cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical utility of ductus venosus flow in fetuses with right-sided congenital heart disease.

Objectives—Abnormal ductus venosus flow is associated with fetal compromise and can be present in right-sided congenital heart disease. We hypothesized that the ductus venosus flow pattern in fetuses with obstructive right-sided congenital heart disease will have abnormal flow at baseline. Those with nonobstructive disease will have normal flow at baseline. We further hypothesized that abnormal ductus venosus flow will predict fetal compromise. Methods—We conducted a retrospective review of fetuses with right-sided congenital heart disease. Ductus venosus measurements included the presence of atrial reversal, velocity time integral, and peak velocity index. Fetuses were separated into those with obstructive (group 1) and nonobstructive (group 2) lesions. Compromise was defined as fetal distress (pericardial effusion, hydrops, or left ventricular dilatation/dysfunction) or death (fetal/neonatal mortality). Results—Sixty fetuses with right-sided congenital heart disease were identified (mean gestational age ± SD, 24.2 ± 5.4 weeks; group 1, n = 45; group 2, n = 15). Ductus venosus reversal was more often present (49% versus 13%; P = .017), and the peak velocity index was significantly higher (1.39 ± 0.67 versus 0.98 ± 0.33; P = .026) in group 1. In group 1, ductus venosus reversal was more often present (93% versus 32%; P < .001), and the peak velocity index was significantly higher (1.87 ± 0.67 versus 1.12 ± 0.53; P < .001) in compromised fetuses. In this group, a peak velocity index higher than 1.57 predicted compromise with 93% sensitivity and 81% specificity. In group 2, ductus venosus reversal was rarely present (n = 2) and was not found in any fetuses who died. Conclusions—Fetuses with obstructive right-sided congenital heart disease have ductus venosus reversal at baseline; an abnormal peak velocity index can be used to predict compromise. Fetuses with nonobstructive disease rarely have ductus venosus reversal; the peak velocity index cannot be used to predict outcomes in this group. Key Words—congenital heart disease; ductus venosus; fetal echocardiography; obstetric ultrasound; outcome
The perception of heading during eye movements

Warren and Hannon (1988, 1990), while studying the perception of heading during eye movements, concluded that people do not require extraretinal information to judge heading with eye/head movements present. Here, heading judgments are examined at higher, more typical eye movement velocities than the extremely slow tracking eye movements used by Warren and Hannon. It is found that people require extraretinal information about eye position to perceive heading accurately under many viewing conditions.
Effects of Commercial Processing on Antioxidants in Rice Bran

ABSTRACT Rice bran contains high amounts of beneficial antioxidants including tocopherols, tocotrienols, and oryzanols. Current rice milling technology produces rice bran from different layers of the kernel caryopsis. Under current practices, these layers are combined and then steam-extruded to form a stabilized rice bran pellet that is storage-safe prior to oil extraction. Each of these rice bran intermediates can vary in antioxidant content. The objective of this study was to investigate the changes in selected antioxidants in rice bran from both long- and medium-grain rice during commercial milling and bran processing. Rice bran collected from various milling breaks of a commercial system had varying antioxidant levels. Bran collected after milling break 2 had the highest levels of tocopherol and tocotrienol. Oryzanol concentration was significantly higher in outer bran layers. Results also indicate that the long-grain rice bran averaged ≈15% more antioxidants than the medium-grain rice bran.
DEVELOPMENT OF PROCEDURES FOR RESOLVING IRREGULARITIES IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE LISTENING COMPREHENSION SECTION OF THE TOEFL TEST

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate two procedures to be used in determining whether examinees in a given test center are affected by a testing irregularity on the Listening Comprehension section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). One approach employs analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) on Listening Comprehension (Section 1) means using scores on Structure and Written Expression (Section 2) and scores on Reading and Vocabulary (Section 3) as covariates. The second procedure entails a Bayesian approach that uses prior information collected about performance at the center in question. Analyses using these two procedures were carried out using both simulated data and data from actual testing irregularities. The results of this study support the following conclusions. First, both the ANCOVA and Bayesian procedures appear to provide useful information related to the effects of testing irregularities on Section 1 of the TOEFL test; therefore, both procedures should be incorporated into the operational procedures for resolving testing irregularities. Second, the two procedures will usually agree about the effects of testing irregularities, although differences between the procedures may occur in situations where the Bayesian procedure indicates an effect of one scaled score point and the ANCOVA procedure does not indicate a statistically significant difference between the irregularity and comparison groups at some specified level. Finally, results based on the two procedures should be interpreted with caution, particularly in situations where the two procedures produce discrepant results.
Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging of the optic nerves to guide treatment of pediatric suprasellar tumors.

