cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endoanal ultrasound compared to anorectal manometry for the evaluation of fecal incontinence : A study of the effect these tests have on clinical outcome

Tests for evaluating incontinence include endoanal ultrasound (EUS) and anorectal manometry. We hypothesized that EUS would be superior to anorectal manometry in identifying the subset of patients with surgically correctable sphincter defects leading to an improvement in clinical outcome in these patients. The purpose of this study was to compare these 2 techniques to determine which is more predictive of outcome for fecal incontinence. Thirty-five unselected patients with fecal incontinence were prospectively studied with EUS and anorectal manometry to evaluate the internal anal sphincter (IAS) and external anal sphincter (EAS). EUS was performed with Olympus GFUM20 echoendoscope and a hypoechoic defect in the EAS or IAS was considered a positive test. Anorectal manometry was performed with a standard water-perfused catheter system. A peak voluntary squeeze pressure of < 60 mm Hg in women and 120 mm Hg in men was considered a positive test. All patients were administered the Cleveland Clinic Continence Grading Scale at baseline and at follow-up. Improvement in fecal control was defined as a 25% or greater decrease in continence score. EUS versus manometry were compared with subsequent surgical treatment and outcome. P-values were calculated using Fisher's exact test. Patients (n = 32; 31 females) were followed for a mean 25 months (range 13-46). Sixteen patients had improved symptoms (50%). There was no correlation between EUS or anorectal manometry sphincter findings and outcome. Seven of 14 (50%) patients who subsequently underwent surgery versus 9 of 18 (50%) without surgery improved (P = .578). In long-term follow-up, approximately half of patients improve regardless of the results of EUS or anorectal manometry, or whether surgery is performed.
Voices of former foster youth: Supportive relationships in the transition to adulthood

Abstract As the adolescent development literature has recognized the importance of social supports in the transition to adulthood, child welfare research, policies, and programs have turned their attention to the relational needs of youth emancipating from the foster care system. This study builds on the extant literature on social support among transitioning foster care youth; it goes beyond the sole identification of relational networks, to explore how youth actually utilize their network members, and the overall quality of their support system. This study collects data from twenty qualitative interviews with foster youth, ages 18–21. We analyze the data using consensual qualitative research methods in order to develop core themes around shared youth experiences. We found that while foster youth did identify a wide network of both formal and informal supports during their transition to adulthood, there were “holes” in the form of support, especially appraisal and instrumental support, provided by informal network members. Additionally, an unrealistic perception of supportive and permanent relationships may be contributing to poor outcomes in emerging adulthood. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Microfluidic Single-Cell mRNA Isolation and Analysis

Single-cell gene expression analysis holds great promise for studying diverse biological systems, but methodology to process these precious samples in a reproducible, quantitative, and parallel fashion remains challenging. Here, we utilize microfluidics to isolate picogram and subpicogram mRNA templates, as well as to synthesize cDNA from these templates. We demonstrate single-cell mRNA isolation and cDNA synthesis, provide quantitative calibrations for each step in the process, and measure gene expression in individual cells. The techniques presented here form the foundation for highly parallel single-cell gene expression studies.
The Vibrations of Pentatonic Tetrahedral Molecules

Andrews has suggested that the restoring forces in polyatomic molecules can best be chosen as harmonic restoring forces along the directions of the chemical bonds and prependicular to them. In order to test the suggestion, we have calculated the vibrational frequencies of tetrahedral molecules with this choice of forces. The agreement between calculated and observed values is unsatisfactory. It seems that there may be repulsive forces between the corner atoms of the type between ions of crystals or the inert gas atoms. The introduction of terms in the potential energy proportional to $\frac{1}{{{r}_{j}}^{n}}$, where ${r}_{j}$ is the distance between two corner atoms, makes it possible to secure very good agreement between calculated and observed frequencies, in the case of C${\mathrm{Cl}}_{4}$, Si${\mathrm{Cl}}_{4}$, Sn${\mathrm{Cl}}_{4}$, C${\mathrm{Br}}_{4}$, and Sn${\mathrm{Br}}_{4}$ but not such close agreement in that of Ti${\mathrm{Cl}}_{4}$. The calculated frequencies are not very sensitive to the value of $n$ which may be anywhere from 5 to 9. The repulsive forces necessary are of the same order of magnitude as those calculated from crystal properties and the viscosities of the inert gases. In the case of the S$\mathrm{O}_{4}^{}{}_{}{}^{=}$ and Cl$\mathrm{O}_{4}^{}{}_{}{}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, the inverse high power repulsive force is not sufficient, but the addition of terms, $\frac{{e}^{2}}{{r}_{j}}$, $e$ being the electronic charge, as well as an inverse higher power term does give very good agreement between calculated and observed frequencies of these molecules.
Low expression of PP2A regulatory subunit B55α is associated with T308 phosphorylation of AKT and shorter complete remission duration in acute myeloid leukemia patients

