cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Success rate of short dental implants supporting single crowns and fixed bridges

Objective Bone grafts (sinus lift and/or ridge augmentation) may become an obstacle for some patients who desire implant treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the success of six- and eight-millimeters rough surface design short dental implants, for up to 2 years in function, when compared to conventional length (11 mm) implants. Materials and Methods A total of 25.6-, 20.8- and 35.11-mm length implants were placed and restored in 30 subjects (11 males, 19 females) between the age of 22 and 80, following a standard protocol. Implant mobility, crestal bone loss as well as periodontal parameters were evaluated immediately after restoration placement, at 6, 12 and 24 months. Results There was one failure of one 6-mm implant during the healing phase and one restorative failure. The median crestal bone loss at 24 months was 0.45 mm for the 6-mm implants, 0.55 mm for the 8 mm implants and 0.65 mm for the 11-mm implants. The success rate for 6-mm implants was 97% and for 8-mm and 11-mm implants 100%. Conclusions Based on this preliminary data, we conclude that rough surface design short dental implants (6 and 8 mm in length) have similar success rate when compared to 11-mm implants. Long-term data with larger number of implants and subjects are needed to confirm these results.
On estimation problems for the G/G/∞ Queue

We consider estimation problems in G/G/∞ queue under incomplete information. Specifically, we are interested in scenarios where it is infeasible to track each individual job in the system and only aggregate statistics are known or observable. We first show that the minimum expected square estimator for the queue length process can be written as the sum of the minimum square estimators for an indicator function associated with each job, which is simply the survival function of the service time variable for each job. We also obtain tight lower and upper bounds on the time average of the square estimation error. Next we look at the inverse problem of estimating the service time distribution when the observed process is only the queue length process. We develop an on-line stochastic-optimization based estimation algorithm for the service time distribution and study its convergence under different parameter settings.
Bohmian Order In Leslie Marmon Silko's The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir and Ocean Story

Laguna Pueblo writer, Leslie Marmon Silko, sometimes speaks in interviews about the post-Einsteinian theories of space-time she has learned from scientists who “can write in an expository manner cl...
New eukaryotic transcriptional repressors

TRANSCRIPTIONAL activating sequences have been described1 that are encoded by parts of the genome of Escherichia coli. These acidic peptides, fused to a DNA-binding fragment of the yeast transcriptional activator GAL4, activate transcription of a gene in a wide array of eukaryotes, provided that gene bears GAL4-binding sites nearby2–4. Here we describe an E. coil-encoded sequence that, when attached to the same DNA-binding fragment (GAL4( 1–147)), converts that fragment into a repressor. Thus, as assayed in yeast or in vitro in yeast extracts, this molecule represses transcription when bound upstream of a variety of different activators. Two additional repressing regions that work when tethered upstream, a multiple mutant derivative of the original isolate and a synthetic peptide are, like the original isolate, highly basic. At least one activator can be inhibited by the mutant but not by the parental repressing region. These and other findings suggest that these repressing regions interact with and inhibit the activity of activating regions bound nearby on DNA.
Global MHD simulations for southward IMF: a pair of wings in the flanks

Abstract Global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations have shown that for southward interplanetary magnetic field nightside reconnection takes place only in a limited spatial scale in the cross-tail direction. Between the end of the nightside reconnection line and the flank magnetopause are regions of closed magnetic field lines which move relatively slowly tailward, compared with the magnetosheath flow on the far side and the jet flow produced by nightside reconnection on the side closer to the midnight. The magetosphere appears to have a pair of extended wings on the nightside. Further refinement of the simulations shows that the wings are not produced by the numerical effects. Similar features have been observed previously and also shown in different simulation models. The existence of the wings in the simulations indicates that the solar wind momentum is transferred to the closed magnetosphere if the simulations are relevant to reality.
On competitive Lotka-Volterra model in random environments

Focusing on competitive Lotka–Volterra model in random environments, this paper uses regime-switching diffusions to model the dynamics of the population sizes of n different species in an ecosystem subject to the random changes of the external environment. It is demonstrated that the growth rates of the population sizes of the species are bounded above. Moreover, certain long-run-average limits of the solution are examined from several angles. A partial stochastic principle of competitive exclusion is also derived. Finally, simple examples are used to demonstrate our findings.
Changing Consciousness, Values, and Culture in Advanced Industrial Societies

