cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polyploidy: Occurrence in nature, mechanisms, and significance for the megakaryocyte-platelet system

Abstract Objective. Polyploidy, the state of having greater than the diploid content of DNA, has been recognized in a variety cells. Among these cell types, the megakaryocytes are classified as obligate polyploid cells, developing a polyploid DNA content regularly during the normal life cycle of the organism, while other cells may become polyploid only in response to certain stimuli. The objective of this review is to briefly describe the different cell cycle alterations that may lead to high ploidy, while focusing on the megakaryocyte and the importance of high ploidy to platelet level and function. Materials and Methods. Relevant articles appearing in scientific journals and books published in the United States and in Europe during the years 1910–1999 were used as resources for this review. We selected fundamental studies related to cell cycle regulation as well as studies relevant to the regulation of the endomitotic cell cycle in megakaryocytes. Also surveyed were publications describing the relevance of high ploidy to high platelet count and to platelet reactivity, in normal situations and in a disease state. Results. Different cells may achieve polyploidy through different alterations in the cell cycle machinery. Conclusions. While upregulation of cyclin D3 further augments ploidy in polyploidizing megakaryocytes in vivo, future investigation should aim to explore how normal megakaryocytes may initiate the processes of skipping late anaphase and cytokinesis associated with high ploidy. In humans, under normal conditions, megakaryocyte ploidy correlates with platelet volume, and large platelets are highly reactive. This may not apply, however, to the disease state.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection

This chapter discusses the unique problems associated with HIV and pregnancy. It discusses organ complications associated with HIV and vertical transmission.
Molecular Adaptations to Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training

Often, athletes and exercise practitioners who want to maximize sports performance and body composition incorporate both strength and endurance regimens into one periodization cycle. This practice is referred to as concurrent training (CT). While some studies suggest that both training-induced adaptations can be developed simultaneously during CT. It has been suggested that when performed in conjunction at high frequency, volume, and intensity, CT may reduce strength training adaptations, which has been defined as the interference effect. Still, the interface of this multifaceted effect is not completely understood. However, advancements in technology have allowed us to increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the exercise-induced adaptations to both strength and endurance stimuli. Accordingly, a molecular hypothesis has emerged to explain the interference effect from a mechanistic standpoint. Further, when analyzing the current literature in molecular responses to CT, the reader needs to consider multiple factors, as there is an important disparity in the experimental study designs, which may confound interpretations. Therefore, this chapter will critically review the current literature on CT. After reading this chapter, the readers will be able to summarize the current knowledge in acute and chronic molecular responses induced by CT.
Surgical management of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas are benign yet aggressive anterior skull base tumors that occur almost exclusively in male adolescents. Diagnosis is typically made through radiographic findings and clinical characteristics; biopsy is not recommended due to the vascular nature of the disease. As with most tumors, there is a spectrum of tumor extent and invasion. In juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas, one of the most important components of extent is the vascular supply. Once the vascular supply is identified, a systematic approach to resection can be planned. The majority of these tumors can be excised endoscopically, and those approaches are the focus of this article.
Supermarket USA: food and power in the Cold War farms race

From the Arms Race and the development of atomic weapons to the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, few topics have received more attention by scholars than the Cold War. In Supermarket USA: F...
Financial Distress, the Idiosyncratic Volatility Puzzle and Expected Returns

This paper explores the asset pricing impact of financial distress and idiosyncratic volatility on cross-sectional stock returns. We show that the puzzling negative correlation between idiosyncratic volatility and return is a manifestation of financial distress. Using daily and monthly return data from 1971 to 2006, we show that while the volatility spread is -1.68% for the most distressed stocks, it is actually positive and significant at 0.61% per month for the least distressed ones. This indicates that financial distress has a more fundamental impact on the cross-sectional returns than idiosyncratic volatility. As volatility is one of the inputs in the measurement of distress, we address the potential endogenous relationship between distress and idiosyncratic volatility using various robustness checks. Moreover, in a horse-race comparison under the Fama-MacBeth firm-level regression set up, financial distress takes away the explanatory power of idiosyncratic volatility on cross-sectional stock returns. Interaction of financial distress with other asset-pricing anomalies, including momentum and value effects, is also explored. It is shown that the momentum effect is mostly driven by the group of most distressed stocks. And similarly, the value effect is the strongest among this group of stocks.
Irreversible topological transition of a stretched superhelix: the interplay of chiralities

Helical complexes with certain intramolecular constraints on their topological state, exhibit nontrivial conformational changes in response to an external tension. We consider a generic right-handed helix and construct identical right and left-handed superhelixes. By using molecular dynamics simulations, we discover that under an external tension, the interplay between the helix chirality and the chirality of the superhelix leads to a fundamental topology transition of the stretched right-handed superhelix to its left-handed counterpart. We characterize and rationalize this irreversible phenomenon for a wide range of intramolecular angular stiffnesses and determine the associated phase diagram at different external loadings.
Emotion Recognition from Speech.