The regulation of protein kinase B (AKT) is a dynamic process that depends on the balance between phosphorylation by upstream kinases for activation and inactivation by dephosphorylation by protein phosphatases. Phosphorylated AKT is commonly found in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and confers an unfavorable prognosis. Understanding the relative importance of upstream kinases and AKT phosphatase in the activation of AKT is relevant for the therapeutic targeting of this signaling axis in AML. The B55α subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) has been implicated in AKT dephosphorylation, but its role in regulating AKT in AML is unknown. We examined B55α protein expression in blast cells derived from 511 AML patients using reverse phase protein analysis. B55α protein expression was lower in AML cells compared with normal CD34+ cells. B55α protein levels negatively correlated with threonine 308 phosphorylation levels. Low levels of B55α were associated with shorter complete remission duration, demonstrating that decreased expression is an adverse prognostic factor in AML. These findings suggest that decreased B55α expression in AML is at least partially responsible for increased AKT signaling in AML and suggests that therapeutic targeting of PP2A could counteract this.
Modeling the Propagation of a Shock Wave Through a Glow Discharge

Several well-known analytical solutions of the equations of gasdynamics and magnetogasdynamics were used to study the relative importance of exothermic reactions, axial temperature variation, and the magnetic e eld in the glow discharge tube experiments of Ganguly et al. (Physics Letters A , Vol. 230, 1997, pp. 218 ‐222). In these experiments a spark was generated at one end of a tube of low-pressure argon gas, and the resulting shock pulse was allowed to propagate through a glow discharge. With the presence of the weakly ionized, nonequilibrium plasma, an acceleration and weakening of the shock pulse were observed, along with an apparent splitting of the shock. Of the three mechanisms addressed here thermal nonuniformity appears to have the most ine uence on the experimental results. A detonation model can probably be ruled out for two reasons. First, insufe cient energy is available from electron-ion recombination reactions to drive the detonation. Second, the detonation model predicts an increase in shock density ratio with increasing heat release, in contrast to the apparent drop seen in the experiments. In a similar manner an ideal magnetohydrodynamic shock model can probably be ruled out for lack of adequate electrical conductivity and of a sufe ciently strong magnetic e eld. This conclusion does not, however, exclude other electromagnetic phenomena, and the issue of the apparent shock splitting has not been addressed here. A combination of careful temperature measurements and numerical simulations is required to determine whether the experimental observations can be explained completely by thermal effects or physics inherent to the plasma are signie cant in these experiments.
Overtreatment of a Patient With Presumed Recurrent Prostate Cancer Based on False-Positive Prostate Specific Antigen Results

A 59-year-old man underwent radical prostatectomy for clinical stage T1c prostate adenocarcinoma. Serum PSA at diagnosis was 8.5 ng/ml. Pathological stage was T3bN0 with evidence of bilateral Gleason 4 3 7 cancer, extracapsular extension, positive margins and bilateral seminal vesicle involvement. Following surgery the patient received adjuvant radiation therapy to the prostate bed. Postoperatively, PSA was undetectable. Nine months following surgery PSA measured 0.02 ng/ml on the Access Hybritech free PSA assay (Beckman Coulter, Inc., Fullerton, California). Within 3 weeks PSA measured 37 ng/ml on the AxSYM assay. Repeat AxSYM assay PSA measurement 2 weeks later was 31.3 ng/ml. Evaluation, including bone scan and abdominal computerized tomography, was negative for metastatic disease. Therapy was initiated with 10.8 mg goserelin depot injection and 50 mg bicalutamide daily. Three weeks after initiation of hormonal therapy PSA measured 0.02 ng/ml by Hybritech but 6 weeks later measured 28.2 ng/ml by AxSYM. Because of this discrepancy, repeat PSAs were measured within 3 days of each other using the different assays, and results varied significantly with the PSA measuring less than 0.01 ng/ml on the Hybritech assay but 23.6 ng/ml on the AxSYM assay (see figure). Serum PSA was measured using the AxSYM assay with and without heterophilic blocking reagent pretreatment (Scantibodies Laboratory, Santee, California).1 No difference was detected in these two measurements, ruling out the presence of a heterophilic antibody. Hormonal therapy was stopped. Eight months after the last goserelin injection PSA was undetectable on both assays.
Wavelet-based fractal signature for texture classification

Efficient feature extraction metrics are crucial in many computer vision applications. One such application is texture classification which involves classifying samples as members of one of a preset number of classes. These classes are chosen to correspond with our human intuition of which textures are different from others. In this work we use the wavelet-based fractal signature, a new multichannel texture model introduced previously which characterizes patterns as 2D functions in a Besov space. The wavelet-based fractal signature generates an n-dimensional surface, which is then used for classification by a fuzzy self-organizing feature map as well as two other supervised classification techniques. The feature space has a low dimensionality and as a result is classified in few training epochs. Experimental results are presented for a test set of textures of different types.
High Harmonics Attochirp at Long Wavelength

