cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hajnal and the household in Asia: a comparativist history of the family in preindustrial Japan 1600-1870.

When Hajnal...argued that different types of household formation rules determine whether fertility is adjusted to economic conditions in traditional peasant societies he deliberately ignored societies with stem family formation rules. This study examines the relationship between household formation fertility and family relations in such a society--eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Japan. It summarizes previous work on the history of the family in Japan and discusses the role life-cycle service played in adjusting fertility to economic conditions. (EXCERPT)
Bedside renal biopsy: Ultrasound guidance by the nephrologist

The safety and efficacy of percutaneous biopsy of native kidneys performed entirely by nephrologists at the patient's bedside was evaluated in 101 consecutive patients. The location and depth of the kidney were determined with a portable ultrasound machine, and biopsy was performed with a 15G, automatic, spring-loaded biopsy device without direct ultrasonographic guidance. Renal tissue was obtained in 99 patients, and all samples were adequate for diagnosis, with an average of 33 glomeruli and more than 10 glomeruli in 97%. The number of biopsy attempts was four or fewer in 80% of patients. Three patients developed symptomatic bleeding, all of whom had a risk factor for bleeding, but none required procedures to control the bleeding. Asymptomatic hematuria occurred in two other patients. Overall, the mean decrease in hematocrit was 1.5, with a decrease of 5.0 or greater in six patients. The results are similar to those of previous studies using automatic devices but under direct ultrasound guidance. A subset of 20 patients with abnormal platelet counts, coagulation times, or bleeding times accounted for four of the five patients with complications. We conclude that percutaneous biopsy of native kidneys can be adequately and safely performed in its entirety by nephrologists at the patient's bedside. Furthermore, excellent results can be obtained without direct sonographic guidance. Hemorrhage occurs almost exclusively in those patients with abnormal platelet counts, coagulation times, or bleeding times.
Techniques for the production of thin foils from the interfacial regions of iron-zinc couples

Abstract In an effort to characterize interfacial microstructures in FeZn bimetallic couples, various techniques for the production of thin foils for examination with the transmission electron microscope (TEM) were developed. Microcrystalline arrays were observed in bright-field transmission electron microscopy images in the vicinity of the FeZn interface. Selected-area diffraction pattern analyses of these microcrystalline regions indicated the presence of several intermetallic phases and/or mixtures of these phases. These phases might originate during ion-beam thinning. However, it is argued that they could also form during room temperature aging.
Today's learning point.

At the end of outpatient clinic, I asked my four medical students to share something new that they had learned that day. “I learned that I need to see my patients actually walk.” “How to prioritize treatment of chest pain.” “When to use metformin.” “I learned how to deal with a patient who told me he didn't like blacks,” said the fourth student, an African-American woman in her third year of medical school. “What happened in the encounter?” I asked. “The patient told me right away that he and his wife didn't like blacks. I was taken aback. It was . . .
The power of data use management in action

In this demonstration, we show-case a database management system extended with a new type of component that we call a Data Use Manager (DUM). The DUM enables DBAs to attach policies to data loaded into the DBMS. It then monitors how users query the data, flags potential policy violations, recommends possible fixes, and supports offline analysis of user activities related to data policies. The demonstration uses real healthcare data.
Increased metabolic rate in X-linked hypophosphatemic mice.

Hyp mice are a model for human X-linked hypophosphatemia, the most common form of vitamin D-resistant rickets. It has previously been observed that Hyp mice have a greater food consumption per gram body weight than do normal mice. This led to the search for some alteration in metabolism in Hyp mice. We found that oxygen consumption was significantly higher in Hyp mice than in normal C57BL/6J mice and this was accompanied by an increased percentage of cardiac output being delivered to organs of heat production (liver and skeletal muscle), to the skin, and to bone and a decreased percentage to the gastrointestinal tract of Hyp mice. The increased oxygen consumption in Hyp mice was not associated with increased plasma free T4 levels and was not affected by alterations in plasma phosphate produced by a low phosphate diet. The cause of the increased oxygen consumption is not known, and the role that this change and reported changes in distribution of cardiac output may play in the development of X-linked hypop...
Polymorphism of the lipopolysaccharide receptor (CD14) and myocardial infarction. New evidence for a role of gram-negative bacterial infection?

