cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of Sleep Duration and Weekend Oversleep on Body Weight and Blood Pressure in Adolescents.

Introduction Weekend oversleep or catchup sleep is a frequent occurrence in children, but there are relatively little data concerning its impact on weight and blood pressure. The aim of this study was to assess the association between sleep duration and oversleep, and weight and blood pressure in adolescents. Methods Sleep duration, weight and blood pressure of 327 children (51.4% boys, mean age 13.3 ± 1.7 years) who had polysomnograms performed during both exam cycles of the Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea study (TuCASA) were analyzed. Sleep duration on school nights and non-school nights was used to compute a weighted average of child and parent reported overall sleep duration respectively. Oversleep was defined as the difference between self and parent reported weekend sleep and weekday sleep separately. Simple correlations between overall sleep duration, sleep on school and non-school nights and oversleep, and blood pressure, standardized body mass index (BMI), snoring, respiratory disturbance index (RDI) and age were calculated. Significant bivariate associations then were used to develop multivariate partial correlation models. Results Unadjusted negative correlations with BMI were noted for parent reported total sleep duration at the 1st exam cycle, parent and child reported total sleep and school night sleep duration, and parent reported non-school night sleep duration at the 2nd exam cycle. Additionally, for BMI, positive correlations were observed for log RDI at both exam cycles and snoring at the 2nd exam cycle. For blood pressure, there were positive associations with age, parent reported oversleep, caffeine consumption and snoring. Additionally, for blood pressure, negative relationships were observed with parent reported total sleep duration at the 1st exam cycle, and parent and child reported total sleep and school night sleep durations at the 2nd exam cycle. Partial correlations found that BMI was negatively correlated with parent reported total sleep duration at the 1st exam cycle and parent reported total sleep duration at the 2nd exam cycle, and positively correlated with snoring and log RDI at both exam cycles. Systolic blood pressure was only associated with age and snoring. Diastolic blood pressure was positively correlated with age and caffeine consumption, and negatively correlated with parent reported total and school night sleep duration. Oversleep and child reported sleep duration were not represented in any of these models. Conclusion Lower amounts of sleep especially on school nights is associated with higher body weight and blood pressure. Oversleep was not associated with either body weight or blood pressure.
High CAR and low g (2) (0) of 1.55 μm entangled photon-pairs generated by a silicon microring resonator

Silicon microring photon-pair and heralded single-photon generation is reported with a spectral brightness of 1.6×108 pairs/s/GHz/mW2, achieving record CAR > 12, 000 and heralded second-order self-correlation g(2)(0) < 0.006. Franson interferometry was used to verify time-energy entanglement.
A Half-Century of Progress

A controlled fusion reaction requires holding together for a long enough time a plasma that is hot enough and dense enough. These critical conditions can be quantified by the triple product Tnτ, a modification of the Lawson criterion explained in Chap.5. Here, T is the temperature of the ions, the reacting species; n is the density of either the ions or the electrons, since the plasma is quasineutral; and τ (tau) is the energy confinement time, a measure of how fast (or slowly) energy must be applied to keep T constant. Over the years, over 200 tokamaks have been built, and the value of Tnτ achieved in each has been calculated. Some of these are plotted in Fig. 8.1 as a function of time. This measure of success has increased over 100,000 times in four decades, recently doubling every two years.
Quality of irradiated alfalfa sprouts

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) sprouts were irradiated with gamma rays at doses of 0, 0.85, 1.71, and 2.57 kGy at 5°C, then stored at 6°C for 14 days. Antioxidant power, total ascorbic acid (TAA) (ascorbic acid plus dehydroascorbic acid), carotenoid, chlorophyll, and color were measured at 1, 7, and 14 days of storage. Antioxidant power increased linearly with radiation dose at both I and 7 days of storage. Irradiation had minimal effect on TAA content when compared with the decrease in TAA content during storage. Carotenoid content of sprouts irradiated at 1.71 and 2.57 kGy was higher than that of control at 7 days of storage. Irradiation did not have a consistent effect on chlorophyll content or color. Les graines de luzerne germees sont irradiees aux rayons gamma, puis entreposees pendant 14 jours a 6°. Les antioxydants, la chlorophylle et la couleur sont etudies au cours du temps. Le pouvoir antioxydant augmente avec la dose de radiation a 1 et a 7 jours. L'irradiation a peu d'effet sur la teneur en acide ascorbique total ou sur la chlorophylle et la couleur
Complexities of Long-Term Potentiation

This chapter discusses long-term potentiation (LTP) physiology and the complexities that LTP exhibits at the physiologic level. The molecular complexity of LTP is inferential evidence of its involvement in memory in animals or at least some evolutionarily important process that has been rigorously selected for over a long evolutionary time. LTP is doing something very important but also complicated in the behaving animal, such as subserving learning and memory. LTP induction is subject to a great number of modulatory influences. Temporal integration mechanisms are keys to regulate LTP induction. Regulating membrane excitability, directly by modulating membrane ion channels and indirectly through local GABAergic circuits, can play a pronounced role in regulating LTP induction. There is existence of the altered probability of action potential firing as a persisting effect superimposed upon synaptic potentiation. All these issues are key to thinking about the roles of LTP in memory formation in the behaving animal. The synapse integrates a wide variety of signals to make a biochemical decision as whether to trigger a lasting change or not.
Neurochemical and Behavioral Sequelae of Exposure to Dioxins and PCBs

