cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and Measures of Nutritional Compromise Among Nursing Home Patients: Weight Loss, Low Body Mass Index, Malnutrition, and Feeding Dependency, a Systematic Review of the Literature

Weight loss and poor nutrition have been important considerations in measuring quality of nursing home care since 1987. Our purpose was to examine, synthesize, and provide a systematic review of the current literature on the prevalence and definitions of nutritional problems in nursing home residents. In the fall of 2011, we performed MEDLINE searches of English-language articles published after January 1, 1990. Articles were systematically selected for inclusion if they presented prevalence data for general nursing home populations on at least one of the following: weight loss, low body mass index, Mini-Nutritional Assessment or other measure of malnutrition, poor oral intake, or dependency for feeding. Data on each study, including study author, year, setting, population, type of study (study design), measures, and results, were systematically extracted onto standard matrix tables by consensus by a team of two fellowship-trained medical school faculty geriatrician clinician-researchers with significant experience in long term care. The MEDLINE search yielded 672 studies plus 229 studies identified through related citations and reference lists. Of the 77 studies included, 11 articles provided prevalence data from the baseline data of an intervention study, and 66 articles provided prevalence data in the context of an observational study of nutrition. There is a wide range of prevalence of low body mass index, poor appetite, malnutrition, and eating disability reported among nursing home residents. Studies demonstrate a lack of standardized definitions and great variability among countries. Of all the measures, the Minimum Data Set (MDS) weight loss definition of ≥5% in 1 month or ≥10% in 6 months had the narrowest range of prevalence rate: 6% to 15%. Weight loss, as measured by the MDS, may be the most easily replicated indicator of nutritional problems in nursing home residents for medical directors to follow for quality-improvement purposes. Additional studies are needed, reporting the prevalence of the MDS weight loss definition among international nursing home residents.
Characterisation of the excitation-contraction coupling system of the hypothermic myocardium following ischaemia and reperfusion.

The excitation-contraction coupling system of the globally ischaemic, hypothermic myocardium (60 min at 10 to 16°C; I, n = 7) was studied by evaluating the functional integrity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and the myofibrils (M). Comparison was made to the identical model followed by reperfusion (R, n =7) and to sham-operated, time-matched controls (C, n = 7). Calcium uptake velocity from both the 60 min ischaemic group (I) and the reperfusion group (R) was significantly depressed (C = 0.960 ± 0.05, I = 0.535 ± 0.033, R = 0.662 ± 0.035 μmol·Ca2+·mg−1·min−1, P < 0.01). In contrast, SR Ca2+-ATPase activity was not affected by the hypothermic, ischaemic process (C = 1.150 ± 0.08, I = 1.338 ± 0.199 μmol P1·mg−1·min−1) but exhibited a small, significant depression after reperfusion (R = 0.940 ± 0.04 μmol P1·mg−1·min−1, P < 0.05). Myofibrillar pCa-ATPase curves in both experimental groups were significantly depressed (maximal ATPase activity: C = 0.18 ± 0.01, I = 0.125 ± 0.005, R = 0.115 ± 0.01 μmol P1·mg·min−1; P < 0.01). Kinetic analysis of the myofibrillar pCa-ATPase data, utilising double reciprocal plots, demonstrated an increase in Km for the I group but no change for the R group. It is hypothesised that ischaemic reperfusion injury in the hypothermic myocardium results from a breakdown of those subcellular structures responsible for the maintenance of the excitation-contraction coupling system. The ischaemic period, rather than reperfusion seems to be the major contributing factor in this sequence of pathological events.
Thermoelectric Properties of n-Type Multiple-Filled Skutterudites

Filled skutterudites are prospective intermediate temperature materials for thermoelectric power generation. CoSb 3 -based n-type filled skutterudites have good electrical transport properties with power factor values over 40 μW/cm K 2 at elevated temperatures. Filling multiple fillers into the crystallographic voids of skutterudites would help scatter a broad range of lattice phonons, thus resulting in lower lattice thermal conductivity values. We report the thermoelectric properties of n-type multiple-filled skutterudites between 5 K and 800 K. The combination of different fillers inside the voids of the skutterudite structure shows enhanced phonon scattering, and consequently a strong suppression of the lattice thermal conductivity. Very good power factor values are achieved in multiple-filled skutterudite compared with single-element-filled materials. The dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit for n-type filled skutterudites is improved through multiple-filling in a wide temperature range.
Women's Rights and Society's Needs: Japan's 1931 Suffrage Bill

