cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Familial subepithelial corneal amyloidosis--a lactoferrin-related amyloidosis.

Purpose. To isolate the protein that collects in increased amounts beneath the corneal epithelium in familial subepithelial corneal amyloidosis (FSCA), also known as gelatinous droplike corneal dystrophy, and to identify it by N-terminal amino acid sequencing. Methods. Peptides resulting from pepsin digestion of a unique protein isolated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis from frozen tissue from two corneas with FSCA were purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography followed by protein sequence analysis. The protein was identified by amino acid sequencing, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Results. A protein was identified in two corneas with FSCA that was not present in normal corneas or in corneas with other disorders. The amino acid sequences of two peptides derived from this protein were identical to portions of lactoferrin. The unique protein reacted with rabbit antihuman lactoferrin after Western blotting. The presence of lactoferrin in the amyloid within affected corneas was confirmed using the immunoperoxidase method on formalinfixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections and lactoferrin antiserum. Conclusions. Corneal tissue with FSCA contains lactoferrin, and this is the first form of amyloidosis found to be associated with this protein. Because lactoferrin is a product of lacrimal glands, the corneal lactoferrin may be derived from the tears. Because the gene for lactoferrin is on chromosome 3 (3q21-q23), this locus is a potential site for the FSCA gene. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1997;38:2756-2763.
Pressures on Curtain Wall with External Mullions

Many tall buildings have curtain walls with external mullions as their most prominent feature. The model tests reported here indicate in which regions of such walls the pressure distributions between mullions are independent of the velocity component parallel to the mullions, where end effects are important, and where to place pressure taps on such walls. Correlations and integral time scales of the pressure fluctuations in the separated and attached flow zones between mullions of I-section are also given.
Medicaid Bed‐Hold Policy and Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Rehospitalizations

The nursing home sector has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past two decades. In the 1970s and early 1980s, nursing homes largely provided chronic care to long-stay residents. The postacute, rehabilitative side of the nursing home market was negligible, with Medicare, the primary payer for these services, accounting for only 1.7 percent of total nursing home expenditures in 1980 (National Center for Health Statistics 2005). A series of policy changes, however, expanded the postacute side of the market considerably. Medicare now accounts for 12.4 percent of total nursing home expenditures, and many industry observers regard Medicare as the most favorable payer (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission 2005). Despite important differences in the needs of the chronic and postacute nursing home populations, quality of care within a facility has characteristics of a “public good” shared across all nursing home residents (Norton 2000). The central implication of this observation is that resources—and policies directed at improving care for one group of residents—may spillover to other residents. Given the bifurcated coverage of Medicare postacute and Medicaid chronic care services, however, neither program has an incentive to internalize the risks and benefits of its actions as they pertain to the other program (Grabowski 2007). Each program has the narrow interest of limiting its share of costs, and neither program is financially encouraged to assume responsibility for clinical care that might improve care outcomes. Toward that end, the hospitalization of nursing home residents has emerged as an important area of interest for policy makers in recent years. These hospitalizations are known to be frequent (Intrator et al. 2007), costly (Grabowski, O'Malley, and Barhydt 2007), and often preventable (Saliba et al. 2000; Intrator, Zinn, and Mor 2004;). MedPAC has identified the rehospitalization of Medicare residents as a particularly salient measure of postacute nursing home quality (Donelan-McCall et al. 2006). Indeed, within the first 30 days of being admitted to a nursing home from the hospital, nearly 25 percent of Medicare residents are rehospitalized (Mor et al., 2010). Previous research has found state bed-hold policies, which pay nursing homes to reserve the bed of acutely hospitalized Medicaid residents, increase the rate of hospitalization among Medicaid nursing home residents. If there is “commonality” between short- and long-stay nursing home residents, then we would expect Medicaid bed-hold policies to also influence the care of postacute short-stay residents. The key research question examined in this paper is whether state Medicaid bed-hold policy affects the rehospitalization of Medicare nursing home residents.
Measurement of Nonlinear Transfer Functions for Transitioning Flows

A method for estimating the linear and quadratically nonlinear transfer functions between two points in a transitioning or turbulent flow is presented. The technique does not require a Gaussian input signal, and is demonstrated on data measured in the nonlinear stages of the transitioning flow of a wake behind a thin flat plate. The results indicate that in the early nonlinear stages of transition, interactions between modes of similar frequency and a low frequency component are most efficient in redistributing spectral energy. As transition progresses, interactions involving the first harmonic frequency become efficient as well in the spectral energy transfer process. In general, nonlinear transfer function techniques allow a quantitative characterization of spectral energy transfer dynamics.
From quantum nonlocality to mind-brain interaction

