cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Education and Income in the Early Twentieth Century: Evidence from the Prairies

We present the first estimates of the returns to years of schooling before 1940 using a large sample of individuals (from the 1915 Iowa State Census). The returns to a year of high school or college were substantial in 1915-about 11 percent for all males and in excess of 12 percent for young males. Education enabled individuals to enter lucrative white-collar jobs, but sizable educational wage differentials also existed within occupational groups. Returns were substantial even for those in farming. We find, using U.S. census data, that returns to education decreased between 1915 and 1940 and again during the 1940s. T he distribution of earings is substantially shaped by a race between technology and education.' There are times when technology forges ahead and the wage structure widens. At other times, education makes great strides and the distribution narrows. The first few decades of the twentieth century witnessed both changes. America moved decisively ahead in education by putting the majority of its youth through high school, a feat no other country would match for many decades to come. At the same time, there was enormously growing demand for skilled workers in the office and on production jobs.2 A considerable amount is now known about the increase in education among Americans in the twentieth century. But we know far less about the stock of educated Americans, occupations by education, the pecuniary retums to education, and the role of formal schooling in advancing productivity during the first half of the twentieth century. In large measure, our ignorance owes to data deficiencies. The 1940 U.S. population census was the first to inquire about education and earnings. This article remedies some of
Who is Biking for? Urban Bikeshare Networks' Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Disparities in Bikeshare Access, and a Way Forward

Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people have contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus and died of COVID-19 at higher rates than White people. Individuals rated public transit, taxis, and ride-hailing as the modes of transportation putting them at greatest risk of COVID-19 infection. Cycling may thus be an attractive alternative for commuting. Amid the increase in bikeshare usage during the early months of the pandemic, bikeshare companies made changes to membership requirements to increase accessibility, targeting especially essential workers. Essential workers in the United States are disproportionately Black and Latinx, underpaid, and reliant on public transit to commute to work. We document changes made by bikeshare companies, including benefits to various groups of essential workers, and we discuss such changes in the context of longstanding racial disparities in bikeshare access. While well intended, the arbitrary delineation in eligibility for such benefits by class of essential workers unwittingly curtailed access for many who may have benefited most. Given that equity in bikeshare is an important tool to improve access to safe transportation, critical changes in the distribution, accessibility, and usability of bikeshare networks is essential. Bikeshare companies, city planners, and policy makers should collaborate with community-based bike advocates to implement changes, as vocalized by those most in need of alternative forms of transportation.
Functional Connectivity Networks and Their Recruitment During Working Memory Tasks in Adult Survivors of Childhood Brain Tumors.

Background: Assessments of functional connectivity of default mode network (DMN) and positive task-related networks (TRNs) using independent component analysis (ICA) may help describe long-term eff...
School Psychological Practice in a Department of Pediatrics

This article discusses historical, administrative, and professional considerations for school psychologists to practice in pediatric settings. Although some impediments to practice exist, the uniqu...
Interactive features of E-texts’ effects on learning: a systematic review and meta-analysis

E-texts afford interactive features that are not feasible with paper texts. Several studies have been conducted examining interactive features of E-texts, but it is uncertain what the overall effec...
Gender differences in any alcohol screening and discussions with providers among older adults in the United States, 2015 to 2019.

Background Unhealthy alcohol use is increasing among older adults, particularly women. We estimated gender differences in the prevalence of alcohol screening/discussions with healthcare providers among older adults who use alcohol. Methods Using the 2015 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, we included 9663 adults age 65 and older in the United States who used alcohol and had a past-year healthcare encounter. We estimated the weighted prevalence of alcohol screening/discussions (no screening; screening only; discussions with providers) by gender. We used weighted multinomial logistic regression models to examine correlates of alcohol use screening/discussions. Results Among older adults who used alcohol and encountered the healthcare system in the past year, 24.68% of men and 27.04% of women reported no alcohol screening/discussions. Men were more likely than women to be asked about drinking frequency, amount, or problems related to drinking. Compared to no alcohol screening/discussions, women were 22% more likely (95% CI: 1.05, 1.42) to report alcohol screening only but were 18% less likely to discuss alcohol with providers (95% CI: 0.73, 0.91) than men. Women had 0.67 times (95% CI: 0.60, 0.74) the adjusted odds of reporting alcohol discussions with providers versus any alcohol screening only compared with men. Conclusions Over a quarter of older adults who used alcohol were not asked about their drinking, and older women were less likely than men to discuss alcohol use with providers. Given the increased risk for harms of alcohol use with aging, older adults should be screened and counseled regarding their alcohol use.
Efficient, yet Effective: Improvements in Suicide-related Knowledge, Confidence, and Preparedness after the Deployment of a Brief Online Module on Suicide in a Required MSW Course

Although social workers are increasingly likely to encounter suicidal clients in their practice, many are under-prepared to address the issue of suicide, and significant deficiencies in suicide edu...
TORQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMERCIAL VEHICLE BRAKES

