cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spontaneous causal explanations in unipolar depression and generalized anxiety: Content analysis of dysfunctional-thought diaries.

A distinctive explanatory style is often assumed for clinical depression, but little research has directly compared the explanatory patterns in clinical depression with those of other clinical disorders. In the present study, the spontaneous causal explanations of clinically depressed patients for bad life events were compared with those of clinically anxious patients. The spontaneous causal explanations of the patients were extracted from their own dysfunctional thought records using the Content Analysis of Verbatim Explanations (CAVE) technique. All diagnoses were based on a strict consensus rule by two experienced clinicians using a structured diagnostic interview. The patients included stringently diagnosed patients with unipolar major depression, and 12 patients with generalized anxiety disorder comprising a comparison group. The analyses found that unipolar major depression was associated with significantly higher CAVE scores for the attributional style described by the reformulated model of learned helplessness than is generalized anxiety disorder. The results imply that the attributional pattenrs assumed by the reformulated learned helplessness model may have relative specificity to depression.
“Keep These Women Quiet:” Colonial Modernity, Nationalism, and the Female Barbarous Custom

This paper revisits the Rufa’a revolt/riot (1946) in the Sudan led by Mahmoud M. Taha, the elderly Islamic, modernist reformer executed by President Nimerie in 1985, to abolish legislation against female circumcision imposed by the British. Although revered as a martyr for his courage facing death for his beliefs, Taha has been unrelentingly castigated for opposing a measure that intended allegedly to rescue women from this barbarous custom. Not even Taha’s subsequent unprecedented labor for women’s rights took the edge off this criticism of his stand on female circumcision in 1946.The paper will argue that this conflicted view about Tahas’ feminist legacy arose from a sorrowful dichotomy in scholarship about the Sudan. The culturally sensitive feminist writings about female circumcision in the country failed to influence the narrative of Sudanese nationalism. In this narrative colonial modernity’s claim to civilize the “natives” (like rescuing colonial women from their male oppressors) has been widely accepted. Worse, this rescue mission is currently missed and nostalgically remembered as a golden past by both scholars and laymen who were turned off by the disarray of independent Sudan.Drawing on postcolonialism, the paper will seek to bridge the gulf between Sudan feminism and nationalism scholarships to rehabilitate the feminist outlook and praxis of Taha, a consummate, different nationalist. The colonial rescue concept, or modernity, will be viewed as a form of a “colonial nonsense” as developed by Homi Bhabha. This nonsense is an evidence of the sterility of colonialism, an alleged modernist project, torn between the demands of the metropolis raised in the custom of democracy, and the administrative constraints of the colony mired in the custom of power.
Fv-1 restriction of xenotropic and amphotropic murine leukemia virus genomes phenotypically mixed with ecotropic virus

Xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MuLV) genomes rendered capable of infecting mouse cells by phenotypic mixing with an ecotropic MuLV exhibited the Fv-1 restriction pattern of that ecotropic virus. Like Fv-1-restricted ecotropic viruses, xenotropic genomes phenotypically mixed with N-tropic ecotropic MuLV showed two-hit dose-response kinetics when titrated on restrictive Fv-1b cells and the kinetics were converted to one-hit by the addition of N-tropic ecotropic virus. When SC-1 cells chronically infected with N-tropic amphotropic MuLV were superinfected with B-tropic ecotropic virus, each genome tended to maintain its homologous tropism, but with intermediate N:B infectivity ratios, and these ratios changed between the acute and chronic phases of the infection. In clonal lines chronically producing both viruses, the relative N- or B-tropism of the two genomes tended to vary in the same direction, and this correlated with which genome was produced in greater abundance. It is concluded that there is some recognition of amphotropic and ecotropic genomes by their homologous Fv-1 tropism determinants, and that the tropism of the virions in the mixed harvest is determined by this recognition factor and by the relative abundance of the two types of determinant.
A COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF MIXED AGGREGATE FORMATION IN LITHIO AZAALLYLIC SYSTEMS

Abstract Ab initio and semiempirical molecular orbital calculations were used to study the formation of mixed aggregates of lithioazaallylic systems with lithium alkoxides and lithium amides. Both the ab initio and semiempirical calculations predicted the existence of two isomeric mixed aggregates, differing in the nature of the lithium bonding to the azaallylic p-orbital. The effects of molecular structure and solvation on the relative energies of the two isomers were examined.
Effect of atmospheric humidity on the dynamic fracture strength of SiC abrasives

