cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Barium on Mature and Embryonic Heart Cells

Barium chloride was administered to isolated preparations of dog heart and rat atrium and to trypsinized embryonic chick heart cells cultured in vitro. Transmembrane action potentials recorded from pacemaker, specialized conductive and contractile fibers of the dog heart, and atrial fibers of rat heart showed a slowing in the rising and falling phases of the action potential and a prominent negative after-potential. The action potential of the Purkinje fiber of the dog heart showed in addition a depolarization during diastole. A decrease in resting potential was observed later. The isometric tension developed by the rat atrium showed a significant increase which was greater at the higher concentractions (greater than 3.5 x 10 -4 M) of barium chloride. The cultured embryonic heart cells were appreciably more sensitive to barium than the mature heart cells. An increase in rate of beat of the embryonic heart cells was observed at concentrations of 10 -6 M whereas a change in heart rate was first observed in the adult heart at concentrations above 10 -4 M. The induction of beating in cell communities previously quiescent is due to a local automatic activity rather than to a propagated activity from an adjacent cell community. The slowing in rise time of the action potential can be attributed to a depression of the sodium-carrying system. The slowing of repolarization can be ascribed to a decrease in potassium conductance. The pronounced negative after-potential can be explained on the basis of sustained impermeability of the membrane to potassium. The mechanism by which barium produces a positive inotropic effect in the rat atrium is open to conjecture. It cannot be attributed solely to a prolongation of the duration of the action potential nor can a direct effect on the contractile proteins be excluded. The presence of extracellular calcium is essential in order to obtain a positive inotropic effect in the rat atrium when barium is added.
Infrared Spectroscopy of Sub-Surface Defects induced by Remote Hydrogen Plasma exposure of Silicon(100)

Infrared multiple internal reflection (MIR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the local chemical bonding in sub-surface defects induced by remote hydrogen plasma exposure (RHPE) of Si(100) wafers. Exposure of very lightly doped n-type Si ([P] = 5 {times} 10{sup 13} cm{sup {minus}3}) to a remote hydrogen plasma for 2 min at 200 C results in the formation of Si monohydride species. An intense narrow band at 2078 cm{sup {minus}1} (FWHM = 7 cm{sup {minus}1}) and a small shoulder at 2065 cm{sup {minus}1} are observed. The data are consistent with monohydride termination of Si{l_brace}111{r_brace} platelet defects with a weak interaction between H atoms on opposing internal surfaces. In contrast, platelet nucleation at 200 C followed by growth at 300 C selectively generates Si dihydride species, as evidenced by a single broad infrared band at 2109 cm{sup {minus}1}. The P concentration was found to have a marked influence on the areal density and chemical bonding of sub-surface hydrogen. The MIR spectrum of lightly doped Si ([P] = 2 {times} 10{sup 14} cm{sup {minus}3}) after RHPE at 200 C contains broad peaks at 2078 and 2130 cm{sup {minus}1} consistent with Si monohydride and trihydride species. The authors infer that hydrogen saturates broken bondsmore » along Si{l_brace}111{r_brace} Type 1 glide planes (one bond per Si atom) and along Si{l_brace}111{r_brace} Type II glide planes (three bonds per Si atom). The Si-H peak area indicates a H areal density {approximately}2 times higher than in very lightly doped Si.« less
Identifying “deterrable” offenders: Implications for research on deterrence

This article outlines a theoretical framework that distinguishes three forms of responsiveness to legal sanction threats: acute conformist, deterrable, and incorrigible. It then investigates the implications of the framework with data from a perceptual deterrence survey administered to 412 university students. The findings suggest the preeminent empirical regularity in deterrence research—that the deterrent effect of the certainty of punishment far exceeds that of the severity of punishment—may be overstated. An analysis confined to deterrable offenders suggests that the severity effect (relative to the certainty effect) may exceed that reported in extant research.
Symmetry and Scale Dependence in Functional Relationship Regression

