cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Retrospective study of dystocia in mares at a referral hospital

Summary Reasons for performing study: The period between the onset of dystocia and its resolution has an important bearing on fetal outcome. There are few published data on which to base decisions regarding optimum management of cases in practice. Objectives: To evaluate and compare the effects of a coordinated dystocia management protocol (CDMP) with that of a previous protocol of random management on time to resolution and outcome in both an emergency dystocia referral population of mares (referred emergency cases: EM) and in a population of mares residing in hospital due to high risk pregnancy (HRP) concerns that then experience dystocia at parturition. Methods: Retrospective study performed at a university hospital referral centre of cases presenting from 1991–2004 divided into Group 1 (pre-CDMP) and Group 2 (CDMP). Results: Medical records of 71 cases with dystocia were retrieved and data recorded. For referred emergency cases (EM), time from hospital presentation to resolution decreased significantly by 32 min (P = 0.03) after institution of CDMP. Survival rate of mares at discharge was 86%. Survival of EM foals was low, with 10% in Group 1 and 13% in Group 2, surviving to discharge. For EM foals delivered alive, survival to discharge was 30% and 43% in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Median Stage II was significantly (P < 0.001) different at 71 and 282 min for EM foals delivered alive vs. those not alive at delivery, respectively. Median duration of Stage II was also significantly (P < 0.001) different between EM foals surviving and not surviving to discharge, at 44 and 249 min, respectively. Survival of HRP dystocia foals to discharge was 79%. Conclusions: Although CDMP reduced the time from presentation at the hospital to resolution significantly for EM, total duration of Stage II for EM was unchanged, as was foal outcome. Potential relevance: Very early referral of mares with dystocia to referral centres with dystocia management protocols may improve fetal outcome as increased duration of Stage II in the horse affects fetal outcome negatively.
Acellular Dermis-Assisted Breast Reconstruction

In 2004, the authors reported their findings with placement of tissue expanders for breast reconstruction in the partial submuscular position, the equivalent of the “dual-plane” technique for breast augmentation. Limitations with subpectoral expander placement include difficulty controlling the lower pole of the pocket during expansion, unprotected device coverage by a thin inferior mastectomy flap, possible effacement of the inframammary fold, and limited control over the superior migration of the pectoralis major muscle. This study aimed to examine the safety and efficacy of an acellular dermal sling in providing inferolateral support to the device during immediate breast reconstruction and expansion. This study prospectively investigated 58 breasts of 43 consecutive women who underwent immediate breast reconstruction with tissue expanders and acellular dermis. After completion of adjuvant therapy and expansion, the devices were exchanged for implants. The patients were tracked through January, 2007. The study parameters included demographic information, oncologic data, complications, and aesthetic outcomes. The mean time required to complete reconstruction was 8.6 months. The overall complication rate after expander/acellular dermis placement was 12%, whereas the complication rate after exchange to implants was 2.2%. The aesthetic outcome for reconstructed breasts did not differ significantly from that for the control subjects who had no surgery. Acellular dermis appears to be a useful adjunct in immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction. Acellular dermis-assisted breast reconstruction has a low complication rate, helps to reconstruct an aesthetically pleasing breast, and facilitates expeditious completion of the reconstruction.
Enhancing faculty mentoring of medical students

Background: Mentors are important in the personal and professional development of medical students. Little is known about how the structure of a mentoring program impacts on student‐faculty relationships. Description: To evaluate and compare 2 structurally different mentoring programs at Stanford University School of Medicine, students and faculty were surveyed to rate and characterize aspects of the student‐mentor relationship and rate overall satisfaction with the program. Evaluation: More than 90% of respondents were satisfied with the new mentor program compared with 24% of those in the preceptor program. Students in the new program rated discussions as significantly more useful than those in the preceptor program. In selecting a mentor, faculty's clinical and research interests were more important criteria than gender or race. Students emphasized the need for more clinically‐oriented mentors. Conclusions: Programs that allow students to select mentors based on shared personal and professional interes...
Reflection-impulsivity and reading ability in primary grade children.

Each of 130 children was given visual-matching problems involving designs and pictures and reading-recognition tests at the end of the first and second grade. Ss with fast response times and high error scores on the visualmatching tests (impulsive children), in contrast to Ss with long decision times and low error scores (reflective children), made more errors in reading English words on both occasions.
Public access defibrillation

Very early defibrillation, within the first few minutes of VF cardiac arrest, results in significantly improved survival rates [1,10-12,34]. Most EMS systems cannot consistently provide defibrillation within the first few minutes following cardiac arrest. Defibrillation within the first few minutes following collapse is potentially achievable through the use of AEDs and PAD [9-14,62]. The delivery of defibrillation with AEDs has been made more efficient through the use of impedance-compensated defibrillation, larger pad sizes, and biphasic waveforms [34]. The technology is simple and easy to use. Preliminary cost-effectiveness analysis indicates that PAD and first-responder defibrillation are economically as attractive as other interventions in cardiac arrest [44]. Effective PAD requires significant investment in time, energy, informed planning, and rigorous quality improvement; however, the benefits are enormous. Reported VF survival rates can approach 50% or higher [11,12,62]. PAD provides the potential opportunity to transform cardiac arrest into a survivable event for most victims by making the community the ultimate coronary care unit.
Exclusive Breastfeeding and Child Development: TL 22

