cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploring Preservice Elementary Teachers' Understanding of the Essential Features of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching Using Evidence-Based Reflection

This study explored preservice elementary teachers' and their mentors' understanding of the essential features of inquiry-based teaching through the use of evidence-based reflection. The web-based video analysis tool (VAT) system was used to support preservice teachers' and mentors' evidence-based reflection during field experiences. Major data sources included VAT reflections and individual interviews. Data analysis indicated that the preservice teachers had been involved in various activities designed to support their understanding of inquiry features in a science methods class; they did not implement all of the features in their actual teaching. Both preservice teachers and mentors had difficulty connecting appropriate inquiry features to each teaching episode, which indicates their lack of understanding of inquiry. Both the preservice teachers and mentors had different levels of understanding for each feature. That is, they tended to understand certain features better than others. They interpreted each feature of inquiry-based science teaching too broadly. They also either had a teacher-centered view or tended to focus on issues unrelated to science teaching.
Sphingosine 1-phosphate Chemical Biology

Abstract A dozen years ago, the term ‘S1P’ (sphingosine 1-phosphate) was not in the lexicons of scientific literature databases. By early 2008, this query term retrieved well over 1000 citations from PubMed — about 225 of these appeared in 2007. Indeed, S1P is arguably the most heavily studied lipid molecule at present. What happened to distinguish S1P among many other signaling lipids? We believe that the seminal event was the linking of the investigational drug, FTY720 (fingolimod), to S1P signaling. This realization profoundly altered understanding of S1P biology, revealing both that S1P is prominent in lymphocyte trafficking and that mimicking S1P signaling with an agonist drug can modulate the immune system to considerable therapeutic benefit. Neither fact was known prior to FTY720; indeed, this molecule is testament to the power of chemical biology. In this communication, we attempt to summarize progress to date in S1P chemical biology.
Beads of Life: Eastern and Southern African Beadwork from Canadian Collections (review)

LITERATURE & THE ARTS Marie-Louise Labelle. Beads of Life: Eastern and Southern African Beadwork from Canadian Collections. Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. 100 Laurier St., Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4H2. xi + 185 pp. Photographs. Bibliography. Index. $45.00. Paper. The publication of Marie-Louise Labelle's book coincides with a major exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (April 2005-February 2006) entitled "Beads of Life: Eastern and Southern African Adornment," curated by the author. The book is not an exhibition catalog, although many of the 185 artworks in the exhibition are illustrated in color and appear along with many field photographs. Rather, it is a study in depth of the historical-social-cultural matrix in which the artistry of beadworking developed and is pursued today in eastern and southern Africa. (If one wishes to see the exhibition without traveling to Gatineau, an excellent "Exhibition Preview" by Labelle appears in African Arts 38, no. 1 [2005].) Studies in African art have largely focused upon sculpture in wood, bronze, ivory, and terra cotta. The "crafts" of weaving, dyeing, and beadworking have only recently been considered in terms of the criteria of technical skill and artistic imagination. With respect to artistry in beads, while there have been an increasing number of essays in the last two decades appearing in various journals, there have been few lengthy studies on the order of Labelle's work. Only Henry Drewal and John Mason's Beads, Body and Soul: Art and Light in the Yoruba Universe (1998) comes to mind; I know of no comparable study of eastern and southern African or central African beadwork. Labelle's book has several strengths. It is based upon fieldwork among the Maasai and Samburu of Kenya in the 1980s and an inventory of seven thousand objects of eastern and southern Africa in Canadian collections. In addition, the author is acutely aware of the important point that aesthetic values are produced within historical and social contexts and constantly shift over time. Thus she begins her study with a review of the origins of beadwork in an examination of the principal materials used before the arrival of glass beads in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While glass beads, brought by Arab merchants from the shores of the Indian Ocean, reached even remote regions of eastern and southern Africa, these beads were rare. People made beads from seeds, wood, teeth, bone, cowries, ostrich eggs, clay, and metal. Some materials were "alive," scented, noisy when strung together, and "talkative"; that is, they provided immediate visual identification of family, social, political, and ritual status, even the wearer's personal history. Hence beads were not essentially adornment in the sense of finery-ephemeral beauty-but rather expressions of status and self-respect. European beads came initially from Venice and Murano and subsequently from Bohemia, brought in ever greater quantities by Portuguese, Dutch, and English traders. …
Calcineurin inhibition and cardiac hypertrophy: A matter of balance

