cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
IPV Stigma and its Social Management: The Roles of Relationship-Type, Abuse-Type, and Victims’ Sex

Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) often encounter negative societal reactions to their abuse. A quantitative self-report study examined the existence of these potential identity-threats to former IPV victims (N = 345, n = 106 males, n = 239 females). Biological sex, abuse type (i.e., psychological, physical) and severity, and IPV relationship type (i.e., situational couple violence, intimate terrorism) were each modeled as predictors of IPV stigma and its social management strategies. Results indicated differences in how IPV stigma was experienced and communicatively managed by diverse victims. Findings, interpreted through an applied lens for IPV practitioners and victims, also add nuance to existing theories of IPV, interpersonal communication, and social stigma.
Kevin Michael Klipfel and Dani Brecher Cook. Learner-Centered Pedagogy: Principles and Practice. Chicago, Ill.: ALA Editions, 2017. 208p. Paper, $60.00 (ISBN 978-0-8389-1557-8). LC 2016058814.

With the growing focus on student engagement, retention, and success in the academy, recent scholarship in librarianship has paid increasing attention to learner-centered teaching practices and how they might improve learning outcomes for information literacy instruction. University of Southern California’s Kevin Michael Klipfel and University of California at Riverside’s Dani Brecher Cook have tackled this subject in a compact book, at once theoretical and practical, that both outlines the foundations and history of learner-centered pedagogies and provides useful examples and suggestions for incorporating them in diverse teaching contexts. Drawing heavily from the work of Carl Rogers, the originator of person-centered therapy and a theorist of psychology-based educational practices as well, Klipfel and Cook provide working definitions of learner-centered pedagogy, significant learning, and other important and related concepts. They also summarize current research demonstrating the effectiveness of learner-centered teaching practices. The overall premise of the book is relatively simple, yet it is still transformative of much of what we do in teaching contexts: students retain and are able to apply more of what they learn when instructors place who they are as people at the center of the learning experience. Klipfel and Cook demonstrate how this essential principle of learner-centered pedagogy, much discussed in education theory more generally, applies specifically to librarianship and to information literacy instruction in fundamental ways. For readers relatively unfamiliar with learner-centered pedagogy, the book also includes templates for research worksheets and other resources that can be downloaded from the ALA website that are helpful for those trying to incorporate learner-centered teaching principles into their own practices for the first time.
Alternatives to Rapid Sequence Intubation: Contemporary Airway Management with Ketamine.

Endotracheal intubation (ETI) is a high-risk procedure commonly performed in emergency medicine, critical care, and the prehospital setting. Traditional rapid sequence intubation (RSI), the simultaneous administration of an induction agent and muscle relaxant, is more likely to harm patients who do not allow appropriate preparation and preoxygenation, have concerning airway anatomy, or severe hypoxia, acidemia, or hypotension. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, can be used to facilitate two alternatives to RSI to augment airway safety in these scenarios: delayed sequence intubation – the use of ketamine to allow airway preparation and preoxygenation in the agitated patient; and ketamine-only breathing intubation, in which ketamine is used without a paralytic to facilitate ETI as the patient continues to breathe spontaneously. Ketamine may also provide hemodynamic benefits during standard RSI and is a valuable agent for post-intubation analgesia and sedation. When RSI is not an optimal airway management strategy, ketamine’s unique pharmacology can be harnessed to facilitate alternative approaches that may increase patient safety.
Trends In Public Opinion On US Gun Laws: Majorities Of Gun Owners And Non-Gun Owners Support A Range Of Measures.

Gun policy is a prominent topic of debate in the 2020 US election cycle. Tracking evolving public attitudes about gun policy is critical in this context. Using data from the National Survey of Gun ...
Nonlinear Disturbance Observer based Control for Polynomial Systems with Mismatched Uncertainties using Sum-of-Squares Programming

Nonlinear disturbance observers owing to their simplicity in implementation have seen remarkable success in motion control. Although, the underlying principle behind disturbance observers is straightforward, finding the corresponding observer gain matrix is non-trivial and often becomes a problem specific task. In addition, for cases where the disturbance enters the system through a different channel than the input, termed as the mismatching condition, disturbance observer and compensation design can be challenging. In this paper, we propose a sum-of-squares method to design disturbance observers for polynomial nonlinear systems with guaranteed exponential stability. The exponential stability of the disturbance observer enables its usage in a composite control structure with any asymptotic or finite time stable control scheme. Furthermore, we demonstrate the design of the disturbance compensation gain which when applied to systems with mismatched uncertainties ensures input-to-state stability (ISS) of the system. The ISS-Lyapunov analysis for the combined disturbance observer and the polynomial system is carried out using sum-of-squares programming. To numerically validate our proposed approach, we investigate robust disturbance observer based control for both matched and mismatched disturbances.
Bridging the online offline gap: Assessing the impact of brands’ social network content quality on brand awareness and purchase intention

