cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Use of the Computer as a Tool for Assessment and Research in Pastoral Care

Numerous articles have been written that are critical of the pastoral care and chaplaincy profession for its failure to utilize quantitative instruments for clinical care and research. This paper presents an instrument and methodology for collecting data using the computer as an assessment tool. It also presents initial research data indicating the constructive relationship between religious faith and healing.
Development of Activity of 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase in Human Fetal Tissues and in Two Anencephalic Newborns

The histochemical distribution of activities of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) with DHA and DHAS as substrates, and of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) with testosterone and estradiol-17β as substrates, has been studied in the steroidogenic endocrine tissues and the liver of several normal human fetuses, and of 2 anencephalic infants. Activity of 3β-HSD first appears in testicular Leydig cells during the second month of gestation, rises rapidly to a maximum at the time of urethral fold closure during the third month, and decreases to the end of gestation. Activity of this enzyme next appears about the beginning of the fourth month, both in the adrenal neocortex in both sexes, and in ovarian follicular cells, and rises rapidly to a maximum during the period of urethrovaginal differentiation. Activity of this enzyme is minimal to absent in the adrenal fetal zone throughout gestation. In hepatic cells, staining by this enzymatic activity increases roughly in proportion to fetal age, while...
Real-Time Signal And Image Thresholding Using Advanced Low-Pass Filtering

Real-time signal and image processing techniques have recently gained popularity, due to its importance in many potential applications such as communications, robotic vision, military target detection, and part inspection. This paper presents a simple scheme for thresholding signals and grayscale images dynamically and in real-time. The scheme utilizes the transfer function of a simple low-pass filter and an advanced zero-order hold device where the input is the raw signal or the image' s grayscale values, and the output is the corresponding dynamic thresholds. The scheme features high reliability of the results and is effectively applicable for signals and images with different background illumination and different shape, such as noisy step signals, ramp signals, or their combination. Software and hardware experiments have confirmed the method' s viability.
Assessing the costs of regulation: The case of dual trading

THE practice of dual trading in futures exchanges across the United States has existed since the advent of organized futures markets in the mid-1800s. Under a dual trader market-making system, market makers are permitted to execute transactions for customers and on personal account. With two sources of income to cover the costs of operationbrokerage commissions and dealer/speculator p ofits-dual trader markets have greater numbers of market makers than otherwise comparable markets that permit traders to earn income from only brokerage or dealing/speculation. With more market makers, the level of competition for providing the market-making service is increased, thereby increasing market liquidity and lowering the costs of trading (that is, brokerage commissions and the bid/ask spread).1 Dual trading prevails on security and futures exchanges in the United States as well as in other countries. Grossman provides a comprehensive list of dual trader markets worldwide.2 In futures markets, a substantial proportion of total trading volume is executed by dual traders. The Com-
The levator ani muscle and the nerve supply of its puborectalis component

This study of 50 embalmed and 4 unembalmed cadavers was undertaken to try to better understand the rationale for the varied descriptions of the levator ani muscle and its components. Our findings are in harmony with those which have determined M. puborectalis to be the caudal component of the levator ani and to have superior and inferior laminae. The inferior lamina contributes significantly to the mass of the puborectalis, forming the major part of its so-called sling component that angulates the anorectal junction. The more superficial of the anterior fibers of both the M. pubococcygeus and M. puborectalis insert prerectally and contribute to what is called M. levator prostatae (pubovaginalis). Their fused borders bound the levator (urogenital) hiatus. The deeper fibers insert into the posterolateral wall of the vagina in the female. Both M. pubococcygeus and M. puborectalis also insert between the Ms. sphincter ani externus and internus, and both contribute to the postanal levator plate. The nerve supply of M. puborectalis is from the nerve to the levator ani (S 3,4) on its superior aspect, but it frequently receives an auxiliary supply from the inferior rectal and perineal branches of the pudendal nerve on its inferior aspect. The surgical significance of M. levator ani is commented on.
Protest of the Body