In this work, we conduct an extensive comparison of various approaches to speech based emotion recognition systems. The analyses were carried out on audio recordings from Ryerson Audio-Visual Database of Emotional Speech and Song (RAVDESS). After pre-processing the raw audio files, features such as Log-Mel Spectrogram, Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs), pitch and energy were considered. The significance of these features for emotion classification was compared by applying methods such as Long Short Term Memory (LSTM), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and Deep Neural Networks (DNNs). On the 14-class (2 genders x 7 emotions) classification task, an accuracy of 68% was achieved with a 4-layer 2 dimensional CNN using the Log-Mel Spectrogram features. We also observe that, in emotion recognition, the choice of audio features impacts the results much more than the model complexity.
Effects of Different Breathing Patterns in Two Percussive Secretion Mobilization Devices

Background: A variety of pulmonary conditions can lead to increased mucus production that can become tenacious and difficult to mobilize. Percussive devices such as the Intrapulmonary Percussive Ventilator (IPV) (Model-2C, Percussionaire Sandpoint, ID) and MetaNeb system (Hill-Rom, St. Paul, MN) are marketed as devices that assist in mobilizing secretions. The purpose of this study is to determine if coaching patients to achieve a specific I:E ratio will assist in secretion mobilization while using these devices. Methods: The Ingmar Medical ASL 5000 (Pittsburgh, PA) was used to simulate a spontaneous breathing patient with active exhalation. The simulator was programmed with a compliance of 60 mL/cm H2O, resistance of 18 cm H2O/L/s to represent chronic bronchitis, with a tidal volume of 800 mL and a respiratory rate of 15. Three I:E ratios were used to represent different breathing patterns: 1:3 (normal spontaneous breathing), 3:1 (inverse), and 1:1 (equal). Both IPV and MetaNeb were used for testing. Each device was tested on its high frequency and low frequency settings. For the mucous simulant, 100 mL of locust bean gum solution (1.9 g LBG/500 mL Water) was mixed with 3 mL of sodium tetraborate solution (8 g Tetraborate/1 L water). A 33.2 cm long section Tygon tubing with an internal diameter of 13 mm was used to simulate the trachea. For each trial, 1 mL of mucous simulant was injected into the middle of the tubing. Each I:E ratio and frequency setting was performed in triplicate. The velocity was calculated in centimeters per minute (cm/min) using picture analysis on ImageJ software (National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD). Results: There was no difference in mucous velocity between devices (P = .53) or frequency setting (P = .38). There was, however, a significant difference in mucous velocity between I:E ratios, with the largest difference occurring between a ratio of 3:1 and 1:1 (P =
Single-stage Double-face Buccal Mucosal Graft Urethroplasty for Neophallus Anastomotic Strictures

Abstract OBJECTIVE After gender-affirming phalloplasty the anastomosis between the perineal urethra (pars fixa) and the penile urethra is the most common site of stricture. 1 Excisional urethroplasty after phalloplasty is known to have high failure rates due to poor vascularization of neourethra. 2 Our objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of a single-stage repair of neophallus anastomotic strictures using a “double-face” urethroplasty technique. METHODS All patients who presented with anastomotic neophallus strictures and underwent a “double-face” buccal mucosal graft (BMG) urethroplasty were identified. Preoperatively, all patients had retrograde urethrogram and voiding cystourethrogram. Intraoperatively, pars fixa was exposed through a perineal dissection. A ventral sagittal urethrotomy followed by a dorsal urethrotomy was carried 1-2 cm beyond the stenotic area. An Asopa-type BMG inlay was performed by securing an appropriately sized BMG dorsally. 3 A separate ventral graft was placed in a “double-face” technique described by Palminteri. 4 Surrounding tissue analogous to Martius flap was rotated medially to support the ventral graft. Retrograde urethrogram and voiding cystourethrogram and voiding trials were performed three weeks postoperatively. Patients were followed for stricture recurrence and patient-reported outcome measures. RESULTS Thirty-one patients presented for neophallus stricture repair between December 2014 and December 2019. Of these, 9 underwent a single-stage repair of an anastomotic stricture after radial forearm flap phalloplasty, 8 were available for follow-up. At a mean follow-up of 31 months (10-56), there were 2 (25%) stricture recurrences treated with perineal urethrostomy in 1 patient and staged urethroplasty in another. Ultimately, 7 of 8 patients reported the ability to void in upright position and all reported an improvement in their condition following surgery. Mean International Prostate Symptom Score postoperatively was 3.1 (0-11), International Prostate Symptom Score -QOL 0.9 (0-3). CONCLUSION A single-stage double-face BMG urethroplasty is a feasible option for select patients with post-phalloplasty anastomotic strictures, 5 demonstrating promising early surgical success rates and high patient satisfaction on patient-reported outcome measures.
HyNTP: An Adaptive Hybrid Network Time Protocol for Clock Synchronization in Heterogeneous Distributed Systems

