cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elementary derivation of intermediate-coupling and strong-coupling mass formulae for the nonrelativistic Lee model

It is pointed out that in both Tomonaga's intermediate-coupling approximation and North's strong-coupling approximation, the Hamiltonian can be written as the sum of two commuting operators,Q andK, each of which also commutes with the Hamiltonian. Furthermore, it is shown thatK2=−Q+ const, whereQ is the total-charge operator for the meson-nucleon system (and consequently its eigenvalues are known). Hence both the strong-coupling and intermediate-coupling approximations lead to the same type of «mass formula».
Minimal dispersion approximately balancing weights: asymptotic properties and practical considerations

Weighting methods are widely used to adjust for covariates in observational studies, sample surveys, and regression settings. In this paper, we study a class of recently proposed weighting methods which find the weights of minimum dispersion that approximately balance the covariates. We call these weights "minimal weights" and study them under a common optimization framework. The key observation is the connection between approximate covariate balance and shrinkage estimation of the propensity score. This connection leads to both theoretical and practical developments. From a theoretical standpoint, we characterize the asymptotic properties of minimal weights and show that, under standard smoothness conditions on the propensity score function, minimal weights are consistent estimates of the true inverse probability weights. Also, we show that the resulting weighting estimator is consistent, asymptotically normal, and semiparametrically efficient. From a practical standpoint, we present a finite sample oracle inequality that bounds the loss incurred by balancing more functions of the covariates than strictly needed. This inequality shows that minimal weights implicitly bound the number of active covariate balance constraints. We finally provide a tuning algorithm for choosing the degree of approximate balance in minimal weights. We conclude the paper with four empirical studies that suggest approximate balance is preferable to exact balance, especially when there is limited overlap in covariate distributions. In these studies, we show that the root mean squared error of the weighting estimator can be reduced by as much as a half with approximate balance.
Real-time Time-varying Surface Reconstruction and Edge Point Extraction for Bucket Wheel Reclaimers

This paper presents a method to manage and visualize the point cloud generated by LIDARs mounted on a Bucket Wheel Reclaimer (BWR). BWR’s are widely used for stacking and reclaiming bulk materials in stockyards. Currently BWR systems are either manually operated, remotely operated or semiautomated using the point cloud data. Accurate and realtime management and visualization of point cloud is of crucial importance. Automatic extraction of surface features is also a pre-requisite for fully autonomous BWR control. The software solution described herein continuously manages the point cloud in real-time as the sensors stream data. It also displays the current stockpile on an interactive interface that allows the user to see the surface from different view-points, interrogate the coordinates of any surface location, and computes the BWR entry and exit point for semi-automated operation. The software is tested using experimental data from a stockyard environment.
Identifying Stakeholder Groups in Natural Resource Management: Comparing Quantitative and Qualitative Social Network Approaches

This study compares the efficiency of two analytic approaches—qualitative and quantitative—to social network analysis for identifying stakeholder groups. Social network data were collected from 23 ...
77 – Parkinson's Disease

Publisher Summary Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common idiopathic neurodegenerative disorder that affects an estimated 1% people older than 65 years. It results from the loss of pigmented, dopaminergic nerve cells within the substantia nigra that project to the striatum (putamen and caudate). The diagnosis is made clinically and confirmed only at autopsy when the substantia nigra shows a visible loss of pigment on gross inspection and a markedly reduced population of neurons containing intracytoplasmic inclusions (Lewy bodies) on histologic examination. Symptomatic orthostatic hypotension (OH) may be present as a primary part of PD or as a complication of medications or inactivity. All dopaminergic drugs used to treat PD may exacerbate OH and should be initiated slowly to minimize this effect. Supine hypertension is uncommon in PD and its presence, combined with a lack of response to l-dopa, suggests the diagnosis of Shy–Drager syndrome. In addition to the general symptomatic measures used to treat OH, the peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor carbidopa (Lodosyn) or the peripheral dopamine (DA) antagonist domperidone (Motilium) may be added to a patient's regimen to decrease the peripheral effects of DA.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I Prevents Cellular Aging via Activation of Mitophagy

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of cellular aging. Mitophagy is a critical mitochondrial quality control mechanism that removes dysfunctional mitochondria and contributes to cell survival. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) promotes survival of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), but its potential effect on cellular aging is unknown yet. We found that IGF-1 decreased cell senescence, prevented DNA telomere shortening, increased mitochondrial membrane potential, activated cytochrome C oxidase, and reduced mitochondrial DNA damage in long-term cultured (aged) aortic SMC, suggesting an antiaging effect. IGF-1 increased mitophagy in aged cells, and this was associated with decreased expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p16 and p21 and elevated levels of Nrf2 and Sirt3, regulators of mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. SiRNA-induced inhibition of either Nrf2 or Sirt3 blocked IGF-1-induced upregulation of mitophagy, suggesting that the Nrf2/Sirt3 pathway was required for IGF-1's effect on mitophagy. PINK1 is a master regulator of mitophagy. PINK1 silencing suppressed mitophagy and inhibited IGF-1-induced antiaging effects in aged SMC, consistent with an essential role of mitophagy in IGF-1's effect on cellular aging. Thus, IGF-1 inhibited cellular aging via Nrf2/Sirt3-dependent activation of mitophagy. Our data suggest that activation of IGF-1 signaling is a novel potential strategy to activate mitophagy and slow cellular aging.
The High Cost of Diabetes Drugs: Disparate Impact on the Most Vulnerable Patients.