The history of women is different from that of men. Women's history is the highlighting of the cultural construction of gender, the ways in which “men” and “women” are defined in considerable autonomy from biological males and females. The culturally constructed gender system interacts with a society's political system in ways that are just beginning to be explored.1 At the same time, scholars also find their definitions of national states to be in flux. Criticizing both Weberian and Marxist traditions of analysis of the state, Charles Bright and Susan Harding have stressed the open-ended, continuous, and contingent interplay between state structures and initiatives on the one hand, and social movements on the other.2 It is an auspicious time to reconsider the relationships between women and the state in cross-cultural perspective. Here I will examine the women's suffrage movement in Japan (1919–31 ) in its political context in order to encourage comparison with other women's suffrage movements, and to re-examine the interwar Japanese state from the viewpoint of one of its least-studied challengers.
Architecture of the botulinum neurotoxin complex: a molecular machine for protection and delivery

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are extremely poisonous protein toxins that cause the fatal paralytic disease botulism. They are naturally produced in bacteria with several nontoxic neurotoxin-associated proteins (NAPs) and together they form a progenitor toxin complex (PTC), the largest bacterial toxin complex known. In foodborne botulism, the PTC functions as a molecular machine that helps BoNT breach the host defense in the gut. Here, we discuss the substantial recent advance in elucidating the atomic structures and assembly of the 14-subunit PTC, including structures of BoNT and four NAPs. These structural studies shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which BoNT is protected against the acidic environment and proteolytic destruction in the gastrointestinal tract, and how it is delivered across the intestinal epithelial barrier.
Laminins and human disease.

The laminin protein family has diverse tissue expression patterns and is involved in the pathology of a number of organs, including skin, muscle, and nerve. In the skin, laminins 5 and 6 contribute to dermal-epidermal cohesion, and mutations in the constituent chains result in the blistering phenotype observed in patients with junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB). Allelic heterogeneity is observed in patients with JEB: mutations that results in premature stop codons produce a more severe phenotype than do missense mutations. Gene therapy approaches are currently being studied in the treatment of this disease. A blistering phenotype is also observed in patients with acquired cicatricial pemphigoid (CP). Autoantibodies targeted against laminins 5 and 6 destabilize epithelial adhesion and are pathogenic. In muscle cells, laminin alpha 2 is a component of the bridge that links the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix. In patients with laminin alpha 2 mutations, the bridge is disrupted and mature muscle cells apoptose. Congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) results. The role of laminin in diseases of the nervous system is less well defined, but the extracellular protein has been shown to serve an important role in peripheral nerve regeneration. The adhesive molecule influences neurite outgrowth, neural differentiation, and synapse formation. The broad spatial distribution of laminin gene products suggests that laminin may be involved in a number of diseases for which pathogenic mechanisms are still being unraveled.
Electronic transport properties of a tilted graphene p-n junction

Spatial manipulation of current flow in graphene could be achieved through the use of a tilted $p\text{\ensuremath{-}}n$ junction. We show through numerical simulation that a pseudo-Hall effect (i.e., nonequilibrium charge and current density accumulating along one of the sides of a graphene ribbon) can be observed under these conditions. The tilt angle and the $p\text{\ensuremath{-}}n$ transition length are two key parameters in tuning the strength of this effect. This phenomenon can be explained using classical trajectory via ray analysis, and is therefore relatively robust against disorder. Lastly, we propose and simulate a three terminal device that allows direct experimental access to the proposed effect.
Late-Stage HIV/AIDS Patients' and Their Familial Caregivers' Agreement on the Palliative Care Outcome Scale

This study compares the self-assessments of 67 late-stage HIV/AIDS patients regarding their symptomatology, sense of self-worth, and several other aspects of their health-care situation, to assessments of that situation provided by their informal caregivers. As part of a dyadic study of care preferences, the patients and caregivers independently completed nearly identical versions of the Palliative Care Outcome Scale, a short 10-item measure of the patient's current health, social, and psychological status. The participants in the study were recruited from inpatient and outpatient services at an urban medical center. Substantial or moderate agreement, assessed by weighted kappa, was found between patient and caregiver assessments with regard to only four items assessing physical or emotional states of the patient (pain, other symptoms, anxiety, and life worthwhile). Fair or slight agreement was found for the six remaining items, including those assessing the patient's sense of self-worth, family/friends' anxiety, interactions with family/friends, and practical matters. Mean ratings of self-worth were significantly different for patients and caregivers. These findings underscore the clinical need to assess patient care outcomes directly, and they suggest the importance of facilitating more effective communication about relevant health issues among seriously ill patients, caregivers, and health-care providers.
Automatic detection and classification device