This paper presents HyNTP, a distributed hybrid algorithm that synchronizes the time and rate of a set of clocks connected over a network. Clock measurements of the nodes are given at aperiodic time instants and the controller at each node uses these measurements to achieve synchronization. Due to the continuous and impulsive nature of the clocks and the network, we introduce a hybrid system model to effectively capture the dynamics of the system and proposed hybrid algorithm. Moreover, the HyNTP algorithm allows each agent to estimate the skew of its internal clock in order to allow for synchronization to a common timer rate. We provide sufficient conditions guaranteeing synchronization of the timers, exponentially fast. Numerical results illustrate the synchronization property induced by the proposed algorithm as well as robustness to communication noise.
"Don't Just Come for Yourself": Understanding Leadership Approaches and Volunteer Engagement in Community Gardens

Community gardening initiatives are popular inter­ventions for health promotion and the develop­ment of socially inclusive local agricultural models. The leadership of such gardens is critical for their long-term success and sustainability. This study describes the leadership styles of garden managers, as well as how managers recruited and interacted with volunteers. Thirteen community garden man­ag­ers were interviewed, and 48 community garden volunteers participated in six focus groups. Tran­scripts were coded with Dedoose software using a conventional content analysis, which led to the development of thematic clusters in consultation with a qualitative data expert. During the analytic process, codes were refined and added, and three themes were identified: managers struggled to recruit and retain volunteers capable of maintaining gardens; garden managers’ leadership styles were either collaborative or directive; and garden partici­pants emphasized managers’ organization and openness to ideas. Leadership styles varied among managers, and participants acknowledged and appreciated elements of both leadership styles. More research is needed on the impact of leader­ship styles on other measures of garden success.
Epidermal cell transplantation

The current interest in epidermal transplantion is largely the result of recently developed methods of cultivating large quantities of keratinocytes. These cells have the potential to cover large open wounds with an epidermis that possesses many of the properties of skin. The greatest impetus for transplanting epidermal cells is to effect wound closure in patients with extensive burns and a paucity of donor sites. Other potential clinical applications of epidermal transplants include acceleration of wound healing in chronic venous stasis ulcers [1], coverage of deficits produced by soft tissue transfer in limb reconstruction, closure of defects produced by the debridement of infected tissue in patients with necrotizing fasciitis and gas gangrene, repair of traumatic degloving injuries, and promotion of healing in exfoliative skin disorders [2]. More recently cultivated keratinocytes have been proposed as delivery vehicles for gene therapy [3].
Evaluation of Aging Properties of Nonmetal Low Voltage Metering Box Shells under Typical Environment

In this study, the stability of non-metallic low-pressure tank shell material in typical environment is verified by analyzing the aging process of measuring equipment in typical environment. The operation and failure mechanism of the metering equipment in typical environment are analyzed to ensure that the metering equipment can still work effectively in typical environment and ensure the accuracy and reliability of electric energy metering. By analyzing the impact strength, bending strength and weather resistance of the shell material of non-metallic low-pressure measuring box after aging, the performance of the material after aging is evaluated.
Bilateral Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty in an Infant With Congenital Hereditary Endothelial Dystrophy.

Purpose Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) has been reported in children but not in infants. We evaluate the outcomes and complications of DMEK for an infant with congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy. Methods A 3-month-old male infant with congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy underwent unilateral DMEK, which was complicated by incomplete graft unfurling. Bilateral DMEK was then performed successfully. The visual acuity, pachymetry, corneal transparency, and complications were assessed over 3 months of follow-up. Results At 3 months postoperatively, the nystagmus had resolved and visual acuity improved from 20/2000 to 20/270 in each eye. Pachymetry, which had been unmeasurable preoperatively, was 695 μm in the right eye and 678 μm in the left eye. On examination, there was improvement in corneal transparency bilaterally. There were no postoperative complications. Conclusions We demonstrate that DMEK is feasible in infants and propose that it should be considered in the treatment of corneal endothelial disorders of infancy. In theory, DMEK might confer improved visual potential and lower risk for rejection compared with other corneal transplantation techniques, although further studies in this age group are needed.
Evaluation of Immersion and Spray Applications of Antimicrobial Treatments for Reduction of Campylobacter jejuni on Chicken Wings

The decontamination efficacy of antimicrobial treatments against Campylobacter jejuni on chicken wings was evaluated. Chicken wings surface-inoculated with C. jejuni (3.9 log colony-forming units [CFU]/mL) were left untreated (control) or were treated by immersion (5 s) or in a spray cabinet (4 s) with water, a sulfuric acid and sodium sulfate blend (SSS; pH 1.2), formic acid (1.5%), peroxyacetic acid (PAA; 550 ppm), or PAA (550 ppm) that was pH-adjusted (acidified) with SSS (pH 1.2) or formic acid (1.5%). All evaluated immersion and spray chemical treatments effectively (p < 0.05) lowered C. jejuni populations on chicken wings. Spray application of chemical treatments resulted in immediate pathogen reductions ranging from 0.5 to 1.2 log CFU/mL, whereas their application by immersion lowered initial pathogen levels by 1.7 to 2.2 log CFU/mL. The PAA and acidified PAA treatments were equally (p ≥ 0.05) effective at reducing initial C. jejuni populations, however, following a 24 h refrigerated (4 °C) storage period, wings treated with acidified PAA had lower (p < 0.05) pathogen levels than samples that had been treated with PAA that was not acidified. Findings of this study should be useful to the poultry industry in its efforts to control Campylobacter contamination on chicken parts.
Introduction to the First Special Issue on Pandemics