> The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. > > —Martin Luther King, Jr. Diabetes exacts a high cost in human suffering, including increased burdens of cardiovascular disease, blindness, end-stage kidney disease, and amputations. Landmark clinical trials have demonstrated the value of intensive pharmacotherapy to delay or prevent chronic complications of diabetes (1–6). Over the past decade, clinical trials demonstrated that several sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists decrease the risks of major adverse cardiovascular events, hospitalization for heart failure, and progression of diabetic kidney disease (7–12). In this issue of Diabetes Care , Zhou et al. (13) estimate the economic cost of glucose-lowering drugs at $57.6 billion per year in the U.S. in 2015–2017 (∼15–20% of the estimated annual cost for all prescription drugs in the U.S.). At a human level, the financial burden has a devastating impact on people without health insurance and people whose insurance imposes high deductibles—the people least able to afford the high cost of diabetes drugs. Thus, the high cost of diabetes drugs has important implications for both public policy and social justice. Zhou et al. (13) obtained data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative survey for the civilian noninstitutionalized population in the U.S. National spending on glucose-lowering drugs was estimated by extrapolating to the entire U.S. population. The authors estimated that total national spending on glucose-lowering medications increased by 240% (from $16.9 to $57.6 billion per year expressed in 2017 dollars) in 2015–2017 compared with 2005–2007. Over the same time period, the authors estimated a 38% increase in the number of people using glucose-lowering drugs (from 15.3 to 21.1 million) and a 147% increase in the average annual cost per user (from $1,106 to $2,727). Further analysis …
The Utility of a Pre-Transplant Psychosocial Evaluation in Predicting Post-Liver Transplant Outcomes:

Background:There is insufficient evidence about the ability of pretransplant psychosocial evaluations to predict posttransplant outcomes. While standardized assessments were developed to increase p...
The timing of seasoned equity offerings: a duration analysis

Purpose – Using a sample of 6,198 US firms that went public from 1975 to 2004, the purpose of this paper is to examine when these firms come back to the equity market and investigate the determinants of the timing decision. Design/methodology/approach – By properly modeling the time between two consecutive equity offerings using the duration analysis, the author tests different hypotheses in a unified framework and investigates their relative importance in explaining the timing decision of seasoned equity issuance. Findings – The paper documents that firms often return for a new round of equity issuance shortly after the preceding one. First seasoned equity offerings (SEOs) after the IPO are more likely to be conducted at a faster speed than subsequent (follow-on) SEOs. The duration analysis shows that first SEOs are more likely to ride the aggregate stock market wave and take advantage of the idiosyncratic mispricing of the stock than follow-on SEOs. On the contrary, both macroeconomic and firm-specific ...
Helping Clients Engage with Remote Mutual Aid for Addiction Recovery during COVID-19 and Beyond

Face-to-face mutual-aid meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous shuttered with the onset of COVID-19. Research could not be conducted quickly enough to provide guidance for how to respond. However, two powerful tools could be leveraged: the research on mutual aid conducted before the pandemic and the vast number of virtual resources that proliferated with the onset of the pandemic. This article reviews the existing mutual aid research and its relevance to COVID-19, describes the diverse array of virtual resources, and provides recommendations for successful engagement with virtual mutual aid during COVID-19 and beyond.
Community Noise Assessment of Hybrid-Electric Aircraft Using Windmilling Drag on Approach

The modeling and assessment of the community noise impacts of a representative hybrid-electric aircraft implementing windmilling motors as drag generators on approach is presented. An increasing de...
An Ultra-Low Power MOS2 Tunnel Field Effect Transistor PLL Design for IoT Applications

This work presents the implementation of analytical transport model of M o S 2 tunnel field effect transistor (TFET) using Verilog-A in Cadence/Spectre. The parameters of the model are extracted, and most notable is its high I ON /I OFF ratio, which makes it suitable for low power design, and IoT applications. Subsequently, we employ the TFET model in the design of ultralow power phase locked loop (PLL). Various components of PLL are examined in terms of their structures and functions. The results show that the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) operates from 0.5 GHz to 2.9 GHz with a tuning range of 82.8%. It also consumes 1.91 μW power at 2 GHz carrier and has a phase noise of -117.3 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset frequency. The average power consumed by phase locked loop is 0.021 mW. In addition, the operation of the PLL is not sensitive to temperature variations.
Keeping up with a Kardashian: Shedding Legal Educations’ Vestigial Trade School Anxiety and Replacing the Dated Casebook Method with Modern Case-Based Learning

