cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of bone morphogenetic protein 2 and thrombopoietin treatment on angiogenic properties of endothelial cells derived from the lung and bone marrow of young and aged, male and female mice.

With an aging world population, there is an increased risk of fracture and impaired healing. One contributing factor may be aging-associated decreases in vascular function; thus, enhancing angiogenesis could improve fracture healing. Both bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and thrombopoietin (TPO) have pro-angiogenic effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of treatment with BMP-2 or TPO on the in vitro angiogenic and proliferative potential of endothelial cells (ECs) isolated from lungs (LECs) or bone marrow (BMECs) of young (3-4 months) and old (22-24 months), male and female, C57BL/6J mice. Cell proliferation, vessel-like structure formation, migration, and gene expression were used to evaluate angiogenic properties. In vitro characterization of ECs generally showed impaired vessel-like structure formation and proliferation in old ECs compared to young ECs, but improved migration characteristics in old BMECs. Differential sex-based angiogenic responses were observed, especially with respect to drug treatments and gene expression. Importantly, these studies suggest that NTN1, ROBO2, and SLIT3, along with angiogenic markers (CD31, FLT-1, ANGPT1, and ANGP2) differentially regulate EC proliferation and functional outcomes based on treatment, sex, and age. Furthermore, treatment of old ECs with TPO typically improved vessel-like structure parameters, but impaired migration. Thus, TPO may serve as an alternative treatment to BMP-2 for fracture healing in aging owing to improved angiogenesis and fracture healing, and the lack of side effects associated with BMP-2.
The Fair and Equitable Health Care Act

The Fair and Equitable Healthcare Act (FEHCA) is a health care insurance vehicle offered to persons with sufficient income to make the premium payments. The FEHCA is not available to poor persons, who are covered by government Medicaid and medical assistance programs. The FEHCA is a not-for-profit organization with a board of directors elected from the community at large. It is committed to providing the most effective health care possible. FEHCA premiums are kept low through aggressive risk management and prioritization of services.
INSTITUTIONALIZING COLONIAL EDUCATION POLICY, INSTITUTING GOVERNMENTALITY IN BRITISH COLONIAL INDIA

This paper examines the discursive and political fields within which the colonial education policy was formalized in nineteenth century India. The first three decades of the nineteenth century were marked with the battle of ideas regarding the nature and content of education. While the Anglicists argued for English as the only means of schooling in India, the Orientalists wanted English to coexist with indigenous systems of instruction. This paper explains how an education policy as a technique of governance was constituted and how the power of colonial governmentality came to be premised alongside such a technique in colonial India.
Scientific Basis and Engineering Design to Accommodate Disruption and Halo Current Loads for the DIII—D Tokamak*

Plasma disruptions and halo current events apply sudden impulsive forces to the interior structures and vacuum vessel walls of tokamaks. These forces arise when induced toroidal currents and attached poloidal halo currents in plasma facing components interact with the poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields respectively. Increasing understanding of plasma disruptions and halo current events has been developed from experiments on DIII-D and other machines. Although the understanding has improved, these events must be planned for in system design because there is no assurance that these events can be eliminated in the operation of tokamaks. Increased understanding has allowed an improved focus of engineering designs.
Evaluating Control Risk from a Corporate Governance Perspective

This study provides evidence that auditors analyzing board composition in terms of the percentage of internal directors should concurrently consider the presence of a nominating committee and management ownership, since the latter is a substitute for each of the other characteristics. Decision support tools should incorporate the alternative nature of these traits, as well as the positive relation of chairman/CEO duality, subsidiary CEO board membership, the proportion of other CEOs on a board, and institutional ownership to both accounting and market performance measures. A disproportionate share of the board as key executives of the auditee is associated with poorer performance. Since inherent risk of going concern relates to performance and such risk has implications for management control structure, auditors could improve risk assessments by considering the relative weights of corporate governance traits' association with performance. The linkage of these findings with prior literature, the use of checklists, and further research is discussed.
Me Against the World: A Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship Between Race and Climate Change

While scholars in political science have argued that voters as a whole merely take policy cues from political parties and their elites, I perform an analysis to see if this claims hold true with looking at racial and ethnic subgroups. Testing this theory, I examine attitudes on climate change from African Americans (a group that leans heavily toward the Democratic Party), Latino Americans (a group that also leans toward the Democratic Party), and whites (a majority group that, as a whole, leans toward the Republican Party). My findings suggest that in 2004, before Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005, African Americans and Latino Americans tended to see climate change as more of a threat than white Americans. Furthermore, these results hold true even once controlling for party identification. These results for African Americans, however, do not persist past the same methodological application to congruent data from the year 2010, and the findings for Latinos weaken. I therefore, argue, foreign policy issues can be “colored” by racial ideology, a claim buttressed by the variation in opinion based on racial identification. I also posit that, between 2004 and 2010, the Democratic Party moves farther to the left on climate change in response to the stance undertaken by African Americans as well as Latinos, a growing force within the Democratic Party. My argument and empirical findings, therefore, complicate this notion that groups simply take policy cues from political parties by questioning the direction in which policy ideas and cues travel. I assert that the effect of racial identification, separate from party, suggests that racial ideology plays a significant role in how Americans form attitudes toward policy issues, even ones that are not.
Woodrow Wilson's intervention in the coal strike of 1914