INTRODUCTION: Studies which assessed the relationship between breastfeeding (BF) and child development reported, in its majority, a positive association between BF and cognitive assessments, in infancy as well as in adults. Research has been done mainly in developed countries (Europe, USA, Australia), where BF is highly associated with socioeconomic status (SES). OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between the duration of exclusive BF (EBF) with mental and motor development in children at 51/2. METHODS: 812 healthy children were studied at 51/2 years, birth weight = 3,0 Kg, categorized in 4 groups according to the duration of EBF: Short: 0-2 months (n= 135; 35%); Intermediate: 2-5 months (n=244; 30%); Long: 5-7 months (n= 144; 18%); Prolonged: > 7 months (n0135; 17%). During weekly home visits information regarding EBF and socioparental characteristics was collected. When the children were 51/2 years old, motor and cognitive tests were applied; mothers were assessed for stress and depression; SES and quality of home stimulation were registered. RESULTS: Results of the tests applied to the children indicated that subjects breastfed for short periods (0-2 months) as well as for prolonged periods (> 7 months) are both associated with lower cognitive and motos tests scores. The only socioparental difference found between the 4 groups was in the short EBF (0-2 months) group where there was more father absence and mothe depressive symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS: EBF for short or prolonged periods doesn‘t seem to be optimal for child development. The interpretation of the results have to be cautious, specially for prolonged EBF. Does it related to the nutritional characteristics of mother‘s mik, are mothers who breastfeed longer than 7 months different or there are other key variables nor measured in the study? It‘s necessary to replicate the study in other samples with a deeper assessment in mother-child relationship and mother‘s personality characteristics.
Carbonate reefs may have triggered a bout of global cooling

Earth's history shows a steady stream of extreme climatic change, spanning everything from planet-engulfing glaciers to tropical conditions near high latitudes. These large climate shifts are often attributed to permanent changes: the opening of a new waterway, the evolution of photosynthesizing plants, or massive bouts of erosion. Punctuating each long stretch of roughly steady climate are smaller transient shifts in environmental conditions commonly associated with changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Yet the initial change in the climate system that led to the shift in carbon dioxide concentration for each period often remains unknown.
Effect of Harvesting Alternatives on the Quality of U.S. North Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Abstract The impact of harvest practice choice on four quality attributes (i.e., freshness, fat content, color, and shape) and weight of U.S. captures of bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus in the North Atlantic is studied. Using ordered-probit and two-limit tobit estimation methods, grades for the four quality attributes of individual fish were regressed against harvest time, area, and gear. Weight of fish was also regressed against the same exogenous variables, this time using ordinary least-squares estimation. The results indicate that the four quality attributes and weight are, in fact, influenced by harvest practices. In particular, the analyses highlight the importance of harvest timing on the grade of all attributes considered. Implications of the results for public management of the U.S. North Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery are discussed.
The Mercury programming system

The Mercury Programming System was designed to meet the specific objective of tracking the Mercury spacecraft during all possible phases of light--launch, abort, orbit and re-entry, and to predict continually the spacecraft impact point so that a safe and speedy recovery of the Mercury astronaut could be effected.
Groundwater management: The effect of water flows on welfare gains

We construct a spatially explicit groundwater model that has multiple cells and finite hydraulic conductivity to estimate the gains from groundwater management and the factors driving those gains. We calibrate an 246-cell model to the parameters and geography of Kern County, California, and find that the welfare gain from management for the entire aquifer is significantly higher in the multi-cell model (27%) than in the bathtub model (13%) and that individual farmer gains can vary from 7% to 39% depending of their location and relative size of demand for water. We also find that when all farmers in the aquifer simultaneously behave strategically the aggregate gains from management are significantly smaller. However, individual farmers do not have the incentive to behave strategically even with finite hydraulic conductivity when other farmers behave myopically.
The White Cerebellum Sign: An Under Recognized Sign of Increased Intracranial Pressure

The “white cerebellum” sign is a rare imaging finding described mainly in children with hypoxic brain injury. Single case report and review of the literature. We describe a child with acute bacterial meningitis in whom plain CT and MRI showed the white cerebellum sign. The subtle imagings findings were not recognized and a lumbar puncture was performed. Markedly increased intracranial pressure was documented by lumbar puncture and by placement of an intraparenchymal monitor. Contrary to most prior descriptions the patient made a very good recovery. The white cerebellum sign is a subtle imaging finding seen in patients with diffuse cerebral edema, such finding may not be as ominous as previously thought.
Más allá del desarrollo: postdesarrollo y transiciones hacia el pluriverso

