cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Sole Spokesman: Centre and province: Simla and the elections of 1945–46

Section 1 By 1945, Viceregal Lodge and the Congress were ready to have an interim government at the centre. In January, Bhulabhai Desai and Liaquat Ali Khan, leaders of their respective assembly parties in the central legislature, discussed a scheme by which the Congress and League would each have been given forty per cent of the seats in an interim government to be created under the existing constitution, but now to be Indian in composition with the exception only of the Viceroy and the Commander-in-Chief. A settlement at the centre for the long-term would be worked out after the interim government had taken office. Rule by Section 93 would come to an end and Congress would return to office in the provinces; and by agreement would include League representatives. For the time being, no elections would be called either at the centre or in the provinces. Desai's proposals gave Wavell hope of a way out of the deadlock. But when he saw the Viceroy, Desai was vague about Congress's readiness to give the League equal status in the interim government. Neither Jinnah nor Gandhi had endorsed the scheme. Both sides were keeping their options open. The Secretary of State had been right in fearing that Desai might ‘well be a stalking horse’.
GG-08 Immune repertoire and genetic risk alleles in healthy pediatric populations with autoimmune indicators

Background The antibody specificities of an infant progressively form in response to infections, environmental exposures, and vaccinations. While many adults develop antibodies to self-antigens, it remains unknown if these are present in infants and toddlers. Methods Serum, peripheral blood, and clinical data have been collected from 102 healthy children (1–2 year of age). ANA titers were measured by QuantiaLite ELISA (Inova) and reactivity to 125 diverse autoantigens tested by autoantibody array. Targeted sequencing was performed in 60 children to capture HLA alleles and potentially pathogenic genetic variations in 100 plus loci that are implicated in various autoimmune, rheumatic and immune system related diseases. Sequencing libraries were made using KAPA Biosystems kits. Custom target oligos were synthesized from Nimblegen. Deep sequencing was performed using Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform. Sequencing reads were aligned to reference genome and variants were called using GATK Pipeline. Secondary data analysis is done using Metlab, GraphPad Prism, Haploview and Golden Helix programs. Results Approximately 28% of very young children have moderate to high-titer autoantibodies, similar to adults, however, no female gender bias was observed. Significant differences between the child and adult immune repertoires were seen. Some samples demonstrated strong signatures of non-nuclear antigens reactivities. Interestingly, the ANA positive group of children exhibited significantly high titers of anti-alpha fodrin IgG (p=0.01), an autoantibody reported in juvenile Sjogren’s syndrome. Analysis of sequencing data identified regulatory polymorphisms in HLA class II and III regions that were associated with ANA positivity. About 8% of the ANA positive children also carried autoimmune disease associated HLA-DR-DQ alleles. HLA alleles and regulatory haplotypes were analyzed in relation to various clinical features in children. Serum C4 level measured in subset of ANA positive children identified few with reduced expression. Conclusions While the immune repertoire of very young children is typically thought of as naive and self-tolerant, a significant fraction of very young children makes autoantibodies as detected by commercial ANA ELISA and autoantigen arrays. This supports the conclusion that ANA and other autoantibodies are consequences of general body development and immune upregulation and not markers of pathology. One of the major genetic determinants of ‘pre-clinical’ autoimmunity as measured by ANA is the human major histocompatibility locus, HLA. Within HLA, several ‘endophenotypes’ emerge, including expression of a complement protein involved in immune complex removal, as well as multiple proteins associated with antigen presentation, including MHC class II. These findings support the idea that there is quantifiable genetic risk for the development of autoimmunity that can be measured in very young individuals.
Memantine and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor Use in Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials: Potential for Confounding by Indication

BACKGROUND Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) and memantine are commonly prescribed medications for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Their concurrent use in AD randomized clinical trials (RCTs) is generally allowed but their effect in outcome measures is unsettled. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether use of AChEIs and/or memantine across AD RCTs are associated with different rates of cognitive/functional decline. METHODS We pooled data from 5 RCTs of mild to moderate AD conducted by the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) between 2002-2013. 1,423 participants with MMSE of 14-26 and completion of 12-18 months follow-up visits were analyzed. Trials did not randomize with respect to AChEIs or memantine. We defined 4 groups: AChEI (27%), memantine (16%), AChEIs+memantine (46%), and non-users (11%). Outcome measures were change in ADAS-cog-11, ADCS-ADL, and MMSE from baseline to 18 months. Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon signed rank, and Spearman's tests were used to identify confounding variables. Mixed model repeated measures were used for adjustments and pairwise tests for comparing change in scores. RESULTS Age, apolipoprotein E, and initial MMSE were identified as covariates. Memantine and/or AChEIs users had greater impairment at entry than non-users. There was a significant decline on the ADAS-cog-11 in the memantine (estimate -4.2 p < 0.0001) and AChEIs+memantine groups (estimate -3.5 p < 0.0001) than non-users, while there was significantly more decline in MMSE (estimate 2.5 p < 0.0001) and ADCS-ADL in the AChEIs+memantine group (estimate 4.3 p < 0.0001)Conclusion: Memantine monotherapy or combined with AChEIs are associated with more rapid cognitive and functional decline than non-users. We postulated a potential selection bias by indication.
Evaluating the effectiveness of ecological momentary assessment and intervention targeting body checking behaviors

