cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Colocation Quotient: A New Measure of Spatial Association Between Categorical Subsets of Points. 协同区位商：点集分类子集间空间关联性的新度量标准

This article presents a new metric we label the colocation quotient (CLQ), a measurement designed to quantify (potentially asymmetrical) spatial association between categories of a population that may itself exhibit spatial autocorrelation. We begin by explaining why most metrics of categorical spatial association are inadequate for many common situations. Our focus is on where a single categorical data variable is measured at point locations that constitute a population of interest. We then develop our new metric, the CLQ, as a point-based association metric most similar to the cross-k-function and join count statistic. However, it differs from the former in that it is based on distance ranks rather than on raw distances and differs from the latter in that it is asymmetric. After introducing the statistical calculation and underlying rationale, a random labeling technique is described to test for significance. The new metric is applied to economic and ecological point data to demonstrate its broad utility. The method expands upon explanatory powers present in current point-based colocation statistics.
Redox equilibria and kinetics of iron in a borosilicate glass-forming melt

Abstract The redox element that is most often prevalent in glass-forming melts is iron. Fundamental equilibrium and kinetic properties pertaining to the oxidation-reduction reactions of iron in glass melts are thus of prime importance in understanding the basic chemistry of redox species in such systems. A comprehensive study of the redox equilibria and kinetics of iron, Fe(III)-Fe(II)-Fe(0), in the borosilicate glass melt SRL131 (57.9 wt.% SiO2, 1.0% TiO2, 0.5% ZrO2, 14.7% B2O3, 0.5% La2O3, 2.0% MgO, 17.7% Na2O, and 5.7% Li2O) has been completed. Composition SRL131, Savannah River Laboratory glass frit 131, is a typical waste form under consideration for the immobilization of nuclear waste and has also been widely used as a reference melt for the characterization of glasses. The iron redox equilibria have been determined as a function of the melt temperature, imposed oxygen fugacity, and total iron content of the melt. Iron redox kinetics in a melt, whereby a system initially at equilibrium is perturbed by a change in imposed oxygen fugacity so that the kinetics of equilibrium re-establishment can be monitored, have been measured as a function of the melt temperature and total iron content of the melt. Such kinetic information has been related to the diffusion of oxygen through the melt.
Dopamine Uptake Changes Associated with Cocaine Self-Administration

The present study was designed to reveal the relationship between cocaine-induced dopamine uptake changes and patterns of cocaine self-administration observed under a fixed-ratio schedule. Cocaine was intravenously infused into anesthetized rats, according to inter-infusion intervals obtained from self-administering animals, and dopamine uptake changes (apparent K(m)) were assessed in the nucleus accumbens using voltammetry. The data demonstrate that cocaine-induced dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibition accounts for the accumbal dopamine fluctuations, which are associated with the cyclic regularity of cocaine intake observed during self-administration. Specifically, the inter-infusion intervals that are maintained during cocaine self-administration correlate with the maintenance of a rapidly changing level of dopamine uptake inhibition, which appears to be tightly regulated. Furthermore, this maintained level of dopamine uptake inhibition was found to shift upward using intervals from animals that had shown an escalation in the rate of cocaine self-administration. Although no significant change in the apparent K(m) was revealed in animals that exhibited an escalation in the rate of cocaine intake, an increased dopamine uptake rate was found suggesting an upregulation of DAT number in response to a history of high cocaine intake. This is the first demonstration of the tight correlation that exists between the level of dopamine uptake inhibition and rates of cocaine self-administration. Moreover, a new mathematical model was created that quantitatively describes the changes in cocaine-induced dopamine uptake and correctly predicts the level of dopamine uptake inhibition. This model permits a computational interpretation of cocaine-induced dopamine uptake changes during cocaine self-administration.
Testing and Contesting Classical Rhetorics

This essay argues that classical Greek rhetoric was informed by the ethic of competition and the aesthetic of exhibition and performance. It proposes that this rhetoric can be profitably studied in the terms of the Sophistical, Platonic, Isocratean, and Aristotelian perspectives. The essay recalls the author's early experiences with rhetoric and articulates the logic of his Sophistical Rhetoric in Classical Greece. At the same time, it promises a theatrical play (in the spirit of Plato's Symposium) that illustrates the four perspectives.
Effects of age, stimuli, and category recognition factors in children's inquiry behavior.

