cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A deterrent to diversity: The conditional effect of electoral rules on the nomination of women candidates

Previous literature regarding the effects of electoral systems on candidate selection has implied a false dichotomy regarding proportional representation (PR) versus single member districts (SMD). This paper unpacks the category of proportional representation, and finds significant differences in the behavior of selectorates depending on their configuration of PR. Using both a natural experiment as well as an original data set comprised of 1095 party lists, I find that the type of proportional representation – i.e., whether or not the voters are allowed to pick a particular candidate from the party list – can have a significant effect on the number of women candidates selected to run for office. Further, I find that the strength of this effect depends on cultural gender norms; if a substantial segment of society believes that women are best in traditional roles, not as leaders, there is a significant, negative effect of the decisive intraparty preference vote on the nomination of women candidates.
Surface precipitation reactions on oxide surfaces

Abstract Retention of heavy metal ions on solid surfaces is an important process for many catalytic and electrochemical reactions and for maintaining environmental quality. Determining reaction mechanisms is essential for understanding such processes. However, various mechanisms have been proposed for the sorption of cationic heavy metals on oxide surfaces. In this study, we provide direct evidence using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) for the formation of a surface precipitate prior to bulk solution precipitation. Furthermore, the type of surface present influenced the onset of surface precipitation. At pH 5 and 400 μM Al(III), a surface precipitate was observed on MnO2 (the birnessite phase) but was not apparent on TiO2 (the rutile phase). Thus, surface precipitation reactions must be considered in modeling the sorption mechanisms of hydrolyzable metal ions on oxide surfaces.
Infrared near-field spectroscopy of trace explosives using an external cavity quantum cascade laser

Utilizing a broadly-tunable external cavity quantum cascade laser for scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM), we measure infrared spectra of particles of explosives by probing characteristic nitro-group resonances in the 7.1–7.9 µm wavelength range. Measurements are presented with spectral resolution of 0.25 cm−1, spatial resolution of 25 nm, sensitivity better than 100 attomoles, and at a rapid acquisition time of 90 s per spectrum. We demonstrate high reproducibility of the acquired s-SNOM spectra with very high signal-to-noise ratios and relative noise of <0.02 in self-homodyne detection.
Imaging Body Fat Techniques and Cardiometabolic Implications

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and is associated with multiple comorbidities. The mechanisms underlying the relationship between obesity and adverse health outcomes remain poorly understood. This may be because of several factors including the crude measures used to estimate adiposity, the striking heterogeneity between adipose tissue depots, and the influence of fat accumulation in multiple organs. To advance our understanding of fat stores and associated comorbidities in humans, it will be necessary to image adiposity throughout the body and ultimately also assess its functionality. Large clinical studies are demonstrating the prognostic importance of adipose tissue imaging. Newer techniques capable of imaging fat metabolism and other functions of adipose tissue may provide additional prognostic use and may be useful in guiding therapeutic interventions.
Evidence For Relaxin in Corpora Lutea of Late Pregnant Cows

Relaxin was isolated from corpora lutea of third trimester pregnant cows. Fractions having relaxin activity eluted in the 6000 and 1400 molecular weight ranges when chromatographed on Bio-Gel P-10. Both fractions were shown to inhibit spontaneous contractions of the mouse uterus, and the 6000 molecular weight fraction promoted formation of the mouse interpubic ligament. Agar diffusion studies with an antiserum to purified porcine relaxin showed a continuous precipitin line with no spurring between the two bovine relaxin fractions and NIHR-P1 porcine relaxin standard. Electrofocusing of the 6000 molecular weight fraction demonstrated three fractions which were capable of inhibiting contractions of the mouse uterus and which cross-reacted with porcine relaxin antiserum. The isoelectric points of these three fractions were 8.8, 10.1, and 11.5. Large luteal cells in corpora lutea from cows in the midtrimester of pregnancy were detected that gave a positive stain for relaxin with the immunoperoxidase method.
Ernest L. Eliel: a life of purpose, determination, and integrity.

A concise biography of Ernest L. Eliel is presented. The highlights of Eliel's scientific achievements are described, beginning with his Ph.D. thesis research performed under the supervision of Professor Harold Snyder (University of Illinois) and continuing as a faculty member at Notre Dame (synthesis of nonracemic C(6)H(5)CHDCH(3); kinetic method of conformational analysis; equilibrium and NMR methods of conformational analysis); and at the University of North Carolina (conformational analysis of heterocyclic compounds; enantioselective synthesis). Eliel's professional career as a teacher, textbook author, and major figure in the American Chemical Society are discussed. His philosophies of life, science, and chemistry are described by a series of poignant quotations.
Innocent exclusion in an Alternative Semantics