The heart is remarkably plastic, changing its size, shape, and function in response to a wide variety of stimuli. Beyond birth, by far the greatest cardiac growth occurs by cellular hypertrophy, rather than hyperplasia. When normal cardiac size has been reached, additional changes in size can occur in response to stimuli such as hypertension, defective genes, or exercise, to name a few. Although some of this hypertrophy is adaptive, some of it is maladaptive and can ultimately result in cardiac failure, the largest health care burden in the United States. A great deal of attention has been paid to the molecular pathways of hypertrophy, and it is clear that they are complex, having many intersections. A series of observations has pointed toward calcineurin as a key mediator of cardiac hypertrophy, and two articles in this issue of PNAS have further underscored this assertion (1, 2). Calcineurin is a serine–threonine phosphatase that is activated by Ca+2-calmodulin. Calcineurin dephosphorylates nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), which then translocates to the nucleus where it acts combinatorially with other transcription factors to activate downstream targets. A report by Molkentin et al. in 1998 demonstrated that an activated calcineurin could provoke massive cardiac hypertrophy and that the immunosuppressive agents, cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK506, could block this process (3). Further, expression of a downstream target of calcineurin, activated NFAT3, had the same effect and could be prevented by CsA and FK506 (3). These observations provoked heated arguments about the appropriateness of both calcineurin as a therapeutic target and immunosuppressants as drugs to prevent/treat cardiac hypertrophy.
Powering over Puzzling? Downsizing the Public Sector during the Greek Sovereign Debt Crisis

AbstractCan policy learning take place amidst a crisis with stark distributive consequences? Using the case of downsizing the public sector during the Greek sovereign debt crisis (2009–2013), this article applies the policy design framework by Schneider and Ingram to find that when policies are conceived and designed abroad, powering explains policy change. However, evidence also uncovers policy learning in powering’s “home ground”. Highlighting issues of social construction, political contestation, and external pressure during crises, the study has implications for theories of policy design and learning.
Points of neutrality in social attitudes of delinquents and non-delinquents

Delinquent boys are compared with non-delinquents with respect to their attitudes towards a series of “good” and “bad” social acts, by the use of scales having rational origins of measurement. A new technique, essentially an extension of Thurstone's Method of Successive Intervals, is found to give results similar to Horst's Method of Balanced Values. Significant differences in mean attitude between the two groups are not found.
Fluctuating Target Detection in Clutter Using Sidelobe Blanking Logic

In an earlier paper, Maisel [6] considered two-channel detection systems using a sidelobe blanking logic when a nonfluctuating target was present. This paper is an extension of the earlier work to include fluctuating targets. The Swerling I, II, III, and IV models are considered when single-pulse detection is of interest. An adaptive threshold procedure is also briefly discussed whereby the probability of false alarm at any given resolution cell is maintained constant, even though the input clutter level may vary from cell to cell or from beam position to beam position. Useful data are presented for detection probabilities in the range 0.5 to 0.9, for false alarm probabilities in the range 104 to 10-8, and for a false detection probability of 0.1 for a sidelobe target yielding an apparent signal to total noise power density ratio of 13.0 dB in the main beam receiver.
Spatial analysis of county-level breast cancer mortality in Texas.

Objective. The objectives of the study were to detect high-risk areas and to examine how racial and ethnic status affect the geographic distribution of female breast cancer mortality in Texas. Analyses were based on county-level data for the years from 2000 to 2008. Materials and Methods. Breast cancer mortality data were obtained from the Texas Cancer Registry, and the Spatial Scan Statistics method was used to run Purely Spatial Analyses using the Discrete Poisson, Bernoulli, and Multinomial models. Results and Conclusions. Highest rates of female breast cancer mortality in Texas have shifted over time from southeastern areas towards northern and eastern areas, and breast cancer mortality at the county level is distributed heterogeneously based on racial/ethnic status. Non-Hispanic blacks were at highest risk in the northeastern region and lowest risk in the southern region, while Hispanics were at highest risk in the southern region along the border with Mexico and lowest risk in the northeastern region.
Radial diffraction strength and elastic behavior of CaF 2 in low- and high-pressure phases

The radial-diffraction lattice behavior of ${\text{CaF}}_{2}$ was analyzed in its low-pressure (fluorite) and high-pressure phase up to 11.5 GPa using radial x-ray diffraction techniques in the diamond anvil cell. Between 3.5 and 7.1 GPa, fluorite develops a radial-diffraction strength of $\ensuremath{\sim}0.8\text{ }\text{GPa}$. The corresponding lattice anisotropy of the fluorite phase was measured to be equal to 0.73, in good agreement with previous Brillouin spectroscopy measurements. By 8.8 GPa, ${\text{CaF}}_{2}$ has undergone a phase transformation to its high-pressure (orthorhombic) phase, with a corresponding volume decrease of 10.4%. By 11.5 GPa, the volume drop between the low-pressure and high-pressure phase has increased to 11.5%. In addition, the high-pressure phase is found to withstand a significantly larger differential stress than the low-pressure fluorite phase, with a large degree of lattice anisotropy. In the maximum stress direction at 8.8 GPa, we observe a time-dependent evolution of the lattice parameters of ${\text{CaF}}_{2}$, indicating that the high-pressure structure is still undergoing deformation on time scales of hours after the phase boundary has been crossed.
Thermodynamic Analysis of Silica Refractory Corrosion in Glass-Melting Furnaces