This study investigated the efficacy of using ecological momentary assessment and intervention (EMA/EMI) to target body checking behaviors. Body checking has been shown to increase body dissatisfaction and play a role in eating disorders, but few treatments specifically targeting body checking have been empirically evaluated. Forty-four female undergraduates who reported engaging in frequent body checking behaviors participated in a five-day study wherein they were assessed five times a day via smart phone. On the final two days of the study, intervention messages were sent containing cognitive-behavioral strategies for decreasing body checking. Body checking behaviors increased within each day, but decreased across the five day intervention period. Pretest to posttest analyses found healthy improvements in a number of body image related constructs. These results highlight that 1) body checking appears to increase throughout the day, and 2) targeting body checking behaviors through brief EMA/EMI may be a useful clinical tool.
How law shapes policing: the regulation of alcohol in the U.S., 1750–1860

Scholars have been skeptical about the capacity of law to shape what police do, but that skepticism results from a myopic view of the relationship between legal systems and policing practices. This...
Early Effects of Cyclophosphamide, Methotrexate, and 5-Fluorouracil on Neuronal Morphology and Hippocampal-Dependent Behavior in a Murine Model.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women. Fortunately, BC survival rates have increased because the implementation of adjuvant chemotherapy leading to a growing population of survivors. However, chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairments (CICIs) affect up to 75% of BC survivors and may be driven by inflammation and oxidative stress. Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairments can persist 20 years and hinder survivors' quality of life. To identify early effects of CMF administration in mice, we chose to evaluate adult female mice at 2-week postchemotherapy. Mice received weekly IP administration of CMF (or saline) for 4 weeks, completed behavioral testing, and were sacrificed 2 weeks following their final CMF injection. Behavioral results indicated long-term memory (LTM) impairments postchemotherapy, but did not reveal short-term memory deficits. Dendritic morphology and spine data found increases in overall spine density within CA1 basal and CA3 basal dendrites, but no changes in DG, CA1 apical, or CA3 apical dendrites. Further analysis revealed decreases in arborization across the hippocampus (DG, CA1 apical and basal, CA3 apical and basal). These physiological changes within the hippocampus correlate with our behavioral data indicating LTM impairments following CMF administration in female mice 2-week postchemotherapy. Hippocampal cytokine analysis identified decreases in IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-3, IL-10, and TNF-α levels.
A Decision Analysis Approach to Electronics Standard Development Informed by Life Cycle Assessment Using Influence Diagrams.

Abstract Life cycle assessment (LCA) provides holistic information on systems including the trade-offs between environmental impacts and the drivers of such impacts. Coupling life cycle assessment with a decision analysis (DA) method can help ensure that a life cycle assessment is focused on pertinent decision performance measures. In this paper, a framework integrating life cycle assessment with a decision analysis method to enhance the application of life cycle assessment is presented with a real-world case study of developing a material inclusion criterion for sustainable electronics standards. The proposed DA-LCA framework is a five-step process that tracks the flow of information between the steps of decision analysis and life cycle assessment. The case study considered the level of post-consumer-recycled or biobased content in laptop enclosures. Elicitation with a mock stakeholder panel was used to structure a means-ends network and create a utility-based influence diagram to link changes in material inclusion to environmental objectives using life cycle impact scores. Unlike typical life cycle assessment, the decision analysis approach allows for explicit incorporation of non-environmental factors and better constrains product options. Using this approach, the optimum decision for a possible range of 0–30% material content is 5% or 10%, depending on weighting. The DA-LCA framework can provide a blueprint for placing life cycle assessment results in context for decision-makers.
Implications of Atrial Fibrillation Among Patients With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common perioperative arrhythmia. However, its occurrence and implications remain poorly defined in the setting of noncardiac procedures. We sought to define the incidence, prevalence, and prognostic implications of AF among patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) undergoing noncardiac surgery. Using a previously validated approach that employed unique patient-linked variables in the New York State Inpatient Database from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2014, the frequency of new-onset and pre-existing AF was determined in adults with ASCVD aged ≥18 years undergoing noncardiac surgery. The secondary outcomes were stroke within 1 month and all-cause mortality. Using multivariable logistic regression models, the factors and outcomes associated with new-onset AF after noncardiac surgery were assessed. Nine surgical subgroups of major noncardiac surgery served as exposure. A total of 184,775 patients were identified during the study period. Age ≥65, anemia, history of heart failure, valvular heart disease, and thoracic surgery were predictors of new-onset AF after noncardiac surgery. Among 3,806 patients (2.5%) developed new-onset AF and 31,603 (17.5%) patient had pre-existing AF. After multivariable-adjusted modeling, new-onset AF was associated with increased odds of stroke within 1 month (odds ratio: 1.31, 95% confidence interval: 1.12 to 1.53; p < 0.001)], mortality (odds ratio: 3.74; 95% confidence interval: 3.30 to 4.24; p < 0.001) and longer length of stay in the hospital (10 days; interquartile range: 6 to 16 days; p < 0.001). New-onset AF portends a poor prognosis in patients with ASCVD undergoing noncardiac surgeries. The risk profile of patients that develop new-onset AF differs across patient phenotypes and by surgical procedure.
A computational model implementing subjectivity with the 'Room Theory'. The case of detecting Emotion from Text.

