cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Episodic and semantic contributions to older adults' autobiographical recall.

Abstract The authors examined episodic and semantic contributions to 2 salient features of older adults' autobiographical recall: the reminiscence bump and the retention effect. Forty well-educated and healthy older men (mean age = 72.5 years; SD = 1.1) recalled personal memories in response to a series of cue words. They also categorized each memory as something they remembered from the past (R response) or they knew had happened in the past (K response) and indicated their ages when each memory occurred. The authors assumed that R and K responses reflected the operation of the episodic and semantic memory systems, respectively. Results showed a reminiscence bump and a retention effect for both R and K responses. The authors discuss the implications of this finding concerning the purported bases of the reminiscence bump and the retention effect as well as the notion that aging is more likely to effect episodic memory than semantic memory.
Verification of pavement marking degradation models using eastern tennessee pavement marking retroreflectivity data

Pavement markings are lines/markings drawn on pavement surface to provide vital information to road users pertaining to lane restrictions and vehicle movements, which if adhered to, results into improved road users' safety. For the pavement markings to be useful they ought to be reflective. Pavement markings retroreflectivity is a measurement of how well the markings can be seen by road users, especially at night. Pavement marking retroreflectivity is measured in milli-candela per square meter per lux (mcd/m2/lux). Candela is a measurement of light intensity and lux is measurement of luminous light per square meter. The USA Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) recommends minimum retroreflectivity levels on different types of pavements. Pavement markings retroreflectivity degrade as a function of time, environmental condition and number traffic repetition after its application. There have been several studies that were conducted to establish trends and time it takes for pavement markings to stay above the threshold. Some of the studies published degradation models. This paper seeks to verify the published pavement marking degradation models using pavement retroreflectivity data collected from East Tennessee. The models selected for verification are published by Lee et. al., Aboud and Bowman , Sarasua et. al., and Sitzabee at. al. From these models, the model by Abboud and Bowman for white paint pavement markings had the highest R2; other models have published R2 values that are larger than what was obtained from this study. The model by Lee et‥al., had a published R2 value similar to what was obtained from this study.
An Implicit Scheme for Cascade Flow and Heat Transfer Analysis

A new efficient implicit scheme, based on the second-order time and spatial difference algorithm for solving steady flow by using time-marching Navier-Stokes equations, was developed for predicting turbine cascade flows and heat transfer. The difference scheme comprises an explicit part in the intermediate time-step and an implicit part in the local time-step. The viscous flux vectors are decomposed to simplify the flow calculation in the explicit step. The time difference terms are expressed in terms of the viscous dependent terms that appear in the diffusion terms in the form by adding eigenvalues of viscous flux matrices into the time derivation term. In the presently proposed scheme, the two-sweep procedure is used in the implicit step instead of employing a traditional matrix operation to save the computational time. This method has been used to calculate the flow around C3X and VKI cascades, The computed results were compared with experimental data as well as with other published computations. The comparisons for both surface pressure and heat transfer coefficient showed good agreement with the experiments.
Loading a flexible manufacturing system

Abstract This paper examines the problem of master scheduling for an FMS in Scotland containing six CNC horizontal boring machines. A multiple criteria approach is used to choose the compatible subset of candidate orders for processing by this FMS, subject to resource constraints and potentially conflicting performance objectives. A structured framework for conflict resolution is described and compromise solutions are obtained using standard mathematical programming software.
Recurrent Stage I Endometrial Adenocarcinoma in the Nonirradiated Patient: Preliminary Results of Surgical "Staging"

Abstract Recurrent endometrial carcinoma, even when clinically confined to the vagina or pelvis, is associated with poor survival. Pelvic radiotherapy for patients with localized recurrences who have not been previously irradiated has not been highly effective. Our hypothesis was that local salvage therapy fails because a significant number of patients have occult, subclinical distant metastases at the time of relapse. In order to accurately assess disease status at the time of the recurrence, we prospectively evaluated eight patients with recurrent disease limited to the vagina/pelvis by physical examination, routine laboratory tests, and radiologic imaging. All patients underwent a "staging" procedure which included laparotomy, selective pelvic/periaortic lymphadenectomy, peritoneal biopsies, and washings. Three (37.5%) of eight patients had upper abdominal disease found at laparotomy (95% confidence interval 0.11 to 0.71). Presence of subclinical metastases was associated with larger tumor size (⩾ 2 cm) and elevated serum CA 125 antigen levels. Treatment was modified in three patients according to the results of surgical staging. One patient was treated with chemotherapy while two patients received whole-abdominal radiation in addition to pelvic fields. Seven of eight patients are alive 21 to 61 months following salvage therapy. Three (43%) of seven patients treated with radiotherapy suffered nonneoplastic bowel obstruction requiring laparotomy at 3, 6, and 15 weeks following completion of radiation therapy. Since 37.5% of patients with recurrent endometrial carcinoma clinically confined to the pelvis had occult upper abdominal disease, surgical reassessment may be warranted, especially in those with elevated serum CA 125 levels or large tumors. Our limited sample size precludes any definitive conclusions regarding our data. Further research will determine the frequency of subclinical metastases and the value of serum CA 125 levels in assessing disease status.
Public Reliance on Risk Communication Channels in the Wake of a Cryptosporidium Outbreak

