cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Genetics of Pulmonary Fibrosis

The past two decades have been marked by a dramatic increase in the knowledge of the genetics of human disease. The field of interstitial lung disease (ILD) genetics has expanded as well. Much of the early understanding of ILD genetics came from rare Mendelian disorders that were associated with premature onset of disease. Other information came from single-gene multisystem disorders in which lung disease was variably present. More recently, the major advances in ILD genetics have come from focused analysis of familial pulmonary fibrosis. These rare families with multiple members affected by ILD have provided critical new insight into the possible mechanism of sporadic as well as inherited disease. Both linkage studies and large-scale, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified genetic loci implicated in susceptibility to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The next two decades will surely produce not only new risk alleles but also a more extensive understanding of genetics based on patient molecular phenotyping. In addition, epigenetics remains an area of potential discovery.
Lineare Gleichungs- und Ungleichungssysteme

Da die zum Losen des linearen Programmierungsproblems benutzten Methoden von den ublichen Methoden zum Losen eines Systems linearer Gleichungen abhangen, so ist es zunachst zweckmasig, das wir uns einiger elementarer Begriffe erinnern.
Zinc and Copper

No totally satisfactory method is yet available to assess zinc and copper status in the laboratory, although recognition of factors that can influence the results of laboratory tests can improve reliability. Clinical factors and analytical problems that affect the interpretation of the assessment of zinc and copper status are identified.
Perceptual differences in music therapy clinical supervision: Perspectives of students and supervisors

Research in practicum assessment is needed for professional clinical training in music therapy. Assessment tools measuring students’ perceptions of competence and self-efficacy may influence their ...
Defining fallopian tube-derived miRNA cancer signatures.

BACKGROUND MicroRNAs have recently emerged as promising circulating biomarkers in diverse cancer types, including ovarian cancer. We utilized conditional, doxycycline-induced fallopian tube (FT)-derived cancer models to identify changes in miRNA expression in tumors and plasma, and further validated the murine findings in high-grade ovarian cancer patient samples. METHODS We analyzed 566 biologically informative miRNAs in doxycycline-induced FT and metastatic tumors as well as plasma samples derived from murine models bearing inactivation of Brca, Tp53, and Pten genes. We identified miRNAs that showed a consistent pattern of dysregulated expression and validated our results in human patient serum samples. RESULTS We identified six miRNAs that were significantly dysregulated in doxycycline-induced FTs (P < .05) and 130 miRNAs differentially regulated in metastases compared to normal fallopian tissues (P < .05). Furthermore, we validated miR-21a-5p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-126a-3p as dysregulated in both murine doxycycline-induced FT and metastatic tumors, as well as in murine plasma and patient serum samples. CONCLUSIONS In summary, we identified changes in miRNA expression that potentially accompany tumor development in murine models driven by commonly found genetic alterations in cancer patients. Further studies are required to test both the function of these miRNAs in driving the disease and their utility as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and/or disease progression.
Evolutionary biology: Darwin and the women

Sarah S. Richardson relishes a study of how nineteenth-century US feminists used the biologist's ideas.
The Early “Unnatural” History Following Surgical Repair of Ventricular Septal Defects

Introduction Surgical outcomes for simple ventricular septal defects (VSD) have been excellent in the past three decades. For this project, the timing of resolution of left-sided dilation and mitral regurgitation (MR) following VSD repair was assessed. Methods Echocardiographic data surrounding surgery of 42 consecutive children who underwent surgical patch repair of a VSD were reviewed. The echocardiograms were reviewed up to a mean of 12 months post-operatively (range 9 - 14 months). Quantitative data indexed to body surface area including left atrial (LA) volume, mitral valve annulus diameter, and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) was analyzed. Results The majority of our pre-surgical cohort had only trace (44%) or no MR (31%), with a small proportion having mild (16%) or moderate MR (9%). No patients had moderate or greater MR following repair at follow-up. The median mitral valve annular Z-score was 1.8 (SD 1.6; range: -1.2 to 4.1) pre-operatively, improving to a 0.6 (range: -1.7 to 2.4; p < 0.001) at follow-up. LA dilation was present in 70% of patients, with a median LA volume Z-score of 1.1 (range: -2.6 to 15.5), decreasing to 13% median Z-score -1.2 (range: -3.5 to 2.9; p < 0.001) at follow-up. LV dilation was present in 81% of pre-operative patients with a median LVEDD Z-score of 3.0 (range: -2.0 to 7.9). There was significant improvement in qualitative assessment of LV enlargement (25%) with a median LVEDD Z-score of 0.5 (range: -2.1 to 2.9; p < 0.001) at follow-up. Discharge echocardiogram was performed at a mean of 5.7 days (range: 3 - 12 days) following surgery. Conclusions Normalization of LA, mitral valve annulus, and LV size occurred within the first three months in the majority of patients, with significant changes occurring within the first post-operative week following surgical repair for VSD.
11 – THEORY OF POLYNOMIALS