Orthodox Copenhagen quantum theory renounces the quest to understand the reality in which we are imbedded, and settles for practical rules that describe connections between our observations. However, an examination of certain nonlocal features of quantum theory suggests that the perceived need for this renunciation was due to the uncritical importation from classical physics of a crippling metaphysical prejudice, and that rejection of that prejudice opens the way to a dynamical theory of the interaction between mind and brain that has significant explanatory power.
Intracranial abscess due to Mycobacterium avium complex in an immunocompetent host: a case report

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is a ubiquitous pathogen, widely distributed in the environment including water, soil and animals. It is an uncommonly encountered clinical pathogen; primarily causing pulmonary infections in patients with underlying lung disease or disseminated disease in immunocompromised hosts. Sporadically, extra-pulmonary infections have been documented including involvement of the liver, spleen, skin, soft tissue and lymph nodes. Central nervous system (CNS) infections due to MAC are exceedingly rare and carry a poor prognosis. Additionally, such infections are largely reported in patients infected with HIV. Herein we report the first case of intracranial abscess due to MAC in an immunocompetent man with a normal CD4 count and negative HIV status. A previously healthy 40-year-old male presented to us with progressively worsening CNS symptoms. The patient’s presentation was uncharacteristic of MAC infection in immunocompetent hosts, as he developed subacute, progressive symptoms that included severe frontal headaches, left eyelid swelling, blurry vision, and diplopia, without any pulmonary or systemic manifestations. Neuroimaging revealed multiple ring-enhancing lesions, which required neurosurgical intervention. MAC was the only pathogen that grew from intraoperative tissue cultures. The patient was subsequently treated with a 12-month regimen consisting of Clarithromycin, Ethambutol, and Rifampin, with successful clinical resolution. Our findings indicate that it is important to consider rare infections such as MAC in immunocompetent patients, regardless of atypical symptoms. Despite the severity of this infection, with timely diagnosis effective treatment is available.
Taxonomically significant color reactions of Brevibacterium linens.

Grecz, Nicholas (University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.), and Gail M. Dack. Taxonomically significant color reactions of Brevibacterium linens. J. Bacteriol. 82:241-246. 1961.-Brevibacterium linens was observed to give characteristic color reactions with certain bases and acids. An intensive carmine-red color appeared immediately after addition of a drop of 5 n sodium hydroxide, 5 n potassium hydroxide, and saturated barium hydroxide. A light carmine-red was given by lithium hydroxide, and a light orange-red with a milky suspension of calcium hydroxide. No discernible color change was given with weak bases such as ammonium hydroxide, aniline, and pyridine.A characteristic salmon-pink color was produced when B. linens was rubbed with a glass rod in a drop of glacial acetic acid or filter paper; a brick-red color was produced with aniline under these conditions. With syrupy phosphoric acid a green color appeared within 3 to 4 min which turned blue after approximately 3 hr. The blue color was stable for several days. On the basis of these color reactions, B. linens could be distinguished from other microorganisms possessing yellow-orange pigmentation, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus flavus, Micrococcus citreus, Mycobacterium phlei, Sarcina lutea. Therefore, these color changes may be used for the identification of B. linens. Original isolates of B. linens from cheese were tested by these spot reactions and all presumptive identifications could be subsequently confirmed by conventional methods. Blue and green colors appeared in all yellow-orange chromogens treated with sulfuric, perchloric, and hydrochloric acids and hence these colors were not specific for B. linens.
Reparations for U.S. Slavery and Justice Over Time

This paper extends a non-comparative account of harm to the issue of reparations for identity-affecting historical injustices, focusing on American slavery. Many object to reparations for slavery because the original victims and perpetrators of slavery are dead and because the lives and identities of the descendants of slaves are causally dependent upon the fact of slavery. This objection misses the point of reparations. What is central to reparations claims is not any idea that some particular individuals, considered in isolation from social groups, either owe or are owed. Rather, reparations arguments are centrally concerned with the relations between and histories of important social collectives and how these relations in turn affect individuals. Reparations should serve as, and be seen as, a concrete rather than merely discursive repudiation of slavery and commitment to its non-recurrence.
Mirror, Mirror: The development of female identity in Jean Rhys's fiction

(1985). Mirror, Mirror: The development of female identity in Jean Rhys's fiction. World Literature Written in English: Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 270-285.
Muco-Epidermoid Tumor of the Bronchus

As the techniques of pulmonary resection became known and applied, the results of the removal of various pulmonary tumors were compared. The difference in the five-year survival rates of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma and bronchial adenomas was apparent. Geipel, Kramer, Wessler and Rabin made notable contributions in this work.2’5”#{176} However, it was not until 1937 that the differences between the two types of bronchial adenomas were clearly brought forth by Hamperl.3 The more common variety, the carcinoid adenoma, was first reported by Muller in 1882. These are generally benign and comprise 90 per cent of most series of bronchial adenomas. The less common variety, the cylindroid type, was first described by Heschl in 1877. These lesions account for the remaining 10 per cent and have been more descriptively named adenoid cystic carcinoma, The similarity between this latter type of bronchial adenoma and the counterpart in the salivary and lacrimal glands was sufficient to warrant the name “cylindroma.” The term “cylindroma” was first used by Biliroth’ in 1859 to describe a tumor of the orbit and it has been applied to lesions histologically similar in the breast and in the mucous membrane of the mouth and pharynx.
Letter from America: Visions for future work in the field of creativity and innovation