A new over-the-road brake dynamometer has recently been developed to measure commercial vehicle brake torque at nearly constant speed. In this paper, results are presented from the initial test program of this vehicle. The program included tests to assess the influence of initial drum temperature and rubbing velocity on brake torque, as well as the occurrence and nature of brake fade and hysteresis effects. Results of these tests indicated that the rate of energy flow into the brake system has a more significant effect on brake torque than initial temperature. Greater hysteresis was found in the S-Cam brakes than in the dual-wedge brakes.
Adaptation to Hypoxia

Many biochemical changes occur during acclimation to altitude. Some appear to be deleterious, but the increase in cytochrome-P 450 and the changes in the endoplasmic reticulum seem to be beneficial. The latter changes could reduce the capillary to oxidase gradient to compensate for the lower capillary oxygen tensions. The possibility of accelerating acclimation to hypoxia by using drugs which produce similar changes is being explored.
Metabolic Syndrome and Hepatic Steatosis is Reduced in C57BL/6J Mice Fed High-fat Diets Supplemented with Soy Isoflavones

The effect of soy isoflavones on metabolic syndrome and hepatic lipid metabolism was investigated in male C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet (HF), and HF plus soy isoflavone supplement Novasoy (NS, 0.2%, w/w) diet for 10 weeks. Compared to HF, NS-fed mice, despite no changes in food intake, had reduced percent weight gain over ten weeks (37±2.2% vs. 45±2.4%), reduced blood glucose levels (276±49 vs. 352±55 vs. mg/dL), reduced serum resistin (4.20±0.68 vs. 5.95±0.46 pg/mL), and reduced leptin (10.5 ±1.89 vs. 21.9±1.25 pg/mL (all p<0.05). In addition, NS consumption prevented hepatic lipid accumulation as determined by histological analyses. Hepatic gene expression was measured and confirmed that intake of NS up-regulated mRNA levels related to hepatic lipid oxidation, including ACOX-1 and CPT1-α. We followed these findings with an in vitro study in which HepG2 cells were induced to accumulate intracellular li...
Fatty acid synthetase complex: Selective inactivation by phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride

Abstract Reaction of pigeon and rat liver fatty acid synthetases with phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride at pH 7.0 results in rapid and complete loss of activity for fatty acid synthesis. Acetyl and malonyl transacylation, two reductions, dehydration and condensation-CO 2 exchange reactions are not appreciably altered in the modified enzyme. However, the deacylation of palmityl CoA is completely inhibited. Complete inactivation results in the incorporation of about 1.9 moles of 14 C-phenylmethylsulphonyl groups/mole of the enzyme complex. These results suggest that either two moles of a fatty acyl deacylase or two deacylases with different fatty acyl chain length specificities may be functional in the enzyme complex.
Nuclear Fragmentation Processes Relevant for Human Space Radiation Protection

Space radiation from cosmic ray particles is one of the main challenges for human space explorations such-as a moon base or a trip to Mars. Models have been developed in order to predict the radiation exposure to astronauts and to evaluate the effectiveness of different shielding materials, and a key ingredient in these models is the physics of nuclear fragmentations. We have developed a semi-analytical method to determine which partial cross sections of nuclear fragmentations most affect the radiation dose behind shielding materials due to exposure to galactic cosmic rays. The cross sections thus determined will require more theoretical and/or experimental studies in order for us to better predict, reduce and mitigate the radiation exposure in human space explorations.
Rifampin, a Useful Drug for Nonmycobacterial Infections

Rifampin has clinical efficacy against a wide variety of organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus, Legionella pneumophila, group A Streptococcus, Brucella sp, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis, as well as in vitro activity against penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Haemophilus ducreyi, and many gram-negative rods. Rifampin is a useful drug for several types of bacterial infections because of its broad spectrum of activity, excellent tissue penetration, and low side effect profile. In combination with other antibiotics, it may be effective when conventional therapies are not.
Positivism, Sociology, and Practical Reasoning: Notes on Durkheim’s Suicide

The time has perhaps come at last when it is possible to evaluate positivism’s contribution to the social sciences in a way that does justice to its real achievements while recognizing its philosophical defects. Too many antipositivist writers have been content with cataloguing mistakes when they ought to have learned from Hegel that any sufficiently important error is always a way-station and even perhaps a necessary way-station on the road to some truth. But a condition for recognizing what we have to learn from positivism, in the social sciences as elsewhere, is that we understand that there were many positivisms and not just one or even two. The virtues of positivism emerge only in the detail of particular versions, not in summaries of its most general philosophical theses.
Effect of elevations of carbon dioxide on fetal carotid blood flow

