cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Surgically Treated Hydrocephalus by Radionuclide Clearance Studies of the Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt

SUMMARY A simple radionuclide test is described which permits accurate assessment of shunt function in an out-patient setting. The results of 146 such tests in 96 patients are summarised. Three groups of patients were defined: in group A were those asymptomatic for raised intracranial pressure and with functioning shunts; in group B were those asymptomatic but with non-functioning shunts; and in group C were those symptomatic and with non-functioning shunts. The authors discuss the advantages of this method of testing, and the interesting finding that 21 of the 96 patients were no longer shunt-dependent. RESUME Un test simple d'epuration de substances radio-actives est decrit par l'auteur permettant une appreciation precise de fonction de shunts dans un groupe de consultants. Les resultats portent sur 146 tests chez 96 sujets. On peut distinguer trois groupes de malades: le groupe A est fait de sujets ne presentant pas de symptomes d'hypertension intracrânienne et ayant un shunt efficace; dans le groupe B, il n'y a pas non plus de symptomes d'hypertension intracrânienne mais le shunt ne fonctionne pas; dans le groupe C, il y a des manifestations d'hypertension intracrânienne avec un shunt ne fonctionnant pas. L'auteur discute les avantages de cette methode d'appreciation et le point interessant que 21 sujets sur 96 (groupe B) ne dependaient plus au moment de l'examen du shunt. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Es wird eine einfache Szintigraphiemethode beschrieben, mit der es moglich ist, in einer Ambulanz die Ventilfunktion genau zu beurteilen. Es wurden drei Patientengruppen gebildet: in Gruppe A waren die Patienten zusammengefast, die keine Symptome fur erhohten intracraniellen Druck boten und ein funktionierendes Ventil hatten; in Gruppe B die, die keine Symptome bei nicht funktionierendem Ventil hatten; und in Gruppe C die, die Symptome hatten bei nicht funktionierendem Ventil. Die Autoren diskutieren die Vorteile dieser Testmethode und der interessante Befund dabei ist, das 21 der 96 Patienten (Gruppe B) nicht mehr Ventil-abhangig waren. RESUMEN Se describe un simple test de aclaramiento de radionuclide que permite una valoracion de la funcion de derivacion en una visita ambulatoria. Se sumarizan los resultados de 146 de dichos tests en 96 pacientes. Fueron definidos tres grupos de pacientes; en A estan los asintomaticos, que no presentan sintomas de presion intracraneal aumentada y con derivaciones funcionantes; en B estan los asintomaticos pero con derivaciones no funcionantes; y en el grupo C, los sintomaticos y con derivaciones no funcionantes. Los autores discuten las ventajas de este metodo de valoracion y el hallazgo interesante de que 21 de los 96 pacientes (grupo B) ya no dependian de la derivacion.
Post-IL2 receptor blockade increases fas ligand expression and apoptosis in allospecifically-activated human helper T cells

Abstract Introduction: Pre-interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) blockade with cyclosporine (CsA) abrogates apoptosis of activated allospecific lymphocytes. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a post-IL-2R signaling molecule with anti-apoptotic effects. We examined the effects of rapamycin (RPM) and CsA on apoptosis and surface expression of the apoptotic mediators fas and fasL in human mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC). Methods: Peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated by Ficoll-Paque gradient centrifugation. Responder and irradiated stimulator cells were co-cultured with logfold concentrations of RPM or CsA. Cells were stained with PE-labeled anti-CD4 antibody and annexin-V and 7-AAD, FITC-labeled anti-fas antibody, or FITC-labeled anti-fasL antibody and analyzed by flow cytometry. Cells staining for annexin-V, but excluding 7-AAD, were interpreted as apoptotic. Results: While CsA treatment decreased CD4+ T cell surface expression of fasL by up to 60% by day 7, RPM increased fasL express by up to 40%. Interestingly, fas surface expression was decreased by both RPM (up to 83%) and CsA (up to 89%). RPM increased CD4+ T cell apoptosis by up to twofold, while CsA decreased apoptosis by up to 50%. Conclusions: Post-IL-2R blockade with RPM increases apoptosis of allospecifically-activated helper T cells. This effect is consistent with the antiapoptotic function of mTOR, and may explain the dissimilar apoptotic effects when compared to pre-IL-2R blockade with CsA. The increase in fasL expression, an apoptotic effector molecule, on the cell surface in response to post-IL2R blockade suggests a potential mechanism for this effect.
Calcium and salinity sensing by the thick ascending limb: a journey from mammals to fish and back again.

Calcium and salinity sensing by the thick ascending limb: A journey from mammals to fish and back again. The roles of the CaSR in endocrine, epithelial, CNS, and other cells have been reviewed previously 17-20,27-33 . This brief review focuses on the roles of the CaSR in the thick ascending limb of Henle (TAL), and is written in honor of my mentor and long-term friend and colleague, Thomas E. Andreoli, on the occasion of his retirement. My early studies of TAL function with Tom Andreoli were the inspiration for this work.
Astringency: a more stringent definition.