The well-organized and well-conceived Fifth International Conference of Eu ropeanists held in Washington, D.C. over the weekend of October 18, 1985, offered a set of wide-ranging panels which in various ways addressed them selves to two connected themes: the search for a third way in Western Europe between a discredited communist orthodoxy and a faltering social democracy, and, finding ways to deepen democracy from social relations to the shop floor to the conduct of national life in the societies of Europe. Panels on class for mation, consciousness, and the state, new social movements, changing work place culture, the social workings of Weimar Social Democracy, the sexual division of labor in production, and a concluding panel entitled "Beyond So cial Democracy," addressed aspects of these themes. In the discussion of class formation, working-class consciousness, and the French state Ira Katznelson (New School for Social Research) reported on a forthcoming collection of essays by various authors on working-class formation which started from the premise that there is no single model of working-class emergence, nor is there any basis for accepting claims of national exception alisms. In a creative piece of cliometric work, Michael Hanagan (Columbia) demonstrated how the changing economic opportunities in agriculture for mi grants from farms to industrial centers in the Stephanois from the 1850s to the 1880s held back or reinforced working-class consciousness. Only when the op portunity to return home and buy a farm had become impossible, could the sense of working-class identification grow. My own paper at this session fo cused on the impact of rising worker consciousness in speeding both the unifi cation and rise to political dominance of the socioeconomic elites of the new Third Republic. Anne Meyering (Michigan State) described the shift in the leadership of local political influence from priests to industrialists in Montlu?on under Napoleon III. Louise Tilly (New School), the discussant, emphasized the need to be sensitive to regional and local variations especially for nineteenth-century France. A discussion of contemporary social movements examined the hypothesis that the new politics will be social and cultural in content rather than oriented around economic values. Margit Mayer (Frankfurt/M) comparing German and United States grassroots movements found that above all they differed po litically. The Greens challenge the legitimacy of the political order, for exam
Wundt's prominence and popularity in his later years

Most of Wundt's students from America came along at the peak of his career when he was Rector at Leipzig and renowned as psychology's founder. For many of them Kulpe was an intermediary. Acquaintance with Wundt's work in the United States is delimited by the positions, attitudes, and selective attention to the complex details of his system on the part of the disciple who was the source of the adaptation of his work. Wundt's production in the last decades of numerous editions of the Grundriss and the Volkerpsychologie, along with the Grundzuge, received less attention and emphasis. His work in its total systematic essence tended to get overlooked or misinterpreted, especially by some of the people who had been major spokesmen for Wundt in America.
Cooking up diversity. Impact of a multicomponent, multicultural, experiential intervention on food and cooking behaviors among elementary-school students from low-income ethnically diverse families.

This study evaluated the impact of a pilot intervention promoting ethnic produce through classroom food demonstrations, tastings and home cooking activities among ethnically diverse elementary-school children ages 5–8 years old and their family members in Northern California. A total of 604 intervention students from four schools participated in classroom food demonstrations and tasting activities using seven food recipes. The control group included 600 students from two additional schools. Each recipe featured one vegetable from Latino, Hmong, or mainstream American cultures. Intervention students also received food kits containing ingredients to take home for each recipe. Mixed methods of quantitative student and parent pre–post surveys, parent feedback surveys, and qualitative focus groups were used to evaluate the intervention. Generalized estimating equations were used for survey data analysis. Qualitative data from parent focus groups were analyzed based on the principles of grounded theory. Both quantitative and qualitative results revealed that intervention students increased familiarity, preferences, and consumption of the featured vegetables and significantly increased their involvement in food preparation at home. Qualitative results showed that children were actively involved in food preparation at home. In addition, the intervention helped parents increase their appreciation for new foods and recipes. The results suggest that promoting locally grown ethnic produce to children is effective in increasing their consumption of a variety of vegetables and their involvement in food preparation at home.
A Unified Kinetic Model for Particle Aggregation

A unified model has been developed that describes the kinetics of particle aggregation. The model is unique in the incorporation of surface chemical phenomena along with solution chemistry in the determination of the stability of a colloidal dispersion. The aggregation process is treated in a truly kinetic fashion, the main output from the model being the evolution of complete particle size distributions over time. The model was developed to interpret laboratory data and, as such, has the capacity to estimate a (variable) set of system parameters by fitting the size distribution over time data to that measured. It was found that the attachment distance, a parameter frequently approximated in practice, has a profound influence on the predicted aggregation kinetics as does the choice of a solid/solution interfacial model. Furthermore, simulation of relatively long-term aggregation, which was the principal focus of this work, indicates that values of the collision efficiency factor should be much smaller than those reported elsewhere in the literature.
Precipitation increases the abundance of some groups of root-associated fungal endophytes in a semiarid grassland

