cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Importance of mechanical signals in promoting exercise-induced improvements in vasomotor function of aged skeletal muscle resistance arteries

Current research indicates that vasomotor responses are altered with aging in skeletal muscle resistance arteries. The changes in vasomotor function are characterized by impaired vasodilator and va...
Elwyn Berlekamp: Dots and Boxes

Current world championship chess matches inspired a chapter about combinatorial game theory. Berlekamp found depth in games such as “Dots and Boxes” that look easier than chess, and helped formulate central combinatorial problems via games. Games for coloring and packing problems are discussed.
Sustainability Concerns of Irrigated Agriculture

The introduction of irrigation generally constitutes a significant intervention in the prevailing physical,environmental and socio-economic conditions of the area. In the process, existing equilibria are disturbed and in the course of time new ones are established. The underlying premise of irrigation development, of course, is that the new conditions satisfy mankind’s objectives better than the old ones. In many respects this premise has proven to be true. Irrigation has been a major development force in many ancient civilizations and it continues to play this role in today’s world. While only one sixth of the world’s cropped land is irrigated, this irrigated part accounts for about one third of the world’s food harvest. Over one half of the increase in food production over the last 25 years has come from irrigated land and irrigation undoubtedly will continue to play a critically important role in assuring the food security of the world’s ever growing population. Irrigation also contributes significantly to the poverty alleviation and general improvement of the quality of rural life. All this applies especially to the developing countries many of which rely heavily on irrigation for their further development and experience the highest population growth rates.
Plastic cigar tips debris: Exploring use and disposal issues for Lake Erie beaches.

Abstract Great Lakes states are increasingly faced with questions regarding how plastic debris is impacting marine and coastal ecosystems. This is especially evident along the southern beaches of Lake Erie, where high population and industrial development have contributed to the plastics problem. In Ohio, the most common items found are cigarettes and other smoking related materials, including plastic cigar tips. Given the growing awareness of the issue, and the impact of plastics on beaches throughout the Great Lakes, a focus group convened to investigate strategies to help address the problem. The group was comprised of individuals with practical knowledge of plastic cigar tip use and disposal issues, including representatives of government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, community groups, and local academic institutions. This report represents the exploratory results of the focus group, complete with information regarding the what, why, and how of plastic cigar tip debris in the region, guidance on the material and social barriers to sustaining desired behaviors (cessation of use by minors and/or proper disposal), strategies to overcome those barriers, and suggestions for management and policy actions moving forward. Group members suggest that a combination of education and government-supported financial incentives may be the most effective approach, with community-based positive messaging backed by local taxes on smoking items that have plastic tips and rebates or other rewards for properly disposing of debris.
Genomic Science—From 2001 to Present Day: What School Nurses Need to Know:

Genetic science has made remarkable advances in the 21st century. As genetic and genomic sciences continue to expand, school nurses will become thoroughly immersed in data, information, and technol...
6 Photobiology and Circadian Clocks in Neurospora

Light sensing and circadian rhythmicity are two related processes that promote the adaptation of many fungal species to their environment. This chapter begins with a description of fungal photoreceptors and their distributions across fungal lineages. We then discuss in some detail the molecular mechanisms of the photoresponse in two well-studied model fungi, Neurospora crassa and Aspergillus nidulans, placing an emphasis on the important similarities and differences between the two species. This will lead to a description of circadian rhythmicity in fungi in general, with a particular emphasis on Neurospora crassa. We highlight the core mechanism in this organism as well as discuss the inputs and outputs that can affect the clock. We also note at the end some new developments in molecular genetics in Neurospora.
Sustainable reverse logistic network design for end-of-life use-case study

Due to the increased interests in environmental issues along with stringent environmental legislation and regulations, companies start taking a fresh look at the impact on their reverse logistic activties on the environment. This paper is an example of the recovery of valuable material that can be recycled/recovered or remanufactured at the end of product useful life by designing an effective reverse logistics network. In this study, a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is proposed to determine a long-term strategy for end-of-life (EOL). The mathematical model not only takes into account the minimization of system operating costs, but also considered minimization of carbon emissions related to the transportation and processing of used products. Therefore, the objective in this model was to minimize the transportation and operating cost as well as minimizing environmental effects these activities. The results of this study show the trade-off between the costs and carbon emissions, and cost effectiveness for improving environmental performance, all of which have great practical implication on decision-making of network configurations a reverse logistics system. The proposed model is validated by examining a case study from wind turbine (WT) sector.
In reply: erector spinae plane continuous blocks for pediatric liver transplantation.