Abstract Silicon carbide abrasive grits were fractured dynamically in a roller crusher at ambient temperature and under controlled levels of atmospheric humidity, covering the full range from 10 to 100% relative humidity. The fracture stress depends strongly both on the grit size below a certain value and on the partial pressure of the water vapor. The size effect causes an increase in fracture stress as the grit diameter is decreased below a certain size. This is thought to be due to scaling of the size of pre-existing surface defects with grit diameter. The moisture effect causes a drop in fracture stress at any moisture level above 0% relative humidity (r.h.) for sufficiently small specimens, while the number of fragments created in the crushing process increases. This effect is thought to be due to moisture-assisted sharpening of the tips of surface defects, which serve as crack initiation sites, during the early stages of loading. The tip sharpening facilitates initiation of brittle fracture. It lowers the measured fracture stress and enables smaller defects to initiate secondary fractures when the stored elastic energy suddenly is released during the primary fracture; therefore, more fragments form. The results explain the previously observed moisture-assisted self-sharpening of abrasives which may result in increased abrasive wear rates for metals as the levels of atmospheric moisture increase. The results may also have implications for the interpretation of certain types of ceramic wear.
Educational remedies for school segregation: A social science statement to the U.S. Supreme Court inMissouri v. Jenkins

On January 11, 1995, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of State of Missouri v. Jenkins (Case No. 93-1923). The State of Missouri petitioned the Court in 1994 to overturn lower federal court rulings that required it to continue paying for Kansas City's school desegregation plan. The State's request was based on two arguments. First, the State contended that the remedies ordered by the federal district court exceeded its previously established liability. Second, the State argued that it had fulfilled its constitutional responsibility to remedy the vestiges of segregation by making significant financial expenditures to implement Kansas City's complex array of voluntary desegregation and educational programs. The class plaintiffs, the Kansas City School District, and the teachers' union opposed the State, contending that the State could not be relieved of its remedial obligations under the desegregation decree merely by showing that it had spent a certain sum of money. Instead, they argued, the State must make some showing that the school district had become unitary and that the vestiges of more than a century of purposeful segregation had been eliminated to the extent practicable. The State of Missouri's constitutional liability was established in 1984, when Federal District Court Judge Russell Clark found both the State and the Kansas City School District responsible for maintaining the racial isolation of African American students [Jenkins v. Missouri, 593 ESupp. 1485 (W.D. Mo. 1984)]. 1 The court found that the vestiges of unconstitutional segregation in Kansas City
The Lipid Composition of Urodele Myelin Which Lacks Hydroxycerebroside and Hydroxysulfatide

: The concentrations of cerebrosides and sul-fatides were measured in the nervous systems of urodeles and related orders with a high performance liquid chro-matographic technique. The peripheral and central nervous systems of all three urodele species, Necturus ma-culosis (mud puppy, a salamander), Notophthalmus viri-descens (eastern red spot newt), and Desmognathus ochropheus (mountain salamander), were found to be completely devoid of γ-hydroxy fatty acid-containing cerebrosides and sulfatides. All species of reptiles and fish classes close to urodeles contain these galactolipids. The levels of nonhydroxy fatty acid-containing cerebrosides and sulfatides are essentially similar in both urodeles and reptiles. Myelin isolated from Necturus spinal cord had a specific density of 1.07, lighter than mammalian myelin. Except for the absence of hydroxycerebrosides and hydroxysulfatides, the lipid composition of Necturus spinal cord myelin is essentially similar to that of frog and rat myelin. The fatty acids of nonhydroxycerebrosides are rich in monounsaturated homologs of C22-C25, and the sphingoid base consists of both sphinganine and sphin-gosine. Electron microscopic examination of the sciatic nerve showed that the general structure and interlamellar distances of salamander and newt myelin are identical to those of frog, chameleon, and rat. Necturus myelin, therefore, can be used as a model for the study of the functional and structural role of hydroxygalactolipids.
Tec kinases: shaping T-cell activation through actin

Following stimulation, T cells undergo marked actin-dependent changes in shape that are required for productive cellular interactions and movement during immune responses. Reorganization of the actin cytoskeletal is also necessary for the formation of an immunological synapse – the convergence of several signaling molecules at the plasma membrane that occurs after effective T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Much emerging evidence indicates that the Tec family of tyrosine kinases has a role in actin cytoskeleton reorganization. Specifically, T cells that lack or express mutant versions of the Tec kinase Itk show impaired TCR-induced actin polymerization, cell polarization and regulation of the signaling events involved in cytoskeletal reorganization. These data, as well as other findings, support roles for Tec kinases in actin cytoskeleton regulation.
Entamoeba histolytica has an alcohol dehydrogenase homologous to the multifunctional adhE gene product of Escherichia coli.

