cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
If Long-Term Resistance to a Spruce Beetle Epidemic is Futile, Can Silvicultural Treatments Increase Resilience in Spruce-Fir Forests in the Central Rocky Mountains?

Within the Central Rocky Mountains, spruce beetle populations have the potential to rapidly transition from endemic to epidemic levels in the spruce-fir (Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir) forest type. Conventional management has focused on creating resistance to spruce beetle outbreaks by manipulating the overstory density and composition. Three silvicultural treatments, single tree selection, group selection, and shelterwood with reserves, were established in a spruce-fir forest in northern Utah with the goals of increasing both resistance and resilience to outbreaks. Resistance and resilience metrics were explicitly defined. Pre-harvest and two post-harvest measurements were used to assess how the different silvicultural treatments influenced the metrics. The shelterwood with reserves was the only treatment to meet both the resistance and resilience criteria. This treatment, while not traditionally used, created a stand structure and composition that will be most resilient to climate induced increases in spruce beetle caused tree mortality. However, there will be a trade-off in composition and structure, especially Engelmann spruce, after a spruce beetle epidemic because the created structure is more uniform with fewer groups and gaps than commonly observed in spruce-fir forests. With changing climatic conditions, proactive forest management, such as the shelterwood with reserves in the spruce-fir forest type, is the best method for increasing short-term resistance and long-term resilience to spruce beetle outbreaks.
Restriction on the integrals of local currents

We prove a generalized version of two theorems proposed by S. Coleman. The proof is based on the usual axioms of quantum field theory.
Plotting the Pixel in Remediated Word and Image

In her article "Plotting the Pixel in Remediated Word and Image" Sarah Wyman argues that art's historic negotiation of culture continues into the new digital media age as it both asserts the materiality of the medium and acknowledges the impact of embodied perception. She demonstrates that however revolutionary, the new digital media still relate to many traditional paradigms of aesthetic expression. Problems of representation and simulation continue to catch on questions of time, space and human perception. The contingent relationships between categories and entities once kept separate — word/image, observer/observed — determine and define the process of globalization. The new digital media's ostensible goals of immediacy and transparency clash with its irresistible fascination with the electronic medium itself. A look at the pixeled image in various pre-electronic incarnations – geometric painting, concrete poetry, mosaic art — demonstrates a counterpart to our own experiential existence, now transformed by the impact of contemporary technologies. By examining such cultural artifacts, Wyman elaborates on the way aspects of remediation, intermediality, and hypermediality have always factored in the way people read, create, and use images in the West. Sarah Wyman, "Plotting the Pixel in Remediated Word and Image" page 2 of 12 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 13.3 (2011): Thematic issue New Perspectives on Material Culture and Intermedial Practice. Ed. Steven Totosy de Zepetnek, Asuncion Lopez-Varela, Haun Saussy, and Jan Mieszkowski
Intermediate Access to Buffer-Separated Managed Lanes

A Texas Department of Transportation research project developed guidance on intermediate access to and from buffer-separated managed lanes located within general purpose lanes. For intermediate access openings, other communities recommend opening lengths between 1,300 ft and 2,000 ft (396 m to 610 m). While the recommended buffer width is 4 ft (1.2 m) or greater, many sites have a 2- to 3-ft (0.6- to 0.9-m) width. To assist in developing the guidance material, researchers recorded operations at five intermediate access sites. Characteristics measured included where the vehicle entered or left the managed lane (early, within one of two or three equal-distance zones, or late) and the lane of origin for the vehicle. A surprisingly large number of maneuvers (7%) was for vehicles passing a slower-moving vehicle. Approximately 9% of those moving into the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane and 8% of those moving out of the HOV lane crossed the solid white markings (i.e., not in compliance with the pavement markings). The percentage of noncompliance increased to about 15% during those periods with low speeds [less than 40 mph (64 km/h)] or high speeds [greater than 60 mph (96 km/h)]. The percentage of maneuvers in compliance with the pavement markings varied by the length of the intermediate access opening. The compliance rate was greater for the longer access opening length [1,500 ft (457 m)] than for the shorter access opening length [1,160 ft (354 m)].
The Cognitive Neuroscience of Psychopathy and Implications for Judgments of Responsibility

Psychopathy is a developmental disorder associated with specific forms of emotional dysfunction and an increased risk for both frustration-based reactive aggression and goal-directed instrumental antisocial behavior. While the full behavioral manifestation of the disorder is under considerable social influence, the basis of this disorder appears to be genetic. At the neural level, individuals with psychopathy show atypical responding within the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Moreover, the roles of the amygdala in stimulus-reinforcement learning and responding to emotional expressions and vmPFC in the representation of reinforcement expectancies are compromised. The implications of these functional impairments for responsibility are discussed.
Deformation and failure information from composite materials via acoustic emission

The paper reviews some principles of applying acoustic emission (AE) to the study of fiber-composite materials and structures. This review covers the basics of using AE to monitor the deformation and fracture processes that occur when fiber-composite materials are stressed. Also, new results in some areas of current research interest are presented. The following areas are emphasized: study of couplants for AE testing of composites, evaluation of a special immersion-type AE transducer, and wave propagation complications and the development of techniques for locating AE sources in Kevlar 49/epoxy composite pre
Age as a predictor of an aggressive clinical course for superficial bladder cancer in men.

