cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Afterlife of “Little Women” Beverly Lyon Clark. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.

The Afterlife of "Little Women" Beverly Lyon Clark. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.In this keen reception history, Beverly Lyon Clark reveals Louisa May Alcott's Little Women to be one of the most beloved, derided, and misunderstood novels of modern times. Appealing to a staggering archive- of sales and library data, polls, reviews, letters, diaries, biographies, reissues, adaptations, and spinoffs-she brings to light the dramatically changing engagements with, and evaluations of, Little Women between 1868 (when the first of its two volumes appeared) and the present.As Clark acknowledges, The Afterlife of "Little Women" develops work begun in her earlier Kiddie Lit: The Cultural Construction of Children's Literature in America (2003), a fie Id-defining study tracing the pervasive slighting of children's literature in America. At the same time, she broadens and deepens the archive that she assembled for Louisa May Alcott: The Contemporary Reviews (2004). Close in spirit to Barbara Hochman's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and the Reading Revolution: Race, Literacy, Childhood, and Fiction, 1851-1911 (2011), The Afterlife offers a comparably rewarding study of the cultural insights gleaned from a wide range of responses to a single nineteenth-century text. While attentive to Alcott's international reception, The Afterlife should prove especially valuable for Americanists, since the flux of critical and popular responses to Little Women here accounted for speaks to definitive shifts in the realms of American criticism, canon building, and popular culture of the last 150After a modest introduction, Clark demarcates four successive periods in the reception history of Little Women, one of the best-selling American novels of the nineteenth century and the first to explicitly address a readership of girls. In the first chapter, "Becoming Everyone's Aunt, 1868-1900," she details Alcott's emergence in a literary marketplace not yet separating readers by age or sex. In this early period, Little Women appealed broadly to girls, boys, women, and men-and to high- and -lowbrow tastes alike. For many, in fact, it was deemed representative of America. But, as Clark documents, critical enthusiasm started to wane around 1875, at which point commentators began to pigeonhole Alcott as a purveyor of flatly juvenile, domestic stories. The author pursues this increasing divergence between the critics and the popular audience in the second chapter, "Waxing Nostalgic, 1900-1930." In early twentiethcentury efforts to define the American canon, critics habitually dismissed Alcott as a hack, even as her popularity peaked, exemplified by the success of Little Women's dramatization on Broadway and the opening to the public of the Alcott family's home, Orchard House. …
Cardiac intervention rates for older patients with acute myocardial infarction in the United States and Ontario, 2003-2013: a retrospective cohort study.

Background Previous work showed lower cardiac intervention rates for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Ontario than in the United States. We assessed whether Ontario's efforts to improve access to rapid percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for AMI were associated with improved timeliness of care and whether this closed the gap between the 2 jurisdictions. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we followed adults aged 66-99 years in the US and Ontario for 30 days after admission for incident AMI between 2003 and 2013 using health administrative data from both countries. We calculated the proportion of patients who received cardiac catheterization, PCI and coronary artery bypass grafting on the day of and within 30 days of admission overall and according to AMI type (ST-segment elevation AMI [STEMI] v. non-STEMI) and risk group (low, medium or high predicted risk of 30-d mortality). Results We followed 414 216 patients in the US and 112 484 in Ontario. The large disparities in cardiac intervention rates observed in 2003 mostly disappeared over time. By 2013, the proportion of patients who received same-day PCI was only slightly higher in the US than in Ontario (22.3% v. 19.2%), whereas the converse was true for 30-day PCI (44.0% v. 41.3%). In 2013, patients with STEMI in the US and Ontario received PCI at nearly identical rates on the day of admission (66.3% v. 63.8%); however, more patients at high risk with STEMI in the US than in Ontario received PCI, both on the day of admission (55.5% v. 44.7%) and by 30 days (60.5% v. 55.0%). Interpretation Despite differences in resources and organization of delivery systems, by 2013, timely receipt of PCI by Ontario patients with AMI lagged only slightly behind that by US patients. A higher supply of PCI centres in the US may have facilitated earlier intervention among patients at high risk with STEMI.
Epidermal Cholesterol Sulfate and Steroid Sulfatase Activity and Recessive X-linked Ichthyosis

The ichthyoses are a group of inherited and acquired disorders of cornification characterized clinically by excessive accumulation of scale [7]. Although the pathophysiology of stratum corneum retention in these disorders is poorly understood, deranged lipid metabolism has been implicated in several instances (reviewed in Elias [2]). One enzyme of lipid metabolism, steroid sulfatase, is missing in placenta and cultured skin fibroblasts of patients with recessive x-linked ichthyosis (RXLI) [9, 12].
A Study of Acoustic Detectability of Magnetic Monopoles

This is an analysis of thermoacoustic detectability of magnetic monopoles. Thermodynamical arguments make the thermal noise calculation much simpler. The result shows that our prototype detector is far from being able to detect magnetic monopoles. The possibility of improvements made by focusing techniques is discussed.
GeminiII: a second generation layout validation program