In the spring of 1993, about 39% of Milwaukee-area residents suffered through a nationally publicized illness brought about by cryptosporidium, a parasite that had infested the metropolitan drinking water supply. Our study, based on a telephone survey of 610 local adult residents, indicates that worry about becoming ill in the future with cryptosporidiosis relates more strongly and consistently to public reliance on, and use of, media for cryptosporidium information than do a range of risk perception and experience variables. We propose that more studies should take an audience-centered approach to understanding risk communication.
Optimization with Intra-aortic Balloon Counterpulsation Prior to Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation Results in Improved Postoperative Outcomes

s S253 Conclusion: In patients with end-stage heart failure and cardiogenic shock who receive permanent LVAD implantation, IABP improves hemodynamics including cardiac flow, power and work and may serve as a successful percutaneous mechanical support bridge.
Pregnancy in Young and Aged Rats. I. Ovarian Progesterone and 20α-Hydroxypregn-4-En-3-One Formation*

The conversions of [3H]pregnenolone (P5) to [3H]progesterone (P4) and [3H]20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (20-OHP4) were determined in vitro in ovaries of 3 (young)- and 11 (aged)-month-old rats throughout pregnancy. Aged females exhibited an increased incidence of embryonic-fetal resorption beginning at midgestation. The mean +/- SE numbers of live and dead fetuses in aged females between day 11 of gestation and term were 8.6 +/- 0.5 and 2.3 +/- 0.3, respectively, compared to 12.0 live fetuses in young females. In young animals, ovarian conversion of P5 to P4 approximated 30% on days 1-3 of gestation, increased (P less than 0.001) to a plateau of about 45% on days 6-11, then declined to 23.5% by day 15. In aged females, ovarian formation of P4 from P5 showed no significant progressive rise or fall throughout pregnancy. The increment in P4 formation observed on days 6-11 in young rats, therefore, did not occur in aged females, and the percent conversion of P5 to P4 was 40% lower (P less than 0.05 to P less than 0.005) in aged rats during this interval. Ovarian P4 formation was similarly low in aged females that did or did not exhibit embryonic death on days 9-11. From day 12 of gestation until term, the percent conversion of P5 to P4 was similar in all young and aged animals. Conversion of P5 to 20-OHP4 in young rats increased (P less than 0.005) steadily to a peak of 21.9 +/- 5.8% (mean +/- SE) at midgestation, then declined thereafter. 20-OHP4 formation was about 50% greater in aged than in young females on days 2-6, but values were similar thereafter. The mean ratio of conversion of P5 to P4 to that of P5 to 20-OHP4, therefore, was 50% lower (P less than 0.025) in aged (1.8 +/- 0.2) than in young (3.3 +/- 0.4) rats between days 6 and 11 of gestation. The subnormal amount of P4 recovered after ovarian incubation in aged females apparently reflected subnormal P4 formation and/or enhanced P4 catabolism to steroid metabolites. The present results, therefore, demonstrate intrinsic changes in ovarian function during aged rat pregnancy. The onset of fetal demise in aged females, however, does not appear to be related to this alteration in ovarian steroidogenesis.
Framed! Fact, Fiction, and Frame Tale in Adaptations of Zola’s Thérèse Raquin

AbstractZola's Therese Raquin, first published as a novel in 1867 and adapted by the author as a play in 1873, has proven to be a tale well-suited for retelling: it has been reframed as television and full-length feature films in the USA and Europe, and revived as ballets, operas, and even a Broadway musical over the last decade. Focusing first on Zola's use of the frame narrative in his staged version of Therese Raquin and turning next to three replottings of the original tale — Michael Finnissy's 1992 opera, Marcel Carne's 1953 film, and Harry Connick Jr's 2001 Broadway musical — this essay situates the adaptive appeal of Therese Raquin less in Zola's purported goal of analysing temperament, heredity, and milieu, than in the dramatic framing of a critique of bourgeois culture.
New norditerpenoids and a diterpenoid from a sponge that inhibit the lyase activity of DNA polymerase β

Abstract Using an assay to detect inhibitors of the lyase activity of DNA polymerase β, bioassay-directed fractionation of a CHCl3 extract of an unidentified sponge of the family Demospongiae resulted in the isolation of the new diterpenoid 1 , the new bis-norditerpenoids 2–3 , and the two known compounds spongia-13(16),14-dien-19-oic acid ( 4 ), and methylspongia-13(16),14-dien-19-oate ( 5 ). The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic interpretation. All five compounds inhibited the lyase activity of DNA polymerase β.
Genetic Dissection of Cerebellar Development: Mutations Affecting Cell Position

