cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Limited success using the “flare” protocol in poor responders in cycles with low basal follicle-stimulating hormone levels during in vitro fertilization

Abstract Objective: To assess an alternate protocol for stimulating poor responders. Design: Prospective clinical study. Setting: University-affiliated infertility clinic. Patient(s): Eighty poor responders. Intervention(s): Stimulation was withheld until patients fulfilled the following criteria: basal FSH ≤ 12 mIU/mL (conversion factor to SI unit, 1.00) with concurrent E 2 level ≤ 100 pg/ mL (conversion factor to SI unit, 3.671), and P level ≤ 1.0 ng/mL (conversion factor to SI unit, 3.467). They then started leuprolide acetate on cycle day 2 and a high dose of gonadotropins on cycle day 3. Main Outcome Measure(s): Stimulation response and pregnancy rates (PRs). Result(s): Nineteen cycles (23.8%) were canceled because of poor ovarian response. The mean E 2 level on day of hCG was 2,578 ± 1,339 pg/mL (9,464 ± 4,915 pmol/L) (range, 789 to 5934 pg/mL [2,896 to 21,784 pmol/l]). The number of oocytes retrieved was 10 ± 6.6 (range, 1 to 37). Nine patients did not have ET (failed fertilization [n = 5], no cleavage of preembryos [n = 3], freeze all [n = 1]). The number of pre-embryos transferred was 3.9 ± 1.6 (range, 1 to 8). The clinical pregnancy rate was 7 of 61 (11.5%) per retrieval, and 7 of 52 (13.4%) per transfer with an implantation rate of 7 of 201 (3.5%). Three patients miscarried with an ongoing PR of 4 of 61 (6.5%) per retrieval and 4 of 52 (7.6%) per transfer. Conclusion(s): Poor responders undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with the "flare" protocol in cycles with low basal FSH will often show adequate ovarian response and reach oocyte retrieval and ET. The PRs, however, remain low.
Cardiolipin is not required to maintain mitochondrial DNA stability or cell viability for Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown at elevated temperatures.

In eukaryotic cells, the phospholipid cardiolipin (CL) is primarily found in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants, unable to synthesize CL because of a null allele of the CRD1 gene (encodes CL synthase), have been reported with different phenotypes. Some mutants, when grown on a nonfermentable carbon source at elevated temperatures, exhibit mitochondrial DNA instability, loss of viability, and significant defects in several functions that rely on the mitochondrial energy transducing system (ETS). These mutants also lack the immediate precursor to CL, phosphatidylglycerol (PG), when grown on glucose as a carbon source. Other mutants show reduced growth efficiency on a nonfermentable carbon source but much milder phenotypes associated with growth at elevated temperatures and increased levels of PG when grown on glucose. We present evidence that mitochondrial DNA instability, loss of viability, and defects in the ETS exhibited at elevated temperatures by some mutants are caused by the reduced expression of the PET56 gene in the presence of the his3Δ200 allele and not the lack of CL alone. We also found that PG is present and elevated in all crd1Δ strains when grown on glucose. A supermolecular complex between complex III and complex IV of the mitochondrial ETS detected in wild type cells was missing in all of the above crd1Δ cells. The level of components of the ETS was also reduced in crd1Δ cells grown at elevated temperatures because of reduced gene expression and not reduced stability. These results suggest that all phenotypes reported for cells carrying the his3Δ200 allele and lacking CL should be re-evaluated.
The problem of three bodies: Copernicus and modern dynamical astronomy

Whittaker 1 calls the subject of this paper the "most celebrated of all dynamical problems", and indeed, with reason since it has been treated in several hundred publications by the most outstanding mathematicians during the past 200 years. For detailed historical reviews Marcolongo's ~ and Lovett's a memoirs are recommended since in the present paper only the most significant contributions are reviewed in an undeservingly short manner. The most important classical papers are by Whittaker, 1 Sundman, ~ Chazy, a Birkhoff, 6 and Siegel, v just to mention a few. During the last decade the analytical development followed Sundman and Chazy with Pollard, Saari, Lewis, Moser, Alekseev, Sitnikov, and Merman as the principal contributors. Papers by Agekian 8 and by Szebehely 9 in the last 5 years showed that the dynamical system under consideration is inherently unstable. The classical contributions are discussed in some detail with many references by Leimanis 1° and the more recent ones by Szebehely? ~ The problem may be defined as follows. Three gravitationally interacting point masses are set in motion; find the subsequent behavior of the system. Since in the general problem the masses are of the same order of magnitude and the mutual
1090 ANTIGENICALLY DISTINCT ROTAVIRUSES ARE COMMON CAUSES OF DIARRHEA IN HUMANS