Diverse communities of Root-Associated Fungal (RAF) species, including Dark Septate Endophytes (DSE), inhabit grasses in semiarid soils. These aridlands are often distinguished by large but variable precipitation events (monsoons). We sought to compare the composition and fungal load of the RAF community inhabiting the roots of Sporobolus cryptandrus, a dominant forage grass, exposed to variable precipitation events. We used a rainfall manipulation experiment at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) to examine the abundance and composition of the RAF communities using molecular and microscopic techniques. Molecular data reveals that the RAF communities are dominated by Ascomycetes and few sequences were related to Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF). The most dominant group (Paraphaeosphaeria spp.) clearly increased in abundance in response to water amendments and the addition of similar volumes of water appeared to increase similarity among the RAF communities, irrespective of size and distribution of precipitation events. Microscopic examinations of the roots also revealed an increased fungal load when exposed to elevated moisture, irrespective of rainfall frequency. We suggest that the increase in these cosmopolitan and abundant groups of Ascomycete fungi, in part, represents a common but complicated strategy of water translocation in a variety of soil types, similar to that proposed and shown in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Additional work should examine whether many (or most) members of the Ascomycete RAF also can facultatively broker water in the larger biological network in the soil.
SN79, a sigma receptor ligand, blocks methamphetamine-induced microglial activation and cytokine upregulation

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is associated with several negative side effects including neurotoxicity in specific brain regions such as the striatum. The precise molecular mechanisms by which METH usage results in neurotoxicity remain to be fully elucidated, with recent evidence implicating the importance of microglial activation and neuroinflammation in damaged brain regions. METH interacts with sigma receptors which are found in glial cells in addition to neurons. Moreover, sigma receptor antagonists have been shown to block METH-induced neurotoxicity in rodents although the cellular mechanisms underlying their neuroprotection remain unknown. The purpose of the current study was to determine if the prototypic sigma receptor antagonist, SN79, mitigates METH-induced microglial activation and associated increases in cytokine expression in a rodent model of METH-induced neurotoxicity. METH increased striatal mRNA and protein levels of cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68), indicative of microglial activation. METH also increased ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 (IBA-1) protein expression, further confirming the activation of microglia. Along with microglial activation, METH increased striatal mRNA expression levels of IL-6 family pro-inflammatory cytokines, leukemia inhibitory factor (lif), oncostatin m (osm), and interleukin-6 (il-6). Pretreatment with SN79 reduced METH-induced increases in CD68 and IBA-1 expression, demonstrating its ability to prevent microglial activation. SN79 also attenuated METH-induced mRNA increases in IL-6 pro-inflammatory cytokine family members. The ability of a sigma receptor antagonist to block METH-induced microglial activation and cytokine production provides a novel mechanism through which the neurotoxic effects of METH may be mitigated.
The use of compartment models in ferrokinetic analysis

Abstract In this paper we consider the study of a set of data from a normal population on which radioactive iron studies have been done. We used three tools: a well known compartment model, the conversational version of the SAAM language and a set of existing data. We investigate here the recovery of the parameters which have a clinical interest. Indeed just a few studies on normal subjects have so far appeared in the literature.
The nighttime distribution of ozone in the low-latitude mesosphere

The intensity of stars at wavelengths in the Hartley continuum region of ozone has been monitored by the University of Wisconsin stellar photometers aboard the OAO-2 satellite during occultation of the star by the earth's atmosphere. These occultation data have been used to determine the ozone number density profile at the occultation tangent point. The nighttime ozone number density profile has a bulge in its vertical profile with a peak of 1 to 3×108 cm−3 at approximately 83 km and a minimum near 75 km. The ozone number density at high altitudes varies by as much as a factor of 4, but does not show any clear seasonal variation or nighttime variation. The retrieved ozone number density profiles define a data envelope that is compared with other nighttime observations of the ozone number density profile and also the results of theoretical models.
MMPI-2 and ballet majors

Abstract The present study was undertaken to assess ballet majors' personality characteristics using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). Twenty-two ballet majors at a large Midwestern university with an accredited ballet program were administered the MMPI-2. Profiles were examined for a group mean, median, and standard deviation. The ballet majors' mean profile was found to be one standard deviation above the mean on three scales (7-Pt, 1-Hs, 8-Sc). The group's mean profile was then correlated with MMPI-2 profiles finding a 0.74 Pearson r correlation with adults having anorexia nervosa, 0.94 correlation with bulimic university students, 0.68 with people diagnosed as having obsessive compulsive disorders, and an 0.82 correlation with drug and alcohol addicts. Three basic content scales (2-D, 6-Pa, 0-Si) were found to have an inverted bell curve indicating two distinct populations within the ballet majors.
Hysteresis in kinking nonlinear elastic solids and the Preisach-Mayergoyz model

Herein we show that the stress-induced, dislocation-based, elastic hysteric loops of kinking nonlinear elastic solids---polycrystalline cobalt, $10\text{ }\text{vol}\text{ }\mathrm{%}$ porous ${\text{Ti}}_{2}\text{AlC}$, and fully dense ${\text{Ti}}_{3}{\text{SiC}}_{2}$---obey the scalar Preisach-Mayergoyz phenomenological model because they exhibit wiping out and congruency, two necessary and sufficient tenets of the model. We also demonstrate the power of the model in predicting the response of these materials to complex stress histories, as well as, determining the distributions of the threshold and friction stresses associated with the incipient kink bands---the fundamental microscopic units responsible for kinking nonlinear elasticity.
Pedigree Selection and Semen Banking of Young Dairy Sires for Artificial Insemination