Abstract The effect of elevation of carbon dioxide in the fetal arterial blood on carotid flow has been evaluated using a semichronic fetal preparation. There was only a minimal increase in carotid flow with a moderate increase in carbon dioxide tension.
Ten Weeks of Infection with a Tissue-Invasive Helminth Protects against Local Immune Complex–Mediated Inflammation, but Not Cutaneous Type I Hypersensitivity, in Previously Sensitized Mice

In this study, we evaluated the effect chronic helminth infection has on allergic disease in mice previously sensitized to OVA. Ten weeks of infection with Litomosoides sigmodontis reduced immunological markers of type I hypersensitivity, including OVA-specific IgE, basophil activation, and mast cell degranulation. Despite these reductions, there was no protection against immediate clinical hypersensitivity following intradermal OVA challenge. However, late-phase ear swelling, due to type III hypersensitivity, was significantly reduced in chronically infected animals. Levels of total IgG2a, OVA-specific IgG2a, and OVA-specific IgG1 were reduced in the setting of infection. These reductions were most likely due to increased Ab catabolism as ELISPOT assays demonstrated that infected animals do not have suppressed Ab production. Ear histology 24 h after challenge showed infected animals have reduced cellular infiltration in the ear, with significant decreases in numbers of neutrophils and macrophages. Consistent with this, infected animals had less neutrophil-specific chemokines CXCL-1 and CXCL-2 in the ear following challenge. Additionally, in vitro stimulation with immune complexes resulted in significantly less CXCL-1 and CXCL-2 production by eosinophils from chronically infected mice. Expression of FcγRI was also significantly reduced on eosinophils from infected animals. These data indicate that chronic filarial infection suppresses eosinophilic responses to Ab-mediated activation and has the potential to be used as a therapeutic for pre-existing hypersensitivity diseases.
NH3 in the Central 10 pc of the Galaxy. I. General Morphology and Kinematic Connections between the Circumnuclear Disk and Giant Molecular Clouds

New Very Large Array images of NH3 (1, 1), (2, 2), and (3, 3) emission in the central 10 pc of the Galaxy trace filamentary streams of gas, several of which appear to feed the circumnuclear disk (CND). The NH3 images have a spatial resolution of 165 × 145 and have better spatial sampling than previous NH3 observations. The images show the "southern streamer," "50 km s-1 cloud," and new features including a "western streamer," 6 pc in length, and a "northern ridge," which connects to the CND. NH3 (3, 3) emission is very similar to 1.2 mm dust emission, indicating that NH3 traces column density well. Ratios of the NH3 (2, 2) to (1, 1) line intensities give an estimate of the temperature of the gas and indicate high temperatures close to the nucleus and CND. The new data cover a velocity range of 270 km s-1, including all velocities observed in the CND, with a resolution of 9.8 km s-1. Previous NH3 observations with higher resolution did not cover the entire range of velocities seen in the CND. The large-scale kinematics of the CND do not resemble a coherent ring or disk. We see evidence for a high-velocity cloud within a projected distance of 50'' (2 pc), which is only seen in NH3 (3, 3) and is likely to be hot. Comparison to 6 cm continuum emission reveals that much of the NH3 emission traces the outer edges of Sagitarrius A East and was probably pushed outward by this expanding shell. The connection between the northern ridge (which appears to be swept up by Sgr A East) and the CND indicates that Sgr A East and the CND are in close proximity to each other. Kinematic evidence for these connections is presented in this paper, while the full kinematic analysis of the central 10 pc will be presented in our next paper.
Time-co-ordinated prefeeding activity in fish

Abstract Fish fed daily at a regular time under controlled artificial illumination became active daily for a number of hours just before feeding time. Experiments with killifish ( Fundulus heteroclitus ) in constant light and under alternating 12-hour periods of bright and dim light showed that the timing of the pre-feeding activity is influenced by shifts in the light cycle and feeding time; when feeding time in constant light was shifted 6 hours, the pre-feeding activity shifted approximately 6 hours in 1 to 3 days. The conclusion was reached that the pre-feeding activity is a consequence of conditioning the act of feeding to an endogenous cue which itself is coordinated by the time of feeding or daily changes in light.
Dental Caries Incidence in North and South Dakota Indian School Children during 30 Years

SYNOPSIS IN INTERLINGUAINCIDENTIA DE CARIE DENTAL DURANTE TRENTA ANNOS IN SCHOLARES INDIAN DE NORD- E SUD-DAKOTA.-Un total de 6988 examines dental esseva effectuate in juveniles sioux visitante octo internatos de Nord- e Sud-Dakota durante le periodo ab 1959 ad 1962. Esseva effectuate comparationes con datos de prevalentia de carie dental a base de examines de 926 juveniles sioux in le mesme reservationes durante le periodo ab 1929 ad 1932. Le methodos initialmente reportate esseva observate subsequentemente. Le resultatos reflecte un augmento plus que duplice in le prevalentia pro omne le gruppos de etate studiate. Le augmentos esseva al media 1,3, 1,8, 2,3, 3,3, 4,4, e 4,5 dentes decadite, absente, o replenate pro le gruppos de etate sub 8, ab 8 ad 9, ab 10 ad 11, ab 12 ad 13, ab 14 ad 15, e plus que 15 annos, respectivemente. Plus detaliate studios es necessari pro explicar iste marcate alterationes.
Warfare Transformed: A Braudelian Perspective on the `Revolution in Military Affairs'