Tumor grade and stage are two of the strongest predictors for indolent versus aggressive clinical course in bladder cancer. To identify age-related trends in tumor aggressiveness the authors investigated the relationships of age with grade and stage. Pathologic specimens were obtained for 89% (527 of 590) of new bladder cancer cases among men older than 50 years of age reported to the state tumor registry in Wisconsin for 1988. Tumors were grouped as low grade (G1, G2) or high grade (G3), and as superficial (Ta) or invasive (≥ T1), according to the TNM system. This analysis included 485 transitional cell carcinomas (TCC) for which the authors determined stage-stratified and grade-stratified odds ratios for men 50 through 64 years of age and older than 65 years of age. Men older than 65 years of age with superficial TCC were more than three times as likely to have a high-grade malignancy than men 50 through 64 years of age (P = 0.01); the odds ratio was 3.44 (95% CI = 1.28, 9.26). A relationship was not apparent for invasive TCC. Age and stage were weakly associated for low-grade and high-grade TCC that may be due, in part, to the strong correlation of stage with grade as a prognostic indicator. These data suggest that men in older age groups are at increased risk for superficial bladder cancer of high grade, which portends an aggressive clinical course. Cancer 1992; 69:1445-1451.
On Jupiter's Rate of Rotation

It is suggested that the apparent lag of Jupiter's mean rotation rate in extratropical latitudes (System II) behind the rotation rate of Jupiter's radio emissions (System III) is caused by the difference between phase speeds and true speeds in extratropical latitudes. An estimate of the difference based on the formula for the phase speed of Rossby waves agrees with the difference calculated from the two rotation rates.
Young Citizens in the Digital Age: Political Engagement, Young People and New Media

Brian D. Loader, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2007), 123 pp., ISBN: 978-0-415-40912-4, (pbk), £22.99. The book discusses ‘the perception that younger people have become disaffected with liberal democratic...
Quartic ghost field theories in two dimensions related to the string and superstring jacobians

Abstract The functional measure for the string and superstring contains jacobians which can be represented by integrals over ghost and antighosts with a bilinear action. The action is invariant under diffeomorphisms and Weyl transformations for the bosonic string and under local supersymmetry and super-Weyl transformations for the superstring. We extend these actions to include quartic ghost couplings while maintaining previous invariances. In the bosomic case, the new field theory is related to the massless Thirring model.
How transformational leaders lead in the hospitality industry

Abstract The hospitality industry has undergone major changes over the last few years (Hartley-Leonard, 1993). A dynamic, changing environment may require a change-oriented, or transformational style of leadership (Tichy and Devanna, The Transformational Leader 1985). The purpose of this study was to test a process model of transformational leadership. Prior research in this area has examined relationships between transformational leadership and a limited set of dependent variables. Moreover, there has been little research on the process by which transformational leadership influences relevant outcome variables. The results showed that transformational leadership has a direct impact on perceptions of subordinate satisfaction with the leader and leader effectiveness, as well as an indirect effect on these variables through its impact on openness of communication, mission clarity, and role clarity.
Influence of juvenile hormone analogues on reproductive performance in the wasp, Habrobracon juglandis

Egg production was reduced in adult virgin Habrobracon juglandis females treated topically with either acyclic or aromatic terpenoid ether, analogues of juvenile hormone. The latter type, particularly the compound possessing a 3,4 methylenedioxyphenyl group, was most effective against the wasp. The resulting changes in fecundity were due to interference with vitellogenic activity. The 3,4 methylenedioxyphenyl analogue treatment decreased hatchability in oocytes exposed during vitellogenesis. Embryonic death in eggs derived from these cells was typified by blocked cleavage division. The relationship between chemical structure and biological activity supports the hypothesis that juvenile hormone analogues may act in part by blocking detoxification mechanisms in treated insects. This in turn, either separately or in combination with direct analogue action, adversely affects reproduction by inhibiting processes involving RNA synthesis.
Organizational slack effects on innovation: the moderating roles of CEO tenure and compensation

AbstractThis study draws on upper echelons theory, the resource based view, and Penrose's theory of firm growth to show that slack resources, specifically financial and human slack, are essential to the research and development (R&D) strategies of organizations. We also suggest that both Chief Executive Officer (CEO) tenure and CEO compensation positively moderate the slack-innovation relationship.The empirical design compromised of panel regression analysis. We tested our hypotheses using all US publicly traded firms between 1993 and 2011.The research results show that firms with excess financial resources are more likely to have higher R&D investments, and to completely understand this relationship we must study CEO tenure and compensation.This study sheds light on central antecedents of firm innovation, it further extends our understanding by investigating the impact of CEO tenure and compensation on the slackinnovation relationship, and it applies a longitudinal design which answers previous calls to ...
Adjudicating Pluralism: The Hijab, Law and Social Change in Post-Colonial Trinidad:

In 1994, fundamentalist Muslim Islamists in the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago organized a campaign to institutionalize the wearing of the traditional Muslim headscarf – the hijab –...
The role of sleep problems in central pain processing in rheumatoid arthritis

Pain is the most common and disabling symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although physicians often assume that inflammation is the stimulus for pain, many RA patients continue to have pain despite adequately suppressed inflammation (1). Studies of experimental pain sensitivity have shown that pressure pain thresholds, the degree of pressure eliciting pain, are lower in RA patients than healthy controls (2, 3). These thresholds are lower at joint and non-joint sites (4, 5). The widespread distribution of hyperalgesia suggests that the underlying mechanisms originate from the central nervous system (CNS), rather than focal sites of peripheral inflammation. In animal models, one well-described CNS mechanism for modulating pain involves descending analgesic pathways, which “descend” from the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and brainstem to regulate peripheral sensory input in the spinal cord (6). In response to acutely painful stimuli, inhibitory pathways are activated, leading to a diffuse decrease in pain. In humans, the effects of these pathways may be seen when the perception of noxious stimuli, such as arthritis pain, is momentarily attenuated after experiencing another strong noxious stimulus, such as stubbing one’s toe. In the experimental setting, this phenomenon has been termed “loss of diffuse noxious inhibitory controls” or diminished “conditioned pain modulation” (CPM) (7). CPM can be measured with a non-invasive test and is a sensitive measure of deficits in central pain modulation in chronic widespread pain conditions (8). In this study, we measured CPM and pressure pain threshold and pressure pain tolerance (the degree of pressure eliciting unbearable pain) among RA patients and age-matched controls. We also assessed the role of sleep problems, mental health and inflammatory markers in mediating differences in CPM and pain sensitivity. Variables were considered mediators if, when added to the models, they partially or completely diminished the association between RA and the outcomes of CPM, pressure pain threshold or pressure pain tolerance. We hypothesized that RA patients would have diminished CPM and lower pressure pain threshold and pressure pain tolerance relative to controls. We also hypothesized that sleep problems and catastrophizing would mediate the differences in CPM and pressure pain threshold and pain tolerance between RA patients and controls.
g Factor of the Two-Dimensional Interacting Electron Gas

The $g$ factor of quasiparticle states near the Fermi energy in a two-dimensional electron gas with Coulomb interactions is calculated in a static approximation. It is argued that this quadiparticle $g$ factor, different from the free-electron $g=2.0023$, is the relevant quantity for spin splittings in experiments such as those on de Haas-van Alphen or magnetoconductivity oscillations, and, in particular, in experiments on electrons in silicon surface inversion layers. The $g$ factor observed in conduction-electron spin resonance, on the other hand, should be the bulk value of 1.99.
NONUNIFORM BROWNING OR “MOTTLING” IN FRENCH FRY PRODUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH A HETEROGENEOUS DISTRIBUTION OF REDUCING SUGARS

An attempt was made to relate compositional factors to the unpredictable defect of “mottling”, or nonuniform browning, which develops during the finish-frying step for French fry products prepared from stored potato tubers. Potato (Russet Burbank) strip samples originating from fresh tissue and tissue processed up to the point immediately prior to finish frying, were prepared from stored tubers. Fresh and processed tissue areas that were prone to mottling had significantly (P < 0.01 to 0.05) greater levels of total sugar, glucose and fructose than did areas that were lighter in color and provided the background coloration. Glucose oxidase/peroxidase staining of surfaces of commercial French fries also showed the association of a heterogeneous distribution of glucose and the incidence of mottling. Enrichments in total and reducing sugar levels in tissue prone to mottling were modest (40–60% greater) compared to tissue along the same potato tissue strips that provided background coloration.
Subcutaneous reduction clitoroplasty

Abstract Congenital clitoral hypertrophy should be corrected in infancy. Most surgeons perform a total clitorectomy or one of several kinds of clitoral recession procedures. There are some reasons for dissatisfaction with both of these alternatives. An operation in which the corpora cavernosum are resected subcutaneously and the glans sutured to the pubis preserves blood supply and sensation and results in a perineal appearance close to normal. The author has performed this operation in five cases of clitoral hypertrophy associated with adrenogenital syndrome and suggests a wider trial of this procedure.
If it is methylated it must be Tectonic