(1974). Woodrow Wilson's intervention in the coal strike of 1914. Labor History: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 63-77.
Spermidine Requirement for Bacillus thuringiensis Ribosomes in Cell-Free Phenylalanine Incorporation

A cell-free system from Bacillus thuringiensis was found to actively incorporate phenylalanine into hot trichloroacetic acid-precipitable material in the presence of synthetic polynucleotide, ribosomes, S-100 supernatant, an energy-generating system, and guanosine triphosphate. Phenylalanine incorporation was absolutely dependent on the presence of spermidine in addition to magnesium ions, even when highly purified ribosomes were used. The spermidine effect could not be attributed to inhibition of nucleases. The ribosomal and supernatant fractions from Escherichia coli and B. thuringiensis could be substituted for each other in this system. The spermidine requirement was shown to be limited to the B. thuringiensis ribosome fraction.
Sperm Antibodies in Infertile Couples

From October 1967 to August 1970 377 infertile couples were tested for sperm antibodies using both sperm-agglutination and sperm-immobilization techniques. 17.2% of the couples had demonstrable sperm antibodies 11.4% in the wife and 5.8% in the husband. In 20.4% of the cases of primary infertility sperm antibodies were detected. This was 3 times higher than the rate in secondary infertility. Other factors which contributed to infertility in a recent series of 150 cases were low cervical mucus pH poor liquefacation of the sperm semen sample and poor sperm penetration of the cervical mucus.(Authors modified)
Modifications in a French Pressure Cell-Laboratory Press System

Two removable steel plates, a shortened valve handle, lengthened outlet nozzle, and an added test tube holder facilitate use of a cell disruption system.
Designing Nonlinear Control Structures by Reference System Synthesis

Reference system synthesis, an equation-based method for designing nonlinear feedforward/feedback controllers for general dynamic systems is presented. The control objective is expressed as a desired closed loop behavior in the form of a set of integro-differential equations which can, by design, be nonlinear. Realization of the desired closed loop behavior depends upon the solution of an operator equation relating the open loop system to the desired closed loop system for computing the necessary manipulated variable action. Analytical solutions of this operator equation can be found for simple systems. In general, numerical solutions can be determined using Newton's method, for example. The advantages of reference system synthesis are (i) it provides a general method for designing nonlinear feedforward/feedback controllers, (ii) it is simple, and (iii) its loop-shaping capabilities allow for the design of deliberately nonlinear closed loop behavior for higher performance and constraint-avoiding control. In this paper, we introduce the reference system synthesis procedure, illustrate its application to simple dynamical systems, and discuss the relationship of reference system synthesis to PID and Internal Model Control design procedures.
Gamma Ray Pulsars: Multiwavelength Observations

High-energy gamma rays are a valuable tool for studying particle acceleration and radiation in the magnetospheres of energetic pulsars. The seven or more pulsars seen by instruments on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) show that: the light curves usually have double-peak structures (suggesting a broad cone of emission); gamma rays are frequently the dominant component of the radiated power; and all the spectra show evidence of a high-energy turnover. For all the known gamma-ray pulsars, multiwavelength observations and theoretical models based on such observations offer the prospect of gaining a broad understanding of these rotating neutron stars. The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), now in planning for a launch in 2006, will provide a major advance in sensitivity, energy range, and sky coverage.
Reversible ratchet effects for vortices in conformal pinning arrays

A conformal transformation of a uniform triangular pinning array produces a structure called a conformal crystal which preserves the sixfold ordering of the original lattice but contains a gradient in the pinning density. Here we use numerical simulations to show that vortices in type-II superconductors driven with an ac drive over gradient pinning arrays produce the most pronounced ratchet effect over a wide range of parameters for a conformal array, while square gradient or random gradient arrays with equivalent pinning densities give reduced ratchet effects. In the conformal array, the larger spacing of the pinning sites in the direction transverse to the ac drive permits easy funneling of interstitial vortices for one driving direction, producing the enhanced ratchet effect. In the square array, the transverse spacing between pinning sites is uniform, giving no asymmetry in the funneling of the vortices as the driving direction switches, while in the random array, there are numerous easy-flow channels present for either direction of drive. We find multiple ratchet reversals in the conformal arrays as a function of vortex density and ac amplitude, and correlate the features with a reversal in the vortex ordering, which is greater for motion in the ratchet direction. Inmore » conclusion, the enhanced conformal pinning ratchet effect can also be realized for colloidal particles moving over a conformal array, indicating the general usefulness of conformal structures for controlling the motion of particles.« less
Why study birds in rice fields

