synthesis, movement and steroid control of porcine purple acid phosphatase uterine protein in uterine and oviducal tissues on Days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 of the estrous cycle. Uterine, oviduct and placental tissues were obtained from pregnant gilts on Days 9, 15, 18, 20, 30, 50, 70 and 90 of gestation. In addition, uterine tissue was obtained from ovariectomized animals subjected to various steroid hormone treatments. The oviducal eoithelium and uterine surface and glandular epithelium showed various degrees of fluorescence at different stages of the estrous cycle with an apparent change in pattern coincidental with fluctuations in ovarian steroid levels. It was concluded that estrogen may be required for initiation of synthesis of this protein, but progesterone induced full synthesis and secretory activity. Enzyme assays performed on uterine flushings from each day of the estrous cycle support the immunofluorescent results. In pregnant gilts, oviducal and uterine surface and glandular epithelium showed fluorescence at all stages of gestation studied. A significant difference was observed in the pattern of fluorescence between uterine endometrium of early pregnancy and that of the corresponding stages of estrous cycle. As pregnancy progressed, placental areolae became strongly fluorescent, indicating absorption of uterine gland secretions by these structures. Inhibition of uterine secretory activity took place in association with rising estrogen levels toward the end of gestation. This study suggests that the purple acid phosphatase is synthesized and secreted by the uterine epithelial cells under the influence of progesterone and that placental areolae serve as sites of absorption and transport of this protein across the chorio-allantoic membranes and into the allantoic fluid where it is sequestered during pregnancy.
FIVE-COORDINATE COBALT(II) COMPLEXES OF MACROCYCLIC LIGANDS — A NEW REVERSIBLE OXYGEN CARRYING SYSTEM

We report the synthesis and characterization of cobalt(II) complexes with two macrocyclic Schiff base ligands, 5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11,-tetraazacyclotetradeca-4,11-diene(Me6 [14]4,11-die...
Emission Analysis of Alternative Diesel Fuels Using a Compression Ignition Benchtop Engine Generator

A compact diesel-powered generator (5 kW) experimental setup was used to systematically evaluate the emissions generated by the combustion of several commercially produced alternative diesel fuels. The measured diesel engine exhaust components include oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), volatile hydrocarbons (HCs), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Alternative diesel fuels, including biodiesel made from various feedstocks (soy, canola, palm, and tallow) and gas-to-liquid (GTL) diesel fuel, were compared to Texas low-emission diesel (TxLED), a petroleum-based ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD), in terms of emissions and fuel consumption. The biodiesel feedstock oil identity is an important variable affecting the level of NOx emissions, because increases were found for soy biodiesel and canola biodiesel, which are the most common feedstocks in the United States and Europe, respectively. At low engine load, NOx emissions increased for all biodiesels when compared to the ULSD, with th...
The stanford experience with preoperative chemoradiation using CPT-11 and 5-FU in locally advanced rectal cancer: Toxicities and outcomes

Purpose/Objective: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), using iodized poppy seed oil, Lipiodol and the anticancer drug, has been a popular treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, incomplete necrosis and disease progression are frequently seen after TACE. To investigate the effect of additional radiotherapy (RT) after TACE, we analyzed the treatment results of TACE plus local RT in comparison to those with TACE alone.
A finite element approximation of steady flow through a rotating non‐aligned straight tube

SUMMARY A finite element solution is developed for a penalty function formulation of the equations which govern the steady motion of a Newtonian fluid through a pipe that rotates about an axis not parallel to its own. The motion in this system is driven by the Coriolis acceleration, which has components in the axial direction as well as in the transverse plane of the pipe. The relative magnitudes of these components significantly affect the qualitative and quantitative nature of the primary and secondary flow field. The present results compare favourably with those of previously reported experimental and theoretical studies over a wide range of flow regimes.
Granular epithelioid cell involution in the renal arteries of a euryhaline fish, Cymatogaster, adapted to hypotonic salinities.

Abstract Adaptation of the euryhaline fish Cymatogaster aggregata to hypotonic Salinities is accompanied by involutional changes in the granular epithelioid cells of the renal arteries. These findings suggest a greater physiologic role for teleost “renin” in marine environments.
The Metabolic Approach in Patients with Heart Failure: Effects on Left Ventricle Remodeling

