cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Canalplasty for Exostosis Removal Comparing Microscopic Versus Endoscopic Ear Surgery Techniques.

Objective To compare an endoscopic versus microscopic approach to removal of exostoses and osteomas in canalplasty procedures. Study design Retrospective case review. Setting Private and tertiary referral centers. Patients Adult patients requiring canalplasty procedures performed either microscopically or endoscopically for removal of exostosis or osteoma and/or canal stenosis. Intervention Microscopic or endoscopic canalplasty. Main outcome measure Major outcome measures included assessment of hearing improvement as well as rates of major and minor complications. Standard audiological data were collected before and after the operative procedure. Major complications queried included stenosis, perforation of the tympanic membrane, hearing loss, facial palsy, and osteomyelitis. Minor complications queried included signs of poor wound healing, graft failure, and bleeding or discharge. Results Forty three canalplasties were performed on 36 patients. Audiometric tests did not significantly differ between endoscopic and microscopic surgeries. There was a moderate linear relationship between date of surgery and duration of surgery for the endoscopic technique, with more recent surgeries taking less time. No major complications were noted. However, significantly fewer endoscopic cases had evidence of minor postoperative complications relative to microscopic cases. Conclusions An endoscopic approach to canalplasty is a safe and minimally invasive technique. Significantly fewer postoperative complications occurred after endoscopic canalplasty procedures as compared with microscopic procedures. Endoscopic repair may be preferred to microscopic repairs due to the improved view of the end of the instruments while maintaining a minimally invasive approach with what is likely a decreased operative time as well.
State building in Latin America

State Building in Latin America diverges from existing scholarship in developing explanations both for why state-building efforts in the region emerged and for their success or failure. First, Latin American state leaders chose to attempt concerted state-building only where they saw it as the means to political order and economic development. Fragmented regionalism led to the adoption of more laissez-faire ideas and the rejection of state-building. With dominant urban centers, developmentalist ideas and state-building efforts took hold, but not all state-building projects succeeded. The second plank of the book's argument centers on strategies of bureaucratic appointment to explain this variation. Filling administrative ranks with local elites caused even concerted state-building efforts to flounder, while appointing outsiders to serve as administrators underpinned success. Relying on extensive archival evidence, the book traces how these factors shaped the differential development of education, taxation, and conscription in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.
Utilization Of Oral Glutathione

The intestine is exposed continually to dietary toxicants, and it utilizes GSH and GSH-dependent enzyme systems in detoxication of these agents. Recent studies show that enterocytes take up GSH intact and use it to increase degradation of dietary lipid hydroperoxides, enhance GSH S-conjugation of electrophiles, and prevent oxidative injury. The intestine also has a mechanism (i.e., mucosal cysteine secretion) to reduce luminal GSSG to GSH, thereby making more GSH available to enterocytes. Additionally, GSH is transported from lumen to blood to increase plasma GSH concentration. Given the ability of various organ systems to use extracellular (i.e., plasma) GSH for chemical detoxication, increased daily intake of GSH in the diet or from oral therapy may be useful in disease prevention.
Ability of Periorbitally Applied Anti-glare Products to Improve Contrast Sensitivity in Conditions of Sunlight Exposure

Background: Sun glare decreases athletes' contrast sensitivity and impairs their ability to distinguish objects from background. Many commercial products claim to reduce glare but have not been proven effective in clinical studies. Objective: To determine whether glare-reducing products such as eye black grease and antiglare stickers reduce glare and improve contrast sensitivity during sunlight exposure. Design and Methods: We tested 46 subjects for contrast sensitivity using a Pelli-Robson contrast chart. Each subject served as an internal control and then was randomized to either application of eye black grease, antiglare stickers, or petroleum jelly at the infraorbital rim. All testing was performed in conditions of unobstructed sunlight. Results: Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between eye black grease (mean±SD, Pelli-Robson value, 1.87±0.09 logMAR units) and antiglare stickers (1.75±0.14 logMAR units) in binocular testing (P=.02). No statistical difference was found between the groups in right eyes, left eyes, or in combined data from the right and left eyes. Paired t tests demonstrated a significant difference between control (mean ±SD, 1.77±0.14 logMAR units) and eye black grease (1.87±0.09 logMAR units) in binocular testing (P=.04). There was also a significant difference between control (mean±SD, 1.65±0.05 logMAR units) and eye black grease (1.67±0.06 logMAR units) in combined data from the right and left eyes (P=.02). Conclusion: Eye black grease reduces glare and improves contrast sensitivity in conditions of sunlight exposure compared with the control and antiglare stickers in binocular testing.
Dynamic fracture analysis of HSST crack run-arrest experiments with nonisothermal wide plates

Dynamic fracture analysis results from Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) wide-plate crack-arrest tests are summarized. These tests relate to assessing nuclear reactor pressure vessel integrity under pressurized-thermal- shock (PTS) conditions. Computed results for five tests are compared with measurements of strain versus time, crack propagation speed, and the arrest location. Crack arrest toughness values determined by various analytical methods are compiled for test temperatures that range from mid-transition into the Charpy upper-shelf region for the test material.
Resolution in ART. An experimental investigation of the resolving power of an algebraic picture reconstruction technique.