The exclusive component of unembedded disjunctions is standardly derived as a conversational implicature by assuming that or forms a lexical scale with and. It is well known, however, that this assumption does not suffice to determine the required scalar competitors of disjunctions with more than two atomic disjuncts (McCawley, Everything that linguists have always wanted to know about logic* (But were ashamed to ask). Chicago University Press, Chicago, 1993, p. 324; Simons, “Or”: Issues in the semantics and pragmatics of disjunction. Ph.D. thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1998). To solve this, Sauerland (Linguist Philos 27(3): 367–391, 2004) assumes that or forms a lexical scale with two otherwise unattested silent connectives (\({\mathbb{L}}\) and \({\mathbb{R}}\)) that retrieve the left and right terms of a disjunction. A number of recent works have proposed an Alternative Semantics for indefinites and disjunction to account for their interaction with modals and other propositional operators (Kratzer and Shimoyama, In: Otsu Y (ed) The Proceedings of the Third Tokyo Conference on Psycholinguistics. Hituzi Syobo, Tokyo, pp. 1–25, 2002; Aloni, In: Weisgerber M (ed) Proceedings of the Conference “SuB7—Sinn und Bedeutung”. Arbeitspapier Nr. 114. Konstanz, pp. 28–37, 2003; Simons, Nat Lang Semantics 13: 271–316, 2005; Alonso-Ovalle, Disjunction in alternative semantics. Ph.D. thesis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 2006). We note that the McCawley–Simons problem does not arise in an Alternative Semantics, if we assume that the set of pragmatic competitors to a disjunction is the closure under intersection of the set of propositions that it denotes. An adaptation of the strengthening mechanism presented in Fox (In: Sauerland U, Stateva P (eds) Presupposition and implicature in compositional semantics. MacMillan, Palgrave, pp. 71–120, 2007) allows for the derivation of the exclusive component of disjunctions with more than two atomic disjuncts without having to rely on the \({\mathbb{L}}\) and \({\mathbb{R}}\) operators. The proposal extends to the case of disjunctions with logically dependent disjuncts.
Fresnel Zone Plate for Optical Image Formation Using Extreme Ultraviolet and Soft X Radiation

A new type of Fresnel zone plate has been constructed which can focus ultraviolet radiation of any wavelength down to the soft x-ray region. It consists of a set of thin circular gold bands made self supporting by radial struts, leaving the transparent zones empty. Experimental tests at 6700, 4358, and 2537 A showed that the theoretical minimum angular resolution obeys the Rayleigh criterion, sinθmin=1.22λ/D. The diameter of the zone plate is D=0.26 cm and contains 19 opaque zones, the narrowest of which measured about 20 μ across. The zone plate was better than the optimum pinhole in resolution by a factor of about 6 and in speed by a factor of 40. The zone plate produced pictures that compared favorably with those made with a lens of similar focal length and aperture. The lens was about 20 times faster than the zone plate at 4358 A, but at 1000 A the zone plate would have been far faster than the lens. Focusing tests are contemplated at 1000 A and at 100 A where lenses and mirrors, the conventional image-forming devices, may fail. The angular resolution at 2537 A was close to the theoretical value of 1.2×10−4 rad and held over a field of at least 1.75×10−2 rad, which is 2.0 times the angle subtended by the sun’s disk at the earth. A zone plate telescope, operating in the soft x-ray or extreme ultraviolet region, far above the earth’s atmosphere in an orbiting satellite, now seems possible.
Saturable leptin transport across the BBB persists in EAE mice.

We have shown that mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis, have upregulated leptin receptor expression in reactive astrocytes of the hippocampus, a region involved in sickness behavior. Leptin can exacerbate EAE when its serum concentration is high. Although leptin receptors in astrocytes modulate leptin transport across cultured endothelial cell monolayers, it is not known how leptin transport in EAE mice is regulated. Here, we determined brain and cervical spinal cord uptake of leptin in early and recovery stages of EAE, after either intravenous delivery or in situ brain perfusion of 125I-leptin and the vascular marker 131I-albumin. While increased vascular space and general blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability after EAE were expected, the specific saturable transport system for leptin crossing the BBB also persisted. Moreover, there was upregulation of leptin transport in hippocampus and cervical spinal cord in the early stage of EAE, shown by higher leptin uptake in these regions and by competitive inhibition with coadministered excess unlabeled leptin. We conclude that EAE induced a time- and region-specific increase of leptin transport. The results provide a link between circulating leptin and enhanced leptin signaling that may play a crucial role in disease progression.
Transient flight loads estimation for spacecraft structural design