Despite being an everyday sensory experience, the nature of astringency perception is not clear. In this issue of Chemical Senses, Schobel et al. demonstrate that astringency is a trigeminal sensation in human, and astringents trigger a G protein-coupled pathway in trigeminal ganglion cells in the mouse.
Effects of Knowledge Management on Electronic Commerce: An Exploratory Study in Taiwan

The Internet-enabled e-commerce field provides capabilities for firms in all sectors to reach global buyers and suppliers. Knowledge management provides frameworks to manage intellectual capital as a valuable organizational and strategic resource. Current literature on e-commerce and knowledge management primarily emphasizes the benefit of knowledge management for innovative e-commerce operations. Do knowledge management practices significantly benefit electronic commerce? If so, does the relationship work in the other direction? Does a firmâ€™s e-commerce applications significantly benefit knowledge management practices, as well? To test these exploratory propositions, empirical data were collected from companies in a variety of industries in Taiwan, a country emphasizing e-commerce initiatives. The results revealed significant relationships between the way businesses implement electronic commerce projects and how they experiment with knowledge management concepts, as well as interesting benefits and difficulties in implementation. These relationships were found to operate in both directions, offering reinforcing effects as well as connections.
Ontogenic changes in seed weight and carbohydrate composition as related to growth of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit

Abstract Field experiments were conducted on pickling cucumbers (‘M-27’) to determine the ontogenetic relationships between seed dry weight, carbohydrate composition and fruit size as influenced by the cultural environment. In 1990, 360 fruit varying from 1.8 to 8 cm in diameter were harvested and the dry weight of 35 seeds randomly extracted from each fruit was measured. The 1991 experiment consisted of four planting times (4 and 17 June, 1 and 17 July) as treatments. Expansive fruit growth rate was measured and 20 seeds per fruit were extracted from fruit ranging in diameter from 4.0 to 5.8 cm. Mean seed dry weight (DW) increased in an exponential manner relative to fruit diameter, attaining a DW of over 10 mg in 7 cm diameter fruit. Environmental conditions in the separate plantings, during the period of reproductive development, affected the rate of fruit growth, as well as mean seed DW in 4.0 and 5.0 cm diameter fruit. The concentrations of sucrose, fructose and glucose in seed tissue were high early in embryogenesis (200 mg, 140 mg and 70 mg g−1 DW respectively), but declined to relatively low levels (60 mg, 37 mg and 14 mg g−1 DW) by the time the seed had reached approximately 2.5 mg per seed DW.
Progressive Taxation: An Aesthetic and Moral Defense

The power to tax is at once the power to create and the power to destroy. If the United States government hopes to discharge its primary duty as creator and protector of its citizens’ wealth, it must be willing to destroy wealth, from time to time, by redistributing it. More than any other tool, the means by which government finances and depletes its treasury affects the societal distribution of wealth. Differential taxation and targeted spending are the most significant and most effective means by which government can “gradually and continually...correct the distribution of wealth to prevent concentrations of power detrimental to the fair value of political liberty and fair equality of opportunity.” Redistribution and the attendant destruction of entrenched wealth serve as society’s ultimate weapons of “creative destruction.” Of the many forces that have propelled the United States to the economic, political, social, and military pinnacle of the modern world, its willingness to countenance radical technological and organizational upheaval probably ranks first. American prosperity depends on the federal government’s commitment to an economic environment in which citizens are able not only to amass large amounts of new wealth, but also to lose it in rapid and remorseless fashion.
Social Work Values, Welfare Reform, and Immigrant Citizenship Conflicts:

The article examines a values conflict between a client's family system, the client's social worker, and the United States government. A practice case illustrates how the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, commonly known as welfare reform, has forced immigrants to become American citizens, and thereby has caused strife and emotional distress to immigrants and their families. A citizenship choice conflict is analyzed through a values classification model. The social worker, who is caught in the middle of the conflict, must decide whether or not to uphold his clients decision not to become a citizen. A discussion follows, which explores the social worker's ethical dilemma, its outcome, and its justification.
Cation toxicity and the stability of transition-metal complexes.

DESPITE the many important contributions that have been made to the literature during the past century, no completely satisfactory theory of cation toxicity has been formulated. Blake1 first concluded that there was a correlation between degree of toxicity and atomic weight (hence ‘heavy-metal’ poisons). Matthews2 and Jones3 later pointed out a relationship between metal ion toxicity and the ‘solution pressure’ (standard electrode potential) of the corresponding metals. Seifriz4 considered various other chemical properties of the ions in his attempt to find a satisfactory chemical explanation for the relative toxicity of cations. Shaw5–7, basing his arguments on results obtained with enzymes, postulated that metal ions killed aquatic organisms by combining with an essential group (probably—SH) on a key enzyme. Correlation with metal sulphide insolubility was demonstrated. An attempt was also made6 to relate the relative inhibitory efficiency of bivalent metal ions toward the enzyme urease with metal complex stability. At that time (early 1953), however, the field of co-ordination chemistry had not reached a stage of sufficient maturity for such a comparison to be successfully made. The explosive growth that has occurred during the past decade in our knowledge of the chemistry of co-ordination compounds necessitates a re-examination of the intriguing possibility that there exists a relationship between metal complex stability and the toxicity of metal ions to living organisms.
Parallel-vector design sensitivity analysis in structural dynamics