Abstract Social media is shaping the way companies and brands engage and interact with consumers, particularly Millennials. In light of this growing trend, this study aims to understand the influence of content quality and brand interactivity within social media on consumers' brand awareness and purchase intentions by proposing an empirical model which is tested using structural equation modeling. The study also explores whether the relation between social media stimuli and offline purchase intention is mediated by hedonic motivation, consumer engagement and brand awareness. Results reveal that the quality of content provided by brands on social media and company-users' interactivity are of major importance to Millennials. They increase the hedonic motive derived by these users from social media, strengthen their online engagement and intensify their brand awareness. This heightened online consumer engagement coupled with an increased online consumer brand awareness leads to an increase in the purchase intention of these brands offline. Consequently, companies are encouraged to invest in producing high-quality content on their social media pages, deploy all possible strategies to enhance brand users’ interactivity given the important role these variables play in entertaining, engaging users online, building brand awareness and influencing their offline purchase intentions.
Wiener-Hopf factorization technique for time-inhomogeneous finite Markov chains

This work contributes to the theory of Wiener-Hopf type factorization for finite Markov chains. This theory originated in the seminal paper [Barlow et al., Wiener-Hopf factorization for matrices, S...
High-yield monolayer graphene grids for near-atomic resolution cryoelectron microscopy.

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has become one of the most powerful techniques to reveal the atomic structures and working mechanisms of biological macromolecules. New designs of the cryo-EM grids—aimed at preserving thin, uniform vitrified ice and improving protein adsorption—have been considered a promising approach to achieving higher resolution with the minimal amount of materials and data. Here, we describe a method for preparing graphene cryo-EM grids with up to 99% monolayer graphene coverage that allows for more than 70% grid squares for effective data acquisition with improved image quality and protein density. Using our graphene grids, we have achieved 2.6-A resolution for streptavidin, with a molecular weight of 52 kDa, from 11,000 particles. Our graphene grids increase the density of examined soluble, membrane, and lipoproteins by at least 5-fold, affording the opportunity for structural investigation of challenging proteins which cannot be produced in large quantity. In addition, our method employs only simple tools that most structural biology laboratories can access. Moreover, this approach supports customized grid designs targeting specific proteins, owing to its broad compatibility with a variety of nanomaterials.
Identification of damage parameters during flood events applicable to multi-span bridges

During flood events, the dynamic interaction between flowing water and bridges generates random loadings that force bridges to vibrate in all six degrees of freedom. It is difficult for a structural damage detection method to select a degree of freedom, or damage feature, to accurately describe and predict damage. The methodology presented here identifies damage-sensitive features and uses them to monitor bridge health. A small-scale physical model of a multi-span highway bridge was constructed to satisfy geometrical, Cauchy, and Froude similarities, and six-dimensional hydrodynamic forces induced by simulated flood events were investigated as an input excitation in a tilting flume. It was determined that pitch, roll, and surge motions can be used as damage features during the inundated stage, while pitch, roll, surge, and heave can be used before the inundated stage. In addition, angular velocity signals exhibited more consistent damage indices than acceleration. Using the damage features, the proposed algorithm could successfully detect damage and damage severity during simulated flood stages. Identifying damage features can reduce the size of the collected data and inform emergency responders’ decisions. This case study can be used to test methods at full scale on similar structures to develop automated health-monitoring systems.
Child maltreatment and romantic relationships in adolescence and young adulthood: The mediating role of self-perception.

Abstract Background Child maltreatment (CM) can disrupt the development of self, influencing the ability to form positive relationships, including romantic attachment. While mental health is a known mediator of maltreatment history and romantic relationships, less is known about the role of self-perception. Objective The goal of this work is to understand the role self-perception plays in the association between CM history and romantic relationships during adolescence and young adulthood. Participants Longitudinal data from child welfare involved and comparison youth were gathered to examine whether self-perception mediated the association between CM history and the proportion of positive romantic relationships. Mean age at T1 was 11.03 years and 18.24 years at T4. Methods Participants in the CM group were recruited from active Child Protective Services cases in a large west coast city. The comparison group was recruited using names from school lists of children residing in the same 10 zip codes. Assessments were conducted at an urban research university. After assent/consent were obtained, the adolescent was administered questionnaires. For the current analyses, only those who indicated they had ever had a romantic relationship were included (n = 306). Hypotheses were tested used path modeling in Mplus 7.0. Results CM history was associated with lower self-perceptions in all domains. Only behavioral (β = 0.15, p= 0.02) and scholastic (β= -0.14, p= 0.04) self- perceptions predicted proportion of later positive romantic relationships. A significant mediation effect was found only for behavioral self- perceptions. Conclusions Interventions aimed at bolstering self- perceptions and engagement in positive behaviors could strengthen positive relationships for youth with CM and child welfare experiences.
Measuring Decentrality in Blockchain Based Systems

