cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Australian Federalism Confronts Globalisation: A New Challenge at the Centenary

Globalisation poses a special challenge for federal systems of government. Despite administrative reforms, Australia has not fully confronted crucial questions regarding the role of states and territories when international issues overlap areas of subnational government authority. This challenge emerged with controversies over environmental regulations, import quarantines and Aboriginal policies. Initial reforms focused mainly on treaty approval processes, leaving broader policy questions largely unexamined. Subnational governments sometimes react protectively when facing dislocation threats from global forces; conversely, they can carry out constituency representation and education functions in ways that promote Australia’s competitiveness and counter public distrust of globalisation. Federalism’s new challenge is to devise political processes that foster positive state and territorial participation in Australia’s response to globalisation.
A fractal analysis of external diffusion limited first-order kinetics for the binding of antigen by immobilized antibody.

Abstract A fractal analysis of external diffusion limited first-order kinetics for the binding of antigen in solution by immobilized antibody on a fibreoptic biosensor indicates that as the fractal parameter (measure of “disorder” on the surface) increases the rate of binding and the amount of antigen bound to the antibody on the surface decreases. The fractal analysis and exponential type binding rate coefficients are used to analyze the influence of time-dependent binding rate coefficients on external diffusion limited kinetics. A decrease in the binding rate coefficients with time decreases the Damkohler number (decrease in the mass transfer limitations) leading to an increase in the rate of binding and the amount of antigen bound to the antibody on the surface, as expected. An increase in the (exponential) binding rate coefficient with time leads to unusual shapes of the binding curves. The time-dependent binding rate coefficients provide a more realistic picture of the binding of antigen in solution to the antibody covalently attached to the surface, and should assist in the control and manipulation of these interactions at the surface. A value of the fractal dimension of the surface of 2·96 to 2·97 obtained for our system characterizes the anomalies in the reaction-diffusion system and the heterogeneity of the surface.
Parenting Mediates Symptoms and Impairment in Children With ADHD-Inattentive Type

The current study investigates potential pathways between inattentive symptom severity, positive and negative parenting practices, and functional impairment (i.e., academic, social, and home impairment) in a sample of children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type (ADHD-I). Participants included 199 children and their parents and teachers enrolled in a randomized clinical trial investigating the efficacy of an integrated psychosocial intervention for children with ADHD-I. Boys constituted slightly more than half the sample; children averaged 8.6 years of age (range = 7–11) and were from varied ethnic/racial backgrounds. As part of the initial screening and assessment procedures, parents and teachers completed questionnaires assessing child behavior and parent/family functioning. Results supported both main effects of symptoms and parenting on impairment, as well as a mediational path between symptoms and impairment via parenting, as observed by parents in ...
The Effect of Instruction in Vocabulary and Listening on Nonmusicians' Descriptions of Changes in Music

This study examined the effect of instruction in vocabulary and listening on number of changes counted in a music excerpt, verbal descriptions of these changes, and use of music vocabulary. One hundred twenty-four undergraduate nonmusicians were divided into four groups: vocabulary only, listening only, vocabulary plus listening, and contact control. Following 4 weeks of differential instruction, listening only and vocabulary plus listening counted significantly fewer changes on the posttest than the pretest; vocabulary plus listening gained significantly in number of descriptions of musical elements; and both vocabulary only and vocabulary plus listening gained significantly in use of technical vocabulary.
An updating country study: Thailand's needs and prospects in the 1990s

Abstract As one of the fastest growing economies of the latter half of the 1980s. Thailand is rapidly emerging as one of the “New NICs.” In seeking to examine the major issues facing Thailand in the 1990s, our paper focuses on two major themes. First, we address the trade and industrial policy issue. While our conclusions favor a fairly orthodox, open-trade pattern of industrialization (favoring functional rather than selective intervention), we question the wisdom of trusting Thai growth to the single engine of exports. The second theme of the paper underlines the need, for reasons of equality as well as of expediency, for devoting more attention and resources to rural development.
Content Analysis of Newspaper Advertising of Pharmacy Services

Pharmacy advertising can influence the image of pharmacists in the minds of the public. Although advertising of pharmaceutical products has been explored in the pharmacy literature, advertising of ...
Control of Cellular Differentiation in Plants by the Distribution of Enzymes in a Lipid-bound System

IN analysis of the sequence of enzyme differentiation it was found that several enzymes are lipid-bound and that tissue differentiation is determined by the distribution of enzymes in a lipid-bound system. During an investigation of unsaturated lipids and the haematin enzymes in the endodermis and phloem of plants it was found that there is a functional relation between unsaturated lipids and the enzymes which determine differentiation and development1. Lipotropic agents applied to growing plants changed the pattern of enzyme distribution with resultant changes in tissue differentiation. Ethylene, in concentrations ranging from saturation in water to only a few parts per million, induced changes in lipoprotein. Associated with these changes it was found that the location of the lipids, and associated enzymes that give rise to the endodermis, were changed from normal distribution to new locations.
Pulmonary vascular regulation in newborns, infants and children after surgery for congenital heart disease