This paper presents a parallel-vector algorithm for sensitivity calculations in linear structural dynamics. The proposed alternative formulation works efficiently with the reduced system of dynamic equations, since it eliminates the need for expensive and complicated based-vector derivatives, which are required in the conventional reduced system formulation. The relationship between the alternative formulation and the conventional reduced system formulation has been established, and it has been proven analytically that the two approaches are identical when all the mode shapes are included. This paper validates the proposed alternative algorithm through numerical experiments, where only a small number of mode shapes are used. In addition, a modified mode acceleration method is presented, thus not only the displacements but also the velocities and accelerations are shown to be improved.
Inverted Left Atrial Appendage Ligation Mimicking Thrombus

A 37-year-old man with a history of rheumatic heart disease who previously had undergone mitral and aortic valve replacement was referred to our institution for reoperation for paravalvular mitral regurgitation (MR). He presented with recurrent heart failure symptoms, and an outside transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) demonstrated moderately severe paravalvular MR as well as a mobile mass attached to the limbus of the left atrium. The patient had been taking warfarin for the past 1½ …
Pioglitazone inhibits the diabetogenic action of growth hormone, but not its ability to promote growth.

Analogs of thiazolidinedione improve the responsiveness of insulin-resistant animals to insulin. One such analog, pioglitazone (5-(4-[2-(5-ethyl-2-pyridinyl)ethoxy]benzyl)thiazolidine-2,4-dione hydrochloride), when fed to insulin-resistant animals such as the obese (ob/ob) mouse, reduces blood glucose and lipids and also lowers the plasma insulin level. Because GH can produce insulin resistance in humans and animals such as the ob/ob mouse, the present study was conducted to determine whether feeding pioglitazone can 1) inhibit the ability of GH to induce enhanced insulin resistance in obese mice, 2) ameliorate or reverse GH-induced insulin resistance once it has been induced in ob/ob mice, and 3) alter the ability of GH to promote growth in hypophysectomized rats. Female ob/ob mice were fed a control diet or a diet containing pioglitazone (20 mg/kg animal.day) for 4 days. During the last 3 days of the feeding period, the mice also received a daily sc injection of either saline or 200 micrograms S-carboxymethylated human GH (RCM-hGH), which is a GH derivative having mainly diabetogenic activity. In control-fed mice, RCM-hGH increased blood glucose and plasma insulin levels, which is an expected response to GH-induced insulin resistance. By contrast, the ability of RCM-hGH to increase blood glucose and plasma insulin levels was totally blocked in pioglitazone-fed mice. To determine whether pioglitazone can ameliorate GH-induced insulin resistance once it has been established, ob/ob mice were treated sc with either saline or 200 micrograms RCM-hGH for 3 days. Half of the saline-treated and half of the hormone-treated mice were then fed pioglitazone, whereas the remaining animals were continued on the control diet. After 48 h on the diets, the blood glucose and plasma insulin levels of the RCM-hGH treated mice fed the control diet remained elevated with respect to those in the saline-treated controls. On the other hand, the blood glucose and plasma insulin levels of the RCM-hGH treated mice fed pioglitazone were markedly reduced compared to those of the RCM-hGH-treated control-fed animals. Thus, these results suggest that pioglitazone can ameliorate GH-induced insulin resistance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Effects of clinical stage and immunological status on semen analysis results in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-seropositive men

Complete semen analyses including computer-assisted sperm motility and morphology assessments were performed to determine if semen and sperm differed between HIV-seropositive men and fertile controls, or differed with symptoms, or CD4+ peripheral cell count categories. Previous studies included small numbers of men and presented conflicting conclusions. Two hundred and fifty non-vasectomized HIV-seropositive men and 38 fertile controls each provided one semen sample. Non-parameteric statistics were used to analyse both continuous and nominal data. Fertile men had significantly greater semen volume, sperm concentration, percent motility, percent rapid and linear motility and total strictly normal spermatozoa than HIV seropositive men. Neither total number nor subtypes of leukocytes in semen differed between the two groups. Among the HIV seropositive men, significant differences in semen analyses were found between CD4+ cell count, clinical, and AIDS categories. Lower CD4+ cell counts (< 200 mm-3) were associated with significantly lower percent motility, percent normal sperm morphology by strict criteria, significantly more spermatids in semen, and higher percentages of teratozoospermia, oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and leukocytospermia. Healthier men, based on clinical categories, had significantly more normal shaped spermatozoa and fewer had azoospermia, oligoasthenoteratozoospermia or leukocytospermia. Many HIV-seropositive men have normal semen analyses, but as the disease progresses more defects are found, particularly in strict criteria sperm morphology.
PION PRODUCTION IN PROTON--BERYLLIUM COLLISIONS AT 12.4 GeV/c.