This issue of the Journal of Developing Societies is the first of two special issues addressing key pandemic developments from around the world. This issue focuses on COVID-19, especially looking a...
RNA-Based Therapeutics: Current Developments in Targeted Molecular Therapy of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly heterogeneous and aggressive cancer that has the highest mortality rate out of all breast cancer subtypes. Conventional clinical treatments targeting ER, PR, and HER2 receptors have been unsuccessful in the treatment of TNBC, which has led to various research efforts in developing new strategies to treat TNBC. Targeted molecular therapy of TNBC utilizes knowledge of key molecular signatures of TNBC that can be effectively modulated to produce a positive therapeutic response. Correspondingly, RNA-based therapeutics represent a novel tool in oncology with their ability to alter intrinsic cancer pathways that contribute to poor patient prognosis. Current RNA-based therapeutics exist as two major areas of investigation—RNA interference (RNAi) and RNA nanotherapy, where RNAi utilizes principles of gene silencing, and RNA nanotherapy utilizes RNA-derived nanoparticles to deliver chemotherapeutics to target cells. RNAi can be further classified as therapeutics utilizing either small interfering RNA (siRNA) or microRNA (miRNA). As the broader field of gene therapy has advanced significantly in recent years, so too have efforts in the development of effective RNA-based therapeutic strategies for treating aggressive cancers, including TNBC. This review will summarize key advances in targeted molecular therapy of TNBC, describing current trends in treatment using RNAi, combination therapies, and recent efforts in RNA immunotherapy, utilizing messenger RNA (mRNA) in the development of cancer vaccines.
A Proposal for the Creation of a Dance Ontology

In this paper will propose to outline the collective dance consciousness into a dance ontology. The creation of a dance ontology would allow for a more informed and productive academic discourse, as well as the opportunity to expand ideas to an international stage. This concretization of knowledge will elevate the study of dance history, theory and performance to a higher level of discourse, allowing comparison and conceptual synthesis with more frequency and ease. By utilizing the sophisticated structure of semantic web based ontologies, the dance world can maintain minutia while simultaneously expediting its discussion. Through the following exploration of the construction of an open-access dance ontology, the similarities between dance, which utilizes people as its medium, and information science, which utilizes binary as its medium, will come to the surface and subsequently shed light on how data-based discussion can help advance dance as an academic discipline.
What is Your Favorite Book?: Using Narrative to Teach Theme Development in Persuasive Writing

This article explores new theories in the area of narrative, applied storytelling, and literature as a means to teach persuasive writing. Students, even upper level ones, often cannot answer the question: "Who cares what happens in this case?" While part of a student's perplexity as to how to apply the theory of the case arises from a lack of experience, part of it also arises from the fact that students are not able to identify with the client's story. Because good writers come from good readers, I developed a technique using students' favorite books in order to give them a concrete example of what constituted good writing and to help them answer the question of "who cares." This article analyzes the three points of view broadly presented in a narrative text and how this literary technique uses those three points of view to remedy the disparity between the abstract concepts of the theory of the case and its concrete application in a persuasive brief. By using students' descriptions of their favorite books to illustrate the underlying theme in something familiar to them, students implicitly identify the three points of view in a narrative text: the character's, the teller's, and the reader's. My article posits that these three points of view are necessary to understand and develop the theme of a brief, which makes them better able to transport a reader and control the outcome of their client's case. Further, this literary technique comports with constructivist learning theories because it is a means of connecting prior educational experiences with new ones to better teach new skills.
Clustering of fecundability within women

Summary McLain AC, Sundaram R, Cooney MA, Gollenberg AL, Buck Louis GM. Clustering of fecundability within women. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2011; 25: 460–465. Adverse pregnancy outcomes have long been observed to cluster within women resulting in the inclusion of past reproductive history in clinical assessments and perinatal scoring systems. However, limited study has focused on the clustering of fecundability as measured by time to pregnancy (TTP), despite growing evidence suggestive of a possible association with adverse pregnancy outcomes known to cluster within women. We sought to empirically evaluate the clustering of conception delay, and TTP more globally, in one of the few existing prospective pregnancy cohort studies that captured women's successive pregnancies. The study cohort comprised 544 women who contributed 1119 pregnancies in the US Collaborative Perinatal Project. We used a discrete Cox frailty model to estimate the degree and significance of within-woman clustering of TTP. Women with an initial conception delay (TTP > 6 months) were older, less educated and had higher body mass indices than women not experiencing delays (TTP ≤ 6 months). Our analysis indicates that there is significant within-woman clustering of TTP (variance of the frailty = 0.80, [95% confidence interval 0.49, 1.11]) after adjusting for baseline maternal age, body mass index and education level. Similar to many other reproductive and perinatal outcomes, our findings suggest that TTP clusters within women. Identifying exposures or behaviours that affect TTP may offer strategies for reducing conception delay in future pregnancy attempts.
Comparing crossing hazard rate functions by joint modelling of survival and longitudinal data