Abstract Chronic and acute elevations in pulmonary vascular resistance remain a major source of morbidity and mortality following surgical correction of congenital heart disease [1]. Chronic elevation in pulmonary vascular resistance results from structural changes of the pulmonary vascular bed, which decreases cross-sectional area. After successful surgery, if these structural changes are reversible, pulmonary vascular resistance will begin to decrease in the postoperative period. Acute elevation in pulmonary vascular resistance results from the active contraction of structurally abnormal pulmonary arteries during a period of extreme vasoreactivity in the immediate postoperative period [2]. This decreases cardiac output, produces acidosis and hypoxemia and may result in significant morbidity and mortality. This period of extreme vasoreactivity is caused by the degranulation of platelets and leukocytes following cardiopulmonary bypass and hypothermia, with the subsequent release of potent vasoconstrictors [3]. The postoperative management of patients with preoperative increases in pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance is directed at preventing pulmonary hypertensive crises during this period of extreme vasoreactivity.
Explaining Away Intuitions About Traits: Why Virtue Ethics Seems Plausible (Even if it Isn’t)

This article addresses the question whether we can know on the basis of folk intuitions that we have character traits. I answer in the negative, arguing that on any of the primary theories of knowledge, our intuitions about traits do not amount to knowledge. For instance, because we would attribute traits to one another regardless of whether we actually possessed such metaphysically robust dispositions, Nozickian sensitivity theory disqualifies our intuitions about traits from being knowledge. Yet we do think we know that we have traits, so I am advancing an error theory, which means that I owe an account of why we fall into error. Why do we feel so comfortable navigating the language of traits if we lack knowledge of them? To answer this question, I refer to a slew of heuristics and biases. Some, like the fundamental attribution error, the false consensus effect, and the power of construal, pertain directly to trait attributions. Others are more general cognitive heuristics and biases whose relevance to trait attributions requires explanation and can be classed under the headings of input heuristics and biases and processing heuristics and biases. Input heuristics and biases include selection bias, availability bias, availability cascade, and anchoring. Processing heuristics and biases include disregard of base rates, disregard of regression to the mean, and confirmation bias.
Teaching care ethics: conceptual understandings and stories for learning

An ethic of care acknowledges the centrality of the role of caring relationships in moral education. Care ethics requires a conception of ‘care’ that differs from the quotidian use of the word. In ...
Portfolio Expectations: Possibilities and Limits.

Abstract This article reviews the history of writing portfolios, emphasizing the differences between portfolios that are designed primarily for instructional purposes and those that are intended to serve as formal tests. It suggests that because even carefully designed portfolio systems often do not function quite as intended, portfolio users should expect ongoing evaluation and adjustment to be an important part of the portfolio process. The article also examines the current trend toward using portfolios as state-mandated accountability measures and notes some of the difficulties that can be expected when a portfolio system is intended to serve multiple purposes and inform multiple audiences.
Ranging behavior of woolly spider monkeys, or muriquis, Brachyteles arachnoides

During a 14-month study of one group of woolly spider monkeys, or muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides),at Fazenda Montes Claros, M. G., Brazil, the group used a home range of 168 ha. Day-range lengths averaged 1283 m and were longer in the wet season than in the dry season. An analysis of travel rates indicated that the group traveled faster on those days when they traveled farther. The availability of large patches of preferred food sources appears to affect daily movement patterns. Intraspecific comparisons, in addition to an apparent expansion of the study group’s home range as their group size has increased, suggest the importance of group size to muriqui range size. Interspecific comparisons between muriquis and sympatric brown howler monkeys suggest that locomotor adaptations are important to understanding species differences in ranging behavior.
Partial least-squares path modelling with latent variables

Abstract A partial least-squares treatment of multivariate data related through a complex model allows simultaneous evaluation of the interactions between large numbers of features. Results are given for a model in which water sources flow together; each source is represented by water quality data to allow the influence of the various sources to be evaluated with respect to their importance on the resulting flow downstream.
Galileo mission overview

The Galileo mission has three major and equally important scientific objectives: the investigation of the chemical composition and physical state of the Jupiter atmosphere, the study of the composition and state of the Jovian satellites, and the probing of the structure and physical dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere. The Galileo spacecraft comprises an Orbiter and an atmospheric entry Probe, which will be released on a ballistic entry trajectory from the Orbiter about 150 days before Jupiter arrival. After Probe release, the Orbiter will overfly the Probe during entry in order to relay its data to earth. The Orbiter will then insert itself into a 200-day orbit around Jupiter. Attention is given to the radio science, remote sensing and fields and particles instruments to be carried for the mission.
Enzyme Inhibitors XVI: Mode of Binding of Some 9-(2-hydroxyalkyl) -6- (substituted) -purines to Adenosine Deaminase

