cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
At the Olympics, everything is a performance issue

Abstract For the great majority of sports, the performance of an athlete at the Olympic Games is considered an ultimate moment of the athletic career. Making the team or winning an Olympic medal can change an athlete's entire future. At the Olympic Games, everything is a performance issue. The pressure and reality of the outcome also changes the work of the sport psychologist. This article describes the types of issues that arise at the games and how the sport psychologist can handle them. The issues faced by the United States athletes include clinical issues, adjustment to external factors, interpersonal conflicts, distraction at the Games, and performance pressure. These issues emphasize the important role of the sport psychologist as a key resource to make an impact on performance. The article then describes the challenges and services of the Sport Psychology Department of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). Multiple‐sport programs and products were written and produced in order to deliver ment...
The mechanism of the diurnal variation of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity in the rat.

Abstract Direct measurements of the incorporation of 3H-leucine into highly purified β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (E.C. 1.1.1.34) have shown that the diurnal variation in activity observed in crude fractions is due to synthesis of new enzyme protein for approximately six hours, followed by complete cessation of synthesis for a duration of approximately 15 hours. The rate of degradation does not appear to be significantly altered.
Isolation of Relatively Large Amounts of Endomorphin-1 and Endomorphin-2 From Human Brain Cortex

Endomorphin-1 (Tyr-Pro-Trp-Phe-NH2) and endomorphin-2 (Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH2) were previously isolated from bovine brain. Both peptides showed the greatest selectivity and affinity for the mu opiate receptor of any endogenous substance found to date and may serve as natural ligands for the mu-opiate receptor. We have purified them from the fronto-parietal cortex of human brain tissue by solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography. Peptide content was followed by a specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay with an antibody that was generated against endomorphin-1. The isolated endomorphins showed full biological activity. The tetrapeptides were found in human brain in much higher amounts than in bovine frontal cortex.
Dynamic behavior of multi-span bridges under moving loads with focusing on the effect of the coupling conditions between spans

Abstract This study is concerned with the dynamic behavior of generic multi-span bridges under the action of moving loads. In this multi-span bridge model, each span can be independently supported by up to eight elastic springs, thus allowing a more general and realistic representation of many joints and intermediate supports of practical interest. Additionally, since the displacement and its first derivative are no longer required to be continuous at an intermediate support or at the junctions of spans, this model is capable of accounting for the possible steps and skew angles at these locations which are important to studying the vehicle–bridge interactions. Numerical results are presented with a focus on the dynamic impact of the coupling conditions between spans. It has been shown that the deflection on each span strongly depends upon its local coupling conditions, especially near the critical stiffness values. A fairly large variance of response has also been observed on each span in correspondence to a wide range of stiffness values, which implies a good potential for improving bridge performance through modifying joint parameters or coupling configurations. This model can be readily applied to any boundary and coupling conditions with no need of modifying the formulations or solution procedures.
What Does It All Mean

This issue’s contents are reviewed in this final contribution. The short term recovery is more rapid after minimally invasive colorectal resections and the cancer results, thus far, equivalent. The immune system perturbations, in most cases, are less marked after laparoscopic procedures yet the changes are short lived with both methods and the differences between methods of uncertain significance. Microarray analysis of circulating immune cells before and after surgery hold promise as a means of improving our understanding of surgery’s impact on immune function. As regards blood protein levles in the early postoperative period, in general, less marked changes are noted with minimally invasive methods, however, for most parameters, the significance of these differences are unknown. An exception is the tumor growth inhibitor IGFBP-3. Open surgery has been shown to decrease plasma IGFBP-3 levels after surgery and POD 1 plasma from open patients significantly stimulates tumor growth in vitro; laparoscopic patient plasma did not have this effect. Possibly the most important surgery-related blood compositional changes noted, thus far, concern angiogenesis; significant proangiogenic VEGF and angiopoetin 2 changes persist for 2 to 4 weeks after surgery. Of note, it is currently believed that open and closed surgical methods have a similar impact on the angiogenic proteins studied thus far. There is clear experimental evidence that surgery, open to a greater extent than closed methods, is associated with increased systemic tumor growth and metastasis formation; both blood protein changes and immunosuppression have been implicated. The postoperative period, therefore, is characterized by immunosuppression, proangiogenic blood protein changes, and other transient tumor stimulatory alterations. The cancer patient is at risk early after surgery, thus, it is logical to search for anti-cancer drugs that could be safely given during the perioperative period. A brief discussion of this concept and review of one perioperative drug study done thus far are provided. The controversy and dialogue that resulted following the introduction of minimally invasive methods has led to a better understanding of surgery’s effects and will, hopefully, lead to new treatment strategies and approaches; the goal is to minimize the deleterious effects of surgery and to decrease recurrence rates and improve survival in cancer patients.
Estimating the patient care costs of teaching in a teaching hospital