Blockchain promises to provide a distributed and decentralized means of trust among untrusted users. However, in recent years, a shift from decentrality to centrality has been observed in the most accepted Blockchain system, i.e., Bitcoin. This shift has motivated researchers to identify the cause of decentrality, quantify decentrality and analyze the impact of decentrality. In this work, we take a holistic approach to identify and quantify decentrality in Blockchain based systems. First, we identify the emergence of centrality in three layers of Blockchain based systems, namely governance layer, network layer and storage layer. Then, we quantify decentrality in these layers using various metrics. At the governance layer, we measure decentrality in terms of fairness, entropy, Gini coefficient, Kullback–Leibler divergence, etc. Similarly, in the network layer, we measure decentrality by using degree centrality, betweenness centrality and closeness centrality. At the storage layer, we apply a distribution index to define centrality. Subsequently, we evaluate the decentrality in Bitcoin and Ethereum networks and discuss our observations. We noticed that, with time, both Bitcoin and Ethereum networks tend to behave like centralized systems where a few nodes govern the whole network.
Self-reported poor quality of sleep in solid organ transplant: A systematic review

Abstract Background High quality sleep of sufficient duration is vital to overall health and wellbeing. Self-reported poor quality of sleep, sleep reported as irregular in timing, marked by frequent awakenings, or shortened in duration, is common across the solid-organ transplant trajectory. Aim This Systematic Review aimed to summarize available literature on rates of self-reported poor quality of sleep among solid organ transplant candidates and recipients. Methods A systematic search of published literature was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, CINHAL, and PsychInfo databases with no date restrictions. Original articles in the English language describing self-reported quality of sleep using standardized questionnaires in adults either waitlisted for, or who received a solid organ transplant (heart, lung, kidney, liver, pancreas, or multi-solid organ) were included. Results Of a potential 2054 articles identified, 44 were included (63.6% renal transplant, 20.5% liver transplant, 11.4% lung transplant, and 4.5% included multiple organ transplant populations), with the majority (68.2%) focusing only on post-transplant populations. No included articles focused solely on heart or pancreas transplant populations. On average, the transplant population with the greatest improvement in quality of sleep (reported as poor sleep quality, insomnia, sleep disturbance, or sleep dissatisfaction) from transplant candidacy to post-transplantation were renal transplant (from 53.5% pre, to 38.9% post) followed by liver transplant patients (from 52.8% pre, to 46.3% post), while lung transplant patients remained similar pre- to post-transplantation (55.6% pre, to 52% post). Poor quality of sleep was frequently associated with anxiety and depression, poorer quality of life, restless legs syndrome, and higher comorbidity. Conclusions Reports of poor quality of sleep are highly prevalent across all solid-organ transplant populations, both pre- and post-transplantation. Future studies should assess quality of sleep longitudinally throughout all phases of the transplantation trajectory, with more research focusing on how to optimize sleep in solid organ transplant populations.
Driving Hazard Detection with a Bioptic Telescope

Driving by visually impaired people using bioptic telescopes is permitted in 43 states, yet their use remains controversial. One of the concerns is that the ring scotoma (blind area caused by the telescope magnification) may block the field-of-view, impacting detection of potential hazards when looking through the telescope. The authors evaluated the ability of the non-telescope eye to detect hazards in the field-of-view covered by the ring scotoma. Three participants watched a series of 54 real world driving videos that included 45 potential hazardous events and pressed a button as soon as a hazard was detected, in three conditions: just watching the videos, and while performing a reading task without or with a bioptic telescope. Results showed that all participants had either reduced detection rates or increased reaction times to hazards when performing the reading task with a bioptic telescope. These preliminary results suggest that attention demanding tasks and viewing through the telescope might impair hazard detection ability. Additional study is needed to fully understand the safety of bioptic driving.
Anarchy Meets Feminism: A Gender Analysis of Emma Goldman's Mother Earth, 1906–1917

Abstract This article explores how the anarchist magazine Mother Earth published by Emma Goldman framed women's issues during its twelve-year run. The magazine's major contributions to female emancipation lay in the realm of sexuality: its recognition of the economic imperative in female sexuality, a critique of marriage, a cry against sexual double standards, a protest against oppressive moral codes, a challenge to patriarchy, the celebration of sexuality, and the demand for birth control. Paradoxically, on other key women's issues such as suffrage or employment, the magazine pursued an anti-feminist agenda. The biggest paradox was that Goldman's idealization of motherhood and essentialist claims about female biology, compounded by the anarchists' antipathy toward the government and corporate world, made the magazine a vehicle for perpetuating restrictive gender stereotypes and stymied Mother Earth from supporting female forays into the public sphere.
Framing Emerging Environmental Movement Tactics: Mobilizing Consensus, Demobilizing Conflict'