Strong familial aggregation of coronary artery disease has long been recognized. Some of the increment of familial risk is attributable to established risk factors, such as plasma lipid levels, hypertension, smoking, and diabetes. Statistical regression studies, however, suggest that only 30% to 50% of the observed increment of coronary disease risk associated with a positive family history can be accounted for by canonical risk factors.1 2 Thus, significant factors remain to be discovered. These may involve retrieval of lipids from plaque, antioxidant defenses, endothelial dysfunction, abnormalities of platelet function, thrombogenesis and thrombolysis, and hereditary determinants of the inflammatory components of atherogenesis, among others.3 The idea that an inflammatory response directed at microorganisms might contribute to the atherogenic process is not new. In the last century, Virchow4 noted histopathological parallels between bacterial infection and atheromata. Recent reports have rekindled interest in the possibility that infection, particularly by Gram-negative bacteria, may contribute to the inflammatory component of atherosclerosis (including the major acute event of myocardial infarction) and that activation of monocytes may contribute to myocardial infarction as well as atherogenesis. Two European groups have now independently tested the hypothesis that genetic variations in the receptor for lipopolysaccharides (LPSs; endotoxins) produced by Gram-negative bacteria, CD14, may be a risk factor for myocardial infarction. Each group, one from Germany and the other from the Czech Republic, found a common polymorphism in the upstream, untranslated region of the CD14 gene. At the polymorphic site, cytosine or thymine is at position −260, within the Spl transcription factor binding site known to have a major influence on CD14 expression.5 Moreover, each group has reported evidence that expression of the T …
Molecular cloning of cDNA for the Bβ subunit of Xenopus fibrinogen, the product of a coordinately-regulated gene family

Abstract Fibrinogen, the principal blood-clotting protein, is made up of three different subunits synthesized in the liver. In vitro administration of glucocorticoids to liver cells from the frog Xenopus laevis causes a dramatic increase in fibrinogen synthesis. Investigations of molecular mechanisms underlying this hormonal stimulation at the mRNA level require cDNA clones complementary to the mRNAs coding for the three fibrinogen subunits, called Aα, Bβ, andγ. We describe here the isolation and characterization of cDNA clones for the Bβ subunit of Xenopus fibrinogen. cDNA libraries in both plasmid (pBR322) and phage (λgt10) cloning vectors were constructed from frog liver mRNA and screened with a rat Bβ cDNA. Clones thus isolated hybridized to two Xenopus liver mRNAs 2500 and 1800 bases long, the previously-determined sizes for Bβ mRNAs. The identity of the plasmid clone Bβ-27 was confirmed by hybridization-selection of complementary mRNA which translated in vitro into the Bβ polypeptide, as determined by size and susceptibility to thrombin cleavage. λ/Bβ10, a clone representing nearly all of the 2500-base Bβ mRNA, was isolated from the phage cDNA library. The 3'-end of this clone includes a polyadenylation signal about 20 residues upstream of a stretch of 34 adenosine residues, which probably represents the 3'-poly(A) tail of the messenger RNA. λ/Bβ10 lacks only 20 nucleotides of full-length Bβ mRNA at the 5'-end and there is one major start site of transcription. The 2500-base Bβ mRNA has a 700-base extension at the 3'-end that is not present in the 1800-base mRNA. The Xenopus laevis genome contains two or three genes for the Bβ fibrinogen subunit. Using the cDNA clone as a probe, Bβ mRNA was shown to be induced at least 20-fold by glucocorticoid treatment of purified parenchymal cells of Xenopus liver maintained in primary culture.
Interface considerations for the wheelchair aerobic fitness trainer

The author previously described a device known as a wheelchair aerobic fitness trainer (WAFT). A description is given of hardware and software modifications that enable the WAFT's electronics to emulate digital and joystick controllers for most of the popular home computers (e.g. Apple IIe and Commodore 64) and video games (e.g. Atari 2600). This provides an exercise/training environment that could serve to increase the user's motivational level. The authors are currently exploring additional options to provide the user with graphic visual and auditory feedback that indicate their ability to control the speed and direction of their wheelchair. >
Investigations of properties and binding forms of cadmium and nickel in protein extracts by ultra-/diafiltration, photometry and atomic absorption spectrometry

A combination of a special ultrafiltration procedure with photometry and atomic absorption spectrometry for application in the speciation analysis of protein containing solutions is described, allowing not only the determination of qualitative distribution patterns of metal species but also the quantitative characterization of metal species. According to these investigations, exemplified by cadmium and nickel species in protein extracts of bean seeds, it is demonstrated how to use this method. The results show that cadium and nickel have completely different binding mechanisms in these seeds. Furthermore, these investigations lead to the result that the application of membrane separation techniques in speciation analysis is not limited to the separation into molecular weight ranges only. Much more, they are useful techniques in combination with detection methods to obtain information about binding strength and the complexing ability of different matrices to bind heavy metals.
A hypothesis relating oil : Water partition coefficients and vapor pressures of nonelectrolytes to their penetration rates through biological membranes