Abstract. Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the world's most important crops. The crop is grown in at least 114 countries, occupies over 156 million ha of land annually, is a primary source of nutrition for over half the world's human population and constitutes over a fifth of the global grain supply. Rice is generally grown under flooded conditions and, if managed appropriately, can provide important habitat for wetland species. Waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds and other waterbirds use rice fields, foraging on a variety of prey, nesting in the crop and in fringing vegetation, and staging during migration. Conflicts also exist, with some cropping practices harmful to birds and some bird activity detrimental to yield production. Much early research on waterbirds in rice fields was conducted in Mediterranean Europe with only scattered work elsewhere. More recently, there has been a growing focus on the conservation value of rice fields, with studies from most of the major regions where rice is grown. The bod...
Effect of low temperature on single heart cells from an adult hibernator and non-hibernator.

Abstract Rhythmically contracting single heart cells from adult thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Citellus tridecemlineatits, a hibernator) and white rats (Rattus norvegiens, a non-hibernator) were obtained by treatment with trypsin and collagenase. The effect of low temperature was tested in these preparations. In contrast to isolated whole hearts, there was no difference in the response of the single cells from the two species, for some cells in each group continued to beat at 0 °C.
Postsynaptic 5-HT(1A) receptors mediate an increase in locomotor activity in the monoamine-depleted rat.

Rationale. In animal models of reduced dopamine transmission, such as haloperidol-induced catalepsy or monoamine-depleted animals, serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) 5-HT1A agonists appear to enhance motor activity. However, the exact mechanism remains unclear.
Methods of Assessment of Thrombosis in Vivo

The contributions of platelets and clotting factors in thrombosis on injured vessel and cardiovascular prostheses have been quantified with several tracers. Thrombus formation in vivo could be measured semiquantitatively in animal models and humans with /sup 111/In-labeled platelets, /sup 123/I- and /sup 131/I-labeled fibrinogen, /sup 111/In-labeled antibody to the fibrinogen receptor on the platelet membrane and to fibrin. Thrombus localization by imaging was possible for large thrombus in vessel with deep injury of thrombogenic surface in the acute phase. A single layer of adherent platelets could not be imaged, due to the high background radioactivity present in blood. Thrombogenicity of grafts was compared with that of contralateral vessel. The dynamic process of platelet deposition could be followed accurately using the in vivo imaging technique. In addition, in vitro quantification permits determination of platelet and fibrin density and of the number of fibrin monomers per platelet in thrombus. The roles of prostacyclin, thromboxane inhibitors, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs have also been evaluated in animals models and humans. The tracer techniques thus provide invaluable information about platelet-fibrin deposition, its organization and dissolution, and for development of less thrombogenic surfaces for use in cardiovascular prostheses. 53 references.
The complexation of aqueous metal ions relevant to biological applications. 1. Poorly soluble zinc salts and enhanced solubility with added amino acid

AbstractThe effect of added amino acid (glycine, alanine and serine) on the solubility of zinc citrate, zinc succinate and zinc oxalate was investigated. Equilibrated solutions were prepared and titrated to endpoint at pH 5.5 with Na2EDTA using Xylenol Orange indicator. In every case, a significant enhancement in solubility was seen as the amino acid increased from 1 to 50 molar excess. The increase was non-linear, and, with zinc succinate, showed saturation effects. In these cases, solution composition may be more complicated than initially thought, including mixed-ligand complexes and increasing percent free metal ion as the proportion of amino acid increases.
4 LANGUAGE DELAY IN 2 YR. OLD CHILDREN OF AADOLESCENT MOTHERS

We have previously reported that adolescent mothers are more physical and less verbal with their infants, especially while teaching difficult tasks, and that their infants vocalize less by 8 months of age. Are children of adolescent mothers at risk for language delay? The present study hypothesized that 2 yr. old children of adolescent mothers (CAM) would have lower receptive and expressive language scores and that these scores would be related to multiple social and demographic high risk factors. Twenty primiparous, Caucasian, low to middle class mothers (half ≤ 17 years of age at child's birth) and their 2 yr. old children were studied. The Caldwell Home Inventory was scored by an unbiased observer during a two-hour home visit. The Bayley Scales (MDI and PDI) and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Language Expressive (LEO) and Language Receptive (LRO)) were administered by another unbiased examiner during a clinic visit. Tympanography was performed and sociodemographic information was obtained. CAM had lower LRO (p<.01) and LEO (p<.001) scores, but no differences were observed in MDI, PDI and tympanograms. Children whose mothers possess 2 or more of the following: ↓ maternal age, ↓ SES, ↓ education, ↓ family support, or ↓ HOME total score had lower LRO (p<.001) and LEO (p<.01) scores. We conclude that ↓ CAM are at risk for language delay which is related to multiple social and demographic risk factors associated with adolescent childbearing.
Reactions to Overt Integrity Test Items