This paper is a study of an emerging environmental decision-making model that attempts to move beyond traditionally adversarial approaches toward “consensus building.” Consensus-based decision making ostensibly allows activists equal power with industrialists and state actors in environmental policy-making. This research builds upon the growing literature on frame-analysis by demonstrating that there are instances when challengers actually engage in collaborative framing with their adversaries. This does not presume that activists reject oppositional framing altogether. In these cases, environmentalists actually draw on a mixture of confrontation and negotiation in this innovative form of collective action that positions them in contexts most environmentalists never experience—a place at the decision-making table with elites. This study reveals that environmentalists are becoming more sophisticated in their efforts to protect local communities and natural resources.
A game theoretic approach to decision and analysis in network intrusion detection

We investigate the basic trade-offs, analysis and decision processes involved in information security and intrusion detection, as well as possible application of game theoretic concepts to develop a formal decision and control framework. A generic model of a distributed intrusion detection system (IDS) with a network of sensors is considered, and two schemes based on game theoretic techniques are proposed. The security warning system is simple and easy-to-implement, and it gives system administrators an intuitive overview of the security situation in the network. The security attack game, on the other hand, models and analyzes attacker and IDS behavior within a two-person, nonzero-sum, noncooperative game with dynamic information. Nash equilibrium solutions in closed form are obtained for specific subgames, and two illustrative examples are provided.
A study of bone regeneration; report of a case of adenoma of the parathyroid gland with extensive bone changes.

Abstract Demineralization of bone resulting from hyperparathyroidism is a reversible process. In the case reported, excision of a benign parathyroid adenoma oma was followed by redeposition of osseous calcium and reappearance of lamina dura. The regenerative process was studied postoperatively over a period of approximately four and one-half months, and is illustrated by laboratory studies and intraroal radiographs.
The Role of the Executive-Level Student Services Officer within a Community College Organizational Structure.

The unique nature and mission of community colleges directly shapes the role and function of a senior student affairs officer (SSAO). Broadly, the community college mission is shaped by a vision of fulfilling several commitments to local communities. This includes admitting all applicants through an open access admissions policy and providing comprehensive educational programs leading to associate's degrees, career and technical education, basic skills education, certificates, and the transfer pathway to baccalaureate-granting institutions, as well as lifelong learning courses. This chapter will discuss the role of the SSAO within a community college organizational structure. Career paths will be explored including competencies needed in this role. Implications include promising practices for aspiring SSAOs as well as recommendations for search committees who must no longer neglect SSAOs as potential presidents.
Towards a design tool for self-heated cells producing liquid metal by electrolysis

As part of an effort to assess the technical feasibility of producing metals by molten salt electrolysis, a design tool is under development for the purposes of estimating the threshold cell size and current for self-heating operation. To make the model broadly applicable to the production of different metals, two major issues must be addressed. First, accurate values of the heat transfer coefficient are required in order to model the position of the ledge. In the Hall-Heroult cell, the heat transfer coefficient is determined experimentally from industrial operation, an approach that is not possible for a cell that has never been built. Second, thorough treatment of transport phenomena in the cell involves solving the equations for liquid and gas flows simultaneously; however, the methods used to model the turbulent flows in the Hall-Heroult cell are usually not well coupled.
Efficient scale-space spatiotemporal saliency tracking for distortion-free video retargeting

Video retargeting aims at transforming an existing video in order to display it appropriately on a target device, often in a lower resolution, such as a mobile phone. To preserve a viewer's experience, it is desired to keep the important regions in their original aspect ratio, i.e., to maintain them distortion-free. Most previous methods are susceptible to geometric distortions due to the anisotropic manipulation of image pixels. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to distortion-free video retargeting by scale-space spatiotemporal saliency tracking. An optimal source cropping window with the target aspect ratio is smoothly tracked over time, and then isotropically resized to the retargeted display. The problem is cast as the task of finding the most spatiotemporally salient cropping window with minimal information loss due to resizing. We conduct the spatiotemporal saliency analysis in scale-space to better account for the effect of resizing. By leveraging integral images, we develop an efficient coarse-to-fine solution that combines exhaustive coarse and gradient-based fine search, which we term scale-space spatiotemporal saliency tracking. Experiments on real-world videos and our user study demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.
The Use of Five Repetition Sit to Stand Test (FRSTST) to Assess Fall Risk in the Assisted Living Population

