cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A review of agitation in mental illness: treatment guidelines and current therapies.

BACKGROUND: Agitation is an important therapeutic target in the acute and/or emergent setting, as well as for longer-term care of patients with psychiatric illness. METHOD: Select reviews and guidelines published (from 2000 to 2006) on the treatment of agitation in various psychiatric disorders were evaluated. RESULTS: After maximizing the safety of all individuals in the presence of an acutely agitated patient, initial therapy generally involves verbal deescalation. Pharmacologic management of acute agitation relies on typical antipsychotics, particularly haloperidol; benzodiazepines; and atypical antipsychotics. The selection of a specific agent (or combination of agents) should be guided by etiologic considerations, efficacy of the drug(s), side effects, potential drug interactions, and drug formulation. Seclusion or restraints are treatments of last resort due to safety issues. CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional antipsychotics (e.g., haloperidol), preliminary evidence indicates that atypical antipsychotics effectively reduce agitation, are better tolerated, and have fewer side effects. After an acute episode, atypical agents also help ease the transition from intramuscular to oral medication to promote ongoing treatment. Language: en
Role of Mast Cells in Male Chronic Pelvic Pain

Purpose: Chronic pelvic pain syndrome accounts for 90% of all chronic prostatitis but it has an unknown pathogenesis. We sought to understand the role of mast cells and nerve growth factor in chronic pelvic pain.Materials and Methods: Expressed prostatic secretions in men with chronic pelvic pain syndrome and controls were tested for mast cell tryptase and nerve growth factor. Mast cell number, activation status and nerve growth factor expression were examined in the NOD/ShiLtJ experimental autoimmune prostatitis model and in mast cell deficient KitW-sh/KitW-sh mice. Tactile allodynia was quantified using von Frey filaments as a measure of pelvic pain behavior. Inhibitors of mast cell degranulation, histamine receptor antagonists and anti-nerve growth factor neutralizing antibodies were tested to decrease pelvic pain behavior.Results: Men with chronic pelvic pain syndrome showed increased mast cell tryptase and nerve growth factor in expressed prostatic secretions. In the experimental autoimmune prostatit...
Hypericum and Nurses: A Comprehensive Literature Review on the Efficacy of St. John's Wort in the Treatment of Depression

Purpose: Many patients look to complementary and alternative medicine for a herbal solution to depression. This literature review summarizes recently published research on the treatment of depressi...
Do Increased Proinsulin Concentrations Explain the Excess Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Diabetic and Prediabetic Subjects

Type 2 diabetes is associated with a marked increase in the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).1 In addition, small increases in glucose concentrations in the nondiabetic range also may be associated with an increased risk of CHD (see the Diabetes Epidemiology: Collaborative Analysis of Diagnostic Criteria in Europe [DECODE] study2). However, the increase in CHD in diabetic subjects may not be entirely due to increases in glucose levels per se, because in many studies, including the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS),3 although glucose levels were significantly related to CHD, the magnitude of the association is only modest. One explanation for the increased risk of CHD in diabetics may be the insulin resistance syndrome.4 A related possibility may be the atherogenicity of the prediabetic state.4 Indeed, insulin resistance, rather than decreased insulin secretion, seems to be most responsible for the increased cardiovascular risk factors in the prediabetic state (ie, increased triglyceride and blood pressure and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] even before the onset of diabetes).5 In some studies, insulin concentrations (as a surrogate for insulin resistance) have been strongly related to CHD6; however, in other studies that include meta-analysis, insulin concentrations have been only modestly associated with CHD.7 See Circulation . 2002;105:1311–1316 Until recently, most insulin immunoassays cross-reacted …
Using Students' Mathematical Inventiveness as a Foundation for Software Design: Toward a Tempered Constructivism.

Dynamic computer environments can facilitate students' active participation in the construction of mathematical concepts and techniques—a long-standing goal among educational reformers. This paper analyzes techniques developed by students in an open-ended computer activity, examines learning styles of inventive students, and discusses use of student-generated mathematical techniques in developing new software to (1) cultivate mathematical inventiveness in more students and (2) encourage students to relate their own techniques to more general mathematical ideas. New software was designed to provide an informal, interactive introduction to functions and related algebraic ideas. A fundamentally constructivist approach was supplemented with coaching available upon student request. Each type of function was targeted with a sequence of challenges, hints to support the challenges, and games for synthesis and application. Students combined algebraic techniques to construct functions and manipulated the functions to cause specific behaviors in their graphs. The software succeeded in accommodating diverse student learning styles, initiating students into use of a wider variety of techniques, and inducing students to take an interactive approach to constructing mathematical knowledge.
Interferon production by individual cells in culture

