cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oral minoxidil treatment for hair loss: A review of efficacy and safety.

Background Although topical minoxidil is an effective treatment option for hair loss, many patients are poorly compliant because of the necessity to apply the medication twice a day, undesirable hair texture, and scalp irritation. Objective In recent years, oral minoxidil at low dose has been proposed as a safe alternative. This study reviewed articles in which oral minoxidil was used to treat hair loss to determine its efficacy and safety as an alternative to topical minoxidil. Methods PubMed searches were performed to identify articles discussing oral minoxidil as the primary form of treatment for hair loss published up to April 2020. Results A total of 17 studies with 634 patients were found discussing the use of oral minoxidil as the primary treatment modality for hair loss. Androgenetic alopecia was the most studied condition, but other conditions included telogen effluvium, lichen planopilaris, loose anagen hair syndrome, monilethrix, alopecia areata, and permanent chemotherapy-induced alopecia. Limitations Larger randomized studies comparing the efficacy/safety of different doses with standardized objective measurements will be needed to clarify the best treatment protocol. Conclusion Oral minoxidil was found to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment alternative for healthy patients having difficulty with topical formulations.
E-039 Clinical characteristics of traumatic brain injury patients undergoing endovascular rescue for post-traumatic vasospasm

Background Cerebral vasospasm is a serious sequela of traumatic brain injury (TBI) which leads to further neurologic injury subsequent to the initial trauma. The natural history, associated risk factors, and the optimal treatment strategy is not well understood. We aim to evaluate the clinical and radiographic characteristics of patients with TBI who underwent endovascular rescue therapy for post-traumatic vasospasm (PTV). Methods This is a descriptive case series of all patients with TBI who underwent endovascular rescue therapy for PTV between October 2017 to November 2019. We studied the clinical characteristics - age, sex, Glascow coma scale (GCS), need for craniotomy or craniectomy, radiographic characteristics on the CT scan on the day of presentation, presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), location of SAH, presence of contusion, presence of SDH, and presence of pseudoaneurysm of the patients who underwent rescue therapy. The timing of occurrence of vasospasm, severity of spasm on angiography, type of rescue therapy and dose of medication used were also studied. We evaluated association of these clinical characteristics with cumulative severity of vasospasm observed on angiography. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Results We identified 22 patients with PTV with 69 rescue angiograms performed (mean: 3.2; range: 1–9 angiograms per patient) during this period. Average age upon presentation was 40-years old, 81% of the patients were male sex and average GCS was 6.8. Sixty-seven percent of the patients underwent craniotomy or craniectomy. All patients had SAH, though only 60% had cisternal SAH. Parenchymal contusion was noted on 90% as well as SDH in 90%. The PTV were noted between 3 to 19 days after trauma. All patients undergoing rescue therapy received verapamil infusion (5–35 mg). There was no correlation (r2 >0.5) between any of the clinical or radiographic variables studied and cumulative or average severity noted on the angiograms for each patient. Conclusion Post-traumatic vasospasm can be detected as early as post trauma day 3 to 19 in patients with TBI and SAH. Absence of cisternal SAH does not rule out occurrence of the vasospasm during the course of treatment. Disclosures K. Khatibi: None. L. Ponce Mejia: None. H. Saber: None. N. Kenoko: None. R. Jahan: None. S. Tateshima: None. M. Nour: None. G. Colby: None. G. Duckwiler: None. V. Szeder: None.
Essentials of Insulinoma Localization with Selective Arterial Calcium Stimulation and Hepatic Venous Sampling

Insulinomas are the most common functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. Most insulinomas can be localized non-invasively with cross-sectional and nuclear imaging. Selective arterial calcium stimulation and hepatic venous sampling is an effective and safe minimally-invasive procedure for insulinoma localization that may be utilized when non-invasive techniques are inconclusive. The procedure’s technical success and proper interpretation of its results is dependent on the interventional radiologist’s knowledge of normal and variant pancreatic arterial perfusion. Accurate pre-operative localization aids in successful surgical resection. Technical and anatomic considerations of insulinoma localization with selective arterial calcium stimulation and hepatic venous sampling are reviewed.
Schutzian Resources for a Comprehensive Phenomenology of the Holy

Espen Dahl argues that Alfred Schutz succumbs to the logic of separation that isolates the holy from everyday life insofar as he presents a self-enclosed life-world that is stable, relatively unchanging, and easily integrated and that cannot allow anything alien to enter its confines. However, Schutz’s views on imposed relevances, revisable typifications, and temporality portray a world that is ever in flux and unpredictable, and his theory of multiple realities and symbolism enables him to argue for a transcendent that is appresented throughout everyday life while preserving its transcendence by belonging to a separable religious reality and yet actively intervening in everyday life. Schutz affords abundant comprehensive resources for Dahl’s insightful analyses of the relationship of phenomenology to the holy through Schutz’s account of the tension of consciousness, the form of self-experience, the distinction between the religious and theoretic provinces of meaning, the epoche that discloses the sacred in the profane, a form of spontaneity that supports bodily engagement in worship, the inescapability of natural language, and social relationships and time.
Consensus Control of Linear Multi-Agent Systems with Non-uniform Time-varying Communication Delays.

