cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability and validity of scores on the Slosson Visual Perceptual Skill Screener.

Summary Psychometric characteristics of the Slosson Visual Perceptual Skill Screener were studied using three independent samples of 595 boys and 578 girls ages 5 to 10 years. Adequate characteristics for item selection were indicated by item difficulty (Mdn = .49) and item discrimination (Mdn = .59). Interitem consistency of .93 (n1 = 1,045) was recorded for the total scale, while 30-day test-retest reliability was .80 (n2 = 55). Convergent validity was estimated using the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt test (Koppitz developmental scoring system; r = .43, n3 = 47), the Developmental Test of Visuo-motor Integration, Visual Perception subtest (r =.62, n3 = 73), and the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-Revised-Nonmotor Total Score (r = .63, n2 = 59).
The Role of Religious Activity and Spirituality in the Health and Well-being of Older Adults

Older adults completed questionnaires of religiosity, spirituality and health, as well as of the potential mediators of healthy behaviors and social support. Church membership related to potential mediators and positive health; given membership, frequency of attendance contributed less to health. Existential well-being was strongly related to all outcome health measures. Regression analyses indicated that spiritual wellbeing and prayer contributed to the prediction of psychological wellbeing, subjective well-being, physical symptoms and depression, even when the contributions of age, gender, healthy behaviors and social support were included. Healthy behaviors and social support operated only as partial mediators of the existential—health effects.
Cardiac Output Monitoring and Fluid Responsiveness

To the Editor, I appreciate the interest that Dr. Peled has taken in this review of hemodynamic monitoring in neurocritical care and thank him for his letter. Accuracy and precision of minimally invasive cardiac output (CO) monitoring devices is an important and highly debated issue [1]. Apart from the discussion on proper statistical methodology that should be used to compare a new device to a reference method [2], it should be realized that there is even a more fundamental problem, the one relating to the inherent limitations of the reference method itself. In fact, there is no bedside ‘‘gold standard’’ when it comes to the measurement of CO [3]. The widely accepted invasive bedside standard is the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC), nevertheless higher-precision tools like indwelling flow probes when used to compare the PAC with minimally invasive tools demonstrate that the PAC is as precise or imprecise [4–6]. In addition, as Dr. Peled notes, the behavior of these monitors in different hemodynamic conditions has not been elucidated and both accuracy and precision may vary greatly. Moreover, the use of AHM within the neurocritical care literature remains sparse and guidance comes by extrapolating knowledge from medical–surgical critical care populations. A relevant meta-analysis has recently been published by Peyton and Chong [4]. The authors reviewed the literature on four different minimally invasive methods (pulse contour, esophageal Doppler, partial carbon dioxide rebreathing, and transthoracic bioimpedance) to assess their bias, precision and percentage error (PE) in agreement with thermodilution. This study found all four methods achieving a similar ±40–45 % PE in agreement with thermodilution leading the authors to challenge the ‘‘standard’’ PE of ±30 % which is often considered the accepted limits of agreement as initially suggested by Critchley and Critchley [7]. Obviously more research is needed to appropriately validate the currently available CO monitors and to also develop newer, potentially better performing devices. The second point of Dr. Peled’s letter refers to the markers of fluid responsiveness. It should be clear that the property of volume responsiveness, i.e., operating on the ascending part of a Frank-Starling curve, does not mean that a patient needs fluids. The dynamic markers of fluid responsiveness including PPV, SVV, and dIVC among others should be consulted after a clinical decision has been made in augmenting a patient’s stroke volume or mean arterial pressure and in keeping with their limitations (e.g., spontaneous breathing and atrial fibrillation). A predicted non-responder should not be given a fluid bolus since his/ her SV will not increase with additional volume, alternative physiologic interventions (for e.g., inotropes or vasopressors) may be considered. As a more general comment, these markers are not meant to be ‘‘one more number to fix’’, they are devised to complement the clinical picture and assist in choosing among interventions in patients with complex physiologic derangements.
Temporal and Anatomical Host Resistance to Chronic Salmonella Infection Is Quantitatively Dictated by Nramp1 and Influenced by Host Genetic Background