The molecular mechanisms by which organisms defend themselves against predators and the molecular weapons the predators use to attack their victims have coevolved over eons of time. Microbial pathogens share the common feature of being covered in a surface coat comprised of carbohydrates (glycans) linked to lipids and proteins or as free polysaccharides. In vertebrates, such defense mechanisms against microbes and parasites include anti-glycan antibodies (1⇓–3), major histocompatibility complex MHCII (4), and MHCI-like molecules to glycolipids (5), as well as a vast army of innate immune receptors, including the pattern recognition receptors that include Toll-like receptors, NOD-like receptors, RIG-I-like receptors, AIM2-like receptors, DNA sensors, C-type lectin receptors, and galectins (6⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓–12). Many of these receptor systems are required to eliminate infectious organisms, and they do so by either promoting their direct killing or through uptake and signaling to bring additional cell-mediated effector mechanisms to eliminate the threat. The search for additional mechanisms of anti-glycan responses has been heightened by new methods in glycosciences, whereby the glycans of both the hosts and their enemies are becoming defined, especially through the use of molecular genetics, MS, and NMR to identify the glycan-related genes and glycan structures they encode as secondary gene products. In PNAS, Wohlschlager et al. (13) present a very interesting and novel advance in this area through their discovery of the role of Tectonins in both fungi and animals in recognizing specific methylated glycans of both bacteria and nematodes (worms). Tectonins are ancient proteins originally discovered in the slime mold Physarum polycephalum and … [↵][1]1E-mail: rdcummi{at}emory.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
A new interpretation of Mars aerobraking variability: Planetary wave‐tide interactions

[1] This study presents a new interpretation of Mars aerobraking density observations in terms of planetary wave-tide interactions. Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provide invaluable information about tidal activity in the lower thermosphere of Mars through the longitude structure that they reveal in near-Sun-synchronous frame of reference. However, this same perspective does not permit one to uncover the origins of day-to-day variability of these structures. Herein, by employing a new arrangement of the data and understanding the relationship between spectral features in longitude space versus UT space, we are able to attribute a significant amount of density variability in the aerobraking region to the effect of tidal modulation by planetary waves in the 5–20 day period range.
Some Factors Affecting Fluctuations of Microtus and Peromyscus

For many years there has been a tendency for workers to search for broad concepts or master factors to explain cyclic changes in numbers of animals. Many writers have proposed that cosmic forces act to effect rather uniform population cycles in many kinds of animals, and that a single grand theory can explain the variations in numbers in different kinds of animals. We have gradually come to believe that such an approach is unnecessary, and may even be undesirable if it deters students from considering the plausibility of other explanations. It may be appropriate to determine, if possible, the reasons why a given population becomes alternately abundant and scarce. If we do this for various kinds of animals, we may then more completely evaluate proposed theories that attempt to cover fluctuations as a whole. In order to show how different factors may act in population changes, it is interesting to compare such changes as they occur in meadow mice ( Microtus spp.) and deer mice ( Peromyscus spp.). In studying changes in the population levels of small rodents, the student is beset with inconstancies and contradictions and it is sometimes impossible to prepare a clear and simple explanation of the observed data. There appears to be regularity in the population changes for some microtine rodents, but there is no apparent pattern for the extreme differences sometimes observed in deer mice ( Peromyscus spp.). Because deer mice are not generally considered to be of economic importance in agricultural areas and because an abundance of these rodents frequently goes unnoticed, there are few persons concerned with following their fluctuations. Whether cyclic or not, there may be great changes in the numbers of deer mice in different years; this has been observed and published many times by different workers. One may also, simultaneously, find striking differences …
Natural remanent magnetizations of carbonaceous chondrites and the magnetic field in the early solar system.

Abstract The natural remanent magnetizations (NRM) of three carbonaceous chondrites, Allende (Type III), Murchison (Type II) and Orgueil (Type I), have been studied in an attempt to explain the origin of the stable component of their NRM which is greatest in Allende and least in Orgueil. Thermal demagnetization of NRM and remagnetization in a known field were observed using a spinner magnetometer in conjunction with a zero-field vacuum furnace and an alternating field demagnetizer; high field thermomagnetic properties were studied using a Curie balance. Additional work involving reflected light microscopy and electron probe microanalysis were carried out on polished sections to characterize the carriers of NRM. Results suggest that these remanences were acquired at temperature lower than 135°C. Inconsistent data were obtained on heating above 135°C. Using results below this temperature and on the assumption that the acquisition process was thermoremanence, we deduce that the ambient magnetic fields during the formation of these primitive meteorites were between 0.2 and 1.1 Oe. The latter figure (1.1) was obtained from Allende and is considered to be more reliable than the other two. If, in fact, the remanences were acquired by processes other than thermoremanence, the above values are to be regarded as lower limits. In any case, these figures for a primordial magnetic field are about 10 4 times greater than the present interplanetary field. Such values are in accord with those cosmological theories which require very large magnetic fields to have been present during the formation of the solar system.
A framework for photo-quality assessment and enhancement based on visual aesthetics