This paper is concerned with the consensus problem for multi-agent systems subject to communication delays between the neighboring agents. We consider a scenario where each agent is characterized by a general high-order linear system and the communication delays between the agents are non-uniform and time-varying. We design a distributed control protocol for the agents and provide an equivalent stability problem to be solved that guarantees the state consensus in the group of agents. Moreover, a delay-dependent stability criterion is provided by combining the Lyapunov-Krasovskii method with the linear matrix inequality approach.
An Introduction to Latin American Philosophy

Latin American philosophy is best understood as a type of applied philosophy devoted to issues related to the culture and politics of Latin America. This introduction provides a comprehensive overview of its central topics. It explores not only the unique insights offered by Latin American thinkers into the traditional pre-established fields of Western philosophy, but also the many 'isms' developed as a direct result of Latin American thought. Many concern matters of practical ethics and social and political philosophy, such as Lascasianism, Arielism, Bolivarism, modest and immodest feminisms, republicanism, positivism, Marxism, and liberationism. But there are also meta-philosophical 'isms' such as originalism and perspectivism. Together with clear and accessible discussions of the major issues and arguments, the book offers helpful summaries, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of terms. It will be valuable for all readers wanting to explore the richness and diversity of Latin American philosophy.
Perceptions of custody: Similarities and disparities among police, judges, social psychologists, and laypeople.

OBJECTIVE Custody is a legal state that requires police to Mirandize suspects and, in some jurisdictions, to record their interrogation. The present study compared the custody perceptions of police, judges, social psychologists, and laypeople. HYPOTHESES We predicted that (a) high-custody vignettes would elicit less perceived freedom than low-custody vignettes; (b) police and judges would see these situations as less custodial relative to social psychologists and laypeople; (c) these differences would arise mostly in ambiguous vignettes; and (d) participants in general would perceive suspects as objectively having more freedom to leave than they subjectively feel they have. METHOD Police officers (n = 223), trial judges (n = 219), social psychologists (n = 228), and laypeople (n = 205) read a vignette of a police-suspect encounter that presented high-, ambiguous, or low-levels of custody and indicated their perceptions of the suspect's freedom to leave. RESULTS Participants perceived the most freedom in the low-custody vignettes, followed by ambiguous and high-custody vignettes, and all groups differed significantly from each other (ηp2 = .39). Police and judges overestimated how free they thought the suspect would feel compared to social psychologists and laypeople, who did not differ from each other (ηp2 = .085). Participants in general saw the suspect as objectively freer than they thought he felt, and themselves as feeling freer than they believed the suspect did (ηp2 = .35). Police defined a "reasonable person" as someone who is mentally stable, whereas judges were more likely to cite a person of average intelligence. CONCLUSION Despite the assumption that custody can be defined by the effects of objective circumstances on the reasonable person, results revealed substantial variation of perceptions between police and judges on the one hand, and social psychologists and laypeople on the other. As a result, legal safeguards triggered by custodial interrogation may be inconsistently applied to real suspects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Taking a Chance to Recover: Families Look Back on the Decision to Pursue Tracheostomy After Severe Acute Brain Injury

Tracheostomy represents one important and value-laden treatment decision after severe acute brain injury (SABI). Whether to pursue this life-sustaining treatment typically hinges on intense conversations between family and clinicians. The aim of this study was, among a cohort of patient who had undergone tracheostomy after SABI, to explore the long-term reflections of patients and their families as they look back on this decision. For this qualitative study, we reviewed the electronic medical records of patients with SABI who underwent tracheostomy. We included all patients who were admitted to our 30-bed neuro-intensive care unit with SABI and underwent tracheostomy between November 2017 and October 2019. Using purposive sampling, we invited survivors and family members to participate in telephone interviews greater than 3 months after SABI until thematic saturation was reached. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed by using thematic analysis. Overall, 38 patients with SABI in the neuro-intensive care unit underwent tracheostomy. The mean age of patients was 49 (range 18–81), with 19 of 38 patients diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and 19 of 38 with stroke. We interviewed 20 family members of 18 of 38 patients at a mean of 16 (SD 9) months after hospitalization. The mean patient age among those with an interview was 50 (range 18–76); the mean modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) was 4.7 (SD 0.8) at hospital discharge. At the time of the interview, ten patients lived at home and two in a skilled nursing facility and had a mean mRS of 2.6 (SD 0.9), and six had died. As families reflected on the decision to proceed with a tracheostomy, two themes emerged. First, families did not remember tracheostomy as a choice because the uncertain chance of recovery rendered the certain alternative of death unacceptable or because they valued survival above all and therefore could not perceive an alternative to life-sustaining treatment. Second, families identified a fundamental need to receive supportive, consistent communication centering around compassion, clarity, and hope. When this need was met, families were able to reflect on the tracheostomy decision with peace, regardless of their loved one’s eventual outcome. After SABI, prognostic uncertainty almost transcends the concept of choice. Families who proceeded with a tracheostomy saw it as the only option at the time. High-quality communication may mitigate the stress surrounding this high-stakes decision.
Exploring Strategy and Performance Differences Between U.S. and European Businesses in Europe

