cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism in patients with osteoporosis

Background. Diagnosing primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) in patients with osteoporosis is important because of the benefits of surgery. Screening patients with osteoporosis for PHP with only total serum calcium level will fail to diagnose PHP in patients with intermittent or no elevation of the total calcium level. Methods. This is a retrospective study of 140 patients who had a preoperative bone density study of the 223 patients who had surgery for PHP from January 1995 to June 1999. Normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism was defined as having all normal total calcium values or only intermittent elevation defined as at least 40% of the total calcium values in the normal range. Results. Osteoporosis was identified in 64 of these 140 patients (46%). Fifteen patients with osteoporosis and PHP had normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism. Six of these patients had all preoperative total calcium values in the normal range, and the remaining 9 patients had intermittent elevation of the total calcium. This group consisted of 12 women and 3 men aged 55 to 79 years. Forty-four concomitant ionized and total calcium values were available in the patients with all normal preoperative total serum calcium values. Forty-two serum ionized calcium values (95%) were elevated. Fifty-one concomitant values were available in the patients with intermittent elevation of the total calcium, and only 20 total calcium values (39%) were elevated and 47 of ionized values (92%) were elevated (P <.01). Intact parathyroid hormone was also significantly better than total calcium in identifying PHP. Twenty of 23 intact serum parathyroid hormone values (87%) were elevated (P<.05). Conclusions. Screening patients with osteoporosis for PHP with only total calcium levels will fail to identify patients with no elevation of total calcium level and many patients with only intermittent elevation of the total calcium level. Ionized calcium and intact parathyroid hormone were comparable and significantly better than total calcium level in the detection of PHP in patients with osteoporosis. Ionized calcium and intact parathyroid hormone should be used to diagnose hyperparathyroidism in patients with osteoporosis and normal serum total calcium levels.
A Place in the Dust: Text, Topography and a Toponymic Note on Micah 1:10-12a

The poetry of Micah’s oracle of doom (Mic 1:8-16) combines two undeniable motifs, the motif of the lament and that of geography. The latter motif is not well understood due to the obscurity of the place names found in vv. 10a-12b. A careful study of the oracle’s geographical context, however, will lead to a more precise understanding of the topography of vv. 10-12b and serve as the basis for the identification of one of the more enigmatic place names, Beth-le-aphrah (v. 10b), with the archaeological site of Tell el-‘Areini.
NMR evidence for an ionic conduction-induced flow alignment angle in nematic liquid crystals☆

Abstract The molecular alignment resulting from the material flow caused by an electric field was monitored using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. The NMR spectra observed clearly imply the existence of uniformly oriented regions in the sample in which the nematic director makes a small angle with respect to the electric field. The measurements reported here were made in bulk samples (electrode separation = 0.1 cm), but there is reason to believe that a similar result should obtain for dynamic scattering in thin samples.
The Radicals and the Rehabilitative Ideal, 1890‐1930

This article studies radical and socialist reactions to rehabilitative or discretionary penology in the early twentieth century. Far from foreshadowing the ideas of modern radical criminology, early leftists tended to support the rehabilitative idea very strongly, despite the logical contradictions this presented. I attempt to explain the naivete of early radicals in accepting the claims of the new penology at face value. In particular, an explanation is sought in the common reliance of both socialism and positivism on Darwinian ideas and a shared belief in materialism and determinism.
Aniracetam Reversed Learning and Memory Deficits Following Prenatal Ethanol Exposure by Modulating Functions of Synaptic AMPA Receptors

Specific pharmacological treatments are currently not available to address problems resulting from fetal ethanol exposure, described as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The present study evaluated the therapeutic effects of aniracetam against cognitive deficits in a well-characterized and sensitive FASD Sprague-Dawley rat model. Ethanol, administered orally at a moderate dose (4 g/kg/24 h; 38% v/v) during the entire course of pregnancy, caused severe cognitive deficits in offspring. Furthermore, both progeny genders were affected by a spectrum of behavioral abnormalities, such as a delay in the development of the righting reflex, poor novelty seeking behavior, and high anxiety levels in female rats. Cognitive disabilities, monitored in adult rats by a two-way active avoidance task, correlated well with a significant reduction of AMPA (alpha-amino-3 hydro-5 methyl-isoxazole propionic acid) receptor-mediated miniature excitatory postsynaptic responses (mEPSCs) in the hippocampus. Administration of aniracetam for 10 days (post-natal days (PND) 18-27), at a dose of 50 mg/kg reversed cognitive deficits in both rat genders, indicated by a significant increase in the number of avoidances and the number of 'good learners'. After the termination of the nootropic treatment, a significant increase in both amplitude and frequency of AMPA receptor-mediated mEPSCs in hippocampal CA-1 pyramidal cells was observed. Significant anxiolytic effects on PND 40 also preceded acquisition improvements in the avoidance task. This study provides evidence for the therapeutic potential of aniracetam in reversing cognitive deficits associated with FASD through positive post-natal modulation of AMPA receptors.
Predicting and Influencing Voice Therapy Adherence Using Social–Cognitive Factors and Mobile Video

