cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patients with psychiatric disease: implications for anesthesiologists.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Psychiatric illness is common in patients presenting for surgery. Overall health and surgical outcomes are adversely affected by the presence of psychiatric comorbidities. RECENT FINDINGS As new treatment modalities become available, their perioperative implications need to be evaluated. These implications include drug-drug interactions, hemodynamic effects, bleeding risk, and factors affecting perioperative exacerbation of the underlying psychiatric illness. SUMMARY From our review of the recent literature we continue to support the continuation of psychoactive agents in the perioperative period, taking into consideration the effects these agents have on concomitant drug use in the perioperative period; and the risks of withholding them at a high-stress time.
The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of adulthood and aging

Notes on Contributors ix Preface xvii Susan Krauss Whitbourne and Martin J. Sliwinski Part I Foundations 1 Theoretical Perspectives: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Positive Aging 3 Elliot M. Friedman and Carol D. Ryff 2 Demography of Aging: Behavioral and Social Implications 25 Susan Krauss Whitbourne and Stacey B. Whitbourne 3 Late Life: A Venue for Studying the Mechanisms by Which Contextual Factors Influence Individual Development 49 Denis Gerstorf and Nilam Ram 4 Methodological Issues in Research on Adult Development and Aging 72 Scott M. Hofer, Philippe Rast, and Andrea M. Piccinin Part II Physical Changes and Health 5 Physical Exercise and Health 97 Leslie I. Katzel and Gregory M. Steinbrenner 6 Behavioral Stability and Change in Health Across the Adult Life Cycle 118 Ilene C. Siegler and Adam Davey Part III Cognition 7 Processing Speed 135 Judith Dirk and Florian Schmiedek 8 Working Memory 154 David P. McCabe and Vanessa M. Loaiza 9 Memory and Aging 174 Brent J. Small, Kerri S. Rawson, Sarah Eisel, and Cathy L. McEvoy 10 Everyday Cognition 190 Jason C. Allaire Part IV Personality 11 Personality Development in Adulthood 211 Nicky J. Newton and Abigail J. Stewart 12 Socioemotional Perspectives on Adult Development 236 Jennifer Tehan Stanley and Derek M. Isaacowitz 13 Personality and Aging: Cognitive Perspectives and Processes 254 Eileen Kranz Graham and Margie E. Lachman Part V Abnormal Aging 14 Affective Disorders and Age: The View Through a Developmental Lens 275 Jennifer R. Piazza and Susan Turk Charles 15 Alzheimer s Disease and Other Dementias 293 Joshua R. Steinerman and Richard B. Lipton 16 Personality Disorders in Later Life 312 Daniel L. Segal, Richard Zweig, and Victor Molinari 17 Assessment of Older Adults 331 Christine E. Gould, Barry A. Edelstein, and Lindsay A. Gerolimatos Part VI Social Processes 18 Self-Regulation and Social Cognition in Adulthood: The Gyroscope of Personality 357 Cory Bolkan and Karen Hooker 19 Partners and Friends in Adulthood 381 Rosemary Blieszner and Karen A. Roberto 20 Intergenerational Relationships and Aging 399 Kira S. Birditt and Elvina Wardjiman 21 Retirement: An Adult Development Perspective 416 Mo Wang Part VII Well-Being and Creativity 22 Effects of Remaining Time for Psychological Well-Being and Cognition 433 Boo Johansson and Anne Ingeborg Berg 23 Successful Aging 459 Colin A. Depp, Ipsit V. Vahia, and Dilip V. Jeste 24 Creative Productivity and Aging: An Age Decrement or Not? 477 Dean Keith Simonton Author Index 497 Subject Index 527
Theory of quantum secret sharing

I present a variety of results on the theory of quantum secret sharing. I show that any mixed state quantum secret sharing scheme can be derived by discarding a share from a pure state scheme, and that the size of each share in a quantum secret sharing scheme must be at least as large as the size of the secret. I show that the only constraints on the existence of quantum secret sharing schemes with general access structures are monotonicity (if a set is authorized, so are larger sets) and the no-cloning theorem. I also discuss some aspects of sharing classical secrets using quantum states. In this situation, the size of each share can sometimes be half the size of the classical secret.
Parental Absence and Academic Achievement in Immigrant Students

OF THE DISSERTATION PARENTAL ABSENCE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN IMMIGRANT STUDENTS by Chrysalis Lamae Wright Florida International University, 2010 Miami, Florida Professor Mary J. Levitt, Major Professor Academic achievement and educational expectations as a function of parental absence were examined among 268 newly immigrant elementary, middle, and high-school students from Spanish-speaking countries. Data collected as part of a longitudinal study of adaptation and achievement in newly immigrant students were analyzed. Participants had varying experiences with parental absence, in terms of length of absence, gender of absent parent, and reason for absence. Reasons for parental absence included parental divorce, parental death, and serial migration, a cause unique to immigrant children. Students who experienced parental absence reported lower educational expectations. Students who experienced the death of a parent had lower achievement scores and lower expectations than students who did not experience parental death. Prolonged absence was also important, with students who experienced parental absence for more than one year performing worse than students who had minimal parental separation. In addition, boys who experienced parental absence because of serial migration performed worse academically than boys who did not have this occurrence. Educational expectations were reduced among students who experienced parental absence as a result of the migratory process, especially for younger students. The extent to which parental absence related to
Galactic Wind Effects on the Lyα Absorption in the Vicinity of Galaxies