The dispersion of emission times, or “attochirp,” limits attosecond pulses from high harmonics. Time-dependent Schrodinger equation numerical solutions in argon are discussed to testing the prediction of a decrease of the attochirp with wavelength.
Children's Video Games as Interactive Racialization

Cathlena Martin explores in her paper "Children's Video Games as Interactive Racialization" selected children's video games. Martin argues that children's video games often act as reinforcement for the games' television and film counterparts and their racializing characteristics and features. In Martin's analysis the video games discussed represent media through which to analyze racial identities and ideologies. In making the case for positive female minority leads in children's video games, Martin examines the games and franchises of Rugrats and Dora the Explorer. She argues that the influx of games with a greater diversity of minority female characters has only been a recent phenomenon in game production -since 2002 -and holds a strong correlation with the medium of television. Cathlena Martin, "Children's Video Games as Interactive Racialization." page 2 of 9 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 10.2 (2008): Thematic Issue, Racialized Narratives for Children. Ed. C. Richard King and John Streamas
Neural coding strategies in auditory cortex

In contrast to the visual system, the auditory system has longer subcortical pathways and more spiking synapses between the peripheral receptors and the cortex. This unique organization reflects the needs of the auditory system to extract behaviorally relevant information from a complex acoustic environment using strategies different from those used by other sensory systems. The neural representations of acoustic information in auditory cortex can be characterized by three types: (1) isomorphic (faithful) representations of acoustic structures; (2) non-isomorphic transformations of acoustic features and (3) transformations from acoustical to perceptual dimensions. The challenge facing auditory neurophysiologists is to understand the nature of the latter two transformations. In this article, I will review recent studies from our laboratory regarding temporal discharge patterns in auditory cortex of awake marmosets and cortical representations of time-varying signals. Findings from these studies show that (1) firing patterns of neurons in auditory cortex are dependent on stimulus optimality and context and (2) the auditory cortex forms internal representations of sounds that are no longer faithful replicas of their acoustic structures.
Predictors of improvement in a cognitive-behavioral intervention for women with rheumatoid arthritis

In this article we present a secondary analysis of data from a brief cognitive-behavioral intervention for women with rheumatoid arthritis that resulted in significant overall improvements in personal coping resources, pain coping behaviors, psychological well-being, and fatigue. Not every participant, however, improved during the intervention. Establishing predictors of improvement in brief interventions is important to optimize the cost-effective use of these resources. In search of predictors of improvement, we examined demographic and background variables, personal coping resources, pain coping behaviors, and social support. Both linear and quadratic effects were analyzed, comparing baseline measures to both immediate postintervention and 3-month follow-up outcomes using standardized indexes ofpredictors and criteria variables. After removing the effects of baseline scores on the outcomes index, significant predictors of improvement included length of time since diagnosis, personal coping resources, and maladaptive and adaptive pain coping behaviors. Both linear and quadratic effects were found, although this varied as a function of type of predictor.
The spin-1/2 singleton dipole

We establish a canonical formulation for a second-order wave equation for a spin-1/2field in a 3+2 de Sitter spacetime. We make variations of the Lagrangian, keeping the surface terms that appear in the process. By demanding that the surface terms be finite, we find that the second-order wave equation must be a singleton dipole equation. The resulting field theory exhibits a very interesting dynamics on the boundary. We study the Hamiltonian of the system and we discover that, after imposing the ‘Lorentz condition’, it reduces to an integral over a two-dimensional surface at spatial infinity.
Interferometric analyses of Ne ii and Ar ii spectral lines from a hollow-cathode discharge*

Ne ii and Ar ii spectral lines from a low-current Au hollow-cathode (HG) discharge are analyzed by a pressure-scanned, Fabry–Perot interferometer that views the HC end-on. A sum of two Voigt functions is used to analyze the experimental interferogram. These functions correspond to a slow-ion group in equilibrium with the neutrals and a fast group that is shifted relative to the slow group. The slow-group temperature Ts is found by analyzing Ne i lines, and the fast-group temperature T′f is found by graphically fitting the weighted sum of two Voigt functions to the Ne ii interferogram. The shift is related to T′f through a relation derived elsewhere, involving an electric field; this field is assumed to be formed in an electric double layer. T′f is approximately constant (2750 K) over a series of Ne ii lines, whereas °N′f/°Ns, the ratio of the total number of fast-group ions to the total number of slow-group ions, varies from ≈ 0.20 to 0.78, depending upon the quantum numbers S, L, and J of the upper state. T′f and °N′f/°Ns increase with current; T′f remains virtually constant with pressure, whereas °N′f/°Ns increases; and at higher pressures T′f remains constant as °N′f/°Ns decreases with increasing distance of the emitting region from the center of the HC. The postulated mechanism is that the slow group is formed in a one-step, simultaneous ionization-excitation process from the ground neutral to the upper ionic state, whereas the fast-group ions are formed in a two-step process involving a long-lived ground-state ion accelerated by the field. The observed approximate symmetry of the Ne ii quartet interferograms is attributed to the presence of the 22Ne ions whose isotope shift opposes that of the 20Ne fast-group ions.
Mining lung cancer patient data to assess healthcare resource utilization