1. In an automatic echo ranging system wherein sonar equipment transmits pulses toward a target in predetermined and equal time intervals and receives background, dopplered and undopplered echoes which are produced as video output and audio output, the improvement comprising a gain circuit for controlling the amplitude of the video and audio output, which includes a video channel for the video output of the receiver having a first variable amplifier and means for producing a first bias voltage which is proportional to the video signal voltage, an audio channel for the audio output of the receiver including a second variable amplifier and means for producing a second bias voltage which is proportional to the audio channel signal voltage, said first bias voltage from the video signal being received by said second variable amplifier in the audio channel and said second bias voltage from the audio channel being received by the first variable amplifier in the video channel, a band pass filter and a band rejection filter for the audio output from the second variable amplifier to provide an undopplered signal voltage channel and a dopplered signal voltage channel, classifier means for the dopplered channel and the undopplered channel, said classifier means including means for rectifying, and means for filtering the signals from each channel to remove high frequencies, means for passing a signal above a predetermined amplitude, a wave shaper, a differentiator for the output of the wave shaper to produce a positive and negative pulse from one echo from a target, a first rectifier and a first normally open gate for passage of the positive pulse of the one echo, a second rectifier for passing the negative pulse of the one echo, a second normally closed gate, a maximum pulse length circuit operative by the positive pulse of the one echo to open the second gate for a predetermined time to pass the negative pulse of the one echo, a minimum pulse separation circuit operative by the negative pulse of the one echo to close said first gate for a predetermined maximum range interval of the next echo from the target, a third normally closed gate, a maximum pulse separation circuit operative by the negative pulse of the first echo to open the third gate for the maximum range interval of said next echo from the target, and a relay signal circuit operated when the negative pulse of said next echo from the target passes the third gate to indicate that a target has minimum been located.
Thermal Emission Characteristics of a Nonisothermal Dielectric Coating on a Conductor Surface

A heat-transfer analysis of a nonscattering dielectric coating is presented to show the effect of the temperature distribution on the thermal emission characteristics. The problem is formulated using radiation transfer theory for an absorbing, emitting, gray coating with specular surfaces on a metallic substrate. Heat transfer by simultaneous conduction and radiation is considered within the coating. Convection and incident radiation at the coating surface are also included. Results are presented for the temperature distribution in the coating and the thermal emission characteristics. The results indicate that the emission can vary considerably with the temperature distribution. It is shown that a linear temperature approximation can be used to estimate the emission characteristics for the range of parameters investigated. Nomenclature a = variable in Eq. (25), TO/M b = variable in Eq. (25), 1 — p\e c = variable in Eq. (25), 1 + pie E2 = exponential integral function EI(T ) = r1 «P( JO \ M . h* = dimensionless heat-transfer coefficient, , h = convective heat-transfer coefficient at the coating surface
Dispersed cells prepared from human parathyroid glands: distinct calcium sensitivity of adenomas vs. primary hyperplasia.

Dispersed parathyroid cells were prepared by digestion with collagenase and DNase of parathyroid glands of patients with adenoma or primary hyperplasia. Yields of 50–100 million cells/g of tissue were obtained and the cells were viable by morphologic (95–100% trypan blue exclusion) and functional criteria [linear release of parathyroid hormone (PTH) responsive to ambient calcium concentration]. Cells prepared from 7 of 9 hyperplastic and 8 of 12 adenomatous glands were suppressible 50% (52–90%) or more by calcium. Cells from hyperplastic glands, however, were suppressed by significantly lower concentrations of calcium than those from adenomas and resembled normal bovine parathyroid cells in this respect. This results suggested that a “set-point” error in calcium-regulated PTH release might contribute to the pathophysiology of parathyroid adenomas. Cells from 2 of 9 hyperplastic and 4 of 12 adenomatous glands, on the other hand, were suppressible less than 50% (0–48%) by high calcium concentrations, indica...
Metabolism of biphenyl in the rat

Abstract The metabolism of biphenyl in the rat has been studied by using gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods. The free and conjugated urinary metabolites were characterized. Eight new metabolites were isolated: a dihydrodiol and two hdroxydihydrodiols were characteristic for the epoxide—diol pathway. There were two dihydroxybiphenyls, a trihydroxybiphenyl, a trihydroxymethoxybiphenyl and 4,4′-dihydroxy-3-methylthiobiphenyl. The mass spectra of the trimethylsilyl derivatives of the metabolites exhibited characteristic doubly charged and metastable ions.
A Connexion Between the Granulation and the Structure of the Low Chromosphere

PHOTOGRAPHS of the solar spectrum made with the vacuum spectrograph of the McMath–Hulbert Observatory have revealed a variety of interesting and complex features in the structures of the Fraunhofer lines1. The appearance of the hydrogen line cores suggests an underlying, diffuse component that evidently originates in the photosphere, upon which are superposed a series of streaks that must be of chromospheric origin. The weaker metallic lines (of Rowland intensity less than about 10) also fluctuate in width and intensity and have a characteristic zig-zag appearance caused by the Doppler shifts of ascending and descending gas columns which are associated with the granulation in the photosphere.
Jun proteins modulate the ovary-specific promoter of aromatase gene in ovarian granulosa cells via a cAMP-responsive element