Rotaviruses (RV) are major causes of diarrheal disease in humans and other animals. Until recently, it was thought that all RVs shared a common antigen, and a vaccine based on this principle is undergoing field testing in humans. However, rotavirus-like agents (RVLA) which are morphologically indistinguishable from RVs but which do not share any antigenic similarity to standard RVs have recently been isolated from cows, piglets, birds, and humans. The role of these agents in human disease has not been extensively studied. We recently discovered a RVLA which is capable of infecting infant rats (J. Virol. 52:94-98, 1984). We found that fecal samples from adults and humans with acute gastroenteritis can transmit an identical disease to the infant rats. The infection is characterized by typical pathological changes in the gastrointestinal epithelial ceils and by the passage of viral particles with a characteristic pattern of double-stranded, segmented RNA. We have devised enzyme immunoassays for the detection of RVLA antigen and antibody. The application of these assays to human specimens has indicated that RVLA infection is common in young children and that infection with RVLA can be associated with severe gastroenteritis. RVLA may be an important new agent of gastroenteritis in humans and animals.
What is Global Analysis

There has recently been a lot of activity in that branch of mathematics now referred to as “global analysis.” For example, the subject of the 1968 Summer Institute of the American Mathematical Society was global analysis.
Why Else Does Jenny Run? Young Children's Extended Psychological Explanations.

A method for eliciting extended explanations was used to evaluate predictions from the “theory-theory” account of developing psychological reasoning. Children were repeatedly asked to explain the actions or emotions of story characters with false beliefs. Questioning elicited false belief attributions in half of 3-year-olds (Study 1, N = 16, age M = 3;6) and most 4-year-olds who failed belief prediction tasks (Study 2, N = 30, M = 4;5). In Study 3, 30 prediction failers (M = 5;1) gave significantly more false belief explanations for emotions than for actions. Across the studies, desire and emotion explanations emerged early and often, reflecting the primacy of these constructs in the children's understanding of psychological causality. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for developmental mechanism.
Region of attraction estimation of biological continuous Boolean models

Quantitative analysis of biological systems has become an increasingly important research field as scientists look to solve current day health and environmental problems. The development of modeling and model analysis approaches that are specifically geared toward biological processes is a rapidly growing research area. Continuous approximations of Boolean models, for example, have been identified as a viable method for modeling such systems. This is because they are capable of generating dynamic models of biochemical pathways using inferred dependency relationships between components. The resulting nonlinear equations and therefore nonlinear dynamics, however, can present a challenge for most system analysis approaches such as region of attraction (ROA) estimation. Continued progress in the area of biosystems modeling will require that computational techniques used to analyze simple nonlinear systems can still be applied to nonlinear equations typically used to model the dynamics associated with biological processes. In this paper, we assess the applicability of a state of the art ROA estimation technique based on interval arithmetic to a subnetwork of the Rb-E2F signaling pathway modeled using continuous Boolean functions. We show that this method can successfully be used to provide an estimate of the ROA for dynamic models described using Hillcube continuous Boolean approximations.
Ultrastable pRNA hexameric ring gearing hexameric phi29 DNA-packaging motor by revolving without rotating and coiling

Biomotors have previously been classified into two categories: linear and rotational motors. It has long been popularly believed that viral DNA packaging motors are rotation motors. We have recently found that the DNA-packaging motor of bacteriophage phi29 uses a third mechanism: revolution without rotation. phi29 motor consists of three-coaxial rings of hexameric RNA, a hexameric ATPase, and a dodecameric channel. The motor uses six ATP to revolve one helical turn of dsDNA around the hexameric ring of ATPase gp16. Each dodecameric segment tilts at a 30°-angle and runs anti-parallel to the dsDNA helix to facilitate translation in one direction. The negatively charged phosphate backbone interacts with four positively charged lysine rings, resulting in four steps of transition. This review will discuss how the novel pRNA meets motor requirements for translocation concerning structure, stoichiometry, and thermostability; how pRNA studies have led to the generation of the concept of RNA nanotechnology; and how pRNA is fabricated into nanoparticles to deliver siRNA, miRNA, and ribozymes to cancer and virus-infected cells.
Examination of the automated solute-independent calibration technique

Examination d'une methode mathematique et universelle d'etalonnage pour la chromatographie ionique avec detection par conductivite pour un usage a long terme. La methode totalement automatique comprend l'echantillonnage, la separation chromatographique, la collection des donnees et l'analyse
Maternal and perinatal outcome of conservative management of severe preeclampsia in midtrimester

Pregnancies complicated by severe preeclampsia in the second trimester are associated with a high incidence of perinatal morbidity and mortality. One way to possibly improve perinatal outcome in these pregnancies is to attempt to prolong the gestation with conservative management. Reported here the results of conservative management of 60 consecutive patients with severe preeclampsia in the second trimester (18 to 27 weeks' gestation). Although there were no maternal mortalities, the morbidity rate for the 60 patients was very high. Severe maternal complications included abruptio placentae (n = 13), eclampsia (n = 10), coagulopathy (n = 5), renal failure (n = 3), hypertensive encephalopathy (n = 2), intracerebral hemorrhage (n = 1), and ruptured hepatic hematoma (n = 1). In addition, perinatal outcome for these pregnancies was exceptionally poor, with 31 of the 60 pregnancies resulting in a stillborn infant, and 21 resulting in a neonatal death, for a total perinatal mortality rate of 87%. Thus, the results of this retrospective study do not support the use of conservative management for pregnancies complicated by severe preeclampsia in the second trimester.
An Approximate Model of Multistage Automatic Transfer Lines with Possible Scrapping Of Workpieces