Abstract A simple tecnique is descibed which permits detection of the interferon released by individual cultured cells. The method has been employed to measure the fraction of induced human or murine fibroblast populations which actually release interferon. The results indicate that approximately 30% of mouse L-cells and 50% of human skin fibroblasts produce interfern after induction using Newscastle disease virus, and that approximately 50% of human and mouse cells produce interferon after induction using polyriboinosinate-polyribpcytidylate duplex.
Antibody formation in first and second generation offspring of nutritionally deprived rats

Prolonged partial restriction of calorie intake in young rats results in reduced growth, involution of lymphoid organs, and lymphopenia. After immunization with sheep red blood cells, the number of antibody-forming cells in the spleen and serum hemolysin titers are markedly reduced. The effect is more pronounced on the primary response and on immunoglobulin G antibody-forming cells. Significant impairment of antibody formation is detectable in the first (F1) and second (F2) generation offspring of starved Fo mothers.
A 9b 2GS/s 45mW 2X-interleaved ADC

A 9b 2GS/s ADC architecture interleaves a pair of two-stage pipeline ADCs to achieve high performance with a shared low-gain op-amp and a shared low-accuracy 2nd stage sub-ADC. This technique reduces area and eliminates the need to correct for gain and offset mismatch between channels. The ADC achieves a measured ENOB of 7.07b for a 1GHz signal input sampled at 2GS/s and consumes 45mW from a 1.0V supply, yielding an FOM of 167fJ/conversion-step.
APPLICANT REACTIONS TO SELECTION PROCEDURES

We note that applicant reactions to selection procedures may be of practical importance to employers because of influences on organizations’attractiveness to candidates, ethical and legal issues, and possible effects on selection procedure validity and utility. In Study 1, after reviewing sample items or brief descriptions of 14 selection tools, newly hired entry-level managers (n= 110) and recruiting/employment managers (n= 44) judged simulations, interviews, and cognitive tests with relatively concrete item-types (e.g., vocabulary, standard written English, mathematical word problems) to be significantly more job related than personality, biodata, and cognitive tests with relatively abstract item-types (e.g., quantitative comparisons, letter sets). A measure of new managers’cognitive abilities was positively correlated with their perceptions of the job relatedness of selection procedures. In Study 2, applicant reactions to a range of entry-level to professional civil service examinations (assessed immediately after tasting the exam) were positively related to (procedural and distributive) justice perceptions and willingness to recommend the employer to others (assessed one month after the exam, n= 460).
Stimulated emission in a three-level atom☆

Abstract We consider light amplification arising from the competition between absorption and stimulated emission of an excitation, which is induced by a monochromatic laser field at low intensities interacting with a three-level atom. The lifetime of the induced excitation 105–106 times longer than those of excitations spontaneously emitted. Conditions are established under which the stimulated emission prevails over the induced absorption, and the net negative intensity is 102–103 times greater than that of excitations spontaneously emitted, indicating that significant amplification occurs near the frequency of the laser field.
Influence of Extreme Temperatures on Consumption and Condition of Walleyes in Pymatuning Sanctuary, Pennsylvania

Abstract Temperature is an important abiotic factor affecting fish population dynamics. An unfavorable thermal regimen can restrict a species' ability to thrive in its environment. We studied the effects of an unfavorable thermal regimen on the feeding, condition, and growth of an unexploited population of walleyes Stizostedion vitreum in Pymatuning Sanctuary, Pennsylvania. We used gastric lavage to sample stomach contents of walleyes captured by electrofishing during bimonthly sampling from May through October, 1997–1998. We sampled available forage by shoreline seining and recorded water temperatures using an electronic temperature monitor. To determine the effects of temperature on walleye feeding, condition, and growth, we examined relationships among water temperature, forage availability, percentage of stomachs containing food, food consumption by number and volume, and relative weight of adults. Average daily temperature and daily minimum temperature were above the thermal optimum (22°C) for most o...
7 Degrees of Freedom Passive Exoskeleton for Human Gait Analysis: Human Joint Motion Sensing and Torque Estimation During Walking

Abstract In order to provide insightful information for the effective diagnosis of a patient's abnormal gait, this paper presents a 7-DOF passive exoskeleton which can deliver both kinematic information and estimated human joint torque during walking. This paper introduces both a hardware implementation and an algorithm to obtain kinematic information and human joint torque. To measure the joint kinematic and ground contact force; encoders, gyroscopes and smart shoes are used and attached to the passive exoskeleton. However, human joint torque information cannot be directly measured due to the impracticality of installing a torque sensor inside the human joint. Therefore, a dynamic model of human walking used for estimating the human joint torque is proposed. Since the kinematic constraints of the lower-limb extremity during walking vary depending on gait phases, the dynamic model of human walking is described by multiple sub-dynamic models, which are derived using Lagrangian mechanics. The joint kinematic measurements and estimated human joint torque results are verified by experiments.
Focal Microinjection of γ-Acetylenic GABA into the Rat Entorhinal Cortex: Behavioral and Electroencephalographic Abnormalities and Preferential Neuron Loss in Layer III