Estrogen is critical to both normal mammary gland and breast cancer development. Circulating levels of estrogen in premenopausal women are primarily determined by the action of aromatase in ovarian granulosa cells that converts testosterone to estradiol. In the current study, we unraveled an important role of Jun proteins in modulating ovary-specific aromatase expression. Ectopic expression of the Jun proteins in a human granulosa cell line significantly inhibited an ovary-specific promoter (PII) of the aromatase gene, whereas expression of dominant-negative mutants of Jun led to increased promoter activity. The Jun-mediated repression was specific to the aromatase promoter, as Jun proteins stimulated known AP1-responsive promoters in the same cellular context. Both the activation and basic leucine zipper domains of Jun were required for the transcriptional repression. Electrophoretic gel mobility assay showed that endogenous Jun proteins bound to a functionally important cAMP-responsive element (CRE) in the PII promoter-proximal region. Alteration of the CRE-like site impaired both the cAMP-responsive transcriptional activation and Jun-mediated repression. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation indicated the presence of cJun at the proximal region of the native PII promoter. Taken together, our work suggests that Jun proteins may attenuate estrogen biosynthesis by directly downregulating transcription of the aromatase gene in ovarian granulosa cells.
Buprenorphine sublingual tablets: effects on IV heroin self-administration by humans

Rationale: Studies have shown that buprenorphine, a partial mu opioid agonist, effectively reduces heroin taking. While previous research with buprenorphine utilized a liquid formulation, a tablet formulation is proposed for clinical use. However, because recent research suggests that the liquid and tablet differ in bioavailability, it is unclear what dose of the buprenorphine tablet effectively antagonizes the reinforcing effects of heroin. Objective: The present study was designed to compare the effects of two sublingual doses of buprenorphine maintenance on heroin self-administration. Methods: Eight heroin-dependent men participated in a 6-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled inpatient study to evaluate the reinforcing effects of intravenous heroin (0, 6.25, 12.5, 25 mg) during maintenance on 8 or 16 mg sublingual buprenorphine. Participants first sampled the available dose of heroin, and then were allowed to respond under a progressive ratio schedule for either heroin or $20. For each heroin dose, one sample session and three choice sessions occurred. Two sessions per day were conducted. A sample session was followed by the first choice session on one day, and the second and third choice sessions occurred on the following day. These sessions were conducted while participants were maintained on daily doses of 8 or 16 mg buprenorphine (3 weeks each). Results: Relative to placebo, 12.5 and 25 mg heroin produced significant increases in break point values under both maintenance dose conditions. The mean break point value for 12.5 mg heroin was significantly lower under 16 mg buprenorphine, compared to 8 mg. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the reinforcing effects of heroin were not fully antagonized by these doses of the tablet formulation of buprenorphine, and that 16 mg buprenorphine reduced heroin self-administration relative to 8 mg.
Rotary protein motors

Abstract Three protein motors have been unambiguously identified as rotary engines: the bacterial flagellar motor and the two motors that constitute ATP synthase (F 0 F 1 ATPase). Of these, the bacterial flagellar motor and F 0 motors derive their energy from a transmembrane ion-motive force, whereas the F 1 motor is driven by ATP hydrolysis. Here, we review the current understanding of how these protein motors convert their energy supply into a rotary torque.
Muscarinic inhibition of M-current and a potassium leak conductance in neurones of the rat basolateral amygdala

1. Voltage-clamp recordings using a single microelectrode were obtained from pyramidal neurones of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in slices of the rat ventral forebrain. Slow inward current relaxations during hyperpolarizing voltage steps from a holding potential of -40 mV were identified as the muscarinic-sensitive M-current (IM), a time- and voltage-dependent potassium current previously identified in other neuronal cell types. 2. Activation of IM was voltage dependent with a threshold of approximately -70 mV. At membrane potentials positive to this, the steady-state current-voltage (I-V) relationship showed substantial outward rectification, reflecting the time- and voltage-dependent opening of M-channels. The underlying conductance (gM) also increased sharply with depolarization. 3. The reversal potential for IM was -84 mV in medium containing 3.5 mM K+. This was shifted positively by 27 mV when the external K+ concentration was raised to 15 mM. 4. The time courses of M-current activation and deactivation were fitted by a single exponential. The time constant for IM decay, measured at 24 degrees C, was strongly dependent on membrane potential, ranging from 330 ms at -40 mV to 12 ms at -100 mV. 5. Bath application of carbachol (0.5-40 microM) inhibited IM, as evidenced by the reduction or elimination of the slow inward M-current relaxations evoked during hyperpolarizing steps from a holding potential of -40 mV. The outward rectification of the steady-state I-V relationship at membrane potentials positive to -70 mV was also largely eliminated. The inhibition of IM by carbachol was dose dependent and antagonized by atropine. 6. Carbachol produced an inward current shift at a holding potential of -40 mV that was only partially attributable to inhibition of IM. An inward current shift was also produced by carbachol at membrane potentials negative to -70 mV, where IM is inactive. These effects were dose dependent and antagonized by atropine. They were attributed to the muscarinic inhibition of a voltage-insensitive potassium leak conductance (ILeak). 7. In most cells, carbachol reduced the slope of the instantaneous I-V relationship obtained from a holding potential of -70 mV so that it crossed the control I-V plot at the reversal potential for ILeak. This was found to be -108 mV in 3.5 mM K+ saline, shifting to -66 mV in 15 mM K+ saline.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
STERILIZATION OF ADULT FALL ARMYWORMS BY GAMMA IRRADIATION AND ITS EFFECT ON COMPETITIVENESS.

