cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why pay for performance may be incompatible with quality improvement.

Motivation may decrease and gaming of the system is rife In a linked article (doi:10.1136/bmj.e5047), Glasziou and colleagues highlight the tenuous nature of the evidence that financial reward systems work in healthcare settings.1 They propose that before pay for performance schemes are implemented the potential benefits and harms should be assessed. Such schemes, which aim to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare by the use of financial incentives to encourage desirable behaviours, have been adopted as a key strategy by the NHS in the United Kingdom, Medicare in the United States, and many private insurers. The schemes are based on a basic tenet of economics and psychology: that people respond to rewards. Beyond the simple criticism that pay for performance can’t operate on an extended time frame and that years may elapse between treatment and outcome, the concept of pay for performance in healthcare rests on flawed assumptions about medicine, measurement, and motivation. Performance based pay may increase output for straightforward manual tasks. However, a growing body of evidence from behavioral economics and social psychology indicates that rewards can undermine motivation and worsen performance on complex cognitive tasks, especially when motivation is high to begin with. One questionable assumption underlying pay for performance is that measurements of doctors’ performance reflect their …
Stress regulates endocannabinoid-CB1 receptor signaling

The CB1 cannabinoid receptor is a G protein coupled receptor that is widely expressed throughout the brain. The endogenous ligands for the CB1 receptor (endocannabinoids) are N-arachidonylethanolamine and 2-arachidonoylglycerol; together the endocannabinoids and CB1R subserve activity dependent, retrograde inhibition of neurotransmitter release in the brain. Deficiency of CB1 receptor signaling is associated with anhedonia, anxiety, and persistence of negative memories. CB1 receptor-endocannabinoid signaling is activated by stress and functions to buffer or dampen the behavioral and endocrine effects of acute stress. Its role in regulation of neuronal responses is more complex. Chronic variable stress exposure reduces endocannabinoid-CB1 receptor signaling and it is hypothesized that the resultant deficiency in endocannabinoid signaling contributes to the negative consequences of chronic stress. On the other hand, repeated exposure to the same stress can sensitize CB1 receptor signaling, resulting in dampening of the stress response. Data are reviewed that support the hypothesis that CB1 receptor signaling is stress responsive and that maintaining robust endocannabinoid/CB1 receptor signaling provides resilience against the development of stress-related pathologies.
Using an Adult Development Model to Help Explain Pre-Service Teacher Resistance to Learning about Race.

This article shows the potential usefulness of applying Kegan’s constructive-developmental model to White teacher education students’ difficulties in understanding racial dynamics in US society. The data for this analysis come from a study examining the evolution of White teacher candidates’ understandings and practices related to diversity as they experienced different parts of an undergraduate teacher education program over a two-semester period. We describe the case of one of the students, Michelle, focusing on the contradiction between Michelle’s intense engagement, hard work and enjoyment in her required Foundations course and her simultaneous rejection of core ideas of the course. We show how Kegan’s model is helpful in explaining this contradiction and discuss implications for teacher educators.
Extracellular magnesium regulates nuclear and perinuclear free ionized calcium in cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells: possible relation to alcohol and central nervous system injury

Abstract Quantitative digital imaging microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and multiple molecular fluorescent probes were utilized to test the hypothesis that cerebral vascular muscle cell nuclear ([Ca 2+ ] n ), perinuclear ([Ca 2+ ] pn ), and cytoplasmic free calcium ([Ca 2+ ] i ) levels are regulated by the concentration of extracellular free magnesium ions ([Mg 2+ ] o ). Primary cultured canine cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells were loaded with either fura-2/AM, indo-1/AM, or fluo-3/AM, and the subcellular Ca 2+ responses to stepwise reduction in [Mg 2+ ] o (i.e., from 1.36 to 0.17 mM) were analyzed over time. With normal 1.36 mM [Mg 2+ ] o -containing incubation media, basal mean [Ca 2+ ] i was 89.6±15 nM. Lowering [Mg 2+ ] o to 1.07, 0.88, 0.48, and 0.17 mM resulted in rapid ( 2+ ] i going to 213±43, 368±67, 471±77, and 642±98 nM, respectively; the longer the exposure time (up to 30 min) to lowered [Mg 2+ ] o , the higher the [Ca 2+ ] i . Restoration of [Mg 2+ ] o to normal caused decreases in [Ca 2+ ] i to 215.9±42.3 nM, but only complete removal of [Ca 2+ ] o returned [Ca 2+ ] i to basal levels. Results show that basal [Ca 2+ ] pn (282±92 nM) exceeds basal cytoplasmic Ca 2+ (61±27.8 nM) and [Ca 2+ ] n (20±7.6 nM). However, reduction of normal [Mg 2+ ] o to 0.48 mM resulted in dramatic, rapid rises in all subcellular compartments, where [Ca 2+ ] pn (1503±102 nM)>cytoplasmic Ca 2+ (688±49 nM)≡[Ca 2+ ] n (674±12 nM). Nuclear Ca 2+ rose dramatically (e.g., 35–40 times basal levels). Both verapamil (1 μM) and Ni 2+ (5 mM) prevented, completely, the rises in Ca 2+ in all compartments, suggesting that Mg 2+ -dependent Ca 2+ accumulation may be dependent on nuclear, endoplasmic reticulum–Golgi, and cytoplasmic L-type voltage membrane-regulated Ca 2+ channels. The normally low [Ca 2+ ] n suggests that Ca 2+ does not transport passively across the nuclear membrane in cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells. These results may help to explain much of the impact of hypomagnesemic states on cerebral–central nervous system pathobiology, and, particularly, alcohol-induced strokes.
A 10-Year Survey of Extreme Rainfall Events in the Central and Eastern United States Using Gridded Multisensor Precipitation Analyses