This work introduces a new method to consider subjectivity and general context dependency in text analysis and uses as example the detection of emotions conveyed in text. The proposed method takes into account subjectivity using a computational version of the Framework Theory by Marvin Minsky (1974) leveraging on the Word2Vec approach to text vectorization by Mikolov et al. (2013), used to generate distributed representation of words based on the context where they appear. Our approach is based on three components: 1. a framework/'room' representing the point of view; 2. a benchmark representing the criteria for the analysis - in this case the emotion classification, from a study of human emotions by Robert Plutchik (1980); and 3. the document to be analyzed. By using similarity measure between words, we are able to extract the relative relevance of the elements in the benchmark - intensities of emotions in our case study - for the document to be analyzed. Our method provides a measure that take into account the point of view of the entity reading the document. This method could be applied to all the cases where evaluating subjectivity is relevant to understand the relative value or meaning of a text. Subjectivity can be not limited to human reactions, but it could be used to provide a text with an interpretation related to a given domain ("room"). To evaluate our method, we used a test case in the political domain.
Predictors of vocational stability in multiple sclerosis

This study examined salient disability, demographic, psychosocial, and neuropsychological variables as predictors of employment stability for vocational rehabilitation clients with MS served at the University of Washington (1998-2003). Although a number of variables were initially significantly related to vocational stability (e.g., Personal Capacities Questionnaire score, number of months employed in the last 2 years, and the Activities of Daily Living-MS Scale score), only the FAS Controlled Oral Word Association Test-3, a measure of verbalfluency and executive functioning, remained significant ( p< 0.01) when controlling for multiple comparisons. Implications are discussed in relation to vocational rehabilitation assessment and intervention planning.
Health insurance as a state institution: The effect of single-payer insurance on expenditures in OECD countries.

Abstract A growing literature in comparative political economy and health economics has argued several cost-saving effects of a single-payer healthcare system. Despite this growing evidence, there has been no large-scale empirical examination of whether such an effect exists cross-nationally over time. This paper serves as the first attempt to find and calculate the extent to which healthcare spending is affected by the utilization of a single-payer scheme. I introduce an original dataset for OECD countries that measures when and where systems that qualify as single-payer exist, and employ it to test whether significant differences exist in health expenditures. Results demonstrate a significant difference between single- and multi-payer system expenditures. I estimate the utilization of a single-payer system is associated with decreased expenditure equal to 0.750 percentage-points of a nation's GDP. This would equate to the United States saving well over $1.5 trillion over ten years.
APOL1 screening of potential living kidney donors in resource-limited countries: an initial experience in Antigua & Barbuda and Nigeria.

The Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene plays an important role in determining risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is prevalent in countries with large populations of African ancestry.1,2 The effects of the presence of high risk variants pose a challenge when considering kidney transplantation in endemic populations due to the potential detrimental effects on recipients and donors alike. For recipients, grafts from both living and deceased donors with two APOL1 risk variant alleles are associated with shorter graft survival and decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in comparison to those with zero or one variant.3 Similarly, living donors with two risk variant APOL1 alleles experience significantly decreased pre- and post-donation GFR when compared to those with zero or one variant, precipitating the introduction of APOL1 risk variant screening of potential living kidney donors (pLKDs) across many institutions in resource-rich settings such as the United States.4,5 This is the first study to screen for APOL1 risk variants in pLKDs located in Nigeria, and Antigua & Barbuda, countries with large populations of African descent.
Moral foundations, media exposure, and responses to immigration-related media content

This study examines the influence of moral foundations on the selection of immigration-related media content and responses to that content post-exposure. Participants (N = 225) chose one news artic...
The Crossover Point: Comparing Policies to Mitigate Disruptions

Companies, industries, and nations often consume resources supplied by unstable producers. Perturbations that affect the supplier propagate downstream to create volatility in resource prices. Consumers can invest to reduce this insecurity in two ways; invest in and impose security on the suppliers, or can invest in self-sufficiency so that shocks no longer present devastating consequences. We use an agent-based model of a complex adaptive system to examine this tradeoff between projecting security and investing in self-sufficiency. This study finds that the significance of tradeoffs correlates with the dependence of the consumer on the supplier.
Design of a Supervisor for Traffic Light Systems