In a previous review of the literature related to the toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), one of the present authors1 reviewed the experimental evidence demonstrating that one of the major classes of PCBs—the ortho-substituted congeners—were capable of altering neurological function in a wide variety of experimental preparations. In this chapter we broaden the review to include a discussion of the behavioral effects of exposure as well as contributions that coplanar PCBs, dioxins (PCDDs), and di-benzofurans (PCDFs) make to the overall neurotoxic risk to humans from exposure to complex environmental mixtures.
Diagnosing and Managing Breast Disease During Pregnancy and Lactation

Although carcinoma of the breast complicates 1:3000 deliveries in the US, most breast conditions unique to pregnancy and lactation are benign--for example, lactating adenoma, galactocele, gigantomastia, and benign bloody nipple discharge. Nevertheless, malignancy must be excluded by a thorough work-up, including breast biopsy if indicated; "watchful waiting" when a breast mass is discovered is no more appropriate than in a nonpregnant patient. During lactation, the major problems encountered often are part of a spectrum of inflammatory and infectious complications. Nasopharyngeal organisms from the infant are usually the source of breast infections in lactating women. Keeping the breast empty of milk promotes healing by helping to drain the culture medium that is facilitating growth of organisms. Hence, the earlier recommendations that breast-feeding cease during mastitis have been superseded by the knowledge that breast-feeding is generally not harmful to the infant and may speed resolution of the infectious process. The diagnosis and management of pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is reviewed. Pregnancy-associated masses are usually discovered by patient self-examination, and the clinician should proceed to fine-needle aspiration or biopsy, rather than mammography, which has poor sensitivity during pregnancy and lactation because of increased breast density. Management of a new breast mass in pregnancy should maximize diagnostic accuracy and minimize the chances of missing PABC, yet avoid harm to the fetus or interruption of lactation.
Los problemas con la censura de una rivista satírica: «Fray Gerundio» de Modesto Lafuente (1837-1842)

Resumen : «Fray Gerundio» de Modesto Lafuente y Zamalloa es quizas uno de los semanarios satiricos politicos espanoles mas populares de la primera mitad del siglo XIX. Se publico primero en Leon y posteriormente en Madrid casi ininterrumpidamente desde 1837 a 1842 cuando su autor decidio ponerle fin. Modesto Lafuente consiguio vivir bien gracias al exito del semanario que incluso tuvo una segunda edicion a solo un ano de que se publicara el primer numero. En este trabajo tratamos de los rasgos mas caracteristicos de esta publicacion y de los factores que la popularizaron asi como de los problemas que tuvo con la censura, en un periodo en el que se suponia que la libertad de prensa estaba por fin garantizada. Abstract : «Fray Gerundio» by Modesto Lafuente is probably one of the most popular Spanish satirical and political newspapers of the first half of the 19th century. It was first published in Leon and almost immediately moved to Madrid where it was published uninterruptedly from 1837 to 1842 when his author decided to put an end to it. Modesto Lafuente managed to earn a good living thanks to the success of the publication, that even had a second edition of the first numbers published, a year after the first number appeared. In this paper, I study the main traits of this publication and the reasons that made it so popular, as well as the problems that Lafuente had with the censorship, in a period in Spanish history where liberty of the press was supposedly being granted.
Operant Mechanisms in Physiological Regulation

Much behavioral research in the past 20 years has been aimed at delineating the natural or biological constraints on learning. Ethologists have described many elaborate, apparently innate behaviors in a variety of species, and experimental psychologists have gathered data indicating unexpected difficulty in establishing escape/avoidance behavior to shock (Bolles, 1970) or discriminated avoidance to arbitrary cues (Revusky & Garcia, 1970). However, the demonstration that a behavior can be elaborated without learning, that a particular stimulus is less efficient in a particular laboratory situation, or that an avoidance response is not automatically shaped in a particular apparatus does not directly imply inviolable limits to behavioral plasticity. Even genetically determined behaviors may depend on learning in a variety of ways; the work of Nottebohm (1982) on the physiological and behavioral determinants of bird-song illustrates this point with particular clarity.
Multidimensional Observational Learning in Social Networks: Theory and Experimental Evidence

The unprecedented growth of social network users in the last decade has resulted in significant increases in the availability of individual-specific information such as holiday pictures, mobile che...
Laboratory Monitoring of Factor VIII and Factor IX in Hemophilia Patients