AbstractExtreme rainfall events in the central and eastern United States during 2002–11 were identified using NCEP stage-IV precipitation analyses. Precipitation amounts were compared against established 50- and 100-yr recurrence interval thresholds for 1-, 6-, and 24-h durations. The authors identified points where analyzed precipitation exceeded the threshold, and combined points associated with the same weather system into events. At shorter durations, points exceeding the thresholds were most common in the Southeast, whereas points were more uniformly distributed for the 24-h duration. Most 24-h events have more points than the other durations, reflecting the importance of organized precipitation systems on longer temporal scales. Though monthly peaks varied by region, the maximum (minimum) usually occurred during the summer (winter); however, the 24-h point maximum occurred in September owing to tropical cyclones. The maximum (minimum) in hourly extreme rainfall points occurred at 2300 (1100) LST, th...
TESTING AN ASSUMPTION OF THE SEXUAL-SIGNALING HYPOTHESIS: DOES BLUE-GREEN EGG COLOR REFLECT MATERNAL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY?

Abstract The presence of blue-green egg pigmentation has puzzled naturalists for more than 100 years. One hypothesis on the function of this pigmentation proposes that blue-green egg chroma signals female quality and that males respond to this signal by increased provisioning to presumably higher-quality clutches. The hypothesized mechanism is that blue-green egg color signals female antioxidant capacity, because the eggshell pigment responsible for blue-green coloration, biliverdin, has antioxidant properties in the mother. Our study is the first to examine this mechanism, which is critical to this hypothesis. We found that female Gray Catbirds with higher total antioxidant capacity laid eggs with higher blue-green chroma. In addition, we found that males provided more care to nestlings from clutches with higher average blue-green egg chroma. This shows an intriguing potential link between female antioxidant capacity and blue-green egg chroma. Interpreting the variation in females' antioxidant capacity w...
The Need for Asylum Revisited

Foreword from Dr. Bachracb: Attempts at reaching consensus in service planning and service delivery depend on partisans' ability to listen to, and hear, one another's views. Only then can compromis...
DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR SOLID-STATE SUPRAMOLECULAR ARRAYS CONTAINING BOTH MIXED-METALATED AND FREEBASE PORPHYRINS

The design of predictable multichromophoric supramolecular arrays of freebase and metallo porphyrins constitutes an essential first step toward the synthesis of light-harvesting complexes. We now report crystal engineering strategies to achieve the synthesis of controllable and predictable porphyrinic multichromophores in the solid state. The coordination complexes of metal halides, MX2 (M = Cd, Hg, Pb; X = Br, I), with freebase tetrapyridylporphyrin (TPyP) form either 1D, [(HgX2)2TPyP]·2TCE, 1, or 2D, [(MX2)TPyP]·4TCE, (M = Pb, 2; Cd, 3) polymeric networks. The porphyrin cavities in these crystalline networks can be selectively populated with various metal cations to generate ordered multiporphyrinic supramolecular arrays without distorting the coordination networks, either by (a) crystallizing the metal halides and TPyP in the presence of suitable metal salts or by (b) reacting metal halides with a mixture of freebase and metallo porphyrins in specific stoichiometric ratios. A design limit has been reac...
Psychosocial Processes that Facilitate Unity and Interdependency: Contemplation for Research Development

The need for us, as educators, to cultivate and encourage a climate of unity, harmony, and prosperity in educational and non-educational settings is pertinent. Conflict resolution in teaching and learning in educational settings, for example, is a feat that may be achieved via different methodological means. In this article, we provide an account of our teaching and research experiences in the Republic of Fiji Islands. Fiji is a developing country that is located in the South Pacific region, consisting of two major ethnic groups: Indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. It is a unique country, but yet marred by financial insecurities, political instability, and ethnic and racial tension. Many Indo-Fijians often face and experience prejudiced and discriminatory views and actions by Indigenous Fijians and other Pacific Islanders. This reflective discourse, differing from our previous published work (Phan, 2007; Phan & Deo, 2007, 2008), is a personal methodological narrative that detailed the effectiveness of our pedagogical strategies in the promotion and enhancement of harmony and unity between people. We discussed, specifically, the inclusion of Bandura’s (1997) personal self-efficacy theory, and how this qualitative examination and reporting of “evidence” may, in fact, provide a premise and scoping for additional research into unsettled sociocultural settings.
Comparison of methods used to estimate evapotranspiration for leaching control