We present predictions of Lyα forest-galaxy correlations at z = 3 from Eulerian simulations that include the effects of galactic winds, driven primarily by supernova explosions. Galactic winds produce expanding bubbles of shock-heated gas within ~0.5 comoving h-1 Mpc of luminous galaxies in the simulation, which have space density similar to that of observed Lyman break galaxies (LBGs). However, most of the low-density intergalactic gas that determines the observed properties of the Lyα forest is unaffected by winds. The impact of winds on the Lyα optical depth near galaxies is less dramatic than their impact on gas temperature, because winds heat only a small fraction of the gas present in the turnaround regions surrounding galaxies. Hence, Lyα absorption from gas outside the wind bubbles is spread out over the same velocity range occupied by the wind-heated gas. In general, Lyα absorption is expected to be stronger than average near galaxies because of the high gas density. Winds result in a modest reduction of this expected increase of Lyα absorption. Our predictions can be compared to future observations to detect the wind effects and infer their strength, although with the caveat that the results are still dependent on the correspondence of simulated galaxies and observed LBGs. We find that wind effects in our simulations are not strong enough to reproduce the high Lyα transmission within 0.5 h-1 Mpc comoving of galaxies that has been suggested by recent observations; powerful galactic explosions or ejecta with hyper-escape velocities would be required, but these are unlikely to be produced by ordinary star formation and supernovae alone.
Control of mRNA translation in oocytes and developing embryos of giant moths: I. Function of the 5′ terminal “cap” in the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta

Abstract Injection of labeled leucine into oocytes and developing embryos of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, revealed that the rate of protein synthesis increases dramatically after fertilization and continues to rise until gastrulation. Cell-free preparations of oocytes and developing embryos show a similar pattern of in vitro incorporation. When messenger RNA extracted from unfertilized oocytes was examined by gradient density centrifugation under denaturing conditions, a broad peak was observed which centered around 15 S. In contrast to mRNA extracted from oocytes, that from embryos was found to be capped by 7-methylguanosine at the 5′ terminus. When translation of oocyte mRNA was compared with that of embryo mRNA in a cell-free translation system derived from wheat germ, oocyte RNA translated less efficiently. In the presence of an inhibitor of methylation, S-adenosylhomocysteine, the differences were further widened. In competition with a cap analog, 7-methylguanosine 5′-monophosphate, embryo mRNA translation was inhibited more than oocyte at low concentrations of analog. These results are taken to indicate that the lack of a cap at the 5′ terminus could be one mechanism to inhibit translation prior to fertilization.
AN ECONOMIC APPRAISAL OF THE U.S. TUNG OIL ECONOMY

Tung has been a preferred natural drying oil because of the high gloss finish, durability and water resistance qualities which it imparts to paint, varnish and lacquer products. However, increased competition from chemical synthetics, combined with lower prices for other natural oils since the early 1950's, has brought a decline of domestic tung oil consumption from 72.4 million pounds in 1950-51 to around 32 million pounds in 1968–69. The mandatory support program, initiated in 1948, obligates the Commodity Credit Corporation to support tung oil prices to growers at a minimum 65 percent of parity or at 24.3 cents per pound in 1968. Large accumulations of CCC stocks, close to 63 million pounds in 1966, triggered a change in CCC inventory policy.
Why is Small Business the Chief Business of Congress

Small business is a sacred cow in America. In 1958, Congress created the Small Business Investment Company ("SBIC"), a unique public-private program that provides long-term capital to small entrepreneurs. From its inception, however, the SBIC has been plagued by inefficiency and failure. Yet, Congress continues to pour millions of dollars into the SBIC program, with no end in sight. What explains this failed policy course? This article argues that the SBIC program exemplifies the pitfalls of legal and political institutional path dependency and should be replaced by private institutional lending systems. Pursuant to this account, past decisions can influence future legal developments even in the face of material social change. Political institutions can entrench ineffective paths by sustaining dynamics of "increasing returns" through processes of "positive feedbacks" and "self-reinforcement." Increasing returns occur when the benefits of a choice augment simply because over time more people opt for that choice. Our romantic ideal of small business as an economic and social catalyst has sprouted positive cultural feedbacks. Thereafter, the establishment of the House and Senate Small Business Committees and the Small Business Administration sustained this culture, self-reinforcing the SBIC program inefficient path where we remain invested to this day.
3,3′-Dioctadecyloxacarbocyanine perchlorate (DiO) as a fluorogenic probe for measurement of critical micelle concentration