Neuron loss in layer III of the entorhinal cortex (EC) occurs in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and in several animal models of the disease and may play a role in the development of spontaneously recurring seizures. This damage can be reproduced in rats by a focal microinjection of the indirect excitotoxin aminooxyacetic acid into the EC (Neurosci. Lett., 147: 185, 1992). We have now examined a similar but approximately 20 times more potent toxin, gamma-acetylenic GABA (GAG), for its ability to produce seizures and neurodegeneration in the rat EC. EEG activity was recorded continuously for 48 h after a focal injection of 4 micrograms GAG into the rat EC. Seizure episodes, spiking, and other irregularities occurred with a latency of 150 min. Behavioral abnormalities were observed in all animals and were always accompanied by EEG seizures. The behavioral changes subsided gradually, but EEG seizures continued up to 24 h after GAG treatment. Nissl and silver-stained tissue sections obtained 2-3 days after the injection of 4 micrograms GAG revealed neuron loss which preferentially affected the medial part of layer III of the EC, and caused a modest lesion in the hilar region of the ventral hippocampus. The neurodegenerative potency of GAG, in contrast to the effects of aminooxyacetic acid, was not influenced by the depth of anesthesia during surgery. A slight increase in the dose of GAG (to 5 micrograms) resulted in more severe behavioral seizures, causing generalized convulsions with salivation and loss of righting posture in 3 of 13 rats. These animals also showed a marked enlargement of the lesioned area, with substantial neuronal loss occurring in layer III of the EC, in the hilus of the dentate gyrus, and occasionally also in homotopic structures of the contralateral hemisphere. Seizure activity and lesions induced by 4 micrograms GAG were prevented by the NMDA receptor antagonist Dizolcipine (MK-801) (4 mg/kg, i.p., 10 min before and 12 h after GAG). These data support the notion of a close correlation between the occurrence of seizures and neuronal loss in layer III of the EC. Taken together, the study suggests that intraentorhinal injections of GAG may provide an advantageous model for the study of epileptogenic and epileptic mechanisms.
Emerging problems in the cell biology of lipids

Abstract A recent surge of interest in the cell biology of lipids is likely to lead to major advances in our understanding of the functional roles of lipids, mechanisms of intracellular lipid transport, and the regulation of membrane lipid composition, in the near future.
Comparison of various vascular beds in man; their responses to a simple vasodilator stimulus.

Blood flow to the extremities and kidneys was measured simultaneously in normal subjects, hypertensive patients and patients with obliterative arterial disease of the lower extremities. The latter group showed diminished basal flow in the lower extremities, increased basal flow in the upper extremities, and a delayed and diminished response to reflex heating, compared with the normal and hypertensive subjects. In all three groups, the increase in extremity blood flow was regularly accompanied by a concomitant decrease in renal blood flow. No significant change in arterial pressure was observed.
Review of L. Jacoby and L. Siminoff, eds., Empirical Methods for Bioethics: A Primer 1

Fifteen years ago, empirical bioethics was a very esoteric concept even within the field of bioethics. If you wanted to work in bioethics, you studied medicine, philosophy, law, or religion. Progra...
Focal splenic lesions in type I Gaucher disease are associated with poor platelet and splenic response to macrophage-targeted enzyme replacement therapy

Focal splenic lesions (FSL) occur in Gaucher disease type I (GD1), but their clinical significance is not known. Previous studies estimated the prevalence of FSL at 4% (pediatric) to 33% (adult) of GD1 patients and reported an association with splenomegaly. We tested the hypothesis that the presence of FSL is associated with suboptimal response to macrophage-directed enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Additionally we investigated whether FSL were associated with other phenotypic features of GD1. The splenic parenchyma was assessed by MRI performed for routine evaluation of GD1 in 239 consecutive GD1 patients with intact spleens. The prevalence of FSL was 18.4% (44/239). Following a mean of 3.5 years of ERT, platelet response was inferior among patients with FSL (80,700 ± 9,600 to 90,100 ± 7,200/mm3 , P = 0.2) compared to patients without FSL in whom there was a robust platelet response: 108,600 ± 5,670 to 150,200 ± 6,710/mm3, P < 0.001. Compared to patients without FSL, patients harboring FSL had worse thrombocytopenia (platelet count: 83,700 ± 8,800 vs. 112,100 ± 4,200/mm3, P = 0.004), greater frequency of pre-ERT splenomegaly, and greater post-ERT splenomegaly (8.5 ± 0.77 vs. 4.8 ± 0.25× normal, P < 0.001). Additionally, the prevalence of osteonecrosis was higher among patients with FSL compared to patients without FSL (38 vs. 20.7%, P = 0.026). FSL appear to be a determinant of response to ERT, suggesting studies comparing relative efficacy of newly emerging therapies for GD1 should adjust for this factor. Moreover, occurrences of FSL coincide with more severe manifestations of GD1 such as avascular osteonecrosis.
A comparative study of th Ca2+-Mg2+ dependent ATPase from skeletal muscles of young, adult and old rats