There is no time like the present to witness the flourishing of the field of creativity and innovation. Given the rapid pace of change, the existence of ever more complexity, and the increasing competition for information and quality resources, it is no surprise that we are very interested in finding improved and new ways of performing needed and useful tasks. The challenges facing all kinds of organizations around the world seem very related to improving our understanding and recognition of human creative talents so that we might better nurture, develop and release them to meet the wide array of challenges and opportunities we face.
Kinetics of protein-nucleic acid interactions: use of salt effects to probe mechanisms of interaction.

The kinetics of protein-nucleic acid interactions are discussed with particular emphasis on the effects of salt concentration and valence on the observed rate constants. A general review is given of the use of experimentally determined salt dependences of observed kinetic parameters as a tool to probe the mechanism of interaction. Quantitative analysis of these salt dependences, through the application of polyelectrolyte theory, can be used to distinguish reactions which occur in a single step from those reactions which involve distinct intermediates. For those rate constants which display a large salt dependence, in either the association or dissociation reaction, this is due to the high concentration of counterions (e.g., Na+) in the vicinity of the nucleic acid which are subsequently released (or bound in the case of dissociation) at some point before the rate limiting step of the reaction. A general discussion of other features which affect protein-nucleic acid kinetics, such as nucleic acid length and the ratio of nonspecific to specific DNA binding sites (in the case of sequence specific binding proteins), is also given. The available data on the nucleic acid binding kinetics of small ligands (ions, dyes, oligopeptides), nonspecific binding proteins (T4 gene 32 protein, fd gene 5 and Escherichia coli SSB), and sequence specific binding proteins (lac repressor, RNA polymerase, Eco RI restriction endonuclease) are discussed with emphasis on the interpretation of the experimentally determined salt dependences.
WE‐D‐M100J‐03: A Neural Network Model to Predict Lung Radiation‐Induced Pneumonitis

Purpose: To build and test a feed‐forward neural networkmodel to predict the occurrence of lung radiation‐induced Grade 2+ pneumonitis. Method and Materials: The database comprised 235 patients with lungcancertreated using radiotherapy (34 diagnosed with pneumonitis). The neural network was constructed using a unique algorithm that alternately grew and pruned it, starting from the smallest possible network, until a satisfactory solution was found. The weights and biases of the network were computed using the error back‐propagation approach. The network was tested using ten‐fold cross‐validation, wherein 1/10th of the data were tested, in turn, using the model built with the remaining 9/10th of the data. Results: The network was constructed with input features selected from dose and non‐dose variables. The selected input features were: lung volume receiving > 16 Gy (V16), mean lungdose, generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) for the exponent a=3.5, free expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1), diffusion capacity of Carbon Monoxide (DLCO%), and whether or not the patient underwent chemotherapy prior to radiotherapy. With the exception of FEV1, all input features were found to be individually significant (p < 0.05). The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve for cross‐validated testing was 0.76 (sensitivity: 68%, specificity: 69%). To gauge the impact of non‐dose variables on model predictive capability, a second network was constructed with input features selected only from lungdose‐volume histogram variables. The area under the ROC curve for cross‐validation was 0.67 (sensitivity: 53%, specificity: 69%). The network constructed from dose and non‐dose variables was statistically superior (p=0.020), indicating that the addition of non‐dose features significantly improves the generalization capability of the network. Conclusions: The neural network constructed from dose and non‐dose variables can be used to prospectively predict radiotherapy‐induced pneumonitis and, thereby, appropriately alter radiotherapy plans to reduce this possibility.
Energy dependence of oxygen isotope exchange and quenching in the O(1D) + CO2 reaction: A crossed molecular beam study

The dynamics of the 18O(1D) + 44CO2 oxygen isotope exchange reaction has been studied using a crossed molecular beam apparatus at collision energies of 4.2 and 7.7 kcal/mol. At both collision energies, two reaction channels are observed: isotope exchange in which quenching to O(3P) occurs and isotope exchange in which the product oxygen atom remains on the singlet surface. Electronic quenching of O(1D) is the major channel at both collision energies, accounting for 84% of isotope exchange at 4.2 kcal/mol and 67% at 7.7 kcal/mol. Both channels proceed via a CO3* complex that is long-lived with respect to its rotational period. Combined with recent ab initio and statistical calculations by Mebel et al., the long complex lifetimes suggest that statistical isotope exchange occurs in the CO3* complex (apart from zero-point energy isotope effects), although the existence of a small, dynamically driven unconventional isotope effect in this reaction cannot yet be ruled out. These new molecular-level details may ...
Facebook as an Informal Learning Space Channel: The São José, Macao Cases