Purpose Patient adherence to voice therapy is an established challenge. The purpose of this study was (a) to examine whether adherence to treatment could be predicted from three social–cognitive factors measured at treatment onset: self-efficacy, goal commitment, and the therapeutic alliance, and (b) to test whether the provision of clinician, self-, and peer model mobile treatment videos on MP4 players would influence the same triad of social cognitive factors and the adherence behavior of patients. Method Forty adults with adducted hyperfunction with and without benign lesions were prospectively randomized to either 4 sessions of voice therapy enhanced by MP4 support or without MP4 support. Adherence between sessions was assessed through self-report. Social cognitive factors and voice outcomes were assessed at the beginning and end of therapy. Utility of MP4 support was assessed via interviews. Results Self-efficacy and the therapeutic alliance predicted a significant amount of adherence variance. MP4 s...
Generation Y’s Ethical Ideology and Its Potential Workplace Implications

Generation Y is a cohort of the population larger than the baby boom generation. Consisting of approximately 80 million people born between 1981 and 2000, Generation Y is the most recent cohort to enter the workforce. Workplaces are being redefined and organizations are being pressed to adapt as this new wave of workers is infused into business environments. One critical aspect of this phenomenon not receiving sufficient research attention is the impact of Gen Y ethical beliefs and ethical conduct in workplace contexts. It is widely accepted that distinct generational experiences shape ethical ideologies and ethical ideologies in turn affect the way people function in the workplace. Thus, Gen Y’s unique cohort experiences are likely to shape their ethical ideologies and consequent workplace judgments and actions. In this article, we examine Gen Y’s ethical ideology and study its impact on workplace functioning regarding leadership style, teamwork, and judgments about ethical violations. Our analyses indicate that Gen Y’ers tend toward situationalism (high idealism and high relativism), and their socially connected orientation produces more lenient judgments of collaborative vs. unilateral ethical violations. However, Gen Y’ers do exhibit individual variation. Relativist Gen Y’ers are more tolerant of ethical violations, whereas, Gen Y Idealists are less tolerant of ethical violations. High Idealists also show stronger teamwork and leadership characteristics. In addition, Gen Y’ers possessing servant leader traits exhibit incrementally better teamwork, and greater perceived unacceptability of ethical violations. We conclude by discussing implications of these findings for managing ethical climates and conduct.
Robust Design of a Digital PID Predictor Controller

A digital proportional integral-derivative (PID) predictor controller is analyzed, and its advantages relative to the normal PID controller are derived. A design procedure which results in a robust control system is developed. This procedure applies to both the PID predictor and the normal PID controllers. A regulator carbon dioxide control system which requires disturbance rejection is designed as an example.
Using apocalyptic discourse to exploit audience commitments through “transfer”

Many persuaders face the rhetorical problem of how to use audience allegiance to a revered text as the basis for urging further commitments and actions. The essay considers the way in which recent religious apocalyptic discourse motivates actions and attitudes toward secular issues by appealing to sacred texts. One strategy of that discourse is transfer, a strategy explained by Kenneth Burke's concepts of form. The strategy is traced through three components of recent religious apocalyptic. Implications for rhetorical strategies which exploit reverence for texts are explored.
NaNa interactions on Al(001)

Abstract The thin-film LAPW method has been applied to the problem of interactions between chemisorbed alkali atoms on a simple metal substrate. Self-consistent results are reported for c(2 × 2) and p(1 × 1)Na overlayers on Al(001). Although the long-range interactions between sodium atoms are dipole-dipole, the spatial distribution of the individual dipoles affects the sequence of overlayer structures formed. A model is offered in which the dipoles extend out to about 3.8 a.u. and begin to overlap for coverages greater than one-half monolayer. This model accounts for the diminished Na sticking coefficient for dosages exceeding 0.5 monolayer and offers an explanation for the failure of the p(1 × 1) overlayer to form.
Mathematical Modeling of Flow and Heat-Transfer Phenomena in Glass Furnace Channels and Forehearths

A three-dimensional mathematical model was developed to calculate fluid-flow and heat-transfer phenomena in a channel/forehearth system used for delivering glass from the melting end to the forming end of a continuous-glass-fiber furnace. The model allowed for a varying cross section of the delivery system and for the temperature-dependent physical properties of the molten glass. Also, a formulation was presented to calculate heat transfer by radiation at the combustion gas/glass interface. The model was used to investigate the effects of natural convection, throughput, and radiation in the glass on velocity and temperature distribution in a glass delivery system. The results showed that, although the natural convection velocities were much lower than the average velocity due to throughput, the presence of natural convection significantly affected the flow path lines in the system. The results also illustrated the distribution of surface and bottom glass streams entering a channel into different forehearths.
Atomic model learning: A machine learning paradigm for post silicon debug of RF/analog circuits