The objective of this study is to assess the utilization of healthcare resources by lung cancer patients related to their demographic characteristics, socioeconomic markers, ethnic backgrounds, medical histories, and access to healthcare resources in order to guide medical decision making and public policy. The study compares alternative data mining techniques in combination with traditional regression methods and uses propensity scoring to differentiate the predictive power of various models. The study demonstrates that data mining methods can be applied to large, complex, public-use Medicare insurance claims files to reveal insights such as geographic variation in healthcare delivery practice patterns for lung cancer. The results indicate that decision trees and artificial neural networks, particularly when used in combination, can produce better predictive and descriptive models than regression alone to guide healthcare decisions.
Meeting Explores Sensor Technology for Remote, Interactive Aquatic Experiments

Oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater are complex, dynamic environments in which physical, chemical, and biological processes occur over varying temporal and spatial scales (e.g., eddies, nutrient fluxes, patchiness of organisms, benthic processes, and pollution). In addition, deep, remote, or hostile systems such as hydrothermal vents and polar regions traditionally are poorly sampled, but are important to understanding global biogeochemical and hydrological cycles. In the coming decades, moored, cabled, and autonomous observatories will be used to investigate a spectrum of basic processes in aquatic environments. In anticipation of the need to develop or re-engineer sensors to measure physical, chemical, biological, and geological processes in situ, a one-day workshop and special session on sensor technology was held during the June 2000 meeting of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) in Copenhagen, Denmark. The goal of the workshop was to exchange ideas on new experimental approaches and methodology, to define strategic themes, and to formulate specific recommendations related to sensor development. The 25 participants from North America and Europe represented academic and industry sensor developers and users, as well as a broad spectrum of scientific interests. Reported here are the recommendations resulting from that meeting in hope that they will be useful as a catalyst for further development of sensor systems.
High pressure structural studies on SrRuO3

Abstract We have performed room temperature high pressure structural studies on the ferromagnetic perovskite SrRuO 3 to 34 GPa. We have also used three different pressure media (silicone fluid, 4:1 methanol:ethanol and argon) to test for possible effects of pressure media on compression data. The orthorhombic perovskite structure is stable to the highest pressure, and the data can be fit with a bulk modulus of B 0 = 192 ( 3 ) GPa with a pressure derivative of B 0 ′ = 5.0 ( 3 ) for all of the pressure media. We have also examined the high pressure behavior of the RuO 6 octahedra using a model that assumes the octahedra are not distorted. Various tilt angles around the ideal cubic perovskite axes are found and can be used to estimate the Ru–O–Ru bond angle that is known to be directly related to the ferromagnetic Curie temperature. For all pressure media, there appears to be a minimum in the Ru–O–Ru bond angle around 15 GPa. Implications for the observed high pressure magnetic behavior of SrRuO 3 will be discussed.
Extension of the Hartree method to strongly interacting systems

Abstract A trial solution constructed from two-body functions is applied to a variational treatment of the many-body problem with strong forces. The expectation value of the energy for Bose systems is expressed as a series of cluster integrals, which are evaluated and partially summed by techniques resembling those developed for the treatment of the imperfect gas in classical statistical mechanics. The two-body functions are found to satisfy a simple wave equation, which describes the motion of two particles in a field consisting of the actual two-body potential plus an effective potential resulting from collisions with other particles. This equation represents an extension of the Hartree equation to strongly interacting systems. Analytic solutions of a modification of this equation are found for the case of the hard sphere Bose gas at low density, and are shown to give very good agreement with the results of a nonvariational calculation by Lee, Huang, and Yang. The method is then extended to Fermi systems. The derivation of the cluster series for fermions requires a substantial modification of the classical methods, and leads to more complex results than those obtained for the Bose systems. The results are applied to the evaluation of the ground-state energy of a gas of hard sphere fermions.
Digital preservation of knowledge in the public sector: a pre-ingest tool

