cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
STRUCTURING POLITICAL OPINIONS: Attitude Consistency and Democratic Competence among the U.S. Mass Public

Political democracy assumes that citizens can form consistent political attitudes that guide their political actions, thereby communicating political preferences to elites. Responding to the longstanding debate about the democratic competence of the U.S. mass public, we use a multitiered framework of opinion formation to describe the structure of mass opinion, showing that the mass public displays relatively consistent responses across multiple issues and uses these to evaluate presidential candidates. Confirmatory factor analysis allows us to examine multiple models of political attitudes, showing the best fit to be three positively correlated general orientations for economic, social, and racial issues. We find no significant racial or educational differences in the structuring of these attitudes but some evidence of "race-coding" of economic issues and class differences in levels of support for economic and social liberalism. Liberal/conservative self-identification operates as a basic structuring principle for organizing these general orientations with liberals and conservatives assigning different salience to specific issues. These general political orientations, in turn, influence presidential evaluations net of party loyalties. Although the mass public may not be ideologically sophisticated, it is "deliberative and reasonable" in its political thinking and, in this sense, democratically competent.
Teaching Agricultural Ethics

A survey was conducted in the United Statesin 1998 and 1999 to determine what members of theNational Association of State Universities and LandGrant Colleges (NASULGC) and of the AmericanAssociation of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)offered agricultural ethics as an undergraduatecourse. Of the 59 responses, the survey found 15 USuniversities that have a course on agricultural ethicsor one that includes the topic. This paper willdiscuss the survey's findings and offer six reasonsthat explain why so few universities includeagricultural ethics in their curriculum. The sixreasons are: 1) lack of education in ethics andphilosophy on the part of agricultural scientists; 2)lack of institutional or disciplinary incentives foragricultural scientists to reflect on their work andits effects; 3) lack of administrative leadership incolleges of agriculture due to their failure tounderstand the benefits of agricultural ethics; 4)continuance of the prevailing assumption thatagriculture is inherently ethically correct; 5) thefelt necessity by agricultural scientists to defendthemselves against what are perceived to be unjust andinaccurate criticisms of agriculture; and 6) areluctance to engage in ethical reflection because itmay raise more problems than it solves. The paper'scentral question is why ethics is not taught in morecolleges of agriculture. Those who teach know thattheir students are tomorrow's farmers, businesspeople, professors, and policy makers. If we who nowteach and administer fail to include true ethicalstudy in our student's education, our students willstill be defensive when confronted with an ethicalissue and unable to respond except with assertionsbased on the production paradigm, the correctness ofwhich, although unexamined, we taught them. If theagricultural faculty does not recognize theopportunity and the obligation to participate in theshaping of values, then the values of agriculture willbe shaped elsewhere in the institution and insociety.
AS-GC: an efficient generational garbage collector for java application servers

A generational collection strategy utilizing a single nursery cannot efficiently manage objects in application servers due to variance in their lifespans. In this paper, we introduce an optimization technique designed for application servers that exploits an observation that remotable objects are commonly used as gateways for client requests. Objects instantiated as part of these requests (remote objects) often live longer than objects not created to serve these remote requests (local objects). Thus, our scheme creates remote and local objects in two separate nurseries; each is properly sized to match the lifetime characteristic of the residing objects. We extended the generational collector in HotSpot to support the proposed optimization and found that given the same heap size, the proposed scheme can improve the maximum throughput of an application server by 14% over the default collector. It also allows the application server to handle 10% higher workload prior to memory exhaustion.
A new gene involved in stationary-phase survival located at 59 minutes on the Escherichia coli chromosome.

Abstract We determined the DNA sequence of a 2,232-bp region immediately upstream of the pcm gene at 59 min on the Escherichia coli chromosome that encodes an L-isoaspartyl protein methyltransferase with an important role in stationary-phase survival. Two open reading frames of 477 and 1,524 bp were found oriented in the same direction as that of the pcm gene. The latter open reading frame overlapped the 5' end of the pcm gene by 4 bp. Coupled in vitro transcription-translation analysis of DNA containing the 1,524-bp open reading frame directly demonstrated the production of a 37,000-Da polypeptide corresponding to a RNA species generated from a promoter within the open reading frame. The deduced amino acid sequence showed no similarity to known protein sequences. To test the function of this gene product, we constructed a mutant strain in which a kanamycin resistance element was inserted at a BstEII site in the middle of its coding region in an orientation that does not result in reduction of Pcm methyltransferase activity. These cells were found to survive poorly in stationary phase, at elevated temperatures, and in high-salt media compared with parent cells containing the intact gene, and we thus designate this gene surE (survival). surE appears to be the first gene of a bicistronic operon also containing the pcm gene. The phenotypes of mutations in either gene are very similar and indicate that both gene products are important for the viability of E. coli cells under stressful conditions.
Proteasome, Transporter Associated with Antigen Processing, and Class I Genes in the Nurse Shark Ginglymostoma cirratum: Evidence for a Stable Class I Region and MHC Haplotype Lineages