Kim Kardashian West’s choice to pursue her legal studies via a modernized version of apprenticeship rather than by attending law school represents an alarming vote of no-confidence in the efficacy of current legal education. Simply, legal education remains surprisingly and needlessly static despite decades of harsh criticism and the heightened velocity of change that has enveloped the legal industry. From big law to rural practitioners, the traditional law firm model proved ripe for disruption. This disruption is fueled by several discrete changes in how legal services are provided that cumulatively generated a substantial disruption across the board. They include technological advances that allow for the automation of many routine tasks and the dis-aggregation of legal services; enhanced client sophistication and cost-consciousness; global competition from offshoring routine legal services; the rise of the domestic gig economy, creating a new wave of home-shoring legal services; and competition from non-traditional legal services providers. This rapid-fire disruption curtailed both revenue growth in the legal sector and job opportunities for new attorneys. A large demographic bubble of baby boom attorneys further inhibited job opportunities and career growth for younger attorneys. This article examines how a wave of disenfranchised law school graduates took to social media, spurring a critical commentary regarding the efficacy of current legal education, mounting student loan debt, and poor career prospects for recent graduates. This critical commentary contributed to a precipitous drop in law school applications, a reduction in tuition revenue, a subsequent wave of law school closures, but spurred only a few incremental changes to legal education. With legal education in dire need of revolutionary change, this Article traces the roots of legal education’s dated curricular focus and aversion to professional training. The Article proposes legal education shed its vestigial trade school anxiety and adopt a practical curriculum. The Article proposes replacing the dated Socratic casebook method of instruction with a new curriculum that melds components of a modern apprenticeship with case-based learning inspired by current medical school curricula.
Polymerization stress--is it clinically meaningful?

Abstract Objectives The objective of this article is to discuss the evidence for polymerization shrinkage and shrinkage stress of dental composite restoratives in terms of its potential relevance to the clinical situation Methods Articles relating to the issue of polymerization contraction stress generation in dental composite materials, and the factors that influence it, were reviewed and included. Particular attention was paid to evidence derived from clinical studies. Articles were identified through PubMed and through the bibliographies of other articles. Results There is extensive evidence for the presence of polymerization contraction stress in dental composites, as well as evidence for its deleterious effects, which include marginal leakage, gap formation, cuspal deflection, tooth cracking, reduced bond strength and lowered mechanical properties of the restorative. There is little, if any, direct evidence for the clinical effect of these contraction stresses. No study has directly established a link between these stresses and enhanced postoperative sensitivity or recurrent caries, for example. However, the concern over these stresses and the manner in which they influence the placement of current composite materials demonstrates that they are considered to be very important. Conclusion Though no direct evidence exists to prove that the generation of contraction stress in dental composite restorations causes reduced clinical longevity, the indirect evidence from numerous in vitro studies and the concern over controlling their effects proves that they are clinically relevant.
Regulation of Bacterial Transcription by Anti-σ Factors

In bacteria, gene expression is regulated primarily at the step of transcription initiation. The DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP), the central enzyme of transcription, comprises an evolutionarily conserved, 400-kDa catalytic core of five subunits (a2β β'ω). The transcription cycle begins when the σ factor associates with core RNAP to form the holoenzyme, which then locates promoters through sequence-specific interactions between elements of σ and the promoter DNA. The studies described in this chapter were performed with group 1, or primary, σ factors, which transcribe genes necessary for exponential growth under favorable conditions. The chapter focuses on cognate anti-σ/σ pairs for which structural studies have provided insights into function and regulation. A signal transduction pathway involving ECF σ factors related to Escherichia coli σE plays an important role in pathogenesis in some organisms. The evolution of structurally and functionally diverse anti-σ factors provide much more flexibility for the regulation of transcription initiation. Thus, the authors propose that the functional and structural diversity of anti-σ factors reflects the need for bacteria to relay a wide variety of environmental cues to the core transcriptional apparatus via regulation of the structurally conserved σ factors.
An Exploratory Investigation of System Success Factors in Data Warehousing

Despite the increasing role of the data warehouse as a strategic information source for decision makers, academic research has been lacking, especially from an organizational perspective. An exploratory study was conducted to improve general understanding of data warehousing issues from the perspective of IS success. For this, the effect of variables pertaining to system quality, information quality, and service quality on user satisfaction for the data warehouse was studied. Additional characterization was made on data warehouse users, their organizational tasks, and data warehouse usage. Empirical data were gathered at a large enterprise from three different information sources: a survey, unstructured group interviews with end-users, and informal interviews with an IT manager who was in charge of the data warehouse. Data analysis showed that user satisfaction with the data warehouse was significantly affected by such system quality factors as data quality, data locatability, and system throughput. Interviews also supported the existence of system design and management issues that have to be addressed to optimize the utility of the data warehouse as an effective decision support environment. In the meantime, data analysis indicated that first-line (or lower) and middle managers were the main users of the system. Managers and knowledge workers were taking advantage of the system to perform complex tasks, to support decision making, and to seek information critical for enhanced productivity. The group interviews revealed additional benefits of the data warehouse and major roadblocks in its successful usage.
Relationships between vegetation and terrain variables in southeastern Arizona