Abstract Purpose Because leaders at medical schools and teaching hospitals need current data to estimate the clinical costs of graduate medical education, the authors developed a new methodology to estimate the hospital costs associated with the presence of teaching physicians for the year 2002. Method A hospital accounting system was used to determine the case mix-adjusted direct variable costs for 41522 inpatient admissions associated with or without a teaching physician. Results Prior to adjustment, teaching cases had greater median costs than non-teaching cases. After severity adjustment, teaching cases in aggregate were associated with an additional 4.4% of the total direct variable cost of inpatient admissions, or $3.6 million. The size of the teaching effect varied by service, ranging from −5.7% for medical services to 13 percent for behavioral services. The effect of teaching on cost centers such as laboratory, pharmacy, and radiology varied by specialty service. Teaching was associated with a negligible 0.7% relative difference in length of stay. Conclusion The incremental effects of teaching on hospital patient care costs are modest. These analyses can be repeated annually to detect changes in teaching costs and to target areas of excessive cost for interventions that improve efficiency. Our results and methods for identifying hospital costs associated with teaching services may prove useful in negotiations between academic health centers and affiliated teaching hospitals.
Wired for Warmth: Robotics as Moral Philosophy

An aspect of the relationship between philosophy and computer engineering is considered, with particular emphasis upon the design of artificial moral agents. Top-down vs. bottom-up approaches to ethical behavior are discussed, followed by an overview of some of the ways in which traditional ethics has informed robotics. Two macro-trends are then identified, one involving the evolution of moral consciousness in man and machine, the other involving the fading away of the boundary between the real and the virtual.
Arthroscopic Anatomy of the Equine Femoropatellar Joint and Approaches for Treatment of Osteochondritis Dissecans

Arthroscopic approaches to the femoropatellar joint were developed to determine their usefulness for evaluation and surgical treatment of osteochondritis dissecans. It was found that the articular cartilage of the lateral trochlear ridge, medial trochlear ridge, intertrochlear groove, patella, and the lateral and medial reflections of the joint capsule could be examined from an infrapatellar arthroscopic portal. The suprapatellar pouch could be examined partially. Lateral and medial instrument portals were evaluated to determine the accessibility of the lateral and medial trochlear ridges of the femur in the areas where osteochondritis dissecans lesions frequently occur. Sliding the arthroscope sleeve beneath the patella when entering the joint was associated with iatrogenic cartilage lesions. A new technique that directed the arthroscope lateral to the lateral trochlear ridge eliminated iatrogenic cartilage damage.
Comparative hybrid arrest by tandem antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotides or oligodeoxyribonucleoside methylpbosphonates in a cell-free system

Antisense oligonucleotides containing either anionic diester or neutral methylphosphonate internucleoside linkages were prepared by automated synthesis, and were compared for their ability to arrest translation of human dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) mRNA in a nuclease treated rabbit reticulocyte lysate. In the case of oligodeoxyribonucleotides, tandem targeting of three 14-mers resulted in synergistic and complete selective inhibition of DHFR synthesis at a total oligomer concentration of 25 microM. Hybrid arrest by three or six tandem oligodeoxyribonucleoside methylphosphonates was dramatically less effective. This difference does not result from preferential recognition of hybrids involving oligodeoxyribonucleotides by endogenous RNaseH activity. A ribonuclease protection assay demonstrated that antisense oligodeoxyribonucleoside methylphosphonates bind selectively to target RNA sequences, but with 275 fold lower affinity than the corresponding oligodeoxyribonucleotides. This low binding affinity results in poor arrest of translation, and may be related to the stereochemistry of the methylphosphonate linkage.
The DNA unwinding reaction catalyzed by Rep protein is facilitated by an RHSP - DNA interaction

Abstract The unwinding reaction catalyzed by the Escherichia coli Rep protein is stimulated by a small 15 kDa protein called Rep helicase stimulatory protein (RHSP)(1). The RHSP-stimulated unwinding reaction catalyzed by Rep protein proceeded at a rapid rate after a time lag of 1-2 min at 37 degrees C. This time lag was eliminated by preincubating RHSP with the DNA substrate, indicating that stimulation resulted from an interaction between RHSP and DNA. RHSP was shown to increase the rate as well as the extent of the unwinding reaction catalyzed by Rep protein. RHSP bound both single- and double-stranded DNA with apparent equal affinity, forming an unusually stable complex. Electron microscopy illustrated that the RHSP-DNA complex consisted of large protein aggregates bound to DNA forming a highly condensed, aggregated DNA-protein complex. The protein aggregates were not observed in the absence of DNA and appeared to form cooperatively in the presence of DNA. NH2-terminal amino acid sequence analysis suggested that RHSP was identical to E. coli ribosomal-protein L14. Binding assays showed that the interaction between RHSP and rRNA was similar to the RHSP-DNA interaction. Several models are put forth to explain the stimulation of the unwinding reaction catalyzed by Rep protein. In addition, the potential physiological significance of the RHSP-stimulated Rep protein unwinding reaction is discussed.
Indirect calorimetry in mechanically ventilated infants and children: measurement accuracy with absence of audible airleak.