Abstract The energy barrier model of a cellular membrane proposed by Danielli 1952 and modified by Zwolinski, Eyring & Reese 1949 is employed in conjunction with the equations derived from absolute reaction rate theory by the latter investigators. It is assumed, in agreement with Danielli, that the major barrier to entry of a slowly penetrating nonelectrolyte molecule into a lipid membrane is at the membrane-water interface rather than in the membrane itself. It is further assumed that the molecule passing from water into a lipid membrane goes through a partially vaporized or “exposed” state where a statistical fraction of the penetrating molecules is associated with neither water nor lipid. The peak free energy of activation for entry into the membrane, ΔFM∗, may be equated to (1 − γ) ΔF L + γΔF V + ΔF B ∗ , where γ is related to the fraction of the molecule exposed during passage, ΔFL and ΔFV are the Gibbs free energy changes on going from an aqueous phase to a lipid phase and from an aqueous phase to a vapor phase, respectively, and ΔFB∗ is an additional activation energy barrier which is assumed constant for similar molecules. For a molecule passing completely into a dissociated or a vapor state, γ = 1·0; for a molecule completely unexposed or entirely in contact with either one or both phases, γ = 0. The free energy values are evaluated as follows: ΔF M ∗ in terms of the permeability constant at 20°C, Φ; ΔFL in terms of the olive oil : water partition coefficient, C; and ΔFV in terms of the vapor pressure of the pure solute at 20°C, P. The following equation is derived for determination of γ: log ( Φ C ) = γ log ( P C ) + constant . Graphs of log ( Φ C ) versus log ( P C ) illustrate that most oxygen containing nonelectrolytes, ranging from the slowly penetrating erythritol to the rapidly penetrating propanol, fall close to a straight line. The slope of the line, γ, is near 0·6 for animal cells (ox and rabbit erythrocytes, sipunculid worm hemolymph cells, sea urchin eggs and rat lymphocytes) and near 0·4 for an algal cell (Chara).
Evaluation of Pressure Gradients and Variability Following Unna Boot Application

The authors evaluated subbandage pressures generated by a standardized compression bandaging technique. Subbandage pressure was determined following paste-gauze appli cation to an artificial leg by use of air-filled bladders coupled to a pressure transducer. Mean pressures and ankle-to-knee pressure gradients were calculated. The mean vari ability in pressure at each position was also determined.Mean pressures in torr (±SD) along the leg are shown in the table (n=27). Mean knee pressures were significantly less than those at the ankle on the medial and lateral sides of the leg (P<0.004 and P<0.02, respectively). Variations in pressure generated by each wrapper over three trials were not significant.A three-layered compression bandaging technique was used to create a moderate pressure gradient from ankle to knee. The effectiveness of compression bandaging does not necessarily depend on the generation of high subbandage pressures.
Field and laboratory efficacy of three insecticides for population management of the Asian cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae).

Toxicity, repellency, and performance of three insecticides, β-cyfluthrin EC, fipronil granules, and an essential oil EC formulation, were evaluated against the Asian cockroach, Blattella asahinai Mizukubo, in field and laboratory experiments. The β-cyfluthrin EC and fipronil granules were significantly more toxic than the essential oil EC formulation under continuous exposure conditions, with LT50 values of 0.014, 0.45, and 11.45 d, respectively. The β-cyfluthrin EC and fipronil granules were also significantly more toxic than the essential oil EC formulation in an Ebeling choice box test with LT50 values of 0.64, 1.98, and 59.64 d, respectively. Field applications of insecticides at label rates to Asian cockroach populations in Dothan, AL, showed that β-cyfluthrin EC and fipronil granules reduced populations by 100% at 7 and 30 d after treatment. The essential oil EC formulation initially reduced populations by 68% at 7 d, but control diminished to 2% by 30 d. Results of the field applications and laboratory experiments demonstrate that the β-cyfluthrin EC and fipronil granules provide excellent control of Asian cockroach populations.
Interpreting Correlated Motions Using Normal Mode Analysis

With the increased popularity of normal mode analyses in structural biology, it is important to carefully consider how to best utilize the results for gaining biological insights without over interpretation. The discussion in this article argues that for the purpose of identifying correlated motions in biomolecules, a case separate from concomitant conformational changes of structural motifs, it is generally important to use a large number of normal modes. This is illustrated through three increasingly complex examples. The simplest case includes two bilinearly coupled harmonic oscillators and serves as a straightforward problem where the important considerations are explicit and transparent. The argument is then generalized to include a system of N-coupled harmonic oscillators and finally to a realistic biomolecule. Although a small number of normal modes are useful for probing structural flexibility, it is clear that a much larger number of modes are required for properly investigating correlated motions in biomolecules.
Cultural Accommodation and Domination

When should burdened social practices be granted special accommodation? One issue of concern—raised by Okin and others—is that some social practices involve domination, and so the accommodation of those practices might (inadvertently, perhaps) support social injustice. Suppose one wants to take this concern very seriously. Starting from the assumption that freedom from domination is an especially important value, this article examines whether cultural accommodation would ever be advisable. Approaching the problem of multicultural accommodation from this point of view greatly clarifies the debate and yields some interesting results. In particular, the discussion concludes that there are circumstances under which the goal of minimizing domination itself would be furthered by policies of special accommodation.
An alteration in the phosphorylation of vimentin-type intermediate filaments is associated with mitosis in cultured mammalian cells