The syntheses of a variety of 6-substituted-9- (2-hydroxybutyl)-, 9- (2-hydroxyheptyl)-, and 9-(2-hydroxyoctyl)purines have been completed. Those compounds with a 6-amino or a 6-methylamino group were inhibitors of adenosine deaminase, the compounds with a 6-amino group being more active than those compounds with a 6-methylamino group. For a series of 9-substituted adenines, the decreasing order of binding was: 9- (2-hydroxypropyl) > 9- (2-hydroxyethyl). ≅ 9- (2-hydroxybutyl) > 9-(2-hydroxyheptyl) > 9-(2-hydroxyoctyl). From the data, it is concluded that there is a specific binding site for the terminal methyl group in 9- (2-hydroxypropyl) adenine and that the hydroxyl binding site and the main hydrophobic site of adenosine deaminase cannot be bridged by adenine derivatives which are substituted at the 9-position by straight-chain alkyl group bearing a hydroxyl group on carbon 2.
Conjoint Interventions for Adult Victims and Children of Domestic Violence: A Program Evaluation

This study documented the evaluation of a 9-week group intervention program designed to address the needs of both abused mothers and their children who have witnessed violence. The intervention was designed to increase parenting skills, address the needs of both parents and children regarding increasing coping abilities and safety planning skills, and decrease the effects of postviolence stress. Parents and children were divided into groups based on clinical cutoff scores for analysis. Overall, the group intervention was effective in reducing blame and trauma symptoms. Parents generally perceived the intervention more helpful for their children than for themselves, but scores indicated that parents' feelings of isolation, stress levels, and health problems decreased significantly at posttest. Practice implications suggest this group intervention is most effective with children who enter the program with behavior scores above the clinical cutoff scores.
Azimuthal anisotropy measurements by STAR

Abstract The recent study of centrality and transverse momentum ( p T ) dependence of inclusive charged hardron elliptic anisotropy ( v 2 ) at midrapidity ( | η | 1.0 ) in Au+Au collision at s NN = 7.7 , 11.5 , 19.6 , 27 , and 39 GeV in STAR Beam Energy Scan program is presented. We show that the observed increase of inclusive v 2 is mainly due to the average p T increase with energy. In Au+Au 200 GeV collisions, the triangular anisotropy ( v 3 ) measurements highly depend on measurement methods; v 3 is strongly dependent on Δη. The difference between two- and four-particle cumulants v 2 { 2 } and v 2 { 4 } for Au+Au and Cu+Cu collision at s NN = 62.4 and 200 GeV is used to explore flow fluctuations. Furthermore, by exploiting the symmetry of average flow in pseudorapidity η about midrapidity, the Δη-dependent and independent components are separated using v 2 { 2 } and v 2 { 4 } .
Genetic and hormonal factors in female-biased autoimmunity

Autoimmunity is controlled both by the environment and by genetic factors. One of the most well defined genetic factors is polymorphisms, with some alleles of particular genes promoting autoimmune diseases, whereas other alleles either not affecting susceptibility to disease or, in some cases actually inhibiting the appearance of such illnesses. Another genetically controlled factor, gender, also plays a profound role in the incidence of autoimmune diseases. For example, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) occurs much more frequently in females than in males in both mice and man. The genetic differences that make some individuals susceptible to autoimmunity and protect others could act in many ways and affect many tissues. In this review we will discuss how gender may act on the cells of the immune system and thereby influence the predisposition of the host to autoimmune diseases.
Effectiveness of elective unilateral uterine artery embolization: a case-control study.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of elective unilateral uterine artery embolization (UAE) in limited fibroid disease. Materials and Methods A review of 1,431 UAE recipients at a single institution identified 76 who underwent unilateral embolization, most in the setting of anatomic variants or technical failure. A total of 28 had intentional unilateral UAE because of unilateral disease on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with supply from only the ipsilateral uterine artery on angiography. These 28 case-group patients were compared with a control group of 28 patients who underwent bilateral UAE contemporaneously. Outcome measures included a chief symptom resolution score, fluoroscopy time, tumor infarction rate, patient satisfaction, analgesia requirements, and maximum pain score. Baseline characteristics and outcome measures were compared with t tests, Pearson χ 2 tests, analyses of variance, and nonparametric tests. Results Three-month clinical follow-up and postprocedure MR imaging were available for 25 of the case-group patients. The unilateral UAE group had fewer analgesia doses demanded (28.8 vs 57.5; P = .049), lower total analgesia dose (22.8 mg vs 34.5 mg; P = .029), shorter fluoroscopy time (10.9 min vs 13.4 min; P = .013), and lower maximum pain score (3.7 vs 5.7; P = .003). There were no differences in chief symptom resolution score (2.1 vs 1.9; P = .27), satisfaction score (4.0 vs 4.0; P = .72), or complete tumor infarction (92% vs 88%; P = .64). Conclusions Unilateral UAE in appropriately selected patients has similar clinical results as standard bilateral UAE and is associated with reduced fluoroscopy time and postprocedural pain.
Registration And Wafer Distortion In The Production Environment

