cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The age-21 minimum legal drinking age: a case study linking past and current debates.

BACKGROUND: The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) in the United States (U.S.) has raised debate over the past several decades. During the 1970s many states lowered their MLDAs from age 21 to 18, 19, or 20. However, as a result of studies showing that these lower MLDAs were associated with increases in traffic crashes, state-level movements began in the later1970s to return MLDAs to age 21. A new movement has arisen to again lower the MLDA in the U.S. Aim The aim is to discuss this current MLDA debate within the context of the long history of the U.S. MLDA. METHODS: A search of research articles, websites, and newspaper articles was conducted to identify key messages and influences related to the MLDA movements. RESULTS: The complexity of state movements to change their MLDAs is illustrated by the Michigan experience, where strong political forces on both sides of the issue were involved, resulting in the MLDA returning to 21. Because the 21st Constitutional amendment prevents the federal government from mandating a MLDA for all states, a federal policy was proposed to provide incentives for all states to implement age-21 MLDAs. Due largely to strong research evidence, the National Minimum Legal Drinking Age Act was enacted in 1984, stipulating that states set their MLDA to 21 or face loss of federal highway funds. By 1988, all states had an age-21 MLDA. CONCLUSION: Any current debate about the MLDA should be informed by the historical context of this policy and the available research. Language: en
HPLC analysis for amobarbital N-glycosides in urine

A study was undertaken to determine if humans excrete both amobarbital N-glucuronides and N-glucosides in urine after an oral dose of amobarbital. Amobarbital N-glucuronides were synthesized and characterized. A reverse phase LC method using post-column pH adjustment and UV detection at 240 nm was developed and used for the quantification of the amobarbital N-glucosides and N-glucuronides in human urine. Amobarbital was administered orally to seven male subjects and the total urine was collected for a period of 48-53 h after dosing. After filtration, the urine was injected directly onto the HPLC column to analyze for the presence of metabolites. The previously identified (5S)-amobarbital N-glucoside was detected in all seven subjects. The (5R)-amobarbital N-glucoside was detected at lower concentrations in only four of the subjects. At the levels at which amobarbital N-glucosides were detected, there was no evidence for the formation and excretion of the amobarbital N-glucuronides. Amobarbital N-glucuronidation is not a quantitatively significant pathway for the biodisposition of amobarbital in humans.
Cognitive structures in vocational information processing and decision making

Abstract The present study tested the assumptions that the structural features of vocational schemas effect vocational information processing and career self-efficacy. One hundred ten male and female college undergraduates were placed into one of four groups based upon whether they were high or low along the dimensions of vocational differentiation and integration (HH, HL, LH, LL). Results indicated that effective vocational information processing was facilitated by well-integrated systems that processed information along fewer channels or dimensions. The importance of schematic organization on the self-efficacy of individuals with highly differentiated systems was also found. Vocational schemas become better organized as career identities develop. These findings underscore the importance of integration as a conceptual tool and call for the investigation of the differential utility of vocational interventions depending on the individual's stage of vocational development.
Endothelin-1 inhibits apoptosis in prostate cancer.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1), produced by the prostate epithelia, likely plays an important role in the progression of prostate cancer. ET-1 can bind two receptor subtypes; generally, binding of the endothelin receptor A (ETA) induces a survival pathway, whereas binding of the endothelin receptor B (ETB) mediates clearance of circulating ET-1 as well as promotes apoptosis. In prostate carcinoma, hypermethylation of the ETB promoter results in repression of ETB expression, thereby eliminating the negative growth response that ET-1 binding elicits through this receptor. Therefore, activation of ETA exclusively provides a pathway for survival advantage. Our current studies examine the mechanisms by which activation of the ETA may allow growth/survival. ET-1 treatment of prostate tumor cells significantly decreased paclitaxel-induced apoptosis through activation of the ETA subtype. The anti-apoptotic effects of ET-1 are mediated, at least in part, through the Bcl-2 family. Although no significant changes in Bcl-2 expression occurred with ET-1 treatment, the pro-apoptotic family members Bad, Bax, and Bak all decreased significantly. Further analysis of the survival pathway demonstrated that phosphorylation of Akt occurs with ET-1 treatment in a time- and dose-dependent manner through phosphatidyinositol 3-kinase activation. These data support the combination of ETA antagonists and apoptosis-inducing therapies for prostate cancer treatment.
Marked Q-T prolongation due to encainide therapy

Encainide is a type Ic antiarrhythmic agent. During encainide therapy, mild Q-T interval prolongation can be seen, usually associated with prolongation of the Q-R-S interval. The present case report describes an unusual and marked prolongation of the Q-T interval with no Q-R-S interval prolongation in a patient who was treated with encainide for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia. The drug metabolite profile in this patient's serum indicated an unusual elevation of the 3-methoxy-O-demethyl encainide metabolite, versus O-demethyl encainide. This elevated metabolite level suggests that 3-methoxy-O-demethyl encainide has a significant effect on prolongation of repolarization. An abnormal metabolism of encainide may be the underlying mechanism by which some patients would manifest an unusual prolongation of Q-T interval during encainide therapy.
Narrative skills following traumatic brain injury in children and adults