mbodied distress is one aspect of the development of cultural theory of human suffering. The ethnographic documentation of cultural variation in the experience of pain (Scarry 1985), maternal grief (Scheper-Hughes 1992), menopause (Lock 1993), nerves (Davis and Low 1989), and so many other forms of distress and suffering has created a critical body of knowledge that confronts and contests our own cultural and medicalized notions of bodily experience. Further, close ethnographic readings of cultural variation allow for the kind of comparison that can change our theories and understanding of specific cultural domains (Low 1985). As medical anthropologists, we struggle to understand sickness with our disciplinary tools: the analysis of the social, cultural, and political relations that produce sickness. But in this struggle, we often neglect the biological body of process, function, and structure and the physical body presented to us and inhabited by us in everyday life. This neglect has occurred partly because of the limitations of disciplinary techniques and epistemological traditions; partly because the concern has been to bring the social, political, economic, and cosmological significance of sickness to the attention of the medical world; and partly because the biological and physical aspects of the sensing body simply cannot be as easily seen or talked about by the sociocultural researcher (Low, in press). Recent critical interpretive-hermeneutic approaches, however, provide new ways to think and write about the body as it is experienced (Scheper-Hughes and Lock 1987), whether it is through figurative language (Turner 1984), emotion and movement (Desjarlais 1992), narrativity (Good 1990), or accounts of torture and terror (Jenkins 1991; Taussig 1987). Alternatively, Csordas (1990, in press) and Frank (1986) resolve the analytic dilemma through the paradigm of embodiment grounded in perception and practice that collapses the conventional distinction between subject and object. These contributions are particularly instructive in that they suggest a reconceptualization of suffering that focuses more on lived experience and less on a vocabulary of signs and symptoms. The critique of the separation of the physical and experiential body further suggests that the body is increasingly treated as a commodity and, like other commodities in our postmodern late capitalist world, is defined by its potential for generating capital. Bodies are dismembered in order to produce valuable body parts (Clark 1989) and, following the notion of "flexible capital accumulation" (Harvey 1990), are being sent to where there is the greatest demand and financial reward.
Spherical Minimal Immersions with Prescribed Codimension

We describe a general construction of manufacturing new spherical minimal immersions between round spheres out of old ones. The new immersions have higher domain dimension and degree and the construction has a precise control on the codimension. Applied to classified and recent examples, the construction gives an abundance of new spherical minimal immersions with prescribed codimensions.
Circadian rhythm dependent kanamycin-induced hearing loss in rodents assessed by auditory brainstem responses.

An antimicrobial agent, kanamycin, has been shown to produce as an untoward effect, ototoxicity. The purpose of this study was to investigate differential effects of kanamycin ototoxicity as a function of Rx timing with regard to circadian rhythms. Four groups of comparable weight Sprague-Dawley rats received a daily subcutaneous dosage of 225 mg/kg kanamycin sulfate with each receiving the antibiotic at a different time: 8 AM (8A), 2 PM (2P), 8 PM (8P), and 2 AM (2A). The rats were housed in separate cages, in a room on a light-dark (12:12) illumination cycle with light between 6 AM and 6 PM. Hearing loss was assessed with the auditory brainstem response (ABR) using pure tone stimuli at 8, 16, 24, and 32 kHz. ABR measures were obtained before dosing began and 2, 4, and 6 weeks after the initial dosing. Kanamycin produced a hearing loss which reflected the total dosage given to each group. Significant differences in physiologic thresholds were observed for both timing of the daily dosage (p < 0.05). and t...
On Capital Productivity, Input Allocation and Growth

Introduction, 86. — I. The relation between "the" capital-output ratio, the marginal product of capital, and "the" interest rate, 86. — II. From the capital-output ratio and the interest rate to innovations by way of income-shares and factor-proportions, 93. — III. Choosing the input-mix: are capital-intensive processes desirable where capital is scarce relative to labor? 95. — IV. Some comments on difficulties with the capital-output ratio; on distribution, saving and input-allocation; on theorizing about allocation and growth, 101.
Institutional Stories and Self-Stories: Investigating Peer Interpretations of Significant Disability.

This paper describes the data collected from a study that examined the participation of two students with significant disabilities in separate settings — a first‐grade classroom and a high school. Interweaving several theoretical strands — disability studies, narrative theory and socio‐cultural perspectives on learning — it incorporates an understanding of relations between students with significant disabilities and their peers that centralizes the context within which they occur. It appropriates the argument of Ferguson in 2003 that the narratives of others are critical to the development of individuals with significant disabilities and explores its meaning within the classroom. In doing thus, it implicates the institutional arrangements in each educational setting, documenting the nature of student relations that are engendered by them. Simultaneously, it draws attention to the inseparable connection between the shaping of individual student identities and the participation of classmates with severe dis...
Regions of the JAK2 tyrosine kinase required for coupling to the growth hormone receptor