Publisher Summary This chapter presents some of the fundamental issues concerning zeros of a polynomial, which have attracted the attention of mathematicians for centuries: (1) whether a polynomial always has a zero; (2) the total number of zeros of a polynomial of degree n; (3) the number of zeros of a polynomial that are real numbers; (4) the number of the zeros that are rational numbers in case if the coefficients of a polynomial are integers; (5) whether there is a relationship between the zeros and the factors of a polynomial; and (6) whether a formula can be derived for expressing the zeros of a polynomial in terms of the coefficients of the polynomial. Some of these questions are tough mathematical problems. This chapter explores them and presents the answers in the course of it. To find the zeros of a polynomial, it is necessary to divide the polynomial by a second polynomial. There is a procedure for polynomial division that parallels the long division process of arithmetic. The chapter discusses polynomial division and synthetic division, the remainder and factor theorems, factors and zeros, real and rational zeros, and rational functions and their graphs.
Rapid tolerance to morphine in the myenteric neurons of the small intestine is independent of β-arrestin-2

Abstract The differential rates of opioid tolerances raise the question of discrete underlying mechanisms. While opioid tolerance is strongly linked to the development of dependence, there is a dissociation between the two phenomena in the gut as tolerance does not develop to chronic opioid-induced constipation, but diarrhea still manifests upon withdrawal. Here, we find that tolerance develops to inhibition of small intestinal motility after one day of morphine exposure, and is more rapid compared to spinally-mediated antinociception and constipation in chronic morphine-treated mice. This tolerance can be reversed by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibition but not by β-arrestin-2 deletion. Similarly, morphine tolerance develops to inhibition of neuronal excitability in ileum myenteric neurons independently of β-arrestin-2 and is attenuated by inhibiting PKC. These findings reveal a potential mechanism for differences in the rates of tolerances to opioids and implicate myenteric neurons of the ileum as the primary cause for opioid-induced withdrawal effects.
Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry Examination and Analysis of U.S. Citizen Children with Illegal Immigrant Parents Facing Deportation

Although the citizenship clause of the fourteenth amendment guarantees citizenship to persons born in the United States, the 1996 Immigration Act does not allow illegal immigrant parents to avoid deportation unless such deportation would cause extreme and exceptional hardship to a U.S. citizen relative. This paper reviews the potential adverse effects of such deportation on a child. It presents 12 cases where child and adolescent forensic psychiatric evaluations of U.S. citizen children supported their immigrant parents' petitions for legal resident status. Parent-child attachment, as well as the child's educational status, language proficiencies, acculturation to U.S. culture, and psychiatric distress at the potential deportation, are the factors most helpful in elucidating a child's reaction to this threatened deportation. During the child and adolescent psychiatry evaluations, the parents were interviewed, school records were reviewed and, where appropriate, pediatric records were considered. All the children were examined alone and then as a family unit with their parents using standard DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria [1]. Firstly, considering their clinical diagnoses, a clinical prognosis was made for the possibility if the child were to be forced to go to their parents' country of origin with their deported illegal immigrant parent(s). Secondly, each case was examined and analyzed individually to determine the clinical prognosis of the U.S. citizen child if they were to stay in the United States while the illegal immigrant parent(s) was forced to leave. In all of the 12 cases, there was already pre-existing anxiety in the children secondary to the fear of a negative outcome for the parents in the immigration legal cases. In all of the 12 cases it was also determined that the prognosis for the child's adjustment to being without their parent but remaining in the US would have produced a significant exacerbation of the psychopathology already seen. Furthermore, in all of the 12 cases, were the children to be relocated to their parental culture, unfamiliar to the child's American culture, again, the prognosis was made that a significant exacerbation of psychopathology would occur. On the basis of the findings of the child and adolescent psychiatric evaluations and analyses presented to the court, all of the illegal immigrant parents were permitted to receive permanent resident status.
Obstructive sleep apnea in older adults: geographic disparities in PAP treatment and adherence.