Gemini is a program that is widely used to compare circuit layout against a specification. Extensions to Gemini that make it faster, enable it to isolate errors better, and extend its domain of application, are described. These improvements have been achieved by changes to the labeling algorithm, extensions to the local matching algorithm, better handling of symmetrical circuits, and the accommodation of series-connected transistors. GeminiII's algorithm is separated into global labeling and local matching phases. GeminiII dynamically switches between the two, depending on the amount of local structure contained in the circuit, taking advantage of the speed of the local matching algorithm when possible and relying on the power of the more general algorithm when the simple algorithm fails. >
Nigel J. Young (ed.), The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace

It cannot be nearly as daunting a task to write a brief review of a four-volume encyclopedia of “peace” as it is to compile, write, and edit such an encyclopedia, but it is a daunting task neverthe...
Fluorescence lifetime imaging for biodiagnostics

Summary form only given. Fluorescence lifetime provides valuable local metabolic information in tumors embedded in tissue for biodiagnostic applications. We propose performing frequency-domain measurements of fluorescence light propagation to reconstruct maps or images of fluorescence lifetime.
An RNA-splicing Mutation (G+5IVS20) in the Type II Collagen Gene (COL2A1) in a Family With Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita

Defects in type II collagen have been demonstrated in a phenotypic continuum of chondrodysplasias that includes achondrogenesis II, hypochondrogenesis, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDC), Kniest dysplasia, and Stickler syndrome. We have determined that cartilage from a terminated fetus with an inherited form of SEDC contained both normal alpha 1(II) collagen chains and chains that lacked amino acids 256-273 of the triple-helical domain. PCR amplification of this region of COL2A1, from genomic DNA, yielded products of normal size, while amplification of cDNA yielded a normal sized species and a shorter fragment missing exon 20. Sequence analysis of genomic DNA from the fetus revealed a G-->T transversion at position +5 of intron 20; the affected father was also heterozygous for the mutation. Allele-specific PCR and heteroduplex analysis of a VNTR in COL2A1 independently confirmed the unaffected status of a fetus in a subsequent pregnancy. Thermodynamic calculations suggest that the mutation prevents normal splicing of exon 20 by interfering with binding of U1 small-nuclear RNA to pre-mRNA, thus leading to skipping of exon 20 in transcripts from the mutant allele. Electron micrographs of diseased cartilage showed intracellular inclusion bodies, which were stained by an antibody to alpha 1(II) procollagen. Our findings support the hypothesis that alpha-chain length alterations that preserve the Gly-X-Y repeat motif of the triple helix result in partial intracellular retention of alpha 1(II) procollagen and produce mild to moderate chondrodysplasia phenotypes.
Emperical tests of labor-market equilibrium: An evaluation: A comment

Although I disagree with Heckman and MaCurdy's characterization of equilibrium labor-market models as tautologous, I nonetheless believe that they have raised several important issues for the interpretation of tests against the equilibrium hypothesis. In my comments, I wish to add two points to their analysis. First, while the interpretation of self-reported unemployment as an explanatory variable in a conventional labor-supply equation is potentially ambiguous, it is possible to test some version of the equilibrium hypothesis by measuring the effect of demand-side variables on individual labor supply. Second, in shifting the question of the "correct" labor-supply elasticity from prime-age males to women and younger workers, Heckman and MaCurdy fail to acknowledge that even among prime age males there is significant cyclical variation in annual work hours. In my opinion, the available labor supply elasticity estimates cannot rationalize the year-to-year movements in hours observed for these workers.
Belief salience, summation theory, and the attitude construct

In this paper the authors argue that the salience of beliefs about an attitude object (their elicitability) is an independent dimension of persuasion theory. A revision of Fishbein's summation theory is offered to take this dimension into account and to expand the explanatory range of the theory to include and predict temporary effects. Experimental support for the revision is offered. The authors argue for further revision of the attitude construct as borrowed from psychology. Communication scholars should distinguish between changes in “attitudinal tendency” and changes in “manifest attitude.”
β1 Integrin-dependent binding of Jurkat cells to fibronectin is regulated by a serine-threonine phosphatase

We investigated the effects of signaling molecule inhibitors on the expression and function of beta1 integrins in Jurkat cells. Jurkat cells expressed alpha4beta1 and alpha5beta1, with significant levels of constitutively activated beta1 integrins as assessed by labeling with mAb 15/7 that distinguishes between activation states. Adhesion to fibronectin (Fn) was mediated equally through alpha4 and alpha5 subunits, and was potentiated by the beta1 integrin activating mAb 8A2. Fn adhesion was decreased by okadaic acid through effects on both alpha4beta1, and alpha5beta1. Tyrphostin A23 also decreased adhesion but was less potent. Neither inhibitor had any effect on the surface expression of total or activated beta1 integrins. The effect of tyrphostin was completely reversed by 8A2; the effect of okadaic acid was only partially reversed. Using Calyculin A, we determined that Jurkat adhesion to Fn was regulated via protein phosphatase 1, independent of the levels of integrins or integrin activation epitopes. Activation of Jurkat cells with a CD3-stimulating mAb enhanced adhesion to Fn and was partially blocked by okadaic acid. These data demonstrate different regulatory pathways for constitutive versus activation-dependent adhesion via beta1 integrins, and implicate both tyrosine kinases and serine-threonine phosphatases in integrin function.
A laboratory evaluation of 2 mechanical ventilators in the presence of helium-oxygen mixtures.