To the Editor, We welcome Dr Visoiu’s[1][1] comments as they reflect the challenges of applying the benefits of interventions, such as regional analgesia, to complex patients in the setting of limited patient-specific high-quality evidence. A common event for pediatric patients and specifically
Cultivating professional technical skills and understanding through hands-on online learning experiences

Life-long learning is necessary for all professions because the technologies, tools and skills required for success over the course of a career expand and change. Professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields face particular challenges as new multi-disciplinary methods, e.g. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, mature to replace those learned in undergraduate or graduate programs. Traditionally, industry, professional societies and university programs have provided professional development. While these provide opportunities to develop deeper understanding in STEM specialties and stay current with new techniques, the constraints on formal classes and workshops preclude the possibility of Just-In-Time Mastery Learning, particularly for new domains.The MIT Lincoln Laboratory Supercomputing Center (LLSC) and MIT Supercloud teams have developed online course offerings specifically designed to provide a way for adult learners to build their own educational path based on their immediate needs, problems and schedules. To satisfy adult learners, the courses are formulated as a series of challenges and strategies. Using this perspective, the courses incorporate targeted theory supported by hands-on practice. The focus of this paper is the design of Mastery, Just-in-Time MOOC courses that address the full space of hands-on learning requirements, from digital to analog. The discussion centers on the design of project-based exercises for professional technical education courses. The case studies highlight examples from courses that incorporate practice ranging from the construction of a small radar used for real world data collection and processing to the development of high performance computing applications.
Latino immigrant youth perceptions of receptivity in an emerging immigrant gateway in the US Southeast

This article explores how Latino immigrant youth perceive their receptivity or degree of welcome into society, specifically in the context of Charlotte, North Carolina, an emerging immigrant gatewa...
Featuring People in Ads (2020 Edition)

This is Chapter 14 from the 2020 edition of Advertising & Marketing Law: Cases and Materials, a casebook by Rebecca Tushnet and Eric Goldman. This chapter examines the legal issues arising from featuring people in advertisements, including publicity rights and endorsement/testimonial guidelines.
Kidney Function Modifies the Effect of Intraoperative Opioid Dosage on Postoperative Delirium

BACKGROUND There are few studies demonstrating how kidney function affects the risk of developing delirium in older adult surgical patients administered opioids. This study determined whether baseline kidney function influences the relationship between morphine equivalent dose and the development of delirium on postoperative day (POD) 2 in patients with hip fracture. METHODS This retrospective study analyzed emergency department (ED) estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), perioperative serum creatinine, intravenous morphine equivalents, and POD2 delirium assessment by the Confusion Assessment Method in 652 patients aged 65 years or older without preoperative delirium. ED eGFR was used to divide subjects into groups by presence or absence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and associations of opioid dose with POD2 delirium were compared using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS POD2 delirium incidence was 29.8% (N = 194). Intraoperative and postanesthesia care unit (PACU) morphine equivalent dosage as well as ED eGFR were similar comparing patients with and without POD2 delirium. Age, American Society of Anesthesiologists status, and dementia were associated with delirium on POD2. The odds of POD2 delirium increased significantly with increase of intraoperative opioid in patients with CKD (odds ratio = 1.6; 95% confidence interval = 1.2-2.2), but not in patients without CKD (P-interaction = .04). PACU or POD1 opioid doses were not associated with POD2 delirium after covariate adjustment. CONCLUSION This study suggests that incremental increases in intraoperative opioids combined with CKD increase odds of POD2 delirium after hip fracture repair, compared with patients without CKD.
Establishing a Pediatric Robotic Surgery Program

Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery has been widely adopted by adult urology practices in the United States and increasingly across the world. Over the past decade, multiple publications have demonstrated the feasibility and safety of robotic urologic surgery in children. Pediatric urologists, who have been slower than their adult counterparts to adopt robot-assisted technology, are now performing robotic surgery with increasing volume and case complexity as patient and surgeon demand increases. Children’s hospitals face unique barriers to establishing a robotic surgery program. In this chapter, we summarize the extant literature guiding effective implementation of a robotic surgery program and associated best practices. Establishing a robotic surgery program requires a comprehensive plan that starts with well-defined mission. Cost is a large barrier to acquisition of a robot, and a detailed market and cost analysis is crucial to hospital buy-in. A lead surgeon will need to define initial case selection and plans for expansion of volume and case complexity. A dedicated robotics team with consistent operating room staff is necessary for efficiency. Finally, there should be provisions for data collection, data review, and continuing education.
Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion

In Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion, Tanisha Ford PhD, Professor of History at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, takes the reader on a journey through ...
Investigating rarity in web attacks with ensemble learners