A total of 102 participants rated overt integrity test items on three dimensions (invasion of privacy, ease of faking, job relatedness). Integrity test items were grouped into seven categories. Participants identified items that required direct admissions of counterproductive behaviors as being the most invasive but also the easiest to fake. Job relatedness and invasion of privacy were both found to be correlated with ease of faking perceptions. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
On learning binary weights for majority functions

We investigate algorithms for learning binary weights from examples of majority functions of a set of literals. In particular, given a set of (randomly drawn) input-output pairs, with inputs being binary ±1 vectors, and the outputs likewise being ±1 classifications, we seek to find a vector of binary (±1) weights for a linear threshold element (or formal neuron) which provides a linearly separable hypothesis consistent on the set of examples. We present three algorithms–Directed Drift, Harmonic Update, and Majority Rule–for learning binary weights in this context, and examine their characteristics. In particular, we formally define a distribution dependent notion of algorithmic capacity (which is related to the distibution free notion of the VC dimension) and provide estimates of the capacity of the proposed algorithms.
Automatic scene reconstruction from partially overlapping images using online filter design

In many image processing applications, the field of view is not large enough to display the required scene. We present a method for reconstructing an entire scene from multiple, partially overlapping fields of view where the lateral position, orientation and the amount of overlap of the camera views are unknown. Rotation-invariant, correlation based filters are used to determine if two image segments (fields of view) register. The filter output provides the relative position and rotation between matching segments. All filters are created on-line. An automated supervisor selects image segments for correlation and then uses these results to register the image segments and assemble the entire scene without human intervention. Also presented are the results of software controlled automatic assembly of a multiple image scene.
Spermatotoxicity of dibromoacetic acid in rats after 14 daily exposures.

Abstract Halogenated acetic acids are major disinfection by-products of water chlorination and ozonation. Limited data in experimental animals indicate that repeated doses of dichloroacetic acid (DCA) or single doses of dibromoacetic acid (DBAA) cause testicular damage. In the present study, spermatotoxic effects were investigated in rats given oral doses of 0, 10, 30, 90, or 270 mg DBAA/kg/day for 14 days. In rats dosed with 270 mg/kg/day, there were marked effects on epididymal sperm motility and morphology including the flagellar fusion of 2 or more sperm. Testis weight, epididymis weight, and testicular sperm head counts were mildly reduced relative to control, whereas epididymal sperm counts were substantially decreased. Histologic changes in the tests included retention of Step 19 spermatids in Stages IX to XII, abnormal development of late spermatids, and the formation of atypical structures resembling residual bodies that were observed predominantly in Stages X to XIV and I of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium. At the dosage of 90 mg/kg/day, effects on spermiation, spermatid development, epididymal sperm counts, sperm motility, and sperm morphology were less severe than at the higher dosage. Reduced caput sperm counts and mild effects on spermiation also occurred at 30 and 10 mg/kg/day. These studies indicate that subchronic exposure to DBAA has the potential to affect reproductive outcome in the rat. Compared to previous studies of DCA (12), DBAA, on a molar basis, appears to be a stronger testicular toxicant than the dichloro analogue.
The Influence of Reflection on Employee Psychological Empowerment: Report of an Exploratory Workplace Field Study.

The study examined the influences of reflection on the self-perception of empowerment in the workplace. The convenience sample consisted of non-management knowledge workers at a software company headquartered in the United States. A pretest, posttest control group design was used. The experimental group kept guided journals of their learning activities for three months. Immediately prior to and following the journaling period, both groups completed Spreitzer's Psychological Empowerment Scale. Though no significant within-group results were found, between-group analyses revealed that participants who kept guided journals were able to maintain a high level of psychological empowerment, even during turbulent periods at the host organization, while the psychological empowerment of the control group worsened. The results suggest that reflection through guided journaling may sustain the perception of empowerment for individuals who already possess a fairly high level of psychological empowerment. The paper concludes with implications for further research.
Mode of Action of Fluoroquinolones

The mode of action of quinolones involves interactions with both DNA gyrase, the originally recognised drug target, and topoisomerase IV, a related type II topoisomerase. In a given bacterium these 2 enzymes often differ in their relative sensitivities to many quinolones, and commonly DNA gyrase is more sensitive in Gram-negative bacteria and topoisomerase IV more sensitive in Gram-positive bacteria. Usually the more sensitive enzyme represents the primary drug target determined by genetic tests, but poorly understood exceptions have been documented. The formation of the ternary complex of quinolone, DNA, and either DNA gyrase or topoisomerase IV occurs through interactions in which quinolone binding appears to induce changes in both DNA and the topoisomerase that occur separately from the DNA cleavage that is the hallmark of quinolone action. X-ray crystallographic studies of a fragment of the gyrase A subunit, as well as of yeast topoisomerase IV, which has homology to the subunits of both DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, have revealed domains that are likely to constitute quinolone binding sites, but no topoisomerase crystal structures that include DNA and quinolone have been reported to date. Inhibition of DNA synthesis by quinolones requires the targeted topoisomerase to have DNA cleavage capability, and collisions of the replication fork with reversible quinolone-DNA-topoisomerase complexes convert them to an irreversible form. However, the molecular factors that subsequently generate DNA double-strand breaks from the irreversible complexes and that probably initiate cell death have yet to be defined.
An economic analysis of abortion: the effect of travel cost on teenagers