Cartilaginous fish (e.g., sharks) are derived from the oldest vertebrate ancestor having an adaptive immune system, and thus are key models for examining MHC evolution. Previously, family studies in two shark species showed that classical class I (UAA) and class II genes are genetically linked. In this study, we show that proteasome genes LMP2 and LMP7, shark-specific LMP7-like, and the TAP1/2 genes are linked to class I/II. Functional LMP7 and LMP7-like genes, as well as multiple LMP2 genes or gene fragments, are found only in some sharks, suggesting that different sets of peptides might be generated depending upon inherited MHC haplotypes. Cosmid clones bearing the MHC-linked classical class I genes were isolated and shown to contain proteasome gene fragments. A non-MHC-linked LMP7 gene also was identified on another cosmid, but only two exons of this gene were detected, closely linked to a class I pseudogene (UAA-NC2); this region probably resulted from a recent duplication and translocation from the functional MHC. Tight linkage of proteasome and class I genes, in comparison with gene organizations of other vertebrates, suggests a primordial MHC organization. Another nonclassical class I gene (UAA-NC1) was detected that is linked neither to MHC nor to UAA-NC2; its high level of sequence similarity to UAA suggests that UAA-NC1 also was recently derived from UAA and translocated from MHC. These data further support the principle of a primordial class I region with few class I genes. Finally, multiple paternities in one family were demonstrated, with potential segregation distortions.
Modeling of metal-over-silicon microstrip interconnections: the effect of SiO/sub 2/ thickness on slow-wave losses

A theoretical model for a metal-over-silicon microstrip interconnection is presented using a quasi-TEM approximation. We consider in this paper several physical effects, including: SiO/sub 2/ insulator layer, slow-wave substrate coupling, conductor resistance, skin-effect degradation, distributed RC propagation, and signal dispersion. We have examined, in particular, the influence of an underlying SiO/sub 2/ insulator layer, as previous studies have not included such a layer. Pulse propagation has been studied for durations down to 50 ps, suitable for 10 GHz clocks. We have found that pulse attenuation is reduced dramatically as the thickness of the SiO/sub 2/ layer is increased.
Unexplained renal colic: what is the utility of IV contrast?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit of intravenous (IV) contrast in patients with suspected renal colic and unremarkable unenhanced MDCT. Materials and methods: One thousand two hundred and four patients with suspected ureterolithiasis were evaluated with unenhanced MDCT. Seven hundred and eight patients that had additional imaging following IV contrast were our study group. Results: Of the patients, 9.4% (67/708) had abnormalities seen only on contrast-enhanced exams. In 53.1% (376/708) of the patients, no additional finding was identified after IV contrast. Conclusion: IV contrast in patients with renal colic is rarely helpful.
Chemical Properties of the Diets of Two Lemur Species in Southwestern Madagascar

Seasonal dietary variations demonstrate the importance of certain plant parts during the year. A parallel analysis of their nutritional constituents provides further information on underlying patterns of consumption of the plant parts and the relative importance of key nutrients. I studied the diets of Lemur catta (ring-tailed lemurs) and Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi (sifakas), for 9 mo over a 13-mo period in the highly seasonal tropical dry forest site of Beza Mahafaly in southwestern Madagascar. I tested dietary plant parts for nutrients—protein, free amino acids, and sugars—and for 2 potential deterrents, phenolics and tannins, using plant extracts prepared in the field. I compared consumption of nutrients and secondary compounds throughout the year and between seasons. Nutrients are balanced throughout the year. The 2 lemur species do not appear nutrient-starved in either season, though actual quantities of nutrients and contributing food parts differ for each species. Lemur catta consumes high levels of sugar throughout the year, whereas Propithecus takes in higher levels of protein. The effects of phenolics and tannins are quantitative, and they appear to deter consumption of plant parts only past a certain threshold. Sifakas consume them in greater quantities than those of ring-tailed lemurs, which appear more sensitive to their effects. Sifakas may have a higher tolerance for secondary plant metabolites, which is consistent with reports for other folivores. The overall stability of nutrients throughout the year indicates no lean period that coincides with the decline in food abundance during the dry season, though actual caloric intake probably decreases.
Validation of the force and frequency characteristics of the activator adjusting instrument: Effectiveness a mechanical impedence measurement tool