Analysis of cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells has shown that vimentin exists primarily as two 57,000 dalton isoelectric variants, a nonphosphorylated form and a slightly more acidic phosphorylated form. Similar analyses of CHO cells that were treated with colcemid show the presence of at least two to three additional, more acidic, phosphorylated vimentin isoelectric variants. An increasing 32P-specific activity of these variants suggests that this alteration involves increased phosphorylation. Analysis of 32P-labeled vimentin from colcemid-treated cells indicates that the amount of the additional phosphorylated variants correlates with the accumulation of cells in mitosis. CHO cells enriched in mitotic cells without antimitotic drugs demonstrate the same alteration in the isoelectric focusing pattern of phosphorylated vimentin. When mitotic cells are replated, the amount of additional phosphorylated variants is reduced within 30 min. The data suggest that an alteration in phosphorylated vimentin is temporally related to the alteration in the organization of intermediate filaments in mitotic cells.
Methodological Review of the Quality of Reach Out and Read: Does It “Work”?

A considerable percentage of American children and adults fail to learn adequate literacy skills and read below a third grade level. Shared book reading is perhaps the single most important activity to prepare young children for success in reading. The primary objective of this manuscript was to critically review the methodological quality of Read Out and Read (ROR), a clinically based literacy program/intervention that teaches parents strategies to incorporate while sharing books with children as a method of preventing reading difficulties and academic struggles. A PubMed search was conducted. Articles that met three criteria were considered. First, the study must be clinically based and include parent contact with a pediatrician. Second, parental counseling (“anticipatory guidance”) about the importance of parent-child book reading must be included. Third, only experimental or quasi-experimental studies were included; no additional criteria were used. Published articles from any year and peer-reviewed j...
A Comparison and Abstraction of the Commercial Spent Fuel Corrosion Experiments in the U.S.

This paper compares the results of three different fuel corrosion experiments by taking the existing corrosion data reported for various temperatures and recalculating corrosion rates at a single temperature of 25°C using a temperature dependent model developed elsewhere. Three types of light water reactor fuel corrosion tests (sometimes called dissolution or alteration tests) were performed in support of Yucca Mountain Project. The tests used three water contact modes and various fuel burnups. All measurements were adjusted for temperature differences and then compared. Five different isotopes (cesium, technetium, iodine, strontium, and, in the flow-through tests, uranium) were considered as a measure of corrosion. The data used represent over ten years of experiments with about nine different fuel types. Most experiments were with repository type fluids, containing dissolved constituents such as carbonate, calcium and silicon. The results show that all of the experiments predict similar fuel corrosion rates. Small differences in the isotope release rates are observed and incorporated in the abstracted uncertainty. Water contact mode (flow-through, batch, or drip) does not seem to be very important although the drip tests introduced larger variations. In developing a corrosion abstraction, all of the isotope measurements were considered equally. The distribution of release rates was used directly to develop the uncertainty. The mean corrosion rate was 1.8 × 10 -4 fraction/year at 25°C (5%-95% range = 5.7 × 10 -5 to 1.7 × 10 -3 ). Using the derived corrosion rate for 25°C, and considering rapid axial splitting of the cladding, the CSNF fuel rod is expected to corrode in less than 2,000 years. The abstraction uses all the available experiments performed with water containing carbonates, silicon, or calcium and irradiated fuel to produce a corrosion rate distribution. Sensitivity studies using this corrosion rate abstraction in the TSPA-SR analysis show very small changes in dose (3%) in response to changes in the UO 2 corrosion abstraction.
Real-time origin-destination (OD) estimation via anonymous vehicle tracking

With the advent of Advanced Transportation Management and Information System (ATMIS), much attention has been paid to the estimation of dynamic or time-variant OD matrices, as development of improved methods for the derivation of OD-based real time traffic information is vital for analysis of transportation systems and various ATMIS strategies involving traveler information systems and route guidance, dynamic traffic assignment, and adaptive traffic signal control, among others. This study performs a systematic simulation investigation of the performance and feasibility of anonymous vehicle tracking in signalized networks using the Paramics simulation model. Previous research experience with vehicle reidentification techniques on single roadway segments is used to investigate the performance obtainable from tracking individual vehicles across multiple detector stations through a network to obtain real-time OD path flow information such as travel time and volume. The findings of this and subsequent studies serve as a logical and necessary precursor to possible field implementation in signalized networks of vehicle reidentification techniques.
Enhancing hydrofluoric acid sensitivity in silicon polymer composites through TiO 2 blending