In this study six different methods for controlling leaching by predicting crop water use were compared over a full season with sorghum in southern California. The standard for comparison was a 1.8 m × 1.8 m lysimeter located in the center of the 1.4 ha field. The Penman equation was the most successful of the methods which were tested with predicted evapotranspiration deviating± 15% on a weekly basis from measured lysimeter values. The other methods were less successful with errors ranging from ± 23 to 48%.
A vector-bundle version of a theoremof V. Doležal

A well known theorem of Doležal states that given a square matrix A(t) that is a Ck function of the scalar parameter t∈R and whose rank is constant as the parameter varies, one can span the range and kernel of A(t) by linearly independent vectors that are also Ck functions of t. Contemporaneously with (and independently of) the development of Doležal’s theorem, Sibuya, individually and in joint work with Hsieh, proved related results on parametric matrix decompositions for parameters in Rn or Cn, from which Doležal’s theorem can be easily extended to matrices depending on parameters in a rectangular subset of a finite-dimensional Euclidean space. In this paper we explore further generalizations of Doležal’s theorem in which the parameter space R is replaced by a topological space when k = 0 or a differentiable manifold when k⩾1. We show that for a broad class of parameter spaces one can associate two vector bundles to a constant-rank, Ck parameterized matrix function and that Doležal’s theorem will continue to hold if and only if both of these vector bundles are trivial. In particular, this result generalizes Doležal’s theorem to the case where the parameter space is contractible (but possibly infinite-dimensional when k = 0) and subsumes the previously known results of Doležal et al.
Hereditary deafness occurring in cd/1 mice

Different strains of mice provide a valuable research tool for studying both hereditary and acquired forms of deafness. The cd/1 strain has been found to demonstrate hereditary cochlear pathology. The characteristics of hearing loss in cd/1 mice have not previously been reported. In this investigation auditory thresholds were obtained by measuring evoked brain stem responses in subjects of three different ages: 3 weeks, 10 weeks and 6 months. The results were compared with thresholds obtained from CBA/Ca mice (which have normal hearing) and C57BL/6 mice (which are known to have a genetically determined pre-senile progressive cochlear hearing loss). A significant hearing loss was observed which progressed from high to low frequencies, and with age. Extensive degeneration was observed throughout the organ of Corti. cd/1 mice may provide a useful model for studying genetically determined deafness.
Two-step etching procedures for binary polymer blends

Two-step etching procedures have been developed for binary polymer blends of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) with high density polyethylene (HDPE), and for blends of atactic and syndiotactic polystyrene. For both cases, two different etchants have been identified for the component neat polymers; sequential etching has been employed to reveal the distribution of the component polymers within the blend. It is believed that similar procedures may be applicable to other blend systems.
Cytokines in chronic inflammatory arthritis. III. Rheumatoid arthritis monocytes are not unusually sensitive to γ‐interferon, but have defective γ‐interferon–mediated HLA–DQ and HLA–DR induction

Macrophages present in the synovium and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) express large amounts of HLA-DR molecules on their surface, despite low levels of gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) in the joint. To determine whether this apparent paradox is the result of increased sensitivity to gamma-IFN in RA, we compared concentrations of gamma-IFN that induced HLA-DR and DQ on peripheral blood monocytes of RA patients and normal donors, using fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Among normal donors, highly variable sensitivity to gamma-IFN was observed. Higher amounts of gamma-IFN were required to induce class II major histocompatibility complex molecules on RA monocytes versus normal monocytes. The maximum amount of HLA-DR that could be induced on RA and normal monocytes was similar; however, peak levels of HLA-DQ were significantly less in RA. Monocytes from patients with other forms of chronic inflammatory arthritis had intermediate HLA-DQ expression after gamma-IFN treatment. These data suggest that an increased sensitivity to gamma-IFN in RA does not account for the high level of HLA-DR expression in the joint. Also, a defect in HLA-DQ and HLA-DR induction by gamma-IFN was observed.
From Armchair Theology to Experimental Science: Entheogenic Keys to the Doors of Experimentation

Today's theology, which in the United States is primarily Judeo-Christian, includes a variety of beliefs, rituals, social and moral imperatives that we commonly associate with our religious orientation. These organizational expressions of theology constitute a variety of descriptive characterizations of how we associate our self with religion. Nevertheless, in an increasingly technological culture based on empirical science, how do we reconcile this worldview with our theology? Some historians of religion claim that the roots of our organizational expressions of theology emanate from a common source of primary religious experience. In this essay, I argue that it is possible to engage in an experimental mysticism, which I refer to as “entheogenic keys to the doors of experimentation.”
Bridging the great divide: State, civil society, and ‘participatory’ conservation mapping in a resource extraction zone