BACKGROUND: Helium-oxygen (heliox) mixtures are being used more frequently with mechanical ventilators. Newer ventilators continue to be developed that have not yet been evaluated for safety and efficacy of heliox delivery. We studied the performance of 2 previously untested ventilators (Servo-i and Inspiration) during heliox administration. METHODS: We measured tidal volume (VT) delivery, gas blending, gas analyzing, and pressure stability in the presence of heliox. A heliox (80% helium/20% oxygen) tank was attached to the 50-psi air inlet. We compared the set VT (ie, set on the ventilator) and the exhaled VT (measured by the ventilator) to the delivered VT (measured with a lung model). Pressure measurements were also evaluated. We also compared the ventilator-setting fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) to the FIO2 measured by the ventilator and the FIO2 measured with a supplemental oxygen analyzer. RESULTS: Heliox significantly affected both the exhaled VT measurement and the actual delivered VT (p CONCLUSIONS: Both ventilators cycled consistently with heliox mixtures. In most cases, actual delivered VT can be reliably calculated if the FIO2 and the set VT or the measured exhaled VT is known. With the Servo-i, at high helium concentrations the exhaled VT measurement was unreliable and caused a high-priority alarm condition that couldn9t be disabled. A supplemental oxygen analyzer is not necessary with either device for heliox applications.
Resistivity measurements of intentionally and unintentionally template-grown doped silicon nanowire arrays

High density, intentionally doped silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays were fabricated within the pores of anodic alumina (AAO) templates via gold-catalysed vapour?liquid?solid (VLS) growth using silane (SiH4) as the source gas and trimethylboron ((CH3)3B, TMB) and phosphine (PH3) as p-type and n-type dopant sources, respectively. The AAO template serves as a support structure for nanowire growth and fabrication of electrical contacts to the nanowire arrays. Nanowire array resistance was measured as a function of SiNW length for a series of samples prepared with different dopant/SiH4 inlet gas ratios. A method was developed to extract the SiNW resistivity from the measurements of array resistance versus nanowire length. The nanowire resistivity measured from the arrays decreased with increasing dopant/SiH4 ratio and compared favourably with resistivity data obtained from four-point measurements of individual SiNWs grown under identical conditions. Nominally undoped SiNWs grown in the AAO templates were found to be p-type with resistivity in the range of 1?3???cm, indicating the presence of unintentional acceptors in the wires. The resistivity of undoped SiNWs grown under identical conditions but on oxidized (100) Si substrates was much higher, of the order of 104?105???cm, suggesting that the AAO templates are the source of the acceptor impurities.
DASH lowers blood pressure in obese hypertensives beyond potassium, magnesium and fibre

The mechanism underlying blood pressure (BP) reduction in the high fruits and vegetables arm of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study is unknown but may include potassium, magnesium and fibre. This study was designed to separate minerals and fibre from other components of DASH on BP in abdominally obese individuals with metabolic syndrome with pre-hypertension to stage 1 hypertension (obese hypertensives). A total of 15 obese hypertensives and 15 lean normotensives were studied on a standardized usual diet, randomized to DASH or usual diet supplemented with potassium, magnesium and fibre to match DASH, then crossed over to the complementary diet. All diets were 3 weeks long, isocaloric and matched for sodium and calcium. In obese hypertensives, BP was lower after 3 weeks on DASH than usual diet (-7.6+/-1.4/-5.3+/-1.4 mm Hg, P 0.50). DASH is more effective than potassium, magnesium and fibre supplements for lowering BP in obese hypertensives, which suggest that high fruits and vegetables DASH lowers BP and improves endothelial function in this group by nutritional factors in addition to potassium, magnesium and fibre.
Dynamical stability of slip-stacking particles

We study the stability of particles in slip-stacking configuration, used to nearly double proton beam intensity at Fermilab. We introduce universal area factors to calculate the available phase space area for any set of beam parameters without individual simulation. We find perturbative solutions for stable particle trajectories. We establish Booster beam quality requirements to achieve 97% slip-stacking efficiency. We show that slip-stacking dynamics directly correspond to the driven pendulum and to the system of two standing-wave traps moving with respect to each other.
Material-specific memory deficits in alcoholic Korsakoff patients