Abstract The resolving power of an algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) for reconstructing objects from electromicrographs and X-ray photographs is demonstrated by a series of experiments. The test data used includes standard test patterns like bar charts, an annulus, a checker board and also printed text and pictures of stomata. It is demonstrated that ART is capable of reconstructing ordinary objects to a good resolution with only a small number of views from a limited range. Excellent resolution is achieved when a few random reconstructions of this type are averaged or if the range of angles is allowed to be large. In particular, it is demonstrated that ART needs two to five times fewer equally spaced angles for good resolution than has been estimated as necessary for the Fourier reconstruction techniques. Time and storage estimates for ART are also given.
Information technology and work organization

49.1 Abstract New kinds of information technology (IT) are increasingly affecting the ways in which people work. In this chapter, we discuss the relationship between IT and work organization. We first discuss theories about technology, organizations and the link between the two. We suggest four perspectives on organizations-rationalist, information processing, motivational and political-which can be used to interpret organizational structure. Using these four perspectives, we review the results of empirical studies of the use of IT to suggest what changes have been seen in the past and can be expected in the future. We conclude with some suggestions about the kinds of future research that will be useful and some implications for the design of systems, work and organizations.
Divine freedom in the Old Testament: a comparative–philosophical inquiry

In this article we ask whether YHWH as depicted in the OT was assumed to have free will. The background lies in contemporary philosophy of religion where the problem of divine freedom arises in the context of perfect being theology. However, not only did ancient Yahwism(s) not operate on perfect being theology, the discourse also did not seem to value free will to the extent that OT theologians and philosophers of religion do. Though YHWH is typically characterised as able to do whatever he pleased, it can be demonstrated that his will was itself assumed to be governed by both intrinsic and extrinsic determinants. Thus contrary to the popular consensus, a belief in absolute divine freedom is in fact absent from the OT's folk-metaphysical assumptions.
Neoplasms Following Childhood Radium Irradiation of the Nasopharynx

Eighteen to 35 years after admission to a clinic for the prevention of deafness, no increased overall cancer risk could be detected among 904 persons who had been treated with nasopharyngeal radium irradiation when compared with the risk among 2,021 persons who were either treated surgically or not treated at all, although there were differences at specific sites. An increased risk of developing both benign and malignant head and neck tumors was found among irradiated persons. Whereas no one head and neck site showed a statistically significant excess, a slight excess of brain cancer occurred 15-20 years after radium treatment. No increase in thyroid cancer risk was observed, a result possibly attributable to the low radiation doses to this organ, and the relatively small population irradiated.
A new Brønsted acid derived from squaric acid and its application to Mukaiyama aldol and Michael reactions

Bis-N-trifluoromethanesulfonyl squaramide was prepared as a new bench-stable strong Bronsted acid and applied to the Bronsted acid-catalyzed Mukaiyama aldol and Michael reactions with silyl enol ethers. The resulting Mukaiyama aldol products of aldehydes were obtained in quantitative yields, whereas expansion of the utility of this Bronsted acid to ketones was limited to electron-deficient ketones presumably due to lower reactivity of ketones as well as competing protodesilylation of silyl enol ether. The Bronsted acid was further applied to Mukaiyama Michael reaction of α,β-unsaturated ketones. It is noted that catalyst loading of all Mukaiyama reactions was only 1 mol % or less, which demonstrated the high reactivity of this acid. Mechanistic studies implied that the Mukaiyama aldol reaction might proceed through Bronsted acid catalysis, rather than through Lewis acid catalysis with silylated Bronsted acid.
The Race between Education and Technology: A Review Article

Though most who study inequality have come to understand that a nuanced and multifaceted story is needed to explain the experiences of the past 30 years, many economists take from the volumes of research on the subject that some combination of skill-biased technological change and changing institutions (e.g., erosion of the real value of the minimum wage, reduction in union membership, etc.) were the key explanatory factors. In their important new book The Race between Education and Technology (2008), Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz place the evidence on wage inequality squarely in a supply and demand framework and argue convincingly that any explanation based on changing demand for skills must also be based on the dynamics of the supply side of the market. Goldin and Katz also place the well-documented experiences of the past 30 years into a longer historical context, bringing new data to bear on the early part of the twentieth century. They present evidence that the changes in relative demand for skills during the past 30 years were not a historical aberration. Rather, their evidence suggests that demand for skills has been increasing fairly consistently for almost a century. What has changed in the past 30 years, Goldin and Katz argue, is that the relative supply of skills ceased to grow at the rate of this demand expansion. To help make their economic argument, Goldin and Katz offer a fascinating history of the American education system, a story that is elucidating on its own and that helps to make the case that historically supply and demand together have determined changes in inequality in the United States. This interplay of supply and demand for skills is the motivation for the title of the book. Both supply and demand in the market for skills have been expanding in the United States over the past 100 years. Whether wages become more or less equal over shorter horizons, the authors argue, depends on the relative speed of these two expansions— hence “the race.” It is not that they dispute that skill-biased technological change was a root cause of the increased wage inequality of the past 30
Using Spheroplasts to Study Peptide Interactions with Cell Membranes