The lysosomal membrane transporter, Nramp1, plays a key role in innate immunity and resistance to infection with intracellular pathogens such as non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS). NTS-susceptible C57BL/6 (B6) mice, which express the mutant Nramp1D169 allele, are unable to control acute infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium following intraperitoneal or oral inoculation. Introducing functional Nramp1G169 into the B6 host background, either by constructing a congenic strain carrying Nramp1G169 from resistant A/J mice (Nramp-Cg) or overexpressing Nramp1G169 from a transgene (Nramp-Tg), conferred equivalent protection against acute Salmonella infection. In contrast, the contributions of Nramp1 for controlling chronic infection are more complex, involving temporal and anatomical differences in Nramp1-dependent host responses. Nramp-Cg, Nramp-Tg and NTS-resistant 129×1/SvJ mice survived oral Salmonella infection equally well for the first 2–3 weeks, providing evidence that Nramp1 contributes to the initial control of NTS bacteremia preceding establishment of chronic Salmonella infection. By day 30, increased host Nramp1 expression (Tg>Cg) provided greater protection as indicated by decreased splenic bacterial colonization (Tg<Cg). However, despite controlling bacterial growth within MLN as effectively as 129×1/SvJ mice, Nramp-Cg and Nramp-Tg mice eventually succumbed to infection. These data indicate: 1) discrete, anatomically localized host resistance is conferred by Nramp1 expression in NTS-susceptible mice, 2) restriction of systemic bacterial growth in the spleens of NTS-susceptible mice is enhanced by Nramp1 expression and dose-dependent, and 3) host genes other than Nramp1 also contribute to the ability of NTS-resistant 129×1/SvJ mice to control bacterial replication during chronic infection.
How does the concentration of iodine in enhancing lesions relate to image quality in head CT

Patients undergoing head CT examinations with iodinated contrast received 100 cc of Iohexol 240 injected intravenously by hand. We developed a software package to align non-contrast and contrast head CT images, and obtain the “difference image” consisting of the iodine enhancement within a given lesion. This “difference image” of the iodine enhancement was added to the non-contrast study at reduced intensities. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) for detecting the added iodine was taken to be directly proportional to the concentration of contrast in the lesion. The visibility of the lesion enhancement in this composite image was compared with the original contrast image using a six-point scale ranging from 5 (no observable difference) to 0 (unacceptable). Two radiologists evaluated head CT images of eleven metastatic lesions. The iodine concentration required to generate an image quality rank of 3, deemed to be satisfactory for diagnosis (S), was determined. We also performed a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) study to identify the iodine concentration corresponding to an area under the ROC curve of 0.95, which corresponds to the detection threshold (D) for each lesion. Reducing the intensity to 50% resulted in an average image qualtiy score S of 3, suggesting that it may be possible to reduce the administered iodine by a half in head CT examinations with no significant loss of diagnostic performance. The average iodine concentration at the detection threshold D was 16%. The average S:D ratio was 3.8 ± 1.7, and was similar for both readers. The value of S was independent of enhancement characteristics, whereas the detection threshold D correlated inversely with the size and intensity of the iodine enhancement. The resultant S:D ratio correlated with the lesion area (r2 = 0.31), mean lesion intensity (r2 = 0.44), and the product of the mean lesion intensity and the lesion area (r2 = 0.37). Our results indicate that the SNR of enhancing lesions in head CT that is needed to satisfy radiologists is about a factor of four greater than the SNR required for iodine detection.
Anti-Fx1A produces complement-dependent cytotoxicity of glomerular epithelial cells.

Anti-Fx1A produces complement-dependent cytotoxicity of glomerular epithelial cells. Glomerular injury in passive Heymann nephritis (PHN) in rats is mediated by the C5b-9 membrane attack complex (MAC) and is associated with morphologic changes in glomerular visceral epithelial cells (GEC). We determined if the nephritogenic antibody of PHN (γ1 sheep anti-Fx1A IgG) directs insertion of the MAC into GEC plasma membranes with consequent cytotoxicity. Antibody-sensitized GEC were exposed to various sera serving as sources of complement. Loss of cell viability was determined by trypan blue uptake and/or by release of cellular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Incubation of antibody-sensitized primary and passaged GEC in fresh human serum (FHS) resulted in sigmoidal relationships between cytotoxicity and complement dose (r = 0.97 and 0.94, respectively) such that cytolysis approached 100% with FHS (10% vol/vol). Cytotoxicity was not evident if C8-deficient (C8D) plasma was substituted for FHS, but was restored in a dose-dependent manner by reconstitution with purified rat C8. Sublytic injury was demonstrated by wide separation between simultaneous release curves of cell-incorporated biscarboxyethyl carboxyfluorescein (BCECF; mol wt ≈ 520) and LDH at limiting doses of complement (at 2% FHS, BCECF release was 51.1 ± 0.6% of maximum vs. 3.2 ± 1.3% for LDH; N=3) and by blebbing of the plasma membrane on electron microscopy. Thus, the pathogenic antibody of PHN produces complement-mediated sublytic as well as lytic cytotoxicity of GEC.
Sex differences in photoperiodic and stress-induced enhancement of immune function in Siberian hamsters.