Increasing internationalization of business and markets has led to a greater need for understanding international competitive strategy. One approach has been a focus on national origins of companies as important influences on strategy. Much less attention is placed on environmental context or organizational characteristics as influences. This paper compares the strategies, performance levels and environmental contexts of U.S. and European - owned businesses. Findings point to an influencing role for both national origin and environmental factors.
Synergetic computers and cognition

1. Goal.- 2. What Are Patterns?.- 3. Associative Memory.- 4. Synergetics - An Outline.- 5. The Standard Model of Synergetics for Pattern Recognition.- 6. Examples: Recognition of Faces and of City Maps.- 7. Possible Realizations by Networks.- 8. Simultaneous Invariance with Respect to Translation, Rotation and Scaling.- 9. Recognition of Complex Scenes. Scene-Selective Attention.- 10. Learning Algorithms.- 11. Learning of Processes and Associative Action.- 12. Comparisons Between Human Perception and Machine "Perception".- 13. Oscillations in the Perception of Ambiguous Patterns.- 14. Dynamic Pattern Recognition of Coordinated Biological Motion.- 15. Realization of the Logical Operation XOR by a Synergetic Computer.- 16. Towards the Neural Level.- 17. Concluding Remarks and Outlook.- Bibliography and Comments.
Linear Optimal Control of Tokamak Fusion Devices

This paper examines the control of plasma position, shape, and current in a tokamak fusion reactor using linear optimal control. These advanced tokamaks are characterized by non-up-down symmetric coils and structure, thick structure surrounding the plasma, eddy currents, shaped plasmas, superconducting coils, vertically unstable plasmas, and hybrid function coils providing ohmic heating, vertical field, radial field, and shaping field. Modes of the electromagnetic environment in a tokamak are derived and used to construct control gains that are tested in nonlinear simulations with initial perturbations. The issues of applying linear optimal control to advanced tokamaks are addressed, including complex equilibrium control, choice of cost functional weights, the coil voltage limit, discrete control, and order reduction. Results indicate that linear optimal control is a feasible technique for controlling advanced tokamaks where the more common classical control, relying on the scalar/orthogonalized description, will be severely strained.
Countering Counterfeiters; Expediting Customs Process

This article will provide new and first comprehensive analysis on the Current Interim Rule passed by Customs and Border Protection(CBP), analyzing the alternative policy, which accelerates the seizure procedure. The focus of this paper is balancing CBP’s regulatory actions in both seizure of counterfeit merchandize and the legitimate goods. The idea is to promulgate the standard in the seizure procedure accelerating the process and to cut down the number of information that is disclosed to the right holders. To implement this speedy procedure, this article provides a solution to disseminate the concern arising, by laying out a farfetched idea that helps CBP in balancing the act. This article gives an alternative solution to the long-standing concern to CBP, of the importers at the time of entry into the United States. Further on this paper reinforces the “legitimate importer” to compete with the trademark right holders in the United States by understanding their persistent concern.
Static analysis meets distributed fault-tolerance: enabling state-machine replication with nondeterminism

Midas is an inter-disciplinary approach to supporting state-machine replication for nondeterministic distributed applications. The approach exploits compile-time static analysis to identify both firsthand and second-hand sources of nondeterminism. Subsequent runtime compensation occurs through either the transfer of nondeterministic checkpoints or the re-execution of inserted code, and restores consistency among replicas before each new client request. The approach avoids the need for lock-step synchronization and leverages application-level insight to address only the nondeterminism that matters. Our preliminary evaluation demonstrates Midas' feasibility and current performance overheads.
Acquisition of General Adaptive Features by Evolution

We investigate the following question. Do populations of evolving agents adapt only to their recent environment or do general adaptive features appear over time? We find statistically significant appearance of general adaptive features in a spatially distributed population of prisoner's dilemma playing agents in a noisy environment. Multiple populations are evolved in an evolutionary algorithm structured as a cellular automaton with states drawn from a rich set of prisoner's dilemma strategies. Populations are sampled early and at the end of a ten-thousand generation simulation. Modern and archaic populations are then placed in competition. We test the hypothesis that competition between an archaic and modern population yields probability p=0.5 of modern populations out-competing archaic ones. The hypothesis is rejected at a confidence level of 99.5% using a binomial probability model in each of seven variations of our basic experiment.
Primary Arithmetic Based on Piaget’s Constructivism

