cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasmonic structures fabricated via nanomasking sub-10 nm lithography technique

Making use of a newly established nanomasking technique, nanoscale features (sub-10 nm) have been fabricated with the potential to act as plasmonic enhancement structures. The technique makes use of a two-step lithography process to simultaneously produce many plasmonic hotspots with two-dimensional features over a large area, showing promise for mass production scalability. This technique is highly reproducible, reliably patterning multiple nanostructures and nanogaps over a potentially wafer-scale area without significantly increasing the number of steps required. Fabrication results show promise for scalability towards applications such as biosensing, photovoltaics, and enhanced spectroscopies.
Abstract T P24: Neurointervention for Acute Ischemic Stroke Caused by Carotid Dissection

Introduction: Data related to the treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by carotid artery dissection is scarce. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our interventional stroke database Sep 2010 - Jan 2014 to investigate the clinical and radiological characteristics of patients presenting with tandem cervical and intracranial occlusions due to cervical carotid dissection. Results: Out of 504 consecutive patients treated with endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke during the study period, 12 (2.5%) patients were observed to have cervical carotid artery dissection as the underlying etiology. Mean age was 56±13 years, 75% were male, 50% received IV t-PA, mean NIHSS was 20±5, 75% had CT ASPECTS≥7, and mean time from last known normal to groin puncture was 6±3 hours. There were 4 MCA M1, 1 MCA M2 and 7 ICA-T occlusions. Extracranial carotid stent was used in 58% and angioplasty in 8% of cases. In 33% of the cases, the carotid dissection was not stented due to the fear of hemorrhagic tra...
Increased expression and secretion of recombinant alpha-amylase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by using glycerol as the carbon source.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed with plasmids containing the barley α-amylase gene was cultured, and enzyme activity and cell density were monitored at various time intervals. Proteins in yeast extract and culture medium were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE).4 Western blots of intra- and extracellular proteins were sequentially probed with anti-amylase antibody and anti-rabbit horseradish peroxidase conjugate, followed by chemiluminescent detection. The enzyme activity of recombinant barley α-amylase secreted by the yeast clone DY150[pYEX-Amy1] showed a significant increase when the culture medium included glycerol as the carbon source. The enhancement reached a 4.5-fold increase at 120 hr, and the effect was strain-nonspecific. Intra- and extracellular proteins increased significantly with time in both the yeast clone and the control grown in YEPG (2% yeast extract, 1% bacto-peptone, 2% glycerol). Proteins in YEPD (2% yeast extract, 1% bacto-peptone, 2% glucose) and YEPG cultures showed very different band patterns, indicating that the metabolic pathway was altered. Western blot analysis indicated that the recombinant amylase accumulated inside yeast cells, at a relatively low level, compared with that in the culture medium. The transcript level of the α-amylase gene was significantly increased in the clone cultured in YEPG. This investigation demonstrates that the use of glycerol as a carbon source for S. cerevisiae enhances the synthesis and secretion of the recombinant enzyme while suppressing cell growth.
Effects of Type 1 Diabetes-Associated IFIH1 Polymorphisms on MDA5 Function and Expression

Recent evidence has highlighted the role of the innate immune system in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis. Specifically, aberrant activation of the interferon response prior to seroconversion of T1D-associated autoantibodies supports a role for the interferon response as a precipitating event toward activation of autoimmunity. Melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), encoded by IFIH1, mediates the innate immune system’s interferon response to certain viral species that form double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), the MDA5 ligand, during their life cycle. Extensive research has associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the coding region of IFIH1 with T1D. This review discusses the different risk and protective IFIH1 alleles in the context of recent structural and functional analysis that relate to MDA5 regulation of interferon responses. These studies have provided a functional hypothesis for IFIH1 T1D-associated SNPs’ effects on MDA5-mediated interferon responses as well as supporting the genome-wide association (GWA) studies that first associated IFIH1 with T1D.
Pseudo-continuous hidden Markov modeling for automatic speech recognition

The methods explored try to eliminate apparent framing artifacts by allowing variable rates in sampling the speech parameters. Traditional hidden Markov model speech recognition is generally based on a set of parameters which are extracted at discrete intervals. Such an analysis necessitates use of a discrete-transition hidden Markov model in which the underlying states can change only at intervals related to the frame rate of the analysis. The exact locations of the analysis windows can influence the front-end outputs. As a result, inconsistent performance can often be observed in discriminating words which differ only in short duration cues. Methods are explored which circumvent this framing effect by allowing state transitions to occur at each sample. Efficient methods for implementing this strategy are derived, and experimental results are presented, showing the superior performance of the pseudo-continuous transitions hidden Markov models compared to that of conventional discrete transition hidden Markov models. >
Linkages between professionalization and professionalism among police chiefs