As RF design scales to the 28nm technology node and beyond, pre-silicon simulation and verification of complex mixed-signal/RF SoCs is becoming intractable due to the difficulties associated with simulating diverse electrical effects and design bugs. As a consequence, there is increasing pressure to develop comprehensive post-silicon test and debug tools that can be used to identify design bugs and improve modeling of complex electrical nonidealities observed in silicon. Often, it is not known a-priori what these bugs are and how they can be modeled, significantly complicating the debug process. In this research, a new atomic model learning approach is proposed that uses supervised learning techniques to diagnose design bugs and learn unknown module-level behaviors. Nonideality modeling artifacts called model atoms are inserted into different nodes of the design signal flow paths to learn unknown behaviors along those paths. Under the assumption that the design bug is localized, it is shown that the source of the bug can be identified with high resolution even when the nature of the bug is unknown. The method has been applied to a conventional wireless as well as a polar radio transmitter and key results that demonstrate usefulness and feasibility of the proposed approach are presented.
Duration of cardiac systole in children with femoral arteriovenous fistulas

Intervals related to right and left ventricular systoles were measured from phonocardiograms and electrocardiograms in six children who had surgically induced femoral arteriovenous fistulas but otherwise were normal. Heart rates varied widely because of respiratory variation; the range was further extended to slow rates by manual closure of the fistula. In each subject, whether supine, sitting, or standing, the relationship between the systolic interval and cycle length was approximately linear. The relationship between systole and cycle length observed over a wide range of heart rates for each child (or for the whole group) was remarkably similar to the corresponding relationships obtained in studies, by other investigators, of large numbers of subjects each of whom was observed over only a narrow span of heart rates. At a given heart rate, the systole intervals in each subject decreased with change from supine to sitting to standing or with increasing degrees of tilt from horizontal to upright.
A Prograde Jet Driven by Rossby Waves

Abstract Waves are forced by moving sources and sinks of mass on a beta-plane with Ekman friction. If the motion is retrograde and not too fast, these are Rossby waves with a nonzero Reynolds stress u′v′¯. This stress forces a meridional mass flux which builds up a pressure gradient to allow a compensating mass flux in the Ekman layer. In a rotating system, this meridional pressure gradient requires a zonal flow u¯(y)=−∂/∂y(u′v′¯)/E½Ω,which is also the momentum accumulated by the Reynolds stress in one spindown time. An example shows how excitation of Rossby waves brings momentum into the source of energy, causing a prograde jet there, with retrograde currents on each side. A laboratory experiment confirms the theory, which is proposed as an explanation of the observed “negative viscosity” of the jet stream in the atmosphere and the Gulf Stream in the ocean.
Black adolescent girls : Do gender role and racial identity: Impact their self-esteem?

This study was designed to explore Black adolescent girls' gender roles, racial identity, and self-esteem. These variables have not been examined together in a study of Black girls, yet studies of girls from other racial/cultural groups have demonstrated significant relationships. This type of exploration is important because Black girls do not experience the same declines in self-esteem as girls from other racial/cultural groups. Gender role orientation and racial identity have been put forth as possible explanations for Black girls' bolstered levels of self-esteem. Results indicated that Black girls with androgynous and masculine characteristics reported high levels of self-esteem. The results also indicated that Black girls with internally defined Black racial identity attitudes reported high levels of domain-specific self-esteem. In addition, androgyny was associated with high scores on internalization (Black racial identity).
Ten Challenges on Cryptococcus and Cryptococcosis

Cryptococcosis has become a significant public global health problem worldwide. Caused by two species, Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii, this life-threatening infection afflicts not only immunocompromised individuals but also apparently immunocompetent subjects. Hence, cryptococcosis should no longer be considered merely an opportunistic infection. In this article, we focus on ten unanswered questions/topics in this field with the hope to stimulate discussion and research on these topics that would lead not only to a better understanding of the physiopathology of this disease but also to a better diagnosis and prognosis.
Characterization of proton transport across a waveguide-supported lipid bilayer.

Cellular energy transduction processes are often driven by transmembrane ion gradients, and numerous artificial biomembrane systems have been developed that allow for chemically or light-induced charge transport into/out of liposomes. Liposomal architectures, however, are not readily interfaced to a solid-state transducer. Formation of an ion gradient across a planar-supported membrane, “wired” to a substrate electrode, may ultimately allow utilization of the potential energy to drive other electrochemical processes. Described here is a novel conductive polymer/planar waveguide assembly that provides for highly sensitive transduction of proton transport across a planar-supported lipid bilayer (PSLB). A quinone proton shuttle is embedded in the PSLB, which is coupled to the planar optical waveguide electrode through a pH-sensitive, self-assembled conductive polymer film. Interfacial potential and absorbance changes in the conductive polymer film provide for sensitive characterization of transmembrane proto...
DIF Trees: Using Classification Trees to Detect Differential Item Functioning