Entamoeba histolytical ferments glucose to ethanol under the anaerobic conditions of the human colon. There is special interest in this metabolic pathway because it provides an opportunity for parasite-specific chemotherapy. Peptide sequences from a 97-kDa E. histolytica protein, which was originally isolated because of extracellular matrix binding properties; were used to clone and sequence a gene that was found to encode an E. histolytica alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (EhADH2). The EhADH2 cDNA clone had an open reading frame encoding 870 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 95 758. The EhADH2 cDNA clone was identical in 48% of its amino acids to the multifunctional enzyme (alcohol dehydrogenase, acetyl-CoA reductase, and pyruvate-formate-lyasedeactivase) encoded by the Escherichia coli adhE gene. The isolation of the EhADH2 protein helps define a new family of ADH enzymes that may be specific to anaerobic and facultatively anaerobic organisms.
Concurrency-oriented optimization for low-power asynchronous systems

We introduce new architectural optimizations for low-power asynchronous systems, such as Tangram-based systems of van Berkel et al. (1994). Our goal is to reduce power consumption by improving system concurrency. We introduce two new sequencer designs, with greater concurrency than existing ones, that provide the opportunity for substantial power savings through voltage scaling. To safely accommodate this added concurrency, new latch designs are presented, for both dual-rail and single-rail implementations.
Roman Jakobson's work as a dialogue : The dialogue as the basis of language, the dialogue as the basis of scientific work

Abstract While dialogue is an important facet of contemporary work in a number of fields, inspired especially by the work of Mikhail Bakhtin (for an overview of Bakhtin's work and of dialogism, see Holquist 1990), few are aware of this facet of Roman Jakobson's work. Jakobson's interest in the communicative aspect of language is perhaps better known since it is linked to the aims of the Prague School and its “means-ends model of language” (Jakobson 1963). For Jakobson (Jakobson 1970:463; Holenstein 1976; cf. Jakobson 1961), linguistics is the study of the communication of any verbal messages (and thus encompasses poetics, the study of communication of poetic verbal messages, and is itself encompassed in semiotics, the study of communication by any messages). In a famous formulation (1960b), Jakobson contended that linguistic communication rests on the speech event, which itself is composed of six facets: speaker, addressee, message, code, contact, context. To these correspond six functions of language, ba...
ANALYSIS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF RESILIENT MODULUS MODELS FOR GRANULAR SOLIDS

Constitutive equations based upon stress dependent moduli, like K-θ and Uzan-Witczak, are widely used to characterize the resilient response of granular materials for the analysis and design of pavement systems. These constitutive models are motivated by the observation that the granular layers used in pavement structures shake down to (nonlinear) elastic response under construction loads and will, therefore, respond elastically under service loads typically felt by these systems. Due to their simplicity, their great success in organizing the response data from cyclic triaxial tests, and their success relative to competing material models in predicting the behavior observed in the field, these resilient modulus constitutive models have been implemented in many computer programs used by researchers and design engineers. This paper provides an analysis of the nonlinear solution algorithms that have been used in implementing these models in a conventional nonlinear 3D finite-element framework. The analysis s...
Thermal ecophysiology of gametophytes cultured from invasive Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar in coastal California harbors.

article i nfo Heat shock Hsp70 Kelp Photosynthesis Seaweed Temperature Given the ecological and economic impact of invasive species, knowledge of traits that allow the invasive kelp Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar to expand its range is important for developing prevention and eradication efforts. Physiological mechanisms of thermotolerance may be important as they can influence both local and regional patterns of distribution and abundance. An established measure of thermotolerance is the heat shock response where heat shock proteins (Hsps) are produced in response to high temperature and protect cellular proteins from misfolding and degradation. It is hypothesized that Hsp production varies with developmental stage in many species, and U. pinnatifida, gametophytes have been shown to have a broader temperature range for growth and survival than sporophytes. Thus, we examined up-regulation of the hsp70 gene in gametophytes of invasive U. pinnatifida and compared it to values previously measured for sporophytes. Fertile sporophytes were collected from harbors in Monterey, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego, California, and gametophytes were cultured from them in the laboratory. After being grown in controlled light and temperature conditions, gametophyte tissue was exposed to a temperature gradient and quantitative real-time PCR was used to determine relative amounts of hsp70 transcript. Expression of hsp70 was extremely low in gametophytes. An investigation of gametophyte thermal ecophysiology using oxygen evolution measures and pulse-amplitude-modulated (PAM) fluorometry at a subset of temperatures revealed that U. pinnatifida gametophytes decrease dark-adapted yield with increasing temperature from 17 to 31 °C. Photosynthetic rates declined but remained positive at all incubation temperatures, while respiration increased with increasing temperatures up to 26 °C and then declined. Thus, U. pinnatifida gametophytes remained metabolically active at temperatures well above normal environmental conditions, indicating they are broadly thermotolerant. This tolerance, however, likely is conferred by mechanisms other than up- regulation of the hsp70 gene as no significant increases in expression related to temperature were observed in this study.
An adaptive test of a subset of regression coefficients using permutations of residuals

An adaptive test is proposed that has greater power than the traditional F-test in linear models that have non-normal errors. The proposed test uses the studentized deleted residuals that are calculated from the reduced model to estimate the appropriate weights for the observations. These weights are then used in a weighted least-squares model to compute the test statistic. Unlike other adaptive tests, this test uses a method based on the permutation of ordinary residuals to estimate the p-value, which has the advantage of not disturbing the relationships among predictor variables. The adaptive test maintains its level of significance for a wide variety of sample sizes and error distributions. The power of the adaptive test approximates the power of the traditional F-test for models having normal errors and exceeds the power of the traditional test for most of the models having non-normal errors.
Localization of an acetylcholine receptor intron to the nuclear membrane