SYNOPSIS. The spastic mutation induces swimming coordination and equilibrium deficiencies in the Mexican axolotl ( Ambystoma mexicanum ). Behavioral ontogeny studies determined that spaslks fail to develop behavior trains of sinusoidal flexures necessary to mediate escape swimming at the time of onset of cerebellar function. Behavior analysis, after lesioning different cranial nerve roots and CNS areas in wild-type animals, confirmed the “behavioral focus” of the mutation to lie in the auricle or vestibulo-cerebellum. Single unit recordings in the cerebellar auricle and adjacent brainstem vestibular zone (area acoustico-lateralis) of mutants revealed a full complement of vestibular unit types found in wild-type. However, the gene appears to alter the physical location of vestibular units in both areas, including a ventral “translocation” of cerebellar units responding to sustained ipsilateral tilt. Correlated with this unit translocation, mutant Purkinje cells and allied afferent tracts are malpositioned ventrally, i.e. , “crowded” into an ectopic zone in the ventro-posterior cerebellum. Studies on cerebellar structure at the time of onset of spasticity (early feeding stage) confirmed the ventral malpositioning of cerebellar cells and fiber tracts seen in adults. In conjunction with these larval studies, mutant larvae injected with tritiated thymidine during early cerebellogenesis and assayed at the early feeding stage revealed a medio-ventral malpositioning of labelled cells; in wild-type, labelled cells were positioned laterally. Interestingly, the neuropathology of the reeler mutation (rev., Mariani et al. , 1977) found in the mouse is remarkably similar to that of the spastic axolotl. Both cerebella are reduced in size, misshapen, and lack fissures. Purkinje cells appear ectopically in the granular layer, white matter and deep cerebellar nuclei. Although both cerebella lack structural integrity, no individual cell type shows marked or progressive degeneration, and cellular untrastructure appears intact; thus, both genes appear to act independently of the genesis of cerebellar elements. Instead, they appear to influence morphogenetic movements by which presumptive cerebellar cells attain their proper positions during the neurogenetic sequence.
Coronal energy release via ideal three-dimensional instability three-dimensional instability

Abstract It is widely believed that most coronal phenomena involve the release of free energy that is stored within stressed magnetic field configurations. The availability of sufficient free energy to explain everything from coronal heating to flares and coronal mass ejections is well established. How this energy is released remains a major puzzle. Observations reveal that an important property of the energy release mechanism is its “switch on” character. The mechanism must remain dormant for long periods of time to allow the magnetic stresses to build, then it must operate very vigorously once it finally turns on. We discuss a mechanism called the “secondary instability” which exhibits this behavior. It is essentially an ideal instability of the thin twisted magnetic flux tubes that form from the resistive tearing of current sheets. We relate the mechanism to the coronal heating idea of Parker in which the coronal magnetic field becomes tangled by random motions of the photospheric footpoints. Global energy balance considerations imply that magnetic energy dissipation occurs at a particular angle in the field, and the secondary instability offers the first quantitative explanation for why this should be. It thus places Parker's popular idea on a much firmer physical footing.
Comparative study on passive and active projector nonlinear gamma calibration

This paper compares the active and passive projector nonlinear gamma compensation methods for phase error reduction. The active method modifies fringe patterns before their projection to ensure sinusoidality; the passive method, in contrast, compensates for the phase error after capturing those distorted sinusoidal fringe patterns. Our study finds that the active method tends to provide more consistent high-quality fringe patterns regardless of the amount of projectors defocusing; yet the effectiveness of the passive method is diminished if the measurement condition deviates from the calibration condition. Experimental results will be presented to demonstrate the differences between these two nonlinear gamma compensation methods.
Effect of Sucralfate on Components of Mucosal Barrier Produced by Cultured Canine Epithelial Cells in Vitro

The mucous gel maintains a neutral microclimate at the epithelial cell surface, which may play a role in both the prevention of gastroduodenal injury and the provision of an environment essential for epithelial restitution and regeneration after injury. Enhancement of the components of the mucous barrier by sucralfate may explain its therapeutic efficacy for upper gastrointestinal tract protection, repai, and healing. We studied the effect of sucralfate and its major soluble component, sucrose octasulfate (SOS), on the synthesis and release of gastric mucin and surface active phospholipid, utilizing an isolated canine gastric mucous cells in culture. We correlated these results with the effect of the agents on mucin synthesis and secretion utilizing explants of canine fundusin vitro. Sucralfate and SOS significantly stimulated phospholipid secretion by isolated canine mucous cells in culture (123% and 112% of control, respectively.) Indomethacin pretreatment siginificantly inhibited the effect of sucralfate, but not SOS, on the stimulation of phospholipid release. Administration of either sucralfate or SOS to the isolated canine mucous cells had no effect upon mucin synthesis or secretion using a sensitive immunoassay. Sucralfate and SOS did not stimulate mucin release in the canine explants; sucralfate significantly stimulated the synthesis of mucin, but only to 108% of that observed in untreated explants. No increase in PGE2 release was observed after sucralfate or SOS exposure to the isolated canine mucous cells. Our results suggest sucralfate affects the mucus barrier largely in a qualitative manner. No increase in mucin secretion or major effect on synthesis was notd, although a significant increase in surface active phospholipid release was observed. The lack of dose dependency of this effect, along with the results of the PGE2 assay, suggests the drug may act through a non-receptor-mediated mechanism to perturb the cell membrane and release surface active phospholipid. The enhancement of phospholipid release by sucralfate to augment the barrier function of gastric mucus may, in concert with other effects of the drug, strrengthen mucosal barrier function.
High-performance liquid chromatography of fatty acids: quantitative analysis of saturated, monoenoic, polyenoic and geometrical isomers