Abstract The short-term memory disorders of alcoholic Korsakoff patients were examined for material- and modality-specific deficits. Verbal and non-verbal memory tasks employing the visual, auditory, and tactile modalities were administered to Korsakoff patients and to alcoholic and non-alcoholic control subjects. In all three modalities the Korsakoff patients demonstrated normal short-term retention of non-verbal materials but severe memory deficits for verbal materials. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that failures in verbal encoding underlie these patients' memory difficulties.
Crystal structure of the high-temperature superconductor TI 2 Ba 2 CaCu 2 O 8

High-temperature superconductivity has gained renewed attention following recent reports of the onset of superconductivity above 100 K in oxide systems containing copper, alkaline earths and bismuth1 or thallium2–4. The superconducting oxide in the Bi–Sr–Ca–Cu–O system has been identified as Bi2Sr3–xCaxCu2O8, and its structure comprises pairs of CuO2 sheets, interleaved by Ca(Sr), alternating with double bismuth-oxide layers5–7, Hazen et al.8 have identified two new superconducting phases, Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O10 (2223) and Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 (2212), both with tetragonal or pseudotetragonal structures that are probably related to the structure of Bi2Sr3–xCaxCu2O8. Here we present X-ray diffraction data for a single crystal of the 2212 phase, which has an onset temperature of ∼112 K. The crystal structure, based on a body-centred tetragonal cell with a =3.8550(6) A and c = 29.318(4) A (space group I4/mmm), is essentially the same as that of Bi2Sr3–xCaxCu2O8 and comprises double copper-oxygen sheets alternating with double thallium-oxygen layers. There are Ca2+ cations between adjacent Cu–O sheets and Ba2+ cations between the Cu–O and Tl–O layers. The copper–oxygen chains present in YBa2Cu3O7 are absent in Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8.
Veratrum Alkaloids XLI: The Structure of Germbudine, A Hypotensive Ester Alkaloid

The structure of germbudine has been elucidated as germine 3- d-threo -2′,3′-dihydroxy-2′-methylbutyrate 15- l -2 methylbutyrate (V). Oxidation of germbudine with periodic acid and subsequent alkaline hydrolysis afforded germine 15- l -2′-methylbutyrate (VIII).
Stabilization investment template for direct casting connection of implant framework segments

This article presents a procedure whereby a template made of casting investment is used to stabilize a sectioned implant framework that has been adapted in a passive relationship to the implant analogs in a corrected master cast. The joints in the sectioned framework are filled with wax, sprues attached, and the template and sectioned framework are invested in a casting ring. When the casting procedure is completed, the framework will be reconnected by direct metal casting.
Domestic Institutions and the Possibility of Social Democracy

This paper examines the institutional context of social democracy. Social democracy is defined here as being composed of two specific goals, the reduction of inequality and the decommodification of labor, combined with a particular institutional means to achieve these goals. The first part of this paper discusses why these goals are so central to social democratic politics and details the institutions that realize these goals. It is argued that if what makes social democratic economic policies possible are specific institutions, then the ability to pursue social democratic policies in the 21st century is severely circumscribed. Specifically, political control of the institutions of domestic credit is seen as critically important for producing social democracy. Through a discussion of two cases of social democratic institutional failure: the United States and Sweden, the paper demonstrates that the absence of such domestic financial institutions means that even with the most optimistic will in the world, the best that social democrats can do, at least at the moment, is to serve as a palliative to neoliberalism. Furthermore, it is argued that if ‘globalization’ is to seen to have any constraining effects upon the practices of such a politics, then such constraints are as much ideological as institutional, which makes policy change in the current era ever more unlikely.
Design of liquid chromatography capillary columns

Abstract The theory of open tubular columns is extended to liquid chromatography without regard to the limitations of the associated chromatographic equipment. Methods are given to permit the optimum column length, radius and film thickness to be calculated to provide the minimum analysis time for any given separation. The basic data required are the separation ratio of the critical pair, the distribution coefficient between the stationary and mobile phase of the first eluted solute of the critical pair, its diffusion coefficient in the mobile phase, the separation ratio of the last eluted peak to the first eluted solute of the critical pair, the viscosity of the mobile phase and the maximum available inlet pressure. It is shown that, with the phase system considered, if the separation is to be achieved in the minimum time then the first solute of the critical pair should be eluted at a capacity factor ( k ′) of 2.7 irrespective of the separation ratio of the critical pair. Consequently the optimum film thickness depends solely on the optimum radius and the distribution coefficient of the solute between the two phases. Due to an optimum value for k ′ being identified the equations for analysis time and column length are greatly simplified.
An experimental study of the upwelling response of stratified reservoirs to surface shear stress

An experimental study of the dynamic response of non-rotating, stratified reservoirs to the application of surface shear stresses is presented. The experiments were made using two-layered and linear stratifications; a moving belt was used to supply a shear stress to the fluid. Detailed measurements of the density field show that upwelling occurs at all values of the Wedderburn number, W, rather than only occurring when W < 1. Differences between the two-layer theory and the present observations are attributed to the fact that the experimental stratifications were continuous, rather than layered. Shearflow dispersion is observed to be an important mechanism for distributing the effects of localized upwelling over the entire length of the mixed layer. A model of mixed-layer deepening based on upwelling and shearflow dispersion is presented and is compared to the observations of this and other experimental studies.
Variability of trabecular microstructure is age-, gender-, race- and anatomic site-dependent and affects stiffness and stress distribution properties of human vertebral cancellous bone