Critical micelle concentration (CMC) is a key factor in applications of amphiphilic molecules, as it dictates the assembly state of the molecules. Nile Red (NR) is often used as a fluorogenic dye for the measurement of CMC values, but we have observed that NR is prone to aggregation, which leads to reduced reliability in CMC measurements. Here we evaluate 3,3′-dioctadecyloxacarbocyanine perchlorate (DiO) as an alternative fluorogenic dye for the measurement of CMC values. Both NR and DiO provide values comparable to those reported in the literature. However, we demonstrate that DiO provides improved consistency and is more user friendly than NR for measurement of CMC values.
Analysis of biological signals by Gabor decomposition

Joint time-frequency representations of data from two unrelated experiments have been providing clinicians important insight into signal characteristics which distinguish one signal category from another. Though the source of the signal in the two experiments is quite different, common signal features have been identified which motivated the analysis method presented in this paper. In the first experiment, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from psychiatric patients. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) sounds were recorded from dental patients in the second experiment. A signal feature common to both sets of data is one or more energy concentrations localized in time and frequency. It is this feature which is captured by the Gabor decomposition method described in this paper. >
Local structure of Co{sup 2+} incorporated at the calcite surface: An x-ray standing wave and SEXAFS study

Following adsorption from a dilute water solution, the lattice site and first-neighbor bonding distances of Co{sup 2+} ions incorporated at the calcite (101(bar sign)4) surface were determined with atomic resolution by the combination of x-ray standing wave triangulation and polarization-dependent surface extended x-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy. The incorporated Co{sup 2+} ions selectively occupy the Ca{sup 2+} lattice sites with an inward relaxation of 0.34 Aa. The Co{sup 2+} ions remain octahedrally coordinated, with a first-neighbor Co-O bonding distance of 2.11 Aa. The octahedral coordination suggests that a coadsorbed species from the solution remains bonded to the Co{sup 2+} ion above the surface. The structure of Co{sup 2+} incorporated at the calcite surface is successfully described by a model in which the Co{sup 2+} sites are mainly determined by relaxation due to surface lattice asymmetry, and the first-neighbor Co-O relaxation by reconformation of the adjacent carbonate molecules. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.
High Linear Energy Transfer Degradation Studies Simulating Alpha Radiolysis of TRU Solvent Extraction Processes

Treatment of used nuclear fuel through solvent extraction separation processes is hindered by radiolytic damage from radioactive isotopes present in used fuel. The nature of the damage caused by the radiation may depend on the radiation type, whether it be low linear energy transfer (LET) such as gamma radiation or high LET such as alpha radiation. Used nuclear fuel contains beta/gamma emitting isotopes but also a significant amount of transuranics which are generally alpha emitters. Studying the respective effects on matter of both of these types of radiation will allow for accurate prediction and modeling of process performance losses with respect to dose. Current studies show that alpha radiation has milder effects than that of gamma. This is important to know because it will mean that solvent extraction solutions exposed to alpha radiation may last longer than expected and need less repair and replacement. These models are important for creating robust, predictable, and economical processes that have strong potential for mainstream adoption on the commercial level. The effects of gamma radiation on solvent extraction ligands have been more extensively studied than the effects of alpha radiation. This is due to the inherent difficulty in producing a sufficient and confluent dose of alpha particles within a sample without leaving the sample contaminated with long lived radioactive isotopes. Helium ion beam and radioactive isotope sources have been studied in the literature. We have developed a method for studying the effects of high LET radiation in situ via 10B activation and the high LET particles that result from the 10B(n,α)7Li reaction which follows. Our model for dose involves solving a partial differential equation representing absorption by 10B of an isentropic field of neutrons penetrating a sample. This method has been applied to organic solutions of TBP and CMPO, two ligands common in TRU solvent extraction treatment processes. Rates of degradation of TBP and CMPO and their respective degradation products in the presence of high LET radiation are presented and discussed. These results are also compared to gamma studies performed in our lab and other gamma and alpha studies found in the literature. The possible application of this method to a variety of other solvent extraction ligands to study the effects of high LET radiation is also considered.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Reconstructing Childhood Health Histories

This article provides evidence about the quality of retrospective childhood health histories given to respondents in the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Even though information on early life health events is critical, there is legitimate skepticism about the ability of older respondents to remember specific health problems that they had during childhood. The evidence presented in this article suggests that this view is too negative. Respondents appear to remember salient childhood events about themselves, such as the illnesses they had during childhood, quite well. Moreover, these physical and psychological childhood health events are important correlates of adult health during middle age.
Intracranial pseudoaneurysm after intracranial pressure monitor placement

Traumatic intracranial pseudoaneurysms are a rare but severe complication following arterial injury. Pseudoaneurysm formation can occur secondary to blunt or penetrating trauma or iatrogenic injury. We report a case of traumatic pseudoaneurysm secondary to placement of an intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor. A 27-year-old man was involved in a motorcycle accident resulting in multiple intracranial hemorrhages. The patient underwent craniectomy and placement of an ICP monitor. 17 days later he developed dilation of his left pupil, with imaging demonstrating a new hemorrhage in the vicinity of the previous ICP monitor. A cerebral angiogram confirmed a left-sided distal M4 pseudoaneurysm which was treated by n-butyl cyanoacrylate embolization. Intracranial pseudoaneurysm formation following neurosurgical procedures is uncommon. Delayed intracranial hemorrhage in a region of prior intracranial manipulation, even following a procedure as ‘routine’ as placement of an ICP monitor, should raise the suspicion for this rare but potentially lethal complication.
Persistency of excitation, sufficient richness and parameter convergence in discrete time adaptive control☆

Abstract The main result of this paper is to give new techniques for deriving explicit conditions on the exogenously specified reference trajectory to guarantee parameter convergence for a class of either single-input single-output or multi-input multi-output discrete time adaptive control schemes. Other interesting results are relations between persistently exciting signals and sufficiently rich signals.
Hemangiopericytoma of the buccal region: a case report.