Study Objectives:Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent among older adults. Although treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP) lowers subsequent morbidity, PAP adherence is inconsistent. So...
Severe Central and Peripheral Nervous System Toxicity Associated with Vinblastine in the Treatment of Hodgkins Lymphoma (P3.4-025)

Objective: To report a rare case of severe neurotoxicity affecting both central and peripheral nervous systems associated with Vinblastine during the treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL). Background: Neurotoxicity involving either the central or peripheral nervous system is frequently encountered during cancer treatment. Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine, Dacarbazine (ABVD) is the standard treatment regimen for HL. Peripheral neuropathy from Vinblastine has been reported but is typically less severe than vincristine. Design/Methods: We report a 35-year-old male who developed severe neurotoxicity during ABVD treatment for stage IIb HL. He tolerated chemotherapy until the 5th cycle, but then developed paresthesias in his feet. By the end of chemotherapy, he had developed profound symmetric, length-dependent sensory loss, reduced reflexes, and weakness in the lower extremities. Upper extremities were spared. EMG showed severe polyneuropathy with features suggesting both demyelinating and axonal process without conduction block or temporal dispersion. Extended genetic testing showed no known mutation. Lumbar puncture was normal except elevated CSF protein of 91mg/dl. Trial of IVIG offered no improvement. Over the following 6 months, he developed hyperreflexia in the upper extremities and knees. Ankle reflexes remained absent with mute plantar responses. Brain MRI revealed symmetric T2 hyperintensities involving bilateral cortical spinal tracts consistent with a neurotoxic process. C-spine MRI was negative for cord lesion. Labs including hemoglobin A1C, B12, SPEP were normal. Results: This is the first reported case of severe neurotoxicity with Vinblastine simultaneously affecting both central and peripheral nervous systems. Myelin appears to be the primary target. We think this is not due to an inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy that can occur in patients with lymphoma due to the onset timing, progression, lack of response to IVIG, and absent electrophysiological indicators of acquired demyelination. This unique case demonstrates the potential for severe neurotoxicity associated with Vinblastine. Additional cases may help identify precipitating factors. Conclusions: n/a Disclosure: Dr. Schachter has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mukhtarzada has nothing to disclose. Dr. Du has nothing to disclose.
Alkaloid hunting

About 950 alkaloids have been isolated and named from the two percent ot all species which have been tested tor them. As a ǵuide in further search for alkaloids, their presence in and absence from some 250 families of plants are here tabulated.
Text Processing with the Command Line Interface

This chapter aims to help demystify the command line interface that is commonly used in UNIX and UNIX-like systems such as Linux and Mac OS X for language and linguistics researchers with little or no prior experience with it and to illustrate how it can be used for managing the file system and, more importantly, for text processing. Whereas most linguists are used to and comfortable with the graphic user interface, the command line interface does provide us with access to a wide range of computational tools for corpus processing, annotation, and analysis that may not be readily accessible through the graphic user interface. The specific command line interface used for illustration purposes in this chapter is the Terminal in Mac OS X, but the examples work in largely similar ways in the command line interface in a UNIX or Linux system.
Imaging Subsurface Defects Using SQUID Magnetometers

Over the last several years, SQUID magnetometers have been utilized for detection of defects in metal structures by measuring the magnetic field produced by injected current or permanent magnetization [1,2,3]. Because the amplitude of the output signal from the SQUID magnetometer is independent of the frequency of the magnetic field to be measured, SQUIDs are suitable for dc or low frequency measurements as required for detection of subsurface flaws inside a conductor.
Defining information: An approach for policymakers

Abstract Single-definition and pluralistic approaches to defining ‘information’ are politically problematic. All decision-making concerns can be incorporated in, and the definitional dilemma resolved with, a hierarchy of four categories of definitions that increase in scope and complexity of the social structure to which they are applied as well as the amount of power granted information. These categories of information are as a resource, commodity, perception of pattern, and constitutive force in society. The first, deepest and standard-setting analysis of any issue must be made defining information as a constitutive force in society. Other definitions may be used at the second and subsequent stages of analysis as appropriate.
“Mockingbird”— UTK's Prototype Consolidated Serials Information Database

Abstract This workshop presented “Mockingbird,” a prototype database that provides one-stop serials information for end-users, interlibrary loan and collection development. Mockingbird combines local title and subscription information with title information from commercial abstracting and indexing services and document suppliers, allowing users to look up a title and find call number and/or document supply alternatives. Workshop presenters describe how a committee developed Mockingbird, the project's current applications and challenges, and they encourage discussion about ways to provide consolidated serials information for end users.
Histidine Regulation in Salmonella typhimurium VIII. Mutations of the hisT Gene

The hisT gene, one of six genes in which mutation causes derepression of the histidine operon in Salmonella typhimurium, is shown to code for a protein that is not essential for the growth of the bacteria. This is indicated by the characterization of particular classes of mutations in the hisT gene: amber mutations, frame-shift mutations, and temperature-sensitive mutations that affect repression but not growth. In addition, the class of semilethal mutations was selected for but not found.
On a computer controlled collision avoidance