Abstract Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles isolated from skeletal muscle of Sprague—Dawley rats ranging in age from 4 months to 28 months were studied and comapred. A marked decline, with age, was observed in the amount of (total) SR proteins isolated per gram of muscle tisue used. This decline is in line with the known loss of muscle fiber mass and size with advancing age; however, whether the magnitudes of these two effects are indeed identical, remains to be studied. In contrast, no analogous age-related change was detected in the amount of SR protein per unit mass of rat cardiac muscle. The calcium contents, per mg protein, in SR vesicles isolated from rats of all age groups studied did not differ significantly, and represented only a small fraction of the total capacity of the vesicles for this cation. This capacity was found to decline at old age and this effect, combined with the age-related decrease in the concentration of SR proteins in the tissue, indicate a significant decline in calcium sequestration ability in old muscle. Both basal (Ca 2+ independent) and calcium stimulated ATPase activities were found not to be affected by age. In contrast, the efficiency of Ca 2+ transport across the SR membrane, as reflected by the number of calcium ions pumped into the vesicles per ATP cleaved, declined from a value of 0.37 at 3–4 months to 0.15 at 24 months. This change may represent an age-related reduction in the fraction of coupled SR vesicles, possibly due to alterations in the membrane. SR vesicle preparations from both young and old rats displayed strongly biphasic inactivation kinetics when incubated at 37°C. This may reflect the heterogeneity of muscles in the tissue used, or be due to the presence of a mixture of coupled and uncoupled vesicles in the SR preparations. The rate of the first step in the ATPase inactivation, in which about 75% of the activity is lost, was found to be affected by age, the old SR vesicles being markedly more labile than their young counterparts. In contrast, no difference was detected between the inactivation kinetics of young and old ATPase proteins dissolved in Triton X 100 and the inactivation was monophasic down to less than 6% of the original activity. These results indicate that the age-related modifications in the stability of the SR calcium pump system involve the membrane but not the ATPase protein. The inactivation of the SR ATPase is believed to proceed via dissociation of the dimeric enzyme to (unstable) subunits. Its is therefore likely that changes in the SR membrane in old muscle render the ATPase more dissociable.
Automatic Techniques, Large Computers, and Engineering Calculations

This three-part paper first discusses (a) large-scale computers preparing automation; (b) computing devices in the automatized plant; (c) computing devices and engineering calculations. Next the author discusses the organization of a computing laboratory for engineering calculations. In the final part some implications of automation and large computing devices are considered.
Tratamiento quirúrgico de la hipertrofia benigna de próstata: resección bipolar y tratamientos con láser

La hiperplasia benigna de prostata (HBP) es un diagnostico histologico correspondiente a la proliferacion de celulas musculares lisas y de celulas epiteliales en la zona de transicion de la prostata. La frecuencia creciente del diagnostico se explica por el envejecimiento de la poblacion, con una esperanza de vida en aumento y una tendencia a solicitar una consulta medica desde el estadio precoz de la enfermedad. Los progresos en la comprension de la epidemiologia y de la fisiopatologia de la HBP han provocado numerosos cambios en el tratamiento de este cuadro. La aparicion de nuevos tratamientos medicos y quirurgicos de la HBP ofrece en la actualidad un amplio abanico de opciones terapeuticas para los sintomas del tracto urinario inferior secundarios a una HBP (trastornos del tracto urinario inferior [TTUI]/HBP). En la actualidad, gracias a una amplia gama de opciones terapeuticas, se pueden plantear nuevos tratamientos intervencionistas a los pacientes, que deben ser informados de estas alternativas terapeuticas disponibles, aceptables y aplicables a su estado clinico, asi como de las ventajas, los riesgos y los costes de cada modalidad, para que puedan participar activamente en la eleccion del tratamiento. En este estudio, se han evaluado y comparado los distintos avances terapeuticos de los TTUI/HBP.
Interactions of human leukocyte interferon with vinca alkaloids and other chemotherapeutic agents against human tumors in clonogenic assay

Purified human leukocyte interferon produced by recombinant techniques (IFN-αA) was tested in vitro with chemotherapeutic drugs, vinblastine (VLB), vincristine (VCR), vindesine (VDS), vinzolidine (VZL), cis-platinum (PLAT), doxorubicin (DOXO), etoposide (VP-16), and melphalan (MEL).
Transverse momentum of particles emitted in 4.2 GeV proton-proton collisions

The transverse momentum spectra of pions and protons produced in inelastic 4.2 GeV proton-proton collisions are presented. Shapes of the observed momentum spectra seem to be independent of the number of particles produced in an interaction ; however, the observed proton momenta tend toward higher values (by about a factor of 2) than the observed pion momenta. A transverse momentum spectrum for elastically scattered protons is compared to the proton spectrum from inelastic events. Good agreement is obtained for momenta above 300 MeV/c. Values of the proton transverse momentum less than about 100 MeV/c are much more probable for elastically scattered protons, while values around 150 MeV/c appear more probable for inelastically scattered protons.
Effects of Design and Site Factors on Roughness Development in Flexible Pavements