Abstract Cancellous bone microstructure is an important determinant of the mechanical integrity of vertebrae. The numerous microstructural parameters that have been studied extensively are generally represented as a single value obtained as an average over a sample. The range of the intra-sample variability of cancellous microstructure and its effect on the mechanical properties of bone are less well-understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate the extent to which human cancellous bone microstructure within a vertebra i) is related to bone modulus and stress distribution properties and ii) changes along with age, gender and locations thoracic 12 (T12) vs lumbar 1 (L1). Vertebrae were collected from 15 male (66 ± 15 years) and 25 female (54 ± 16 years) cadavers. Three dimensional finite element models were constructed using microcomputed tomography images of cylindrical specimens. Linear finite element models were used to estimate apparent modulus and stress in the cylinders during uniaxial compression. The intra-specimen mean, standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) of microstructural variables were calculated. Mixed model statistical analysis of the results demonstrated that increases in the intra-specimen variability of the microstructure contribute to increases in the variability of trabecular stresses and decreases in bone stiffness. These effects were independent from the contribution from intra-specimen average of the microstructure. Further, the effects of microstructural variability on bone stiffness and stress variability were not accounted for by connectivity and anisotropy. Microstructural variability properties (SD, CV) generally increased with age, were greater in females than in males and in T12 than in L1. Significant interactions were found between age, gender, vertebra and race. These interactions suggest that microstructural variability properties varied with age differently between genders, races and vertebral levels. The current results collectively demonstrate that microstructural variability has a significant effect on mechanical properties and tissue stress of human vertebral cancellous bone. Considering microstructural variability could improve the understanding of bone fragility and improve assessment of vertebral fracture risk.
Gauging the internet doctor: ranking medical claims based on community knowledge

As more and more content is published and consumed online, it is imperative to know if an information nugget found on the Web is trustworthy or not. This is especially important for online medical information as it affects the most vulnerable group of users looking for medical help online. In this paper, we study the feasibility of automatically assessing the trustworthiness of a medical claim based on community knowledge, and propose techniques to assign a reliability score for an information nugget based on support over a community-generated collection. Specifically, we model the trustworthiness of a medical claim based on experiences shared by users in health forums and mailing lists. The proposed claim scores can be used to rank related claims on their relative trustworthiness. We further extend the notion of trustworthiness to a site (or equivalently, a database of claims from the site) and propose a scheme to rank sites based on aggregating the trust scores of claims from the site. Our experiments show that community knowledge can be exploited to help users distinguish reliable medical claims from unreliable ones. The proposed techniques can be applied to other domains where similar corpora are available.
Three luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone like substances in a teleost fish brain: None identical with the mammalian LH-RH decapeptide

Acetic acid extracts of codfish brain contain three different immunoreactive (IR) luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) like materials which differ from the mammalian LH-RH decapeptide by their behavior on chromatographic separation (molecular sieving, ion exchange and high performance liquid chromatography), and their reaction with two well characterized antisera directed against different regions of the LH-RH molecule. One of the IR LH-RH like substances is a larger molecular weight compound (1800 to 4,000 daltons), which may be a precursor of LH-RH extended at the N-terminus. The other two are approximately the same size as mammalian LH-RH and their nature is best explained by the occurrence of single amino acid substitutions at the C-terminal region of the ‘authentic’ decapeptide.
Effects of dopamine and dobutamine on the myocardial and systemic circulation during and following cardiopulmonary bypass in dogs.

The effect of dopamine (Dp) and dobutamine (Db) on myocardial and systemic blood flow (BF) distribution was compared in dogs being weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) after 20 min of normothermic global myocardial ischemia. Drug infusions (10 mcg/kg/min) were begun and BF was measured (radiolabeled microspheres) prior to weaning and 60 min off CPB.On CPB: Pump flows, by design, were similar (100 ml/kg/min) in Dp, Db, and saline control (NS) dogs. Dp and Db significantly (p<0.05) increased myocardial BF. Dp did not alter renal, visceral, and skeletal muscle BF and only increased BF to the cervical spinal cord and medulla. Db, however, significantly reduced renal (−49%), splenci (−58%), pancreatic (−27%), and colonic (−47%) BF but increased perfusion in essentially all of the central nervous system.Off CPB: Cardiac output during Dp and Db infusions was significantly greater than NS dogs (107±7 vs 152±12 vs 82±10 ml/kg/min resp.); the greater increase for Db resulting from a larger stroke volume. Dp and Db significantly increased myocardial BF. Dp increased splenic (+77%), gastric (+139%), and gallbladder (+125%) BF but had no effect on renal, hepatic, skeletal muscle, and intestinal BF. Db infusion maintained renal BF similar to NS and elevated BF to most visceral organs. The results of this study show that the myocardium responded to inotropic stimulation despite the previous ischemic insult but the BF changes varied among regional vascular beds with Dp and Db infusions during and following CPB. Of the 2 drugs, Db showed the greater inotropic response off CPB, a similar increase in myocardial perfusion and greater visceral organ bloodflow.
Affordable Housing and White Poverty Concentration