Cytoplasmic membranes remain intact if bacteria cells are stripped off the outer cell wall and the peptidoglycan-they are called spheroplasts or protoplasts. This allows us to study the interaction of membrane-active antibiotics directly with the cytoplasmic membranes of bacterial. For our purpose, we want giant spheroplasts in order to apply the aspiration techniques. The technique of aspiration serves two purposes: one is to apply tension to the membrane and another is to measure the membrane area changes. The measurement of the membrane area change by tension or peptide binding or any structural event is the best physical quantitative description for the state of the membrane. We believe that these experiments will lead to discover the so-far unknown properties of cell membranes. Using established methods we grew spheroplasts which were stabilized in a STOP solution. To test the condition of the cytoplasmic membranes, we then diluted the STOP solution by adding pure water. We found that as the STOP solution was diluted, the water influx enlarged the spheroplasts. This seems to indicate that there is a membrane reservoir (perhaps, invaginations of cell membrane) in the original state of spheroplast. By the aspiration method, we measured the tension versus membrane area change of spheroplasts stabilized at 15% STOP solution. The tension vs. area change showed a slow exponential region followed by a linear region, similar to pure lipid GUVs. However the stretch expansion moduli are 5 times smaller than that of pure lipid bilayers. When maganin or melittin, were introduced into spheroplast suspension, we found that the surface area was expanded by more than 5% by peptide binding. These preliminary results indicate the feasibility of using spheroplasts as an experimental platform for studying the interaction of membrane-active peptides with cell membranes.
Young Adolescents' Meaning in Life

Past research on peoples' self-reports of their meaning in life has not included those below college age. In contrast, the present study focused on such reports by 116 young adolescents. We found that the percentage seeming to understand what meaning in life was and able coherently to discuss their own was just as high as that found in older groups. Second, the types of meaning reported differed sufficiently from those of college students and other older subjects to require three new categories. A summary of results in relation to the maturity of the adolescents' meaning compared to that of the older samples yielded no solid conclusion.
Intensity fluctuations of lasers in intensity coupled two-mode operation

Abstract The Fokker-Planck equation of a two-mode laser is solved both by expansion in products of single-mode eigen-functions and in quasi-linear approximation. Auto-correlation times and cross-correlation times are presented.
Alcoa: Toward understanding minority interest

Abstract In this case students explore the financial statements of Alcoa as an example of a consolidated company with minority interest in order to understand minority interest and the differences among the concepts of accounting for consolidated enterprises: economic-unit, parent-company, and proportionate concepts. Unlike other Fortune 500 companies, Alcoa presents sufficient footnote disclosures to approximate financial statements based on each theoretical concept. Although Alcoa, and most public companies, primarily follow a mix of parent-company-concept and economic-unit-concept, students need to understand all three concepts discussed in FASB Discussion Memorandum Consolidation Policy and Procedures (FASB, 1995) because accounting for consolidated enterprises is changing in the 1990s and will surely continue to evolve during their professional careers. By transforming Alcoa's financial statements to be consistent with each accounting concept and evaluating the usefulness of these statements, students expand their understanding of minority interest and consolidated financial statements from a user's perspective and gain insight into accounting theory.
Challenges and opportunities in early identification and intervention for children at-risk for autism spectrum disorders.

AbstractThis response to both agrees and disagrees with a number of points relative to early identification and intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The authors, too, recognize the difficulties of identifying toddlers with ASD and the complexities of intervening with these children. It is, however, suggested that there are alternatives to choosing to wait until diagnoses for at-risk children are stable and it is believed that there are many potential benefits from intervening, even when stable diagnoses cannot be made at the time, but risk markers are present. Specifically, it is suggested that it is not necessary to differentially diagnose children in efforts to evaluate treatment effects and suggestions are provided for alternative methods. This commentary also acknowledges the importance of effective ASD screening tools, along with expert clinical opinion, to help identify these toddlers with and at-risk for ASD. Both the available literature from other researchers as well as...
Gentamicin clearance during hemodialysis: A comparison of high-efficiency cuprammonium rayon and conventional cellulose ester hemodialyzers