Background/Aims: As a preoperative planning tool, conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging may have limited value in differentiating tumors from white matter tracts. MR diffusio
On the Stability of Robot Compliant Motion Control: Theory and Experiments

The work presented is a nonlinear approach for the stability analysis of robot manipulators in compliant maneuvers. Stability of the environment and the manipulator taken as a whole has been investigated, and a bound for stable manipulation has been derived. The stability analysis has been investigated using unstructured models for the dynamic behavior of the robot manipulator and the environment. This unified approach of modeling robot dynamics is expressed in terms of sensitivity functions as opposed to the rigid body dynamics derived by Lagrangian approach
A New Characterization of the Continuous Functions on a Locale

Within the category W of archimedean lattice-ordered groups with weak order unit, we show that the objects of the form C(L), the set of continuous real-valued functions on a locale L, are precisely those which are divisible and complete with respect to a variant of uniform convergence, here termed indicated uniform convergence. We construct the corresponding completion of a W-object A purely algebraically in terms of Cauchy sequences. This completion can be variously described as c 3 A, the ``closed under countable composition hull of A,'' as C(Y l A), where Y l A is the Yosida locale of A, and as the largest essential reflection of A.
A model of two-tiered financial reporting

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) have come under increasing pressure to address public concerns regarding the effectiveness of financial disclosures.1 The SEC issued for public comment a proposal that would allow companies to use a form of two-tiered financial reporting (SEC [1995]). Two-tiered reporting involves producing a reduced-form annual report by abbreviating and perhaps recasting the complete financial statements prepared under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Much of the public support for two-tiered reporting revolves around the idea that the current disclosure regime creates an "information overload" problem for at least some investor groups (e.g., FASB [1995], Groves [1995], and Cook and Sutton [1995] ).2 Proponents of two-tiered
A low-power neuromorphic CMOS sensor circuit for the implanted biomolecular detections

Amperometric sensor circuit equipped with floating-gate field-effect transistors (FG-FETs) have been extensively used in environmental and biomedical fields for biomolecular detections. Considering the stringent power and dimension requirements of this type of sensors, here we present a low-power biomolecular sensor circuit designed in the concept of neuromorphic circuits. A silicon neuron based sensor circuit is developed to generate a modulated frequency output in response to different current values. The silicon neuron is reconfigured based on a bio-physically inspired neuron model and the proposed circuit achieves nanoampere-level current sensitivity and kilohertz output frequency range. The circuit is designed with a standard 0.13-μm CMOS process. The entire circuit uses only 8 transistors and 4 capacitors and consumes only 2.2 μW power with a 1.1 V supply. The low power dissipation and high area-efficient features of the proposed amperometric sensor circuit make it very suitable for the implanted biomolecular detections.
Comparative administration: theory and experience

In order to determine the extent to which regional training in management would serve their own diverse national needs, nine African countries with different colonial, economic. political, and economic traditions sponsored a large-scale restarch project .to identify. common behavioral characteristics in the vublic, private. and amstatal sectors. The theory was that if there was a sufficient body of ;cbuind.thtoighout the region, it would be possible to adopt standard training and selection procedures and use similar approaches in improving organizational designs. The theory posited further that comparative studies conducted in sufficient depth could separate the unique from the common elements of managerial behavior and contribute to the desirn of national as well as reeional training systems. Studies conducted with these ends in mind were also expected distinguish between behavioral differences that were associated with the political and cultural context or organizational setting, and those reflecting in...
Use of AHP in decision‐making for flexible manufacturing systems

Purpose – To provide a good insight into the use of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) that is a multiple criteria decision‐making methodology in evaluating flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs).Design/methodology/approach – In this study AHP is used to the decision by a tractor manufacturing plant to implement FMS. Also sensitivity analysis is conducted to see how realistic the final outcome is.Findings – Information on the use of AHP in assessing advanced manufacturing technologies is provided and an AHP model is proposed to guide the management of tractor manufacturing plant. Most important factors, and their relative importance and influences on the objective of the decision‐making model are found. By performing a sensitivity analysis, it is also found that the final outcome remained stable in all cases when the weights of the main criteria affecting the decision are varied up and down by 5 percent in all possible combinations.Research limitations/implications – When there are dependencies and interacti...
l-[3H]Glutamate labels the metabotropic excitatory amino acid receptor in rodent brain

A quantitative autoradiographic assay for a novel L-[3H]glutamate binding site in rodent brain has been developed. Binding to this site was distinguished by its high affinity for quisqualate (QA), ibotenate, glutamate and trans-1-amino-cyclopentyl-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (trans-ACPD), but low affinity for [RS]-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), kainate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). 'AMPA-insensitive, QA-sensitive [3H]glutamate binding' (AiQsGB) had a heterogeneous distribution in rat brain with high levels observed in molecular layer of cerebellum, striatum, and lateral septum. AiQsGB was reduced in molecular layer of cerebellum in mice lacking Purkinje cells. AiQsGB appears to represent binding to the 'metabotropic' neuronal excitatory amino acid receptor linked to phosphoinositide metabolism.
Three worlds of old-age decommodification?