ABSTRACT. Aims: The purpose of this study is to determine whether the Five Repetition Sit to Stand Test (FRSTST) cutoff score for fall prediction in community-dwelling older adults (>15 s) is valid for predicting falls in individuals living in an assisted-living facility. Methods: Eighteen subjects (78–95 years old ±4.4 years) performed the FRSTST and were followed over a 12-month period. The incidence of falls was collected from facility incident reports after 3, 6, and 12 months. Results: The 6-month receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis revealed that a time of greater than 23.8 seconds demonstrated 85.71% sensitivity and 90.91% specificity (p = 0.0033) using a chi-square test. Age, weight, height, body mass index, length of stay at the facility, and Mini-Mental State Exam score were analyzed and found not predictive of falls at 3, 6, and 12 months. Conclusion: The FRSTST can be used semianually in this setting to predict falls using a score of 23.8 s, which is higher than the score for community-dwel...
Neural plasticity, joint attention, and a transactional social-orienting model of autism*

An especially rich vehicle to elucidate the influence of brain development on psychopathology has emerged from work being conducted by investigators in the area of neural plasticity. … Rather than adhering to a unidimensional belief in the deterministic role that unfolding biology exerts on behavior, a number of theorists operating within this tradition believe that brain function, and its subsequent influence on behavior, possesses self organizing functions that can, in fact, be altered by experience at certain sensitive periods of development that occur across the life course. Moreover, this framework moves … to a more integrative and dynamic transactional view on development that stresses the importance of both psychological and neural self-organization ( pp. 533, Cicchetti & Tucker, 1994 ).
Fibrin Glue Injections: A Minimally Invasive and Cost-Effective Treatment for Post–Renal Transplant Lymphoceles and Lymph Fistulas

Pelvic lymphoceles/lymph fistulas are commonly observed after kidney allotransplantation, especially when the kidney is placed in a retroperitoneal position. While the majority are <5 cm in diameter and resolve without intervention, some may continue to enlarge, and cause local or systemic symptoms or graft dysfunction. Among 1662 recipients of both living and deceased donor kidney transplants between January 2003 and July 2014, we found 46 (2.7%) patients with symptomatic lymphoceles requiring intervention. We studied the clinical outcomes and charges for three treatment modalities including open surgical drainage (22), laparoscopic surgical drainage (11), and percutaneous fibrin glue injections into the drained lymphocele cavity (13). The patient demographics and clinical characteristics were comparable for each treatment group, although maintenance immunosuppressive drugs differed by era. We found fibrin glue injections resulted in significantly lower (p = 0.04) rates of recurrence (1; 7.7%) than either laparoscopic (6; 54%) or open surgical drainage (6; 27.3%). In addition, fibrin glue injections generated significantly (p < 0.001) lower median ($4559) charges compared to either laparoscopic ($26 330) or open surgical drainage ($23 758). Fibrin glue treatment has the advantage of being an outpatient procedure, performed with the patient under local anesthesia, and does not incur the expense of an operative procedure or hospital admission associated with laparoscopic or open surgery.
Relaxed control of RNA synthesis during nutritional shiftdowns of a hisU mutant of Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract Among the classes of histidine regulatory mutants isolated in Salmonella typhimurium , three of these mutants ( hisT, hisW and hisU ) exhibit pleiotrophic effects on the regulation of expression of other amino acid biosynthetic operons (1, 2). While the regulatory patterns of the hisT mutants are explained by the defective tRNA pseudouridylate synthetase (3), the exact function of the hisW and hisU loci are not as clearly defined, although both mutants exhibit reductions in the relative amino acid acceptance activity of several tRNA's (4). In studies of tRNA synthesis and processing in one such hisU mutant ( hisU1820 ), we unexpectedly observed continued RNA synthesis during nutritional (carbon and energy source) transitions. It was also shown that this relaxed control of stable RNA formation is independent of the relA gene product.
Party Competence Evaluations and Voting for Congress

Q NE of the most intriguing regularities in American elections is the loss of seats in the House of Representatives by the President's party in midterm elections. With but a single significant exception, the inparty has lost seats in every midterm since the two-party system was established in the last century. This regular pattern has naturally spawned a considerable volume of research (Campbell 1966; Hinckley 1967; Tufte 1975; Kernell 1977; Abramowitz et al. 1983). Broadly speaking, two explanations have been offered for the recurring loss of support for the inparty in midterm elections. First, there are what might be called the "mechanical" theories. In these theories the inparty's congressional delegation is the unintended victim of electoral tides. The earliest and best known of these mechanical theories is Campbell's notion of an almost inevitable decline of support for the inparty after a presidential year surge (1966). The on-year (or presidential year) surge is largely attributed to "peripheral voters" who flock to support the party of the winning presidential candidate as short-term forces sweep through the electorate. The midterm decline is explained by Campbell as the moreor-less inevitable result of a move back toward partisan balance as these peripheral voters fail to participate as faithfully in midterms elections as they do in more salient presidential elections. To a large extent Campbell's theory has escaped serious empirical analysis, but recent literature pointing out the declining significance of presidential coattails casts doubt on this and other mechanical theories (Calvert and Ferejohn 1984). The second explanation for inparty midterm losses involves the notion that the punishment of the President's party is no accident but is rather the product of deliberate decisions by the electorate. From this perspective midterms are a referendum on the incumbent administration. As a rule
Bowel obstruction in patients with metastatic cancer: does intervention influence outcome?