Abstract A large of research has examined the impact of the police professions movement. The present study evaluated two ideas commonly treated as alternate conceptualizations of the reform movement— professionalization and professionalism. Data were derived from the questionnaire responses of 574 of 771 (74.4 percent) Illinois police chiefs. Police chiefs' responses to three professionalism subscales were utilized to operationalize professionalism. The relationship between professionalization and professionalism was found to resemble a “loosely coupled system,” and role-adjustment characteristics were found to have the greatest influence on chiefs' professionalism.
MyOSG: a user-centric information resource for OSG infrastructure data sources

The Open Science Grid (OSG) is made up of researchers from several scientific domains that contribute hardware and software resources through Virtual Organizations (VOs). These VOs have developed a plethora of tools that have been found useful to members of the OSG. Unfortunately it is hard for everyone in the OSG community to keep up with all the tools, and their accessibility; Similarly OSG support staff and resource administrators have been known to have a hard time debugging an issue related to a reported issue because of the distributed nature of various tools; Additionally, new collaborators have repeatedly complained that most of the tools on the OSG are hard to discover; and even after they discover a tool, the interface is not uniform, and requires them to learn a new interface and its data format. MyOSG addresses these concerns: The primary idea is to use an authoritative source of information about OSG entities as a backbone, and organize data from different tools around this backbone to create a web portal. Further, MyOSG provides the ability for users to export / subscribe to a variety of information in formats such as XML, UWA -- an industry standard widget format, iCal -- for calendar type information, and others. This enables a user to construct Individual Information Centers (IIC) on tools such as iGoogle, Netvibes, Opera Widgets, and on mobile devices such as iPhone, etc. In summary, MyOSG is a highly customizable web portal that allows vastly different categories of users to access information they find important to their role in a format that is convenient to them.
A review of sutures and other skin closure materials

More than ever, dermatologic surgeons are faced with a multitude of suture and other closure materials when evaluating a surgical wound. Given there is no single material that is ideal for all situations, the physician must decide which material is best suited for that particular closure. This review seeks to summarize the major properties of common suture materials as well as other closure materials including adhesive tapes, glues and staples.
Histochemistry of glycogen in the inner ear.

The effect of fixation and processing upon the morphological appearance of glycogen within the outer hair cells of the guinea-pig was investigated using two methods. In each method, tissue was fixed for 12 h in cold phosphate-buffered 4% paraformaldehyde and eventually dehydrated in ethanol, embedded in Epon 812, and cut into 4 μm sections. In procedure A, after complete processing, the sections were tained using the periodic acid-Schiff reaction (PAS) or the periodic acid-thiocarbo-hydrazide-osmium tetroxide (PATCO) reaction which resulted in the appearance of listinct, coarse granules in the cytoplasm of the outer hair cells. Diastase digestion on one of the two matched sections after Epon removal and prior to staining, confirmed the granules to be glycogen. In procedure B, after primary fixation, the tissue was post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide and then processed exactly as in procedure A. Here, unless the Epon and osmium was ‘remoyed’, there was no staining of the outer hair cell cytoplasm. However, after Epon removal there was diffuse, grainy appearance of the outer hair cell cytoplasm which we considered to be due to glycogen although diastase confirmation was not possible. We have concluded that osmium tetroxide (1) inhibits PAS or PATCO staining, (2) prevents diastase digestion, and (3) prevents the appearance by light microscopy of distinct granules of glycogen.
Spatial distribution of histone methylation during MHC class II expression.

Abstract We have previously reported that Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II can be induced by histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) in the absence of class II transactivator (CIITA). Here we characterized the histone modifications associated with the CIITA-dependent (IFN-γ induced) and -independent (HDACi induced) MHC class II expression. We demonstrate that both IFN-γ and HDACi induced MHC class II expression exhibited enhanced histone H3, H4 acetylation and H3K4me3 at the MHC class II promoter while H3K9me3 was decreased. In contrast, high levels of H3K36me3 were detected at exons 3 and 5 but not at the promoter or the locus control region (LCR). Interestingly, high levels of H3K79me2 were only detected at the promoter and exon 3 of the B cell lines while the level remained low and unchanged despite active MHC class II expression induced by either IFN-γ or HDACi treatment. Constitutive expression of the CIITA protein by stable transfection of a CIITA deficient B cell line restored the H3K79me2 to a level comparable to its cell of origin. This data demonstrates that, although regulated by different pathways, both IFN-γ and HDACi treatments resulted in similar patterns of histone modifications and that HDACi induce both histone methylation and acetylation. In addition, the different spatial distribution of the lysine methylation markers along the gene suggests that these modifications play a distinctive role during different phases of the transcription process.
Capillary electrophoresis of the scrapie prion protein from sheep brain