Objective: To determine the dynamic force-time and force-frequency characteristics of the Activator Adjusting Instrument and to validate its effectiveness as a mechanical impedance measurement device; in addition, to refine or optimize the force-frequency characteristics of the Activator Adjusting Instrument to provide enhanced dynamic structural measurement reliability and accuracy. Methods: An idealized test structure consisting of a rectangular steel beam with a static stiffness similar to that of the human thoracolumbar spine was used for validation of a method to determine the dynamic mechanical response of the spine. The Activator Adjusting Instrument equipped with a load cell and accelerometer was used to measure forces and accelerations during mechanical excitation of the steel beam. Driving point and transfer mechanical impedance and resonant frequency of the beam were determined by use of a frequency spectrum analysis for different force settings, stylus masses, and stylus tips. Results were compared with beam theory and transfer impedance measurements obtained by use of a commercial electronic PCB impact hammer. Results: The Activator Adjusting Instrument imparted a very complex dynamic impact comprising an initial high force (116 to 140 N), short duration pulse (<0.1 ms) followed by several lower force (30 to 100 N), longer duration impulses (1 to 5 ms). The force profile was highly reproducible in terms of the peak impulse forces delivered to the beam structure (<8% variance). Spectrum analysis of the Activator Adjusting Instrument impulse indicated that the Activator Adjusting Instrument has a variable force spectrum and delivers its peak energy at a frequency of 20 Hz. Added masses and different durometer stylus tips had very little influence on the Activator Adjusting Instrument force spectrum. The resonant frequency of the beam was accurately predicted by both the Activator Adjusting Instrument and electronic PCB impact hammer, but variations in the magnitude of the driving point impedance at the resonant frequency were high (67%) compared with the transfer impedance measurements obtained with the electronic PCB impact hammer, which had a more uniform force spectrum and was more repeatable (<10% variation). The addition of a preload-control frame to the Activator Adjusting Instrument improved the characteristics of the force frequency spectrum and repeatability of the driving point impedance measurements. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the Activator Adjusting Instrument combined with an integral load cell and accelerometer was able to obtain an accurate description of a steel beam with readily identifiable geometric and dynamic mechanical properties. These findings support the rationale for using the device to assess the dynamic mechanical behavior of the vertebral biomechanical effectiveness of various manipulative, surgical, and rehabilitative spinal procedures. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1999;22:75–86)
The impact of organizational change on the technological gatekeeper role

Technical communication patterns are studied over a seven-year period in a military engineering research and development laboratory. The same individuals are consistently identified as gatekeepers despite changes in organizational structure and a dynamic research environment. Efforts to manage the flow of technical information are also discussed.
Generation of dynamic chemical signals with microfluidic C-DACs.

The utilization of microfluidic “lab-on-a-chip” devices in fundamental medical research, drug discovery and clinical diagnostics has rapidly increased in the past decade. Lab-on-a-chip devices process small volumes of analytes and reagents through on-chip microfluidic signal processing circuits. This paper discusses the implementation of a basic microfluidic circuit block, the concentration digital-to-analog converter (or C-DAC) which produces discretized chemical concentrations in a constant stream of solvent. The chemical concentration is controlled by a time-varying digital word; hence C-DACs are suitable for on-chip generation of arbitrary chemical signals. A 4-bit continuous-flow C-DAC was fabricated in two-level PDMS technology and tested. Several chemical waveforms (sawtooth, cosine, and ramp) were generated at flow rates of 2 µL min−1 and frequencies of 0.6–4 mHz. The frequency cut off of this C-DAC was ∼500 mHz.
Effect of glutaraldehyde fixation on the frictional response of immature bovine articular cartilage explants

Abstract This study examined functional properties and biocompatibility of glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine articular cartilage over several weeks of incubation at body temperature to investigate its potential use as a resurfacing material in joint arthroplasty. In the first experiment, treated cartilage disks were fixed using 0.02, 0.20 and 0.60% glutaraldehyde for 24 h then incubated, along with an untreated control group, in saline for up to 28 d at 37 °C. Both the equilibrium compressive and tensile moduli increased nearly twofold in treated samples compared to day 0 control, and remained at that level from day 1 to 28; the equilibrium friction coefficient against glass rose nearly twofold immediately after fixation (day 1) but returned to control values after day 7. Live explants co-cultured with fixed explants showed no quantitative difference in cell viability over 28 d. In general, no significant differences were observed between 0.20 and 0.60% groups, so 0.20% was deemed sufficient for complete fixation. In the second experiment, cartilage-on-cartilage frictional measurements were performed under a migrating contact configuration. In the treated group, one explant was fixed using 0.20% glutaraldehyde while the apposing explant was left untreated; in the control group both explants were left untreated. From day 1 to 28, the treated group exhibited either no significant difference or slightly lower friction coefficient than the untreated group. These results suggest that a properly titrated glutaraldehyde treatment can reproduce the desired functional properties of native articular cartilage and maintain these properties for at least 28 d at body temperature.
Adsorption of Elemental Mercury on the Residual Carbon in Coal Fly Ash

