cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance of databases in IoT applications

IoT devices have become necessary today. As technology grows, the need for reliable, secure, and efficient applications has become essential. To have an active IoT service, the performance of the backend databases is critical. Database plays a crucial role in storing and organizing data that supports the IoT applications. The current research will examine the performance of databases for IoT applications.
Expansion of Private Equity Involvement in Women’s Health Care

This cross-sectional study examines the clinical and societal implications of the exansion of private equity in women’s health care.
Single Layer Biomaterial Repair of Frontal Sinus Encephalocele in a Pediatric Patient

Introduction Reconstruction of skull base defects are determined by size, location, and complexity of the defect. Methods Case report. Case discussion An 11-year old girl presented with a right frontoethmoidal encephalocele after an episode of meningitis. An endoscopic approach was performed with a Draf III to provide exposure. The skull base defect extended superolateral over the orbit, which limited the choice of reconstructive options. The defect was successfully repaired with a single layer onlay graft of bovine collagen matrix. Conclusions Single layer repairs using commercial biomaterials should be considered where multilayer closure or vascularized flaps may not be possible. Laryngoscope, 131:E1750-E1752, 2021.
How Does Personalization in News Stories Influence Intentions to Help with Drought? Assessing the Influence of State Empathy and Its Antecedents

Personalized stories are a powerful tool for communicating about science, particularly when a scientific topic is complex or unfamiliar. One example of such a topic is drought, something many regions of the world face regularly. Like other environmental challenges, drought recovery efforts benefit from a mobilized collective response through prosocial action, including volunteering and donations. The objective of this study was to examine how storytelling about drought influences emotional responses and empathic processes that in turn contribute to prosocial action. Using data collected from an online survey (N = 249) with undergraduate students, the current study tests the hypothesis that, relative to non-personalized stories, personalized news stories about drought will increase audiences’ cognitive and emotional responses, including perceived suffering, narrative engagement, and state empathy. In addition, this study examines how emotional responses to personalized news stories influence readers’ intentions to donate to farmers suffering from drought. Results reveal that personalized news stories are more likely than non-personalized stories to increase readers’ state empathy and perceptions of others’ suffering. Perceived suffering was directly related to the affective and cognitive dimensions of state empathy. Narrative engagement (i.e., transportation) was also directly related to the affective and cognitive dimensions of state empathy and indirectly associated with intentions to donate to assist those suffering from drought. Affective state empathy was directly associated with donation intentions, suggesting that an emotional response to media portrayals of suffering may promote prosocial intentions. We discuss the potential implications for using personalized news stories about drought and other natural disasters to motivate prosocial action.
Patients Require Less Time to Complete Preoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Than Legacy Patient-Reported Outcome Measures.

Purpose To analyze time to completion of preoperative legacy patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and more recent computer adaptive Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) questionnaires in patients with symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement syndrome undergoing primary hip arthroscopy. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients undergoing hip arthroscopy by a single fellowship-trained hip arthroscopist. Inclusion criteria were patients undergoing primary arthroscopic hip surgery and completion of at least 1 legacy PRO or PROMIS questionnaire at the preoperative time point. Exclusion criteria were history of contralateral or ipsilateral hip surgery, non–English-speaking patients, patients who completed PROs by phone or by paper form, and patients who did not complete preoperative PROs. Legacy PROs included modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), Hip Outcome Score (HOS), International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12), and Hip Pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS-Pain). PROMIS PROs included Physical Function (PROMIS-PF), Pain Interference (PROMIS-PI), and Depression (PROMIS-D). Only preoperative PROs were included in the analysis. Completion time was calculated using the questionnaire start and stop time reported by the survey collecting software. The median and interquartile range of each PRO were reported for analysis of central tendency and statistical dispersion, respectively. Results A total of 1,901 patients and 269 patients were included in the legacy and PROMIS groups, respectively. The median time required for completion of each PRO in (minutes: seconds) format was as follows: mHHS (1:29), HOS (3:58), iHOT (2:11), VAS-Pain (0:32), PROMIS-PF (0:46), PROMIS-PI (0:37), and PROMIS-D (0:43). The interquartile range of the middle 50% of respondents was as follows; mHHS (0:58), HOS (2:46), iHOT (1:22), VAS-Pain (0:28), PROMIS-PI (0:19), PROMIS-D (0:29), and PROMIS-PF (0:20). Conclusions This study supports that preoperative PROMIS forms require less time to complete than preoperative legacy PROs and are not significantly influenced by age, race, or workers compensation status. Level of Evidence Level IV, case series.
A longitudinal functional analysis framework for analysis of white matter tract statistics