Scrapie in sheep and goats causes a progressive, degenerative disease of the central nervous system and is the prototype of other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) found in humans and in animals. In samples of TSE-affected brains, unique rod-shaped structures are found and are infectious. These rods are composed of a protease-resistant, post-translationally modified cellular protein (PrPsc) that has a molecular mass of ca. 27,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Laboratory tests used for the diagnosis of scrapie detect PrPsc. The overall concentration of PrPsc in tissues is low. The present methods to diagnose scrapie are lengthy, require relatively large quantities of starting material to detect PrPsc and lack sensitivity. We explored the use of free zone capillary electrophoresis and immunocomplex formation to detect PrPsc in the brain tissue of infected sheep. Brain tissue from both infected (as confirmed by histological and biological tests) and from normal animals was used to prepare the PrPsc. After treatment with proteinase K and non-ionic detergents, PrPsc was solubilized and reacted with a rabbit antiserum specific for a peptide of the prion protein. Immunocomplex formation was observed for the samples from scrapie-infected brain but not for samples from normal brain. When a fluorescein-labeled goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin was used as a second antibody, the detection of immunocomplex formation was enhanced both by the immunological technique and by using laser-induced fluorescence for detection. This same rabbit antiserum was used on immunoblot analysis. Three bands were observed for material from an infected sheep but none in preparations from brain material from normal sheep.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
TDR-like low-frequency circuit test and characterization system for package and module interconnects utilizing transient thermal signals

A measurement system being developed for noncontact, nondestructive evaluation of package and module interconnects will be discussed. The system is capable of detecting interconnect faults in packages and module substrate layers. Low frequency impedance profiles of interconnects are also extracted. The potential advantages of this system over TDR systems result from the utilization of thermal signals obtained with an IR camera. Hence, they are noncontact measurements (requiring no probe fixtures) that are electrically passive and locally isolated even in an intact circuit. The main disadvantage of this testing method is that the interconnect under test must be planner with the traces exposed and visible to the camera. Therefore, in multilayer substrate structures, this method requires the testing to be conducted separately for each layer prior to assembly during substrate manufacture.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Comprehension of role reversal in chimpanzees: Evidence of empathy?

Four chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, were individually trained to cooperate with a human partner on a task that allowed both participants to obtain food rewards. In each chimpanzee-human dyad, one of the participants (the informant) could see which pair of food trays on a four-choice apparatus was baited, but had no means of obtaining it. The other participant (the operator) could pull one of four handles to bring a pair of the trays within reach of both participants, but could not see which choice was correct. Two of the chimpanzees were initially trained as informants and adopted spontaneous gestures to indicate the location of the food. The two other chimpanzees were trained as operators and learned to respond to the pointing of their human partner. After the chimpanzee subjects reached near perfect performance, the roles in each chimpanzee-human dyad were reversed. Three of the four chimpanzees showed immediate evidence of comprehension of their new social role. The results are discussed in the context of cognitive empathy and the potential for future research on social attribution in non-human primates.
Microstructure, dangling bonds and impurities in activated carbons

Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), magnetometry, electron spin resonance (ESR) and Raman spectroscopy are used to investigate three activated PICA carbons (viz. GX203, P1400, Med 50) with surface areas of 1000, 1150 and 2000 m2/g, respectively. Although WAXD showed the absence of any minerals in these carbons, temperature and magnetic field variations of the magnetization shows significant magnetic impurities with concentrations in the order GX203>Med 50>P1400. Analysis of WAXD and Raman spectra shows these carbons to consist of graphitic crystallites with La≃30 A and Lc≃10 A. All three carbons give an ESR line due to dangling bonds with g=2.0028(3) but the linewidth ΔH and the spin concentration Ns are strongly affected by air/oxygen. The linewidths are reduced from ΔH∼4 Oe for the as-received samples to ΔH∼1.2 Oe for the evacuated samples. The Ns values are enhanced upon evacuation, with the enhancement factors of about 40, 130 and 670 for GX203, P1400 and Med 50 respectively, correlating well with the increase in the relative surface areas of these carbons. Magnetization studies using a SQUID magnetometer show that below about 30 K, all three carbons yield Curie-law variations with Ns∼1019/gram, in good agreement with the Ns values obtained from the room temperature ESR studies on evacuated samples.
Asymptotic Speed-Ups in Constructive Solid Geometry