Broadly, on-line communication platforms are online resources that allow the exchange of information using the Internet. They include Email, Instant Messaging, Online Open Forums, Online Blogging and Social Networking Sites. All these platforms have their own specialties and properties. In education, there are great advantages for high-schools to utilize these online communication platforms, especially Online Open Forums and Social Networking Sites. Communication is the backbone of education. Everything from classroom teaching to school policy making depends on effective communication [1]. With these new communication platforms at hand, schools can develop more adaptable and friendly channels among students, teachers and management (only the first two interveners are covered under this study). Various components of the schools will essentially work together in a more collaborative and regenerative way [2]. This research paper analyses how online communication platforms are changing the internal nature of education. It takes sample populations from two schools in Macao (Pre-University of the University of Saint Joseph, USJ, and Colegio Diocesano de Sao Jose, CDSJ) with different backgrounds such as medium of language, level of degree, professor's background and style of teaching. Teachers of these schools are communicated first for their opinion on key elements to improve learning with online communication platforms. These factors are implemented in a platform such as Social Networking Sites. As expected, students are instructed to utilize this platform (Facebook) to enhance their learning practice and experience. The result of this utilization is assessed in terms of student opinions and feedback.
The importance of “spillovers” in the policy mission of the advanced technology program

Government policies like the Advanced Technology Program (“ATP”) are intended, at least in part, to remedy the “market failure” inherent in the fact that a significant portion of the social benefits of new knowledge and technology are not captured by a firm that invests in R&D. ATP’s project selection, and its evaluation of the impact of its program, can be made more effective by explicitly incorporating the analysis of such “spillovers.” For project selection, this means identifying technological, organizational and economic factors that tend to oint to a large “spillover gap,” or deviation between the social and private rates of return to a proposed project. For program evaluation and assessment, it means adapting existing study methods that measure social returns to innovation in ways that explicitly capture spillover effects.
Organizational Contexts for Evaluation.

The organizational setting of an evaluation has a significant impact on the resources available for managing individual evaluation projects.
Bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants and quality of organic carbon

U.S. laws require that contaminant bioaccumulation potential be evaluated before dredged material can be recycled. Simple fugacity models, e.g. organic contaminant aqueous partition coefficient (Koc)-derived theoretical bioaccumulation potential, are commonly used to estimate the partitioning of hydrophobic organic contaminants between sediment organic matter and organism lipid. Koc-derived models, with or without the addition of a soot carbon term, did not accurately or consistently predict total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorobiphenyls partitioning of eight sediments from ongoing dredging operations onto C18-coated filter paper. These models also failed to predict the partitioning of individual PAHs from these eight sediments. These data underscore the trade-offs between the ease of using simple models and the uncertainty of predicted partitioning values.
Micro-Assembly and Packaging of MEMS Using Optically Transparent Electrostatic Gripper

This paper describes the assembly experiments with a novel miniature assembly cell for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). The cell utilizes a transparent electrostatic gripper and uses several disparate sensing modalities for position control: computer vision for part alignment with respect to the gripper, a fiber-coupled laser, and a position sensitive detector (PSD) for part to assembly alignment. Assembly experiments indicate that the gripping force and stage positioning accuracy are sufficient for insertion of 500μm wide parts in 550 μm wide slots etched in silicon wafers. Details on the cell operation, the control algorithm used and their limitations are also provided. Potential applications of the developed assembly cell are assembly of miniature optical systems, integration of optoelectronics, such as laser diodes with CMOS, and epitaxial lift-off (ELO) of thin films used in optoelectronic devices.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Crystal-Field Effects and the Migration of Transition-Metal Ions in AgCl

The diffusion of a set of consecutive divalent transition-metal ions has been measured in AgCl. Their high-temperature activation energies are found to span the range from 1 to 2 eV and to exhibit a systematic dependence on the number of electrons in the $d$ shell. The relative migration energies can be quantitatively accounted for in terms of the electronic contributions to the energies of the ions, in the normal and activated positions, resulting from crystal-field splittings.
A new test method to determine the relative drying capacity of building envelope panels of various configurations

Abstract In the context of a collaborative research project with industry and government, a two-story test hut, consisting of thirty-one 2438 mm (8 ft) high and 762 mm ( 2 1 2 ft ) wide wall assemblies and installed with 25 gravimetric samples in each assembly to monitor the moisture content change, was designed and erected within a large-scale test chamber to investigate the drying capacity of different envelope configurations. The test was performed under steady-state climatic loadings representing wet seasons. Uniform moisture loading was achieved by the use of water trays on load cells placed on the bottom plate within the stud cavities of the wall assemblies. This method submits the different wall configurations to wetting by evaporation and drying by evacuating moisture out of the stud cavity. In search for an indicator or yardstick of the relative drying capacity of different wall configurations, a new calculation method by mapping was developed. The method estimates the amounts of moisture absorbed by components surrounding the stud cavity. The moisture transported out of the cavity is the difference between the total water evaporated from the tray and the water absorbed by the wall components. The ratio between the water evaporated and the vapor evacuated is an indicator of the drying capacity of a given wall configuration in relation to others subjected to a predetermined set of conditions.
Restoration of out-of-focus lecture video by automatic slide matching