Abstract One hundred twenty-eight children of average intellectual ability from grades K, 1, 2, and 5 (ages 6, 7, 8, and 11, respectively) were administered a 20-questions task involving the presentation of 24 stimulus pictures and a forced-choice post-test. The four-factor design included four grade levels, two stimulus conditions (basic-level and superordinate), and two instruction conditions (cueing and non-cueing) for boys and girls. Results indicated older children generated more efficient questions, all children in the Cued-instruction condition asked more constraint-seeking questions in the Basic-level condition than in the Superordinate condition on the 20-questions task, and all children in the Basic-level condition selected more efficient questions in the post-test forced-choice task than in Superordinate condition. It was concluded that even younger school-age children will generate efficient constraint-seeking questions when Basic-level stimuli are used and when children are cued.
Massive labeled solar image data benchmarks for automated feature recognition

This paper introduces standard benchmarks for automated feature recognition using solar image data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission. We combine general purpose image parameters extracted in-line from this massive data stream of images with reported solar event metadata records from automated detection modules to create a variety of eventlabeled image datasets. These new large-scale datasets can be used for computer vision and machine learning benchmarks as-is, or as the starting point for further data mining research and investigations, the results of which can also aide understanding and knowledge discovery in the solar science community. Here we present an overview of the dataset creation process, including data collection, analysis, and labeling, which currently spans over two years of data and continues to grow with the ongoing mission. We then highlight two case studies to evaluate several data labeling methodologies and provide real world examples of our dataset benchmarks. Preliminary results show promising capability for the recognition of solar flare events and the classification of active and quiet regions of the Sun.
2014 Presidential Address: Stop Diabetes—It Is Up to Us

This address was delivered by Elizabeth R. Seaquist, MD, President, Medicine & Science, of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) at the Association’s 74th Scientific Sessions in San Francisco, CA, on 15 June 2014. Dr. Seaquist is a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she holds the Pennock Family Chair in Diabetes Research. She has been an ADA volunteer since 1987 and has served on several national committees and chaired the Association’s workgroup on Hypoglycemia in Diabetes. At the local level, she served a 2-year term as cochair of the ADA EXPO in Minneapolis. Dr. Seaquist is a clinical investigator interested in the complications of diabetes. Her research focuses on the effect of diabetes on brain metabolism structure and function. She directs the University of Minnesota site for the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) and Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study(GRADE) trials and has an active clinical practice. She was the 2009 recipient of the ADA’s Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award. Dr. Seaquist holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, and a doctorate in medicine from the University of Minnesota. She is board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism. The ADA and Diabetes Care thank Dr. Seaquist for her outstanding leadership and service to the Association.
Prenatal Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) target ion channels and neurotransmitter systems in the brain; these same targets are responsible for regulation of processes essential for brain development. In this review, experimental findings on adverse effects of AEDs in the developing mammalian brain will be presented, including interference with physiological apoptotic cell death, cell proliferation and migration, neurogenesis, axonal arborization, synaptogenesis, and synaptic plasticity.
Response relationships between juvenile salmon and an autonomous sensor in turbulent flow

Abstract Juvenile fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawythscha) and an autonomous sensor device (Sensor Fish) were exposed to turbulent shear flows to determine how hydraulic conditions affected fish injury response. Studies were designed to establish correlation metrics between Sensor Fish device measurements and live fish injuries by conducting concurrent releases in a range of turbulent shear flows. Comparisons were made for two exposure scenarios. In the fast-fish-to-slow-water scenario, test fish were carried by the fast-moving water of a submerged turbulent jet into the standing water of a flume. In the slow-fish-to-fast-water scenario, test fish were introduced into a turbulent jet from standing water through an introduction tube placed just outside the edge of the jet. Motion-tracking analysis was performed on high-speed, high-resolution digital videos of all the releases at water jet velocities ranging from 3 to 22.9 m s−1. Velocities of the Sensor Fish were very similar to those of live fish, but maximum accelerations of live fish were larger than those of Sensor Fish for all the nozzle velocities of both scenarios. A 10% probability of major injury threshold was found to occur at Sensor Fish accelerations of 513 and 260 m s−2 for the fast-fish-to-slow-water and slow-fish-to-fast-water scenarios, respectively. The findings provide a linkage between laboratory experiments of fish injury, field survival studies, and numerical modeling.
Municipal and private sector response to decentralization and school choice

A large number of developing nations are in the process of decentralizing basic education with the aim of diversifying revenue sources and introducing greater accountability and efficiency. This paper examines the effects of the reform in Chile which introduced the first significant reform in 1981. This reform kept most of the responsibility for educational finance with the Ministry of Education but transferred the responsibility for delivering services to municipalities and non-profit schools. In response to this reform, municipalities increased their finance of public schools, and the supply of subsidized-private education increased dramatically. By 1990 enrollment in subsidized-private schools represented about one-third of total primary-secondary school enrollments. Municipal finance, which is closely tied to municipal fiscal capacity, has created inequities in school expenditures, even though it represents only ten percent of total revenues. Variations in the private school market share across municipalities are principally explained by the ease of market entry, family socioeconomic status, and the relative performance of public and private schools; this model does not offer a satisfactory explanation of the growth in private school enrollments in Chile over time. The effect of the reform on cost-effectiveness is ambiguous. Ministry of Education non-teacher employment declined by over half, cognitive test also declined. There is some evidence that the growth in private school enrollments may have improved overall efficiency since private schools are found to be slightly more cost-effective than public schools.
Interbasin flow revisited: The contribution of local recharge to high-discharge springs, Death Valley, CA