The first intron of the RNA for the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) alpha subunit shows a ringlike distribution around nuclei in multinucleated myotubes by in situ hybridization. This pattern is not observed for an actin intron or U1 RNA. Quantitation of the intron sequences reveals large variations in the amount of both the AChR and actin introns between nuclei within the same myotube, although all nuclei express equivalent amounts of U1 RNA. This differential RNA expression indicates that nuclei can individually control expression of messenger RNAs. The restricted distribution of the AChR intron RNA suggests a previously unknown step in RNA processing.
Corporate Strategy and Top Executive Compensation

This article presents a review of the book “Corporate Strategy and Top Executive Compensation,” by K. R. Srinivasa Murthy.
Occupational dermatitis in health care workers evaluated for suspected allergic contact dermatitis.

Background Contact dermatitides occur commonly among health care workers (HCWs). Objective To contrast the atopic status and incidence, location, and final diagnosis of skin diseases afflicting HCWs versus non-HCWs (NHCWs) evaluated for suspicion of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD); and among the population diagnosed with ACD, to compare the incidence and occupational relatedness of allergens found in HCWs with the rates observed in NHCWs. Methods Between July 1, 1994, and May 30, 2014, 2611 patients underwent patch testing by the senior author. Of these, 165 were classified as HCWs based on their primary occupation. Statistical analysis was done using a χ test. Results Health care workers were more likely than NHCWs to be women and to have hand dermatitis. Women, but not men, HCWs suffered more irritant contact dermatitis. Health care workers had significantly more work-related ACD, especially to formaldehyde, quaternium-15, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, cocamide diethanolamine (DEA), thiuram mix, carba mix, thimerosal, benzalkonium chloride, glutaraldehyde, and bacitracin. Limitations Only patients suspected of having ACD were tested. Our population was geographically limited to metropolitan Kansas City, MO and metropolitan New York, NY. Conclusions Health care workers suffer more from occupational ACD, especially of the hands, than do NHCWs, including to allergens not present on available standard allergen series.
Smell images and the flavour system in the human brain

Flavour perception is one of the most complex of human behaviours. It involves almost all of the senses, particularly the sense of smell, which is involved through odour images generated in the olfactory pathway. In the human brain, the perceptual systems are closely linked to systems for learning, memory, emotion and language, so distributed neural mechanisms contribute to food preference and food cravings. Greater recognition of the role of the brain's flavour system and its connection with eating behaviour is needed for a deeper understanding of why people eat what they do, and to generate better recommendations about diet and nutrition.
Personal Identity and Thought‐Experiments

Through careful analysis of a specific example, Parfit’s ‘fission argument’ for the unimportance of personal identity, I argue that our judgements concerning imaginary scenarios are likely to be unreliable when the scenarios involve disruptions of certain contingent correlations. Parfit’s argument depends on our hypothesizing away a number of facts which play a central role in our understanding and employment of the very concept under investigation; as a result, it fails to establish what Parfit claims, namely, that identity is not what matters. I argue that Parfit’s conclusion can be blocked without denying that he has presented an imaginary case where prudential concern would be rational in the absence of identity. My analysis depends on the recognition that the features that explain or justify a relation may be distinct from the features that underpin it as necessary conditions.
Sperm activation and migration in bed bugs

Abstract The causes of sperm immotility in the seminal vesicles appear to be the lack of O 2 and the absence of carbohydrate substrates but not the hydrogen ion concentration or crowding. The process of activation of sperm results not only in sperm motility but in their aggregation to form masses. The motionless sperm can be activated in the absence of the seminal fluid by a variety of metal chelating agents such as EDTA, histidine, and dithizone. There is evidence for the presence of divalent cations in an easily dissociable form in the sperm. The findings suggest a possible mechanism of sperm activation, viz. the removal of divalent cations from an ‘energy reserve-divalent cation complex’ and the release of the substrates to initiate sperm activity. The seminal fluid, it is suggested, may exert a similar effect during sperm activation. Artificial insemination with chemically activated sperm reveals that such sperm fail to migrate. The cohesive and adhesive properties of sperm aid in the aggregation and migration of sperm mass in the hemocoel. An O 2 -gradient appears to be responsible for the directed migration of the sperm mass in the haemocoel. An activity-gradient in the sperm mass, corresponding to an O 2 -gradient, is apparent in in vitro experiments. Thiourea, an inhibitor of the actomyosin system, affects not only sperm motility but inhibits aggregation of sperm. The sperm mass placed in a droplet of haemolymph in vitro shows peripheral motility. Active sperm separate from such a preparation and remain motile for 24 hr. The possible significance of this in vitro finding is discussed in relation to the in vivo disaggregation of sperm.
Downscaling Thermal Infrared Radiance for Subpixel Land Surface Temperature Retrieval