Growth hormone (GH) treatment of cells promotes activation of JAK2, a GH receptor (GHR)-associated tyrosine kinase. We now explore JAK2 regions required for GHR-induced signaling. Wild-type (WT) JAK2 and JAK2 molecules with deletions of the amino terminus (JAK2ATD), carboxyl terminus (JAK2CTD), or kinase-like domain (JAK2PKD) were each transiently coexpressed in COS-7 cells with the rabbit GHR. The following responses were assayed: GH-induced transactivation of a luciferase reporter governed by a c-fos enhancer element; GH-induced shift in the molecular mass of a cotransfected epitope-tagged extracellular signal-regulated kinase molecule; and GH-induced antiphosphotyrosine immunoprecipitability of the transfected JAK2 form. In each assay, WTJAK2 and JAK2PKD allowed GH-induced signaling, whereas JAK2ATD and JAK2CTD did not. Anti-GHR serum coimmunoprecipitated WTJAK2, JAK2PKD, and JAK2CTD, but not JAK2ATD. Finally, a chimera in which the JAK2 kinase domain replaced the GHR cytoplasmic domain signaled GH-induced transactivation. We conclude: 1) kinase-like domain deletion eliminates neither physical nor functional interaction between JAK2 and the GHR; 2) kinase domain deletion eliminates functional but not physical coupling of JAK2 to the GHR; 3) interaction with the GHR appears dependent on the NH2-terminal one-fifth of JAK2; and 4) a GH-responsive signaling unit can include as little as the GHR external and transmembrane domains and the JAK2 kinase domain.
Cross-category effects of induced arousal and pleasure on the Internet shopping experience

Abstract Online retailers are likely to try to influence consumers’ shopping behavior through atmospherics and service, just as physical stores do. The impact of online atmospherics can be measured by the degree of stimulation and pleasure that is provided by a website. It is suggested that the characteristics of products and websites that are encountered early in online browsing can significantly influence the level of arousal and pleasure that consumers experience, and thereby can influence their later shopping behavior. Two experiments show that if the initial experiences encountered in a simulated Internet shopping trip are higher in pleasure, then there is a positive impact on approach behaviors and subjects engage in more arousing activities (e.g., more exploration, more tendencies to examine novel products and stores, higher response to promotional incentives). Further, if higher stimulation or information load is provided by the initial Internet experience, then consumers subsequently tend to engage in less arousing activities.
Highly biobased thermally-stimulated shape memory copolymeric elastomers derived from lignin and glycerol-adipic acid based hyperbranched prepolymer

Abstract Copolymers containing as high levels of bio-derived components were obtained mainly from two industrial byproducts, glycerol and lignin. A series of hyper branched prepolymers (HyBP) were prepared from in the first step by melt condensation of glycerol (Gly, B2B32) and adipic acid (AA, A2) and the prepolymer structure was also modified by the addition of commercially available diisopropanolamine (DIPA, DB42) and tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (THAM, CB31) units. The HyBP were reacted with lignin to form thermally-stimulated shape memory copolymeric elastomers in the second step in the same pot by melt polycondensation. The prepolymers were characterized chemically by FTIR, NMR, and ESI-MS. Thermal and rheological behaviors were analyzed by DSC, DMA, TGA and dynamic rheometry. The higher branching crosslinkers, DIPA and THAM, were shown to influence the chemical and thermal properties of the prepolymers. The hyperbranched biobased lignin-copolymers demonstrated good shape memory and elastic properties. The shape transition temperature (Ttrans) could be tuned by variations of Gly, DIPA and THAM proportions for applications under different temperature circumstances. This study demonstrates that renewable Gly and AA based prepolymers could be incorporated into lignin based copolymeric systems with high biobased contents acting as soft segment to perform shape memory effect behavior.
Epithelial ingrowth in the flap–graft interface after microkeratome-assisted posterior penetrating keratoplasty

A 79-year-old woman with pseudophakic bullous keratopathy had microkeratome-assisted posterior keratoplasty for the treatment of clinically significant corneal edema. An island of epithelial ingrowth was noted in the flap-graft interface that was not communicating with the flap periphery. Partial lifting of the anterior corneal flap and removal and irrigation of the epithelial cells were successfully performed. A review of reports of microkeratome-assisted posterior penetrating keratoplasty shows epithelial ingrowth is common after this procedure. The presence of posterior sutures, a central location of the epithelial cells, communication with the periphery, and evidence of stromal melting should prompt immediate surgical intervention.
Predicting Brain Injury Under Impact With a Strain Measure From Analytical Models

Caused by strain deformation in brain tissue, diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is one of the most devastating types of traumatic brain injury; it frequently occurs in automobile crashes. Although offering detailed anatomical structures, finite-element human head models require complete knowledge of material properties of the head and need high computational capacity. Similar to a brain injury model developed in the sagittal plane in an earlier work, an analytical model in the coronal plane is developed for brain injury study. A measure of strain for DAI prediction is presented on the basis of the two planar models. With the maximum shear strain selected as the injury indicator of DAI, the strain measure was applied to frontal and side impact tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The results of the crash reconstructions from the planar models were compared with the injury predictions using the head injury criterion and the SIMon finite-element head model. It shows that the simpl...
Longitudinal study of body composition changes associated with weight change and physical activity.