Abstract In The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (1990) Gosta Esping-Andersen conceives of three political strategies to furnish old-age decommodification. He argues that a system decommodifies when an individual can uphold a socially acceptable level of economic well-being separate from the paid labor market. In this article I undertake analyses of data from the Luxembourg Income Study to tie Esping-Andersen's (1990) political economy typification to individual outcomes in terms of net income and sources of income for elderly. My results indicate that some of the three political systems allocate higher and some lower decommodification levels than Esping-Andersen's (1990) treatment suggests. Further, they suggest that some political systems generate inequality by providing higher levels of decommodification to some cultural groups than others.
Two-sided bounds on the convergence rate of two-level methods

In this paper, we prove two-sided bounds on the convergence rate of a standard two-level subspace correction method. We then apply these estimates to show that a two-level method with point-wise smoother for variational problem in H0(curl) does not have optimal convergence rate. This result justifies the conclusion, observed numerically and reported in the literature, that a point relaxation as a smoother does not lead to an optimal multigrid method. In fact, we show that for such problems using a well-conditioned smoother will always lead to a method that is not optimal. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Squeezing in the degenerate parametric oscillator

Abstract Squeezing of the intracavity field in a degenerate parametric oscillator is calculated above threshold neglecting pump depletion. Arbitrary squeezing is in principle obtainable. We conclude that above threshold squeezing in the steady-state parametric oscillator is limited primarily by pump depletion rather than degradation by vacuum fluctuations at the mirrors. The squeezing predicted by the present calculation should be observable in an oscillator operated in a transient or pulsed mode
Optimum Equivalent Models of Multi-Source Systems for the Study of Electromagnetic Signatures and Radiated Emissions From Electric Drives

An optimum equivalent electric machine model for 3-D finite element (3DFE) simulation and evaluation of radiated electromagnetic field emissions in a multi-machine environment is presented. A typical example of such systems includes electric motors and cable runs electric drives. Initially, the detailed geometrical model of the machine was simulated in a 3DFE quasi-static electromagnetic domain. An optimum equivalent model was created using an optimization process based upon the difference between the observed electric and magnetic far fields from both the detailed geometrical and the equivalent models. The equivalent model was validated in several examples. The computed electromagnetic signature results from the equivalent model show acceptable accuracy as compared with the detailed geometrical model of the machine. The equivalent machine model was obtained with significant reduction in computation time needed for the evaluation of the radiated fields. The proposed model can be used as an effective method for the simulation of signatures and radiated electromagnetic field emissions from electric drives in computationally intensive environments.
Thermodynamic calculation of the ternary TiAlNb system

Abstract Phase equilibria of the ternary TiAlNb system are dominated by the large range of homogeneity of (β-Ti,Nb), the binary intermetallic compounds of the NbAl and TiAl systems and the formation of two ternary compounds. The available ternary experimental data, together with a thermodynamic extrapolation of the ternary system from the binary systems, have been used to calculate the ternary phase diagram. The model descriptions of the Gibbs energies of most of these compounds are given by the existing calculations of the binary systems. In order to model a phase which is present in only one binary system, but has a ternary homogeneity range, a hypothetical phase with the same structure was analytically described for each binary system. Such a phase would, of course, be metastable in the other binary systems. Constraints on the Gibbs energies of formation were derived from the crystal structures of the corresponding ordered compounds. These same constraints were employed for the corresponding phases in the ternary system. In a final optimization step, ternary parameters were introduced and adjusted to the available experimental data. The as-derived description of the ternary TiAlNb system can be used to estimate single or multiphase fields and thermodynamic quantities where no experimental data are yet available. It is also useful as an indicator of problem areas for which additional experimental data are required.
Alterations in oxygen transport following WR-2721☆