Personal narratives serve an important function in virtually all societies (Peterson & McCabe, 1991). Through narratives individuals make sense of their experiences and represent themselves to others (Bruner, 1990). The ability to produce narratives has been linked to academic success (Feagans, 1982). Persons who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at risk for impaired narrative ability (Dennis, 1991). However, a paucity of information exists on the discourse abilities of persons with TBI. This is partly due to a lack of reliable tools with which to assess narrative discourse. The present study utilized dependency analysis (Deese, 1984) to document and describe the narrative discourse impairments of children and adults with TBI. Ten children (mean age 12;0) and 10 adults (mean age 35;2) were compared with matched controls. Dependency analysis reliably differentiated the discourse of the individuals with TBI from their controls. Individuals with TBI were significantly more dysfluent than their matched controls. Furthermore, their performance on the narrative task revealed a striking listener burden.
Radiology of the lymphomas

Summary Lymphomas are a group of diseases that provide the radiologist and clinician with unusual challenges. In most cases, an understanding of the histologic classification and staging is essential to design the imaging workup for the patient. Precise staging is critical, particularly for patients with HD and extranodal NHL. The malignant lymphomas share many similar radiographic features, yet have notable differences. An understanding of the pattern of extension of HD is useful in choosing an imaging modality for both staging and follow-up. Contiguous extension of HD follows lymphatic channels and is primarily limited to nodal compartments in the mediastinum and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. On the other hand, NHL may be either widespread or extranodal and localized. In the first instance, the histology will be low grade; in the second, intermediate or high grade. An understanding of these histologic clues is critical to the structuring of an efficient staging workup for the patient with NHL. Posttreatment follow-up imaging strategies should be governed by the fact that in both HD and NHL, recurrences are usually apparent within two years following initial treatment. Treatment complications must be separated from the manifestations of recurrent disease, a particularly important consideration in following up the patient with HD.
A Tutorial on Fatty Acid Biology

Fatty acids are an extraordinarily diverse set of molecules that serve as sources of fuel, key components of cell structure, and parent molecules for bioactive second messengers. The metabolism of fatty acids is part of a delicate homeostasis that is fundamental to normal functioning and the response to pathophysiologic insult. The growing body of evidence on nutrition demonstrates that we truly "are what we eat," and the fatty acid content of our diets has far-reaching physiologic implications, many of which we are only beginning to understand. As the gap between basic science and patient care becomes increasingly narrow, clinicians should have a working knowledge of fatty acid biology. This tutorial provides an overview of fatty acid biology with the goal of increasing comfort in discussing how these heterogeneous molecules are classified and metabolized, in addition to how fatty acid content influences basic cellular processes.
Multiplicity criteria for multireaction networks

A general method is developed for a systematic determination of criteria predicting steady-state multiplicity in lumped-parameter systems in which many irreversible reactions occur simultaneously. The method enables use of criteria derived for simple reaction networks to predict the behavior of more complex networks. The available multiplicity criteria for the single- and two-reaction networks can always be used to write down sufficient multiplicity criteria for any multireaction system. Several examples illustrate the power of the proposed technique.
A method to enhance the sensitivity of DTI analyses to group differences: A validation study with comparison to voxelwise analyses

Abstract Studies of white matter (WM) abnormalities in psychiatric and neurological disorders often use the analysis package Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS). However, with small samples and/or subtle effects, a study using the standard TBSS approach can be underpowered. For such cases, a new method is presented that summarizes global differences between TBSS-derived fractional anisotropy (FA) images with a single paired t -statistic, estimating the degrees of freedom using spatial autocorrelation. The sensitivity of the method is demonstrated by using well-known aging effects on FA as a proxy for disease effects. Sixty healthy subjects were divided equally into younger- (YA), middle- (MA), and older-aged (OA) groups and significant global differences were demonstrated in the YA versus OA (all N ≥ 4, FA difference ≈ 0.023), MA versus OA (all N ≥ 4, FA difference ≈ 0.017), and YA versus MA (FA difference ≈ 0.005 at N = 20) comparisons. In contrast, no significant difference could be detected in the YA versus MA comparison using voxelwise TBSS analysis with the full sample ( N = 20 per group). This method should facilitate localizing analyses in the direction of a proven group difference while providing clinically relevant information about pathophysiologic processes globally affecting WM.
INTERPRETING MHC CLASS I EXPRESSION AND CLASS I/CLASS II RECIPROCITY IN THE CNS : RECONCILING DIVERGENT FINDINGS

MHC-restricted T cells are thought to contribute to clinical demyelination in MS and other circumstances. The step-by-step mechanisms involved and ways of controlling them are still being defined. Identification of the MHC+ cells in the CNS in situ has been controversial. This chapter reviews MHC expression in neural tissue, including normal, pathological, experimental, and developing tissue in situ and isolated cells in vitro. A basic pattern is defined, in which MHC expression is limited to nonneural cells and strongest class I and II expression are on different cell types. Variations from the basic pattern are reviewed. Ways of reconciling divergent findings are discussed, including the use of "mock tissue" to help choose between technical and biological bases for divergent findings, the potential contribution of internal antigen to the in situ staining patterns, and the possibility that class I upregulation is actively suppressed in situ. Functional implications of the observed patterns of MHC expression and ways of confirming the function of each MHC+ cell type in situ are described. It is suggested that modulating MHC expression in different cell types at different times or in different directions might be desirable.
The abdominal cardiac nerves and cardioregulation in Limulus polyphemus.