AbstractIt is one of the important issues in survival analysis to compare two hazard rate functions to evaluate treatment effect. It is quite common that the two hazard rate functions cross each ot...
Cervical cancer screening: a prospective cohort study of the effects of historical patient compliance and a population-based informatics prompted reminder on screening rates.

Aims and objectives The aim of this study was to assess the impact of historical screening compliance with the effectiveness of patient reminder letters on cervical cancer screening rates. Method Using population-based informatics systems, women with no cervical cancer screening in the prior 3 years were identified in two primary care clinics, Mayo Family Clinic Northeast (NE; n = 1613) and Northwest (NW; n = 1088). Patients were divided into two compliance groups: overdue/unknown screening status at study start or previously compliant. The NE Clinic sent reminder letters over a 6 months window to patients eligible for screening at the study start or during the study that were also identified as employees/dependents (E/D). There were 795 intervention (NE Clinic E/D patients) and 1906 control subjects. Using an intent-to-treat analysis, differences in screening rates were assessed. Results A higher unadjusted screening rate was observed for the E/D group than the non-E/D group at both sites (32.7 versus 18.2% at NW, P < 0.001; 39.0 versus 14.7% at NE, P < 0.001). For the historically compliant group, unadjusted screening rates were higher for those who received letters (E/D subjects at NE) versus those who did not (E/D subjects at NW; 56.1 versus 44.5%, P = 0.01). No difference was observed between E/D subjects at NE (received letters) and NW (no letters) for the overdue/unknown group (27.4 versus 25.9%, P = 0.62). There was no difference in screening rates for non-E/D subjects at NE versus at NW (none of whom received letters) for both the compliant (24.2 versus 30.6%, P = 0.18) and the overdue/unknown groups (11.9 versus 13.0%, P = 0.59). Multivariate logistic regression models showed a significant overall effect of E/D status (P = 0.006), compliance group (P < 0.001), and the interaction between clinic site and E/D status (P = 0.04). Conclusion Among insured women, reminder letters appear to improve cervical cancer screening rates for those with a history of screening compliance. Reminder letters appear insufficient to motivate women if screening is overdue. Further investigation of the cohort of women overdue for screening is needed to develop interventions to successfully target this group.
A differential medium for the enumeration of homofermentative and heterofermentative lactic Acid bacteria.

A medium was developed for the differential enumeration of homofermentative and heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria. Essential components of the medium included fructose (14 mM), KH2PO4 (18 mM), bromcresol green (as a pH indicator), and other nutrients to support growth. In agar medium, homofermentative colonies were blue to green, while heterofermentative colonies remained white. A total of 21 Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Leuconostoc, and Streptococcus species were correctly classified with the medium.
Coupling Between Waveguides

The phenomenon of optical tunneling can be used not only to couple energy from a fiber or a beam to a waveguide, as described in Chap. 6, but also to couple one waveguide to another. Couplers of this type are usually called directional couplers because the energy is transferred in a coherent fashion so that the direction of propagation is maintained. Directional couplers have been fabricated in two basic geometries: multilayer planar structures, and dual side-by-side channel waveguides. In this chapter the different types of waveguide to waveguide couplers are described and a concise theory of operation is developed. For a thorough mathematical treatment of these devices the reader is referred to the work of Burns and Milton [7.1].
Lowering power consumption in dedicated tributary protection schemes using Digital Subcarrier Optical Networks

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the amount of electric power that would be dissipated in Digital Subcarrier Optical Networks (DSONs) when applying dedicated tributary protection switching schemes. The advantage of deploying DSONs is threefold: (1) the contained signal processing that is required to achieve sub-wavelength digital subcarrier channel multiplexing, (2) the ability to switch off inactive channels (subcarriers), and (3) the ability to provision protection channels in stand-by mode using low rate signaling channels. A comparative study is presented using Optical Transport Network (OTN) equipment as benchmark. Various simulation experiments are conducted using the NSF topology, suggesting that up to 30% reduction in network-wide power consumption is achievable using DSON compared to OTN.
Influence of Architecture, Concentration, and Thermal History on the Poling of Nonlinear Optical Chromophores in Block Copolymer Domains