Siberian hamsters breed during the long days of spring and summer when environmental conditions (e.g., ambient temperatures, food availability) are favorable for reproduction. Environmental conditions may also influence the onset and severity of infection and disease, and photoperiodic alterations in immune function may comprise part of a repertoire of seasonal adaptations to help survive winter. In order to test the hypothesis that animals use day length to anticipate seasonal stressors and adjust immune function, we measured antigen-specific delayed-type-hypersensitivity (DTH) responses in the skin of male and female hamsters during long, "summer-like," or short, "winter-like" days, at baseline and following acute restraint stress. Sex steroid hormones were lower, and cortisol was higher, in males and females during short days. Baseline DTH was enhanced in short- compared to long-day males, and acute stress augmented this effect. In contrast, photoperiod alone did not influence the DTH response in females. As predicted, female hamsters exhibited significantly higher DTH responses than males during long days, but not during short days. However, this enhancement was observed in acutely stressed females only. Cortisol concentrations were significantly higher at baseline in females, and increased more in response to stress, compared to males in both photoperiods. These results suggest that photoperiod provides a useful cue by which stressors in the environment may be anticipated in order to adjust immune function. Furthermore, interactions among reproductive status and stress responses appear to mediate the expression of sex differences in immune responses in hamsters.
Continuous Improvement in Undergraduate Education: A Possible Dream

ness model in the face of a tsunami of change that is redefining both the need for their services and the ways in which this need can be met. Demand for a higher education has soared because a college degree is as essential for achieving a middle-class income today as a high school degree was in the 1970s. Created to serve the uniform needs of an upper-class clientele, colleges now serve an enormously diverse student body. Whether measured by age, educational and cultural backgrounds, race, gender, or need, the diversity of the people served by the system has greatly expanded. Expectations have also grown sharply, as students demand a greater scope and depth of expertise and seek to acquire the complex constellation of talents needed to participate in a fast-paced knowledge economy. Pressures for change are mounting, as administrators struggle to find ways to meet these new demands in the face of constrained public funding and growing public concern over increasing tuition prices. Even the best universities have reacted to these pressures by making incremental changes in class size and trying to better integrate research and instruction. But these changes are costly and it is difficult to see how they can scale-up to meet the enormous demand. Most knowledge-intensive, service-producing industries have restructured their operations around new information technologies to improve productivity and deliver new, personalized services. For a variety of reasons, education, health care, and several other enterprises organized to meet both public and private needs have been slow to adopt these innovations, and higher education is no exception. But higher education must find a way to introduce the deep man-
Biochemical and behavioral studies of the 5-HT1B receptor agonist, CP-94,253

CP-94,253, 3-(1,2,5,6-tetrahydro-4-pyridyl)-5-propoxypyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine, a new serotonergic ligand, was found to exhibit significantly greater binding affinity at 5-HT1B receptors than at 5-HT1A or 5-HT1C receptors. Saturation studies showed CP-94,253 to be a competitive inhibitor of [125l]iodocyanopindolol binding to 5-HT1B sites. Its competition curve with this radioligand was shifted to the right (decreased affinity) in the presence of Gpp(NH)p, indicating an agonist function for CP-94,253. Oral administration of CP-94,253 to rats caused inhibition of food intake, decrease in body weight gain, and hyperlocomotion, effects apparently elicited via activation of 5-HT1B receptors. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Power supply filter for PLL circuit in digital systems

This paper presents an effective design approach for the power supply filter of a phase lock loop (PLL) based clock generator in a multi-core ASIC. The noise sensitivity of different types, filter design, system design issues, and measurement techniques for verification and understanding of jitter behavior on power supply noise are discussed.
Development and characterization of a cloned rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell line that maintains differentiated properties through multiple subcultures.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary hypertension is associated with abnormal pulmonary arterial contractility and growth. The mechanisms for these abnormalities are largely unknown. To study these processes, we sought to develop an in vitro system. Even though cultured aortic and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (SMCs) have been of considerable value in studying smooth muscle biology, one drawback of this system has been that these cells often lose differentiated properties in an unpredictable manner when they are passaged in culture. In addition, there appear to be significant differences in physiological and pathological responses between the systemic and pulmonary circulations, many of which could be directly related to the smooth muscle. We therefore established a cloned population of rat pulmonary arterial SMCs (PASMCs) that maintain differentiated properties through multiple subcultures. METHODS AND RESULTS PASMCs were obtained initially by enzymatic dissociation from pulmonary arteries of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. From these cells, clones were isolated. The cloned cells retained expression of functional surface receptors for angiotensin II, norepinephrine, and alpha-thrombin and high levels of the smooth muscle isoforms of alpha-actin, myosin heavy chain, myosin regulatory light chain, and alpha-tropomyosin mRNAs even after multiple passages. The cells could also be transfected and processed exogenous transcripts in a smooth muscle-specific fashion. CONCLUSIONS These cloned PASMCs retain many differentiated characteristics and should be valuable for future studies of pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cell biology.
New configurations in supply chains: the case of a condominium in Brazil's automotive industry

Purpose – The paper seeks to ascertain some of the implications of the supply chain configuration for important elements of the chain's management at an automaker using the industrial condominium configuration.Design/methodology/approach – In an attempt to identify the main motivating factors for the adoption of an industrial condominium configuration, a basic case study framework was built to guide and define the key content of the research. The framework considers simplification, cost reduction, process integration, and shared infrastructure as the four main interdependent factors that impel and drive an automaker's implementation of a condominium. It also considers product and process management, logistics management, performance assessment and relationship management as business processes significantly affected by implementation of the condominium. Using an intentional sampling approach, a case study was made of an automaker that uses the industrial condominium configuration, and of four of its repres...
A framework for comparative analysis of belief revision models in rule-based systems