A procedure is described for the rapid preparation of phenacyl and naphthacyl derivatives of fatty acids. These derivatives of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a C18 reversed-phase column at nanogram sensitivity. Standard mixtures of fatty acids gave quantitative mole percentages. HPLC analyses of phenacyl and naphthacyl derivatives of fatty acids from several seed oils compared well with values obtained by gas—liquid chromatography (GLC). Oleic and elaidic, geometrical octadecenoate isomers, were well resolved. Three of the four Δ 9,12-octadecadienoic acids, geometrical isomers of linoleic acid, were also resolved. The rapid quantitative analysis of fatty acid phenacyl derivatives by HPLC hold some advantages over GLC, especially with samples that contain heat labile and short-chain fatty acids. Phenacyl derivatives of monoenoic fatty acids were also shown to undergo cis-trans isomerization when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Cadavers Encountered: Identification and Community in US Latino|[sol]|a Cultural Production

This study discusses the literary and theatrical portrayal of corpses in Cuban-American Roberto G. Fernandez's Raining Backwards, Puerto Rican Esmeralda Santiago's When I Was Puerto Rican, and Miguel Pinero's Short Eyes. In dialogue with various critics of communitarian and nationalistic thinking (Nancy, Balibar, Joseph, and Anderson), the author reflects upon the problematics of community, its sense of project and destiny, its vehement impulse toward domesticating difference, and its program for hegemonizing subalternity. From this perspective, the cadaver is discussed as an ontological void in Latino/a communitarian articulation and as a recurrent topos in this group's cultural production. This study proposes that the dead body needs to be considered critically in order to disrupt meta-narratives of hybridization that guide Latino communitarian thinking and the production–consumption dynamics within the US multicultural nation. “Cadavers encountered” advances a model for critically un-reading more commercial/hegemonic Latino products and for underscoring counter-pedagogic thinking in less commercial/alternative ones. In the process it suggests a variety of cultural commodities that could be studied in fashions similar to the work of Fernandez, Santiago, and Pinero.
Physiological and anatomical properties of Leydig cells in the segmental nervous system of the leech

Each of the 21 segmental ganglia in the American leechMacrobdella decora contains a pair of Leydig cells (ca. 45 μm) each of which is located in a posteriolateral glial packet. Leydig cells exhibit spontaneous action potentials (1–10/s) whose duration and undershoot depend upon membrane polarization. The two Leydig cells within each ganglion are bidirectionally-coupled (V2/V1≅0.3). Pairs of ipsilateral Leydig cells within adjacent ganglia are mutually excitatory such that an impulse in one generates an impulse in the other. The interganglionic latency for any cell pair is constant regardless of the direction of impulse conduction and is unchanged by 20 mM Mg2+ saline. These data indicate that the interactions are not mediated by chemical synapses. Additionally, the results of collision experiments lead us to infer that ipsilateral Leydig cell pairs utilize common axonal pathways for interganglionic interactions. If Leydig cells are driven by current injection to fire impulses at frequencies of six to ten per s, cells in adjacent ganglia exhibit impulse failures. The combination of spontaneous activity, intraganglionic coupling and interganglionic interactions results in the generation of constant, low frequency impulse activity and can cause impulse reverberations.
Acute Hypervitaminosis A in Guinea Pigs. I. Effects on Acid Hydrolases

SummaryAcute hypervitaminosis A was induced in guinea pigs by oral administration of Vit. A. This treatment caused much of the activity of acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase and cathepsin to beco...
Changes in tooth contacts following orthodontic treatment

Occlusal contacts in maximum intercuspation were examined in 38 patients at the end of the active phase of orthodontic treatment and again 3 months into the retention phase to assess the initial posttreatment occlusal changes. The sample consisted of 23 patients with conventional retainers and 15 patients with gnathological rubber tooth positioners. Polyether rubber impression bites were used to record occlusal contacts. The locations of the contacts were then transferred to study models. In the combined sample (N = 38), the total number of contacts increased 14% over the 3-month period. This was due entirely to an increase in the number of contacts on posterior teeth (premolars and molars). Those cases with fewer teeth in contact at the end of treatment developed more teeth in contact over the 3-month period. Although the group retained with positioners demonstrated a greater gain in the total number of teeth in contact over time when compared with the group with conventional retainers, the additional gain was minimal.
Design of a Transport System for High Intensity Beams

A system has been designed which is calculated to be capable of transporting up to 50 mA of 3 MeV protons a distance of seventy-five feet. The beam is contained within a radius of one inch and its phase plot is optimally matched to the acceptance of the synchrotron. This phase matching is accomplished over a wide range of beam currents by varying the excitation of the final quadrupole doublet. A computer program written to calculate the dynamics of the beam is described and some of its characteristics are discussed.
Mutations in NR4A2 associated with familial Parkinson disease.