Restoring the fine detail in the slide area of a defocused lecture video is a challenging task. In this work, we propose to use clean images of slides available along with the defocused lecture video to help the restoration. Our proposed method uses local feature descriptors and multiple defocused slide decks to automatically identify the slide that is displayed in the defocused frame. We then use the matching slide as side information to estimate the parameters for deconvolution and bilateral filtering. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm compares favorably to a computationally-intensive iterative deconvolution algorithm that does not employ any side information. In particular, it can recover small drawings and text that are severely blurred in a poorly focused lecture video
Measurements of the drift force

Abstract The lift coefficient on an object in a weak shear flow is predicted to equal the added mass coefficient. Measurements of both of these coefficients were made for objects of several sizes with three different shapes and were found to agree. CFD simulations confirmed some features of the theory.
“Times Change”: Frank J. Webb Addresses Robert Morris on the Promise of Reconstruction

In 1869, African American author Frank J. Webb returned to Washington, D.C., to become a “Carpetbagger” in the Reconstruction South. In a letter to black Bostonian Robert Morris, Webb illustrated the richness of antebellum African American reform networks and portrayed one man’s boundless optimism for race relations in postbellum America.
Series expansions of means

Abstract A mean M(u, v) is defined to be a homogeneous symmetric function of two positive real variables satisfying min(u, v) ⩽ M(u, v) ⩽ max(u, v) for all u and v. Setting M(u, v) = uM(1, vu−1) = uM(1, 1 − t), 0 ⩽ t μ p (1, 1 − t) = [ 1 2 + (1 − t) p 2 ] 1 p , m p (u, v) = [ (v p + 1 − u p + 1 ) (v − u)(p + 1) ] 1 p (Stolarsky's mean), M p (u, v) = (u p + v p ) (u p− 1 + v p − 1 ) (Lehmer's mean), E(r, s; u, v) = [ r(u s − v s ) s(u r − v r ) ] 1 (s − r) (Leach and Sholander's mean), and G(r, s; u, v) = [ (u s + v s ) (u r + v r ) ] 1 (s − r) (Gini's mean). The explicit power series coefficients and recurrence relations for these coefficients are found. Finally, applications are shown by proving a theorem that generalizes one due to Lehmer.
Stimulation of tumor cell growth by vasoactive intestinal peptide.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) stimulated the growth of murine Lewis lung carcinoma cells in culture. The growth promoting effect was dependent on the concentration of VIP. Exposure to VIP for 12 hours followed by removal of the peptide resulted in sustained growth promotion for 4 to 5 days in culture. Synthetic fragments of VIP, i.e., VIP (1-16) and VIP (22-28), and the unrelated peptide neurotensin failed to stimulate the growth of the Lewis lung carcinoma cells. The growth-promoting effect of VIP was also observed in a murine mammary tumor cell line and a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line.
Field effects on the Rydberg product-state distribution from dielectronic recombination.

The effects of state mixing by extrinsic fields in the collision region have been investigated for the dielectronic recombination process ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{+}$(3s)+e\ensuremath{\rightarrow}Mg(3p,nl)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}Mg(3s ,nl)+h\ensuremath{\nu}. By field ionization of the Rydberg atoms produced, cross sections \ensuremath{\sigma}(${n}_{f}$) have been measured. The observed large changes of \ensuremath{\sigma}(${n}_{f}$) with alteration of the extrinsic field provide the first incontrovertible experimental evidence that dielectronic recombination can be changed by external fields.
Superionic conduction in the solid-solution electrode AgCr S 2

The ionic conductivity of a mixed electron and ion conductor AgCr${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$ which undergoes an order-disorder phase transition is investigated with the use of a lattice-gas Hamiltonian with a weak-hopping term for its interacting-ion system. Exact results for the ionic conductivity obtained by making use of the exact Ising spin correlations on a half-filled honeycomb lattice agree very well with the known experimental results.
Activated release of alkalis during the vesiculation of molten basalts under high vacuum: implications for lunar volcanism