Belief revision in standard rule-based systems is NP-hard, and it is necessary to resort to quasiprobabilistic belief languages which are quite problematic on normative grounds. The author presents a framework designed to study the Bayesian interpretation and cognitive appeal of these languages. He uses this framework to review some well-known and some recent findings, and comments on the merit of alternative approaches to belief revision in rule-based systems. >
Ultrasonic Nebulization System for Respiratory Drug Delivery

An ultrasonic spray system was tested for the production of aerosols for ultimate use in the respiratory delivery of drug to animals. A Sono-Tek ultrasonic spray system was mounted on top of a baffle to entrain aerosol particles within the carrier gas. Solvent was removed from the aerosol cloud by passing the droplets through drying columns composed of either charcoal or silica. The efficiency of removing ethanol and water were determined by measuring the outflow concentrations. Sodium fluorescein and sodium cromolyn dissolved in water were tested, and the effect of the liquid flow rate and drug concentration entering the atomizer on the output, and particle size distribution, were determined by the filter capture method, and by cascade impactor, respectively. Similar studies were conducted with budesonide and indomethacin dissolved in ethanol. The theoretical count median size distribution was calculated and compared with the experimental values calculated from the observed mass median aerodynamic diameter. The output rate expressed as the mass of aerosol collected in unit time increased nearly proportionately with the liquid flow rate (0.18-0.7 ml/min) and with the concentration of drug (0.19-12 mg/ml) entering the nebulizer. The mean particle size increased with solute concentration, but not by liquid flow rate. The calculated count median diameters were dependent on the type of solvent, but were independent of solute. At the high dose of cromolyn, there was very good agreement between the theoretical and observed. At lower doses, the observed size was larger than predicted, which was also true for the ethanol soluble solutes. The system has the potential of providing a wide range of dose levels for testing of drug delivery to animals including high doses with a controlled and relatively narrow particle size distribution.
Ciguatera Poisoning: Clinical and Immunological Aspects

AbstractCiguatera poisoning refers to a type of fish intoxication following consumption of fishes contaminated with ciguatoxin (CTX). The latter toxin originates in a dinoflagellate designated Gambierdiscus toxicus, passes through herbivorous and then to carnivorous fishes along the food chain, ultimately to man. Ciguatera poisoning is unlike tetrodotoxin or scombroid fish poisonings. The Eormer is due to a toxin isolated From puffer fish and the latter to histamine-like degradation products due to bacterial spoilage of fish fissues. Ten minutes Lo 24 hr after consumption of a CTX contaminated fish, clinical symptoms involving the gastroinlestinal, neurological and cardiovascular systems are manifested. The neurological symptoms may persist for munths in some individuals. Ciguatera poisoning is rarely fatal (less than 0.5%). Therapy at best is symptomatic with no specific drugs. Detection in fisti tissues depends on the mouse test Eollowing extraction of the toxin in organic solvents and more recently an ...
Composite growth model applied to human oral and pharyngeal structures and identifying the contribution of growth types

The growth patterns of different anatomic structures in the human body vary in terms of growth amount over time, growth rate and growth periods. The oral and pharyngeal structures, also known as vocal tract structures, are housed in the craniofacial complex where the cranium/brain follows a distinct neural growth pattern, and the face follows a distinct somatic or skeletal growth pattern. Thus, it is reasonable to expect the oral and pharyngeal structures to follow a combined or mixed growth pattern. Existing parametric growth models are limited in that they are mainly focused on modeling one particular type of growth pattern. In this paper, we propose a novel composite growth model using neural and somatic baseline curves to fit the combined growth pattern of select vocal tract structures. The method can also determine the overall percent contribution of each of the growth types.
A Historical Perspective and Future Outlook on Landscape Scale Restoration in the Northwest Wisconsin Pine Barrens

The concurrent discussions of landscape scale restoration among restoration ecologists, and of historic disturbance pattern as a guideline for forest management among forest scientists, offer a unique opportunity for collaboration between these traditionally separated fields. The objective of this study was to review the environmental history, early restoration projects, and current plans to restore landscape patterns at broader scales in the 450,000 ha northwest Wisconsin Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens offer an example of a landscape shaped by fire in the past. In northwestern Wisconsin historically the barrens were a mosaic of open prairie, savanna, and pine forests on very poor, sandy soils. The surrounding region of better soils was otherwise heavily forested. Six restoration sites have been managed since the middle of this century using prescribed burns to maintain the open, barrens habitat. However, these sites are not extensive enough to mimic the shifting mosaic of large open patches previously created by fire. Extensive clear-cuts may be used as a substitute for these large fire patches so that presettlement landscape patterns are more closely approximated in the current landscape. We suggest that such silvicultural treatments can be suitable to restore certain aspects of presettlement landscapes, such as landscape pattern and open habitat for species such as grassland birds. We are aware that the effects of fire and clear-cuts differ in many aspects and additional management tools, such as prescribed burning after harvesting, may assist in further approximating the effect of natural disturbance. However, the restoration of landscape pattern using clear-cuts may provide an important context for smaller isolated restoration sites even without the subsequent application of fire, in this formerly more open landscape.
Package level integration of a monolithic buck converter power IC and bondwire magnetics