We convert constructive solid geometry input to explicit representations of polygons, polyhedra, or more generallyd-dimensional polyhedra, in time and space 0(nd), improving a previous0(nd logn) time bound. We then show that any Boolean formula can be preprocessed in time0(n log n/log logn) and linear space so that the value of the formula can be maintained, as variables are changed one by one, in time O(log n/log logn) per change; this speeds up certain output-sensitive algorithms for constructive solid geometry.
Sensorimotor assessment of the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine mouse model of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by marked impairments in motor function caused by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Animal models of PD have traditionally been based on toxins, such as 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), that selectively lesion dopaminergic neurons. Motor impairments from 6-OHDA lesions of SNc neurons are well characterized in rats, but much less work has been done in mice. In this study, we compare the effectiveness of a series of drug-free behavioral tests in assessing sensorimotor impairments in the unilateral 6-OHDA mouse model, including six tests used for the first time in this PD mouse model (the automated treadmill "DigiGait" test, the challenging beam test, the adhesive removal test, the pole test, the adjusting steps test, and the test of spontaneous activity) and two tests used previously in 6-OHDA-lesioned mice (the limb-use asymmetry "cylinder" test and the manual gait test). We demonstrate that the limb-use asymmetry, challenging beam, pole, adjusting steps, and spontaneous activity tests are all highly robust assays for detecting sensorimotor impairments in the 6-OHDA mouse model. We also discuss the use of the behavioral tests for specific experimental objectives, such as simple screening for well-lesioned mice in studies of PD cellular pathophysiology or comprehensive behavioral analysis in preclinical therapeutic testing using a battery of sensorimotor tests.
The effect of 4-amino-5-imidazolecarboxamide on the incorporation of purines into liver nucleic acids of the mouse.

Abstract In investigations in which guanine- 14 C was injected into mice, the relative specific activities of the guanine fractions isolated from liver nucleic acids were increased approximately five-fold when 4-amino-5-imidazolecarboxamide (AIC) was co-administered. It was concluded that AIC inhibited guanase, thus blocking the catabolism of guanine. The potentiation of 8-azaguanine actions by AIC previously reported is apparently caused by inhibition of the same enzyme. No significant effect of AIC on the metabolism of adenine- 14 C was observed.
A model for the design and implementation of a participant recruitment registry for clinical studies of older adults

Background The identification and enlistment of suitable participants into clinical studies is often challenging, requiring a large commitment of time and staff resources. The recruitment and retention of populations typically underrepresented in research present additional challenges to enrollment of sufficient numbers of participants in clinical studies. Inadequate participation may undermine the pace and direction of new treatment discoveries.Purpose Registries of potential research participants are powerful tools to support research by providing a framework to streamline screening and recruitment and to maintain a communication history with potential research participants. The authors present a model for the development and implementation of a web-based database system to support recruitment, enrollment, and retention of potential study participants in close alignment with the goals of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC).Methods The required data elements and major information dom...
Self-ownership and disgust: why compulsory body part redistribution gets under our skin

The self-ownership thesis asserts, roughly, that agents own their minds and bodies in the same way that they can own extra-personal property. One common strategy for defending the self-ownership thesis is to show that it accords with our intuitions about the wrongness of various acts involving the expropriation of body parts (e.g., Robert Nozick’s case of compulsory eyeball redistribution and Judith Jarvis Thomson’s Violinist). We challenge this line of defense. We argue that disgust explains our resistance to these sorts of cases and present results from an original psychological experiment in support of this hypothesis. We argue further that learning that disgust is responsible for pro-self-ownership intuitions should reduce our confidence in those intuitions. After considering and rejecting some prominent “debunking” arguments predicated on disgust’s evolutionary history, we provide alternative reasons for thinking that disgust is not a reliable source of moral judgments. Rejecting the reliability of disgust as a mechanism for producing moral beliefs coheres with our considered judgments about (1) the general kinds of considerations that are morally relevant and (2) a range of particular moral problems.
A theoretical and experimental examination of fluorescence in enclosed cavities

Photosensitizer fluorescence emitted during photodynamic therapy (PDT) is of interest for monitoring the local concentration of the photosensitizer and its photobleaching. In this study, we use Monte Carlo (MC) simulations to evaluate the relationship between treatment light and fluorescence, both collected by an isotropic detector placed on the surface of the tissue. In treatment of the thoracic and peritoneal cavities, the light source position changes continually. The MC program is designed to simulate an infinitely broad photon beam incident on the tissue at various angles to determine the effect of angle. For each of the absorbed photons, a fixed number of fluorescence photons are generated and traced. The theoretical results from the MC simulation show that the angle theta has little effect on both the measured fluorescence and the ratio of fluorescence to diffuse reflectance. However, changes in the absorption and scattering coefficients, μa and μ's do cause the fluorescence and ratio to change, indicating that a correction for optical properties will be needed for absolute fluorescence quantification. Experiments in tissue-simulating phantoms confirm that an empirical correction can accurately recover the sensitizer concentration over a physiologically relevant range of optical properties.
A mechanistic and structural analysis of the basis for high enantioselectivity in the oxazaborolidine-catalyzed reduction of trihalomethyl ketones by catecholborane