Metabolic modulation has been an attractive therapeutic approach to heart failure as scientific evidence for an altered metabolic state in the failing heart has been demonstrated for decades. However, the ability to safely alter the substrate metabolism in the myocardium without adverse effects while at the same time be able to provide long-term benefits have not been widely investigated. Meanwhile, the ability to alter long-term molecular, cellular, and hormonal changes as a result of progressive cardiac dysfunction has been directly associated with improvement in clinical outcomes. Among the drugs that have been studied, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs and trimetazidine have demonstrated promise in this area. Data on GLP-1, although promising, remain to show short-term improvements. In contrast, trimetazidine has extensive long-term experience with favorable effects on reverse remodeling. However, the appropriate candidate to receive such therapies and the appropriate targets of therapy remain unclear, which may warrant further investigations.
A Spectroscopic Study of Solvent Reorganization Energy: Dependence on Temperature, Charge Transfer Distance, and the Type of Solute−Solvent Interactions

The dependence of the free energy gap, ΔG(S0 → CT), and of the solvent reorganization energy, λS, on solvent, donor/acceptor separation, and temperature are determined from analyses of the intramolecular charge transfer absorption and emission bands from 1 and 2. The following trends are observed: (a) for either probe molecule, differences in the CT state energies among the various solvents are attended by nearly identical magnitude (but opposite sign) differences in the solvent reorganization energies. This correlation is observed for solvents in which the most significant electrostatic moment is a dipole or a quadrupole. (b) Solvents with nearly zero dipole moments but large quadrupole moments (8−11 D-A) solvate the CT state as effectively as moderately dipolar solvents (μ ≈ 1−2 D). (c) Larger charge separation distances produce larger solvent reorganization energies in the nonalkane solvents. The ratios of the solvent reorganization energies λS(2)/λS(1) are roughly the same in the dipolar and quadrupo...
On the Depth of the Associated Graded Ring of an Ideal

Abstract Let R be a local Cohen–Macaulay ring, let I be an R -ideal, and let G be the associated graded ring of I . We give an estimate for the depth of G when G fails to be Cohen–Macaulay. We assume that I has a small reduction number and sufficiently good residual intersection properties and satisfies local conditions on the depth of some powers. The main theorem unifies and generalizes several known results. We also give conditions that imply the Serre properties of the blow-up rings.
Andromimetic Effect of Estrogen upon the Clitoris of the Rat.

SummaryThe administration of estrogen to female rats during the first week of postnatal life produces a defect in the external genital organs characterized by cleavage of the preputial fold, hypertrophy of the glans clitoridis, and a feeble differentiation of erectile tissues. Since these changes resemble, except for extent, those produced by postnatal androgen, it is concluded that estrogen exerts a mild andromimetic effect upon the clitoris of the rat.
Paroxysmal Sympathetic Storms (“Diencephalic Seizures”) After Severe Diffuse Axonal Head Injury

We describe a patient with a severe traumatic head injury who exhibited paroxysmal sympathetic storms, similar to those described in "diencephalic seizures." No epileptiform activity was evident on electroencephalography, and therapeutic levels of anticonvulsants failed to alter the spells; however, use of morphine sulfate abolished them. The features of this and several previously reported cases refute the primary roles of the diencephalon and seizures in this syndrome. Rather, in the setting of already compromised autonomic neuronal integrity, subtle fluctuations in intraventricular pressure or activation of reflexes triggered from muscle mechanoreceptors or chemoreceptors during episodes of hypertonia are more likely. "Paroxysmal sympathetic storms," a more appropriate descriptive term for these phenomena, should be recognized; thus, unnecessary diagnostic evaluations can be minimized, and appropriate therapy can be initiated.
Determining which fractures are osteoporotic: Empirical associations would provide better evidence than expert opinion.

In their article ‘‘Which fractures are most attributable to osteoporosis?’’ Warriner et al. [1] reported on the likelihood of fractures (from International Classification of Diseases Clinical Modification [ICD-CM] codes) being due to osteoporosis as determined by an 11-member expert panel. The authors are to be commended for their efforts to consider the role of osteoporosis at all fracture sites and not just the typical ones (hip, spine, wrist, and humerus). One concern with this study, however, is that the osteoporosis attribution scores arrived at by the expert panel may not be accurate, as previous research in this field has demonstrated that expert opinion sometimes differs markedly from quantitative data. For example, osteoporosis attribution probabilities from the expert panel formed previously by Melton et al. [2] greatly overestimated population attributable risk estimates derived empirically from bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture data from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures [3]. In the current study by Warriner et al. [1], the osteoporosis attribution scores in the middle of the range (i.e., 3e7) were probably the most difficult to assign and therefore the most susceptible to error. In addition, some of the distinctions made by the expert panel appear somewhat arbitrary and unsupported by existing data. For instance, open fractures of the arm (except of the proximal humerus) were rated as highly likely to be due to osteoporosis, whereas open fractures of the proximal humerus were rated as least likely to be due to osteoporosis, presumably because they typically involve trauma. But, trauma classifications remain poorly defined and do not influence the association between BMD and fracture risk or the association between fracture history and subsequent fracture risk [4]. Thus, the degree to which published literature actually influenced the judgments of the expert panel may have been insufficient.
What makes a matrix so effective? An empirical test of the relative benefits of signaling, extraction, and localization