Abstract Quick and effective estimation of transient dynamic flight loads is a critical part of the spacecraft structural design process. In this work, a transient base drive procedure is used to estimate the flight loads on a spacecraft, during the spacecraft design iterations. In this base drive procedure, only the spacecraft dynamic model is used as against a coupled spacecraft-launch vehicle dynamic models. The well established fixed interface modal model representation, with a determinate interface, is used for the spacecraft substructure. The second part of this paper is on a new, constrained optimization based procedure for notching the qualification level sine vibration profile, specified by the launch vehicle organization. The base drive and the “notched” sine vibration profile generation procedures are demonstrated on a spacecraft stick model and a spacecraft structure with solar array panels.
Unstructured Overset Mesh Adaptation with Turbulence Modeling for Unsteady Aerodynamic Interactions

Schemes for anisotropic grid adaptation for dynamic overset simulations are presented. These approaches permit adaptation over a periodic time window in a dynamic flowfield so that an accurate evolution of the unsteady wake may be obtained, as demonstrated on an unstructured flow solver. Unlike prior adaptive schemes, this approach permits grid adaptation to occur seamlessly across any number of grids that are overset, excluding only the boundary layer to avoid surface manipulations. A demonstration on a rotor/fuselage-interaction configuration includes correlations with time-averaged and instantaneous fuselage pressures, and wake trajectories. Additionally, the effects of modeling the flow as inviscid and turbulent are reported. The ability of the methodology to improve these predictions is confirmed, including a vortex/fuselage-impingement phenomenon that has before now not been captured by computational simulations. The adapted solutions exhibit dependency based on the choice of the feature to form the...
Low Diagnostic Yield of Electrocardiogram Testing in Younger Patients With Syncope

Study objective Routine ECG testing is recommended in the evaluation of syncope, although the value of such testing in young patients is unclear. For ECG testing, we assess the diagnostic yield (frequency that ECG identified the reason for syncope) and predictive accuracy for 14-day cardiac events after an episode of syncope as a function of age. Methods Adult patients with syncope or near-syncope were prospectively enrolled for 1 year at a single academic emergency department (ED). A 3-physician panel reviewed ED charts, hospital records, and telephone interview forms to identify predefined cardiac events. The primary outcome included all 14-day, predefined cardiac events including arrhythmia, myocardial ischemia, and structural heart disease. Results Of 592 eligible patients, 477 (81%) provided informed consent. Direct telephone contact or admission/outpatient records were successfully obtained for 461 (97%) patients, who comprised the analytic cohort. There were 44 (10%) patients who experienced a 14-day cardiac event. Overall diagnostic yield of ECG testing was 4% (95% confidence interval 2% to 6%). For patients younger than 40 years, ECG testing had a diagnostic yield of 0% (95% confidence interval 0% to 3%) and was associated with a 10% frequency of abnormal findings. Conclusion ECG testing in patients younger than 40 years did not reveal a cardiac cause of syncope and was associated with a significant frequency of abnormal ECG findings unrelated to syncope. Although our findings should be verified in larger studies, it may be reasonable to defer ECG testing in younger patients who have a presentation consistent with a benign cause of syncope.
Blade loading and spanwise effects on the near and far wake characteristics of a compressor rotor blade

An experimental investigation of the blade loading and spanwise effects on the rotor wake is presented. The investigation was limited to a study of a low subsonic and incompressible wake flow found downstream of a lightly loaded rotor. Measurements were made with a tri-axial hot wire probe mounted in the stationary frame of reference at six radial and nine axial positions. At each measurement location, the rotor was run at different operating conditions to discern the effects of blade loading on the wake. Near and far wake measurements are given, including mean velocity and turbulence intensity characteristics. The loading and spanwise effects on rotor wake characteristics were found to be substantial.
Measurement of sulindac and its metabolites in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Abstract A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography assay for simultaneous measurement of sulindac and its major metabolites was developed. The extraction methods provided greater than 89% recovery of sulindac and its sulfone and sulfide metabolites from both plasma and urine. Complete resolution and accurate detection of the three compounds was achieved with a reversed-phase column, UV detection at 254 nm and a methanol—acetate buffer mobile phase. Levels of sulindac and its metabolites were determined in plasma and urine from four volunteers after oral administration of 200 mg Clinoril. Glucuronide conjugates in urine were measured after alkaline hydrolysis.
Report of the Meetings of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee of the I.U.P.S.