In this paper, we report a concept of integrating a monolithic buck converter power IC with in-package bondwire inductors. The power IC was designed and fabricated with a standard 0.5µm CMOS process. Multi-turn bondwires with and without ferrite epoxy glob cores are used as the filter inductor in the buck converter. A 2.5V/120mA prototype system in package (SiP) buck converter is built to operate at frequencies up to 5MHz. The power level of the prototype buck converter is scalable by increasing the size of the active power switches.
Upper Temperature Limit of Environmental Barrier Coatings Based on Mullite and BSAS

Current state-of-the-art environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) for Si-based ceramics consist of three layers: a silicon bond coat, an intermediate mullite (3Al2O3-2SiO2) or mullite + BSAS (1-xBaO-xSrO-Al2O3-2SiO2) layer, and a BSAS top coat. Areas of concern for long-term durability are environmental durability, chemical compatibility, silica volatility, phase stability, and thermal conductivity. Variants of this family of EBCs were applied to monolithic SiC and melt infiltrated SiC/SiC composites. Reaction between BSAS and silica results in low melting (approx. 1300 C) glasses at T > 1400 C, which can cause the spallation of the EBC. At temperatures greater than 1400 C, the BSAS top coat also degrades by formation of a porous structure, and it suffers significant recession via silica volatilization in water vapor-containing atmospheres. All of these degradation mechanisms can be EBC life-limiting factors. BSAS undergoes a very sluggish phase transformation (hexagonal celsian to monoclinic celsian), the implications of which are not fully understood at this point. There was evidence of rapid sintering at temperatures as low as 1300 C, as inferred from the sharp increase in thermal conductivity.
Free and Bound Pro-Verbs: A Unified Treatment of Anaphora

Example (1)’s pronominal’s antecedent is a negative existential quantified phrase. There’s nothing here for the pronoun to refer to, and so the quantified subject is instead taken to bind his in a manner akin to variable binding in predicate logic. Example (2) represents a case of so-called “across-the-board” (ATB) binding. On the indicated reading, (2) means that John loves John’s mother, and Bill hates Bill’s mother. The pronominal, then, is simultaneously “co-referential” with two antecedents—and hence actually referential to nothing. Argument-doubling binding, in particular that characteristic of Jacobson (1999)’s variable-free logic for anaphora, is well-suited to such cases, as shown explicitly in Jacobson (1996).
Causal Model Comparison Shows That Human Representation Learning Is Not Bayesian.

How do we learn what features of our multidimensional environment are relevant in a given task? To study the computational process underlying this type of “representation learning,” we propose a novel method of causal model comparison. Participants played a probabilistic learning task that required them to identifyone relevant feature among several irrelevant ones. To compare between two models of this learning process, we ran each model alongside the participant during task performance, making predictions regarding the values underlying the participant’s choices in real time. To test the validity of each model’s predictions, we used the predicted values to try to perturb the participant’s learning process: We crafted stimuli to either facilitate or hindercomparison between the most highly valued features. A model whose predictions coincidewith the learned values in the participant’s mind is expected to be effective in perturbing learning in this way, whereas a model whose predictions stray from the true learning process should not. Indeed, we show that in our task a reinforcement-learning model could help or hurt participants’ learning, whereas a Bayesian ideal observer model could not. Beyond informing us about the notably suboptimal (but computationally more tractable) substrates of human representation learning, our manipulation suggests a sensitive method for model comparison, which allows us to change the course of people’s learning in real time. We live in a rich, complex environment, in which we are constantly bombarded with a wide variety of sensory input.Evenanactionassimpleaswalkingdownthestreet carries with it a large volume of low-quality information in the form of people we see, places we walk by, cars, colors, voices, noises, emotional content, etc. Intuitively, one would imagine that given sufficient resources, it is best to always represent every aspect of the environment so that any detail can potentially be acted upon. However, the “curse of dimensionality” (Bellman 1957) posits that task representations that involve unnecessary stimulus dimensions will not afford efficient learning and decision-making, where efficiency is measured in the number of examples needed to learn the task. In particular, an increase in the number of dimensions of the problem (in our case, the dimensions of the environment that the brain may represent) implies that the learner needs to collect exponentially larger quantities of data to learn to solve the problem. If we want learning to be feasible it is therefore both computationally optimal and a practical imperative to represent tasks with as compact a representation as possible.
Multi-agent systems and electricity markets: State-of-the-art and the future

