cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New directions in environmental justice studies: examining the state and violence

The field of environmental justice studies has blossomed into a multidisciplinary body of scholarship in the last few decades with contributions across the social sciences, humanities, law, and the...
Writing from Experience: An Ecocritique of Anthropocene Visuality

For over forty years, Timothy Luke’s ecocritique has harnessed the resources of critical theory to dissect the responses of both the left and right to the ecological damage attending the unending d...
A case report of delayed manifestation of new-onset focal seizures presenting after COVID infection.

Previously seizures have been reported as presenting neurological manifestation with COVID-19 infection. There is a growing literature on the delayed neurologic effects of COVID-19 infection. Here, we report a case with insidious onset of focal impaired awareness seizures associated with left temporal epileptiform interictal and ictal discharges consistent with focal epilepsy; occurring within a short time frame of the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. This may be possibly a post COVID-19 inflammatory syndrome manifesting as new onset focal epilepsy with focal non-motor seizures with impaired awareness. As implicated by presentation with seizure as in our case, longterm follow-up studies are warranted to further investigate if the patients who acquire COVID-19 infection are at increased risk of developing epilepsy as a delayed manifestation.
Briefest Time to Perform a Series of Preoperative Nerve Blocks in Multiple Patients: A Simulation Study.

Introduction To mitigate first-case delays in operating rooms, sufficient additional time must be allotted when anesthesiologists perform preoperative nerve blocks in multiple patients who are scheduled as the initial cases of the day. We used spinal anesthetics performed in dedicated block rooms located just outside the operating room suite to estimate the briefest times needed to complete a series of spinal, epidural, peripheral, or other regional nerve blocks. We followed this approach because even though the studied hospital had a busy regional anesthesia service, sample sizes were insufficient and electronic data were not available to directly study the time to perform the many other nerve blocks they perform. Methods We studied a historical cohort of 8,462 adult patients undergoing spinal anesthesia between 2005 and 2017. Preoperative evaluation, consent, and holding area tasks were completed before entering the block room; the times to complete these tasks were not available for study. Upon block room entry, the electronic anesthetic record was started, a timeout conducted with patient participation, vital signs taken, and the spinal performed. The interval from entry until intrathecal injection was the spinal block time. Because fits of these times to probability distributions previously used for anesthesia times were poor (p < 0.001), percentiles of times to perform one or more spinal anesthetics were calculated using Monte-Carlo simulation (100,000 samples with replacement) from the empirical distributions. Results The mean spinal block time was 8.8 minutes. The 90% upper prediction limit for one block was 14 minutes, with progressively decreasing times for each subsequent block for a 90% chance of finishing on time. For example, for three first-case regional or neuraxial blocks performed outside the operating room by one anesthesiologist, the first patient needs to arrive at least 38 minutes earlier than non-block patients to mitigate operating room start delays. Conclusions These minimum time estimates can help nursing leadership ensure that sufficient time will be available after patients are ready for anesthesia to avoid first-case delays when preoperative regional anesthesia is performed outside the operating room. Given that inadequate sample size and documentation issues likely exist universally for the various non-neuraxial preoperative nerve blocks, we recommend that hospitals use our estimates as a minimum starting point rather than try to calculate times using their own data. Then, as a systems-based metric to assess all steps in the process, track the percentages of days for which all blocks were completed in sufficient time to avoid a first-case delay for those patients. Adjustments to the arrival times would then be implemented, if needed, to meet hospital objectives for on-time starts.
TU-G-201-02: An MRI Simulator From Proposal to Operation

This session will update therapeutic physicists on technological advancements and radiation oncology features of commercial CT, MRI, and PET/CT imaging systems. Also described are physicists’ roles in every stage of equipment selection, purchasing, and operation, including defining specifications, evaluating vendors, making recommendations, and optimal and safe use of imaging equipment in radiation oncology environment. The first presentation defines important terminology of CT and PET/CT followed by a review of latest innovations, such as metal artifact reduction, statistical iterative reconstruction, radiation dose management, tissue classification by dual energy CT and spectral CT, improvement in spatial resolution and sensitivity in PET, and potentials of PET/MR. We will also discuss important technical specifications and items in CT and PET/CT purchasing quotes and their impacts. The second presentation will focus on key components in the request for proposal for a MRI simulator and how to evaluate vendor proposals. MRI safety issues in radiation Oncology, including MRI scanner Zones (4-zone design), will be discussed. Basic MR terminologies, important functionalities, and advanced features, which are relevant to radiation therapy, will be discussed. In the third presentation, justification of imaging systems for radiation oncology, considerations in room design and construction in a RO department, shared use with diagnostic radiology, staffing needs and training, clinical/research use cases and implementation, will be discussed. The emphasis will be on understanding and bridging the differences between diagnostic and radiation oncology installations, building consensus amongst stakeholders for purchase and use, and integrating imaging technologies into the radiation oncology environment. Learning Objectives: 1. Learn the latest innovations of major imaging systems relevant to radiation therapy 2. Be able to describe important technical specifications of CT, MRI, and PET/CT 3. Understand the process of budget request, equipment justification, comparisons of technical specifications, site visits, vendor selection, and contract development
Mining temporal data: a coal-fired boiler case study