Abstract The International Union of Psychological Science held two sessions of its General Assembly and two sessions of the Executive Committee during the XXIInd International Congress of Psychology in Leipzig, German Democratic Republic, in July, 1980. Several standing committees also met at this time to conduct the business of the Union.
Counseling services in the Peoples Republic of China

The principal vehicles for counseling in the Peoples Republic of China are the neighborhood council and the extended family. In addition to providing access to many services, the local council offers informal counseling to families and individuals in the neighborhood through peer helpers. This council is also the first level in a three-tiered health care delivery system. Informal counseling is sup-plemented with counseling from paraprofessional health care providers in the neighborhood clinics. Severe problems are referred to the second level — the district hospital — which usually has a psychiatric unit with medical psychologists able to deal with problems on both inpatient and outpatient bases. The third level of assistance is provided through specialized institutes that take a few severe psychological problems for treatment, research, and teaching purposes. Schools refer special behavior problems through the health care or political systems, but care for minor behavior and educational problems is provided through the teacher working with the family in the educational setting. While most counseling services are conducted informally through family and neighborhood council members, the disadvantage is the close linkage of counseling regulatory tasks with functions monitoring behavior and enforcing political policy. On balance, however, it appears that the array of services offered through local councils with a caring neighborly attitude outweighs the disadvantages of loss of privacy and pressures to conform to local behavioral expectations and political demands.
Extending the Cytoplasmic Tail of the Influenza A Virus M2 Protein Leads to Reduced Virus Replication In Vivo but Not In Vitro

A carboxy-terminal epitope tag introduced into the coding region of the A/WSN/33 M2 protein resulted in a recombinant virus (rWSN M2myc) which replicated to titers similar to those of the parental virus (rWSN) in MDCK cells. The rWSN M2myc virus was attenuated in its ability to induce mortality and weight loss after the intranasal inoculation of BALB/c mice, indicating that the M2 cytoplasmic tail plays a role in virus virulence. Mice infected with rWSN M2myc were completely protected from subsequent challenge with rWSN, suggesting that epitope tagging of the M2 protein may be a useful way of attenuating influenza A virus strains.
Generation of optical disk servo patterns by lithographic imaging of photodeformable polymers

A novel non-contact method of forming groove servo patterns on optical disk substrates has been demonstrated. The servo forming layer consists of a copolymer of (p-t-butyloxycarbonyloxy)styrene and styrene formulated with an onium salt which photogenerates acidic species upon exposure to deep UV radiation. If the film is heated after exposure to light the photogenerated acid cleaves the p-t-butyloxycarbonyl ("t-BOC") group resulting in a thickness change in the regions exposed to radiation. Glass substrates coated with this formulation were exposed with an appropriate mask to deep CV light and the image developed by a post exposure bake of 2 minutes at 90°C. A magneto-optic trilayer consisting of 710 A Zr02/800 A TbFeCo/710 A Zr02 was deposited onto the polymer surface. The complete structure has sufficient track error signal level to be trackable on a precision optical disk test stand with the TES servo loop closed and has a CNR of 53 dB, comparable to the same MO composition deposited on injection molded grooved polycarbonate substrates.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Deoxyribonucleic acid flow cytometricstudy in pheochromocytomas and its correlation with clinical parameters

Abstract Objectives To study deoxyribonucleic acid flow cytometry (DNA-FC) inpheochromocytomas and its correlation with clinical parameters. Methods Fifty cases of pheochromocytomas of a total of 58 cases were studied forDNA-FC from archival paraffin-embedded tissue blocks and were correlated with clinical parameters (ie, size of tumor, benign or malignant pathologic type, vanillymandelic acid [VMA] level in 24 hour urine, age, sex, duration of symptoms, symptom scores). Results A total of 19 cases were diploid while 31 cases (62%) showed DNA aneuploidy with 21 cases tetraploid. Four cases were malignant. All of them were tetraploid. However, among the 46 benign cases, 10 were aneuploid and 17 were tetraploid. All 19 cases with DNA diploidy were benign. The DNA-FC did not correlate with other clinical parameters in our study. Conclusions We confirmed a high incidence of DNA aneuploidy in pheochromocytomas. All malignant pheochromocytomas were tetraploid and all cases with DNA diploidy were benign. Long-term follow-up of all cases, especially those with DNA aneuploidy (including tetraploidy), is mandatory.
Effect of impregnating atmosphere oxygen on boriding of titanium alloys

The dependence of the reaction activity of impregnating medium (powdery amorphous boron or boron carbide) in a vacuum at 900°C in relation to titanium on oxygen partial pressure as the main component of the gas atmosphere is studied. Conditions are determined providing formation of a strengthened layer with a smooth change in hardness through its thickness.
Bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10/monopyridinium [2]pseudorotaxanes

The first crown ether/monopyridinium threaded structures, which are [2]pseudorotaxanes based on a new bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10/monopyridinium recognition motif, were successfully prepared as confirmed by proton NMR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and X-ray analysis.
3-D Localization Method for a Magnetically Actuated Soft Capsule Endoscope and Its Applications