This is a summary of the presentation in the panel session, ldquoAgent-Based Test Beds for Restructured Electricity Marketsrdquo for the 2008 IEEE PES General Meeting. The multi-agent system concepts have been applied to power engineering in the areas of protection, defense system, diagnosis, control, distribution, etc. For electricity markets, multi-agent models have been used for analysis of gaming, learning, and decision support. In this presentation, the panelist will provide a review of the state of the art. For the future, it is believed that a platform for the evaluation of multi-agent systems is critically needed in order to gain further insights into the performance of suppliers, load serving entities, market operators and market rules. Simulation examples of the agent learning behavior using the Java Agent DEvelopment Framework (JADE) platform will be provided.
Ca2+ channel kinetics in acutely isolated fetal, neonatal, and adult rabbit cardiac myocytes

Measurement of transsarcolemmal voltage-gated Ca2+ current (ICa) in myocytes isolated from immature rabbit heart has demonstrated an unexpectedly low level of Ca2+ channel activity. We have characterized the kinetic properties of ICa in acutely isolated 21-day fetal, 1-5-day-old neonatal, and adult cardiac myocytes by the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. The membrane potential for half-maximal steady-state inactivation became less negative with maturation (-24 +/- 3 [mean +/- SEM] mV, n = 5; -19 +/- 2 mV, n = 5; and -11 +/- 2 mV, n = 6 for fetal, neonatal, and adult myocytes, respectively; p < 0.005). In contrast, the membrane potential for half-maximal steady-state activation was not statistically different among the age groups studied. These parameters accurately predicted the voltage dependence of the sustained ICa present at the end of a 400-msec depolarization. This "window" current was significantly smaller in immature cells than in adult cells and occurred at a more negative membrane potential in the younger age groups. The time course of inactivation of ICa was not significantly different between age groups. However, ICa was inhibited by increasing the frequency of stimulation. This effect was most prominent in immature cells, particularly at more positive holding potentials. This developmental alteration in the frequency dependence of ICa was due in part to a prolonged time constant of recovery from inactivation in the younger age groups. In summary, the kinetic properties of ICa in immature cardiac cells place them at a relative disadvantage in terms of the total Ca2+ influx during a depolarization. Thus, the role of ICa in the control of cell contraction may change with development.
Biological correlates of adult cognition: Midlife in the United States (MIDUS)

Multiple biological processes are related to cognitive impairment in older adults, but their combined impact on cognition in midlife is not known. Using an array of measurements across key regulatory physiological systems and a state-of-the-art cognition battery that is sensitive to early changes, in a large, national sample of middle-aged and older adults, we examined the associations of individual biological systems and a combined, multi-system index, allostatic load, with cognitive performance. Allostatic load was strongly inversely associated with performance in both episodic memory and executive function. Of 7 biological systems, only the cardiovascular system was associated inversely with both; inflammation was associated inversely with episodic memory only, and glucose metabolism with executive function only. The associations of allostatic load with cognition were not different by age, suggesting that the implications of high allostatic load on cognitive functioning are not restricted to older adults. Findings suggest that a multi-system score, like allostatic load, may assist in the early identification of adults at increased risk for cognitive impairment.
Some electrical and thermal characteristics of helium and sulfur-hexafluoride mixtures

The results are presented of a study of some of the electrical and thermal properties of mixtures of helium and sulfur-hexafluoride which are compared with the pure gases: air, hydrogen, helium, and sulfur-hexafluoride. It is shown that the addition of relatively small amounts of sulfur-hexafluoride to helium will result in an electric strength greater than that of air and of hydrogen. The thermal properties of such mixtures are nearly as good as hydrogen. The mixture is attractive as a cooling and insulating medium for both static and rotating machines. Such a mixture is very safe whereas hydrogen presents an explosive hazard. Permeation losses through metal containers are much less than for hydrogen.
Cephalosporanic acids: a new look at reactions at the C-3' position

Nucleophilic displacement of the acetoxy group of cephalosporanic acids by thiols in aqueous solution at neutral pH provides 3-thiomethyl-substituted compounds with a broad spectrum of antibiotic activity. The aqueous displacement reaction is often destructive of much of the cephalosporanic acid, and products generally require extensive purification. Displacements at a lower pH are complicated by unwanted lactone formation. However, reactions conducted under acid conditions in a variety of anhydrous organic solvents give 3-thiomethyl-substituted compounds in very high yield and quality; no lactone formation is observed. The kinetics of the reaction support an S N 1 mechanism. Protonation of the departing acetoxy group appears therefore critical; the more basic solvents, e.g. dimethylsulphoxide and N , N -dimethylformamide, significantly retard the rate of reaction.
Causal Assessment in Small-N Policy Studies