Springs in the Furnace Creek area (Texas, Travertine, and Nevares Springs) of Death Valley National Park exhibit high discharge rates and depleted δ18OVSMOW (∼−13‰) and δDVSMOW (∼−102‰) values. Isotopic depletion of this magnitude and large spring fluxes (∼10,000 L/min) suggests that modern local recharge in the arid Furnace Creek drainage cannot be responsible for spring fluxes. An alternate explanation, interbasin flow, is difficult to envisage due to the stratigraphic and structural relationships of bedrock in intervening ranges, although it is the most common conceptual model for Furnace Creek spring flows. High-flux springs at Furnace Creek nonetheless respond modestly to modern climate in terms of discharge rate and isotopic composition. Hydrographs show a climate response and variations in time-series stable isotope data of widely spaced springs track one another. Small, but measurable quantities of tritium (<0.2 TU) were found at Nevares Spring, also suggesting a component of modern recharge. Thus, whatever the main source of water for these springs may be, there appears to be a subtle, but recent climatic influence. Estimates of flow at nearby mountain springs produce discharge rates per square kilometer of catchment that, by analogy, could support from 20 to 300% of the flow at large Death Valley springs under the current climate. Yet, 14C model ages suggest valley-bottom springs at Furnace Creek (5500–14,500 yr) contain a large component of older water, suggesting that much of the water was recharged during a pluvial period (Younger Dryas?) when net infiltration would have been much higher and isotopically depleted. 14C model ages are also of similar age, or younger, than many ‘up gradient’ waters, rather than being older as would be expected for interbasin flow. Chemical evolution models of solutes are consistent with both local recharge and interbasin transfer from Ash Meadows. However, when considered with isotopic constraints, interbasin flow becomes obviously untenable. Estimates of the thickness of alluvium and semi-consolidated Tertiary units in the Furnace Creek drainage seem to provide adequate storage, confinement, and upward leakage to accommodate current discharge. Thus, although Death Valley is the ultimate discharge location for regional groundwaters in terms of potential, careful study of these springs suggests that most of their flux is supported by local pluvial recharge, suggesting that a careful re-evaluation of the interbasin transfers be conducted on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, regional flow models that are built on the concept of interbasin flow provide boundary flux conditions for site-scale models for the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Thus, site-scale models may over-predict the potential transport of waste from the Yucca Mountain facility.
Patient with double heterozygosity for achondroplasia and pseudoachondroplasia, with comments on these conditions and the relationship between pseudoachondroplasia and multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, Fairbank type

We present a 7 1/2-year-old girl with achondroplasia and pseudoachondroplasia. Her mother has achondroplasia and her father has pseudoachondroplasia. Radiographic manifestations of these two conditions from infancy to age 6 years are outlined. The findings in this patient are compared with those of achondroplastic patients and pseudoachondroplastic patients of similar ages. Our review of radiographs of many pseudoachondroplastic patients and subsequently of those of patients with multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED), Fairbank type, reinforced our opinion that pseudoachondroplasia and multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, Fairbank type, are closely related conditions. MED, Fairbank type, may be the mildest form of pseudoachondroplasia. Recently published electron microscopic findings also suggest this.
Quantification of alternatively spliced RUSH mRNA isoforms by QRT-PCR and IP-RP-HPLC analysis: a new approach to measuring regulated splicing efficiency

Abstract Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) and the ion-pair reverse-phase (IP-RP)-HPLC product purification and detection system were developed to facilitate the isolation and proportional quantification of alternatively spliced RUSH mRNAs. RUSH isoforms result from alternative splicing of a 57-bp exon and encode SNF/SWI-related proteins that bind to the uteroglobin promoter. QRT-PCR was performed using total RNA, and a pair of primers designed to flank the 57-bp exon. When more than one splice variant was expressed, IP-RP-HPLC identified the specific homoduplex products, as well as the heteroduplexes formed as a consequence of partial sequence complementarity between the products. Data analysis included the correct re-allocation of heteroduplex components to achieve accurate quantitation of changes in the relative levels of RUSH message isoforms. The preferential expression of the RUSH-1 α isoform by all the tissues except estrous uterine endometrium and lactating mammary gland indicates RUSH pre-mRNAs are alternatively spliced in a tissue-specific manner. A 61-fold difference in the relative rate of RUSH pre-mRNA splicing is indicated by the difference in the ratios of RUSH mRNA isoforms from uterine endometrium and testis. Clearly, QRT-PCR and IP-RP-HPLC are powerful and versatile tools for the detection and quantitation of mRNA splice variants.
Safety issues in SPS wireless power transmission

Abstract The use of wireless power transmission in Space Solar Power (SSP) activities creates significant policy issues regarding the beam right-of-way. There will not be a single beam, there may well be hundreds of beams for economical systems. Are some or all of these power beams to be afforded priorities of space for unobstructed power delivery, or must the beaming systems be designed to be capable of detecting any and all potential beam interceptions and appropriately responding? The repeated interruptions for guaranteed safety of transit for freely moving air and space traffic are of great consequence. The safety issues are critical, but the implications for equipment transient protection, energy storage system costs and the quality of power delivery service are also significant for wireless power transmission economics. A scenario of precursor wireless power transmission developments leading up to and including SSP applications will be used to frame and to discuss the beamed power technology implications and policy issues.
Excited electronic states of 1, 3-butadiene