OBJECTIVE To establish the effect of an audible airleak (around an endotracheal tube) on oxygen consumption (VO2) measurements in pediatric ICU patients. DESIGN Prospective trial comparing VO2 measurements before and after deflation of the endotracheal tube cuff. SETTING Pediatric ICU in a large pediatric tertiary care center. PATIENTS Twenty critically ill infants and children receiving mechanical ventilatory support via cuffed endotracheal tube. INTERVENTIONS Deflation of endotracheal tube cuff. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The presence (group 1, n = 9) or absence (group 2, n = 11) of an audible airleak with the cuff deflated was confirmed by two independent observers. The percent difference in VO2 was calculated for both groups using the following formula: ([VO2 cuff up - VO2 cuff down]/VO2 cuff up) x 100. An audible airleak associated with cuff deflation (group 1) caused a significant (p = .0012) reduction of VO2 by 45.6% (mean difference in VO2 = 45.6%). In contrast, with no audible airleak after cuff deflation (group 2), only minimal changes in VO2 (mean difference in VO2 = -0.4%) were observed. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that if no audible airleak is detected, VO2 determined by indirect calorimetry may be reliably measured in infants and children with a noncuffed endotracheal tube.
Risk factors for physical violence against partners in the U.S

OBJECTIVE: To examine unique and relative predictive values of demographic, social learning, developmental, psychopathology, and dyadic variables as risk factors for perpetration of intimate partner physical aggression in a national sample of married or cohabiting individuals. METHOD: Men (n = 798) and women (n = 770) were selected from the public use data file of the 2003 National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) which used a multistage cluster sampling design. RESULTS: Eight percent of women and 5% of men reported perpetrating physical aggression in the past year. Based on multivariable regression analyses, among men, the unique risk factors for perpetrating physical aggression were parental violence, dating before age 14, dating aggression, Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) before and after age 20, and being victimized by partner. Among women, significant risk factors were younger age, dating aggression, IED before age 20, cohabiting, victimization by partner, and marital/relationship strain. CONCLUSIONS: A number of social learning, developmental, adult psychopathology, and dyadic factors were significant. Two dyadic variables, victimization and marital strain, had by far the strongest associations with perpetration of partner aggression. Given that dating aggression and early IED were risk factors for male and female IPV much later in life suggests early interventions for those at risk.
CREG antigens differentially influence expression of extraarticular manifestations in whites and blacks with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract B27 and the CREG antigens (−7,−27, −40,−42, and −22) have been shown to be related to the spondyloarthropathies. We have studied the frequency distribution of these antigens in patients with RA. Two hundred ninety-six patients with either classical or definitive RA by ARA criteria were studied: 199 were whites and 97 were blacks. Appropriate local control subjects were also studied (242 whites and 283 blacks). In the white RA patients 48.7% possessed a CREG antigen (97 of 199) while in the black patients 28.9% were CREG positive (28 of 97). In the white control subjects, 45.9% had a CREG antigen and 31.4% for the black control subjects. The relationship between CREG antigens and disease expression was compared using clinical, demographic, radiologic, and therapeutic parameters. For the white group there was no difference in the age and sex, disease duration, functional capacity, anatomic grading, CM ratio, seropositivity, frequency of extraarticular manifestations (subcutaneous nodules, vasculitis, sicca symptoms, pleuropulmonary, or pericardial disease), frequency of remittive therapy, and toxicity to chrysotherapy. For the blacks all parameters were comparable except for a decrease in the frequency of extraarticular manifestations among the CREG-positive patients (21.4 vs. 46.4%) which is significant ( p Our data show no significant differences in the frequency of the CREG antigens in either blacks or whites with RA as compared to normal subjects. However, a possible sparing of some of the extraarticular manifestations of the disease appears to associate with the CREG antigens.
A general lower bound for the makespan problem

Abstract The problem of scheduling jobs on identical parallel processors to minimize makespan is NP-hard. We introduce a general lower bound which includes as special cases bounds that either dominate, or are equivalent to, lower bounds previously proposed in the literature. The general lower bound unifies earlier results and can be used to identify new bounds, improve previously proposed bounds, and extend bounds for the problem with identical processor ready times to the problem with variable processor ready times.
Health Inputs and Child Mortality: Malaysia

This paper is concerned with the relationship between child mortality and the use of health care. We develop a simultaneous model of fetal and postnatal mortality risks and input demand equations for prenatal medical care and institutional delivery. This model is applied to retrospective data from Peninsular Malaysia covering 1950-1988. The results show that prenatal medical care and institutional delivery have strong beneficial effects on child survival probabilities, and that these effects are substantially underestimated when adverse self-selection among users of health care is ignored. The effectiveness of prenatal health care in Malaysia improved until 1980, and then deteriorated. We find that the risk of infant and child mortality is not independent of fetal survival, but show that ignoring selective fetal survival introduces only mild biases in infant and child mortality estimation. Higher infant and child mortality rates among young mothers are partly explained by their lower likelihood of purchasing health care.
Does brand social power mean market might? Exploring the influence of brand social power on brand evaluations