Abstract The rates and enantioselectivities of the reduction of a series of trihalomethyl ketones under catalysis by oxazaborolidine 2 can be explained in terms of structural and mechanistic analyses which are detailed herein and which have predictive value.
Reactivity ratios of vinyl 2-chloroethyl ether in cationic copolymerization with vinyl alkyl ethers and para-substituted α-methylstyrenes

Reactivity ratios have been determined for vinyl 2-chloroethyl ether (M2) and vinyl isobutyl ether, vinyl octadecyl ether, α-methylstyrene, p-methyl-α-methylstyrene and p-methoxy-α-methylstyrene in a stannic chloride-initiated polymerization system.
Melanin, afrocentricity, and pseudoscience

A component of the Afrocentric movement has incorporated a theory that black people, including ancient Egyptians, have superior mental, physical, and paranormal powers because they have more melanin both in their skin and in their brains. By extension it is also claimed that black people have more melatonin and β-MSH in their systems and that these compounds also contribute to the superiority of people of color over whites. In this paper, these claims are detailed and refuted. A review of the genetics and biochemistry of human pigmentation shows that all humans have similar amounts of neuromelanin (brain melanin), and that its concentration is absolutely independent of skin color; that adult humans do not synthesize β-MSH; and that human melatonin has no clearly demonstrable physiological function and no relationship to skin color. “Melanists” also distort human evolution by claiming that European whites are descendants of negroid albinos. The main problems posed by this ideological movement are that it will increase the already rampant scientific illiteracy in this country, it will contribute to further widening the gap between the races, and, most importantly, it is being introduced into the public school curriculum under the guise of multicultural education. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Chemosensory responses to mixtures: a model based on composition of receptor cell types.

Previous mixture models have assumed that members of a population of chemoreceptor cells are homogeneous in type, i.e., with either single shared or multiple independent receptor sites. In reality, many chemosensory systems actually consist of a heterogeneous population of receptor cells, consisting of both highly specific cells as well as more broadly and variably tuned cells. A mixed receptor composition model for binary mixtures is described which can be applied to chemosensory systems with heterogeneous receptor cell compositions. The model incorporates information on a) the number of receptor sites/transduction processes per cell, b) the specificity of receptor cells, and c) the contribution of the magnitude of response of each receptor cell to the overall response magnitude of the population of all receptor cells. The predictions of this model can be compared to behavioral responses of animals towards binary mixtures, or at any level of sensory processing which involves the input of the receptor cell population, in order to detect possible mixture interactions.
Friction and Wear of Silicon Nitride Lubricated by Humid Air, Water, Hexadecane and Hexadecane + 0.5 Percent Stearic Acid

Friction and wear of hot-pressed Si3N4 sliding on itself at low velocity (1 mm/s) were measured at room temperature in humid air, water, pure hexadecane and in hexadecane with 0.5 percent stearic acid. The friction coefficients in air and water are 0.75 and 0.65, respectively. In hexadecane with stearic acid, the friction coefficient is 0.1, somewhat higher than for metals. In pure hexadecane, the friction coefficient is 0.12, much lower than for metals, suggesting strong adsorption of the hydrocarbon. The wear rate is approximately constant k = 5 × 10−11 kg/Nm in humid air and water. It is much lower in hydrocarbon lubricants and varies with (sliding distance)2/3 in dexadecane and with (sliding distance)1/3 with stearic acid. A tribochemical reaction occurs between silicon nitride and water in all four environments; in the hydrocarbons the reaction is with water dissolved in the fluids. Presented as an American Society of Lubrication Engineers paper at the ASME/ASLE Tribology Conference in Pittsburgh, Pe...
How Do Psychology Researchers Find Studies to Include in Meta-Analyses?