?Two complaints against the linear functional regression model have been that the estimated regression lines are not symmetrical in x and y and that they depend on the scale of the observed data in unpredictable ways. If one takes into account the ratio of measurement errors X, then the estimates from linear functional regression are symmetrical (i.e., the regression of y on x and x on y are the same line). Using nonlinear least squares estimation, functional regression is easily applied to fit both nonlinear and linear models. Again taking into account X, linear and nonlinear models can be naturally rescaled (as with ordinary regression estimates) according to the units of the observed variables. The log-transformed functional regression model and the relationships between principal axis methods and the linear functional regression model are considered. Controversies surrounding the "standard major axis" are discussed; sim? ulation results are presented, and the validity of the method is questioned. Treatment of the linear, allometry, polynomial, and von Bertalanffy models is discussed, and a numerical example is presented. [Functional regression; errors in variables; major axis; reduced major axis; standard major axis; nonlinear regression; allometry.] The critical work of systematic biologists often deals with measuring ontogenetic changes and differentiating entities using regression. These problems have been made more interesting and difficult due to the realization that has grown since the days of Kermack and Haldane (1950) that ordinary least squares (OLS) is often not a suitable regression method; in biological contexts the estimated relationship be? tween any two variables can be biased by the existence of substantial measurement error and/or biological variation (Ricker, 1973). Alternatives to OLS usually fall under the heading of functional or structural re? gression. Kendall and Stuart (1973) pro? vided a clear introduction to these some? times confusing methods. In this paper I deal with only the func? tional relationship regression model be? cause it seems the simplest and most gen? erally applicable of the "errors in variables" models. However, there is a clear distinc? tion between the functional relationships posited between the mathematical vari? ables (e.g., linear, quadratic, allometric, etc.) and the functional regression method, which estimates parameters assuming that mathematical variables x and y are both observed with error. Least Squares Estimates Let two mathematical variables {xiry^,i = 1, . . ., n, be related through some func? tional relationship yi = i(xif fi), where xi and y{ are scalar but fi may be a vector of p variables. We are not able to observe xi and l/i directly but instead observe the ran? dom variables Xi = xi + 8{ and Yi = f(x{, fi) + ?i, where 5{ and ei are independent, nor? mal random variables with mean zero and variances a25 and a\, respectively. The mi? nus log likelihood for estimating the n + p unknowns (xlf..., x?, fiu ..., fip) is then (Fuller, 1987; Seber and Wild, 1989) -L = S {[Vi " ffe ??/(2a2f) + (X, x{)2/(2a28)}
Validating the use of woodrat (Neotoma) middens for documenting natural invasions

Aim Plant macrofossils in fossil woodrat (Neotoma) middens are the primary source of information on late Quaternary biogeographical history of plants in arid and semi-arid regions of North America. Macrofossil records from middens are playing particularly important roles in documenting spatial and temporal patterns of plant migrations and invasions since the last glacial maximum 21,000 years ago. However, relatively few actualistic studies comparing contents of modern middens with surrounding flora and vegetation have been carried out. The primary aim of this study is to assess the reliability of midden assemblages in detecting the presence of tree, shrub and several other plant species growing on the surrounding landscape. The secondary aims are to determine whether probability of occurrence of species in middens is related to abundance in vegetation, and whether representation of individual species in middens is contingent on presence/absence or abundance of other species. Location Our five study sites were bedrock escarpments or canyons in the central Rocky Mountains (north-eastern Utah, central Wyoming and south-central Montana). All sites were in conifer woodland or forest/woodland variously dominated by Juniperus osteosperma, J. scopulorum, Pinus edulis, P. flexilis and Pseudotsuga menziesii. Neotoma cinerea is the only woodrat species in the region. Methods Macrofossil assemblages from 59 modern middens (all showing clear signs of recent or ongoing woodrat activity) were compared with floristic composition of vegetation within 50 m of the middens, and with percent cover of vegetation within 30 m of the middens. Results Coniferous trees and shrubs were well-represented in middens, occurring consistently even when abundance in the local vegetation was very low. Juniperus osteosperma and J. scopulorum were particularly well-represented, occurring in middens regardless of local abundance. Other conifers (P. edulis, P. flexilis, P. ponderosa, Pseudotsuga menziesii) were occasionally absent from middens when abundance in vegetation was low (< 20% canopy cover). Occurrence of dicot shrubs and graminoids was less consistent. Main conclusions Middens constructed by N. cinerea are highly reliable sensors of presence/absence of J. osteosperma and J. scopulorum, and hence can be used to infer invasions and past biogeographical distributions of these species. The middens are also reliable in registering populations of other conifers, although presence in middens may be contingent on local abundance. Additional comparative studies are needed to develop a sound empirical basis for using middens of N. cinerea and other species to infer past presence/absence of plant species on the landscape, and to explore the vegetation-sensing properties of midden assemblages.
High frequency large signal characterization of heterojunction bipolar transistors

A Ka-band active load pull measurement system is described. Its use for measuring the dependence of output power and gain on bias, input power, and frequency of heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) from 26.5 to 40 GHz is reported. To help explain the experimental results a detailed numerical simulation has been used to develop a simple HBT device model. This simplified model includes transit time effects and is easily implemented in commercially available harmonic balance software such as Libra. Measured and simulated results are compared. Both set of results indicate that the primary source of gain compression is caused by the device entering the ohmic region. Device mismatch is an additional compression mechanism for fixed load impedances at high drive levels. >
Extended end-to-end repair and enlargement of the entire arch in complex coarctation