Piaget distinguished three kinds of knowledge (physical, logico-mathematical, and social-conventional knowledge) according to their ultimate sources. He showed scientifically that children acquire logico-mathematical knowledge, including number concepts, by construction from within rather than by internalization from the environment. Based on this theory, I hypothesized that children should be able to invent addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division without any textbook, workbook, drill, or conventional algorithms. This hypothesis has been amply verified in grades 1–3 (Kamii, 1985, 1989, 1994, 2000), and I am now working with fourth graders.
The ergodic theory of discrete isometry groups on manifolds of variable negative curvature

This paper studies the ergodic theory at infinity of an arbitrary discrete isometry group Γ acting on any Hadamard manifold H of pinched variable negative curvature. Most of the results obtained by Sullivan in the constant curvature case are generalized to the case of variable curvature. We describe connections between measures supported on the limit set of Γ, dynamics of the geodesic flow and the geometry of M = H/Γ. We explore the relationship between the growth exponent of the group, the Hausdorff dimension of the limit set and the topological entropy of the geodesic flow. The equivalence of various descriptions of an analogue of the Hopf dichotomy is proved. As applications, we settle a question of J. Feldman and M. Ratner about the horocycle flow on a finite volume surface of negative curvature and obtain an asymptotic formula for the counting function of lattice points. At the end of this paper, we apply our results to the study of some rigidity problems. More applications to Mostow rigidity for discrete subgroups of rank 1 noncompact semisimple Lie groups with infinite covolume will be published in subsequent papers by the author. Notations • H is a Hadamard manifold with pinched sectional curvature −K 2 ≤ K ≤ −K 1 , K2 ≥ K1 > 0. • Γ is a (non-elementary) discrete isometry group acting on H freely and properly discontinuously (which is called Fuchsian). • ∂H is the ideal boundary of H. • M = H/Γ is a complete Riemannian manifold. • SH (or SM) is the unit tangent bundle. • g is the geodesic flow on SH (or SM). • v(t) is the unique geodesic in SH (resp. SM) with the initial velocity v(0) = v ∈ SH (resp. SM). • v(∞) (resp. v(−∞)) is the asymptotic class of the geodesic v(t) (resp. v(−t)). • L(Γ) is the limit set of Γ on ∂H. • L(Γ) is the radical limit set of Γ in L(Γ). • Ω = Ω(Γ) is the nonwandering set of the geodesic flow on SM Received by the editors May 7, 1995. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 58F17; Secondary 58F11, 58F15, 20H10. Research at MSRI supported by NSF Grant #DMS 8505550. Also partially supported by NSF Grant #DMS 9403870 and SFB 170. c ©1996 American Mathematical Society
An Analysis of Prudential Value

This essay introduces and defends a new analysis of prudential value. According to this analysis, what it is for something to be good for you is for that thing to contribute to the appeal or desirability of being in your position. I argue that this proposal fits well with our ways of talking about prudential value and well-being; enables promising analyses of luck, selfishness, self-sacrifice and paternalism; preserves the relationship between prudential value and the attitudes of concern, love, pity and envy; and satisfies various other desiderata. I also highlight two ways in which the analysis is informative and can lead to progress in our substantive theorizing about the good life.
Clickable protein nanocapsules for targeted delivery of recombinant p53 protein.

Encapsulating anticancer protein therapeutics in nanocarriers is an attractive option to minimize active drug destruction, increase local accumulation at the disease site, and decrease side effects to other tissues. Tumor-specific ligands can further facilitate targeting the nanocarriers to tumor cells and reduce nonspecific cellular internalization. Rationally designed non-covalent protein nanocapsules incorporating copper-free “click chemistry” moieties, polyethylene glycol (PEG) units, redox-sensitive cross-linker, and tumor-specific targeting ligands were synthesized to selectively deliver intracellular protein therapeutics into tumor cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis. These nanocapsules can be conjugated to different targeting ligands of choice, such as anti-Her2 antibody single-chain variable fragment (scFv) and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) peptide, resulting in specific and efficient accumulation within tumor cells overexpressing corresponding receptors. LHRH-conjugated nanoca...
Does femoral rotation influence anteroposterior alpha angle, lateral center-edge angle, and medial proximal femoral angle? A pilot study.

Background Femoral rotation on AP radiographs affects several parameters used to assess morphologic features of the proximal femur but its effect on femoroacetabular impingement parameters remains unknown.
Long-Term Modulation of Electrical Synapses in the Mammalian Thalamus

Electrical synapses are common between inhibitory neurons in the mammalian thalamus and neocortex. Synaptic modulation, which allows flexibility of communication between neurons, has been studied extensively at chemical synapses, but modulation of electrical synapses in the mammalian brain has barely been examined. We found that the activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors, via endogenous neurotransmitter or by agonist, causes long-term reduction of electrical synapse strength between the inhibitory neurons of the rat thalamic reticular nucleus.
TOR signalling regulates mitotic commitment through the stress MAP kinase pathway and the Polo and Cdc2 kinases