Class rarity is a frequent challenge in cybersecurity. Rarity occurs when the positive (attack) class only has a small number of instances for machine learning classifiers to train upon, thus making it difficult for the classifiers to discriminate and learn from the positive class. To investigate rarity, we examine three individual web attacks in big data from the CSE-CIC-IDS2018 dataset: “Brute Force-Web”, “Brute Force-XSS”, and “SQL Injection”. These three individual web attacks are also severely imbalanced, and so we evaluate whether random undersampling (RUS) treatments can improve the classification performance for these three individual web attacks. The following eight different levels of RUS ratios are evaluated: no sampling, 999:1, 99:1, 95:5, 9:1, 3:1, 65:35, and 1:1. For measuring classification performance, Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) metrics are obtained for the following seven different classifiers: Random Forest (RF), CatBoost (CB), LightGBM (LGB), XGBoost (XGB), Decision Tree (DT), Naive Bayes (NB), and Logistic Regression (LR) (with the first four learners being ensemble learners and for comparison, the last three being single learners). We find that applying random undersampling does improve overall classification performance with the AUC metric in a statistically significant manner. Ensemble learners achieve the top AUC scores after massive undersampling is applied, but the ensemble learners break down and have poor performance (worse than NB and DT) when no sampling is applied to our unique and harsh experimental conditions of severe class imbalance and rarity.
Suitcases and the Poetics of Oddities: Writing History from Disorderly Archives

Abstract : I argue here against two things: fetishizing the power and wholesomeness of colonial archives, and equating the scarcity of post-1960 repositories with new difficulties to write the past of Africa. Instead, I suggest the productive power of odd findings, and the necessity for historians to trust the energy of heterodox pieces to create original and meaningful historical narratives. Resume : Cet essai recuse la tentation de fetichiser la completude des archives colo-niales sur l’Afrique en opposant leur relative richesse a la parcimonie des depots apres 1960. Ce n’est pas tant la regularite des sequences archivales qui permet d’ecrire sur le passe, que le pouvoir mysterieux de fragments empiriques rencon-tres ici et la, isoles et souvent enigmatiques. Le recit historique depend des inflex-ions problematiques que ces etranges trouvailles proposent au chercheur. Introduction When I decided to work on Equatorial Africa, the promise of unusual archives and exotic surroundings played a huge role in my resolve. A stu-dent at the Sorbonne and the Ecole Normale Superieure, I felt pressure from my mentors to choose the right MA topic, e.g. something that would foster my intellectual growth while keeping me within the bounds of meth-odological safety. Afflicted by a contrarian spirit, I chose wrong of course,
Functional determinants of forest recruitment over broad scales

Aim The drivers of tree recruitment over large spatial scales remain unexplored. Here, we ask whether species potential for recruitment and the strength of density-dependent processes, both inferred from species relative abundances, show emerging patterns that can be explained upon the basis of information about climate and functional traits. Location Eastern forests of the USA. Methods We document the geographical distributions and magnitudes of seedling recruitment and the strength of density dependence and conspecific density dependence for the forests of the eastern USA spanning > 1.2 million km2 across 88,854 local communities comprising 164 tree species. We also compiled climatic variables and 16 traits representing several important ecological axes of tree functional strategies to assess which factors were most strongly associated with the emerging broad-scale spatial patterns. Results Strong geographical variation in the potential for seedling recruitment and a latitudinal change from negative to positive density dependence moving northward were associated with adaptation to seasonal freezing temperatures and seed size. Wood density and leaf nitrogen, in contrast, were related to the magnitude of the negative density dependence and conspecific density dependence, respectively, which were prevalent over most of the region. Main conclusions Our results provide strong evidence that tree recruitment and the strength of density-dependent processes have broad-scale patterns that can be explained by a few key species functional traits.
THE CONCEPT OF FUNCTION IN THE ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR

The concept of function is central to the discipline of behavior analysis; it serves to characterize the subject matter of the science and is also used to distinguish behavior analysis from other approaches in psychology. In this commentary we assess the concept of function as it is used within behavior analysis. This is done through the perspective of interbehaviorism, with attention to implications for the validity and significance of behavior analysis as a scientific system. Problems are identified, and an alternative is proposed. Finally, the implications of the adoption of this alternative are reviewed.
Olfactory sensory neurons are trophically dependent on the olfactory bulb for their prolonged survival