Since the use of shipborne computer controlled navigation systems has increased considerably during recent years, the work presents a concept for a new computerized collision avoidance system. The proposed system is based on the most modern achievements of optimal control theory associated with proper numerical methods. The worked out algorithms form the basis for the programming of a digital control device (computer) which constitutes its central unit. Systems of this type are able to control ship motion in an intelligent way i.e. steering her along a curvilinear trajectory as to avoid collision with other moving or stationary objects in a safe and optimal way and to return back on the old track. Satisfactory simulation results prove that construction of a proper algorithm is quite possible and that an intelligent control system of this type is able (for some class of collision situations) to make ship's behavior superior to that of a human operator.
Phase Distribution in Solid-Liquid-Vapor Systems

Spatial distribution of phases in a solid-liquid-vapor system are described by the classical Young’s equation1 $${\gamma _{sv}} - {\gamma _{s\ell }} = {\gamma _{\ell v}}\cos \theta ,$$ (1) where γ is the interfacial tension between solid-vapor (sv), solid-liquid (sl), and liquid-vapor (lv) phases, γsv-γsl is the driving force for wetting, and θ is the contact angle at a solid-liquid-vapor triple point as measured through the liquid phase. Furthermore, in systems where the solid phase is polycrystalline $${\gamma _{ss}} = 2{\gamma _{sf}}\cos \frac{\Phi }{2},$$ (2) where γss is the interfacial tension at the solid-solid grain boundary, γsf is either γsl or γsv, and Φ is the dihedral angle2 at a solid-fluid-solid triple point measured through the fluid phase. Both of these equations have been extensively used in various fields to describe the conditions of mechanical equilibrium of a capillary system under chemical non-equilibrium conditions, without explicitly considering the effect of chemical reactions on the interfacial tensions. Recently, it has been shown3 that an interfacial reaction or diffusion of a component from one bulk phase to the other across an interface results in a transient decrease in the corresponding interfacial tension by an amount equal to the free energy of the effective chemical reaction per unit area at that interface.
The criminal law handbook : know your rights, survive the system

The Criminal Law Handbook walks readers through the criminal justice system, explaining complicated rules and processes in plain English. An intuitive structure, a question-and-answer format, and illustrating examples help make this book what it is: an easy-to-understand guide for anyone involved or interested in the criminal justice process.
A testable design to test pattern sensitive faults efficiently for semiconductor RAM

The authors present a testable design to test pattern sensitive faults efficiently for semiconductor random access memories to reduce test time and hence test cost. Testability was achieved by including additional hardware. The additional hardware is composed of a special mode counter, an error checker, a modified column decoder, and one extra control pinout. The functional test procedure proposed is of length 512 (1+n/sup 1/2/) read and write operations for an n cell memory, and covers stuck-at, transition, coupling, and nine-cell neighborhood pattern sensitive faults. This design has an estimated overhead of 5% chip area and one additional pinout. >
Collagen required for proliferation of cultured connective tissue cells but not their transformed counterparts.

THE proline analogue, cis-hydroxyproline, when incorporated into collagen, prevents collagen secretion1 and also inhibits the growth of fibroblasts in vitro2. We describe here studies on the mechanism of action of cis-hydroxyproline on cell proliferation of primary cultures of murine connective tissue cells and of their spontaneously transformed, tumorigenic counterparts. We find that the analogue inhibits the attachment, spreading and proliferation of the connective tissue cells and that these effects are completely reversed when the cells are grown on collagen-coated dishes. The tumorigenic cells are less affected by cis-hydroxyproline even though their collagen synthesis is inhibited to a similar extent to the connective tissue cells. These results suggest that the presence of a collagen matrix is required for the growth of some connective tissue cells in vitro but not for the growth of their tumorigenic counterpart.
The Sustainability of Innovative Schools as Learning Organizations and Professional Learning Communities During Standardized Reform

Background: Implicitly, innovative schools have historically contained some (but not usually all) of the properties of learning organizations and professional learning communities but have a weak record of sustaining success over time. Can innovative schools that selfconsciously establish themselves as learning organizations and professional learning communities sustain their early promise of success in the face of the predictable cycle of the “attrition of change”; of pressure and envy in the surrounding district, profession, and community; and of the historically specific and recent pressure of standardized reform? Purpose: This article explores the impact of these influences on three innovative schools and their sustainability over time. It concentrates in particular on the promise and viability of one of these schools, which has been consciously modeled as a learning organization and professional learning community. Conclusions: Although further research is required, the article concludes that the learning organization and professional learning community model may provide a more robust resistance to conventional processes of the attrition of change and of surrounding change forces, but much like other innovative schools, it also shows signs of defaulting to conventional patterns of schooling in the face of standardized reform.
Block-Surface Staining

A method is described by which the tissue exposed on sectioning a specimen embedded in paraffin can be visualized in situ. The fixed specimen is impregnated with lead acetate, dehydrated in dioxane, infiltrated with paraffin and embedded. Tissues exposed on sectioning are developed by applying to the cut surface of the block a solution of potassium sulphide in water. Concentrations of the reagents used and the time intervals for the procedure are dependent upon the size of the specimen and upon the degree of contrast required. The method is described as it was applied to the study of a small human fetus in cross section. Representative photographs are included to show the results obtained.
Some singularities of the correlation functions that determine neutrino opacities