NR4A2, encoding a member of nuclear receptor superfamily1, is essential for the differentiation of the nigral dopaminergic neurons2,3,4. To determine whether NR4A2 is a susceptibility gene for Parkinson disease, we carried out genetic analyses in 201 individuals affected with Parkinson disease and 221 age-matched unaffected controls. We identified two mutations in NR4A2 associated with Parkinson disease (−291Tdel and −245T→G), which map to the first exon of NR4A2 and affect one allele in 10 of 107 individuals with familial Parkinson disease but not in any individuals with sporadic Parkinson disease (n = 94) or in unaffected controls (n = 221). The age at onset of disease and clinical features of these ten individuals were not different from those of individuals with typical Parkinson disease. The mutations resulted in a marked decrease in NR4A2 mRNA levels in transfected cell lines and in lymphocytes of affected individuals. Additionally, mutations in NR4A2 affect transcription of the gene encoding tyrosine hydroxylase. These data suggest that mutations in NR4A2 can cause dopaminergic dysfunction, associated with Parkinson disease.
Resource–consumer models and the biomass conversion principle

Abstract In the search for a unified basis for constructing food-web models, the long-standing discrepancy between biomass conversion (BC) and individual survival (IS) modeling has been revitalized by Ginzburg (J. Anim. Ecol. 67 (1998) 325) and Berryman (J. Anim. Ecol. 68 (1999) 1263) in the context of resource–consumer interactions. In this work, the principles underlying the confronting approaches are summarized and the criticisms addressed against each. Also, it is argued that the achievement of a single theory of resource–consumer ecology could benefit from this debate by incorporating key elements of both approaches. A logical procedure is suggested to build simple continuous resource–consumer models that follow the principle of biomass conversion, possess structural homogeneity, and distinguish the effects of depletable and fixed resource availability. Additionally, a new conversion function and a general Holling type extraction function (functional response) are introduced. Finally, it is shown that some well known IS models can be obtained as special cases of a general BC model.
Nitrogen incorporated nanodiamond film with ‘ridge’ surface morphology for detection of bio-analyte

Abstract A planar electrode consisting of a nanodiamond film on a silicon substrate was fabricated using microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. Nitrogen incorporation was achieved by the introduction of N2 gas along with H2 and CH4 gases in the plasma. The electrochemical response of the electrode was evaluated by studying the Fe(CN)63-/4- redox couple. Cyclic voltammetry was also used to study the detection of dopamine (DA), which is an important neurotransmitter, in 0.1 M phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at the physiologic pH of 7.4. The nitrogen incorporated nanodiamond electrode showed a linearly increasing peak oxidation current with increasing dopamine concentration at a scan rate of 100 mV/s. Also, a linear relationship between the peak oxidation current for 1 mM DA vs √(scan rate) was observed which is consistent with semi-infinite linear diffusion limited mass transport mechanism. In addition to the well-defined dopamine/o-quinone redox peaks, we also detected another pair of peaks corresponding to the leucodopaminechrome/dopaminechrome redox couple. These results have been achieved using ‘as-deposited’, hydrogen terminated, nitrogen incorporated nanodiamond electrode without any surface modification or pretreatment.
Depletion of taurine in experimental diabetic neuropathy: implications for nerve metabolic, vascular, and functional deficits.

In diabetes, increased oxidative stress, disruption of signal transduction pathways, and endothelial dysfunction have been critically implicated in the pathogenesis of experimental diabetic neuropathy (EDN). The development of nerve conduction slowing in diabetes is accompanied by depletion of the β-amino acid taurine. Since taurine functions as an antioxidant, calcium modulator, and vasodilator, taurine depletion may provide a pathogenetic link between nerve metabolic, vascular, and functional deficits complicating diabetes. The mechanism(s) of nerve taurine depletion, the localization of critical taurine deficits, and its pathophysiological significance in EDN are however unknown. This study explored the pathophysiological effects of selective nerve taurine replacement in streptozotocin-diabetic (STZ-D) rats. A polyclonal human taurine transporter (TT) antibody was also generated in order to determine potential loci of critical taurine depletion. Two weeks of STZ-D reduced sciatic motor nerve conduction velocity (NCV) by 23% (P < 0.01), decreased composite nerve blood flow by 38% (P < 0.01), and reduced nerve taurine content by 29% (P < 0.05). In STZ-D rats, a 1% taurine diet corrected nerve taurine depletion, prevented motor NCV slowing, and partially attenuated composite nerve blood flow deficits. After 6 weeks of STZ-D, a 1% taurine diet ameliorated motor NCV slowing and endoneurial nutritive blood flow deficits, prevented digital sensory NCV slowing, and reduced ouabain-sensitive nerve (Na,K)-ATPase activity. Immunohistochemical studies localized taurine and the TT to the vascular endothelium and Schwann cells of the sciatic nerve. In conclusion, taurine depletion in the vascular endothelium and Schwann cells of the sciatic nerve may contribute to the neurovascular and metabolic deficits in EDN.
Agreement Between pQCT- and DXA-Derived Indices of Bone Geometry, Density, and Theoretical Strength in Females of Varying Age, Maturity, and Physical Activity