The importance of brand equity has been recognized in the marketing literature for years. Although researchers generally agree there is a social component to brand equity, empirical work in this area stops short of exploring the brand's ability to exert a social influence on consumers and their choices. The present manuscript attempts to address this deficit and extend the brand equity literature by proposing a new construct—brand social power. Drawing from research on social influence and perceived power, five bases of brand social power are identified and a conceptual attempt is made to integrate brand social power with existing brand equity frameworks. The impact of brand social power is also examined empirically at the level of individual power bases, for overall brand social power, and in terms of brand equity. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Selected Enzyme Histochemistry of Sertoli Cells 1. Immature Rat Sertoli Cells in Vitro

Summary: Sertoli cells were collected from the testes of 21 day old, sexually imature Wistar rats. The cells were then incubated for 10 or 14 days in culture medium with or without the addition of FSH. This time period corresponds to the time period in vivo when rat Sertoli cells undergo active differentiation with concomitant histochemical and morphological changes. Cells cultured 10 and 14 days after initial plating were processed for the histochemical detection of three esterases and four dehydrogenases by observing relative staining intensities of azo dye precipitation and formazan reation product, respectively. Appropriate controls were established. The presence of FSH mildly increased the staining activity of LDH, SDH and G-6-PDH in both 10 and 14 day cultured cells. However, SDH staining intensity/cell did not increase to surpass LDH staining intensity/cell as it does in vivo during this period of time. Addition of FSH also slightly increased staining of non-specific esterase. Type B esterase and 3β-ol DH activity was not evident in 10 and 14 day cultured cells, even in the presence of FSH. Our results indicate that, based on histochemical parameters, immature Sertoli cells do not mature in culture commensurate with the cell in vivo. Ausgewahlte Enzymhistochemie der Sertolizellen 1. Unreife Ratten-Sertolizellen in vitro Zusammenfassung: Die Sertolizellen stammten aus den Hoden 21 Tage alter sexuell unreifer Wistar-Ratten. Diese Zellen wurden 10 oder 14 Tage in einem Kulturmedium mit und ohne Zugabe von FSH inkubiert. Diese Zeitspanne entspricht der Zeit in vivo, in der Sertolizellen sich aktiv differenzieren, verbunden mit histochemischen und morphologischen Anderungen Die 10 und 14 Tage kultivierten Zellen wurden nach dem Initialplating zum histochemischen Nachweis von drei Esterasen und vier Dehydrogenasen durch Beobachtung relativer Farbungsintensitaten der Azo-Farbstoff-Prazipiation und entsprechend der Formazan-Reaktion gebracht. Geeignete Kontrollen wurden erstellt. Die Gegenwart von FSH vermehrte die Farbeintensitat von LDH, SDH und G-6-PDH bei den 10 und 14 Tage kultivierten Zellen masig. Die SDH-Farbeintensitat pro Zelle stieg jedoch nicht hoher an als die LDH-Farbeintensitat pro Zelle, wie dies in vivo wahrend dieser Zeitspanne geschieht. Gibt man FSH zu, so wird die Farbeintensitat einer nicht spezifischen Esterase leicht erhoht. Typ-B-Esterase- und 3-betaol-DH-Aktivitat war in 10 und 14 Tage alten Zellkulturen selbst in Gegenwart von FSH nicht vorhanden. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, das nach histochemischen Parametern unreife Sertolizellen in Kultur nicht in entsprechendem Umfang reifen wie dies bei Zellen in vivo geschieht.
Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy of Magnetite at Low Temperature

The magnetocrystalline anisotropy of magnetite has been measured by the torque method between 4.2 and 110\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The anisotropy energy of the orthorhombic phase which exists below 114.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K is represented by the formula ${E}_{a}={K}_{a}{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{a}}^{2}+{K}_{b}{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{b}}^{2}+{K}_{\mathrm{aa}}{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{a}}^{4}+{K}_{\mathrm{ab}}{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{a}}^{2}{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{b}}^{2}+{K}_{\mathrm{bb}}{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{b}}^{4}$, where ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{a}$ and ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{b}$ are the direction cosines of the magnetization with respect to the hard and intermediate axes, respectively. The five anisotropy coefficients were determined from torque values measured in the cubic (001) and (011) planes in fields as large as 25 000 G. The values of ${K}_{a}$ and ${K}_{b}$ confirm the conclusion of Slonczewski that the anisotropy of the orthorhombic phase cannot be accounted for simply by a consideration of magnetic dipole, spin-orbit, and intra-atomic spin-spin interactions. With the exception of ${K}_{b}$, the anisotropy coefficients show little temperature dependence. An increase of ${K}_{b}$ by more than 40% between 4.2 and 110\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K is attributed to local disorder which is generated with an activation energy of 0.016 eV.
In Vitro Inhibition of Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis Virus by the Antiviral Agent Ribavirin

The multiplication in tissue cultures of three isolates of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis virus as well as the Edmonston strain of measles virus was observed to be inhibited by various concentrations of the antiviral agent ribavirin (1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide). The blockage of viral replication by ribavirin could be reversed by the simultaneous addition of equimolar concentrations of either guanosine or adenosine. Expression of virus-specific antigens was greatly reduced in the presence of the antiviral drug.
A Test of the Racial Contact Hypothesis from a Natural Experiment: Baseball's All‐Star Voting as a Case