The quantity of 00CO irradiation necessary to sterilize adult male Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) was established at 35 krad, while a dose of 15 krad sterilized the female. In laboratory and field tests, sterilizing doses did not alter the lifespan of the adults, ability of the female to attract the male, ability of the male to seek the female, or ability of the adults to copulate. However, sterilization significantly reduced the oviposition rate of sterile females and the type and quality of sperm transferred by sterile males. These adverse effects were reflected in reduced egg hatch. The data indicate that sterilized males are approximately 0.46 times as competitive as normal males.
ADULT EDUCATION 1964-1973: Reflections of a Changing Discipline.

This study addresses the question: can the adult educator remain currently informed of important concerns and issues in adult education through the pages of Adult Education? The study of Adult Educ...
Superconducting coherence in bulk granular metals

Abstract Long-range phase coherence in bulk (three-dimensional) granular metals is governed by a variety of physical mechanisms. We discuss in particular the striking similarities to some behavior observed in discontinuous thin films that has been attributed to the topological ordering associated with the superconducting state in a two-dimensional system.
Low-temperature stability and high-temperature reactivity of iron-based core-shell nanoparticles.

Iron-based core−shell nanoparticles have been prepared that exhibit low-temperature stability and high-temperature reactivity toward oxygen in solution. The concentration of oxygen was determined from the fluorescence decay of pyrene. At low temperatures ( 110 °C), the decays become long and are consistent with no oxygen in solution. The change is abrupt, occurring over a narrow temperature range, and reproducible.
Deterministic Random Walk: A New Preconditioner for Power Grid Analysis

Iterative linear equation solvers rely on high-quality preconditioners to achieve fast convergence. For sparse symmetric systems arising from large power grid analysis problems, however, preconditioners generated by traditional incomplete Cholesky factorization are usually of low quality, resulting in slow convergence. On the other hand, preconditioners generated by random walks are quite effective to reduce the number of iterations, though requiring considerable amount of time to compute in a stochastic manner. We propose in this paper a new preconditioning technique for power grid analysis, named deterministic random walk that combines the advantages of the above two approaches. Our proposed algorithm computes the preconditioners in a deterministic manner to reduce computation time, while achieving similar quality as stochastic random walk preconditioning by modifying fill-ins to compensate dropped entries. We have proved that for such compensation scheme, our algorithm will always succeed, which otherwise cannot be guaranteed by traditional incomplete factorizations. We demonstrate that by incorporating our proposed preconditioner, a conjugate gradient solver is able to outperform a state-of-the-art algebraic multigrid preconditioned solver for dc analysis, and is very efficient for transient simulation on public IBM power grid benchmarks.
Intrarenal and in situ kidney workbench surgery under hypothermia

Two methods are described to cool the kidney. The surgact type of device can cover the entire kidney or a single pole. The second method for cooling the kidney is use of an intracellular hypothermic solution with methylprednisolone; the kidney is flushed via the renal artery to achieve cooling. Two interesting cases are presented which illustrate the methods used to achieve hypothermia.
Use of intravesical cisplatin and mitomycin-C for recurrent transitional cell carcinoma of bladder refractory to thiotepa

Superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCCaB) has a high incidence of recurrence. Intravesical thiotepa is the drug used most often for treatment. Intravesical mitomycin-C also has shown promise. Cisplatin has proven activity in patients with metastatic TCCaB and in experimental bladder cancer models. Patients who have no response to one intravesical agent such as thiotepa may respond to other agent(s) such as mitomycin-C or cisplatin. In this report we have evaluated 10 patients with superficial recurrent TCCaB who showed no response to intravesical thiotepa and were subsequently treated with mitomycin-C or cisplatin. Six patients were treated with cisplatin and 4 with mitomycin-C. The 4 treated with mitomycin-C had complete response or partial response within three months. Of the 6 treated with cisplatin, 4 had complete response within three months, and 2 had no response.
Differential thermal analysis of kidney and bladder stones

Abstract Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) has been used to investigate the thermal decomposition of several different stones collected from various patients. The stones were washed with distilled water, methanol, and acetone then air dried and ground to −100, +200 mesh. Heating rates of 5, 10, and 25°C were used, along with both static air and flowing argon atmospheres. An evaluation of the effect of heating rate and furnace atmosphere, along with possible stone composition and structure, is discussed.
Thermal/temporal response of the NSOM probe/sample system