Abstract A conventional system of progeny testing young dairy bulls was compared to pedigree selection of young bulls for semen banking and disposal prior to proving. The proportion of bulls expected to be culled incorrectly on their pedigrees was computed in a joint bivariate normal distribution of pedigree and progeny test evaluations. Theoretical expectations agreed well with actual results generated by hypothetical pedigree selection among bulls sampled in artificial insemination. Under most situations examined, some pedigree selection with semen banking produced slight to moderate decreases in the price of semen required to meet total testing costs (break-even semen price) and slight to moderate increases in the number of bulls tested at a fixed break-even semen price. Pedigree selection was most advantageous where a high proportion of bulls tested was returned to service, where the correlation between pedigree and progeny test evaluations of a bull was high, and where holding costs represented a high proportion of total testing costs. However, the advantages of pedigree selection and early disposal of young bulls would not be sufficient to increase appreciably the rate of genetic improvement where few bulls are sampled per year.
The feasibility and accuracy of diagnostic laparoscopy in the septic ICU patient.

Background: Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis of unknown origin are common complications of critically ill patients in the ICU. These patients frequently have unreliable clinical exams and are candidates for exploratory laparotomy. Although abdominal CT is commonly used because it is less invasive than laparotomy, it is often unreliable or unobtainable. Bedside laparoscopy is an alternative technique that may be more accurate than CT in selected patients and less invasive than laparotomy. Methods: We performed diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) in a series of ICU patients with SIRS/septic state of unknown origin between May 1997 and June 1998. All patients were unstable and required significant respiratory and hemodynamic support. Laparoscopy was either performed in the ICU at the patient's bedside or in the operating room. CT scan of the abdomen had been performed on most of the patients who were stable enough to transport. Confirmation of diagnosis was obtained either by laparotomy, autopsy, or clinical recovery. Results: Among the 17 eligible patients, 16 underwent successful DL. Insufflation was impossible in one patient because of high intraabdominal pressure. Bedside evaluations were performed in 14 of the 17 patients. There were no complications from the laparoscopy. Six patients were identified as positive (four intestinal ischemia, two cholecystitis); the other 10 had negative explorations. Follow-up on two patients with negative laparoscopy was incomplete due to denied postmortem. Laparoscopic diagnoses were confirmed in the remaining 14 patients by laparotomy (six cases), postmortem (three cases), or recovery (five cases), with an accuracy of 100%. The overall accuracy of abdominal CT obtained in nine of the 14 patients was 33%. Conclusions: DL in a select group of critical ICU patients is safe and accurate, whereas CT scan tends to be inaccurate and is often unobtainable due to patient instability. Performing the procedure at the bedside can expedite the diagnosis, eliminate the burden for transfer, and save on anesthesia and operating room charges.
Discovering models of software processes from event-based data

Many software process methods and tools presuppose the existence of a formal model of a process. Unfortunately, developing a formal model for an on-going, complex process can be difficult, costly, and error prone. This presents a practical barrier to the adoption of process technologies, which would be lowered by automated assistance in creating formal models. To this end, we have developed a data analysis technique that we term process discovery. Under this technique, data describing process events are first captured from an on-going process and then used to generate a formal model of the behavior of that process. In this article we describe a Markov method that we developed specifically for process discovery, as well as describe two additional methods that we adopted from other domains and augmented for our purposes. The three methods range from the purely algorithmic to the purely statistical. We compare the methods and discuss their application in an industrial case study.
Differentiation of constrictive pericarditis from restrictive cardiomyopathy by Doppler transesophageal echocardiographic measurements of respiratory variations in pulmonary venous flow

Abstract Objectives. The purpose of this study was to test the utility of measuring respiratory variation in pulmonary venous flow by transesophageal echocardiography. Background. Respiratory variation of atrioventricular and central venous flow velocities by Doppler echocardiography has been used to differentiate constrictive pericarditis from restrictive cardiomyopathy. Methods. We performed pulsed wave Doppler transesophageal echocardiography of the left or right pulmonary veins in 31 patients with diastolic dysfunction. Fourteen patients had constrictive pericarditis, and 17 had restrictive cardiomyopathy. We measured the pulmonary venous peak systolic and diastolic flow velocities and the systolic/diastolic flow ratio with transesophageal echocardiography during expiration and inspiration. The percent change in Doppler flow velocity from expiration to inspiration (%E) was calculated. Results. Pulmonary venous peak systolic flow in both inspiration and expiration was greater in constrictive pericarditis than in restrictive cardiomyopathy. The %E for peak systolic flow tended to be higher in constrictive pericarditis (19% vs. 10%, p = 0.09). In contrast, pulmonary venous peak diastolic flow during inspiration was lower in constrictive pericarditis than in restrictive cardiomyopathy. The %E for peak diastolic flow was larger in constrictive pericarditis (29% vs. 16%, p = 0.008). The pulmonary venous systolic/diastolic flow ratio was greater in constrictive pericarditis in both inspiration and expiration. The combination of pulmonary venous systolic/diastolic flow ratio ≥0.65 in inspiration and a %E for peak diastolic flow ≥40% correctly classified 86% of patients with constrictive pericarditis. Conclusions. The relatively larger pulmonary venous systolic/ diastolic flow ratio and greater respiratory variation in pulmonary venous systolic, and especially diastolic, flow velocities by transesophageal echocardiography can be useful signs in distinguishing constrictive pericarditis from restrictive cardiomyopathy.
Rural disparities in receipt of colorectal cancer screening among adults ages 50-64 with disabilities.