Hemangiopericytoma is an uncommon mesenchymal tumor that represents 1% of all vascular neoplasms.1 In a study by Enzinger and Smith,2 16% of these tumors occurred in the head and neck area, with the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses as the most common sites of involvement.3 Hemangiopericytomas may be benign, malignant, or may occur in an intermediate form characterized by unpredictable biologic behavior. In some cases, the malignant nature of an individual hemangiopericytoma is established only when the tumor recurs or metastasizes. We report an unusual case of a hemangiopericytoma that arose in the buccal mucosal region.
Data collection and evaluation II

This session focussed on two inter-related issues: (1) performance assessment for spoken language systems and (2) experience to date in speech corpora collection for these systems. The session included formal presentations from representatives of SRI International, MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science, BBN Systems and Technologies Corporation, and Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science.
Using the collaborative improvement model to improve a university hiring process

Policymakers and the public have been calling for the academic environment to improve the quality of its programs and services and to help more students afford post-secondary education (Spellings, 2008). This paper examines and analyses the application of a collaborative improvement model and its role in the redesign of an outdated and inefficient hiring process at a four-year public university. The model is based on lean theory and Deming's theory of profound knowledge. A case study approach is used to explain the collaborative improvement model and to examine the model's effectiveness in the redesign of a critical university process. The result of the study is a seamless integration of the hiring process with increased capacity to manage the projected increase of retirements and their replacements without adding additional labour resources. This study will provide a model on how lean theory and Deming's theory of profound knowledge can create a successful continuous improvement strategy in higher education.
Effects of Salinity on the Extensibility and Ca Availability in the Expanding Region of Growing Barley Leaves

The growth of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) leaves is reduced by salinity. We used the Instron extensometric technique to measure the reversible and irreversible compliance of the expanding regions of growing barley leaves from plants exposed to 1, 40, 80 and 120 mM NaCl in nutrient solution. Two barley cultivars differing in salinity resistance (cv ‘Arivat’ and cv ‘Briggs’) were compared over 5d of leaf growth. During the period of most active leaf expansion, salinity reduced reversible compliance and increased compliance in the leaf segments, although responses to salinity were complex and changed over the course of leaf expansion. Salinity increased irreversible compliance more in the salt-sensitive cultivar Arivat than in the more salt-tolerant cultivar Briggs. Elemental analysis of the basal leaf segments used for extensometry revealed an accumulation of Na and a depletion of Ca in segments from salinized plants, resulting in very high Na: Ca ratios in salinized expanding tissue. The concentrations of K and Mg in basal leaf tissue were elevated by salinity. Our data do support the hypothesis that the inhibition of leaf expansion by salinity stress is mediated by a decline in irreversible extensibility. We suggest that reduced Ca availability in expanding leaf tissue may contribute to growth reduction in salt-stressed barley seedlings.
Use of dose modification schedules is effective for blinding trials of warfarin: evidence from the WASID study.

Background—Randomized clinical trials are blinded to prevent knowledge of treatment assignment from influencing outcomes and their assessments, thus protecting the trial’s scientific integrity. Trials involving a warfarin treatment arm are difficult to blind due to the need to continuously adjust dose. Purpose—We sought to examine the effectiveness of blinding secondary stroke prevention trials with a warfarin treatment arm in which the blinding system incorporates use of placebo warfarin dose modification schedules for patients in the placebo warfarin arm. Methods—We examined treatment assignment guesses of 569 patients or their next of kin as well as study coordinators and principal neurologists at the clinical sites in a multicenter, randomized, double-dummy, double-blinded clinical trial of warfarin and aspirin using dose adjustment schedules for management of placebo warfarin. Results—Overall, the crude rates of correct responses are 60% for patient/proxy, 66% for study coordinator, and 56% for principal neurologist. Several indices were used to assess the consistency of guesses with what would be expected if the guessing were done completely at random, and all measures indicate adequate blinding. Limitations—Comparison to other trials using warfarin is difficult due to limited data and differences in assessment of blinding. However, results compared favorably to one existing trial. Conclusions—Placebo warfarin dose adjustment schedules can protect blinding adequately in trials involving warfarin.
Eosinophilic Esophagitis: History, Nomenclature, and Diagnostic Guidelines