Corrosion of refractory silica brick used to line the roof or crown of many glass-melting furnaces is a serious problem in furnaces using oxygen-fuel rather than air-fuel mixtures. In this work, we report equilibrium calculations that support a corrosion mechanism in which alkali hydroxide gas (NaOH or KOH), produced by reaction of water vapor in the combustion gas with the molten glass reacts with the silica brick in the furnace crown to produce an alkali silicate liquid with a composition that depends on the temperature of the crown. Our reported calculations predict the variable-composition liquid-solution corrosion product phase as a function of key furnace variables. Critical thermodynamic data needed for the liquid corrosion product were generated using a modified associate species solution model and critical analysis of thermochemical information found in the literature for the Na 2 O-SiO 2 and K 2 O-SiO 2 systems. Excellent agreement with reported Na 2 O-SiO 2 and K 2 O-SiO 2 phase diagrams and with experimentally measured activities for Na 2 O and K 2 O is achieved. The results of our current calculations are for temperatures between 1273 and 1973 K (1000-1700°C) under either air-fired or oxy-fired conditions, and are used to define a critical temperature, above which corrosion is not expected to occur for a given NaOH(g) or KOH(g) partial pressure.
Potato yield stability under contrasting soil management strategies

Managing soil quality is recognized as a cornerstone of maintaining crop production potential. Here we show that soil management that improves soil quality characteristics can also reduce year-to-year variation in yields. Thirteen years of data from the Maine Potato Ecosystem Project were used to investigate the long-term effects of soil management, pest management, cultivar, and rotation in a factorial design on the yield and yield stability of potatoes grown in 2-yr rotations. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yields in the amended soil system (manure, compost, green manure, and supplemental fertilizer) were up to 55% higher than yields in the contrasting nonamended soil system (synthetic fertilizer) in all but 1 yr. Yield stability was also enhanced in the amended system compared with the nonamended system, as demonstrated by lower CVs of total and U.S. no. 1 potato tuber yield. Stability analysis indicated that yields in the amended system were less influenced by adverse growing conditions, particularly low rainfall. Total and U.S. no. 1 treatment yields in the poorest-yielding year were 63 and 59% of maximum yields, respectively, in the amended system, compared with 45 and 46% in the nonamended system. Yields and yield stability were also influenced by pest management system and cultivar but not by rotation. These results indicate that management practices that improve soil quality can enhance potato yield stability by reducing the impact of adverse growing conditions.
Accelerated Cell Aging in Female APOE-ε4 Carriers: Implications for Hormone Therapy Use

Apolipoprotein-e4 (APOE-e4) is a major genetic risk factor for cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and early mortality. An accelerated rate of biological aging could contribute to this increased risk. Here, we determined whether APOE-e4 status impacts leukocyte telomere length (TL) and the rate of cellular senescence in healthy mid-life women and, further, whether hormone replacement therapy (HT) modifies this association. Post-menopausal women (N = 63, Mean age = 57.7), all HT users for at least one year, were enrolled in a randomized longitudinal study. Half of the participants (N = 32) remained on their HT regimen and half (N = 31) went off HT for approximately two years (Mean = 1.93 years). Participants included 24 APOE-e4 carriers and 39 non-carrier controls. Leukocyte TL was measured at baseline and the end of year 2 using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of an APOE-e4 carrier exhibiting telomere shortening (versus maintenance/growth) over the 2-year study were more than 6 (OR = 6.26, 95% CI = 1.02, 38.49) times higher than a non-carrier, adjusting for established risk factors and potential confounds. Despite the high-functioning, healthy mid-life status of study participants, APOE-e4 carriers had marked telomere attrition during the 2-year study window, the equivalent of approximately one decade of additional aging compared to non-carriers. Further analyses revealed a modulatory effect of hormone therapy on the association between APOE status and telomere attrition. APOE-e4 carriers who went off their HT regimen exhibited TL shortening, as predicted for the at-risk population. APOE-e4 carriers who remained on HT, however, did not exhibit comparable signs of cell aging. The opposite pattern was found in non-carriers. The results suggest that hormone use might buffer against accelerated cell aging in mid-life women at risk for dementia. Importantly, for non-carrier women there was no evidence that HT conferred protective effects on telomere dynamics.
Protein synthesis and aldosterone production.