The absolute cross sections for ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$- and ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-meson production in proton-beryllium collisions at 12.4 GeV/c are reported. Measurements were made for laboratory production angles between 0 and 12\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and pion momenta between 2 and 6 GeV/c. All recent data for pion production in $p\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Be}$ collisions are fitted with an empirical relation first suggested by Sanford and Wang.
A general proof of consistency of heuristic classification for cognitive diagnosis models

The Asymptotic Classification Theory of Cognitive Diagnosis (Chiu et al., 2009, Psychometrika, 74, 633-665) determined the conditions that cognitive diagnosis models must satisfy so that the correct assignment of examinees to proficiency classes is guaranteed when non-parametric classification methods are used. These conditions have only been proven for the Deterministic Input Noisy Output AND gate model. For other cognitive diagnosis models, no theoretical legitimization exists for using non-parametric classification techniques for assigning examinees to proficiency classes. The specific statistical properties of different cognitive diagnosis models require tailored proofs of the conditions of the Asymptotic Classification Theory of Cognitive Diagnosis for each individual model – a tedious undertaking in light of the numerous models presented in the literature. In this paper a different way is presented to address this task. The unified mathematical framework of general cognitive diagnosis models is used as a theoretical basis for a general proof that under mild regularity conditions any cognitive diagnosis model is covered by the Asymptotic Classification Theory of Cognitive Diagnosis.
Control of one-carbon metabolism in a methionine-B12 auxotroph of Escherichia coli.

Abstract The control mechanisms of N5,10-methylene-H4-folate metabolism and de novo methyl group synthesis were studied in a mutant Escherichia coli K12, which is auxotrophic for either l -methionine or vitamin-B12. N5,10-Methylene-H4-folate reductase was found to be repressed at high media concentrations of l -methionine. Growth at high media concentrations of purines led to a partial repression of N5,10-methylene-H4-folate dehydrogenase. This enzyme was also found to be inhibited in vitro by purine ribonucleotide triphosphates, and the kinetics of the inhibition indicated that they were competitive with triphosphopyridine nucleotide. Tracer studies of the incorporation of 3-14C- l -serine into nucleic acid, protein, and phospholipid correlated with the preceding in vivo and in vitro effects.
Teaching the crisis management/communication course

Crisis management is not a specific content area mentioned in A Port of Entry, The Report of the Commission on Public Relations Education issued in 1999. However, crisis management moves the public relations role to the managerial function and requires the development of many skills and knowledge points mentioned in the report. A course or unit in crisis management/communication is an excellent way of teaching public relations theory, management concepts, information management, problem solving, and communication management. Crisis management also reinforces the value of following current events as real-time crises can be integrated into teaching. Through a unit or a course, crisis management/communication provides an engaging mechanism for teaching management-oriented concepts that every organization needs.
New directions in the study of medieval Andalusi music

The study of medieval Arabo‐Andalusian music has recently begun to play a more prominent role in medieval Iberian Studies. New directions have begun to open up and the field is currently moving forward using multiple new approaches. Important medieval texts, previously thought lost, have surfaced in recent decades creating a new body of evidence for scholars to interpret. In addition, a number of already well‐known texts are now being re‐evaluated from a musicological, rather than a purely literary, standpoint and are revealing significant new insights about the musical cultures of medieval Iberia. Painstaking research in a variety of different archives and collections has begun to offer a more detailed sense of the context of medieval musical performances, the lives of performers, their economic and social status, and so forth. And comparative studies across historical time periods and regional traditions are providing radical new interpretations of the history of certain musical structures, modes of tra...
Comparative in vitro activity of cefepime (BMY 28142) against multiresistant nosocomial isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The in vitro activity of a new parenteral cephalosporin cefepime (BMY 28142) was compared with that of ceftazidime, cefotaxime, piperacillin, imipenem, gentamicin, amikacin and ciprofloxacin against 173 recent multiresistantPseudomonas aeruginosa isolates of nosocomial origin using an agar dilution technique with an inoculum of 104 CFU per spot. The activity of cefepime was comparable to that of ceftazidime, superior to that of cefotaxime, piperacillin, gentamicin and amikacin, but inferior to that of imipenem and ciprofloxacin. Cross-resistance ofPseudomonas aeruginosa to ceftazidime and cefepime occurred in nearly 50% of the cefepime resistant strains and 61.5% of the ceftazidime resistant strains respectively.
Induction of plasmacytomas secreting antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies with a retrovirus expressing v-abl and c-myc.