What type of display helps students learn the most and why? This study investigated how displays differing in terms of signaling, extraction, and localization impact learning. In Experiment 1, 72 students were assigned randomly to one cell of a 4 × 2 design. Students studied a standard text, a text with key ideas extracted, an outline that localized ideas topically, and a matrix that localized ideas topically and categorically. One version of the displays signaled the displays’ organization and one version did not. The matrix display proved best for facilitating fact and relationship learning because of its ability to localize related information within topics and categories. Simply signaling or extracting text ideas was not helpful. Experiment 2 demonstrated that not all matrices are created equal because they can vary in terms of how information is localized. About 54 students were assigned randomly to one cell of a 2 × 2 design that varied localization of matrix topics and categories. Students studied matrices high or low in topical organization and high or low in categorical organization. Results confirmed that a high, natural ordering of matrix topics is necessary to highlight relationships and bolster relationship and fact learning.
Comparison of fetal and adult human bone: Identification of a chemotactic factor in fetal bone

Abstract Studies employing the matrix-induced endochondral bone formation system have outlined the processes involved in bone induction. An initial event is increased migration of mesenchymal cells to the implant site prior to endochondral calcification. This suggests that chemotactic factors in the bone matrix may be involved in the osteogenic process. Extracts of human fetal bone, obtained by sequential demineralization, stimulated the migration of osteoblast-like cells in a dose-dependent fashion, as assayed in the Boyden chamber. In contrast, comparable extracts of normal adult bone (40-year-old male) did not stimulate osteoblast migration. Monocytes, potential osteoclast precursors, did not migrate in response to either of these extracts. These studies suggest that significant differences exist in protein composition and/or distribution between fetal and adult human bones. These differences may well influence the remodeling potential of these bones.
The computer-aided discovery of new embedded minimal surfaces

In 1984, Bill Meeks and I established the existence of an infinite family of complete embedded minimal surfaces in R 3. For each k > 0, there exists an example which is homeomorphic to a surface of genus k from which three points have been removed. Figure 30-1 is a picture of the genus-one example. The equations for this remarkable surface were established by Celsoe Costa in his thesis, but they were so complex that the underlying geometry was obscured. We used the computer to numerically approximate the surface and then construct an image of it. This gave us the clues to its essential properties which we then established mathematically. The programming expertise of James T. Hoffman, who is mainly responsible for the quality of the illustrations here, was a central ingredient in our research use of computer graphics. Without the use of a new programming environment, of which he is the principal creator, we would not have made the discoveries I will attempt to describe.
Group Composition and Machiavellianism

Christie's model of Machiavellianism is generally precise within the parameters it uses but it leaves out certain factors included in this study. Using the Mach IV and Mach V scales subjects were classified according to their mach level and asked to play in a Parcheesi-type board game. Results showed that the effects of Machiavellianism in bargaining are stronger than those of equity, that the composition of the group affects the winnings of high- and low-machs, and that Machiavellianism as a whole is more predictive of game winnings than either of its two main components, tactics or cynicism. Over-all, the Christie model is still very suitable and the present findings can make it more general.
Phase-conjugate quantum communication with optical heterodyne detection.

A quantum heterodyne-detection system is described that affords K-ary phase-based digital communication at zero error probability at an average photon number of approximately K3/2. In phase-based precision measurement—at the same average photon number—this system can measure an arbitrary c-number phase shift to within ±π/K rad with probability one.
Effect of 4-(4-methoxy-1,2,5-thiadiazol-3-yl)-1-methyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, an analog of MPTP, on mouse heart norepinephrine and brain catecholamines

Abstract An analog of MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) with a thiadiazole substituent in place of the phenyl ring was compared to MPTP in mice for its ability to deplete striatal dopamine and its metabolites and norepinephrine in the frontal cortex and heart. One week after the last of 4 daily s.c. injections, MPTP at 20 mg/kg depleted mouse striatal dopamine, DOPAC and HVA as well as norepinephrine in the frontal cortex. One week after 4 daily s.c. doses of 4-(4-methoxy-1,2,5-thiadiazol-3-yl)-1-methyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MZTP) at doses as high as 80 mg/kg, there was no effect on brain catecholamines. A single dose of MPTP (10 mg/kg s.c.) depleted heart norepinephrine concentration 24 h after injection. MZTP had no effect on heart norepinephrine at 10 mg/kg s.c., but did significantly deplete mouse heart norepinephrine 24 h after a dose of 20 mg/kg s.c.
Making risk statements stick