The toxicity of radiation and alkylating agent chemotherapy is in part related to free radical formation in DNA and associated proteins, which is enhanced by oxygen and other electron affinic compounds. During the Phase I clinical trials of WR-2721 and alkylating agent chemotherapy, venous blood samples were obtained prior to and immediately following the WR-2721 infusion. We have observed a marked increase in the oxygen saturation of venous blood following WR-2721 (430–910 mg/m2 at a rate of 15 mg/m2/minute). The mean venous P02 (Pv,02) rose from a baseline of 34.0 ± 13.54 torr to a mean value of 54.60 ± 12.47 torr (p < 0.001). The percent venous oxygen saturation increased from 54.52 ± 21.38% to 82.73 ± 7.66%. The highest values generally occurred within the first 2 hours after the completion of the WR-2721 infusion. No significant differences were found between the pre and post WR-2721 values for either the venous pH, C02, or bicarbonate levels. Despite increased Pv,02, the patients' heart rates, blood pressures, or respiratory rates did not change pre and post WR-2721. No apparent differences were noted in the effects of WR-2721 or Pv,02 when given at doses of 740 or 910 mg/m2. However, when WR-2721 (418–1100 mg/m2) was administered over 15 minutes, the Pv,02 increased in only 813 courses. We postulated that the marked increase in venous blood oxygen concentration was secondary to one of the following mechanisms: 1) Increased affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen, 2) microcirculatory shunting, or 3) decreased tissue requirements for oxygen. In 12 patients oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curves and intracellular red cell pH's were obtained before and after 740–910 mg/m2 of WR-2721. Despite the significant increase in oxygenation of venous blood after WR-2721, there were no changes in either oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation or intracellular red cell pH to account for this increase. The oxygen consumption of peripheral blood granulocytes was measured prior to and following 15 courses of W R-2721. A marked decrease in granulocyte oxygen consumption was observed in 68 patients who had a significant increase in Pv,02 and only 17 patients who had either a decrease or no change in P,02 after WR-2721. Our preliminary investigations suggest that the increased venous blood oxygen content may be secondary to a reduction in normal tissue oxygen consumption. WR-2721 may afford protection by both decreasing oxygen consumption and delivery to normal tissues and increasing intracellular sulfhydryis.
Stimulated desorption of Cl+ and the chemisorption of Cl2 on Si(111)-7 × 7 and Si(100)-2 × 1

Abstract The chemisorption of Cl2 on Si(111)-7 × 7 and Si(100)-2 × 1 and the mechanism for stimulated desorption of Cl+ from Si are studied with soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SXPS) and photon-stimulated desorption (PSD). It is shown that Cl2 interacts with Si(111)-7 × 7 at room temperature to form mono-, di- and tri-chlorides, while primarily monochlorides are formed on Si(100)-2 × 1. These differences are explained in terms of the reconstructions of each clean surface. The stimulated desorption of Cl+ ions has a threshold at ~ 20 eV that results from a direct excitation of a Cl 3s electron to an unoccupied Cl antibonding level. No direct desorption of Cl+ ions is observed at the Si 2p edge. Differences between the mechanisms for F+ and Cl+ desorption from Si are discussed.
Prescription opioid misuse among ED patients discharged with opioids

Abstract Study Objectives The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of prescription opioid misuse in a cohort of discharged emergency department (ED) patients who received prescription opioids and to examine factors predictive of misuse. Methods This prospective observational study enrolled a sample of ED patients aged 18 to 55 years who were discharged with a prescription opioid. Participants completed surveys at baseline in the ED, then 3 and 30 days later. Follow-up surveys contained questions about opioid use and misuse, including screening questions from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Patients were categorized as misusers if they (1) self-escalated their dose, (2) obtained additional prescription opioids without a prescription, or (3) used for a reason besides pain. Results Of the 85 patients who completed follow-ups, 36 (42%) reported misuse at either 3 or 30 days. There was no difference in demographic variables, pain scores, analgesic treatment, or discharge diagnoses between misusers and nonmisusers. Self-escalation of dose was the most common category of misuse (33/36; 92%). Taking prescription opioids without a doctor's prescription was reported by 39% (14/36), and taking pain medications for a reason other than pain was reported by 36% (13/36). The presence of disability, chronic pain, preexisting prescription opioid use, oxycodone use, and past 12-month risk of substance abuse were associated with misuse. Conclusions Prescription opioid misuse was prevalent among this cohort of ED patients. A heterogeneous mixture of behaviors was captured. Future research should focus on the etiologies of misuse with directed screening and interventions to decrease misuse.
Lifetimes of low-energy levels in 45Ti☆

Abstract The mean lives of the first and second excited states of 45Ti have been measured as 4.5 ± 0.5 ωs and 17.2 ± 1.0 ns, respectively. These results are compared with the theoretical predictions made by use of the rotational model and the shell model. It is shown that the pure f 7 2 shell-model estimates for the lifetimes are fairly insensitive to large changes in the f 7 2 2 interaction energies in the T = 0 states.
Spatial synchrony of recruitment in mountain-dwelling woodland caribou