The detection of liquid or vapor hydrofluoric acid (HF), a toxic industrial chemical, is an important area for sensor research. The approach presented here uses a conjugated silicon polymer specifically designed to react with the fluoride anion of HF, resulting in a change of the polymer conductivity. The conductivity response of polymer based coatings prepared with and without titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) to aqueous HF exposure are compared, as is the response of the silicon polymer composite to HF vapor. Coatings were directly compared to the same concentration of hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric acid, and deionized water. While many chemiresistor-based sensors depend on the physical swelling of the polymer coating in the presence of an analyte, and are therefore reversible, these sensors were designed with a polymeric coating that reacts with the analyte, thereby effecting a permanent change in properties. A permanent change in impedance of 30% in less than 600 sec. with a selectivity of 20∶1 towards fluorine was observed. The lower limit of detection has not been established yet, but an impedance change of 6% occurs when the sensor is exposed to 1 ppm HF. While an impedance change greater than 100% in vapor phase hydrofluoric acid has been shown, the mechanism to explain the enhanced selectivity toward fluorine when TiO 2 is added to the sensor coating formulation is currently unknown.
A Case Study of Role Conflict: Roman Catholic Priests

The concept of role conflict is explored with data gathered from a population of Catholic priests in the diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts. Seventeen potential sources of role conflict were investigated and levels of agreement on eight current issues within the Church were assessed. In each area it was found that younger priests were experiencing more severe role conflict. Likewise, the youngest men indicated that they perceived noticeable differences in expectations concerning their role performance from numerous others whom they served. Some role conflict appeared to be resolved by attaching greater significance to younger reference and significant others. The existence of role conflict among Catholic priests, especially the younger men, seems to be confirmed.
The Parodic Sensibility and the Sophisticated Gaze Masculinity and Taste in Playboy's Penthouse

The dramatic success of Playboy magazine in the 1950s paralleled the meteoric rise of television as both an industry and cultural form, but the magazine's relationship with the new electronic medium was an uneasy one. Television's status as a domestic, even feminine, medium posed particular challenges, even more so than the “masscult” critique. Rather than recommending specific programs for consumption as it did with books, albums, and movies, the magazine promoted parody as a “sophisticated” way to engage television. Parody was adopted as a form of interpretation that produced alternative pleasures and meaning, thereby making visual consumption practices a marker of cultural capital. The tensions between Playboy and television were especially apparent in Playboy's own syndicated program, Playboy's Penthouse (1959—1961). The urbane and varied performances of the program, and its distinctive televisual style, offered a version of sophisticated television production that supplemented the magazine's model of...
CTLA4-Ig prevents alloantibody production and BMT rejection in response to platelet transfusions in mice.

Background Platelet (PLT) transfusions can induce humoral and cellular alloimmunity. HLA antibodies can render patients refractory to subsequent transfusion, and both alloantibodies and cellular alloimmunity can contribute to subsequent bone marrow transplant (BMT) rejection. Currently, there are no approved therapeutic interventions to prevent alloimmunization to PLT transfusions other than leukoreduction. Targeted blockade of T-cell costimulation has shown great promise in inhibiting alloimmunity in the setting of transplantation, but has not been explored in the context of PLT transfusion. Study design and methods We tested the hypothesis that the costimulatory blockade reagent CTLA4-Ig would prevent alloreactivity against major and minor alloantigens on transfused PLTs. BALB/c (H-2(d)) mice and C57BL/6 (H-2(b)) mice were used as PLT donors and transfusion recipients, respectively. Alloantibodies were measured by indirect immunofluorescence using BALB/c PLTs and splenocytes as targets. BMTs were carried out under reduced-intensity conditioning using BALB.B (H-2(b) ) donors and C57BL/6 (H-2(b)) recipients to model HLA-identical transplants. Experimental groups were given CTLA4-Ig (before or after PLT transfusion) with control groups receiving isotype-matched antibody. Results CTLA4-Ig abrogated both humoral alloimmunization (H-2(d) antibodies) and transfusion-induced BMT rejection. Whereas a single dose of CTLA4-Ig at time of transfusion prevented alloimmunization to subsequent PLT transfusions, administration of CTLA4-Ig after initial PLT transfusion was ineffective. Delaying treatment until after PLT transfusion failed to prevent BMT rejection. Conclusions These findings demonstrate a novel strategy using an FDA-approved drug that has the potential to prevent the clinical sequelae of alloimmunization to PLT transfusions.
Upstream dysfunction of somatomotor functional connectivity after corticospinal damage in stroke

Background. Recent studies have shown that focal injuries can have remote effects on network function that affect behavior, but these network-wide repercussions are poorly understood. Objective. This study tested the hypothesis that lesions specifically to the outflow tract of a distributed network can result in upstream dysfunction in structurally intact portions of the network. In the somatomotor system, this upstream dysfunction hypothesis predicted that lesions of the corticospinal tract might be associated with functional disruption within the system. Motor impairment might then reflect the dual contribution of corticospinal damage and altered network functional connectivity. Methods. A total of 23 subacute stroke patients and 13 healthy controls participated in the study. Corticospinal tract damage was quantified using a template of the tract generated from diffusion tensor imaging in healthy controls. Somatomotor network functional integrity was determined by resting state functional connectivity m...
Labor induction outcomes in third-trimester stillbirths