Timed Coloured Petri net (TCPN) has been utilized as a visual formalism for the modeling of complex systems. A module of basic traffic system of TCPN model is successfully constructed in this paper. Especially, a supervisor of an urban traffic light system, which consists of five intersections with multiple phases, is implemented by the new methodology. And all the traffic operations are ruled by the control logic of TCPN. In addition, a new design tool is proposed and it is efficiently to state and solve the problem of traffic signal timing plans. Finally, a supervisor of the traffic light system is completed whose operation flow is modeled by the TCPN models.
Onset of Intense Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering and Aggregation in the Au@Ag System

Gold core/silver shell (Au@Ag) nanoparticles of ~37 ± 5 nm diameter generate intense SERS ( nm) responses in solution when they interact with the SERS labels rhodamine 6G (R6G), 4-mercaptopyridine (MPY), and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA). Herein the relationship between SERS intensity, aggregation, and adsorption phenomenon isobserved by titrating Au@Ag with the above labels. As the labels adsorb to the Au@Ag, they drive aggregation as evidenced by the creation of NIR extinction peaks, and the magnitude of this NIR extinction (measured at 830 nm) correlates very closely to magnitude of the intense SERS signals. The label MBA is an exception since it does not trigger aggregation nor does it result in intense SERS; rather intense SERS is recovered only after MBA coated Au@Ag is aggregated with KCl. An “inner filter” model is introduced and applied to compensate for solution extinction when the exciting laser radiation is significantly attenuated. This model permits a summary of the SERS responses in the form of plots of SERS intensity versus the aggregate absorption at 830 nm, which shows the excellent correlation between intense SERS and LSPR bands extinction.
Mechanical Properties and Testing of Metallic Materials

The article contains sections titled: 1. Introduction 1.1. Concepts of Stress and Strain 1.1.1. Stress 1.1.2. Strain 1.2. Elastic Deformation and Properties 1.2.1. Young's Modulus 1.2.2. Shear Modulus 1.2.3. Poisson's Ratio 1.2.4. Relation Between Elastic Constants 1.3. Plasticity and Flow 2. Mechanical Testing 2.1. Tensile Test 2.1.1. Significance and Use 2.1.2. Apparatus and Specimen 2.1.3. Stress - Strain Diagram 2.1.4. Strength Properties 2.1.5. Ductility 2.1.6. Toughness and Resilience 2.1.7. True Stress - True Strain Diagram 2.1.8. Strain-Rate Sensitivity 2.1.9. Temperature Effects 2.2. Compression Test 2.3. Bend and Flexure 2.3.1. Elastic Bending Stress and Deflection 2.3.2. Bend and Flexure Test 2.4. Shear and Torsion 2.4.1. Direct Shear Stress and Test 2.4.2. Torsional Shear Stress and Test 2.5. Hardness Tests 2.5.1. Rockwell Hardness Test 2.5.2. Brinell Hardness Test 2.5.3. Vickers Hardness Test 2.5.4. Knoop Hardness Test 2.5.5. Correlation of Hardness with Strength 2.6. Impact Testing 2.6.1. Notched Bar Impact Test 2.6.2. Dynamic Tear Test 2.7. Creep Test 2.8. Stress Relaxation Tests 3. Fatigue Loading 3.1. Principles and Terminology 3.1.1. Fatigue Phenomena 3.1.2. Fatigue Fracture Surfaces 3.1.3. Fatigue Behavior 3.2. Cyclic Stress-Controlled Fatigue 3.2.1. Stress - Life Curves 3.2.2. Fatigue Tests 3.2.3. Mean Stress Effects 4. Fracture Mechanics 4.1. Principles and Terminology 4.2. Fracture Toughness
Extended dynamic voltage scaling for low power design

Dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) is a popular approach for energy reduction of integrated circuits. Current processors that use DVS typically have an operating voltage range from full to half of the maximum V/sub dd/. However, it is possible to construct designs that operate over a much larger voltage range: from full Vdd to subthreshold voltages. This possibility raises the question of whether a larger voltage range improves the energy efficiency of DVS. First, from a theoretical point of view, we show that for subthreshold supply voltages leakage energy becomes dominant, making "just in time completion" energy inefficient. We derive an analytical model for the minimum energy optimal voltage and study its trends with technology scaling. Second, we compare several different low-power approaches including MTCMOS, standard DVS and extended DVS to subthreshold operation. Study of real applications on commercial processor shows that extended DVS has the best energy efficiency. Therefore, we conclude that extending the voltage range below V/sub dd//2 will improve the energy efficiency for most processor designs.
Guiding prostate cancer treatment choices. Early detection means more options for more men.