Abstract Meta-analysis is a technique used in a variety of disciplines to combine and summarize the findings of previous research. One step in the production of a meta-analysis is a thorough literature search for relevant studies. A variety of methods can be used to increase the number of studies that are found. This study examines the extent to which some of these steps were taken in meta-analyses published in American Psychological Association journals in 2004. Some techniques were applied in almost all of the meta-analyses, and other techniques were applied in few of the meta-analyses. Implications of these results for librarians are discussed.
Usage modeling through sequence enumeration for automated statistical testing of a GUI application

Markov chain usage-based statistical testing has been an effective means in the economical production of high quality software that also provides credible evidence to support its dependability. Sequence-based specification is a rigorous specification method that derives a formal system model from informal functional requirements, which can be used as a formal method to construct a Markov chain usage model for statistical testing. This paper demonstrates a case study in which we apply these two methods in conjunction with supporting tools towards fully automated statistical testing of a GUI application. Preliminary results are promising.
Influence of formulation methods on the in vitro controlled release of protein from poly (ester) microspheres

Abstract Poly ( dl -lactide/glycolide, 50:50) microspheres containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) were pre-pared with and without Carbopol® 951 (a potential adjuvant agent) by o/o, o/w and (w/o) /w emul-sion methods. The protein loading of the microspheres reached 50%–70% of the theoretical amount of protein put into the formulation medium. The microsphere particle size was approximately 500 μm, 25–100μm, 10–20/nn using o/o, o/w, or (w/o)/w emulsion techniques, respectively. The release of BSA was dependent on the preparation method. The greatest burst of release was found for vacuum-dried microspheres formulated using the (w/o)/w method. This burst effect could be eliminated by lyophilizing the microspheres following their preparation. BSA was released at a higher initial rate from microspheres prepared by the o/w emulsion method that contained Carbopol® 951 than from micro-spheres not containing Carbopol® 951. Release studies also suggested that the release of BSA could be sustained for 54, 36, or 34 days for microspheres prepared by o/o, o/w, or (w/o)/w methods, respectively.
Perioperative psychosocial interventions for autistic children undergoing ENT surgery

Tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy is one of the most frequently performed operations in the United States. It is therefore likely that pediatric ENG surgeons will encounter autistic and developmentally delayed children in routine practice. Autistic children differ from normal children in that they exhibit severe deficits in language and social functioning; abnormal reaction to stimuli such as light, sound, touch, and pain; attachments to particular unusual objects and rigidly stereotyped routines. They are often mentally retarded. With the increasing importance of managed care and continuous quality improvement, knowledge of how to manage the operative course of such children is crucial for the practising surgeon. Based on research and clinical knowledge of these children, certain psychosocial and medical interventions are presented which may improve the operative course of this population. Using the parent as a consultant; decreasing separation from familiar caretakers, objects, and routines; pre-operative role-playing; tailoring anesthetic induction; and using post-operative distractors are suggested techniques.
Rodalquilarite Revisited: The Hydrothermal Synthesis and Structural Reinvestigation of H3Fe2(TeO3)4Cl

The known mineral rodalquilarite, H{sub 3}Fe{sub 2}(TeO{sub 3}){sub 4}Cl, was obtained as high quality single crystals via hydrothermal reactions. This material crystallizes in the triclinic space group P{bar 1}, with cell constants of a = 5.103(2) {angstrom}, b = 6.653(2) {angstrom}, c = 9.012(3) {angstrom}, {alpha} = 73.40(2){degree}, {beta} = 78.03(2), {gamma} = 76.76(2), V = 282.1(2) {angstrom}{sup 3} and was obtained from an NH{sub 4}Cl solution that was heated at 375 C for 4 days. A detailed structural characterization was performed (R = 0.039, R{sub w} = 0.050) and showed that this material is based on layers consisting of edge-sharing FeO{sub 6} octahedra which are interconnected by TeO{sub 3} pyramids which are completed by the presence of a terminal hydrogen atom. Additionally, a second set of TeO{sub 3} pyramids attached to the FeO{sub 6} octahedra are linked across the layers by a shared hydrogen atom. The layers are held together only through these O-H-O interactions and additional weak Te-Cl interactions. In this study, the authors compare this structure to a previous report of rodalquilarite and a reported triclinic form of Fe{sub 2}Te{sub 4}O{sub 11}, which may have been misidentified and is also the title compound. In addition, they havemore » obtained the band gap of this material by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and find it to be a wide band gap (E{sub g} = 2.51 eV) material. The DC magnetic susceptibility was also obtained and showed that the title compound is antiferromagnetic with a T{sub N} of 29 K.« less
Angiogenesis A Harmonized Target for Recovery After Stroke