The present text constitutes the Preface to the second edition Encountering Development (1995). After reviewing both the most important transformations in the world over the past fiffteen years, and the debates in critical development studies during the same period, the author concludes that the time has come to renew the debates on postdevelopment and alternatives to development, as many social movements are actually doing. Given the deepening ecological and social crises, there emerge in undeniable ways discourses about transitions to an other type or society or civilizational model. This transition could move us beyond the modern idea of one Universe –One World under the hegemony of certain conceptions of the individual, rationality, economy, science, and the market—towards a genuine pluriverse of scio-natural worlds. These transitions announce that globalization is not only the last stage of capitalist modernity, but also the beginning of something new.
Alpha-particle sensitive test SRAMs

A bench-level test is being developed to evaluate memory-cell upsets in a test SRAM designed with a cell offset voltage. This offset voltage controls the critical charge needed to upset the cell. The effect is demonstrated using a specially designed 2- mu m n-well CMOS 4-kb test SRAM and a Po-208 5.1-MeV 0.61-LET alpha-particle source. This test SRAM has been made sensitive to alpha particles through the use of a cell offset voltage, and this has allowed a bench-level characterization in a laboratory setting. The experimental data are linked to a alpha-particle interaction physics and to SPICE circuit simulations through the alpha-particle collection depth. The collection depth is determined by two methods and found to be about 7 mu m. In addition, alpha particles that struck outside the bloated drain were able to flip the SRAM cells. This lateral charge collection was observed to be more than 6 mu m. >
Lattice constant prediction of defective rare earth titanate perovskites

Abstract Engineering defective structures in an attempt to modify properties is an established technique in materials chemistry, yet, no models exist which can predict the structure of perovskite compounds containing extrinsic point defects such as vacancies. An empirically derived predictive model, based solely on chemical composition and published ionic radii has been developed. Effective vacancy sizes were derived both empirically from an existing model for pseudocubic lattice-constants, as well as experimentally, from average bond lengths calculated from neutron diffraction data. Compounds of lanthanum-doped barium titanate and strontium-doped magnesium titanate were synthesized with vacancies engineered on the A and B sites. Effective vacancy sizes were then used in empirical models to predict changes in lattice constants. Experimentally refined bond lengths used in the derivation of an effective vacancy size seemed to overestimate the effect of the point defects. Conversely, using calculated vacancy sizes, derived from a previously reported predictive model, showed significant improvements in the prediction of the pseudocubic perovskite lattice.
Inclusive (p, p′) cross sections and analyzing powers for 1H and 12C in the delta region

Abstract Cross sections and analyzing powers have been measured at 800 MeV for inclusive (p, p′) reactions on 1H and 12C in the 300 MeV excitation region. The data for 1H and 12C are qualitatively similar, but differ in detail. A Born approximation model reproduces the cross sections for p + p scattering, but fails to fit the Ay data. Further, while a plane wave impulse approximation calculation reproduces the general features of the 12C(p, p′) cross sections, significant details are not accounted for.
Effect of continuous β-blockade on collagen synthesis in interstitial fibroblasts isolated from adult rat lung. An in vitro model of progressive pulmonary fibrogenesis

Abstract Continuous administration of propranolol to adult rats resulted in pulmonary changes indicative of fibrogenesis in the absence of an extensive inflammatory infiltrate. Interstitial fibroblasts, isolated from the lungs of rats continuously exposed to 0.5 mg propranolol-HCl/hr via subcutaneous osmotic pumps for 1 or 3 wk synthesized more acid-insoluble collagenase-sensitive protein than matched controls. This effect could be decreased, but not prevented, by administering zinc salts to the animals in drinking-water during drug treatment. A larger percentage of the overall protein synthesis of the propranolol-treated cells was devoted to collagenous proteins as well. Isolated fibroblasts placed in tissue culture and treated with propranolol secreted more total lactate dehydrogenase than controls; this change was due to increased secretion of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme 5. Three weeks of propranolol treatment caused a 31% decrease in the number of β-adrenergic lung receptors, with no change in their affinity. These results suggest that this in vitro model may be useful in elucidating mechanisms of progressive lung disease following long-term exposure to injurious agents.
Hedge funds in portfolios of risk-averse investors

We find that adding a hedge fund to an optimally weighted portfolio of stocks and T-bills generally increases the utility of an investor. From a sample of hedge funds with returns from 1996 to 2005, the certainty equivalent was an average of five basis points (monthly) higher with a ten percent allocation into a hedge fund. Funds from different style categories require different allocations into the stock market, but nearly all funds improved performance. Contrary to popular opinion, we find that highly risk-averse investors gain even more than less risk-averse investors by adding a hedge fund into their portfolio.
Speech Sample Size and Test-Retest Stability of Connected Speech Measures for Adults With Aphasia