In most neural systems, developing neurons are trophically dependent on contact with their synaptic target for their survival and for some features of their differentiation. However, in the olfactory system, it is unclear whether or not the survival and differentiation of olfactory sensory neurons depend on contact with the olfactory bulb (normally the sole synaptic target for these neurons). In order to address this issue, we examined neuronal life-span and differentiation in adult rats subjected to unilateral olfactory bulb ablation at least 1 month prior to use. Life-span of a newly generated cohort of olfactory neurons was determined by labeling them at their “birth” via the incorporation of 3H-thymidine. In the absence of the bulb, neurons are continually produced at a twofold greater rate. However, the epithelium on the ablated side is thinner, indicating that average neuronal life-span must be reduced in the targetless epithelium. Indeed, nearly 90% of the labeled neurons disappear from the bulbectomized side between 5 d and 2 weeks of neuronal age. Moreover, on electron microscopic examination, olfactory axons are degenerating in large numbers on the ablated side. Since labeled neurons migrate apically through the width of the epithelium during this same period, it appears that most, if not all, neurons on the ablated side have a life-span on the order of 2 weeks or less. In contrast, there is a more moderate degree of neuronal loss on the unoperated side of the same animals during the first 2 weeks after tracer injection, and that occurs while the neurons are concentrated in the deeper half of the epithelium, suggesting that there is a preexisting population of neurons in the control epithelium that does not die during this period. Likewise, degenerating axons are much less frequent on the unoperated side. We conclude that life-span is significantly shorter for olfactory neurons born in the targetless epithelium and that olfactory neurons are trophically dependent on the presence of the bulb for their prolonged survival. Neuronal differentiation in the absence of the bulb was assessed according to ultrastructural criteria and the pattern of protein expression using antisera to the growth associated protein GAP-43 and the olfactory marker protein. By both measures, most neurons in the epithelium on the bulbectomized side, but not all, are immature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Manganese Proteins with Mono‐ & Dinuclear Sites

Although manganese is not as widely recognized as iron and copper, it nevertheless plays an essential role in several key biological processes. Consequently, manganese concentrations are tightly regulated in most cells. Several Mn-specific transporters have been identified and a novel Mn-regulatory protein has been characterized. Manganese-activated enzymes are proteins that have relatively weak affinities for Mn; in many cases these are isolated without any metal bound. Manganese-activated enzymes are especially important in hydrolytic reactions, and appear, in at least some cases, to have physiologically significant changes in activity that respond to changes in Mn concentration. The best characterized Mn proteins are redox-active enzymes, where Mn typically cycles between the MnII and MnIII oxidation states, although some MnIV-containing species are known. Keywords: homeostasis; xylose isomerase; glutamine synthetase; phosphoglycerate mutase; superoxide dismutase; dioxygenase; oxalate metabolism; arginase; catalase
Human ovarian cancer, cell lines, and primary ascites cells express the human Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) type II receptor, bind, and are responsive to MIS

Six human ovarian cancer cell lines and samples of ascites cells isolated from 27 patients with stage III or IV ovarian papillary serous cystadenocarcinoma were studied individually to test whether recombinant human Mullerian inhibiting substance (rhMIS) acts via its receptor. To do these experiments, we scaled up production of rhMIS and labeled it successfully with biotin for binding studies, cloned the human MIS type II receptor for mRNA detection, and raised antibodies to an extracellular domain peptide for protein detection. These probes were first tested on the human ovarian cancer cell lines and then applied to primary ovarian ascites cells. rhMIS inhibited colony growth of five of six cell lines that expressed the human MIS type II receptor mRNA by Northern analysis while not inhibiting receptor-negative COS cells. Flow cytometry performed on MIS-sensitive ovarian cancer cell lines demonstrated specific and saturable binding of rhMIS ( K d = 10.2 nm). Ascites cells from 15 of 27 or 56% of patients tested bound biotinylated MIS (MIS-biotin) and, of the 11 that grew in soft agarose, 9 of 11 or 82% showed statistically significant inhibition of colony formation. Of the 15 patients who bound biotinylated MIS, mRNA was available for analysis from 9, and 8 of 9 expressed MIS type II receptor mRNA by reverse transcription-PCR, showing a statistically significant correlation, compared with binding, by χ 2 analysis ( P = 0.025). Solid ovarian cancers were positive for the MIS type II receptor protein by immunohistochemical staining, which colocalized with staining for antibody to CA-125 (OC-125). Thus, the detection of the MIS type II receptor by flow cytometry may be a useful predictor of therapeutic response to MIS and may be a modality to rapidly choose patients with late-stage ovarian cancer for treatment with MIS.
Incentives for investment in new generating capacity in deregulated markets for electricity

All decisions about investments in new generators, transmission, distributed energy resources and load management is based on expectations about future market conditions. A fundamental complication for electricity is that congestion on the transmission system makes it infeasible to rely on a single market for one location as the primary source of price discovery for all locations. As a result, trading some set of prices for different locations are needed, but the number of locations must be small to ensure that there is enough liquidity in the market for reliable price discovery. This paper develops an analytical framework for evaluating forward contracts and investment decisions under the assumption that firms want to avoid financial losses (i.e. firms are risk averse). The prices and quantities of these contracts are optimized to provide an equilibrium solution between the DISCOs and the generating companies (GENCOs) with equal gains for each side of the market. Additional purchases of electricity may be made in a spot market that is characterized by infrequent price spikes during the summer months. These price spikes make the spot market very risky for the DISCOs because customers pay a fixed regulated rate to the DISCOs (i.e. The DISCOs are still in a transition period between regulation and free markets).
Coumarins IX: Coumarins of Sphenosciadium Capitellatum (A. Gray)