The author has identified the following significant results. Relationships were established between eight terrain variables and plant species and 31 vegetation types. Certain plant species are better than others for differentiating or discriminating groups of specified terrain variables. Certain terrain variables are better than others for differentiating or discriminating groups of vegetation types. Stepwise discriminant analysis was shown to be a useful tool in plant ecological studies.
SPLINE FUNCTIONS: AN ALTERNATIVE TO ESTIMATING INCOME-EXPENDITURE RELATIONSHIPS FOR BEEF

Income-expenditure relationships are important components in many economic models used to project food expenditure and to understand food-expenditure behavior. The empirical estimation of income-expenditure relations has concentrated on the effects of income in explaining the variations of the household food expenditure. However, the problem of structural or parametric homogeneity for Engel curves in the analysis of household food expenditure behavior has received less attention in the applied demand literature.
Quasilinearity below the 1st eigenvalue

This paper establishes the existence of two nontrivial weak solutions for a quasilinear Dirichlet problem below the first eigenvalue via the mountain pass theorem.
Instrumental and Non-Instrumental Federalism

Although superficial appearances might suggest that the United States Supreme Court is divided into two blocs on questions of state sovereignty, there are at least three. At one end are the Nationalists. They take the view that the judiciary has virtually no role to play in protecting the States against national encroachment by the federal government. Protection for the States, if there is to be any, must, in their view, come from the political branches, especially the Senate, where power is allocated equally to large and small states. At the other end are the latter-day Anti-Federalists. They view the States as both deserving and in need of judicial protection against federal encroachment. Although Anti-Federalists grudgingly accept the last two centuries of expansion of the power of the federal government at the expense of the States, at least in symbolic ways, they refuse to accept Congressional omnipotence when it comes to state sovereignty. Beyond the positions I am labeling Anti-Federalist and Nationalist lies a third view that I shall call Federalist; Federalists recognize the utility of the States as a rival for power with the federal government, but look upon the States with a more jaundiced eye than do Anti-Federalists. Federalists distrust governmental power at the national and the state level (and for that matter, at all levels).
A distributed implementation of the extended schematic protection model

Protection models provide a formalism for specifying control over access to information and other resources in a multi-user computer system. One such model, the extended schematic protection model (ESPM) has expressive power equivalent to the monotonic access matrix model of Harrison, Ruzzo, and Ullman (1976). Yet ESPM retains tractable safety analysis for many cases of practical interest. Thus ESPM is a very general model, and it is of interest whether ESPM can be implemented in a reasonable manner. The authors outline a distributed implementation for ESPM. The implementation is capability-based, with an architecture where servers act as mediators to all subject and object access. Capabilities are made nontransferable by burying the identity of subjects in them, and unforgeable by using a public key encryption algorithm. Timestamps and public keys are used as mechanisms for revocation. >
Interconnect signal channel density of fiber imaging guides

This paper investigates different factors that effect the channel density of signals propagated through fiber imaging guides. These include uniformity of the optical power transmitted through the guide, the geometrical structure of the guide, and optical crosstalk to adjacent signal channels. Two different coupling modes are also described that effect the channel density. A commercially available fiber image guide is evaluated in the context of these density considerations and experimentally tested. The resultant signal channel was found to have a diameter of 35 /spl mu/m and compares favorably with electrical package densities that are projected for tape automated bonding and flip-chip bonding techniques.
Supporting Latino and African-American Students in Advanced Placement Courses: A School Counseling Program's Approach

Traditionally, Latino and African-American students have been underrepresented in Advanced Placement courses. However, professional school counselors work to remove barriers to all students' success. This article (a) identifies challenges that Latino and African-American students encounter in accessing Advanced Placement courses, (b) reviews the role of professional school counselors in serving traditionally disenfranchised student populations, and (c) introduces a school counseling program's approach to supporting these students and their families.
Leptin signaling in the hypothalamus of normal rats in vivo