Abstract 1. 1. A major response to stimulation of any of the abdominal cardiac nerves of Limulus polyphemus is an increased heart beat rate. 2. 2. Maximum increases in rate (6–8 beats/min) can be produced with stimulus frequencies as low as 5/sec. 3. 3. At all stimulus frequencies maximum increases in rate occur only after 30–40 sec of stimulation and the maximum rate of change in rate during this time (9 beats/min per min) is produced by stimulus frequencies between 5 and 10/sec. 4. 4. Recovery of heart rate after stimulation follows an exponential time course with a half-time of several minutes and is independent of temperature. 5. 5. In many cases the abdominal cardiac nerves also appear to carry cardio-inhibitory fibers with characteristics similar to the inhibitory fibers innervating the heart in the cephalothorax.
Response: Uses of History in Creating New Futures A Science-Informed Social Work

Social work is a profession that draws (or should draw) on available knowledge in the disciplines as well as other sources including other professions in the pursuit of “the betterment of life cond...
Design and performance of an ultra wideband ceramic-loaded slot spiral

There is a significant interest in the commercial and military sector for antennas which are smaller and broadband. The paper is the first, to the authors' knowledge, that pursues miniaturization of broadband antennas using high-contrast materials (/spl epsiv//sub r/>20). Specifically, we present analysis and measurements of a slot spiral antenna loaded with ceramic materials and demonstrate that a 6 inch aperture can operate down to 70 MHz and up to 4 GHz or more. A previously developed spiral antenna (Filipovic, D.S. and Volakis, J.L., IEE Proc. Microwaves, Antennas and Propag., vol.149, no.2, p.98-105, 2002) is used as a starting point and, prior to ceramic loading, the spiral is first modified and improved to allow for effective utilization of a ceramic superstrate. First, improvements on the existing slot-spiral are outlined and then data for the dielectrically loaded spiral are presented.
Hemodynamics of the stage 12 to stage 29 chick embryo

The heart is the first functioning organ in the embryo and provides blood flow during cardiac morphogenesis from a muscle-wrapped tube a few cells thick to the four-chambered pump. We described the hemodynamics of the chick embryo from stage 12 (50 hours of a 21-day incubation) to stage 29 (6 days), during which the embryo weight increased 120-fold. We measured ventricular, embryo and extraembryonic vascular bed wet weights, dorsal aortic blood flow with a directional pulsed-Doppler velocity meter, and ventricular and vitelline arterial blood pressures with a servo-null micropressure system. The data are reported as mean +/- SEM. With rapid development and morphogenesis, dorsal aortic blood flow increased from 0.015 +/- 0.004 to 2.40 +/- 0.20 mm3/sec parallel to the geometric increase of wet embryo weight from 2.22 +/- 0.10 to 267.5 +/- 9.7 mg. Dorsal aortic blood flow normalized for embryo and extraembryonic weight remained relatively constant (Y = 2.13 + 0.02X, r = 0.23, SEE = 0.03). Stroke volume increased from 0.01 +/- 0.003 to 0.69 +/- 0.03 mm3, and heart rate doubled from 103 +/- 2 to 208 +/- 5 beats/min. Systolic, diastolic, and mean vitelline arterial pressure increased linearly from 0.32 +/- 0.01, 0.23 +/- 0.01, and 0.28 +/- 0.01 mm Hg at stage 12 to 2.00 +/- 0.06, 1.22 +/- 0.03, and 1.51 +/- 0.04 mm Hg, respectively, at stage 29. Ventricular peak systolic and end-diastolic pressure increased from 0.95 +/- 0.04 and 0.24 +/- 0.02 at stage 12 to 3.45 +/- 0.10 and 0.82 +/- 0.03 at stage 29, respectively. The hemodynamic waveforms were similar to those found in the four-chamber heart of the mature animal. These data are integral to understanding the interrelation of function and form during cardiac development.
Spatial and temporal variability of zooplankton in a great plains reservoir