Land surface temperature (LST) retrieved from satellite thermal sensors often consists of mixed temperature components. Retrieving subpixel LST is therefore needed in various environmental and ecological studies. In this paper, we developed two methods for downscaling coarse resolution thermal infrared (TIR) radiance for the purpose of subpixel temperature retrieval. The first method was developed on the basis of a scale-invariant physical model on TIR radiance. The second method was based on a statistical relationship between TIR radiance and land cover fraction at high spatial resolution. The two methods were applied to downscale simulated 990-m ASTER TIR data to 90-m resolution. When validated against the original 90-m ASTER TIR data, the results revealed that both downscaling methods were successful in capturing the general patterns of the original data and resolving considerable spatial details. Further quantitative assessments indicated a strong agreement between the true values and the estimated values by both methods.
Carbon supersaturation due to paraequilibrium carburization: Stainless steels with greatly improved mechanical properties

Abstract Low-temperature gas-phase carburization has been used to generate very high surface interstitial carbon contents, up to ∼12 at.%, in a 316L austenitic stainless steel. The high interstitial content leads to substantial surface hardening (Vickers hardness of ∼12 GPa, equivalent to Rockwell C of ∼71.5) with essentially no loss of ductility and with no carbide formation. Residual compressive stresses accompanying the low-temperature carburization enhance the high-cycle fatigue resistance, while the hardening enhances the wear resistance. These remarkable improvements in mechanical properties arise because the carburization is carried out at temperatures where “paraequilibrium”, rather than conventional thermodynamic equilibrium, determines the phase composition; paraequilibrium can be realized under conditions where substitutional solutes such as Cr and Ni are immobile whereas interstitial solutes such as carbon are not.
Commentary on "Cognition in schizophrenia".

The ECNP hosted an open consultation meeting on cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and the discussion from this meeting is summarized in this issue. The resulting commentary is a clear and helpful summary of recent developments in this area. I wish to clarify and elaborate on some points raised by the commentary. The first thing a reader notices is the breadth of the commentary title: “Cognition in Schizophrenia.” It is difficult to wrap one's arms around an elephant. Journals such as Schizophrenia Research and Schizophrenia Bulletin include in every issue a large number of articles, using a range of methods and approaches, that all fit comfortably under this title. With such a broad title, the question is: what is the focus of this commentary? Though touching on a range of topics and variety of clinical disorders, there appear to be two areas of emphasis: one on drug development for cognition enhancement in schizophrenia, and one on the role of cognitive impairment in diagnosis. Regarding the first emphasis on cognition enhancement, the commentary summarizes regulatory issues, including the role of co-primary measures (energetically referred to as the “crisis of co-primary outcomes”). And this is indeed a preoccupying issue for the field. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken the position that, to receive approval, a drug for the treatment of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia needs to improve cognitive performance and a functionally meaningful co-primary measure. A clear precedent for the requirement of co-primary measures comes from treatment development for dementia. It is notable that the FDA is currently seeking feedback on a proposal to change this requirement for early-stage dementia
Two-fluid temperature-dependent relativistic waves in magnetized streaming pair plasmas.

A relativistic two-fluid temperature-dependent approach for a streaming magnetized pair plasma is considered. Such a scenario corresponds to secondary plasmas created at the polar caps of pulsar magnetospheres. In the model the generalized vorticity rather than the magnetic field is frozen into the fluid. For parallel propagation four transverse modes are found. Two are electromagnetic plasma modes which at high temperature become light waves. The remaining two are Alfvenic modes split into a fast and slow mode. The slow mode is cyclotron two-stream unstable at large wavelengths and is always subluminous. We find that the instability cannot be suppressed by temperature effects in the limit of large (finite) magnetic field. The fast Alfven mode can be superluminous only at large wavelengths, however it is always subluminous at high temperatures. In this incompressible approximation only the ordinary mode is present for perpendicular propagation. For oblique propagation the dispersion relation is studied for finite and large strong magnetic fields and the results are qualitatively described.
Medical management of advanced dementia.

A cure for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is still far off, and clinicians face the burden of caring for patients at all stages of dementia for the foreseeable future. Those with advanced disease suffer neurological symptoms and signs that include incontinence; problems with gait and mobility; marked cognitive, language, and functional impairment; and in about 90% of patients, significant behavior problems. Dementia precludes the ability to initiate meaningful activities or social interactions. Whether patients are resident in the community or living in a nursing home, this composite reflects a highly complex medical and neuropsychiatric management challenge. Predictable medical conditions also must be addressed (i.e., those that accompany dementia, such as parkinsonism, and those that are prevalent in any aging population, such as hypertension). Clinicians can better address these problems with awareness of current treatment options. Placebo-controlled trials of some psychotropic agents have shown modest favorable effects on behavior problems. Use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) to treat cognitive impairment and secondary behavioral symptoms derives primarily from results of placebo-controlled clinical trials. Trials in patients with moderate to severe AD, outpatients as well as nursing home residents, show overall effects similar to those seen in outpatients with milder dementia. Treatment with AChEIs may delay institutional placement. Memantine has shown benefit in trials in moderate to severe dementia, although it is not yet approved in the United States. Emerging data have expanded physicians' ability to use pharmacotherapy in patients with advanced dementia. Physicians need to enact the principle that something can be done for our afflicted parents and grandparents. From the Program in Neurohehavioral Therapeutics, and Departments of Psychiatry, Medicine, Neurology, Aging, Developmental Biology, Monroe Community Hospital, Rochester, NY.
Optically Pumped Carbon Dioxide Laser Mixtures