Previously believed a rare condition, there has been a rising number of cases of eosinophilic esophagitis in adult and pediatric populations over the past several years. Because of this increase, it is important for clinicians to be able to recognize, diagnose, and manage this disease. This article focuses on the history and nomenclature of eosinophilic esophagitis and its evolution as a separate entity from gastroesophageal reflux disease. It also outlines currently accepted diagnostic criteria for this increasingly common condition.
Telecommuting: Justice and Control in the Virtual Organization

The adoption of telecommuting raises concerns for both managers and employees: Remote supervision presents monitoring challenges, while physical isolation may impede the employee's opportunity for, and involvement in, determining valued organizational outcomes (organizational justice). This study of 191 employees examined the relationships among telecommuting, organizational monitoring strategies, and organizational justice perceptions. Results suggest that monitoring strategies were more strongly associated with organizational justice perceptions than with telecommuting, and procedural and interactional justice perceptions related significantly to telecommuting. We provide implications, limitations, and ideas for future research.
The new paradigm of T-cell homeostatic proliferation-induced autoimmunity

In lymphopenic conditions, T cells expand to re-establish homeostasis by a process dependent on self-peptide–MHC recognition and the availability of proliferation- and survival-promoting cytokines. Although physiologically normal, chronic recurrence of this process might lead to selection of high-affinity self-reactive T-cell clones and autoimmune disease in susceptible individuals. A recent study in a diabetes-prone mouse model has provided strong evidence to support this hypothesis.
Comparison of LADARVision and Visx Star S3 laser in situ keratomileusis outcomes in myopia and hyperopia.

Abstract Purpose: To compare visual outcomes with 2 commonly used excimer lasers, the Autonomous LADARVision (LV) (Alcon Laboratories Inc.) and the Visx Star S3 (S3), in the performance of myopic and hyperopic astigmatic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Setting: Zale Lipshy University Hospital Laser Center for Vision, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA. Methods: In this retrospective single-center 3-surgeon cohort comparison, 100 consecutive LV-treated myopic eyes with a mean manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE) of –3.22 diopters (D) (range 0 to –6.00 D) (mean astigmatism 0.95 D [range 0 to 4.00 D]) were compared with 100 consecutive S3-treated eyes with a similar MRSE (mean MRSE –3.19 D; mean astigmatism 0.66 D [range 0 to 2.75 D]). Forty-one consecutive LV-treated hyperopic eyes with a mean MRSE of +2.59 D (range +1.00 to +6.00 D) (mean astigmatism 0.89 D [range 0 to 3.50 D]) were compared with 25 consecutive S3-treated eyes with a similar MRSE (mean MRSE +2.70 D; mean astigmatism 0.87 D [range 0 to 2.75 D]). The following outcomes were compared: uncorrected visual acuity, refractive predictability and stability, gain or loss of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, and need for enhancement. Results: Statistically significant differences in outcomes were found between lasers in the treatment of hyperopia and hyperopic astigmatism. No outcome differences between lasers were found in the treatment of myopia and myopic astigmatism. Conclusion: The LV and S3 lasers yielded equivalent results in myopic LASIK between 0 and −6.00 D; however, the LADARVision yielded statistically significantly better results in hyperopic LASIK between +1.00 and +6.00 D.
Structural Requirements for Polymeric Immunoglobulin Assembly and Association with J Chain

Both IgM and IgA exist as polymeric immunoglobulins. IgM is assembled into pentamers with J chain and hexamers lacking J chain. In contrast, polymeric IgA exists mostly as dimers with J chain. Both IgM and IgA possess an 18-amino acid extension of the C terminus (the tail-piece (tp)) that participates in polymerization through a penultimate cysteine residue. The IgM (mutp) and IgA (alphatp) tail-pieces differ at seven amino acid positions. However, the tail-pieces by themselves do not determine the extent of polymerization. We now show that the restriction of polymerization to dimers requires both C(alpha)3 and alphatp and that more efficient dimer assembly occurs when C(alpha)2 is also present; the dimers contain J chain. Formation of pentamers containing J chain requires C(mu)3, C(mu)4, and the mutp. IgM-alphatp is present mainly as hexamers lacking J chain, and mumugammamu-utp forms tetramers and hexamers lacking J chain, whereas IgA-mutp is present as high order polymers containing J chain. In addition, there is heterogeneous processing of the N-linked carbohydrate on IgA-mutp, with some remaining in the high mannose state. These data suggest that in addition to the tail-piece, structural motifs in the constant region domains are critical for polymer assembly and J chain incorporation.
Assessing Adolescent Decision-Making Competence.