Production of MOS/LSI circuits with minimum design rule dimensions of 4-6 microns without complete self-aligning features has provided the opportunity to study several aspects of mask to wafer registration. The mask working tools and wafers can be major contributors to misregistration. Detailed measurements and analysis are presented to illuminate the contribution of mask substrate material and wafer physical characteristics (surface, texture, thickness, crystal type, crystal defects) to misregistration. Conclusions are drawn with regard to the practical solution to misregistration in the production environment. Low expansion substrates for masks and thick (20 mil) wafers provide adequate dimensional control for registration.
A Scanning Angle Reflectometry Investigation of Block Copolymer Adsorption to Insoluble Lipid Monolayers at the Air−Water Interface

We modified the technique of scanning angle reflectometry to measure the surface excess concentration as water-soluble polystyrene−poly(ethylene oxide) (PS−PEO) diblock copolymers adsorb from solution to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) monolayers spread at the air−water interface. Polymers adsorb by penetrating the lipid monolayer. Surface pressure data and fluorescence microscopy indicate that PS−PEO adsorption drives the liquid expanded-to-liquid condensed phase transition in the DPPC monolayer by decreasing the available area per lipid. PS−PEO adsorption is therefore functionally equivalent to mechanical compression of the monolayer. Accordingly, the extent of PS−PEO adsorption accommodated by DPPC monolayers in different regimes of the surface pressure−area isotherm correlates with the compressibility of the penetrated monolayers. Polymer adsorption to liquid expanded monolayers increases the interface compressibility to equal that of the phase transition regime. Polymer segments that adsorb to ...
Flexure-beam micromirror devices and potential expansion for smart micromachining

Texas Instruments has been developing both digital and analog micromirror devices since the late 1970s. The analog flexure-beam micromirror devices are primarily targeted for imaging identification. Digital multiplexing mechanisms are used in column and row selection to address discretized analog signals into the array. Amplifiers and sample-and-hold circuits provide the appropriate signal range to control the micromirrors. Analog-to-digital and digital- to-analog conversions are currently built into the interface electronics, and will potentially be built into the chip. The micromirror devices are built on the top of the addressing circuits using sacrificial layers and two different metal layers. This concept of surface micromachining and mixed-signal circuit integration enables us to investigate the possibility of smart micromachining. Micromirror device applications can expand beyond optical applications into microsensor and other microactuator areas. The addressing circuits can be used in the interface of analog real-world and smart control circuits.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An improved variational method for finite element stress recovery and a posteriori error estimation

Abstract A new variational formulation is presented which serves as a foundation for an improved finite element stress recovery and a posteriori error estimation. In the case of stress predictions, interelement discontinuous stress fields from finite element solutions are transformed into a C 1 -continuous stress field with C 0 -continuous stress gradients. These enhanced results are ideally suited for error estimation since the stress gradients can be used to assess equilibrium satisfaction. The approach is employed as a post-processing step in finite element analysis. The variational statement used herein combines discrete-least squares, penalty-constraint, and curvature-control functionals, thus enabling automated recovery of smooth stresses and stress gradients. The paper describes the mathematical foundation of the method and presents numerical examples including stress recovery in two-dimensional structures and built-up aircraft components, and error estimation for adaptive mesh refinement procedures.
Clinical significance of targeting postprandial and fasting hyperglycemia in managing type 2 diabetes mellitus

SUMMARYMeasurement of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) remains the gold standard for the assessment of glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Recent investigations have studied the correlations between HbA1C levels and other aspects of glucose metabolism, specifically, postprandial glucose (PPG) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). The results suggest that PPG is also important to overall glycemic control and may be a better index of glucose regulation than FPG. Further, elevated PPG values have been associated with cardiovascular complications and cardiovascular mortality. Such evidence has led to recommendations that PPG levels be monitored as part of type 2 diabetes management, in addition to HbA1C and FPG. These glycemic parameters are differentially affected by the various classes of oral antidiabetic agents usedin the treatment of type 2 diabetes - sulfonylureas, meglitinides, insulin sensitizers and α-glucosidase inhibitors. The sulfonylureas, for example, lower HbA1C, PPG and FPG, while th...
Intangible Property as a Tool for Analyzing the Relationships between Government and Private Enterprise