Background: Both surgical and nonsurgical options are available to treat bowel obstruction in patients with metastatic cancer. The goal is straightforward: to restore bowel patency and palliate the symptoms of obstruction. Yet the most appropriate management is often a challenging decision. Aim of the Study: We sought to review our experience in managing patients with metastatic cancer and bowel obstruction. Methods: A retrospective review was performed to identify all patients admitted at University of Wisconsin Hospital between 1993 and 2000 with the diagnoses of both bowel obstruction and metastatic cancer. Demographic data, type of management, postoperative complications, and outcome were analyzed. Results: A total of 114 patients with primarily colorectal or gynecologic malignancies were identified. Patients’ first bowel obstructions were managed in one of two ways: (1) definitive surgical intervention (n=47), or (2) conservative management (n=67). The median overall survival was 3 mo for the entire study group. There was no significant difference in overall or obstruction-free survival based on management, presence of recurrent bowel obstruction, or type of primary cancer. The only factor that was significant in predicting poor overall survival included a disease-free interval of less than 1 yr (time of diagnosis of primary cancer to time of bowel obstruction, p=0.002). Conclusions: Bowel obstruction in patients with metastatic cancer is a terminal event, with a 3-mo median survival. Because there is no difference in overall or obstruction-free survival based on management, the treatment for palliation of bowel obstruction in patients with metastatic cancer should be individualized.
Estimation of pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance from ultra low frequency precordial movements (kinetocardiograms).

TECHNICS Kinetocardiograms (low frequency precordial displacement movements) were recorded by the method previously presented.lp3 Right heart catheterization was performed by the usual procedure. A Statham P23A or D transducer was used in recording the pulmonary artery pressure. The mean pressure was usually obtained electrically; however, in a few instances it was calculated by adding 42 per cent of the pulse pressure to the diastolic pressure. In a large series in which the mean pressure was determined by planimetry this calculation was found sufficiently close to justify its use.4 Cardiac output was determined by the Fick principle. Total pulmonary vascular resistance was calculated by multiplying the mean artery pressure by 80 and dividing this by cardiac output (pulmonary blood flow in patients with left-toright ventricular shunts) in liters per minute. The resultant figure is expressed in dynes seconds centimeters-j. Correction for body size is achieved by dividing this by the surface area. It should be noted that the vascular resistance is different from pulmonary arteriolar resistance in that the mean capillary pressure (an estimation of left atria1 or pulmonary venous pressure) is not subtracted from the mean pulmonary artery pressure in the former. This type of calculation for vascular resistance was chosen, since this probably represents more closely the total load on the right ventricle. Pulmonary blood flow was used in the calculations for pulmonary resistance rather than systemic flow in patients with left-to-right intracardiac shunts. Pulmonary blood flow was estimated by the formula
The neuropharmacology of relapse to food seeking: Methodology, main findings, and comparison with relapse to drug seeking

Abstract Relapse to old, unhealthy eating habits is a major problem in human dietary treatments. The mechanisms underlying this relapse are unknown. Surprisingly, until recently this clinical problem has not been systematically studied in animal models. Here, we review results from recent studies in which a reinstatement model (commonly used to study relapse to abused drugs) was employed to characterize the effect of pharmacological agents on relapse to food seeking induced by either food priming (non-contingent exposure to small amounts of food), cues previously associated with food, or injections of the pharmacological stressor yohimbine. We also address methodological issues related to the use of the reinstatement model to study relapse to food seeking, similarities and differences in mechanisms underlying reinstatement of food seeking versus drug seeking, and the degree to which the reinstatement procedure provides a suitable model for studying relapse in humans. We conclude by discussing implications for medication development and future research. We offer three tentative conclusions: (1) The neuronal mechanisms of food-priming- and cue-induced reinstatement are likely different from those of reinstatement induced by the pharmacological stressor yohimbine. (2) The neuronal mechanisms of reinstatement of food seeking are possibly different from those of ongoing food-reinforced operant responding. (3) The neuronal mechanisms underlying reinstatement of food seeking overlap to some degree with those of reinstatement of drug seeking.
Chronic caffeine alters the density of adenosine, adrenergic, cholinergic, GABA, and serotonin receptors and calcium channels in mouse brain