In this paper, we present a 3-D localization method for a magnetically actuated soft capsule endoscope (MASCE). The proposed localization scheme consists of three steps. First, MASCE is oriented to be coaxially aligned with an external permanent magnet (EPM). Second, MASCE is axially contracted by the enhanced magnetic attraction of the approaching EPM. Third, MASCE recovers its initial shape by the retracting EPM as the magnetic attraction weakens. The combination of the estimated direction in the coaxial alignment step and the estimated distance in the shape deformation (recovery) step provides the position of MASCE in 3-D. It is experimentally shown that the proposed localization method could provide 2.0-3.7 mm of distance error in 3-D. This study also introduces two new applications of the proposed localization method. First, based on the trace of contact points between the MASCE and the surface of the stomach, the 3-D geometrical model of a synthetic stomach was reconstructed. Next, the relative tissue compliance at each local contact point in the stomach was characterized by measuring the local tissue deformation at each point due to the preloading force. Finally, the characterized relative tissue compliance parameter was mapped onto the geometrical model of the stomach toward future use in disease diagnosis.
Fault diagnosis in turbine engines using unsupervised neural networks technique

A fault diagnosis system based on the neural networks clustering technique is developed for a mid-sized jet propulsion engine. The currently recorded data set for this engine has several limitations in its quality, which results in the lack of information required for the incipient fault detection and wide coverage of failure modes. Using the residuals of core speed, exhausted gas temperature and fuel flow, the developed system is designed to diagnose the failures related to combustor liner, bleed band, and exhausted gas temperature (EGT) sensor rake. The fault diagnosis system reports not only the machine condition but also the belief factor convincing the diagnostic decisions. In this work the actual flight data collected in the field is used to develop and validate the system, and the results are shown for the test on five engines which had experienced three different failures. The presented system is implemented in the form of web-based service and has demonstrated its robustness by isolating the failures successfully in the field.
Paying More Fairly for Medicare Capitated Care

The 1997 Balanced Budget Act (Public Law 105-33) not only balanced the federal budget for the first time in decades but also mandated major changes in Medicare. One important goal of these changes was to expand the choice of health plans for Medicare beneficiaries, both to encourage the provision of high-quality care and to control aggregate program costs through competition and risk sharing. Under the new provisions, health-plan options include traditional fee-for-service care, high-deductible medical savings accounts, provider-sponsored organizations, and capitated plans, such as health maintenance organizations. However, questions arose about whether all beneficiaries would have these choices. In particular, . . .
Density-functional theory and atomistic simulation of the hard-sphere melt-solid interface

The melt-solid interface of hard spheres is studied by atomistic simulations and density-functional theory (DFT). The Monte Carlo method is used to compute density profiles for the three most important orientations of the fcc-solid--melt interface. The interface ranges in thickness from 4d for the loosely packed (110) interface to 6d for the closely packed (111) interface, where d is the hard-sphere diameter. The planar generalized effective liquid approximation (PGELA) free energy functional, which accurately predicts solid and liquid free energies and coexistence conditions, is used in the DFT analysis of the hard-sphere melt-solid interface. Two parametrizations are compared for variations of the density in the interfacial region. The structural predictions of the interface by the Carnahan-Starling PGELA are in good agreement with the simulations. The calculations of the surface free energies show that the (110) interface has a smaller surface free energy, followed by the (100) interface and then closely by the (111) interface. These results are compared to other recent studies of the hard-sphere melt-solid interface.
The Public Face of Southern Institutions for the "Feeble-Minded"

The article examines the history of Southern institutions and how these facilities are presently facing up to that past. Established both to care for and to control a population of individuals labeled as feeble-minded and deviant, these facilities provided little support and help for patients and quickly devolved into over-crowded, under-funded operations. With the de-institutionalization revolution of the late twentieth century, they ceased to be the center of their state's program to handle this population. Currently through websites, museums, archives, and historic building designations, they are beginning to examine their past treatment in a more public fashion.
Spatial Externalities and the Common Pool Resource Mechanism

Abstract This paper expands the common-pool resource (CPR) game of Walker et al. (1990) to incorporate spatial structure with two spatially linked common-pool resources. Subjects participated in a five-player common-pool resource game under three alternative spatial structures (non-spatial, bi-directional and uni-directional linkages) within the experiment. Results indicate that behavior in the uni-directional CPR game yielded the highest average yields, whereas those in the bi-directional game were lower than in the non-spatial game. Furthermore, investment patterns in the uni-directional game were proportionally lower in the “sink” CPR than those in the “source” CPR. This behavior is consistent with the individual incentives of the game and highlights the importance of understanding the spatial structure present within our natural resources.
'Gating' of somatosensory evoked potentials begins before the onset of voluntary movement in man.