This paper presents an approach to control pluggage of a coal-fired boiler. The proposed approach involves statistics, data partitioning, parameter reduction, and data mining. The proposed approach was tested on a 750 MW commercial coal-fired boiler affected with a fouling problem that leads to boiler pluggage that causes unscheduled shutdowns. The rare-event detection approach presented in the paper identified several critical time-based data segments that are indicative of the ash pluggage.
Ozone Degradation in Packed Columns

Ozone is being considered increasingly as an alternate disinfectant to chlorine for use in water and wastewater systems. Owing to its low solubility, the design of efficient contact systems is imperative for economic use of ozone in this respect. Even with the most efficient system, however, there inevitably will be some release of the gas to the atmosphere at some pint. This release may be unacceptable in certain situations, especially urban areas, and may have to be minimized by specific procedures. Such procedures may involve adsorption into potassium iodide solution, thermal degradation in a flare or decomposition, catalytic or otherwise, in a packed column. A technique by which ozone decomposition in a packed column may be evaluated by reaction zone analysis will be described.
National Emissions Standards, Pollution Havens, and Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The present study shows that the availability of “pollution havens” can negate the effect of national legislation that tightens industrial greenhouse gas emission standards. In the perverse case, a unilateral tightening of said standards in Country A (a country with relatively stringent industrial emission standards) causes a representative multinational firm to emit more units of greenhouse gas in its global production. The article highlights the potential perils of unilateral action on environmental issues that are global in nature.
Optical rotation and viscosity of native and denatured proteins. VII. Human serum albumin in alkaline solutions

The optical rotation of isoelectric and alkaline albumin solutions was studied with light of different wave length and at various PH values. The dependence of the reduced specific viscosity on concentration also was studied at different pH. It was found that the viscosity increases with increasing alkalinity, whereas the levorotation has a minimum at PH 8–9. The rotatory dispersion of normal albumin follows the one term Drude's equation, even for solutions with PH 11.4–11.8. The slopes of the straight lines expressing the dependence of the reciprocal specific rotation on wave length decrease with increasing alkalinity. The intercepts on the abscissa (λ0 values) also change with PH 11.4–11.8 Albumin specimens which were isolated from the blood of cancer patients showed abnormal behavior in this respect.
Fcα Receptor Cross-Linking Causes Translocation of Phosphatidylinositol-Dependent Protein Kinase 1 and Protein Kinase Bα to MHC Class II Peptide-Loading-Like Compartments

A20 IIA1.6 B cells cotransfected with FcalphaR and wild-type gamma-chain (wt-ITAM (immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif)) or FcalphaR and gamma-chain, in which the wt-ITAM was substituted with the FcgammaRIIA ITAM (IIA-ITAM), were used to investigate cell signaling events influencing presentation of FcalphaR-targeted exogenous Ag in the context of MHC class II. wt-ITAM cells presented FcalphaR-targeted OVA more efficiently than IIA-ITAM transfectants to OVA-specific T cell hybridomas. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibition abrogated Ag presentation, suggesting that FcalphaR may trigger a PI 3-kinase-dependent signal transduction pathway, and thus phosphatidylinositol-dependent protein kinase (PDK1) and protein kinase B alpha (PKBalpha) activation. Cross-linking FcalphaR on wt-ITAM or IIA-ITAM cells triggered equivalent PI 3-kinase-dependent activation of PKBalpha. Furthermore, FcalphaR cross-linking triggered recruitment of PDK1 and serine-phosphorylated PKBalpha to capped cell surface FcalphaR irrespective of the gamma-chain ITAM. Although FcalphaR endocytosis was accompanied by translocation of PDK1 and phospho-PKBalpha to FcalphaR-containing vesicles in both transfectants, this was decreased in IIA-ITAM cells, and a significant proportion of PDK1 and PKBalpha remained at the plasma membrane. In wt-ITAM cells, PDK1 and serine-phosphorylated PKBalpha translocated to lysosomal-associated membrane glycoprotein 1- and cathepsin B-containing vesicles, consistent with MHC class II peptide-loading compartments (MIIC) described by other groups. Our data indicate that translocation of signal transduction mediators to MIIC-like compartments accompanies efficient presentation of receptor-targeted Ag, and suggest a mechanism connecting signaling to the Ag-processing pathway.
Thermally responsive self-healing composites with continuous carbon fiber reinforcement