Leptin has been shown to activate multiple signaling molecules in cultured cells, including Janus kinase-2, STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription) proteins, and mitogen-activated protein kinase, and to stimulate the DNA-binding activity of STAT3 in mouse hypothalamus. In this study, the activation of candidate leptin signaling molecules in the hypothalamus of normal rats in vivo was investigated. Fasted male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected iv with recombinant murine leptin or vehicle. Plasma leptin concentrations were determined at defined time points, and the phosphorylation of signaling proteins was assessed in hypothalamic lysates. There was a marked increase in plasma leptin concentration at 2 min and a gradual decline by 45 min after leptin injection. Immunoblotting analysis of hypothalamic lysates with a phosphospecific STAT3 antibody demonstrated a time-dependent stimulation of STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation. STAT3 phosphorylation was first evident at 5 min and was maximal at 30 min after leptin injection. By contrast, leptin did not increase the phosphorylation of Janus kinase proteins, mitogen-activated protein kinase, or STAT1 and -5 despite abundant expression of these signaling molecules in the hypothalamus. These results differ from findings in cultured cells and in vitro systems. It remains unclear how signaling is propagated downstream from the leptin receptor to STAT3, but this may involve novel signaling intermediates.
MAINTAINING THE ANTIQUITY OF THE HOUSE: MARGUERITE DE NAVARRE, NOBLE MARRIAGE AND DYNASTIC CULTURE IN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE

EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE was ruled by an aristocracy enmeshed in interwoven patronage networks that linked the nobles of the court with those in the provinces, the noblesse d' epee with the noblesse de . robe, the grands with the lesser nobility. Ties between noble families and noble houses determined how high one could rise, which career one could pursue, how much wealth one could accumulate, and into which dynasty one could marry. While the official business of the monarchy was done by men operating within these networks, the unofficial business of establishing and maintaining ties within these networks was often managed by women. Women served as the hidden brokers in this system; whether bringing male relatives or household officers to the notice of their more powerful relatives or raising the children of other noble families within their households to foster ties between families, women had a crucial role in instilling and transmitting noble ideals and dynastic culture. In this society obsessed with the maintenance of lineage, marriage served as the lynchpin of dynastic culture, at once upholding and transmitting the values of that dynastic culture. As Louis V de Rohan-Guemene put it in 1548, discussing his proposal to marry his daughter to his nephew, M. de Gie, rather than to another suitor, it was necessary 'pour entretenir ... I'antiquite de sa maison' [to maintain ... the antiquity of his house].l His own son was so delicate there was little hope that he would be able to father offspring to perpetuate the dynasty; in such a situation, the lineage would be better served by marrying M. de Guemene's daughter to another branch of the family, rather than lose her and her inheritance to an unrelated house. We learn of these statements from a letter written by Marguerite de Navarre to Mme de la Rochefoucault, discussing the suggested marriage. Marguerite opposed the Guemene-Gie marriage because she wanted the girl to be married to Mme de la Rochefoucault's son, and the letter informed Mme de la Rochefoucault that Marguerite was sending her secretary, Victor Brodeau, to discuss the situation and plan a strategy to implement Marguerite's plans. Marguerite also wrote to M. de Guemene himself to push the GuemeneRochefoucault marriage, but to no avail. The King proved sympathetic to M. de
Resources and practices to help graduate students and postdoctoral fellows write statements of teaching philosophy

students and postdoctoral fellows currently encounter requests for a statement of teaching philosophy in at least half of academic job announcements in the United States. A systematic process for t...
Lifetime trauma and suicide attempts in people with severe mental illness

We examined associations among six forms of common lifetime traumatic/adverse events and lifetime suicide attempts while controlling for gender, psychiatric symptoms, self-injury, and substance use in 371 community mental health clients with severe mental illness. Most clients (88.1%) reported at least one traumatic event, and more than half had attempted suicide at least once. Regression revealed that three factors were significantly associated with lifetime suicide attempts: lifetime self-injurious behaviors, lifetime physical abuse, and alcohol use. Having been physically abused appears to be uniquely associated with lifetime suicide attempts when other key risk factors are controlled. Limitations include the cross-sectional design.
Implementing steepest descent MRAC on robotic manipulators

A steepest descent MRAC scheme is introduced to directly eliminate the coupled nonlinearities among the joints of the robotic manipulators. The simulated result shows that this MRAC system reduces the tracking errors drastically even when the joints of the manipulators have gear ratios of one.
Appearances matter: The perceived complexity, coherence, mystery, and legibility of makerspace labs

Makerspace labs are popping up across U.S. universities following the excitement the Maker movement has created. These spaces are touted as a place where students can express their creativity and turn their ideas into innovations. Makerspaces do indeed foster self-directed learning and creative innovation; however, little has been studied regarding the design of such spaces to draw in the general student population. This paper shares results from a pilot study where the research team created a survey based on the preferred environments theoretical framework to measure first-year engineering students preferences regarding various images of makerspace labs.
Development of Crevice-Free Electrodes for Multielectrode Array Sensors for Applications at High Temperatures