A nonparametric tree classification procedure is used to detect differential item functioning for items that are dichotomously scored. Classification trees are shown to be an alternative procedure to detect differential item functioning other than the use of traditional Mantel—Haenszel and logistic regression analysis. A nonparametric classification rule is examined through simulation and real data, and Type I error and power are compared with equivalent Mantel—Haenszel, logistic regression, and discriminant analyses.
Ectopic uterine tissue as a chronic pain generator

While chronic pain is a main symptom in endometriosis, the underlying mechanisms and effective therapy remain elusive. We developed an animal model enabling the exploration of ectopic endometrium as a source of endometriosis pain. Rats were surgically implanted with autologous uterus in the gastrocnemius muscle. Within two weeks, visual inspection revealed the presence of a reddish-brown fluid-filled cystic structure at the implant site. Histology demonstrated cystic glandular structures with stromal invasion of the muscle. Immunohistochemical studies of these lesions revealed the presence of markers for nociceptor nerve fibers and neuronal sprouting. Fourteen days after surgery rats exhibited persistent mechanical hyperalgesia at the site of the ectopic endometrial lesion. Intralesional, but not contralateral, injection of progesterone was dose-dependently antihyperalgesic. Systemic administration of leuprolide also produced antihyperalgesia. In vivo electrophysiological recordings from sensory neurons innervating the lesion revealed a significant increase in their response to sustained mechanical stimulation. These results are consistent with clinical and pathological findings observed in patients with endometriosis, compatible with the ectopic endometrium as a source of pain. This model of endometriosis allows mechanistic exploration at the lesion site facilitating our understanding of endometriosis pain.
The single subunit NADH dehydrogenase reduces generation of reactive oxygen species from complex I

Using rat dopaminergic and human neuroblastoma cell lines transduced with the NDI1 gene encoding the internal NADH dehydrogenase (Ndi1) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we investigated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation caused by complex I inhibition. Incubation of non-transduced cells with rotenone elicited oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA as well as lipid peroxidation. In contrast, oxidative stress was significantly decreased when the cells were transduced with NDI1. Furthermore, mitochondria from the NDI1-transduced cells showed a suppressed rate of ROS formation by the complex I inhibitors. We conclude that the Ndi1 enzyme is able to suppress ROS overproduction from defective complex I.
Hybridization of Bird Species

Hybridization, the interbreeding of species, provides favorable conditions for major and rapid evolution to occur. In birds it is widespread. Approximately one in ten species is known to hybridize, and the true global incidence is likely to be much higher. A longitudinal study of Darwin9s finch populations on a Galapagos island shows that hybrids exhibit higher fitness than the parental species over several years. Hybrids may be at an occasional disadvantage for ecological rather than genetic reasons in this climatically fluctuating environment. Hybridization presents challenges to the reconstruction of phylogenies, formulation of biological species concepts and definitions, and the practice of biological conservation.
2D IR Line Shapes Probe Ovispirin Peptide Conformation and Depth in Lipid Bilayers

We report a structural study on the membrane binding of ovispirin using 2D IR line shape analysis, isotope labeling, and molecular dynamics simulations. Ovispirin is an antibiotic polypeptide that binds to the surfaces of membranes as an α-helix. By resolving individual backbone vibrational modes (amide I) using 1-13C═18O labeling, we measured the 2D IR line shapes for 15 of the 18 residues in this peptide. A comparison of the line shapes reveals an oscillation in the inhomogeneous line width that has a period equal to that of an α-helix (3.6 amino acids). The periodic trend is caused by the asymmetric environment of the membrane bilayer that exposes one face of the α-helix to much stronger environmental electrostatic forces than the other. We compare our experimental results to 2D IR line shapes calculated using the lowest free energy structure identified from molecular dynamics simulations. These simulations predict a periodic trend similar to the experiment and lead us to conclude that ovispirin lies i...
Preliminary report on a practical type inference system for common Lisp

While the combination of dynamic typing and generic functions in Lisp have always presented a challenge to optimizing Lisp compilers for stock hardware, the situation has never been more difficult than in Common Lisp [7]. For example, one may add any of eight distinct primitive types of numbers in any combination using the single function+. While the overhead of sorting this type information out at run-time may be largely alleviated by the use of special-purpose hardware or microcode, the problem remains critical for implementations running on conventional general-purpose computers. Indeed, this situation played a crucial role in at least one wide-ranging critique of Common Lisp [2].
Response to ‘Bertram Jaber's letter to the editor’

We did not collect post-infusion serum creatinine, so we are unable to comment on the occurrence of acute renal failure. The time frame of the study is simply too short to detect progression of renal injury. The benefits and risks of iron use in nephrology need to be clarified further. A larger, NIH-funded, randomized trial is under way to examine the effects of iron administration in patients with chronic kidney disease on GFR (glomerular filtration rate) slopes.
Effects of salt and water loading on carbohydrate and energy metabolism and levels of selected amino acids in the brains of young mice.