Factors affecting the electric-field-induced poling of nonlinear optical chromophores in block copolymer domains were investigated by encapsulating the chromophores in a linear-diblock copolymer [poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine)] and linear-dendritic (poly(methyl methacrylate)-dendron) block copolymer via hydrogen bonding. Temperature-dependent Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and morphology evaluation by X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy were used with in situ second harmonic generation to correlate domain architectures, processing conditions such as thermal history, and chromophore concentrations with poling efficiency. Poling of chromophores encapsulated in the minority domain (spheres or cylinders) of a linear-diblock copolymer was inhibited by the increasing chromophore concentration within the domain and the chemical nature of the majority domain. Chromophore encapsulation in the majority domain produced the most favorable conditions for poling as measured by in situ second harmonic generation. Thermal annealing of the linear-diblock copolymer/chromophore composites resulted in chromophore aggregation with a corresponding decrease in nonlinear optical activity. The linear-dendron/chromophore system presented the most effective architecture for spatially dispersing chromophores. These findings suggest that while well-ordered phase-separated systems such as block copolymers enhance chromophore isolation over homopolymer systems, a more effective approach is to explore polymer chains end functionalized with chromophores.
Experiencing and interpreting nature in science and religion

. I trace three paths from nature to religious interpretation. The first starts from religious experience in the context of nature; examples are drawn from nature poets, reflective scientists, and exponents of creation spirituality. The second,„Natural Theology”uses scientific findings concerning cosmology or evolution to develop an argument from design–or alternatively to defend evolutionary naturalism. The third,„Theology of Nature”starts from traditional religious beliefs about God and human nature and reformulates them in the light of current science. I point to examples of each of these paths in papers by other participants in this symposium, and suggest that all three paths can contribute to the task of relating science and religion today.
Modifying the treatment: patient compliance, patient control and medical care.

Abstract A theoretical model, grounded in the experience of about 200 San Francisco Bay area Chicano p patients, of patient non-compliance as a means of asserting control in a patient-practitioner relationship in order to obtain satisfaction with the treatment is presented. The need to modify the treatment arises when it appears to the patient that the original treatment is not totally appropriate. The patient may rely upon convincing tactics (the demand, the disclosure, the suggestion and the leading question) to bring her concern to the practitioner's attention in order that he might modify the treatment. The patient may also take matters into her own hands and use countering tactics to modify the treatment herself. These may be of the augmentation type (simple and additive) or of the diminishment type (simple and subtractive). Convincing and countering tactics may be used sequentially or simultaneously. When a practitioner is aware of her modification attempts, he may be perceived to resort to counter-management tactics to neutralize her own actions. These tactics may be the overwhelming knowledge, the medical threat, the direct disclosure and the personal friend. Bargaining occurs, either unilaterally or bilaterally, during which each party tries for a settlement in which the treatment action of one is at least honored, if not adopted outright, by the other. If the bargaining ends to the satisfaction of both, a desire to maintain the relationship develops. If either or both parties are dissatisfied with the result of the bargaining, the relationship becomes strained and termination becomes likely.
Rates and patterns of excretion of radioactive estrogen conjugates following the administration of estrone-6,7-3H to male subjects.

Estrone-6,7-3H was administered intravenously to 3 normal males, and the urinary excretion of radioactive estrone, estradiol-17β and estriol conjugates was analyzed, using solvolysis (“sulfates”) and glucuronidase hydrolysis (“glucosiduronates”). There was little or no excretion of unconjugated estrogens. Estrone was excreted as “sulfate” and “glucosiduronate” in approximately equal amounts, whereas estradiol-17β and estriol were excreted predominantly as “glucosiduronate.” Estrone, estradiol-17β and estriol “sulfates” were excreted more rapidly than the corresponding “glucosiduronates.” Estriol “glucosiduronate” excretion was not complete after 4 days. The excretion of estrone and estriol “sulfates” and of estrone “glucosiduronate” was in the form of a single exponential, whereas the excretion of estradiol-17β and estriol “glucosiduronates” was a more complex function of time. Evidence is presented that the estriol “glucosiduronate” excretion curve reflects the distribution of this conjugate in 2 or more...
Prediction of flammability limit of an unconfined premixed gas in the absence of gravity

Abstract The existence of flammability limits in an unconfined gas mixture is investigated in the absence of gravity forces. Results of numerical calculations are presented for lean methaneair mixtures. For an adiabatic system, no flammability limit is found. However, when the heat loss due to radiative band emission from carbon dioxide and water in the burned gas region is included, a lean flammability limit is predicted. The predicted burning velocity does not approach zero at this limit, but has a finite minimum value. Comparison of the calculated flammability limit and minimum burning velocity with experiments at zero gravity shows reasonable agreement.
Healthcare provider cultural competency: development and initial validation of a patient report measure.