Spatial synchrony in population dynamics is a ubiquitous feature across a range of taxa. Understanding factors influencing this synchrony may shed light on important drivers of population dynamics. Three mechanisms influence the degree of spatial synchrony between populations: dispersal, shared predators, and spatial environmental covariance (the Moran effect). We assessed demographic spatial synchrony in recruitment (calf:cow ratio) of 10 northern mountain caribou herds in the Yukon Territory, Canada (1982–2008). Shared predators and dispersal were ruled out as causal mechanisms of spatial recruitment synchrony in these herds and therefore any spatial synchrony should be due to the Moran effect. We also assessed the degree of spatial synchrony in April snow depth to represent environmental variability. The regional average spatial synchrony in detrended residuals of April snow depth was 0.46 (95% CI 0.37 to 0.55). Spatial synchrony in caribou recruitment was weak at 0.13 (95% CI −0.06 to 0.32). The spatial scale of synchrony in April snow depth and caribou recruitment was 330.2 km (95% CI 236.3 to 370.0 km) and 170.0 km (95% CI 69.5 to 282.8 km), respectively. We also investigated how the similarity in terrain features between herds influenced the degree of spatial synchrony using exponential decay models. Only the difference in elevation variability between herds during calving was supported by the data. Herds with more similar elevation variability may track snowmelt ablation patterns in a more similar fashion, which would subsequently result in more synchronized predation rates on calves and/or nutritional effects impacting juvenile survival. Interspecific interactions with predators and alternate prey may also influence spatial synchrony of recruitment in these herds.
Succession in Stream Biofilms is an Environmentally Driven Gradient of Stress Tolerance

The century-long research on succession has bestowed us with a number of theories, but little agreement on what causes species replacements through time. The majority of studies has explored the temporal trends of individual species in plant and much less so in microbial communities, arguing that interspecific interactions, especially competition, play a key role in community organization throughout succession. In this experimental investigation of periphytic succession in re-circulating laboratory streams, we examined the density and the relative abundance of diatoms and soft algae for 35 days across gradients of low to high nutrient supply (nitrogen + phosphorus) and low to intermediate current velocity (10 vs. 30 cm·s−1). All algal species were classified into trophic groups and morphological guilds, both of which responded more strongly to nutrient than current velocity manipulations, as shown by regression analyses. We concluded that within the manipulated environmental ranges: (1) Succession was a gradient of stress tolerance, driven primarily by nutrient supply and secondarily, by current velocity. Nutrient supply had a qualitative effect in determining whether the contribution of species tolerant vs. sensitive to nutrient limitation would increase through time, while current velocity had a quantitative influence and affected only the rate of this increase. (2) The mechanism of algal succession at a functional level was a neutral coexistence, whereby the tolerant low profile guild maintained high density when overgrown by sensitive species, while sensitive species, constituting mostly the motile and high profile guilds, were neither facilitated nor inhibited by tolerant species but controlled by the environment. It is suggested that the mechanism of succession may depend on the level of biological organization with interspecific interactions giving way to neutral coexistence along the hierarchy from species to functional groups. Considering that the functional makeup is strictly environmentally defined, while species composition reflects local and regional species pools that may exhibit substantial geographic variability, succession is deterministic at a functional level but stochastic at a species level.
Can there be growth without growth cones

Abstract In-vivo imaging of the development of complex retinotectal axon arbors indicates that arbors branches can form and extend in the absence of growth cones. A variety of imaging protocols were used to observe arbor elaboration over a range of time intervals and total observation periods. Growth cones are observed relatively rarely in the growing axon arbors. Branch addition, or backbranching, and branch extension occur without apparent specializations at growing branchtips. Branch addition within the elaborating axon arbor is discussed with respect to the process of interstitial branching of axon collaterals.
A benefit-risk assessment of misoprostol for cervical ripening and labour induction

Misoprostol, a prostaglandin E1 analogue, is widely used in the US and other countries for cervical ripening and labour induction. Its use for these indications is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The manufacturer of misoprostol issued a letter to American healthcare providers in August 2000, cautioning against the use of misoprostol in pregnant women and citing a lack of safety data for its use in obstetrical practice. The only FDA-approved indication in the product labelling is the treatment and prevention of intestinal ulcer disease resulting from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use. Multiple trials have proven that when applied vaginally, misoprostol is an effective agent for cervical ripening and labour induction in term pregnancy. The use of oxytocin augmentation is reduced when intravaginal misoprostol is used compared with other agents. Misoprostol use in obstetrics carries the added benefits of temperature stability at room temperature, which is unlike other prostaglandin preparations which require refrigeration or freezing, and reduced cost. However, debate continues regarding the optimal dose, dosage regimen, and route of administration. Uterine contraction abnormalities are often found in association with higher misoprostol doses (50μg or more) given vaginally or orally. Some trials also indicate increased frequencies of meconium passage, neonatal acidaemia and caesarean delivery for fetal distress in women receiving higher doses of vaginally applied misoprostol. However, most trials fail to demonstrate a significant change in the caesarean delivery rate with the use of misoprostol, although a recent meta-analysis indicated that the use of intravaginal misoprostol is associated with a lowering of the caesarean rate when compared with pooled controls. Low-dose misoprostol (25μg) is an effective agent for cervical ripening and labour induction when used in a judicious and cautious fashion. There are insufficient data to support the widespread use of oral misoprostol for cervical ripening and labor induction. Some trials suggest that this approach may be effective; however, the ideal dose and administration regimen have yet to be defined.
Solution phase synthesis of potential DNA-binding molecules based on the PNA backbone