Seasonal and daily patterns of zooplankton populations are often predictable in natural lakes. Distinct zonation and geomorphic differences in reservoirs, however, make ecological extrapolations from lakes to reservoirs uncertain. We describe the spatial and temporal distribution of zooplankton, algae, and water clarity across reservoir zones and along a depth gradient in Glen Elder Reservoir, Kansas. Daphnia species were most abundant in the lacustrine zone, with D. pulicaria numerically dominant in early spring and D. mendotae dominant later in 1999 and 2000. Rotifers (Keratella quadrata, Asplanchna spp.) were dominant in the riverine zone in 1999, 2000, and 2001. Algal biomass was not significantly different between zones through most of the sampling periods, except late April in 1999 and mid-April in 2000. Chlorophyll a exceeded 81 l gl )1 in the lacustrine zone in mid- to late-April in 1999 and 2000, and exceeded 90 l gl )1 in the riverine zone in mid-April. Water clarity was significantly lower in the riverine zone in 1999 and 2000. Most zooplankton taxa had similar depth distributions at night and day, indicating a lack of diel vertical migration behavior on a large scale. However, in small scale (30 cm vertical enclosures) laboratory experiments, both D. pulicaria and D. mendotae occupied significantly deeper depths (>25 cm) under lighted conditions in the presence of fish chemical cues compared to shallow water (7–17 cm) under dark conditions and in the absence of fish cues. These contrasting results suggest that, as in other studies, Daphnia sense cues from predators and alter their depth in the water column on small scales without natural constraints on movement and choices. However, other factors in the reservoir such as wind-generated water movements and cues from other predators may prevent depth choices similar to those seen under controlled conditions. These results illustrate biotic and abiotic differences between riverine and lacustrine zones in a large reservoir, and contrast with Daphnia depth segregation and migration patterns in natural lakes.
Residential Construction Costs and the Supply of New Housing: Endogeneity and Bias in Construction Cost Indexes

Change in the level of residential construction affects macroeconomic conditions and is an important determinant of movements in house prices. Theory teaches us that increases in the cost of construction should reduce the supply of new housing. Yet empirical research has failed to find a consistent relationship between these costs and housing starts. This article introduces an entirely new set of micro-data on housing construction costs to study this issue. We develop quality-controlled, hedonic construction cost series from these data. Using this series, we estimate housing supply and construction cost functions for new single-family residences. This research demonstrates that bias in the commercial cost indexes used in existing housing supply studies is a likely cause of their poor performance in existing estimates of the supply of new single-family housing. The bias appears to be caused by an incorrect measure of labor costs and a failure to address the endogeneity of construction costs and construction activity. In contrast, starts regressions using the hedonic cost series generate much more sensible results. We find that housing starts are quite cost elastic; construction costs are endogenous in the new housing supply function, and the cost shares of material and labor in the structure of new residences are approximately 65 and 35%, respectively.
The Perception of Crowding in Interpersonal Situations Affective and Behavioral Responses

Recent research on crowding has not always separated the situational from the affective and behavioral components of this construct. The present study represents an attempt to distinguish among these components, and to explore the dimensions underlying the perception of crowded interpersonal situations and the behavioral and affective responses to such situations. Likelihood judgments of responses to crowded situations were subjected to three-mode factor analysis. The dimensionality of the components, as well as the interrelationships among them, are discussed in detail, and behavior patterns particularly appropriate or likely in different situational contexts are identified.
Temperature, Current, and Heat Loss Distributions in Reduced Electrothermal Loss Spark Plasma Sintering

We present a method for spark plasma sintering (SPS) with reduced thermal and electrical losses compared to all-graphite SPS. Relative to the all-graphite configuration, the present design significantly reduces both the required power input and total current for the same synthesis temperature (e.g., 7.5 vs 0.6 kW and 1530 vs 350 A at 900 oC). These reductions allow for significantly smaller power source and process chamber, drastic reduction in energy consumption, easier thermal management, and enhanced synthesis/homogenization by eliminating die “leakage” currents, allowing for maximization of current density and its intrinsic effect on homogenization by diffusion. A finite element (FE) model solution for temperature and current distributions, as well as thermal losses for both the present and the all-graphite SPS setups, is presented and compared to experimental results.
A 19Gb/s 38mW 1-tap speculative DFE receiver in 90nm CMOS

A half-rate sampling 1-tap speculative DFE in 90nm CMOS operates at speeds up to 23Gb/s through ISI cancellation in the input latch of the receiver. The decision threshold of the latch is varied over a wide range without loss of bandwidth or sensitivity. For a 19Gb/s PRBS7 data stream sent over a 10-inch channel (-11dB at 9.5GHz) that results in a closed post-channel input eye, the DFE operates with a BER of 10−8 for 9% UI horizontal eye opening at its output (BER ≪ 10−13 at the eye center), consuming 38mW from a 1V supply.
Contribution to the Phase Diagram Al4C3‐AIN‐SiC

Compositions on the join A14C3·2AIN-A14C3.2SiC were investigated using X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis of hot-pressed bodies prepared from materials of various purities. The quaternary phase A14C3· AIN · SiC was observed in samples prepared from the high-purity elements, but the ternary phases A14C3·2AIN and A14C3·2SiC were observed only in samples containing significant impurities. A projection onto the base triangle at 1860°C for the pseudoternary system Al4C3-AlN-SiC was constructed using X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, and existing information in the literature.
Purification and partial characterization of a putative precursor to staphylococcal enterotoxin B.