This paper describes the need for coordinating pre-ingest activities in digital preservation of archival records. As a result of the wide use of electronic records management systems (ERMS) in agencies, the focus is on several issues relating to the interaction of the agency’s ERMS and public repositories. This paper indicates the importance of using digital recordkeeping metadata to meet more precisely and at the same time semi-automatically the criteria set by memory institutions. The paper provides an overview of one prospective solution and describes the Estonian National Archives’ universal archiving module (UAM). A case study reports the use of the UAM in preserving the digital records of the Estonian Minister for Population and Ethnic Affairs. In this project, the preparation and transfer of archival records was divided into ten phases, starting from the description of the archival creator and ending with controlled transfer. The case study raises questions about how much recordkeeping metadata can be used in archival description and how the interaction of the agency’s ERMS and ingest by the archives could be more automated. The main issues (e.g. classification, metadata elements variations, mapping, and computer files conversions) encountered during that project are discussed. Findings show that the Open Archival Information System functional model’s ingest part should be reconceptualised to take into account preparatory work. Adding detailed metadata about the structure, context and relationships in the right place at the right time could get one step closer to digital codified knowledge archiving by creating synergies with various other digital repositories.
Getting a grip on memory: unilateral hand clenching alters episodic recall.

Unilateral hand clenching increases neuronal activity in the frontal lobe of the contralateral hemisphere. Such hand clenching is also associated with increased experiencing of a given hemisphere’s “mode of processing.” Together, these findings suggest that unilateral hand clenching can be used to test hypotheses concerning the specializations of the cerebral hemispheres during memory encoding and retrieval. We investigated this possibility by testing effects of unilateral hand clenching on episodic memory. The hemispheric Encoding/Retrieval Asymmetry (HERA) model proposes left prefrontal regions are associated with encoding, and right prefrontal regions with retrieval, of episodic memories. It was hypothesized that right hand clenching (left hemisphere activation) pre-encoding, and left hand clenching (right hemisphere activation) pre-recall, would result in superior memory. Results supported the HERA model. Also supported was that simple unilateral hand clenching can be used as a means by which the functional specializations of the cerebral hemispheres can be investigated in intact humans.
Make, Buy, or Ally? Choice of and Payoff to Alternate Strategies for Innovations

Firms constantly grapple with the question of whether to make, buy, or ally for innovations. The literature has not analyzed the choice of and payoff to these alternate routes to innovation for the same firm. To address this issue, the authors collect, code, and analyze the choice of and payoff to 3522 announcements of make, buy, and ally innovation for 192 firms across 108 industries over 5 years. The authors find that make and ally generate positive and higher payoff than buy, which generates a negative payoff. Nevertheless, firms continue to buy for two reasons. First, firms seem to have no memory for the payoff to buy even though they have a memory for the payoff to make. Second, firms tend to buy when they lack commercializations, even though the strategy seems not to pay off. These results suggest that firms see buys as a quick fix for what may be a deep strategic problem. Nevertheless, the negative returns to buy can be mitigated if the acquirer is experienced and the target is related and offers high customer benefit. The authors offer explanations for and implications of the results.
Combining global relevance information with local contextual clues for event-oriented information extraction

Existing IE systems tend to focus on a tight window of context surrounding the desired information to be extracted. This research addresses shortcomings of these systems by introducing a two-phase approach to IE that incorporates global relevance information with local contextual evidence, to effectively extract information from free text.
NF-κB in DCs: it takes effort to be immature.

The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) family of regulators is well known for mediating dendritic cell (DC) maturation—that is, the acquisition of the functions required for full activation of T cells. Paradoxically, a key member of this family, NF-κB1, is now also implicated in maintaining DCs in an immature state (pages 1663–1667).
Methodological Issues in Assessing Resilience in Maltreated Children.

Abstract Objective: Efforts to assess resilience in maltreated children reveal methodological difficulties in developing operational definitions of resilience. This paper discusses six methodological issues: (1) distinguishing between resilience and factors promoting or reducing resilience; (2) choosing sources of measures; (3) determining how many sources and measures to use; (4) selecting scoring criteria to indicate resilience; (5) determining when to measure resilience; and (6) examining the stability of resilience over time. Conclusions: Understanding resilience in maltreated children is important for developing ways to promote competence in more vulnerable maltreated children. Although the classification of children as resilient depends on how resilience is defined, there is no consensus regarding operational definitions of resilience. By focusing more attention on the issue of resilience, research on maltreated children can help resolve methodological difficulties in defining and measuring the concept.
Computer Attitudes and Marketing Education

This article examines the computer attitudes of marketing majors. Class standing, course, and the number of computer-using courses students take are found to have a positive effect on computer anxiety, computer confidence, and overall computer attitude, but class and course do not affect computer liking or perceptions of computer usefulness. GPA has a positive relationship to aU attitude scales except computer liking. Age and gender do not appear to be related to any of the computer attitude measures evaluated.
Highly directional swimming by scalloped hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna lewini, and subsurface irradiance, temperature, bathymetry, and geomagnetic field