Abstract It is recognized that participatory mapping techniques in the context of indigenous societies are fraught with dilemmas around the uneven distribution of power, differing understandings of boundaries drawn across the landscape, and incommensurable epistemologies of the human relationship with the environment. At the same time policy makers and practitioners recognize the value of local knowledge in planning and management practices, including for the planning and management of conservation areas. Mindful of this dilemma geographers and researchers in allied fields such as applied anthropology have tested participatory and inclusive mapping techniques across a variety of cultural contexts over the last several decades. This article evaluates the outcomes of a participatory conservation zoning exercise undertaken in a mineral extraction zone—the Cordillera Huayhuash—in the Andes of Central Peru and contributes a case study to this body of work. The principal method used was the construction of a manual ‘GIS’ upon which local communities could draw their zoning vision as an overlay on transparent acetate. The evaluation of the work focuses on the governance outcomes from the process rather than the map products that were drawn. The findings confirm that such processes are rife with the dilemmas identified in prior research, yet the zoning project also helped ‘bridge’ the great divide between the state and civil society by building trust through dialog. The findings also indicate that the chosen approach can be used as a ground truthing tool to identify accuracy and completeness problems in the cadastral database maintained by the government of Peru.
Safeguarding databases: basic concepts revisited

The thrust of management information system (MIS) operations is to keep an information system running smoothly and to ensure services are delivered in an uninterrupted, reliable and secure fashion. This poses a special challenge in today′s environment of computer misuses. Focuses on four main areas normally addressed when protecting a company′s most vital asset – its database. These are: information system vulnerability; computer crime; employee access; and personnel policies. Examines research pertaining to safeguarding data, software and hardware from deliberate computer‐based information security breaches.
Neural Systems Shared by Visual Imagery and Visual Perception: A Positron Emission Tomography Study

Subjects participated in perceptual and imagery tasks while their brains were scanned using positron emission tomography. In the perceptual conditions, subjects judged whether names were appropriate for pictures. In one condition, the objects were pictured from canonical perspectives and could be recognized at first glance; in the other, the objects were pictured from noncanonical perspectives and were not immediately recognizable. In this second condition, we assume that top-down processing is used to evaluate the names. In the imagery conditions, subjects saw a grid with a single X mark; a lowercase letter was presented before the grid. In the baseline condition, they simply responded when they saw the stimulus, whereas in the imagery condition they visualized the corresponding block letter in the grid and decided whether it would have covered the X if it were physically present. Fourteen areas were activated in common by both tasks, only 1 of which may not be involved in visual processing (the precentral gyrus); in addition, 2 were activated in perception but not imagery, and 5 were activated in imagery but not perception. Thus, two-thirds of the activated areas were activated in common.
Blood Superoxide Dismutase, Catalase and Glutathione Peroxidase Activities in Familial and Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Recent studies have implicated free radicals in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal, paralytic disorder of motor neurons. Herein we report on measurements of erythrocyte activity of the three main free radical scavenging enzymes: copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. We studied 31 patients with sporadic ALS, 18 with familial ALS, and 24 controls, Mean Cu/Zn-SOD activity was reduced in eight familial ALS patients with mutations of Cu/Zn-SOD but was normal in patients with both familial ALS without identified Cu/Zn-SOD mutations and sporadic ALS. Glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly reduced only in sporadic ALS patients treated with insulin-like growth factor I (100 micrograms/kg). Catalase activity was normal in sporadic and familial ALS. Neither glutathione peroxidase nor catalase activities correlated significantly with duration of symptoms or age at onset. Vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta-carotene did not affect any of the three enzyme activities. These observations indicate that disturbances of catalase and glutathione peroxidase function are not likely to be central factors in the pathogenesis of ALS.
Mechanical bond-induced radical stabilization

A homologous series of [2]rotaxanes, in which cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT4+) serves as the ring component, while the dumbbell components all contain single 4,4′-bipyridinium (BIPY2+) units centrally located in the midst of oligomethylene chains of varying lengths, have been synthesized by taking advantage of radical templation and copper-free azide–alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions in the formation of their stoppers. Cyclic voltammetry, UV/vis spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry reveal that the BIPY•+ radical cations in this series of [2]rotaxanes are stabilized against oxidation, both electrochemically and by atmospheric oxygen. The enforced proximity between the BIPY2+ units in the ring and dumbbell components gives rise to enhanced Coulombic repulsion, destabilizing the ground-state co-conformations of the fully oxidized forms of these [2]rotaxanes. The smallest [2]rotaxane, with only three methylene groups on each side of its dumbbell component, is found to exist under ambient conditions in ...
Geometrical aspects of superplastic flow

A number of models have been proposed in order to describe the geometrical aspects of the progress of superplastic deformation. Geometrical models of superplastic flow considering sliding of individual grains and models of cooperative grain boundary sliding (CGBS) have been critically analyzed. Experimental evidence supporting models that treat CBGS as a sequential sliding of grains has been presented. This approach is further developed in terms of movement of cellular dislocations in two-phase materials.
Landscape factors facilitating the invasive dynamics and distribution of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), after arrival in the United States