Despite the historical patina of much of the extant literature, most of the scholarship on the `Revolution in Military Affairs' (RMA) reflects a profoundly superficial and ahistorical understanding...
Aquaculture of Sea Scallops and Abalone in Japan

In Japan, farming of sea scallops (Patinopecten yessoensis) and abalone (Haliotis discus) is expanding at a rapid rate. Approximately 16 prefectural laboratories are producing 2 to 3 million seed abalone annually. These are sold to the fishermen for planting on natural grounds. Studies are underway to utilize heated water from power plants to speed up the abalone's growth. Plans are also underway to develop artificial growing grounds for abalone culture. Extensive areas in Hokkaido and Mutsu Bay (Honshu) are being utilized in the long-line culture of scallops. It has been estimated that 40,000 tons of scallops will be harvested in 1972 and 100,000 tons may be produced in 1973. Some of the methods now being utilized to farm scallops and abalone in Japan could possibly be applied in the United States.
Global strategic management in a new world order

T he globalization of business has become so rapid that a new Field called “Global Strategic Management” has now emerged. This new Field is a blend of strategic management and international business that develops worldwide strategies For global corporations. Whereas most stuclies in this Field Focus on ordinary business conditions, the revolutionary events of the past Few years make it clear that the present is not ordinary. Such epoch-shattering events as the collapse of communism, the unification of Europe, the information revolution, the arrival of an environmental ethic, and other remarkable new developments signal that a new era is emerging in global affairs. This article describes a broader approach to global strategic management that encompasses these revolutionary changes. The viewpoint presented here was developed in a project sponsored by the World Future Society called “WORLD 2000.” WORLD 2000 focuses on conclucting a global strategic management process among business, government, education, and other sectors of society to define the emerging global system and help institutions adapt to changes. It represents a Fresh examination of the forces that are integrating the earth into a coherent global order as well as those that are creating the disorder that tends to characterize our time: the unification of markets and communications, as well as the vast differences in cultures, local problems, and values erupting around the globe. By gaining new insights into the emerging world system, social institutions may better understand how they can adapt to these changes. This seems to be an opportune time For such an examination. The transition to a new global system is likely to be made during the next,decade; the year 2000 offers a highly symbolic tuming point at which the emerging global order can be shaped and molded.
Interrater reliability and physical examination of the pubovisceral portion of the levator ani muscle, validity comparisons using MR imaging.

Aims: Defects in the pubovisceral portion of the levator ani muscle are seen with MR imaging. This study aims to determine interrater reliability of physical examination in detecting these defects, and to validate ¢ndings from physical examination using comparisons with MR images. Methods: Two examiners palpated the pubovisceral muscles of 29 women to assess for defects in this muscle. Each examiner was blinded to the others ¢ndings. MR scans were acquired on a further 24 women after structured clinical examination by one examiner. These images were read to determine pubovisceral muscle defects, blinded to patient identi¢ers. Agreement between raters and between MR imaging and clinical examination were calculated. Results: The two examiners had positive agreement (presence of a defect) of 72.7% and negative agreement (absence of a defect) of 83.3%. The positive agreement between physical examination and MR imaging was 27.3% and the negative agreement 86.5%. Conclusion: The structured physical examination to detect defects in the pubovisceral portion of the levator ani muscle can be learned as shown by good interrater agreement. However, examination alone underestimates these defects compared with MR imaging. Neurourol. Urodynam. 25:50 ^54, 2006. 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Sustenance against RL-Based Sybil Attacks in Cognitive Radio Networks Using Dynamic Reputation System

In this paper, we formulate novel threat and defense mechanisms for the Sybil attack problem in Cognitive Radio Networks (CRN). We present potential identity sampling strategies that a malicious Sybil attacker can use to enhance its attack capability and impact without being detected. We investigate how a Sybil attacker can leverage reinforced learning technique to improve its performance. We also formulate a novel dynamic reputation mechanism to defend against such threat that relies on the nodes' reporting in an intelligent and adaptive manner. Results obtained shows that a Sybil attacker can improve its performance using RL technique. It also demonstrates that the use of the dynamic reputation mechanism can considerably reduce the effectiveness of Sybil attacks and improve the accuracy of spectrum decisions.
Studies of the Mean Displacement of Surface Atoms in the (100) and (110) Faces of Silver Single Crystals at Low Temperatures