The homing behavior of scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) to and fro between Espiritu Santo Seamount and Las Animas Island and the surrounding pelagic environment was studied to reveal their mechanisms of navigation in the oceanic environment. Four sharks were tagged with ultrasonic transmitters and tracked at the former location and one shark at the latter site during July, August, or September between 1981 and 1988. Hammerhead swimming movements were highly oriented: the mean coefficient of concentration (r) for sets of ten consecutive swimming directions recorded during eight homing movements by three hammerhead sharks ranged from 0.885 to 0.996. Drift within a current could not explain this directionality, since highly variable directions were recorded from a transmitter floating at the sea surface after becoming detached from a shark. Forward swimming momentum was an unlikely explanation, since highly directional swimming was maintained for a period of 32 min with only a gradual change in course. To maintain directionality over this period, an environmental property should be necessary for guidance. The hammerheads swam at night, with repeated vertical excursions ranging from 100 to 450 m deep, out of view of either the sea surface or the sea floor. The sharks' vertical diving movements were compared to distributions of spectral irradiance (relative to elasmobranch scotopic and photopic visual sensitivities), temperature, and current-flow directions in the water column. No relationships were evident between these properties and the sharks' oriented swimming movements. Movements of scalloped hammerhead sharks to and from a seamount were compared to topographic features in bathymetry and geomagnetic field leading away from the seamount. Sharks swam repeatedly over fixed geographic paths, and these paths occurred less often along submarine ridges and valleys than maxima and minima in the geomagnetic field. No significant difference existed between the degree of association of points from the sharks' tracks and points from track simulations and ≥20° changes in the slope of the depth record. On the other hand, significantly more points from the sharks' tracks were associated with slope changes in the magnetic intensity record than points from track simulations. A magnetic intensity gradient of 0.037 nanoteslas/m (nT/m) existed at 175 m depth, where a shark swam directionally, and this gradient was three times steeper than that measured at the sea surface and exceeded that recorded at a depth of 200 m. The hammerheads are hypothesized to find the seamount using geomagnetic topotaxis. The shark could be attracted to and move back and forth along ridges and valleys, features in the relief of magnetic field intensities occurring over a geographical area.
Linearity of pulsatile pressure-flow relations in the embryonic chick vascular system

The calculation and modeling of vascular input impedance are based on the assumption that pressure and flow are linearly related in the frequency domain. However, this assumption has not been proven for the embryonic circulation. Therefore, we investigated the linearity of pulsatile pressure flow relations in vivo with acute alterations in cycle length. We simultaneously measured dorsal aortic pressure with a servonull system and flow velocity with a 20-MHz pulsed-Doppler system in stage 24 chick embryos (n = 38). Cycle length was acutely altered using thermal probe(s) applied to the sinus venosus. We determined the impedance spectra at several cycle lengths for each embryo and a reference curve from a three-element Windkessel model with the use of nonlinear curve fitting. We then assessed the scatter of experimental impedance along the reference curve as a measure of linearity in the frequency domain. We found that mean vascular resistance did not change after thermal probe applications (P > .20 for each), indicating that acute alterations in cycle length did not alter peripheral vascular properties. Superpositioned impedance spectra showed minimal scatter along the model impedance from 0 to 6 Hz. Goodness of fit values (R2) were near unity (.94 to .97) and were similar for all interventions (P > .07 for Fisher's z, by F test). Above 6 Hz, both modulus and phase spectra exhibited significant scatter (P < .05, by F test). Experimental impedance spectra tended to have a fluctuation and a phase-zero crossover, indicating significant wave reflection in the embryonic circulation. Thus, the embryonic vascular system can be approximated as a linear system from 0 to 6 Hz, the range in which the majority (96.0 +/- 0.18%) of hydraulic energy is dissipated.
Compiling distribution directives in a Fortran 90D compiler

Data partitioning and mapping is one of the most important steps of writing a parallel program, especially a data parallel one. Recently, Fortran D, and subsequently, High Performance Fortran (HPF) have been proposed to allow users to specify data distributions and alignments for the arrays in their programs. The paper presents the design of the data partitioning module of Fortran 90D compiler that processes the alignment and distribution directives. >
Contending with foreign accent in early word learning

By their second birthday, children are beginning to map meaning to form with relative ease. One challenge for these developing abilities is separating information relevant to word identity (i.e. phonemic information) from irrelevant information (e.g. voice and foreign accent). Nevertheless, little is known about toddlers' abilities to ignore irrelevant phonetic detail when faced with the demanding task of word learning. In an experiment with English-learning toddlers, we examined the impact of foreign accent on word learning. Findings revealed that while toddlers aged 2 ; 6 successfully generalized newly learned words spoken by a Spanish-accented speaker and a native English speaker, success of those aged 2 ; 0 was restricted. Specifically, toddlers aged 2 ; 0 failed to generalize words when trained by the native English speaker and tested by the Spanish-accented speaker. Data suggest that exposure to foreign accent in training may promote generalization of newly learned forms. These findings are considered in the context of developmental changes in early word representations.
Plant size, industrial air pollution, and local incomes: evidence from Mexico and Brazil