Certain perturbation graphs in the calculation of the effects of the medium on neutrino scattering in supernova matter have a nonintegrable singularity in a physical region. A number of papers have addressed the apparent pathology through an ansatz that invokes higher order (rescattering) effects. Taking the Gamow-Teller terms as an example, we display an expression for the spin-spin correlation function that determines the cross-sections. It is clear from the form that there are no pathologies in the order by order perturbation expansion. Explicit formulae are given for a simple case, leading to an answer that is very different from one given by other authors.
Fast computation of the Nth root

A new class of iterative methods for computing a differentiable function is proposed, which is based on Pade approximation to Taylor's series of the function. It leads to a faster algorithm than Newton's method for x1N and a different interpretation of Newton's method. This algorithm uses 3rd degree approximation of continued fraction expansion (CFE) to Taylor's series for x1N, with adaptive expansion point for every iteration. Its major computational cost is O[(2 log2 N)(log4 M)] multiplications asymptotically, M is the number of precision bits desired, as opposed to existing bound of O[(2 log2 N)(log2 M)] for Newton's method. A new periodic CFE for special case x12 is obtained which is simple and free from error propagation. New algorithm is not applied to the square root case for N is too small to be practical; instead, the 3rd degree approximation is used as the starting value for Newton's method which has high precision and low computational cost.
The Stealthy Protester: Risk and the Female Body in Online Social Movements

In 2014, Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist based in the United Kingdom, shared a photograph of herself online riding in a convertible without a hijab (a traditional head covering). She encourag...
Modeling semantic memory: Effects of presenting semantic information in different modalities

Abstract How is semantic information from different modalities integrated and stored? If related ideas are encountered in French and English, or in pictures and sentences, is the result a single representation in memory, or two modality-dependent ones? Subjects were presented with items in different modalities, then were asked whether or not subsequently presented items were identical with the former ones. Subjects frequently accepted translations and items semantically consistent with those presented earlier as identical, although not as often as they accepted items actually seen previously. The same pattern of results was found when the items were French and English sentences, and when they were pictures and sentences. The results can be explained by the hypothesis that subjects integrate information across modalities into a single underlying semantic representation. A computer model, embodying this hypothesis, made predictions in close agreement with the data.
Submucosal gland dysfunction as a primary defect in cystic fibrosis

SPECIFIC AIMSCystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which encodes a cAMP-regulated membrane Cl− channel in epithelia in the airways, pancreas, and other tissues. How defective CFTR function causes lung disease in CF is an unresolved issue with important consequences for new therapies. A variety of mechanisms have been postulated to relate defective CFTR to CF lung disease, including abnormalities in airway surface liquid (ASL) ionic composition, pH, oxygenation and volume, intrinsic hyperinflammation, and defective airway submucosal gland function. The defective gland hypothesis postulates reduced secretion of watery fluid by submucosal glands in CF with unimpaired or increased protein secretion. The consequent hyperviscous glandular secretions in CF are postulated to produce lung disease by impairing mucociliary clearance and antimicrobial activity, leading to chronic infection, inflammation, and airway destruction. Various lines of evidence...
Infinitely divisible pulses, continuous deconvolution, and the characterization of linear time invariant systems

This paper addresses the problem of determining the impulse response of a linear time invariant system, by probing the system with a causal, $C^\infty $ approximation to the Dirac $\delta $-function. We analyze the ill-posed deconvolution problem which results from a wide choice of possibly multimodal, infinitely divisible, probe pulses. The notion of infinite divisibility is shown to play a key role when the system’s response is suspected of having nondifferentiable singularities. We reformulate the Volterra integral equation as a Cauchy problem for a linear partial differential equation in two independent variables, and introduce the concepts of partial and continuous deconvolution. We then show that partial deconvolution of the output waveform results in $L^\infty $ error bounds for the regularized solution and its derivatives under $L^2 $ a priori bounds on the data noise and the unknown system response.Using the Poisson summation formula and FFT algorithms, we construct an efficient computational alg...
Partial activation of CD8+ T cells by a self-derived peptide.