Abstract Background Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Early detection can reduce mortality; however, only 59% of U.S. adults age 50 and over meet recommended colorectal cancer screening guidelines. Studies in the general population have observed that rural residents are less likely to have received colorectal cancer screening than residents of urban areas. Objective To determine whether urban/rural disparities in colorectal cancer screening exist among people with disabilities, similar to the disparities found in the general population. Methods We analyzed Medical Expenditure Panel Survey annual data files from 2002 to 2008. We conducted logistic regression analyses to examine the relationship between urban/rural residence and ever having received screening for colorectal cancer (via colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or fecal occult blood test). Results Among U.S. adults ages 50–64 with disabilities, those living in rural areas were significantly less likely to have ever received any type of screening for colorectal cancer. The urban/rural difference was statistically significant regardless of whether or not we controlled for demographic, socioeconomic, health, and health care access variables. Conclusions Disparity in screening for colorectal cancer places rural residents with disabilities at greater risk for late stage diagnosis and mortality relative to people with disabilities in urban areas. Thus, there is a need for strategies to improve screening among people with disabilities in rural areas.
Cone beam breast CT with a high pitch (75 μm), thick (500 μm) scintillator CMOS flat panel detector: Visibility of simulated microcalcifications

Purpose: To measure and investigate the improvement of microcalcification (MC) visibility in cone beam breast CT with a high pitch (75 μm), thick (500 μm) scintillator CMOS/CsI flat panel detector (Dexela 2923, Perkin Elmer). Methods: Aluminum wires and calcium carbonate grains of various sizes were embedded in a paraffin cylinder to simulate imaging of calcifications in a breast. Phantoms were imaged with a benchtop experimental cone beam CT system at various exposure levels. In addition to the Dexela detector, a high pitch (50 μm), thin (150 μm) scintillator CMOS/CsI flat panel detector (C7921CA-09, Hamamatsu Corporation, Hamamatsu City, Japan) and a widely used low pitch (194 μm), thick (600 μm) scintillator aSi/CsI flat panel detector (PaxScan 4030CB, Varian Medical Systems) were also used in scanning for comparison. The images were independently reviewed by six readers (imaging physicists). The MC visibility was quantified as the fraction of visible MCs and measured as a function of the estimated mean glandular dose (MGD) level for various MC sizes and detectors. The modulation transfer functions (MTFs) and detective quantum efficiencies (DQEs) were also measured and compared for the three detectors used. Results: The authors have demonstrated that the use of a high pitch (75 μm) CMOS detector coupled with a thick (500 μm) CsI scintillator helped make the smaller 150–160, 160–180, and 180–200 μm MC groups more visible at MGDs up to 10.8, 9, and 10.8 mGy, respectively. It also made the larger 200–212 and 212–224 μm MC groups more visible at MGDs up to 7.2 mGy. No performance improvement was observed for 224–250 μm or larger size groups. With the higher spatial resolution of the Dexela detector based system, the apparent dimensions and shapes of MCs were more accurately rendered. The results show that with the aforementioned detector, a 73% visibility could be achieved in imaging 160–180 μm MCs as compared to 28% visibility achieved by the low pitch (194 μm) aSi/CsI flat panel detector. The measurements confirm that the Hamamatsu detector has the highest MTF, followed by the Dexel detector, and then the Varian detector. However, the Dexela detector, with its thick (500 μm) CsI scintillator and low noise level, has the highest DQE at all frequencies, followed by the Varian detector, and then the Hamamatsu detector. The findings on the MC visibility correlated well with the differences in MTFs, noise power spectra, and DQEs measured for these three detectors. Conclusions: The authors have demonstrated that the use of the CMOS type Dexela detector with its high pitch (75 μm) and thick (500 μm) CsI scintillator could help improve the MC visibility. However, the improvement depended on the exposure level and the MC size. For imaging larger MCs or scanning at high exposure levels, there was little advantage in using the Dexela detector as compared to the aSi type Varian detector. These findings correlate well with the higher measured DQEs of the Dexela detector, especially at higher frequencies.
An experimental evaluation of methods used to enumerate mucosal cyathostome larvae in ponies