—This is a report of the effect of extreme changes in plasma sodium concentration induced by chronic (5 d) water deprivation and hypertonic saline injections and acute (4 h) overhydration with hypotonic glucose or fructose on the water and electrolyte content and levels of selected metabolites in the brains of young mice. In the dehydrated hypernatremic mice (plasma Na+, 186 × 3 mequiv./1) significant increases were found in brain glucose (82%), alanine (16%), aspartate (45%), glutamate (19%), gamma-amino butyrate (34%) and glutamine (42%) concentrations. In striking contrast, water-intoxicated mice (plasma Na+, 110 × 4 mequiv./1) had significantly decreased levels of alanine (17%), aspartate (38%) and glutamate (33%). Significant reductions in brain lactate (30–40%) and malate concentrations (23%) in both groups of experimental mice are suggestive of reduced cerebral metabolic rate. During adaptation to increased or decreased environmental salinity, levels of amino acids in amphibian brain increase or decrease, respectively, to maintain osmotic equilibrium and to limit the loss or gain of water in brain. The data show that a similar protective response can be evoked in mammalian brain.
Extracellular matrix specificity for the differentiation of capillary endothelial cells

Abstract Capillary endothelial cells in a fenestrated vasculature contain openings in attenuated areas of the cytoplasm which are often covered with one or two diaphragms. However, due to endothelial cell dedifferentiation upon culturing, such indicative membrane structure are often not expressed. The expression of a more differential phenotype can be regulated by the extracellular matrix to which the cells attach. In addition, during angiogenesis endothelial cell migration enables their interaction with other cell types and matrices which may directly affect endothelial cell growth and function. We report the ability to modify the expression of diaphragmed fenestrations and transcapillary channels in capillary endothelial cells by specific extracellular matrices. When the number of membrane openings is measured, growth of the cells on Madin-Darby canine kidney cell matrix results in the greatest number while other matrices or isolated matrix components are only partially active. Production of such a biologically active matrix not only allows an avenue to identify fenestrae-associated proteins but also provides an easy culture method to more closely mimic the in vivo phenotype of endothelial cells.
Applications Of Translational Motion Processing To Robotics

This report presents a procedure for processing real world image sequences produced by relative translational motion between a sensor and environmental objects. In this procedure, the determination of the direction of sensor translation is effectively combined with the determination of the displacements of image features and environmental depth. It requires no restrictions on the direction of motion, nor the location and shape of environmental objects. Extensions to other cases of motion analysis are considered.
Dermatologic Disorders in 118 Patients with Autoimmune (Immunoglobulin G4-Related) Pancreatitis: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis

Background Autoimmune pancreatitis is the prototypical manifestation of immunoglobulin G4-related disease, a fibroinflammatory syndrome that can affect virtually any organ. Rarely, skin involvement has been reported in immunoglobulin G4-related disease. Isolated case reports have described other distinct associated dermatoses.
A convenient laboratory preparation of aromatic polycarbonate

An experimentally simple method for the synthesis of aromatic polycarbonates is described. Reaction of commercially available p-nitrophenyl chloroformate with bisphenol A afforded BPA polycarbonate in good yields with M n= 26,000 g/mol. This laboratory procedure avoids the use of phosgene or phosgene equivalents in the laboratory. The process requires the use of 2 equivalents of triethylamine and a catalytic amount of 4-dimethylaminopyridine.
Imino acid transport in human diploid fibroblasts.

Abstract These studies describe the transport of proline and hydroxyproline in human diploid fibroblasts. Inhibition and kinetic analysis demonstrate that proline is actively transported by the “A” neutral amino acid carrier. Proline transport is Na + dependent and is particularly sensitive to sulfhydryl inhibitors and ouabain. Hydroxyproline is also actively transported but its transport is mediated by a system different from those described previously for other neutral amino acids. Hydroxyproline transport requires the presence of Na + and is sensitive to sulfhydryl inhibitors and ouabain. There is little inhibition of hydroxyproline transport in the presence of other amino acids with the exception of methionine. The methionine inhibition of hydroxyproline transport is of the non-competitive type. Little cross-reactivity was exhibited by the systems which transport proline and hydroxyproline. These studies indicate that human skin fibroblasts do not possess an iminoglycine transport system as has been described for many other tissues. The iminoglycine transport system has been identified as the genetic transport defect in iminoglycinuria. Consequently, skin fibroblasts are not an appropriate system for use in diagnosis of this disorder.
Oxygen dose-response curve of cardiac papillary muscle from fetal and nonpregnant adult sheep exposed to long-term, high-altitude hypoxemia.