Abstract This paper estimates the responsiveness of abortion demand among teenage women to variations in the local availability of abortion services. This information is especially important because the policy debate centers on how restricting the availability of abortion services will affect abortion rates. In addition, it is commonly thought that teenage and adult women differ in the abortion decision process, making it necessary to evaluate teens separately from adults. Data from the state of Texas, where abortion is available in 19 of 254 counties, allow for approximating county-level variations in the travel cost of acquiring an abortion. The results suggest that abortion rates of teenage women 13 to 17 years of age are sensitive to variations in travel cost. Counties in which teenage women must travel longer distances to obtain an abortion have lower abortion rates both per woman and per pregnancy. In addition, a comparison of teenage women and all women of childbearing age shows characteristic differences in the quantitative effects of travel cost and other socioeconomic variables.
The Influence of Wave Energy and Sediment Transport on Seagrass Distribution

A coupled hydrodynamic and sediment transport model (Delft3D) was used to simulate the water levels, waves, and currents associated with a seagrass (Zostera marina) landscape along a 4-km stretch of coast in Puget Sound, WA, USA. A hydroacoustic survey of seagrass percent cover and nearshore bathymetry was conducted, and sediment grain size was sampled at 53 locations. Wave energy is a primary factor controlling seagrass distribution at the site, accounting for 73% of the variability in seagrass minimum depth and 86% of the variability in percent cover along the shallow, sandy portions of the coast. A combination of numerical simulations and a conceptual model of the effect of sea-level rise on the cross-shore distribution of seagrass indicates that the area of seagrass habitat may initially increase and that wave dynamics are an important factor to consider in predicting the effect of sea-level rise on seagrass distributions in wave-exposed areas.
The stirred tank forced

Abstract We examine the response of a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), in which a simple irreversible reaction A → B occurs, to periodic variations of the coolant temperature. The amplitude and the frequency of the forcing are used as control parameters. The remaining operating conditions are chosen so that the unforced CSTR exhibits a single stable oscillation; this means that for small forcing amplitudes the system behaves like a typical forced oscillator: its response consists of alternating entrainment and quasi-periodicity. As the forcing amplitude grows, more characteristic traits of the CSTR and the particular forcing variable become apparent, and a complicated picture develops, involving the co-existence of multiple periodic, quasi-periodic and even chaotic oscillations, period doublings and global bifurcations. We track several of these traits numerically, placing special emphasis on the mechanisms by which such features branch out from the well-defined low-amplitude region. Several algorithms based on shooting methods for boundary value problems are used in this task, and some appropriate ways of tackling the simple initial value problem of simulation are also employed. In particular, the need for efficient algorithms to tackle global bifurcations is stressed. Such algorithms seem to be indispensable tools in the systematic study of the forced CSTR and, more generally, of periodically forced oscillators. The qualitative traits discovered for the forced CSTR are compared with other known results for model systems, and several questions present themselves as possible subjects of further research, both for the CSTR and for a wide class of periodically forced and/or coupled reactor models.
Training, performance evaluation, rewards, and TQM implementation success

Abstract TQM has met with very mixed reviews from organizations that have attempted to understand and to implement this strategy for organizational improvement. Succesful implementation of TQM requires that all critical factors for success be addressed effectively. Several factors are thought to be crucial to the success of TQM. Among these factors are training in support of the transition to TQM, performance evaluation process and content aligned witht the nature of a TQM organization, and rewards for quality improvements. This paper examines the effects of training, performance evaluation, and rewards on TQM implementation success. TQM implementation success was measured by cost reduction, profit increases and higher morale. A survey of 111 New Mexico service and manufacturing firms is utilized to study the effects of TQM training, performance evaluation, and rewards on TQM implementation success. The results of this survey are analyzed through factor analysis and regression analysis. The results are discussed and integrated with the literature on training, performance evaluation, and TQM.
Efferent neurites to capsular muscles in the eye of a snail, Helix aspersa

Scanning and transmission electron microscopy of the capsule and adjacent tissues of the eye of Helix aspersa revealed strands of tissue interconnecting tentacular wall and optic capsule. These strands are composed of collagen, glial and muscle cells, and bundles of axons. After entering the capsule, the axons synapse with the muscle cells in the capsule. The structure of the capsule and capsular strands is similar to that of the tentacular wall. Tentacle, capsule, and capsular strands appear to be innervated by axons of common origin. The functional significance of the neural pathway here described is discussed.
Speech Recognition Across the Life Span: Longitudinal Changes From Middle-Age to Older Adults