Abstract ABL-MYC, a recombinant murine retrovirus that expresses v-abl and c-myc, rapidly induces transplantable mono- or oligoclonal plasmacytomas in BALB/c mice. To determine if the targets for transformation of this retrovirus are antigen-committed B lymphocytes and to explore this system as an alternative technique for producing antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies, plasmacytomas were induced in mice that had been immunized with two different types of immunogens, hen egg white lysozyme and sheep red blood cells. The majority of these plasmacytomas secreted immunogen-specific antibodies. Plasmacytomas induced in unimmunized mice did not react with hen egg white lysozyme or sheep red blood cells. The specific antibodies were comparable in concentration, specificity, and affinity to monoclonal antibodies obtained with conventional hybridoma technology, but, in addition to IgGs and IgMs, they included specific IgA antibodies, which are rare among splenic-derived hybridomas. Our results demonstrate that a principal target for ABL-MYC is an antigen-committed B lymphocyte. In addition this procedure provides an alternative method for the production of monoclonal antibodies, without a requirement for hetero-caryon formation by cell fusion techniques.
Effects of sequential feeding of β-adrenergic agonists on cull cow performance, carcass characteristics, and mRNA relative abundance

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of supplementation with a single β-adrenergic agonist (β-AA) or a sequence of β-AA on cow performance, carcass characteristics, and mRNA relative abundance of cull cows implanted and fed a concentrate diet. Sixty cull cows were implanted with Revalor-200 (200 mg of trenbolone acetate and 20 mg of estradiol) and assigned to 1 of 4 treatments (n = 15/treatment): CON = fed a concentrate diet only; RH = supplemented with ractopamine-HCl for the last 25 d before slaughter; ZH = supplemented with zilpaterol-HCl for 20 d before a 3-d withdrawal before slaughter; RH + ZH = supplemented with RH for 25 d, followed by ZH for 20 d before a 3-d withdrawal before slaughter. Ractopamine-HCl was supplemented at a dose of 200 mg·animal(-1)·d(-1), and ZH was supplemented at 8.33 mg/kg (100% DM basis) of feed. All cows were fed a concentrate diet for 74 d. Each treatment had 5 cows per pen and 3 replicate pens. Body weights were collected on d 1, 24, 51, and 72. Muscle biopsies from the LM were collected on d 24, 51, and at slaughter from a subsample of 3 cows per pen. Carcass traits were evaluated postslaughter. The 2 ZH treatments averaged 15.3 kg more BW gain, 0.20 kg greater ADG, and 7.8 cm(2) larger LM area than CON and RH treatments, and 21 kg more HCW than CON, but these differences were not significant (P > 0.10), likely due to a sample size of n = 15/treatment. The sequence of RH followed by ZH tended to optimize the combination of HCW, LM area, percent intramuscular fat, and lean color and maturity compared with the ZH treatment. Abundance of β(2)-adrenergic receptor (AR) mRNA was not altered in the RH + ZH treatment during RH supplementation from d 24 to 51 of feeding. However, the abundance of β(2)-AR mRNA increased (P < 0.05) the last 23 d of feeding for the RH treatment and tended (P = 0.10) to increase in ZH cows during ZH supplementation. For all cows, abundance of type IIa myosin heavy chain (MHC-IIa) mRNA decreased (P < 0.05) after 24 d of feeding. Abundance of MHC-IIx mRNA increased (P < 0.05) for ZH and RH + ZH treatments the last 23 d of feeding during ZH supplementation. Although few significant differences were observed in performance or carcass traits, mRNA quantification indicated that β-AA supplementation elicited a cellular response in cull cows. Implanting and feeding cull cows for 74 d, regardless of β-AA supplementation, added economic value by transitioning cows from a cull cow to what is referred to in industry as a white cow market in which cows have white fat resulting from grain feeding.
Characterization of γ-aminobutyric acid responses with sulfate loading in cat bladder neurons ☆

Abstract In some cells in cat bladder ganglia γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) applied iontophoretically produced a hyperpolarizing response accompanied by an increase in input conductance when recorded with potassium sulfate-filled microelectrodes. This GABA-induced hyperpolarization was blocked by bicuculline and was converted to a depolarizing GABA response when extracellular chloride concentration was low suggesting that the hyperpolarizing GABA response was mediated by the opening of chloride channels. In other cells, continuous passage of a small negative current converted a depolarizing GABA response to a hyperpolarizing response with time. This effect was accompanied by a negative shift of the reversal potential. These data indicated that injection of impermeable sulfate ions decreased the intracellular chloride concentration.
Particle-in-cell simulations of a lens on an f-plane

A particle-in-cell ansatz for solving the Euler equations in a rotating frame is described. The approach is ideally suited for "layered" models of flows with sharp density and velocity fronts. The material and Coriolis accelerations in the Euler equations are solved at each particle while the gradient accelerations are evaluated on a grid and interpolated at each time step to the particles. The height of each particle is fixed and, depending on the application may be constant for all particles or may vary from particle to particle. The approach is used here to predict the evolution of a lens in a layered model with lower layer outcropping. The integral invariant of the volume is conserved exactly and total energy and total angular momentum are conserved to within 3% throughout a 30 day simulation. Exceptional resolution of the density and velocity fronts is maintained during the simulation without imposing any numerical viscosity. the model also reproduces essential characteristics of analytic solutions to a parabolic shaped lens. This algorithm is well suited to parallel implementation; all of the calculations reported here were done on an IBM SP2. Performance speedup and execution time as a function of the number of processors is given.
If you’re so smart why are you ignorant? Epistemic causal paradoxes