During the 1980s poverty levels among non-Hispanic whites have increased at the same time that the supply of affordable housing has decreased on a national level. The limited amount of affordable housing is theorized to lead to the increased exposure of poor whites to poverty in the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. This research examines the phenomenon of poverty concentration experienced by poor whites in selected US metropolitan areas between 1980 and 1990. A concentration index was used to identify the changes in this phenomenon in addition to a measure of housing affordability specifically calculated for poor non-Hispanic whites. Social and economic variables from the U.S. Census were also used in a series of regression analyses to obtain an understanding of the variables that were associated with increases and decreases in exposure to poverty among poor white Americans.
Medical criminals: Physicians and white-collar offenses

Lawbreaking by professionals remains an understudied area in the field of white-collar crime. This article presents a review of crime in the practice of medicine, focusing on the misdeeds of physicians. The role of physician power in producing such acts is analyzed from both historical and theoretical perspectives, and a brief inventory of forms of medical wrongdoing is presented. The article also considers the ways in which formal medical training can influence later wrongdoing, and discusses issues related to the control of medical crime.
Real-time image processing on a custom computing platform

The authors explore the utility of custom computing machinery for accelerating the development, testing, and prototyping of a diverse set of image processing applications. We chose an experimental custom computing platform called Splash-2 to investigate this approach to prototyping real time image processing designs. Custom computing platforms are emerging as a class of computers that can provide near application specific computational performance. We developed a real time image processing system called VTSplash, based on the Splash-2 general-purpose platform. Splash-2 is an attached processor featuring programmable processing elements (PEs) and communication paths. The Splash-2 system uses arrays of RAM based field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), crossbar networks, and distributed memory to accomplish the needed flexibility and performance tasks. Such platforms let designers customize specific operations for function and size, and data paths for individual applications. >
Plant and animal communities in brackish supra-littoral pools (‘dobben’) in the northern part of the Netherlands

Fifty brackish supra-littoral pools bordering the Waddenzee were studied. The structure of plant communities (Potamogeton pectinatus L., Ranunculus baudotii Godr. and Zannichellia pedunculata Rchb.) is discussed in relation to water level fluctuations, chlorinity and water transparency. Chlorinity tolerances of the macrophytes (7 species) are discussed. The macrofauna was studied semi-quantitatively. The aquatic Coleoptera had the greatest diversity (24 species). A distinct relationship between the number of Coleoptera species and the percentage of macrophyte coverage was found. The distribution patterns of the most frequent species with respect to chlorinity categories are shown in histograms. The number of aquatic Heteroptera species is also discussed in relation to chlorinity and vegetation coverage. Less important macrofaunal groups (the Crustacea, Mollusca and Odonata) occurred in low species numbers.
Systematic Biases in Functional Status Assessment of Elderly Adults: Effects of Different Data Sources

Measuring functional status using specific instruments is an important part of geriatric assessment. These instruments, however, often rely on data sources different from those with which they were originally validated. To study possible biasing effects of different data sources on functional status scores, we examined scores for two widely used instruments (the Lawton Personal Self-Maintenance Scale, PSMS, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, IADL, Scale) on a group of hospitalized elderly (n = 61) using three different data sources (the patients themselves, the patients' nurses, and significant others). Analysis showed that PSMS scores derived from patients were significantly higher than scores derived from significant others (p less than .025) and that patient-derived IADL scores were significantly higher than both nurse-derived scores (p less than .001) and significant-other-derived scores (p less than .001). We also compared scores for a group of nursing home patients (n = 68) on the Katz Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale, using data obtained from patients and their nurses. Again, the patient-derived scores were significantly higher than those from nurses (p less than .001). We conclude that data sources for determining patient functional ability are not interchangeable and that patients may overstate their functional abilities, whereas significant others may understate them, relative to judgments of skilled nursing personnel.
Altered helical axis patterns of the lumbar spine indicate increased instability with disc degeneration

