cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deficits in Other-Race Face Recognition: No Evidence for Encoding-Based Effects

The other-race effect (ORE) in face recognition is typically observed in tasks which require long-term memory. Several studies, however, have found the effect early in face encoding (Lindsay, Jack, & Christian, 1991; Walker & Hewstone, 2006). In 6 experiments, with over 300 participants, we found no evidence that the recognition deficit associated with the ORE reflects deficits in immediate encoding. In Experiment 1, with a study-to-test retention interval of 4 min, participants were better able to recognise White faces, relative to Asian faces. Experiment 1 also validated the use of computer-generated faces in subsequent experiments. In Experiments 2 through 4, performance was virtually identical to Asian and White faces in match-to-sample, immediate recognition. In Experiment 5, decreasing target-foil similarity and disrupting the retention interval with trivia questions elicited a re-emergence of the ORE. Experiments 6A and 6B replicated this effect, and showed that memory for Asian faces was particularly susceptible to distraction; White faces were recognised equally well, regardless of trivia questions during the retention interval. The recognition deficit in the ORE apparently emerges from retention or retrieval deficits, not differences in immediate perceptual processing.
Relationship between ice water content and equivalent radar reflectivity for clouds consisting of nonspherical ice particles

[1] This study investigates the relationship between ice water content (IWC) and equivalent radar reflectivity (Ze) at 94 GHz for clouds consisting of nonspherical ice particles with geometrical shapes of hexagonal solid and hollow columns, plates, 6-branch bullet rosettes, aggregates, and droxtals. The IWC is calculated from a set of 1119 ice particle size distributions (PSDs) measured during several field campaigns, which are discretized to 46 size bins based on particle maximum dimensions ranging from 2 to 10500 μm. The Ze at 94 GHz is calculated from the radar backscattering properties obtained by integrating over the PSD and chosen particle habit distributions. The influence of ice habit on the Ze-IWC relationship is investigated for ice clouds composed of individual ice particle habits and a habit mixture. The Ze-IWC relationship is found to be sensitive to cloud effective particle size and cloud temperature. For an ice cloud with a given IWC, the Ze tends to increase with increasing effective particle size. Similarly, the Ze generally increases with increasing cloud temperature, at least for clouds with IWC over 0.01 g/m3. These features are consistent with the observed relationship between effective particle sizes and cloud temperatures. The present investigation of the effect of temperature on the Ze-IWC relationship indicates that including temperature in the Ze-IWC relationship may not improve the estimates of IWC. However, the dependence of the Ze-IWC relationship on the effective particle size within a given temperature range is more pronounced, and may be potentially useful for inferring the cloud effective particle size from the Ze-IWC relationship.
Thrombin regulates chemokine induction during human retinal pigment epithelial cell/monocyte interaction.

Thrombin, an important clotting factor, extravasates at sites of blood-retina barrier breakdown that is often associated with many retinal diseases. Here we investigated the effects of thrombin on human retinal pigment epithelial (HRPE) cells, monocytes, and HRPE cell/monocyte co-cultures. Thrombin induced secretion and mRNA expression of HRPE interleukin (IL)-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Thrombin also enhanced IL-8 and MCP-1 by HRPE cell/monocyte co-cultures, by apparently enhancing cell-cell contact mechanisms. The thrombin effects on IL-6 secretion were similar to those on chemokine secretion. Thrombin-induced chemokines by co-cultures were inhibited by anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) antibody, but not by anti-IL-1β antibody. TNF-α was detected in cell lysates of monocytes detached from HRPE cells after co-culture stimulation with thrombin. HRPE cells mainly produced these chemokines. However, thrombin generally potentiated exogenous IL-1β- and TNF-α-induced chemokine production by HRPE cells, monocytes, and co-cultures. Interferon-γ potentiated chemokine secretion by co-cultures with or without thrombin. Our results indicate that thrombin may cause leukocyte recruitment by inducing HRPE cell and monocyte chemokine and by enhancing HRPE cell/monocyte interactions, in part because of monocyte TNF-α induction, suggesting important mechanisms for ocular inflammation during blood-retina barrier breakdown and intra-ocular hemorrhage.
Structure–activity-relationship studies of conformationally restricted analogs of combretastatin A-4 derived from SU5416

A series of combretastatin A-4 analogs derived from the ATP competitive, VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, SU5416 were synthesized. The cytotoxic effects of the analogs were evaluated against PC-3 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines, as well as their abilities to inhibit tubulin polymerization. Results are compared to those of compound 1, our lead compound previously reported.
Computer simulation of shared input among projection neurons in the dorsal cochlear nucleus