The effect of speech sample size on the test-retest stability of two measures of connected speech—words per minute (WPM) and percent of words that are correct information units (Percent CIUs)—was e...
Transient Natural Convection in Enclosures at High Rayleigh Number

Transient natural convection at Rayleigh numbers of 10{sup 10} was studied experimentally in two enclosures of aspect ratio 1/3, one a 1:5.5 physical scale model containing the dense refrigerant gas R114, and the second a full-scale room containing air. In one type of transient the vertical endwall temperature was suddenly changed, while in a second type of transient the isothermal, well-mixed gas was suddenly exposed to hot and cold vertical endwalls. The experiments indicated that the dominant time constant was a convective one. Comparisons between the scale model and full scale show that R114 gas can simulate the transient behavior of air-filled enclosures.
Observation of oxygen impurities in single-crystal silicon by means of internal friction

Two new internal friction peaks have been observed in single-crystal silicon in the temperature range from 100 to 270 K of the Arrhenius-type relaxation at kilohertz frequencies. The activation energies of the two peaks are 0.14 and 0.20 eV. We attribute them to vibration of trapped interstital oxygen and the oxygen-vacancy complex, respectively.
Regional manufacturing employment cycles revisited

Earlier studies have attributed cyclical variations in regional manufacturing employment to differences in the regions’ industrial compositions and growth rates. Using OLS regressions, this paper demonstrates that the ownership characteristics of a region's manufacturers (branch plants versus unit concerns) and the location of the area with respect to national and regional markets were also factors that influenced the sensitivity of a region's manufacturing employment to fluctuations in aggregate demand. Areas with a relatively high concentration of multi-unit firms and geographically isolated regions experienced greater cyclical severity in manufacturing employment. This increased cyclical severity resulting from the tendency of multi-unit firms to: (1) consolidate production during periods of depressed demand through closing their high cost facilities, and (2) accommodate increased sales and reduce transportation costs during prosperity by opening branches outside the population centers.
Spike generation in the lateral-line afferents ofXenopus laevis: Evidence favoring multiple sites of initiation

1. Arrival-time differences of spikes recorded simultaneously at two sites from single lateral-line afferent fibers often fall into distinct populations, or have broad distributions. These findings are consistent with the notion that spikes arise at several different points within the branches of the afferent fibers. 2. Mechanical stimulation of an individual neuromast emphasizes one class of relative arrival-times, as would be expected if there were multiple sites of spike initiation. 3. During single-neuromast mechanical stimulation, spikes belonging to the emphasized classes are more tightly locked to the stimulus than are other spikes. This finding would also be anticipated under the hypothesis of multiple spike-initiation sites. 4. Coupling the evidence for multiple loci of spike generation with previously described indications of “resetting” after each spike, we propose that sensory messages transmitted fromXenopus lateral-line organs might be characterized by order statistics. This type of sensory process has not heretofore been studied. 5. The type of operation suggested for the lateral-line organs may be relevant to other acoustico-lateralis organs.
Of mothers, among other things: The sources of A K Ramanujan's poetry

(2003). Of mothers, among other things: The sources of A K Ramanujan's poetry. Wasafiri: Vol. 18, No. 38, pp. 49-53.
Frequency and impact of active clinical issues and new impairments on hospital discharge in patients with hip fracture.

Background Hip fracture is associated with significant mortality and disability. Patients who are discharged from the hospital with active clinical problems may have worse outcomes than those patients without active clinical problems. Objective To assess the frequency and impact of clinical problems at discharge on clinical and functional hip fracture outcomes. Methods Detailed clinical data were collected from 559 patients in a prospective, multicenter observational cohort study. Active clinical issues (ACIs) on discharge included the following: temperature of 38.3°C or higher, heart rate of more than 100/min or less than 60/min, systolic blood pressure higher than 180 mm Hg or lower than 90 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure higher than 110 mm Hg or lower than 60 mm Hg, respiratory rate of more than 24/min, oxygen saturation of less than 90%, altered mental status, no oral intake, shortness of breath, chest pain, arrhythmias, or wound infection. New impairments (NIs) included bowel and bladder incontinence, inability to get out of bed, and decubitus ulcer. Outcomes were deaths, readmissions, and functional mobility 60 days after discharge. Results Overall, 94 patients (16.8%) had 1 or more ACIs, and 229 (41.0%) had 1 or more NIs on discharge. Both ACIs and NIs on discharge were associated with increased risk-adjusted rates of death (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.8) or readmission (odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.3). The NIs on discharge were also associated with worse functional mobility ( P Conclusions Clinicians should consider information about ACIs and NIs when deciding readiness for discharge and planning post–acute care.
Effects of methsuximide and mephenytoin on the responding of pigeons under a fixed-consecutive-number schedule with and without an external discriminative stimulus.