The intensities of back-diffracted low-energy (10-300-eV) electrons have been measured as a function of temperature for the (110) and (100) faces of single-crystal silver in the temperature range -195 to 85\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. From these data, the rms displacements $〈{u}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}〉$ of surface atoms perpendicular to the surface planes have been calculated and the magnitudes of the parallel components $〈{u}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}〉$ estimated. The perpendicular components of the surface rms displacements on silver (110) and (100) surfaces are 60 and 100% larger than those of bulk atoms. There is little difference in magnitude between the parallel and perpendicular components for these faces, as has also been reported for the (111) face. The parallel components of the rms displacements did not exhibit anisotropy within the accuracy of the measurements, and the physical adsorption of several noble gases had no effect on any of these measurements. The surface rms displacement for silver and those other fcc metals studied are larger than predicted by theory, which assumes bulk force constants for the surface atoms. This suggests that force constants for surface atoms are smaller than those of bulk atoms.
The asymptotic distribution of the delete-d Jackknife variance estimator for smooth functionals

Abstract The delete-d Jackknife estimate of variance is commonly used in survey sampling. We derive the asymptotic distribution of this estimator for a class of second-order differentiable statistical functionals, including the useful case of estimating the variance of an estimated coefficient in logistic regression. The asymptotic distribution of the variance estimator depends on the quadratic term of the functional through its Hajek projection. We relate these results to existing results in which the variance estimator is seen to have the asymptotic distribution of a “linearized” version. A practical consequence is that d = 1 is the best choice for variance estimates of many common statistics.
Objective criteria for reporting language dominance by intracarotid amobarbital procedure.

Abstract We propose a standardized method for reporting language lateralization by intracarotid amobarbital procedure (IAP). We retrospectively reviewed 165 IAPs, and classified language lateralization as left, right, or bilateral by three different methods, all based on the duration of speech arrest following each injection: absolute duration, side-to-side difference, and a “laterality index” defined as (L−R/L+R). Cutoff values were obtained by studying a pure subgroup of left hemisphere dominant right-handed subjects. In 142 patients (86%), the classification remained unchanged among all three methods: left in 112 (79%), right in 19(13%), and bilateral in 11 (8%). In the other 23 patients (14%), language classification varied among the three criteria used. The change of category was never between left and right, and always involved bilateral language. Thus, this index may be helpful in standardizing and comparing IAP results from different series.
Decrease of hepatic catalase level by treatment with diallyl sulfide and garlic homogenates in rats and mice.

Diallyl sulfide (DAS) is a flavor compound derived from garlic and is active in the inhibition of chemically induced cytotoxicity and carcinogenicity in animal models. This study was conducted to examine the effects of the treatment of DAS and garlic homogenates on the activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with DAS i.g. at daily doses of 50 or 200 mg/kg for 8 days, causing the hepatic catalase activity to decrease by 55 and 95%, respectively. Such a decrease in hepatic catalase activity was also observed when the DAS treatment was extended to 29 days. Western blot analysis showed that the DAS treatments resulted in corresponding decreases in the liver catalase protein level. No significant change in the catalase activity in the kidney, lung, and brain was observed with the treatments, but a slight decrease in heart catalase activity was observed. These treatments did not cause significant changes in superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in these tissues. Treatment with DAS at a daily dose of 200 mg/kg for 1-7 days resulted in a gradual decrease in the liver catalase activity to 5% of the control level, but it did not decrease the erythrocyte catalase activity. Treatment of rats with fresh garlic homogenates (2 or 4 g/kg, i.g., daily for 7 days) caused a 35% decrease in liver catalase activity. A/J mice treated with DAS and garlic homogenates also showed a decrease in the liver catalase activity. Diallyl sulfone (DASO2), a DAS metabolite, however, did not effectively decrease catalase activity in mice. The catalase activity was not inhibited by either DAS or DASO2 in vitro. The present results demonstrate that treatment with DAS and garlic homogenates decrease the hepatic catalase level in rats and mice.
A Nonlinear Stochastic Filter for Continuous-Time State Estimation

Nonlinear filters produce a nonparametric estimate of the probability density of state at each point in time. Currently-known nonlinear filters include Particle Filters and the Kushner equation (and its un-normalized version: the Zakai equation). However, these filters have limited measurement models: Particle Filters require measurement at discrete times, and the Kushner and Zakai equations only apply when the measurement can be represented as a function of the state. We present a new nonlinear filter for continuous-time measurements with a much more general stochastic measurement model. It integrates to Bayes' rule over short time intervals and provides Bayes-optimal estimates from quantized, intermittent, or ambiguous sensor measurements. The filter has a close link to Information Theory, and we show that the rate of change of entropy of the density estimate is equal to the mutual information between the measurement and the state and thus the maximum achievable. This is a fundamentally new class of filter that is widely applicable to nonlinear estimation for continuous-time control.
Investigation of the surface of platinum paste electrodes