Objective. The contact hypothesis is difficult to test because of selectivity bias: the direction of causation between contact and attitudes cannot be definitively determined. Selectivity bias can be avoided given a sample for which, for reasons unrelated to group member attitudes, whites divide into groups that differ systematically in the amount of contact they have with blacks. This paper uses a natural experiment that provides such a test: All-Star voting by baseball players versus fans. The average white player has more substantial and persistent contact with African Americans (as teammates) than does the average white fan, and the contact hypothesis would thus predict that players will discriminate less than fans, all else equal. Methods. Logistic, ordinary-least-squares (OLS), and tobit regressions are used to analyze the effect of candidate race on votes received, controlling for other factors. Results. No evidence is found of a differential in discrimination related to the amount of contact, although discrimination by both groups is found to decline between 1970 and 1980. Conclusion. The contact hypothesis is not supported; exogenous variations in the amount of interracial contact are not associated with difference in levels of discrimination.
Surface plasmon based sensor with order-of-magnitude higher sensitivity to electric field induced changes in dielectric environment at metal/nematic liquid-crystal interface

Abstract A highly sensitive surface plasmon based sensor is developed for monitoring changes in the dielectric environment at metal/dielectric interfaces. It consists of high-index prism/30–40 nm gold/nematic liquid crystal (E44)/indium-tin-oxide/glass structure, which enables measurements of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) curves by using the Kretschmann configuration. The baseline sensitivity of the device to changes in the refractive index is evaluated by using Au/air, Au/water, and Au/nematic liquid crystal (E44); the measured baseline sensitivity is in excellent agreement with theoretically predicted optimal sensitivity. The sensitivity of the device to electric field induced changes in the refractive index of the material at the interface, however, is 28-times higher than previously known value for a similar sensor. Effects related to the periodic alignment of the liquid crystal on gold surface and surface plasmon mediated diffraction are investigated.
Quantification of branched-chain keto acids in tissue by ultra fast liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Branched-chain keto acids (BCKAs) are associated with increased susceptibility to several degenerative diseases. However, BCKA concentrations in tissues or the amounts of tissue available are frequently at the limit of detection for standard plasma methods. To accurately and quickly determine tissue BCKAs, we have developed a sensitive ultra fast liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UFLC–MS) method. BCKAs from deproteinized tissue extractions were o-phenylenediamine (OPD) derivatized, ethyl acetate extracted, lyophilized in a vacuum centrifuge, and reconstituted in 200 mM ammonium acetate. Samples were injected onto a Shimadzu UFLC system coupled to an AB-Sciex 5600 Triple TOF mass spectrometer instrument that detected masses of the OPD BCKA products using a multiple reaction monitoring method. An OPD-derivatized 13C-labeled keto acid was used as an internal standard. Application of the method for C57BL/6J (wild-type) and PP2Cm knockout mouse tissues, including kidney, adipose tissue, liver, gastrocnemius, and hypothalamus, is shown. The lowest tissue concentration measured by this method was 20 nM, with the standard curve covering a wide range (7.8–32,000 nM). Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry run times for this assay were less than 5 min, facilitating high throughput, and the OPD derivatives were found to be stable over several days.
ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY MAKING: ADJUDICATION BY THE BOARD OF IMMIGRATION APPEALS IN ASYLUM‐RELATED APPEALS 1980–1987

This analysis examines the extent to which the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), from 1980 to 1987, complied with a new policy of Congress, set forth in the Refugee Act of 1980, which called for an elimination of bias in favor of aliens from hostile countries. Statistical analysis reveals that the BIA did not enforce the Refugee Act of 1980. I argue that Congress never intended to eliminate this bias since doing so would bring it into conflict with actors within the executive branch (including the President and the State Department) that have traditionally dominated policy-making relating to refugees and asylees. Instead, in the Refugee Act of 1980, Congress allowed these actors to retain control through a broad definition of “refugee” and by failing to clearly specify standards for political asylum and withholding of deportation. Simultaneously, Congress temporarily placated private and public “refugee rights” interest groups with statutory provisions that (presumably) eliminated the hostile country bias in U.S. refugee and asylum admis- sions, and granted increased federal aid to private organizations and units of state and local governments.
Mucosal Wave: A Normophonic Study Across Visualization Techniques