Purpose The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of evidence of age-related declines in speech recognition in middle age to older adulthood; to review contributions of pure-tone thresholds, age, and gender; and to report preliminary results from a longitudinal study. Method Pure-tone thresholds and word recognition in quiet and babble are being measured in a large sample of adults yearly or every 2 to 3 years. Analyses included >16,000 audiograms and speech recognition scores from >1,200 adults whose ages ranged from the 40s to the 90s. A multivariable generalized linear repeated mixed model assessed changes in thresholds and speech recognition over time. Results Word recognition in quiet declined significantly while controlling for threshold increases, and declines appeared to accelerate near ages 65 to 70 years. Scores for men were poorer than those for women even after controlling for gender differences in thresholds, but rates of decline did not differ by gender. Smaller declines in key w...
Left ventricular function after coronary artery reperfusion

Abstract Left ventricular dysfunction and dilation after reperfusion relate to the amount of infarcted and dysfunctional myocardium and will continue to be important determinants of morbidity and mortality. There is marked heterogeneity in the anatomic and pathophysiologic presentation of patients with acute myocardial infarction prior to thrombolyste, and many of these individual settings resemble those in animal species with various degrees of collateral formation. Three major determinants of infarct size are responsible for this heterogeneity and include the risk area, the duration of the coronary occlusion, and the level of the residual coronary blood flow via collaterals or a partially patent artery. All 3 of these determinants will influence the initial and late results of reperfusion therapy on infarct size and ventricular function. However, in addition to late or unsuccessful thrombolysis, there are other important factors determining outcome: inadequate reflow, residual coronary stenosis, and coronary reocclusion, factors that can be associated with late progressive left ventricular dilation and dysfunction. The risk factors for left ventricular dysfunction and dilation after reperfusion can now be identified, and such patients should undergo coronary angiography prior to hospital discharge and, if appropriate, revascularization of the infarct-related artery (and perhaps other vessels). In other patients, if serial studies reveal progressive left ventricular failure and dilation late after reperfusion, despite therapy with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, and if repeat coronary angiography identifies significant coronary stenoses and areas of hibernating or stunned myocardium, revascularization may limit progression of dilation and improve left ventricular function. Thus, many events occur during the evolution of myocardial infarction and after thrombolysis for which treatment is possible, and there is good reason to expect that left ventricular function can be improved well beyond the modest increase now observed with thrombolytic therapy. This, in turn, could have a further significant impact on morbidity and mortality after reperfusion.
Effects of imazalil on a wild-type and fungicide-resistant strain of Aspergillus nidulans

Abstract The effects of different incubation conditions on toxicity and uptake of imazalil by mycelium of a wild-type (003) and fungicide-resistant (R264) strain of Aspergillus nidulans were determined. In agar plate and liquid shake culture, imazalil was 200 and 40 times less toxic to the R264 strain, respectively, than to the wild-type strain. Inhibition of C-4 desmethyl sterol (ergosterol) biosynthesis occurred rapidly in mycelium of both strains at minimum growth inhibitory concentrations. Imazalil was neither detoxified nor converted into a toxic compound by mycelial suspension. Increased uptake of imazalil by the two strains occurred as concentrations of the fungicide were increased. However, the percentage uptake of imazalil by the wild-type strain was highest at the lowest concentration. These results suggest that binding in the wild-type strain involved a small number of high-affinity sites which became saturated as fungicide concentrations increased; and that at higher concentrations considerable nonspecific binding occurred in both strains. Uptake of imazalil during the initial 10 min of incubation was considerably lower in resistant than in the wild-type strain. However, upon prolonged incubation, both strains took up near equal amounts of fungicide. Uptake of fungicide by both strains was not inhibited by incubation at low temperature but was stimulated by respiratory inhibitors. These data support, in part, the hypothesis that resistance to imazalil, as reported previously for fenarimol (M. A. de Waard and J. G. M. van Nistelrooy, Pestic. Biochem. Physiol. 13, 255 (1980)), is based on reduced uptake of fungicide by mycelium of the resistant mutant.
Learning Communities, Academic Performance, Attrition, and Retention: A Four-Year Study.