The coupling of growth to cell cycle progression allows eukaryotic cells to divide at particular sizes depending on nutrient availability. In fission yeast, this coupling involves the Spc1/Sty1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway working through Polo kinase recruitment to the spindle pole bodies (SPBs). Here we report that changes in nutrients influence TOR signalling, which modulates Spc1/Sty1 activity. Rapamycin-induced inhibition of TOR signalling advanced mitotic onset, mimicking the reduction in cell size at division seen after shifts to poor nitrogen sources. Gcn2, an effector of TOR signalling and modulator of translation, regulates the Pyp2 phosphatase that in turn modulates Spc1/Sty1 activity. Rapamycin- or nutrient-induced stimulation of Spc1/Sty1 activity promotes Polo kinase SPB recruitment and Cdc2 activation to advance mitotic onset. This advanced mitotic onset is abolished in cells depleted of Gcn2, Pyp2, or Spc1/Sty1 or on blockage of Spc1/Sty1-dependent Polo SPB recruitment. Therefore, TOR signalling modulates mitotic onset through the stress MAPK pathway via the Pyp2 phosphatase.
Calculating Fourier Transforms of Long-Tailed Functions

In this paper, we describe a method for evaluating Fourier Transform functions numerically when function values $f(x)$ are available for any value of x. Our method is based on the Mobius inversion of the Poisson summation formula, and employs a nonlinear series acceleration technique. Numerical evidence suggests that, for relatively smooth functions having long tails, this approach may be very useful.
Cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate and glucose stimulate thyroxine 5′-deiodinase type II in cultured mouse neuroblastoma cells

Abstract Nutrient modulation increases mouse neuroblastoma (NB) T 4 -5′-deiodinase II (T 4 -5′-D II) activity. Carbohydrates are more potent than either amino acids or glycerol as nutrient sources. Glucose rapidly (2 to 4 hours) enhances NB enzyme activity and the response is dependent on new protein synthesis. The present study was performed to further characterize this glucose effect and explore its relationship to the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) system in these cells. NB T 4 -5′-D II activity reached a maximum level (sixfold) in response to glucose (10 mmol/L) at 16 hours and thereafter remained constant up to 22 hours before reverting back to basal level between 24 and 30 hours. This pattern of response allowed the performance of detailed studies on maximum glucose activated NB T 4 -5′-D II under transient equilibrium conditions during the 16- to 22-hour period. Addition of dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) (1 mmol/L) at this stage significantly increased enzyme activity (twofold at 2 hours and fourfold at 4 and 6 hours) compared with glucose alone. There was an additive response to dbcAMP under these maximum glucose-activated conditions. Nonactivated NB T 4 -5′-D II showed a twofold response to dbcAMP (1 mmol/L) at 4 hours in a glucose-free medium. Under these conditions, glucose (10 mmol/L) also increased enzyme activity twofold. Combined studies with dbcAMP and glucose increased enzyme activity fourfold at 4 hours. Subsequent studies were performed with forskolin (10 μmol/L) and cholera toxin (1 nmol/L), modulators of endogenous cAMP. The maximum enzyme response (2.5-fold) to forskolin was noted at 6 hours, whereas the peak effect of cholera toxin (twofold) occurred at 4 hours. Puromycin (100 μmol/L) decreased enzyme activity in the glucose-activated NB cell preparations at 2 hours (to 30% of control) and at 6 hours (to 50% of control). Coincubations (pre- and postpuromycin) with dbcAMP did not alter the puromycin effect at 2 and 4 hours. Actinomycin-D (1 μmol/L) did not alter NB T 4 -5′-D II activity in the glucose-activated cells at either 2 or 4 hours postaddition, but did block the dbcAMP-induced increase in enzyme activity at 4 hours. Thus, mouse neuroblastoma T 4 -5′-D II is responsive to cAMP modulation. The enzyme response to dbcAMP is not dependent on glucose, but is mediated by new protein synthesis. The responses to dbcAMP and glucose are additive. Thus, the glucose stimulation of brain T 4 -5′-D II is not dependent on an increase in intracellular cAMP. The additive effects of glucose and dbcAMP suggest different mechanisms for the enhancement of neuroblastoma T 4 -5′-D II activity.
Theory of bending of Si nanocantilevers induced by molecular adsorption: a modified Stoney formula for the calibration of nanomechanochemical sensors

We investigate the bending of nanometer thick Si cantilevers induced by chemisorption of H atoms and acetylene molecules, using atomistic simulations and continuum theories. We show that the bending curvature of Si nanocantilevers does not follow the classical Stoney formula, but agrees well with a modified Stoney formula that we have derived. Our studies reveal the dominant role of atomic structure and surface stress in governing the bending behavior of nanofilms, and demonstrate that the modified Stoney formula has to be used for the calibration of nanomechanochemical sensors in detecting trace amounts of molecules.
Systematics of the release of residual nuclei from relativistic nucleus-nucleus interactions