1. Fantasia epistemologico-theologica Once before a time there was a god, who liked to be worshipped. So he liked his creatures to have enough intellectual extravagance to conjecture his existence. In fact, he liked his creatures to have intellectual extravagance. Such creatures reminded him of himself and relieved his loneliness. So he was willing to reward intellectually adventurous animals, whose tiny animae dared to conjecture about things they had no intrinsic hope of understanding. He was happy to reward such creatures by giving them a small but not quite miniscule chance of true belief. So created he animals, of a first and a second kind, and he created a universe for them to puzzle over. Animals of the first kind had intellectual extravagance, and he contrived the universe so that it bore a remote resemblance in some respects to the conjectures that the more daring of the animals would make, given the evidence they were capable of collecting. And to express his contempt for lowly life forms that stick to the bare facts he equipped animals of the second kind not only with an aversion to conjecture but also with patternrecognition capacities that were likely to miss many subtle twists of the evidence. Their predictions were likely to be wrong. You are one of these animals, though you don't know which kind. You have foraged some evidence. A daring explanation of it zips vaguely through your mind; you think thoughts about curled up multidimensional spaces and particles moving backwards in time. The explanation sums up patterns in the evidence that you can think of no other way to summarize. You are poised between the extravagant conclusion that the universe is in fact as conjectured, and the timid conclusion that future evidence is likely to conform to the pattern on which the conjecture gives a handy if dubious hold. You realize that this is just the sort of situation that the god was anticipating. (That there is such a god with such preferences is of course another daring conjecture, but you leave that out of the calculation.) So if you accept the extravagant conclusion you are most likely an animal of the first kind. Your explanation has a small chance of being true and a slightly larger chance of delivering true predictions. And if you accept the timid conclusion you are most likely an animal of the second kind. There are
Predictive value of 72-hour blastomere cell number on blastocyst development and success of subsequent transfer based on the degree of blastocyst development

Abstract Objective: To determine the predictive value of 72-hour blastomere cell number on blastocyst development and to compare success rates of subsequent transfer based on the degree of blastocyst development. Design: Retrospective clinical study. Setting: Private assisted reproductive technology center. Patient(s): Ninety-three women aged 32.0 ± 5.1 years undergoing oocyte retrieval for IVF. Intervention(s): Bipronucleate oocytes obtained from IVF were grown for up to 168 hours after fertilization and subsequently transferred at the blastocyst stage. Main Outcome Measure(s): Percentages of embryos developing to blastocyst from 72-hour embryos by blastomere cell number and subsequent implantation and pregnancy rates of transferred blastocysts. Result(s): Rates of blastocyst formation and expansion increased as cell numbers at 72 hours increased. Implantation rates were 43% for embryos transferred to women receiving only expanded blastocysts and 17% for embryos transferred to women receiving one or more less developed blastocysts. Pregnancy rates were higher for women receiving only expanded blastocysts than for women receiving one or more less developed blastocysts, although the difference was not significant. Conclusion(s): More developed 72-hour embryos are more likely to become blastocysts and expand. Implantation rates are greater for the transfer of expanded rather than unexpanded blastocysts.
Remarks on some aspects of language structure and their relevance to pattern analysis

Abstract Some specific aspects of language structure are examined in detail in the context of pattern analysis. In particular, a transformational grammar is constructed for a class of patterns, following the linguistic formulation very closely, by taking a simple example and working it out in detail. Many of the characteristics of the transformational grammars of linguists show up even in this simple example. The need for looking for grammars of different styles and the problem of making meaningful assignment of probabilities to sentences in the context of transformational grammars have also been briefly discussed.
Computer simulation of ion burst excitation in a plasma by nonlinear grid effects

Abstract The nonlinear excitation mechanism of ion bursts is simulated by using a large amplitude, Debye shielded, oscillating potential to approximate the sheath. Ballistic ions interact with the sheath, become bunched in space, time, and velocity and constitute an ion burst.
History of fern systematics at The New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden has had only two fern curators: L. M. Underwood (1896–1907) and J. T. Mickel (1969-present). Both curators published milestone manuals on the North American ferns and conducted research on tropical American pteridophytes. After Underwood’s death. J. K. Small, though not a fern curator, published manuals on the ferns of New York and the southeastern United States. The current fern program is a broad one, involving the herbarium, horticulture, and outside support groups.
Detection of Coronary Stenoses and Quantification of the Degree and Spatial Extent of Blood Flow Mismatch During Coronary Hyperemia With Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography

Background We hypothesized that the degree and spatial extent of blood flow mismatch in beds supplied by stenoses that are not flow-limiting at rest can be quantified with myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) using left atrial (LA) and right atrial (RA) injections of contrast during pharmacologically induced coronary hyperemia. Methods and Results In 12 open-chest dogs, MCE was performed and myocardial blood flow (MBF) was measured by use of radiolabeled microspheres at baseline and during phenylephrine-induced coronary hyperemia. In the presence of this drug, stenoses were placed during different stages on the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCx) coronary arteries, and MCE and MBF assessments were performed. LA injections of 2 mL of 0.5 billion/mL microbubbles (mean diameter, 4.3 μm) were performed at each stage in all 12 dogs, and RA injections of 10 mL of 6 billion/mL microbubbles (mean diameter, 3.7 to 5.3 μm) were administered in 7 dogs. MCE images in which the contrast disp...
Reaction kinetics between CO2 and oil-shale residual carbon. 2. Partial-pressure and catalytic-mineral effects