T CELLS are normally activated when the peptide for which they are specific is presented to them in the context of the appropriate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) (class I and Class II for CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, respectively). An increasing body of evidence indicates that structural homologues of the immunogenic peptide can partially activate or antagonize CD4+ T cells1–3. CD8+ T cells may also be partially antagonized by such peptides4,5, and self-derived peptides of this type may play a role in CD8+ T cell selection in the thymus6–8. Activated CD8+ T cells lyse their targets by perforin-dependent granule exocytosis9,10 and by inducing apoptosis mediated by CD95 (also known as Fas or APO1) with its ligand (CD95L)11–15. Here we show that a clone of Kd-restricted CD8+ T cells specific for influenza haemagglutinin, which can also be activated in a crossreactive manner by a peptide derived from a myeloma tumour immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region (IgVH) to kill by both routes16, kills only by the CD95-CD95L pathway when stimulated by the corresponding germline IgVH peptide. As this germline IgVH peptide differs from the tumour peptide only at a single position buried in the MHC-binding groove, this indicates that CD95–CD95L-mediated killing can be triggered independently of the perforin-mediated pathway, and can be selectively affected by changes in MHC conformation.
Origin and development of primary vascular tissues in seed plants

In conclusion it seems appropriate to indicate some of the basic concepts that have determined the writer’s approach in the present evaluation of terms, concepts and interpretations. Morphological categories and terms are tools that we need to describe our observations. If these terms and categories are conceived narrowly and on the basis of a static picture of plant structure, and if, in addition, they are used injudiciously, they become obstructions that stand between us and the facts revealed by pure observation. At their best, terms and categories are inadequate to express fully the common tendency of living organisms to intergrade in structure and function with other related organisms and to produce, within themselves, transitional types between the different categories of cells, tissues or organs. But we need these tools, we require a language to describe our observations, and we wish this language to be uniform and clearly understood. In view of the nature of the subject, our concepts, terms and categories must be conceived broadly and with an emphasis on the dynamic aspects of the organization of plants. Living organisms are not conglomerations of separable parts, they are not merely cell networks, but are aggregations of living elements intimately associated with other elements adjacent to them in time and space.
Evaluation of neurotensin's thermolytic action by ICV infusion with receptor antagonists and a Ca++ chelator

To investigate the mechanisms responsible for the thermolytic action of neurotensin (NT), cannulae for intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection were implanted stereotaxically in Sprague-Dawley rats. Postoperatively, body temperature in the unrestrained rat was monitored continuously by a colonic thermistor probe. NT in a dose of 1.5-4.5 micrograms or CSF carrier vehicle was infused bilaterally in the cerebral ventricle (ICV) in a volume of 7.5 microliters. With the rats kept at an ambient temperature of 22 degrees C, NT given ICV produced a dose-dependent fall in core temperature of greater than 0.8 degree C. Pre-treatment of the animal's cerebral ventricle with amine receptor antagonists, phentolamine (20.0 micrograms), butaclamol (10.0 micrograms), methysergide (20.0 micrograms) or atropine (25.0 micrograms), all similarly infused ICV, failed to alter the hypothermia induced by NT. However, the calcium chelating agent, EGTA, given ICV in a dose of 4.0-8.0 micrograms blocked the thermolytic effect of NT on body temperature in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that the central thermolytic action of NT is not mediated by catecholamine or other aminergic pathways which are implicated in the central mechanisms of thermoregulation. Rather, the peptide may act on a cellular process involving calcium activity in the hypothalamus, presumably to impair the maintenance of the animal's "set-point" for body temperature.
Self-Confirmatory Effects of Delay on Perceived Contribution to a Joint Activity:

In the present experiment, groups of self-perceived extroverts and introverts engaged in getting acquainted conversations. Either immediately afterward or one week later, participants judged their own contribution to the conversation (percentage of time they had done the talking). The results revealed that controlling for actual amount of participation, extroverts' self-perceived participation tended to increase over time, whereas introverts' self-judged contributions decreased with time. Possible determinants of the observed self-confirmatory pattern of judgments are considered, and implications for work on egocentric biases are discussed.
Ultrafast laser-induced structural changes in semiconductors

We present experimentally determined values of the dielectric function of GaAs following femtosecond laser excitation. The data at photon energies of 2.2 and 4.4 eV show that the response of the dielectric function tot he excitation is dominate by changes in the electronic band structure and not by the optical susceptibility of the excited free carriers. The behavior of the dielectric function indicates a drop in the average bonding-antibonding splitting of GaAs following the excitation, which leads to a collapse of the band gap. The changes in the electronic band structure results from a combination of electronic screening, many-body effects, and structural deformation of the lattice caused by the destabilization of the covalent bonds. Broadband measurement of the dielectric function over the range 1.5-3.5 eV reveals ultrafast laser-induced heating at low fluence, disordering at intermediate fluence, and an ultrafast semiconductor-to-metal transition at high fluence.
NeckGraffe: a postural awareness system

Common, complex, and burdensome to individuals and society alike, neck pain is estimated to affect more than 70% of the population at some point in life and between 12-34% of the population at a given time, with one study finding that 45.5% of office workers experienced neck pain in a 12-month period [1]. We plan to build a system that would give real time alert to the user, each time they maintain an unhealthy neck posture. The system would give a visual data analysis of the amount of time the user maintains an unhealthy neck posture and provide feedback to assume a healthy posture; and the threats involved with maintaining unhealthy posture over a long time.
Psychosocial Study of Childhood Poisoning: A Five-year Follow-up