Computer simulations of a network model of an isofrequency patch of the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) were run to explore possible mechanisms for the level-dependent features observed in the cross-correlograms of pairs of type IV units in the cat and nominal type IV units in the gerbil DCN. The computer model is based on the conceptual model (of a cat) that suggests two sources of shared input to DCN's projection neurons (type IV units): excitatory input from auditory nerves and inhibitory input from interneurons (type II units). Use of tonal stimuli is thought to cause competition between these sources resulting in the decorrelation of type IV unit activities at low levels. In the model, P-cells (projection neurons), representing type IV units, receive inhibitory input from I-cells (interneurons), representing type II units. Both sets of model neurons receive a simulated excitatory auditory nerve (AN) input from same-CF AN fibers, where the AN input is modeled as a dead-time modified Poisson process whose intensity is given by a computationally tractable discharge rate versus sound pressure level function. Subthreshold behavior of each model neuron is governed by a set of normalized state equations. The computer model has previously been shown to reproduce the major response properties of both type IV and type II units (e.g., rate-level curves and peri-stimulus time histograms) and the level-dependence of the functional type II-type IV inhibitory interaction. This model is adapted for the gerbil by simulating a reduced population of I-cells. Simulations were carried out for several auditory nerve input levels, and cross-correlograms were computed from the activities of pairs of P-cells for a complete (cat model) and reduced (gerbil model) population of I-cells. The resultant correlograms show central mounds (CMs), indicative of either shared excitatory or inhibitory input, for both spontaneous and tone-evoked driven activities. Similar to experimental results, CM amplitudes are a non-monotonic function of level and CM widths decrease as a function of level. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that shared excitatory input correlates the spontaneous activities of type IV units and shared inhibitory input correlates their driven activities. The results also suggest that the decorrelation of the activities of type IV units can result from a reduced effectiveness of the AN input as a function of increasing level. Thus, competition between the excitatory and inhibitory inputs is not required.
Creating responsive surfaces with tailored wettability switching kinetics and reconstruction reversibility.

We report on the formation of responsive surfaces with tailorable surface reconstruction kinetics and switching hysteresis by thiolene radical addition of mercaptoalkanols with variable lengths to poly(vinylmethylsiloxane) networks. Exposing these elastomer surfaces to water results in rearrangement of the hydrophilic alkanes at the surface. The rearrangement kinetics decreases with increasing number of the methylene spacers (n) in the mercaptoalkanol. The response kinetics is found to be very fast for n = 2 and 6. For instance, upon exposing to water, the water contact angle on 3-mercaptopropanol-based surfaces decreases by ≈35° at the rate of 2°/s. The high flexibility of the siloxane backbone endows these materials with switching longevity; the materials were able to switch their wettability over 10 cycles with minimum hysteresis. Increasing the number of methylene spacers to n = 11 decreases the surface reorganization dramatically. Formation of semicrystalline regions in such materials (detected via I...
Nitric-oxide dioxygenase function of human cytoglobin with cellular reductants and in rat hepatocytes.

Cytoglobin (Cygb) was investigated for its capacity to function as a NO dioxygenase (NOD) in vitro and in hepatocytes. Ascorbate and cytochrome b5 were found to support a high NOD activity. Cygb-NOD activity shows respective Km values for ascorbate, cytochrome b5, NO, and O2 of 0.25 mm, 0.3 μm, 40 nm, and ∼20 μm and achieves a kcat of 0.5 s−1. Ascorbate and cytochrome b5 reduce the oxidized Cygb-NOD intermediate with apparent second order rate constants of 1000 m−1 s−1 and 3 × 106 m−1 s−1, respectively. In rat hepatocytes engineered to express human Cygb, Cygb-NOD activity shows a similar kcat of 1.2 s−1, a Km(NO) of 40 nm, and a kcat/Km(NO) (k′NOD) value of 3 × 107 m−1 s−1, demonstrating the efficiency of catalysis. NO inhibits the activity at [NO]/[O2] ratios >1:500 and limits catalytic turnover. The activity is competitively inhibited by CO, is slowly inactivated by cyanide, and is distinct from the microsomal NOD activity. Cygb-NOD provides protection to the NO-sensitive aconitase. The results define the NOD function of Cygb and demonstrate roles for ascorbate and cytochrome b5 as reductants.
Stopping power of Havar for 2.5 to 7.0 MeV deuterons

Abstract Energy losses of 2.5 to 7.0 MeV deuterons in thin Havar foils have been measured. The results are fitted by means of the Bichsel energy loss computer code with fixed shell correction parameters common to the major constituent elements and a variable mean excitation energy. The best fit value of the mean excitation energy is 15% lower than the value calculated from an assumed additivity of stopping effects.
Rapport Building in Language Instruction: A Microanalysis of the Multiple Resources in Teacher Talk

Current guidelines on teacher – student rapport, while providing helpful suggestions, fail to address the question of how rapport building can be achieved in contextualised classroom interaction in which a balance needs to be reached between rapport and instructional tasks. Using discourse analysis informed by a conversation analytic approach and bringing in the notions of face (Brown & Levinson, 1987) and participation framework (Goffman, 1981), this paper examines in close detail how rapport is concretely accomplished in the moment-to-moment interaction of one ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) grammar class. The teacher is found to use various interactional resources that allow him to simultaneously orient to the immediate instructional tasks and the social and interpersonal dimension of the interaction with the students. Microanalysis of one calling-to-attention sequence, two correction sequences, and one summarisation sequence shows that the teacher strategically interweaves rapport build...
A step towards understanding obesity