Abstract Electrodes made from a platinum paste on stabilized zirconia were investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (a.e.s.) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (x.p.s.). A.e.s. revealed the presence of carbon, oxygen, silver, sulfur, and chlorine in addition to platinum. X.p.s. analysis suggested the existence of oxides of platinum along with metallic platinum.
Computed Tomography Scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are currently two of the latest methods for producing computerized images of normal and diseased heart muscle. Both CT and MRI are among the most accurate tools used to assess the heart’s structure and pumping function and the structures of the large vessels (aorta and pulmonary artery). When conventional imaging techniques such as a chest x-ray or echocardiogram are inadequate, these techniques often allow your doctor to make important diagnoses or decisions about treating your heart condition. ### What Is a Cardiac CT Scan? Cardiac CT scanning uses x-ray imaging to take images of the heart timed to the heartbeats to avoid motion blurring from the heart’s movements. There are two different CT technologies that can be used in imaging the heart: Electron beam CT (EBCT) and multi-detector CT scans (MDCT). Although there is ongoing debate about the relative merits of these two technologies, in general, they can be considered equivalent. Cardiac CT can provide information about the extent of atherosclerosis by detecting the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries, can detect structural abnormalities of the heart and heart lining (pericardium), and is useful for diagnosing many diseases of the larger blood vessels of the body. There is extensive research at present about the potential utility of cardiac CT for detecting blockages in the coronary arteries (coronary CT angiography). However, this use of CT scanning is unproven at this time. In general, a CT scan has the advantage of …
Does the use of fentanyl in epidural solutions for postthoracotomy pain management in neonates affect surgical outcome

Abstract Background/Purpose Continuous epidural analgesia is routinely used to manage pain in infants undergoing resection of a congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) of the lung. Our aim was to determine if there is a difference in the length of stay (LOS), supplemental analgesic requirements, pain control, and the incidence of adverse respiratory events in infants receiving the 2 standard epidural solutions commonly used: bupivacaine 0.1% and bupivacaine 0.1% with fentanyl 2 to 5 μ g/mL. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the charts of infants who received epidural infusions containing bupivacaine 0.1% (n = 18) and bupivacaine 0.1% with fentanyl 2 to 5 μ g/mL (n = 10) after CCAM resection during a 12-month period. LOS, rescue opioid, and nonopioid analgesic use, incidence of respiratory depression, and pain scores were recorded. Results The LOS in patients receiving fentanyl in their epidural solution was 1 day longer than those receiving plain bupivacaine (median 4 vs 3 days, respectively). Nonopioid analgesic and rescue opioid use was greater in patients who did not have fentanyl in their epidural solutions. Pain ratings were not significantly different. The incidence of respiratory depression was greater in patients receiving epidural infusions containing fentanyl (50% vs 17%, respectively). Conclusion The addition of fentanyl to epidural infusions of bupivacaine in infants undergoing thoracotomy for resection of CCAM may prolong recovery and increase the incidence of adverse respiratory events without providing a significant analgesic benefit.
Facilitating Student Understanding of Buffering by an Integration of Mathematics and Chemical Concepts.

We describe a simple undergraduate exercise involving the titration of a weak acid by a strong base using a pH meter and a micropipette. Students then use their data and carry out graphical analyses with a spreadsheet. The analyses involve using mathematical concepts such as first-derivative and semi-log plots and provide an opportunity for collaboration between biochemistry and mathematics instructors. By focusing on titration data, rather than the titration process, and using a variety of graphical transformations, we believe that students achieve a deeper understanding of the concept of buffering.
Variation in the Deterioration of Fossil Resins and Implications for the Conservation of Fossils in Amber

ABSTRACT The deterioration of fossil resins (crazing, cracking, and darkening) was investigated by comparing the effects of one year of accelerated aging—specifically intensive exposure to light, heat, and fluctuating humidity, both individually and in combination—on samples from several natural resin deposits. These included two Cretaceous ambers (from Myanmar [Burma] and central New Jersey), two Tertiary ambers (from the Baltic and the Dominican Republic), and Holocene copal from Zanzibar. The five resins were chosen for their disparate ages and botanical origins (and thus chemical and physical properties), as well as their paleontological significance. In all cases, pronounced deterioration occurred under combined exposure to light and fluctuating humidity, based on surface crazing and a decrease in absorbance of light in the UV region (360–400 nm). While crazing did not visibly occur in cases of fluctuating humidity in dark conditions, or UV exposure alone, spectrophotometric evidence indicates that s...
Caffeine and KCl contracture in cat myocardium

Abstract Caffeine increases the force of contracture induced in cat myocardium by exposure to 140 mM KCl in isotonic Tyrode solution. The effect of caffeine does not require prior exposure to the drug, develops rapidly, and is partially antagonized by procaine but not by verapamil. These results suggest that caffeine acts on depolarized sarcolemma to release a sarcolemmal calcium pool.
PLC-α: A common mediator of the action of estrogen and other hormones?