Fifty-two families were involved in a retrospective study of childhood poisoning in 1963. The study population consisted of 20 poison repeaters, 19 single ingestors and 13 controls and their families. The data indicated that childhood poisoning was the result of tan abnormal parent-child interaction characterized by behavior problems in the child, limited parent-child relatedness, marital tension and a tense and distant family atmosphere. The present study was undertaken to determine if these children and their families could still be differentiated by psychosocial variables, 5 years after the initial study and 7 to 10 years after the poisoning episode. During the interim none of the subjects ingested poisons, nor did their siblings and there was not a shit to other types of accidents. Poison repeaters were continuing to have more behavior problems than single ingestors and they in turn were more deviant than controls. The families could not be differentiated socioeconomically, but there continued to be more stress in the homes of the poisoned subjects, especially therepeaters. In conclusion, childhood poisoning, especially when repetitive was found to be related not only to behavior problems of the child and family maladaptation at the time of the ingestions, but also significantly predicts later problems in the child and his family. The present study offers further evidence that childhood poisoning is more than just a chance event and may be the result of pathological parent-child relationship that has long lasting consequence requiring early intervention.
Recall of aggressive words by kindergarten children.

Lists of verbs rated as high or low in aggressive affect were compiled. Individual interviews were held with 28 children at the end of kindergarten. IQ tests were administered and the word lists were presented. Each child was asked to repeat the words he recalled hearing in each list. Significantly more highly aggressive words were recalled. No significant correlations were found between IQ and recall scores and no differences were attributable to sex. Frequency of usage was a significant factor in influencing recall.
Remembering our violent conversion: Conflict in the Icelandic conversion narrative

This article analyzes violent conflict in the medieval narratives of Iceland's conversion to Christianity, as told by the Icelanders themselves. The article considers physical and verbal aggression as interrelated forms of conflict connected in an economy of violent exchange. In the narratives, they are represented as attacks against material and symbolic resources. The competing pagans and Christians struggle to come out ahead as often as they can and thereby win the most converts. Verbal violence takes center stage in this analysis, more specifically three kinds of verbal violence: a particular sub-genre of insults; coercive speech; and speech as a means of supernatural power. The first of these, the insults use deeply embedded medieval Icelandic constructions of gender to create a highly corrosive discourse that combines cowardice, homosexuality and laziness, among other things, as the traits of the least desirable sort of man. Finally, in contrast the commonplace occurrence of violent conflict in these texts, an internal critique of violence appears in the later versions of the conversion story. This critique reconsiders what forms of violence are legitimate, most significantly disapproving of the previously accepted masculine activity of revenge.
Poor correlation of short- and long-term cosmetic appearance of repaired lacerations.

Objective: To describe the consistency of a cosmetic scale for repaired lacerations and to determine whether the appearance of lacerations at the time of suture removal correlates with the appearance six to nine months later. Methods: A convenience sample of patients who had lacerations repaired in a university teaching hospital were evaluated at the time of suture removal and sin to nine months following repair. All lacerations were assigned 0 or 1 point each for the presence or absence of a step-off of borders, contour irregularities, margin separation, edge inversion, excessive distortion. and overall appearance. A total cosmetic score (0–6) was calculated by adding the scores for the categories above. The consistency of the cosmetic scale was assessed by comparison of scores given by two different practitioners evaluating each patient at suture removal and long-term follow-up. The 38 evaluating practitioners were assigned based on availability and did not necessarily perform serial evaluations of the same patient. Results: The 41 participating patients had a median age of 19 years (range. 2–82 years). Wounds were located predominantly on the head (73%) and upper extremity (22%). Long-term follow-up was performed at a median of 219 days (range, 155–280 days) after suture removal. Interpractitioner concordance regarding optimal appearance (score of 6 vs ≤5) was moderate (kappa = 0.52) at the time of suture removal and substantial at the time of long-term follow-up (kappa = 0.68). However, the correlation of actual scores at the time of suture removal vs at long-term follow-up was poor (r = 0.17. p = 0.29). Conclusion: For our clinicians, the six-item categorical scale appears consistent as a tool for the assessment of the cosmetic appearance of wounds. However. correlation between laceration appearance at the time of suture removal and six to nine months later is poor.
The performance coupling of nonlinear materials and nonlinear geometries