Abstract Objective Weight changes result in fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat (BF) changes. This study determined FFM and BF changes after weight gain or loss and whether these changes differ by gender, physical activity, and age. Methods Healthy volunteers, recruited between 1991 and 2003, were followed for 1 y (n = 400) or 3 y (n = 305). Active subjects performed >3 h of physical activity of ≥4.0 metabolic equivalents/wk, sedentary subjects performed Results At years 1 and 3, FFM and BF decreased with weight loss and increased with weight gain. BF was more sensitive (P 3 kg. At year 3, the association between body weight and FFM and BF change was similar between active and sedentary individuals. Conclusion Greater weight changes (>3 kg) are necessary for weight change to have a significant effect on FFM than to have an effect on BF.
The Effects of Conflict, Quality and Time on Small Group Information Use and Behavior in Evaluative Decision-Making Situations.

Abstract Graduate students simulated school board members making decisions about educational programs. Situation contexts within the program evaluation reports were varied by conflict (high, low), quality (high, low), and time (long, short). Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) of the qualitative measures m the 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design indicated significant results at the .01 level. The quality of decisions affect support for program continuation. Interactions of conflict and quality affected need for more information and more time in decision making. A conflict and time interaction affected preference to talk to other board members. Changes in situational contexts affected information need and use in small, decision making groups.
Lock‐exchange gravity currents with a low volume of release propagating over an array of obstacles

The study discusses, based on high-resolution 3-D large eddy simulation results, the evolution of lock-exchange Boussinesq gravity currents with a low volume of release (LVR) propagating over an array of identical two-dimensional (2-D) obstacles (large roughness features in the form of dunes and ribs corresponding to eroded substrates) in a rectangular horizontal channel. The study analyzes the effect of the shape and height of the roughness elements and scale effects between Reynolds numbers at which most laboratory experiments of lock-exchange currents are conducted and Reynolds numbers closer to field-scale currents in geophysical applications on the temporal variation of the front velocity, mixing, and flow structure within the gravity current. The temporal evolution of the flow instabilities (e.g., Kelvin-Helmholtz billows, forward and backward propagating interfacial waves forming as a result of the interaction of the front of the current with the obstacles) and bed friction velocity distributions are analyzed during the different stages of the evolution of the current. The focus is on the later stages of the propagation of LVR currents, after the transition to the self-similar drag-dominated regime has started. The differences between the evolution and structure of gravity currents with a low and a high volume of release are highlighted.
Posterior femoral cutaneous nerve mononeuropathy: A case report

Isolated posterior femoral cutaneous nerve (PFCN) lesions are rare, with only six cases reported in the modern literature and one case documented with a nerve conduction study. A 25-year-old woman had sensory loss in the posterolateral thigh after two right gluteal intramuscular injections. Nerve conduction studies using Dumitru's technique showed a 9microV response on the asymptomatic side, but no response on the symptomatic side, and no abnormalities on needle examination of the back and lower extremities. Although a single case does not prove the validity of a technique, this case provides the rare opportunity to demonstrate the utility of Dumitru's technique.
High Pressure Water Injection and Core Cultivation of a Compacted Putting Green

Traditional core cultivation practices are typically performed in spring and/or fall to alleviate problems associated with soil compaction on golf course putting greens. Equipment was commercially developed that provides short-time pulse injection of highly pressurized water that could relieve soil compaction stress while limiting playing surface disturbance. This study evaluated the response of 'Penncross' creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) growing on a modified loamy sand (originally a fineloamy, mixed, mesic, Typic Hapludalf) to hollow tine cultivation (HTC) and high pressure water injection cultivation (WIC). Cultivation treatments were applied three and two times in 1988 and 1989, respectively, on an experimental putting green receiving periodic compaction from rollers (50 kPa)
Incorporation of cytoplasmic vesicles into apical membrane of mammalian urinary bladder epithelium

The mammalian urinary bladder is a distensible organ which undergoes a series of slow fillings and rapid emptyings (micturition), during a 24 h period. Recent evidence suggests that the bladder epithelium undergoes a three-phase, structural change during the expansion stage of this cycle1,2. First, macroscopic multicellular folds are smoothed then microscopic folds are stretched out, resulting in a flattening of the urine-facing (apical) membrane. The last and most speculative phase is an incorporation or fusion of cytoplasmic vesicles with the apical membrane, resulting in an alteration of the cell shape from cuboidal to squamous. Such fusion of cytoplasmic vesicles is interesting not only from the point of view of the bladder as a storage reservoir for the discharge of the kidneys, but also from the perspective of hormonal regulation of the ion reabsorptive processes in this epithelium1,3. Recently, the determination of the electrical properties of the apical membrane of mammalian urinary bladder has revealed that aldosterone (a Na+-conserving hormone) increases both Na+ conductance and selectivity4. The origin of such highly Na+ selective channels is unknown. Here we report that mammalian urinary bladder epithelium accommodates stretching by incorporating into the apical membrane vesicles from a cytoplasmic pool, which are withdrawn to effect recovery from stretch. The vesicle membrane contains Na+-selective channels—this has implications for the regulation of membrane transport.
πN scattering in the vector-meson stabilized chiral soliton model