Measurement of bone mass, geometry, density, and strength are critical in bone research and clinical studies. For peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), single and repeated measurements are particularly adversely affected by movement and positional variation. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)–derived indices may alleviate these problems and provide useful alternative assessments. To evaluate this hypothesis, distal radius DXA and pQCT indices were compared in 101 healthy females aged 8.0 to 22.8 years (prepuberty to adulthood), reflecting a broad range of body sizes, physical maturity, and activity exposures. At the diaphysis, correlations were ρ =+0.74 to +0.98, with strong intermethod agreement for most indices. At the metaphysis, correlations were ρ =+0.64 to +0.97; intermethod agreement improved with modifications to the simplified geometric formulas more closely reflecting metaphyseal bone geometry. Further improvements may be possible because skeletal size and maturity-related biases in agreement were detected. Overall, DXA-derived indices may provide a useful assessment of bone geometry, density, and theoretical strength contingent on appropriate consideration of their limitations.
Dye-Sensitized SnO2 Electrodes with Iodide and Pseudohalide Redox Mediators

Dye-sensitized mesoporous nanocrystalline SnO2 electrodes and the pseudohalogen redox mediator (SeCN)2/SeCN- or (SCN)2/SCN- or the halogen redox mediator I3-/I- were implemented for regenerative solar cell studies. Adsorption isotherms of the sensitizers Ru(deeb)(bpy)2(PF6)2, Ru(deeb)2(dpp)(PF6)2, and Ru(deeb2(bpz)(PF6)2, where deeb is 4,4'-diethylester-2,2'-bipyridine, dpp is 2,3-dipyridyl pyrazine, and bpz is bipyrazine, binding to the SnO2 surface were well described by the Langmuir model from which the saturation coverage, Gamma0 = 1.7 x 10(-8) mol/cm2, and surface-adduct formation constant, Kad = 2 x 10(5) M(-1), were obtained. Following excited-state interfacial electron transfer, the oxidized sensitizers were reduced by donors present in the acetonitrile electrolyte as shown by transient absorption spectroscopy. With iodide as the donor, a rate constant k > 10(8) s(-1) was measured for sensitizer regeneration. In regenerative solar cells, it was found that the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiencies and open circuit voltages (Voc) were comparable for (SeCN)2/SeCN- and I3-/I- for all three sensitizers. The Voc varied linearly with the logarithm of the short circuit photocurrent densities (Jsc), with typical correlations of approximately 50-60 mV/decade. Capacitance measurements of the SnO2 electrode in the presence of I3-/I-, (SeCN)2/SeCN- or (SCN)2/SCN- are reported.
Picture superiority in free recall: The effects of organization and elaboration

Abstract A conception of semantic memory structure is presented in which elaboration is considered to vary both between and within items. Pictures and their verbal labels are suggested to activate common abstract memory representations, but these activations will differ in their degree of within-item elaboration. However, pictures and words should show comparable between-item elaboration properties, such as might be revealed by the category-recall relationship and clustering in free recall. Children were presented pictures and words in either a category-recall situation, where between-item elaboration was emphasized, or in a control situation where between-item elaboration was minimized. No differences between pictures and words in either recall or clustering were found in the category-recall task. However, when the same items were presented in the control situation the typical picture superiority effect in free recall was found. The results are interpreted as consistent with a two-factor theory of semantic elaboration, and indicate that these basic properties of memory encoding hold even for young children.
Vitamin E sufficiency in children with cholestasis: A comparison between erythrocyte peroxide hemolysis and serum α-tocopherol

Abstract Vitamin E sufficiency was assessed in 19 children with chronic cholestasis by determining both erythrocyte peroxide hemolysis (EPH) and serum α-tocopherol (α-T) levels. Eight had normal α-T (1.19 ± 0.67 mg/dl; normal > 0.5). The mean EPH in this group was 13.1 ± 14.3% (normal 80% correctly identified vitamin E deficiency in all cases. Hence, EPH is a satisfactory screening test of vitamin E sufficiently. When the EPH is 80%, the patient is vitamin E deficient. Serum α-T measurements are needed to determine vitamin E sufficiency when the EPH is > 20% and
Preoperative intravenous midazolam: benefits beyond anxiolysis