Estimates of risk associated with blood transfusion are reported from a variety of sources using different numerical constructs. These data must be judged for validity and generalizability to facilitate decisions for interventions and to estimate potential benefits of interventions. Risk estimates reported in consistent terms, such as occurrences per million units transfused, will assist in comparisons of risks and the expected effect observed at the practitioner level. Use of the estimated number needed to treat puts the effect of an intervention in perspective for the individual practitioner and for national health authorities. We re-evaluated data reported from several recent studies of transfusion risk to highlight this approach. In the USA, the number needed to treat estimated to prevent one HIV transmission is 4.3 million (mini-pool NAT); to prevent one death from bacterial sepsis is 21 thousand (conversion to single donor platelets), and 16 thousand (bacterial screening of platelet concentrates). As interventions are continuing to drive infectious disease transmission rates lower and lower, expressing residual risk as the number needed to treat demonstrates that further improvements in safety are unlikely to be recognized at the local level even though the overall impact at the national level is significant.
Celebrating the legacy, embracing the future: How research can help build ties between historically African American Churches and their Latino immigrant neighbours

In South Los Angeles, like in many low-income urban communities throughout the country, Latino immigrants are moving into historically African-American urban neighborhoods. This results in some real and some perceived competition for government resources, jobs, and political power. In such contexts, religious institutions can play a powerful role in building alliances between African-American and Latino immigrant residents. This case study aims to inform how the Second Baptists Church of Los Angeles, a historically African-American church and leader in civil rights, can begin developing ties with its Latino neighbors. Drawing on analyses of publicly available administrative data and original needs assessment data, we identify issues that might unite African-Americans and Latinos around a common agenda. This study presents a replicable model for a research-based approach to promoting multi-racial alliances in neighborhoods experiencing demographic transitions.
Transforming Growth Factor-β and Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor Synergistically Induce Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Gene Expression through the Cooperation of Smad, STAT, and AP-1 Sites

The cytokine ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) both induce transcription of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) gene through a 180-base pair cytokine response element (CyRE) in the VIP promoter. While CNTF induces STAT and AP-1 proteins to bind to cognate sites in the VIP CyRE, the mechanism through which TGF-β acts to induce VIP gene transcription is not known. Here we show that Smad3 and Smad4 proteins can bind to two distinct sites within the VIP CyRE. These sites are absolutely required for the induction of VIP CyRE transcription by TGF-β. TGF-β induces endogenous Smad-containing complexes to bind to these sites in human neuroblastoma cells. CNTF and TGF-β synergize to induce VIP mRNA expression and transcription through the VIP CyRE. This synergy is dependent on the Smad, STAT, and AP-1 sites, suggesting that these two independent cytokine pathways synergize through the cooperation of pathway-specific transcription factors binding to distinct sites within the VIP CyRE.
An OFDM/FDMA Indoor Geolocation System

: An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) frequency division multiple access (FDMA) indoor geolocation system is discussed in this paper. The principle of operation, transmitter, channel, and receiver are discussed. The system's theoretical performance and simulation results are presented. This system is an attractive alternative for indoor geolocation for the following reasons: (1) it appears that indoor positioning and navigation are achievable to within a few meters if only pseudorange measurements are used, and (2) the receiver design is far simpler than the design of any conventional GPS receiver.
Endurance training changes central and peripheral responses to physostigmine

Abstract Whether the pharmacodynamics of physostigmine (Phy) [rate of decarbamylation of cholinesterase (ChE) enzyme] (Kd) is altered due to acute and/or trained exercise in brain and various tissues of rat has been addressed. Acute exercise (AE) + Phy increased, whereas endurance training (ET) + Phy decreased ChE activity in brain, red blood cells (RBC), and various tissues as compared to Phy alone. The Kd of brain ChE was significantly increased (181% of control) by AE + Phy and decreased (66% of control) by ET + Phy as compared to Phy alone. There was a slight increase (114% of control) in Fd of RBCChE in AE + Phy as compared to Phy alone. The Kd of heart ChE was significantly decreased (44% of control) by ET + Phy as compared to Phy alone. The Kd of diaphragm ChE was significantly increased (384% of control) in AE + Phy and decreased (80% of control) in ET + Phy as compared to Phy alone. The Kd of muscle ChE significantly decreased (67% of control) by AE + Phy as compared to Phy alone, but ET + Phy did not affect the Kd in muscle. These results suggested that AE and ET have opposite effects on Kd after Phy administration.