Aldosterone production was decreased as much as 88% when a variety of inhibitors of protein synthesis were incubated with rat adrenal quarters. Puromycin and cycloheximide were found to cause the most marked inhibition of aldosterone production. Corticosterone production was also inhibited although only to 24 % of control values. The data were consistent with the hypothesis that aldosterone production was blocked by the inhibition of adrenal protein synthesis. This inhibitory effect could be demonstrated after 30 min of incubation. Conversion experiments suggested that the puromycin-induced block occurred in the pathway between corticosterone and aldosterone. It was possible to overcome this block and stimulate aldosterone production by the addition of glucose-6-P and NADP+. An interesting additional finding was that corticosterone and cortisol inhibited adrenal protein synthesis when added to the incubation media. (Endocrinology 79: 955, 1966)
General Strain Theory and Continuity in Offending Over Time: Assessing and Extending GST Explanations of Persistence

In 1997, Agnew stated that “new strain theories . . . should be part of any developmental theory of crime” and that “these theories point to new sources of stability and change in crime over the life course, and better help organize existing arguments in this area”; however, strain theory explanations of individual patterns of offending over the life span have garnered little attention, especially with regard to stability. This article addresses this void by assessing general strain theory (GST) explanations of persistent offending. Specifically, the author outlines the stability promoting mechanisms described by Agnew and assesses their empirical basis. Then, drawing on the sociology of stress, the author extends Agnew’s work and describes two additional ways that GST can explain persistence: past exposure to stressors and stress proliferation. These extensions move away from a reliance on trait-based explanations and instead view continuity as rooted in individual histories, dynamic processes, and socia...
Discover potential in a search for time-reversal invariance violation in nuclei

Time reversal invariance violating (TRIV) effects in low energy physics could be very important in searching for new physics, being complementary to neutron and atomic electric dipole moment (EDM) measurements. In this relation, we discuss a sensitivity of some TRIV observables to different models of time-reversal (CP) violation and their dependencies on nuclear structure. As a measure of a sensitivity of TRIV effects to the value of TRIV nucleon coupling constant, we introduce a coefficient of a “discovery potential”, which shows a possible factor for improving the current limits of the EDM experiments by measuring nuclear TRIV effects.
Re‐examining the training side of productivity improvement: evidence from service sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review past and current research on the productivity problems and how to alleviate it by appropriate training.Design/methodology/approach – The article presents the collective results of two experiments, a grocery store chain, and a top outsourcing provider to show the higher levels of productivity can be achieved by proper training methods.Findings – The results of two experiments specify that businesses should incorporate proper training techniques in order to increase their productivity. If such an approach to generating high levels of productivity contingent on training is implemented, we expect that business should harvest the benefits.Research limitations/implications – Ideally, the experiments reported on should be extended to comprise a measure of the amount of employer‐provided on‐the‐job training and training costs.Originality/value – This research contributes to the current training and productivity literature by emphasizing, to both human resource prac...
Cell-type specific dendritic contacts between retinal ganglion cells during development.

The extent of a neuron's dendritic field defines the region within which information is processed. The dendritic fields of functionally distinct ON and OFF center retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) form separate mosaics across the retina. Within each mosaic, neighboring dendritic fields overlap by a constant amount, sampling the visual field with the appropriate coverage. Contact-mediated lateral inhibition between neighboring RGCs has long been thought to regulate both the extent and overlap of dendritic fields during development. Here we show that dendro-dendritic contact exists between developing RGCs and occurs in a manner that would regulate the formation of ON and OFF mosaics separately. Dye-filled neighboring ON and OFF ferret alpha RGCs were reconstructed using multiphoton microscopy. At all neonatal ages examined, we observed dendro-dendritic contacts between RGCs of the same sign (ON/ON; OFF/OFF), but never between cells of opposite signs (ON/OFF). Terminal dendrites of one cell often touched a dendrite of its neighbor as they intersected. In some instances, the distal dendrite of one cell formed a fascicle with the proximal process of its neighbor. Alpha cells did not form contacts with neighboring beta cells of the same sign. Together, these observations suggest that dendro-dendritic contact between RGCs is cell-type specific. Dendritic contacts were observed even before the alpha cell arbors were completely stratified, suggesting that cell-cell recognition may take place early in their development. For each cell type, the relative overlap of dendritic fields was constant with age, despite a two-fold increase in field area. We suggest that dendro-dendritic contacts may be sites of intercellular signaling that could regulate local extension of dendrites to maintain the relative overlap of RGCs within a mosaic during development. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 48: 150–162, 2001
Probing disorders of the nervous system using reprogramming approaches

The groundbreaking technologies of induced pluripotency and lineage conversion have generated a genuine opportunity to address fundamental aspects of the diseases that affect the nervous system. These approaches have granted us unrestricted access to the brain and spinal cord of patients and have allowed for the study of disease in the context of human cells, expressing physiological levels of proteins and under each patient's unique genetic constellation. Along with this unprecedented opportunity have come significant challenges, particularly in relation to patient variability, experimental design and data interpretation. Nevertheless, significant progress has been achieved over the past few years both in our ability to create the various neural subtypes that comprise the nervous system and in our efforts to develop cellular models of disease that recapitulate clinical findings identified in patients. In this Review, we present tables listing the various human neural cell types that can be generated and the neurological disease modeling studies that have been reported, describe the current state of the field, highlight important breakthroughs and discuss the next steps and future challenges.
Optical properties of metals by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Abstract The use of spectroscopic ellipsometry for the accurate determination of the optical properties of liquid and solid metals is discussed and illustrated with previously published data for Li and Na. New data on liquid Sn and Hg from 0.6 to 3.7 eV are presented. Liquid Sn is Drudelike. The optical properties of Hg deviate from the Drude expressions, but simultaneous measurements of reflectance and ellipsometric parameters yield consistent results with no evidence for vectorial surface effects.
Superstrings with Torsion