Abstract Study objective To evaluate the effect of midazolam on the global perioperative experience, including patient satisfaction, postoperative nausea and vomiting, postoperative pain, and perioperative anxiety and amnesia. Design Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Setting Ambulatory surgical center affiliated with a tertiary-care hospital. Patients 88 ASA physical status I, II, and III patients scheduled for outpatient surgery. Interventions Patients were randomized into two groups to receive either 0.04 mg/kg of midazolam or placebo intravenously (IV) 20 minutes preoperatively. Measurements Perioperative measurements included blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation and the patient's level of anxiety; type of anesthetic administered; the anesthesiologist's guess at the treatment arm; perioperative dosages of fentanyl, morphine, and ondansetron; recovery room length of stay; frequency of nausea and vomiting, and level of postoperative pain in the 24 hours after surgery; the patient's overall satisfaction with the anesthetic, and whether the patient would recommend the premedication to a friend. Main results Patient demographics, type of surgery/anesthesia, vital signs, case duration, recovery duration, and postoperative pain were all similar between the midazolam and placebo groups. As expected, IV midazolam was an effective anxiolytic. There was no evidence of retrograde amnesia. Fewer patients in the midazolam group suffered from postoperative nausea than did those in the placebo group (25% vs. 50%; p = 0.03), despite receiving similar perioperative antiemetic and opioid administration. Similarly, fewer patients in the midazolam group experienced postoperative vomiting than placebo group patients (8% vs. 21%), although this difference did not reach statistical significance. Only 42% of patients in the placebo group would recommend their premedication to a friend, compared with 85% of patients in the midazolam group ( p Conclusions In addition to the known anxiolytic effects of midazolam, midazolam premedication is an effective way to reduce the frequency of postoperative nausea, and perhaps vomiting, and increase patient satisfaction.
American Empire and Globalisation: Postcolonial Speculations on Neocolonial Enframing

In this paper, I examine the ways in which widely reproduced discourses and theories about globalisation elide American dominance. Drawing on arguments about enframing made by Timothy Mitchell in his postcolonial analysis of Egypt's colonisation, I suggest that one significant cause of this elision relates to a commonplace imagined geography of globalisation that enframes economic interdependency as constitutive of a smooth, decentred and somehow levelled global space of flows. I argue that this imagined geography is structured into dominant political-economic forms of practice and governance, and that in this way it both enables and elides American dominance. Notwithstanding this force in the world, and notwithstanding the tendency of many commentators on globalisation to ignore American dominance, recent events have made such elisions more difficult. I therefore suggest that we need to do more to theorise how American dominance is interwoven with economic globalisation.
Celecoxib-induced cholestatic liver injury

Although drug-induced liver injury is common, physician awareness of specific drug reactions is often limited. Celecoxib-induced drug injury has not been widely reported. We describe the case of a 28 year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with cholestatic liver injury following 13 days of celecoxib use. We searched the literature and reviewed existing case reports of celecoxib-induced liver injury to highlight similarities and offer a discussion of the associated pathology.
Consequences of harvesting for genetic diversity in American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.): A simulation study

American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius L., is one of the most heavily traded medicinal plants in North America. The effect of harvest on genetic diversity in ginseng was measured with a single generation culling simulation program. Culling scenarios included random harvest at varying levels, legal limit random harvest and legal limit mature plant harvest. The legal limit was determined by the proportion of legally harvestable plants per population (% mature plants per population). Random harvest at varying levels resulted in significant loss of genetic diversity, especially allelic richness. Relative to initial levels, average within-population genetic diversity (He) was significantly lower when plants were culled randomly at the legal limit (Mann–Whitney U = 430, p < 0.001) or when only mature plants were culled (Mann–Whitney U = 394, p < 0.01). Within-population genetic diversity was significantly higher with legal limit mature plant harvest (He = 0.068) than when plants were culled randomly at the legal limit (He = 0.064; U = 202, p < 0.01). Based on these simulations of harvest over one generation, we recommend that harvesting fewer than the proportion of mature plants could reduce the negative genetic effects of harvest on ginseng populations.
II. BILE CHOLESTEROL FLUCTUATIONS DUE TO DIET FACTORS, BILE SALT, LIVER INJURY AND HEMOLYSIS