Analysis of a new Mexican database reveals that air-borne, suspended particulate emissions per employee by plants with 20 or less employees are significantly greater than by larger plants within the same manufacturing sector. From a second, new data set on manufacturing plants in Brazil, it is shown that industry in lower-income areas displays a higher concentration of the dirtiest industrial sectors and of smaller plants (which are dirtier). However, harm to humans from industrial air pollution in Brazil is found to be greater in higher-income areas and most of this harm derives from larger plants. This is not simply a reflection of the greater prevalence of manufacturing in urban areas, for the rising projections of human mortality among higher wage municipalities hold, even controlling for population density. Resolution of this apparent paradox hinges on the distinction between emission intensities and total emissions, the latter determining the level of harm, a distinction that has not always been made clear in the course of debate.
Of Catechisms and Sermons: Church-State Relations in France, 1890–1905

Dans la France de la fin du XIX e siecle, l'Eglise et les autorites officielles continuent a pratiquer l'accomodation sur les plans departemental et municipal. Ceci montre que, toute rhetorique publique mise a part, les republicains n'etaient pas instinctivement anticlericaux comme le clerge catholique n'etait pas entierement et irremediablement defavorable a la Republique. Le Saint-Siege poussait les eveques francais a evacuer la politique de leurs catechismes tout en les detournant de l'adoption du langage national dans les catechismes et les sermons
Adipokines, Inflammation, and Visceral Adiposity across the Menopausal Transition: A Prospective Study

Context: Postmenopausal women have greater visceral adiposity compared with premenopausal women. Adipokines are associated with increased adiposity, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess changes in adipokines and inflammatory markers through the menopausal transition and correlate them with changes in visceral adiposity. Design and Setting: This was a prospective cohort study of women through the menopausal transition conducted at the University of Washington. Participants: Sixty-nine healthy women were followed up longitudinally from premenopausal (aged 45–55 yr) to postmenopausal status (aged 49–60 yr). Outcome: On premenopausal and postmenopausal visits, fasting blood was drawn for adiponectin, leptin, serum amyloid A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP), monocyte-chemotactic protein-1, tissue plasminogen activator antigen (tPA), IL-6, and TNF-α. Body composition measures were assessed by body mass index, whole-body dual x-ray absorptiometry scan, and computed tomography scan of the abdomen at the lumbar 4–5 level. Results: Women had a statistically significant increase in SAA, tPA, monocyte-chemotactic protein-1, and adiponectin between the two measurement occasions (P = 0.04, P = 0.02, P = 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). The increase in intraabdominal fat was correlated positively with the change in SAA (r = 0.31, P = 0.02), CRP (r = 0.56, P < 0.001), tPA (r = 0.40, P = 0.002), and leptin (r = 0.41, P = 0.002) and negatively correlated with the change in adiponectin (r = −0.37, P = 0.005). After adjustment for change in sc abdominal fat, the correlation between change in CRP, tPA, leptin, and adiponectin remained significantly associated with change in intraabdominal fat. Conclusions: Women going through the menopausal transition have deleterious changes in inflammatory markers and adipokines that correlate with increased visceral adiposity.
Crystal chemistry of boehmite

Thirty two boehmites, synthesized at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 300~ were examined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, X-ray powder diffraction, differential thermal analysis, and infrared spectroscopy. The results show that boehmite exhibits a continuous gradation in crystallite size ranging from single octahedral layers or a few unit cells to about 65 unit cells in the y-direction. This conclusion suggests that the term pseudoboehmite is inappropriate for finely crystalline boehmite. Finely crystalline boehmite contains more sorbed water than coarsely crystalline boehmite; this water is commonly intercalated between octahedral layers, usually randomly but sometimes regularly. The regularly interstratified boehmite gives rise to a diffuse "long spac- ing" X-ray diffraction reflection. Calculated 020 X-ray diffraction peaks approximate closely those ob- served experimentally when a range of crystallite sizes is taken into account.
Dimensions of Postwar Philippine Economic Progress

I. Introduction, 93. — II. Economic growth in the Philippines: the initial reconnaissance, 95. — III. Education as a source of PhiHppine growth, 99. — IV. An hypothesis and a comparative evaluation: Asia and Latin America, 105. — V. Summary, 108.
Posthumous reproduction: current and future status