1. Chronic ingestion of caffeine by male NIH strain mice alters the density of a variety of central receptors. 2. The density of cortical A1 adenosine receptors is increased by 20%, while the density of striatal A2A adenosine receptors is unaltered. 3. The densities of corticalβ1 and cerebellarβ2 adrenergic receptors are reduced byca. 25%, while the densities of corticalα1 andα2 adrenergic receptors are not significantly altered. Densities of striatal D1 and D2 dopaminergic receptors are unaltered. The densities of cortical 5 HT1 and 5 HT2 serotonergic receptors are increased by 26–30%. Densities of cortical muscarinic and nicotinic receptors are increased by 40–50%. The density of cortical benzodiazepine-binding sites associated with GABAA receptors is increased by 65%, and the affinity appears slightly decreased. The density of cortical MK-801 sites associated with NMDA-glutaminergic receptors appear unaltered. 4. The density of cortical nitrendipine-binding sites associated with calcium channels is increased by 18%. 5. The results indicate that chronic ingestion of caffeine equivalent to about 100 mg/kg/day in mice causes a wide range of biochemical alterations in the central nervous system.
Acute and late radiotherapy toxicity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of gastrointestinal complications in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) receiving radiotherapy (RT) and to identify possibly avoidable factors associated with these complications. Methods and Materials: Twenty-four patients were identified and their records reviewed; all had a history of IBD before receiving RT to fields encompassing some portion of the gastrointestinal tract (Crohn's disease) or to the abdomen or pelvis (ulcerative colitis or IBD not otherwise specified). Results: Five of 24 patients (21%) experienced Grade ≥3 acute gastrointestinal toxicity; all 5 received concurrent chemotherapy. Two of 24 patients (8%) experienced Grade ≥3 late gastrointestinal toxicity. There were no significant correlations between complications and IBD type, prior IBD-related surgery, use of medications for IBD, or status of IBD. Conclusion: Patients with IBD may have an increased risk for severe acute RT-related gastrointestinal complications that is more modest than generally perceived, because all patients who had Grade ≥3 acute complications in this study had received concurrent chemotherapy ( p = 0.04). Further study is needed to assess this risk, as well as the impact of RT on these patients' future gastrointestinal morbidity.
Beliefs About the Consequences of Maternal Employment for Children

A 24-item scale was developed to measure Beliefs about the Consequences of Maternal Employment for Children (BACMEC), including beliefs about both benefits (13 items) and costs (11 items). Studies of five samples (n = 375) demonstrate that the total BACMEC scale and its sub-scales are highly reliable and have good convergent, divergent, and concurrent validity. Scores on the Costs Subscale predicted greater sex-role traditionalism, women's employment status (not employed), and an older age of child at which mother's employment was deemed acceptable. Benefits scores predicted women's employment status (employed) and work hours (longer), younger age of child when maternal work is acceptable, and greater support for policies to aid working parents. The scales were not susceptible to a social desirability bias. Suggestions are provided for the use of the BACMEC scale in future research concerning employment and families.
The role of the temporal lobes in recognizing visuospatial materials: remembering versus knowing

Recognition memory for abstract visuospatial designs was assessed in unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients and normal controls using a remember/know recognition paradigm. Subjects assigned "remember" judgments to recognized items for which they could recall the study presentation, and "know" judgments to items recognized on the basis of familiarity without conscious recollection of the study episode. In Experiment 1 normal controls and left TLE patients gave more "know" than "remember" recognition judgments for visuospatial materials. Right TLE subjects, however, showed the opposite response pattern. Experiment 1a demonstrated that this dissociation between left and right temporal patients occurred in both presurgery and postsurgery patients. In Experiment 2 recognition was assessed following encoding conditions in which subjects answered questions about either the number of lines in the designs or the appropriateness of verbal labels for presented stimuli. The previous pattern of "know" and "remember" responses was replicated for all groups in the line count condition, but was reversed for normal controls in the label condition. These results are interpreted within a theoretical framework in which "remember" responses are based on the contribution of distinctiveness of individual items to recognition whereas "know" judgements reflect perceptual fluency.
Reduced platelet serotonergic responsivity as assessed by dense granule secretion in first-episode psychosis

Objectives: To determine whether blunted serotonergic responsivity, indicated by decreased platelet dense granule secretion (DGS), occurs in neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia, as observed previously in chronic schizophrenia. Design and methods: Serotonin (5-HT)-amplified DGS was examined in 40 first-episode neuroleptic-naive patients (24 with schizophrenia and 16 with mood disorders) and 24 healthy subjects. Results: Healthy controls showed robustly increased DGS. Schizophrenic patients showed very modest DGS increases; mood disorder patients showed intermediate response. Conclusions: Blunted DGS appears to a characteristic of schizophrenia that is observed in the treatment-naive condition.
Soft currencies, cash economies, new monies: Past and present