Abstract The N -(2-aminoethyl)glycine backbone unit of PNA has been derivatized with pyreneacetic acid and acetic acid moieties to produce monomers for the synthesis of potential polyintercalators. Short oligomers containing these residues have been assembled using solution phase coupling reactions.
Attenuation of protein kinase C and cAMP-dependent protein kinase signal transduction in the neurogranin knockout mouse.

Neurogranin (Ng) is a brain-specific, postsynaptically located protein kinase C (PKC) substrate, highly expressed in the cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and amygdala. This protein is a Ca2+-sensitive calmodulin (CaM)-binding protein whose CaM-binding affinity is modulated by phosphorylation and oxidation. To investigate the role of Ng in neural function, a strain of Ng knockout mouse (KO) was generated. Previously we reported (Pak, J. H., Huang, F. L., Li, J., Balschun, D., Reymann, K. G., Chiang, C., Westphal, H., and Huang, K.-P. (2000) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 97, 11232–11237) that these KO mice displayed no obvious neuroanatomical abnormality, but exhibited deficits in learning and memory and activation of Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II. In this report, we analyzed several downstream phosphorylation targets in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate- and forskolin-treated hippocampal slices from wild type (WT) and KO mice. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate caused phosphorylation of Ng in WT mice and promoted the translocation of PKC from the cytosolic to the particulate fractions of both the WT and KO mice, albeit to a lesser extent in the latter. Phosphorylation of downstream targets, including mitogen-activated protein kinases, 90-kDa ribosomal S6 kinase, and the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) was significantly attenuated in KO mice. Stimulation of hippocampal slices with forskolin also caused greater stimulation of protein kinase A (PKA) in the WT as compared with those of the KO mice. Again, phosphorylation of the downstream targets of PKA was attenuated in the KO mice. These results suggest that Ng plays a pivotal role in regulating both PKC- and PKA-mediated signaling pathways, and that the deficits in learning and memory of spatial tasks detected in the KO mice may be the result of defects in the signaling pathways leading to the phosphorylation of CREB.
Application of the differential scanning calorimeter to purity measurements

This paper presents a new method for the calculation of the purity of organic, non-polymeric samples using the recorder trace from a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), Perkin-Elmer Corp. The entire DSC recorder trace is employed rather than only the initial portion of the curve. The previous trial and error choice of energy lost by the DSC trace has been replaced by a definite numerical value. Meaningful purity values have been obtained from a single DSC trace on samples of from 95 to 99.9% purity. This new method has been demonstrated to provide more accurate and less ambiguous results than the manufacturer's procedure.
Myocardial contractility by strain echocardiography: comparison with physiological measurements in an in vitro model

Strain echocardiography (SE) provides the rate and extent of myocardial segment shortening and lengthening. Thus we hypothesized that SE will noninvasively provide estimates of shortening velocity ...
Using Argumentation Vee Diagrams (AVDs) for Promoting Argument-Counterargument Integration in Reflective Writing.

This study examined a new prewriting tool, argumentation vee diagrams (AVDs), which are used to write reflective opinion essays. AVDs are based on the theoretical concept of argument-counterargument integration, which involves evaluating and integrating both sides of an issue before developing a final conclusion on a controversial question. In a test of the effectiveness of AVDs, 45 undergraduates at a large, southwestern university were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. Both groups wrote 4 opinion essays over a 4-week period. The experimental group also received training on using the AVDs, including instruction on criteria for weighing arguments. Results indicated that AVD training was effective in enhancing argument-counterargument integration. Furthermore, examination of integration strategies used by participants revealed a new strategy, minimization, which was not previously part of E. M. Nussbaum and G. Schraw's (2007) argument-counterargument integration framework. Minimization involves curtailing the importance or extensiveness of a problem or advantage as a heuristic shortcut for weighing advantages and disadvantages. The role of critical questions and argumentation schemata in argument-counterargument integration is discussed.
CEO compensation and the reported value of stock options in initial public offerings