The phosphatidyl inositol (PI) second messenger pathway may mediate diverse effects of estrogen, including its potentiation of the effects of other hormones. Both estradiol (E2) and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) induce a putative isoform of PI-specific phospholipase C-alpha (PLC-alpha). PLC-alpha catalyzes PI hydrolysis, which in turn can increase protein kinase C (PKC) activation, Ca2+ mobilization, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Estrogen activates the PI pathway, and components of the PI pathway can mimic or enhance some effects of estrogen. Furthermore, estrogen potentiates effects of several hormones (e.g., LHRH, prolactin, and insulin) which can also act through the PI system. PLC-alpha may therefore provide a common second messenger pathway mediating the potentiation by E2 of the effects of other hormones; in addition it may also mediate some or all of the many actions of E2, since components of the PI pathway can have secretory, trophic, toxic, and neuromodulatory effects.
Flux-Corrected Transport

This paper describes a class of explicit, Eulerian finite-difference algorithms for solving the continuity equation which are built around a technique called “flux correction.” These flux-corrected transport (FCT) algorithms are of indeterminate order but yield realistic, accurate results. In addition to the mass-conserving property of most conventional algorithms, the FCT algorithms strictly maintain the positivity of actual mass densities so steep gradients and inviscid shocks are handled particularly well. This first paper concentrates on a simple one-dimensional version of FCT utilizing SHASTA, a new transport algorithm for the continuity equation, which is described in detail.
Artificial life as philosophy

more important and promising. Philosophers have always trafficked in thought experiments, putatively conclusive arguments about what is possible, necessary, and impossible under various assumptions. The cases that philosophers have been able to make using these methods are notoriously inconclusive. What "stands to reason" or is "obvious" in various complex scenarios is quite often more an artifact of the bias and limitations of the philosopher's imagination than the dictate of genuine logical insight. Artificial Life, like its parent (aunt?) discipline, Artificial Intelligence, can be conceived as a sort of philosophy—the creation and testing of elaborate thought experiments, kept honest by requirements that could never be imposed on the naked mind of a human thinker acting alone. In short, Artificial Life research is the creation of prosthetically controlled thought experiments of indefinite complexity. This is a great way of confirming or disconfirming many of the intuitions or hunches that otherwise have to pass as data for the sorts of conceptual investigations that define the subject matter of philosophy. Philosophers who see this opportunity will want to leap into the field, at whatever level of abstraction suits their interests, and gird their conceptual loins with the simulational virtuosity of computers. But perhaps some philosophers won't see the field this way. They will disagree with this assessment of mine or will worry about some of its presuppositions and implications, and, for them, Artificial Life will appear to be just one more controversial object in the world in need of philosophical analysis, criticism, defense, categorization. What are the n defining doctrines of the Artificial Life creed, and what can be said in defense or criticism of them? Already the stirrings of discussion about whether one wants to distinguish "strong AL" from one or another variety of "weak AL" can be heard in the corridors of philosophy. No doubt there is some useful work to be done identifying the popular misconceptions of the field and exposing them, scolding the overambitious partisans on both sides, and clarifying the actual products, as well as the prospects, of work in the field. It would be a shame, however, if this conceptual policeman role were to be the dominant contribution philosophers make to the field. If we draw the boundaries of Artificial Life rather broadly, there are many quite traditional philosophical issues in the philosophy of biology, of science, of mind, and
Self-channeling of high-peak-power femtosecond laser pulses in air

The self-channeling of ultrashort laser pulses through 20 m of air was demonstrated. The channeled pulse was measured to have 0.75 mJ of energy, a diameter of 80 microm FWHM, and a modulated spectrum. All these values were measured to be fairly constant during the propagation of the pulse. A preliminary model is shown to explain these results.
Near-infrared emitting squaraine dyes for multiphoton fluorescence imaging with high 2PA cross sections

New near-infrared squaraine probe SQ-X (1), and squaraine dye, SQ44OH (2), were investigated for their photochemical properties and cytotoxicity. In vitro one-photon and two-photon fluorescence microscopy imaging was demonstrated.
Determination of quaternary and tertiary alkaloids in Corydalis decumbens by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Abstract A simple RP-HPLC method was developed for the determination of jatrorrhizine, palmatine, corlumidine, bulbocapnine, bicuculline, protopine and tetrahydropalmatine in Corydalis decumbens and its preparations. Using chemically bonded ODS silical gel as the stationary phase, a mixture of acetonitrile and phosphate-triethylamine buffer (32:68) (pH 2.0), a mixture of acetonitrile, methanol and phosphate-triethylamine buffer (pH 3.0) (10:15:75) were suitable mobile phases for the separation of quaternary alkaloids and tertiary alkaloids, respectively.
Spinal subarachnoid perfusion in the rat: glycine transport from spinal fluid.