Abtract Continuous carbon fiber composites with self-healing properties are developed using novel thermally responsive healable polyurethanes that incorporate Diels–Alder cycloaddition adducts. Short beam shear testing, which generates delamination inside the composite panels, is conducted to evaluate the healing efficiency. This testing shows that both the composites are stable and that they can be repeatedly healed, achieving average healing efficiencies of ∼85% for the first healing cycle and ∼73% for the second cycle. The results demonstrate that the intrinsic properties of the composites can be maintained after healing has occurred and since the healing ability of the material is only a function of the DA moieties in the polymer matrix, the carbon fiber does not require any treatments.
Adaptation of Denitrifying Populations to Low Soil pH

Natural denitrification rates and activities of denitrifying enzymes were measured in an agricultural soil which had a 20-year past history of low pH (pH ca. 4) due to fertilization with acid-generating ammonium salts. The soil adjacent to this site had been limed and had a pH of ca. 6.0. Natural denitrification rates of these areas were of similar magnitude: 158 ng of N g−1 of soil day−1 for the acid soil and 390 ng of N g−1 of soil day−1 at the neutral site. Estimates of in situ denitrifying enzyme activity were higher in the neutral soil, but substantial enzyme activity was also detected in the acid soil. Rates of nitrous oxide reduction were very low, even when NO3− and NO2− were undetectable, and were ca. 400 times lower than the rates of N2O production from NO3−. Denitrification rates measured in slurries of the acid and neutral soil showed distinctly different pH optima (pH 3.9 and pH 6.3) which were near the pH values of the two soils. This suggests that an acid-tolerant denitrifying population had been selected during the 20-year period of low pH.
A Case Report of Ascariasis of the Common Bile Duct in a Patient Who Had Undergone Cholecystectomy

Abstract This is a case report of ascariasis of the common bile duct in a 65-year-old man from Colombia who had undergone prior cholecystectomy. The patient presented with postprandial epigastric pain and a 20-lb weight loss. The laboratory findings were remarkable for peripheral blood eosinophilia. The ultrasound finding was suggestive of periampullary or pancreatic neoplasm. He underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with endoscopic extraction of a motile, live worm identified as Ascaris lumbricoides. Roundworm infestation should always be suspected in immigrants from endemic areas who present with hepatobiliary symptoms.
Multi-aperture coherent Doppler lidar for mitigation of turbulence and vibration induced speckle effects

Summary form only given. A 1.55 /spl mu/m coherent Doppler laboratory lidar system has been developed to study the enhancement in the measured lidar SNR through the use of a dual aperture balanced heterodyne array using incoherent and coherent summation of the detected array signals. A 30 mW, 1.55 /spl mu/m, single frequency diode laser is used as the main excitation source. The beam is split into a LO channel and a main projected beam followed by a 27 MHz acousto-optic shifter. The main portion is sent to a rotating target and the reflected backscatter is collected by two spatially separated single mode, polarization preserving fibers. The two collected signals are branched into in-phase and quadrature signals for balanced heterodyne detection. The four channels are detected and the electrical signals are analyzed using spectrum analyzers, channel oscilloscopes, and then computer interfaced. We have studied the effects of target rotation on the Doppler center frequency, spread of the Doppler shifted signal, and the influence of the geometrical and velocity aspects of the target.
Damage assessment based on the structural frequency-response function

A method is presented for determining both the amount and position of damage present in members which can be modeled as longitudinally vibrating uniform beams. The method is valid for all boundary conditions, and for simplicity, is applied to the free-free case. It uses the shift in the natural frequencies of vibration, which are determined from the structural frequency-response function, caused by the damage present in the beam. These altered values of frequency are then utilized in a graphical solution technique which predicts the damage location directly and provides a parameter whose value is related to the magnitude of the damage present.
Thiourea - Lanthanide Acetate Complexes

Complexes between thiourea and lanthanide acetates were prepared of the general composition. Dihydrated thiourea complexes are isomorphous; monohydrates are also isomorphous, but with a different structure from the dihydrates. No definite evidence for metal-sulfur bonding was found. This article discusses results of the study.
Building a Gender and Methodology Curriculum: Integrated Skills, Exercises, and Practices

In this article, we develop an argument for better integrating the political science curricula on methodology with gender politics. We demonstrate how these two areas are presently distinct and nonoverlapping with an analysis of commonly used methodology and women and politics textbooks. We examine the implications of these results for female students’ engagement with political methodology—an area in which women are persistently underrepresented—by drawing on research from STEM educators. Stereotype threat (Steele 1997; Steele and Aronson 1995) provides a framework for thinking about the myriad of ways the curriculum influences learning outcomes for female students and highlights the utility of greater crossover between the two subject areas. To facilitate better integration of methodology and gender politics, we identify opportunities for instructors to incorporate methods into courses on gender and gender into courses on methods. We also develop a number of different in-class activities and resources to...
Electron microscopic immunocytochemical evidence for the existence of bidirectional synaptic connections between growth hormone-releasing hormone- and somatostatin-containing neurons in the hypothalamus of the rat