Abstract Objective To describe the management of third-trimester stillbirth at a single institution, stratifying induction intervals and adverse outcomes by method. Methods Women diagnosed with fetal demise at 28 weeks or later and admitted to an academic hospital between January 2007 and September 2010 were identified. A chart review extracted demographics, history, induction method, delivery interval, and adverse outcomes. Results Seventy-four women were included, with a median gestational age of 35.5 weeks (range, 28–40 weeks). Ten women had undergone at least 1 prior cesarean. Induction methods included misoprostol alone or for cervical ripening; oxytocin and amniotomy; transcervical Foley catheter; and mifepristone. Overall, 88% of patients delivered within 24 hours; median time to fetal delivery was 11 hours 20 minutes (range, 7 minutes to 57 hours 12 minutes). Adverse outcomes included intrapartum fever and postpartum hemorrhage. In total, 98% of patients, including those with prior cesarean, had a successful vaginal delivery. Conclusion Regardless of third-trimester induction method for management of stillbirth, the majority of women experience safe delivery within 24 hours. The descriptive data imply that misoprostol-only inductions might confer the shortest induction intervals; however, further prospective trials are needed to identify the optimal misoprostol regimen for women with third-trimester stillbirth.
Attribute Storage Design for Object-based Storage Devices

As storage systems grow larger and more complex, the traditional block-based design of current disks can no longer satisfy workloads that are increasingly metadata intensive. A new approach is offered by object-based storage devices (OSDs). By moving more of the responsibility of storage management onto each OSD, improvements in performance, scalability and manageability are possible. Since this technology is new, no physical object-based storage device is currently available. In this work we describe a software emulator for an object-based disk. We focus on the design of the attribute storage, which is used to hold metadata associated with particular data objects. Alternative designs are discussed, and performance results for an SQL implementation are presented.
Ventilatory effects of substance P-saporin lesions in the nucleus tractus solitarii of chronically hypoxic rats

During ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia (VAH), time-dependent increases in ventilation lower Pco2 levels, and this persists on return to normoxia. We hypothesized that plasticity in the caudal nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) contributes to VAH, as the NTS receives the first synapse from the carotid body chemoreceptor afferents and also contains CO2-sensitive neurons. We lesioned cells in the caudal NTS containing the neurokinin-1 receptor by microinjecting the neurotoxin saporin conjugated to substance P and measured ventilatory responses in awake, unrestrained rats 18 days later. Lesions did not affect hypoxic or hypercapnic ventilatory responses in normoxic control rats, in contrast to published reports for similar lesions in other central chemosensitive areas. Also, lesions did not affect the hypercapnic ventilatory response in chronically hypoxic rats (inspired Po2 = 90 Torr for 7 days). These results suggest functional differences between central chemoreceptor sites. However, lesions significantly increased ventilation in normoxia or acute hypoxia in chronically hypoxic rats. Hence, chronic hypoxia increases an inhibitory effect of neurokinin-1 receptor neurons in the NTS on ventilatory drive, indicating that these neurons contribute to plasticity during chronic hypoxia, although such plasticity does not explain VAH.
The interaction of a gene (nur) controlling near-UV sensitivity and the polA1 gene in strains of E. coli K12.

— When stationary cell populations of the Escherichia coli W3110 strain and the polA1 mutant (p3478) derived directly from it were compared for their sensitivity to near-UV (NUV, 300–400 nm) inactivation, the polA1 strain proved to be more sensitive. By appropriate matings and transductions, four essentially isogenic strains have been developed which carry all four possible combinations of genes conferring far-UV (FUV, 200-300 nm) sensitivity (polA1 vs. polA+) and NUV sensitivity (nur vs. nur+). Stationary cells of strains carrying either the polA1 or polA+ allele in combination with the nur allele are indistinguishable in their sensitivity to NUV inactivation and are equivalent in their NUV sensitivity to the original polA1 mutant strain (p3478). With the two strains carrying the nur+ allele, stationary cell populations of the polA1 strain are clearly more sensitive to NUV inactivation than is the polA+ strain. The NUV sensitizing effect of the polA1 mutation in a nur+ genetic background is about the same as that of the nur mutation at the 0.37 survival level. This may mean that the polA1 and nur mutations sensitize E. coli stationary cell populations to NUV inactivation by a common mechanism.
An empirical analysis of target-resident DoS filters