Abstract The conditions for spacetime supersymmetry of the heterotic superstring in backgrounds with arbitrary metric, torsion, Yang-Mills and dilaton expectation values are determined using the sigma model approach. The resulting equations are explicitly solved for the torsion and dilaton fields, and the remaining equations cast in a simple form. Previously unnoticed topological obstructions to solving these equations are found. The equations are shown to agree to leading order in perturbation theory with those derived in a field theory approach, provided one considers a more general ansatz than in previous analyses by allowing for a warp factor for the metric. Exact solutions with non-zero torsion are found, indicating a new class of finite sigma models. These solutions break the Eχ ⊗ Eχ or SO(32) gauge group down to a large variety of subgroups. Orbifolds with torsion are constructed. A perturbative analysis of the equations indicates a class of solutions whose existence has been recently argued for on other grounds. Brief comments are made on the implications for phenomenology.
Molecular Pathways: Not a Simple Tube—The Many Functions of Blood Vessels

While the ability of blood vessels to carry fluid and cells through neoplastic tissue is clearly important, other functions of vascular elements that drive tumor growth and progression are increasingly being recognized. Vessels can provide physical support and help regulate the stromal microenvironment within tumors, form niches for tumor associated stem cells, serve as avenues for local tumor spread, and promote relative immune privilege. Understanding the molecular drivers of these phenotypes will be critical if we are to therapeutically target their protumorigenic effects. The potential for neoplastic cells to transdifferentiate into vascular and perivascular elements also needs to be better understood, as it has the potential to complicate such therapies. In this review, we provide a brief overview of these less conventional vascular functions in tumors.
Statistical Analysis and Computer Generation of Spatially Correlated Acoustic Noise

In ultrasonic NDE, simulation studies can play an important role in complimenting experimental validation of techniques under development. The utility of such simulations depends, in part, on the degree to which the simulated defect and noise signals are representative of the measured signals. In this paper, we describe an approach for generating simulated acoustic noise with a spatial correlation coefficient distribution and maximum extreme value (MEV) distribution which matches those distributions for measured acoustic noise. The procedure for generating noise signals is outlined for a line scan and for a raster scan. The basic approach forces the correlation of neighboring signals to the desired correlation by creating each signal as the sum of appropriately scaled neighboring signals plus a new random signal. For the line scan where each interior position has only two neighbors, this process is done sequentially without iteration. For the raster scan where each interior point has four nearest neighbors, iteration is required to simultaneously achieve the desired correlations with row and column neighbors. The MEV distribution is controlled in an outer iterative loop with the shape and position of the distribution dictated by spectral content of the noise signals and by controlling the signal energy, respectively. Results are shown which demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. With this approach, a limited number of measured signals can be used to establish the correlation coefficient and MEV distributions which drive the computer generation of a large number of simulated acoustic noise signals.
Children's imitations of syntactic constructions as a measure of linguistic competence

Instances of alternate forms of three syntactic constructions were presented to young children for spontaneous imitation; their imitative responses were investigated as a source of information about their syntactic rules. (a) One child imitated Verb + ( ) + Noun constructions containing either a, the, it, -ing, or nothing. The -ing form was discriminated from the others, and a and nothing were discriminated from the and it. (b) Two children maintained the original constituent order in imitating NP + VP sentences but repeated VP + NP sentences as NP + VP. (c) Three children tended to include NP subjects in imitating sentences with NP subjects, and to produce no subject in imitating subjectless sentences.
Best Practices for Missing Data Management in Counseling Psychology

This article urges counseling psychology researchers to recognize and report how missing data are handled, because consumers of research cannot accurately interpret findings without knowing the amount and pattern of missing data or the strategies that were used to handle those data. Patterns of missing data are reviewed, and some of the common strategies for dealing with them are described. The authors provide an illustration in which data were simulated and evaluate 3 methods of handling missing data: mean substitution, multiple imputation, and full information maximum likelihood. Results suggest that mean substitution is a poor method for handling missing data, whereas both multiple imputation and full information maximum likelihood are recommended alternatives to this approach. The authors suggest that researchers fully consider and report the amount and pattern of missing data and the strategy for handling those data in counseling psychology research and that editors advise researchers of this expectation.
P-001 Stent-assisted reconstruction of intracranial dissections: primary and secondary clinical and angiographic endpoints in 164 consecutive cases