We have examined relativistic nuclei of krypton, xenon, holmium, and gold, accelerated in a partially stripped state to a maximum rigidity of about 5.6 GeV, interacting with targets of aluminum, carbon, and polyethylene. For each projectile and target combination we determined the total and partial charge changing cross sections for the production of lighter fragments. From these measurements we have developed a new representation of the dependence of the total charge changing cross sections on beam and target charge. We have also identified simple representations of the variation of the partial cross sections with the charge of the produced fragments and shown that they are dependent on the charge and energy of the beam. The fission of gold nuclei at high energies in these various targets has also been studied.
3.4.4 THE HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEERING SPECIALTY WITHIN THE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING PROCESS

One mission of the Human Factors Engineering (HFE) specialty is to ensure that all user requirements have been identified and that developed information systems and products can be operated and maintained effectively, efficiently, and safely, and can achieve the system mission. As part of efforts to reach greater maturity in Systems Engineering, the Human Factors Engineering process has been integrated into the Systems Engineering process. This is accomplished by recognizing where the services of Human Factors Engineering personnel are necessary and how they should be effectively applied during systems development, accommodating cost concerns. This paper identifies the characteristics of programs that alert Systems Engineering to seek Human Factors Engineering involvement. It describes the Human Factors Engineering process and products, emphasizing those activities that HFE supports within the traditional Systems Engineering process (i.e., Concept of Operations). It describes Human Factors Engineering activities from contract award through Critical Design Review (CDR).
TBP Binding-Induced Folding of the Glucocorticoid Receptor AF1 Domain Facilitates Its Interaction with Steroid Receptor Coactivator-1

The precise mechanism by which glucocorticoid receptor (GR) regulates the transcription of its target genes is largely unknown. This is, in part, due to the lack of structural and functional information about GR's N-terminal activation function domain, AF1. Like many steroid hormone receptors (SHRs), the GR AF1 exists in an intrinsically disordered (ID) conformation or an ensemble of conformers that collectively appears to be unstructured. The GR AF1 is known to recruit several coregulatory proteins, including those from the basal transcriptional machinery, e.g., TATA box binding protein (TBP) that forms the basis for the multiprotein transcription initiation complex. However, the precise mechanism of this process is unknown. We have earlier shown that conditional folding of the GR AF1 is the key for its interactions with critical coactivator proteins. We hypothesize that binding of TBP to AF1 results in the structural rearrangement of the ID AF1 domain such that its surfaces become easily accessible for interaction with other coactivators. To test this hypothesis, we determined whether TBP binding-induced structure formation in the GR AF1 facilitates its interaction with steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1), a critical coactivator that is important for GR-mediated transcriptional activity. Our data show that stoichiometric binding of TBP induces significantly higher helical content at the expense of random coil configuration in the GR AF1. Further, we found that this induced AF1 conformation facilitates its interaction with SRC-1, and subsequent AF1-mediated transcriptional activity. Our results may provide a potential mechanism through which GR and by large other SHRs may regulate the expression of the GR-target genes.
Habituation of the head-shake response induces changes in brain matrix metalloproteinases-3 (MMP-3) and -9

Habituation is defined as a decrease in responsiveness to a repeatedly presented stimulus. The head-shake response (HSR) demonstrates several fundamental properties of habituation including sensitivity to the frequency and intensity of stimulation, and spontaneous recovery. This response shows behavioral plasticity; however the neural plasticity presumed to underlie this behavioral phenomenon has only recently been investigated. The present study initially compared male and female rats and noted equivalent habituation and spontaneous recovery. A second experiment utilized female rats to test the hypothesis that habituation induces changes in neural plasticity. At inter-session intervals (ISIs) of 5 min, 2, 6, and 24 h following HSR habituation independent groups of rats received a second habituation experience, then tissue samples were immediately collected from hippocampal, prefrontal and piriform cortices, and cerebellum. Western blots indicated significant elevations in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in hippocampal, prefrontal and piriform cortices at a delay interval of 2 h, and in the prefrontal cortex at 24 h in habituated rats. Increases in active and pro MMP-9 activity were measured by zymography in the hippocampus of habituated rats over yoked controls. Decreases in active MMP-9 activity were seen in the prefrontal cortex, and in pro MMP-9 in the piriform cortex, of habituated as compared with yoked control rats. No changes in MMP-3 or MMP-9 were observed in the cerebellum, and no changes in MMP-2 were seen in any of the four structures examined. These results suggest that habituation of the HSR produced elevations in MMP-3 expression in three of the four structures presently examined, accompanied by increased MMP-9 activity in the hippocampus and decreases in the prefrontal cortex. However, cues present in the test environment appear to have provoked elevations in MMP-3 and -9 independent of those accompanying habituation.
Tensile fracture behaviour of fibre-reinforced ceramic-matrix composite with hole

Abstract The fracture behaviour of silicon carbide fibre-reinforced aluminosilicate glass-ceramic composite, SiC/1723, with a circular hole was studied. Two lay-ups were examined: unidirectional, [O]8, and cross-ply, [0/90]2s. Different hole diameter (D) to specimen width (W) ratios ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 were investigated. The notched strength for both lay-ups and different D W ratios was found to be almost equal to the net section strength, showing that the tested ceramic-matrix composite was basically notch insensitive. A systematic investigation of damage initiation and progression was undertaken to explain this finding.
Experimental determination of partition coefficients for Rb, Sr, and Ba between alkali feldspar and silicate liquid