The advent of high-efficiency hemodialyzers has afforded improved efficiency of urea clearance; however, increased clearance of other substances, particularly antibiotics, also may occur, necessitating changes in clinical practice. Accordingly, we compared the efficiency of gentamicin removal using two different hemodialyzers, a conventional saponified cellulose ester (CD 135) and a high-efficiency cuprammonium rayon dialyzer (TAF 175L), in eight hospitalized patients undergoing antibiotic therapy for suspected or proven gram-negative infection. The rate of dialysis, estimated as the ratio of dialyzer urea clearance (K) to urea distribution volume (V) (K/V urea), and the total elimination rate constant (k) of gentamicin were measured during 17 hemodialysis treatments. The K/V urea for the two dialyzers, TAF 175L and CD 135, was 0.390 ± 0.024 hr -1 and 0.413 ± 0.129 hr -1 ( P = NS), respectively. The TAF 175L hemodialyzer was almost twice as efficient in removing gentamicin as the CD 135: TAF 175, k=0.263 ± 0.024 hr -1 ; CD 135, k=0.132 ± 0.027 hr -1 ( P 2 = 0.50, P
Organization of corticocortical connections in the parietal cortex of the rat

An analysis based on Nissl, anterograde degeneration, and succinic dehydrogenase histochemical techniques reveals that there are two distinct regions of parietal cortex which are characterized by different cytoarchitectonic features and anatomical connections. The "granular" cortical zone possesses a well-defined fourth layer composed of small, densely-packed cells, receives dense projections from the ventral posterior nucleus of the thalamus, and is essentially free of callosal inputs. "Agranular" cortical areas which surround or lie embedded within the granular zone lack a well-defined fourth layer, receive sparse projection from the ventral posterior nucleus, but send and receive extensive callosal projections. These findings suggest that thalamic and callosal projections to the parietal cortex maintain a pattern of areal segregation. The granular cortical zone, which apparently corresponds to SmI, projects ipsilaterally to motor cortex, SmII, and adjacent agranular areas. The superficial layers of the granular cortex also project heavily upon the underlying layer V. This intracortical projection is not organized in discrete clusters within the "barrel field" cortex. This suggests that the specialized organization of thalamic afferents and granule cells within the "barrel field" is not maintained in the intracortical circuitry of this region.
A mass spectrometric investigation of the gas phase ion—molecule reactions of fullerene cations and dications with various neutral molecules

Abstract We present an investigation of the gas phase ion—molecule reactions of fullerene cations and dications with various neutrals utilizing a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The neutral reactant gases investigated include Ar, He, N 2 , CH 4 , NH 3 , O 2 , D 2 O, CH 3 OH, (CH 3 ) 2 O, C 3 H 6 , CH 3 CH 2 CHCH 2 , and (CH 3 ) 2 CH 2 . We report associative additions, partial charge transfer, and the formation of various fullerene adducts. The effect of collision energy, collision cell pressure, fullerene structure, and ionization energy on the reported reactions are addressed.
Replicated piecewise multistage sampling with applications

A piecewise sequential methodology and its merits have been recently discussed in Mukhopadhyay and Sen (1993), in the context of certain estimation problems. In the present paper, we examine the role and applicability of the theory of general multistage piecewise sampling methodologies in the area of estimation as well as selection and ranking. In each problem, second-order asymptotic characteristics of piecewise multistage methodologies are indicated.
Inertization of Coal Ashes by the Vitrification Technique: A Mixture Design Approach

This article deals with the study of the vitrification mechanism as an inertization method for coal ashes contaminated with heavy metals. Ashes from coal (thermoelectric) and wastes from mining of fluorite and feldspar and from plating were used to compose vitreous systems using a mixture design. The chemical composition of the wastes was determined by XRF and the formulations were melted at 1450°C for 2 h using 10% (mass) of Na2CO3 (as a fluxing agent). The glasses were poured into a mold and annealed (600°C). The characteristic temperatures were determined by thermal analysis (DTA, air, 20°C/min) and the mechanical behavior by HV. As a result, the softening temperature is strongly dependent on silica content of each glass, and the fluorite residue, being composed mainly by silica, strongly affects on the glass transition (Tg) and softening (Ts) temperatures. The hardness by micro-indentation of all glasses is mainly affected by the plating (galvanic) residue due to the high iron and zinc content of this...
Prediction method for steady-state response of local rubbing blade-rotor systems †

Blade-rotor systems frequently encounter the problem of blade-to-case rubbing, which affects their safety and stability. Numerical simulation can be used to predict the steady-state response of these systems. However, such simulation is frequently computationally expensive because of the high dimensions of the dynamic model of a blade-rotor system. To overcome this problem, a new method that combines the receptance-based dimension-reduction approach with the incremental harmonic balance (IHB) method is presented in this study. First, a dynamic model of a blade-rotor system is developed using the finite element method, and the number of dimensions of the model is reduced by the receptance method. Subsequently, the steady-state response is obtained by the improved IHB method to conveniently manage the large number of super-harmonic components of the local rubbing system. Finally, the precision and efficiency of the proposed method is verified by comparing its results with those obtained by the Newmark-β method. The proposed method is found to be efficient in analyzing local rubbing blade-rotor systems with high dimensions, local nonlinearities, and rich super-harmonics.
Insulin's effect on glucose oxidation independent of glucose transport.