I. Introduction, 112. — II. Historical analysis of relationship of government to private enterprise, 113. — III. The concept of competition as a tool for analysis, 114. — IV. Criteria of a conceptual tool, 116. — V. Emphasis on the relationship itself a clue to concept of property rights, 117. — VI. Intangible property as a conceptual tool, 118.
Synergistic Induction of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone β-Subunit Gene Expression by Gonadal Steroid Hormone Receptors and Smad Proteins

LH and FSH play crucial roles in mammalian reproduction by mediating steroidogenesis and gametogenesis. Gonadal steroid hormones influence gonadotropin production via feedback to the hypothalamus and pituitary. We previously demonstrated that progesterone and testosterone can stimulate expression of the FSH beta-subunit gene in immortalized gonadotrope-derived LbetaT2 cells. Herein, we investigate how these gonadal steroids modulate activin signaling in the gonadotrope. Cotreatment of LbetaT2 cells or mouse primary pituitary cells with steroids and activin results in a synergistic induction of FSHbeta gene expression. This synergy decreases when DNA-binding mutations are introduced into the steroid receptors or when mutations that reduce steroid hormone responsiveness are introduced into the FSHbeta promoter, indicating that synergy requires direct DNA binding of the steroid receptors. Furthermore, classical activin signaling via Smad proteins is necessary for this synergy. In addition, these steroid receptors physically interact with Smads and are sufficient for the synergism to occur on the FSHbeta promoter. Disruption of Smad binding to the promoter with a Smad protein lacking the DNA-binding domain or an FSHbeta promoter containing mutated activin-response elements prevents the synergistic enhancement of FSHbeta transcription. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the molecular mechanism for gonadal steroid hormone action on the FSHbeta promoter involves cross-talk between the steroid and activin signaling pathways. They also reveal that this synergism requires binding of both the steroid receptors and Smad proteins to their cognate DNA-binding elements and likely involves a direct protein-protein interaction between the two types of transcription factors.
Developing a Progressive Advocacy Program Within a Human Services Agency

ABSTRACT This paper brings together knowledge from research and practice to suggest a set of building blocks on which a progressive advocacy program could be developed within a human services agency. Progressive advocacy is defined as advocacy motivated primarily by a desire for social change that addresses underlying structural and power inequities that includes methods to meaningfully engage agency clients or constituents in all aspects of the advocacy process. The paper concludes with a case study showing the development of an advocacy program within a nonprofit homeless services agency and discusses the constraints on its development. Implications for research, education, and practice are also discussed.
Enhancing gradient optical force in silicon photonic devices

A new class of nano-optomechanical systems based on a hybrid plasmonic waveguide device built on a silicon photonic platform is proposed and experimentally investigated. Theoretical analysis and numerical modeling reveals that, due to the ability of sub-wavelength field localization, these hybrid plasmonic devices could enhance the optical forces by more than one order of magnitude compared with the force generated in all-dielectric devices.
Agonists and Antagonists Recognize Different but Overlapping Populations of A1 Adenosine Receptors: Modulation of Receptor Number by MgCl2, Solubilization, and Guanine Nucleotides

: A1 selective agonist and antagonist radioligands bind to the same A1 adenosine receptor binding subunit, as documented by photoaffinity labelling and partial peptide maps. In this study we document that although these radioligands recognize the same A, adenosine receptor (A1AR), they recognize different numbers of A1ARs in bovine brain membranes, with agonist number being greater than antagonist number. Neither addition of guanine nucleotides nor removal of Mg2+ ions enhanced antagonist binding in membranes. On solubilization, agonists still recognized a greater number of A1ARs but addition of guanine nucleotides or removal of Mg2+ substantially increased the number of receptors detected with antagonist radioligands. The effects of Mg2+ and guanine nucleotides were not additive, suggesting that formation of a “low agonist-receptor-G protein state” by either modulating agent was sufficient to alter the receptor conformation such that it could be recognized by antagonist. These studies suggest that a proportion of the “precoupled A1AR-G protein complex” in membranes are in a conformation that cannot be recognized by antagonists and that membrane constraints are such that ions or guanine nucleotides cannot sufficiently modulate the conformation to allow it to recognize antagonists. On removal of membrane structure by solubilization, these constraints are removed.
Does the star power matter

This study investigates the role of superstars in the Korean movie industry. We apply a two-step approach: the first step is to test the significance of the star power during 1988–1999 in Korea; the second step is to estimate the magnitude of star power. The appearance of a star actor increases the probability of a hit or success by 15–19% and star power is higher than a director power. A domestic award is associated with positive performance. We find that the top 15 players among 68 actors and actresses significantly impacts on the success of movies.
Cross-linked double-stranded RNA from a defective vesicular stomatitis virus particle