We tested the hypothesis that hearts of fetal and nonpregnant adult sheep exposed to long-term hypoxemia would be able to sustain higher contractile function during exposure to acute hypoxia than hearts from normoxic animals. Pregnant and nonpregnant sheep were exposed to high altitude (3820 m) for 100 days. Right and left ventricular papillary muscle strips were obtained from fetuses and nonpregnant adults, mounted in an isolated bath system, stimulated electrically and subjected to acute hypoxia in a dose response manner. Measurements were made of maximum tension production (Tmax), maximum rate of tension development (+dT/dtma), maximum rate of relaxation (−dT/dtmax), time to peak tension, and duration of contraction. Results were compared to papillary muscle from a normoxic group of animals. Baseline values (95% O2 + 5% CO2 bubbled in the bath) of Tmax and ±dT/dtmax for each ventricle were greater in adults than fetuses in both normoxic and long-term hypoxemic groups. During hypoxia (at 40 and 20% O2) Tmax and ±dT/dtmax were all maintained at significantly higher values in papillary muscle from long-term hypoxemic fetuses than in papillary muscle from normoxic fetuses. Duration of contraction and time to peak tension did not differ between the normoxic and hypoxemic groups. In both ventricles of the long-term hypoxemic adult, Tmax and ±dT/dtmax, as well as duration and time to peak tension, were significantly higher than in normoxic adults, but only at the lowest level of hypoxia (20%) O9). Contrary to the original hypothesis, heart muscle from both fetal and adult sheep that had been exposed to long-term hypoxemia could maintain contractile function better during acute hypoxia. The responsible mechanisms are not clearly understood, (J Soc Gynecol Invest 1997;4:197–202) Copyright © 1997 by the Society for Gynecologic Investigation.
Commitment Traps in Winner-Take-All Labor Markets: An Investigation of Stand-Up Comedy

This study investigates the decision-making process and patterns of aspirants within winner-take-all labor markets—particularly within cultural production industries. In particular, it addresses th...
Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) hen survival: effects of raptors, anthropogenic and landscape features, and hen behavior

Survival of breeding-age hens has been identified as the demographic rate with the greatest potential to influence population growth of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus (Bonaparte, 1827); hereafter "Sage-Grouse"). During 2008- 2011, we collected summer survival data from 427 Sage-Grouse hens in southern Wyoming, USA. We assessed the effects of raptor densities, anthropogenic features, landscape features, and Sage-Grouse hen behavior on Sage-Grouse hen survival. Survival of Sage-Grouse hens was positively associated with the proportion of big sagebrush (genus Artemisia L.) habitat within 0.27 km radius and road density and negatively associated with power-line density, proximity to forested habitat, and topographic ruggedness index within 0.27 km radius (TRI0.27). Raptor densities did not have individual effects on Sage-Grouse survival; however, an interaction between site-specific exposure to Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos (L., 1758)) density (GOEA) and TRI0.27 indicated that negative effects of GOEA and TRI0.27 were dampened in areas with both high TRI0.27 and high GOEA. Survival of nonreproductive hens was greater than brooding or nesting hens. Hens that stayed in intermediate-size flocks and yearling hens had higher survival than hens in small or large flocks and hens >2 years old. Results indicated that risk of death for Sage-Grouse hens was greater relative to potential raptor perches but not anthropogenic and landscape variables that could provide food subsidies for predators.
Chartering and Bartering: Elite Education and Social Reproduction

The transmission of privilege is central to the reproduction of an elite class. There has been recurrent speculation about elite school influence within the structure of educational opportunity, but few researchers have had access to these schools. Based on interviews and observations at 42 private boarding schools, and on student questionnaires and school records from a sample of these schools, we find that elite boarding schools confer special “status rights.” Moreover, social networks between the schools' college advisors and the admissions officers of elite colleges enable the former to lobby successfully for their students, thereby facilitating the passage of privilege.
Motor neuron disease recovery associated with IV ceftriaxone and anti-Babesia therapy

This report summarizes what we believe to be the first verifiable case of a significant and progressive motor neuron disease (MND) consistent with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that resolved during treatment with i.v. ceftriaxone plus oral atovaquone and mefloquine. The rationale for use of these antibiotics was (i) positive testing for Borrelia burgdorferi and (ii) red blood cell ring forms consistent with Babesia species infection. The patient has continued to be free of MND signs and symptoms for 15 months, although some symptoms consistent with disseminated Borreliosis remain.
Comparative usefulness of tissue fixatives for in situ viral nucleic acid hybridization.