Abstract Knudsen cell-quadrupole mass spectrometry was used to study the high-temperature vaporization of Hawaiian basalts, plagioclase, tektites, and samples from the Allende meteorite. Procedures are described by which mass loss rates and vapor pressures of Na and K were measured quantitatively. Gas-rich glassy basalts were observed to vesiculate under vacuum over the 900–1000°C region and simultaneously evaporate alkalis in nonequilibrium fashion at rates (units of μg/g/hr) of approximately 200–300 Na and 75–250 K. Degassed residues of the same basalts demonstrated equilibrium evaporation rates (over the same temperature range) of 60–120 Na and 30–60 K. The gas-deficient plagioclase and tektite sample showed only equilibrium vaporization with rates of 60 Na, 10 K (plagioclase) and 10 Na, 5K (tektites) at 900–1000°C. The Allende meteorite vaporized at rates of 2400 Na and 200 K at 900–1000°C, possibly by the reaction of Na 2 O and K 2 O with C or S 2 , or by the thermal decomposition of nepheline or sodalite. The nonequilibrium vaporization of alkalis from the gas-rich basalts is attributed to vigorous agitation of the melt during its vesiculation by a gas phase composed principally of SO 2 , CO 2 , H 2 O, CO, and H 2 S. The major gases released from the Allende meteorite at 900–1000°C are, in order of decreasing abundance, CO, S 2 , CO 2 , H 2 O, SO 2 , and H 2 S. It is proposed that nonequilibrium vaporization of alkalis during the vesiculation of lunar lavas was responsible for the production of alkali-rich vapors which subsequently deposited plagioclase crystals in the vugs of lunar rocks. The vesiculative, nonequilibrium vaporization of Na and K during a lunar volcanic eruption should be expected to occur at a high rate upon initial extrusion of the lava into vacuum but then decrease by a factor of approximately three when degassing is nearing completion. Vaporization losses remain inadequate to explain the uniformly low alkali concentrations in lunar basalts.
Medical Professionalism — Focusing on the Real Issues

There is considerable interest in reinvigorating medical professionalism.1–6 This interest reflects a profound unease with the seeming primacy of economic factors among those currently affecting medical practice in the United States. There is general agreement that patients' interests must take precedence over physicians' financial self-interest and that professionalism also entails service to vulnerable populations and civic engagement. But as commentators focus on managed care and other issues of the moment, many considerations are entirely overlooked. These omissions may well subvert the effort to make professionalism relevant to contemporary medicine. Because the focus on the threats from managed care is . . .
Support of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell multipotency by a poloxamer-octapeptide hybrid hydrogel

The development of new biological materials, particularly those capable of serving as permissive substrates for cell growth, differentiation, and biological function, is a key area for advancing medical technology. In this work, we examined the characteristics of a hybrid hydrogel scaffold composed of poloxamer 407 (PO) and the self-assembling oligopeptdide EFK8 in vitro and in vivo. Rheological tests showed that the storage modulus of EFK8-PO increased by 4 orders of magnitude compared to that of EFK8 alone, indicating that EFK8-PO integrates PO's high and tunable mechanical strength and integrity with the superior bioactivity of EFK8. When human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) were cultured in PO, we observed severe aggregation. Conversely, almost no aggregation was observed in EFK8 or EFK8-PO after 6 days of culture. hAMSC viability in all 3 hydrogels remained above 80% after 2 weeks of culture. EFK8 and EFK8-PO significantly increased hAMSC proliferation rates. In addition, EFK8- and EFK8-PO- but not PO encapsulated hAMSCs differentiated into adipocytes or osteoblasts when exposed to appropriate induction medium, suggesting EFK8 supports hAMSC multipotency in vitro. Moreover, only EFK8-PO supported hAMSC engraftment and adipogenic differenitiation post-transplantation into nude mice. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the new tissue was human in origin. Our studies show that EFK8-PO maintains improved mechanical properties and bioactivity relative to its individual constituents, supporting its potential use as a stem cell scaffold in soft tissue engineering.
Effects of Macromolecular Crowding on the Intrinsically Disordered Proteins c-Fos and p27Kip1

A number of biologically active proteins exhibit intrinsic structural disorder in vitro under thermodynamically ideal conditions. In vivo, however, proteins exist in a crowded, thermodynamically nonideal environment. We tested the hypothesis that intrinsically disordered proteins adopt stable structure under crowded conditions in which excluded volume is predicted to stabilize compact, native conformations. In the presence of macromolecular crowding agents, neither the intrinsically disordered C-terminal activation domain of c-Fos nor the kinase-inhibition domain of p27Kip1 undergoes any significant conformational change that is detected by changes in either circular dichroism or fluorescence spectra. We conclude that molecular crowding effects are not necessarily sufficient to induce ordered structure in intrinsically disordered proteins.
The monitoring, prevention, and treatment of milk fever and subclinical hypocalcemia in dairy cows

The periparturient cow undergoes a transition from non-lactating to lactating at calving. The animal is tremendously challenged to maintain calcium homeostasis. Those that fail can develop milk fever, a clinical disorder that is life threatening to the cow and predisposes the animal to a variety of other disorders. Guidelines for monitoring the incidence of hypocalcemia and methods for treating milk fever are reviewed. The physiological factors that cause milk fever and strategies for prevention of milk fever are discussed, focusing on the effects diet cation-anion difference can have on tissue sensitivity to parathyroid hormone. Another major risk factor for milk fever is hypomagnesemia, which is observed when animals are fed inadequate amounts of magnesium, or some factor is present in the diet that prevents adequate absorption of magnesium. Moderate hypomagnesemia impairs the ability of the cow to maintain calcium homeostasis and hypocalcemia occurs.
Political Polarization and Cabinet Stability in Multiparty Systems: A Social Networks Analysis of European Parliaments, 1945–98