Purpose Intracranial dissections (ICDs) of the circle of Willis are recognized as important causes of both ischemic and hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease. Although endovascular surgery (ES) of ICD has been increasingly reported, large series safety and efficacy data remain limited for establishing evidence basis of practice. Owing to our large scale cumulative experience with intracranial stent-assisted techniques, we reviewed standard angiographic & clinical end-points to assess safety & efficacy of stent-assisted reconstruction (SAR) ES of ICD. Materials and Methods Consecutive intention-to-treat (ITT) cases of ICD were identified by a prospective database; retrospective analysis revealed 164 consecutive cases of ICD treated by SAR techniques (e.g, stent reconstruction only, stent assisted coiling) from 2003 to 2010. Standardized angiographic & clinical endpoints were defined as: 1: (i). peri-operative technical & angiographic outcomes, (ii)death & neurologic morbidity within 24 h and 30 days, and 2: (i) >30 day cumulative neurologic morbidity & mortality, (ii)follow-up angiographic outcome, (iii) retreatment. Results The ITT rate was 100%; patient demographics: 92F:72M, mean age=48.5 years. Anatomic distribution: 79/164 (48%) anterior and 85/164 (52%) posterior circulation. Lesion characteristics: 103/164 (62%) had associated pseudo-aneurysm (ψAn), 78/164 (47.5%) stenosis, 25/164 (15.2%) intimal flap, 4/164 (%) occlusion, 10/164 (%) with thrombi, and 12/162 with fusiform dilatation. Presentation was ischemic in 77/164 (47%), hemorrhagic in 33/164 (20%), headache in 20/164 (12.2%), neck pain in 12/164 (7.3%), miscellaneous in 15/164 (9.1%), and incidental in 7/164 (4.3%). Stent reconstruction only was performed in 114/164 (70%), stent-assisted coiling in 30/164 (18.3%), SAR with balloon angioplasty in 17/164 (10.4%), and thrombolysis followed by SAR in 3/164 (1.8%). Stents utilized: 144 Neuroform (NF), 108 Enterprises (E), 23 combined NF+E, 19 Wingspans (W), and 6 W combined with either NF or E. More than one stent was used in 88/164 (53.7%), and a single stent in 76/164 (46.3%). Follow-up DSA in 95 cases showed healed dissection in 76, unchanged or increased filling of pseudoaneurysm in 6 (all requiring retreatment), decreasing filling of pseudoaneurysm in 3, clots in 2, occluded stent(s) in 2, and in-stent stenosis >50% in 2. In the remaining 70 cases with no DSA, CTA or MRA were available in 54, which showed healed dissection in 48, decreasing in 3 and increasing in 3. Retreatment was performed in 19/164 (11.6%). There were 18/164 (11%) technical complications, although clinically significant attributable periprocedural ( Conclusions ES of ICD using SAR appears quite safe & effective with acceptable rates of treatment failure and need for retreatment. The most commonly encountered associated lesion was ψAn, which is effectively managed by SAR without and occasionally with coiling.
Modeling completeness versus consistency tradeoffs in information decision contexts

Decision makers often confront the issue of whether to utilize information based on incomplete but consistent data or instead rely on complete but less consistent data. For a given decision context, this paper introduces a framework that permits the systematic exploration of this tradeoff between the completeness and consistency of data. The relative weight (importance) of completeness and consistency to the decision maker is an integral component of the approach. To examine the tradeoff, the paper explores in detail various facets of these data quality dimensions. These, in turn, lead to expressions for the measurement of completeness and consistency. The utility of various combinations of completeness and consistency for fixed and variable budgets provides guidance as to the appropriate tradeoff of these factors for specific decision contexts.
Design of a dynamic heart phantom for magnetic resonance imaging

Extensive research in the field of magnetic resonance imaging has been done to improve diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Using a dynamic heart phantom (DHP) is vital to improve and validate MR imaging techniques and protocols. We have developed an innovative DHP design using a motor driven hydraulic system that delivers XYZ translational motion, rotation of the gel and internal pressure generation. Upon fabrication, the model will mimic the left ventricle during the cardiac cycle.
Facial Strain Pattern as a Soft Forensic Evidence

The success of forensic identification largely depends on the availability of strong evidence or traces that substantiate the prosecution hypothesis that a certain person is guilty of crime. In light of this, extracting subtle evidences which the criminals leave behind at the crime scene will be of valuable help to investigators. We propose a novel method of using strain pattern extracted from changing facial expressions in video as an auxiliary evidence for person identification. The strength of strain evidence is analyzed based on the increase in likelihood ratio it provides in a suspect population. Results show that strain pattern can be used as a supplementary biometric evidence in adverse operational conditions such as shadow lighting and face camouflage where pure intensity-based face recognition algorithms will fail
Effect of Channel Estimation Errors on $M$ -QAM With MRC and EGC in Nakagami Fading Channels