Abstract Small oscillations around the vector-meson stabilized solitons of the nonlinear sigma model are studied, and phase shifts are calculated for the spin+isospin singlet channel. The phase shifts rise quite gradually to a maximum of only about 45°, and no evidence of a resonance is found.
Alternating renewal process models for electric power system loads

Results are derived for a class of stochastic processes called alternating renewal processes that appear particularly suitable for modeling air-conditioning loads on electrical power systems. Expressions for the Laplace transforms of the nonstationary mean and the stationary autocorrelation function are obtained. If the on-duration and off-duration random variables have gamma distributions of the particular type known as Erlang-n, then the transforms will turn out to be rational functions. Therefore, this class of air-conditioning loads can be characterized by the poles and zeros of these functions. Moreover, pole and zero locations determined empirically under quasi-equilibrium conditions can be used to predict the payback transient. How these results permit the prediction of transient behavior after an outage based on measurements taken under nominal conditions is explained. >
The Situation of Social Constructionism Its `hnprisonment' within the Ritual of Theory-Criticism-and-Debate

In a recent exchange in Theory & Psychology, in which (mostly Gergen's) social constructionism was the subject of some criticism, Gergen (2001a) remarked toward the end of his response, 'I no longer find the tradition of argumentation a viable one. . . . Yet in order to sustain the dialogue, I find myself nevertheless drawn into the ritual' (p. 431). He does not, however, expand any further on this comment. Yet, as he is someone committed to the view that constructions are 'social artefacts, products of historically situated interchanges among people' (Gergen, 1985, p. 267), we feel that he should. For, to the extent that he is a participant in 'the Ritual' (the ritual of theory-criticism-and-debate), it is constitutive of his own identity. Indeed, there is thus something strangely paradoxical in all discussions of social constructionist theory and meta- theory within the Ritual. For participant theorists still all center their talk— talk of theoretical concepts and ideas, of theoretical structures, and of how such structures might explain human conduct—within their own self- contained consciousnesses. As a consequence, although many would like to think of themselves as having moved away from a philosophy centered in the thought and ideas of individuals, such talk fails to achieve its aim. In ignoring the fact that the topics of their talk, their debates, exist only as joint achievements, they pass each other by. In this article, we explore what is entailed in re-situating social constructionism within the dialogically structured, spontaneously responsive, living events occurring between ourselves and the others and othernesses around us.
Estimating critical path and arc probabilities in stochastic activity networks

This article describes a new procedure for estimating parameters of a stochastic activity network of N arcs. The parameters include the probability that path m is the longest path, the probability that path m is the shortest path, the probability that arc i is on the longest path, and the probability that arc i is on the shortest path. The proposed procedure uses quasirandom points together with information on a cutset ℋ of the network to produce an upper bound of O[(log K)N−|ℋ|+1/K] on the absolute error of approximation, where K denotes the number of replications. This is a deterministic bound and is more favorable than the convergence rate of 1/K1/2 that one obtains from the standard error for K independent replications using random sampling. It is also shown how series reduction can improve the convergence rate by reducing the exponent on log K. The technique is illustrated using a Monte Carlo sampling experiment for a network of 16 relevant arcs with a cutset of ℋ = 7 arcs. The illustration shows the superior performance of using quasirandom points with a cutset (plan A) and the even better performance of using quasirandom points with the cutset together with series reduction (plan B) with regard to mean square error. However, it also shows that computation time considerations favor plan A when K is small and plan B when K is large.
The effects of long-term malathion or diazinon ingestion on the activity of hepatic synthesized clotting factors

Female Sprague-Dawley rats were placed on a drinking solution of 1 ppm Diazinon or malathion dissolved in water for 6 months. At the conclusion of the experiment liver tissue and plasma were examined. Clotting studies included the prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen, and factors II, V, VII, X, plus the platelet count. Hepatic morphology, basically hepatocyte degeneration, was altered by malathion while diazinon had no notable effect. Likewise, malathion prolonged both the PT and APTT, the only changes in clotting activity.
Sesquiterpene lactones of sagebrush: The structure of artecanin

Abstract Artemisia cana Pursh ssp. cana collected in Montana contained desacetylmatricarin, canin, artecanin and artevasin. Artecanin has been shown to have the structure 3 on the basis of the physical and spectral properties. The structure of canin has been revised to 2 .
Carbon dioxide as an attractant for host-seeking Cephenemyia females (Diptera: Oestridae).