Abstract Synaptic contacts between growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)- and somatostatin-containing neurons were demonstrated in the rat hypothalamus by a double-staining immunocytochemical method at the electron microscopic level. Somatostatin-immunoreactive nerve terminals synapse on GHRH-positive dendrites and cell bodies in the arcuate nucleus. A fine network of GHRH-immunopositive nerve terminals was observed at the light microscopic level in the rostral part of the periventricular nucleus and in the dorsal part of the arcuate nucleus around somatostatin-containing neuronal elements. With the electron microscopic synaptic contact between GHRH-containing nerve terminals and somatostatin-containing dendrites are demonstrated. The reciprocal innervation between GHRH- and somatostatin-containing neurons that project to the median eminence and regulate growth hormone secretion must allow them to coordiante their activities.
Narrative and exploration: toward a poetics of knowledge in nursing

The dualism of subject and object has been a traditional model for nursing knowledge. That model is portrayed here as an epistemological exile. Our self-imposed exile from the lived world of nursing can be remedied by inquiry based on engagement rather than distance. One model for engaged inquiry is explorers' journeys in remote regions. Knowledge of a region can be local or colonial, according to the explorer's stake in the region as homeland or territory. Nursing is an existential region where people live. In the exploration of nursing as homeland, knowledge takes the form of local narrative, the story of a place told by its inhabitants. Narrative inquiry offers nursing an epistemology that is both ethically and aesthetically congruent with its practice of engagement.
PREDICTORS OF SUCCESS WITHIN A BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION PROGRAM AMONG MALE ADOLESCENTS

48 adolescents placed into a short-term diagnostic group home with a behavior modification program in place were studied. Each subject was administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--III and the Screener version of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test. Assessment data were used to predict the subjects' conduct within the behavioral program as a method of strengthening pretreatment recommendations for planning. Analysis showed that verbal and mathematical skills were significant predictors of the criterion behaviors. These results support the use of cognitive assessment as valid methods of predicting the behavior of teenagers within residential behavior modification programs. Language: en
A solvable six-vertex model with defects

The general six-vertex model with defective (missing) horizontal bonds leads to a 22-vertex model. A special case, which is isomorphic to a ten-vertex model amendable to the quantum inverse scattering method, is solved in closed form.
The International Monetary Fund’s involvement in combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism

Traces how the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in money laundering/combating terrorist financing has developed, its competence and the instruments it uses. Explores its interactions with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), especially the quest for a “comprehensive common methodology” with the FATF as standard bearer. Explains its surveillance function, which involves intensive exchange with each member country on its economic and financial system ‐ for instance, whether is unsustainable external debt, and hazards of capital movements. Outlines three specific IMF initiatives: the Financial Sector Assessment Program, the Reports on Observance of Standards and Codes, and the Offshore Financial Center assessments. Concludes that the IMF’s involvement in anti‐money laundering has been fast, intensive and important for its members.
Interaction of O2 with C60: photon-induced oxidation

Abstract High resolution photoemission studies of solid O 2 in contact with multilayer films of C 60 on solid substrates showed conversion to CO, CO 2 carbonyl-like structures, and a carbon residue upon exposure to low energy and high energy photon sources. These processes are probably activated by the capture of a low energy electron to form the more reactive O − 2 species. These results reveal thermodynamically favored reaction processes but also kinetic limitations for our condensed structures. No reaction of O 2 with C 60 was observed without photoexcitation.
Foucault and the Welfare State

Michel Foucault's Madness and Civilization (1961) offers a comparison between two types of answers to the same social problems: unemployment, poverty and crime. In the earlier centuries exclusion was the answer. The French Hopital General (1656) replaced it by containment. The institution was a combination of a hospital and jail and offered a solution by isolating insane, unemployed and criminal people at the expense of the society. The 20th century welfare state has a different answer to the same questions. This is, however, challenged by financial limitations. Foucault offers a solution by combining social security and individual autonomy, which was not considered to be important before.
Muʿtazilite Aspects of Faḫr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s Thought 1

Abstract This paper examines Faḫr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s methodology in kalām and tafsīr by investigating al-Rāzī’s method of taʾwīl. It situates al-Rāzī’s methodology with respect to the Muʿtazila and falsafa, two trends that greatly influenced al-Rāzī. It proposes that al-Rāzī, who is generally considered the leading Sunnī theologian and exegete after the death of al-Ġazālī, adopted methods and ideas from the Muʿtazila and that he effectively synthesized these with Avicennian philosophy to forge an orginal methodology.
Distribution of occlusal contacts in maximum intercuspation