In measurements of sample temporal response with a near-field scanning optical microscope, or NSOM, one must account for the temporal response of the probe. The coupling of thermal and temporal effects in an NSOM fitted with a coated tapered fiber probe is considered. Study of the perturbation of cw infrared light by a pulse of visible light simultaneously sent through an illumination mode NSOM allows one to separate the relatively slow thermal response of the probe from the appreciably faster response of a silicon sample imaged with the probe. Temporal and thermal contrast in NSOM imaging are discussed in terms of the results.
Studying nuclear matter created in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions using charged kaons

Kaons, as the main carriers of strangeness, make for an important probe of the medium produced in relativistic heavy ion collisions. By topologically reconstructing the charged kaons, we reach high transverse momentum limits not presently accessible with the traditional reconstruction methods. We present recent results on nuclear modification factors involving charged kaons from three collision systems: p+p, d+A and Au+Au at 200GeV center of mass energy. A comparison to other strange mesons and baryons will be made and conclusions on medium properties, particle production mechanisms, initial and final state effects will be presented.
Schooling and achievement: A study of Peruvian children

Abstract This study explores the effect of attending school on children's achievement in reading and mathematics and on a test of general information. The major focus was on the interaction between three variables: children's age [young (6–8 years) or old (9–12)], location (city slums or rural villages in the highland or jungle areas of Peru), and the number of years of schooling (none, 1, 2, or 3 years). A follow-up study was conducted nine years after the original testing. Schooling had a positive effect on children's performance, but the degree of influence depended upon all three of the major variables. Schooling tended to have a greater effect on the achievement scores than on the general information scores. In general, scores were highest among children residing in the city and lowest among children living in the remote jungle areas. After controlling for location, age, and years of education, family variables such as parental education and home quality had a small, but significant influence on children's knowledge of reading, mathematics, and general information.
Anisotropic resolution in children's vision.

Abstract Grating acuity was measured for 4 orientations in 111 children aged 3–8 yr. Results showed that 73% of the children had better acuity for horizontal and vertical compared to oblique gratings, 14% showed no anisotropy, and 13% had better acuity for oblique gratings. The magnitude of the oblique effect was 0.2 octaves, similar to that found in both younger children and adults.
Thermal-aware DC IR-drop co-analysis using non-conformal domain decomposition methods

Almost all practical engineering applications are multi-physics in nature, and various physical phenomena usually interact and couple with each other. For instance, the resistivity of most conducting metals increases linearly with increases in the surrounding temperature resulting from Joule heating by electrical currents flowing through conductors. Therefore, in order to accurately characterize the performance of high-power integrated circuits (ICs), packages and printed circuit boards (PCBs), it is essential to account for both electrical and thermal effects and the intimate couplings between them. In this paper, we present non-conformal, non-overlapping domain decomposition methods (DDMs) for thermal-aware direct current (DC) IR drop co-analysis of high-power chippackage-PCBs. Here, IR stands for the finite resistivity (R) of metals and current (I) drawn off from the power/ground planes. The proposed DDM starts by partitioning the composite device into inhomogeneous sub-regions with temperature-dependent material properties. Subsequently, each sub-domain is meshed independently according to its own characteristic features. As a consequence, the troublesome mesh-generation task for complex ICs can be greatly subdued. The proposed thermal-aware DC IR drop co-analysis applies the non-conformal DDM for both conduction and steady-state heattransfer analyses with a two-way coupling between them. Numerical examples, including an IC package and a chip-package-PCB, demonstrate the flexibility and potential of the proposed thermal-aware DC IR-drop co-analysis using non-conformal DDMs.
Agricultural development and emigration: rhetoric and reality.

The untested premise of trade liberalizing U.S. development programs such as the Caribbean Basin Initiative is that commodity trade can substitute for international labor migration. Analysis of U.S. tomato producing regions in Sinaloa Mexico and Florida suggests that the effect of trade liberalization on international labor migration is uncertain. The emphasis is on how such development projects might affect the flow of illegal migrants to the United States. (EXCERPT)
Discussion on "Microprocessor-based protection relays: design and applications examples" by D. Baigent and E. Lebenhaft

The discusser points out discrepancies in the above-titled paper by D. Baigent and E. Lebenhaft (ibid., vol.29, no.1, pp.66-71, Jan./Feb. 1993). Questions are raised, and comparisons are made regarding microprocessor-based relays and electromechanical relays. Baigent and Lebenhaft reply to the questions raised and comment on the discrepancies. >
A 25-Gbps 8-ps/mm transmission line based interconnect for on-chip communications in multi-core chips

This paper presents a novel on-chip interconnect system for multi-core chips using transmission lines as shared media. It supports both point-to-point and broadcasting communications. Compared to network-on-chip approaches, it offers significant advantages in circuit complexity, energy efficiency and link latency. To demonstrate the scheme, a chip prototype with two 20-mm long transmission lines running in parallel and multiple transmitters/receivers (including 2:1 serializer/1:2 deserializer) was implemented in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The prototype can achieve a date rate of 25.4 Gb/s with an energy efficiency of 1.67 pJ/b in the measurement.
The role of altered intercellular coupling in arrhythmias induced by acute myocardial ischemia.