This paper presents the relative influence of design and site factors on roughness development of in-service flexible pavements. The data from the specific pavement study (SPS)-1 experiment of the long-term pavement performance program were used to investigate the effects of asphalt concrete surface layer thickness, base type, base thickness, and drainage on roughness growth of flexible pavements constructed in different site conditions (subgrade type and climate). Since this is the first comprehensive study involving the SPS-1 experiment, a thorough data analysis methodology was adopted. The result of the analyses shows that among the design factors, base type was found to have the most significant effect on roughness progression. The pavement sections with asphalt-treated bases showed the best performance. Drainage and base type, when combined, also played an important role in inhibiting roughness, while base thickness has only secondary effects. In addition, climatic conditions were found to have considerable influence. Pavement sections in the wet-freeze zone exhibited a higher roughness increase. In general, pavements built on fine-grained soils have shown the worst roughness levels over time. Important interactions between design and site factors were identified; these should provide new insights in enhancing long-term flexible pavement performance.
The effect of wire plane tilt and olive wires on proximal tibia fracture fragment stability and fracture site motion.

To analyze the effect of the tilt angle relationship between the crossed wire plane and the bone axis on the stiffness of fine wire external fixation, load-deformation behavior was compared across different tilt angles (0°, 10°, and 20°) of the plane containing crossed smooth or olive wires under identical conditions of central axial compression, medial compression-bending, posterior compression-bending, posteromedial compression-bending, and torsion. Stiffness values were calculated from the load-deformation and torque-angle curves. A tilt angle of 20° with olive wires provided significantly greater stiffness compared to smooth wires at any angle in any loading condition (p<0.05). A tilt angle of 20° with olive wires was also significantly more stiff than a tilt angle of 0° with olive wires in any loading condition. In torsion, olive wires with 10° and 20° tilt were not significantly different, while in posterior bending olive wires with 10° tilt were significantly stiffer than olive wires with 0° or 20° tilt. With smooth wires, tilting the wire plane caused a decrease in stiffness in posterior bending, posteromedial bending, and torsion. Overall, the use of olive wires in conjunction with tilting the wire plane enhances the fixation stiffness for proximal tibia fractures while allowing more options for wire configurations that avoid neurovascular and musculotendinous structures, and wounds.
Science as a cultural construct

Scientific knowledge is a communal belief system with a dubious grip on reality, according to a widely quoted school of sociologists. But they ignore crucial evidence that contradicts this allegation.
Shock measurement with non-contacting fiber optic levers

Abstract The displacement, velocity, and acceleration performance limits of a non-contacting fiber optic lever vibration transducer are quantified. Performance characteristics are experimentally verified and measurements of displacement, velocity, and acceleration obtained from impacted plates are compared with those obtained by using conventional accelerometers. It is shown that all relevant transducer quantities, i.e., absolute maximum and minimum levels, dynamic range, and frequency response, lend themselves to quantification (or optimization) on a single graphic representation. The transducer is particularly useful for measuring high frequency shock parameters.
The nuclear channel system in endometrial adenocarcinoma exposed to medroxyprogesterone acetate

The nuclear channel system (NCS), giant mitochondria and subnuclear glycogen form a triad of ultrastructural features observed in normal human endometrial epithelium in response to progestational steroids. Both the giant mitochondria and subnuclear glycogen have been described in endometrial adenocarcinoma, but the NCS has not. This article reports the development of the NCS in adenocarcinoma treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate. Previous studies suggest that the NCS in normal tissue is a response to the acyl group in the 17-beta position of the D-ring of some progestational steroids, such as medroxyprogesterone acetate. Medroxyprogesterone acetate was administered to 12 postmenopausal women with endometrial adenocarcinoma. Hysterectomies were performed 8 to 20 days after treatment. Pretreatment specimens were also obtained on 8 of the 12 patients. Using standard electron microscopy procedures, light microscopy on plastic semithin sections was first used to confirm the presence of tumor. Thin sections of malignant endometrium were prepared and evaluated ultrastructurally for progestational alterations. Abnormal giant mitochondria and subnuclear glycogen were found both before and after treatment. The third element of the triad, the NCS, was not observed in any of the available pretreatment biopsies, but was seen in three of the treated specimens. Thus it appears that the NCS is a response to the given progesterone therapy.
Cardiac Noradrenergic Mechanisms Mediate GABA-Enhanced Ouabain Cardiotoxicity