Visualization of vocal fold vibration is essential for accurate diagnoses and optimal treatment of persons with voice disorders. Recently, scientific and anecdotal reports have evidenced an increased amount of variation in the diagnostically relevant features of extent and symmetry of mucosal wave magnitude in normophonic speakers. The objectives of this study were to preliminarily ascertain the variation in mucosal wave magnitude and symmetry for normophonic speakers as assessed via standard and novel techniques, and compare findings across modal and pressed phonations. A correlational design with a multiple baseline across visualization methods approach was used. Mucosal wave presence, magnitude, and symmetry from 52 normophonic speakers were judged via stroboscopy, high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) playback, mucosal wave playback, and mucosal wave kymography playback. Results demonstrate a prevalence of atypical magnitude and symmetry of mucosal wave during modal and pressed phonations by normophonic persons, differences across techniques, and a relationship between judgments and habitual fundamental frequency. Given the prevalence of mucosal wave magnitude and symmetry variations in the normophonic population, overdiagnosis may be possible without caution. The various visualization techniques provided unique information suggesting that it may be beneficial to use both full view and kymographic visualization techniques in combination. A major restriction of the current commercial HSV systems is the frame rate, typically limited to 2000 frames per second, which appears insufficient for most female habitual phonations.
The Communist Doctrine of the Inevitability of War

Since 1959 one of the most noted ideological issues in the Sino-Soviet conflict has been the question of the “inevitability of war.” Krushchev had brought up this subject at the Twentieth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in February 1956, where he proclaimed as no longer applicable “a Marxist-Leninist precept that wars are inevitable as long as imperialism exists.” His objective in this exercise in revisionism was to rid the foreign policy and the international image of the Soviet Union of a doctrinal liability. Coming to terms with the realities of the thermo-nuclear stalemate, the Soviet leaders had decided to emphasize “peaceful coexistence” (interpreted by them as political, ideological and economic struggle) as the “highest form of class struggle” and the road to victory over Western capitalism. On the ideological plane, this optimistic vision clearly called for the scrapping of a tenet-inevitability of war- according to which, given present-day military technology, the triumph of socialism would have been precluded by the disappearance of the human species. This, and no more, lay behind Khrushchev's pronouncement of 1956, since raised to an article of Soviet dogma, that war can be avoided. “Avoidability of war” became the doctrinal complement to the global strategy and propaganda line of “peaceful coexistence.”
Health—Related Quality of Life Assessment and the Pharmaceutical Industry

Concerns about cost containment in healthcare and interest in the impact of medical treatment on patient health status and well—being have increased the emphasis on health—related quality of life (HRQOL) research. HRQOL assessment as part of the development and evaluation of pharmaceuticals is a reality and is likely to increase over time. HRQOL studies may assist industry in the regulatory approval process, for marketing purposes, and to assist physicians and healthcare managers in making decisions about alternative drug therapies. HRQOL studies provide physicians with complete information about the benefits and risks of drug treatments in terms of patient physical, psychological, and social functioning and well—being. HRQOL measures, especially health utility assessments, can contribute to defining health outcomes in cost—effectiveness analyses. HRQOL studies need to be planned early in the drug development process and careful attention must be made to selecting comparative medical treatments, instrumentation, data collection protocols, length of follow—up, and sample size for these studies. It is important to address issues of investigator and other sources of bias. There is evidence that the pharmaceutical industry is increasing the use of HRQOL outcomes in clinical studies. Healthcare decision—makers, physicians and patients are demanding that industry demonstrate the impact of a new drug on patient HRQOL in addition to safety and efficacy. Clearly, HRQOL represents an important indicator of the benefit of pharmaceuticals.
Chronic but not acute estradiol treatment protects against the neurodegenerative effects of N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor antagonists

Drugs that block NMDA receptors, thereby inducing an NMDA receptor hypofunctional (NRHypo) state, can cause a disseminated pattern of irreversible neurodegeneration. Based on several lines of evidence, an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor hypofunction (NRHypo) mechanism has been postulated to contribute to neurodegenerative changes in Alzheimer disease (AD). Because estrogen putatively exerts a neuroprotective effect in AD, we examined whether estrogen protects against NRHypo-induced neurodegeneration. We administered estradiol benzoate in three separate experiments to adult female rats: (1) 100 µg subcutaneously as a onetime dose, (2) 100 µg bid twice daily for 4.5 or 14 d, and 3) 300 µg twice daily for 4.5 d. Two hours after the last estradiol dose, MK-801 was administered (0.5 mg/kg subcutaneously) to produce a robust neurotoxic injury. Controls received MK-801, but no estradiol. Four hours after administration of MK-801, the severity of injury was evaluated histologically by quantitative methods previously described. Compared to controls, a single dose of estradiol produced no change in the severity of injury (p=0.24). Chronic treatment with estradiol was associated with a 25–35% reduction in the number of injured neurons (p<0.05 in all cases). We conclude that chronic but not acute estradiol treatment reduces the severity of NRHypo-induced neurodegeneration.
Recovering value from beef carcasses classified as dark cutters by United States Department of Agriculture graders.