Abstract A putative precursor to staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) has been identified as a component of purified membranes from Staphylococcus aureus S6. Agarose gel immunodiffusion analysis of the solubilized membranes demonstrated an immunoreactive protein that formed complete lines of identity with purified extracellular SEB. This putative precursor (pSEB) also had a different electrophoretic mobility from that of extracellular SEB when analyzed by immunoelectrophoresis. When membrane proteins from S6 were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and then transferred to nitrocellulose sheets and probed with I-125 labeled, affinity-purified anti-SEB, the pSEB band was identified. The pSEB was approximately 3,500 daltons larger than extracellular SEB. This component was purified by immunoprecipitation and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two-dimensional peptide maps of the putative SEB precursor revealed that most of the tryptic peptides were identical to those of mature extracellular SEB. When purified membranes of other SEB+ (DU4916 and 10-275) and SEB- (RN450, RN451, S6R, and FR1100) S. aureus strains were analyzed by the nitrocellulose blot procedure, only the SEB+ strains contained this putative SEB precursor on their membranes.
African American Adolescents' Interactions with Their Substance-Using Mothers:

Understanding the interactions that African American youth have with their substance-using mothers is important because of the increased likelihood that these youth depend on their mothers as their primary providers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 urban-dwelling, African American adolescents with substance-using mothers to explore the nature of their interactions. Youth report maternal influence on their attitudes in general and toward child-rearing and peer group affiliations. Communication between the dyads is often strained and youth assume roles of sibling protector and maternal confidant. Youth have supportive adults in their lives but their engagement with these supports is also shaped by maternal substance use. Implications for how direct practice with youth might address these outcomes are discussed.
Lessons learned from the CRUSADE National Quality Improvement Initiative

The CRUSADE National Quality Improvement Initiative was created to track national care patterns, facilitate process improvement, and improve patient outcomes among patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). CRUSADE found that patients in community practice were sicker than those in randomized clinical trials and often failed to receive evidence-based therapies. Dosing regimens of antithrombotic therapy were also suboptimal, raising safety concerns. Over time, guideline adherence and dosing regimens of ACS patients have improved dramatically, leading to significantly improved outcomes. Ongoing quality improvement efforts will be needed to further improve evidence-based and personalized care of patients with ACS.
Effects of high carbohydrate, high fat, or high protein diets on glucose oxidation by isolated intestinal epithelial cells of the chick.

A parallel study of 3-O-methyl glucose transport by everted intestinal sacs and [U-14C]glucose oxidation by isolated, dispersed intestinal cells was done in chicks (1) adapted to a high carbohydrate (HC), high fat (HF), or high protein (HP) diet for 2 weeks or (2) fasted up to 5 days. HF and HP diets significantly decreased both serosal : mucosal (S : M) distribution ratios of 3-O-methyl glucose by everted sacs and glucose oxidation by dispersed cells. The effects were more pronounced in HF diet-fed chicks. Fasting signficiantly increased the S : M ratio throughout a 5-day fasting period, whereas glucose oxidation was increased after a 1-day fast and was decreased after a 5-day fast. Feeding HC diet for 1 week to chicks adapted to HF diet restored both functions to control levels. Refeeding fasted chicks for 3 days also restored S : M ratio to control levels. Histological examination of tissues from various treatment groups revealed no obvious morphological differences. The results suggest that the functional changes described represent adaptive changes at the cellular level and that these changes are readily reversible.
Opportunity Identification and Its Role in the Entrepreneurial Classroom: A Pedagogical Approach and Empirical Test

Opportunity identification is emerging as an important content area in entrepreneurship education. We propose that opportunity identification is a competency that can be developed as are other unique competencies and that the entrepreneurship classroom is an appropriate venue for developing the skills necessary to improve the ability to identify opportunities. Using a variation of a Solomon Four Group Designed experiment, our results show that individuals can learn processes of opportunity identification and improve both the number of ideas generated and the innovativeness of those ideas. In addition, the results indicate that a predisposition toward innovation does not significantly alter the ability to learn processes of opportunity identification.
Relation between channel and spatial mesoscopic correlations in volume-disordered waveguides

We investigate the relationship between channel and spatial mesoscopic correlations in volume-disordered waveguides. We emphasize the importance of the surface escape function, which describes the distribution of transmitted flux among different channels, and we derive expressions for spatial field and intensity correlation functions directly from the channel ones.
Anomalous Origins of the Right Vertebral, Subclavian, and Common Carotid Arteries in a Patient with a Four-vessel Aortic Arch

Many anomalies of the aortic arch and great vessels are uncovered as serendipitous findings on imaging studies, in the anatomy laboratory, or at surgery. A 56-year-old man had an arch angiogram as part of an evaluation for cerebrovascular disease. A four-vessel left aortic arch was identified consisting of the right carotid, left carotid, right subclavian, and left subclavian arteries. The right common carotid gave rise to the right vertebral artery in the chest while the normally located left vertebral arose from the left subclavian artery. No aneurysm or aortic diverticulum was identified.
Absolute continuity of fuzzy measures

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the issue systematically. We identify 9 generalized types of absolute continuity which possess desirable properties, such as reflexivity and transitivity. We also study the relationship between these distinct types of absolute continuity and determine which of them are possessed by the fuzzy measure (or the lower semicontinuous fuzzy measure) defined by the fuzzy integral. >
The Survival Experience of Older and Younger Adults with AIDS: Is there a Growing Gap in Survival?