VARIOUS workers have found that the blood-feeding sexes of almost all taxa of haematophagous arthropods are attracted to and captured in traps emitting carbondioxide1–9, but so far only one female specimen of an oestrid species10 has been reported captured in an insect trap baited with CO2. Oldroyd11 has noted that, although many species of bot flies (Diptera: Oestridae) are known from grazing mammals, little is known about these parasites primarily because the adults are so rarely seen or collected. Although moderate numbers of males of certain species have been collected at mountain or hill top mating sites12,13, the rareness in collections of females captured in the wild is striking14. About the only time females are seen in the wild is the brief period when a host is visited by a larvipositing or ovipositing female.
Differential susceptibility to hypoxia aids estuarine invasion

I examined the resistance of 2 competing estuarine mudsnails, Cerithidea californica (native) and Batillaria attramentaria (exotic), to mortality from microbes and associated alteration of the abiotic environment (i.e., hypoxia). B. attramentaria is displacing C. californica from salt marshes of northern California where the 2 species overlap. I first examined the mortality and distribution of the snails during 2 natural experiments in Bolinas salt marsh (Marin Co., California, USA) that exposed the snails to high bacteria levels and low oxygen conditions for prolonged periods (>3 wk). Second, I conducted 2 laboratory experiments designed to quantify the rates and mechanisms of snail mortality related to bacterial activity. In both the field and the lab, B. attramentaria was significantly more resistant to death by low oxygen. Lab experiments demonstrated that indirect effects of bacte- ria, i.e., low oxygen levels (as opposed to direct infection by bacteria), were responsible for the high mortality rate of C. californica. In the field, C. californica seemed able to mitigate effects of hypoxia by migrating away from sources of high stress, but only when the harmful bacterial activity was highly localized. Ultimately this study illustrates that stress from microbial action differentially affects the 2 competing species and thus contributes to the invader's documented displacement of the native in marshes where they co-occur. Given the growing incidence of eutrophication and associated anoxic conditions in near-shore aquatic environments worldwide, differential susceptibility to hypoxia/anoxia may increasingly contribute to the outcomes of biological invasions in these habitats.
Dextrocardia: Technical Aspects of Reoperative Aortic and Tricuspid Valve Replacement

Tricuspid and aortic valve replacement was performed on a 50-year old man with dextrocardia, situs solitus, D-ventricular looping, and normally related great arteries. Twenty-two years earlier the patient had undergone repair of an incomplete atrioventricu lar canal and mitral valve replacement. The anatomic issues and operative considerations are discussed for aortic and tricuspid valve replacement in this anatomic situation with special emphasis on tricuspid valve replacement through a right ventriculotomy. Six months after surgery, New York Heart Association functional class improved from class III preoperatively, to class II.
Adjuvant chemotherapy in head and neck cancer.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) accounts for approximately 5% of all cancers in the United States, and approximately 40,400 new cases will be diagnosed in 1999. 13 Worldwide, SCCHN is an even greater public health problem, with an estimated 500,000 new cases occurring annually. Approximately one third of newly diagnosed patients present with early stage disease that is amenable to cure with either surgery or radiation therapy. In the two thirds of patients who present with locally advanced disease, as many as 60% will experience locoregional relapse within 2 years. 3 Distant metastases are found in fewer than 20% of patients at initial diagnosis. 26 In general, SCCHN tends to be a locoregional disease at diagnosis and treatment has traditionally involved surgery with or without postoperative irradiation. Chemotherapy for SCCHN has been applied in three settings: as neoadjuvant or induction chemotherapy before locoregional treatment with surgery or radiation, as concurrent chemoradiation therapy for advanced disease, or as adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy, usually with radiation. In some of the literature for SCCHN, the term adjuvant has been applied to any chemotherapy given with locoregional therapy. For the purposes of this discussion, adjuvant chemotherapy is considered to be treatment administered after definitive locoregional therapy with the intent of improving long-term cure rates. Trials of postoperative adjuvant therapy in SCCHN have focused largely on patients with advanced disease at diagnosis, who with currently available treatments have a 5-year survival rate of only 30%. 26 Unfortunately, clinical trials for the adjuvant therapy of SCCHN have included a variety of patients from the three settings described previously and therefore comprise a heterogeneous patient population, making interpretation of available data difficult. This article discusses the role of adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy, with emphasis on data available from randomized trials.
A novel method for computing the partition function of Markov random field images using Monte Carlo simulations