Peripherally administered gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) alters cardiovascular function and has been reported to enhance ouabain-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo. Control and reserpinized rat hearts were perfused in vitro to determine if GABA directly evokes bradycardia by GABAa receptors, interacts with ouabain, and if noradrenergic mechanisms are required. Also, double-staining immunohistochemistry was employed to determine whether GABA-ergic and noradrenergic synthetic enzymes were juxtaposed within atrial tissue. The main results were as follows. GABA produced a dose-dependent bradycardia (p A receptors in Langendorff-perfused hearts. Reserpinized hearts were unresponsive (p > 0.05) to GABA, except at the highest dose (20 mg/ml). Oubain-induced cardiotoxicity was enhanced (p
Superstructure ordering in lanthanum doped lead zinc niobate

Abstract Single crystals of pure and lanthanum doped lead zinc niobate, Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3, were studied by synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction. Chemical ordering between the B-site ions of Zn and Nb results in superstructure peaks at the (h+1/2, k+1/2, l+1/2) positions. In comparison with earlier work on lead magnesium niobate, we find that the chemically ordered regions of PZN are much smaller. Doping with La greatly increased their size, while causing a decrease and broader transition in the measurement of dielectric constant versus temperature. Crystallographic analysis of the superstructure peaks in 10% La-PZN revealed a similar structure to 10% La-PMN, only with a larger oxygen displacement. This reflects the larger size difference that exists between Zn and Nb compared with Mg and Nb. The oxygen displacement within the ordered regions was 0.055(6) A along a 〈100〉 direction towards the Nb ion. This result in 10% La-PZN is consistent with a “random layer” model of ordering between a B′ site of Zn2/3Nb1/3 and a B″ site of Nb.
Validity and Reliability of a Classroom Heart-Rate Collection Procedure, with Application for Assessing Arousal Related to Test Anticipation

Measures of cardiac reactivity can be very effective classroom tools for conducting educational activities in psychology courses. Sophisticated laboratory methods provide valid and reliable data, b...
A doubly salient doubly excited variable reluctance motor

A new variable reluctance motor is introduced to help solve the energy circulation problems which exist during commutation in conventional variable reluctance motors (VRM's). The new motor design enables the energy stored in the magnetic field to be retained and utilized within the motor, instead of being returned to the source. The operating principles of the motor and associated converters are presented. The analysis shows that by employing both short pitch and full pitch windings, this new motor can eliminate the two problems without extra conductors in the slots. As a result, the new motor has the following important performance advantages over conventional VRM's: (1) It allows a significant improvement in the turn-off process and therefore allows higher speed capacity; (2) it has higher output with the same or higher efficiency with the same output because of the improvement on the turn-off performance and due to the utilization of the trapped energy; (3) the machine can have a higher output with the same power converter because of the improvement of the energy conversion ratio.
Common sense community: scaffolding mobile sensing and analysis for novice users

As sensing technologies become increasingly distributed and democratized, citizens and novice users are becoming responsible for the kinds of data collection and analysis that have traditionally been the purview of professional scientists and analysts. Leveraging this citizen engagement effectively, however, requires not only tools for sensing and data collection but also mechanisms for understanding and utilizing input from both novice and expert stakeholders. When successful, this process can result in actionable findings that leverage and engage community members and build on their experiences and observations. We explored this process of knowledge production through several dozen interviews with novice community members, scientists, and regulators as part of the design of a mobile air quality monitoring system. From these interviews, we derived design principles and a framework for describing data collection and knowledge generation in citizen science settings, culminating in the user-centered design of a system for community analysis of air quality data. Unlike prior systems, ours breaks analysis tasks into discrete mini-applications designed to facilitate and scaffold novice contributions. An evaluation we conducted with community members in an area with air quality concerns indicates that these mini-applications help participants identify relevant phenomena and generate local knowledge contributions.
Evaluating adaptability in frameworks that support morphing collaboration patterns

This paper emphasizes the need for systems to be adaptable due to the manner in which groups collaborate over the lifetime of a project. It is observed that humans tend to adopt patterns of behavior when collaborating and these patterns tend to morph over a project's lifecycle. We identify the factors that cause such change along with the challenges that such evolving patterns pose on existing collaborative information systems. We propose a method to assess the adaptability of systems in ensuring that they can accommodate this change. Adaptability assessment is an essential criterion in the evaluation of a collaborative system.
Finding optimal solutions to the twenty-four puzzle

We have found the first optimal solutions to random instances of the Twenty-Four Puzzle, the 5 × 5 version of the well-known sliding-tile puzzles. Our new contribution to this problem is a more powerful admissible heuristic function. We present a general theory for the automatic discovery of such heuristics, which is based on considering multiple subgoals simultaneously. In addition, we apply a technique for pruning duplicate nodes in depth-first search using a finitestate machine. Finally, we observe that as heuristic search problems are scaled up, more powerful heuristic functions become both necessary and cost-effective.
Neutron Scattering and Nature of the Soft Optical Phonon in SrTiO 3