We study the effect of imperfect channel estimation (ICE) on the error probability performance of M-level quadrature amplitude modulation ( M-QAM) with maximal-ratio combining and equal-gain combining diversity formats in Nakagami fading channels. We provide a novel formulation of the bit-error rate (BER) of M-QAM with ICE in terms of the signal constellation-dependent effective signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) or amplitudes, which allows us to derive the general, accurate, and easy-to-evaluate BER formulas for square and rectangular diversity M-QAM with channel estimation errors. Our result shows that the performance loss caused by ICE may be manifested by the signal decision space distortion and a scaling of the effective SNR. Using our analytical result, we evaluate the performance of M-QAM with pilot-symbol assisted modulation and present some insightful findings
Policy Formation and Implementation in Less Industrialized Countries: a Comparative Analysis of Institutional Effects

An analysis of fertility trends in over 50 less developed countries suggested that a demand translation model provides a more consistent explanation of population policy characteristics than an elite-led change model. The analysis utilized data from 2 time periods: 1) socioeconomic development and level of political democracy in 1965 for their impact on contraceptive availability in 1972 and the crude birth rate decline during 1965-75 and 2) the level of socioeconomic development in 1975 the average level of democracy in 1978-80 contraceptive prevalence in 1980 and the decline in the birth rate during 1975-85. In the 1965-75 period the level of democracy had a strong positive impact on contraceptive availability largely because democratic regimes encouraged the private and commercial sectors to respond to the emerging demand for fertility control. Elite attitudes also influenced contraceptive availability in this earlier period but only through their interaction with political democracy. However the importance of elite influence increased after 1975 in terms of the impact on population policy characteristics other than availability. The finding that the level of democracy had a negative impact on public program effort in 1976-85 while elite attitudes had a highly significant and positive effect suggests that elite influence on population programs increases as these programs mature. Elite attitudes are especially important in authoritarian regimes where high fertility is regarded as an obstacle to development. Overall the elite change model explains program aspects such as administration policy intent and evaluation while the translation model is effective in increasing the actual availability of contraceptive services.
Floating-point arithmetic in embedded and reconfigurable computing systems

Modern embedded and reconfigurable systems need to support a wide range of applications, many of which may significantly benefit from hardware support for floating-point arithmetic. Some of these applications include 3D graphics, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication algorithms, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based systems, and digital filters. Many of these applications have real-time constraints that cannot tolerate the high latency of software emulated floating-point arithmetic. Moreover, software emulation can lead to higher energy consumption that may be unsuitable for applications in powerconstrained environments. This paper examines applications that can potentially benefit from hardware support for floating-point arithmetic and discusses some approaches taken for floating-point arithmetic in embedded and reconfigurable systems. Precision and range analysis is performed on emerging applications in the MIMO wireless communications domain to investigate the potential for low power floating-point units that utilize reduced precision and exponent range.
Estimating the Impact of Electric Vehicle Smart Charging on Distribution Transformer Aging

This paper describes a method for estimating the impact of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging on overhead distribution transformers, based on detailed travel demand data and under several different schemes for mitigating overloads by shifting PEV charging times (smart charging). The paper also presents a new smart charging algorithm that manages PEV charging based on estimated transformer temperatures. We simulated the varied behavior of drivers from the 2009 National Household Transportation Survey, and transformer temperatures based an IEEE standard dynamic thermal model. Results are shown for Monte Carlo simulation of a 25 kVA overhead distribution transformer, with ambient temperature data from hot and cold climate locations, for uncontrolled and several smart-charging scenarios. These results illustrate the substantial impact of ambient temperatures on distribution transformer aging, and indicate that temperature-based smart charging can dramatically reduce both the mean and variance in transformer aging without substantially reducing the frequency with which PEVs obtain a full charge. Finally, the results indicate that simple smart charging schemes, such as delaying charging until after midnight can actually increase, rather than decrease, transformer aging.
(Un)equal Justice: Juvenile Court Abolition and African Americans

Many academics now call for the abolition of juvenile court jurisdiction over delinquency adjudications. This article examines Barry Feld's assumptions behind his call for juvenile court abolition and the potentially adverse impact of the criminal court alternative in the lives of young African Americans. Three assumptions are examined: (1) criminal courts can provide the same or greater substantive and procedural protections compared to the current juvenile court; (2) criminal courts can provide shorter sentences for reduced culpability, with fractional reductions of adult sentences in the form of an explicit youth discount; and (3) treatment strategies are of dubious efficacy, and the possibility of effective treatment is inadequate to justify an entirely separate justice system. This article finds that these assumptions are erroneous and that the juvenile court's abolition may very well be harmful to young African Americans due to false assumptions concerning both juvenile and criminal courts.
Enhancement of hyperthermic toxicity by lonidarnine in the dunning R3327G rat prostatic adenocarcinoma