Objective: Health researchers have proposed that provider cultural competency may contribute to health disparities. Yet, this belief continues to lack empirical support, and this is due in part to measurement issues that have plagued the cultural competency construct. In the present research, we report on the development of a theoretically grounded, generally applicable, and patient report measure of provider cultural competency. Design: Samples of predominantly African American patients (N = 310) were recruited from three urban medical clinics to complete a survey about their relationship with their physician. Main Outcome Measures: We examined the factor structure, validity and other psychometric characteristics of a newly proposed patient report measure of provider cultural competency. Results: Psychometric analyses supported a tripartite model of cultural competency that was comprised of patient judgments of their physician's cultural knowledge, awareness, and skill. In addition, this result was replicated across multiple clinical contexts, while also demonstrating convergent and incremental validity when correlated with measures of trust, satisfaction and discrimination. Conclusion: This newly proposed measure addresses prior limitations in cultural competency measurement and may enhance future research by providing a standardized tool for use in multiple clinical and cultural contexts.
APENESIA EVANSI SP.N. (HYMENOPTERA: BETHYLIDAE) FROM AUSTRALIA WITH COMMENTS ON PHORETIC COPULATION IN BETHYLIDS

Apenesia evansi, described from a pair taken in copula in Queensland, is the second species of the large cosmopolitan genus Apenesia Westwood known in Australia. The other is A. australiensis Kieffer. The taxonomic distribution of pairs of Apenesia and related genera captured in copula is briefly reviewed, and aspects of genital anatomy and copulatory position are discussed. Phoretic copulation has been reported in most zoogeographical realms, but not previously for any Australian bethylid.
Physiologic weight-bearing increases new vessel formation during distraction osteogenesis: a micro-tomographic imaging study.

Abstract During distraction osteogenesis, large volumes of new bone are formed through the slow distraction of fracture callus. The newly formed bone is closely linked to angiogenesis and positively influenced by physiologic loading. In this study, a rat model was used to explore the correlation between these two observations. Unilateral femoral lengthenings were performed in 18 male Sprague–Dawley rats (400–500 g, age
Solvent-induced local deformation zones in polyimide films adhered to a rigid substrate

Thin films of a polyimide (Ciba-Geigy XU293) adhered to rigid substrates developed special type of local deformation zones when immersed in xylene. These deformation zones were initiated because of the presence of the combination of xylene and the equi-biaxial tension resulting from the drying process. Their microstructure was strongly influenced by the local bonding to the substrate. In the bonded regions, the zones resembled a narrow trench containing deformed but unvoided material. In the unbonded regions, complicated fibrillar structure was observed in the much wider zones. Although they retained a smooth surface on the face in contact with the substrate in the bonded regions, the deformation zones released a significant amount of stress. The stress release was measured by a photo-elastic method and was found to be in excellent agreement with that calculated from the local thickness change assuming simple elasticity. Although not cracked, there were lines of weakness; after long soaking times the films cracked and delaminated along the defects.
Simulation of standoff vertical-mortar fragment impact momentum on round targets

Abstract The probability distribution of the fragment strike location on round targets within the scope of the expanding cylindrical metal case of a mortar at the center of a vertical arena test is formulated. Recognizing the axi-symmetric configuration, the description of the strike location in Cartesian coordinates is transformed into local polar coordinates. The theoretical distribution is experimentally verified approximately and the intervening parameters are identified. The number of fragments ejected upon case disintegration is estimated using the well-known Mott's model. The distribution of the fragment weight was identified in a previous investigation as Weibull with specific parameters according to the fragment category: either finger or chunk. The impact momentum for the fragment rain upon striking the target is then simulated. An example of application illustrates the practical formulation of probabilistic statements concerning the vulnerability assessment of a set of round targets surrounding a central cylindrical mortar in a vertical arena test arrangement.
Site-directed Mutation of Nm23-H1 MUTATIONS LACKING MOTILITY SUPPRESSIVE CAPACITY UPON TRANSFECTION ARE DEFICIENT IN HISTIDINE-DEPENDENT PROTEIN PHOSPHOTRANSFERASE PATHWAYS IN VITRO

We previously compared the structure and motility suppressive capacity of nm23-H1 by transfection of wild type and site-directed mutant forms into breast carcinoma cells. Wild type nm23-H1 and an nm23-H1S44A (serine 44 to alanine) mutant suppressed motility, whereas the nm23-H1P96S, nm23-H1S120G, and to a lesser extent, nm23-H1S120A mutant forms failed to do so. In the present study wild type and mutant recombinant Nm23-H1 proteins have been produced, purified, and assayed for phosphorylation and phosphotransfer activities. We report the first association of Nm23-H1 mutations lacking motility suppressive capacity with decreased in vitro activity in histidine-dependent protein phosphotransferase assays. Nm23-H1P96S, a Drosophila developmental mutation homolog, exhibited normal autophosphorylation and nucleoside-diphosphate kinase (NDPK) characteristics but deficient phosphotransfer activity in three histidine protein kinase assays, using succinic thiokinase, Nm23-H2, and GST-Nm23-H1 as substrates. Nm23-H1S120G, found in advanced human neuroblastomas, exhibited deficient activity in several histidine-dependent protein phosphotransfer reactions, including histidine autophosphorylation, downstream phosphorylation on serines, and slightly decreased histidine protein kinase activity; significant NDPK activity was observed. The Nm23-H1S120A mutant was deficient in only histidine-dependent serine autophosphorylation. Nm23-H1 and Nm23-H1S44A exhibited normal activity in all assays conducted. Based on this correlation, we hypothesize that a histidine-dependent protein phosphotransfer activity of Nm23-H1 may be responsible for its biological suppressive effects.
How neighborhood disorder increases blood pressure in youth: agonistic striving and subordination