Approximate self-consistent orbitals for excited electronic states of cis - and trans -1, 3- butadiene are obtained by a modification of Roothaan’s procedure, in the non-empirical π-electron approximation. The integrals used were evaluated by Parr & Mulliken for calculation of the ground-state electronic wave function. The effects of configuration interaction are calculated by an approximate method and compared with an exact calculation. Molecular orbitals have been obtained both with and without the auxiliary condition that spatial factors of both α and β spin-orbitals should be members of a single orthogonal set. Semiempirical values for the basic integrals, due to Pariser & Parr, have also been used to calculate the energies of excited states by the approximate configuration interaction method. Energy levels derived from the Pariser-Parr integrals are in close agreement with observed levels, which differ considerably from those calculated from the Parr-Mulliken non-empirical integrals.
Rule-based inferencing functions for APL applications

The inclusion of inferencing capabilities in applications written in APL is discussed. A set of routines called APLPIE (APL programmed inference engine) that provide such facilities is described. It is shown how to write and prepare rules for use by the inferencing functions, and the functions and methods used when searching for conclusions are examined. Features that enhance inferencing and features for tracing its sessions, to facilitate testing and debugging and to explain its conclusions, are also described. Some examples are given. >
Persistent innervation of mammalian sympathetic neurones by native and foreign fibres.

CONSIDERABLE evidence has been advanced to support the view that the reinnervation of adult mammalian autonomic neurones is specific1–4. Moreover, although foreign nerve fibres by themselves readily form synaptic connections with denervated ganglion cells5–11, when native fibres are also present their terminals are thought to be preferred to foreign axon terminals, which are eventually rejected4. I have re-examined the ability of neurones in the mammalian superior cervical ganglion (SCG) to select between native and foreign nerve fibres during reinnervation using the technique of intracellular recording. An unexpected result was that many neurones were initially reinnervated by both native and foreign nerves, and retained their dual innervation for at least 10 months.
A study of charge-symmetry violation in π+ and π− elastic scattering from 3H and 3He

Abstract New data on the charge-symmetric superratio R and the simple ratios r′1 and r′2 are reported for π+ and π− elastic scattering from 3H and 3He at Tπ=142, 180, and 220 MeV at θπ(lab) from 40° to 110°; R≡ d σ(π + 3 H ) d σ(π − 3 H ) d σ(π − 3 He ) d σ(π + 3 He ) , r′ 1 = d σ(π + 3 H ) d σ(π − d ) d σ(π − 3 He ) d σ(π + d ) , and r′ 2 = d σ(π − 3 H ) d σ(π + d ) d σ(π + 3 He ) d σ(π − d ) . We find that R>1, r′ 1 ⋍1 , and r′2>1 at all energies and angles. These results are not accounted for by any of the available calculations which attempt to include only electromagnetic effects. This disagreement suggests that the violation of charge symmetry is due to a combination of strong and electromagnetic effects.
New economy jobs and economic health, prosperity in Canada's mid-size urban areas

Abstract Many large North American metropolitan areas are becoming increasingly reliant on services (financial, health and education) and high tech manufacturing as local economic drivers. Have mid-size metropolitan areas (population 50,000 to 500,000) been able to similarly restructure their economies to remain prosperous and competitive? This paper examines the recent changes in the economies and prosperity of mid-size Canadian urban areas, comparing them to the Canadian economy as a whole. Mid-size urban areas are found to have had mixed success in economic restructuring and attracting New Economy jobs. Overall, this decade has seen a substantial decline in the average Economic Prosperity Index of these communities, relative to the nation as a whole. In many cases, Economic Prosperity appears to be path dependent: prosperous communities with substantial proportions of New Economy jobs are likely to remain prosperous and to attract more such jobs. There are, however, few significant correlations between metropolitan employment profiles and maintaining or increasing prosperity. Higher levels of economic prosperity are found in urban areas with a well-educated, diverse population.
Ranibizumab for retinal angiomatous proliferation