Abstract The effects of insulin and spermine to stimulate glucose transport and glucose oxidation were measured. When the insulin — glucose transport and insulin — glucose oxidation dose response curves were compared, it was found that insulin increased oxidation to a greater extent than transport, and that half-maximal effects were reached at lower insulin concentrations for transport than for oxidation (0.15 ± .06 vs 0.5 ± 1 ng/ml, p
PROGRESSIVE ELEVATION OF AP-1 ACTIVITY DURING PRENEOPLASTIC-TO-NEOPLASTIC PROGRESSION AS MODELED IN MOUSE JB6 CELL VARIANTS

The JB6 mouse epidermal cell system has been used extensively as an in vitro model for the study of tumor promotion and progression. The present study was directed to assessing the role of basal AP-1 activity in JB6 variants which represent preneoplastic to neoplastic progression and to addressing whether AP-1 activity is required for maintenance of the tumor phenotype. Constitutively higher AP-1 activity was found in tumorigenic JB6 RT101 cells than in later or earlier preneoplastic P+ or P- cells. Levels of c-jun mRNA and protein correlated with progression stage. Enhancement of AP-1 activity by TPA increased the formation of anchorage independent colonies by tumorigenic RT101 cells. Inhibition of AP-1 activity by retinoic acid or fluocinolone acetonide inhibited expression of tumor phenotype as measured by AI growth. These data together with our previous results suggest that in the JB6 model (i) basal levels of Jun and AP-1 appear to be important for preneoplastic-to-neoplastic progression; (ii) induced AP-1 appears to be required for further progression by tumor cells; (iii) constitutively elevated AP-I activity may be important for the expression of transformed phenotype; (iv) inhibition of AP-1 activity by RA or FA is not a general suppression of transcription but is gene-specific; and (v) even though both inhibition of AP-1 activity and activation of RARE-dependent or GRE-dependent gene transcription correlate with inhibition of AI growth in RT101 cells by RA or FA, transactivation of RARE or GRE might better correlate with the inhibition of AI growth than the inhibition of AP-1 activity in RT101 cells.
Effect of isradipine on cardiopulmonary baroreflex function, regional blood flow, and vascular responsiveness in hypertensive patients

Calcium channel antagonists, when used to treat hypertension, may modulate baroreflex function and vascular responsiveness to endogenous vasoconstrictors. We studied regional blood flow, cardiopulmonary baroreflex function, and pressor responses in nine hypertensive patients (mean age of 44 +/- 7 years), eight males and one female, treated with isradipine (ISR), a dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist, in a placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Each patient underwent determination of blood pressure and forearm, splanchnic, and renal blood flows (by strain gauge plethysmography and indocyanine green and p-aminohippurate clearances, respectively) at baseline and during cardiopulmonary unloading by lower body negative pressure (LBNP) at -10 and -20 mm Hg. ISR decreased the mean arterial pressure from 105 +/- 2 to 93 +/- 2 mm Hg (p less than 0.01). ISR did not change supine forearm or splanchnic vascular resistances, but renal vascular resistance fell 30% during treatment (from 0.12 +/- 0.02 to 0.09 +/- 0.01 mm Hg min/ml, p less than 0.05). Cardiopulmonary baroreceptor unloading by LBNP elicited comparable effects on forearm, splanchnic, and renal vascular resistance before and during ISR treatment. Baroreceptor unloading during placebo did not change plasma NE or PRA; during ISR, LBNP elicited a progressive rise in these hormones. The pressor response to NE was potentiated during ISR treatment (p less than 0.05); in contrast, the pressor response to angiotensin II infusion was blunted by calcium blockade (p less than 0.05). The present study, therefore, demonstrates that calcium channel blockade with ISR preserves, and may even augment, cardiopulmonary baroreflex function. These physiologic responses may contribute to the relatively low incidence of symptomatic orthostatic hypotension observed during chronic treatment with this agent.
SiGe cantilever channel gate-all-around (GAA) fully depleted (FD) PMOSFET with high-κ and metal gate

Scaling the conventional CMOS transistor beyond the 45 nm generation ushers in several fundamental limitations. Control of leakage currents and sustaining electrostatic integrity while maintaining historic enhancements in performance requires such ultra-thin gate-dielectrics and heavily doped bodies that a process window sufficiently large for manufacturing might not be found. While conventional SiO2 might need to be replaced by high-kappa dielectric and metal gate, it might be necessary that the conventional planar MOSFET architecture be also substituted to address the electrostatics challenges. In addition high mobility materials need to be explored to garner the additional enhancement in performance. In this paper we demonstrate a PMOSFET device architecture that integrates such a high mobility material with high-kappa/metal gate in a 3D non-planar gate-all-around architecture (GAA).
Percutaneous sacral third nerve root neurostimulation improves symptoms and normalizes urinary HB-EGF levels and antiproliferative activity in patients with interstitial cystitis