The injection of large quantities of pulverized activated carbon is one method used to remove elemental mercury (Hg0) from flue gas streams. The purpose of this project was to determine whether the unburned carbon that remains in coal fly ash could be used as an inexpensive and effective replacement for activated carbon. Bench-scale tests were conducted at conditions representative of those found in the flue gas trains of coal-fired power plants and municipal waste incinerators. The temperatures and concentrations ranged from 121 to 177 °C and from 0.019 to 11.7 mg of Hg/m3. Two types of data were obtained: equilibrium data suitable for obtaining adsorption isotherms and breakthrough data suitable for obtaining adsorption kinetics. Adsorbed-phase concentrations were as high as 600 ppm. Forward adsorption rate constants were ≈0.06−2.3 m3/g/s for particle sizes and carbon contents ranging from 59 to 206 μm and from 2% to 36%. Mathematical models were developed to simulate the capture of Hg0 in flue gas duc...
Right-Wing Authoritarianism, Attitude Salience, and Beliefs about Matters of Fact

Previous investigations have demonstrated a relationship between endorsement of right-wing authoritarian (RWA) ideology and attitudes toward social and societal issues (e.g., abortion, drug use, affirmative action, and homosexuality). By contrast, the present studies examined the relationship between RWA and beliefs about matters of fact bearing on such issues (e.g., estimates of the prevalence of third trimester abortions, AIDS, concealed weapons). Studies 1 and 2 supported the propositions that high-RWA and low-RWA participants would show differences in their informational beliefs about sociopolitical matters consistent with differences in their respective ideologies and consistent with their putative differential cynicism about human nature. Study 3 demonstrated that the relationship between RWA and informational beliefs is amplified by the heightened salience of attitudes toward the targets of those beliefs. Language: en
Studies on enhancing carbon sequestration in soils

Abstract Studies of carbon and nitrogen dynamics in ecosystems are leading to an understanding of the factors and mechanisms that affect the inputs to and outputs from soils and how these might be manipulated to enhance C sequestration. Both the quantity and the quality of soil C inputs influence C storage and the potential for C sequestration. Changes in tillage intensity and crop rotations can also affect C sequestration by changing the soil physical and biological conditions and by changing the amounts and types of organic inputs to the soil. Analyses of changes in soil C and N balances are being supplemented with studies of the management practices needed to manage soil carbon and the implications for fossil-fuel use, emission of other greenhouse gases (such as N 2 O and CH 4 ), and impacts on agricultural productivity. The Consortium for Research on Enhancing Carbon Sequestration in Terrestrial Ecosystems (CSiTE) was created in 1999 to perform fundamental research that will lead to methods to enhance C sequestration as one component of a C management strategy. Research to date at one member of this consortium, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has focused on C sequestration in soils and we begin here to draw together some of the results.
Conformationally constrained analogues of diacylglycerol. 21. A solid-phase method of synthesis of diacylglycerol lactones as a prelude to a combinatorial approach for the synthesis of protein kinase C isozyme-specific ligands.

A solid-phase method for the synthesis of diacylglycerol lactones as protein kinase C ligands was developed, and a small array of nine compounds were selected with the idea of testing this methodology and forecasting the reliability of the biological data as a preamble for the construction of large chemical libraries to be synthesized under the same conditions. The process started with the loading of 5-(hydroxymethyl)-5-[(4-methoxyphenoxy)methyl]-3,4,5-trihydrofuran-2-one (1) to a 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran resin packed inside IRORI MacroKan reactors. The elements of diversity were introduced at the α-alkylidene (R1) and acyl (R2) positions using a set of three different aldehydes and three different acid chlorides, respectively. An LDA-mediated aldol condensation with R1CHO in the presence of ZnCl2 followed by a DBU-catalyzed elimination of the triflate of the resulting aldol gave the α-alkylidene intermediates as mixtures of geometric isomers. Removal of the aryl-protecting group followed by acylation with R2...
A semiparametric model to examine stock-recruitment relationships incorporating environmental data

A novel semiparametric model that can incorporate environmental and fishery data is developed to analyze stockrecruitment relationships. Unlike traditional stockrecruitment models that assume a l...
A High Resolution Broad Spectral Range Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer for UV Laboratory Astrophysics

A high resolving power (>500,000) Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer with spectral coverage across the VUV - UV region is being built for laboratory spectroscopy including emission branching fractions, improved level energies, and hyperfine/isotopic parameters.
Differential regulation of neuronal nicotinic receptor binding sites following chronic nicotine administration.

Chronic nicotine administration to rats produces an increase in neuronal nicotinic receptors in the CNS. Moreover, the up-regulated sites labeled by [ 3 H]cytisine in cerebral cortex appear to be composed exclusively of α4 and β2 subunits. It is unknown whether receptor subtypes that do not bind [ 3 H]-cytisine with high affinity are also affected. In the present studies, we tested the hypothesis that nicotine treatment differentially alters the density of neuronal nicotinic receptor subtypes in rat nervous tissues. Thus, we compared the binding of [ 3 H]cytisine with that of [ 3 H]epibatidine to nicotinic receptors in brain, spinal cord, and adrenal gland from rats that had been injected twice daily with nicotine or saline vehicle for 10 days. Chronic nicotine treatment led to an increase in nicotinic receptor binding sites in the cerebral cortex and in the dorsal lumbar spinal cord, but not in the thalamus. It is important that virtually all of the observed increases could be accounted for by a selective effect on the fraction of receptors exhibiting high affinity for both [ 3 H]-cytisine and [ 3 H]epibatidine. In contrast, no change in [ 3 H]-epibatidine binding was seen in the adrenal gland, a tissue that does not exhibit high-affinity [ 3 H]cytisine binding. These data indicate that, under the conditions used here, nicotine up-regulates the α4β2 nicotinic receptor subtype, which can be labeled by [ 3 H]cytisine and [ 3 H]epibatidine, but not non-α4β2 subtypes, which can be labeled by [ 3 H]epibatidine.
Drug use in a geriatric population.