The inflow of somatosensory information to the cerebral cortex is modified before and during active movement in animals. This phenomenon has been termed 'gating' and occurs at several levels of the sensory pathway. We studied somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist during voluntary movement of the ipsilateral thumb in man. Results indicate that SEPs are attenuated shortly after a command to move (approximately 100 ms before the onset of the electromyogram (EMG)), become maximally attenuated with maximum EMG and return to normal size when movement is finished.
Aerodynamic Damping and Seismic Response of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Towers

AbstractAerodynamic damping has an important effect on the seismic response of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs). Some researchers have estimated that aerodynamic damping in operational HAWTs is ∼5% of critical in the fore-aft direction (i.e., perpendicular to the rotor and parallel to the prevailing wind). In most recent studies, dynamic analyses of HAWT towers under seismic loads have neglected aerodynamic damping, and this assumption has significant implications in the predicted seismic response. This paper presents a closed-form solution for the aerodynamic damping of HAWTs responding dynamically in the fore-aft and side-to-side directions. The formulation is intended as a convenient method for structural earthquake engineers to include the effect of aerodynamic damping in the seismic analysis of HAWTs. The formulation is based on blade element momentum theory and is simplified by assuming a rigid rotor subjected to a steady and uniform wind oriented perpendicular to the rotor plane. This paper ex...
Spectroscopic assessment of cutaneous hemodynamics in the presence of high epidermal melanin concentration.

Abstract Background : For individuals with lightly pigmented skin, early stage pressure ulcers appear as areas of redness, which have compromised microcirculation and do not blanch in response to pressure. The lack of a visible blanch (hemodynamic response) to pressure is a convenient diagnostic test for stage I sores. However, the blanch response is not visually apparent in people with highly pigmented skin color due to the overwhelming contribution of melanin to the reflectance of skin. Methods : A simple least squares projection operator method is described, which can separate the reflectance contributions from melanin and hemoglobin. The methodology was tested in a study population of 20 subjects with healthy skin. The study population was evenly divided into a lightly pigmented skin group (visible blanch response) and a highly pigmented skin group (no visible blanch response). Results : The hemodynamic response to pressure being applied to the skin could clearly be distinguished spectroscopically in both groups at a high level of statistical significance. Conclusion : The specific aim of this work was directed towards developing a spectroscopic basis for distinguishing the healthy blanch response in a manner that was independent of skin pigmentation. However, the technique has a general application when optical hemodynamic measurements are being made over a diverse patient population or under conditions of varying pigmentation such as the seasonal changes in skin color.
Consumer textile recycling as a means of solid waste reduction

Consumer recycling of traditional commodities such as glass, paper, plastic, and tin is well established in many communities. However, to continue to reduce the amount of solid waste that is annually diverted to landfills, recycling must be extended to include a greater diversity of postconsumer waste products. This exploratory study examines consumer practices regarding the disposal of postconsumer textile waste. Responses to a mailed questionnaire indicated use of a variety of textile disposal methods. The most commonly used methods of textile disposition were Salvation Army, passing on to family and friends, and using as rags. Furthermore, convenience and familiarity with the disposal method influenced which methods were chosen for textile recycling. Findings lend support to the idea that textiles can become a viable commodity for recycling as ease and opportunity for textile recycling increase.
'Sewing in the Next World': Mary Hays as Dissenting Autodidact in the 1780s

Mary Hays believed that "in the intellectual advancement of women […] is to be traced the progress of civilization." This essay traces the trajectory of Hays's own "advancement," focusing on Robert Robinson's tutelage from 1781 to her initial encounters with Wollstonecraft. The rational culture of late-eighteenth-century radical Dissent encouraged Hays to venture into the masculine strongholds of Enlightenment understanding, but here, as in the larger world, the "insuperable barriers" of gender obtained. Despite these obstacles, Hays forged an identity as female autodidact in the 1780s, readying herself to embrace Wollstonecraft's "revolution in female manners." Hays's initial contribution was to urge a new cognitive freedom, the recognition that women, too, may aspire to "the emancipated mind [which] is impatient of imposition, nor can it, in a retrogade [sic] course, unlearn what it has learned, or unknow what it has known." Hays's unfinished transition from sheltered puritan to Nonconformist apprentice to ardent feminist provides the missing link in our appreciation of her collaboration with Wollstonecraft and Godwin in the 1790s. I show how Hays was transformed into the obvious candidate for public denunciation as chief living "unsex'd female" in Wollstonecraft's stead.
Effect of patient and hospital characteristics on outcomes of elective ventral hernia repair in the United States.