Abstract A class of vesicular stomatitis defective interfering virus particles isolated in this laboratory contains mostly double-stranded RNA of approximately 0.7–0.9 × 106 daltons molecular weight. This RNA “snaps-back” or reanneals independently of concentration after heat denaturation but remains denatured if first nicked with ribonuclease. The nicked denatured products are about half the size of the double-stranded RNA and approximately half of them anneal to infectious virion single-stranded RNA. It is proposed that the complementary strands of this double-stranded RNA are cross-linked to each other, probably covalently. The structure can be viewed best as a hairpin or a closed circle base-paired along most of its length.
An Evaluation of the Hydrologic Soil Groups as Used in the Scs Runoff Method on Rangelands

: The U.S. Soil Conservation Service has developed a method for estimating runoff for small watersheds when stream flow data are not available. The technique is based on a simplified infiltration model of runoff using various kinds of soil, land use, and empirical approximation.
Using Kindergarten Number Sense to Predict Calculation Fluency in Second Grade

Children's number sense in kindergarten was used to predict their calculation fluency in second grade (N = 198). Using block entry regression, usual predictors of age, reading, memory, and verbal and spatial cognition were entered in the first block and number sense measures were added in the second block. Number sense measures contributed a significant amount of variance over and above the more general predictors (26%—42%). Uniquely predictive subareas were active memory for numbers, number knowledge, and number combinations, with number combinations standing out as the strongest single predictor. Number sense screening in kindergarten, using “at-risk” versus “not-at-risk” criteria, successfully ruled out 84% of the children who did not go on to have calculation fluency difficulties and positively identified 52% of the children who later showed fluency difficulties. The relation of early number skills to later calculation fluency has important implications for math screening and intervention.
Analysis of chemical dynamics in microenvironments

A variety of techniques exist that provide chemical information in the form of a spatially resolved image. For example, magnetic resonance imaging has significant advantages for biological applications because it allows measurements in intact tissues. However, it is restricted at the present time to species of high concentration. The most common approach for chemically selective imaging is to use optical microscopy coupled with fluorescence measurements. A variety of fluorophores with high selectivity for specific ions are commercially available and are readily used in such applications. While imaging techniques provide an overall view of the microenvironment, probes that give a high fidelity view of a specific species and its concentration at a single location are also useful. Thus, there is particular interest in developing local sampling techniques. Electrochemical techniques, both potentiometric and amperometric, are particularly useful in this regard. For example, neurotransmitters, compounds secreted from nerve terminals to relay information from one neuron to another, can readily be examined with electrodes of micrometer dimensions. In this way, the mechanisms that control the secretion and the regulation of these compounds in the extracellular space can be evaluated. These tools can also be used at the level of single cells, and when placed at different locations, can be used to provide a chemical image. This approach essentially represents a marriage of electrochemical techniques with those of the scanning microscopies, an area that will see considerable growth in the new millennium.
A Review of Childrearing in African American Single Mother Families: The Relevance of a Coparenting Framework

Clinical research on African American single mother families has focused largely on mother-child dyads, with relatively less empirical attention to the roles of other adults or family members who often assist with childrearing. This narrow definition of “family” fails to take into account the extended family networks which often provide support for African American single mother families and the influence of these other adults on maternal parenting and youth adjustment. Our review integrates the literature on the role of extended family members, highlights the strengths and limitations of this work, and proposes the use of theory and methods from the coparenting literature to guide future study in this area. The relevance of the study of coparenting for family-based intervention efforts targeting African American youth from single mother homes is addressed.
Isolation of a trimer of α-tocopherol from mammalian liver

Evidence is presented for the formation in mammalian liver of a trimeric metabolite of α-tocopherol. This compound has been shown to be identical to a trimer produced by oxidation of α-tocopherol with alkaline K3Fe(CN)6. In addition, confirmation was obtained for the occurrence in vivo of a dimeric metabolite reported previously. These compounds, together with tocopheryl-p-quinone, are postulated to arise from reactions with lipid-free radicals or peroxides in the course of the antioxidant action of vitamin E.
Polyvinylpyrrolidone modified bioactive glass fibers as tissue constructs: in vitro mesenchymal stem cell response.

The sol-gel synthesis of a bioactive glass (BAG) sol with the incorporation of polyvinylpyrrolidone and the subsequent spraying of short, discontinuous fibers is reported. The incorporation of the polymer into the BAG sol allowed for increased control of the rheological properties and resulted in a more homogeneous fibrous material when sprayed through an air gun. Reaction kinetics and sol viscosity were monitored and analyzed during synthesis, and fibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and thermal analysis. Fibers were sintered at 900 degrees C and were examined for in vitro bioactivity in a simulated body fluid solution. The presence of hydroxyapatite crystals is confirmed by examination with scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Both the proliferation rate and cell density of rat mesenchymal stem cells cultured on BAG fiber constructs of varying porosities were shown to be dependent upon fiber spacing.
Predictive accuracy of covariates for event times