Many longitudinal imaging studies have been/are being widely conducted to use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to better understand white matter maturation in normal controls and diseased subjects. There is an urgent demand for the development of statistical methods for analyzing diffusion properties along major fiber tracts obtained from longitudinal DTI studies. Jointly analyzing fiber-tract diffusion properties and covariates from longitudinal studies raises several major challenges including (i) infinite-dimensional functional response data, (ii) complex spatial-temporal correlation structure, and (iii) complex spatial smoothness. To address these challenges, this article is to develop a longitudinal functional analysis framework (LFAF) to delineate the dynamic changes of diffusion properties along major fiber tracts and their association with a set of covariates of interest (e.g., age and group status) and the structure of the variability of these white matter tract properties in various longitudinal studies. Our LFAF consists of a functional mixed effects model for addressing all three challenges, an efficient method for spatially smoothing varying coefficient functions, an estimation method for estimating the spatial-temporal correlation structure, a test procedure with a global test statistic for testing hypotheses of interest associated with functional response, and a simultaneous confidence band for quantifying the uncertainty in the estimated coefficient functions. Simulated data are used to evaluate the finite sample performance of LFAF and to demonstrate that LFAF significantly outperforms a voxel-wise mixed model method. We apply LFAF to study the spatial-temporal dynamics of white-matter fiber tracts in a clinical study of neurodevelopment.
Adaptive array processing: Time vs. frequency domain

The approach to adaptive array procesing typically has taken one of two paths - time domain (wide band) or frequency domain (narrow band). In the former, the entire frequency range of interest is processed as a whole with a multichannel tapped delay line adaptive filter providing frequency selectivity. In the latter, the desired passband is broken into independent contiguous pieces each of which is processed independently via two quadrature weights per channel. This paper investigates the tradeoffs in each approach and the conditions under which they are equivalent.
Ultraviolet Absorption Processes in the Upper Atmosphere

Publisher Summary The chapter is confined to only a part of the upper atmosphere research— namely, the study of absorption processes due to solar radiation of wavelengths from about 2900 A to 1 A. This chapter attempts to cover the decade from 1946 to the beginning of the International Geophysical Year, or from the first rocket experiments to the first artificial satellite. The chapter summarizes several types of absorption processes important in the study of the upper atmosphere. Some definitions and equation of state of gases in the upper atmosphere are given. Some of the data on atmospheric structure are tabulated and discussed in order to set up an atmospheric model that will be used for subsequent discussions of atmospheric absorption and photochemistry. The study of atmospheric composition and the study of absorption of solar radiation are directly related and usually proceed together. It is possible to determine atmospheric composition from absorption measurements, and reciprocally, data on composition assist calculations of absorption processes. In order to carry out quantitative calculations of atmospheric photochemical processes, it is necessary to have reliable data on absolute spectral intensities of solar ultraviolet radiation including soft x-rays. The chapter presents the absorption cross-sections of atmospheric gases. Several theories on atmospheric photochemistry are described in this chapter.
The Politics of Racism: Constructions of African Immigrants in China on ChinaSMACK

The purpose of this study is to identify the politics of Chinese netizens' racism toward Africans on the website, ChinaSMACK. Critical and grounded theory analysis reveals that racism on ChinaSMACK (a) is triggered by perceived threats to identity, economic stability, and State fidelity; (b) exists in a paradoxical relationship with globalization; and (c) perpetuates sexist attitudes toward women. We conclude that racism functions politically to disguise criticism of the government, scapegoat Africans for social problems, and obscure netizens' role in perpetuating social inequality.
Risk premiums over varying market conditions

Bhardwaj and Brooks (1993) and Kim and Burnie (2002) look at the size effect during expansion and recession but come to different conclusions. While Bhardwaj and Brooks report reversal of size effects, Kim and Burnie show that the size effect is strong during economic expansion. A possible reason for these conflicting conclusions might be model misspecification. Both studies use a single-factor CAPM model to calculate the average returns. In this paper, the Fama-French three-factor model with betas conditioned on the market states is used. It has been found that the reverse size effect is limited to growth stocks. The size effect among value stocks is observed in expansion as well as recession. Furthermore, regression results using the three-factor model with time-varying betas show that there is a negative book-to-market premium.
Effect of price information on residential water demand

Microeconomic theory predicts that people decrease consumption when price increases, the magnitude of the effect depending on price elasticity. The law of demand, however, implicitly assumes that consumers know prices, an assumption that is not always satisfied in markets with ex post billing. When prices are not transparent, elasticity estimates are potentially lower than their full information potential. Evidence of low price elasticity abounds in residential water demand studies, limiting the effectiveness and desirability of using price signals as a conservation tool. It is hypothesized that resident's sluggish response to price is partly due to the absence of price information on water bills. Differences in the informational content of bills are documented for the first time on the basis of sample bills collected from 383 utilities across the USA. A standard aggregate water demand model is augmented with qualitative variables describing differences in billing information, allowing such variables to a...
CO adsorption on ion bombarded Ni(111): characterization by photoemission from adsorbed xenon