We present an interactive application that enables users to improve the visual aesthetics of their digital photographs using spatial recomposition. Unlike earlier work that focuses either on photo quality assessment or interactive tools for photo editing, we enable the user to make informed decisions about improving the composition of a photograph and to implement them in a single framework. Specifically, the user interactively selects a foreground object and the system presents recommendations for where it can be moved in a manner that optimizes a learned aesthetic metric while obeying semantic constraints. For photographic compositions that lack a distinct foreground object, our tool provides the user with cropping or expanding recommendations that improve its aesthetic quality. We learn a support vector regression model for capturing image aesthetics from user data and seek to optimize this metric during recomposition. Rather than prescribing a fully-automated solution, we allow user-guided object segmentation and inpainting to ensure that the final photograph matches the user's criteria. Our approach achieves 86% accuracy in predicting the attractiveness of unrated images, when compared to their respective human rankings. Additionally, 73% of the images recomposited using our tool are ranked more attractive than their original counterparts by human raters.
On, yet under, the radar : Students with fetal alcohol syndrome disorder

This 3-year qualitative study investigated the diagnostic process and the experiences of professionals and families associated with 5 Alaskan students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The data revealed (a) an increase in public awareness, but limited provision of services for children with FASD and their families; (b) the use of differentiated instruction by experienced teachers, but beginning teachers who experienced frustration and were less likely to adapt instruction; and (c) the pervasive impact of challenging behaviors, but the limited support provided to families. The results offer insights into FASD and suggest implications for coordinated educational services and family supports.
In Vivo Short-Term Expression of a Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Mutation in Adult Rabbit Myocardium: Myof ibrillar Incorporation without Early Disarray

Cardiac myocyte disarray is the pathological hallmark of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease of sarcomeric proteins. Mutations in the cardiac troponin T (cTnT), a major gene responsible for HCM, are associated with severe myocyte disarray. To study the pathogenesis of cardiac myocyte disarray, we expressed normal and mutant cTnT proteins in the myocardium of adult rabbits via direct intramyocardial injection of recombinant adenoviruses. Aliquots of 1010 plaque-forming units of normal (Ad/CMV/cTnT-Arg92) and mutant (Ad/CMV/cTnT-Gln92) recombinant viruses or a control vector (Ad/DeltaE) virus were mixed with equal aliquots of a reporter virus (Ad/CMV/Lac-Z) and co-injected into the myocardium of adult rabbits (n = 12). One week following gene transfer, thin myocardial sections were obtained and analyzed for beta-galactosidase, messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression, hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome, immunofluorescence staining, and electron microscopy. The efficiency of gene transfer varied from 2% to 60% of the cells in an area approximately 2.5 mm in length. Northern blotting confirmed expression of the transgenes into mRNA. Immunoblotting of the myofibrillar protein extracts and indirect immunofluorescence staining confirmed expression and incorporation of the transgene proteins into myofibrils. Expression of the mutant cTnT was up to 18% of the endogenous. Light and electron microscopic studies showed normal cardiac myocyte and sarcomere structures. Thus, despite incorporation of the mutant cTnT-Gln92, stable myofibrillar formation and sarcomere assembly proceeded in vivo. The absence of myocyte and sarcomere disarray may reflect the duration, or the level of expression, or the extent of myofibrillar incorporation of the mutant cTnT-Gln92, as well as the site and timing of expression of the transgenes, and interspecies variation in the pathogenesis of HCM.
Search for earth-analogs with the Planet Hunter Mission

Planet Hunter is a design for a space borne astrometric mission. Planet Hunter utilizes technology developed for the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM). The instrument consists of two Michelson stellar interferometers and a telescope. The first interferometer chops between the target star and a set of reference stars. The second interferometer monitors the attitude of the instrument in the direction of the target star. The telescope monitors the attitude of the instrument in the other two directions.
The PEPL system for control of experiments by a PDP-8 computer

PEPL (Psychology Experiment Programming Language) is a real-time, on-line experimental control system designed for a 4K PDP-8 computer with minimal additional hardware. The system, consisting of the PEPL language, a symbol table for standard DEC assemblers, and an operating system, is capable of asynchronous, timed control of multiple subjects or experiments. The language offers the user high-level instructions for execution control, computation, timing, and I/O control.
Aspects of embryo nutrition and excretion among viviparous embiotocid teleosts: Potential endocrine involvements