Our ability to predict complications of ventral hernia repairs (VHR) are inadequate. Although impact of patient comorbidities and hospital characteristics on outcomes of several surgical procedures has been reported, such analysis on elective herniorrhaphy has not been performed to date. We hypothesized that obesity and diabetes as well as socioeconomic factors would have deleterious outcomes on elective VHR. Analysis of 2004–2008 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. Main outcome measures included wound/systemic morbidity, length of stay, discharge status, and in-hospital mortality. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess influence of diabetes, obesity, patient socioeconomic factors, and hospital characteristics on the outcomes of VHR. A total of 78,348 adults undergoing elective VHR were analyzed. Obesity had significant risks for cardiopulmonary complications and prolonged hospitalization. Diabetics were more likely to have delayed wound healing. Hispanic patients had significantly higher rates of pulmonary complications and mortality. As compared to private insurance patients, Medicaid and Medicare patients had significantly higher odds of complications, prolonged hospitalization, non-routine discharge, and mortality. Obesity and diabetes appear to be significant predictors of morbidity in patients undergoing elective VHR. Alarmingly, Medicare/Medicaid patients not only had the highest rates of wound/systemic complications but also the highest post-operative mortality. For the first time, we demonstrated that in addition to comorbidities, both patient socioeconomic factors and hospital characteristics appear to be major determinants of post-herniorrhaphy complications and mortalities. Improved health maintenance and reduction in income-related disparities in health care delivery may be paramount in improving outcomes of VHR in the United States.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anger in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis

The meta-analysis of the treatment outcome studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anger-related problems in children and adolescents included 21 published and 19 unpublished reports. The mean effect size (Cohen's d=0.67) was in the medium range and consistent with the effects of psychotherapy with children in general. The differential effects of skills training, problem solving, affective education, and multimodal interventions (d=0.79, 0.67, 0.36, and 0.74, respectively) were variable although also generally in the medium range. Skills training and multimodal treatments were more effective in reducing aggressive behavior and improving social skills. However, problem-solving treatments were more effective in reducing subjective anger experiences. Modeling, feedback, and homework techniques were positively related to the magnitude of effect size.
Pollen Size Variation in Selected Grass Taxa

Variation in pollen size in transplanted clones of four widespread prairie grasses was correlated geographically. Pubescent, non—glaucous clones of Andropogon gerardi Vitman, Andropogon scoparius Michx., and Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash, as well as non—glaucous clones of Panicum virgatum L. from eastern Texas, had larger pollen grains than non—pubescent, glaucous clones of these species from central Texas and non—pubescent, glaucous P. virgatum from north—central Texas under garden conditions. See full-text article at JSTOR
The effects of separate and combined topical treatment with timolol maleate and trifluormethazolamide on the intraocular pressure in normal rabbits.

The effects of separate and combined topical treatment with timolol maleate and trifluormethazolamide (TFM) on the intraocular pressure (IOP) were studied in normotensive rabbits.Timolol had a distinct, albeit small, dose related hypotensive effect. Unilateral application of timolol resulted in dose related decrease in IOP in the untreated fellow eye. These effects could be observed only by using a protocol that reduces the contribution of individual and diurnal variations to the overall variability in IOP in the rabbit.Topical treatment with TFM caused a reduction in the calculated outflow pressure of 32%, similar to that observed after systemic administration of acetazolamide and methazolamide. At the concentration and dosage employed here there was no significant difference between the hypotensive effects of timolol and TFM. The maximal decrease in the calculated outflow pressure for the different doses of timolol varied between 24% to 37%. The hypotensive effect of the combined timolol and TFM treatme...
Adenosine modulates ERK1/2, PI3K/Akt, and p38MAPK activation in the brain of the anoxia-tolerant turtle Trachemys scripta.

The fate of cells under anoxic or ischemic stress is determined by intracellular signaling pathways including the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K/Akt), which affect downstream members of the apoptotic cascade. The freshwater turtle Trachemys scripta is extremely tolerant of anoxia, surviving up to 48 h at room temperature and for weeks at 31C in the complete absence of oxygen. We investigated the relationship between the neuroprotective purine adenosine, which increases greatly in the anoxic turtle brain, and MAPK and Akt activation during both short (1 h) and long-term (4 h) anoxia. ERK1/2 and Akt were significantly upregulated during the first hour of transition to full anoxia, but returned to baseline by 4 h anoxia. Conversely, p38MAPK levels were suppressed by a mean 71% at 1 h anoxia but also returned to baseline by 4 h anoxia. Systemic administration of the general adenosine receptor antagonist aminophylline abrogated the increases in both phosphorylated ERK1/2 and Akt, as well as the initial suppression of p38MAPK. The differential modulation of the MAPK/Akt pathways may be critical for neuronal protection during the initial transition to the hypometabolic state during anoxia, when physiologic stress is likely to be greatest.
The Effect of Textual Proximity on Fourth- and Fifth-Grade LD Students' Metacognitive Awareness and Strategic Comprehension Behavior