Abstract The adsorption of CO on Ni(111), ion bombarded with various fluences of 1.0 keV Ar+ ions, has been investigated using photoemission from adsorbed xenon (PAX). After ion bombardment of the Ni(111) surface, various amounts of CO were adsorbed, followed by adsorption of xenon at 85 K. Two pressures of xenon were used in examining the 3d 5 2 peak of xenon: 5 × 10−6 and 7 × 10−10 Torr. PAX data taken at both pressures show that CO selectively adsorbs onto the defect (step) sites created by ion bombardment. In addition, it was found that the amount of CO which could occupy a defect site previously occupied by one Xe atom varied from 10 to 2.5, depending on the ion fluence.
AN ELECTRON ENERGY LOSS SPECTRAL LIBRARY AND ITS APPLICATION TO MATERIALS SCIENCE

The format as well as the motivation behind the development of an EELS library of inner-shell edge profiles is outlined and its application to typical problems in materials research discussed.
Water temperature: A factor in the seasonality of two freshwater sponge species, Ephydatia fluviatilis and Spongilla alba

Two freshwater sponge species, Ephvdatia fluviatilis and Spongilla alba, were maintained in a continuous-flow laboratory culture system at several different water temperatures. Experimental results suggest that sponge growth rate is affected by water temperature and that it is affected differently in the two species. The results correlate well with field observations on species abundance at different water temperatures and thereby support the view that water temperature is a factor determining seasonality in these species.
SU-FF-T-436: Tools for Integrating Monte Carlo Dose Engines with a Radiotherapy Planning System

Purpose:Monte Carlo simulations represent the gold standard in radiotherapydose calculation. While numerous tools have been developed to facilitate accelerator and patient modeling within a Monte Carlo simulation, there are few commonly available tools for interfacing a Monte Carlodose engine with a fully‐featured treatment planningsoftware package. We report on the development of tools to integrate a Monte Carlodose engine with clinically useful radiotherapy planning software.Method and Materials: The initial release is configured to operate with PLanUNC, a freely available open‐source radiotherapy planning tool. The Monte Carlo integration package consists of several modular scripts and programs that act as a bridge between the treatment planningsoftware and the Monte Carlodose engine. Results: Using PLanUNC as a front end for the Monte Carlo, the user can develop a treatment plan, export beams and patient information to the Monte Carlo, recover the dose distribution, and analyze the results of the calculation in PLanUNC according to isodose, DVH, or EUD, as well as compare the results of the Monte Carlo simulation with results from other calculations. Conclusion: The Monte Carlo interface package facilitates the clinical use of Monte Carlo by allowing a fully‐featured radiotherapy planning suite to be used as a front end, allowing flexible treatment planning and analysis of the Monte Carlo results. The modular nature of the software makes it straightforward to adapt these tools for use with other treatment planningsoftware packages.
Target practice: HDAC inhibitors for schizophrenia.

A report in this issue suggests that inhibiting histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) could be therapeutic in schizophrenia. Targeting chromatin remodeling in adults to treat a chronic brain disorder is not, however, likely to be easy.
Blood protozoa of imported birds.

SYNOPSIS. Large numbers of birds, until recently, were brought into the United States each year. Countries of origin were varied, and included those of Australasia, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean Islands, as well as other places. With them of course come their parasites, some of which may be potential pathogens to domestic avifauna. In part for this reason, a survey was undertaken of blood parasites of birds from pet shops and importers. So far a total of 1234 birds belonging to 186 species has been examined. Several new species and subspecies of avian Plasmodium have been found in the course of this study, including P. octamerium Manwell, 1968 in a Pintail Whydah, Vidua macoura, from Africa; P. paranucleophilum Manwell & Sessler, 1971 in a South American tanager, Tachyphonus sp.; and P. nucleophilum toucani Manwell & Sessler 1971 in a Swainson's Toucan, Ramphastos s. swainsonii. Plasmodium huffi Muniz, Soares & Battista is undoubtedly a synonym pro parte for the last. Plasmodium tenue Laveran & Marullaz, long thought to be a synonym of Plasmodium vaughani Novy & MacNeal, was rediscovered and found to be a valid species. Plasmodium nucleophilum, infrequently seen in the New World, occurred in many Asian and African birds, and especially in starlings. Infections with other species of Plasmodium were common. Haemoproteus was the commonest blood parasite; Leucocytozoon was very rare as was Atoxoplasma (Lankesterella). The 2 families of birds best represented were the Fringillidae and the Psittacidae, but no blood parasites were seen in the latter. It is clear that imported birds are often infected with blood protozoa, some of which are unknown from native birds.
Esophageal function testing with combined multichannel intraluminal impedance and manometry: multicenter study in healthy volunteers.