It is now appreciated that emerging therapeutic strategies for recovery must include the cerebral vasculature and that induction of angiogenesis will stimulate endogenous recovery mechanisms, including neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and neuronal and synaptic plasticity. These events are all involved in the long-term repair and restoration process of the brain after an ischemic event. Several recent excellent reviews provided detailed information on the mechanisms and molecular targets for angiogenesis after stroke.1,2 The purpose of this review is to evaluate the evidence that angiogenesis is a target for recovery after an ischemic stroke. ### Angiogenic Response to Ischemic Brain Injury: A Multipurpose Pathway Early reports of increased angiogenesis in the ischemic border zone of human brain autopsy sections,3 which was decreased in patients of advanced age,4 led to interest in the time course and impact of this phenomenon on functional recovery. It is clear that angiogenesis genes are upregulated within minutes of the onset of cerebral ischemia in rodents5 and angiogenic proteins remain increased in the area of ischemia for days to weeks.6 It is unclear, however, whether the angiogenic response leads to the development of functional new blood vessels that improve brain function after stroke. Clinical and experimental studies in other vascular beds have emphasized the potential for adverse consequences related to neovascularization.7,8 In the diabetic retina, for example, pathological angiogenesis results in hemorrhage, edema, and, ultimately, blindness.9 In the brain, pathological angiogenesis is implicated in the development of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.10 The correlation between angiogenesis and improved functional outcome after ischemic stroke remains and is seen in both animal models and in human patients with stroke.5,11–13 It is likely that the “proangiogenic state,” induced in response to an ischemic insult, has multiple purposes in the hours to weeks after the injury (Figure). First, the …
A new finite element for laminated composite beams

Abstract A new finite element model which can be used for laminated composite beams is derived. The model includes separate rotational degrees of freedom for each lamina but does not require additional axial or transverse degrees of freedom beyond those necessary for a single lamina. The shape functions ensure compatibility between laminae. Shear deformation is included but not interfacial slip or delamination. The element can be used even for short beams with many laminae. Numerical results are compared with those of other theoretical and experimental investigations.
Parliament and Political Support in Canada

Legislatures are widely recognized as institutional embodiments of the concept of representation in contemporary liberal democracies, but how support for legislatures and evaluations of their members's activities influence support for national political regimes and communities is imperfectly understood. This article investigates the question with the use of data from a 1979 national survey of the Canadian public. Analyses of a model of support demonstrate that feelings about parliament and assessments of MPs' performance have significant effects on levels of support for the national political community and regime. Other important variables include cost-benefit evaluations of the personal impact of governmental activity, more general evaluations of governmental performance, and subcultural variations in political socialization.
Streamlined microwave-assisted preparation of narrow-bandgap conjugated polymers for high-performance bulk heterojunction solar cells

The most efficient plastic solar cells comprise a blend of conjugated polymer and a suitable electron acceptor, typically a fullerene derivative. Therefore narrow-bandgap conjugated polymers are currently sought for the fabrication of such devices. A significant challenge is being able to predict device function and performance from consideration of the molecular connectivity and dimensions of the partners within the active layer. Improved chemical syntheses are therefore required to make structurally varied polymers and enable the delineation of structure–function relationships with the aim of improving power conversion efficiencies. Here, we demonstrate that microwave heating in combination with the screening of comonomer reactant ratios can be used to obtain donor–acceptor copolymers with high average molecular weights and properties that make them suitable for solar cell incorporation. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of high molecular weight and the contribution of solubilizing side groups in determining the final device properties.
Sampling of disease biomarkers from skin for theranostic applications

Dermatological diseases including psoriasis, eczema, infections, and cancer collectively constitute a large category of human conditions. The large area and ease of access of skin open excellent opportunities for theranostic applications, that is, diagnosis as well as therapy of the disease. Such applications can be based on evaluation of skin’s molecular composition in terms of proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules. Currently, however, such molecular information is not used in clinical practice. To bring this molecular information to routine clinical dermatology, it is essential to develop convenient and minimally invasive methods for rapid sampling molecules from skin. Here, we demonstrate an ultrasonic sampling technique that can recover a wide variety of biomolecules from skin in a minimally invasive manner. We show that ultrasound can retrieve nearly all major tissue constituents, including structural and functional proteins (cytokines, keratins, etc.), lipids (polar and non-polar lipids), and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). Comparative analyses of skin’s molecular constituents obtained by ultrasonic sampling and skin homogenate showed high resemblance between the two biomolecular profiles, enabling us to build a unique molecular signature of skin. Using different mouse models of dermatological conditions, the ultrasonic analysis for changes in the molecular composition of skin confirmed specific regulation of several established biomarkers.
Circumscribed choroidal hemangioma: characteristic features with indocyanine green videoangiography.