Current variation in the forms of money challenges economic anthropologists and historians to review theory and comparative findings on multiple currency systems. There are four main sections to the paper devoted to (i) the present continuum of hard to soft currencies as an instance of multiplicity, including discussion of different combinations of the classic four functions of money, especially the relationship between store of value and medium of exchange; (ii) the logic of anthropological inquiry into multiple currency economies; (iii) the case of the monies of Atlantic Africa, applying the analytics of exchange rates as conversions to African transactions; and (iv) the return to economic life in a present day Nigerian economy lived in soft currency and cash. The paper identifies five findings that suggest foci for future research. (i) The widespread occurrence of conversions, which bring together ranking principles within transactions. (ii) Several types of positional ranking ranging from simple stepwise ordinal scales to iconic ordinality that creates a parabolic curve of value. (iii) Fictional units of account that serve to mediate both the memorization of nonreductive transactions and their nature as conversions. (iv) The importance of the temporal reach of what constitutes wealth: over the short run, the life span, intergenerational succession, and in (legal) perpetuity (as for corporate and sovereign debts and specified assets). (v) The social niches in which these qualities are brought together in transactional regimes. In conclusion, the paper returns to the exchange function of cash, soft currencies, and new money forms.
The vascular war of 1988: the enemy is met.

NUMEROUS skirmishes, battles, and wars relating to territorial rights of various specialties involved in treating patients with vascular disease have been waged over the years. These have involved issues of patient welfare, access, availability and cost of resources, economic interests of physicians and hospitals, and quality control. The current "vascular war of 1988" began smoldering among vascular surgeons and radiologists with the widespread introduction of transluminal balloon angioplasty for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease in the 1970s. It has burst into flames in some parts of the nation with the development and introduction of new, high-tech transluminal devices for the treatment of occlusive vascular lesions and now involves not only vascular surgeons and radiologists but also cardiologists. Although most of the new devices are not fully developed, tested, or proven, explosive media exposure of preliminary tests and the Star Wars magic of the word "laser" have led to high
Learning to View Psychology as a Science: Self-Persuasion Through Writing

A primary goal in most introductory psychology courses is teaching students to view psychology as a science. Petty and Cacioppo's (1986) elaboration likelihood model of persuasion and Bem's ( 1 972) self-perception theory suggest that having students write an essay supporting an empirical orientation should promote attitude change in that direction. Compared to a control group, introductory students writing a proempirical essay at the beginning of the term were more likely to conduct an experiment when given a choice of assignment, and they more strongly endorsed a view of psychology as a science at the end of the term. Implications for teaching and persuasion in the classroom are discussed.
Effect of probiotics on the fecal microflora after radiotherapy: A pilot study

Background and Aim : The development of gastrointestinal symptoms following pelvic radiotherapy depends on morphological and functional modifications of the intestinal epithelium after radiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of preventive administration of the preparation ''5'' Strain Dophilus and Hylak on the fecal microflora after radiotherapy in patients during radiotherapy. Materials and Methods : Fourteen patients were randomly selected and subdivided into two groups: The first group was administered ''5'' Strain Dophilus (L Group) and the second group was administered Hylak (H Group). Radiation was delivered by a Cobalt 60 unit by using the four field box technique. The doses were divided into 2 Gy per day over 5 to 7 weeks to give the total cumulative dose of 50 Gy (2 Gy/day). High risk patients (e.g., patients with prostate cancer), received dosage 65 67 Gy (2 Gy/day). Results : Both experimental and clinical studies have shown that probiotics can effectively modulate intestinal inflammation by altering the composition and the metabolic and functional properties of gut indigenous flora. Conclusions : Many bacteria were found to be sensitive to irradiation. It would be necessary to check the possible effects of cytostatics on bacteria in larger studies.
Influence of spawn rate and commercial delayed release nutrient levels on Pleurotus cornucopiae (oyster mushroom) yield, size, and time to production.

Pleurotus cornucopiae 608 was grown on a mixture of pasteurized cottonseed hulls (75% dry wt), 24% chopped wheat straw, and 1% ground limestone. The substrate was spawned at various levels (1.25%, 2.5%, 3.75%, or 5% wet wt) and not supplemented or supplemented with commercial delayed release nutrient (Campbell's S-41) at various levels (0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, or 12%). Maximum yield (weight of fresh mushrooms harvested at maturity) was obtained at 3.75–5% spawn level and 6% S-41 supplement. As supplement levels exceeded 6%, yields declined significantly. There was a negative correlation (r=–0.81) between spawn rate and days to production. As the spawn rate increased, the number of days to production decreased. By using a spawn rate of 3.75% of the wet substrate wt, it was possible to reduce the time to production by a mean of 9.2 days compared with a spawn rate of 1.25%.
Bearing tales: networks and narratives in social policy transfer

In the concluding contribution to this issue, this article asks how patterns in the movement of social policies between nations can be explained. It particularly highlights the ways in which policies often move in clusters from ‘model’ nations outward. The article finds answers in the asymmetries of social policy networks and, most importantly, in the power of the narratives through which policy models travel.