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, a native of Asia, has become a serious invasive pest in the USA. H. halys was first detected in the USA in the mid 1990s, dispersing to over 41 other states. Since 1998, H. halys has spread throughout New Jersey, becoming an important pest of agriculture, and a major nuisance in urban developments. In this study, we used spatial analysis, geostatistics, and Bayesian linear regression to investigate the invasion dynamics and colonization processes of this pest in New Jersey. We present the results of monitoring H. halys from 51 to 71 black light traps that were placed on farms throughout New Jersey from 2004 to 2011 and examined relationships between total yearly densities of H. halys and square hectares of 48 landscape/land use variables derived from urban, wetland, forest, and agriculture metadata, as well as distances to nearest highways. From these analyses we propose the following hypotheses: (1) H. halys density is strongly associated with urban developments and railroads during its initial establishment and dispersal from 2004 to 2006; (2) H. halys overwintering in multiple habitats and feeding on a variety of plants may have reduced the Allee effect, thus facilitating movement into the southernmost regions of the state by railroads from 2005 to 2008; (3) density of H. halys contracted in 2009 possibly from invading wetlands or sampling artifact; (4) subsequent invasion of H. halys from the northwest to the south in 2010 may conform to a stratified-dispersal model marked by rapid long-distance movement, from railroads and wetland rights-of-way; and (5) high densities of H. halys may be associated with agriculture in southern New Jersey in 2011. These landscape features associated with the invasion of H. halys in New Jersey may predict its potential rate of invasion across the USA and worldwide.
Conceptualizing and Experiencing Compassion

Does compassion feel pleasant or unpleasant? Westerners tend to categorize compassion as a pleasant or positive emotion, but laboratory compassion inductions, which present another's suffering, may elicit unpleasant feelings. Across two studies, we examined whether prototypical conceptualizations of compassion (as pleasant) differ from experiences of compassion (as unpleasant). After laboratory-based neutral or compassion inductions, participants made abstract judgments about compassion relative to various emotion-related adjectives, thereby providing a prototypical conceptualization of compassion. Participants also rated their own affective states, thereby indicating experiences of compassion. Conceptualizations of compassion were pleasant across neutral and compassion inductions. After exposure to others' suffering, however, participants felt increased levels of compassion and unpleasant affect, but not pleasant affect. After neutral inductions, participants reported more pleasant than unpleasant affect, with moderate levels of compassion. Thus, prototypical conceptualizations of compassion are pleasant, but experiences of compassion can feel pleasant or unpleasant. The implications for emotion theory in general are discussed.
Biological role of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist isoforms

The interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL1Ra) family of molecules now includes one secreted isoform (sIL1Ra) and three intracellular isoforms (icIL1Ra1, 2, and 3). Extensive evidence indicates that the sole biological function of sIL1Ra seems to be to competitively inhibit IL1 binding to cell-surface receptors. Although intracellular IL1Ra1 may be released from keratinocytes under some conditions, the intracellular isoforms of IL1Ra may carry out additional as yet poorly defined roles inside cells. Maintenance of a balance between IL1 and IL1Ra is important in preventing the development or progression of inflammatory disease in certain organs. Both the secreted and intracellular isoforms of IL1Ra contribute to maintenance of this balance. An allelic polymorphism in intron 2 of the IL1Ra gene (IL1RN*2) predisposes to the development or severity of a variety of human diseases largely of epithelial cell origin. Both the impaired production of IL1Ra and the overproduction of IL1β are related to the presence of this allele. Restoration of the balance between IL1Ra and IL1 through a variety of approaches is a therapeutic goal in specific chronic inflammatory diseases.
Punishment, Forgiveness, and Divine Justice

According to a long theological tradition that stretches back at least as far as St Augustine, God's justice and mercy are distinct, and in many ways quite different, character traits. In his great epic poem, Paradise Lost, for example, John Milton goes so far as to suggest a conflict, perhaps even a contradiction, in the very being of God; he thus describes Christ's offer of himself as an atonement this way:No sooner did thy dear and only SonPerceive thee purpos'd not to doom frail ManSo strictly, but much more to pity inclin'd,Hee to appease thy wrath, and end the strifeOf Mercy and Justice in thy face discern'dRegardless of the Bliss wherein hee satSecond to thee, offer'd himself to dieFor man's offence.
STUDIES ON EXPERIMENTAL HYPERTENSION I. THE PRODUCTION OF PERSISTENT ELEVATION OF SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE BY MEANS OF RENAL ISCHEMIA