1. 1. Embryos of the viviparous embiotocid fishes develop free within the ovarian cavity from small eggs for approximately 6 months. The biochemical composition of ovarian fluid was determined and compared to serum constituents in three embiotocid species during the gestation phase. 2. 2. SDS-gel electrophoresis data showed that ovarian fluid collected from female Cymatogaster aggregata during late gestation was essentially devoid of serum peptides, but contained peptides absent from maternal serum. The ovarian fluid peptides are probably derived from the ovarian epithelial lining. 3. 3. Pregnant female ovarian fluid contained large quantities of urea, whereas the maternal serum was devoid of this metabolite. This suggests that embiotocid embryos, but not adults, produce urea as a nitrogenous waste: furthermore, ovarian membranes must be relatively impermeable to urea. 4. 4. Amino acids in the ovarian fluid of Cymatogaster basically correspond to those in maternal serum. but were, in most cases, at lower levels. Although absent from serum, phosphoethanolamine was present at high levels in the ovarian fluid of pregnant Cymatogaster, but not Hyslerocarpus Irciski, during late gestation. 5. 5. The principal amino compound, exclusive of urea, in the ovarian fluid of Hysterocarpus and Micrometrus minimus was taurine. Serum levels of glutamine, ethanolamine and taurine were elevated in pregnant embiotocids. 6. 6. Lipid levels were also elevated in maternal serum during late pregnancy. Precluding phospholipids, the concentration of lipids in ovarian fluids was considerably lower than in maternal serum. 7. 7. In Cymatngtisler and Hysterocarpus serum progesterone and estradiol levels were comparatively low during gestation, posing some doubt as to the significance of these steroids in maintenance of pregnancy. 8. 8. The possibility that embiotocids produce an estrogen-dependent, vitellogenin-like protein was examined. Studies with Cymatogaster and Hysterocarpus indicated that the embiotocids may be the only teleostean family yet known which do not produce a vitellogenin-like protein.
Responses of HMO medical directors to trust building in managed care.

Managed care organizations (MCOs) are facing intense criticism at national, state, and local levels and battling initiatives that would impose stricter regulation. Medical directors of HMOs were surveyed regarding their organizations’ strategies of communication, the programs they have instituted to build trust, and their commitment to sponsoring family and patient support groups. The responses obtained from 252 directors indicate that nonprofit and free-standing organizations are more likely than either for-profitHMOs or organizations that are part of a chain to sponsor community activities and programs and to offer family and patient support groups. Staff- and group-model HMOs are more likely than other organizational configurations to initiate many types of “trust programs.” The results indicate that more dispersed and “virtual-type” organizations must explore ways to respond meaningfully to community concerns–and to public health, prevention, and health promotion needs as well–while continuing to improve their practice patterns.
The use of optical coherence tomography to aid in diagnosing solar maculopathy.

Abstract Background Solar maculopathy is most commonly diagnosed after the direct viewing of solar eclipses. The damage to the retina is located in the outer segments of photoreceptors and in the retinal pigmentary epithelium. It may be acceptable to use optical coherence tomography (OCT) to identify retinal damage caused by the sun. Case report Here we describe a case of a patient who reported with a mild decrease in best-corrected visual acuities. Dilated examination found macular changes that were present in both eyes resembling solar maculopathy. OCT was utilized to aid in the diagnosis of solar maculopathy. Conclusions With the large number of individuals who spend their time in the sun, a practitioner should consider the possible repercussions of this activity. We are all aware of the damage that the sun can cause to the skin and, as in the case of cataracts, its effects on the eye. In cases in which macular changes are noted we should consider the possibility of solar maculopathy. As is in the case presented here, OCT may be an effective means of assessing the maculopathy.
Emergence of layer IV barrel cytoarchitecture is delayed in somatosensory cortex of GAP-43 deficient mice following delayed development of dendritic asymmetry.

The emergence of barrel cytoarchitecture in mouse somatosensory cortex is extremely well defined. However, mechanisms underlying the development of this cellular organization are not completely understood. While it is generally accepted that hollows emerge via passive displacement of cortical cells by dense thalamocortical afferent clusters in barrel centers, it is not known what causes cellular segregation of barrel sides and septa. Here, we hypothesized that the emergence of sides and septa is related to the progressive asymmetry of dendrites from the cells of the barrel side toward the barrel hollow during development. We tested this hypothesis in the barrel cortex of growth-associated protein-43 heterozygous mice (GAP43 (+/−) mice) that display a 2-day delay in retraction of septally oriented dendrites compared to (+/+) littermates. We predicted that this delayed retraction would result in a subsequent 2-day delay in the emergence of barrel sides and septa. Using cresyl violet staining of barrel corte...
Algorithmic treatment of the spin-echo effect

We analyze the apparent increase in entropy in the course of the spin-echo effect using algorithmic information theory. We show that although the state of the spins quickly becomes algorithmically complex, then simple again during the echo, the overall complexity of spins together with the magnetic field grows slowly, as the logarithm of the elapsed time. This slow increase in complexity is reflected in an increased difficulty in taking advantage of the echo pulse. Our discussion illustrates the fundamental role of algorithmic information content in the formulation of statistical physics, including the second law of thermodynamics, from the viewpoint of the observer.
Testing a Negotiation Model on Canadian Anglophone and Mexican Exporters

In this study, the authors test a previously developed model of negotiations. The structural equations model focuses on the antecedents of problem-solving behaviors and negotiators’ satisfaction. The replication uses two new groups of businesspeople—Canadian Anglophone and Mexican industrial exporters. Similarities and differences in model fit were discovered across the two groups of exporters. Results validated the importance of reciprocity as a social construct in cross-cultural negotiations. The problemsolving behaviors of Canadian and Mexicans were found to be a function of their perceptions of the counterparts’ strategy. Mexicans’ problem-solving behaviors subsequently influenced their expressed satisfaction with outcomes. The impact of bargainer and organizational characteristics varied across the two groups.
WE‐E‐141‐11: Optical Cone Beam 3D Tomography of Radiation Beams Using Cerenkov‐Excited Fluorescence