Abstract Objectives. A highly effective treatment for interstitial cystitis (IC) remains elusive. We determined whether sacral third nerve root (S3) percutaneous neurostimulation (PNS) might be effective in relieving symptoms of IC, as well as in normalizing urinary factors that are specifically altered in IC. Methods. Six consecutive patients with symptoms and cystoscopic findings compatible with IC underwent 5 days of continuous S3 neurostimulation by way of leads placed percutaneously into the S3 foramen. Patients filled out voiding frequency diaries and pain and urgency questionnaires before PNS and at the end of PNS when the leads were removed. Urine specimens were collected at these two time points and measured for heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and for antiproliferative factor (APF) activity by 3 H-thymidine uptake by normal human bladder urothelial cells. Results. S3 PNS significantly improved all measured parameters toward normal values. Voiding frequency decreased twofold from 23.1 ± 4.6 to 10.6 ± 4.0 voids daily during PNS ( P = 0.0001). Pelvic pain on a scale of 1 to 10 decreased from 7.0 ± 1.6 to 2.3 ± 3.2 ( P = 0.05). Urinary urgency on a scale of 1 to 10 decreased from 6.0 ± 2.2 to 1.8 ± 1.7 ( P = 0.02). Urinary HB-EGF concentration increased sevenfold from 1.5 ± 2.1 to 11.0 ± 1.7 ng/mL ( P P = 0.005). Conclusions. S3 PNS significantly decreased symptoms and normalized urinary HB-EGF and APF activity in patients with IC. These results suggest that permanent S3 PNS may be beneficial in treating IC.
Periodic solutions for a neutral nonlinear dynamical equation on a time scale

Abstract Let T be a periodic time scale. We use a fixed point theorem due to Krasnosel'skiĭ to show that the nonlinear neutral dynamic system with delay x Δ ( t ) = − a ( t ) x σ ( t ) + c ( t ) x Δ ( t − k ) + q ( t , x ( t ) , x ( t − k ) ) , t ∈ T , has a periodic solution. We assume that k is a fixed constant if T = R and is a multiple of the period of T if T ≠ R . Under a slightly more stringent inequality we show that the periodic solution is unique using the contraction mapping principle.
Energy-linked H+ efflux and uncoupler-induced H+ influx in submitochondrial particles from skeletal muscle.

Summary Submitochondrial particles (SMP) from rabbit skeletal muscle mitochondria (RMM) show an energy-linked efflux of H + in the suspending medium with either succinate or L-3-glycerolphosphate as substrates. Uncoupler not only reverses the energy-linked H + efflux, but also induces a non-energy-linked H + uptake. Intact RMM also show energy-linked H + efflux under the same conditions used to energize SMP. Skeletal muscle SMP are open membrane fragments incapable of sustaining a transmembrane gradient, in contrast to SMP from beef heart, which may be closed vesicles and which show energy-linked H + uptake. The difference of direction in energy-linked H + movements in the two types of SMP, both of which retain the capacity for energy coupling, strongly supports the concept that this H + movement is secondary to the energy conservation process, which is postulated to occur in the membrane and to be shielded from the suspending medium.
Enantiospecific 6π-photocyclization of atropisomeric α-substituted acrylanilides in the solid-state: role of crystalline confinement on enantiospecificity

Direct irradiation of optically-pure axially-chiral α-substituted acrylanilides in the crystalline state leads to 3,4-dihydro-2-quinolin-2-one photoproduct with an enantiomeric ratio of 85 : 15 while a racemic mixture of photoproduct is observed in solution.
BORAZANE AND BORAZAPROPELLANES : THE POSSIBILITY OF INVERTED TETRAHEDRAL BORON AND NITROGEN

The consideration of propellane-like structures whose bridgehead atoms are boron and nitrogen rather than carbon permits a study of B-N bonding and the effects of inverted tetrahedral configurations at these atoms. We analyze these systems primarily by ab initio structure calculation and the atoms-in-molecules properties method. The borazane molecule and its hexamethyl derivative, whose B-N bonds incontrovertibly exist, serve as the starting point. It is found that boraza[3.3.3]propellane resembles hexamethylborazane in its bond length, dipole moment and BN bond critical point. In contrast boraza[2.2.2]propellane does not exist as such but rather has the open form, 1-aza-4-borabicyclo[2.2.2] ctane. Boraza[1.1.1]propellane is found to be kinetically stable in C3v symmetry; it has a short B-N bond length but no bond critical point of its electronic charge density on the B-N axis.
Laboratory development of a lidar for measurement of sound velocity in the ocean using Brillouin scattering