: Drug usage was studied in a geriatric hypertension-screening program. A questionnaire was used to collect the required information from patients visiting the clinic during three successive years. The study included 1,711 patients, of whom 76.6 percent were regularly using a drug preparation. A consistent increase was noted in the average number of drug categories used with increasing age, from 1.6 in patients under 70 to 2.6 in patients over 84 years old. The most common drug categories involved were antihypertensive agents, cardiovascular drugs, vitamins, and internal analgesics.
Looking Elsewhere: Career Options Other Than the Tenure-Track Teaching Position for M.A.s and Ph.D.s in English.

Abstract Today’s tight job market may seem daunting for graduate students and non-tenured folk working in English departments across the country. It often seems there is no or little hope of finding work; at best, one might find a position as an adjunct lecturer with a contract period of one year. The fear of continuing to be underpaid workers with no benefits is all too real to people finishing their dissertations and degrees. However, some of those trained in fields in which the market is tight have used skills developed during graduate school to find non-teaching jobs, both inside and outside the academy, that offer decent salaries and benefits, though they may have other drawbacks for those trained as humanists. For example, such positions may not include formal teaching duties or research opportunities. For this article, guest editor Keith Dorwick asked a number of individuals who had found work in a variety of nontraditional, nonteaching positions to meet at LinguaMOO and talk about their careers; afterwards, they were given transcripts of the conversation and annotated the transcripts. Four computers and writing specialists and one librarian gathered. The conversation was moderated by Dene Grigar, Assistant Professor at Texas Woman’s University. This article includes a version of that conversation as edited for print purposes, and the annotations and responses made after the fact by the participants (whose biographies appear at the end of the article).
Classification of multicolor fluorescence in-situ hybridization (M-FISH) image using structure based sparse representation model with different constrains

In this paper we propose a structure based sparse model with different constrains by extending the general sparse model to the multiple pixels case, where each pixel together with its neighboring pixels are used simultaneously in the sparse representation of chromosome classes. We use the model to classify multicolor fluorescence in-situ hybridization (MFISH) images. Both the simulation and real data analysis results show that the structure based sparse model penalized with lp norm (p=0 and p=1) improved the accuracy of classification over the conventional sparse model based classifier, which translates into improved diagnosis of genetic diseases and cancers.
Inflation, reserve requirements, and real interest rates with direct and indirect loan markets

Abstract The paper constructs an overlapping generations model with a banking sector but allows for both direct lending and indirect lending through banks. In this model we reexamine the long-run effects of a change in the inflation rate. An increase in the inflation rate raises the tax on banks, since they are required to hold reserves, and causes banks to lower deposit rates. This induces tow effects. First, some depositors switch from bank deposits to direct lending. This tends to lower loan rates of interest as direct lenders do not have to hold reserves. Second, some depositors will increase current consumption, and this tends to raise the loan rate. For reasonable values of the parameters the second effect may dominate even if the interest elasticity of consumption is very small.
CDS 224 Autodial Modem and PC‐Talk III

In the summer of 1984, Sam Houston State University library began using an M300 Workstation for DIALOG database searching, with a 2400‐baud CDS 224 Autodial Modem and PC‐Talk III as the communication software. To reduce the workload on the Workstation, about a year ago we purchased a second IBM PC for the database searches. But we are still using the CDS 2400‐baud modem and PC‐Talk III as the communication software.
The Just City

Justice has always been a major topic within political philosophy, but scholars in the behavioural sciences have largely avoided normative statements. After the urban uprisings of the 1960s and 1970s, however, leftist scholars adopted a critical approach that, while not specifying a concept of justice, injected a moral dimension into their work. Within urban studies, the argument of Henri Lefebvre, who defined space as a social construction and who maintained that all groups should have a ‘right to the city’, became particularly influential. During the 1990s, scholars began to be more explicit about the concept of justice. Three main approaches to urban justice were developed: (1) communicative rationality; (2) recognition of diversity; (3) the just city/spatial justice. Differences between the communicative and just city approaches revolved around emphasis on democracy versus equity, process versus outcome. I argue that democracy, diversity, and equity are the three governing principles for urban justice...
Posterior fixation sutures: a revised mechanical explanation for the fadenoperation based on rectus extraocular muscle pulleys.