Prader–Willi Syndrome as a Model for Obesity is a compilation of presentations at the International Symposium on Prader–Willi syndrome as a model for obesity, convened in Zurich in October 2002. The volume is divided into four sections: (i) central nervous system and body weight homeostasis; (ii) energy balance in Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) compared with simple obesity; (iii) co-morbidities of obesity; and (iv) comprehensive treatment approaches. The first section begins with a discussion of known monogenic causes of obesity, and how these might be relevant in the pathogenesis of the obesity that occurs in individuals with PWS.
Optimization of Electrochemical and Peroxide-Driven Oxidation of Styrene with Ultrathin Polyion Films Containing Cytochrome P450cam and Myoglobin

The catalytic and electrochemical properties of myoglobin and cytochrome P450(cam) in films constructed with alternate polyion layers were optimized with respect to film thickness, polyion type, and pH. Electrochemical and hydrogen peroxide driven epoxidation of styrene catalyzed by the proteins was used as the test reaction. Ionic synthetic organic polymers such as poly(styrene sulfonate), as opposed to SiO(2) nanoparticles or DNA, supported the best catalytic and electrochemical performance. Charge transport involving the iron heme proteins was achieved over 40-320 nm depending on the polyion material and is likely to involve electron hopping facilitated by extensive interlayer mixing. However, very thin films (ca. 12-25 nm) gave the largest turnover rates for the catalytic epoxidation of styrene, and thicker films were subject to reactant transport limitations. Classical bell-shaped activity/pH profiles and turnover rates similar to those obtained in solution suggest that films grown layer-by-layer are applicable to turnover rate studies of enzymes for organic oxidations. Major advantages include enhanced enzyme stability and the tiny amount of protein required.
Tactile Hair in Manatees

Tactile hairs function to detect mechanosensory stimuli rather than for warmth or protection, which is the main function of pelage hair. Vibrissae, which have a specific set of structural features, are the main class of tactile hair.
Effect of different phospholipid-cholesterol membrane compositions on liposome-mediated formation of calcium phosphates

The present report compares the effects of different membrane phospholipid (PL)-cholesterol compositions on the kinetics of liposome-mediated formation of calcium phosphates from metastable solutions (2.25 mM CaCl2; 1.5 mM KH2PO4) at 22°C, pH 7.4 and 240 mOsm. In most experiments, the liposomes were composed of 7:2:X mixtures of phosphatidylcholine (PC), neutral or acidic phospholipids, and cholesterol (Chol, X=0, 10, 35, or 50 mol%). The neutral phospholipids (NPL) examined, in addition to PC, were phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and sphingomyelin (Sph), and the acidic phospholipids (APL) examined were dicetylphosphate (DCP), dioleolylphosphatidylglycerol (DOPG), dioleolylphosphatidic acid (DOPA), phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylinositol (PI). The 7:2:X liposomes did not initiate mineralization in metastable external solutions per se or, with the exception of DOPA, show extensive Ca-PL binding. However, solution Ca2+ losses due to precipitation occurred when the liposomes were encapsulated with 50 mM KH2PO4 and made permeable to external Ca2+ with X-537A. The extent of these Ca2+ losses was sensitive to both the phospholipid and Chol makeup of the membrane. Moderate-to-extensive intraliposomal precipitation occurred in all 7PC:2APL and 7PC:2NPL liposomes containing 0 or 10 mol% Chol. In contrast, at 50 mol% Chol, mineralization inside all liposomes was negligible. The only significant discriminating effect on internal mineralization among the different phospholipids was observed at 35 mol% Chol, where mineral accumulations ranged from negligible to moderate. At 0 or 10 mol% Chol, extraliposomal precipitation was extensive in all but DOPA- and PS-containing liposomes. However, onece intraliposomal yields declined at the higher Chol levels, external mineralization was either delayed or totally blocked in all liposome preparations. Other experiments showed that Sph substituted for PC in 7NPL:2DCP:1Chol liposomes totally blocked both intra- and extraliposomal precipitaiton. PE substituted in this manner, however, blocked only extraliposomal precipitation. The results of this study suggest that interference of the membrane transport processes controlling intraliposomal precipitation [15] by high (50 mol%) Chol levels is not significantly compromised by the specific APL or NPL incorporated in the membrane. Similarly, the data suggest that Chol does not directly affect the specfic interactions of the different membrane APLs with the mineral phase. On the other hand, the substitution of other NPLs for PC can affect the role of APLs such as DCP in liposome-mediated mineralization.
Synergies in the design and development of fusion and generation IV fission reactors