Abstract Coupled multielectrode array sensors (CMAS) have been used as online and real-time monitors for localized corrosion in both laboratory and field systems. In a CMAS probe, multiple miniature electrodes made of materials identical to the engineering component are used as sensing electrodes. The application of CMAS at high temperatures, up to 150°C in corrosive environments, however, is limited by degradation of the insulating mounting material, such as epoxy. Degradation of the mounting material can lead to crevice corrosion and causes an increase in the exposed surface area of the electrodes. In this study, the effectiveness of a diamond-like carbon film to protect the Alloy 22 (UNS N06022) electrodes in an acidic sodium chloride-sodium nitrate-potassium nitrate (NaCl-NaNO3-KNO3) salt mixture was demonstrated at 150°C. The average localized corrosion rate measured from the probe with coated electrodes in the NaCl-NaNO3-KNO3 salt mixture at 150°C was approximately 0.43 μm/y. In contrast, the averag...
Duodenal Atresia and Stenosis

ummary Twenty cases of intrinsic duodenal obstruction in the newborn operated upon at Kronprinsessan Lovisa's Children's Hospital since 1936 are reported. A brief survey of the pertinent literature is given. Clinical and roentgenological findings, treatment, and results of treatment are discussed on the basis of the series presented. The importance of pre- and postoperative treatment and especially of maintenance of the fluid and nutritional balance is stressed. Postoperative feeding through an indwelling trans-anastomotic jejunal tube has proved a simple and efficient means of accomplishing this. Resume Atresie et Stenose du Duodenum On fait rapport de 20 cas d'obstruction du duodenum intrinseque chez le nouveau-ne, operes B l'hopital d'enfants Kronprinsessan Lovisas depuis 1936. On donne un expose sommaire des ecrits s'y rapportant. On y debat les constatations cliniques et radiologiques, les traitements et resultats de traitements en regard des series presentees. On y souligne l'importance du traitement pre-operatoire et post-opeatoire, et specialement du maintien de 1'equilibre liquide-element nutritif. L'alimentation post-operatoire par un tube jejunal transanastomotique interieur a etabli un moyen simple et efficace de nutrition. Zusammenfassung Duodenale Atresia und Stenosis 20 Falle innerer duodenaler Obstruktion bei neugeborenen Kindern, die im Kronprinzessin Lovisas Spital seit 1936 operiert wurden, werden dargestellt. Ein kurzer Uberblick der Literatur wird gegeben. Auf Grund der vorliegenden Falle werden klinische und rontgenologische Befunde, die Behandlung und die Ergebnisse der Behandlung diskutiert. Man hebt besonders die Wichtigkeit der vor- und nachoperativen Behandlung und die Aufrechterhaltung der Flussigkeit und Nahrungsbalanz hervor. Nach dem operativen Eingriff hat sich die Nahrungszufuhr durch eiiie im Jejunum gehaltene, transanastomotische Sonde als einfaches und wirksames Mittel zur Erreichung dieses Zweckes gezeigt. Sumario Atresia duodenal y eslenosis Se exponen 20 casos de obstruccion duodenal intrinsica en el recien nacido, operados en el hospital Kronprinsessan Lovisas a partir del ano 1936. Se da un breve resumen de la litteratura al respecto. Las hallazgos clinicos y radiologicos, el tratamiento y sus resultados se discuten basados en las series presentadas. La importancia del tratamiento pre y postoperatorio, y especialmente la mantencion del equilibrio nutritivo y de liquidos. La alimentacion postoperatoria'a travez de un tubo transanastomotico yeyunal, ha resultado un medio simple e eficiente para cumplir con esto ultimo.
New 3 millimeter observations of interstellar HNO : reinstating a discredited identification

HNO has been observed in six interstellar clouds via its 1(01)-0(00) transition at 3 mm wavelength. L134N, W33A, W51M, and DR 21 are new HNO sources. The excellent agreement between laboratory and astronomical rest frequency in L134N is important for establishing the correctness of the astronomical assignment of this line. With the exception of Ori A, every known NO source contains detectable HNO. The typical column density ratio N(tot)(NO)/N(tot)(HNO) appears to be 100-200, except for L134N (about 800) and DR 21(OH) (about 20). These new HNO results correct several misconceptions in the current literature.
THE LOCOMOTION OF LIMAX I. TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT OF PEDAL ACTIVITY.

Pedal progression of the slug Limax maximus was studied to obtain relations between wave velocity on the sole of the foot, wave frequency, the advance due to a single wave, and the velocity of vertically upward creeping. Each of the first three quantities is directly proportional to the simultaneous velocity of progression. Under comparable conditions, that is when work is done at a constant rate, the frequency of pedal waves is influenced by the temperature according to the equation of Arrhenius, with micro = 10,700 (Q(10) for 11 degrees to 21 degrees = 2.1). The velocity of a single wave must have very nearly the same "temperature characteristic," which is found also in another case of nerve net transmission (in Renilla).
Survival after liver transplantation for chronic hepatitis B using reduced immunosuppression