Effects of the dark-cutting condition were examined on commercially slaughtered beef carcass sides that were classified into groups exhibiting 1/ 3, 1/2, and full degrees of the dark-cutting (DEGDC) condition, as evaluated by a USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service grader (n = 20 per group). Twenty-nine muscles of each carcass side were evaluated to determine the ultimate pH and color (L*, a*, and b*). Fourteen beef muscles (biceps femoris, deep pectoral, chuck complexus, gluteus medius, infraspinatus, latissimus dorsi, psoas major, longissimus thoracis, longissimus lumborum, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, triceps brachii long head, tensor fasciae latae, and vastus lateralis) were evaluated using Warner-Bratzler Shear force (WBSF) and a trained sensory panel. The muscle x DEGDC interaction was significant for ultimate pH, L*, a*, and b* values (P 0.05), but differences were detected among muscles (P < 0.05). Several muscles were considered salvageable from the dark-cutting carcasses that were evaluated, and no significant differences in sensory scores or WBSF between DEGDC classes suggested equal sensory expectations for muscles from dark-cutting carcasses.
Strongyloides stercoralis infection in a patient with sickle cell disease

Strongyloides stercoralis is a common intestinal parasitic nematode that infects a large portion of the world’s population, and is endemic to tropical and sub-tropical regions. Infected individuals are often asymptomatic, but may have abdominal pain, diarrhea and other nonspecific findings. Immunocompromised hosts may develop massive invasion of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, which represents a constellation of symptoms known as hyperinfection syndrome. This condition is most commonly seen in immunosuppressed individuals including renal allograft recipients, patients with human T-lymphotropic virus, and patients using corticosteroids. Along these lines, sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is a condition that is marked by functional asplenia and a relative state of immunocompromise, which may increase the incidence of hyperinfection. Along with the predisposition to encapsulated organisms, SCA patients may be unusually susceptible to parasitic infections, which may trigger sickle cell crises (Sodipo et al., 1997). Furthermore, blood samples from SCA patients have demonstrated increased eosinophil numbers and adhesion properties, which may also contribute to the vasoocclusive state (Canalli et al., 2004). Given the observations that strongyloidiasis is characterized by eosinophilia and eosinophils in SCA individuals may be implicated in vasoocclusive crisis (VOC), further data are necessarily to investigate the association between SCA and S. stercoralis infection. We describe a patient with SCA and chronic eosinophilia who presented to our hospital with diarrhea and VOC. She was found to have S. stercoralis infection, and experienced symptomatic improvement following the administration of ivermectin.
Control-Flow Decoupling

Mobile and PC/server class processor companies continue to roll out flagship core micro architectures that are faster than their predecessors. Meanwhile placing more cores on a chip coupled with constant supply voltage puts per-core energy consumption at a premium. Hence, the challenge is to find future micro architecture optimizations that not only increase performance but also conserve energy. Eliminating branch mispredictions -- which waste both time and energy -- is valuable in this respect. We first explore the control-flow landscape by characterizing mispredictions in four benchmark suites. We find that a third of mispredictions-per-1K-instructions (MPKI) come from what we call separable branches: branches with large control-dependent regions (not suitable for if-conversion), whose backward slices do not depend on their control-dependent instructions or have only a short dependence. We propose control-flow decoupling (CFD) to eradicate mispredictions of separable branches. The idea is to separate the loop containing the branch into two loops: the first contains only the branch's predicate computation and the second contains the branch and its control-dependent instructions. The first loop communicates branch outcomes to the second loop through an architectural queue. Micro architecturally, the queue resides in the fetch unit to drive timely, non-speculative fetching or skipping of successive dynamic instances of the control-dependent region. Either the programmer or compiler can transform a loop for CFD, and we evaluate both. On a micro architecture configured similar to Intel's Sandy Bridge core, CFD increases performance by up to 43%, and reduces energy consumption by up to 41%. Moreover, for some applications, CFD is a necessary catalyst for future complexity-effective large-window architectures to tolerate memory latency.
Indications and outcomes for surgical treatment of patients with chronic migraine headaches caused by occipital neuralgia.

Background: Occipital neuralgia is a headache syndrome characterized by paroxysmal headaches localizing to the posterior scalp. The critical diagnostic feature is symptomatic response to local anesthetic blockade of the greater or lesser occipital nerve. Further characterization is debated in the literature regarding the diagnosis and optimal management of this condition. The authors present the largest reported series of surgical neurolysis of the greater occipital nerve in the management of occipital neuralgia. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify 206 consecutive patients undergoing neurolysis of the greater or, less commonly, excision of the greater and/or lesser occipital nerves. A detailed description of the procedure is presented, as is the algorithm for patient selection and timing of surgery. Preoperative and postoperative visual analogue pain scores and migraine headache indices were measured. Success was defined as a reduction in pain of 50 percent or greater. Results: Of 206 patients, 190 underwent greater occipital nerve neurolysis (171 bilateral). Twelve patients underwent greater and lesser occipital nerve excision, whereas four underwent lesser occipital nerve excision alone. The authors found that 80.5 percent of patients experienced at least 50 percent pain relief and 43.4 percent of patients experienced complete relief of headache. Mean preoperative pain score was 7.9 ± 1.4. Mean postoperative pain was 1.9 ± 1.8. Minimum duration of follow-up was 12 months. There were two minor complications. Conclusion: Neurolysis of the greater occipital nerve appears to provide safe, durable pain relief in the majority of selected patients with chronic headaches caused by occipital neuralgia.
Inclusion theorems for a section of a matrix