Abstract Future fusion reactor and Generation IV fission reactor systems are designed and developed in worldwide programmes to investigate and assess their potential for realisation and contribution to the future energy needs beyond 2030 mostly involving the same partners. Huge scientific and financial effort is necessary to meet these objectives. First programmes have been launched in Generation IV International Forum (GIF) for fission and in the Broader Approach for fusion reactor system development. Except for the physics basis for the energy source, future fusion and fission reactors, in particular those with fast neutron core, face similar design issues and development needs. Therefore, the call for the identification of synergies became evident. Beyond ITER cooled by water, future fusion reactor systems will be designed for high-temperature helium and liquid metal cooling but also water including supercritical water and molten salt similar to those proposed for some of the six fission reactor concepts in GIF with their diverse coolants. Beside materials developments which are not discussed in this paper, design and performance of components and systems related to the diverse coolants including lifetime and maintenance aspects might offer significant potentials for synergies. Furthermore, the use of process heat for applications in addition to electricity production as well as their safety approaches can create synergistic design and development programmes. Therefore, an early identification of possible synergies in the relevant programmes should be endorsed to minimise the effort for future power plants in terms of investments and resources. In addition to a general overview of a possible synergistic work programme which promotes the interaction between fusion and fission programmes towards an integrated organisation of their design and R&D programmes, some specific remarks will be given for joint design tools, numerical code systems and joint experiments in support of common technologies.
The Project and the Surprise: Invisible, ‘Sensitive Space’ and Meanings in Writing and Reading Stories

This collection of empirical observations argues for a more flexible and receptive approach to the dynamics of production and participation in fiction and literary texts. Sketching out both the actors in and the stages of these activities from a bird's eye view, this paper explores their relationships, plunging into the multi-layered nature of texts. Additionally, its ecological orientation takes up a new challenge, that is, to grasp the inescapable role played by the Invisible in the devising and creation of stories. Outlined within a framework of practical tests and best practices, the hypothesis of a sensitive space together with its features, summarised by the triad simultaneity-compresence-multiplicity, allows sensing, in the symbolic guise of stop-motion frames or watermarks, the intense activity of the meanings that filter through the gestures of writing and reading stories.
Vertical yoked prism-patient acceptance and postural adjustment

Vertical yoked prism is sometimes incorporated into multifocal lenses to obtain a thinner lens, or prescribed for oculomotor deficiencies, or occurs if the vertical placement of spectacle lenses before the eyes is inappropriate. Patient acceptance of and postural and perceptual adaptation to such prism were studied. Twenty-three subjects wore spectacles with no vertical prism and also with bilateral vertical yoked prism. The subject population could not significantly differentiate between 2 delta base down and 0 delta. There was a nearly unanimous rejection of 4 delta base down. Postural changes were significant during 4 delta wear but not during 2 delta wear. The results suggest that 2 delta may be accepted by most patients, but 4 delta will not.
How Dangerous Is Low Level Radiation

Problems in the theoretical basis for the linear-no threshold theory of radiation carcinogenesis are reviewed, and it is shown that they very strongly suggest that the theory greatly overestimates the risk of low level radiation. A direct test of the theory, based on the radon-lung cancer relationship is described; it strongly reinforces that conclusion. However, it is shown that even if the linear-no threshold theory is valid, the public's fear of low level radiation, at least in some contexts, is grossly exaggerated.
Heterogeneous nucleation of crystallization of high polymers from the melt. II. Aspects of transcrystallinity and nucleation density

In the initial stage of the development of transcrystallinity, nuclei appear sporadically on the substrate. The growth rate and melting temperature of the transcrystalline region are found to be the same as those of spherulites nucleated in the bulk of the polymer. Nucleation densities ns at the interface, and nb in bulk, for the crystallization of isotactic polypropylene, poly(ethylene oxide), and poly(butene-1) in contact with various substrates, have been measured by counting the number of spherulites generated. Despite variations in the results from various causes, the quantities ns and ns/nb are useful parameters for characterizing the nucleating ability of various substrates.
Comparison of multifrequency phased-array and direction-finding HF radar systems during COPE-3

Several HF radar systems were used to map ocean surface currents in the third Chesapeake Outflow Plume Experiment (COPE-3) conducted just outside the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, off Virginia Beach, VA during October and November 1997. A multifrequency radar system recently constructed by the University of Michigan, an Ocean Surface Current Radar (OSCR) system operated by the University of Miami, and a SeaSonde system developed by Cedar Ocean Sensors, Ltd. All were deployed at nearly the same locations and operated nearly simultaneously. Each of the three systems consisted of two radars separated by about 20 km. Although all three systems are similar in their use of Doppler processing of first-order resonant backscatter of surface-wave HF energy to estimate ocean surface currents, there are significant differences between the systems. The multifrequency system operates simultaneously on four frequencies between 4.8 and 22 MHz and uses omnidirectional transmitting antennas and an array of 8 wideband loop receiving elements operated in either a beam-formation or a direction-finding mode. The use of multiple radar frequencies allows estimates of ocean current to be made at different depths; the effective depth is about 0.04 to 0.08 ocean wavelength, depending on the shape of the vertical current profile. The OSCR system operates on a single frequency and uses a broad-beam transmit antenna and an array of up to 16 whip receiving antennas operated in a beam-formation mode. The SeaSonde operates on a single frequency using an omnidirectional transmit antenna and a set of compact, colocated receiving loops and whip operated in a direction-finding mode.
The Glutathione and Thiol Content of Mammalian Spermatozoa and Seminal Plasma