We propose a graphical measure, the generalized negative predictive function, to quantify the predictive accuracy of covariates for survival time or recurrent event times. This new measure characterizes the event-free probabilities over time conditional on a thresholded linear combination of covariates and has direct clinical utility. We show that this function is maximized at the set of covariates truly related to event times and thus can be used to compare the predictive accuracy of different sets of covariates. We construct nonparametric estimators for this function under right censoring and prove that the proposed estimators, upon proper normalization, converge weakly to zero-mean Gaussian processes. To bypass the estimation of complex density functions involved in the asymptotic variances, we adopt the bootstrap approach and establish its validity. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed methods perform well in practical situations. Two clinical studies are presented.
A noise-shifting differential Colpitts VCO

A novel noise-shifting differential Colpitts VCO is presented. It uses current switching to lower phase noise by cyclostationary noise alignment and improve the start-up condition. A design strategy is also devised to enhance the phase noise performance of quadrature coupled oscillators. Two integrated VCOs are presented as design examples.
Solid pseudopapillary tumor: a rare neoplasm of the pancreas

Solid pseudopapillary tumor is a rare primary neoplasm of the pancreas that typically affects young women. It is a relatively a benign tumor, with a favorable prognosis. We here report a 27-year-old woman with solid pseudopapillary neoplasm, who presented with mild jaundice, mildly elevated liver function tests and right upper quadrant pain. Ultrasound was suggestive of hemorrhagic hepatic adenoma; however, on magnetic resonance imaging, a heterogenous mass was found in the head of pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) revealed tumor cells with papillary architecture and immunohistochemical analysis showing cells positive for markers including beta-catenin, vimentin, alpha 1 antitrypsin etc. These findings were consistent with solid pseudopapillary neoplasm. The patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. Post-surgical biopsy confirmed the FNA findings with tumor localized to the pancreas. The patient was not given any adjuvant therapy. She remained asymptomatic and showed no signs of disease after four months follow-up. It is important to differentiate this tumor from other pancreatic neoplasms, because this type is amenable to cure after complete surgical resection, even in cases with capsular invasion, unlike malignant tumors of the pancreas.
Overcoming the Obstacle of High Relative Degree

Promulgated by some with religious-like fervor, viewed with skepticism by others, adaptive control has for almost 40 years been one of the most alluring, intriguing, and often misunderstood areas within the field of automatic control. In truth, despite its present shortcomings (e.g., its failure to adequately address performance issues) adaptive control has come quite a long way since first conceived. Once amounting to little more than a collection of seemingly unrelated heuristic ideas, adaptive control now rests on a bona fide foundational theory which serves to explain basic concepts and constructions in a principled manner. An early advance contributing to the theory's development was the formulation and resolution of the now classical siso ‘model reference control problem’. The main obstacle to the problem's resolution was dealing with nominal process models of high ‘relative degree’. The assault on the relative degree problem involved many people and took place over a period of several years. The problem's first solution appeared in the late 1970s and used what is now called ‘integrator backstepping’. A second solution emerged about 2 years later and relied on the idea of ‘error normalisation’. The latter approach led to an overall control algorithm which was far simpler in form than that provided by backstepping. As a result the backstepping approach was totally eclipsed by the error normalisation approach and remained so for more than a decade. Ironically, integrator backstepping has quite recently enjoyed renewed and considerable attention because of its apparently unique ability to deal with certain types of nonlinearities in both adaptive and nonadaptive systems. The aims of this paper are to explain what backstepping is, to chronicle the events leading to the discovery of the backstepping solution to the classical model reference problem and to discuss the significance of this work in the broader context of contemporary adaptive control.
Retrieval monitoring and anosognosia in Alzheimer's disease.

This study explored the relationship between episodic memory and anosognosia (a lack of deficit awareness) among patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Participants studied words and pictures for subsequent memory tests. Healthy older adults made fewer false recognition errors when trying to remember pictures compared with words, suggesting that the perceptual distinctiveness of picture memories enhanced retrieval monitoring (the distinctiveness heuristic). In contrast, although participants with AD could discriminate between studied and nonstudied items, they had difficulty recollecting the specific presentation formats (words or pictures), and they had limited use of the distinctiveness heuristic. Critically, the demands of the memory test modulated the relationship between memory accuracy and anosognosia. Greater anosognosia was associated with impaired memory accuracy when participants with AD tried to remember words but not when they tried to remember pictures. These data further delineate the retrieval monitoring difficulties among individuals with AD and suggest that anosognosia measures are most likely to correlate with memory tests that require the effortful retrieval of nondistinctive information.
Peripheral neuropathy and Guillain-Barré syndrome risks associated with exposure to systemic fluoroquinolones: a pharmacovigilance analysis