Bargaining theory predicts that as a political system’s polarization increases, parties have fewer opportunities to form coalitions without resorting to elections, inducing constraints on the management of political crises. This study tests the hypothesis that political polarization has a positive effect on cabinet duration, and draws on Social Networks Analysis to conceptualize and measure political polarization. Combining information about party ideology, inter-party distances and party size, this polarization index measures the structure of political systems in terms of possible and actual coalitions, and identifies proto-coalitions ex ante. The propositions regarding the effect of the bargaining environment on cabinet survival are tested with data covering sixteen European states in 1945–99, and are fairly robustly supported. The measure of political polarization outperforms alternative measures of this concept. The variation in cabinet stability in multiparty political systems is notorious. Some cabinets have survived their entire electoral cycle even under minority governments, while others have displayed persistent instability even when the coalitions on which they were based exceeded the minimum majority by a wide margin. This may well explain the voluminous scholarly literature on the factors affecting cabinet duration. Political polarization is often invoked as a possible explanation for political stability, but – as we show in the following sections – the arguments linking polarization to political stability are varied and often inconsistent. The same applies to the empirical relationships between measures of political polarization and cabinet stability. This suggests a need for a new perspective on the relationship between political polarization and stability. This study offers a new strategy to tackle this relationship. Using bargaining theory, we argue that the level of polarization in political systems is a powerful indicator of the opportunities that parties have to renegotiate coalitions. As political polarization – the existence of ideologically cohesive and distinct party blocks, controlling roughly equal seat shares – increases, parties have fewer opportunities to form coalitions without resorting to elections. This induces considerable constraints on the initiation and management of political crises. 1 Such crises are likely to be resolved without reshuffling the party basis of
Aerial photographic interpretation for land use classification in the New York State land use and natural resources inventory.

Abstract A well thought out classification and efficient project organization are essential to realize the full benefits of remote sensing in land use mapping. This paper discusses the organization and management of photo interpretation in land use classification projects.
Modal aspects of Badiaranke aspect

Abstract This paper argues that the semantics of imperfective aspect in Badiaranke (Atlantic, Niger-Congo) cannot receive an adequate explanation through previous approaches to aspect in other languages (e.g. Klein, 1994 , Bonomi, 1997 , Smith, 1997 , Cipria and Roberts, 2000 , Hacquard, 2006 ). The Badiaranke imperfective marks not only in-progress and habitually recurring eventualities (expected), but also future eventualities, eventualities in consequents of conditionals and counterfactuals, and epistemically probable eventualities (unexpected). Building on Kratzer, 1981 , Kratzer, 1991 analysis of modality, and on Portner’s (1998) modal analysis of the English progressive, I argue that the Badiaranke imperfective entails eventuality realization at some interval in the set of accessible worlds selected by some modal base and ordering source. Pragmatic and syntactic context set the modal base and ordering source, allowing for an underspecified semantics to cover all of the imperfective’s functions.
PERSISTENT HOMOCLINIC ORBITS FOR A PERTURBED NONLINEAR SCHRODINGER EQUATION

The persistence of homoclinic orbits for certain perturbations of the integrable nonlinear Schrodinger equation under even periodic boundary conditions is established. More specifically, the existence of a symmetric pair of homoclinic orbits is established for the perturbed NLS equation through an argument that combines Melnikov analysis with a geometric singular perturbation theory for the PDE. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Effects of testosterone administration on acid soluble and insoluble glycogen in the levator ani muscle.

THERE is agreement in recent papers that testosterone is “glycopexic” and “glycostatic” with respect to several striated muscles (1–3). Early reports on the effects of testosterone on glycogen storage in striated muscles have been reviewed by Leonard (1). Bloom, Lewis, Schumpert, and Shen (4) have shown that cold tricholoroacetic acid (TCA) will consistently extract about 55% of the glycogen normally found in muscle following potassium hydroxide (KOH) digestion. These workers and others (5–9) have shown that tissue levels of TCA soluble and insoluble glycogen vary independently of each other under various physiological conditions. This has led to the concept that muscle glycogen may be comprised of two physiological entities. The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of testosterone propionate (TP) on TCA-soluble and insoluble glycogen, and to determine the relationship between the glycogen changes and the phenomenon of TP induced growth of the levator ani muscle in the rat.
Consequences of brand switches during the course of pediatric growth hormone treatment.