The aliphatic naphtha extract of the roots of Sphenosciadium capitellatum (A. Gray) has yielded isoimperatorin, phellopterin, imperatorin, oxypeucedanin, isopimpinellin, and a linear furanocoumarin, C17H16O5, which has been assigned the 5-γ,γ-dimethylallyloxy-8-methoxy psoralen structure on the basis of degradative and spectral studies. This linear furanocoumarin appears to be identical to cnidilin, recently isolated and characterized from Cnidium dubium (Schkuhr) Thell. The methanol extract yielded sucrose and the glycosidic coumarin, nodakenin, in excellent yield.
Duke storage ring UV/VUV FEL: status and prospects☆

Abstract A 1.1 GeV electron storage ring dedicated for UV-VUV FEL operation was commissioned last year at the Duke University Free Electron Laser Laboratory [V.N. Litvinenko et al., Commissioning of the Duke storage ring, Proc. 1995 Particle Accelerator Conf., Dallas, TX, May 1–5, 1995]. The XUV FEL project, based on the collaboration of the Duke FEL Laboratory and Budker Institute for Nuclear Physics (Novosibirsk, Russia) is described. The OK-4 UV FEL has arrived from Novosibirsk at the Duke FEL laboratory and is in the process of installation. The main parameters of the Duke Free Electron Laser Laboratory (DFELL) storage ring, the OK-4 optical klystron, and the experimental set-up are presented. The parameters of the UV-VUV FEL are given and possible future upgrades to this system are discussed. We have developed a new macro-particle code for storage ring simulation including all known mechanisms of storage ring FEL interaction. We confirm our expectations on the average and peak power for the OK-4. In addition we have studied a giant pulse mode of operation. A new mechanism of “super-pulse” generation was discovered during these studies. It allows the generation of peak power up to 10 GW using “phase-space” refreshment of the electron beam caused by synchrotron motion [V.N. Litvinenko, B. Burnham, J.M.J. Madey and Y. Wu, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 358 (1995) 334].
Enzyme induction in SV40-infected green monkey kidney cultures.

Abstract After infection of primary cultures of green monkey kidney cells or of an established green monkey kidney cell line (CV-1) with SV40, thymidine kinase activity was induced. Increased enzyme activity was first detectable 12–16 hours after inoculation and was 4–15 times greater at 28–48 hours in infected than in noninfected cultures. Thymidine kinase has been partially purified from noninfected and SV40-infected cells. With deoxyuridine (UdR) as substrate, the Michaelis constant of the enzyme from infected cells was 2–3 times greater than that from noninfected cells. However, the kinetics of inactivation of the enzymes were about the same at 38 °. 1-β- d -Arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) inhibited the incorporation of tritiated thymidine (H3-TdR) into the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of noninfected or SV40-infected monkey kidney cultures by 95% or more. Ara-C treatment increased greatly the thymidine kinase activity of noninfected monkey kidney cultures. The Michaelis constant of thymidine kinase purified from ara-C treated CV-1 cultures was identical to that from untreated cultures. Ara-C did not prevent the induction of thymidine kinase by SV40. Indeed, the effects of ara-C and SV40 on enzyme induction were approximately additive in drug treated and infected cultures. Bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) treatment did not prevent thymidine kinase induction by SV40, although virus growth was inhibited by 99.9%. Unlike ara-C, BUdR did not have a stimulating effect on thymidine kinase activity in noninfected cells. Cycloheximide inhibited the incorporation of radioactive amino acids into proteins of monkey kidney cells. Cycloheximide prevented thymidine kinase induction when added to cultures early after SV40 infection and arrested further enzyme induction when added after thymidine kinase induction had begun. A gradual twofold increase in thymidylate synthetase activity occurred in SV40-infected cultures but thymidine 5′-monophosphate (TMP) kinase and uridine kinase activities increased by less than 50%. Radioautographic and biochemical experiments on the incorporation of radioactive precursors into DNA demonstrated that the percentage of cells with labeled nuclei and the uptake of either tritiated deoxyadenosine or H3-TdR into DNA was sharply increased beginning at about 16–20 hours after infection. The total DNA content of SV40-infected cultures was also increased.
Traumatic dissecting coronary arterial aneurysm with subsequent complete healing

Abstract Coronary artery injury producing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an uncommon complication of nonpenetrating chest trauma. Although usually associated with preexisting atherosclerosis, both thrombosis and dissection in otherwise normal coronary arteries have been reported at autopsy and by angiography after nonpenetrating chest trauma. 1 We report a patient who sustained blunt chest trauma resulting in proximal aneurysmal dissection and occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA) with associated inferior AMI.
Are Religious People Nice People? Religiosity, Race, Interview Dynamics, and Perceived Cooperativeness