This study describes the use of the T-Scan system to record and analyze tooth contact data by calculating time moment statistics in the sagittal and transverse axes of the occlusal plane and reports the results of this method to analyze the occlusion of 93 normal subjects. Results confirm the findings of previous investigators and indicate that in a normal dentition there is a tendency for bilateral equality of the tooth contacts about the sagittal axis and that the center of effort for tooth contacts anteroposteriorly is located in the region of the first molar and is symmetrical bilaterally. Because of the rapid and accurate ability of the T-Scan system to identify the distribution of the tooth contacts, it shows great promise as a clinical diagnostic screening device for occlusion.
POLYNUCLEAR AROMATIC COMPOUNDS IN COAL AND OIL SHALE WASTEWATER: AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN

ABSTRACT A solvent refining coal liquefaction process recycle water (No. 3) from Du Pont, Washington, a true in-situ oil shale retort water (Omega-9) from Rock Springs, Wyoming, and a ten-ton unit simulated in-situ oil shale retort water (No, 16) from Laramie, Wyoming, were subjected to solvent extraction procedure and subsequent instrumental analysis including: (a) high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of polynuclear aromatics (PNA's) having more than four rings; (b) capillary gas chromatography (GC) of low molecular weight volatile PNA's; and (c) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for complementary identification of PNA's having functional and heterocyclic modifications. A total of 41 PNA's were identified. Identification of 28 PNA's in the coal derived water (No. 3) was attained, whereas that of the true in-situ retort water (Omega-9) and the simulated retort water (No. 16) were 24 and 18, respectively. Thirteen PNA's were found to be common to all three wastewater samples. Thirteen P...
Phage susceptibility and plasmid profile analysis of Sinorhizobium fredii

This is the first report identifying bacteriophages and documenting megaplasmids of Sinorhizobium fredii. Plasmid DNA content and bacteriophage typing of eighteen strains of S. fredii were determined. S. fredii strains fell into ten plasmid profile groups containing 1 to 6 plasmids, some evidently larger than 1000 MDa. Twenty-three S. fredii lytic phages were isolated from soil, and they lysed six different S. fredii strains. The host range and plaque morphology of these phages were studied. Susceptibility to S. fredii phages was examined for S. meliloti; Rhizobium leguminosarum bvs. viceae, trifolii and phaseoli; R. loti; Brady rhizobium japonicum;B. elkanii and Brady rhizobium sp. (Arachis) Several phages that originally lysed S. fredii strain USDA 206 also lysed strains of all three S. fredii serogroups described originally by Sadowsky et al. Phages that infected S. fredii strains USDA 191 and USDA 257 were highly specific and lysed only serogroup 193 strains. S. meliloti strains L5-30 and USDA 1005 were lysed by three of the phages that lysed S. fredii strain USDA 217. No other Rhizobium or Brady rhizobium strain tested was susceptible to lysis by any of the S. fredii phages. The present investigation indicates that phage susceptibility in conjunction with plasmid profile analysis may provide a rapid method for identification and characterization of strains of S. fredii.
Grapefruit juice and its flavonoids inhibit 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase

Introduction The enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-OHSD) oxidizes cortisol to inactive cortisone. Its congenital absence or inhibition by licorice increases cortisol levels at the mineralocorticoid receptor, causing mineralocorticoid effects. We tested the hypothesis that flavonoids found in grapefruit juice inhibit this enzyme in vitro and that grapefruit juice itself inhibits it in vivo. Methods Microsomes from guinea pig kidney cortex were incubated with cortisol and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) or nicotinamide adenie dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) and different flavonoids and the oxidation to cortisone measured with use of HPLC analysis. In addition, healthy human volunteers drank grapefruit juice, and the ratio of cortisone to cortisol in their urine was measured by HPLC and used as an index of endogenous enzyme activity. Results Both forms of 11β-OHSD requiring either NAD or NADP were inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by the flavonoids in grapefruit juice. Normal men who drank grapefruit juice had a fall in their urinary cortisone/cortisol ratio, suggesting in vivo inhibition of the enzyme. Conclusion Dietary flavonoids can inhibit this enzyme and, at high doses, may cause an apparent mineralocorticoid effect. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1996) 59, 62–71; doi:
Characterization of gastric mucosal membranes. VI. The presence of channel-forming substances

Abstract Highly purified gastric membranes were extracted by ionic or non-ionic detergents. Further fractionation was carried out on acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Some defined bands, incorporated into artificial bilayer membranes, produced discrete conductance changes characteristics of channel activity. A low molecular weight peak, purified through two cycles of electrophoresis was characterized as an anion-selective, positively voltage dependent channel, and a model to account for the action of the transport ATPase incoporating this channel concept is suggested.
Navigating the Challenges of the Cloud

Cloud computing is increasingly popular in education. Cloud computing is “the delivery of computer services from vast warehouses of shared machines [that] enables companies and individuals to cut c...
Common Sense, Intuition, and Theory in Personality and Social Psychology