Older people with HIV infection die faster than younger counterparts, but it is notknown whether age-associated survival is changing over time. The authors used theCenters for Disease Control data set of adult cases of AIDS reported from January 1,1981, to December 31, 1994, to study age-associated differences in survival by yearof diagnosis. A total of 433,354 adults with AIDS were reported during this interval.Of these, 10.3% were younger than age 50. In 1983-1984, median survival for olderand younger people was 153 versus 274 days, respectively. By 1991-1992, mediansurvival had improved for both groups-396 and 731 days, respectively. However,the relative and absolute gap in survival grew. While a substantially larger proportionof older adults died within 90 days of diagnosis, the overall trend of an increasingage-associated gap in survival remained when these were excluded from the analysis.Older and younger people with AIDS have achieved prolonged survival, but theage-associated gap in survival has grown.
Neuronal nitric oxide synthase and gonadal steroid interaction in the MPOA of male rats: Co-localization and testosterone-induced restoration of copulation and nNOS-immunoreactivity

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) has been implicated in various physiological functions, including male rat copulation. Based on their apparent sensitivity to gonadal steroid manipulation, we hypothesized that nNOS cells contain steroid receptors, and the testosterone-induced restoration of nNOS-immunoreactivity in castrates should accompany the restoration of copulation. In Experiment 1, we investigated co-localization of nNOS with the androgen receptor (AR) and the estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) using immunocytochemistry. We found regionally specific co-localizations of nNOS-AR and nNOS-ERa. In Experiment 2, we investigated the relationship between MPOA nNOS-immunoreactivity (ir) and copulatory measures in the testosterone-induced restoration paradigm in castrates. The restoration of various copulatory measures was accompanied by an increase in optical density of nNOS-ir, but not in the number of nNOS-ir cells. These data provide additional evidence supporting the role of MPOA nitric oxide in male rat copulation. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Theme: Neural bases of behavior Topic:Hormonal control of reproductive behavior
Host shift by the burying beetle, Nicrophorus pustulatus, a parasitoid of snake eggs

Recent work [Ecoscience (2000) vol. 7, 395-397] suggests that the burying beetle Nicrophorus pustulatus may have undergone a remarkable host shift, exploiting snake eggs rather than carrion as resources for breeding. We conducted behavioural and physiological experiments to examine the hypothesis of a host shift and to formulate hypotheses on its origin. Two congeners of N. pustulatus, Nicrophorus orbicollis and Nicrophorus defodiens did not respond to snake eggs with typical breeding behaviour. When N. pustulatus male-female pairs (n = 14) were presented with clutches of snake eggs, the number of offspring but not the mean size of offspring varied with snake egg mass, indicating effective regulation of brood size. When breeding on turtle eggs, N. pustulatus had a more variable response than when exploiting snake eggs, suggesting that turtle eggs are not a primary resource for breeding. Nicrophorus pustulatus presented with both snake eggs and a mouse carcass combined and exploited the two resources within the same nest (10 of 12 trials). Mouse carcasses and snake eggs were treated differently. Carcasses were moved, buried and stripped of hair in a manner characteristic of burying beetles, whereas snake eggs were not moved or buried. Females that discovered a mouse carcass also had a significantly greater juvenile hormone increase than did females discovering snake eggs. Some responses to the two resources, however, were similar. Female N. pustulatus oviposited rapidly in response to either a mouse carcass or snake eggs, and males elevated sex pheromone emission in response to either resource. The efficient use of snake eggs, the ability to regulate brood size and the different responses to snake eggs and carrion suggest that N. pustulatus is well adapted to exploiting snake eggs for breeding. The use of snake eggs by N. pustulatus has potential implications for conservation of oviparous reptiles.
Detección del virus de la necrosis pancreática infecciosa (IPNV) en sedimentos de agua dulce

SUMMARY Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is a pathogen of great concern in salmon aquaculture producing high mortalities in fry. Water is the most important vehicle for horizontal transmission of the virus; therefore, sediments close to aquaculture facilities could become enriched reservoirs of the virus. We developed a simple and reliable method aimed at quantifying IPNV from sediments in salmon culture areas. IPNV is extracted in a sodium pyrophosphate solution and titrated in CHSE-214 cells through the fluorescent focus (FF) method. Results showed that IPNV can remain active in fresh water sediments for weeks and that the virus can be detected in environments with a previous history of IPNV outbreaks.
Minimum Energy Actuation and Bounce-Back Behavior of Microbeams Using $\delta$ Voltage Pulses