Abstract Partitioning of Rb, Sr and Ba between alkali feldspar and a synthetic granitic melt has been determined at 8 kb and 720 to 780°C for a single quaternary granite composition. The results suggest that Henry's law is obeyed by Rb up to ~0.8 wt.% Rb 2 O in both the liquid and in the alkali feldspar. The measured D values for Rb range from 0.77 to 1.1. For Ba, Henry's Law is obeyed up to ~0.6 wt.% BaO in the liquid and ~5 wt.% BaO in the alkali feldspar. D values for Ba range from 6.4 to 14. For Sr there is only a crude relationship between concentration in the liquid and concentration in the alkali feldspar at concentrations greater than ~0.6 wt.% SrO in the liquid and ~0.4 wt.% SrO in the alkali feldspar. D values for Sr range from 1.2 to 5.0. Partitioning of Sr is apparently sensitive to the concentration of Ba in the system and this partly explains the failure of Sr to obey Henry's Law. Linear least-squares fits to the partitioning data as a function of temperature suggest inverse correlation between temperature and D values. Rb shows only a slight temperature effect whereas Ba and Sr appear to be rather strongly affected by temperature, but the temperature range examined here is small compared to the scatter in the data making these trends relatively uncertain. Other factors that appear to affect partitioning, especially of Sr, are growth rate, development of sector zoning and Or content of the alkali feldspar. These factors severely limit the use of partitioning of these elements in alkali feldspar as geothermometers. The technique for measuring growth rates utilized here combined with measurement of trace element depletion in diffusion boundary layers adjacent to the alkali feldspar crystals makes it possible to estimate diffusivities for Ba and Sr. These estimates suggest a difference of 2 orders of magnitude between diffusivities for Ba and Sr in a vapor-saturated melt and those measured by HOFMANN and MAGARITZ (1976) for a dry obsidian glass.
Parts of the Whole: Moderating Competition in the World of Ideas

In both biological and mathematical dynamical systems, competition may be moderated by the presence of a top predator of both competing species. Applying this principle in memetics sheds light on why some strategies are more likely than others to promote quantitative literacy in various kinds of institutions.
Electrical properties and devices of large-diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes

Individual large-diameter (∼3 to 5 nm) semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are found to exhibit ambipolar field-effect transistor (FET) behavior, with easily accessible n- and p-conduction channels by simple electrostatic gates. The effects of temperature and ultraviolet radiation on their electrical properties are elucidated, shedding light into the intrinsic behavior of SWNTs in this relatively large-diameter regime. The ambipolar SWNT-FETs can be readily used as building blocks for functional nanoelectronic devices such as voltage inverters that operate under ambient conditions.
A missed opportunity: Master's education for certified nurse practitioners

Many nurse practitioners were prepared in nondegree certificate programs and lack academic credentials desired in today's marketplace. The history of nurse practitioner education is reviewed, and a master's completion program for certified nurse practitioners is presented.
Confidence Intervals for the Abbott’s Formula Correction of Bioassay Data for Control Response

Abbott’s formula may be used to correct bioassay data for control response and has become a standard in bioassay evaluation. Although Abbott’s formula provides an estimate of pˉcorr (the mean bioassay treatment response corrected for control response), it does not provide a measure of associated variance. The current practice of retaining the variance estimate for pˉcorr (the mean bioassay treatment response not corrected for control response) and applying it to pˉcorr is invalid. This invalid procedure results in an exaggeration of the reliability of the estimate of pˉcorr and a confidence interval for pˉcorr that is centered around an inappropriate value. We present a technique to incorporate a correction for control response into the statistical analysis of bioassays conducted with only a single or small number of treatments, which may be qualitative classes rather than a series of doses. The proposed solution is based upon established techniques for estimating the variance or confidence interval of a ratio of normally distributed variables. The analysis suggests two implications for bioassay experimental design and evaluation: first, the optimal allocation of bioassay replications to control and experimental treatments generally occurs when the number of experimental replications is equal to or slightly greater than the number of control replications, and second, bioassay data should be corrected for control mortality more frequently than is currently recommended. Only if such a correction has negligible effects on both pˉcorr and Var (pˉcorr ) can it be safely omitted.
Role of Creative Thinking and Intelligence in High School Achievement

A total of 272 Ss of the ninth through twelfth grades of the University of Minnesota High School were administered a battery of tests of creative thinking, Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test, and Io...
The Effects of Air Infiltration on a Large Flat Heat Pipe at Horizontal and Vertical Orientations