Behavioral decision research offers a general approach to studying cognitive aspects of decision making, as well as a platform for studying their interplay with social and affective processes. Applied to any decision, behavioral decision research involves three interrelated tasks: (a) normative analysis, identifying the expected impacts of possible choices; (b) descriptive study, characterizing how individuals view the decision, in terms comparable to the normative analysis; and (c) prescriptive interventions, helping people to bridge critical gaps in their understanding. Applied to adolescents’ decisions, behavioral decision research provides analytical and empirical procedures for clarifying the challenges that young people face and their success in addressing them. It recognizes that competence varies by individual and by decision, leading to domain-specific policies and interventions, affording teens as much autonomy as they can manage.
Automated modeling of complex systems to answer prediction questions

Abstract A question about the behavior of a complex, physical system can be answered by simulating the system—the challenge is building a model of the system that is appropriate for answering the question. If the model omits relevant aspects of the system, the predicted behavior may be wrong. If, on the other hand, the model includes many aspects that are irrelevant to the question, it may be difficult to simulate and explain. The leading approach to automated modeling, “compositional modeling”, constructs a simplest adequate model for a question from building blocks (“model fragments”) that are designed by knowledge engineers. This paper presents a new compositional modeling algorithm that constructs models from simpler building blocks—the individual influences among system variables—and addresses important modeling issues that previous programs left to the knowledge engineer. In the most rigorous test of a modeling algorithm to date, we implemented our algorithm, applied it to a large knowledge base for plant physiology, and asked a domain expert to evaluate the models it produced.
Genome Mapping and Molecular Breeding of Tomato

The cultivated tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, is the second most consumed vegetable worldwide and a well-studied crop species in terms of genetics, genomics, and breeding. It is one of the earliest crop plants for which a genetic linkage map was constructed, and currently there are several molecular maps based on crosses between the cultivated and various wild species of tomato. The high-density molecular map, developed based on an L. esculentum x L. pennellii cross, includes more than 2200 markers with an average marker distance of less than 1 cM and an average of 750 kbp per cM. Different types of molecular markers such as RFLPs, AFLPs, SSRs, CAPS, RGAs, ESTs, and COSs have been developed and mapped onto the 12 tomato chromosomes. Markers have been used extensively for identification and mapping of genes and QTLs for many biologically and agriculturally important traits and occasionally for germplasm screening, fingerprinting, and marker-assisted breeding. The utility of MAS in tomato breeding has been restricted largely due to limited marker polymorphism within the cultivated species and economical reasons. Also, when used, MAS has been employed mainly for improving simply-inherited traits and not much for improving complex traits. The latter has been due to unavailability of reliable PCR-based markers and problems with linkage drag. Efforts are being made to develop high-throughput markers with greater resolution, including SNPs. The expanding tomato EST database, which currently includes approximately 214 000 sequences, the new microarray DNA chips, and the ongoing sequencing project are expected to aid development of more practical markers. Several BAC libraries have been developed that facilitate map-based cloning of genes and QTLs. Sequencing of the euchromatic portions of the tomato genome is paving the way for comparative and functional analysis of important genes and QTLs.
A study of the contact angle on RTV-silicone treated in a hydrogen glow discharge

A hydrogen glow discharge surface treatment followed by exposure to the atmosphere has been used to decrease the contact angle for distilled water on RTV-silicone. The change in contact angle has been studied in terms of vacuum ultraviolet irradiation, metastable bombardment, free-radical bombardment, and electrostatic charging. The study demonstrates that the decrease in the contact angle is caused by the interaction of the hydrogen atoms produced in the glow discharge with the polymer surface.
Inhibition of testosterone synthesis by ethanol and acetaldehyde.

Abstract Ethanol administration decreases plasma testosterone levels acutely in man and animals. The specific mechanism responsible for this effect is, at present, unknown. We have examined the hypothesis that ethanol or acetaldehyde directly inhibits the enzymes required for testosterone synthesis from pregnenolone. Microsomes prepared from testes of normal adult rats were isolated and assayed, in the presence and absence of ethanol or acetaldehyde, for activity of 3β-hydroxy-Δ5-steroid dehy-drogenase (E.C.1.1.1.145)/3-oxosteroid Δ5–Δ4 isomerase (EC5.3.3.1) complex, testosterone 17β-dehydrogenase (ECl.1.1.64), and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone aldolase (EC4.1.2.30), three of the four enzymes required for the biosynthesis of testosterone from pregnenolone. Ethanol at levels commonly seen in the blood of chronic alcohol-ingesting men was shown to inhibit the activity of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone aldolase in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, acetaldehyde was shown to act as an inhibitor of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone aldolase in the presence of androstenedione.
Mouse Brain DNA-Dependent RNA Polymerases After Chronic Morphine Treatment

: Chronic morphine pellet implantation was found to decrease the specific activity of two forms of mouse brain RNA polymerase I and to alter the requirements of Mg2+ and Mn2+ for the activities of RNA polymerases II and III. DNA-dependent RNA polymerases were partially purified from small dense nuclei isolated from brains of naive and morphine tolerant-dependent mice, and three RNA polymerases were separated on a DEAE-Sephadex A-25 column. The three fractions, referred to as peak I, peak II, and peak III, were studied, characterized, and identified as being RNA polymerases I, II, and III, respectively. Chronic-morphine pellet implantation resulted in a lower specific activity of RNA polymerase I, but the specific activities of RNA polymerases II and III were not affected. This effect was prevented by preimplantation of a naloxone pellet and thus was narcotic-specific. Chronic morphine treatment lowered the concentration of Mg2+ required for optimal activity of RNA polymerase II and elevated the Mn2+-Mg2+ activity ratios of RNA polymerases II and III. A second DEAE-Sephadex A-25 column chromatography of the peak I RNA polymerase was carried out, revealing five component activity peaks. Two of these contained lower specific activities as a result of chronic morphine pelletimplantation. These specific changes in RNA polymerase function in morphine tolerance-dependence may be associated with the elevated chromatin template activities, altered chromatin phosphorylation, and elevated rates of cell-free translation that have been reported by others.
Shoulder-Hand Syndrome Following Myocardial Infarction with Special Reference to Prognosis