These experiments indicate that, in dogs at least, ischemia localized to the kidneys is a sufficient condition for the production of persistently elevated systolic blood pressure. When the constriction of both main renal arteries is made only moderately severe in the beginning, the elevation of systolic blood pressure is unaccompanied by signs of materially decreased renal function. In this respect the hypertension in these animals resembles the hypertension which is associated with so called benign nephrosclerosis in man. Subsequent increase of the constriction of the main renal arteries does not materially damage renal function, probably because of adequate development of accessory circulation. More delicate methods for detecting a change may yet prove that some damage does occur. Almost complete constriction of both main renal arteries, from the beginning, results in great elevation of systolic blood pressure which is accompanied by severe disturbance of renal function and uremia. This resembles the type of hypertension which is associated with so called malignant nephrosclerosis, in the sense of Fahr (17). In several of the animals with persistent elevation of systolic blood pressure, anatomical changes were observed in the glomeruli, vessels and parenchyma of the kidneys which are most probably directly referable to the ischemia. It is hoped that these investigations will afford a means of studying the pathogenesis of hypertension that is associated with renal vascular disease.
Smoothening creases on surfaces of strain-stiffening materials

When an elastic block (e.g., an elastomer or a soft tissue) is compressed to a critical strain, the smooth surface of the block forms creases, namely, localized regions of self-contact. Here we show how this instability behaves if the solid stiffens steeply. For a solid that stiffens steeply at large strains, as the compression increases, the surface is initially smooth, then forms creases, and finally becomes smooth again. For a solid that stiffens steeply at small strains, creases will never form and the surface remains smooth for all levels of compression. We also obtain the critical conditions for the onset of wrinkles. When the surface does become unstable, we find that creases always set in at a lower compression than wrinkles. Our findings may shed light in developing crease-resistant materials
Research Priorities for FCTC Articles 20, 21, and 22: Surveillance/Evaluation and Information Exchange

Introduction Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Articles 20, 21, and 22 call for strong monitoring and reporting of tobacco use and factors influencing use and disease (Articles 20 and 21) and for collaboration among the Parties and relevant organizations to share resources, knowledge, and expertise on all relevant tobacco control strategies (Article 22). Methods This paper provides background information and discusses research strategies that would strengthen these efforts and better inform the parties. By necessity, Articles 20 and 21 are discussed separately from Article 22, although 1 example that relates to both 20/21 and 22 is discussed at the end. Results Twelve important research opportunities on surveillance and evaluation are recognized, along with 4 on collaboration. The authors believe that the 6 most important areas for research would study (a) possible underreporting of tobacco use among certain demographic groups in some countries, (b) measures of industry activities, (c) optimal sampling strategies, (d) sentinel surveillance, (e) networks of tobacco companies and their partners as they promote tobacco use and interfere with implementation of the FCTC, and (f) network/relationship factors that impact diffusion of knowledge and decision making on the implementation of the FCTC. In addition, we call for a review process of existing surveillance and evaluation strategies to coordinate activities to make optimal use of existing resources. This activity would involve networking as prescribed in Article 22. Conclusions Studies and activities such as these would facilitate control of the tobacco epidemic.
A New Simplified Preschool Readiness Experimental Screening Scale (The Press) A Preliminary Report

One of the challenges facing physicians today is to detect school learning prob lems as early as possible. As one possible approach, a screening scale was con structed which can be carried out by the physician while doing a physical exam on five-year-olds. This scale, the "Preschool Readiness Experimental Screening Scale," or "PRESS," was administered to 75 children along with a standard preschool readiness test and an IQ test. The results indicate the PRESS is a valid indicator of school readiness and does reflect IQ. The concept of pre school screening by physicians is tenable and we urge further studies in this area.
Prospective, randomized comparison of the Flotem Iie and Hotline fluid warmers in anesthetized adults.

Abstract Study Objective: To compare the fluid warming capabilities of the Hotline and Flotem IIe devices in surgical patients, and whether warming intravenous (IV) fluids with the Hotline device resulted in less hypothermia and less need for other warming methods compared with the Flotem IIe device. Study Design: Part 1. Prospective, nonrandomized. Part 2. Prospective, randomized. Setting: Teaching hospital, tertiary care center. Patients: Part 1. 24 adult patients undergoing elective surgery. Part 2. 49 adult patients scheduled for major elective orthopedic or gynecologic surgery of greater than 2 hours' duration with general anesthesia. Interventions: Part 1. Insertion of sterile in-line thermistors along the path of fluids delivered using the Hotline or Flotem device. Part 2. Patients were randomly assigned to receive IV fluids via the Hotline (n = 21) or Flotem IIe (n = 18) warmers. Intervention for core hypothermia [lower esophageal temperature (Teso) less than 35.5 °C], was with forced air warming. Intervention for postoperative shivering was with meperidine by a nurse who was blinded to the treatment group. Measurements: Part 1. Temperature of infused fluids before and after the warmer (T in and T out) and before the fluid entered the patient after insertion of a standard 84 cm extension set having a stopcock for injection of medications (T distal). Part 2. Tympanic (Ttym) was recorded before induction of anesthesia (baseline) and at 15-minute intervals after induction. Teso was recorded at 15-minute intervals after induction. The maximum intraoperative Ttym decline from baseline (Δ Ttym max) was calculated. Main Results: Part 1. Flow rates were between 1 and 33 ml/min. T out and T distal (mean ± SEM) of fluids infused through the Hotline device were warmer compared with those infused via the Flotem IIe device (Hotline T out: 35.7 ± 0.1 °C and Hotline T distal: 33.4 ± 0.2 °C vs . Flotem IIe T out: 28.9 ± 0.2 °C and Flotem IIe T distal: 28.3 ± 0.2 °C; p vs. −0.9 ± 0.1 °C, p=0.01). Five patients in the Flotem IIe group required forced air warming for treatment of hypothermia versus none in the Hotline group (p versus one patient in the Hotline group (p Conclusions: The Hotline device delivered fluids to the patient at consistently warmer temperatures compared with the Flotem IIe device during actual clinical conditions. This was associated with maintenance of near normal core temperatures throughout the procedure in the Hotline group, and a decreased need for interventions such as forced-air warming and treatment for severe shivering.
Parallel Scan-Like Test and Multiple-Defect Diagnosis for Digital Microfluidic Biochips