Objective: To explore the effects of insurance-mandated brand switches during the course of pediatric recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment on clinical practice.Methods: We e-mailed a 9-question, anonymous, Internet-based survey to active members of the Pediatric Endocrine Society. The survey consisted of multiple-choice and yes/no answers. Free-text comments were solicited for further explanation of responses. Quantitative answers were tabulated. Each investigator independently coded the free-text responses; themes based on codes identified by all 3 investigators in a minimum of 5 different respondents' comments were compiled and organized.Results: Of the 812 active members of the Pediatric Endocrine Society who were e-mailed the survey, 231 responded. Two hundred eight respondents reported switching a patient's regimen from one rhGH product to another, and of these, 50% experienced repeated switches. Switches occurred for each commercially available rhGH brand. Frequent concerns noted by res...
Dosimetric changes resulting from patient rotational setup errors in proton therapy prostate plans.

Purpose To evaluate the dose changes to the target and critical structures from rotational setup errors in prostate cancer patients treated with proton therapy. Methods and Materials A total of 70 plans were analyzed for 10 patients treated with parallel-opposed proton beams to a dose of 7,600 60 Co-cGy-equivalent (CcGE) in 200 CcGE fractions to the clinical target volume ( i.e., prostate and proximal seminal vesicles). Rotational setup errors of +3°, −3°, +5°, and −5° (to simulate pelvic tilt) were generated by adjusting the gantry. Horizontal couch shifts of +3° and −3° (to simulate longitudinal setup variability) were also generated. Verification plans were recomputed, keeping the same treatment parameters as the control. Results All changes shown are for 38 fractions. The mean clinical target volume dose was 7,780 CcGE. The mean change in the clinical target volume dose in the worse case scenario for all shifts was 2 CcGE (absolute range in worst case scenario, 7,729–7,848 CcGE). The mean changes in the critical organ dose in the worst case scenario was 6 CcGE (bladder), 18 CcGE (rectum), 36 CcGE (anterior rectal wall), and 141 CcGE (femoral heads) for all plans. In general, the percentage of change in the worse case scenario for all shifts to the critical structures was Conclusion Patient rotational movements of 3° and 5° and horizontal couch shifts of 3° in prostate proton planning did not confer clinically significant dose changes to the target volumes or critical structures.
Classification and reconstruction of a heterogeneous set of electron microscopic images: a case study of GroEL-substrate complexes.

Abstract Image analysis methods were used to separate images of a large macromolecular complex, the chaperonin GroEL, in a preparation in which it is partially liganded to a nonnative protein substrate, glutamine synthetase. The relatively small difference (∼6%) in size between the chaperonin in its free and complexed forms, and the absence of gross changes in overall conformation, made separation of the two types of particles challenging. Different approaches were evaluated and used for alignment and classification of images, both in two common projections and in three dimensions, yielding 2D averages and a 3D reconstruction. The results of 3D analysis describe the conformational changes effected by binding of this particular protein substrate and demonstrate the utility of 2D analysis as an indicator of structural change in this system.
Clinical features of Chlamydia trachomatis rectal infection by serovar among homosexually active men.

Background and Objectives: Because C. trachomatis serovars correlate with the clinical manifestations of cervical infection, we undertook this study to determine whether clinical, behavioral, and laboratory findings correlate with C. trachomatis serovars isolated from rectal infections. Goal of This Study: To correlate C. trachomatis serovar with signs and symptoms of rectal infection. Study Design: A cross-sectional study of 454 men with rectal C. trachomatis infection attending an urban sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic was undertaken. Isolates were thawed, passaged to high titer, and typed using a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Compared to men infected with B complex isolates (164), men with C complex isolates (55) were less likely to report symptoms (OR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.1-0.8), or to have erythema, bleeding, or mucopus (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-0.8). Among men with inclusion counts of more than 100, those infected with FG group versus B complex isolates were more likely to present with mucopus (OR: 10.5; 95% CI: 1.2-95.5), more than 15 polymorphonuclear leukocytes (OR: 19.2; 95% CI: 1.7-219.8), and proctitis (OR: 4.2; 95% CI: 1.1-16.7). Conclusion: Signs and symptoms of rectal infection correlate with the serovar of C. trachomatis isolates.
A Comparison of Methods for the Study of Platelet Hyperfunction in Thrornboembolic Disorders

To gain insight into the interrelationship of various methods for the study of platelet hyperfunction, we compared plasma beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG), circulating platelet aggregates (CPA), and ADP-induced platelet aggregation in 119 patients with thromboembolic disorders and 28 control subjects. CPA correlated fairly well with beta-TG, suggesting that both methods measure similar in vivo platelet activation and aggregation. CPA had an excellent correlation with platelet survival half-time. In contrast, there was a poor correlation between in vitro platelet aggregation and CPA or beta-TG. These results confirm the notion that both CPA and beta-TG procedures are suitable for determination of in vivo platelet activation whereas platelet aggregation technique has serious limitations to test in vivo platelet activity. In order to have an accurate assessment of platelet hyperfunction, a battery of tests are needed.