Abstract PURPOSE: To determine the effect of the rectus extraocular muscle pulleys on the fadenoperation, an operation designed to fixate the posterior muscle belly to the underlying retroequatorial sclera. METHODS: First, duction into the field of action of the operated-on muscle was quantified retrospectively after fadenoperation. Magnetic resonance imaging was then performed prospectively after surgery to verify anatomic changes. Forced duction testing was performed prospectively during surgery before and after faden placement. Finally, computed tomography in a cadaver containing radiographic markers was performed prospectively to determine the effect of fadenoperation on the position of the medial rectus insertion relative to its pulley. RESULTS: Mean maximum adduction after medial rectus fadenoperation was 18 degrees (range, 10 to 25 degrees; 13 eyes). Fadenoperations combined with large medial rectus recessions restricted adduction more than fadenoperations combined with smaller recessions ( P = .019), but even fadenoperations without recessions substantially restricted adduction. Mean maximum abduction after lateral rectus fadenoperation was 40 degrees (range, 25 to 45 degrees; four eyes). Axial magnetic resonance imaging in two eyes demonstrated a smaller loss of muscle tangency to the globe during contraction than predicted by geometric models. Forced ductions in nine patients performed immediately after faden placement demonstrated a new mechanical restriction to duction toward the operated-on muscle. Cadaveric computed tomographic scans demonstrated posterior displacement of the medial rectus pulley during adduction after fadenoperation. CONCLUSIONS: Posterior fixation sutures do not significantly decrease muscle torque during contraction. Because posterior fixation sutures posteriorly displace the pulley sleeve during duction toward the operated-on muscle, the mechanical restriction after surgery probably represents the force deforming the pulley. This mechanical restriction may account for the limitation in duction seen after fadenoperation.
A MEMS enabled integrated microgc platform for on-site monitoring of water organic compounds

This paper introduces the first MEMS-based purge-and-trap (P&T) system and reports a new microfabricated column for onsite monitoring of water organic compounds (WOCs). The micro purge extractor (μPE) consists of etched cavity inside 2 cm × 3 cm chip and is used to purge WOCs from aqueous sample. The extracted WOCs are collected onto our previously reported micropreconcentrator (μPC) and subsequently separated by a 1m-long MEMS separation column (μSC). The μSC reported herein, is first of its kind as it is coated with highly stable silica nanoparticles (SNP) utilizing layer by layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. The proposed technique eliminates limitations in current aqueous analysis system and can be employed to develop a highly portable on-site water monitoring system.
Age-related loss of neuronal nicotinic receptor expression in the aging mouse hippocampus corresponds with cyclooxygenase-2 and PPARγ expression and is altered by long-term NS398 administration

Age-related changes in the mammalian dorsal hippocampus are associated with diminished expression of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR), which is particularly severe in pathologies such as those associated with dementias, including Alzheimer's disease. Because the mouse is a useful model for age-related decline in nAChR expression in the basal forebrain and limbic system, we used immunohistochemistry to examine the influence of long-term (12-month) oral administration of nicotine and/or the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) preferring non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) NS398 on nAChR alpha4, alpha5, alpha7, and beta4 expression in the C57BL/6 mouse. Inhibitory neurons of the dorsal hippocampus that express nAChRs also constitutively express COX-2 and the peroxisome proliferator-antagonist receptor subtype gamma-2 (PPAR gamma2) which is also a target of NS398. Administration of NS398 correlated with retention of nAChR alpha4 and to a lesser extent nAChR beta4, but not nAChR alpha5 or alpha7, but nicotine exhibited no similar effect. Nicotine and NS398 co-administration abolished the NS398-related effect on nAChR alpha4 retention. These results provide evidence that the interaction during aging between oral administration of nicotine and NSAIDs are not straightforward and could even be antagonistic when combined.
Cell proliferation in denervated muscle: time course, distribution and relation to disuse.

Abstract The effects of denervation on skeletal muscle fibers have been intensively investigated, but the effects on other cell types within muscle tissue are not well understood. In the present experiments, cell proliferation was analyzed in mouse extensor digitorum longus muscles denervated for periods of one day to six weeks. Incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA increased 36 h after denervation, reached a maximum at a level twenty times control at 4 days, and returned towards control values by 7 days. Incorporation first increased in the endplate area, but 12 h later involved the entire muscle. Six weeks after denervation, muscles labeled at 4 days had lost 90% of the total label. Muscle disuse, produced by tetrodotoxin block of the nerve for up to 4 days, did not result in a proliferative response. Thus, cell proliferation after denervation is not a response to simple disuse, but rather to a nerve- or muscle-related mitogen. Since the response is mostly distributed throughout the entire muscle, the mitogen probably emanates from muscle fibers.
Fibrous mastopathy. A clinical histopathologic study