The identification of cause-and-effect relationships plays an indispensable role in policy research, both for applied problem solving and for building theories of policy processes. Historical process tracing has emerged as a promising method for revealing causal mechanisms at a level of precision unattainable through statistical techniques. Yet historical analyses often produce dauntingly complex causal explanations, with numerous factors emerging as necessary but insufficient causes of an outcome. This article describes an approach that renders complex causal narratives more analytically tractable by establishing measurement criteria for ranking the relative importance of component causes. By focusing on subjectively useful measurement attributes, the approach is well suited to the policy sciences’ unique combination of explicitly normative aspirations and a commitment to the systematic assessment of causal claims. Central to the aims of public policies, and the political constituencies supporting them, is the hope of having a causal impact on some aspect of the world. It is hoped that welfare-to-work programs will lead to a decline in chronic unemployment; that the international whaling regime will cause threatened species to rebound; and that health education campaigns will reduce HIV transmission. As Pressman and Wildavsky (1973, p. xxi) observed, “Policies imply theories. Whether stated explicitly or not, policies point to a chain of causation between initial conditions and future consequences. If X, then Y.” Accordingly, while causal theories play a role in many areas of social inquiry, they are vital to the practice of policy analysis, where they are used to diagnose problems, project future impacts of new regulations, and evaluate the effectiveness of—and assign responsibility for—past interventions (Chen, 1990; Lin, 1998; Young, 1999). Causal assessment plays an equally important role in the policy process tradition, as researchers identify the causal factors shaping policy agendas, decision-making styles, state–society relations, and the dynamics of stability and change (Baumgartner & Jones, 1993; Rochon & Mazmanian, 1993; Sabatier, 1999). Against this backdrop, this article focuses on an issue of special importance to policy-oriented political scientists: how to assess causal impacts in small-N research settings. This question is motivated by a scenario all too familiar to policy research
Parent-Child Relations and Children’s Psychological Well-Being Do Dads Matter?

This study explores the unique influence of fathers on adolescents’ psychological well-being. Analyses are based on a nationally representative sample (Add Health) of students in Grades 7 through 12 living in intact homes. Results of multivariate analyses reveal that the father-adolescent relationship has an independent impact on adolescents’ psychological well-being beyond the mother-adolescent relationship. Comparatively, the magnitude of effect was similar for mothers and fathers on sons’ and daughters’ well-being. Examining the dynamic nature of parent-adolescent relations through time revealed that adolescents have more volatile relations with fathers than with mothers. Changes in adolescent’s satisfaction with the father-adolescent relationship significantly influence fluctuations in son’s and daughter’s psychological well-being; this effect persists after controlling for changes in mother-adolescent relationships. These findings underscore fathers’ unique direct contribution to their children’s psy...
A least‐squares front‐tracking finite element method analysis of phase change with natural convection

This paper focuses on the numerical modelling of phase-change processes with natural convection. In particular, two-dimensional solidification and melting problems are studied for pure metals using an energy preserving deforming finite element model. The transient Navier–Stokes equations for incompressible fluid flow are solved simultaneously with the transient heat flow equations and the Stefan condition. A least-squares variational finite element method formulation is implemented for both the heat flow and fluid flow equations. The Boussinesq approximation is used to generate the bulk fluid motion in the melt. The mesh motion and mesh generation schemes are performed dynamically using a transfinite mapping. The consistent penalty method is used for modelling incompressibility. The effect of natural convection on the solid/liquid interface motion, the solidification rate and the temperature gradients is found to be important. The proposed method does not possess some of the false diffusion problems associated with the standard Galerkin formulations and it is shown to produce accurate numerical solutions for convection dominated phase-change problems.
Systemic activation of 15-lipoxygenase in heart, lung, and vascular tissues by hypercholesterolemia: relationship to lipoprotein oxidation and atherogenesis.

Abstract There is evidence that oxidized lipoproteins are a major contributing factor in atherosclerosis. 15-Lipoxygenase is the principal mammalian enzyme that can oxidize polysaturated fatty acids present in intact lipoproteins, and in membrane phospholipids in situ. We, and others, have reported previously that levels of the enzyme are increased in aortas of cholesterol-fed and spontaneously atherosclerotic WHHL rabbits. In the present study, rabbits were fed an atherogenic diet containing 1% cholesterol for 14 weeks, and levels of [ 14 C]arachidonate metabolizing enzymes in the excised tissues were measured by HPLC analysis. 15-Lipoxygenase levels in heart, aortic adventitia, and lung, but not in liver, were increased up to 100-fold above controls, without major significant changes in prostaglandin endoperoxide synthases or the 5- and 12-lipoxygenases. The induced 15-lipoxygenase activity in the aortic adventitia was approximately 15 times greater than that found in the vessel wall. Hypercholesterolemia and elevated 15-lipoxygenase were associated with a 40% lowering of blood hematocrit. The hemolytic agent phenylhydrazine duplicated the effects of hypercholesterolemia on hematocrit, and induced up to 1000-fold increases in 15-lipoxygenase activity in tissues within 7 days. The induced 15-lipoxygenase activities in heart and lung were 4 and 8 times greater, respectively, than in reticulocytes, previously the richest known source of the enzyme. Direct measurements of hemoglobin content also demonstrated that contaminating reticulocytes were not the source of the tissue enzyme. A similar tissue-specific activation of 15-lipoxygenase was observed in rat heart and lung, but also not in liver. It is concluded that the elevated level of 15-lipoxygenase activity previously reported in atherosclerotic aorta is symptomatic of a generalized and massive induction of the enzyme in cardio-pulmonary tissues by hypercholesterolemia, which may be related to the membrane perturbation and increased hemolysis that is induced by cholesterol feeding.
Effect of the fungicide clotrimazole on the bioconcentration of benzo[a]pyrene in gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum): In vivo and in vitro inhibition of cytochrome P4501A activity