PREVIEWProstate cancer accounts for one third of nondermatologic cancers in men. Fortunately, early detection and technology have evolved to the point that an increasing number of men have more than one treatment option. These choices include prostatectomy, irradiation, hormone therapy, cryotherapy, and observation. However, each is associated with adverse effects and produces a different outlook. In this article, Dr Sweat explores these options and how they can be discussed with patients and tailored to meet their individual needs.
Emprendedores sociales: un camino desde la postura personal hacia la resiliencia comunitaria. Social Entrepreneurs: a path from personal stance toward community resilience.

Social Entrepreneurs : a path from personal stance toward community resilience. Resumen El ensayo expone las principales ideas presentadas en el libro de David Bornstein “ Como cambiar el mundo: el poder de los emprendedores sociales”. Se hace el intento de relacionar las caracteristicas de los emprendedores sociales con el concepto de la resiliencia, orientando la reflexion hacia el tema de apoyo social y creacion de la consciencia social colectiva frente a los problematicas de la sociedad contemporanea. Palabras clave: emprendedores sociales, resiliencia, sociedad. Abstract The essay exposes the main ideas presented in the book by David Bornstein "how to change the world: the power of social entrepreneurs '. The attempt to relate the characteristics of social entrepreneurs to the concept of resilience, orienting the reflection toward the topic of social support and creation of collective social consciousness against the problems of contemporary society is made. Keywords: social entrepreneurs, resilience, society.
The Fourth Wave: Business Management and Business Education in the Age of the Anthropocene

Sustainability has become mainstream in both management practice and management research. Firms incorporate sustainability strategies into their core mission. University administrators promote sustainability as central to their curricula. Scholars pursue sustainability as a bona fide field of research inquiry. Given this level of attention and action, the world should be on the road to a sustainable future. But it is not. Environmental and social problems continue to get worse. This paper presents a model for understanding the progression of punctuated social change within the market that has taken us to the present reality, moving through three waves from 1970 to the present. We then present an assessment of where we may be going in the fourth wave, a punctuated shift that is predicated on the notion that we are now living in the Anthropocene, a new geologic epoch in which human activities have a significant impact on the Earth’s ecosystems. We present six elements of change within management systems that are reflected in the Anthropocene: systems thinking, which leads to new forms of: partnerships, materials use and supply chains, domains of corporate activity, organizations, and the economic models and metrics that are used to measure them.
Angiographic-Guided Embolization of Metastatic Invasive Mole

Abstract Background: The friable and hypervascular nature of a metastatic invasive mole places the patient at risk for significant hemorrhage. Bleeding is the chief cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with a histopathological diagnosis of invasive mole. Bleeding from vaginal metastatic lesions can be controlled by packing the vagina and local excision if necessary. Often the results are less than satisfactory. Case: This case describes a 43-year-old Hispanic female with metastatic invasive mole to the vagina. Following chemotherapy, she underwent life-threatening hemorrhage requiring hospitalization and multiple transfusions. The metastatic lesions were successfully embolized with gelfoam by selective angiography. The patient required minimal additional chemotherapy and is currently without evidence of disease. Conclusions: The technique of angiographic embolization is emerging as a successful and minimally invasive procedure as illustrated in this presentation. Prophylactic embolization with or prior to the administration of chemotherapy in the management of metastatic invasive mole is discussed and may play a role in the primary therapy of this condition.
Addressing Mental Health Disparities With Asian American Clients: Examining the Generalizability of the Common Factors Model

Although mental health disparities for Asian Americans are known, reasons for the disparities are not well understood within the counseling process. This study coded Asian American and White clients' reports of helpful counselor actions into empirically supported common factors to determine which within-session processes might reduce mental health disparities for Asian American clients. Asian American clients' reports of helpful therapist actions did not differ from those of White clients, suggesting that disparities do not originate in differences in the foundational aspects of counseling. Implications for addressing disparities are discussed.
Cardiovascular Effects and Efficacy of a Hemostatic Agent in Periradicular Surgery

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hemostatic efficacy and systemic cardiovascular effects of CollaCote™ collagen sponges saturated with 2.25% racemic epinephrine during endodontic surgery. A total of 48 patients participated in the study. Patients received CollaCote-saline or CollaCote-epinephrine placed in the bony crypt, after which hemostatic efficacy was evaluated. Blood pressure and pulse rate was recorded before and after administration of the local anesthetic, after the application of the test solutions, and before the patient's dismissal. Results showed no significant difference in blood pressure or pulse rate between the experimental and control groups. In the CollaCote-saline group, five of six cases failed to achieve hemorrhage control. In the CollaCote-epinephrine group, 1 of 42 cases had no hemorrhage control. Two patients had slight but apparent intermittent bleeding. Complete hemostasis was achieved in 39 of 42 cases. In conclusion, the results suggest that CollaCote collagen sponges saturated with 2.25% racemic epinephrine provide excellent hemostasis with no evident changes in blood pressure or pulse rate.
Mechanisms of hormone action: parallels in receptor-mediated signal propagation for steroid and peptide effectors.