(PLP) can handle them adequately. However, these fixatives have limited penetrating ability and may produce no appreciable hardening, so alternative fixation methods were evaluated. The intention was to determine whether fixatives adequate for bulky tisues such as whole or halved pig and cow brains would also be compatible with in situ hybridization. Various fixatives were evaluated using a system of intracranial inoculation of BALB/c mice with pseudorabies virus (PRV) followed by in situ hybridization of brain tissue sections with a 55S-labeled PRV DNA probe. Loss
On Cauchy’s problem in general relativity

It is shown that a suitable set of Cauchy’s conditions for Einstein’s equations in vacuo consists in specifying the values ofgkl andgkl,0 on a hypersurfacex0 = 0. The correspondingg0k are to be found by solving threespatial second order differential equations, andg00 is then given by analgebraic relation. The first and higher time derivatives ofg0μ remain completely undetermined by the field equations, thus leaving room for arbitrary coordinate transformations. It is further shown that even if thegkl are chosen close to their Galilean values, and if thegkl,0 are small, the remainingg0ν will in general not be close to their Galilean values. However, a detailed investigation of the physical components of the curvature tensor shows that the field can nevertheless be weak, thus implying that the large discrepancies between theg0μ and their Galilean values are only a coordinate effect. The field is really strong only close to domains where the determinant of theg0ν vanishes. By a suitable coordinate transformation, those domains can be made to shrink to points, and the resulting singularities may be interpreted as representing matter. This supports Einstein’s view that matter should not be considered as something foreign to the metric field itself.
Regulation of CD4-p56lck-associated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) and phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI 4-kinase).

CD4 serves as a receptor for MHC class II antigens and as a receptor for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) viral coat protein gp120. It is coupled to the protein-tyrosine kinase p56 $^{\text{lck}}$ , an interaction necessary for an optimal response of certain T cells to antigen. Although anti-CD4 crosslinking may increase lck activity, the effects of HIV-1 gp120 have been controversial. Activated protein-tyrosine kinases are known to associate with certain intracellular proteins possessing src-homology regions (SH-2 domains) such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase). In this paper, we demonstrate that the CD4:p56 $^{\text{lck}}$ complex associates with significant amounts of phosphatidylinositol (PI) kinase activity. High pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of the reaction products demonstrated the presence of phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI 3-P) and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI 4-P), thus indicating that PI 3 and PI 4 kinases associate with CD4-p56 $^{\text{lck}}$ . The p85 subunit of PI 3-kinase was also detected in anti-CD4 immunoprecipitates by immunoblotting with anti-p85 antiserum. Significantly, p56 $^{\text{lck}}$ binding to CD4 appears to be necessary for the detection of lipid kinase activity associated with p56 $^{\text{lck}}$ . Also, anti-HIV gp120 and anti-CD4 crosslinking induced a 10-15-fold increase in levels of both PI 3- and PI 4-kinase activity in anti-CD4 precipitates. Stimulation of CD4-p56 $^{\text{lck}}$ -linked PI kinases by crosslinked HIV-1 gp120 may play a role in HIV-1-induced immune defects.
Combination of radiotherapy with EGFR antagonists for head and neck carcinoma.

The introduction of biologically sound radiation fractionation regimens and combinations of radiotherapy with chemotherapy have gradually improved both the survival of patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the prospect of organ preservation. Long-term follow-up, however, has shown that some of the radiation–chemotherapy combinations are associated with increased late toxicity. This observation, in conjunction with advances in tumor biology, has led to the launch of investigations into molecular markers and targets for therapeutic interventions. Research on the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mediated signaling pathway has enriched our understanding of the biology of HNSCC, in terms of carcinogenesis and cellular processes governing tumor response to therapy. The finding that the addition of an antibody-based inhibitor of the EGFR pathway to radiotherapy significantly improves locoregional control and overall survival rates in patients with locally advanced HNSCC, without increasing radiation-induced toxicity, has resulted in the growing acceptance of such combined regimens as a frontline therapy option for locally advanced HNSCC. Because such therapy has benefited only an additional 10%-15% of patients, studies are being undertaken to identify markers and mechanisms of resistance to EGFR antagonists that are essential for the further refinement of therapy. Overall, preclinical and clinical studies on EGFR have validated the concept that selective tumor radiation sensitization can be achieved by modulating a specific perturbed signaling pathway, and these studies have increased the enthusiasm for developing and investigating other novel agents targeting other cellular processes.
Optical absorption assay for strand-exchange reactions in unlabeled nucleic acids.

The nucleic acid exchange reaction is a common feature for genetic recombination, DNA replication and transcription. Due to the fact that in the strand-exchange reactions the reactant and product molecules have similar or identical nucleotide sequences, the reaction is undetectable. As a rule, the nucleic acids with radioactive or fluorescence labels are used in such studies. Besides the fact that the labels can perturb the reaction and pose a health risk to the investigators, the assays usually involve extra experimental steps: quenching the reaction, separation, visualization and quantification of the products. Here, we describe a straightforward, direct and precise method to study strand-exchange reaction of unlabeled nucleic acids by real-time measurements of optical absorption. The method takes advantage of the property of some guanine-rich oligonucleotides to adopt monomolecular quadruplex conformation in the presence of certain cations. The conformation is characterized by significant absorption in long-wavelength range of the ultraviolet region where usually other secondary structures are transparent. The ‘signal’ oligonucleotide is incorporated into reactant duplex by annealing with target sequence. Adding the replacement sequence initiates the release of the ‘signal’ oligonucleotide into solution, which is accompanied by ultraviolet absorption in long-wavelength range.
Who, When, Where: Timeslot Assignment to Mobile Clients