Purpose: Here, we explore a novel medical physics application of the Cerenkov effect for the dosimetric profiling of megavoltage beams used in radiation therapy. The technology to achieve these images has recently progressed from capturing single 2D projections with an intensified charge‐coupled device, to full 3D optical tomography using parallel beam back projection and a telecentric lens. In the current study, the method is extended to 3D imaging with a standard CMOS commercial camera and lens, using cone beam tomography algorithms for the reconstruction. Methods: Projection images of the induced Cerenkov light from a 20×20 cm2 6 MV beam operating at a dose rate of 600 MU/min incident on a water tank with a 1.0 g/L concentration of Quinine Sulfate were captured from 0–360° with a 3° angular resolution and 5.0 second exposure time, resulting in a total scan time of 10 minutes. The resulting projection images were used in a Feldkamp‐Davis‐Kress (FDK) cone beam tomography algorithm to reconstruct the imparted 3D dose distribution. An accuracy analysis was performed by comparing the reconstructed lateral profile at a depth of 10 cm and a percent depth dose curve to a reference dose distribution from the treatment planning system (TPS). Results: A 3D dose distribution was successfully reconstructed from the captured projections yielding results which were within +/− 8% of the TPS dose distribution. Conclusion: Optical cone beam 3D tomography of radiation beams using Cerenkov‐excited fluorescence has been demonstrated for the first time. The proposed technique has several advantages over alternative methods (e.g., ionization chambers, scintillation, and gel dosimetry) including speed, flexibility, and necessitates only water, which serves as a cheap, abundant, and easily standardized tissue equivalent medium. Upon future refinement and improved accuracy the proposed modality may prove to be an important dosimetric tool with both clinical and research applications.
TGFBR1*6A and Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis of Seven Case-Control Studies

Purpose: TGFBR1*6A is a hypomorphic polymorphic allele of the type I transforming growth factor beta receptor (TGFBR1). TGFBR1*6A is a candidate tumor susceptibility allele that has been associated with an increased incidence of various types of cancer. This study was undertaken to analyze all published case-control studies on TGFBR1*6A and cancer and determine whether TGFBR1*6A is associated with cancer. Patients and Methods: All published case-control studies assessing the germline frequency of TGFBR1*6A were included. Studies assessing TGFBR1*6A in tumors were excluded. The results of seven studies comprising 2,438 cases and 1,846 controls were pooled and analyzed. Results: Overall, TGFBR1*6A carriers have a 26% increased risk of cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07 to 1.49). Cancer risk for TGFBR1*6A homozygotes (OR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.39 to 4.61) is twice that of TGFBR1*6A heterozygotes (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.51). Analysis of various types of tumors shows that TGFBR1*6...
Effect of word frequency on thinking of a word

Three experiments were performed to determine the effect of word frequency on thinking of a word. In all experiments Ss were given certain characteristics of words, such as the first letter, the last letter, the number of letters, or the class of the object named by the word, and were asked to think of a word fitting the given characteristics. In all experiments, more words of higher frequency were emitted than were words of lower frequency. In general, the tendency to emit words of higher relative frequencies held throughout the whole range of absolute frequencies. Not all high-frequency words that could have been emitted were emitted. The findings were interpreted in terms of a combination of the spew hypothesis, and of incomplete sampling from a population of words.
Substance P distribution and effects in the canine epicardial coronary arteries.

Abstract Substance P (SP), a vasoactive neuropeptide detected in animal and human hearts has been reported to increase coronary blood flow in animals. However, no data are available on SP effects on epicardial coronary arteries, the site of coronary disease. To determine the amount and distribution of SP and its action in the large coronary vessels, we studied two groups of dogs. One group was anesthetized for collecting three 1 cm segments of the circumflex coronary artery (CX) and left anterior descending artery (LAD) through a left thoracotomy. These segments represented proximal (I), middle (II), and distal (III) portions of the two arteries. Concentrations (ng/g) of SP-like immunoreactivity (SP-LI) were determined by radioimmunoassay. SP-LI was present in LAD (I: 1.17 ± 0.20 , II: 1.08 ± 0.36 , III: 1.14 ± 0.25 ) and CX (I: 1.44 ± 0.38 , II: 1.51 ± 0.47 , III: 0.70 ± 0.20 ). SP differences among segments of LAD and segments I and II of CX were not significant, but there was a significant difference between segment III of CX and the others. In the second group of closed chest anesthetized dogs, we examined the effects of intracoronary SP infusion before and during administration of serotonin (5HT). LAD and CX artery responses (% area change) to SP and to SP plus 5HT were examined using quantitative coronary angiography. Intracoronary 133 Xe in saline provided coronary flow data. SP infusion produced significant vasodilation in segment II (15% area increase) and III (17%) during the highest dose (1 μg/min). The three SP doses infused with 5HT (0.05 mg/min) did not produce vasodilation, although LAD segment III constriction from 5HT was abolished during the highest dose of SP infusion. The presence of SP, and its dilatory effect on the coronary arteries, suggests a role in maintaining vasodilator tone in the coronary arteries.
Attractions between hard colloidal spheres in semiflexible polymer solutions