Abstract The purpose of this contribution is to provide in brief form growing evidence in support of an integrated concept of hormone action that appears to shed fresh light on the information gap between the triggering and the effectuation of outcome of the action of given hormones. In accord with these new concepts there has now arisen a substantial body of data from a wide variety of effectors and target cells that demonstrates an astonishing unity in the actions of hormones of widely dissimilar chemical structure. In a nutshell, it now appears that primary recognition sites for both peptide and steroidal agonists occur at the outer cell surface. For steroid hormones, as exemplified by estradiol-17β, these sites possess several of the hallmarks of true receptors. Moreover, capture of this ligand is associated with unmistakable signs of membrane perturbation. And at a still very early stage in the signal propagation sequence, activation of a very limited fraction of the cellular lysosomal population may be identified following the application of steroid, as well as peptide, hormones. In turn, there is mounting evidence for cellular entry and even lysosomal uptake of peptidal effectors, the significance of which is still under debate. Likewise, there occur clear signs of limited reorganization of components of the cellular architecture at the surface, in the cytoplasm, and in the nucleus and its subcompartments, which are consistent with minimal recompartmentation of ‘microquanta’ of lysosomal constituents. These observations may be made within seconds to minutes following application of tropic hormone of either class to its selective targets, and thus, at times preceding those relatively more distal responses of augmented transcriptional and translational activities.
Efficiency of thin film photocells

We propose a new concept for the design of high-efficiency photocells based on ultra-thin (submicron) semiconductor films of controlled thickness. Using a microscopic model of a thin dielectric layer interacting with incident electromagnetic radiation we evaluate the efficiency of conversion of solar radiation into the electric power. We determine the optimal range of parameters which maximize the efficiency of such photovoltaic element.
Remembering Donald G. Paterson: Before the Separation between Industrial-Organizational and Vocational Psychology.

Abstract This article discusses the disconnect between industrial–organizational (I–O) and vocational psychology in the context of Donald Paterson’s career, an applied psychologist who bridged both disciplines. Paterson’s interests in both vocational guidance and personnel selection suggest that these fields are interwoven, despite the prevailing gap separating them in science and practice. Current trends in I–O psychology are discussed that suggest the field is beginning to reconsider the importance of vocational psychology in the modern workplace. We argue that I–O psychology would benefit from such a reconnection by acknowledging its ethical responsibility to improve the workplace for both management and the worker.
Fundoplication in children with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

Objectives: The associations between gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR), chronic respiratory symptoms and gastrointestinal complications have been well described. The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of children in whom the main indication for fundoplication was respiratory disease with children who had gastrointestinal indications for surgery. Methods: A retrospective review of 79 children who underwent fundoplication between January 1995 and December 1999. Results: Forty-nine of the children (62%) had a respiratory indication for fundoplication. Children with neurological impairment tended to have a respiratory rather than a gastrointestinal indication for surgery. Congenital anomalies were present in 47%. Fundoplication in older children was more likely to be for a gastrointestinal indication. Children with neurological impairment were more likely to have a gastrostomy compared to children with normal neurological status (P < 0.01). Children with a respiratory indication were more likely to have three or more diagnostic investigations (P < 0.001). Ninety-two per cent of children with a respiratory indication and 90% with a gastrointestinal indication for fundoplication had at least one positive test for GOR (barium meal or 24-h oesophageal pH monitoring). Oesophagoscopy showed reflux oesophagitis in 46/61. Eighty-five per cent of the children had complete resolution of their symptoms after fundoplication. Conclusions: Neurological comorbidity was common in children who had surgery for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, whether for gastrointestinal or respiratory indications. The majority of fundoplications were performed for respiratory indications.
Guidelines for performing ultrasound guided vascular cannulation: recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography and the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists

Christopher A. Troianos, MD, Gregg S. Hartman, MD, Kathryn E. Glas, MD, MBA, FASE, Nikolaos J. Skubas, MD, FASE, Robert T. Eberhardt, MD, Jennifer D. Walker, MD, and Scott T. Reeves, MD,MBA, FASE, for the Councils on Intraoperative Echocardiography and Vascular Ultrasound of the American Society of Echocardiography, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Lebanon, New Hampshire; Atlanta, Georgia; New York, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; and Charleston, South Carolina
Explorations in bird-land geometry

Abstract The spatial distribution of woody vegetation in areas of residential development is analyzed in terms of the conflicting demands placed on such vegetation by people and wildlife. Human needs favor one-layer-deep plantings which provide the maximum visual surface area for the minimum ground space occupied; most forest bird species prefer clumps and larger “islands” of vegetation providing not only encircling visual cover but a more spatially compact resource base. On larger housing lots in North America, the tendency to extreme dispersion of woody vegetation can be traced historically to a preference for rectangular over triangular lot boundaries and for rectangular grid street patterns over street patterns oriented to circles or to polygons with more than four sides. Several examples are offered of triangular lot designs and of non-rectangular street patterns. These allow small patches of woody vegetation on private lots to be clumped effectively together into small and medium-sized woods which are capable of supporting significant subsets of the forest avifauna.
Production of eicosapentaenoic acid by the filamentous fungus Pythium irregulare