Theorems relating the eigensystem of a matrix to a so-called section of the matrix are given. These results are applicable in analysing a class of algorithms to solveAx=?x.
Artificial [FeFe]-Hydrogenase: On Resin Modification of an Amino Acid to Anchor a Hexacarbonyldiiron Cluster in a Peptide Framework

A general method for immobilization of synthetic analogues of the [FeFe]‐hydrogenase in designed peptides via on resin modification of an amino acid side chain with a dithiol functional group is described. Utilizing a unique amine side chain as anchor, the dithiol unit is coupled to the peptide via formation of an amide. This dithiol unit precisely positions the two required sulfur atoms for the formation of a [(μ‐SRS){Fe(CO)3}2] cluster on reaction with [Fe3(CO)12]. UV/Vis and FTIR spectroscopy demonstrate formation of the desired complex.
On the Superposition of Inductive and Capacitive Coupling in Crosstalk-Prediction Models

An examination of traditional low-frequency crosstalk-prediction models is presented. From the exact solution of the transmission-line equations for a 3-conductor line, it is shown that superimposing crosstalk contributions due to mutual inductance and mutual capacitance between the two circuits is valid for a sufficiently small frequency. The widely held notion that one may superimpose the effects of both mutual and self elements ( inductance and capacitance) is shown to be incorrect.
Imaging 26S proteasome activity and inhibition in living mice

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is the central mediator of regulated proteolysis in cells, and defects in this pathway are associated with cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. To assess 26S proteasome function in living animals, we developed a ubiquitin-luciferase reporter for bioluminescence imaging. The reporter was degraded rapidly under steady-state conditions and stabilized in a dose- and time-dependent manner in response to proteasome inhibitors. Using bioluminescence imaging after one dose of the chemo-therapeutic proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (PS-341), proteasome function in tumor xenografts was blocked within 30 min and returned to nearly baseline by 46 h. After a 2-week regimen of bortezomib, however, imaging of target tumors showed significantly enhanced proteasome inhibition that no longer returned to baseline. The ubiquitin-luciferase reporter enables repetitive tissue-specific analysis of 26S proteasome activity in vivo and should facilitate development and validation of proteasome inhibitors in mouse models, as well as investigations of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in disease pathogenesis.
Evidence for step-function zoning of magma and eruptive dynamics, Toquima caldera complex, Nevada

Analyses of bulk tuff, fiamme groundmasses, and biotite of eruptive units from the Toquima caldera complex, provide insights on the nature of compositional zoning of magma and on the eruptive dynamics of a zoned chamber. Samples of bulk tuff consist of one to several petrographically and compositionally different types of fiamme. The diversity of fiamme is generally least in the first-erupted parts of units but increases with stratigraphic height as less silicic fiamme types join the assemblage. As a result, analyses of bulk tuff, although yielding systematic zoning trends, represent only a minimum range of magma compositions tapped because of mixing of fiamme groups. Microprobe analyses of fiamme groundmasses cluster into tight compositional groups corresponding to petrographically distinctive types of fiamme. Fiamme groups are separated by small, but significant compositional gaps (<4% SiO2) which are not evident in analyses of bulk tuff. Biotite compositional data mimic that of fiamme and cluster into discrete groups that also correlate with petrographically identifiable types of fiamme. The discontinuous compositional zoning of fiamme and biotite suggests that magma was zoned in a stepwise fashion, analogous to zoning patterns developed in experiments modelling boundary-layer and convective fractionation in high-level magma chambers. In such experiments, a series of compositionally distinct, internally convecting layers are produced whose boundaries are characterized by abrupt transitions in composition and density. Reversals in the upward mafic trend of units correspond to discontinuous horizons of tuffaceous sedimentary rocks. These compositional overlaps are interpreted to reflect eruption of residual silicic layers of magma that restratified below the vent during pauses in the eruptive cycle. Similarly, horizons of tuff containing several types of fiamme and multiple compositional populations of biotite are considered to form during periods of accelerated rates of eruption, perhaps occasioned by cauldron subsidence and vent widening, in which several compositional layers of magma are tapped concurrently. Careful analysis of juvenile constituents in ash-flow tuffs in conjunction with well-constrained field relations can provide meaningful information on compositional zoning of magma and dynamics of eruption.
The phototoxicity of some 1,3-butadienes and related thiophenes against larvae of the mosquito Aedes aegypti and of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

A number of butadienes and their thiophene congeners were found to be phototoxic toward the larvae of the mosquito Aedes aegypti and of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Only the first instar larvae of the fruit fly were killed by the chemical treatment in the presence of long wavelength ultraviolet light (UVA), while the mosquito larvae were all affected by a similar treatment which was performed with either UVA or natural daylight. With one exception, the mosquito larvae were all killed within 1 hr of daylight exposure in the presence of an average concentration of 0.8 ppm of the phototoxin. The fruit fly larvae were killed within 20 min of exposure to UVA when in contact with a filter paper disc containing 1.13 × 10−5 g/cm2 of the phototoxin.