Minimizing impact force during actuation reduces damage to contacting surfaces. An electrostatic actuation method for creating a soft contact between dielectric and semiconductor surfaces is described and applied to cantilevers and clamped beams. The method utilizes a short high-voltage delta-pulse followed by a low dc hold voltage to pull in the cantilever or beams. Removal of the hold voltage releases the beam back to its rest position. The height and the shape of the delta-pulse control the energy transferred to the beams and are shown to be critical in predicting minimum actuation voltages. Actuation pulses with heights even a few tenths of a volt above minimum can lead to stuck devices, whereas minimum pulses do not. The actuation method has been experimentally tested, and a simplified mathematical model has been simulated to confirm the experiment results. In addition, it is observed that a high-voltage actuation pulse applied for a longer time than necessary to actuate, but in phase with the apparent elastic response of the beam, will cause the beam to bounce upward rather than stick during actuation.
Relationship between metabolic and vascular conditions and cognitive decline among older Mexican Americans.

Objective Metabolic and vascular conditions have been independently associated with dementia and cognitive decline among older adults, but research on the combined effects that these conditions have on cognitive decline, especially among older Mexican Americans, is lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between metabolic and vascular conditions and cognitive decline among older Mexican Americans. Methods The final sample included 2767 participants of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly. Linear mixed-effects regression was used to model cognitive decline across six examinations (1993–2007) according to the number (zero, one, two, and three to four) of metabolic and vascular conditions (hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and heart attack). Results Of the 2767 participants included in the final sample, 777 had zero conditions, 1314 had one condition, 553 had two conditions, and 123 had three to four conditions. Participants with two or three to four conditions had significantly greater cognitive decline compared with participants with zero or one condition. Stroke had the largest effect size on cognitive decline based on the proportion of variance that stroke accounted for in the linear mixed-effects model. Conclusion Mexican American older adults with multiple metabolic and vascular conditions exhibit greater cognitive decline than those with zero or one condition. Public health interventions designed to reduce the prevalence of chronic metabolic and vascular conditions, in particular stroke, may limit the severity of cognitive decline among older Mexican Americans. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modeling Patterns of News Recognition and Recall

This study examines the influence of television news coverage, story attributes, and audience characteristics on public recognition and recall of the news. In the summer of 1989, survey respondents were asked, within 7 days of the dates on which 21 different news stories broke, whether they recognized a particular story, and, if so, what they could remember about it. Results indicate that (a) stories receiving heavier television news coverage are better recognized and recalled; (b) respondents who are generally well informed about public affairs succeed in learning most types of news, regardless of their reported levels of media use; and (c) news stories focused on personalities and domestic news items are better recognized and better recalled than other kinds of standard political news. these findings are discussed in light of research on “personalized bias” in news reporting and its impact on political it formation-holding and public opinion.
Delayed appendectomy for appendicitis : Causes and consequences

This study was undertaken to describe the causes and consequences of delayed diagnosis and intervention in cases of appendicitis. The hospital records of adult patients undergoing appendectomy during a 4-year period (November 1989 to November 1993) were reviewed, with concentration on 40 patients who had a delay of 72 hours or more from initial symptoms to operation. The initial medical contact points for patients were walk-in clinics and community emergency departments. Definitive care was provided in a general hospital. Patients were adults with appendicitis who underwent an operation for definitive management 72 or more hours after the onset of symptoms. Length of hospital stay, reasons for delay in diagnosis, incidence of perforation, and complications were recorded. Delay in diagnosis and treatment was attributed to factors controlled by the patient in 15 cases (27.5%) and by the physician in 25 cases (62.5%). Perforation, postoperative complications, and hospital length of stay were related to the delay in diagnosis; with delay, the mean hospital length of stay was 9 days, the incidence of perforation was 90%, and major complications were recorded in 60% of the patients. Early diagnosis and surgical management for appendicitis remains an important and, at times, elusive goal. Delays of 72 hours or more have serious consequences. Patient education and the experience, intuitiveness, and persistence of the physician are important elements to improving these findings.
THE ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF THE PRIVATE, RECREATION-BASED AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

This article explores the economic contribution of the private, recreation-based aquaculture industry in the Western United States. New sectors are constructed in IMPLAN input-output software using data gathered between 2007 and 2010 from producers and their direct customers (stocked fisheries). Information from a third survey of anglers in Colorado and California is integrated to predict the short-term shocks that would occur to various industries if anglers at privately stocked fisheries were to discontinue fishing (simulating a hypothetical collapse of the industry). Accounting for both the backward and forward linkages of the private, recreation-based aquaculture industry's production, model results indicate that for every dollar of fish stocking, $36 dollars of recreational angler-related expenditures are supported, and that the total economic contribution of this industry in the Western United States is roughly $2 billion annually. This is the first study addressing the forward linkages and total ec...
Loss of Eph-receptor expression correlates with loss of cell adhesion and chondrogenic capacity in Hoxa13 mutant limbs