Abstract The partial-pressure dependence of the reaction of CO2 with residual organic carbon in retorted Colorado oil shale has been investigated. The reaction was found to depend on the 0.2 power of PCO2 for pressures between 20 and 100 kPa (≈0.2 to 1.0 atm). Because of this small PCO2 dependence, the simplification of Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics proposed by Ergun should well represent the inhibition effects of CO. This result is also compared to other work on pure carbons and coal chars. The effect of various pretreatments on the reactivity of the residual carbon has been investigated. Removal of mineral matter (primarily carbonates) by leaching with hydrochloric acid reduces the reactivity of the residual carbon by more than an order of magnitude. Surface area measurements indicate that the specific surface area of the residual carbon is reduced only slightly upon acid leaching. This implies that the carbon gasification is catalysed by mineral matter in the oil shale. A decrease in the reactivity of the residual carbon is also observed upon thermal treatment. It has been shown that the major cause for the decrease is the deactivation of mineral catalytic species.
Myelin gene expression in glia treated with oligodendroglial trophic factor

Oligodendroglia synthesize myelin in the CNS.in vitro, oligodendroglia may be identified by the binding of monoclonal antibodies against galactocerebroside, a myelin-specific galactolipid. Oligodendroglial trophic factor is a protein mitogen for cells of the oligodendroglial lineage. When oligodendroglia in cerebral white matter cultures are treated with oligodendroglial trophic factor, galactocerebroside-positive cells undergo mitosis but fail to express the myelin structural proteins, myelin basic protein and proteolipid protein. Oligodendroglia treated with oligodendroglial trophic factor, however, do express 2′, 3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase and myelin-associated glycoprotein in a manner similar to oligodendroglia treated with platelet-derived growth factor. Oligodendroglial trophic factor, therefore, generates a population of somewhat ‘immature’ oligodendroglia, which are galactocerebroside, myelin-associated glycoprotein and 2′, 3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′ phosphodiesterase positive but myelin basic protein and proteolipid protein negative.
Developing an arctic subsistence observation system

The goal of the Arctic Observing Network Social Indicators Project subsistence component is to assess the adequacy of existing subsistence harvest data to advance our understanding of arctic change and to serve as the basis for recommending steps that can improve the observation network. The assessment is based on a database developed to include 1521 place/year records for Alaska and northern Canada. Of these records, 641 include estimates of harvest of all resources. Separate harvest reports are available for 131 species. Annual harvests are expressed as kilograms of edible harvest per capita for years ranging from 1965 to 2007. One or more measures per decade of comprehensive harvest in the 1990s and 2000s exist for 50 of the 411 arctic North American communities. Based on these results, in most, but not all regions, available data on subsistence harvests in Arctic North America cannot support analysis of changes in harvest over time. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Community Subsistence Informat...
The Nature of Zn Precipitates Formed in the Presence of Pyrophyllite

The partitioning of Zn to the pyrophyllite surface was studied as a function of surface loading for periods up to 4 months. Examination of the reaction products using X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) indicated the formation of a Zn precipitate at each surface loading. Comparison of the local structure of the surface precipitates to the structure of various hydroxide- and carbonate-bearing phases indicates the formation of a Zn−Al layered double hydroxide (LDH). The solubility of Zn following aging in pyrophyllite systems indicated that the initial Zn−Al LDH precipitates transformed to a more stable form. Increased Zn stability in these experimental systems may be attributed to an increase in LDH crystallinity (Ostwald ripening) or incorporation of Si within the LDH interlayer leading to transformation to a phyllosilicate-like phase. Our results support formation of an LDH precipitate as a precursor to Zn fixation in soils abundant in aluminosilicate minerals. These results augment recen...
Child Care Policies and Programs: An International Overview

Child development research is more extensive and more sophisticated in the U.S. than in any other country. U.S. policymakers have access to more and better information about the factors known to enhance or impede good child development than those in almost any other country. Nonetheless, the U.S. lags far behind almost all the major advanced industrialized countries with regard to the supply, quality, and affordability of out-of-home child care services for children under compulsory school age. This article documents the availability and quality of child care services and related policies, primarily in northern and western European countries, the leaders in the field. It identifies and describes the policy choices that the Europeans have made regarding child care for young children of different ages, and it proposes a brief agenda for future comparative child care policy and program research.
Structure, Activity, and Distribution of Fish Osteocalcin *