Abstract Background & Aims: Combined multichannel intraluminal impedance and manometry (MII-EM) assesses esophageal function by simultaneous measurement of both pressure and bolus transit. Normative data for this method have not been published. The aim of this study was to establish normative data for combined MII-EM and to correlate liquid and viscous bolus transit by impedance with esophageal contractions by manometry. Methods: Forty-three normal volunteers recruited from 4 centers (15 women, 28 men; age range, 21-72 years) underwent combined MII-EM with a catheter containing 4 impedance-measuring segments and 4 solid-state pressure transducers. Each center recruited and analyzed subjects independently, according to pre-established criteria. Each subject received 20 × 5 mL swallows, 10 liquid and 10 viscous material. Tracings were analyzed manually for bolus presence time, bolus head advance time, segmental transit times, total bolus transit time, contraction amplitude, duration, and onset velocity. Results: Ninety-seven and four-tenths percent of manometrically normal liquid and 96.1% of manometrically normal viscous swallows had complete bolus transit by impedance. Almost half (47.2%) of manometrically ineffective liquid and 34.7% of ineffective viscous swallows had complete bolus transit, whereas 91.7% of manometric simultaneous liquid swallows and 54.5% of simultaneous viscous swallows had complete bolus transit. More than 93% of normal individuals had at least 80% complete liquid or at least 70% complete viscous bolus transit. Conclusions: This study establishes normative data for combined MII-EM. Combined MII-EM may be a more sensitive tool in assessing esophageal function compared to standard manometry because impedance can distinguish different bolus transit patterns. Studies in patients with manometrically defined esophageal motility abnormalities should help clarify the functional importance of manometric ineffective and simultaneous swallows.
Free and cued selective reminding and selective reminding in the elderly

Free and Cued Selective Reminding (FCSR) differs from Selective Reminding (SR) because of a study procedure which controls cognitive processing and a reminding procedure which allows for cued recall. Performance on FCSR and SR was compared in two studies to determine which test produces better recall and to identify the factors that account for the superior recall. When the tests were administered to very elderly normal subjects using the standard clinical protocol, twice as many words were retrieved from long-term memory in FCSR than SR. The second experiment, which manipulated study and reminding conditions in a younger sample of normal elderly, suggests that the improvement in free recall was due to the study procedure and the method of reminding.
Non-Linear Elasticity of Extracellular Matrices Enables Contractile Cells to Communicate Local Position and Orientation

Most tissue cells grown in sparse cultures on linearly elastic substrates typically display a small, round phenotype on soft substrates and become increasingly spread as the modulus of the substrate increases until their spread area reaches a maximum value. As cell density increases, individual cells retain the same stiffness-dependent differences unless they are very close or in molecular contact. On nonlinear strain-stiffening fibrin gels, the same cell types become maximally spread even when the low strain elastic modulus would predict a round morphology, and cells are influenced by the presence of neighbors hundreds of microns away. Time lapse microscopy reveals that fibroblasts and human mesenchymal stem cells on fibrin deform the substrate by several microns up to five cell lengths away from their plasma membrane through a force limited mechanism. Atomic force microscopy and rheology confirm that these strains locally and globally stiffen the gel, depending on cell density, and this effect leads to long distance cell-cell communication and alignment. Thus cells are acutely responsive to the nonlinear elasticity of their substrates and can manipulate this rheological property to induce patterning.
Water Inrush Monitoring of Zhangmatun Mine Grout Curtain and Seepage-Stress-Damage Research

Based on extensive literature review, the state of the art of coupled hydromechanical models and in-situ monitoring for groundwater inrush predictions are summarized in detail, based on which, it is proposed that the key issues for describing the seepage characteristics during groundwater inrush are to calibrate the equations for damage-induced evolution of permeability and of effective stress. Depending on in-situ experiments and numerical simulations, a new academic idea, i.e.“the rock micro seismicity induced by mining processes and water pressure disturbance is in essence the index of groundwater inrush” is put forward based on case studies, coupled hydro-mechanical theory, high-performance computing technology and microseismic monitoring. The authors propose that the tendency for analyzing and predicting the groundwater inrush is to synthetically inverse the inrush pathway formation, strata microseismic precursor and high performance computing results. And relying on the microseismic monitoring events, the groundwater inrush models are calibrated, which could be used to clarify the precursory characteristics and to locate the inrush pathway. This study will lay theoretical basis for establishing the models to predict the groundwater inrush in underground mining. Key words：rock mechanics, groundwater inrush models, calibrating, numerical simulation, microseismic monitoring
Disturbance, productivity, and species diversity: empiricism vs. logic in ecological theory

The “intermediate disturbance hypothesis” and the “intermediate productivity hypothesis” have been widely recognized concepts for explaining patterns of species diversity for the past 40 years. While these hypotheses have generated numerous reviews and meta-analyses, as well as persistent criticism, two prominent papers have recently concluded that both of these hypotheses should be abandoned because of theoretical weaknesses and failure to predict observed diversity patterns. I review these criticisms in the context of the continuing tension between logic and empiricism in the development of ecological theory, and conclude that most of the criticisms are misguided because they fail to recognize the inherent connections between these two hypotheses, and consequently fail to test them appropriately. The logic of every hypothesis is based on the underlying assumptions. In the case of these two hypotheses, the assumptions on which the criticisms of their logic depend are falsified by the strong empirical sup...
The Museums' future