Fifty-one cases of fibrous mastopathy were studied clinically and histologically. The pathogenesis of fibrous mastopathy may be divided into three types which most likely represents a continuous spectrum of change from abundant acinar tissue and slightly increased stromal elements to abundant stromal elements and scant acinar tissue. There appears to be a correlation between the age of the patient and the type of fibrous mastopathy. The etiology of the fibrous mastopathy is obscure. Our clinical and histologic study suggests that it may be related to a changing hormonal balance.
Reversible inactivation of T4 ts DNA polymerase mutants in vivo

Abstract Temperature-shift treatments on Escherichia coli infected with ts T4 gene 43 mutants show that the ts DNA polymerase synthesized by these mutants can exist in two different heat-inactivated states from which activity can be recovered by cooling to a temperature permissive for the mutants. These states may signify interactions between the gene 43 DNA polymerase and the other components of the DNA replication system. The reversible effects of temperature on ts DNA polymerase were used to show that the synthesis of late phage proteins can occur without concomitant DNA replication. However, sustained DNA replication is needed for optimal phage production.
The Geography of Recreational Open Space: Influence of Neighborhood Racial Composition and Neighborhood Poverty

The geography of recreational open space might be inequitable in terms of minority neighborhood racial/ethnic composition and neighborhood poverty, perhaps due in part to residential segregation. This study evaluated the association between minority neighborhood racial/ethnic composition, neighborhood poverty, and recreational open space in Boston, Massachusetts (US). Across Boston census tracts, we computed percent non-Hispanic Black, percent Hispanic, and percent families in poverty as well as recreational open space density. We evaluated spatial autocorrelation in study variables and in the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression residuals via the Global Moran’s I. We then computed Spearman correlations between the census tract socio-demographic characteristics and recreational open space density, including correlations adjusted for spatial autocorrelation. After this, we computed OLS regressions or spatial regressions as appropriate. Significant positive spatial autocorrelation was found for neighborhood socio-demographic characteristics (all p value = 0.001). We found marginally significant positive spatial autocorrelation in recreational open space (Global Moran’s I = 0.082; p value = 0.053). However, we found no spatial autocorrelation in the OLS regression residuals, which indicated that spatial models were not appropriate. There was a negative correlation between census tract percent non-Hispanic Black and recreational open space density (rS = −0.22; conventional p value = 0.005; spatially adjusted p value = 0.019) as well as a negative correlation between predominantly non-Hispanic Black census tracts (>60 % non-Hispanic Black in a census tract) and recreational open space density (rS = −0.23; conventional p value = 0.003; spatially adjusted p value = 0.007). In bivariate and multivariate OLS models, percent non-Hispanic Black in a census tract and predominantly Black census tracts were associated with decreased density of recreational open space (p value < 0.001). Consistent with several previous studies in other geographic locales, we found that Black neighborhoods in Boston were less likely to have recreational open spaces, indicating the need for policy interventions promoting equitable access. Such interventions may contribute to reductions and disparities in obesity.
LONG-TERM MONITORING OF HYDROTHERMAL HEAT FLUX USING MOORED TEMPERATURE SENSORS, CLEFT SEGMENT, JUAN DE FUCA RIDGE

Heat flux from submarine vent fields can vary gradually on interannual scales, or nearly instantaneously in response to volcano-tectonic events in the underlying crust. Neither case is well documented because measurements of vent-field scale heat flux are scarce. We report here a new approach to hydrothermal plume monitoring sensitive to both progressive changes and hydrothermal events. From June 1991 to May 1992 we moored 35 self-contained temperature sensors and six current meters on seven moorings located in and around the plume from a vent field on the Cleft segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge. The hydrothermal plume was identified by a local temperature anomaly of 0.01° to 0.03°C in the lowermost 200 m of the water column. Plume heat flux, defined as the net advection of this temperature anomaly, averaged about 250 MW during the deployment. This flux is less than previous estimates and thus supports speculation that the heat flux is declining after a sudden reinvigoration triggered by a seafloor rifting event in 1986.
Maternal and paternal pheromones in gerbils

Mongolian gerbil pups are attracted to maternal and parental nest odors. They approach these odors in preference to the odors of either virgin females or clean bedding. The pups do not distinguish between maternal or parental odors and odors of unfamiliar lactating females. Thus lactating female gerbils produce a maternal pheromone similar to that of rats and other rodents. Attraction to the pheromone develops by two weeks of age and persists for at least three weeks. The primary source of the pheromone is the mother's enlarged ventral scent gland. Removing this gland eliminates maternal attractiveness. Development of attraction to maternal scent gland odors depends on prior exposure to them. Pups raised by mothers lacking scent glands do not approach lactating females that have sent glands. The father's presence during development alters the responses of gerbil pups to odors of other males. Pups raised by both parents avoid odors of other pairs with young, whereas pups raised by their mothers only do not. Pups are not attracted to their father's odors.
Height, education and later-life cognition in Latin America and the Caribbean