There have been several studies of the potential accuracy of LIDAR measurements of sound velocity in the ocean by measuring the spectral shift of the backscattered Brillouin lines. However, due to technical limitations, such systems have not previously been experimentally demonstrated. Measurement of the Brillouin shift as a function of depth in the ocean requires a stabilized, narrow linewidth, pulsed laser, and a high-resolution spectroscopic technique. We have used a scanning Fabry-Perot to obtain the first frequency resolved measurements of Brillouin scattering in water using a pulsed laser; these results will be presented here. But for the practical application of measuring Brillouin shifts as a function of depth in the ocean a non- scanning spectroscopic technique is required to measure the small frequency shifts; the edge technique meets this requirement. Using it in conjunction with the edges of absorption lines in the molecular spectra of I2 and/or Br2, avoids the limitations associated with use of a Fabry-Perot etalon; specifically, its small solid angle of acceptance and its vulnerability in noisy environments. This new approach will be briefly described.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A Computer Simulation Model to Analyze Occupational Safety and Health Problems and Countermeasures

Systems Dynamics models have been used to study various complex socio-technical problems. The author modified a model of a hypothetical firm to analyze the interrelationships among a multitude of factors affecting worker safety and health. These factors interact with each other in various ways via numerous feedback relationships. Modified policies which might be too protracted, risky, or expensive to experiment with in the real system can be readily explored using the model. Two such experiments with the model are presented here. This modeling technique offers an efficient method for management and Government officials to study the socio-economic costs and benefits of potential safety and health standards. Language: en
Value of combining HPV-DNA testing with follow-up Papanicolaou smear in patients with prior atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance.

OBJECTIVE To address human papillomavirus (HPV) testing on negative Pap tests preceded by atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) without reflex HPV testing. STUDY DESIGN Positive HPV test results with concurrent negative Pap tests over 1 year were identified. Pathology records for all patients diagnosed with ASCUS without reflex HPV testing in the previous year were reviewed; all cytologic and surgical specimens over the subsequent 2 years were evaluated for squamous abnormalities. RESULTS Fifty patients had positive HPV DNA (HPV-DNA) test result combined with a negative Pap test. Twenty-three had a previous Pap test interpretation of ASC-US (without HPV testing) within the preceding year. On follow-up, 8 of 23 developed a squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) within 1 year. Four additional cases developed SIL in the second year after positive HPV testing. All dysplasias in the first year of follow-up were low grade; 1 of 4 developing in the second year was high grade. CONCLUSION Negative Pap smear following an ASC-US interpretation without a concurrent HPV test is associated with significant false negative rate. We suggest consideration of combining HPV-DNA testing to all initial follow-up negative Pap tests of patients with previous ASC-US, if reflex HPV testing has not been performed.
Education and Action in Magnolia Community: Rethinking Community Development

Community development programs, though aimed at personal empowerment and community change, are planned within an environment of politics and directives. Although program planners may opt for a participatory model of community development rather than a more traditional model, planners often realize they must negotiate a compromise between the community and the funding agency. This leads to a practical yet enigmatic question: How do we plan community development initiatives that blend some aspects of both traditional and participatory models? This article presents a case study of a community and leadership development program in Magnolia, a rural community in southwest Georgia. The project blends traditional and participatory strategies for community development, incorporating tenets of participatory action research. We offer a description of the project, including an overview of the process of developing and reworking the program modules to fit the needs of the Magnolia community. Further, we evaluate the ...
Flexible seed selection by individual harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Individual seed harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex) have been shown to specialize on specific seed types. We examined possible mechanisms for seed specialization and tested whether fidelity to food type limits the foraging decisions of individual western harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. The seed selection regimes of individually marked ants foraging at piles of two seed types were described and related to differences in seed quality and colonial dietary history. Individual foraging choices were affected by multiple factors, including seed caloric rewards, the previous seed selected, and the dietary history of the colony. Individual seed choices generally converged on the most energetically profitable species, suggesting that foragers exhibit labile preference. However, for a portion of the foragers, seed specialization was also partially due to constancy, defined as a tendency to select seed species that were previously collected. When colonies were presented with one seed type for 1 h and then were offered a mix of that seed and a novel seed type, individuals showed a strong preference for the novel seeds. Such rapid changes in seed preference argue strongly that individual P. occidentalis ants are highly flexible in seed choice and that resource assessment by these ants is more complex than simple maximization of net energetic return.
Myrosinase: II. The specificity of the myrosinase system

Abstract Additional evidence was presented to indicate that myrosinase is a two enzyme system. The two components were separated on a DEAE column. Total hydrolysis occurred only when both components were present. The thioglucosidase factor was shown to have essentially the same specificity as almond emulsin and to be capable of hydrolyzing several β-glucosides. The sulfatase factor showed no hydrolysis of ethereal sulfates or sulfate esters other than esters of the type contained in the mustard oil glycosides. Several sulfonated oximes were hydrolyzed in the presence of this factor.
Inverse Aeroacoustic Problem for a Rectangular Wing