Shoulder-hand syndrome occurs in approximately 10 to 15 per cent of patients following acute myocardial infarction. Sympathectomy, sympathetic block, cortisone, and various other therapies have been advocated. In the present communication the results of simple measures such as local heat, analgesics, and the regimen of active use of the affected extremity are described in treating 47 attacks in 42 patients with acute myocardial infarction.
The Influence of Paid Work, Race-Ethnicity, and Immigrant Status on Health Care Coverage after Welfare Reform in Hennepin County, Minnesota

A random sample of 84 past and present Temporary Assistance to Needy Families recipients in Hennepin County, Minnesota, were interviewed regarding their health care coverage and corresponding work histories over a 42-month period. Diverse racial-ethnic and immigrant groups of color were oversampled. A life history calendar technique and supplementary interview questions were utilized. The researchers found an inverse relationship between amount of paid work and health care coverage. Different racial-ethnic and immigrant groups had different patterns of health care coverage that were not explained sufficiently by amount of paid work. The authors posit that a lack of a publicly known linkage between paid work and Medicaid resulted in uninsurance for low-income workers and call for further research to explain different insurance patterns among racial-ethnic groups.
Assessing the slow magnetic relaxation behavior of Ln(III)(4)Mn(III)(6) metallacrowns.

A DyIII4MnIII6 complex with a metallacrown (MC)-like topology possesses frequency-dependent magnetic behavior, indicating possible single-molecule magnet behavior.
A particle in cell method with an unconditionally stable field solver

A recently developed implicit wave solver, based on the Method of Lines Transpose, dimensional splitting and a fast 1D integral solution method, removes the CFL condition while maintaining computational cost comparable to explicit wave solvers1,2. We present the application of this wave solver in a particle-in-cell (PIC) method for the simulation of plasmas in an approach that can handle both electrostatic and fully electromagnetic cases by formulating Maxwell's equations as wave equations for potentials in the Lorenz gauge. We describe the coupling of the wave solver to particles, and show the results of some standard one- and two-dimensional electrostatic test problems, and discuss the extension to the fully electromagnetic case.
Tiny tiles, tiny targets

A new label-free method for RNA detection uses programmable DNA tiles and atomic force microscopy.
Video transcoder architectures for bit rate scaling of H.263 bit streams

Video transcoding is one of the key technologies in implementing dynamic adaptation of the bit rate of a pre-encoded video stream to the available bandwidth over various networks. Many different transcoder architectures have been proposed to achieve fast processing. However, they suffer from quality degradation due to the drift error. In this paper, we investigate the drift caused by the fast transcoder architectures for transcoding H.263 bitstreams. We also discuss the limitations of the existing fast transcoder architectures and the flexibility that can be offered by a cascaded pixel-domain transcoder. In favor of drift-free performance and transcoding flexibility, we propose methods to reduce the computational complexity of the cascaded pixel-domain transcoder.
Non-thermal X-ray and radio emission from the SNR N 157B

Abstract The supernova remnant N 157B contains a pulsar and three distinct synchrotron components with rather unusual properties. (1) A somewhat irregular elliptical pulsar wind nebula (PWN) visible in both X-ray and radio wavelengths. The nebula is quite symmetrical with an extent of about 10×5 parsecs but offset along the long axis by about 4 pc from the pulsar position. It is apparently the result of a short-lived injection of energetic particles, perhaps starting at the time of explosion. (2) A very bright X-ray shock region located just outside the pulsar position in the edge of the PWN. This is undetected in the radio. We attribute this to a new burst of particles from the pulsar suggesting there are multiple episodes rather than continuous injection. (3) The beginning of a radio synchrotron shell on the southern side of the SNR where thermal X-rays appear to arise suggesting that N 157B is starting to become a composite SNR.
Two-photon absorption in several direct-gap crystals

The formulas for describing two-photon absorption in direct-gap crystals, developed by Keldysh, Braunstein, and Basov, are compared. It is shown that the Keldysh formula is closely related to Braunstein's for allowed-allowed transitions, while Basov's proposed formula more closely corresponds to Braunstein's for allowed-forbidden transitions. A number of suggested improvements are introduced in Braunstein's formula and corrections to Basov's are presented. The two-photon absorption coefficients for several direct-gap semiconductors and alkali halides are calculated from these formulas and compared with the available experimental data. The formulas of Keldysh and Braunstein for describing allowed-allowed transitions, where one considers excitonic intermediate states and nonparabolic energy bands, are found to give results in fair agreement with published experimental results. It is noted, in comparison, that Basov's and Braunstein's absorption coefficients for allowed-forbidden transitions are smaller than available experimental data by orders of magnitude.
Focal conduction block in n-hexane polyneuropathy.