— A method was developed for perfusion of the spinal subarachnoid space in the rat. Bidirectional steady-state fluxes of [14C]glycine between spinal fluid and plasma were measured. [14C]glycine clearance from spinal fluid was 5-fold greater than its clearance from plasma. Glycine was transported out of spinal fluid by a saturable process, and the rate of transport was unaffected by the other depressant amino acids, GABA, β-alanine, and taurine. Perfused [14C]glycine and [3H]GABA distributed in an intracellular compartment in spinal cord. The preparation should be useful for study of the release of these inhibitory amino acids from the intact spinal cord.
Local Group Stability in the Japanese Community

Sociocultural change is an obvious feature of world societies which are outgrowing their traditional molds. Stability of old adaptive patterns which persist because of their continuing functional utility is more difficult to discern and still more so to explain in other than anachronous terms amidst massive culture change. This article advances the thesis that certain traditional features of the modern Japanese rural community represent stable adaptations to enduring conditions, and are not outmoded survivals which must inevitably be swept away pari passu with general technical advance and economic development. The nexus of these persistent features is the local group, a kind of community of domestic units, or households, which is smaller than the community (buraku) but is always an integral component of the buraku, which is defined by relationship sets which give Japanese community life its essential character. The local group must endure as a viable element of community society in order that the latter ...
Responses to death and sex stimulus materials as a function of repression-sensitization.

It was hypothesized that sensitizers would express more anxiety to literary material dealing with both sex and death than would repressers. Further, it was hypothesized that there would be more anxiety verbalized to both sets of experimental materials than there would be for control materials. From a larger subject pool, 36 male repressers and 30 female repressers plus equal numbers of male and female sensitizers were chosen on the basis of their scores on the Repression-Sensitization (R-S) Scale. One third of the Ss were given a series of highly erotic literary materials to read, one third were given a similar set of materials dealing with death, and one third were given the neutral control set of materials. Self ratings on six different five-point rating scales were obtained immediately afterwards. While sexual arousal was significantly higher for all groups having the sexual materials to read, there were no consistent differences in ratings of anxiety either as a function of R-S or of the materials. Th...
Gamification in assessment: Do points affect test performance?

Abstract Gamification, applying game mechanics to nongame contexts, has recently become a hot topic across a wide range of industries, and has been presented as a potential disruptive force in education. It is based on the premise that it can promote motivation and engagement and thus contribute to the learning process. However, research examining this assumption is scarce. In a set of studies we examined the effects of points, a basic element of gamification, on performance in a computerized assessment of mastery and fluency of basic mathematics concepts. The first study, with adult participants, found no effect of the point manipulation on accuracy of responses, although the speed of responses increased. In a second study, with 6–8 grade middle school participants, we found the same results for the two aspects of performance. In addition, middle school participants' reactions to the test revealed higher likeability ratings for the test under the points condition, but only in the first of the two sessions, and perceived effort during the test was higher in the points condition, but only for eighth grade students.
Papillary Tumor of the Pineal Region: Ultrastructural Study of a Case

Papillary tumor of the pineal region (PTPR) is a recently classified neuroepithelial tumor for which there has been little comprehensive ultrastructural study. Here, we describe the radiographic, intraoperative, histologic, immunohistochemical, and in-depth ultrastructural findings in a case of PTPR. This study corroborates that PTPR has concomitant ependymal, neuroendocrine, and secretory features, and details novel ultrastructural as well as immunohistochemical features that further this argument. Discrepancies with prior descriptions of PTPR are described, as these differences may reflect phenotypic variability in this rare tumor, and the ultrastructural features that relate to the putative ependymal origin of the entity are emphasized.
Neural computations underlying the exertion of force: a model

We have developed a model that simulates possible mechanisms by which supraspinal neuronal signals coding forces could converge in the spinal cord and provide an ongoing integrated signal to the motoneuronal pools whose activation results in the exertion of force. The model consists of a three-layered neural network connected to a two-joint-six-muscle model of the arm. The network layers represent supraspinal populations, spinal cord interneurons, and motoneuronal pools. We propose an approach to train the network so that, after the synaptic connections between the layers are adjusted, the performance of the model is consistent with experimental data obtained on different organisms using different experimental paradigms: the stiffness characteristics of human arm; the structure of force fields generated by the stimulation of the frog's spinal cord; and a correlation between motor cortical activity and force exerted by monkey against an immovable object. The model predicts a specific pattern of connections between supraspinal populations coding forces and spinal cord interneurons: the weight of connection should be correlated with directional preference of interconnected units. Finally, our simulations demonstrate that the force generated by the sum of neural signals can be nearly equal to the vector sum of forces generated by each signal independently, in spite of the complex nonlinearities intervening between supraspinal commands and forces exerted by the arm in response to these commands.