The glutathione and thiol contents of spermatozoa and seminal plasma of several animal species have been examined. Washed, ejaculated or epididymal spermatozoa from man, dog. ram and goat were found to contain about 5 (I - 13) nmoles of glutathione per 10’ cells. Little or none was present in rabbit and boar spermatozoa. In contrast, the total thiol content of the sperm samples was 350 (95-700) nmoles/I0’ cells, but almost all of it was protein-bound. Dog and human seminal plasma similarly contained thiol groups which were almost entirely protein-bound. The concentration of glutathione in seminal plasma was less than 2 tiM. The spermatozoa which contained glutathione also exhibited substantial glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase activities. These findings suggest the possibility that these enzymes and glutathione may be functional in the spermatozoa of some animals as a protective mechanism against oxidative damage by H2O2. as has been demonstrated in other cells.
Salivary testosterone does not predict mental rotation performance in men or women

Multiple studies report relationships between circulating androgens and performance on sexually differentiated spatial cognitive tasks in human adults, yet other studies find no such relationships. Relatively small sample sizes are a likely source of some of these discrepancies. The present study thus tests for activational effects of testosterone (T) using a within-participants design by examining relationships between diurnal fluctuations in salivary T and performance on a male-biased spatial cognitive task (Mental Rotation Task) in the largest sample yet collected: 160 women and 177 men. T concentrations were unrelated to within-sex variation in mental rotation performance in both sexes. Further, between-session learning-related changes in performance were unrelated to T levels, and circadian changes in T were unrelated to changes in spatial performance in either sex. These results suggest that circulating T does not contribute substantially to sex differences in spatial ability in young men and women. By elimination, the contribution of androgens to sex differences in human performance on these tasks may be limited to earlier, organizational periods.
Management of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Guillain-Barre syndrome is now the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis. Although modern intensive care facilities have significantly reduced the mortality associated with this monophasic immune mediated neuropathy, up to 5% of patients do not survive and 10% are left unable to walk unaided. Supportive medical care remains the most important aspect of management but both plasmapheresis and iv. immunoglobulin have been shown to hasten recovery when given in the early stages of the illness. This article summarizes the current management of Guillain-Barre syndrome, including both supportive measures and immune modulating therapy.
Geographic Information Systems: Tools for Displaying In-Library Use Data

In-library use data is crucial for modern libraries to understand the full spectrum of patron use, including patron self-service activities, circulation, and reference statistics. Rather than using tables and charts to display use data, a geographic information system (GIS) facilitates a more visually appealing graphical display of the data in the form of a map. GISs have been used by library and information science (LIS) researchers and practitioners to create maps that display analyses of service area populations and demographics, facilities space management issues, spatial distribution of in-library use of materials, planned branch consolidations, and so on. The “seating sweeps” method allows researchers and librarians to collect in-library use data regarding where patrons are locating themselves within the library and what they are doing at those locations, such as sitting and reading, studying in a group, or socializing. This paper proposes a GIS as a tool to visually display in-library use data collected via “seating sweeps” of a library. By using a GIS to store, manage, and display the data, researchers and librarians can create visually appealing maps that show areas of heavy use and evidence of the use and value of the library for a community. Example maps are included to facilitate the reader’s understanding of the possibilities afforded by using GISs in LIS research.
Complexity results for logics of local reasoning and inconsistent belief

Fagin, Halpern, Moses, and Vardi have proposed a framework of epistemic agents with multiple "frames of mind" (local-reasoning structures), to solve problems concerning inconsistent knowledge and logical omniscience. We investigate a class of related modal logics. These logics replace the usual closure under full conjunction for the s operator with progressively weaker versions, and comprise a hierarchy with the traditional modal logic K at the top, and an infinite number of logics ordered by inclusion under it, all strictly stronger than N, the weakest monotonic modal logic. Previous results have used N to represent local-reasoning structures. Our result shows that there are stronger logics applicable to such structures, suggesting that stronger forms of inference can be used to represent imperfect knowledge-based agents and protocols. Further, it is shown that the satisfiability question for each of these logics is PSPACE-complete, strictly harder than for N. This also answers a conjecture of Vardi: the border between NP- and PSPACE-hardness in modal-logical satisfiability problems is associated with conjunctive closure, however weak.
Can Cognition Survive Heart Surgery