The effects of the antiepilepsy drugs methsuximide and mephenytoin were examined in pigeons responding under a fixed-consecutive-number (FCN) schedule with and without an added external discriminative stimulus. On this schedule, food was delivered whenever subjects responded between 8 and 12 times on one response key (work key), and then responded once on a second response key (reinforcement key). Under one variant of the FCN schedule (FCN 8-SD), an external discriminative stimulus signalled completion of the response requirement on the work key; no such stimulus change occurred under the other (FCN 8) schedule. The two FCN schedules (with an without stimulus change) alternated at 5-min intervals within each session for all subjects. Methsuximide (25–200 mg/kg) and mephenytoin (40–160 mg/kg) produced generally dose-dependent decreases in percentage of reinforced response runs and rate of responding. The magnitudes of these effects were comparable under both variants of the FCN schedule.
Carrying Behavior in the Family Homolidae (Decapoda: Brachyura)

ABSTRACT Underwater still photographs and videotapes show homolid crabs carrying pieces of sponges, antipatharians, and gorgonians between the dactyls and propodi of the fifth pereiopods. These materials are held over the posterior half of the carapace. The crabs can raise or lower the materials with their legs. The carrying behavior may be a defense against predators. The termini of the fifth pereiopods are chelate or subchelate, enabling the crabs to carry objects.
Feasibility analysis of high resolution tissue image registration using 3-D synthetic data

Background: Registration of high-resolution tissue images is a critical step in the 3D analysis of protein expression. Because the distance between images (~4-5μm thickness of a tissue section) is nearly the size of the objects of interest (~10-20μm cancer cell nucleus), a given object is often not present in both of two adjacent images. Without consistent correspondence of objects between images, registration becomes a difficult task. This work assesses the feasibility of current registration techniques for such images. Methods: We generated high resolution synthetic 3-D image data sets emulating the constraints in real data. We applied multiple registration methods to the synthetic image data sets and assessed the registration performance of three techniques (i.e., mutual information (MI), kernel density estimate (KDE) method [1], and principal component analysis (PCA)) at various slice thicknesses (with increments of 1μm) in order to quantify the limitations of each method. Results: Our analysis shows that PCA, when combined with the KDE method based on nuclei centers, aligns images corresponding to 5μm thick sections with acceptable accuracy. We also note that registration error increases rapidly with increasing distance between images, and that the choice of feature points which are conserved between slices improves performance. Conclusions: We used simulation to help select appropriate features and methods for image registration by estimating best-case-scenario errors for given data constraints in histological images. The results of this study suggest that much of the difficulty of stained tissue registration can be reduced to the problem of accurately identifying feature points, such as the center of nuclei.
An epidemiologic view of family planning behavior.

Family planning behavior is a result of the complex interaction of the tendencies of the potential contraceptive user, the influences of the environment, and the attributes of the contraceptive agent. An overview of these factors, as outlined in E. Suchman's epidemiologic model of preventive health action, is presented. It is also noted that the nurse is part of the potential user's environment and is thus able to influence health choices in this area.
Extracting Versus Abandoning Sterile Pacemaker and Defibrillator Leads

Nonfunctional or recalled cardiac implantable electronic device leads can be revised with either lead extraction (LE) or lead capping (LC). Factors that influence this decision and comparative outcomes of these strategies are unclear. We reviewed data from our institution to identify patients who received LE (n = 296) or LC (n = 192) from 2006 to 2012. Patients with infectious indications for lead removal were excluded. We compared unanticipated device-related procedures, defined as cardiac implantable electronic device procedures not for device upgrade or battery depletion, using a proportional hazards model adjusted for differences in baseline characteristics. Secondary outcomes were procedural complications, hospitalizations, and all-cause mortality. Patients who received LE were younger and more likely to have an operator with extraction experience (76% vs 26%, p
Calcium-independent and cAMP-dependent modulation of soluble guanylyl cyclase activity by G protein-coupled receptors in pituitary cells

It is well established that G protein-coupled receptors stimulate nitric oxide-sensitive soluble guanylyl cyclase by increasing intracellular Ca2+ and activating Ca2+-dependent nitric-oxide synthases. In pituitary cells receptors that stimulated adenylyl cyclase, growth hormone-releasing hormone, corticotropin-releasing factor, and thyrotropin-releasing hormone also stimulated calcium signaling and increased cGMP levels, whereas receptors that inhibited adenylyl cyclase, endothelin-A, and dopamine-2 also inhibited spontaneous calcium transients and decreased cGMP levels. However, receptor-controlled up- and down-regulation of cyclic nucleotide accumulation was not blocked by abolition of Ca2+signaling, suggesting that cAMP production affects cGMP accumulation. Agonist-induced cGMP accumulation was observed in cells incubated in the presence of various phosphodiesterase and soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitors, confirming that Gs-coupled receptors stimulatedde novo cGMP production. Furthermore, cholera toxin (an activator of Gs), forskolin (an activator of adenylyl cyclase), and 8-Br-cAMP (a permeable cAMP analog) mimicked the stimulatory action of Gs-coupled receptors on cGMP production. Basal, agonist-, cholera toxin-, and forskolin-stimulated cGMP production, but not cAMP production, was significantly reduced in cells treated with H89, a protein kinase A inhibitor. These results indicate that coupling seven plasma membrane-domain receptors to an adenylyl cyclase signaling pathway provides an additional calcium-independent and cAMP-dependent mechanism for modulating soluble guanylyl cyclase activity in pituitary cells.
The story of 2,4,5-T: a case study of science and societal concerns.