Abstract Background . Treatment of hypoplasia of the entire arch in coarctation is a surgical challenge. The current approaches have technical difficulties, high recurrence rates, and increased morbidity and mortality. Methods . Over a 14-month period, a combined extended end-to-end repair with patch enlargement of the concavity of the entire arch was performed in 6 neonates and 1 infant. Through a midsternotomy and using cardiopulmonary bypass and hypothermia, extended end-to-end repair was performed initially leaving the proximal anastomosis open. The enlarging polytetrafluoroethylene patch was then sutured starting at the incised descending aorta distal to the extended end-to-end repair and continued retrogradely through the transverse arch to the ascending aorta proximal to the aortic cannulation site. One neonate had a patent ductus arteriosus and another had ventricular septal defect closure. One neonate had arterial switch and 3 had Norwood-type procedures performed with the enlarging patch extended to the pulmonary artery anastomosis. The remaining infant had arch enlargement performed after an arterial switch procedure and extended end-to-end repair. Results . All patients did well and showed no residual gradient up to 1 year follow-up. Two patients successfully had bidirectional Glenn shunt at 9 months of age, and one had closure of residual arterial septal defect at 8 months of age. Conclusion . The combined extended end-to-end repair and arch enlargement procedure should minimize recurrence rates because of a tension-free enlargement of the entire aortic arch and elimination of the coarctation ridge and ductile tissues. Combined with the arterial switch and Norwood-type procedures, the approach results in a large neoaorta.
Modeling manufacturing dependability

In this paper, an analytical approach for the availability evaluation of cellular manufacturing systems is presented, where a manufacturing system is considered operational as long as its production capacity requirements are satisfied. The advantage of the approach is that constructing a system level Markov chain (a complex task) is not required. A manufacturing system is decomposed into two subsystems, i.e. machining system and material handling system. The machining subsystem is in turn decomposed into machine cells. For each machine cell and material handling subsystem, a Markovian model is derived and solved to find the probability of a subset of working machines in each cell, and a subset of the operating material handling carriers that satisfies the manufacturing capacity requirements. The overall manufacturing system availability is obtained using a procedure presented in the paper. The novelty of the approach is that it incorporates imperfect coverage and imperfect repair factors in the Markovian models. The approach is used to evaluate transient and steady-state performance of three alternative designs based on an industrial example. Detailed discussion of the results and the impact of imperfect coverage and imperfect repair on the availability of the manufacturing system is presented. Possible extensions of the work and software tools available for model analysis are also discussed.
Material translations in the Cartesian brain.

This article reexamines the controversial doctrine of the pineal gland in Cartesian psychophysiology. It argues initially that Descartes’ combined metaphysics and natural philosophy yield a distinctly human subject who is rational, willful, but also a living and embodied being in the world, formed in the union and through the dynamics of the interaction between the soul and the body. However, Descartes only identified one site at which this union was staged: the brain, and more precisely, the pineal gland, the small bulb of nervous tissue at the brain’s center. The pineal gland was charged with the incredible task of ensuring the interactive mutuality between the soul and body, while also maintaining the necessary ontological incommensurability between them. This article reconsiders the theoretical obligations placed on the pineal gland as the site of the soul-body union, and looks at how the gland was consequently forced to adopt a very precarious ontological status. The article ultimately questions how successfully the Cartesian human could be localized in the pineal gland, while briefly considering the broader historical consequences of the ensuing equivalence of the self and brain.
Breaking the frame-buffer bottleneck with logic-enhanced memories

Logic-enhanced memory chips that can remove the rasterizer/frame buffer bottleneck which limits the performance of current image-generation architectures are discussed. Putting pixel memory on-chip with rasterizing processors provides the two to three orders of magnitude improvement in access rates needed to support realistic shading models and aliasing in interactive systems. Current high-performance graphics systems and logic-enhanced memory architectural issues are reviewed. The design of the PixelFlow Enhanced Memory Chip (EMC), which exploits advances in semiconductor technology and circuit techniques to build compact, high-performance rasterizers, is described. >
The Effects of Glutamate and GABA Receptor Antagonists on Nicotine-induced Neurotransmitter Changes in Cognitive Areas*

In the present study, we tested the effects of glutamate and GABA receptor antagonists on nicotine-induced neurotransmitter changes in the hippocampal (dorsal and ventral) and cortical (medial temporal and prefrontal) brain areas of conscious freely moving rats via microdialysis. Both the antagonists and nicotine were administered intracerebrally. The antagonists tested were NMDA, AMPA–kainate, and metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype antagonists (MK801, CNQX, and LY 341495, respectively) and GABAA and GABAB receptor subtype antagonists (bicuculline and hydroxysaclofen, respectively). We assayed nicotine-induced changes in dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), serotonin (5-HT), and their metabolites. We found with the antagonists, both decreases and increases in nicotine-induced neurotransmitter responses. In the presence of nicotine all the antagonists (except LY 341495) caused a decrease in DA levels in the regions tested. NE levels were decreased in the cortex by all antagonists. In the hippocampus, GABA antagonists decreased NE levels, as did the metabotropic glutamate antagonist, LY 341495, while the other glutamate antagonists increased NE levels. The results of the 5-HT assay were more variable and dependent on the region and antagonist examined; increases were found slightly more often than decreases. The changes in metabolites were not often parallel with changes in their associated neurotransmitters, indicating that the antagonists also affect the metabolism of the neurotransmitters. The effect of the antagonists in the absence of nicotine was mostly to decrease the level of neurotransmitters, although increases were seen in a few cases. The results suggest that the excitatory glutamatergic- and inhibitory GABAergic-amino acid receptors are both involved in mediating nicotine-induced neurotransmitter responses, and their inhibitory or stimulatory effects are receptor subtype and brain region dependent.
Diversity of Oligotrichia and Choreotrichia Ciliates in Coastal Marine Sediments and in Overlying Plankton