A 19-year-old man with an asymptomatic history of recreational gasoline vapor inhalation presented with subacute progressive quadriparesis. For 2 weeks, he had intensely inhaled Coleman® fuel oil vapor, which contains n-hexane. Nerve conduction studies including near-nerve needle stimulation showed focal conduction block in the bilateral median and ulnar nerves. Sural nerve biopsy was consistent with giant axonal neuropathy. Conduction block as seen in this case has not heretofore been described in n-hexane polyneuropathy. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 21:964–969, 1998.
Kinetic analysis of local structure formations in protein folding

The protein folding process is described by a cluster model based on the assumption that local structures or clusters are formed at an early stage in different regions of the polypeptide chain. Possible local structural elements in a globular protein are helices, bends, and hydrophobic cores whose formation is presumably determined by the interaction with the environment. Thus the tendency of local structure formation is expressed by a surface free energy of the cluster, which is assigned to the interface between the cluster and its environment. The probability of finding the chain of N residues with k clusters and m residues in the cluster is represented by a cluster distribution map. The cluster model exhibits a distinct two-state-like equilibrium transition, which can be seen on this map as well-separated native and denatured populations at the midpoint of the transition. The native population is localized at k ≈ 1 and m ≈ N, while the position of the denatured population can vary significantly depending on the surface free energy of the cluster. If the surface free energy is strong, the denatured population is localized near k = 0 and m = 0. On the other hand, if the surface free energy is weak, the denatured population is localized at high k and m values. The dynamics of the cluster model are treated as a stochastic process involving the transition from a state (k,m) to one of its six neighbors. The transition probability for each transition is determined by the free energy difference between two states; thus no activation process is assumed. However, the conversion of the two macrostates, native and denatured populations, involves the free energy activation due to the cooperative interaction of the macrosystem. The dynamics are analyzed by following the time evolution of the population profile on the cluster distribution map. Kinetic schemes are proposed to describe the multistep mechanism of protein folding and unfolding.
Phosphorylcholine-coated antibiotic tympanostomy tubes: are post-tube placement complications reduced?

Summary Objective To determine if a phosphorylcholine (PC) antibacterial coating on standard Armstrong beveled tympanostomy tubes (TT) reduced the incidence of post-tube placement complications. Methods A prospective cohort aged 8–51 months received bilateral TTs for otitis media with effusion between July 2002 and February 2004 at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Seventy children were randomized to receive a PC-coated TT in one ear and an uncoated TT in the other. Otologic examinations at prescribed intervals over two years post-operatively ascertained the status of sequelae. We analyzed the incidence of TT complications: otorrhea, premature extrusion, persistent tympanic membrane perforations, granulation tissue, and ventilation tube lumen obstruction. Results There was no statistical difference in the incidence of any of these sequelae between standard and PC-coated tympanostomy tubes (p > 0.05) during the 24-month-follow-up period. Results after 13 months of follow-up may have been affected by patients lost to follow-up and therefore a smaller sample size as the study continued. Conclusions This study found that there is no statistically significant difference in the incidence of complications between uncoated and PC-coated fluoroplastic Armstrong beveled TTs.
Integrative DNA methylation and gene expression analyses identify DNA packaging and epigenetic regulatory genes associated with low motility sperm.

Background In previous studies using candidate gene approaches, low sperm count (oligospermia) has been associated with altered sperm mRNA content and DNA methylation in both imprinted and non-imprinted genes. We performed a genome-wide analysis of sperm DNA methylation and mRNA content to test for associations with sperm function. Methods and Results Sperm DNA and mRNA were isolated from 21 men with a range of semen parameters presenting to a tertiary male reproductive health clinic. DNA methylation was measured with the Illumina Infinium array at 27,578 CpG loci. Unsupervised clustering of methylation data differentiated the 21 sperm samples by their motility values. Recursively partitioned mixture modeling (RPMM) of methylation data resulted in four distinct methylation profiles that were significantly associated with sperm motility (P = 0.01). Linear models of microarray analysis (LIMMA) was performed based on motility and identified 9,189 CpG loci with significantly altered methylation (Q<0.05) in the low motility samples. In addition, the majority of these disrupted CpG loci (80%) were hypomethylated. Of the aberrantly methylated CpGs, 194 were associated with imprinted genes and were almost equally distributed into hypermethylated (predominantly paternally expressed) and hypomethylated (predominantly maternally expressed) groups. Sperm mRNA was measured with the Human Gene 1.0 ST Affymetrix GeneChip Array. LIMMA analysis identified 20 candidate transcripts as differentially present in low motility sperm, including HDAC1 (NCBI 3065), SIRT3 (NCBI 23410), and DNMT3A (NCBI 1788). There was a trend among altered expression of these epigenetic regulatory genes and RPMM DNA methylation class. Conclusions Using integrative genome-wide approaches we identified CpG methylation profiles and mRNA alterations associated with low sperm motility.