Abstract We consider multistage automatic transfer lines with unreliable stages, finite interstage buffer storages, and possible scrapping of workpieces. It is assumed that the first stage never idles and the last stage never becomes blocked. Assuming that uptimes and downtimes of a stage are geometrically distributed, an approximate model is developed to compute different performance measures of the transfer line. The results obtained through the approximate model are compared to the exact results for three-stage transfer lines and to simulation results for longer transfer lines. It is observed that the approximate results are good in almost all cases considered.
Exploration of fabrication techniques for phase-shifting masks

Techniques for fabrication and testing of phase-shifting masks have been explored. The masks were formed using quartz blanks with both directly etched-in phase-shifters as well as deposited SiO2 films and photoresist for the phase-shifting layer. The etched-in phase- shifters were fabricated by standard lithographic patterning and dry etching of the quartz mask surface. Phase-shifters consisting of photoresist were applied and important resist properties such as index of refraction and absorption were determined. A technique for precise control of the etched phase step using a self-terminated plasma etch into CVD SiO2 has also been explored. Printed patterns using the masks showed the expected benefits of phase-shifting. We also investigated the effect of fabrication tolerances. For example, misalignment of the auxiliary phase-shifters surrounding a contact hole has little impact on printed resist patterns. Phase-shifter parameters deviating from the optimum value were explored both experimentally and using the optical simulator SPLAT. Sloping side walls as well as absorption and interference in the phase-shifter show varying influence depending on the specific feature and the lens reduction. The tolerance in phase-shift magnitude has been examined in a number of cases, and is generally found to be in the neighborhood of 30 degree(s).
Storm time dawn‐dusk asymmetry of the large‐scale Birkeland currents

[1] Magnetometer data from the Iridium constellation of satellites are used to characterize storm-time global Birkeland currents. The geomagnetic storm of 1 October 2002 was driven by a slowly rotating interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and the currents display a 3° latitude equatorward shift at dusk relative to dawn and have higher intensity at dusk. The asymmetry develops during the storm main phase and lasts to the early recovery phase, corresponding to the time of strongest ASY-H. A survey of 37 large storms, Dst minimum below −100 nT, from February 1999 through December 2004 yielded 62 two-hour intervals from 22 storms for which the Iridium data indicated sufficiently steady conditions to warrant calculation of the Birkeland currents. Statistical analysis shows that the storm-time dusk currents are shifted equatorward relative to dawn by 2.4° on average with a range of to −2.9° to 6.9°. The latitude asymmetry depends on two independent factors. First, the latitude asymmetry correlates with the maximum magnetic perturbation at noon, indicating a shift of high-latitude convection toward dawn (dusk) for positive (negative) IMF By. Second, the dusk currents shift ∼1° further equatorward and intensify ∼0.06 MA/° per 100 nT in ASY-H more than the currents at dawn. We suggest that the ion pressure associated with the partial ring current leads to stronger duskside currents and an asymmetric inflation of the magnetosphere, shifting the ionospheric projection of currents at dusk to lower latitudes.
Analyzing and controlling accuracy in stochastic circuits

Stochastic computing (SC) is an approximate computing technique that represents data by probabilistic bit-streams called stochastic numbers (SNs). Arithmetic operations can be implemented at very low cost by means of SC. To achieve acceptable accuracy, interacting SNs must usually be statistically independent or uncorrelated. Correlation is poorly understood, however, and is a key problem in SC because of its impact on accuracy and the high cost of correlation-reducing logic. In this paper we analyze and quantify the role of correlation in stochastic circuit design. We use an algebraic framework based on probabilistic transfer matrices (PTMs) to analyze correlation-induced errors. We compare two systematic correlation-reducing methods, regeneration and isolation. Regeneration introduces new (pseudo) random sources to re-randomize SNs, while isolation uses delays (D flip-flops) to derive multiple independent SNs from a single random source. We present bounds on accuracy loss due to isolator insertion and compare its hardware cost to that of regeneration. We conclude that the isolation method can offer significant cost advantages in reducing correlation errors.
Assessment of variation of nest survival for grassland birds due to method of nest discovery