Measurements of neutron scattering from an SrTiO 3 crystal have been carried out in the temperature range from 4.5°K to 300°K. The integrated intensity of inelastically scattered neutrons due to excitation of the soft optical phonon was observed at various reciprocal lattice points at room temperature. The structure factors deduced from the observed intensities are in qualitative agreement with Slater's model of ionic movement. A strong anisotropy of the dispersion surface of the soft mode in reciprocal space was observed around q =0, the direction of the lowest frequency being along [100]. The intrinsic energy width of the soft mode shows a gradual in crease with increasing temperature from 0.22MeV (20°K) to 0.85MeV (250°K). The experimental results indicate that in SrTiO 3 , the polarization fluctuation is entirely due to the excitation of optical phonons and the phonon system can be treated as a quasi-harmonic system over the temperature range from 4.5°K to 300°K.
Sensors + agents + networks = aware agents

Software agents are being deployed in increasing numbers to help users find and manage information, particularly in open environments such as the Internet. For the most part, they operate independently and are typically designed to be aware only of their users and the environment in which they perform their tasks. Thus, they fail to take advantage of each other's abilities or results. For example, a shopping agent might periodically access several online databases to find the best price for a music CD and then purchase it if the price falls below its user's threshold. Other agents might be tracking prices for the same CD, duplicating each other's work. Similarly, if your agent and an agent for the person in the next cubicle are both browsing the same Web site, two identical data streams arrive on your LAN, using twice the bandwidth actually needed. To be more effective, agents must be aware of each other; therefore, they must acquire models of each other. One way to do this is by exchanging messages. A second form of awareness involves the state of the agent's own environment, including characteristics of the computer on which it is executing and its network connection. A third involves self awareness: knowing its name, age, ontology, goals, areas of expertise and ignorance, and reasoning abilities. Finally, the agent should be aware of its physical environment. The article explains how software agents can develop awareness.
Accounting Since Enron

In recent years we have been inundated with news of corporations under investigation because of questionable accounting practices. In the worst case scenarios, companies such as Enron have gone bankrupt and ceased to exist because of lack of oversight and controls. Greedy high-level executives have lived a lavish life-style at the expense of millions of shareholders. Thousands of employees have lost their life savings and livelihood. This type of creative accounting practices opened the door for legislation in the form of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act which was signed into law on July 30, 2002. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), NASDAQ, and the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) have followed suit with regulatory proposals of their own that go above and beyond the requirements of the Act. Today audit committees are playing an increasingly key role in the oversight and governance of business institutions all over the world.
Locomotor networks are targets of modulation by sensory transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 and transient receptor potential melastatin 8 channels.

It is well recognized that proprioceptive afferent inputs can control the timing and pattern of locomotion. C and Aδ afferents can also affect locomotion but an unresolved issue is the identity of the subsets of these afferents that encode defined modalities. Over the last decade, the transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels have emerged as a family of non-selective cation conductances that can label specific subsets of afferents. We focus on a class of TRPs known as ThermoTRPs which are well known to be sensor receptors that transduce changes in heat and cold. ThermoTRPs are known to help encode somatosensation and painful stimuli, and receptors have been found on C and Aδ afferents with central projections onto dorsal horn laminae. Here we show, using in vitro neonatal mouse spinal cord preparations, that activation of both spinal and peripheral transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) afferent terminals modulates central pattern generators (CPGs). Capsaicin or menthol and cooling modulated both sacrocaudal afferent (SCA) evoked and monoaminergic drug-induced rhythmic locomotor-like activity in spinal cords from wild type but not TRPV1-null (trpv1−/−) or TRPM8-null (trpm8−/−) mice, respectively. Capsaicin induced an initial increase in excitability of the lumbar motor networks, while menthol or cooling caused a decrease in excitability. Capsaicin and menthol actions on CPGs involved excitatory and inhibitory glutamatergic mechanisms, respectively. These results for the first time show that dedicated pathways of somatosensation and pain identified by TRPV1 or TRPM8 can target spinal locomotor CPGs.
Aperiodic complementary sets of sequences-based MIMO frequency selective channel estimation

Accurate estimation of MIMO frequency selective fading channels is important for reliable communication. In this letter, a new channel estimator which relies on aperiodic complementary sets of sequences is proposed. Theoretical analysis and Monte-Carlo simulation have shown that it achieves the minimum possible Cramer-Rao lower bound. A low-complexity hardware implementation of the estimator is also provided.
Response to invited commentary: "Event-based versus process-based informed consent to address scientific evidence and uncertainties in ionizing medical imaging" by Recchia et al

We thank Prof. Vock for his noteworthy and constructive commentary [1]. This gives us the opportunity to briefly provide additional observations to elaborate this topic further. We agree with Prof. Vock that our theoretical approach [2] may not be applied in a non-invasive and low-dose medical imaging. Nevertheless, this makes the innovation that we are trying to develop even more challenging. We are all discussing about something similar to a “paradigm shift”, in the sense described by Kuhn [3]: (a) presenting results “sufficiently unprecedented to attract an enduring group of adherents away from competing modes of scientific activity” and (b) “being sufficiently open-ended to leave all sorts of problems for the redefined group of practitioners to solve.”
Accuracy of cystoscopy in the diagnosis of ureteral injury in benign gynecologic surgery.