This work explores the concept of blackbody radiation pumping of CO2 gas as a step toward utilization of solar radiation as a pumping source for laser action. To demonstrate this concept, an experiment was performed in which laser gas mixtures were exposed to 1500 K thermal radiation for brief periods of time. A gain of 2.8 x 10 to the -3rd reciprocal centimeters has been measured at 10.6 microns in a CO2-He gas mixture of 1 Torr pressure. A simple analytical model is used to describe the rate of change of energy of the vibrational modes of CO2 and to predict the gain. Agreement between the prediction and experiment is good.
Low-temperature specific heat and critical magnetic field of α-uranium single crystals

The current work reports on the specific heat and the electrical resistivity of {alpha}-uranium at cryogenic temperatures. Measurements were made on {alpha}-uranium single crystals that have some unexpected mechanical properties. Despite the fact that {alpha}-uranium normally work hardens and often fails in a brittle manner, these crystals bend easily. Presumably, the combination of flexibility and strength comes from twinning in response to stress, and these twins can run freely during deformation. Because grain boundaries are not present, we anticipated that the characteristics of the charge density wave (CDW) might be more prominent in these crystals. For these reasons, the specific heat was measured from T{approximately}0.5 to 110 K, using semiadiabatic calorimetry in zero field, and the electrical resistivity was measured from T{approximately}0.1 to 0.50 K, in magnetic fields up to 80 mT using a standard four-probe ac technique. An abrupt resistance drop typical of a superconducting transition was observed as the temperature fell below 0.78 K, a temperature at which the resistance fell to 90% from its original value. A residual resistivity ratio RRR{approximately}115 was measured from the low-temperature resistivity data. In addition, three phase transitions were clearly seen in the specific-heat data, located at T=23, 36, and 42 K.more » These transitions are consistent with the {alpha}{sub 3}, {alpha}{sub 2}, and {alpha}{sub 1} CDW structures that have been previously observed in uranium metal. Analysis of the specific-heat data give an electronic specific heat ({gamma})=9.13mJK{sup {minus}2}mol{sup {minus}1} and a low-temperature limiting Debye temperature ({Theta}{sub D})=256K({+-}0.25K). The highest calorimetric value measured previously was 218 K. Our value of 256 K is in favorable agreement with that previously obtained from elastic constants 250 K ({+-}2 K). The agreement between calorimetric and elastic {Theta}{sub D} values, ductility at room temperature, and a RRR that is three times larger than previously reported values highlight the properties of these {alpha}-uranium single crystals.« less
Modification of human atrioventricular nodal function by selective atrioventricular nodal artery catheterization

The hypothesis that human atrioventricular (AV) nodal function can be modulated selectively with a new technique of AV nodal artery catheterization was tested in eight subjects referred for diagnostic cardiac catheterization or electrophysiological studies. Three patients had no history of arrhythmias. Three patients had supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) due to reentry confined to the AV node (AVNRT). One patient had SVT due to reentry over a concealed AV bypass tract (AVRT-CBT), and one patient had nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. In each subject, sinus cycle length, AH interval, HV interval, AV nodal effective refractory period (AVN-ERP), and Wenckebach paced cycle length were measured in a control state. A flexible infusion catheter was then positioned selectively in the AV nodal artery of each subject. Through this catheter, a constant infusion of 0.1 mg/min procainamide at a flow rate of 0.125 ml/min (n = 1) or 50 micrograms/min acetylcholine at a flow rate of 0.25 ml/min (n = 4) was administered. Electrophysiological parameters were determined again during selective AV nodal artery drug infusion and during infusion of saline at identical rates. Two subjects developed transient AV nodal block during selective AV nodal catheterization alone and did not receive an infusion of drug or saline. A stable position of the AV nodal artery catheter could not be achieved in one other subject, who also received no drug or saline. In the other five subjects, drug infusion caused an increase in AVN-ERP from a control value of 312 +/- 52 msec to a value of 543 +/- 228 msec (p less than 0.05) and an increase in Wenckebach paced cycle length from a control value of 360 +/- 47 msec to a value of 572 +/- 217 msec (p less than 0.05). These parameters were unchanged from control during selective saline infusion. In two patients with AVNRT, drug infusion abolished SVT by causing complete blockade of ventriculoatrial conduction as well as lengthening of anterograde AVN-ERP. In the patient with AVRT-CBT, drug infusion abolished SVT by preventing repetitive anterograde AV conduction. Saline had no effect on SVT inducibility. Selective AV nodal artery catheterization enables AV nodal function to be modulated exclusively. Delivery of ablative agents to the AV node by this technique may be useful in patients with refractory SVT.
A stimulatory thyrotropin receptor antibody enhances hyaluronic acid synthesis in Graves' orbital fibroblasts: Inhibition by an IGF-I receptor blocking antibody