Elucidating the relationship between ciliate communities in the benthos and the plankton is critical to understanding ciliate diversity in marine systems. Although data for many lineages are sparse, at least some members of the dominant marine ciliate clades Oligotrichia and Choreotrichia can be found in both plankton and benthos, in the latter either as cysts or active forms. In this study, we developed a molecular approach to address the relationship between the diversity of ciliates in the plankton and those of the underlying benthos in the same locations. Samples from plankton and sediments were compared across three sites along the New England coast, and additional subsamples were analyzed to assess reproducibility of methods. We found that sediment and plankton subsamples differed in their robustness to repeated subsampling. Sediment subsamples (i.e., 1-g aliquots from a single 20-g sample) gave variable estimates of diversity, while plankton subsamples produced consistent results. These results indicate the need for additional study to determine the spatial scale over which diversity varies in marine sediments. Clustering of phylogenetic types indicates that benthic assemblages of oligotrichs and choreotrichs appear to be more like those from spatially remote benthic communities than the ciliate communities sampled in the water above them. Planktonic ciliates provide a critical trophic link between the microbial and macroscopic components of the pelagic food web, and the subclasses Choreotrichia and Oligotrichia are the most abundant ciliate groups in this environment (46). One key to understanding the diversity and ecology of Choreotrichia and Oligotrichia is the relationship between benthic and planktonic forms. While the ciliates in these two groups are predominantly swimmers (54), there is crossover between benthic and pelagic environments for many species. Some taxa are described as epibenthic, living in the layer of water just above the sediment (16, 54), some have the capacity to live attached to sediment particles for a period and then become free-swimming (21), and a large number of taxa within these two groups spend a portion of their life cycles in dormancy, persisting in the sediments in cyst form (22, 23, 25, 35, 36, 39, 40, 41, 43, 49, 51). An accurate assessment of ciliate dynamics in the plankton requires careful study of both benthic and pelagic environments and the extent of coupling between the two environments. The role of the cyst in the life cycle of marine planktonic ciliates is particularly critical for understanding their distribution, evolutionary history, and ecology (6) as cysts provide a mechanism for dormancy during periods of poor environmental conditions. Relatively few marine ciliate species have been directly studied to determine conditions for encystment and excystment, period of dormancy (22, 23, 25, 26, 43), and role of the encystment cycle in the ecology of the organism (36). Moreover, studies on the conditions related to encystment and
Post-Exposure Immunization Against Francisella tularensis Membrane Proteins Augments Protective Efficacy of Gentamicin in a Mouse Model of Pneumonic Tularemia

Successful treatment of pneumonic infection with Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, requires rapid initiation of antibiotic therapy, yet even then treatment failures may occur. Consequently, new treatments are needed to enhance the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy for acute pneumonic tularemia. In a prior study, immunization with F. tularensis membrane protein fraction (MPF) antigens 3 days prior to challenge was reported to induce significant protection from inhalational challenge. We therefore hypothesized that MPF immunization might also be effective in enhancing infection control if combined with antibiotic therapy and administered after infection as post-exposure immunotherapy. To address this question, a 24h post-exposure treatment model of acute pulmonary Schu S4 strain of F. tularensis infection in BALB/c mice was used. Following exposure, mice were immunized with MPF and treated with low-dose gentamicin, alone or in combination and the effects on survival, bacterial burden and dissemination were assessed. We found that immunization with MPF significantly increased the effectiveness of subtherapeutic gentamicin for post-exposure treatment of pneumonic tularemia, with 100% of combination-treated mice surviving long-term. Bacterial burdens in the liver and spleen were significantly reduced in combination MPF-gentamicin treated mice at 7 days after challenge. Passively transferred antibodies against MPF antigens also increased the effectiveness of gentamicin therapy. Thus, we concluded that post-exposure immunization with MPF antigens was an effective means of enhancing conventional antimicrobial therapy for pneumonic tularemia.
Role of Choline Deficiency in the Fatty Liver Phenotype of Mice Fed a Low Protein, Very Low Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet

Though widely employed for clinical intervention in obesity, metabolic syndrome, seizure disorders and other neurodegenerative diseases, the mechanisms through which low carbohydrate ketogenic diets exert their ameliorative effects still remain to be elucidated. Rodent models have been used to identify the metabolic and physiologic alterations provoked by ketogenic diets. A commonly used rodent ketogenic diet (Bio-Serv F3666) that is very high in fat (~94% kcal), very low in carbohydrate (~1% kcal), low in protein (~5% kcal), and choline restricted (~300 mg/kg) provokes robust ketosis and weight loss in mice, but through unknown mechanisms, also causes significant hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and cellular injury. To understand the independent and synergistic roles of protein restriction and choline deficiency on the pleiotropic effects of rodent ketogenic diets, we studied four custom diets that differ only in protein (5% kcal vs. 10% kcal) and choline contents (300 mg/kg vs. 5 g/kg). C57BL/6J mice maintained on the two 5% kcal protein diets induced the most significant ketoses, which was only partially diminished by choline replacement. Choline restriction in the setting of 10% kcal protein also caused moderate ketosis and hepatic fat accumulation, which were again attenuated when choline was replete. Key effects of the 5% kcal protein diet – weight loss, hepatic fat accumulation, and mitochondrial ultrastructural disarray and bioenergetic dysfunction – were mitigated by choline repletion. These studies indicate that synergistic effects of protein restriction and choline deficiency influence integrated metabolism and hepatic pathology in mice when nutritional fat content is very high, and support the consideration of dietary choline content in ketogenic diet studies in rodents to limit hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction and fat accumulation.
EFFECTS OF DOMINANCE TENDENCIES ON FLOOR HOLDING AND INTERRUPTION BEHAVIOR IN DYADIC INTERACTION1

Eighteen dyads (10 female and eight male), each composed so as to have one member who scored high and one who scored low on a test of personality dominance, were given a cooperative problem-solving discussion task lasting fifteen minutes. The persons with the more dominant personalities held the floor more and attempted more interruptions in proportion to their partners’ total amounts of speaking time than did those with less dominant personalities. There was also evidence that the high dominant subjects were more successful in completing their interruption attempts, although this result fell somewhat short of statistical significance. Despite the fact that the trend of the results appeared to be consistently stronger among males, there were no significant sex differences. Implications of the findings for the interpersonal communication theory of Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson (1967) are discussed.
A numerically efficient technique for the method of moments solution of electromagnetic problem associated with planar periodic structures

A numerically efficient summation technique, using the FFT algorithm, for the calculation of the impedance matrix in the method of moment solution to electromagnetic problems associated with planar periodic structures is presented. Comparisons between the CPU times for the conventional brute-force summation and the present technique are given.
Method to distinguish between multiparticle production mechanisms

Multiparticle production in particle-nucleus collisions at high energies is shown to provide a sensitive test for mechanisms of multiparticle production in particle-nucleon collisions at high energies.
Student Participation in Syllabus Development as a Student-centered Learning Technique in Horticulture Classes

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. active learning SUMMARY. Student-centered learning means having students actively engaged in many aspects of a course to promote learning. Allowing students to participate in syllabus development is a method that involves students in the course and, in the process, assume responsibility for much of their learning. Students can help set course objectives, decide what is the evaluation criteria and who evaluates, determine and deliver some of the course content, and approve the code of conduct for the class. By helping with the aforementioned areas, students can see the relevance of the course to their needs and interests. They tend to take a greater interest in the course and participate more actively in the class. The process of student involvement in syllabus development requires several steps and utilizes techniques that are presented in the following paper.
¿Desafiando la norma? Acompañamiento electoral internacional en Nicaragua y Venezuela

International election monitoring has been touted as a regional norm in the Western hemisphere, but recent reforms in Venezuela and Nicaragua substituted a diminished international role of electoral accompaniment. This article traces the initial acceptance and later limitation of international election monitoring in those countries to explore whether the change constitutes norm localization or norm defection. It concludes that the norm is not as well institutionalized in the hemisphere as conventionally thought, and that models need to assess together national and international monitoring capacities.
Family, Ethics, Informed Consent and Medicolegal Considerations

The wind whistles through the cracks in your call room window when the ER calls and suddenly you find yourself in the maelstrom of that environment, speaking to a small group of extremely anxious strangers — having to explain that an immediate operation will be required to save their beloved one. The OR is ready.
Lipase/amylase ratio: A new index that distinguishes acute episodes of alcoholic from nonalcoholic acute pancreatitis