Capsule Interpretation of nest survival estimates may be improved by incorporating the search method used to locate nests as a covariate. Aims To compare annual survival estimates for Dickcissel Spiza americana nests and determine if incorporating search method (structured, opportunistic, or behavioural searches) improved model fit. Methods Dickcissel nests were located using structured, opportunistic, or behavioural searches over three years (2011–2013) in Mississippi, USA. Models were used to estimate daily survival rates (DSRs) and to analyse factors influencing nest survival. Results DSRs for Dickcissels were best explained by quadratic date, nest age, age found, and year, but incorporating search method improved model fit. Daily survival was 1.51 times greater for nests located using opportunistic search methods relative to structured searches, but was not significantly different between structured and behavioural searches. Conclusions Survival estimates varied by search method, specifically between structured searches and opportunistically located nests. This might have arisen because heterogeneity in nest placement or parental behaviour may influence the sample of nests located with a given search method. Researchers may be able to account for this potential source of bias by including search method as a model covariate when using standard survey designs or modelling approaches.
Defects-Enhanced Luminescence In Silicas Stimulated By 50 eV Synchrotron Photons

Luminescence from high-purity synthetic silicas, Spectrosil, Spectrosil WF, Suprasil 1, and Suprasil W1 , has been monitored in situ by an optical detection system during 50 eV synchrotron photon exposure at room temperature in ultra-high vacuum. Three luminescence bands were found, centered approximately at 290, 450, and 650 nm. Samples were divided into two sets. One set was irradiated by 137Cs gamma rays and another set was virgin samples. Then all the samples were exposed under 50 eV light from a synchrotron source. Photons, 50 eV, stimulate more intense luminescence in pre-irradiated silicas than in virgin silicas. Increasing the exposure time to UV light on the same spot, initially irradiated, increases the luminescence intensity for both set of samples. After an exposure of 25 minutes, the intensities of the 290 and 650 nm bands increased by a factor <1 while the 450 nm band increased by a factor of three. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy was used to determine the correlation between the concentrations of paramagnetic centers, e.g. E' centers, intro-duced by gamma rays or UV light and the total dose of the 50 eV photons. We found that E' centers increase linearly with the increasing dose of 50 eV photons. The rate of increase of intensities of the luminescent bands decreased with increasing exposure. 290 and 650 nm bands increase slowly with increasing exposure, while intensity of 450 nm band increases three times with increase of exposure time from 5 to 25 minutes in Suprasil 1. These results show that defects created either by gamma-ray radiation or by UV light enhance dynamic luminescence processes in silica. We tentatively attribute the more intense luminescence in gamma-ray irradiated samples under 50 eV light exposure to E' centers introduced by the gamma-ray irradiation. The increase of luminescence intensity with exposure time to 50 eV light is also attributed to the introduction of the E' centers by 50 eV photons in silicas. Possible defect-enhanced luminescence mechanisms will be discussed through electron-hole interactions with defect states in the bandgap.
A bioinformatics approach reveals novel interactions of the OVOL transcription factors in the regulation of epithelial – mesenchymal cell reprogramming and cancer progression

Mesenchymal to Epithelial Transition (MET) plasticity is critical to cancer progression, and we recently showed that the OVOL transcription factors (TFs) are critical regulators of MET. Results of that work also posed the hypothesis that the OVOLs impact MET in a range of cancers. We now test this hypothesis by developing a model, OVOL Induced MET (OI-MET), and sub-model (OI-MET-TF), to characterize differential gene expression in MET common to prostate cancer (PC) and breast cancer (BC). In the OI-MET model, we identified 739 genes differentially expressed in both the PC and BC models. For this gene set, we found significant enrichment of annotation for BC, PC, cancer, and MET, as well as regulation of gene expression by AP1, STAT1, STAT3, and NFKB1. Focusing on the target genes for these four TFs plus the OVOLs, we produced the OI-MET-TF sub-model, which shows even greater enrichment for these annotations, plus significant evidence of cooperation among these five TFs. Based on known gene/drug interactions, we prioritized targets in the OI-MET-TF network for follow-on analysis, emphasizing the clinical relevance of this work. Reflecting these results back to the OI-MET model, we found that binding motifs for the TF pair AP1/MYC are more frequent than expected and that the AP1/MYC pair is significantly enriched in binding in cancer models, relative to non-cancer models, in these promoters. This effect is seen in both MET models (solid tumors) and in non-MET models (leukemia). These results are consistent with our hypothesis that the OVOLs impact cancer susceptibility by regulating MET, and extend the hypothesis to include mechanisms not specific to MET. We find significant evidence of the OVOL, AP1, STAT1, STAT3, and NFKB1 TFs having important roles in MET, and more broadly in cancer. We prioritize known gene/drug targets for follow-up in the clinic, and we show that the AP1/MYC TF pair is a strong candidate for intervention.
A study examining senior nursing students' expectations of work and the workforce