Context: Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) is characterized by expanded volume of the orbital fat and extraocular muscle tissues and elevated levels of TSH receptor autoantibodies (TRAb). The expansion of orbital tissues involves accumulation of hyaluronic acid (HA) within the orbit. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether a monoclonal stimulatory TRAb (M22) impacts HA synthesis in GO orbital cells and, if so, whether this might be blocked by an IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR)-blocking antibody (1H7) or inhibitors of various downstream signaling cascades. Design: GO orbital fibroblast cultures (n = 6) were treated with M22, bovine TSH (bTSH), or IGF-I in serum-free medium. Some cultures also received 1H7, LY294002, rapamycin, or protein kinase A inhibitor. Main Outcome Measures: HA production and phosphorylated Akt levels in media or immunoblotting for phosphorylated Akt were measured. Results: M22 or bTSH stimulated HA synthesis (2.1-fold with 100 ng/ml M22 and 1.9-fold with 10 U/liter bTSH; P <...
Modality and description

There are logicians who maintain that modal logic violates Leibniz's principle that if x and y are identical, then y has every property of x. The alleged difficulty is illustrated in the following example due to Quine.1A. It is logically necessary that 9 is less than 10.B. 9 = the number of the planets.C. Therefore, it is logically necessary that the number of the planets is less than 10.
Losses due to polycrystallinity in thin-film solar cells

Abstract The highest efficiency thin-film polycrystalline CuIn1−xGaxSe2 (CIGS) and CdTe solar cells are compared directly with crystalline Si and GaAs cells with similar respective bandgaps. The excess efficiency losses (6.3% for CIGS and 9.9% for CdTe) are quantitatively separated into eight categories. In each case, the impact of polycrystallinity is evaluated, and the differential losses are identified as being directly attributable to polycrystallinity or due to other causes. Approximately, two-thirds of the excess loss for polycrystalline cells is clearly due to polycrystallinity. Thus, strategies such as grain passivation to reduce the impact of polycrystallinity should be examined, but at the same time conventional approaches for incremental improvement should receive attention.
Soft-mode spectroscopy: Experimental studies of structural phase transitions

This paper reviews the experimental studies of displacive phase transitions in solids. Primary emphasis is upon inelastic light scattering and neutron scattering; related infrared reflectivity measurements, as well as x-ray and EPR analyses are also summarized. Several prototype structures are considered in detail: (1) the rocksalt IV-VI semiconductors PbTe, SnTe, and GeTe; (2) the ferroelectric perovskites exemplified by PbTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ and BaTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$; (3) perovskites which exhibit cell-doubling transitions, such as LaAl${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, SrTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, and KMn${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$; (4) crystals having the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-quartz structure, including Ge${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, Si${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, and AlP${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$; (5) the "improper ferroelectrics" ${\mathrm{Gd}}_{2}$${(\mathrm{M}\mathrm{o}{\mathrm{O}}_{4})}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{Tb}}_{2}$${(\mathrm{M}\mathrm{o}{\mathrm{O}}_{4})}_{3}$; (6) the V-VI-VII semiconductors typified by SbSI; (7) the hydrogen-bonded ferroelectrics of the K${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$P${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ family; (8) Jahn-Teller systems such as DyV${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ and RbCo${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$, in which structural distortions occur as secondary effects; (9) order-disorder systems such as NaN${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ and the ammonium halides (N${\mathrm{H}}_{4}$Cl, N${\mathrm{H}}_{4}$Br), in which no "soft mode" occurs in the spectral region ($\ensuremath{\omega}g{10}^{11}$ Hz) probed by ir, Raman, and neutron spectroscopy; (10) $\ensuremath{\beta}$-tungsten ($A\ensuremath{-}15$) structures such as ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Si and ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}$Sn, which exhibit high-temperature superconductivity. These crystal categories are used to illustrate several phenomena of current physical interest: Specifically, we discuss harmonic and anharmonic mode coupling; "critical exponents" $\ensuremath{\beta}$ differing from one-half in the temperature dependences of the order parameter $\ensuremath{\phi}(T)={\ensuremath{\phi}}_{0}{(T\ensuremath{-}{T}_{0})}^{\ensuremath{\beta}}$ and of the soft-mode frequency $\ensuremath{\omega}(T)={\ensuremath{\omega}}_{0}{(T\ensuremath{-}{T}_{0})}^{\ensuremath{\beta}}$; and the recently discovered "central" modes centered at zero frequency, which grow in intensity as the transition temperature ${T}_{0}$ is approached from above or below. The review covers the period 1940-1972. A few 1973 works are mentioned for which the author had preprints in 1972 or very early 1973. This review is in no sense a comprehensive survey of ferroelectricity. Readers are referred to the following earlier reviews on that subject: Silverman (1966, 1969), Cochran and Cowley (1967), Blinc (1968), Murzin et al. (1968), Nettleton (1970), and Blinc and Zaks (1972).
Predictors for hemodynamic improvement with temporary pacing after pediatric cardiac surgery