Dependability is an important attribute for microfluidic biochips that are used for safety-critical applications such as point-of-care health assessment, air-quality monitoring, and food-safety testing. Therefore, these devices must be adequately tested after manufacture and during bioassay operations. We propose a parallel scan-like testing methodology for digital microfluidic devices. A diagnosis method based on test outcomes is also proposed. The diagnosis technique is enhanced such that multiple defect sites can be efficiently located using parallel scan-like testing. Defect diagnosis can be used to reconfigure a digital microfluidic biochip such that faults can be avoided, thereby enhancing chip yield and defect tolerance. We evaluate the proposed method using complexity analysis as well as applying it to a fabricated biochip.
dGTP triphosphohydrolase, a unique enzyme confined to members of the family Enterobacteriaceae

The enzyme dGTP triphosphohydrolase (dGTPase; EC 3.1.5.1) was assayed in partially purified extracts of several genera of bacteria, and it was found to be strictly confined to members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Whereas 11 of 12 enteric bacteria had comparable activity for this enzyme, 8 of 8 nonenteric bacteria, including species in the very closely related genera Vibrio and Aeromonas, did not assay positively for this enzyme. When challenged with Escherichia coli anti-dGTPase antiserum, the active enzymes fell into three groups, retaining 0, approximately 50, or 100% of their original activity. A computer search has revealed an amino acid sequence in the E. coli enzyme which matches well with the single-stranded-DNA binding motif of Prasad and Chiu (J. Mol. Biol. 193:579-584, 1987) and may account for the enzyme9s observed interaction with DNA. As far as we are aware, this is the only enzymatic activity so far reported to be present solely in the enteric bacteria. Images
Mean likelihood frequency estimation

Estimation of signals with nonlinear as well as linear parameters in noise is studied. Maximum likelihood estimation has been shown to perform the best among all the methods. In such problems, joint maximum likelihood estimation of the unknown parameters reduces to a separable optimization problem, where first, the nonlinear parameters are estimated via a grid search, and then, the nonlinear parameter estimates are used to estimate the linear parameters. We show that a grid search can be avoided by using the mean likelihood estimator for estimating the unknown nonlinear parameters and how its performance can be made equivalent to that of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). The mean likelihood estimator requires computation of a multidimensional integral. However, using the concepts of importance sampling, we obtain the mean likelihood estimate without using integration. The technique is computationally far less burdensome than the direct maximum likelihood method but performs just as well. Simulation examples for estimating frequencies of multiple sinusoids in noise are given. The general technique can be applied to a large class of nonlinear regression problems.
A fiber frequency shifter with broad bandwidth, high conversion efficiency, pump and pump ASE cancellation, and rapid tunability for WDM optical networks

Theoretical and experimental results on a 1-THz fiber frequency shifter with high conversion efficiency, pump and pump ASE cancellation, and rapid tunability for use in a wavelength division multiplexed communication network is presented. >
Management Science and Gaming in Waste Management

Interrelationship of the numerous factors in waste management can be explored in a gaming environment. Management science aids can be introduced to guide the decision-making. An experimental game has been devised for use within IBM which implements these objectives. It is interactive, terminal-oriented, and programmed in APL. The scenario for the game treats the environmental area of solid-waste management. It is directed to players with minimal knowledge of management science. Techniques include shortest route, transportation, and maximal flow problems. More generally, the system which supports the game can be used to author other game scenarios. Features include interactive, natural language communication, and prompting.
An experimental investigation of the effects of a base cavity on thenear-wake flowfield of a body at subsonic and transonic speeds