Abstract ‘The Museums' Future’ argues that through the effects of the postmodernisation of museums, art has been ceded variously to culture, commerce, politics, values and to experience. In this scenario, political culture has surrendered to cultural politics. It asks whether a museum project of the future can be envisaged in which history and experience are not replaced entirely by spectacle, and memory is not banalized? Can the museum contribute to reconfigurations of the Subject and Other and to identity and difference without falling into the traps of a politics of identity? Can the museum find ways of reaffirming universal principles without running the risk of imposing a new order dominated by a single culture?
The history of the second-trimester sonographic markers for detecting fetal Down syndrome, and their current role in obstetric practice

This review summarizes the development, history and use of second-trimester sonographic markers for the detection of fetal Down syndrome over three decades. Starting with the nuchal fold thickening in 1985 and culminating in the genetic sonogram in the 1990s. The combination of second-trimester serum screening with the ultrasound markers improved the detection rate of affected fetuses but also allowed patients to decrease their risk of carrying a fetus with Down syndrome if the genetic sonogram was normal. More recently the role of the genetic sonogram and its markers have changed with the wide spread use of first-trimester screening. This prior screening ultimately decreases the prevalence of fetal Down syndrome in the second trimester to less than 85% of what it was in the first-trimester as most fetuses with Down syndrome are now identified early. Current interpretation of the second-trimester Down syndrome markers must be based on the result of the first trimester and combined screening to achieve the most accurate risk estimate of an affected fetus. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Notes on the JGOFS North Atlantic Bloom Experiment—dissolved organic carbon intercomparison

Abstract Using high temperature catalytic oxidation (HTCO), personnel from four laboratories analyzed water samples collected during the JGOFS North Atlantic Bloom study for their dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content. In general, good agreement was obtained. Values obtained on samples filtered and frozen compared well with those analyzed immediately after collection. DON analyses of the same frozen samples did not co-vary with DOC; thus far, DON results have only been reported by Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.
Construction and Use of Retroviral Vectors Encoding the Toxic Gene Barnase

Suicide genes for negative selection of cells have been powerful tools in somatic cell genetic studies and in gene therapy. Here we report on the construction, characterization, and utilization of retroviral vectors encoding barnase, a ribonuclease from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, expression of which results in apoptosis of transduced mammalian cells. High-titer viral vector production was enabled by expression of an inhibitor of barnase (barstar) in transfected cells generating murine leukemia virus (MLV)- and HIV-1-based vectors. To identify cellular genes required for infection we used barnase-encoding vectors in a genetic screen to isolate mutant mammalian cells that are resistant to infection by MLV and HIV-1. We describe one such mutant clone that is inhibited in the infection process after reverse transcription. These results suggest that barnase-encoding vectors should be useful for negative selection strategies examining retroviral infection from entry to integration. Furthermore these vectors could have utility in approaches for gene therapy that require specific cell ablation.
The Equine Luteinizing Hormone β-Subunit Promoter Contains Two Functional Steroidogenic Factor-1 Response Elements

The requirements for basal expression of the LH β-subunit promoter in pituitary gonadotropes are largely unknown. We have used the equine (e) LHβ subunit promoter as a model to unravel the combinatorial code required for gonadotrope expression. Through the use of 5′-deletion mutagenesis, a region between −185 and− 100 of the eLHβ promoter was shown to play a critical role in maintaining basal promoter activity in αT3–1 and LβT2 cells. This region encompasses the steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) binding site that has been reported to have a functional role in expression of the LHβ promoter in other species. We have also identified an additional SF-1 site at −55 to −48. Binding of SF-1 to both sites was confirmed by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Mutations within these sites, either individually or in combination, did not attenuate basal activity of the eLHβ promoter in αT3–1 cells, but did diminish promoter activity in LβT2 cells. Interestingly, cotransfection with an expression vector encoding SF-1 i...
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 Reduces TGF-β3-Induced Fibrosis-Related Gene Expression in Human Uterine Leiomyoma Cells

Vitamin D3 might be a potential novel therapeutic agent for safe and nonsurgical treatment of uterine fibroids.
Influence of Job Stress on Muscle Activity and Spinal Loads

This study evaluated the influence of psychosocial stress upon the biomechanical system and the subsequent spine loading during a lifting task. Twenty-five subjects (15 males and 10 females) performed several sagittally symmetric lifts under psychosocially stressful and non-stressful conditions. Trunk muscle activity, trunk kinematics, and trunk kinetics were used to evaluate three-dimensional spine loading using an EMG-assisted model. The lifts performed under psychosocial stress resulted in a statistically significant increase in spine compression and lateral shear, but not in all subjects. Differences in muscle coactivation accounted for these increases in loading due to the stress manipulation. A pathway between psychosocial stress and spine loading has been identified, which may explain how psychosocial stress at the workplace increases the risk of low back disorders.
Regrowth potential of coliforms after UV disinfection of municipal wastewater