This study extends and makes unique methodological contributions to research on the impact of learning communities (LCs) on community college students. Much of the previous research was short-term, lacked adequate comparison groups, and focused on four-year college students. This four-year study controlled for instructor-related variables by comparing academic outcomes of LC students with those of non-LC students taught by the same instructor during the same semester. Differences in grades, attrition, and retention were compared between students enrolled in two pairs of linked English 101 and Psychology 101 LC classes and students enrolled in non-LC courses with the same professor. Student enrollment in the LC courses was associated with higher grade point averages, lower course attrition rates, and higher fall-to-spring semester retention rates. Reasons for the relative scarcity of LCs in community colleges is discussed, along with recommendations as to how institutions can encourage the growth of LCs on...
Targeting tumor hypoxia with 2-nitroimidazole- indocyanine green dye conjugates

Tumor hypoxia is a major indicator of treatment resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, and fluorescence optical tomography has tremendous potential to provide clinically useful, functional information by identifying tumor hypoxia. The synthesis of a 2-nitroimidazole-indocyanine green conjugate using a piperazine linker (piperazine-2-nitroimidazole-ICG) capable of robust fluorescent imaging of tumor hypoxia is described. In vivo mouse tumor imaging studies were completed and demonstrate an improved imaging capability of the new dye relative to an earlier version of the dye that was synthesized with an ethanolamine linker (ethanolamine-2-nitroimidazole-ICG). Mouse tumors located at imaging depths of 1.5 and 2.0 cm in a turbid medium were imaged at various time points after intravenous injection of the dyes. On average, the reconstructed maximum fluorescence concentration of the tumors injected with piperazine-2-nitroimidazole-ICG was twofold higher than that injected with ethanolamine-2-nitroimidazole-ICG within 3 h postinjection period and 1.6 to 1.7 times higher beyond 3 h postinjection. The untargeted bis-carboxylic acid ICG completely washed out after 3 h postinjection. Thus, the optimal window to assess tumor hypoxia is beyond 3 h postinjection. These findings were supported with fluorescence images of histological sections of tumor samples and an immunohistochemistry technique for identifying tumor hypoxia.
Gymnanthemum koekemoerae (Compositae, Vernonieae), a new species from South Africa

A new species of Gymnanthemum (Compositae, Vernonieae) from South Africa is described. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus by the five-flowered capitula and widely obtuse leaf blades.
Walking the Tightrope: Christian Colleges and Universities in a Time of Change.

Leadership of Christian higher education in the United States is in a period of significant change. Yet, the dual accountability—to higher education accreditation and to faith communities—means that Christian colleges and universities walk a tightrope between these two entities, their expectations, and their values. The challenge for U.S. Christian college and university administrators is to provide exemplary leadership in ways that honor both worlds and their values. This article makes the case for the need to understand the unique organizational culture of the institution, its values, and the varied roles of community participants, while adapting to changing societal needs.
Ventricular assist device use with mechanical heart valves: an outcome series and literature review

Abstract Background . Management of postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock with a ventricular assist device (VAD) is a common and accepted therapeutic option. However, VAD use in patients with mechanical heart valves (MHVs) is thought to carry an increased risk of thromboembolus. We report a series of 7 patients with combined VAD-MHV and review the literature. Methods . A retrospective review was performed on all patients who were supported with a ventricular assist device with a mechanical heart valve in place. A literature review was also performed from 1966 to 2000. Results . Seven patients were identified from April 1988 to June 2000 as having VAD support with a MHV. One thromboembolic event was documented in the 7 patients (14%). Five of the 7 patients (71%) underwent VAD explantation. Overall survival rate was 3 of 7 (43%). Causes of death included heart failure, renal failure, multisystem organ failure, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and cerebral hypoxia. All patients who died had support withdrawn at the request of the family. All patients discharged are currently alive with length of survival of 3, 26, and 84 months. Conclusions . This study suggests that this population's rate of survival to discharge and risk of thromboembolus compare favorably to that of the general VAD population. We believe that anticoagulation can be managed as with any MHV patient and that flow rates can be kept slightly lower, which may encourage valve washing.
A Transdiagnostic Approach to Treating Sleep Disturbance in Psychiatric Disorders

Sleep disturbance commonly co-occurs with a range of psychiatric disorders. This is of concern given the accruing evidence that sleep is critically important for mood regulation, physical health, cognitive functioning, and quality of life. There is strong evidence that insomnia, even if it is comorbid with another psychiatric disorder, is treatable with cognitive behavioral therapy. There is a need to develop cognitive behavioral approaches to the other types of sleep disturbance often experienced by patients with psychiatric disorders, such as hypersomnia, reduced sleep need, delayed phase, nocturnal panic attacks, and nightmares. The possibility of developing a transdiagnostic treatment that comprehensively treats sleep disturbance for use across psychiatric disorders is discussed because (a) there are many disorders in which multiple types of sleep disturbance can be characteristic at one time or over the life-course of the disorder and (b) there are considerable challenges inherent to disseminating an...
Mesoporous Silica Synthesized by Solvent Evaporation: Spun Fibers and Spray-Dried Hollow Spheres