Hyperthermia alone or with radiation is used therapeutically for localized solid tumors. Clinical experience shows that sustained tumor temperature exceeding 45°C damages normal tissue. Any agent that enhances the effects of hyperthermia at or below this temperature may have clinical relevance. Lonidamine and hyperthermia were tested on the Dunning R3327G rat prostatic adenocarcinoma. Using colony-formation assays, cytotoxic effects of each agent alone and in combination were quantified. Lonidamine to 100 μg/ml was not significantly toxic, but in combination, it enhanced cytotoxicity. Survival patterns after fractionated hyperthermia revealed a rapid development and decay of thermotolerance. Measurement of cell-cycle progression following a single dose of hyperthermia revealed a reduction of S-phase cells, and subsequent accumulation in G1 over 24 hours. Combination treatment of tumor-bearing rats significantly reduced tumor growth rate when compared with individual agents. These results suggest a potential use of lonidamine in hyperthermic therapy of prostate tumors. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reduced adenosine release from the aged mammalian heart

Adenosine (ADO) released in the heart results in enhanced coronary blood flow and reduced catecholamine release and myocardial responsiveness to adrenergic stimulation (anti-adrenergic action). ADO release from the adrenergic-stimulated aged heart is less than that from the young adult heart. Because adrenergic signaling in the aged heart is impaired, this study was conducted to determine if reduced ADO release from the aged heart results from this reduced adrenergic responsiveness. Hearts of 3-4 months (young adult) and 21-22 months (aged) Fischer-344 rats were perfused with ADO deamination and re-phosphorylation inhibited. Coronary effluent ADO levels were determined. Cellular-free ADO levels with and without sodium acetate (NaAc)-induced mitochondrial AMP synthesis were assessed using formed S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) in L-homocysteine thiolactone (L-HC)-treated hearts. The activities of SAH-hydrolase were determined. Aged heart ADO release was 61% less than from young hearts. NaAc augmented young heart ADO release by 104%, while that of aged hearts remained unchanged. SAH synthesis was 51% and 56% lower in the aged heart in the absence and presence of NaAc, respectively, despite an 89% greater SAH hydrolase activity found in the aged hearts. Since synthesized AMP may be diverted to IMP and ultimately inosine by AMP deaminase, inosine release was determined. Aged heart inosine levels in the absence and presence of NaAc were 74% and 59% less than for the young hearts. It is concluded that a reduced mitochondrial AMP synthesis is in part responsible for the attenuation in ADO release from the adrenergic-stimulated aged heart.
Gene duplication and functional divergence of the zebrafish insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1 receptor (IGF1R)-mediated signaling plays key roles in growth, development, and physiology. Recent studies have shown that there are two distinct ig f1r genes in zebrafish, termed ig f1ra and ig f1rb. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that zebrafish ig f1ra and ig f1rb resulted from a gene duplication event at the ig f1r locus and that this has led to their functional divergence. The genomic structures of zebrafish ig f1ra and ig f1rb were determined and their loci mapped. While zebrafish ig f1ra has 21 exons and is located on linkage group (LG) 18, zebrafish ig f1rb has 22 exons and mapped to LG 7. There is a strong syntenic relationship between the two zebrafish genes and the human IG F1R gene. Using a MO-based loss-of-function approach, we show that both Igf1ra and Igf1rb are required for zebrafish embryo viability and proper growth and development. Although Igf1ra and Igf1rb demonstrated a large degree of functional overlap with regard to cell differentiation i...
Effects of oxyanions on the EDTA-promoted dissolution of goethite

Organic ligands, such as EDTA, accelerate the dissolution of silicate and oxide minerals. In natural systems, oxyanions can compete with organic ligands for mineral surface sites thereby affecting ligand-promoted dissolution rates, either enhancing or inhibiting dissolution, depending upon pH. The influence of selenite, molybdate and phosphate on the EDTA-promoted dissolution of goethite has been examined and a mechanism proposed for the observed differences in dissolution rates over a pH range of 4–8. We propose that the surface complex formed by EDTA is the controlling factor for the observed dissolution rate, with mononuclear complexes accelerating dissolution compared to bi- or multinuclear complexes. Dissolution results from our experiments suggest that EDTA forms multinuclear complexes at pH values ⩾6 and mononuclear complexes at pH values <6. Dissolution results show that when the oxyanion and the EDTA are present in the system at concentrations nearly equalling the surface sites available for adsorption, the oxyanion reduces the adsorption of EDTA and inhibits dissolution. However, if the oxyanion is present at lower concentrations at pH values ⩾6, EDTA is adsorbed but the number of carboxylic groups that can bind to the surface is reduced causing the formation of mononuclear complexes. This shift to a weaker surface complex enhances the EDTA-promoted dissolution of goethite in the presence of the oxyanions compared to EDTA-promoted dissolution in their absence.