Photoreactivation of fecal coliforms and subsequent regrowth was investigated in effluents of wastewater treatment plants using ultraviolet light as the disinfectant. Shielding of bacteria ingested in Daphnia sp in the plant outfalls was shown to be a major contributor to increased fecal coliform, E. coli, fecal streptococci and enterococci after fragmentation of the Daphnia sp due to normal dieoff. Representative fecal coliform colonies that comprised the regrowth population were identified to species with E. coli, a small fraction of the total fecal coliform population.
l-DOPA-induced air-stepping in preweanling rats. II. Kinematic analyses

Abstract Coordination of air-stepping elicited by subcutaneous injections of l -DOPA (25–100 mg/kg) was studied in rats from the day of birth through 20 days of age. Results revealed a nearly linear increase in the rate of stepping from about 1.5 steps/s at day 0 to about 4.5 steps/s at day 20, independent of the dose of l -DOPA. The ontogenetic increase in the rate of stepping was found to result from decreases in the duration of both retraction and protraction phases of the step cycle, but the decrease in the retraction phase was greater. There was an ontogenetic increase in the amplitude of movement at the wrist, knee and ankle joints, a slight decline in the amplitude of movement at the elbow and little change in amplitude at either the shoulder or hip. The relative timing of movements at joints within each limb also changed with age. Forelimb movements were led by the wrist throughout development, followed by the elbow and then the shoulder, which increasingly lagged behind the other two joints of the forelimb. Hindlimb movements were increasingly led by the knee, followed by the ankle and then the hip. Diagonal progression, in which the diagonal limbs moved in phase with each other and in antiphase with the contralateral limb of the same girdle, was seen at all ages. However, other gaits, which resembled galloping (air-galloping) and swimming (air-swimming), became more prevalent between 10 and 20 days of age. Analyses of variability suggest that the emergence of different gaits may result from dynamic properties of the system rather than from maturation of specific neural circuits.
Meniscal tears: The effect of meniscectomy and of repair on intraarticular contact areas and stress in the human knee A preliminary report

The role of the meniscus in load transmission across the knee has long been a subject of debate. In this study, we examined the biomechanical consequences of the operative treatments for bucket-handle and peripheral meniscal tears. Contact areas and instantaneous intraarticular pressure distributions were measured in two groups of human cadaver knees. In Group I, consisting of four knees, we created a bucket-handle tear involving the inner one-third of the meniscus, followed by partial, and then total meniscectomy. Knees were tested in an Instron testing machine after each procedure, using a 400 pound load at 0 degrees or 30 degrees flexion. Contact areas and local stresses were measured using Prescale, a pressure-sensitive film. After partial meniscectomy, contact areas decreased approximately 10%, and peak local contact stresses (PLCS) increased approximately 65%. After total meniscectomy, contact areas decreased approximately 75%, and PLCS increased approximately 235%. In Group II, consisting of three additional knees, we created a 2 cm peripheral tear of the posterior meniscal horn, followed by open repair, arthroscopic repair, segmental, and then total meniscectomy. Repair of the tear was accomplished with either vertically placed sutures by an open technique or horizontally placed sutures by an arthroscopic technique. Knees were tested in the neutral position in the Instron machine and contact areas and local stresses measured using Prescale. PLCSs and contact areas were found to be the same using either repair technique. There was, however, a 110% increase in PLCS after segmental meniscectomy of that portion of the meniscus involved in the peripheral tear.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Division of isolated furrows and furrow fragments in invertebrate eggs.

Abstract This investigation was designed to determine whether the established cleavage furrow requires the presence of the polar and subpolar cell regions for normal function. Furrows and furrow fragments were surgically isolated from flattened, cleaving eggs of Echinarachnius parma , Hydractinia echinata and Aurelia aurita . The isolated furrows completed division despite the trauma of the operation and drastic shifting of the internal cytoplasm. Evidently the presence of the polar regions of the cell is unnecessary for furrowing at the equator.
Δ5-3β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-isomerase activity in two distinct density Leydig cells from immature rats. Differences in responsiveness to human chorionic gonadotropin or 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-monophosphate