The authors present a new Monte Carlo simulation technique for the estimation of the partition function of a general Markov random field (MRF), which results in unbiased, consistent and asymptotically efficient estimates. This technique gives extremely accurate results, as demonstrated by simulations. Use of more efficient algorithms can boost the performance and accuracy of the method, and yield more reliable estimates. >
Reclaiming Futures considers an anti-oppressive frame to decrease disparities

Abstract The Reclaiming Futures mandate is to improve substance abuse service interventions within the juvenile justice system, and concurrently to ensure that racial disparities are avoided. But traditional efforts to reduce disparities have not been adequate to preclude these almost universal trends from reappearing in the initiative. In response, the authors have introduced anti-oppressive practice (AOP) to the initiative, beginning first with workshops at the national gatherings, and following up with webinars, discipline-specific training for judges, probation professionals, alcohol and drug treatment professionals, community members, and project directors, and finally, an in-depth course to advance the approach more deeply into the initiative. This paper begins with a review of the status of racial disparities in the United States, and shares details of the evolution of Reclaiming Futures to consider an innovative response to such disparities, namely anti-oppressive practice. We detail the ways in which AOP has been incorporated into Reclaiming Futures. The paper then discusses two key elements of our initiative: the theoretical and conceptual elements of AOP that make it a desirable approach to reducing disparities, and an introduction to the core competencies that are affiliated with AOP. We anticipate that this paper will be of interest to program administrators and service providers who are searching for practice innovations that offer a positive prognosis for reducing racial disparities.
Movable lobes and flexible loops in proteins Structural deformations that control biochemical activity

Two classes of protein whose structure is modified by small ligands are reviewed. Proteins of one group contain two massive domains joined by a flexible link; in response to small molecules, the two lobes approach and enclose the ligand. In the other, a short segment of amino acids moves as a flexible loop over the ligand which often is trapped in a non-aqueous environment. Biochemical reaction rates are altered dramatically by these movements.
INTERLOCKED INFECTIONS: THE HEALTH BURDENS OF SYNDEMICS OF NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

Tropical disease syndemics, the adverse morbidity-enhancing interaction of two or more neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), like the diseases that comprise them, have been largely unrecognized and generally neglected. However, their role in contributing to the health burden of the poor is significant. This paper presents syndemics as a new theoretical perspective with which to develop a comprehensive approach to understand and respond to the health consequences of adverse interactions among NTDS and between NTDs and other diseases. Specifically the paper examines local social factors and macro-level political economic factors that are both the ultimate source and ultimate arbiter of public and medical responses to syndemics of NTDs.
Independent risk factors for prolonged postoperative ileus development

Abstract Background Postoperative ileus (POI) has a significant impact on patient wellbeing, and with a 15% incidence in colectomy patients costs US hospitals >$1.3 billion per year. Although some causative mechanisms have been identified, little is known about what places patients at risk for ileus. We aimed to identify factors that independently influence the development of POI. Materials and methods Patients who underwent elective surgery between 2011 and 2012 were identified from the colectomy-specific American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and demographics, comorbidities, preoperative treatments, and operative characteristics were evaluated as risk factors using multivariate analyses. Results A total of 9734 patients were included in this analysis; 1364 (14%) were found to have POI. Patients who developed an ileus were more likely to develop any postoperative complication, to be readmitted, and require reoperation compared with patients without POI. In addition, we identified 13 independent risk factors for POI. Conclusions Five modifiable risk factors for development of POI were identified as follows: smoking, weight loss, preoperative oral antibiotics, mechanical bowel preparation, and surgical approach. These identifications provide insight into possible targets for preoperative modification, which may lead to improvements in patients' quality of life and influence outcomes such as postoperative complications, readmission, and reoperation.
Using agile management to share course projects among multiple classes

Project based courses have become popular as a way of engaging students and providing practical experiences. Sharing a single project between two course provides advantages of permitting more focus on the subject of each class, larger projects (more help and expertise is available) and greater opportunities for coordinated team work, and to appreciate how disciplines interact. A disadvantage is scheduling and managing class activities and risk to assure that useful project work is done at a pace benefiting both classes. This paper describes an experience in which an agile approach was used to successfully coordinate project activities among a software development course and a user interaction design course.
Gastrocystoplasty: technical and metabolic characteristics of the most versatile childhood bladder augmentation modality.