Abstract Because of observations that patients with acute episodes of alcoholic pancreatitis had high serum lipase levels whereas patients with gall stone pancreatitis had high serum amylase levels, a prospective study was undertaken to determine whether the ratio of serum lipase to serum amylase, a newly computed ratio, would discriminate between acute episodes of alcoholic and nonalcoholic pancreatitis. In phase one, 30 consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis were entered into the study and divided into groups A and B. Patients with renal failure were excluded from the study. Group A consisted of 20 patients in whom the etiology of pancreatitis was alcohol. Group B consisted of 10 patients whose pancreatitis was nonalcoholic in etiology (predominantly gallstones). Serum lipase values in group A ranged 492 to 25,706 U/L (median, 3433 U/L) and in group B from 711 to 31,153 U/L (median, 1260 U/L). These differences were not significant statistically. Serum amylase values in group A ranged from 104 to 2985 U/L (median, 331 U/L) and in group B from 423 to 13,000 (median, 1187 U/L). Although these figures were statistically different (P 2 was indicative of an alcoholic etiology, and a ratio of 2; in 11 of them, the etiology of the pancreatitis was alcohol. Eight patients had a lipase/amylase ratio of 2 in detecting acute alcoholic pancreatitis was 91%, the specificity was 78%, and the positive predictive value was 85%.
Elder abuse by adult offspring: the relationship of actual vs. perceived dependency.

Elder abuse, as a topic of research, has had an extremely short history?barely a decade. Cronin and Allen (1982) trace trace the beginnings of the 1978 congressional hearing on domestic violence which included information on elder abuse as part of the testimony on the "Overlooked Aspects of Domestic Violence" provided by Steinmetz. They note that, although the congressional hearing was not the first reference to elder abuse, it was the ' 'first to gain such national prominence /' and was the "sole portion of the Hearings to earn coverage in the New York Times, as well as a mention from Walter Cronkite." [1] The concern generated from the congressional hearing resulted in the Administration on Aging's requests for proposals to explore the incidence of elder abuse and the subsequent funding of two studies?Block and Sinnott, 1979; Douglas, Hickey, and Noel, 1980. The above should not be interpreted as an indication that abuse of the elderly did not exist in earlier times. In our efforts to glamorize the family of yester-year, we have often overlooked the failures and idealized the strengths. We have tended to blame contemporary family problems on the rapid, post WWII change such as the two-car and two-career family, increased occupational and geographic mobility, the high divorce rate, and the "pill." However, the evidence refutes the notion of the idyllic family relationahip of the past. Haraven (1977:65) notes
What Does the Law Say? Semantics and Pragmatics in Statutory Language

The content of communication in a given speech situation often goes beyond what the speaker has explicitly said. The main purpose of this essay is to explore this aspect of linguistic communication in the legal context. The paper begins with a general outline of the dividing lines between semantics and pragmatics, laying out the main distinctions that need to be employed. Next, the paper suggests that the pragmatic aspects of statutory language differ in some important ways from the pragmatics of an ordinary conversation. The paper explains some of these differences which make the understanding of legal language somewhat problematic. Finally, the paper points toward some solutions, based on the distinction between content that is semantically implicated by an utterance and content that is implicated conversationally.
Chloride and taurine effluxes occur by different pathways in skate erythrocytes

The aim of this study was to determine whether volume-activated taurine and Cl- effluxes occur via the same system in skate (Raja erinacea) red blood cells (RBC). The effluxes were measured in isotonic and hypotonic elasmobranch Ringer solutions, in which NaCl was replaced by mannitol and the remaining exchangeable anions with gluconate. Methazolamide (0.1 mM) was added to minimize HCO3- formation. RBC Cl- content fell approximately 50%/h in both isotonic and hypotonic media, with no detectable K- loss in either medium. The observed Cl- loss was accompanied by an increase in pH. Both the Cl- loss and pH rise were inhibited by 4,4'- diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (0.1 mM), suggesting that Cl- efflux was due to H(+)-Cl- cotransport. 36Cl- effluxes in isotonic and hypotonic media were (means +/- SE, n = 11) 2.8 +/- 0.6 and 3.5 +/- 0.9 mumol.g dry wt RBC-1.min-1, respectively, whereas [3H]taurine effluxes in the same media were 0.045 +/- 0.02 and 2.1 +/- 0.05 mumol.g dry wt RBC-1.min-1, respectively (n = 6). These results indicate that taurine and Cl- effluxes occur via different pathways in skate RBC. In addition, the swelling-activated Cl- channel reported in epithelial cells does not appear to be present in skate RBC. This conclusion was confirmed by Western blots with an antibody to swelling-activated Cl- channels. Taurine and Cl- fluxes are apparently under different pathway influences in these RBC: taurine diffuses via a channel, whereas Cl- is transported by cotransporters.
Relation of Sedimentation Rate to Amount of Precipitate Formed in Plasma by Type III Pneumococcus.