. (2015) Journal of Nursing ManagementA study examining senior nursing students’ expectations of work and theworkforceAim This study explored traditional and accelerated Bachelor of Science nursingstudents’ expectations of nursing work and the workforce.Background Role transition difﬁculty is blamed for much of the 15–60% newlylicensed registered nurse turnover in their ﬁrst 3 years of employment.Method This qualitative study consisted of 14 focus groups (n = 98) to determineBachelor of Science nursing students’ expectations of work as newly licensedregistered nurses.Results Two overriding themes for accelerated and traditional students emerged:stressors and coping strategies. Students believe four stressors will affect theirprogression into the newly licensed registered nurse role and have developedcoping strategies.Conclusion This study suggests that students have experienced stressors in theclinical environment and anticipate them in the newly licensed registered nurserole. During transition, strategies such as ‘ﬁtting in’ and ‘staying safe’ will beemployed to ensure work success.Implications for nursing management Younger generations value a healthy work–life balance and a positive working environment. These nurses will not toleratepositions that do not align with their values. With the aging of citizens in theUSA and the predicted nursing shortage, nursing management needs to employstrategies to retain newly licensed registered nurses.Keywords:
Consistency in nervous systems: trial-to-trial and animal-to-animal variations in the responses to repeated applications of a sensory stimulus in Aplysia

What is the internal noise in a nervous system? We studied this question by determining the trial-to-trial consistency of the neuronal response in the abdominal ganglion of Aplysia californica. Because our voltage-sensitive dye recordings detected the spike activity from a large fraction of the neurons in the ganglion, these results provide a reasonably complete characterization of the consistency of the response to a sensory stimulus. The consistency of each neuron was evaluated by the number and timing of spikes in the response. The variability in the spike count was described using the coefficient of variation. The spike count variations follow a Poisson distribution, indicating that most of these variations were the result of a random process. For each neuron the reliability of the response to touch was measured in two ways; both measures indicated a broad distribution of reliabilities within the neuron population. The time of the maximum response also varied substantially in some animals. These timing variations were in part due to random processes and in part due to systematic effects (changes in activity of many neurons that were highly correlated). The time course of the activity of individual neurons was compared with the time course of the gill withdrawal. In some animals the activity of individual neurons was only poorly correlated with the behavior; in contrast, the summed activity of groups of neurons matched the behavior quite well. This implies that the behavioral output of the system may be a distributed combination of the activity of many neurons. The differences between animals were substantially larger than the trial-to- trial differences in one animal. The responses made by different preparations differed along many dimensions.
LONG STALKED EOCRINOIDS IN THE BASAL MIDDLE CAMBRIAN KAILI BIOTA, TAIJIANG COUNTY, GUIZHOU PROVINCE, CHINA

Long-stemmed eocrinoids are limited to two species in the basal Middle Cambrian Kaili Biota, which occupies the middle portion of the Kaili Formation, Taijiang County, Guizhou Province, China. The Kaili Biota contains preserved soft-bodied organisms shared with either the Chengjiang Fauna (Southwest China) or the Burgess Shale Fauna (British Columbia) or with both. Echinoderms are preserved as limonitic external molds that produce excellent latex casts. Sinoeocrinus lui Zhao et al., 1994 has a complex ontogenetic development, which is described in terms of morphology of holdfast, number of thecal plate circlets, addition and morphology of thecal pores, ambulacral arrangement, and number of brachioles relative to thecal height. Because of the complex ontogeny the following species are now seen to be synonymous with S. lui: S. curtobrachiolus Zhao et al.,1994; S. lepidus Zhao et al., 1994; S. longus Zhao et al., 1994; S. minus Zhao et al., 1994; Paragogia globosa Zhao et al., 1994; and Curtoeocrinus guizhouensis Zhao et al., 1994. A second and rare eocrinoid of undetermined familial and ordinal placement, Balangicystis rotundus n. gen. and sp., has an unusually long holdfast and poreless thecal plates with prominent radial ridges. Sinoeocrinus lui and Balangicystis rotundus inhabited the outer shelf in disaerobic fine-grained shales and mudstones. Megascopic infauna in their community is not present.
Organizational Change and the Provision of a Secure Base: Lessons from the Field:

In this article I lay groundwork for a theory of practice related to organization members' dependency on change agents. A promising place to begin such a theory of practice is attachment theory, a framework developed in child developmental psychology that focuses on how relationships between children and attachment figures (typically parents) facilitate or undermine children feeling secure. Using material from an organizational diagnosis and change project I conducted from multiple theoretical perspectives, I show how I as a change agent created and undermined a secure attachment with organization members. I then offer implications about how change agents-as temporary attachment figures-may undermine or facilitate fundamental change in organization members' patterns of relating.
Relationship between D1 dopamine receptors, adenylate cyclase, and the electrophysiological responses of rat nucleus accumbens neurons.