Objective: This review describes and discusses the different types of factors assays used in the clinical laboratory for the diagnosis, as well as during therapeutic management, of hemophilia patients. Background: After diagnosis, infusion of factor replacement concentrates is the standard of treatment for patients with hemophilia to prevent or treat bleeding episodes. Monitoring of the factor activity is necessary to assure proper treatment. Method: This review describes several assays used to assess the factor activity at the time of diagnosis and during therapeutic management. The pros and cons of each assay are discussed in detail. Conclusion: With the introduction of many new replacement products it is important the clinical laboratory understands the advantages and disadvantages of each assay with respects to each of the replacement products available.
Soil–Structure Interaction Effects on Seismic Performance and Earthquake-Induced Losses in Tall Buildings

AbstractThis paper evaluated the seismic performance of hypothetical tall buildings by estimating intensity measures, engineering demand parameters, and earthquake-induced losses using a soil–struc...
Endoscopic Diagnosis and Therapy in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive idiopathic fibrosing liver disease which leads to multiple biliary complications often best managed with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). PSC biliary complications include dominant biliary strictures, bile duct stones, cholangitis, and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Balloon dilation is the preferred treatment for management of dominant strictures as biliary stenting has been associated with higher rates of adverse events (AEs). Biliary stenting is reserved for patients with benign refractory strictures or CCA. Multiple tools are available for biliary tissue acquisition including endoscopic ultrasound, biliary brushing for cytology, and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), cholangioscopy, and transpapillary biopsy. The combination of FISH and cytology improve the sensitivity of biliary brush sampling for malignancy. Cholangioscopy improves tissue acquisition in equivocal situations. Obtaining at least 3 biopsy samples yield better results with transpapillary biopsy. Post-ERCP AEs are similar to the general population. However, cholangitis can result from inadvertent contrast introduction into undrainable segments and thus PSC patients should receive peri-procedural antibiotics. ERCP-directed interventions are effective for therapy of PSC biliary complications. Tissue sampling for CCA is challenging but multiple tools are available and combinations of these techniques are often required to obtain a tissue diagnosis.
Linking social skills and adjustment

Abstract Fundamental social skills unfold across development and have clear links with psychological adjustment. Theories such as the social bonding perspective, interpersonal theories of depression, social learning theory, and the social information processing framework propose the notion that adaptive social skills contribute to positive adjustment across the lifespan and highlight clear social deficits that may disrupt this association. This chapter provides a brief summary of theory linking social skills and adjustment, followed by a review of key social skills that develop within significant developmental periods. Lastly, social skills deficits linked with major areas of psychopathology are reviewed.
Validation of Bleeding Risk Prediction Scores for Patients With Major Bleeding on Direct Oral Anticoagulants

Background:Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) offer many benefits over vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) but still carry a significant risk of major bleeding. Bleeding risk prediction scores such as the...
Human immunoglobulin G responses to Cimex lectularius L. saliva.

Aims To investigate the immunoglobulin (Ig) G response after being fed upon by Cimex lectularius L. Methods and results Participants were fed upon by three male C lectularius insects weekly for a month. Blood was obtained before the feeding and at the last feeding, which was used for immunoblots against bed bug salivary gland extract, with antihuman Immunoglobulin G (IgG) secondary antibodies. No consistent IgG changes developed in 11 humans serially fed upon by C lectularius. Two participants had new IgG responses to proteins at molecular weights of approximately 12-13 kDa, and one had an IgG response to a protein at approximately 40 kDa. At the last study visit, more intense IgG bands to proteins at molecular weights of 12-13 kDa had developed in 55% of participants (6/11) and at molecular weights of ≈30, ≈40 and ≈70 kDa in 45% (5/11) compared with the first study visit. Nitrophorin and apyrase were the most common C lectularius proteins identified with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in both crushed bed bug salivary gland extract and post-bed bug feeding extract. Conclusions Human participants did not have consistent IgG responses to crushed C lectularius salivary gland extract.
Designing Effective School-Linked Services Programs: Lessons from Collaborative Programs for Children with Disabilities.

After approximately twenty years of experience with federal education legislation for individuals with disabilities, educational researchers have developed an extensive knowledge base on collaborat...
Inclusion of Performance Parameters and Patient Context in the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Heart Failure

Abstract Background To facilitate evidence-based medicine (EBM) on an individual level, it may be important for clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to incorporate the performance parameters of diagnostic studies and therapeutic interventions (such as likelihood ratio and absolute benefit or harm), and to incorporate relevant patient contexts that may influence decision-making. We sought to determine the extent to which heart failure CPGs currently incorporate this information. Methods We reviewed the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association (ACCF/AHA) 2013 Heart Failure CPG, the 2017 ACCF/AHA/HFSA update, and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2016 Heart Failure CPG. We abstracted variables for each CPG recommendation from the following domains: quality of evidence, strength of recommendation, diagnostic and therapeutic performance parameters, and patient context. Results We examined 169 recommendations from the ACCF/AHA 2013 CPGs and 2017 update and 187 recommendations from the 2016 ESC CPGs. Performance parameters for diagnostic studies (2013 ACCF/AHA: 13%; 2017 ACCF/AHA/HFSA update: 0%; 2016 ESC: 0%) and therapeutic interventions (2013 ACCF/AHA: 65%; 2017 ACCF/AHA/HFSA update: 64%; 2016 ESC: 16%) were not commonly included in CPGs. Patient context was included in about half of ACCF/AHA recommendations and a quarter of ESC recommendations. Conclusions The majority of recommendations from heart failure CPGs lack information on diagnostic and therapeutic performance parameters and patient context. Given the importance of these components to effectively implement EBM, particularly for a heterogeneous heart failure population, innovative strategies are needed to optimize CPGs so they provide comprehensive yet succinct recommendations that can improve population-level outcomes and ensure optimal patient-centered care.
New mechanism insight for the hydrogenation of CO/CO2 gas mixtures to hydrocarbons over iron-based catalyst