Abstract The authors report on 23 patients who underwent complex continent urinary reconstructions, made successful by the selection of gastrocystoplasty as the chosen augmentation modality. The mean patient age was 6.1 years, and the mean weight was 17.9 kg. The minimum follow-up period was 1.5 years. The bladder capacity increased from a preoperative mean of 77.8 ± 52.2 (SD) mL to a postoperative mean of 303.5 ± 117.4 mL ( P
Deformable model and HMM-based tracking, analysis and recognition of gestures and faces

In this paper we present a framework for the shape and motion estimation and recognition of faces and gestures. We first present physics-based modeling techniques for the 3D shape and motion estimation of humans based on single and multiple views as well as the integration of visual cues such as edges and optical flow. We then demonstrate that the reliable recognition of gesture and American Sign Language (ASL) in particular, requires the use of 3D tracking data, ASL phonology and modifications to the traditional use of Hidden Markov Models.
Cross sections for OH transitions due to electron impact on water molecules

We have measured absolute cross sections for electrons (9-700 eV) incident on water molecules. By fitting synthetic vibrational bands to the experimental emission spectra, we measured the emission cross sections for the OH A {sup 2}{sigma}{sup +}-X {sup 2}{pi} (0,0), (0,1), (1,0), (1,1), (2,1), (2,2), (3,2), and (3,3) bands. The branching fractions from our cross sections are consistent with those we measured in the emission of a rf discharge and with our calculated transition rates. We have also calculated apparent level cross sections for the A {sup 2}{sigma}{sup +}v{sup '}=0, 1, 2, and 3 vibrational levels where the effects of predissociation are obvious.
Perceptions of dental esthetics among older African Americans

Older adults have greater potential for issues with the appearance of their teeth than other age groups. Conditions including missing teeth, fractured or missing restorations, and excessive tooth wear are common and may potentially affect individuals' perceptions of their dental esthetics. These perceptions about dental conditions may be significant because previous research suggests that they may impact elders' quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the esthetic ranking of specific dental conditions by a population of African American elderly, utilizing methods similar to those of an earlier study of older Caucasians. These methods were designed to determine whether specific oral/facial and dental conditions were associated with similar perceptions of esthetics in a series of computer-adjusted images regardless of gender or any other facial characteristics. Our results suggest that, among the conditions studied, perceptions of dental esthetics of elderly African Americans were similar to those of Caucasians.
Luni-solar 18.6- and solar cycle 10–11-year signals in Chinese dryness-wetness indices

Power spectrum analysis of 81 long and 202 short Chinese dryness-wetness indices yields evidence for two peaks with periods near 18.6 and 10.5 years, both of which are statistically significant at confidence levels of 99.9 per cent. They are identified as induced by the 18.6-year luni-solar, Mn, constituent tide and a 10–11-year solar cycle, Sc, variation in the Sun's luminosity of the order of 0.1 per cent. Amplitude and phase of Mn wavetrains are highly non-stationary with respect to both time and geography; in particular, abrupt 180° phase changes in wave polarity are often observed. Amplitude and phase of Sc waves are also highly non-stationary, with those in northern China out of phase with waves in the south since 1895 (they were in phase from 1815 to 1845). For the 202 short records variance contribution of the two signals to total variance in raw data varied from 6 per cent to 53 per cent, with a mean of 22 per cent, again demonstrating their extreme non-stationarity. Construction of a dry and very dry drought index (DVDI) shows that since 1470 by far the most prolonged, continuous, and serious drought (due to constructive interference and concomitant high amplitudes of the two waves) occurred from 1633 to 1643; the Ming Dynasty collapsed in 1644 and, in agreement with Hameed and Gong (1990), it is concluded that this climatic disaster was a causal factor in the fall of the Ming Empire.
Compliance with the Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines for hyperlipidemia in a resident-run ambulatory clinic: A retrospective data analysis

Background One in every six adults (16.3% of the U.S. adult population) has high total cholesterol levels, and they are at double the risk of heart disease compared with people with optimal levels. Objective To evaluate compliance of internal medicine residents with the latest National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) guidelines in treating patients with hyperlipidemia. Design Retrospective observational study. Setting Ambulatory Clinic, Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts. Patients Patients with a diagnosis of hyperlipidemia who attended the clinic during a 1-ear period, from December 2009 to November 2010. Measurements A review of medical records was conducted to evaluate residents' compliance with the NCEP-ATP III guidelines for LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol management. Results Seven hundred seventy charts were reviewed. Only 212 (27.5%) met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of data revealed better compliance with drug therapy (44%−77%) and therapeutic lifestyle changes (44%−83%) when compared with follow-up recommendations (22%−31%). An increase in compliance also was noted in all areas of intervention when patients had an abnormal lipid profile. Limitations Compliance was assessed on the basis of electronic medical record documentation alone and hence we may be underestimating compliance with therapeutic lifestyle changes and follow-up recommendations. Conclusion Compliance among internal medicine residents in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with hyperlipidemia according to NCEP-ATP III guidelines was suboptimal and needs improvement.
Earthquake Shaking Hazard Estimates and Exposure Changes in the Conterminous United States

A large portion of the population of the United States lives in areas vulnerable to earthquake hazards. This investigation aims to quantify population and infrastructure exposure in places within t...