In 1969, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) asked Professor Matthew Meselson of Harvard University to develop a study of the use of herbicides in Vietnam. From this evolved the Herbicides Assessments Commission (HAC) led by Arthur Westing of Windham College [5], with a budget of $80,000, an absurdly small amount for a definitive study. HAC focused on maternity records in South Vietnam, but also included crop destruction, food chain, tropical forests and other topics. The Commission's results were widely reported in the popular press, especially the potentially negative effects on human reproduction and forest devastation, and created widespread fears about the irreversible damage to both humans and the ecosystem. Their findings did not appear in the scientific literature, as far as we know.
Nutrient assimilation, export production and 234Th scavenging in the eastern equatorial Pacific

Abstract Primary productivity, nitrogen uptake using 15N-labeled NH4+ and NO3−, and the distribution and vertical fluxes of POC, PON, chlorophyll, phaeopigments and 234Th have been analysed at four stations in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Two stations were north and two stations were south of the equatorial front. Most analyses show little variation across the front, which is a boundary between cold, nutrient-rich surface water to the south and warm, nutrient-poor surface water to the north. New production and the f- ratio has been calculated using several approaches, including nitrogen uptake rates, export fluxes of POC and PON and the residence time of 234Th. At three of the four stations these independent estimates agree to within a factor of 2. All estimates of the f- ratio (0.1–0.3) are lower than would be predicted from published f vs NO3− concentration or f vs primary production curves. The ammonia concentration may be the controlling factor in this case. The residence time of 234Th is about a factor of three less than the residence time of carbon but agrees well with the residence time of total suspended matter. The residence time of nitrogen is about 50% longer than that of carbon.
Communicating the Risk of Scientific Research

Risk communication has been explored in technical communication for over 15 years, but it has been largely confined to communicating the risk of industrial activity, medical risks, or environmental threats to the public. Using the framework previous risk communication has provided, this article applies those ideas to research science, specifically to stem cell research, where government opposition until recently has limited this research, preventing it from potentially providing organs for those who need a replacement or more effective treatments for other diseases such as diabetes or Parkinson's disease. Risk communication in the United States and Europe is contrasted to delineate the greater effort being made in Europe to construct stem cell research socially for the researcher and the public.
An evaluation of artificial substrates for monitoring the quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) in Lake Mead, NV

Abstract This experiment was conducted to determine if quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) settle and grow on different types of artificial substrates preferentially in Lake Mead, Nevada–Arizona, one of the first known populations of the mussel in the western United States. Six substrates, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic, high density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, concrete underlayment board (CUB), aluminum, stainless steel and fiberglass were cut into 10 cm squares and placed at different depths in the Boulder Basin of Lake Mead for approximately 1 yr in a modified randomized block design. Half the substrates were removed and replaced every 2 mo, and the other half remained in the water for the duration of the study. No preference for substrate type could be determined, but settlement was limited by depth. Mussel settlement on substrates at depths from 6–28 m was significantly greater than on substrates from 32–54 m (F = 5.54; p < 0.001). This divergence in settlement at different depths is ...
Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors as Potential Cognition Enhancing Agents

As might be predicted for an organ designed for cell to cell communication, cyclic nucleotide signaling in the brain is highly organized and regulated. Augmentation of cyclic nucleotide signaling by means of phosphodiesterase inhibition appears to be a viable and tractable means of enhancing neuronal communication. Of the various CNS disorders that have been considered as target indications for phosphodiesterase inhibitors, no condition has received more attention than cognitive dysfunction. This review provides a background for understanding the expanding literature in this field as well as a brief update on the rationale driving the search for selective inhibitors of targets such as PDE1B, PDE2, PDE5 and PDE9.
Additional Range Expansion in Florida of the Introduced Walking Catfish

In April 1975, the Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus) was known to be established in ten counties of Florida. The present range of this exotic species covers 18 counties or somewhat more than 25 % of the freshwater area of Florida, and this has happened in the ca ten years since the first specimens were found in the wild. Severely cold winters have failed to stem range expansion, and future northward migration in peninsular Florida can be expected.
Reactions to research participation in vulnerable subgroups.