Time for primary review 28 days. Sudden cardiac death occurs with unacceptably high incidence in patients with ischemic heart disease and cardiomyopathy. As Zipes and Wellens [1] have emphasized, sudden death arises from highly variable interactions between anatomic and/or functional myocardial substrates, transient initiating events and cellular/tissue arrhythmia mechanisms. In our view, a key strategy for developing mechanistic insights into sudden death is to first define the role of individual factors (including specific gene products) that contribute to arrhythmias, and to then understand how these factors interact to cause sudden death. One of the most common disease settings leading to sudden cardiac death is the acute coronary syndromes. Acute ischemia is marked by alterations in cell metabolism, cell signaling, intercellular communication and electrical impulse propagation [2]. These changes produce a cascade of events that are adaptive in the sense that mechanisms are activated to mitigate injury, forestall cell death and isolate irreversibly injured myocytes from their viable neighbors, but also maladaptive in that they can create a substrate that supports the initiation and maintenance of malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Among the electrophysiologically relevant changes that occur rapidly after the onset of ischemia are reductions in tissue pH, increases in interstitial K+ and intracellular Ca2+ concentrations and changes in active and passive membrane properties, all of which interact in a complex milieu to slow conduction, alter excitability and refractoriness, promote electrical uncoupling, and generate spontaneous electrical activity [1–4]. In this review, we focus on the specific role of diminished intercellular electrical coupling in the pathogenesis of lethal arrhythmias induced by acute ischemia. Until recently, it has been difficult to isolate the contribution of diminished coupling per se to arrhythmogenesis in the complex setting of acute ischemia. However, the advent of techniques to manipulate gene expression and characterize cardiac …
History and personal observations of electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation

Electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation was initially very controversial. The procedure was carefully developed by Bernard Lown and his associates who experimented first on animals and then on postoperative patients using a direct-current technique targeted to avoid the vulnerable period. Their results, published in 1963, were soon accepted, and the procedure became a major therapeutic advance in the treatment of heart disease.
Biblical Chronology in the Hellenistic World Chronicles

Chronography became a discipline of its own during the Alexandrian age. Herodotus and Thucydides still reckoned the remote past by generations. But from 300 B.C. onward learned men of Alexandria attempted to assign more or less precise dates for notable events. Homeric scholars dated the fall of Troy 407 years prior to the first Olympic games in 776 B.C., i.e., 1184 B.C. Eratosthenes of Cyrene asserted that this was the first datable event of human history, giving an unmistakable demarcation line between mythology and history. For the Orientals, whose records reputedly went back to the time when gods and semi-gods held sway over man, Eratosthenes' Greek-colored view of ancient history appeared myopic. Perhaps to match the Orientals, Greek writers manufactured genealogical tables which traced the pedigrees of famous Greek cities to remote antiquity with their autochthonous progenitors. To create order among the conflicting claims, during the second century B.C., the universal chronicle made its appearance. In the universal chronicles the Greek and Oriental genealogical lists followed each other, were synchronized, or even tabulated.
Replicating vesicles as models of primitive cell growth and division

Primitive cells, lacking the complex bio-machinery present in modern cells, would have had to rely on the self-organizing properties of their components and on interactions with their environment to achieve basic cellular functions such as growth and division. Many bilayer-membrane vesicles, depending on their composition and environment, can exhibit complex morphological changes such as growth, fusion, fission, budding, internal vesicle assembly and vesicle-surface interactions. The rich dynamic properties of these vesicles provide interesting models of how primitive cellular replication might have occurred in response to purely physical and chemical forces.
The Allure of Blue Ribbon Taskforces and The Hard Reality of Immigration Grand Bargains

High status “blue-ribbon” taskforces combine prestige organizations and notable participants to help solve complex problems like immigration reform. Drawing on diverse views one of the ways they can reach common ground is through “grand bargains,” in which each side gives up contested ground to reach a solution through which they gain a major goal. In immigration reform proposals, this takes the form of trading legalization for enforcement. Yet, a closer look at this grand bargain suggestions that the give and take is asymmetric, because the benefits of legalization are immediate and the capacity for effective enforcement many years away. The Brookings-Duke Immigration Report suggests a possible way around this imbalance.
Does Trust Determine Satisfaction in Marketing Channel Relationships? The Moderating Role of Exchange Partner's Price Competitiveness