In this issue of Circulation , Jensen et al1 report that cognitive difficulties were no fewer when off-pump (OPCAB) versus conventional (CCAB) coronary artery bypass grafting was used. This important investigation, a substudy of the Best Bypass Surgery Trial, is a randomized prospective controlled trial that compares OPCAB with CCAB. Although the numbers seem relatively small (ie, 120 elderly patients with a men age of 76 years), the study was carefully powered to show differences in cognitive function at a mean of 103 days of follow-up. Although one could quibble with the details of the neuropsychological tests chosen (mini-mental state examination as a screening test for dementia after randomization but before inclusion, visual verbal learning, concept shifting, Stroop color word interference test, letter-digit coding), the main result is unequivocal. The incidence of cognitive decline was roughly 8%, and no difference between OPCAB and CCAB was found. This disappointing result raises important questions about the mechanisms of neurological injury caused by cardiac surgery and what future strategies might entail. Article p 2790 Early in the development of cardiac surgery, it was psychiatrists who first reported difficulties with thought content and process. Rizzo et al2 reported on 32 patients under the care of Lewis Dexter (cardiologist) and Dwight Harken (cardiac surgeon) who underwent “finger fracture” valvuloplasty surgery for rheumatic mitral valve disease at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. These psychiatrists applied analytical explanations (eg, hysterical fantasies as the heart as a sexual organ, transference to the surgeon, depersonalization, narcissism) to their findings of disordered thinking in many of their patients. Only 50 years later, these explanations sound amusingly antique, but they mark the first organized recognition that the brain could suffer serious damage as a result of cardiac surgery. The neurological complications of cardiac surgery fall into 2 …
Type and amount of dietary fat affect relative concentration of cholesterol in blood and other tissues of rats.

Sixteen male Holstein calves consumed by nipple a reconstituted milk containing nonfat dry milk and either soybean oil or tallow for 24 weeks. Calves fed milk in this manner (with no dry feed) are functionally nonruminants because the milk bypasses the ruminoreticulum. The fat in these diets contributed about 30% of total dietary calories. The calves consuming soybean oil milk had significantly greater amounts of cholesterol in blood plasma and adipose tissue than did the calves consuming tallow milk.
Exporting National Champions: China's Outward Foreign Direct Investment Finance in Comparative Perspective

We examine the extent to which Chinese development banks have financed the globalization of China's “national champion” firms: specifically, through outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). We create a database of Chinese finance for OFDI and compare our results to the existing literature and available data on Japan, Korea and other Asian nations. We estimate the total value of China's OFDI finance from 2002 to 2012 at US$140bn. As a percentage of total OFDI, China's lending is roughly three times higher than Japan's, the previous global leader in OFDI finance. We identify two major reasons for China's high (31 percent) ratio of OFDI lending to total OFDI. First, China has a greater incentive to give OFDI loans than Japan or Korea ever did because its borrowers are state-owned so it can more easily channel funds to targeted areas. Second, China has a greater capacity to give OFDI loans because it has significantly higher savings and foreign exchange reserves than Japan and Korea.
Spectral methods for the wave equation in second-order form

Current spectral simulations of Einstein's equations require writing the equations in first-order form, potentially introducing instabilities and inefficiencies. We present a new penalty method for pseudospectral evolutions of second order in space wave equations. The penalties are constructed as functions of Legendre polynomials and are added to the equations of motion everywhere, not only on the boundaries. Using energy methods, we prove semidiscrete stability of the new method for the scalar wave equation in flat space and show how it can be applied to the scalar wave on a curved background. Numerical results demonstrating stability and convergence for multidomain second-order scalar wave evolutions are also presented. This work provides a foundation for treating Einstein's equations directly in second-order form by spectral methods.
Childhood Socialization and Political Attitudes: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Scholars have argued that childhood experiences strongly impact political attitudes, but we actually have little causal evidence since external factors that could influence preferences are correlated with the household environment. We utilize a younger sibling’s gender to isolate random variation in the childhood environment and thereby provide unique evidence of political socialization. Having sisters causes young men to be more likely to express conservative viewpoints with regards to gender roles and to identify as Republicans. We demonstrate these results in two panel surveys conducted decades apart: the Political Socialization Panel (PSP) and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). We also use data collected during childhood to uncover evidence for a potential underlying mechanism: families with more female children are more likely to reinforce traditional gender roles. The results demonstrate that previously understudied childhood experiences can have important causal effects on political ...
Multifractionated image-guided and stereotactic intensity-modulated radiotherapy of paraspinal tumors: A preliminary report