Prior research has shown consistently that religiosity, as indexed by self-reported frequency of prayer, is associated positively with “niceness,” measured by interviewers’ratings of respondents’cooperativeness. We used data pooled from the 1983, 1988, and 1993 General Social Surveys to further examine the association between religiosity and niceness, and to raise questions about the adequacy of this currently preferred operationalization of niceness. We used three different measures of religiosity and directly examined racial differences in perceived cooperativeness. Our results indicate that each self-reported indicator of religiosity was associated positively with perceived cooperativeness (in separate models), while race was associated negatively. We found no evidence of mediating or moderating relationships. Overall, our results provide additional evidence that persons who are more religious are perceived by others to be more cooperative and that this effect operates net of more readily observable characteristics that might influence interview dynamics and interviewers’evaluations of respondents’cooperativeness. However, our results also suggest that new, more specific measures of niceness are needed to improve our ability to fully measure this sociologically important concept and to refine our understanding of the relationship between religiosity and niceness.
The Americanization of the European Left

In The Debate That Continues To Rage Over The Question Of American exceptionalism, two facts are historically well established that have distinguished the United States from European countries: the United States failed to develop and to institutionalize an electorally viable social democratic or labour party that represents the interests of its unionized working class and aspires to achieve a socialist society; and the United States has lagged behind its European counterparts in building the institutions of a comprehensive welfare state.
Excitation of visual cortex neurons by local intracortical microstimulation.

The threshold current required for the excitation of visual cortex neurons in the vicinity (∼ 1 mm) of an intracortical stimulating electrode was measured as a function of the stimulus pulse duration in the anesthetized cat. For cortical neurons with latencies of activation from 0.4 to 3.4 ms and for stimulus pulse durations from 0.02 to 0.7 ms, the threshold current for all neurons tested decreased in an exponential fashion as the pulse width was increased. Rheobase current values (ampere-threshold) were 1.2 to 516 μA (mean 160 ± 24 μA, N = 24) and chronaxie values were 0.07 to 0.79 ms (mean 0.217 ± 0.036 ms, N = 24). When the quantity of charge required for neuronal excitation was calculated, a quasilinear relationship was found between threshold charge and stimulus pulse width. The minimum threshold charge (coulomb-threshold) occurred for the briefest pulse widths tested and were 2 to 86 nC (mean 36.4 ± 4.4 nC, N = 24). When the pulse energy index was calculated (threshold current squared multiplied by the pulse width), the minimum pulse energy capable of generating an evoked response (a single action potential) occurred when the pulse width was approximately 80% greater than the chronaxie. These studies demonstrate that the predictions derived from A. V. Hill's classical theory of nerve excitation are to a first approximation obeyed by visual cortex neurons. For the three parameters analyzed as a function of stimulus pulse width, the pulse current is minimized at long pulse durations, the pulse charge is minimized at short pulse durations, and the pulse energy is minimized at pulse widths of intermediate value.
Enlargement of a Histologically Documented Choroidal Nevus

An elevated pigmented mass of the choroid remained stable for 6 1/2 years and then was documented photographically to have increased in size. The tumor stained on fluorescein angiography, produced a visual field defect, and differentially took up radioactive phosphorus. The eye was enucleated and on histologic examination contained a nevus of the choroid. This case shows that enlargement of a choroidal nevus may occur during adulthood, and suggests that despite newer and more sophisticated diagnostic techniques, large nevi and small melanomas of the choroid may be clinically indistinguishable.
Quality values, attitudes, and behavioral predispositions of employees in Mexico, Australia, and the United States

This study examined cultural differences in total quality management (TQM) values, attitudes, and behavioral predisposition. The first part of the study reviews the TQM literature to highlight the importance of individual-level constructs, define salient attitudes and values that impact quality, and theorize about the impact of culture on TQM philosophy. Cultural distance is described and used as the basis for hypothesizing about similarities and differences in TQM values among respondents from climatically similar regions of Mexico, Australia, and the United States. Results provided mixed support for the hypothesized differences in quality values between culturally distant countries. The data imply that quality-related values, attitudes, and behavioral predispositions may transcend national borders. ©1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
α2-antiplasmin's carboxy-terminal lysine residue is a major site of interaction with plasmin

alpha 2-Antiplasmin (AP) inhibits plasmin in a two-step reaction in which AP reversibly binds to lysine-binding sites of plasmin and, then, more slowly complexes covalently with the enzyme's active site. Here, we show that the C-terminal lysine residue of AP has a key role in binding of the inhibitor to plasmin. A synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal 26 amino acid residues of AP blocked association of AP with plasmin, but this activity of the peptide was lost when its C-terminal lysine residue was removed with carboxypeptidase B. The essential role of this lysine residue was shown more directly by treating AP with carboxypeptidase B and observing that AP lost its ability to inhibit plasmin rapidly.
Interactions of excitatory and inhibitory feedback topologies in facilitating pattern separation and retrieval