Abstract Iron-based catalysts are the most suitable candidates for converting CO2 or CO2-rich syngas to hydrocarbons. However, several issues about the mechanism of CO2 hydrogenation are still unclear. In this work, we investigated the performance of an iron-based catalyst with H2/CO2, H2/CO/N2 and H2/CO/13CO2/N2 gas mixtures at the same process conditions (T = 270°C, P = 175 psi and SV = 3 NL/h/gcat). The CO2 hydrogenation rate was much lower than that observed for CO hydrogenation. 13CO2 tracer experiments indicated that CO2 is hydrogenated to hydrocarbons via the reverse water-gas shift even when present in small concentration (1.8 vol%). 13C enrichment was observed in both CO and C1-C4 hydrocarbons.
Benthic video landers reveal impacts of dredged sediment deposition events on mobile epifauna are acute but transitory

Abstract The “beneficial uses” of dredged sediment are increasingly being explored for habitat restoration and beach nourishment , but beneficial uses must be tempered by evaluating impacts to organisms. We studied a subtidal nearshore deposition site intended to aid beach nourishment where a “thin-layer” sediment deployment method was employed to minimize mounding and disperse sediment within a proscribed area. Baited benthic video landers (BVLs) in a Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) experimental design were used to test the acute effects (within one hour of deposition) of sediment deposition on dominant epifaunal Dungeness crab ( Cancer magister ) and dog whelk (Nucella spp). The effects of sediment deposition depths and the lateral surge (the turbidity front transiting the seafloor) were both considered. Observations revealed sedimentation levels were limited to epifauna . However, video and instrument measurements showed the lateral surge to impact the BVLs as a 1 to 3 m/s sediment-laden front. Crabs were significantly impacted, while gastropods were more resistant to dislodgment. However, the high velocity impact was relatively brief (2 to 7 min). Further, crabs returned to forage at BVLs after a mean lag of about 20 min post-impact. These results indicate an acute but ephemeral impact effect on crab, and support use of the thin-layer deposition method to minimize burial. Our novel use of BVLs in a BACI experimental design were an effective means of evaluating sediment impacts to targeted mobile epifaunal species, and video observations were informative for understanding lateral surge dynamics and the behavioral interactions of organisms.
CYP2D6 genotype and reduced codeine analgesic effect in real-world clinical practice

Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) O-demethylates codeine to the active drug, morphine. However, the utility of testing for CYP2D6 metabolizer status in patients receiving codeine in real-world clinical practice is poorly defined. Using data from a DNA bank linked to de-identified electronic health records, we studied 157 patients with a baseline pain score higher than 4 (0–10 scale) who received codeine. Based on CYP2D6 genotyping, 69 were classified as poor/intermediate and 88 as normal/ultrarapid CYP2D6 metabolizers. Pain response was defined as a score of 4 or lower while receiving codeine. In a propensity-score adjusted model, poor/intermediate metabolizers had lower odds (OR = 0.35, p = 0.02) of achieving a pain response than normal/ultrarapid metabolizers. To discriminate between codeine responders and nonresponders, a score including CYP2D6 phenotype and clinical variables was built. The response rate was 38.5% among patients in the high, 17.3% in the intermediate, and 9.4% in the low-score groups, respectively (p = 0.001).
Effect of mild preoperative thrombocytopenia on postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean deliveries.

BACKGROUND Thrombocytopenia at the time of delivery is considered as a risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage. However, platelet count thresholds for postpartum hemorrhage are variable and not extensively studied. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine whether mild thrombocytopenia is associated with an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage among women undergoing cesarean delivery. STUDY DESIGN This was a retrospective cohort study of all women who underwent cesarean delivery at a tertiary care hospital labor and delivery unit from September 2015 to June 2018. Women with normal platelet counts (≥150,000/µL) were compared with women with mild thrombocytopenia (100,000-149,000/µL). Women were excluded if they had moderate to severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count of <100,000/µL) or had received a platelet transfusion. The primary outcome was postpartum hemorrhage (quantitative blood loss of ≥1000 mL). Secondary outcomes included frequencies of red blood cell transfusion, wound complications (surgical site infections, dehiscence, or hematoma), and postpartum emergency department visits. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated, controlling for maternal age, gestational age, body mass index, scheduled cesarean delivery, hypertension, and preoperative hemoglobin level. RESULTS Of 3133 women, 2799 (89.3%) had normal platelet levels, 298 (9.5%) had mild thrombocytopenia, and 36 (1.2%) had moderate to severe thrombocytopenia. There were no differences in the risks of postpartum hemorrhage, need for a red blood cell transfusion, wound complications, or postpartum emergency department visit comparing women with normal platelet counts with those with mild thrombocytopenia (24.6% vs 25.8% [adjusted odds ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-1.54]; 6.5% vs 6.7% [adjusted odds ratio, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-2.24]; 4.5% vs 5.4% [adjusted odds ratio, 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-2.64]; 9.0% vs 10.7% [adjusted odds ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.92-2.03], respectively). CONCLUSION Preoperative mild thrombocytopenia was not associated with postpartum hemorrhage, red blood cell transfusion, wound complications, or postpartum emergency department visits in women undergoing cesarean delivery.
Offset-free ARX-based adaptive model predictive control applied to a nonlinear process