Objectives Temporary epicardial pacing wires are commonly placed during pediatric cardiac surgery. Data are sparse on postoperative pacing in this population. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of use and identify predictors for the use of temporary epicardial pacing wires. Methods Perioperative data were prospectively collected on all patients who underwent cardiac surgery at our institution (n = 162). Results A total of 117 (72%) patients had temporary epicardial pacing wires placed. Postoperatively, 23 (20%) of 117 patients had hemodynamic improvement with the use of temporary epicardial pacing wires. Indications for pacing were slow junctional rhythm (11/23 [48%]), junctional ectopic tachycardia (7/23 [31%]), pace termination of supraventricular tachycardia (3/23 [13%]) and atrial flutter (1/23 [4%]), and complete heart block (1/23 [4%]). By using univariate analysis, single-ventricle anatomy, heterotaxy, the Fontan procedure, use of circulatory arrest, intraoperative arrhythmia, pacing in the operating room, and use of vasoactive medications were predictors for hemodynamic improvement with the use of temporary epicardial pacing wires ( P P P P Conclusions The Fontan procedure, use of circulatory arrest, and intraoperative arrhythmias were associated with hemodynamic improvement with postoperative pacing and might represent indications for empiric intraoperative placement of temporary epicardial pacing wires. Patients without these risk factors were less likely to require pacing. Temporary epicardial pacing wires were safe and useful in the management of arrhythmias after pediatric cardiac surgery.
‘Who Did What?’: A Participatory Action Research Project to Increase Group Capacity for Advocacy

Background This participatory action research (PAR) project involved a collaboration with a self-advocacy group of people with intellectual disabilities that sought to build group capacity for advocacy. Materials and Methods This study used a focus group, sustained participatory engagement and a reflexive process to gather qualitative and quantitative data over 15 months. All methods were adapted to ensure accessibility and to support active participation. Results The collaboration generated action products, including tools to support advocacy and an accessible action and reflection process. Research findings suggest that active participation is essential for group control, but alone does not automatically lead to control. The manner in which supports are provided, including member supports, advisor supports, strategy supports and systems supports, influences the extent to which members have a sense of control over decision making and participation and thus, improved capacity for advocacy. Conclusions A PAR approach can be used to increase a group’s capacity for advocacy and meaningfully involve self-advocacy groups in participatory research that leads to change.
The ability of squirrel monkeys to solve randomly presented string problems

Patterned string problems were presented in a random order to three squirrel monkeys. The performance of Ss indicated that a response-position preference had been established, which was based on the location of the reward. Squirrel monkeys were found to be inferior in solution of string problems when compared to other primate species. The relative difficulty of specific string problems that had been established for the rhesus monkey appeared to be different for the squirrel monkey.
Nuclear reprogramming: A key to stem cell function in regenerative medicine

The goal of regenerative medicine is to restore form and function to damaged tissues. One potential therapeutic approach involves the use of autologous cells derived from the bone marrow (bone marrow-derived cells, BMDCs). Advances in nuclear transplantation, experimental heterokaryon formation and the observed plasticity of gene expression and phenotype reported in multiple phyla provide evidence for nuclear plasticity. Recent observations have extended these findings to show that endogenous cells within the bone marrow have the capacity to incorporate into defective tissues and be reprogrammed. Irrespective of the mechanism, the potential for new gene expression patterns by BMDCs in recipient tissues holds promise for developing cellular therapies for both proliferative and post-mitotic tissues.
Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a Framework for the Evaluation of a Professional Development Workshop

This purpose of this study was to use a theoretical framework based on several decades of attitudinal research to assess the intentions of Microbial Discovery Workshop participants to incorporate the inquiry activities presented at the workshop into their curricula, to evaluate the participants actual use of these activities after the workshop, and to uncover the barriers and enablers the participants faced in doing so. As a framework, the theory of planned behavior was ascertained to be an appropriate means of assessment and it was revealed that participants’ intention to use the workshop activities significantly correlated with their actual use. The participants’ attitudes toward using the activities influenced their use more than the participants’ perceptions of the social pressures that would influence their decision to use the activities or their belief as to how easy or difficult it would be to incorporate a given activity. The participants were found to be highly self-efficacious pertaining to their ability to implement the activities, but perceived self-efficacy was not a significant predictor of the participants’ intentions to incorporate the activities into their teaching-learning repertoire. The study also uncovered other behaviors the participants displayed as a result of attending the workshop consistent with the goals and objectives of the workshop organizers.