An experimental investigation has been conducted to study the effects of a base cavity on the near-wake flowfield of a slender, two-dimensional body in the subsonic and transonic speed ranges. Three base configurations were investigated and compared a blunt base, a sballow rectangular cavity base of depth equal to one-half the base height, and a deep rectangular cavity base of depth equal to one base height. Each configuration was studied at three freestream Mach numbers, ranging from the low to high subsonic range. Schlieren photographs revealed that the basic qualitative structure of the vortex street was unmodified by the presence of a base cavity. However, the vortex street was weakened by the base cavity, apparently due to enhanced fluid mixing occumng at the entrance of the cavity. The weaker vortex street yielded higher pressures in the near-wake for the cavity bases, increases in the base pressure coefficients on the order of 10-14%, and increases in the shedding frequencies on the order of 46% relative to the blunt-based configuration. The majority of the observed changes occurred in going from the blunt base to the shallow
Facile Fabrication of Color Tunable Film and Fiber Nanocomposites via Thiol Click Chemistry

A simple method for the fabrication of nanocomposite materials using thiol click chemistry is reported. The thiol click nanocomposite materials produced each displayed distinctive colors which were found to be dependent on both the ligand used to functionalize the nanoparticles and the concentration of nanoparticles in the materials. Functionalized metallic nanospheres were combined with thiol click solutions forming viscous prepolymer solutions which were then polymerized upon UV light exposure. Films were fabricated in a custom-built film mold, and microfibers were fabricated using hydrodynamic focusing in a microfluidic channel. For this study, three unique thiolated ligands—including a newly synthesized ligand—were used to functionalize the nanospheres, thus assisting in the facile incorporation and stability of the nanospheres within the polymers. In comparison to a previously reported method in which thiol–ene nanocomposite films were fabricated, the method reported herein reduces the fabrication ti...
Research of incentive mechanism based on asymmetry overconfidence level

Aiming at the principal-agent relationship with a rational principal and a overconfidence preference agent,this paper investigates how to design the incentive contract the principal offers to the agent considering moral hazard and private overconfidence level.Incorporating principal-agent theory,we design the incentive contract for the principal to motivate the agent and screen its real overconfidence level.Furthermore,we analyze the corresponding optimal contract and compare the results with the common knowledge scenario.Comparison results show that when the principal is uncertain about the agent's overconfidence level,its expected profit decreases while the agent with private information exerts less effort but obtains higher income,which implies the value of information,the conclusions have an important application value on designing contract and enhancing incentive efficiency.
Commentary on the significance for modern neurology of the 17th century B.C. Surgical Papyrus.

A 17th century B.C. Surgical Papyrus known as "The Edwin Smith Papyrus" was published in facsimile and hieroglyphic transliteration with translation and commentary by James Henry Breasted in 1930. The Papyrus was acquired by Edwin Smith in Luxor, 1862. This document was conceived in the Pyramid Age (3000-2500 B.C.) and remains in material form from the 17th century B.C. It is of importance to the history of Neurology as it contains the earliest mention in oriental literature of (a) the brain and meninges (b) calvarial and cervical vertebral injuries in details of pathology, symptomatology, treatment and prognosis and (c) functional localization in the brain and spine. Most importantly, Papyrus Smith is a statement of the medical ethic of its time.
Chapter 65 – Experimental Models of Epilepsy

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the experimental models of epilepsy. Epilepsy is a significant health problem in humans and, with an exception of stroke, is the most prevalent neurological disorder. There are several monogenic convulsive disorders in mice that can serve as models for idiopathic and symp tomatic convulsive disorders in humans. The abnormal spike-wave seizure patterns observed in tottering mice are not unique, but are also found in other independent autosomal recessive spontaneous epilepsy models including Lethargic and Stargazer. Genetic heterogeneity is a well-documented phenomenon in human genetics and likely underlies several human epilepsy syndromes. An unusual form of spontaneous convulsive behavior occurs in adult mice carrying the autosomal dominant gene Lurcher. The Lurcher seizures, which can last as long as 10 minutes, involve back arching, tonic limb extension, and rolling. The seizures can also be induced in both young and adult mice by gentle tail twisting for about 30 seconds. Convulsive disorders have been associated with inherited defects in myelinogenesis in both humans and mice. Myelin abnormalities occur in a number of epilepsies of the West and Lennox–Gastaut syndromes. A number of monogenic epilepsy models that have been produced from disruptions of specific genes through targeted homologous recombination or insertional mutagenesis are also elaborated in the chapter.
Challenges of Finding Novel Drugs Targeting the K-Cl Cotransporter.

Human disease-causing mutations and genetically modified mouse models have established the importance of KCC2 and KCC3 in nervous system physiology. These two proteins mediate the electroneutral cotransport of K+ and Cl– ions across the neuronal membrane. Disruption of KCC2 function affects inhibitory synaptic transmission with consequences for epilepsy, pain perception, and potentially some neuropsychiatric disorders, whereas disruption of KCC3 affects both central and peripheral nervous systems, resulting in psychosis and peripheral neuropathy. Until recently, the KCC field has suffered from an almost complete lack of pharmacological tools with which to probe cotransporter function. The only available tools being the very poorly potent loop diuretics (e.g., furosemide EC50 = 6 × 10–4 M). To address this deficiency, efforts that focused on the discovery of KCC modulators have been undertaken. This work has resulted in the discovery of novel inhibitory compounds that are up to four orders of magnitude mor...