Purpose: The use of image-guided and stereotactic intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) techniques have made the delivery of high-dose radiation to lesions within close proximity to the spinal cord feasible. This report presents clinical and physical data regarding the use of IMRT coupled with noninvasive body frames (stereotactic and image-guided) for multifractionated radiotherapy. Methods and Materials: The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (Memorial) stereotactic body frame (MSBF) and Memorial body cradle (MBC) have been developed as noninvasive immobilizing devices for paraspinal IMRT using stereotactic (MSBF) and image-guided (MBC) techniques. Patients were either previously irradiated or prescribed doses beyond spinal cord tolerance (54 Gy in standard fractionation) and had unresectable gross disease involving the spinal canal. The planning target volume (PTV) was the gross tumor volume with a 1 cm margin. The PTV was not allowed to include the spinal cord contour. All treatment planning was performed using software developed within the institution. Isocenter verification was performed with an in-room computed tomography scan (MSBF) or electronic portal imaging devices, or both. Patients were followed up with serial magnetic resonance imaging every 3–4 months, and no patients were lost to follow-up. Kaplan-Meier statistics were used for analysis of clinical data. Results: Both the MSBF and MBC were able to provide setup accuracy within 2 mm. With a median follow-up of 11 months, 35 patients (14 primary and 21 secondary malignancies) underwent treatment. The median dose previously received was 3000 cGy in 10 fractions. The median dose prescribed for these patients was 2000 cGy/5 fractions (2000–3000 cGy), which provided a median PTV V100 of 88%. In previously unirradiated patients, the median prescribed dose was 7000 cGy (5940–7000 cGy) with a median PTV V100 of 90%. The median Dmax to the cord was 34% and 68% for previously irradiated and never irradiated patients, respectively. More than 90% of patients experienced palliation from pain, weakness, or paresthesia; 75% and 81% of secondary and primary lesions, respectively, exhibited local control at the time of last follow-up. No cases of radiation-induced myelopathy or radiculopathy have thus far been encountered. Conclusions: Precision stereotactic and image-guided paraspinal IMRT allows the delivery of high doses of radiation in multiple fractions to tumors within close proximity to the spinal cord while respecting cord tolerance. Although preliminary, the clinical results are encouraging.
Effects of Coculture of Anterior and Posterior Pituitary Cells on the Responsiveness of Lactotrophs to Different Secretagogues

The synthesis and release of PRL are regulated by a variety of factors that originate in the hypothalamus, peripheral tissues, or posterior pituitary (PP). We recently reported that coculture of anterior pituitary (AP) and PP cells induced an increase in both PRL cell content and the responsiveness of lactotrophs to TRH. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the augmented response to TRH is due to increased lactotroph sensitivity to this particular secretagogue or to enhancement of the releasable pool of PRL. Cells obtained from anterior pituitaries of adult male rats were plated either alone or together with PP cells at the same total density. Cells cultures were maintained in serum-free medium for 4 days and then incubated for 20 min with the designated substances. Angiotensin-II and TRH evoked a significantly larger release of PRL in AP+PP cocultures than in AP cells cultured alone; the greatest difference between the culture types was observed at the highest concentrations of both secr...
Practical Considerations for Integrating Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Into Clinical Practice

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM Mammography was introduced in the 1960s for the early detection of breast cancer. The main mode of acquisition was film screen until the development of digital detectors in the 1990s, which made digital mammography possible. Mammography, however, has received criticism for the “overdiagnosis” of lesions of uncertain clinical significance and the induction of patient anxiety due to false positives, which most commonly occur in women with dense breasts. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) overcomes these limitations of conventional mammography by decreasing the impact of noise from superimposition of normal breast structures. To date, many studies have shown that DBT increases mammography’s sensitivity and specificity. It increases cancer detection because of increased lesion conspicuity when breast structure noise is reduced [1-4]. We are a seven-person academic radiology breast imaging department in a publically funded health system (SmithClinic ofHarrisHealth System, Houston, Texas). The Smith Clinic is the main hub for diagnostic breast imaging services provided to Harris Health System patients. Ten satellite facilities provide 2-D screening mammography. In October 2012, three Selenia Dimensions units (Hologic,
Interaction of a Stylar Pectic Polysaccharide and a Basic Protein (SCA) Mediates Lily Pollen Tube Adhesion

Though pectins are implicated in cell adhesion in plants, this has never been tested directly. We developed an in vitro assay to study pollen tube adhesion to the stylar extracellular matrix (ECM) in lily. The adhesion of pollen tubes to the ECM of the stylar transmitting tract epidermis in vivo is proposed to be essential for a proper delivery of the sperm cells to the ovary. Using the assay, we identified two stylar molecules responsible for adhesion, a small protein and a pectic polysaccharide. The combination of at least these two molecules is required for this adhesion event. The 9-kD protein is cysteine-rich with some sequence similarity to lipid transfer protein. We named it stigma/style cysteine-rich adhesin (SCA). The second molecule has been isolated from the style using an imidazole extraction method and is mostly composed of galacturonic acid (70–75 mole%) with arabinosyl, galactosyl, rhamnosyl and glucuronosyl residues. This fraction reacts strongly with JIM5 (monoclonal antibody [MAb] to low esterifed homogalacturonans) and has some reaction with JIM7, LM5 and PAM 1(MAbs to esterified homogalacturonans, β-[1–4]-D-galactans, and blocks of 30 Ga1A repeat units). Pollen tube adhesion can be significantly reduced with a pretreatment of this pectic fraction with endopolygalacturonase. All these data implicate a stylar pectic polysaccharide in lily pollen tube adhesion. In vivo immuno-localization data show that SCA and low esterified homogalacturonan are co-localized at the transmitting tract epidermal surface where the pollen tubes adhere. Binding assays reveal that pectin and SCA bind each other in a pH dependent manner and that binding is necessary to produce pollen tube adhesion in the assay. Involvement of pectic polysaccharide and proteins in cell adhesion will be discussed.
Metal Interstitial Solid Solution Strengthening