Dear Editor, We read with great interest the article by Konstantinidis et al. [1] on the efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab in patients with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP). They reported favorable results in a series of 31 patients, with statistically significant improvement of the visual acuity by a mean of 2.7 lines after receiving five injections on average over a mean follow-up period of 13.4 months. We have previously published our data on ranibizumab [2] in patients with RAP in a randomized prospective open-label study comparing intravitreal ranibizumab, intravitreal ranibizumab with PDT and intravitreal triamcinolone (IVT) with PDT. In our study, we found no statistically significant differences in the VA of 13 patients treated with an average of 5.92 injections of ranibizumab over a mean period of 8.38 months, while there was a trend towards better VA at the end of the follow-up in the IVT & PDT group. Konstantinidis et al. tried to explain the different results of the two studies, commenting on the different percentage of PED between the two studies (35% [1] vs 61.5% [2]) and raising concerns about missed treatments in our study due to undetectable changes on the OCT in patients with PED. We agree that when OCT alone is used to dictate treatment in cases of RAP with PED, there is a slight chance of patients having missed treatment. However, we believe that the two studies are not comparable for the following reasons. First, as the authors correctly state, there is a significant difference in the percentage of PED, which has a negative prognostic value in patients with RAP. The presence of PED in RAP represents an advanced stage of the disease with longstanding retinal damage. Second, there is a significant difference in the number of patients with stage III RAP (16% [1] vs 23.1% [2]), a stage that carries a worse prognosis than for the other RAP stages. Third, the authors provide statistical data only for the last follow-up, and not for the previous time-points. One should compare our values at the mean 8.38 months follow-up with their respective time-point values instead of the reported 13.4-month values, in order to draw firm conclusions. Furthermore, Konstantinidis et al. refers to other previously published studies [3–7] that are in agreement with their study. Only two of these studies report the effects of ranibizumab [3, 6], while the rest refer to bevacizumab, a similar molecule to ranibizumab, but with different kinetics in the eye [8]. The ranibizumab studies are small case series with short follow-up, which is the case also for the bevacizumab studies. Based on the above, it is clear that all the previously mentioned studies (including the one by Konstantinidis et al. and our study) provide a low level of evidence regarding the effectiveness of ranibizumab in RAP. The main advantage of our study is the comparison of three different treatments, with the IVT & PDT group achieving A. A. Rouvas 2nd Department of Ophthalmology, Attikon Hospital, Medical School of Athens University, Athens, Greece
Control structure selection and model predictive control of the Weyerhaeuser digester problem

Abstract The Weyerhaeuser digester problem (WDP) is a simplified digester model which captures the major dynamic characteristics of a continuous pulp digester and has been offered to the research community as an industrial challenge problem. The control objective is to minimize variations in the Kappa # for unmeasured disturbances. A systematic approach to selecting the manipulated inputs and secondary measurements using robust control analysis tools has been successfully applied to the WDP. A multi-rate data-sampling linear model predictive controller using the selected input/measurement pairings provided robust closed-loop performance for the rejection of both deterministic and stochastic unmeasured disturbances.
A comparative topographical analysis of dorsal column nuclear and cerebral cortical projections to the basilar pontine gray in rats

The somatotopic distribution of dorsal column nuclear projections within the basilar pontine gray was examined in relation to the massive corticopontine projection system that emanates most heavily from motor and somatosensory cortex. The distribution patterns of these two systems were compared by combining autoradiographic and degeneration axonal tracing methods within individual animals. Stereotaxic injections of tritiated leucine (50 microCi/microliter) and lesions by aspiration were made in animals under ketamine hydrochloride anesthesia. The forelimb cortical injections (0.1-0.3 microliter) were centered in either sensory or motor cortical regions as determined by intracortical microstimulation and multiunit recording techniques. Because sensory and motor hindlimb cortical areas overlap extensively in the rat, hindlimb cortical injections (0.1-0.3 microliter) were limited to a single hindlimb sensorimotor cortical region. The corresponding contralateral dorsal column nucleus, cuneatus or gracilis, was then aspirated. A somatotopic distribution of fore- and hindlimb corticopontine fibers were found in discrete regions of the ipsilateral pontine gray. Hindlimb sensorimotor corticopontine fibers distributed caudal to forelimb projections. Similarly, pontine afferents from the dorsal column nuclei terminated somatotopically in the caudal half of the contralateral pontine gray in that gracilopontine fibers distributed caudal to cuneopontine fibers. Within individual animals, partially overlapping terminations were seen from nucleus cuneatus and the forelimb sensory cortical area as well as from nucleus gracilis and the hindlimb sensorimotor cortical area. No overlap existed in the pontine terminations from nucleus cuneatus and the forelimb motor cortical area.
And the bands play on

Injection sclerotherapy of bleeding oesophageal varices is undoubtedly beneficial but it is associated with a substantial complication rate, and variceal rebleeding is common during the treatment period before variceal obliteration is achieved. We aimed to find out whether endoscopic variceal banding ligation is safer and more effective. The two methods were compared in a randomised controlled trial of 103 patients (54 assigned to banding ligation, and 49 to injection sclerotherapy) of whom 21 (39) and 23 (47), respectively, had active bleeding at index endoscopy. Both treatments were highly effective in controlling active haemorrhage (91 and 92 respectively). Variceal obliteration was not achieved for 22 patients in each group, but among those whose varices were eradicated, banding ligation achieved obliteration more quickly than did sclerotherapy (mean 39 [SD 4] vs 72 [7] days, p = 0.004) and in fewer endoscopy sessions (3.4 [2.2] vs 4.9 [3.5], p = 0.006). Rebleeding was less common in the banding ligation group than in the sclerotherapy group (16 [30] vs 26 [53], p < 0.05). There was no difference in outcome between the groups, but 14 sclerotherapy patients were withdrawn from the trial (7 for orthotopic liver transplantation) compared with only 5 (1 for liver transplantation) in the banding ligation group (p < 0.05). Complication rates were similar in the two groups. Variceal banding ligation is a safe and effective technique, which obliterates varices more quickly and with a lower rebleeding rate than injection sclerotherapy.
Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activities from pig coronary arteries. Lack of interconvertibility of major forms