Abstract With the increased interest in equine cyathostomes it has become apparent that some evaluations of methods currently used to count the various larval stages which occur in the mucosa would be beneficial. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of fixation and storage of mucosal tissues at −20°C on the accuracy of counting these larvae. The accuracy of counting developing larvae within the mucosa by transmural illumination (TMI) and by artificial digestion (DIG) of the mucosa was also compared. The data indicate that fixation of digested mucosa in PBS-buffered 5% or 10% formalin did not effect the enumeration of either early hypobiotic L3 or larger developing L3 or L4. Although not optimal, counting these larvae by either TMI of DIG after freezing did not significantly differ from counts made on fresh tissues. Significant differences were also not seen between counts of developing larvae made by TMI or DIG. Because DIG must be used to count EL3 and small developing L3, it is possible that TMI is not necessary in heavily infected equids.
Neisseria sicca endocarditis with embolic phenomena

Two patients with poor oral hygiene developed Neisseria sicca endocarditis, one after probable intravenous drug abuse and Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis and the other after a periodontal surgical procedure. Both experienced significant embolic phenomena and both required 6 or more weeks of intravenous antibiotic therapy. The diagnosis of N. sicca endocarditis must be considered when this organism is isolated from blood cultures in patients with emboli.
An in vitro comparison of eight rapid streptococcal antigen detection tests

The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of rapid antigen detection tests for patients with group A fl-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis. In general, most of the ADTs are specific enough, in comparison with the throat culture, that a positive ADT result can stand alone. A negative ADT result, however, in the opinion of most investigators, lacks adequate sensitivity to be used without a ,backup" throat culture? 4 Because most clinical studies involve only one or two ADTs at a tim e, and because of the variety of clinical settings in which they are tested, few data exist with regard to the relative sensitivity of various ADTs tested in common settings and conditions. Moreover, it is virtually impossible to obtain meaningful comparative data from in viva sources, because no two throat swabs will yield the same number of organisms, even when obtained from the same source (Lewey S, White CB, Lieberman MM, Morales E: unpublished data). Thus we used a simple in vitro method to determine the relative sensitivity of eight commercially available rapid ADTs for the detection of serially diluted broth concentrations of GABHS.
BioMEMS for drug delivery

Recent research into methods of using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology for medical and biological applications has developed several interesting devices. This paper reviews various approaches to the use of MEMS for drug therapy, including devices based on microporous silicon, microneedles, micropumps, and microreservoirs. Microdevices can improve drug therapy because they allow precise and complex dosing, induce less pain, or increase compliance. Microneedles have been tested on humans, and the other drug delivery MEMS have shown promise in vitro and in vivo. Investigations into the use of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology to produce microdevices for drug delivery have expanded recently. We present several different approaches to the use of microdevices for drug therapy and the current state of the field.
Origins of Systematic Serials Control: Remembering Carolyn Ulrich

The January 1987 issue of Access, a quarterly update from R.R. Bowker Company, contains a brief article entitled “Ulrich's: A Prime Source in Any Format.” This short piece tells us that 1987 marked the silver anniversary of the founding of Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory and that we have good reason to celebrate. The reason is that Ulrich's, and its sister publications, Irregular Serials and Annuals and Bowker's Serials Database Update, are now available on CD‐ROM and known as Ulrich's Plus. The article states that “this electronic disc format offers high speed access, multiple search points and ease of use.” The article also informs us that data for Ulrich's are continuously revised and updated by no less than thirteen editors who have multilingual skills and whose combined efforts provide indepth profiles of seventy thousand serials and thirty‐five thousand irregulars published worldwide, that there are updates for more than sixty‐five thousand entries, and that there is a “descriptive anal...
Knowledge modeling in the health care domain to support software development & maintenance

This article contains a description of a knowledge elicitation effort and representation pertaining to the modeling of conceptual knowledge in the health care field. The project has the goal of building a conceptual model of data in the Military Health System Data Repository, a large DoD/VA aggregation of databases that can be used in the implementation of software. The goal is to create a just-in-time conceptual model of the data to facilitate software development and foster software developer understanding of the domain.
Influence of the diabetic state on isoproterenol-induced cardiac necrosis.