Simple synthesis methods for mesoporous fibers and powders by rapid evaporation of hydrolyzed silicon alkoxide−surfactant solutions are described. Mesoporous fibers are prepared by dry spinning, and mesoporous powders by spray drying of alkoxide−surfactant solutions. Precursor solutions, containing fully hydrolyzed tetraethoxysilane, cetyltrimethylammonium chloride surfactant, and, in the case of the fibers, a fiber-forming polymer, in an acidic alcohol/water mixture, are drawn into continuous filaments or atomized into droplets in a heated air stream. During solvent drying, silica and surfactant self-assemble to form the hexagonally ordered mesophase structure, and all of the nonvolatile components (silica, polymer, and surfactant) are incorporated into the mesophase. The pore diameter and surface area of calcined fibers were 20 A and 1100 m2/g, respectively. For the powders, pore sizes of 25 A and surface areas as high as 1770 m2/g were measured. Spray-dried powders consisting of hollow spherical partic...
A non-Smad mechanism of fibroblast activation by transforming growth factor-β via c-Abl and Egr-1: selective modulation by imatinib mesylate

The nonreceptor protein tyrosine kinase c-Abl regulates cell proliferation and survival. Recent studies provide evidence that implicate c-Abl as a mediator for fibrotic responses induced by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), but the precise mechanisms underlying this novel oncogene function are unknown. Here, we report that when expressed in normal fibroblasts, a constitutively active mutant of Abl that causes chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) stimulated the expression and transcriptional activity of the early growth response factor 1 (Egr-1). Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), lacking c-Abl, were resistant to TGF-β stimulation. Responsiveness of these MEFs to TGF-β could be rescued by wild-type c-Abl, but not by a kinase-deficient mutant form of c-Abl. Furthermore, Abl kinase activity was necessary for the induction of Egr-1 by TGF-β in normal fibroblasts, and Egr-1 was required for stimulation of collagen by Bcr-Abl. Lesional skin fibroblasts in mice with bleomycin-induced fibrosis of skin displayed evidence of c-Abl activation in situ, and elevated phospho-c-Abl correlated with increased local expression of Egr-1. Collectively, these results position Egr-1 downstream of c-Abl in the fibrotic response, delineate a novel Egr-1-dependent intracellular signaling mechanism that underlies the involvement of c-Abl in certain TGF-β responses, and identify Egr-1 as a target of inhibition by imatinib. Furthermore, the findings show in situ activation of c-Abl paralleling the upregulated tissue expression of Egr-1 that accompanies fibrosis. Pharmacological targeting of c-Abl and its downstream effector pathways may, therefore, represent a novel therapeutic approach to blocking TGF-β-dependent fibrotic processes.
Complicated modernity, arrested development: a response to ‘Imagining a Dialectal African Modernity’

The article focuses on African modernity and interrogates the mode of achieving development in literary and critical narratives including Chinua Achebe's Hopes and Impediments (1989), Sembene Ousma...
Paclitaxel/carboplatin administration along with antiangiogenic therapy in non-small-cell lung and breast carcinoma models

Introduction: With the introduction of new drugs, the efficacy of chemotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer has been improving. The combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin has shown activity in this disease but is far from curative. Methods: The antiangiogenic agent regimen of TNP-470/minocycline was added to treatment with paclitaxel and carboplatin alone and in combination in animals bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma. Results: Administration of the antiangiogenic regimen prior to, during and after the cytotoxic therapy increased the tumor growth delay 1.6-fold and decreased the number of lung metastases to 20% of the number observed in the control animals. [14C]Paclitaxel, platinum from carboplatin and [14C]albumin levels were determined over a 24-h time course in tumors and normal tissues of animals bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma and pretreated with TNP-470/minocycline or not pretreated. There were higher levels of [14C]paclitaxel, platinum from carboplatin and [14C]albumin in the tumors and some normal tissues of the animals that had received TNP-470/minocycline compared with those that had not received TNP-470/minocycline, especially at the earlier time points. Administration of TNP-470/minocycline to animals bearing the EMT-6 mammary carcinoma increased the cytotoxicity of high-dose paclitaxel toward EMT-6 tumor cells and toward bone marrow CFU-GM. Administration of TNP-470/minocycline to animals bearing the EMT-6 mammary carcinoma also increased the cytotoxicity of carboplatin toward the EMT-6 tumor cells but did not affect the toxicity of carboplatin toward the bone marrow CFU-GM. Conclusions: The addition of TNP-470/minocycline to treatment with paclitaxel and carboplatin resulted in increased antitumor activity and efficacy and further investigation of this combination is warranted.
The subjective estimation of relative word frequency

Experiments reported here demonstrate the relationship between measures of relative word frequency in terms of (a) frequency counts of textual material and (b) subjective scaling procedures. With two separate subjective scaling techniques—magnitude estimation (ME) and multiple rank orders (MRO)—it was found that, with respect to the relationship of the subjective scales to direct criterion measures, the ME approach yielded scales for which the power law provided the best fit. For the MRO scales, however, a logarithmic formulation was most appropriate.