Abstract DEAE-cellulose chromatography, with or without dithiothreitol and over a pH range of 6.0 to 8.5, resolved two phosphodiesterase activities (peaks I and II) from the soluble fraction of pig coronary arteries. The activity of peak I was increased by calmodulin (3–7-fold), whereas that of peak II was not. Chromatography of peak I on Bio-Gel A-0.5 m columns resolved two peaks of phosphodiesterase activity (peaks Ia and Ib). Peak Ia was eluted in the presence or absence of 0.1 M KCl and was relatively insensitive to calmodulin. Peak Ib was eluted only in the presence of KCl and was sensitive to calmodulin. The substrate specificity and kinetic behavior were the same for peaks I, Ia, and Ib. Repeated gel chromatography of either peak Ia or Ib, under appropriate conditions, yielded a mixture of peaks Ia and Ib. Peak Ia appears to be a reversible aggregate of peak Ib. Gel chromatography of peak II resolved only one phosphodiesterase activity, which was eluted without KCl, was highly specific for cyclic AMP, was not sensitive to calmodulin and migrated differently on the gel column than either peak Ia or Ib. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation of the soluble fraction from pig coronary arteries in the presence or absence of dithiothreitol resolved two peaks of phosphodiesterase activity (6.6 S and 3.6 S) which were similar to peaks I and II separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography with regard to their substrate specificity and their sensitivity to calmodulin. Upon recentrifugation, each of the two peaks of phosphodiesterase activity gave a single peak of activity which migrated with the same S value as did its parent. These results indicate that the two major forms of phosphodiesterase of pig coronary arteries, which are representative of those found in many tissues, are not interconvertible in cell-free systems.
A Hierarchical Market Solution to the Min-Max Multiple Depots Vehicle Routing Problem

The problem of assigning a group of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to perform spatially distributed tasks often requires that the tasks will be performed as quickly as possible. This problem can be defined as the Min–Max Multiple Depots Vehicle Routing Problem (MMMDVRP), which is a benchmark combinatorial optimization problem. In this problem, UAVs are assigned to service tasks so that each task is serviced once and the goal is to minimize the longest tour performed by any UAV in its motion from its initial location (depot) to the tasks and back to the depot. This problem arises in many time-critical applications, e.g. mobile targets assigned to UAVs in a military context, wildfire fighting, and disaster relief efforts in civilian applications. In this work, we formulate the problem using Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) and Binary Programming and show the scalability limitation of these formulations. To improve scalability, we propose a hierarchical market-based solution (MBS). Simulation results demonstrate the ability of the MBS to solve large scale problems and obtain better costs compared with other known heuristic solution.
Progestin regulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 in primary cultures of endometrial stromal and decidual cells.

The progestin medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) enhanced expression of the endothelial-type plasminogen activator inhibitor PAI-1 by stromal cells from cycling endometrium and by decidual cells from first trimester endometrium. In the cultured stromal cells, Northern analysis revealed a 4-fold increase in steady state levels of PAI-1 mRNA in response to 10(-6)-10(-8) mol/L MPA. Although the cells were refractory to 10(-8) mol/L estradiol (E2) alone, E2 plus MPA produced a further doubling of PAI-1 mRNA levels. Parallel effects on PAI-1 protein levels in the stromal cell-conditioned medium were measured by immunoassay and confirmed by immunoblot analysis. During an initial 3-day exposure, PAI-1 levels were elevated 6- and 12-fold by MPA and E2 plus MPA, respectively, compared with those in either control or E2-treated cells. In the subsequent 3 days of culture, PAI-1 levels were increased 30-fold by MPA and 70-fold by E2 plus MPA. Cultured decidual cells released significant quantities of PAI-1 under basal...
Intrapartum fetal surveillance: The role of fetal scalp blood sampling

Abstract Continuous electronic fetal heart rate monitoring and fetal scalp blood sampling have traditionally played a complementary role in intrapartum fetal surveillance. Nevertheless, biochemical assessment of fetal blood pH, with the use of scalp or umbilical cord blood, is often viewed as the “gold standard” against which biophysical indicators of fetal distress must be judged. In actual clinical practice, however, fetal scalp blood sampling is only rerely used. In addition, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that, when properly interpreted, fetal heart rate assessment may be equal or superior to measurement of fetal blood pH in the prediction of both good and bad fetal outcomes. Under certain circumstances, fetal scalp blood sampling remains a valuable clinical tool; however, we recommend a deemphasis of fetal scalp blood sampling in general clinical practice. Both theoretical and practical considerations suggest that the properly trained clinician may pursue an approach for the detection of fetal distress that does not include scalp blood sampling without either compromising his ability to detect fetal distress or significantly increasing the cesarean section rate.
The stabilities of calcium arsenates at 23 ± 1°C