The electrophysiological effects of three selective D 1 dopamine (DA) receptor agonists, which exhibit different potencies and efficacies for stimulation of adenylate cyclase, were compared in the rat nucleus accumbens (NAc) using single unit recording and microiontophoretic techniques. The partial agonists SKF 75670 and SKF 38393, and the full agonist SKF 81297 produced nearly identical current-response curves for the inhibition of firing of NAc neurons. In rats acutely depleted of DA byα-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMPT) pretreatment, all three D 1 agonists enabled the inhibition of firing produced by the selective D 2 receptor agonist quinpirole, with SKF 38393 exerting the greatest efficacy, followed by SKF 81297 and SKF 75670. Thus, no apparent relationship was found between the previously reported ability of these compounds to stimulate cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production and their ability either to inhibit the firing of NAc neurons or to enable quinpirole-mediated inhibition of firing in DA-depleted rats. In addition, the membrane-permeable cAMP analog 8-bromo-cAMP also caused a current-dependent inhibition of the firing of NAc neurons, but failed to enable quinpirole-mediated inhibition in AMPT-pretreated animals. These results suggest either that only a small percentage of D 1 receptors need to be stimulated to produce these electrophysiological effects, or that D 1 receptors exist within the rat NAc which are linked to transduction mechanisms other than, or in addition to, adenylate cyclase.
Software Engineering: The Legacy of Barry W. Boehm

We are convening a symposium to honor Barry W. Boehm?s lifetime contributions to the Software Engineering community and co-locating this event with the 29th International Conference on Software Engineering.
Parallel transitive closure computations using topological sort

Deals with parallel transitive closure computations. The sort-based approaches introduced sorts the tuples of the relation into topological order, and the sorted relation is then horizontally partitioned and distributed across several processing nodes of a message passing multiprocessor system. This data partitioning strategy allows the transitive closure computation of the local data fragments to be computed in parallel with no interprocessor communication. The construction of the final result then requires only a small number of joins. Extensive analytical results are included in the paper as well. They show that the proposed techniques leads to a speedup that is essentially linear with the number of processors. Its performance is significantly better than the recently published hashless parallel algorithm. >
Simulation and measurement of low frequency open surface magnetic field shielding

This paper details the simulation and measurement of low frequency (LF) magnetic field shielding by open surface structures. The approach of this paper is to develop equivalent electric sheet impedance boundary conditions for use by LF surface based electric field integral equation (EFIE) solvers. From these sheet impedance forms, a figure of merit is developed to determine the boundary condition applicability. Next, transmitting and receiving coil designs are analyzed and modifications are made to eliminate shield currents in measurement. Finally, simulated and measured magnetic field shielding is compared for electrically small open surface material disks.
Optimal evaluation clocking of self-resetting domino pipelines

We describe a high performance clocking methodology for domino pipelines. Our technique maximizes the clock rate of the circular pipeline ("ring") while maintaining the ring cycle time to be the worst-case combinational logic delay around the ring. It is relatively immune to global clock skew, incurs no latch overhead, allows up to 50% time borrowing, and offers a robust way of preventing race-through problems, adjusted for the worst-case time borrowing.
Psychological, Social, and Behavioral Issues for Young Adults With Cancer*

Theories of human development suggest that, although all cancer patients experience a common set of life disruptions, they experience them differently, focus on different issues, and attach different levels of importance to different aspects of the experience depending on the time in life at which they were diagnosed. During the critical developmental transition from childhood to adulthood, older adolescents and young adults in particular have typical concerns with establishing identity, developing a positive body image and sexual identity, separating from parents, increasing involvement with peers and dating, and beginning to make decisions about careers or employment, higher education, and/or family. Accordingly, cancer-related issues such as premature confrontation with mortality, changes in physical appearance, increased dependence on parents, disruptions in social life and school/employment because of treatment, loss of reproductive capacity, and health-related concerns about the future may be particularly distressing for adolescents and young adults. Psychosocial and behavioral interventions for young adult cancer patients and survivors often involve assisting these individuals in retaining or returning to function in significant social roles, such as spouse, parent, student, worker, or friend. Successful interventions will enable these young people to overcome the detrimental impact of a health crisis and strengthen the internal and external coping resources available to them.
Remediation of mutually aversive interactions between a problem student and four teachers by training the student in reinforcement techniques.

Abstract This study tested the effect of a social reinforcement training procedure for a problem student on the verbal and nonverbal approval and disapproval of four of the student's teachers. A design incorporating aspects of a multiple baseline within an extended reversal design (ABABA) was employed. Data were taken on the four teachers' approval and disapproval of a student regarded as a major discipline problem and the target student's approval and disapproval of the four teachers during baseline 1, experimental condition 1, baseline 2, experimental conditon 2, and a postcheck or baseline 3 condition six weeks after experimental condition 2. Results showed that increased student approval and decreased disapproval were attributable to training procedures. The increased student approval increased three of the four teachers' approval and decreased the disapproval of all four teachers. Six weeks after experimental condition 2, both approval and disapproval by three of the four teachers and the student and disapproval by all four teachers and the student remained changed over baseline conditions. Student and teacher approval and disapproval were highly correlated at statistically significant levels.
Fixed-frequency phase-controlled full-bridge resonant converter with a series load

A fixed-frequency phase-controlled full-bridge parallel resonant converter (PCPRC) that consists of a phase-controlled parallel resonant inverter (PCPRI) and an input-inductor rectifier is analyzed. The input impedances of the resonant circuits represent inductive loads for both switching legs at f/f/sub 0/>1.24 and therefore zero-voltage-switching turn-on can be achieved for all the transistors. The fundamental frequency approximation is used to derive expressions for the voltage transfer function and the efficiency of the PCPRI. The behavior and performance characteristics of the PCPRI are then studied. Three types of input-inductor rectifiers are considered and a design procedure is developed. A 30 W PCPRC is designed and tested. The theoretical calculations were in good agreement with experimental results. The converter exhibits an excellent efficiency. The measured efficiency was 92% at full load. The converter is capable of regulating the DC output voltage from full load to no load and over a wide line voltage range. >
Poor prepregnancy and antepartum mental health predicts postpartum mental health problems among US women: a nationally representative population-based study.