Theoretical work in personality and social psychology benefits from a well-developed understanding of the prior empirical and theoretical work on a problem and from informed intuitions. Intuitions develop about a subject matter through years of study, investigation, and problem solving, just as chess masters develop a sophisticated set of cognitive structures that change the very appearance of the chess board. In part because the subject matter is so personal, students new to personality and social psychology arrive with many intuitions, prior beliefs, and naive theories about social processes and behavior based on unsystematic experiences and observations. These intuitions can hinder or foster theoretical progress. The role of mentors, critiques, and empirical tests in minimizing the deleterious effects of these entry biases is discussed. Refined scientific intuitions are also subject to error, however, so means of minimizing these errors are also discussed.
Spigelian Hernia as A Cause of Unexplained Lower Abdominal Pain in an Adolescent Girl.

Background A Spigelian hernia occurs along the lateral border of the rectus abdominis muscle in the Spigelian fascia between the semilunar and semicircular lines. It represents 1–2% of all abdominal wall hernias and is usually located in the lower quadrants. Diagnosis may be difficult as symptoms are often subtle and nonspecific. A small defect may not always be felt on examination. In some cases the symptoms are even deemed to be psychiatric in origin. Persistent, pinpoint localization of pain to direct palpation is an important clue to identifying this disorder. Serious complications, such as incarceration, may occur if treatment is delayed. The purpose of this report is to heighten awareness among practitioners that Spigelian hernias may occur in adolescents and that a high index of suspicion may be necessary for diagnosis. Methods A 15 year old girl was evaluated for a several week history of pain in the right lower quadrant. The pain was desaibed as a constant dull ache which became intermittently sharp and more severe. It remained localized to a small area and did not radiate. The pain was increased with activity and relieved by rest. There was no nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, change in appetite, weight loss or relationship to meals. The patient had not missed any periods and her menses were described as normal without any relationship to the pain. There were no systemic symptoms or other complaints. She was referred for evaluation after her primary care physician was unable to establish a cause for the pain. Results Upon consultation. her physical examination was entirely unremarkable other than the presence of persistent, pinpoint pain to fingertip palpation in the right lower quadrant. This reproduced the pain the patient was experiencing. There also appeared to be a small underlying defect in the same area. These findings raised the possibility of a Spigelian hernia. Sonograms of the abdominal wall and pelvis were negative. The pain was found to completely disappear after injection with a local anesthetic, but not with placebo. An anatomic abnormality in the abdominal wall was strongly suspected in view of the clinical findings. Surgical exploration revealed a 6 mm Spigelian hernia which was repaired and the patient became entirely asymptomatic. Conclusion This case illustrates the importance of including Spigelian hernias in the differential diagnosis of unexplained lower abdominal pain in adolescents. Signs and symptoms are often subtle which may pose a dilemma for the practitioner and lead to unnecessary tests or referrals. Persistent, reproducible. pinpoint pain to fingertip palpation is an important clue to diagnosis. Failure to recognize a Spigelian hernia not only prolongs pain, but may also result in potentially serious adverse sequelae. Clinicians who care for adolescents must be aware that such defects may occur in this age group so that the diagnosis is established as soon as possible and treattnent initiated in a timely manner.
Longitudinal Links between Early Coparenting and Infant Behaviour Problems.

This study of 164 married couples examined longitudinal links between parents' perceptions of coparenting support and undermining by spouse at 6 months postpartum and infant behaviour problems at the age of 12 months after controlling for marital quality, individual parenting, and infant temperament. Multiple methods (i.e. parent reports and direct observations) and sources (i.e. mothers and fathers) were used to assess marital, parenting, and coparenting dynamics. Higher levels of maternal undermining at the age of 6 months as reported by fathers were linked to greater infant behaviour problems at the age of 12 months. In addition, higher paternal reports of maternal coparenting support at the age of 6 months were also linked to greater infant behaviour problems at the age of 12 months. No results emerged for paternal undermining or paternal coparenting support as reported by mothers in predicting infant behaviour problems. These novel findings utilising parents' reports of coparenting dynamics suggest r...
Similarity solutions in plane elastodynamics

Abstract Using integral transforms, a connection is shown between Cagniard's technique and a class of similarity solutions for plane problems in elastodynamics. These solutions are given in terms of analytic functions; the functions are determined from the boundary conditions by the use of analytic function theory. This means that the techniques developed by Muskhelishvili for static elasticity may be used to solve problems within the class of similarity solutions. The Smirnov-Sobolev method is shown to be a special case of the general results derived in the paper. To illustrate the application of the general results, the half-plane stress boundary value problems of a suddenly applied line load, an expanding load, and a load over half of the bounding surface are solved in detail.
A Holding Function for Conflict Probe Applications