Abstract The stabilities of calcium arsenate compounds were established by analysis of suspensions made with varying molar Ca/As ratios. Solution chemistry analyses determined the concentrations of calcium and arsenic and pH. The phases that were shown to form in order of descending pH were Ca 4 (OH) 2 (AsO 4 ) 2 ·4H 2 O, Ca 5 (AsO 4 ) 3 OH (arsenate–apatite), Ca 3 (AsO 4 ) 2 ·3 2 3 H 2 O, Ca 3 (AsO 4 ) 2 ·4 1 4 H 2 O, Ca 5 H 2 (AsO 4 ) 4 ·9H 2 O — ferrarisite, Ca 5 H 2 (AsO 4 ) 4 ·9H 2 O — guerinite and CaHAsO 4 ·H 2 O. The analytical concentrations of calcium and arsenic and pH were used in estimating solubility products. The estimated values were then refined through the comparison of the analytical data with calculated K sp values using the computer program PhreeqC. From the refined solubility products, the free energies of formation of the calcium arsenate hydrates were calculated as follows: Ca 4 (OH) 2 (AsO 4 ) 2 ·4H 2 O (−4941 kJ/mol), Ca 5 (AsO 4 ) 3 OH (−5087 kJ/mol), Ca 3 (AsO 4 ) 2 ·3 2 3 H 2 O (−3945 kJ/mol), Ca 3 (AsO 4 ) 2 ·4 1 4 H 2 O (−4085 kJ/mol), Ca 5 H 2 (AsO 4 ) 4 ·9H 2 O — ferrarisite (−7808 kJ/mol), Ca 5 H 2 (AsO 4 ) 4 ·9H 2 O — guerinite (−7803 kJ/mol), and CaHAsO 4 ·H 2 O (−1533 kJ/mol). Unlike other solubility studies on arsenate immobilization, this study was the first to consider the complete array of calcium arsenate hydrates that can form and to use the associated ions, CaAsO 4 − , CaHAsO 4 0 and CaH 2 AsO 4 + in determining their solubility products.
THE RELATION OF SCALE FINENESS TO GRADE ACCURACY

The use of broad categories in grading is likely to increase the relative amount of error present in the measures on which the grades are based. This is true regardless of the degree of inaccuracy of those measures. An example to illustrate this generalization and an explanation of its basis in psychometric theory are presented. Faculty committees charged with responsibility for reviewing a school, college or university grading system often encounter this question: Does error in the marking process limit the number of different grades that can be reported honestly and meaningfully? On almost every faculty there are those who find the conventional 5-level grading system too restrictive. They would like to add pluses and minuses to some of the grades to record differences in achievement they believe they have observed. Others are so impressed with the uncertainties involved in marking that they would like to reduce the number of levels to three-Honors, Pass, Fail, or even to twocredit, no credit. The question they often raise is this. How is the accuracy of reports of achievement affected by the number of categories of grades used, that is, by the fineness or coarseness of the grade scale? It is true, of course, that considerations other than accuracy of reporting can and do, quite legitimately, influence a faculty's decisions concerning its grading system. There are considerations of convenience, of conformity with practices in other institutions, of nonconformity if the institution is striving for an image of uniqueness, of institutional traditions, and no doubt of other factors. But accuracy is almost always one of the important questions considered, and the answer to this question is clear. Regardless of the inaccuracy of the basis for grading, the finer the scale used for reporting grades, that is the more different grade levels it provides, the more accurate the grade reports will be. This generalization is valid for the typical situation in which grades are assigned. That is, from tests, term papers, assignments, and observations of performance in the classroom, the teacher accumulates a series of measures of achievement that have been, or could be, expressed as numbers and added to give a numerical total. Typically these totals will range more widely in numerical value than the range of units on
Infectious necrotizing esophagitis: outcome after medical and surgical intervention.