Abstract Purpose Mental health problems disproportionately affect women, particularly during the childbearing years. However, there is a paucity of research on the determinants of postpartum mental health problems using representative US populations. Taking a life course perspective, we determined the potential risk factors for postpartum mental health problems, with a particular focus on the role of mental health before and during pregnancy. Methods We examined data on 1,863 mothers from 11 panels of the 1996–2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Poor postpartum mental health was defined using self-reports of mental health conditions, symptoms of mental health conditions, or global mental health ratings of “fair” or “poor.” Results Of the women included, 9.5% reported experiencing postpartum mental health problems, with over half of these women reporting a history of poor mental health. Poor prepregnancy mental health and poor antepartum mental health both independently increased the odds of having postpartum mental health problems. Staged multivariate analyses revealed that poor antepartum mental health attenuated the relationship between prepregnancy and postpartum mental health problems. Additionally, significant disparities exist in women’s report of postpartum mental health status. Conclusion Although poor antepartum mental health is the strongest predictor of postpartum mental health problems, prepregnancy mental health is also important. Accordingly, health care providers should identify, treat, and follow women with a history of poor mental health because they are particularly susceptible to postpartum mental health problems. This will ensure that women and their children are in the best possible health and mental health during the postpartum period and beyond.
Firms, Markets, and the Work Ethic

In this paper, we study the formation of the work ethic in firms and markets. We show that the firm in our model is an idealized institution that operates solely on the basis of authority and the endogenous work ethic, without any monetary incentives. We say that one institution is more ethical than another if both the work ethic and the agent’s degree of internalization of it are higher in that institution. When institutions are exogenous, the market is never more ethical than the firm, although the latter is the more ethical institution for an intermediate level of perceived risk. When institutions are endogenous, we show that firms can arise due to market failures where the market generates too much risk. In that case, the firm is the ecient institution because it has a comparative advantage in the development of an eective
Desalination and hydrogen, chlorine, and sodium hydroxide production via electrophoretic ion exchange and precipitation.

We demonstrate and analyze a novel desalination method which works by electrophoretically replacing sodium and chloride in feed salt water with a pair of ions, calcium and carbonate, that react and precipitate out. The resulting calcium carbonate precipitate is benign to health, and can be filtered or settled out, yielding low ionic strength product water. The ion exchange and precipitation employs self-sharpening interfaces induced by movement of multiple ions in an electric field to prevent contamination of the product water. Simultaneously, the electrolysis associated with the electromigration produces hydrogen gas, chlorine gas, and sodium hydroxide. We conducted an experimental study of this method's basic efficacy to desalinate salt water from 100 to 600 mol m−3 sodium chloride. We also present physicochemical models of the process, and analyze replacement reagents consumption, permeate recovery ratio, and energy consumption. We hypothesize that the precipitate can be recycled back to replacement reagents using the well-known, commercially implemented Solvay process. We show that the method's permeate recovery ratio is 58% to 46%, which is on par with that of reverse osmosis. We show that the method's energy consumption requirement over and above that necessary to generate electrolysis is 3 to 10 W h l−1, which is on par with the energy consumed by state-of-the-art desalination methods. Furthermore, the method operates at ambient temperature and pressure, and uses no specialized membranes. The process may be feasible as a part of a desalination-co-generation facility: generating fresh water, hydrogen and chlorine gas, and sodium hydroxide.
Effects of OBM Invasion on Irreducible Water Saturation: Mechanisms and Modifications of NMR Interpretation

In this study, the effects of synthetic oil base mud (OBM) surfactants (emulsifiers and oil-wetting agents) on wettability alteration, NMR response and irreducible water saturation (Swir) were systematically examined with Berea and limestone cores. Results show that the originally strongly water-wet Berea and limestone cores are altered to be intermediate-wet or oil-wet by OBM surfactants. As a result, Swir from NMR T2, cutoff model with the default assumption of water-wetness generally underestimates the measured value. The magnitude of underestimation depends on three parameters: the type of OBM surfactants, their concentration in the flushing fluid, and the flushing volume. The magnitude of underestimation correlates with the Amott-Harvey wettability index. These results suggest that the effects of OBM invasion on estimation of Swir can be minimized by controlling the volume of OBM invasion and the concentration of OBM surfactants. The mechanisms of Swir underestimation and modifications of NMR interpretation when wettability alteration occurs were investigated. In the case of an oil-bearing zone at irreducible water saturation, OBM invasion does not significantly decrease the actual Swir, but changes the water and oil relaxation time distributions due to wettability alteration. This is visualized by the diffusion editing technique. When wettability alteration occurs (water-wet to intermediate-wet or oil-wet), a T2, cutoff value larger than the one based on water-wetness is needed because the irreducible water relaxes at a longer relaxation time. Correlation between this modified T2, cutoff value and the Amott
Giardia induces proliferation and interferon gamma production by intestinal lymphocytes.