We consider variations of a problem in which data must be delivered to mobile clients en route, as they travel toward their destinations. The data can only be delivered to the mobile clients as they pass within range of wireless base stations. Example scenarios include the delivery of building maps to firefighters responding to multiple alarms. We cast this scenario as a parallel-machine scheduling problem with the little-studied property that jobs may have different release times and deadlines when assigned to different machines. We present new algorithms and also adapt existing algorithms, for both online and offline settings. We evaluate these algorithms on a variety of problem instance types, using both synthetic and real-world data, including several geographical scenarios, and show that our algorithms produce schedules achieving near-optimal throughput.
Inorganic: Organic Hybrid Nanocomposites for Photorefractivity at Communication Wavelengths

This paper reports new photorefractive polymeric nanocomposites photosensitized with HgS or PbS nanocrystals and operating at the communication wavelength of 1.3 μm. To our knowledge, it is the first report of a polymeric photorefractive medium with spectral response at a communication wavelength. The nanocomposites involving HgS are prepared by an in-situ nanochemistry approach, whereas those involving PbS were prepared using competitive nanochemistry. Photoconductivity experiments were employed in the characterization of photocharge generation quantum efficiency provided by the semiconductor nanocrystals. The photorefractive nature of the composites is confirmed using electric field dependent two-beam coupling. In the case of nanocomposite containing PbS nanocrystals, a net gain in excess of the associated absorption loss is observed.
Mothers and the Phenomenology of the Memorable Photograph

This article explores the phenomenology of mothers as they return to memorable photographs. [i] It reviews research on three mothers who articulate the lived experience of photographs, and how such experience might reveal basic ontological aspects of motherhood. The phenomenology of a mother’s memorable photographs discloses an aporia of human relationships that involves the connectedness she has with her children, and the awareness that her children have become separate individuals. These two themes – separateness and coexistence – are indissolubly at odds. Each constitutes a mother’s potential lived experience of photographs as viewed in front of her. A concluding discussion reviews how each of these contradictory themes provides the necessary context for the other to arise, mutually presupposing the other. [i] The Duquesne University IRB approved the research conducted in this article (Protocol #11-27). The author would like to thank Eva Simms, Patrick Howard, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful feedback while preparing this article. This article is indebted to the three mothers who participated in this research.
Electrical coupling promotes fidelity of responses in the networks of model neurons

We consider an integrate-and-fire element subject to randomly perturbed synaptic input and an electrically coupled ensemble of such elements. The latter is interpreted as either a model of electrically coupled population of neurons or a multicompartment model of a dendrite. Random fluctuations blur the input signal and cause false responses in the system dynamics. For instance, under the influence of noise, the system may respond with an action potential to a subthreshold stimulus. We show that the responses of the elements within the network are more reliable than the responses of the same elements in isolation. Specifically, we show that the variances of the stochastic processes generated by the coupled model can be made arbitrarily small (i.e., the network responses can be made arbitrarily accurate) by increasing the number of elements in the network and the strength of electrical coupling. Our results suggest that the organization of cells in electrically coupled groups on the network level, or the dendritic morphology on the cellular level, may be involved in the filtering noise and therefore may play an important role in the information processing mechanisms operating on the network or cellular level respectively.
Escalation of intake under intermittent ethanol access in diverse mouse genotypes

Experimental animals offered continuous 24-hour free choice access to ethanol rarely display voluntary ethanol consumption at levels sufficient to induce intoxication or to engender dependence. One of the simplest ways to increase voluntary ethanol intake is to impose temporal limitations on ethanol availability. Escalation of ethanol intake has been observed in both rats and mice under a variety of different schedules of alternating ethanol access and deprivation. Although such effects have been observed in a variety of rat and mouse genotypes, little is known concerning possible genetic correlations between responses to intermittent ethanol access and other ethanol-related phenotypes. In the present study, we examined the effects of intermittent ethanol access in mouse genotypes characterized by divergent responses to ethanol in other domains, including ethanol preference (C57BL/6J and C3H/HeJ mice), binge-like ethanol drinking (High Drinking in the Dark and HS/Npt mice) and ethanol withdrawal severity (Withdrawal Seizure-Prone and Withdrawal Seizure-Resistant mice). Although intermittent ethanol access resulted in escalated ethanol intake in all tested genotypes, the robustness of the effect varied across genotypes. On the other hand, we saw no evidence that the effects of intermittent access are correlated with either binge-like drinking or withdrawal severity, and only weak evidence for a genetic correlation with baseline ethanol preference. Thus, these different ethanol-related traits appear to depend on largely unique sets of genetic mediators.