An investigation is made of the feasibility of aeroacoustic inversion, where the pressure on a thin, flat, rigid rectangular wing undergoing rigid oscillations or interacting with unsteady, subsonic flow is to be predicted from the far-field acoustic signal. This problem is ill-posed because small pressure fluctuations in the far field are larger in the near field by a factor equal to the reciprocal of the distance from the wing. In the inverse model, this ill-posedness manifests itself in the kernel of a two-dimensional Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. Discretization of this integral equation using a physically meaningful collocation series results in an ill-conditioned system of equations which is solved using the singular value decomposition (SVD). The SVD generally requires regularization techniques to discard redundant or unphysical information. An algorithm is developed for optimally determining the near-field pressure without relying on a user-specified regularization parameter. Tests using numerically generated input data show the inversion is feasible and accurate for accurate input data. The inversion remains feasible when errors are introduced in the far-field measurements and the measurable parameters of the flow.
Exploring parent perceptions of the food environment in youth sport.

Abstract Objective To examine parent perceptions of the food environment in youth sport. Methods Eight focus group discussions were held with parents (n = 60) of youth aged 6-13 years participating in basketball programs in Minnesota. Key themes and concepts were identified via transcript-based analysis. Results Parents reported that youth commonly consume unhealthful food and beverages during sports. According to parents, few healthful food and beverage options are available in sport settings, whereas unhealthful options are widely available. Parents were generally dissatisfied with food available in youth sport settings and wanted sport-specific nutrition knowledge. Time constraints and low availability of nutritious food at sport venues were barriers to healthful eating. Conclusions and Implications Youth sport is a promising setting for promoting nutrition. Potential interventions may include advice about healthful eating to overcome the challenges associated with youth sport and policy changes that promote greater availability of healthful food at concessions stands.
A system-level cost-of-energy wind farm layout optimization with landowner modeling

Abstract This work applies an enhanced levelized wind farm cost model, including landowner remittance fees, to determine optimal turbine placements under three landowner participation scenarios and two land-plot shapes. Instead of assuming a continuous piece of land is available for the wind farm construction, as in most layout optimizations, the problem formulation represents landowner participation scenarios as a binary string variable, along with the number of turbines. The cost parameters and model are a combination of models from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Windustry. The system-level cost-of-energy (COE) optimization model is also tested under two land-plot shapes: equally-sized square land plots and unequal rectangle land plots. The optimal COEs results are compared to actual COE data and found to be realistic. The results show that landowner remittances account for approximately 10% of farm operating costs across all cases. Irregular land-plot shapes are easily handled by the model. We find that larger land plots do not necessarily receive higher remittance fees. The model can help site developers identify the most crucial land plots for project success and the optimal positions of turbines, with realistic estimates of costs and profitability.
Altered muscle metabolism in rats after thermal injury

Abstract : Burn injury is associated with an elevation in total body oxygen consumption, increased hepatic alanine uptake and conversion to glucose, and a negative nitrogen balance. The primary source of the alanine used for gluconeogenesis by the liver and of the nitrogen lost as urea is believed to be from skeletal muscle. Selected muscle regulatory enzymes and pyruvate and oleate oxidation rates were assayed for maximal activity during the postburn period. Male Sprague-Dawley rats that received 50% total body surface scald burns on the dorsum and abdomen were examined for citrate synthase (CS), phosphofructokinase (PFK), and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) activity in uninjured muscle at 3, 7, 13, and 20 days postburn, and the ability of muscle to oxidize pyruvate and oleate was measured at 3 and 13 days after injury. CS, PFK, and GPT activities increased significantly (p 0.05) by 13-20 days after injury in the soleus and diaphragm. The epitrochlearis showed no change in CS, but PFK and GPT were elevated within this time frame. The gastrocnemius muscle showed an elevated oleate oxidation rate at 13 days after injury, but no change at 3 days postburn. Pyruvate oxidation rates were unaltered. The results of this study indicate that during the postburn period several metabolic alterations occur in muscle. These adaptations include: (1) elevated CS activity which may be associated with increased oxidative capacity, (2) increased PFK activity which implies that more substrate is being shuttled through the glycolytic pathway, (3) increased GPT activity which may reflect increased pyruvate conversion to alanine, and (4) increased oleate oxidation rates which demonstrate that muscle is utilizing more fatty acid substrates during the postburn period.
Mayhem, Myths, and Martyrdom: The Shi'a Conception of Jihad

The article examines the perception of jihad in Shi'a Islam. It first provides an overview of the understanding of jihad in Islam at large, and then examines the reflections of four central Shi'a thinkers on jihad. More so than the traditional Sunni approach to this concept, the Shi'a understanding of jihad is heavily influenced by perceptions of historical suffering, placing an emphasis on injustice, tyrannical rule, indignity, humiliation, and resistance. In recent decades, Shi'a and Sunni notions of jihad have become more closely aligned, as Salafi-Jihadists, who increasingly monopolize the Sunni discourse on jihad, persistently frame jihad as a response to the oppression by Western “infidel” regimes and tyrannical “apostate” regimes in the Arab and Muslim world.