Abstract Background/Aims: Recurrent hepatitis B virus infection after liver transplantation performed for chronic hepatitis B with cirrhosis is influenced by a number of factors, including coinfection with the hepatitis D virus, the level of HBV replication, and administration of hepatitis B immune globulin. Another potentially important factor in modulating HBV infection after liver transplantation is the degree of immunosuppression post-transplant. We reviewed an institutional experience with liver transplantation for chronic hepatitis B and analyzed the impact of using lower doses of corticosteroids on HBV reinfection, expression of recurrent HBV disease and patient survival. Methods: Of 17 patients undergoing liver transplantation for chronic hepatitis B, 16 patients received variable doses of hepatitis B immune globulin for up to 6 months. Results: Fifteen of the 16 patients remained HBsAg-negative during hepatitis B immune globulin therapy, but ultimately 13 of the 17 patients had HBV reinfection, including 3 of 4 patients with hepatitis D virus coinfection. Long-term survival (82%) of the 17 chronic hepatitis B patients was not different from the survival (75%) of 195 patients transplanted for other indications. Three of 13 patients who were reinfected died from chronic hepatitis B with liver failure. Reinfection did not appear to be related to the pretransplant degree of viral replication. Compared to an age- and sex-matched control group, patients undergoing liver transplantation for chronic hepatitis B received less cumulative intravenous methylprednisolone and oral prednisone, but did not experience a higher rate of graft rejection. Conclusions: We postulate that use of lower doses of corticosteroids after liver transplantation for chronic hepatitis B is safe and not associated with a higher incidence of graft rejection. Moreover, low-dose maintenance prednisone therapy may modify the course of post-transplant HBV reinfection by leading to less viral replication, milder HBV-related liver disease and better patient survival.
Proposed Standard-Weight (Ws) Equation and Length-Categorization Standards for Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) in Lentic Habitats

ABSTRACT We developed a standard-weight (Ws) equation for brown trout (Salmo trutta) in lentic habitats by applying the regression-line-percentile technique to samples from 49 populations in North America. The proposed Ws equation is log10 Ws = −5.422 + 3.194 log10 TL, when Ws is in grams and TL is total length in millimeters. The English-unit equivalent is log10 Ws = −3.592 + 3.194 log10 TL, when Ws is in pounds and TL is total length in inches. The equation is applicable for fish of 140–750 mm TL. Proposed length-category standards to evaluate fish within populations are: stock, 200 mm (8 in); quality, 300 mm (12 in); preferred, 400 mm (16 in); memorable, 500 mm (20 in); and trophy, 600 mm (24 in).
Physician leadership is a new mandate in surgical training.

Abstract Background Traditionally, development of physician leadership has occurred at random in surgical training. One possible reason is that surgical educators have focused on detailed instruction on critical patient situations, resuscitation, and technical skills, but they have provided little formal training in the essential leadership skills. Methods To determine resident perceptions about the importance of these skills and individual strengths and weaknesses in these areas, a questionnaire was administered to 43 residents in our general surgery program. In part one of the questionnaire, the residents ranked 18 leadership skills on a scale of 1 to 4 in importance (“not important,” “minimally important,” “somewhat important,” and “very important”) for career development. The second portion of the questionnaire asked the residents to rate themselves on a similar scale with regard to their personal confidence and competence in these same areas. Results Twenty-three residents (53%) completed the entire questionnaire. The majority of the residents (92%) rated all 18 leadership skills “somewhat” or “very important” for career development. More than 50% of the residents rated themselves as not competent or minimally competent in 10 of the 18 areas. Ethics was the only area in which >75% of the residents believed themselves to be more than minimally competent. There were no significant differences between postgraduate training levels in any of the parameters calculated. Conclusions We conclude that although residents see these nontraditional topics as an important part of their professional education, they do not necessarily feel confident or competent in these areas. Establishing a conscious effort to teach these topics and to emphasize their importance during training will enhance residents' self-image, performance, and potential as future leaders.
INFLUENCE OF FAMILIARITY ON RESPONSES TO VISUAL QUALITIES OF NEIGHBORHOODS

Summary.-This srudy investigated the relationship between familiarity with neighborhood environments and preference for them. Color photographs, eight each from two married student housing complex neighborhoods, were presented to residents of each complex to classify in terms of pleasantness, interestingness and familiarity. X' tests were used to analyze the data. As was expected, residents evaluated scenes proximate to them as more familiar than distant scenes. All respondents evaluated one neighborhood as more pleasant and more interesting than the other. Nevertheless, evaluations were also influenced by familiarity such that familiarity was related to a decrement in interest and an increment in pleasantness. Familiarity's likely association with a decrease in perceived complexity may well have produced less interest. On the other hand, it is likely that the hedonic response associated with familiarity produced an increment in rated pleasantness. Thus, the positive feelings for familiarity overpowered the negative affect associated with decreased environmental
Nevanlinna–Pick interpolation of attractors