Because of the diversity of their lipids and fatty acid biosynthetic pathways, lower fungi may find utilization as sources of omega-3 or other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) by the filamentous fungus, Pythium irregulare, has been demonstrated in 14-1 fermentors. Sweet whey permeate (lactose) was preferred over glucose as a substrate for production of a high-EPA-content lipid. Characterization of the lipid indicated that approximately 90% of the EPA was contained in the neutral lipid fraction. A specific productivity of 24.9 mg EPA/g dry biomass was achieved at 14°C, at which temperature the lipid contained 25.5% EPA and 54.2% PUFA. This is the highest mycelial EPA content for a fungal lipid that has been reported in the literature.
Oxygen electric field gradient in OH+3

Abstract The oxygen electric field gradient in oxonium ion, computed from a series of one-center expansion wavefunctions with configurations interaction, is examined. The best wavefunction yields a 17 O quadrupole coupling constant of +15.54 MHz.
Performance of filter bank-based spreading codes for multipath/multiuser interference

Spread spectrum communications is a technique in which the transmission bandwidth is much larger than that normally required to transmit at the given data rate. The use of this excess bandwidth provides the system with advantages in the areas of anti-jam communications, high resolution ranging, resistance to multipath fading, and low probability of intercept/detection of the transmissions. The traditional spreading sequences used in spread spectrum communications are the maximal length sequences, due to their good randomness properties as well as their ease of generation. Recently a new class of spreading codes has been developed based upon the time-frequency duality of multirate filter bank structures. Unlike the maximal length sequences, these new codes are not limited to being binary valued. Instead, the elements of the sequences are determined by an optimization process which emphasizes certain desirable code properties. In this paper, spreading codes based upon multirate filter banks are developed for use in a channel characterized by both multiuser and multipath interference. Several sets of codes are designed for various channel conditions and analytical bit error rate results are generated. These results are then compared to those for conventional maximal length sequences.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Haemophilia B in a girl.

Summary. Haemophilia B is extremely rare in females and so far 20 cases have been reported. A 9-year-old girl with severe haemophilia symptoms is described, who shows a very low level of factor IX activity (1.5%) and antigen (> 10%), normal XX female karyotype and negative family history of bleeding tendency or consanguinity. This case is probably the fourth report of sporadic female haemophilia B without chromosomal aberration and the first one with quantitative analysis by immunoradiometric assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of factor IX antigen. This very low factor IX level and severe bleeding tendency of the patient would be consistent with the homozygous state, but since a double mutation is extremely rare the patient's laboratory findings can be more easily explained by extreme lyonization of the normal X-chromosome of a heterozygous carrier.
Correlates of Adolescent Male Sexual Offense: Prior Adult Sexual Contact, Sexual Attitudes, and Use of Sexually Explicit Materials

Juvenile sex offenders have been the subject of increasing interest to researchers, clinicians, and criminologists in recent years. In the present study, the authors explored the relationship between various sexual attitudes, use of sexually explicit materials, prevalence of prior adult sexual contact, and offender status in a group of 80 adolescent male sex offenders and a comparison group of 96 adolescent male nonoffenders. Offenders reported significantly higher rates of sexual touching and physical abuse by an adult than nonoffenders. Being a sex offender was negatively associated with the belief that homosexuality is wrong and beliefs in the so-called rape myths. Further, being a sex offender was significantly associated with the use of sexually explicit materials. These data may prove useful to clinicians and researchers interested in understanding the general correlates of sexual offense.
Ethnicity, housing and personal factors as determinants of VOC exposures

Abstract Previous studies investigating effects of personal, demographic, housing and other factors on exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOC) have focused on mean or median exposures, and generally not the high exposures that are of great interest. This paper identifies determinants of personal VOC exposures on a quantile-specific basis using a nationally representative sample. The NHANES 1999–2000 VOC dataset was merged with personal, demographic, housing, smoking and occupation variables. Bivariate analyses tested for differences in geometric means and quantiles across levels of potential exposure determinants. Multivariate sample-weighted ordinary least-squares (OLS) and quantile regression (QR) models were then used to adjust for covariates. We identify a number of exposure determinants, most of which varied by exposure quantile. The most striking finding was the much higher exposures experienced by Hispanics and Blacks for aromatic VOCs (BTEX: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes), methyl tert -butyl ether (MTBE), and 1,4-dichlorobenzene (DCB). Exposure to gasoline, paints or glues, and having a machine-related occupation also were associated with extremely high BTEX and MTBE exposures. Additional determinants included the presence of attached garages and open windows, which affected exposures of BTEX (especially at lower quantiles) and MTBE (especially at higher quantiles). Smoking also increased BTEX exposures. DCB was associated with air freshener use, and PERC with dry-cleaned clothing. After adjusting for demographic, personal and housing factors, age and gender were not significant predictors of exposure. The use of QR in conjunction with OLS yields a more complete picture of exposure determinants, and identifies subpopulations and heterogeneous exposure groups in which some individuals experience very elevated exposures and which are not well represented by changes in the mean. The high exposures of Hispanics and Blacks are perplexing and disturbing, and they warrant further investigation.
Evidence for autosomal dominant inheritance of prostate cancer.