SummaryA relationship existed between the sedimentation rate of blood from various disease conditions and the amount of precipitate formed in plasma by the growth of Type III pneumococcus. The possible importance of the presence of an abnormal, non-specific polysaccharide to this finding is discussed.
The moderating effect of environmental variables on the entrepreneurial and marketing orientation of entrepreneur-led firms

A firm's marketing orientation and entrepreneurial orientation intuitively should relate to organizational performance. Considerable theory can be found concerning the causes and consequences of ea...
Hygiene evaluation for design of tableware's centralized disinfection project

Objective To make hygienic evaluation for the design of the tableware's centralized disinfection project.Methods Analogy method was used to investigate and analyze the health status of the enterprise and 10 disinfection tableware samples were collected for testing.The scene investigation method and the check list method were applied to evaluate.Results 10 disinfection tableware samples were tested with analogy method.All of the other testing projects' results conformed to the national standards except one chopsticks sample,the content of the alkyl(benzene) sodium sulfonate(0.4 mg/100 cm2) which exceeded the standards.The site selection and the layout and the sterilization process,as well as the equipment layout and each health facility and measure of this project met with the health standards except lacking the package material disinfection room,the two-locker room,the laboratory and the shoe disinfection facility.Conclusion The hygienic condition and the health facilities and measures which had been taken almost conform to the health standard of tableware's centralized disinfection unit in the design of this project,but the health problems should be solved in the designed scheme.
Consideration of some question on the clinical trial of medicine used in the old people

Along with the adventing of old society,medicine used in old people becomes the hot spot of development. But the population representation of the clinical of medicine used in old people is deficient at present. And there are many difficulties in the clinical trials of medicine used in old people. So it is a important problem how to conduct the clinical trials in good quality and efficiency,and how to make the results have better applicability.
Open Source Next Generation Visualization Software for Interplanetary Missions

Mission control is evolving quickly, driven by the requirements of new missions, and enabled by modern computing capabilities. Distributed operations, access to data anywhere, data visualization for spacecraft analysis that spans multiple data sources, flexible reconfiguration to support multiple missions, and operator use cases, are driving the need for new capabilities. NASA's Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System (AMMOS), Ames Research Center (ARC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are collaborating to build a new generation of mission operations software for visualization, to enable mission control anywhere, on the desktop, tablet and phone. The software is built on an open source platform that is open for contributions (http://nasa.github.io/openmct).
Seminal vesicle sperm aspiration from wounded warriors

Objective To assess whether seminal vesicle sperm aspiration (SVSA) is an option for wounded warriors with severe genital and testicular injuries, with the goal of cryopreservation to use in future assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles. Design Retrospective case series. Setting Tertiary care military hospital. Patient(s) Six wounded warriors. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Seminal vesicle fluid analysis after harvest, after thaw analysis, fertilization rates, pregnancy rates (PRs), live birth. Result(s) Six patients with lower extremity, pelvic, and genital injuries from dismounted improvised explosive devices underwent SVSA within 5–12 days of the initial injury. Sperm retrieved were analyzed (volume, 0.4–1.8 mL; concentration, 40–2,200 K; motility, 0–5%), washed, and cryopreserved. Two patients underwent IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles using their samples. In one couple, fertilization rate was 38%. One grade V embryo was transferred with a negative pregnancy test. The second couple underwent two cycles. In their first cycle, fertilization rate was 44%, with one blastocyst transferred and a negative pregnancy test. In the second cycle, fertilization rate was 47%. Two blastocysts were cryopreserved due to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) concerns. One blastocyst was later transferred in a frozen cycle resulting in a live birth. Conclusion(s) The SVSA is a reasonable option to retrieve sperm in wounded warriors or trauma patients with extensive genital injuries.
Biomaterial Scaffolds for Tendon Tissue Engineering

Abstract Tendons are musculoskeletal tissues responsible for transmitting loads between muscle and bone. Due to their frequent injury, poor native healing, and probability of refailure following surgical intervention, there is a clinical need for alternative treatments. Biomaterial-based regenerative medicine strategies offer the potential to provide a three-dimensional microenvironment design to guide native tendon healing processes toward regenerative repair of the injured tendon with minimal scar formation. Recently, a variety of tissue engineering constructs have been developed to block the contraction and scar formation mechanisms of repair and induce regeneration following injury. Such bioactive constructs are often inspired by the native composition, structure, mechanics, and biomolecule environment, offering inspiration toward the development of constructs that mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) of tendon. In this chapter we provide an introduction to the application of tissue engineering principles toward tendon applications. We will discuss the critical structural elements of a potential active ECM analog for tendon repair. We also discuss the importance, incorporation, and assessment of biomolecular cues, cells, and mechanical stimulation for such tendon-inspired materials. We conclude by describing current and future hurdles toward clinical translation, particularly the proper design of in vivo regeneration assays.
Interactive indoor scene reconstruction from image mosaics using cuboid structure

We describe a method for reconstructing indoor scenes from image mosaics using prior knowledge of the cuboid structure of the environment. The method is inspired by traditional approaches to the camera pose estimation problems known as the PnL (perspective n lines) and PnA (perspective n angles) problems. We show that a cuboid can be reconstructed from the images of three of its corners. The necessary camera intrinsic parameters are obtained by self-calibration in the image mosaicing process. The major advantages of this method over methods such as single view metrology are: 1) it can do metric reconstruction; 2) it is a closed form solution and numerically stable; 3) it requires only minimal user interaction.
Exploring the intersection of education policy and discourse analysis: An introduction