Conflict Alerts for aircraft in holding patterns are often missed or in error due to fact that holding trajectories are not modeled in Conflict Alert or Conflict Probe logic. In addition, a controller in one sector may not know when aircraft are holding in a neighboring sector. These factors can lead to an increased potential for loss of separation while aircraft are flying in holding patterns. A holding function for conflict probe applications has been developed and tested with air traffic data from Fort Worth Center. The holding function automatically determines when an aircraft enters a holding pattern, builds a holding region around the pattern and then probes the region for conflict with other traffic. The operational concept of use assumes that air traffic controllers are very busy during periods when aircraft are in holding and therefore don't have time to manually enter information which defines a holding pattern and activates conflict probing. For this reason, it is important the holding function automatically detect aircraft in holding and compute a holding region for conflict analysis. The controller is then alerted if other aircraft are predicted to fly through the holding region at the holding altitude.
Refusals and Rejections: Designing Messages to Serve Multiple Goals.

This experiment was conducted to test a rational model of the elaboration of themes found in rejection messages. The experiment involved a situation in which a candidate for membership in an organization must be rejected by an agent of the organization. The model proposed that five themes would be found in the rejection messages, elaborated selectively as a function of the relationship between organizational agent and candidate (friend vs. stranger) and the basis for the rejection (qualified vs. unqualified candidate). The experiment was replicated with American and Japanese participants in the role of organizational agent; no differences due to nationality were anticipated. Results showed partial support for the initial rational model, but the findings also pointed toward two key revisions of the hypothesized model: First, two new themes in rejection messages were identified; and second, there were substantial differences in the way Americans and Japanese elaborated themes to serve their goals.
Responses of cat pallidal neurons to cortical and subcortical stimuli.

Abstract Discharge patterns of pallidal neurons of the cat were studied during single-shock and sustained high-frequency stimulation of sensorimotor cortex (SMC), caudate nucleus, nonspecific thalamic nuclei (CM), subthalamus, midbrain reticular formation (MRF) and amygdaloid complex. Three types of spontaneous discharge pattern were found in pallidal neurons: high discharge rate (HDR), low discharge rate (LDR) and repetitive burst patterns were observed. The LDR and repetitively discharging units generally responded to a limited number of the stimulus sites, occasionally to one site exclusively, whereas HDR units generally showed a high degree of convergence. The response patterns of units responding to single-shock stimulation of MRF, CM, and subthalamus were similar. A marked facilitation lasting 20–50 msec was a consistent response which in some units was followed by a prolonged facilitation or inhibition. Sustained high-frequency stimulation always resulted in a net facilitatory effect. Single-shock stimulation of caudate nucleus and SMC generally produced a powerful inhibition. In some units facilitation preceded this inhibition, and in a small number of units, only facilitation was observed. Sustained high-frequency stimulation produced either inhibitory or facilitatory effects. Single-shock stimulation applied to amygdala caused an initial facilitation, followed in some units by inhibition or facilitation. High-frequency stimulation produced either facilitatory or inhibitory effects. The variation in response patterns to stimulation of each stimulus site was dependent upon the individual neuron and not upon the stimulus site. Analyses of the responses to a test stimulus following a conditioning stimulus suggest that the excitability changes of the neuron following single-shock stimulation are well represented by the poststimulus time histogram.
Lasers for nevi: a review

A nevus is described as a benign, often pigmented, skin growth that can be congenital or acquired. Different types of nevi are located at different depths within the skin. Traditional treatments for nevi include topical treatments, dermabrasion, and excision, which are generally ineffective, invasive, and often result in scars and dyspigmentation. Lately, laser therapy has been used as an alternative. Based on the theory of selective photothermolysis, melanin can be specifically targeted, minimizing adverse effects and increasing effectiveness of laser treatments. Several types of lasers and lights have been studied for this purpose without a concise agreement as to which is the best. In general, quality-switched lasers are preferred for the treatment of pigmented lesions. However, there is controversy about this therapy because certain nevi may have malignant potential. This article serves as a comprehensive review of available laser treatments for nevi and discusses the appropriate measures that should be taken before and after laser therapy. Based on the reviewed literature, laser treatment has generally been proven to be a safe and effective therapy for nevi with minimal side effects.
Heat-flow data in the Four Corners area suggest Neogene crustal warming resulting from partial lithosphere replacement in the Colorado Plateau interior, southwest USA