Although the causes of low back pain are poorly defined and indistinct, degeneration of the intervertebral disc is most often implicated as the origin of pain. The biochemical and mechanical changes associated with degeneration result in the discs' inability to maintain structure and function, leading to spinal instability and ultimately pain. Traditionally, a clinical exam assessing functional range-of-motion coupled with T2-weighted MRI revealing disc morphology are used to evaluate spinal health; however, these subjective measures fail to correlate well with pain or provide useful patient stratification. Therefore, improved quantification of spinal motion and objective MRI measures of disc health are necessary. An instantaneous helical axis (IHA) approach provides rich temporal three-dimensional data describing the pathway of motion, which is easily visualized. Eighteen cadaveric osteoligamentous lumbar spines (L4-5) from throughout the degenerative spectrum were tested in a pure moment fashion. IHA were calculated for flexion-extension and lateral bending. A correlational study design was used to determine the relationship between disc measurements from quantitative T2* MRI and IHA metrics. Increased instability and out-of-plane rotation with diminished disc health was observed during lateral bending, but not flexion-extension. This new analysis strategy examines the entire pathway of motion, rather than simplifying spinal kinematics to its terminal ends of motion and provides a more sensitive kinematic measurement of disc health. Ultimately, through the use of 3D dynamic fluoroscopy or similar methods, a patient's functional IHA in lateral bending may be measured and used to assess their disc health for diagnosis, progression tracking, and treatment evaluation.
Growth parameters of wild and selected strains of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, on two experimental diets

Abstract Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, parr from Penobscot (wild) and St. John River (selected) strains were cultured in 0.265 m3 tanks filled with 20–30 ppt salinity well water and connected to a common bio-filter system. Because state and federal regulations require the culture of North American salmon by producers in Maine and the fact that most salmon currently cultured in the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada are from the St. John strain, the St. John River strain was chosen for inclusion in this study and compared to a local wild strain from the Penobscot River. Salmon parr were stocked at approximately 5 kg/m3 (100 fish/tank) and fed one of two experimental diets in a 2 × 2 factorial design with 4 tanks for each treatment. Each strain was fed a diet formulated to represent either a traditional high protein (THP), lower energy salmon diet (46% protein, 18% fat) or a newer high energy diet (NHE) (40% protein, 32% fat). Fish were anesthetized, counted and weighed at approximately 2 week intervals during a 23 week trial. Significant effects of strain on initial weight, final weight, specific growth rate, % feed consumed per day, and thermal growth coefficient were found. St. John strain salmon weighed more at the end of the trial (117.2 ± 2.5 g) than Penobscot River salmon (71.2 ±2.5 g). There was a significant diet effect on final weight, specific growth rate, and thermal growth unit coefficient. There was no effect of strain, diet or interaction of these effects on feed conversion ratio. Diet had a significant effect on final weight of St. John River salmon (NHE 99.0 ± 2.0 and THP 89.4 ± 2.0 g), and no effect on the final weight of Penobscot strain salmon. Strain and diet also had significant effects on lipid composition and protein efficiency, while diet had a significant effect on protein retention. Strain differences accounted for 85.9% of the difference in final weight compared to 14.2% due to diet. Results indicate that St. John River salmon, which are commercially cultured and are being used in selective breeding programs, have superior growth rate compared to wild Penobscot River salmon.
Non-steady state simulation of BOM removal in drinking water biofilters: model development.

Abstract A numerical model was developed to simulate the non-steady-state behavior of biologically-active filters used for drinking water treatment. The biofilter simulation model called “BIOFILT” simulates the substrate (biodegradable organic matter or BOM) and biomass (both attached and suspended) profiles in a biofilter as a function of time. One of the innovative features of BIOFILT compared to previous biofilm models is the ability to simulate the effects of a sudden loss in attached biomass or biofilm due to filter backwash on substrate removal performance. A sensitivity analysis of the model input parameters indicated that the model simulations were most sensitive to the values of parameters that controlled substrate degradation and biofilm growth and accumulation including the substrate diffusion coefficient, the maximum rate of substrate degradation, the microbial yield coefficient, and a dimensionless shear loss coefficient. Variation of the hydraulic loading rate or other parameters that controlled the deposition of biomass via filtration did not significantly impact the simulation results.
Dissolved organic carbon in the Atlantic, Southern and Pacific oceans

THE amount of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in sea water is controversial1,2 Using a high-temperature catalytic oxidation (HTCO) technique, Sugimura and Suzuki3 reported that surface waters contained 2–4 times as much DOC as that measured previously using wet chemistry and ultraviolet oxidation techniques4,5. They also observed a relationship between DOC content and apparent oxygen utilization suggesting that the consumption of DOC is responsible for oxygen depletion in the deep sea. How to reconcile the apparent differences between these techniques has not been clear. Here we provide independent confirmation of the findings of Sugimura and Suzuki. We collected surface and deep waters from the equatorial Pacific Ocean, the Drake passage and the Atlantic Ocean south of Iceland, and analysed their DOC content using the HTCO methodology3. We found DOC concentrations 2–3 times higher than those measured previously. These results imply that the carbon content of the oceans has previously been underestimated by 1012 (1,000 billion) tonnes, and that the new estimated total of 1,800 billion tonnes represents one of the largest carbon reservoirs on Earth6. We found no evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship between DOC and apparent oxygen utilization.
Synthesis of 7α-(fluoromethyl)dihydrotestosterone and 7α-(fluoromethyl)nortestosterone, structurally paired androgens designed to probe the role of sex hormone binding globulin in imaging androgen receptors in prostate tumors by positron emission tomography