Abstract The present studies examined the responsiveness to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or 8-bromoadenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP) of dehydrogenase-isomerase activity of cultured immature Band 2 (low density) or Band 3 (high density) Leydig cells isolated on Percoll gradients. Enzyme activity increased in relation to the dose of hCG or 8-Br-cAMP in both bands; however, activity in Band 2 cells increased about 200% above control, while activity in Band 3 cells increased only about 30–60% above control following 6 days of treatment. Maximal responses were observed 4–6 days following exposure to hCG or 8-Br-cAMP in both bands. Because elevated 5α-reductase activity prevents testosterone accumulation in immature Leydig cells, Band 2 or Band 3 cells were cultured in the presence of 4-methyl-4-aza-3-oxo-pregnan-(20S)-car☐ylate , a 5α-reductase inhibitor, to assess the relationship between changes in Δ 5 -3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-isomerase activity and testosterone formation. Although hCG or 8-Br-cAMP-stimulated Δ 5 -3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-isomerase activity began to decline by day 8 or 10 of treatment, testosterone levels progressively increased for 10 days before declining in both bands. Thus, changes in enzyme activity did not strictly correlate with testosterone synthesizing capacity of cultured Leydig cells. Enzyme activity also was measured in cells cultured with the 5α-reductase inhibitor to determine whether the responsiveness of Δ 5 -3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-isomerase activity of Band 2 or Band 3 cells was due, in part, to low testosterone levels. Δ 5 -3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-isomerase activity in Band 2 or Band 3 cells cultured without or with the inhibitor was similar, suggesting that testosterone does not inhibit the enzyme in immature Leydig cells. The greater responsiveness of Δ 5 -3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-isomerase activity in Band 2 cells was not due to Leydig cell replication as neither total DNA or [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation into DNA was altered by hCG or cAMP.
Congenital Japanese B Encephalitis Infection of Swine.

Summary1. A congenital disease of swine is reported which results in stillbirth or death during the neonatal period. The chief pathologic changes are those of a nonbacterial encephalitis. 2. This disease showed a temporal relationship to epidemics and equine epizootics of Japanese B encephalitis. 3. A virus identified as that of Japanese B encephalitis was recovered from the brain of 3 piglets which died 48 to 72 hours after birth. 4. Congenital damage of the nervous system by an arthropod-borne encephalitis virus has thus been demonstrated in swine.
Effective scatterer approximation for mean field modeling with application to vegetation

A new electromagnetic method is developed for the mean field analysis of discrete random media in which particles are distributed in disjoint regions in space. This type of distribution can be observed in organized vegetation canopies, photonic band gap materials and disordered crystals. The method is based on an ‘effective scatterer’ concept. As far as the mean field is concerned, the random problem is approximated by a deterministic one composed of effective scatterers. Application of the effective scatterer approach to two-dimensional mean field propagation through a cylinder distribution that is periodic on average is verified by Monte Carlo simulations. Comparisons with other known methods such as the Foldy approximation are also presented.
Patterns of Alliances in Nondistressed and Multiproblem Families

The goal of this study was empirically to investigate differences between distressed and nondistressed families in the strength, patterning, and cross-situational consistency of alliances. Audiotapes were made of 12 distressed and 12 nondistressed families in two observational situations. The resultant interaction was then coded for family alliances by trained observers. Distressed families were characterized by low overall levels of alliance behavior, weakness in the marital alliance relative to other family alliances, and discrepancies in parental alliances with the target child. There were generally no differences between groups in the cross-situational variability of alliance strength or patterning. The results are discussed in relation to the predictions of structural models of family process.
Purification, characterization, and quantitation of the antigen employed in the immunodiffusion test for diagnosis of equine infectious anemia.

Abstract Equine infectious anemia (EIA) antigen extracted from the spleen of horses infected with EIA virus was purified by pH treatment, (NH4)2SO4fractionation and affinity chromatography. The homogeneity of the antigen was indicated by sedimentation rate and sedimentation equilibrium experiments. A S20, w of 0.51 was determined and a molecular weight of 7600 was calculated from sedimentation equilibrium analysis. The amino acid composition of the pure antigen indicated the antigen is an acidic protein. Employing radical immunodiffusion (RID) and pure antigen a method for quantitating antigen content of antigen containing preparations was developed.
Is silent cerebral infarction associated with vascular events in patients undergoing hemodialysis

Is silent cerebral infarction associated with vascular events in patients undergoing hemodialysis?
Time to enlist life-saving, gutsy allies

A surprising new front is opening up in the war on cancer. We just need to get a few trillion foot soldiers on side, says Christian Jobin
Clinical value of the creatinine clearance before the administration of chemotherapy with cisplatin

The creatinine clearance was calculated in standard fashion from a timed urine specimen (measured creatinine clearance [MCC]) and from a previously published formula (estimated creatinine clearance [ECC]), in 55 instances, in 19 consecutive patients who were admitted to the hospital for treatment with cisplatin. Using creatinine excretion as an index of completeness of urine collection, there were 19 (35%) inaccurate collections. The correlation between creatinine clearances calculated by both methods was excellent (r = 0.684, P less than .001) and improved when inaccurate collections were excluded (r = 0.922, P less than 0.001). A discrepancy between the two methods of 25% or more was found in 19 collections. Using data from patients with two or more collections to test whether or not the two methods produced equally variable results, indicated that the MCC is a more variable, less reliable method than the ECC. In eight of 55 urine collections, the results of MCC were not used as a guide to chemotherapy and, in an additional 16 should have not been used because of inaccuracy in the urine collection. These results suggest that the creatinine clearance as calculated by an alternative method (ECC) should replace the use of MCC when assessment of the renal function is needed before the administration of nephrotoxic agents.
Studies on Cardiac Lymph during Extracorporeal Circulation