Summary A family-history cancer survey was conducted on 5,486 men who underwent a radical prostatectomy, for clinically localized prostate cancer, in the Department of Urology at the Mayo Clinic during 1966–95; 4,288 men responded to the survey. Complex segregation analysis was performed to assess the genetic basis of age at diagnosis and the familial clustering of prostate cancer. For the total group, no single-gene model of inheritance clearly explained familial clustering of disease, which could be partly explained by lack of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, with an excess of homozygotes. After accounting for deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the best-fitting model that explained the familial aggregation and age at diagnosis was a rare autosomal dominant susceptibility gene, and this model fitted best when probands were diagnosed at P =.03) across the different age groups, suggesting genetic heterogeneity. Additional evidence that the hereditary basis of prostate cancer is likely to be genetically complex was provided by the following: (1) there was a significantly elevated age-adjusted risk of prostate cancer among brothers of probands, compared with their fathers (relative risk 1.5 [95% confidence interval 1.4–1.7]); (2) the autosomal dominant model predicted an excess of homozygotes, over that predicted by Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium; and (3) the model-predicted risk of prostate cancer among relatives was inadequate when probands were diagnosed at age ⩾70 years.
Communication about major accident hazards: credibility of qualified informers in an Italian city

Reports on research carried out under the aegis of the European Community as part of the Step Programme. Researchers from the following universities contributed: Berlin (Germany), Grenoble (France), Lancaster (Great Britain), Liege (Belgium), and The Catholic University (Milan, Italy). Aims to evaluate public perception of individuals and organizations as informers in situations where there is a high level industrial risk. Discusses the following: the clarity of communication, the degree of professionalism of the information sources, the extent to which the message attributed to each of the important informers was credible. Treats this as a comparative study under the terms of Article 8 of the Seveso Directive which invites public authorities, as well as so‐called “risk” industries, to keep the population informed of the potential dangers to which they are exposed as a result of industrial activity.
Allergy and clinical immunology: Fifty years from now

In 1929, the Great Depression began. In 1929, Christian Eijkman andSir Frederick G. Hopkins received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. In 1929, Clemens Von Pirquet committed suicide, in his 55th year, shortly after completing the atlas of life phases of allergies, malignancies, and tuberculosis. ’ In 1929, THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY appeared. Volume I, No. I, begins with a brief announcement which justifies its name: “In view of the wide differences of opinion as to how the ward ‘allergy’ should be used, we have felt it necessary to set forth the sense in which the term is used in the title of this journal. “We believe it evident that it does not possess an established meaning in scientific usage. However, the term is very generally employed by clinicians who apply it to conditions of specific hypersensitiveness exclusive of anaphylaxis in lower animals. ’ ’ ’
The structure and subject of Metaphysics Λ

L'A. cherche a savoir quel est le sujet exact du chapitre Λ de la «Metaphysique», deconcertant car Aristote y annonce un discours sur l'ousia qui en fait se decompose en trois types: deux sensibles, et un immobile qui fait l'objet d'une theologie. A travers une etude de la structure du discours d'Aristote, l'A. recherche l'unite de la «substance»
Sources of Potential Lead Exposure Among Pregnant Women in New Mexico

The objectives of this study were to ascertain the prevalence and potential sources of lead exposure among pregnant women residing in a socially-disadvantaged immigrant community in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Pregnant women (n = 140) receiving prenatal care through a community clinic participated in a structured interview and screening to measure their blood lead levels (BLLs). Potential sources of lead exposure were ascertained by the CDC and New Mexico Department of Health questionnaires. Self-reported risk factors were examined as predictors of BLLs using multiple linear regression and partial least squares discriminant analysis. Most patients were Spanish-speaking (88.6%), Latina (95%), foreign-born (87.1%), lacked health insurance (86.4%), and had a high school education or lower (84.3%). While risk factors were prevalent in this population, only three women (2.1%) had BLLs ≥3 μg/dL. Results of multivariate analyses demonstrated that pica symptoms in pregnancy, history of elevated BLLs before pregnancy, use of non-commercial pottery, and living in older houses were important predictors of elevated BLLs. Although the prevalence of other risk factors relevant to immigrant communities (i.e., use of traditional/folk remedies and cosmetics, seasonings and food products from Mexico) was high, they were not predictive of elevated BLLs. Clinics providing prenatal care to immigrant Hispanic communities should carefully assess patients’ pica symptoms, use of non-commercial pottery, and a history of elevated BLLs. Moreover, additional efforts need to focus on the development of screening questionnaires which better reflect exposures of concern in this population.