The authors, Dandolu et al. [1], and the editor (see ‘‘Editorial Comment’’ to [1]) conclude that in instances of partial ureteral obstruction cystoscopy is inadequate for detection. This leaves the patient in the lurch. This clinical situation is one of many where patients could benefit from better cross-training between gynecology and urology. During cystoscopy, retrograde pyelography would be definitive. In patients at risk for ureteral injury, pelvic surgery could be performed on a table suitable for the use of a C-arm. It would be a simple matter to perform retrograde pyelography at the time of cystoscopy. If the study reveals kinking, partial or total obstruction and if the obstruction is due to absorbable sutures, the patient may merely require the insertion of an indwelling ureteral stent. The advent of TVT has brought about significant communication between gynecology and urology. Unfortunately, the development of a combined fellowship between the two specialties seems to be floundering. There are many clinical situations where cross-training and better communication between the specialties would benefit patient care. This article could serve as a stimulus for the beginning of regular combined section meetings between the specialties at both academic centers and community hospitals.
Comment on Gaulin and Schlegel (1980)

Abstract In this comment we examine the data Gaulin and Schlegel [ Ethology and Sociobiology 1:301–309 (1980)] used to test a sociobiological hypothesis relating male parental certainty with investment practices. We conclude that methodological flaws invalidate the results of their tests.
Electrical isolation design and electrochemical corrosion in thin-film photovoltaic modules

The development of a proposed wet insulation-resistance qualification test specification for production-line modules is presented., Laboratory research directed toward understanding and eliminating problems associated with electrical isolation of thin-film photovoltaic module circuitry is presented. Test results serve to measure module field life as limited by electrochemical corrosion degradation mechanisms. Current module-level research covering encapsulant voltage withstanding capability is also described, and suggestions for improving module electrical isolation are offered. >
Cover your cough! A short and simple activity to demonstrate the antimicrobial effect of desiccation.

Many undergraduate microbiology laboratory manuals include exercises demonstrating the antimicrobial effects of physical agents, such as UV light and heat, and chemical agents, such as disinfectants and antibiotics (3, 4). There is, however, a lack of exercises examining the effects of desiccation on bacterial growth and survival. This particular form of antimicrobial control is especially relevant today with an increased emphasis on coughing and sneezing into one’s sleeve or a tissue, where microbes will not contaminate hands and will eventually desiccate and die (2). Desiccation can have bacteriostatic or bactericidal effects depending on the species, the material on which the organism has desiccated, and the length of time. The absence of water can damage many cellular components, including enzymes, nucleic acids, and cell membranes (1). However, many prokaryotes have some degree of resistance to desiccation, with Escherichia coli surviving around 24 hours and Bacillus species surviving upwards of 300 years, though these numbers can vary due to a number of confounding factors (5). Some of these factors include the method by which desiccation occurred, whether desiccation occurred in a natural or laboratory situation, and the species itself (5). To address the effects of desiccation on bacterial growth and survival, a short, simple exercise was developed. By inoculating various materials with bacterial cultures and allowing them to air-dry for 24 hours, students can visualize the effects of desiccation by analyzing the growth, or lack thereof, when organisms are transferred to nutrient agar plates. This exercise has been used in a health professions microbiology course as well as a microbiology course for biology and biochemistry majors. It is short enough to be conducted during a standard lecture period or during a longer laboratory period in conjunction with other experiments demonstrating the effectiveness of physical agents on microbial growth.
Is There an Obligation to Participate in Biomedical Research

While there is no dearth of writing about ethical issues regarding human experimentation in the literature of bioethics, surprisingly little has been written, particularly in recent years, about the question of whether or not any type of obligation might exist to participate in medical research. Most contemporary discussions focus on the adequacies and inadequacies of informed consent in combination with institutional peer review boards in protecting the welfare of subjects against abuse by researchers. Or, to put the point more accurately, the discussion of the ethics of research involving human beings currently consists of adversarial haggling about the details of specific legal and regulatory provisions concerning exactly what research must be reviewed, who is competent to consent, who ought to do the reviewing of experimental protocols, and exactly what degree of detail makes for a truly informed consent [20].
George Zimmerman and the Right to Violence

For more than 200 years, the Constitution and common law have not just enabled but tacitly encouraged citizens to respond to provocation with violent force. Though scholars have already investigated the developments that eroded the duty to retreat, a major part of this story has been overlooked: a deep-seated American apathy toward interpersonal violence. The Stand Your Ground law in Florida has received intense scrutiny in the aftermath of the killing of Trayvon Martin . But to understand Stand Your Ground and its roots we have to look well beyond chapter 776 in the Florida code.