This paper describes the extent to which vulnerable individuals (defined by economic, social, psychological, physical health, and child maltreatment status) react to research participation. As part of an ongoing longitudinal study, participants (N = 896) completed a lengthy and intrusive in-person interview and provided a small amount of blood through finger pricks. At the end of the interview, participants were asked eight questions about their reactions to the research experience. Vulnerable individuals in general agreed more strongly about having an emotional reaction, but were not less willing to continue to participate. In addition, psychologically vulnerable individuals more strongly agreed they would continue to participate, were treated with respect and dignity, and found their participation meaningful. Compared to whites, nonwhites reported stronger agreement about the meaningfulness of the research and the belief that their responses would be kept private. Like others, individuals vulnerable by ...
Design, construction, and testing of a new class of mobile robots for cave exploration

This paper introduces a novel mobile robot design concept aimed at Exploration of subterranean spaces. The key innovation is the combination of highly maneuverable-body elements with wheel/leg elements (“whegs”). This combination offers performance not possible with conventional “monolithic” wheeled or tracked mobile robots, or with current robot snakes. The paper covers two design iterations of the concept, concentrating on describing the overall design process and results from initial tests.
Radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects: implications for radiation protection

Au cours de la derniere decennie est apparue la preuve de l'existence de deux phenomenes cellulaires qui remettent en question les paradigmes classiques concernant l'induction d'effets biologiques par les rayonnements ionisants. Dans les deux cas, d'importantes modifications genetiques surviennent dans des cellules qui n'ont pas ete elles-memes exposees aux rayonnements ionisants. Dans le premier cas, l'irradiation induit un type d'instabilite genomique transmissible dans les cellules. Elle conduit a une augmentation persistante du taux auquel des alterations genetiques, incluant des mutations et des aberrations chromosomiques, surviennent chez les descendants des cellules irradiees originellement, apres plusieurs generations de replication. Dans l'effet « bystander », des signaux de dommages sont transmis des cellules irradiees aux cellules non-irradiees d'une population cellulaire, conduisant a la survenue d'effets biologiques dans ces cellules. Cette revue decrit l'etat actuel des connaissances pour ces deux types de phenomenes. Leur impact potentiel sur l'estimation des risques aux faibles doses d'irradiation est discute.
Computation of switching noise in printed circuit boards

Simultaneous switching noise (SSN) is a phenomenon with adverse and severe effects when a large number of high speed chip drivers switch simultaneously causing a large amount of current to be injected into the power distribution grid. The effects of SSN are manifested in a variety of transient and permanent system malfunctions including the appearance of undesirable glitches on what should otherwise be quiet signal lines and the flipping of state bits in registers and memories. Current approaches for dealing with SSN are largely ad hoc, relying primarily on the ability of expert designers to postulate worst-case scenarios for the occurrence of SSN-related errors and to analyze these scenarios using pessimistic estimates of packaging parasitics. This paper takes a first step toward evolving a systematic methodology for modeling and analysis of SSN in printed circuit boards (PCB's). The presented methodology adopts a combination of macro- and micro-models which allow for a system level treatment of the problem without losing the necessary detailed descriptions of the power/ground planes, the signal traces and the vertical interconnections through vias or plated holes. This approach has been applied to a variety of PCB structures and has allowed for an effective characterization of switching noise and a comprehensive understanding of its effects on PCB performance.
Impact of Physical Therapy Weekend Coverage on Length of Stay in an Acute Care Community Hospital

This study compares the length of hospital stay of a group of patients treated in a community hospital during a period of five-day-a-week physical therapy coverage with the length of stay of a similar patient group treated during a period of seven-day-a-week physical therapy coverage. Comparisons of length of stay were made between the two groups and between subgroups based on diagnosis (stroke or orthopedic disorder) and surgical versus nonsurgical status. Multiple regression analysis was used to control for other factors influencing length of hospital stay. The mean length of stay was shorter for the seven-day-a-week group, and in a few subgroups the difference in length of stay was statistically significant. The results of this study suggest that weekend physical therapy may help reduce length of hospital stay. This finding should interest individuals concerned with the cost-effective use of physical therapy, especially under hospital reimbursement systems such as the Medicare diagnosis-related group.
Optical properties of chemical-vapor-deposited diamond films

Results of room-temperature optical studies on ∼10 micron thick, free-standing diamond films are reported. The films were grown on Si(100) substrates by hot filament-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) from a methane/hydrogen mixture. The as-grown, free surface of the films exhibited a surface roughness of scale σ ∼ 0.2 to 5 microns, depending on the methane/hydrogen mixture, which introduces significant optical scattering loss for frequencies greater than 0.5 eV. Specular reflection and transmission spectra in the range 0.01–10 eV were collected. Below the threshold for interband adsorption near ∼5 eV, the films studied behaved approximately as thin parallel plates of refractive index 2.4, with the rough free surface leading to increasingly larger loss of specular transmission/reflection with decreasing wavelength. Structure in the mid-infrared transmission spectra was observed and attributed to disorder-induced one-phonon absorption, intrinsic multi-phonon absorption, and infrared active –C–H2 stretching modes. The strength of the C–H band was observed to increase with increasing methane pressure in the growth chamber. At 5.3 eV, the onset of interband absorption was observed, in good agreement with the value of the indirect bandgap in type IIa (intrinsic) diamond.
Dual Enrollment in Virginia