– This paper aims to test the effects that different compensation policies have on managerial discretion with regard to stock options. , – Hand-collected data from Securities and Exchange Commission registration statements are used to analyze the effects of chief executive officer (CEO) compensation policies on managerial discretion used in valuing stock options. , – This paper provides evidence that during the height of the initial public offering (IPO) bubble, CEO pay was associated with the undervaluation of stock options by IPO firms. The discretion varies with the relative mix of cash vs stock-based compensation. Firms with higher cash compensation tend to undervalue the unobservable market price of pre-IPO shares, leading to lower option values and a lower likelihood of reporting in-the-money options. Firms with greater stock-based compensation understate stock volatility, resulting in lower measures of the time-value component of options. , – The results provide evidence that firms attempted to disguise the true value of CEO pay when making IPOs. By disguising the value of options granted to the CEO, outsiders were not aware of the actual cost incurred and the true value of the company. , – This paper is the first to document that IPO firms understate the non-observable market price of pre-IPO shares to manipulate the value of stock options. It also documents the effect of discretion in estimates of volatility on stock options and the link between this discretion and CEO compensation.
Content-driven detection of campaigns in social media

We study the problem of detecting coordinated free text campaigns in large-scale social media. These campaigns -- ranging from coordinated spam messages to promotional and advertising campaigns to political astro-turfing -- are growing in significance and reach with the commensurate rise of massive-scale social systems. Often linked by common "talking points", there has been little research in detecting these campaigns. Hence, we propose and evaluate a content-driven framework for effectively linking free text posts with common "talking points" and extracting campaigns from large-scale social media. One of the salient aspects of the framework is an investigation of graph mining techniques for isolating coherent campaigns from large message-based graphs. Through an experimental study over millions of Twitter messages we identify five major types of campaigns -- Spam, Promotion, Template, News, and Celebrity campaigns -- and we show how these campaigns may be extracted with high precision and recall.
Effect of service-connection on prognosis in psychiatric war veteran patients.

This study has been an attempt to arrive at a quantitative estimate of the delaying and inhibiting consequences on therapy of the fact of service-connection in neuropsychiatric patients. In 121 veterans (followed up three years after hospitalization) the frequency of recovery in non-service-connected patients was almost twice that found in service-connected patients. Failure to improve occurred approximately once and a half times more often in service-connected patients and was especially noticeable in those with conversion and dissociative reactions. Predisposing factors have an important relationship. These influences, particularly immaturity, passive dependency and basic insecurity and inferiority-which originally joined with military stresses to precipitate psychiatric illness-now combine with social pressure to foster the continuation of symptoms. The Veterans Administration, with its pensions, hospitals and other benefits, becomes a protective parent figure to which many cling and from which some relinquish their hold with great reluctance, uncertainty and apprehension. Neuropsychiatric Service
The predictive validity of safety climate

Abstract Problem Safety professionals have increasingly turned their attention to social science for insight into the causation of industrial accidents. One social construct, safety climate, has been examined by several researchers [Cooper, M. D., & Phillips, R. A. (2004). Exploratory analysis of the safety climate and safety behavior relationship. Journal of Safety Research, 35(5), 497–512; Gillen, M., Baltz, D., Gassel, M., Kirsch, L., & Vacarro, D. (2002). Perceived safety climate, job Demands, and coworker support among union and nonunion injured construction workers. Journal of Safety Research, 33(1), 33–51; Neal, A., & Griffin, M. A. (2002). Safety climate and safety behaviour. Australian Journal of Management, 27, 66–76; Zohar, D. (2000). A group-level model of safety climate: Testing the effect of group climate on microaccidents in manufacturing jobs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(4), 587–596; Zohar, D., & Luria, G. (2005). A multilevel model of safety climate: Cross-level relationships between organization and group-level climates. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 616–628] who have documented its importance as a factor explaining the variation of safety-related outcomes (e.g., behavior, accidents). Researchers have developed instruments for measuring safety climate and have established some degree of psychometric reliability and validity. The problem, however, is that predictive validity has not been firmly established, which reduces the credibility of safety climate as a meaningful social construct. The research described in this article addresses this problem and provides additional support for safety climate as a viable construct and as a predictive indicator of safety-related outcomes. Methods This study used 292 employees at three locations of a heavy manufacturing organization to complete the 16 item Zohar Safety Climate Questionnaire (ZSCQ) [Zohar, D., & Luria, G. (2005). A multilevel model of safety climate: Cross-level relationships between organization and group-level climates. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 616–628]. In addition, safety behavior and accident experience data were collected for 5 months following the survey and were statistically analyzed (structural equation modeling, confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, etc.) to identify correlations, associations, internal consistency, and factorial structures. Results Results revealed that the ZSCQ: (a) was psychometrically reliable and valid, (b) served as an effective predictor of safety-related outcomes (behavior and accident experience), and (c) could be trimmed to an 11 item survey with little loss of explanatory power. Impact on Industry Practitioners and researchers can use the ZSCQ with reasonable certainty of the questionnaire's reliability and validity. This provides a solid foundation for the development of meaningful organizational interventions and/or continued research into social factors affecting industrial accident experience.
Persistence and Space-Time: Philosophical Lessons of the Pole and Barn