Numerous techniques have been proposed by which an end-system, subjected to a denial-of-service flood, filters the offending traffic. In this paper, we provide an empirical analysis of several such proposals, using traffic recorded at the border of a large network and including real DoS traffic. We focus our analysis on four filtering techniques, two based on the addresses from which the victim server typically receives traffic (static clustering and network-aware clustering), and two based on coarse indications of the path each packet traverses (hop-count filtering and path identifiers). Our analysis reveals challenges facing the proposed techniques in practice, and the implications of these issues for effective filtering. In addition, we compare techniques on equal footing, by evaluating the performance of one scheme under assumptions made by another. We conclude with an interpretation of the results and suggestions for further analysis.
Comparison of input signal choices for a fuzzy logic-based power system stabilizer

Variability in power systems in increasing due to pushing the system to limits for economic purposes, the inclusion of new energy sources like wind turbines and photovoltaic, and the introduction of new types of loads such as electric vehicle chargers. In this new environment, system monitoring and control must keep pace to insure system stability and reliability on a wide area scale. Phasor measurement unit technology implementation is growing and can be used to provide input signals to new types of control. Fuzzy logic based controllers have also been shown effective in various studies. This paper considers several choices of input signals, composed assuming phasor measurement availability, for a common fuzzy logic-based controller. Nonlinear transient simulation results for two fault locations for a two-area system are used to compare the effects of input choice on damping of system oscillations.
Active Involvement and Accuracy of Calls of Novice Referees during a Season of Sport Education.

Becoming an elite official of any sport takes time and experience. Fortunately, an opportunity exists for learning the role of a referee at an earlier time. The role of a referee may be taught to students in physical education classes through the sport education pedagogical model. Previous research of sport education has shown that young students enjoy taking officiating roles, but only one has served to quantify the quality of their performance. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to examine the officiating ability of students participating in a sport education season for the first time as they learn the role of a referee. Forty fourth grade students participated in the study. An evaluation of students' attentiveness and involvement in the role as a referee and an examination of the accuracy of calls the referees made were completed. A one-way ANOVA with two levels was used to analyze the percentage of involvement of referees and the percentage of referee success and referee opportunities. Results indicated a significant increase with active involvement, F(1, 5) = 39.85, p = .001, I· 2 = .889, and referee success, F(1, 5) = 26.39, p = .004, I· 2 = .841, as students progressed from the formal competition to the postseason. No significant difference was found with referee opportunities, F(1, 5) = 0.01, p = .913, I· 2 = .003. The increase in active involvement and officiating success and the consistency in referee opportunities indicates that over time the ability to officiate games accurately may increase.
Assessing Export Competitiveness through the Lens of Value Added

Extensive changes in the organization of world trade over the last two decades have renewed concerns about countries’ ability to compete in export markets. The impact could be especially large in industries that participate in global value chains (GVCs). This study assesses the recent export performance of 56 countries in five industries associated with GVCs using an index of normalised revealed comparative advantage (RCA) that can be compared across industries and countries and new data on the domestic value added in exports from the OECD's Trade in Value-added database. For a number of the GVC industries, countries identified as the most competitive based on gross exports are often found to be less competitive when evaluated in terms of domestic value added. Business services are an important exception; several countries appear more competitive on a value-added basis than based on conventional measures of gross exports. Despite concerns about hollowing out, a number of major industrial countries remain highly competitive in one or more GVC industries, even from the perspective of domestic value added. A value-added approach to RCA provides insights that are not apparent from an exclusive focus on gross exports.
Exercise effects on IFN-β expression and viral replication in lung macrophages after HSV-1 infection

Mice exercised to fatigue and exposed to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) exhibit greater mortality than control mice. In this study, we examined lung macrophage resistance to HSV-1 after exerci...
Inertia And Creeping Rationality In Strategic Decision Processes

In two earlier studies, comprehensiveness, a characteristic of rational strategic decision-making processes, exhibited a positive relationship with organizational performance in a stable environmen...
Effects of temperature and work on metabolism and heat loss in man.

SummaryExercise after cooling is accomplished at a greater energy cost than exercise during cooling. Over-all direct heat loss is less during exercise after cooling.
Mapping species distributions: Model evaluation and implementation

Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful. George E. P. Box This section outlines methods for the evaluation of species distribution models (Chapter 9) and presents a summary and framework for their implementation (Chapter 10). Evaluation of species distribution models (SDM) has tended to focus on predictive performance as the most important measure of model validity. But predictive performance is really only one aspect of model evaluation. Ecological realism and acceptability to the user community (model credibility) are also important evaluation criteria. Very broadly defined, a valid model is one that meets performance requirements that have been specified. Performance requirements for SDMs may be difficult to specify or quantify in some cases, and all models simplify reality and have prediction errors. SDMs are used to make spatial predictions of species distributions and therefore the spatial nature of the predictions and errors should be explicitly considered when the models are subsequently used to address a question. In the model evaluation step, many criteria could be used for validating the output of a model of species–habitat relations (Chapter 10 in Morrison et al ., 1998). Evaluation is distinct from calibration when the model is used to make predictions based on new or different data. If a strictly independent dataset with suitable attributes is not available, it is common to divide the dataset into “training” and “testing” data prior to modeling, or to use some kind of resampling method (such as bootstrapping) to estimate, from the training data, what the prediction accuracy of the model would be if it were applied to new data.
Experimental study on overall buckling behavior of Q420 high strength equal angle members under axial compression