Abstract Background Immunodeficiency predisposes to invasive esophageal infections. The treatment of perforation, respiratory fistula, and necrosis due to transmural esophageal infection is guided by anecdote. We wish to determine treatment and outcome of local complications of necrotizing esophagitis. Methods We report our experience over a 7-year period and review published reports since 1976. We treated 4 patients and found 21 reported patients with perforation (11/25), fistula (8/25), and necrosis (6/25) at a mean age of 35 years. Twenty-one patients were immunodeficient (84%) due to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in 8, acute leukemia in 6, renal transplant in 3, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, and corticosteroids in 1 each. Pathogenic organisms were fungal in 15 cases, viral in 7, and bacterial in 7. Results Treatment consisted of antibiotic therapy in 13 patients and surgical intervention combined with antibiotic therapy in 12: esophagectomy in 6, esophageal stenting and drainage in 2, drainage alone in 2, and salivary diversion in 2. Overall mortality was 48% (12/25). Mortality without surgical intervention was 90% (9/10) and with surgical intervention 27% (3/11). One of 6 patients undergoing esophagectomy (17%) died. The difference in mortality was due to sepsis, which was the cause of death in 8 patients treated with medical intervention and only 1 treated with surgical intervention. Conclusions Local complications of necrotizing esophagitis have a high mortality due to sepsis. Surgical intervention, in particular esophagectomy, controls sepsis in published case reports and should be considered in selected patients. Further study is required to determine the true prevalence of these complications and the outcome of intervention.
Mechanical property and tissue mineral density differences among severely suppressed bone turnover (SSBT) patients, osteoporotic patients, and normal subjects

Pathogenesis of atypical fractures in patients on long term bisphosphonate therapy is poorly understood, and the type, the manner in which they occur and the fracture sites are quite different from the usual osteoporotic fractures. We hypothesized that the tissue-level mechanical properties and mean degree of mineralization of the iliac bone would differ among 1) patients with atypical fractures and severely suppressed bone turnover (SSBT) associated with long-term bisphosphonate therapy, 2) age-matched, treatment-naive osteoporotic patients with vertebral fracture, 3) age-matched normals and 4) young normals. Large differences in tissue-level mechanical properties and/or mineralization among these groups could help explain the underlying mechanism(s) for the occurrence of typical osteoporotic and the atypical femoral shaft fractures. Elastic modulus, contact hardness, plastic deformation resistance, and tissue mineral densities of cortical and trabecular bone regions of 55 iliac bone biopsies--12 SSBT patients (SSBT; aged 49-77), 11 age-matched untreated osteoporotic patients with vertebral fracture (Osteoporotic), 12 age-matched subjects without bone fracture (Age-Matched Normal), and 20 younger subjects without bone fracture (Young Normal)--were measured using nanoindentation and quantitative backscattered electron microscopy. For cortical bone nanoindentation properties, only plastic deformation resistance was different among the groups (p<0.05), with greater resistance to plastic deformation in the SSBT group compared to all other groups. For trabecular bone, all nanoindentation properties and mineral density of the trabecular bone were different among the groups (p<0.05). The SSBT group had greater plastic deformation resistance and harder trabecular bone compared to the other three groups, stiffer bone compared to the Osteoporotic and Young Normal groups, and a trend of higher mineral density compared to the Age-Matched Normal and Osteoporotic groups. Lower heterogeneity of modulus and contact hardness for cortical bone of the SSBT and trabecular bone of the Osteoporotic fracture groups, respectively, compared to the non-fractured groups, may contribute to fracture susceptibility due to lowered ability to prevent crack propagation. We tentatively conclude that, in addition to extremely low bone formation rate, atypical fractures in SSBT and/or long-term bisphosphonate treatment may be associated with greater mean plastic deformation resistance properties and less heterogeneous elastic properties of the bone.
A single administration of ethanol simultaneously increases c-fos mRNA and reduces c-jun mRNA in the hypothalamus and hippocampus

Abstract We have previously demonstrated that a single administration of ethanol induces the expression of c- fos mRNA in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). However, Fos protein must interact with a member of the Jun family to form functional heterodimers. To determine whether ethanol may have differential effects on c- fos and c- jun expression, we injected male rats acclimated to a 25°C environment with thanol (3 g/kg b.wt.) or saline. Using in situ hybridization histochemistry with oligonucleotide probes, we found that ethanol increased c- fos mRNA in the PVN, but decreased c- jun mRNA both in the PVN and in hippocampus. Considering that ethanol produces hypothermia and that the PVN contains neurons activated during hypothermia, we evaluated the effect of cold on c- fos and c- jun mRNA. Both cold and ethanol increased c- fos mRNA, and the effects were additive. However, c- jun mRNA levels in both PVN and hippocampus were unaffected by temperature. Finally, c- jun mRNA levels in the hippocampus were significantly reduced by chronic ethanol exposure, and this trend was also observed in the PVN. These findings demonstrate that a single injection of ethanol has opposite effects on the expression of nuclear transcription factors which interact to regulate gene expression in the nervous system.
Statistical entropy of a Schwarzschild black hole

A model describing the internal microstates of particles is used to calculate the statistical entropy of a Schwarzschild black hole. The state of the system is described by a nonextensive entropy function which is superadditive and so fails to be concave. A strict maximum of the entropy does not exist; nonetheless, the entropy increases on merging two such systems.
Cognitive Markers of Adolescent Risk Taking: A Correlate of Drug Abuse in At-Risk Individuals

Behavioral traits associated with adolescent risk taking may be correlated with maturational events occurring in the brain. Adolescent brains are less developed than previously believed, particular...
Lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in formula and human milk samples from Italian mothers.

Lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in formula and human milk samples from Italian mothers