Abstract An adaptive steady state constrained autoregressive with extra input (SSARX) model is developed and embedded into a model predictive control (MPC) framework to regulate a nonlinear process for setpoint tracking. The resulting linear MPC can minimize the deviation of output from the setpoint along the entire prediction horizon and finally achieve zero-offset control even with model mismatch. Our contributions lie in three aspects: First, we develop a steady state constrained ARX model identification method. Second, we design an information matrix based index for model re-identification using online closed-loop data. Third, when steady state input values are unknown, our algorithm can adaptively adjust parameters in the objective function and model to track the setpoint crossing a wide range of operating conditions. A fermenter control problem is studied to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
COMPUTER AIDED MANUFACTURING--INJECTION MOLDING FACILITY

This paper presents a detailed look at the productivity formula and how the factors of productivity interact to produce the "CAM-IMF". These factors include people, materials, time, space, quantity, inventory, design, process, quality and technology. The machinery controls and technology are then reviewed which will accomplish the Computer Aided Manufacturing Facility operating at zero inventory.
Person-Centered Psychotherapies

In Person-Centered Psychotherapies, David J. Cain discusses the history, theory, research and practice of this seminal approach whose basic premises have influenced the practice of most therapeutic systems. Person-centered therapy, also called client-centered therapy, was created by Carl Rogers almost 70 years ago. In polls of psychotherapists conducted in 1982 and 2007, Carl Rogers was voted the most influential psychotherapist in history. His original approach gave rise to a number of variations on the original, all of which may be classified as person-centered psychotherapies because of their basis in Rogers' core therapeutic conditions of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence. This model emphasizes the client - therapist relationship, focusing on how the quality of moment-to-moment engagement between therapist and client can create optimal conditions for client growth. Person-centered therapies view clients as resourceful persons capable finding their own directions and solutions for their problems, and a fundamental value of the person-centered therapist is to honor and preserve the client's autonomy and choice. In this book, Dr. Cain presents and explores person-centered psychotherapy, its theory, history, therapy process, primary change mechanisms, the empirical basis for its effectiveness, and contemporary developments that have refined theory and expanded how it may be practiced. In recent years dialogical, experiential, existential and expressive-creative influences have been integrated in practice. This essential primer, amply illustrated with case examples featuring diverse clients, is perfect for graduate students studying theories of therapy and counseling as well as for seasoned practitioners interested in understanding how it has evolved in recent decades.
Multiple roles of bone morphogenetic protein signaling in the regulation of cortical cell number and phenotype.

Members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family have been implicated in multiple aspects of neural development in both the CNS and peripheral nervous system. BMP ligands and receptors, as well as the BMP antagonist noggin, are expressed in the developing cerebral cortex, making the BMPs likely candidates for regulating cortical development. To define the role of these factors in the developing cerebral cortex, we examined the effects of BMP2 and BMP4 on cortical cells in vitro . Cells were cultured from embryonic day 13 (E13) and E16 rat cerebral cortex in the absence or presence of different concentrations of fibroblast growth factor 2, a known regulator of cortical cell proliferation and differentiation. At E13, the BMPs promoted cell death and inhibited proliferation of cortical ventricular zone cells, resulting in the generation of fewer neurons and no glia. At E16, the effects of the BMPs were more complex. Concentrations of BMP2 in the range of 1–10 ng/ml promoted neuronal and astroglial differentiation and inhibited oligodendroglial differentiation, whereas 100 ng/ml BMP2 promoted cell death and inhibited proliferation. Addition of the BMP antagonist noggin promoted oligodendrogliogenesis in vitro , demonstrating that endogenous BMP signaling influences the differentiation of cortical cells in vitro . The distribution of BMP2 and noggin within the developing cortex suggests that local concentrations of ligands and antagonists define gradients of BMP signaling during corticogenesis. Together, these results support the hypothesis that the BMPs and their antagonist noggin co-regulate cortical cell fate and morphogenesis.
A decision support system for the design of batch manufacturing system