Although prostate cancer growth is regulated by androgens through the androgen receptor (AR), in vitro assays of AR levels in prostate tumors have limited prognostic value. This might be improved by direct measurement of tumor AR in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with fluorine-18-labeled androgens. Most AR PET imaging agents have been designed to limit steroid binding to serum proteins, but there is evidence that binding to sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) might enhance tumor uptake. To probe the role of SHBG in prostate tumor uptake of PET imaging agents, we have synthesized two fluoro steroids, 7alpha-(fluoromethyl)dihydrotestosterone (7alpha-FM-DHT) and 7alpha-(fluoromethyl)nortestosterone (7alpha-FM-norT), by a route amenable to their labeling with [18F]fluoride ion. Both compounds have high affinity for AR, but 7alpha-FM-norT has much lower affinity for SHBG. Thus, these two fluoro steroids are well matched in terms of their site of fluorine labeling, similarity of structure, and equivalent AR binding affinity-but contrasting SHBG binding-and therefore can be used as agents for evaluating the role of SHBG binding in the target tissue uptake of AR PET imaging agents in humans.
Oxidative enzyme histochemistry of the chick esophagus and proventriculus.

Succinic dehydrogenase, NAD and NADP diaphorases, choline oxidase, d-amino acid oxidase, α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, glutamic dehydrogenase, lactic dehydrogenase and aldolase were identified histochemically in the esophagus and proventriculus of the developing chick embryo. In general, the deep glands of the proventriculus reacted more strongly than the epithelium and mucous glands of the esophagus to the tests. The intensity of the enzymatic activity seems correlated with the number of mitochondria and metabolic activity of the cells.
Cost-Effectiveness of Detecting and Treating Diabetic Retinopathy

Objective : To determine, from the health insurer's perspective, the cost of preventing vision loss in patients with diabetes mellitus through ophthalmologic screening and treatment and to calculate the cost-effectiveness of these interventions as compared with that of other medical interventions. Design : Computer modeling, incorporating data from population-based epidemiologic studies and multicenter clinical trials. Monte Carlo simulation was used, combined with sensitivity analysis and present value analysis of cost savings. Results : Screening and treatment of eye disease in patients with diabetes mellitus costs $3190 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) saved. This average cost is a weighted average (based on prevalence of disease) of the cost-effectiveness of detecting and treating diabetic eye disease in those with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus ($1996 per QALY), those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) who use insulin for glycemic control ($2933 per QALY), and those with NIDDM who do not use insulin for glycemic control ($3530 per QALY). Conclusions : Our analysis indicates that prevention programs aimed at improving eye care for diabetic persons not only result in substantial federal budgetary savings but are highly cost-effective health investments for society. Ophthalmologic screening for diabetic persons is more cost-effective than many routinely provided health interventions. Because diabetic eye disease is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among working-age Americans, these results support the widespread use of screening and treatment for diabetic eye disease.
GENDER-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN TRAVEL MODE PSYCHOPHYSICS

(1981). GENDER-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN TRAVEL MODE PSYCHOPHYSICS. Urban Geography: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 131-147.
Dark adaptation and the Hermann grid illusion

The latency of the perception of the dark spot at the intersection of a Hermann grid was measured before and after dark adaptation. It was found that dark adaptation significantly increased the latency of perception of the spot while light adaptation had no effect. This finding was predicted from the Jung and Spillman account of the Hermann grid illusion and from the Kuffler et al. finding that inhibitory receptive fields of the cat’s retinal ganglion ceils are reduced in size and responsiveness after dark adaptation. The significance of this finding in relation to other simultaneous contrast phenomena is discussed.
A generalized economic-uneconomic boundary for short run product and cost curves

It has been found that for any production function homogeneous of degreem, the tangency point between theLRAPL curve and theSRAPL curve will provide a demarcation between those points that are economic, and hence relevant, and those that are uneconomic and hence irrelevant. As a special case, for a linear homogeneous function, the intersection ofSRAPL withSRMPL also coincides with this boundary.
The γ subunit of brain G-proteins is methyl esterified at a C-terminal cysteine

The gamma polypeptide of brain G-proteins is carboxyl methylated when the purified beta gamma subunit complex is reconstituted with S-adenosyl-[3H-methyl]-L-methionine and a methyltransferase present in detergent-stripped brain membranes. By chromatographic analysis of the 3H-amino acid generated by exhaustive proteolysis and performic acid oxidation of the 3H-methylated beta gamma complex, we show that this modification occurs on the alpha-carboxyl group of a C-terminal cysteine residue. Our result suggests that brain G-protein may undergo multiple covalent modification steps, including proteolytic removal of the three terminal amino acids from the predicted common C-terminal Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Xaa sequence, and the methyl esterification of the resulting terminal cysteine residue. This modification is likely to be associated with lipidation at the sulfhydryl group of the same cysteine, which would explain the tight membrane binding property of the brain beta gamma complex.