BACKGROUND—Murine intraepithelial lymphocytes kill Giardia lambia; responses of human intestinal lymphocytes to this parasite are unknown. AIMS—To examine giardia induced proliferation, interferon γ production, migration, and cytotoxicity by lymphocytes from the human intestine and peripheral blood. METHODS—Giardia were added to intraepithelial lymphocytes, lamina propria lymphocytes, and peripheral blood lymphocytes, obtained from jejunal mucosa and blood of otherwise healthy patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity. Proliferation was measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation; frequency of proliferation precursors, by limiting dilution analysis; interferon γ production, by ELISA; cytotoxicity, by 51Cr release of radiolabelled giardia and by release of serine esterases by effector lymphocytes that mediate cytotoxicity. RESULTS—The CD4+ T lymphocytes from intestine and blood proliferated in response to giardia. The stimulus by the parasite was mitogenic rather than antigenic due to the fact that the peak response was on day 3 rather than day 6, and the large number of precursors was in the range of that for mitogens. CD4+ T lymphocytes from both sites produced interferon γ in response to giardia. Lymphocytes did not migrate towards or kill the parasite. CONCLUSIONS—Giardia induced the same degree of proliferation and interferon γ production by CD4+ T lymphocytes in intestine and blood, but did not trigger cytotoxicity or migration. Keywords: intraepithelial lymphocytes; lamina propria lymphocytes; parasite; chemotaxis; T cell mediated cytotoxicity; giardia
Distinguishing between sudden and gradual extinctions in the fossil record: Predicting the position of the Cretaceous-Tertiary iridium anomaly using the ammonite fossil record on Seymour Island, Antarctica

A simple method, employing 50% confidence intervals, may be used to distinguish sudden from gradual extinctions. In cases where the fossil record is consistent with a sudden disappearance, the expected position of the extinction horizon may als o be determined. Analysis of the fossil ammonites on Seymour Island shows that their pattern of disappearances is consistent with a sudden mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary, even though a literal reading of the fossil record shows they disappeared gradually over a stratigraphic interval 10–50 m below the boundary. It is striking that the iridium anomaly on Seymour Island falls within the stratigraphic interval determined by the 50% confidence intervals to be the most likely place for the K-T boundary (assuming there was a sudden disappearance of ammonites at the boundary). However, a computer simulation of the Seymour Island ammonite fossil record indicates a wide range of other extinction scenarios, including gradual extinctions ranging over as much as 20 m (α = 0.05), that are consistent with the ammonite fossil record; without saturation collecting near the K-T boundary it will be impossible to distinguish between gradual and sudden extinction scenarios for the Seymour Island ammonites based on the ammonite fossil record alone.
Cardiovascular Health, Risk, and Disease: Primordial and Remedial Strategies

Cardiovascular health, risk, and disease serve well as an example of chronic diseases of global health concern for discussion of health promotion and its role in improving population health. Several considerations support this view (Labarthe & Dunbar, 2012). Cardiovascular disease occurs in every region of the world. Its two leading components, ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease (CVD), or stroke, are estimated globally to rank first and second in number of deaths each year, first and third as causes of disability, and first and fourth as contributors to years of healthy life lost. Cardiovascular disease shares several determinants with the other major chronic diseases (cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes). Cardiovascular conditions therefore share with other major chronic diseases the appropriateness of broad health promotion strategies.
Rev. of Textual Intimacy: Autobiography and Religious Identities, WESLEY A. KORT

Religion, like politics and sex, is not a totally taboo topic of conversation among relative strangers, recent acquaintances, and coworkers, but if the topic does come up, many Americans find it sa...
The Influence of Indigenous Party Entry on Party System Stability in the Andes

We test the influence of indigenous party entry on electoral volatility and dynamic party nationalization in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Venezuela. A piecewise three level growth curve model allows us to test whether random effects that correspond with these two conceptual phenomena are significantly different in the three elections before indigenous party entry than they are in the three elections after indigenous party entry. Substantively, this paper contributes to the literature evaluating the influence of ethnic peoples and parties on party system stability. Methodologically, this approach is an alternative to research designs which rely upon conventional measures with known flaws, such as the Pedersen Index of electoral volatility. It builds upon Morgenstern and Potthoff’s (2005) components of variance approach to concept measurement, but incorporates desirable elements which their approach leaves out. In particular, a multilevel growth model accounts for the correlation in a party’s votes within districts over time.