We explore the depletion attractions that arise between hard colloidal spheres immersed in a nonadsorbing polymer solution of DNA. We spatially confine two 1.25 μm silica spheres in a scanning optical tweezer and quantitatively examine their interaction potential in double-stranded DNA solutions of different concentrations. The potentials obtained display variations in depth and range that are consistent with scaling behavior expected for semiflexible polymers near the θ-point. In particular, we clearly observe the crossover from a dilute solution of Gaussian coils to the weakly fluctuating semidilute regime dominated by two-point collisions (Schaefer, D. W.; Joanny, J. F.; Pincus, P. Macromolecules 1980, 13, 1280−1289). We also quantitatively test the Asakura−Oosawa model for these systems and show that it may be used in both the semidilute as well as the dilute regime. At fixed DNA concentration, we find that the range and depth of the interparticle potentials do not change significantly for ionic conce...
Inference and Classification Learning of Abstract Coherent Categories.

Category learning research has primarily focused on how people learn to classify items using simple observable features. However, classification is only 1 way to learn categories. In addition, many concepts have an underlying coherence that explains the featural similarity among exemplars, such as abstract coherent concepts whose instances differ greatly on their observable features. In 3 experiments, the authors investigated how abstract coherent categories are acquired through 2 common means of category learning, classification and inference. Because inference promotes more focus on within-category information than does classification, they hypothesized that inference learning would lead to a better understanding of the underlying coherence of abstract coherent categories. All 3 experiments support this prediction.
Specific interactions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins with a promoter region of eukaryotic tRNA genes.

Abstract The specific binding of one or several Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins to a segment of genes that code for different yeast tRNAs has been demonstrated with the use of the DNase I-protection "footprint" assay of Galas and Schmitz. The analyzed binding occurs near the 3' ends of the genes and is centered on an 11-base-pair DNA sequence that has been well conserved among eukaryotic tRNA genes. Others have shown the involvement of this sequence in initiating the transcription of tRNA genes by RNA polymerase III. The adenovirus gene that codes for VAI RNA also contains this conserved sequence element, and we detect binding of yeast protein(s) to this gene. Competition experiments show that a common set of proteins binds to different tRNA genes. The DNA-protein complex is quite stable at 20 degrees C and low ionic strength.
Molecular Epidemiology of Rotavirus Infection in a Room for Convalescing Newborns

In a prospective study, all patients admitted to a unit for convalescing newborns on an infant-toddler ward between January and April 1985 were tested every other day for rotavirus (RV) excretion by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RNA electrophoresis of the RV strains identified in this population were analyzed to determine whether specific strains of virus were associated with infections in newborns. RV strains infecting older, symptomatic children from the infant-toddler ward were used for comparison. Among the 39 patients enrolled in the study, RV was detected in the stools of 13 (33%), 11 (86%) of whom were asymptomatic. Three different electropherotypes were seen among the newborns who were RV positive; these electropherotypes were identical to those identified in older children with community-acquired diarrhea and nosocomial-acquired diarrhea who were hospitalized on the infant-toddler ward during the same study period. Each of the three strains was first identified in the general ward and subsequently detected in the room with newborns within three to six days. We failed to identify a particular strain that exclusively infected newborns.
Inhibition of Na+K+-activated adenosine triphosphatase activity in rat brain by substituted phenothiazines

The effects of tifteen substituted phenothiazines and certain other drugs were studied on microsomal Na+K+-activated ATPase in rat brain to attempt to relate their central nervous system effects with their inhibition of enzyme activity. The mean control activity of the preparation was 14.4 * 0.2 pmoles Pi/mg protein/l5 min at 37" in the presence of Na+, K+, and Mg++; and 3.3 * 0.1 in the presence of Mg++ alone. Certain substitutions on the phenothiazine nucleus were noted to increase the in- hibitory potency. At position 2 of the phenothiazine nucleus, a trifluoromethyl group was more potent than a chloro group which was in turn more potent than hydrogen. At position 10, a piperazine side chain was more inhibitory than an aliphatic amine substitution. The sulfoxide derivatives of promazine, chlorpromazine, and triflu- promazine did not inhibit Na+K+-ATPase activity at concentrations as high as 5 x 1O-4 M. Compounds which failed to influence Na+K+-ATPase activity at concentrations used in the phenothiazine studies were pentylenetetrazol, d-amphetamine, strychnine, y-aminobutyric acid, and pentobarbital. The evidence in this report suggests that, for substituted phenothiazines, there may be a correlation between inhibition of brain Na+K+-ATPase activity in vitro and certain central nervous system effects in viz~o.