The uplift of the Colorado Plateau is of great geologic interest, and low-noise terrestrial heat-flow data can provide boundary conditions that should be met by proposed models of uplift. The structural continuity of the plateau interior with respect to the neighboring Basin and Range and Southern Rocky Mountains implies a distinctive Neogene lithosphere-crustal evolution. The Four Corners area represents a unique location in the Colorado Plateau interior, and likely the world, where both heat-flow data with little variability, and mineralogy studies relating to pre-Neogene lithosphere temperatures, are available. Together these studies allow one to calculate data-derived heat-flow values at two different times, ca. 25 Ma and the present. Using a first-order model for temperature-depth profiles, these two heat-flow values imply ∼100 km of Neogene lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) shallowing in the study area. If crustal radiogenic heat remains constant, the calculated Neogene increase in heat flow of ∼17 mW m –2 will be produced below the Moho. Several mechanisms are considered that might cause the LAB to shallow and the near-surface heat flow to increase. Derived Neogene lithosphere thinning of ∼100 km leads one to consider lithosphere displacement of the same order. If the presented finite-difference model approximates Neogene thermal phenomena in the Four Corners, then partial lithosphere replacement of the upper-mantle lithosphere appears to be the most suitable cause of the heat-flow rise in the area, as well as the near-uniform heat flow over large regions of the plateau interior identified by low-noise heat-flow data.
Infra-red Spectroscopy of Tissues in the 700–400 cm −1 Region

As part of the study of the far-infra-red spectroscopy of biological materials, the spectra of various tissues were examined to determine if any unique absorption bands were present. Previous investigations of the infra-red spectroscopy of tissues1 did not include this region. These results represent the extension of infra-red studies on tissue into the region of 700–400 cm−1. The tissue examined included samples of bone, various rat tissues, and human cerebrospinal fluid.
In Vivo Stress Analysis of a Pacing Lead From an Angiographic Sequence

In this paper, a method is presented to analyze the mechanical stress distribution in a pacing lead based on a sequence of paired 2D angiographic images. The 3D positions and geometrical shapes of an implanted pacemaker lead throughout the cardiac cycle were generated using a previously validated 3D modeling technique. Based on the Frenet-Serret formulas, the kinematic property of the lead was derived and characterized. The distribution of curvature and twist angle per unit length in the pacing lead was calculated from a finite difference method, which enabled a rapid and effective computation of the mechanical stress in the pacing lead. The analytical solution of the helix deformation geometry was used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed numerical method, and an excellent agreement in curvature, twist angle, and stresses was achieved. As demonstrated in the example, the proposed technique can be used to analyze the complex movement and deformation of the implanted pacing lead in vivo. The information can facilitate the future development of pacing leads.
Role of human placental apical membrane transporters in the efflux of glyburide, rosiglitazone, and metformin

Objective Substrates of placental efflux transporters could compete for a single transporter, which could result in an increase in the transfer of each substrate to the fetal circulation. Our aim was to determine the role of placental transporters in the biodisposition of oral hypoglycemic drugs that could be used as monotherapy or in combination therapy for gestational diabetes. Study Design Inside-out brush border membrane vesicles from term placentas were used to determine the efflux of glyburide, rosiglitazone, and metformin by P-glycoprotein, breast cancer resistance protein, and multidrug resistance protein. Results Glyburide was transported by multidrug resistance protein (43 ± 4%); breast cancer resistance protein (25 ± 5%); and P-glycoprotein (9 ± 5%). Rosiglitazone was transported predominantly by P-glycoprotein (71 ± 26%). Metformin was transported by P-glycoprotein (58 ± 20%) and breast cancer resistance protein (25 ± 14%). Conclusion Multiple placental transporters contribute to efflux of glyburide, rosiglitazone, and metformin. Administration of drug combinations could lead to their competition for efflux transporters.
iNOS gene transfer for graft disease.

Vascular bypass surgery involves the use of a vascular conduit to circumvent a site of vascular compromise. Vascular graft failure continues to plague both the patients receiving and the surgeons performing these interventions. Demand for the development of a therapy to reduce intimal hyperplasia—the most common cause of bypass graft failure—is significant and has been the goal of many biotechnology groups. The development of gene therapy as a feasible clinical intervention has allowed for novel methods of inhibiting intimal hyperplasia to be conceived. This review describes the evolution of gene transfer of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene, one of the most successful preclinical interventions to date for vascular disease.
Prominent role of lysosomes in the proteolysis of rat liver mitochondria at neutral pH.

It is known that mitochondrial preparations show marked proteolysis [I] . Although the role of lysosomes in intracellular protein degradation has often been suggested, their direct participation remains to be demonstrated. In as much as mitochondrial preparations contain lysosomes, it is important to find out whether mitoplasts, which should contain a much lower proportion of lysosomes, retain marked proteolytic activity. As shown here, mitoplasts possess much less proteolytic activity than mitochondrial preparations. Moreover, the N-acetylglutamate-dependent carbamyl phosphate synthetase (CFS), which is present in the matrix of rat liver mitochondria, is inactivated by macromolecular components present in the digitonin-soluble compartment. Also, separation of mitochondrial populations yield higher proteolytic activity and faster CPS inactivation in the ‘light’ mitochondria, which contain a much higher proportion of lysosomes, than in the ‘heavy’ mitochondria. Thus, it appears that lysosomes are responsible for the larger portion if not all protein degradation of mitochondria.