This chapter traces the ten-year history of the dual enrollment program in Virginia, highlights its successes, and identifies issues that will be examined for the future. It also identifies how dual enrollment can serve the needs of rural as well as urban communities.
Clenbuterol plus acivicin decrease tumor growth and increase muscle mass in rats maintained on total parenteral nutrition.

Abstract Two problems associated with supplemental nutrition of tumor-bearing organisms are control of tumor growth and reduction of cachexia. To investigate these problems, rats bearing methylcholanthrene-induced sarcomas were maintained on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for 10 to 12 days beginning 23 days after tumor inoculation. Combined treatment of one group of these rats with the glutamine antimetabolite, acivicin, and the β 2 -adrenergic agonist, clenbuterol, arrested tumor growth, increased skeletal muscle mass and protein content, increased gut mass, and decreased total plasma lipid levels. Resting energy expenditure and cardiac mass were increased by TPN and were increased further by acivicin plus clenbuterol. These results demonstrate that tumor growth and muscle wasting can be controlled during TPN of tumor-bearing organisms. Therefore, cachectic depletion of lean body tissue may not be obligatory in neoplastic disease.
Maturation of High-Density Lipoproteins

Human high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are involved in the transport of cholesterol. The mechanism by which HDL assembles and functions is not well understood owing to a lack of structural information on circulating spherical HDL. Here, we report a series of molecular dynamics simulations that describe the maturation of discoidal HDL into spherical HDL upon incorporation of cholesterol ester as well as the resulting atomic level structure of a mature circulating spherical HDL particle. Sixty cholesterol ester molecules were added in a stepwise fashion to a discoidal HDL particle containing two apolipoproteins wrapped around a 160 dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine lipid bilayer. The resulting matured particle, captured in a coarse-grained description, was then described in a consistent all-atom representation and analysed in chemical detail. The simulations show that maturation results from the formation of a highly dynamic hydrophobic core comprised of cholesterol ester surrounded by phospholipid and protein; the two apolipoprotein strands remain in a belt-like conformation as seen in the discoidal HDL particle, but with flexible N- and C-terminal helices and a central region stabilized by salt bridges. In the otherwise flexible lipoproteins, a less mobile central region provides an ideal location to bind lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase, the key enzyme that converts cholesterol to cholesterol ester during HDL maturation.
High-frequency radiation from crack (stress drop) models of earthquake faulting

Summary. We present a theory for the radiation of high-frequency waves by earthquake faults. We model the fault as a planar region in which the stress drops to the kinematic friction during slip. This model is entirely equivalent to a shear crack. For twodimensional fault models we show that the high frequencies originate from the stress and slip velocity concentrations in the vicinity of the fault’s edges. These stress concentrations radiate when the crack expands with accelerated motion. The most efficient generation of high-frequency waves occurs when the rupture velocity changes abruptly. In this case, the displacement spectrum has an u-’ behaviour at high frequencies. The excitation is proportional to the intensity of the stress concentration near the crack tips and to the change in the focusing factor due to rupture velocity. We extend these two-dimensional results to more general three-dimensional fault models in the case when the rupture velocity changes simultaneously on the rupture front. Results are similar to those described for twodimensional faults. We apply the theory to the case of a circular fault that grows at constant velocity and stops suddenly. The present theory is in excellent agreement with a numerical solution of the same problem. Our results provide upper bounds to the high-frequency radiation from more realistic models in which rupture velocity does not change suddenly. The u-’ is the minimum possible decay at high frequencies for any crack model of the source.
ON OPTIMAL DEVELOPMENT IN A MULTI-SECTOR ECONOMY.

Abstract : An economy is considered that has n goods and k types of labor, each of which is growing at the same constant rate. Goods are produced from labor and other goods by a set of specified activities. Given an initial supply of goods and amounts of labor, all possible production programs running from the present time to infinity through discrete time periods are considered. With each program is associated a utility sequence measuring the satisfaction achieved by the program at each period of time. A program is optimal if its utility sequence overtakes all other such sequences. The paper is devoted to proving the existence of optimal programs for a wide class of economies and to deriving the properties of such programs. In particular it is shown that the optimal program approaches a certain balanced program. Essential use is made of the existence of an infinite sequence of optimal prices with respect to which the optimal program is one which maximizes the sum of profit and utility at each time period. (Author)