The substantial hardening of solid solution Pb-Ag alloys, which have been quenched from various solution temperatures, can be interpreted as being a consequence of an asymmetrical defect. Furthermore, the increase in hardening with increasing quenching temperature according to an Arrhenius equation suggests that the solutes are partitioned between unlike sites. Based on this result, the asymmetrical interstitials formation energy is calculated and is shown to decrease with increasing Ag concentration. These results are discussed, with regards to a model of the silver solutes being partitioned between symmetrical and asymmetrical sites.
A Review of “Implosion: The End of Russia”

Great powers decline and die much as people do—some very slowly degenerate, the victim of one or more advancing diseases, while others expire with shocking rapidity. In the latter cases, war is the...
Something that Feels Like Something: Narrative, Auto/Ethnography, and Ordinary Affects

This issue of Departures asks us to honor and reckon with how we might live—ethically, resiliently, poetically, politically, and unapologetically—as well as how we might die. The essays show us how our lives and what we create as artists and writers might perform life-saving and life-affirming work . They also demonstrate how the ordinary and the extraordinary intersect in our daily existences, giving us glimpses into what Kathleen Stewart has described as ordinary affects: the varied, surging capacities to affect and be affected that give everyday life the quality of a continual motion of relations, scenes, contingencies, and emergences. They're things that happen. They happen in impulses, sensations, expectations, daydreams, encounters, and habits of relating, in strategies and failures, in forms of persuasion, contagion, and compulsion, in modes of attention, attachment, and agency, and in publics and social worlds of all kinds that catch people up in something that feels like some thing.1Ordinary affects are “public feelings”—trauma, boundary crossing, shame, praise, systems that circulate knowledges and power relations—and also the intimacies and narratives that “give circuits and …
Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) for children with Crohn's disease.

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) has been described in adults with Crohn’s disease, but its use in pediatric Crohn’s patients has been limited. The purpose of this study was to review our experience with SILS in pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease. A retrospective review was performed for patients diagnosed with Crohn’s disease who underwent small bowel resection or ileocecectomy at a freestanding children’s hospital from 2006 to 2014. Data collected included demographic data, interval from diagnosis to surgery, operative time, length of stay, and postoperative outcomes. Analysis identified 19 patients who underwent open surgery (OS) and 41 patients who underwent SILS. One patient (2.4 %) within the SILS group required conversion to OS. Demographic characteristics were similar between the 2 cohorts. The most common indication for surgery was stricture/obstruction (SILS 70.7 % vs. OS 68.4 %, p = 0.86), and ileocecectomy was the most common primary procedure performed (SILS 90.2 % vs. OS 100 % OS). Operative times were longer for SILS (135 ± 50 vs. 105 ± 37 min, p = 0.02). However, when the last 20 SILS cases were compared to all OS cases, the difference was no longer statistically significant (SILS 123.3 ± 34.2 vs. OS 105 ± 36.5, p = 0.12). No difference was noted in postoperative length of stay (SILS 6.5 ± 2.2 days vs. OS 7.4 ± 2.2 days, p = 0.16) or overall complication rate (SILS 24.4 % vs. OS 26.3 %, p = 0.16). SILS ileocecectomy is feasible in pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease, achieving outcomes similar to OS. As experience increased, operative times also became comparable.
Competition Requires Transmission Capacity: The Case of the U.S. Northeast

This article examines the ability of the electrical grid to support trade in real power in the northeast U.S. power market. The authors estimate the effect on prices in New England (NEPOOL) and New York (NYPP) of greater exports from Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and northern Virginia (ECAR), and most of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland (PJM). In the authors' simulation, despite the availability of low-cost capacity in PJM and ECAR, prices near Buffalo and throughout most of New England remain high because transmission constraints prevented low-cost generators from selling power to these areas. To increase actual supply and to reduce further the price differences requires changes to the grid itself. The authors explore two commonplace remedies: increasing local supply and increasing import potential. Both greatly reduce prices. The authors conclude that policies that allow competition only among electric generators without additional changes in the design and regulation of the transmission system will not deliver the dramatic price reductions that led policymakers to introduce competition into generation.
Radioactivity and the Interaction of Nuclear Radiation With Matter

In this chapter we want to discuss two topics: decay of radioactive atoms and the interaction with matter of nuclear radiation emitted by decay of radioactive atoms. The words “radionuclides” could be used interchangeably with “radioactive atoms” in this chapter without confusion. Nuclear radiation is sometimes just called “radiation” if there is no chance of confusion with other forms of radiation such as light and radio waves. The most important forms of nuclear radiation from the atmospheric and environmental radioactivity standpoint are alpha particles (helium nuclei), beta particles (high-energy electrons or positrons), and gamma rays (high-energy photons, i.e., high-energy electromagnetic bundles of energy).