Although considerations based on contemporary space-time theories, such as special and general relativity, seem highly relevant to the debate about persistence, their significance has not been duly appreciated. My goal in this paper is twofold: 1) to reformulate the rival positions in the debate (i.e. endurantism, or three-dimensionalism, and perdurantism, or four-dimensional, the doctrine of temporal parts) in the framework of special relativistic space-time; and 2) to argue that, when so reformulated, perdurantism exhibits explanatory advantages over endurantism. The argument builds on the fact that four-dimensional entities extended in space as well as time are relativistically invariant in a way three-dimensional entities are not.
Power and use of context in business management

– The purpose of this paper is to describe the role that context plays in managerial decision making. The paper aims to argue that managers increasingly need to take into account broader contexts of information in decision making. It seeks to define managerial context, how it is of use, and to provide a set of recommendations about how to integrate context into the daily work of management., – The paper approaches the topic of context by providing a definition of the concept, examples, and description of benefits of integrating context into daily work. It concludes with a proposed methodology for doing that., – The paper finds that context is an increasingly important tool for managerial decision making, particularly the more senior an executive is or the more ambiguous an issue being addressed., – The paper offers useful guidelines and approaches to the application of context into managerial work., – This paper is one of the first – if not original – discussions of the role of context in managerial decision making. It is an outgrowth of many of the findings of students of KM and managerial practices. It provides management with specific hands‐on advice.
The King of France Restored

Recent scholarship holds that unfulfilled definite descriptions do not play a role in motivating Russell’s theory of descriptions. In this paper, I make use of Gustav Bergmann’s ideal language method to develop an interpretation that restores the puzzle raised by ‘the King of France’ to the central place it once occupied in discussions of the theory of descriptions. In restoring ‘the King of France’, I show that Russell’s discussion of the problem it raises provides a decisive argument against Fregean senses, a claim that also runs counter to most recent work on the theory of descriptions.
Yttrium-Doped Hydroxyapatite Membranes with High Proton Conductivity

Fully dense yttrium-doped hydroxyapatite membranes were synthesized having aligned crystal domains that span the membrane thickness. The membranes were grown by multistage hydrothermal crystallizat...
Compositional differences among undamaged, strained, and failed regions of bone using Raman spectroscopy

Understanding compositional changes that occur when bone fails may help predict fracture risk. Compositional differences that arise among failed, strained, and undamaged regions of bone can be determined using Raman spectroscopy and double-notch specimens. A double-notch specimen is a rectangular bone beam that has identical, rounded notches milled equidistant from each end. When subjected to a four-point bend test, maximum strains occur at the roots of the notches, and eventually the bone fractures at one of the notches. Because both notches experience the same force, when one notch breaks, the other is 'frozen' in the state directly preceding fracture. Spectra taken at the roots of both the unbroken and fractured notches can measure changes in tissue that occur prior to and after bone failure, respectively. Phosphate center of gravities (CGs) were calculated and compared among three regions: control, strained (root of unbroken notch), and failed (root of fractured notch). In comparison to control regions, the phosphate CGs near the unbroken notch showed a shift toward higher wavenumbers ( > 0.5 cm-1), with the shift being concentrated at the corners of the notch. The tissue in the failed region appears to have relaxed, and showed a shift toward higher wavenumbers ( > 0.5 cm-1) only near the edge of the fracture.© (2008) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Histopathologic and electron-microscopic features of corneal and scleral collagen fibers in osteogenesis imperfecta type III.

• Background: This report describes the histopathologic and electron-microscopie features of an eye from a patient with osteogenesis imperfecta type III. In particular, the diameters of corneal stromal and scleral collagen fibers were determined. • Methods: The eyes of an 18-year-old white male with osteogenesis imperfecta type III were examined by light arid electron microscopy arid the pathological features were compared with an age-matched control eye. • Results: The cornea was clear. The sclera had a blue color and was moderately thinned, especially at the equator. Light microscopy revealed absence of Bowman's layer. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed complete absence of Bowman's layer without evidence of scarring or inflammation. The collagen fibers of the corneal stromal lamellae were about 25% narrower than in the control, but the cornea was otherwise unremarkable ultrastructurally. The collagen fibers of the sclera were approximately 50% narrower than in the control and were much more uniform in size. Prominent portions of clastic fibers, which are usually only present in a small number in the inner portion of the sclera, were prescrit throughout the sclera. • Conclusion: We propose that it is the uniformity of the scleral collagen fibers which gives the sclera translucence, producing the blue color often observed clinically in osteogenesis imperfecta. Absence of Bowman's layer of the cornea did not interfere with the stability of the cornea in this case. This appears to be the first published pathological examination of the eye in ostcogenesis imperfecta type III.