Within the brain, the interplay between connectivity patterns of neurons and their spatiotemporal dynamics is believed to be intricately linked to the bases of behavior, such as the process of storing, consolidating, and retrieving memory traces. Memory is believed to be stored in the synaptic patterns of anatomical circuitry in the form of increased connectivity densities within subpopulations of neurons. At the same time, memory recall is thought to correspond to activation of discrete areas of the brain corresponding to those memories. Such regional subpopulations can selectively activate during memory recall or retrieval, signifying the process of accessing a single memory or concept. It has been shown previously that recovery of single memory activity patterns is mediated by global neuromodulation signifying transition into different cognitive states such as sleep or awake exploration. We examine how underlying topology can affect memory awake activation and sleep reactivation when such memories share increasing proportions of neurons. The results show that while single memory activation is diminished with increased overlap, pattern separation can be recovered by offsetting excitatory associations between two memories with targeted and heterogeneous inhibitory feedback. Such findings point to the importance of excitatory-to-inhibitory current balance at both the global and local levels in the context of memory retrieval and replay, and highlight the role of network topology in memory management processes.
Pathways controlling healthy and diseased arterial smooth muscle

Abstract The cells within the vascular wall act as a unit regulating the contraction of smooth muscle cells. In arteries the endothelium and autonomic nerves provide the major factors that regulate intracellular calcium in smooth muscle cells, which determines contractile tone. The endothelium provides a major inhibitory influence, which itself is modulated by shear forces within the vascular lumen regulating endothelial cell calcium and the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factors. Of the major mechanisms controlling smooth muscle calcium, it has been suggested that voltage-dependent calcium channels are among the most important in mediating the inhibitory influence of the endothelium. Smooth muscle potassium channels and sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na + ,K + -ATPase) are important regulators of membrane potential, and each is affected by the endothelium. Because the activity of each hyperpolarizes the membrane potential, they counter the influence on voltage-dependent calcium channels and inhibit contraction. Both of these counterregulatory mechanisms have recently been shown to be impaired in diseased arteries. This may help to explain the diminished effectiveness of the endothelium on the smooth muscle. Thus, vascular disease may cause diminished release, increased destruction, or limited effectiveness of endothelium-derived relaxing factors. The failure of the inhibitory influence of the endothelium may be the principal mechanism by which vascular risk factors and disease increase vasoconstrictor tone, possibly contributing to hypertension and the progression of atherosclerosis.
The relationship between outdoor recreation and depression among older adults

Depression in older adults contributes to decreased health, increased mortality and lower quality of life. As participation in outdoor recreation has been correlated with decreased depression levels among other populations, it is hypothesised that higher participation in outdoor recreation will be correlated with lower depression levels among older adults. In particular this study examined whether participation in outdoor recreation was associated with reported symptoms of depression among adults aged 65 years and older. To do so, regression, ANOVA and t-tests were used to examine an existing statewide survey of 1216 Montana, USA residents aged 65 years and older. The findings indicate a correlation between outdoor recreation participation and lower depression levels. Current major depression was more prevalent among individuals over 65 years of age who had not participated in outdoor recreation during the past year. The strongest negative correlation existed among individuals over 65 years of age who par...
Constitutive and transformation behavior of two-way shape memory (TWSM) nitinol

Experimental data for 55/45 Ni-Ti alloy (Nitinol) is presented in this work for correlation to phenomenological and thermodynamic/micromechanical constitutive and transformation models for shape memory alloys. Hysteresis data is used to obtain the transformation temperatures Ms-martensitic start, Mf-martensitic finish, As-austenitic start, and Af-austenitic finish. Nitinol wires are mechanically tested in tension at five different temperatures: below Mf, at (Ms + Mf)/2, at (M2 + As)/2, at (As + Af)/2, and above Af. For the phenomenological models, several characterization parameters are required. These are obtained experimentally and the models are correlated with the data.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Weakly stabilized primary borenium cations and their dicationic dimers.

Hydride abstraction from monocationic hydride bridged salts [H(H2B–L)2]+ [B(C6F5)4]¯ (L = Lewis base) generates an observable primary borenium cation for L = iPr2NEt, but with L = Me3N, Me2NPr, or several N-heterocyclic carbenes, highly reactive dicationic dimers are formed.
Counseling With the Elderly Living in Public Housing

Elderly persons living in public housing experience a variety of problems. Counselors can help these residents by assisting them to cope better with their environment and personal relationships. This article discusses some specific problems, concerns, and approaches for counselors working with the elderly.
Sexual Harassment in Higher Education: A Victim's Remedies and a Private University's Liability.