In the satellite or energy conversion industries flat heat pipes may be utilized to transfer heat to the thermal sink. In this investigation, a large flat heat pipe, 1.22 m X0.305 m ×0.0127 m, fabricated from 50 mil Monel 400 metal sheets and Monel 400 screens was videographed at horizontal and vertical orientations with an infrared video camera. The heat pipe evaporator section consisted of a 0.305 m × 0.305 m area (one heated side only) while the side opposite the heated section was insulated. The remaining area of the heat pipe served as the condenser. In the horizontal orientation the heated section was on the bottom. In the vertical orientation the evaporator was aligned below the condenser. The sequence of photographs depicts heat inputs ranging from 200 W to 800 W and the effect of air infiltration on heat pipe operation for both orientations. For the horizontal orientation, the air is seen to recede towards the small fill pipe as the heat input is increased. For the vertical orientation, the air and water vapor exhibit a buoyant interaction with the result that the air presence inhibits heat transfer by rendering sections of the condenser surface ineffective. The effects depicted in this paper set the stage for future analytical and experimental work in flat heat pipe operation for both normal and variable conductance modes.
Japan's Shift Toward a Westminster System: A Structural Analysis of the 2005 Lower House Election and Its Aftermath

This article argues that the political drama surrounding Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro is a direct result of the political reforms implemented in Japan during the last decade. The new rules of the game have produced a structural force pushing Japan to resemble a Westminster system.
Validity of Approximations Used in Mesonic Atom Calculations

The Deser-Goldberger-Baumann-Thirring (DGBT) formula [$a=\frac{1}{4}B(\frac{\ensuremath{\Delta}{E}_{1S}}{|{E}_{1S}|})$] and other various approximations commonly used to extract meson-nucleus scattering lengths from energy-level measurements on mesonic atoms are studied by means of a model calculation and are shown to be inadequate for most of the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-mesonic atoms commonly considered. A simple empirical formula is obtained in place of the DGBT formula for the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-mesonic atoms of the light nuclei. The DGBT formula is also examined for the case of the ${K}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ atom and is found to be a good approximation.
Sudden Bilateral Hearing Loss After Cervical and Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials.

OBJECTIVE Cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs and oVEMPs) are commonly used in evaluation of neurotologic disorders. We present a case of sudden bilateral hearing loss immediately after oVEMP and cVEMP testing. The hearing loss did not recover. To our knowledge, no previous case reports discuss sudden hearing loss, especially bilateral, associated with VEMP testing. PATIENT A single patient with sudden bilateral hearing loss that has persisted after cVEMP and oVEMP. INTERVENTION The patient had a history of chronic daily dizziness. She underwent vestibular function testing that included cVEMP and oVEMP testing. A significant bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was noted immediately after cVEMP and oVEMP testing and confirmed with audiometric testing. Despite the use of oral steroids, her hearing loss did not recover. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Serial audiograms, calculated maximum total sound energies to each ear. RESULTS Pre-VEMP versus post-VEMP audiograms show increased thresholds and decreased word recognition scores; total sound energy delivered to each ear shows significant sound exposure. CONCLUSION Although VEMP testing is thought to be safe and well tolerated, a significant amount of sound can be delivered to the cochlea, and certain individuals may be susceptible to acoustic trauma at these levels. We recommend limits for VEMP stimuli levels and attention to total sound exposure when multiple trials are used.
Hyperventilation restores autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in postictal piglets.

ABSTRACT: Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow is impaired in the postictal state. This loss of autoregulation may in part be mediated by a rise in perivascular hydrogen ion and carbon dioxide concentration. We hypothesized that hypocarbia with a concomitant reduction in perivascular hydrogen ion and carbon dioxide concentration would restore autoregulation during the postictal state. We studied autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in 13 ventilated, awake 3− to 4-d-old piglets during the postictal state under normocarbic and hypocarbic conditions. During the postictal state, cerebral blood flow was pressure-passive in normocarbic piglets, whereas the relationship between cerebral blood flow and cerebral perfusion pressure was described by a polynomial curve in hypocarbic piglets. Because hypocarbia restores cerebral blood flow autoregulation in postictal newborn piglets, we speculate that the perivascular hydrogen ion and carbon dioxide concentration contribute significantly to the state of cerebral autoregulation in the postictal subject.
Across-Program Collaboration To Support Students with and without Disabilities in a General Education Classroom.

We conducted a program evaluation of a multi-component intervention using general education/special education collaborative teaming to increase the academic achievement and social participation of ...
Secondary Preservice Teachers’ Development of Teaching Scientific Writing

Educators have argued the need for greater attention on how teachers learn to teach writing in science (Kelly and Bazerman in Appl Linguist 24(1):28–55, 2003; Martin in Writing science: literacy and discursive power. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, pp 166–202, 1993). This article summarizes the findings of a qualitative study of five science preservice teachers as they experienced a unit of study, an inquiry-based instructional framework for the teaching of writing. Results found initially the science preservice teachers did not have knowledge of specific instructional approaches to teach writing. The science preservice teachers engaged in critical and analytical reading and writing, which enhanced their knowledge of writing and how to teach writing. The unit of study approach to writing may offer teacher educators a way to engage science preservice teachers in a method to teach scientific writing.