Mesenchymal patterning is an active process whereby genetic commands coordinate cell adhesion, sorting and condensation, and thereby direct the formation of morphological structures. In mice that lack the Hoxa13 gene, the mesenchymal condensations that form the autopod skeletal elements are poorly resolved, resulting in missing digit, carpal and tarsal elements. In addition, mesenchymal and endothelial cell layers of the umbilical arteries (UAs) are disorganized, resulting in their stenosis and in embryonic death. To further investigate the role of Hoxa13 in these phenotypes, we generated a loss-of-function allele in which the GFP gene was targeted into the Hoxa13 locus. This allele allowed FACS isolation of mesenchymal cells from Hoxa13 heterozygous and mutant homozygous limb buds. Hoxa13GFP expressing mesenchymal cells from Hoxa13 mutant homozygous embryos are defective in forming chondrogenic condensations in vitro. Analysis of pro-adhesion molecules in the autopod of Hoxa13 mutants revealed a marked reduction in EphA7 expression in affected digits, as well as in micromass cell cultures prepared from mutant mesenchymal cells. Finally, antibody blocking of the EphA7 extracellular domain severely inhibits the capacity of Hoxa13GFP heterozygous cells to condense and form chondrogenic nodules in vitro, which is consistent with the hypothesis that reduction in EphA7 expression affects the capacity of Hoxa13–/– mesenchymal cells to form chondrogenic condensations in vivo and in vitro. EphA7 and EphA4 expression were also decreased in the mesenchymal and endothelial cells that form the umbilical arteries in Hoxa13 mutant homozygous embryos. These results suggest that an important role for Hoxa13 during limb and UA development is to regulate genes whose products are required for mesenchymal cell adhesion, sorting and boundary formation.
Emerging flow injection mass spectrometry methods for high-throughput quantitative analysis.

Where does flow injection analysis mass spectrometry (FIA-MS) stand relative to ambient mass spectrometry (MS) and chromatography-MS? Improvements in FIA-MS methods have resulted in fast-expanding uses of this technique. Key advantages of FIA-MS over chromatography-MS are fast analysis (typical run time <60 s) and method simplicity, and FIA-MS offers high-throughput without compromising sensitivity, precision and accuracy as much as ambient MS techniques. Consequently, FIA-MS is increasingly becoming recognized as a suitable technique for applications where quantitative screening of chemicals needs to be performed rapidly and reliably. The FIA-MS methods discussed herein have demonstrated quantitation of diverse analytes, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, environmental contaminants, and endogenous compounds, at levels ranging from parts-per-billion (ppb) to parts-per-million (ppm) in very complex matrices (such as blood, urine, and a variety of foods of plant and animal origin), allowing successful applications of the technique in clinical diagnostics, metabolomics, environmental sciences, toxicology, and detection of adulterated/counterfeited goods. The recent boom in applications of FIA-MS for high-throughput quantitative analysis has been driven in part by (1) the continuous improvements in sensitivity and selectivity of MS instrumentation, (2) the introduction of novel sample preparation procedures compatible with standalone mass spectrometric analysis such as salting out assisted liquid–liquid extraction (SALLE) with volatile solutes and NH4 + QuEChERS, and (3) the need to improve efficiency of laboratories to satisfy increasing analytical demand while lowering operational cost. The advantages and drawbacks of quantitative analysis by FIA-MS are discussed in comparison to chromatography-MS and ambient MS (e.g., DESI, LAESI, DART). Generally, FIA-MS sits ‘in the middle’ between ambient MS and chromatography-MS, offering a balance between analytical capability and sample analysis throughput suitable for broad applications in life sciences, agricultural chemistry, consumer safety, and beyond.
Holy donors, mighty queens: imaging women in the Spanish cathedral cartularies of the long twelfth century

ABSTRACTIlluminated cartularies constitute a fascinating yet neglected area of art-historical scholarship. The surviving examples from Spain are especially remarkable for the conspicuous presence of women in their illustrative programmes. This article focuses on representations of royal and noble women in three illuminated cartularies produced by cathedrals in the kingdom of Leon – the Liber testamentorum of Oviedo, Tumbo A of Santiago de Compostela and the Libro de las Estampas of Leon. Each served to construct a mythologised history of royal largesse in the wake of jurisdictional disputes between Iberian sees, and each incorporates women into that history in a manner that is pointedly distinct from men. This article considers the ideological function of these manuscripts, which depict women as possessors of terrestrial as well as spiritual authority.
^7Be(p,γ)^8B cross section and the properties of ^7Be

We study the nonresonant part of the ^7Be(p,γ)^8B reaction using a three-cluster resonating group model that is variationally converged and virtually complete in ^4He+^3He+p model space. The importance of using adequate nucleon-nucleon interaction is demonstrated. We find that the low-energy astrophysical S factor is linearly correlated with the quadrupole moment of ^7Be. A range of parameters is found where the most important ^8B, ^7Be, and ^7Li properties are reproduced simultaneously; the corresponding S factor at E_(c.m.)=20 keV is 24.6–26.1 eV b.
Quality of Service in Wireless Sensor Networks

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Fidelity and Resource Tradeoffs in Flat Networks Fidelity in Heterogeneous Networks Data Integrity in Sensor Networks Conclusions Exercises Bibliography