The Q420 high strength angles with the nominal yield strength of 420MPa are being applied in large transmission towers in China.In this paper,the axial compression column test was conducted to investigate the overall buckling behavior of Q420 high strength equal angles under axial compression,including 60 specimens,and 5 types of sections whose plate width-thickness ratios were the largest ones in all of the hot-rolled equal angle sections.Based on the test results,the buckling modes and the ultimate strength of the Q420 high strength equal angle columns under axial compression were analyzed,and the buckling strength of the specimens were calculated,which were compared with the column curves in the Chinese code.Besides,the effect of the plate width-thickness ratio overrun on the buckling modes and the ultimate capacity of the angle columns were also studied.It shows that the buckling mode is mainly flexural-torsional buckling,and the buckling strengths from test results are much higher than those calculated according to the Chinese code.These researches provide important test data for the further numerical study and suggestions for buckling design method of high strength angles.
An Investigation of Agency Structure and Broker Attitudes in the North Carolina Real Estate Industry

Population mobility has created a large residential real estate industry, in which over one million participants are increasingly affected by franchise growth (Gaines, 1979). This paper introduces a 1982 North Carolina broker survey whose purpose is to study the impact of franchising on the real estate industry.
The Mutual Transformation of Self and Symbol: Bede Griffiths and the Jesus Prayer

At the height of modern questioning of the relevance of traditional symbols, Paul Ricoeur envisioned a reawakening to the plenitude of meaning available in symbols that would occur not through rejecting criticism but by moving through it. While many have found this vision of a “second naivete” compelling, exemplars of it have remained few. This article proposes that insight into a contemporary reappropriation of symbols may be gained from an examination of Bede Griffiths' lifelong experience with one, Jesus Christ. Griffiths' contemplative and interreligious experience illustrate and advance the analyses of religious symbols offered by Ricoeur, Mircea Eliade, and David Tracy.
Chapter 3 – Who Are You?—The Fellowship Applicant

The Fellowship Applicant section contains multiple components that when considered together provide the reviewers with an overall impression of the applicant, their goals, and their qualifications. These components include the applicant’s previous academic record and scientific productivity, their previous research experience, their goals for the fellowship training and future career, a description of why the applicant selected their sponsor, department and institute, and letters of recommendation. This chapter discusses the sections required for the applicant, including the Biosketch, Goals for Fellowship, Selection of Sponsor and Institute, Previous Research, Letters of Recommendation, Respective Contributions, and Activities Planned. These discussions highlight the purpose of each section, strategies for how to organize each section, and key phrases to help focus the writing. A brief discussion of how to construct an application for a person undergoing a second postdoctoral position is included.
Fluorescence-Based Assays for Measuring Doxorubicin in Biological Systems.

Detection and measurement of doxorubicin in biological systems, including body fluids, cells, and tissues, are instrumental in understanding the mechanisms of action of this widely used drug in treating cancer as well as in causing adverse effects. In this article, we, for the first time, characterized the use of fluorescence-based techniques, including fluorescence spectrometry, microscopy, and flow cytometry in measuring and/or detecting doxorubicin in biological systems, including cell lysates and cultured intact cells. We showed that doxorubicin has a maximum excitation and emission wavelength of 470 and 560 nm, respectively. The detection sensitivity by fluorescence spectrometry is less than 0.1 µM in buffers and cell lysates. Fluorescence microscopy demonstrated the readily detection of concentration-dependent accumulation of doxorubicin in cultured cells via either green or red fluorescence, but with green fluorescence showing a higher sensitivity of detection. Flow cytometry also revealed sensitive detection of doxorubicin accumulation in cell suspensions in a concentration-dependent manner. The readily and sensitive measurement and detection of doxorubicin by the above three fluorescence-based techniques has important implications in studying the cellular dynamics of doxorubicin in both cancer and normal cells under various experimental conditions.
Examining the emphasis on consultation in behavior analyst preparation programs.

The role of behavior analysts, specifically those that are board certified and working in schools, is increasingly moving from that of a behavioral technician (i.e., the direct change agent manipulating the environment to promote behavior change in a client) to that of a behavioral consultant (i.e.,
Precise Measurement and Analysis of Neutron Transmission Through Uranium-238

The transmissions of 0.52- to 4000-eV neutrons through 3.62-, 1.08-, 0.254-, 0.0762-, 0.0254-, 0.0127-, and 0.0036-cm-thick samples of uranium, enriched in the 238U isotope, have been measured at 4...