This investigation examined the relationship between the proximity of critical textual information and selected metacognitive behaviors of elementary-age LD students. Twenty-nine LD students were presented six passages in which information critical to the solution of text-based inferences was either systematically dispersed or centralized within the text. Following a comprehension measure, interrogatory probes were administered to assess three self-reported metacognitive behaviors: (a) awareness of text difficulty, (b) attributions of text difficulty, and (c) strategy usage. Chi-square analyses revealed that textual proximity was independent of LD subjects' ratings and attributions of passage difficulty; however, a significant relationship was found between text proximity and strategy deployment. Subjects who received collapsed versions of passages reported higher percentages of text-based strategies (41%), whereas over 50% of the dispersed condition subjects' responses reflected no strategy use. Analysis...
Effect of blood flow rate and donor vessel diameter on the patency of carotid venous bypass grafts in dogs

A saphenous vein graft was implanted from the right subclavian to the right common carotid artery in seven dogs (group I) and between the right and left common carotid arteries in another seven dogs (group II). The recipient artery was ligated proximally to augment blood flow through the graft. Immediately after the anastomoses were completed, the average blood flow through the graft was 32 +/- 25 mL/min in group I and 122 +/- 22 mL/min in group II. At sacrifice 30 days later, angiography showed that all grafts in group I were thrombosed, whereas six (87.5%) of seven grafts in group II were patent. These findings suggest that a larger donor vessel diameter and higher graft flow rates may improve patency in venous bypass grafts that are 3 to 5 mm in diameter.
Clinical significance of fossa ovalis membrane aneurysm in adults with cardioembolic cerebral ischemia

Abstract Our findings indicate that FOMA is frequently found in older patients with cardioembolic cerebral ischemic events, is often associated with other abnormalities with embolie potential, particularly patent foramen ovale, and is rarely identified as an isolated finding.
A new residue number system division algorithm

Abstract A new division algorithm is presented for the residue number system (RNS). It is 5% faster and has an 8% smaller standard deviation of running time than the best previously published algorithm. Furthermore, it uses storage proportional to the sum of the moduli, instead of the square of the largest modulus.
Fusion of mercury a new certified standard for differential scanning calorimetry

Abstract From the results of adiabatic-calorimetric measurements, mercury has been certified as a standard reference material for temperature and enthalpy of fusion for differential scanning calorimetry. The fusion temperature is (234.30 ± 0.03) K and the molar enthalpy of fusion is (2.301 ± 0.001) kJ·mol−1. Adiabatic-calorimetric measurements made by heating continuously at 0.00017 K·s−1 through the transition showed a fusion temperature of (234.32 ± 0.03) K. Differential-scanning-calorimetric measurements gave a fusion temperature of (234.34 ± 048) K.
Depth dependence of ambient noise

Omnidirectional measurements of ambient noise versus depth in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic areas are presented. The shapes of the vertical ambient noise profiles spanning the water column at frequencies from 25 to 500 Hz are shown to be heavily influenced by passing ships. The qualitative features of average noise profiles measured by mid-water hydrophones can be explained with the aid of a straightforward model, and it is concluded that low-frequency omnidirectional ambient noise depth dependence is predictable. The sensitivity of the vertical noise profile to passing ships, coupled with noise predictability suggests that surveillance could be effected by a vertical string of hydrophones without coherent processing in areas of relatively light shipping.
Climatological Assessment of Urban Effects on Precipitation at St. Louis

Abstract An investigation was made of urban effects on precipitation in and downwind of St. Louis through use of long-term climatic records within a radius of 50–75 mi of the city. Based upon radar climatological studies, two potential urban effect areas and two no-effect (control) areas were designated. Analyses were then performed to assess the urban effect on 1) total monthly and seasonal precipitation; 2) the frequency and intensity of daily precipitation; 3) the frequency of thunderstorms, hailstorms, and severe rainstorms; 4) wet-dry period rainfall; and 5) weekday-weekend precipitation (indicator of industrial-induced effect). Evidence of urban effects was found in all seasons, but appear to he strongest in late spring and summer. Results indicated an urban-induced increase in average summer rainfall ranging from 6 to 15% for distances up to 25 mi downwind of the city. The urban-increase mechanism apparently is most active on days of moderate to heavy intensifies in the natural rainfall. The urban ...
Marketing and Manufacturing Agreement on Goals and Planned Actions

A firm's competitive strategy is implemented through the day-to-day actions taken and decisions made at the operating level of the firm. The purpose of this research was to address three questions: (1) in what areas do marketing and manufacturing groups within the same firm tend to disagree, (2) do marketing and manufacturing groups tend to support the postures traditionally associated with their departments, and (3) does use of written strategic plans and MBO linked to performance appraisal encourage a common strategic vision. Investigation of the areas of disagreement indicated that differences were firm-specific rather than representative of fundamental differences between marketing and manufacturing groups. Agreement between groups was significantly higher in those firms where marketing and manufacturing managers perceived that written strategic plans and MBO linked to performance appraisal were relied on frequently.