Under uniform diet conditions the normal bile fistula dog will eliminate pretty constant amounts of cholesterol-about 0.5 to 1.0 mg. cholesterol per kilo per 24 hours. Diets rich in cholesterol (egg yolk) will raise the cholesterol output in the bile but compared to the diet intake (1.5 gm. cholesterol) the output increase in the bile is trivial (5-15 mg.). Calves' brains in the diet are inert. Bile salt alone will raise the cholesterol output in the bile as much and often more than a cholesterol rich diet. Bile salt plus egg yolk plus whole bile give maximal output figures for bile cholesterol-60 mg. per 24 hours. Liver injury (chloroform) decreases both bile salt and cholesterol elimination in the bile. Blood destruction (hydrazine) fails to increase the bile cholesterol output and this eliminates the red cell stroma as an important contributing factor. Certain cholagogues (isatin and decholin) will increase the bile flow but cause no change in cholesterol elimination. The ratio of cholesterol to bile salt in the bile normally is about 1 to 100 but the bile salts are more labile in their fluctuations. The ratio is about reversed in the circulating blood plasma where the cholesterol is high (150-300 mg. per cent) and the bile salt concentration very low. Cholesterol runs so closely parallel to bile salt in the bile that one may feel confident of a physical relationship. In addition there is a suspicion that the bile cholesterol is in some obscure fashion linked with the physiological activity of hepatic epithelium.
Teamwork in planning innovative projects: improving group performance by rational and interpersonal interventions in group process

Management research has suggested that consensus (interacting) groups exhibit superior performance on many organizational tasks such as selecting R&D proposals for funding, planning innovative projects, and exercising quality control during implementation. The objective of this research was to investigate or not the already good performance of consensus groups on project planning tasks could be further improved by a diagnosis and feedback intervention concerning the nature of a group's rational and interpersonal processes. Data from a total of 114 groups (547 individuals) were collected. Feedback on rational processes had a more significant impact on performance than did feedback on interpersonal processes, but only for high-ability groups. The implications of these findings for project management are discussed. >
Household Shocks and Education Investment in Madagascar

This paper measured the extent to which households in Madagascar adjust children’s school attendance in order to cope with exogenous shocks to household income, assets and labour supply. Our analysis was based on a unique data set with 10 years of recall data on school attendance and household shocks. We found that the probability of a child dropping out of school increased significantly when the household experienced an illness, death or asset shock. We proposed a test to distinguish whether the impact of shocks on school attendance could be attributed to credit constraints, labour market rigidities, or a combination of the two. The results of the test suggested that credit constraints, rather than labour market rigidities, explain the inability of households in Madagascar to keep their children in school during times of economic distress.
Attitude and Norm Accessibility and Cigarette Smoking

Social norms and attitudes play a critical role in adolescent smoking initiation and maintenance. Focus theory predicts that making a norm more salient—and thereby temporarily increasing its accessibility from memory—will increase the influence of the norm on behavior for as long as the norm remains salient. Likewise, the process model of the attitude–behavior relationship predicts that accessible attitudes are more predictive of behavior. The present research examining the role of the chronic accessibility of smoking related normative beliefs and attitudes in predicting smoking behavior in college students. Attitude and norm accessibility independently accounted for significant variability in smoking behavior beyond that accounted for by traditional measures of attitude and subjective norm. jasp_529 2355..2372
Organizational Transformation as Punctuated Equilibrium: An Empirical Test

The punctuated equilibrium model of organizational transformation has emerged as a prominent theoretical framework for explaining fundamental changes in patterns of organizational activity. To date...
Impact of Natural Disasters on Children and Families

Addressing the impact of natural disasters on children and their families poses a need to identify the manner in which natural disasters differ from other disasters (unnatural or human-made), as well as the manner in which children might be affected differently from adults. This chapter will define these distinctions as the foundation for discussing the research that has been conducted on natural disasters and their impact on children and families.
Atomistic interpretation of the dynamic response of glasses

Using detailed information on the spectrum of shear transformation dynamics previously obtained from low-strain, quasi-static anelastic relaxation in a metallic glass, the corresponding response to a cyclic force is calculated, and prevailing analysis approaches are evaluated. It is shown that the time–temperature superposition principle does not resolve the distribution of activation energies for shear transformations. The distribution of shear transformation zone sizes explains the microscopic mechanisms of both slow (α) and fast (β) relaxations, and the fact that the former are irreversible. These results suggest the need to re-evaluate past interpretations of dynamic behavior of glasses.
ROLE OF HORMESIS IN LIFE EXTENSION BY CALORIC RESTRICTION

Caloric restriction (CR) markedly extends the life of rats, mice and several other species, and it also modulates age-associated physiological deterioration and delays the occurrence and/or slows progression of age-associated diseases. The level of CR that retards the aging processes is a low-intensity stressor, which enhances the ability of rats and mice of all ages to cope with intense stressors. CR thus exhibits a hormetic action in these species, and therefore it is hypothesized that hormesis plays a role in the life-extending and anti-aging actions of CR. Both the findings in support of this hypothesis and those opposing it are critically considered. However, it is likely that hormesis is not the only process contributing to CR-induced life extension. It is proposed that two general processes are involved in CR-induced life extension. One is the reduced endogenous generation of damaging agents, such as reactive oxygen species. The second is hormesis, which enhances processes that protect against the action of damaging agents and also promotes processes that repair the damage once it occurs.