A decision support system (DSS) is proposed to exploit a general modeling framework describing tradeoffs between discrete materials handling and storage capacity in the design of batch manufacturing systems. The scope of user inputs includes production schedules, plant layouts, buffer storage space allocation, vehicle fleet size, part and vehicle routings, vehicle dispatching, and other key aspects of a manufacturing system design. It is argued that the analytical nature of the underlying model and accessibility facilitated by the DSS provide significant advantages relative to simulation and Petri net modeling in supporting sensitivity analyses associated with the design process. >
Primate Conservation: The Prevention of Disease Transmission

We address the strategies to prevent disease transmission from human to non-human primates in natural settings. Some field research methods, such as gaining close proximity for observation, provisioning for habituation, or reintroducing for repopulation, may place primate subjects at risk for acquiring human-carried diseases. Additional risks arise through inadequate waste disposal or nonhygienic conditions of humans residing at the study site. We describe several disease outbreaks at primate field sites, emphasizing the need for proper protocols to diagnose, to treat, and to prevent recurrence. Finding solutions to the disease transmission problem requires effecting change in the behavior and policies of many individuals, including field researchers, veterinarians, human health care providers, park personnel, government officials, local villagers, and tourists. The prevention of exposure to infectious disease is an important, fundamental aspect of primate conservation; the assurance of good health and longevity in wild primate populations is paramount to the more traditional conservation issues of poaching control and forest protection.
A review of Donald T. Stuss, Gordon Winocur, & Ian H. Robertson (Eds.). (2008). Cognitive Neurorehabilitation: Evidence and Application (2nd ed.).: New York: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 606. ISBN: 978–0–521–87133–4. $180.00

For many decades, the extraordinary plasticity of the human brain has been recognized. The field of cognitive neurorehabilitation for people with brain disease or injury has grown accordingly. This...
Tail window adaptation algorithm of IIR digital filters

The tail window adaptation algorithm is introduced as an extension of the general algorithm and applied to IIR (infinite impulse response) digital filter structures. It incorporates an extra design variable, related to the state memory length, the overall increase in computational complexity being determined as a function of the window width. The algorithm is applied to direct and parallel structures, indicating improvements in convergence speed and robustness. Nonstationary simulations are included. >
Type IV secretion systems and their role in eliciting host responses to infection.

Host responses elicited by type IV secretion systems (T4SS) activity are important factors in determining whether the infection will be resolved or whether bacteria will be able to cause a persistent infection. This chapter discusses recent findings on the functions of T4SS of Legionella pneumophila, Helicobacter pylori, Bordetella pertussis, Bartonella species, and Brucella species as well as new information gained from animal and cellular models of infection on how the secreted substrates alter the host’s response to infection. Legionella species are facultative intracellular pathogens found ubiquitously in freshwater environments, where they invade and replicate within amoebae and other protozoa. Importantly, NF- κB translocation is essential for the intracellular survival of Legionella, as the inhibition of this process resulted in the death of infected cells and prevented further bacterial replication when macrophages were infected at a low multiplicity of infection in a previous study. Studies of the global transcriptional response of gastric epithelial cells to H. pylori infection have shed light on the contribution of the T4SS to chronic inflammation and gastric cancer. Although the Dot/Icm T4SS transfers DNA by conjugation in vitro, it is not known whether DNA can be translocated into host cells during L. pneumophila infection. The popularity of employing T4SS for host-pathogen interaction may be due in part to the fact that these virulence factors can accommodate the secretion of distinct sets of effector proteins, thereby enabling each pathogen to adapt to a different specific niche.
The Principle of Unanimity and Voluntary Consent in Social Choice

A discrete version of the author's incentive-compatible Auction Mechanism for public goods is applied to the problem of social choice (voting) among distinct mutually exclusive alternatives. This Auction Election is a bidding mechanism characterized by (1) unanimity, (2) provision for the voluntary compensation of voters harmed by a winning proposition, and (3) incentives for "reasonable" bidding by excluding members of a collective from maximal increase in benefit if they fail to agree on the proposition with largest surplus. Four of five experiments with six voters, bidding privacy, monetary rewards, and cyclical majority rule structure choose the best of three propositions.
Synthesis of iodine-125 labeled 3-quinuclidinyl 4′-iodobenzilate

Abstract Iodine-125 labeled 3-quinuclidinyl 4′-iodobenzilate has been prepared via the reaction of the corresponding boronic acid with sodium [ 125 I]iodide in the presence of a mild oxidant.
Virtual reality in surgical education

Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology that can teach surgeons new procedures and can determine their level of competence before they operate on patients. Also VR allows the trainee to return to the same procedure or task several times later as a refresher course. Laparoscopic surgery is a new operative technique which requires the surgeon to observe the operation on a video-monitor and requires the acquisition of new skills. VR simulation could duplicate the operative field and thereby enhance training and reduce the need for expensive animal training models. Our preliminary experience has shown that we have the technology to model tissues and laparoscopic instruments and to develop in real time a VR learning environment for surgeons. Another basic need is to measure competence. Surgical training is an apprenticeship requiring close supervision and 5-7 years of training. Technical competence is judged by the mentor and has always been subjective. If VR surgical simulators are to play an important role in the future, quantitative measurement of competence would have to be part of the system. Because surgical competence is "vague" and is characterized by such terms as "too long, too short" or "too close, too far," it is possible that the principles of fuzzy logic could be used to measure competence in a VR surgical simulator. Because a surgical procedure consists of a series of tasks and each task is a series of steps, we will plan to create two important tasks in a VR simulator and validate their use. These tasks consist of laparoscopic knot tying and laparoscopic suturing. Our hypothesis is that VR in combination with fuzzy logic can educate surgeons and determine when they are competent to perform these procedures on patients.
Leading the Way in Science, Medicine and Physical Training: Female Physicians in Academia, 1890–1930

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the profession of physical education was influenced by the ideas and research activities of physicians interested in understanding the role of physical training in health. Physicians Lilian Welsh and Clelia Mosher were among those physicians who contributed to both curricular developments in hygiene and physical education programmes in higher education and to scientific research that provided the basis for health claims from exercise, while employed by institutions of higher learning. In their decades of service to Goucher College (Welsh) and Stanford University (Mosher), these doctors also used science to diminish the claims of physiological inferiority of women thereby furthering the cause of higher education for women.
Communication theory and molecular biology at the crossroads

This paper endeavors to explore ideas at the crossroads of communication theory and molecular biology from various disciplinary backgrounds and vantage points, providing an overview of the state of research and making compelling observations regarding the nature of biological information transmission in light of the principles of digital communication. The paper also focuses on whether evidence of coding theoretic properties exists in biology and if such evidence supports information or coding theory view of genetics. The successful development of biological information and coding can provide a theoretical basis for understanding, quantifying, and engineering error control in natural and synthesized biosystems. The intersection of communication theory and molecular biology could potentially yield a quantitative framework for engineering fault-tolerant genes, proteins, and genomes that approach an organism's communication capacity. Immediate applications of coding theory and coding theoretic principles to genomics are presented.
Electrorheology of Suspensions of Si Particles with an Oxide Film in Silicone Oil

The electrorheological (ER) behavior of suspensions of oxidized Si partices in silicone oil was determined with dc electric field E0. The yield stress decreased with the thickness of the surface oxide film and was proportional to E01.7 when the surface film thickness δ=0.2 μm. The current density and the field dependent exponent decreased with the surface film thickness. When the surface film thickness δ=0.05μm, the current density was proportional to E001.3. The results are in accord with our recent non-ohmic conduction model for the influence of an oxide film on conducting particles on ER response. The ER response of highly conducting particles with a low conductivity coating with ac field is also discussed.
Introduction to the Issue

The criminal trial of O. J. Simpson, his acquittal, and the subsequent public reaction have provided an opportunity to apply social science models and methods in ways that have enhanced our understanding of the complexity and dynamics of ethnicity. Most of the articles in this issue focus on ethnicity and go beyond simplistic analyses of ethnic differences in responses to O. J. Simpson and the trial. These analyses inform us that ethnicity is best viewed as a proxy for a host of life experiences, beliefs, and attitudes. The knowledge gained from these applications demonstrates that social scientists can contribute to the understanding of major public events when issues of ethnicity are involved. This article provides an introduction to the dynamics of ethnicity and overviews of the articles in this collection.
Glucosiduronidation of 15α-hydroxyestrogens by guinea pig liver homogenates

Abstract In the course of investigating the metabolism of 15α-hydroxyestrogens in the human it was necessary to synthesize radioactive glucosiduronates conjugated at position 3 for use as reference standards. Since guinea pig liver has been shown to contain glucuronyltransferase activity specific for the phenolic group of estrogens, incubations were run in homogenates of that tissue fortified with UDPGA. Yields of glucosiduronates were 17–76%. Estetrol (E 4 ) gave E 4 -3GA (88% of the glucosiduronate fraction) and 15α-hydroxyestradiol (15α-OHE 2 ) afforded 15α-OHE 2 -3GA (85%). On the other hand incubation with 15α-hydroxyestrone (15α-OHE 1 ) resulted in 2 major products, 15α-OHE 1 -3GA (48%) and 15α-OHE 1 -15GA (26%). This appears to be the first report of significant estrogen ring-D glucuronyltransferase activity in guinea pig liver.
Hormonal-Neural Integration in the Female Rat Ventromedial Hypothalamus: Triple Labeling for Estrogen Receptor-α, Retrograde Tract Tracing from the Periaqueductal Gray, and Mating-Induced Fos Expression