The nonlinear properties of materials can couple with nonlinear geometries in component applications producing surprising overall system responses. Hence materials must be designed for particular, component level, applications, taking into account the component geometry, to achieve optimal performance. Here we focus on the compressive stress–strain and load-deflection characteristics of soft, polymeric foams in nonlinear geometries. The model system for these coupled nonlinearities is the thin layer of foam contained between two initially concentric spheres. We find that a nonlinear component-level response is exhibited with nonlinear geometries, even with a material whose compressive stress–strain response is linear. Polymeric foams exhibit a modified system-level response that is not apparent from standard viscometric testing results. The spherical geometries tend to concentrate the force in a more localized area of the foam, as opposed to the force distribution seen in linear materials, and this gives greater importance to the higher strain regions of the foam stress–strain response. In addition the geometry diminishes the contribution to the mechanical response in the low to middle range of the stress–strain response curve. These findings have provided critical insights to material designers who are engineering new generations of materials with enhanced component-level performance. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Impact of Inaccurate Engineer’s Estimated Quantities on Unit Price Contracts

This paper discusses the issue of unbalanced bid prices in unit price highway contracts. It analyzes the reasons contractors unbalance their bids and looks for ways that allow public transportation agencies to discourage this practice. It reviews the results of a study of quantity estimating accuracy of 462 transportation projects in Oklahoma, and finds that one method to reduce unbalanced bid prices is for the agency to ensure that the bid quantities used in the engineer’s estimate are as accurate as possible. Doing so reduces the need for contractors to unbalance to protect fixed costs and target profit on bid items that will underrun the quantity used in the engineer’s estimate.
The benefits of renin-angiotensin blockade in hypertension are dependent on blood-pressure lowering.

These authors present their controversial opinion that the evidence for a specific renoprotective effect of renin–angiotensin blockade, independent of blood-pressure control, is more ambiguous and the magnitude of any such effect much smaller than is often claimed. Data from several large trials of renin–angiotensin blockers and elegant renal cross-transplantation experiments in mice are proffered in support of their theory.
Biogenic internal standards for duall-label radiochemical detection of metabolites in liquid chromatography

Abstract Dual-label radiochemical methods for liquid chromatography are described. Two sets of compounds are used, each set with a different isotopic label. The procedures decrease quantitative uncertainties by as much as 30% for samples in which chemical reactions have altered a test compound in compared biological systems. This advantage is especially useful in toxicologic metabolism studies. Determinations or comparisons of several conjugated and unconjugated metabolites are achieved by extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography based on these procedures. Quantitative procedures that include an internal standard, biologically generated by rats exposed to radiolabeled compounds, are used. By means of these internal standards, metabolite concentrations are compared for test organisms, and results are obtained for metabolites common to both organisms. Effects of impurities, isotope exchange, or chemical kinetics are also evaluated utilizing a modification of the technique.
Social-Scientific and Legal Challenges to Education and Test Requirements in Employment

Human capital theory suggests that education and test scores are related to earnings because they are related to productivity. Competing theories disagree, claiming that education and test scores are used as employment criteria either for convenience or because they exclude members of groups employers wish to discriminate against. This paper examines how this social science controversy comes to have practical implications in equal employment opportunity cases decided by the federal appellate courts. In such cases, employers can sometimes be forced to try to demonstrate that their requirements are related to productivity, and the cases become occasions for testing the competing theories in a legal context. An examination of how education and testing requirements fare in federal appellate court decisions shows that employers are seldom able to provide convincing evidence that education and test scores are related to productivity.
Activation of 3,3'-dichlorobenzidine: enzymic basis and toxicological consequences.

In the following review, available data on the metabolism, biological reactivity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity of 3,3'-dichlorobenzidine (DCB) are discussed and compared to those of other benzidines and carcinogenic arylamines
Practical joint domain localised adaptive processing in homogeneous and nonhomogeneous environments. Part 2: Nonhomogeneous environments

For pt.1 see ibid., vol.147, no.2, p.57-65 (2000). The second part of this two-part paper deals with space-time adaptive processing (STAP) in nonhomogeneous environments. This paper introduces a new two-dimensional nonstatistical, direct data domain (D3) STAP algorithm and a hybridisation of this D3 approach with the joint domain localised (JDL) algorithm. The D3 algorithm replaces the non-adaptive transform used in Adve et al. (1999) (part 1) thereby suppressing discrete interference. A second stage of statistical processing in the angle-Doppler domain suppresses residual correlated interference. This new two-stage hybrid STAP technique allows for the application of the JDL algorithm within range cells determined to be nonhomogeneous. The development here draws heavily on the formulation presented in Part 1 of this paper. The work presented brings together two different aspects of STAP research: statistical and D3 processing. In doing so, this research fulfils an important need in the context of practical STAP, particularly knowledge-based algorithms. The envisioned system uses multi-pass processing to determine key information regarding the interference scenario. Depending on the homogeneity of the interference, the algorithm in Part 1 or that in Part 2 of the paper may be used.