Cardiac lymph in dogs was used to study the metabolism and state of the myocardium during extracorporeal circulation and various additional procedures. Changes in the flow characteristics, color and pH of lymph were noted, and corresponding samples of cardiac lymph and coronary sinus blood were analyzed for lactate concentration. Ventricular fibrillation led to higher lactate levels when compared to analyses of lymph and blood from a heart beating with sinus rhythm. Aortic occlusion at normothermia caused a pronounced and long-lasting elevation of lactates in the lymph, which also became blood stained, indicating capillary damage. Moderate hypothermia conferred a distinct but not complete protection against these effects. Coronary perfusion at normothermia appeared to be the preferable technique among those tested. We suggest that cardiac lymph reflects the state of the myocardium more accurately than do venous and arterial blood samples, and that lymph is a valuable medium for further studies on cardiac function and metabolism.
Bounded-time fault-tolerant rule-based systems

Two systems concepts are introduced: bounded response-time and self-stabilization in the context of rule-based programs. These concepts are essential for the design of rule-based programs which must be highly fault tolerant and perform in a real time environment. The mechanical analysis of programs for these two properties is discussed. The techniques are used to analyze a NASA application.
Impact of intravascular signal on quantitative measures of cerebral oxygen extraction and blood volume under normo- and hypercapnic conditions using an asymmetric spin echo approach.

An asymmetric spin echo (ASE) single shot echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence is proposed for obtaining quantitative estimates of R2', cerebral venous blood volume fraction (vCBV), and oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) noninvasively in normal volunteers. The impact of the presence of intravascular signal on the estimates of vCBV and OEF were examined in five subjects with different levels of flow attenuation. A significant reduction in the estimates of vCBV and a small increase in the measurements of OEF were observed in the presence of flow suppression gradients. In addition, mild hypercapnia was induced in normal subjects (n = 4). R2', vCBV, and OEF were measured under both normocapnia and experimentally induced hypercapnia. In agreement with the well-documented cerebral vascular responses to hypercapnia, estimates of R2' and OEF decrease, while measures of vCBV increase during hypercapnia.
A model for the plateau in the relaxation modulus for linear chain polymer melts

Abstract A simple model is considered for the free energy associated with the relaxation of a linear chain polymer melt. The relaxation of the chain configurations results in an adjustment of the locations of the interchain contacts. The change in the distribution of the positions of the contacts between a pair of relaxing chains is hindered by the presence of other nearby chains in the melt. There is less configuration space available to the relaxing chains, due to the noncrossability of the chain backbones, than would be the case for phantom chains. This results in an increase in the free energy of the relaxing system. The analysis presented indicates that, given the free energy models considered, the extent of relaxation decreases as the length scale for relaxation increases. This results in a plateau in the relaxation modulus. This qualitative prediction of a plateau does not rely on the assumption of a specific mechanism for the chain dynamics, and is relatively insensitive to the form chosen for the terms in the free energy. If reasonable assumptions are made concerning the form of the free energy, then it is shown that the plateau which results depends on monomer length, Kuhn length, the monomer density for the melt, and, for solutions, the polymer concentration in a manner consistent with experimental data.
Technique for preparing highly-sinterable oxide powders

Abstract A technique for preparing highly sinterable rare-earth, hafnium, and zirconium oxide powders has been developed. Acetone and toluene hydroxide gels to give a uniform and rapidly drying powder. After calcination and firing, these powders yield nearly theoretically dense specimenss. A characterization of these powders was performed and related to processing variables.
Modification of opioid receptor activity by acid phosphatase in neuroblastoma x glioma NG108-15 hybrid cells.

Summary Opioid receptor activity in neuroblastoma x glioma NG108-15 hybrid cell membranes was attenuated by acid phosphatase purified by high performance liquid chromatography and devoid of protease activity. Treatment of membranes with this phosphatase decreased opioid inhibition of adenylate cyclase and this effect was potentiated by the presence of the opioid agonist during the phosphatase treatment. Phosphatase treatment did not affect the number of opioid receptors but it did alter the distribution of receptors among affinity states, by increasing the percentage of receptors in the low affinity state. The similarities between these effects and desensitization of the opioid receptor, during chronic opioid treatment, are discussed.
Dynamic communications control for μGrid agents

In this work, we present a robust communication control strategy for source, load and storage agents in a microgrid. In particular, the work is motivated by low inertia microgrid environments having high penetration of stochastic renewable resources and thus ones where high data rate communications is requisite to maintain power system stability. The proposed multi-state automaton-based approach, that assigns communication priorities in relation to an agents's power impact on the microgrid, is shown to satisfy bandwidth requirements that are several orders of magnitude higher than that of today's Smart Grid.