Sexual harassment is a pervasive problem in education. With victims of harassment pursuing administrative and judicial redress, an awareness of and a program for response to the sexual harassment issue are good risk management strategies for a private university and its staff, employees, and students. This article examines, first, the two types of sexual harassment recognized by law; second, the situations in which harassment in the educational context may occur; and, third, avenues of recourse for the victim of sexual harassment and the responsibility and liability of the private university when the harassment is reported or discovered. It is designed to inform and educate the faculty and administrators of private universities about the legal implications of their response to notice of sexual harassment.
Dihydrotestosterone regulation of semen in male pseudohermaphrodites with 5 alpha-reductase-2 deficiency

Semen analyses were performed in nine male pseudohermaphrodites with inherited 5 alpha-reductase-2 deficiency and decreased dihydrotestosterone (DHT) production. The semen samples were characterized by extremely low volume (range, < 0.05 to 1.0 mL), increased viscosity, and poor liquefaction. Surgical correction of pseudovaginal perineoscrotal hypospadias in four subjects did not result in an increase in semen volume or a change in viscosity. Inexplicably, semen liquefaction reverted to normal. Affected males have rudimentary prostates and small seminal vesicles. Six subjects had bilaterally descended testes, one subject had bilaterally retractile testes, and two subjects had unilaterally undescended testes. Semen from one subject with bilaterally descended testes had a normal sperm concentration, normal total sperm count, and normal motility and morphology. Semen from another subject who was oligospermic at baseline demonstrated a normal sperm concentration after hypospadias repair, with a low total sperm count. The other subjects studied were oligospermic or azospermic. In summary, DHt appears to regulate semen volume and viscosity through its action on the development and function of the prostate and seminal vesicles. The finding of normal sperm concentrations in two subjects with 5 alpha-reductase-2 deficiency suggests that DHT does not play a major role in spermatogenesis. However, the possibility that low levels of DHT might be sufficient for normal spermatogenesis must also be considered.
Hot embossing at viscous state to enhance filling process for complex polymer structures

In this paper, a new hot embossing process, molding at the viscous state, for fabrication of complex polymer structures at the micro and millimeter scale is presented. Polymer deformability is enhanced due to its low viscosity and is increased by an inner pressure from confinement of the polymer flow. Various millimeter-scale polymer structures with high aspect ratios and complex features were hot embossed. In addition, typical microstructures were achieved. This new approach promises the advantages of a broad process capability and strong compatibility with conventional hot embossing processes.
Comparison of sampling methods for choosing the best binomial population with delayed observations

We consider the problem of choosing the best of k binomial populations when the time to response is non zero. Several sampling schemes are discussed, with an aim to making as few trials as possible with the poorer treatments, as would be a desideraturm in the context of clinical trials. The stopping rule is based on a likelihood ratio. For k = 2 populations, it is shown that for a fixed difference in success probabilities, alternate sampling (ABABA…) leads to a smaller number of trials with the poorer treatment when the mean success probability is roughly less than 0.7. When the mean success probability is greater than 0.7, a generalization of the play-the-winner rule (Robbins, 1956, Zelen, 1969) is more efficient. For k> 2 populations, it is shown to be useful to have some method of eliminating poor treatments before the full trial is completed. It is further shown that the use of an adaptive patient assignment technique can, in some circumstances, lead to a significant reduction in the number of patient...
The hemolysis of human red cells by sodium alkyl sulfates.

Abstract It has been shown that hemolysis of red blood cells by sodium alkyl sulfates does not occur, at an arbitrary 3-min. end point, unless the lysin concentration exceeds a critical value. From this work and from the work of others it may be concluded that an adsorbed film of lysin is formed on the cell surface and that hemolysis occurs, as Schulman has suggested, by the subsequent overturning of this film and penetration of the cell lipide; this latter is the rate-determining step for the initiation of hemolysis. It is shown that due to local inhomogeneities of lysin concentration, misleading results may be obtained by using incorrect procedures for mixing lysin and cells.
Detection of Phosphopeptides in Bovine Adrenal Medulla by Using Iron (III) Immobilized-Affinity Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry

Immobilized iron (III) displays binding affinity toward phosphate groups of phosphopeptides/proteins. This interaction has been exploited to selectively isolate phosphopeptides from the bovine adrenal medulla gland. The peptide-rich fraction was first obtained from the homogenized tissue by solid-phase extraction using a C-18 cartridge. Phosphopeptides were selectively isolated from this fraction by iron (III) immobilized-metal affinity chromatography [Fe(III)-IMAC] and characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry techniques. Further corroborative evidence of the presence of phosphopeptides was obtained by treating the Fe(III)-IMAC-retained fraction with acid phosphatase.
Charge-Transfer Complex Crystal Growth at a Solution-Solid Interface

ORIENTED intergrowth (epitaxy) of organic compounds has been reported in many hundreds of cases1. Although some examples seem to involve van der Waals forces exerting an orienting effect2, a more generalized description might be that on a solid surface anisotropic short-range forces can exist which will cause orientation of molecules on this surface.