Growing evidence links perceptions of neighborhood disorder to adverse health outcomes but little is known about psychological processes that may mediate this association. We tested the hypothesis that two psychological mechanisms—agonistic striving and subordination—mediate the link between perceived neighborhood disorder and hypertension risk in youth. Perceived neighborhood disorder, agonistic striving, subordination experiences, negative affect, obesity, and ambulatory blood pressure during daily activities (48 h) were assessed in a multiethnic sample of 167 low- to middle-income urban adolescents. Path analyses revealed that agonistic striving, subordination, and obesity each independently mediated the association between neighborhood disorder and blood pressure; these variables accounted for 73 % of the shared variance, 42 % of which was explained by agonistic striving. The direct relationship between perceived neighborhood disorder and blood pressure was no longer significant in the presence of these mediators. Negative affect was associated with neighborhood disorder and subordination, but not blood pressure. Agonistic striving proved to be a significant and substantial mediator of the association between perceived neighborhood disorder, blood pressure, and future hypertension risk. New research should seek to clarify the processes by which stressful neighborhoods induce persistent agonistic motives and perceptions of subordination in adolescents.
The welfare effects of reduced U.S. tariff restrictions on imported textile products

(1980). The welfare effects of reduced U.S. tariff restrictions on imported textile products. Applied Economics: Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 455-465.
Magnetic moments of the strange baryons in the bag model

Abstract We break SU(3) symmetry in the bag model by giving the singlet quark a mass m . The magnetic moment ratios of the strange baryons are calculated and compared with exact SU(6) predictions and with experiment.
Maximum Principle of Optimal Control of the Primitive Equations of the Ocean with Two Point Boundary State Constraint

We study in this article the Pontryagin’s maximum principle for a class of control problems associated with the primitive equations (PEs) of the ocean with two point boundary state constraint. These optimal problems involve a two point boundary state constraint similar to that considered in Wang, Nonlinear Anal. 51, 509–536, 2002 for the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes (NS) equations. The main difference between this work and Wang, Nonlinear Anal. 51, 509–536, 2002 is that the nonlinearity in the PEs is stronger than in the three-dimensional NS systems.
Long-term health outcomes of extremely premature infants.

To the Editor .— As students of bioethical decision-making, we always look forward to Dr Saigal's sequential follow-up studies that focus on the long-term health and social welfare of the 166 premature infants born in Ontario, Canada, between 1977 and 1982.1 In the course of our work as a neonatologist, perinatologist, and clinical researchers, the debate over the wisdom and compassion of aggressive resuscitation and NICU care of extremely premature infants who are <27 weeks' gestational age continues to yield no simple solutions. Our obstetrics and neonatology service at Providence St Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, offers comprehensive periviability counseling …
New evidence concerning refractory period in self-stimulation neurons.

Abstract Deutsch [2] has reported, for the rat, sharply reduced self-stimulation rates for brief intrapair pulse intervals (IPIs), when paired pulses were delivered in trains at 200 total pps. He attributed the effect to a neuronal refractory period of approximately 1 msec. A replication using cats showed: (1) that rates were reduced for some but not all electrode wires at test IPIs between 0.2 and 1.3 msec; (2) for wires that did yield a reduced rate for brief IPIs (located within the medial forebrain bundle) the minimum fell at approximately 0.5 msec, rather than 1 msec; and (3) at all IPI values, rates were generally much higher than when single-pulse trains were delivered at 100 pps. It was concluded that a convincing linkage between self-stimulation and a unitary value for refractory period must await isolation of several variables that may affect neuronal excitability at brief IPIs.
Automating the identification of structural model parameters

System identification methods are analytical techniques for resolving the correct model form and parametric values. However, for system identification to become a practical tool for engineering analysis, the estimation techniques/codes must communicate with finite element software packages, without intensive analyst intervention and supervision. This paper presents a technique used to integrate commercial software packages for finite element modeling (MSC/NASTRAN), mathematical programming techniques (ADS), and general linear system analysis (PRO-MATLAB). The parameter estimation techniques and the software for controlling the overall system were programmed in PRO-MATLAB. Two examples of application of this software are presented. The examples consist of a truss structure in which the model form is well defined and an electronics package whose model form is ill-defined since it is difficult to model with finite elements. A comparison of the resulting updated models with the experimental data showed significant improvement. 19 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.