Isoproterenol-induced myocardial necrosis was examined in male mice with alloxan-induced and genetically transmitted diabetes. Ten days after alloxan treatment, mice exhibited an elevation in blood glucose concentrations, weight loss, polyuria and decreased heart rates (510±15 v. 675±11 beats/min) compared with matched control mice. Similarly, genetically diabetic mice exhibited lower heart rates than the corresponding age-matched controls (383±30 v. 603±30 beats/min). In comparison to matched controls, both groups of diabetic mice had a significant decrease in the severity of the cardiac necrosis which was induced by the administration of isoproterenol. The reduction in isoproterenol-induced cardiac lesions was similar in mice with chemically induced diabetics and mice with genetically transmitted diabetes. Biochemical studies of ventricular slices revealed no change in basal cAMP levels and no differences in isoproterenol-induced changes in cAMP levels in mouse hearts from both models of diabetes. Insulin treatment corrected the chemically induced diabetic state and restored the cardiotoxic potential of isoproterenol.
“ideal” and “real” behavior in the Mesoamerican nonresidential extended family

Redfield's (1941) notion that rapid sociocultural change brings about a discrepancy between “ideal” and “real” behavior in the Mesoamerican nonresidential extended family is revised with data from the Nahuat area. The author shows that chronic family tensions unrelated to rapid change can affect the solidarity of the agnatically related males upon whom nonresidential extended family unity depends and that informants express these tensions in their ideology of family behavior.
Brugia malayi: Intravenous injection of microfilariae in ferrets as an experimental method for occult filariasis

Microfilaremia, immune responses, and pathology were compared in ferrets infected with 100 third-stage larvae of Brugia malayi (subperiodic strain) or injected intravenously with 10(6) microfilariae. Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) inoculated with third-stage larvae typically became patent during the third month after infection, with a mean patency of 123 +/- 25 (SE) days. Ferrets injected intravenously with microfilariae exhibited a relatively constant microfilaremia for 3-4 weeks and usually cleared microfilariae before the fourth month. Ferrets that cleared microfilariae after intravenous injection of microfilariae or after infection with third-stage larvae failed to become patent or became amicrofilaremic within 3 weeks after a challenge intravenous injection of 10(6) microfilariae. Clearance of circulating microfilariae was associated with eosinophilia and serum antibody specific for the microfilarial sheath in ferrets injected with microfilariae and in most ferrets infected with third-stage larvae. Ferrets infected with third-stage larvae and necropsied after clearance of microfilariae had tissue inflammatory reactions to microfilariae characteristic of occult filariasis (tropical eosinophilia) in man; these ferrets exhibited immediate cutaneous hypersensitivity and circulating reaginic antibody to antigens of microfilariae. In ferrets necropsied following two intravenous injections of microfilariae, the majority of ferrets examined within 10 days after clearance of microfilariae had visible liver lesions to microfilariae identical to those of the ferrets infected with third-stage larvae; immediate cutaneous hypersensitivity and reaginic antibody were not consistently detected in ferrets injected with microfilariae. Sera from ferrets that had cleared circulating microfilariae were transferred passively into ferrets made microfilaremic by intravenous injection of microfilariae. Sera with microfilarial sheath-reactive IgG antibody titers (greater than or equal to 1:200) and microfilarial agglutination titers (greater than or equal to 1:40) rapidly cleared injected microfilariae (less than 24 hr); this serum also cleared or greatly reduced circulating microfilariae established by an infection with third-stage larvae; only the IgG-containing fraction of the sera was active in immune clearance. Sera that cleared microfilariae of B. malayi did not clear circulating microfilariae of Dirofilaria immitis or prevent recurrence of circulating microfilariae of B. malayi in ferrets infected with adult filariae.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Electrostatic energy of columbite/ixiolite

A KNOWLEDGE of the crystal structure of an inorganic compound and the appropriate ionic charges is usually sufficient to allow the calculation of the electrostatic energy1–3. A more difficult situation is found in crystals where some or all of the cations are disordered so that on the average a particular cation site is occupied by two or more cations with different charges. Very accurate crystal structure refinements, often including refinement of site occupancies, can give a good description of the nature of the disorder and the average composition of each cation site. The electrostatic energy can then be calculated using the average ionic charges on each of the disordered sites. Such an approach has been used to compare the stabilities of ordered and disordered structures of pyrrhotite4,5 and some complex niobium and tantalum oxides6. There seems no theoretical justification for the use of average cation charges for the calculation of the potential energy of a disordered crystal so such calculations must be treated with caution.
Debt-equity decision-making with wealth transfers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to instruct advanced business students on the debt-equity choice by showing how wealth transfers between security holders influence security values when a levered firm undergoes an incremental debt-to-equity approach. Design/methodology/approach – The design involves a pedagogical exercise that applies gain to leverage (GL) formulas for a firm aspiring to increase its value by exchanging debt for equity. The valuation method includes perpetuity formulations including those with growth and wealth transfers. The instructional approach offers an understanding of the debt-equity decision. Findings – Unlike studies that provide empirical findings or new theories, this paper provides knowledge and skills for students learning capital structure decision making. Research limitations/implications – All GL equations in this paper are limited by derivational assumptions and estimation of values for variables. Practical implications – This paper bridges the gap between theory an...
Analysis of localized damage in EB-PVD/(Ni, Pt)Al thermal barrier coatings