ABSTRACT Relying on contemporary literature on developing and maintaining channel relationships, the authors adopt a contingency perspective to propose that price competitiveness is a potential moderator for the influence of trust on satisfaction in channel relationships. The authors collect data from a random sample of diamond retailers and estimate the appropriate structural model, with latent variables, to validate the proposed conceptual model. The two step procedure shows good fit for the measurement model and the latent variable structural model. Overall, the results support the hypotheses with price competitiveness moderating the trust-satisfaction relationship. The article ends with a discussion on implications of the study for researchers and managers.
Comparison of Delay Tests on Silicon

Testing longer paths in an integrated circuit with a proper path selection strategy has the potential to increase the quality of a delay test. However, the benefit on silicon is not completely clear because a theoretical test quality increase is normally simulated using an assumed distribution of defect sizes. In this work, silicon data is collected and maximum operating frequency (Fmax) compared using test patterns generated by a variety of delay test methodologies. The silicon data is consistent with theoretical predictions and the benefits of testing delay faults through the longest path are quantified.
Transcriptional profiling of trait deterioration in the insect pathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora

Background: The success of a biological control agent depends on key traits, particularly reproductive potential, environmental tolerance, and ability to be cultured. These traits can deteriorate rapidly when the biological control agent is reared in culture. Trait deterioration under laboratory conditions has been widely documented in the entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Hb) but the specific mechanisms behind these genetic processes remain unclear. This research investigates the molecular mechanisms of trait deterioration of two experimental lines of Hb, an inbred line (L5M) and its original parental line (OHB). We generated transcriptional profiles of two experimental lines of Hb, identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and validated their differential expression in the deteriorated line. Results: An expression profiling study was performed between experimental lines L5M and OHB of Hb with probes for 15,220 ESTs from the Hb transcriptome. Microarray analysis showed 1,185 DEGs comprising of 469 down- and 716 up-regulated genes in trait deteriorated nematodes. Analysis of the DEGs showed that trait deterioration involves massive changes of the transcripts encoding enzymes involved in metabolism, signal transduction, virulence and longevity. We observed a pattern of reduced expression of enzymes related to primary metabolic processes and induced secondary metabolism. Expression of sixteen DEGs in trait deteriorated nematodes was validated by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) which revealed similar expression kinetics for all the genes tested as shown by microarray. Conclusion: As the most closely related major entomopathogen to C. elegans, Hb provides an attractive near-term application for using a model organism to better understand interspecies interactions and to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying trait deterioration in biological control agents. This information could also be used to improve the beneficial traits of biological control agents and better understand fundamental aspects of nematode parasitism and mutualism.
The Effect of Organizational form on Information Flow and Decision Quality: Informational Cascades in Group Decision Making

This paper identifies a disadvantage to decision making in a team. We show that in some cases available information is lost due to sequential communication that results in informational cascades. Although incentive contracts exist that prevent cascades, in some cases these contracts do not maximize shareholders' expected residual value and cascades are tolerated in equilibrium. Cascades never occur in hierarchies that exogenously prevent communication. However, when the firm is organized as a hierarchy (and the agents are given the optimal hierarchical contract), in some cases agents will collude and sequentially communicate, admitting the possibility of cascades. In these cases, the principals must monitor and enforce the hierarchical process. When monitoring costs exceed the cost of cascades, the team is the optimal organizational form.
New syndrome involving the visual, auditory, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and renal systems.

A previously undescribed fatal multisystem syndrome involving the eyes, ears, lungs, intestines, and kidneys occurred in sibs. They both presented during early childhood with cataracts, otitis media, intestinal malabsorption, chronic respiratory infection, and failure to thrive. Later, they developed recurrent pneumonia (one was shown to have immotile bronchial cilia) and progressive azotemia leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) by late childhood. Both died of overwhelming infection (sepsis, meningitis). An autosomal recessive mode of inheritance is proposed since the normal parents were distant cousins, and 4 other sibs were normal. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Near-ideal I-V characteristics of GaInP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors

GaInP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) have been fabricated and these devices exhibit near-ideal I-V characteristics with very small magnitudes of the base-emitter junction space-charge recombination current. Measured current gains in both 6- mu m*6- mu m and 100- mu m*100- mu m devices remain constant for five decades of collector current and are greater than unity at ultrasmall current densities on the order of 1*10/sup -6/ A/cm/sup 2/. For the 6- mu m*6- mu m device, the current gain reaches a high value of 190 at higher current levels. These device characteristics are also compared to published data of an abrupt AlGaAs/GaAs HBT having a base layer with similar doping level and thickness. >
Synthesis and acid-promoted ring opening of a novel cage spiro-oxetane

When heated with glacial HOAc and concentrated H2SO4 (catalytic amount), cage oxetane 1 undergoes ring opening with concomitant skeletal rearrangement, thereby affording a mixture of bis(acetoxy)trishomocubanes, 7a and 8a (ratio 4:1).