Abstract Osteocalcin (bone Gla protein) is an extracellular matrix protein synthesized by osteoblasts that is a marker of bone. Osteocalcin probably originated in the ancestors of Teleostei or bony fish and of the Tetrapoda or amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. We have characterized theCyprinus carpio (carp) osteocalcin for mineral binding to hydroxyapatite, amino acid sequence, and extent of secondary structure. Hydroxyapatite binding is enhanced in the presence of calcium. The α-helical content of teleost osteocalcin increases and β-sheet structure decreases upon calcium binding, similar to findings in calf osteocalcin. The gene structure and primary sequence of prepro-osteocalcin from 2 pufferfish compared with carp shows that there are many conserved features in teleost osteocalcin genes. Using an immunoassay for carp osteocalcin, we determined that the relative content of osteocalcin is highest in dorsal fin spines and other bones and lowest in scales. The carp osteocalcin antibodies, cross-reactive to other species of fish, were used to study the role of osteocalcin in teleost model systems.
Use of high-concentration-short-time chlorine dioxide gas treatments for the inactivation of Salmonella enterica spp. inoculated onto Roma tomatoes.

Abstract Salmonella outbreaks have been recently linked to the consumption of fresh tomatoes. Thus, there is a need to develop systems that reduce the risk of microbial contamination to increase product shelf-life and keep fresh fruit attributes. The objectives of this study were to evaluate high-concentration-short-time chlorine dioxide gas treatments effects on Salmonella- inoculated Roma tomatoes and determine the optimal treatment conditions for microbial inactivation and shelf-life extension. Effects of ClO 2 concentration (2, 5, 8 and 10 mg/l) and exposure time (10, 30, 60, 120 and 180 s) on inoculated Roma tomatoes were studied. Salmonella enterica strains, serotype Montevideo, Javiana and Baildon, were used to experimentally inoculate the food product. After ClO 2 treatments, tomatoes were stored at room temperature for 28 days. Inherent microbial population, change in tomato color, and chlorine dioxide gas residuals were evaluated. ANOVA analysis showed that both ClO 2 concentration and treatment time were significant ( p Salmonella inactivation. Surviving Salmonella populations of 3.09, 2.17 and 1.16 log CFU/cm 2 were obtained treating tomatoes with 8 mg/l ClO 2 for 60 s, 10 mg/l ClO 2 for 120 s, and 10 mg/l for 180 s, respectively (initial Salmonella population: 6.03 ± 0.11 log CFU/cm 2 ). The selected treatments significantly reduced background microflora ( p p > 0.05), as compared to the control. Results suggest the potential for high-concentration-short-time treatments ClO 2 gas as an effective pathogen inactivation technology for large-scale produce packing operations.
Medical students' and housestaff's opinions of computerized order-writing

BACKGROUND. Greater use of computers has been touted as one way in which health care quality can be enhanced while reducing costs. The authors assessed factors associated with acceptance of computerized order-writing. METHOD. From April 1990 through October 1991 a survey was administered to 275 medi
Health Disparities and Children in Immigrant Families: A Research Agenda

Children in immigrant families now comprise 1 in 5 children in the United States. Eighty percent of them are US citizens, and 53% live in mixed-citizenship families. Their families are among the poorest, least educated, least insured, and least able to access health care. Nonetheless, these children demonstrate better-than-expected health status, a finding termed "the immigrant paradox" and one suggesting that cultural health behaviors among immigrant families might be protective in some areas of health. In this article the strength of the immigrant paradox, the effect of acculturation on health, and the relationships of acculturation, enculturation, language, and literacy skills to health disparities are reviewed. The current public policy issues that affect the health disparities of children of immigrant families are presented, and a research agenda for improving our knowledge about children in immigrant families to develop effective interventions and public policies that will reduce their health disparities is set forth.
Rotational kernels for conformal therapy.

Conformal therapy treatment planning involves determining an irradiation strategy to deliver a dose distribution which is optimized for a given tumor volume. A technique proposed by Brahme restricts the search for the optimal treatment strategy to x‐ray distributions in which points within the target volume are irradiated uniformly under rotation of the beam source around the patient. The dose distribution in this case may be calculated as a convolution of an irradiation weighting distribution with an invariant kernel. A procedure is described for calculating three‐dimensional kernels to be used for clinical treatment planning with x rays produced by an electron accelerator. The convolution kernel is calculated as the sum of pencil beams irradiating the center of a cylindrical phantom uniformly from all angles. The shape of the kernel at points off the center of the phantom is investigated by means of numerical calculations which support the assumption that the kernel is invariant with respect to position within the phantom. The calculated kernels are verified by comparison with experimentally measured rotational arc dose distributions.
Changing the Charmed Current

We propose as an addition to the conventional charm-changing charged current the $V+A$ current ${\overline{\mathcal{P}}}^{\ensuremath{'}}{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}(1\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{5})\mathfrak{N}$. It explains the observed enhancement of nonleptonic $\ensuremath{\Delta}I=\frac{1}{2}$ weak decays, allows low-lying charmed hadrons to decay comparably into strange and non-strange final states, predicts the appearance of ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}{l}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ (as well as ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}{l}^{+}$) dilepton events in neutrino interactions, and leads to copious quasielastic charm production by neutrinos.