The lordosis reflex, a stereotypic posture adopted by female rats during sexual behavior, requires the convergence of a hormonal signal, estrogen, with a descending neural pathway from the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH). The VMH contains at least three lordosis-relevant neural populations: estrogen receptor-alpha immunoreactive (ERalpha-IR) neurons, VMH neurons that project to the periaqueductal gray (PAG), and neurons that are ERalpha-IR and project to the PAG. Expression of Fos, a marker for neuronal activation, is increased in the VMH after mating. However, it is unknown which, if any, of these lordosis-relevant populations is activated. The majority of ERalpha-IR and projection neurons were not colocalized. Of the Fos-positive neurons, 41% neither contained ERalpha nor projected to the PAG, and 35% contained ERalpha but did not project to the PAG. Only 25% of Fos-positive neurons projected to the PAG, including projection neurons that expressed ERalpha. Our results suggest that mating activates several distinct VMH neuron types. However, ERalpha-IR neurons are activated to a greater extent compared with the PAG-projecting neurons.
Prenatal diagnosis of unilateral megalencephaly by real-time ultrasonography

Unilateral megalencephaly is a rare anomaly of neuronal cell migration. We recently diagnosed this condition in a fetus at 20 weeks' gestation with ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. The pregnancy was terminated and postmortem magnetic resonance imaging and autopsy confirmed the diagnosis. To our knowledge this represents the first case to be prenatally diagnosed with certainty.
A study on the mutagenicity of tobacco smoke from low-tar cigarettes.

Abstract A series of 16 low-tar cigarettes, yielding from 1 to 10 mg of tar, were smoked on a modified cigarette smoking machine that collected both mainstream (MS, inhaled) smoke and sidestream (SS, between puffs) smoke. The SS smoke is the major contributor to environmental tobacco smoke. The collected MS and SS smoke condensates were evaluated for mutagenicity by the Ames test and compared with MS and SS smoke condensates from a high-tar cigarette. Both MS and SS condensates of low-tar cigarettes (LTCs) were tested with the Salmonella strains TA1538 and TA100. Except for three cigarettes, the MS smoke mutagenicities of the LTC smoke condensates were significantly reduced (about 30%) when compared with a control, high-tar (23-mg) cigarette. Opposite results were obtained for the SS smoke condensates, which were more mutagenic (about 20%) than the SS smoke condensate of the high-tar cigarette. Thus, LTC mainstream smoke may be less hazardous to the LTC smoker, whereas LTC sidestream may emit more mutagen...
The ‘recidivist tongue’: embracing an embodied language of trauma

This article analyses selected excerpts from the writing of Antjie Krog and Yvonne Vera in order to theorise strategies for overcoming the disjuncture between the mind and the body that tends to result from violence. Both authors repeatedly return to the bodies of their characters and they insist that psychic and physical pain and trauma reside in the bodies of survivors as much as in their psyches. Acknowledging this corporeal reality of violence circumvents any opportunity to deny the totality of the impact that violence has on the lives of survivors. This has implications for survivors as well as for those who read or hear about violence. By developing an embodied language of violence and trauma, these authors offer new and more comprehensive ways of dealing with traumatic violations. When survivors reclaim their bodies, they are also able to utilise their bodies’ capacity for healing and comfort. When readers, and society at large, are unable to deny the harm that violence does to bodies, they are com...
Gauge hierarchy in supergravity GUTS

Abstract The gauge hierarchy at the tree level in supergravity GUTS is examined. General criteria on the superpotential are given which guarantee the hierarchy to all orders in the gravitational coupling constant κ. Thus for theories obeying these criteria the light Higgs VEVs are protected from both the Planck and GUT masses. An effective potential for these light fields is constructed.
Aging and outcome in schizophrenia

Objective: Controversy exists about long-term outcome of schizophrenia, but few studies have compared older out-patients to normal subjects. We sought to examine the relationship of age to clinical features, psychopathology, movement abnormalities, quality of well-being, and everyday functioning in schizophrenia out-patients and normal comparison subjects, and to further characterize these outcomes in elderly schizophrenia out-patients. Method: A total of 290 out-patients and 144 comparison subjects, aged 40–85 years, underwent comprehensive assessments. Results: Among patients, aging was associated with decreased psychopathology, even after controlling for duration of illness. There was no accelerated aging-related decline on any measure in the patients. Yet, elderly patients were more impaired than comparison subjects on various measures. Conclusion: The course of schizophrenia in late life appears stable, but most elderly patients remain symptomatic and impaired. Our findings dispute notions of either progressive deterioration or marked improvement in aging schizophrenia out-patients.
Potentiometric response of graphite electrodes coated with modified polymer films

Abstract Graphite electrodes coated with chemically-modified polymer films are described. Several different polymers were used, including poly(acrylic acid), poly[triethyl(vinylbenzyl)ammonium chloride], poly[trihexyl(vinylbenzyl)ammonium chloride], and poly[trihexyl(vinylbenzyl)ammonium thiocyanate]. A cation-responsive electrode can be prepared from poly(acrylic acid)-coated graphite. Anion-responsive electrodes can be prepared from graphite coated with polymeric quaternary amines. In these electrodes, the ion-sensing species is irreversibly attached to the polymer (rather than physically entrapped within a polymer matrix); this factor eliminates leaching of the active component, and the addition of a plasticizer is unnecessary. A selective sensor for thiocyanate is described; it yields a Nernstian response over the concentration range 1 × 10−1–1 × 10−5 M sodium thiocyanate.