The ability to use cryopreserved spermatozoa and advanced reproductive techniques (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), makes it possible for a woman to conceive the child of a man who is deceased. Cryopreserved embryos make it possible for children to be born after the death of the father, mother, or both parents. Posthumous reproduction may be desired in several different settings. The situation arises most commonly when either gametes or embryos are stored with the prospect of posthumous reproduction clearly planned and intended, such as when one partner suffers from a fatal illness. Frequently, gametes and embryos are stored without specific instructions regarding their use after death of the donors. An increasingly common scenario is the urgent request of a spouse for sperm retrieval from a man suffering a sudden, usually traumatic, death. The emotional and legal issues surrounding postmortem sperm retrieval and its use for procreation have polarized many physicians and legal and ethics scholars [1]. Great controversy remains with regard to the disposition of frozen gametes and embryos that are not used by the originating couples. Should these gametes and embryos be destroyed, used by other infertile couples, or used in research such as cloning? This article addresses the current status of posthumous reproduction and the fate of banked sperm and embryos in the United States. Pertinent legal rulings are reviewed when available. The main question is whether the ethical and legal issues attendant to posthumous reproduction are as mature as the technical advances.
Learner Autonomy as a Predictor of Course Success and Final Grades in Community College Online Courses

This study employed a quantitative research design to examine the predictive relationships between: (a) learner autonomy and course success; and (b) learner autonomy and final grades in community college online courses. Learner autonomy was defined as the characteristic of an individual who exhibited intentional behavior in learning activities. The results of the binary and ordinal logistic regression analyses suggested that learner autonomy was a valid predictor of course success and final grades in community college online courses. The implications of the results are discussed in the context of early identification and effective intervention. Specifically, two interventions are recommended: (a) blended learning programs, and (b) advisory and counseling services.
A Structural Theory of Vote Choice: Social and Political Networks and Electoral Flows in Britain and the United States

The question of how social and political networks influence political behavior stands at the theoretical heart of this article. A general hypothesis details the patterns of crisscrossing and overlapping lines of division and cohesion as they relate to voting decisions: As individuals vary in their membership in mutually reinforcing social and political networks, they vary in the likelihood of persistently voting for the same political party and never voting for other parties. Analyses of panel data on British (1964-1966; 1966-1970; 1964-1966-1970; 1970-1974) and American voters (1956-1960) found supporting evidence for a series of hypotheses and empirical generalizations derived from the general proposition.
Does Use of the American College of Surgeons NSQIP Calculator Change a Surgeon’s Decision to Operate? A Randomized Trial

METHODS: Criteria were elicited from an institution’s surgical faculty when making discharge decisions, using a survey instrument. Patient data from these surgical services were then analyzed using a time-to-event model to identify criteria that explain the timing of discharges. The data were then used to develop a timevarying prediction model of unplanned readmissions. The readmissions model was validated via a series of inand out-of-sample tests using bootstrapped, partitioned patients. All 3 sources of discharge practices were then compared.
A second proteinase encoded by a plant potyvirus genome.

Abstract The RNA genome of tobacco etch virus (TEV) encodes a large polyprotein precursor that is processed to mature proteins by virus-specific proteinases. Cleavage sites located within the carboxyl-terminal two-thirds of the polyprotein are processed by a TEV-encoded 49 kd proteinase, while the enzyme(s) responsible for cleaving the remaining sites has not been found. In this study, a second TEV-encoded proteinase has been identified based on cell-free expression of defined RNA transcripts. The boundaries of this proteinase have been delineated by deletion analysis and site-directed mutagenesis. The proteolytically active domain has been localized to the carboxyl-terminal half of the 56 kd aphid-transmission helper component. A cleavage site that is recognized by this proteinase has been identified in the polyprotein adjacent to the carboxyl-terminus of the enzyme, and the proteinase appears to cleave by an autocatalytic mechanism. Proteolysis in vitro occurs between a Gly-Gly dipeptide as determined by radiochemical sequencing at the amino-terminus of the proteolytic product.
Bile acids go up to BAT

Considered a “holy grail” by virtue of its calorie-burning properties, brown adipose tissue (BAT) consists of highly metabolically active fat depots that are rich in mitochondria. Because BAT is found in humans, there is great interest in boosting its activity to rev up metabolism. Although cold
Image segmentation with a novel regularized composite shape prior based on surrogate study

Purpose: Incorporating training into image segmentation is a good approach to achieve additional robustness. This work aims to develop an effective strategy to utilize shape prior knowledge, so that the segmentation label evolution can be driven toward the desired global optimum. Methods: In the variational image segmentation framework, a regularization for the composite shape prior is designed to incorporate the geometric relevance of individual training data to the target, which is inferred by an image-based surrogate relevance metric. Specifically, this regularization is imposed on the linear weights of composite shapes and serves as a hyperprior. The overall problem is formulated in a unified optimization setting and a variational block-descent algorithm is derived. Results: The performance of the proposed scheme is assessed in both corpus callosum segmentation from an MR imageset and clavicle segmentation based on CTimages. The resulted shape composition provides a proper preference for the geometrically relevant training data. A paired Wilcoxon signed rank test demonstrates statistically significant improvement of image segmentation accuracy, when compared to multiatlas label fusion method and three other benchmark active contour schemes. Conclusions: This work has developed a novel composite shape prior regularization, which achieves superior segmentation performance than typical benchmark schemes.