Clotrimazole was found to inhibit in vivo and in vitro hepatic microsomal ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity in gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum). Gizzard shad pretreated with 50 mg clotrimazole/kg and then exposed for 1 or 3 d to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) (0.86 μg/L) had significantly lower EROD activity compared to fish that were exposed to BaP alone. Following 1 and 3 d of BaP exposure, groups pretreated with clotrimazole had a 14- and 4-fold decrease in EROD activity and had biocon-centrated 8 and 11 times more parent BaP, respectively, compared to groups exposed to BaP alone. Addition of clotrimazole to BaP-induced microsomes produced a type II binding spectrum and was an effective in vitro inhibitor of EROD activity. The median inhibitory concentration for EROD activity was 0.51 μM clotrimazole. Kinetic and spectral experiments suggest that the mechanism of inhibition by clotrimazole is noncompetitive. Reduction in the rate of oxidative BaP metabolism is hypothesized to result from noncompetitive inhibition of cytochrome P4501A and other P450 enzymes that metabolize BaP.
Simply say yes to NO? Nitric oxide (NO) sensor-based assessment of coronary endothelial function

This editorial refers to ‘First evaluation of real-time nitric oxide changes in the coronary circulation in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy using a catheter-type sensor’, by S. Takarada et al. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehq156 In 1980 Furchgott and Zawadzki published their observation on how removal of the endothelium abolishes acetylcholine-induced relaxation of vascular smooth muscle cells, which ignited a passionate search for an endothelium-derived vasorelaxing factor.1 Yet who would have thought in the beginning that the search was for a gas! Seven years later, Ignarro and co-workers identified nitric oxide (NO) as the endothelium-derived vasorelaxing factor.2 In the same decade, Murad's laboratory pointed out that NO activates the cytosolic (soluble) isoenzyme form of guanylate cyclase which increases cGMP synthesis and leads to the activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase and ultimately reduces intracellular calcium concentration and elicits vascular smooth muscle relaxation.3 Closing the loop on endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation with these findings and discovering ‘nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system’, Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro, and Ferid Murad were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine in 1998. NO's role in the physiology and pathology of the cardiovascular system is quite manifold and extends beyond its anatomical boundaries (Figure 1). In synoptic terms, NO is a multifunctional molecule that exerts anti-atherosclerotic properties in the vasculature and contributes to primarily the diastolic function of the myocardium.4,5 Abnormalities in the endogenous NO system have been found in various pathological conditions of the cardiovascular system including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and cardiomyopathies. … *Corresponding author. Tel: +1 507 255 4152, Fax: +1 507 255 2550, Email: lerman.amir{at}mayo.edu
Characterizations of Clinical and Therapeutic Histories for Men With Prostate Cancer-Specific Mortality.

Abstract Background Careful descriptions of men with prostate cancer (PCa)-specific mortality are scant in nontrial settings. The present retrospective review describes the clinical characteristics, timelines, and treatment histories from initial presentation to death in a cohort of men with metastatic, castrate-resistant PCa (mCRPC). Unique to the present study is the unequivocal attribution of PCa death by a single experienced clinician. Patients and Methods A total of 119 patients who had been treated at Tulane Cancer Center and had died of mCRPC from 2008 to 2015 were studied through a retrospective review of the medical records. Results The median age at diagnosis was 65 years (range, 40-85 years), and 34.4% of the patients presented with metastatic disease (stage M1). Of these patients, 56% had received definitive primary therapy, all had received androgen-deprivation therapy, and 52% had received docetaxel. The patients had received a median of 7 (1-14) systemic therapies before death. Most were secondary hormonal manipulations after the diagnosis of mCRPC (median, 4; range, 0-9). The median survival was 69 months (range, 5-270 months) after diagnosis, and the median age at death was 73 years (range, 47-95 years). The presence of metastases at diagnosis was a significant predictor of early death (hazard ratio, 4.33; P Conclusion The present retrospective analysis provides initial views clarifying the clinical characteristics of men dying of mCRPC and the therapies they received before death. Additional data are needed in multi-institutional settings to confirm these findings.
Müllerian (Paramesonephric) Anomalies and Associated Wolffian (Mesonephric) Duct Malformations

The Mullerian ducts (mesodermal origin) are primordial roots of the internal female reproductive organs and differentiate to form the fallopian tubes, uterus, uterine cervix, and upper one third of the vagina. The mean incidence of uterine malformations in the general population is 4.3%, while women with infertility have a 3-6% incidence of abnormality. Patients with recurrent miscarriage have an even higher incidence. This chapter reviews the embryological basis of these important abnormalities and their clinical ramifications.