Abstract Purpose Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is an identified risk of systemic antibacterial therapy with fluoroquinolones. The risk and its severity, including the development of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) between individual agents is uncertain. This study examines the association between fluoroquinolones and PN and GBS in cases spontaneously reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System. Methods Cases reported to FDA Adverse Event Reporting System between 1997 and 2012 were retrieved. The Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities Preferred Term was used to define PN and GBS. Individual fluoroquinolones were identified by generic names and route of administration. Empirical Bayes Geometric Mean (EBGM) with 95% confidence interval (EB05–EB95) was calculated as disproportionality measure. Safety signals with EB05 2 or more was considered a significant disproportional increase in the event reporting of at least twice times higher than that expected. Results There were 539 PN reports out of 46,257 adverse event reports submitted for fluoroquinolones. Nine percent of PN reports were for GBS. Significant disproportionality of PN (EBGM 2.70; EB05–EB95 2.51–2.90) and GBS (EBGM 3.22; EB05–EB95 2.55–4.02) was identified for fluoroquinolones. Signals of PN were detected for ciprofloxacin (EBGM 3.24; EB05–EB95 2.87–3.66) and levofloxacin (EBGM 3.36; EB05–EB95 3.02–3.72). A GBS signal was detected for ciprofloxacin (EBGM 4.15; EB05–EB95 2.94–5.74). GBS and PN, respectively, ranked 6th and 8th among reported neurologic events. Conclusions This study re-emphasizes the link between fluoroquinolones and PN and shows the potential association with more severe forms of nerve damage, for example, GBS. Unless the benefit of fluoroquinolone therapy (e.g., overwhelming infection or development of bacterial resistance) outweighs PN risk, treatment with alternative antibacterial agents is recommended.
Test of the Effect of Edge Parameters on Small-Angle Fresnel Diffraction of Light at a Straight Edge

Precision photometric measurements of the optical Fresnel diffraction pattern produced by a straight edge were made on eight edges of various materials and with various edge cross sections to ascertain the effect of these parameters on the pattern. For unpolarized light at a wavelength of 5461 A, approximately 600 fringes were detected and measured in each pattern, and 800 fringes were detected in some of the patterns. The theoretical position of the geometric shadow (I/I0 = 0.25) is verified to an angular accuracy of 1 × 10−4 deg. The light intensity distribution was scanned at a constant speed and detected by a 1P21 photomultiplier tube cooled to dry-ice temperature. The distance between the light source and the photometer was 52 m, and the edge was placed 20 m from the source. A simple technique for automatic compensation for fluctuations of the primary light source is also described. Accuracy of approximately 0.2% in the intensity measurements and of 0.03% in fringe position far from the shadow boundary is claimed. To within the accuracy of the experiment, the intensity distribution for all eight edges agreed throughout the complete pattern, but there is a slight variation in fringe position from the simple scalar theory.
A Fiber Optic Contention Bus with Bounded Delays

This paper describes the operation of a new type of fiber optic local area network (LAN) that has most of the advantages of both the contention and token systems. The new system, called PRENET, is basically a contention system; it has no collisions, no message size or cable length limitations, and no stability problems. It can be loaded up to 80-85 percent of its bus capacity and it has bounded delays. The PRENET system has active stations and can be operated with two or four fiber optic cables. When operating with four cables the advantage of PRENET over other networks is its robustness against station failures and open-cable problems. The PRENET system uses a new media-access protocol called Preemptive Contention. It is shown that with this new protocol a packet- or station-based priority scheme can be readily included in the operation of the system. The computer simulation of a two cable system using the Preemptive Contention protocol is also presented. It is shown that for such a system operating at 2 Mbits/s with 80 percent bus utilization the mean waiting time is under 1 ms. It is also shown that the waiting time of a four-cable PRENET system is still smaller. It is pointed out that the new media-access protocol of the PRENET simplifies the behavior of this contention system to one that can be approximately predicted using an M/D/1 queueing model with batch arrivals.
Dynamic Software Architectures: Formally Modelling Structure and Behaviour with Pi-ADL

A key aspect of the design of any software system is its architecture. From the perspective of dependability, an effective architecture aims to build fault-free systems, i.e. ensuring fault avoidance. At the architecture level, fault avoidance is achieved by formally describing the structure and behaviour of software systems enabling to check their correctness. Therefore, a software architecture description should provide a formal specification of the architecture in terms of components and connectors and how they behave and are composed together. Further, a dynamic software architecture must provide a specification of how the architecture of the software system can change at runtime. Enabling specification of dynamic architectures is a large challenge for an architecture description language (ADL). This paper presents how Pi-ADL, a novel ADL that has been designed in the ArchWare European Project, can be used for specifying dynamic architectures through a case study.
An eight-cysteine-containing CFEM domain unique to a group of fungal membrane proteins

CFEM, an eight cysteine-containing domain, has been identified by analyzing over 25 fungal sequences selected from database sequence searches. Features of CFEM suggest that it is a novel domain with characteristics distinct from known cysteine-rich domains. Some CFEM-containing proteins (e.g. Pth11 from Magnaporthe grisea) are proposed to have important roles in fungal pathogenesis.