In this article, we introduce the special issue focused on diverse perspectives to discourse analysis for education policy. This article lays the foundation for the special issue by introducing the notion of a third generation of policy research – a strand of policy research we argue is produced at the intersection of education policy and discourse analysis. We also very briefly discuss discourse analysis writ large, noting that there is no single definition or orientation. Then, we present the six articles included in the special issue, highlighting the ways in which they offer contemporary understandings of the varying applications of discourse analytic perspectives to the study of education policy. We conclude by discussing key policy and methodological implications, as well as future directions for policy scholars working at the intersection of education policy and discourse analysis.
Problems of insuring the risk of large failures

Few business topics related to insurance have greater significance today than insurance for the risk of large failures. The catastrophic losses resulting from structural collapse and product failures are escalating throughout the world. They are a major cause of the $25 billion underwriting losses last year of the insurance business in the United States. However, such losses have increased everywhere, and no organization is completely immune from such risk. This paper looks at the problems created by these large exposures, both from the viewpoint of business (and other organizations) and insurers. The process of risk management is applied to identify and measure these property and liability risks, and then to determine what choices of treating the risks are available. Risk control and risk financing tools are discussed, with an emphasis on insurance solutions. The capacity problem, particularly in relation to the global "liability insurance crisis", is noted not merely as a dilemma for insurers but also for the insured parties and society as well. Changes in insurance contracts, such as deductibles and "claims–made" liability coverage, are seen as both solving some problems, and causing others. Some solutions outside of insurance may well be needed to bring these problems under control, such as legal and civil justice reforms in many countries. Insurance for large losses in such a scenario remains a fundamental part of the solutions, but must be coordinated with other developments in our changing world.
Adoptive immunotherapy for human cancers: Flagmen signal first “open road” then “roadblocks.” A narrative synopsis

There was overwhelming evidence documented in vitro in the early 1970s for lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity to autologous cancer cells. Cancer-bearing patients circulated small compact lymphocytes in their blood that promptly killed their tumor cells in vitro. These lymphocytes were identified later as CD8+ immune T cells. Tumor cells were killed by cytoplasmic lysis with perforins and granzymes, or by nuclear clumping by Fas ligand and related ligands. With the discovery of T cell growth factor (interleukin-2), the road for lymphocyte therapy of human cancers appeared wide open. Then emerged the “large granular lymphocytes”. These cells occurred not only in patients with cancer, but in healthy cancer-free individuals. The author of this article served as “negative (healthy) control” in the cytotoxicity assays in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some project site visitors of the National Cancer Institute could not comprehend that “immune reactions could exist without pre-immunization” and referred to the phenomenon as an “in vitro artifact” (worse than that: they canceled grant support for its study). It was years later, that first in mice and then in human patients the “large granular lymphocytes” were recognized as natural killer cells. Then emerged the “suppressor/regulatory T cells” (TREG). This lymphocyte population is responsible for curtailing autoimmune reactions against “self ”. Tumor cells masquerading as “self ” are protected by TREG against cytotoxicity executed by immune T cells, and even by NK cells. Adoptive immune lymphocyte therapy of human cancer will be effectively resolved when technology develops for the neutralization of the TREG population.
Endoscopic Treatment of Biliary Acute Pancreatitis

Gallstones and alcohol represent the most common etiologic factors associated with over 80% of the cases of acute pancreatitis. There is an extensive list of other associated conditions (see Table 1), with approximately 10% of cases falling into the idiopathic category if a thorough investigation is carried out [1–4]. Gallstones are the most common single cause of acute pancreatitis in the United Kingdom [2, 5–7] and in certain parts of North America [8–10],
Software-Defined Network Solutions for Science Scenarios: Performance Testing Framework and Measurements

High-performance scientific workflows utilize supercomputers, scientific instruments, and large storage systems. Their executions require fast setup of a small number of dedicated network connections across the geographically distributed facility sites. We present Software-Defined Network (SDN) solutions consisting of site daemons that use dpctl, Floodlight, ONOS, or OpenDaylight controllers to set up these connections. The development of these SDN solutions could be quite disruptive to the infrastructure, while requiring a close coordination among multiple sites; in addition, the large number of possible controller and device combinations to investigate could make the infrastructure unavailable to regular users for extended periods of time. In response, we develop a Virtual Science Network Environment (VSNE) using virtual machines, Mininet, and custom scripts that support the development, testing, and evaluation of SDN solutions, without the constraints and expenses of multi-site physical infrastructures; furthermore, the chosen solutions can be directly transferred to production deployments. By complementing VSNE with a physical testbed, we conduct targeted performance tests of various SDN solutions to help choose the best candidates. In addition, we propose a switching response method to assess the setup times and throughput performances of different SDN solutions, and present experimental results that show their advantages and limitations.