Abstract The structural integrity of the thermally grown oxide (TGO) in the EB-PVD/(Ni, Pt)Al thermal barrier coatings was examined using photo-stimulated luminescence piezo-spectroscopy (PLPS). PLPS spectra exhibiting both a high stress component and a low stress (or stress-free) component were observed during thermal cycling (i.e. bimodal luminescence). The fraction of bimodal spectra increases initially, then decreases, and increases again when close to failure. It is shown that the bimodal luminescence originates from stress relaxation caused by localized damage. It is proposed that the initial increase of bimodal luminescence is related to cracking caused by the volume change associated with the phase transformation of TGO from θ to α-Al 2 O 3 ; whereas, the increase at the final stage is due to TGO cracking and spallation. Area stress maps show the gradual accumulation of damage and indicate that PLPS is a useful tool for detection of the initiation and progression of TBC spallation.
Correction for higher-order scattering anisotropy in neutron transport theory

Abstract A method is presented for correcting integral parameters to account for the effect of higher-order scattering anisotropy when the neutron flux used in evaluating the parameters is based upon a transport calculation with a low-order scattering approximation. The method is based upon a variational principle for the parameter of interest.
A NEW ORIENTAL SPECIES OF URACANTHELLA (EPHEMEROPTERA: EPHEMERELLIDAE) FROM THAILAND AND VIETNAM

Uracanthella oriens, new species, is described based on series of larvae from Thailand and Vietnam. The new species is distinguished from other Uracanthella by having small, spatulate setae relatively densely distributed on the dorsal surfaces and posterior margins of the femora. The new species has a relatively uniform light brown body color with no dorsal longitudinal stripes.
Neuroethology: Lemon-Fresh Scent Makes Flies Lay Eggs

A new study reveals how Drosophila uses their sense of smell to decide on where to lay their eggs. These results have exciting implications for the evolution of fruit preference and parasitoid avoidance in fruit flies.
The synergistic effects of cyclosporine and endothelin--demonstration of an important cardiodepressor action.

Cyclosporine represents the foundation for current immunosuppressive therapy following solid organ transplantation. CsA use is associated with renal insufficiency and systemic hypertension. We hypothesized that CsA would enhance the vascular actions of endothelin (ET). Three groups of anesthesized dogs (n = 15) were studied. Group 1 received CsA alone (1 mg/kg), group 2 received ET alone (1 ng/kg/min), and group 3 received combined CsA (1 mg/kg) and ET (1 ng/kg/min). The hemodynamic and renal effects were evaluated after 30 min. Combined treatment resulted in a profound reduction in mean arterial pressure (-62 +/- 14 mmHg (P < .05) and cardiac output (-2.2 +/- 0.4.1/min (P < .05). The reduction in mean arterial pressure and cardiac output were significantly greater than that observed with CsA or ET alone. Systemic vascular resistance was not significantly changed. Combined CsA and ET resulted in a significant reduction in renal blood flow (195 +/- 18 to 101 +/- 11 ml/mm P < .05) but without evidence of active renal vasoconstriction. The decline in GFR (31.8 +/- 5.6 ml/min to being unmeasurable) was of greater magnitude than the change in renal blood flow, suggesting enhanced afferent anteriolar vasoconstriction or an alteration in the ultrafiltration coefficient. These studies demonstrate an important and synergistic cardiodepressor effect when CsA and ET are combined.
Do supervisory inputs matter in a capital‐intensive industry? Some evidence from a Japanese car transplant

We estimate a translog production function based on data from a Japanese automobile plant in the Midwest where output is determined by capital and different supervisory time inputs. We fit a model which allows for heteroskedastic errors, where this heteroskedasticity is a function of various variables affecting perceived target severity. We find that while, as expected, capital inputs are important, each supervisory time input is also significant in this capital-intensive industry. Linear homogeneity in these inputs is rejected. We find evidence of asymmetry in substitution among different components of supervisory time. This asymmetry has implications for the design and allocation of supervisory tasks. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On World Literatures, Comparative Literature, and (Comparative) Cultural Studies

In his article "On World Literatures, Comparative Literature, and (Comparative) Cultural Studies" Ning Wang argues that cultural studies is characterized by being opposed to (elite) literary studies not only because it points to popular or non-elite literature, but also because it challenges the discipline of comparative literature. On the other hand, (comparative) cultural studies complements literary studies in that it contributes a great deal to the reconstruction of a sort of new comparative literature. Wang illustrates how some of the representative Anglo-American comparatists are now doing cultural criticism while still engaging in comparative literature and they paved the way for dialogue between literary and cultural studies. Therefore, deconstructing and subverting the Eurocentric discipline of comparative literature, (comparative) cultural studies has made a positive impact on the reconstruction of a new discipline of comparative literature and the field of world literatures. It has also enabled a remapping of world literatures by enlarging the canon with non-canonical Oriental literary works.