A Nevanlinna–Pick algorithm is developed and applied to short numerical time series approximating trajectories of ordinary differential equations to determine whether the data are near the global attractor. The algorithm, while ultimately unstable to numerical error, is found to give reliable results for more data points than standard algorithms commonly used today. Connections between the growth of trajectories backward in time and the success in locating the global attractor are explored. The numerical sensitivity to both round-off errors and the integrator used to generate the time series is analysed. Applications are made to the Lorenz system and Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation.
Pitch-related cues in the songs of sympatric mountain and black-capped chickadees

Acoustic frequency (pitch) cues are known to be important in the recognition of conspecific song in a number of songbird species. Mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) and black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) are sympatric over parts of their ranges and their species-typical songs share many features. I examined the acoustic characteristics of song of these two congeners in a region of sympatry in southern Alberta, Canada. As reported for other populations in allopatry, black-capped chickadees emphasized relative frequency cues in song production. In particular, variation in the ratios between note frequencies was significantly less than variation in the note frequencies themselves. In contrast, songs of mountain chickadees did not have constant frequency ratios and contained an introductory acoustic element absent in black-capped chickadee song. Both species may rely on song note frequency or the presence of this introductory acoustic element when differentiating between conspecific song and heterospecific song. Song measures for chickadees in sympatry were similar to measures in allopatry, providing little evidence for character displacement in song production.
The influence of age on memory for distinctive events

We examined whether memory for distinctive events is influenced by aging. To do so, we used a semantic isolation paradigm in which people show superior memory for a word when it is presented in a list of items from a different semantic category (e.g., the word table is presented in a list of all bird exemplars) as compared with when the same word (table) is presented in a list of unrelated words. Results showed that both younger and older adults demonstrated an isolation effect in memory, although older adults showed a numerically smaller isolation effect than did younger adults. Results suggest that in contrast with previous findings (Cimbalo & Brink, 1982), older adults can take advantage of this type of distinctiveness to aid memory performance.
Nicotine alleviation of nicotine abstinence syndrome is naloxone-reversible

In a recently introduced rodent model of nicotine abstinence syndrome, the observed signs closely resembled those typical of rat opiate abstinence syndrome. Signs were precipitated by naloxone and potently reversed by morphine as well as nicotine itself, suggesting that nicotine might relieve nicotine abstinence syndrome through releasing endogenous opioids. To test this hypothesis, rats were continuously infused subcutaneously (SC) for 7 days with 9 mg/kg per day nicotine tartrate. Each rat was observed for abstinence signs at 18 and 21 h after termination of infusion. Three minutes before the 21-h test, all rats received 0.35 mg/kg nicotine tartrate, SC; 5 min before the nicotine injection, subjects received 9 or 4.5 mg/kg naloxone or saline alone, SC. Abstinence reversal scores were calculated as signs at 21 h as a percentage of signs at 18 h. Naloxone prevented nicotine alleviation of nicotine abstinence in a dose-related manner. However, naloxone in the absence of a nicotine injection had no effect on abstinence severity in either highly dependent or moderately dependent rats (infused with 9 or 5 mg/kg per day nicotine tartrate, respectively). These results support the hypothesis that endogenous opioids play a role in nicotine dependence and abstinence.
Effect of phenobarbital on hepatic eicosanoid concentrations in rats

Phenobarbital is an efficacious tumor-promoting agent in the liver. Studies using inhibitors of eicosanoid synthesis have suggested that eicosanoids are important in the promotion of hepatocarcinogenesis by phenobarbital. We therefore hypothesized that hepatic eicosanoid concentrations are altered following phenobarbital administration. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed one of four levels of phenobarbital (0, 0.02, 0.05, and 0.1%). Eight rats from each of the four groups were killed after 10, 24, and 44 days for determination of liver weight and for preparation of microsomes. No significant difference was found among rat weights; however, liver weights were significantly higher in rats fed phenobarbital. Assay of benzyloxyresorufin-O-dealkylase activity showed that cytochromes P-450 2B1 and 2B2 were induced in response to phenobarbital administration. Prostaglandin E2 concentrations were found to be significantly decreased by phenobarbital treatment after 10 and 24 days, but not after 44 days. Prostaglandin F2α levels were decreased only by the lowest dietary phenobarbital concentration. Hepatic concentrations of leukotriene C4 were decreased significantly at 10 days and at 44 days (only for the group administered the highest percentage concentration of phenobarbital), but not at 24 days. These results show that the investigated eicosanoids are generally slightly decreased by phenobarbital administration. Elevated eicosanoid levels therefore do not appear to be necessary for the promoting activity of phenobarbital.
Approaches to Gödel's rotating universe

It is shown that the Newtonian analogue of Godel's rotating universe can be understood as the limit of a stellar model with negative cosmological constant in a quadrupole field. The essential part of Godel's relativistic model is isometrically immersed into a six-dimensional pseudo-Euclidean space.