Building on previous evidence from the U.S., this study investigates the relationship between anthropometric markers (height and knee height), early-life conditions, education, and cognitive function in later life among urban elderly from Latin America and the Caribbean. I document a positive association between height and later-life cognitive function, which is larger for women than for men. This sex difference increases when I address potential feedback effects from mid- and later-life circumstances on stature by using knee height as an instrument for height. Specifically, while the estimates for women remain largely unchanged, I only find a diminished and statistically insignificant association between instrumented height and later-life cognition for men. This finding suggests that at least part of the association between height and later-life cognition among men may stem from common third factors that are correlated with both height and later-life cognition, such as adverse occupational exposures or health events during mid- and later life. Extended models that also include education further diminish the association between height and later-life cognition. Education displays strong positive gradients with the employed measures of childhood circumstances - including height - which points to education as a potential pathway linking early-life conditions and later-life cognitive function.
Cerebral lateralization of haptic perception: interaction of responses to Braille and music reveals a functional basis

Normally, haptic perception of the left hand surpasses that of the right. But simultaneously playing music into the left (but not the right) ear reverses this superiority. This suggests that the left cerebral hemisphere has full haptic perceptual capability, which is subject to right hemisphere interference unless the latter's attentional mechanisms are engaged by contralateral peripheral stimulation.
Cytomegalovirus infection presenting as bronchial polyps in lung transplant recipients.

Background Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most important opportunistic pathogen in lung transplant recipients and is associated with direct and indirect morbidity. Infection or disease with CMV is often diagnosed through detection of the virus in the blood, culture of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, or histologic examination of lung tissue obtained on transbronchial biopsy. Endobronchial lesions involving the virus have received little attention, however. Methods We reviewed the records of 76 endobronchial biopsies obtained at our institution from January 1999 through October 2004 and performed a detailed examination of the specimens and clinical histories for all patients with biopsy evidence of bronchial CMV infection. Results We identified three patients with endobronchial CMV infection, manifested in each case as an endobronchial polyp. On histologic examination of the endobronchial biopsy specimens, cells with cytopathic effects characteristic or suggestive of CMV infection were present in two cases, and immunohistochemical staining confirmed the presence of CMV in all three. All patients were clinically well with normal chest X-rays before biopsy. Two of three patients had multiple subsequent episodes of CMV disease. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first report of endobronchial polypoid CMV disease in lung transplant recipients. Our results suggest that biopsy of endobronchial lesions in pulmonary allografts should be pursued to establish a definitive etiology.
The Costs of Epilepsy and Cost-Based Evaluations of Anticonvulsants

The rapid increase in cost-related studies of epilepsy is a response to the need for information by healthcare organisations and providers who are being asked to include costs in their criteria for choosing among competing anticonvulsants. This article attempts to help non-economists to evaluate the results of research on the cost of epilepsy and cost-related evaluations of anticonvulsants. Selected articles are reviewed as examples of the types of information that they are likely to encounter.
Reflection of pulsed electromagnetic waves from a randomly stratified half-space

We consider the reflection of temporally pulsed electromagnetic waves from a weakly dispersive and dissipative, randomly stratified half-space. The incident pulse width is chosen to be short relative to deterministic background variations in the constitutive parameters but broad relative to the rapid, fine-scale random fluctuations in these parameter values. We study both plane-wave excitation (normal and oblique incidences) and excitation by a point current source. We are interested in the coherent reflected field and the mutual coherence function of the reflected field at the surface. Explicit results are given in certain special cases. We also compare the theory with numerical simulations.
Papillary neoplasms of the endolymphatic sac and mucosal lining of the pneumatic spaces of the temporal bone: Role of imaging

Primary adenomatous and adenocarcinomatous lesions of the temporal bone are rare tumors. Primary low-grade papillary adenocarcinomas of the endolymphatic sac origin were first reported by Heffner. These lesions, which are referred to as "Heffner tumors," are slow-growing, bone-destructive infiltrating tumors. Owing to the local bone destruction (usually centered at posterior petromastoid plate), the general consensus favors the endolymphatic sac as being the origin of these tumors. However, controversies regarding the cellular origins of adenomatous tumors of the temporal bone have been reported. Mafee and Shah reported a unique case in which histology was identical to papillary adenocarcinoma of endolymphatic sac in which the sac and duct showed normal findings on magnetic resonance images, which were confirmed on surgery. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are excellent imaging methods for evaluation of normal and anomaly of the vestibular aqueduct and endolymphatic duct and sac and for the diagnosis of these endolymphatic tumors. This article reviews computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of adenocarcinomatous tumors of temporal bone. This report also concerns a unique case of a papillary adenocarcinoma of presumed endolymphatic sac in a 12-year-old child, in which tumor replaced almost the entire petromastoid resulting in a markedly egg-shell appearance of the bone. To the best of our knowledge, this is the youngest child with papillary endolymphatic sac tumor reported.