Abstract Objective To determine the characteristic features of indocyanine green videoangiography (ICG-V) of circumscribed choroidal hemangioma. Design Prospective, observational case series. Participants Twenty-five eyes of 25 consecutive patients with circumscribed choroidal hemangioma. Intervention Indocyanine green videoangiography and intravenous fluorescein angiography (IVFA) were prospectively performed and reviewed. The specific features on ICG-V were compared with features of IVFA. Main outcome measures The behavior of circumscribed choroidal hemangioma cases was observed with ICG-V and IVFA. Results On ICG-V, earliest hyperfluorescence of circumscribed choroidal hemangioma was achieved at a mean of 27.6 seconds (range, 13–62 seconds), whereas maximum hyperfluorescence occurred at 222 seconds (range, 33–707 seconds). In the late frames, all eyes demonstrated a relative decrease in fluorescence, including 18 eyes (72%) that demonstrated "washout" of the dye. Other findings on ICG-V included intrinsic vessels in 19 eyes (76%), a late hyperfluorescent rim in 19 eyes (76%), and late frame hot spots in 14 eyes (56%). On IVFA, the earliest hyperfluorescence was achieved at a mean of 24 seconds (range, 10–66 seconds), whereas maximum hyperfluorescence occurred at a mean of 76.3 seconds (range, 21–720 seconds). Increasing hyperfluorescence in the late frames was found in all cases. Other findings included intrinsic vessels in 12 eyes (48%) and hot spots in the late frames in 9 eyes (36%). Conclusions Circumscribed choroidal hemangioma have specific characteristics on ICG-V that are not visualized with IVFA. We believe that ICG-V may become an important noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of choroidal hemangioma.
Video BenchLab: an open platform for realistic benchmarking of streaming media workloads

In this paper, we present an open, flexible and realistic benchmarking platform named Video BenchLab to measure the performance of streaming media workloads. While Video BenchLab can be used with any existing media server, we provide a set of tools for researchers to experiment with their own platform and protocols. The components include a MediaDrop video server, a suite of tools to bulk insert videos and generate streaming media workloads, a dataset of freely available video and a client runtime to replay videos in the native video players of real Web browsers such as Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer. We define simple metrics that are able to capture the quality of video playback and identify issues that can happen during video replay. Finally, we provide a Dashboard to manage experiments, collect results and perform analytics to compare performance between experiments.We present a series of experiments with Video BenchLab to illustrate how the video specific metrics can be used to measure the user perceived experience in real browsers when streaming videos. We also show Internet scale experiments by deploying clients in data centers distributed all over the globe. All the software, datasets, workloads and results used in this paper are made freely available on SourceForge for anyone to reuse and expand.
A note on Compton scattering

Calculations are presented on the energy exchange between free electrons and electromagnetic radiation. The full Klein-Nishina cross section is used in evaluating average scattering coefficients for an electron moving with arbitrary velocity. A number of useful series expansions for the mean energy and mean square energy transfer rates are presented. A Fokker-Planck equation that includes induced scattering is used in deriving a generalized diffusion equation in frequency for multiple scattering of photons of nonrelativistic electrons. The relationship of the Klein-Nishina cross section to that of classical electromagnetic radiation theory is elucidated.
Time-averaged spectroheliograms

The great improvement in signal-to-noise as a result of time-averaging a sequence of λ 6103-core spectroheliograms is shown. It is suggested that such a technique should greatly enhance the network seen on filtergrams made with the 3840 A violet filter (Chapman, 1970). Finally, the evolution of a sunspot, observed with time-lapse spectroheliograms is discussed.
Atp hydrolysis and electron transfer in the nitrogenase reaction with different combinations of the iron protein and the molybdenum-iron protein

Abstract Purified iron protein (Fe protein) and molybdenum-iron protein (Mo-Fe protein) of nitrogenase from Clostridium pasteurianum were used for studies of ATP hydrolysis and electron transfer in the nitrogenase reaction. Total electron transfer was determined by measuring dithionite oxidation spectrophotometrically. Comparison with manometric determination of H2 evolution showed that dithionite serves as a two electron donor. The studies of different combinations of the Fe protein and the Mo-Fe protein showed that excess Mo-Fe protein inhibited electron transfer but not ATP hydrolysis, whereas excess Fe protein did not inhibit either reaction. The ATP:2 electron ratios ranged from around 4 with excess Fe protein to more than 20 with excess Mo-Fe protein. With relatively low levels of Mo-Fe protein, reductant-independent ATP hydrolysis was around 6% of the reductant-dependent value, and with a large excess of Mo-Fe protein it increased to about 10%. We conclude that because the ATP:2 electron ratio varies with experimental conditions, no single value can be ascribed to this ratio.
Hypothalamic stimulation facilitates contralateral visual control of a learned response

Rats that ate during hypothalamic stimulation were trained to press a lever for food only while receiving light signals from head-mounted lights. During stimulation, they pressed if the signal was visible to the eye contralateral to the electrode, but ignored the signal if it was visible only to the ipsilateral eye.
Intranodal Administration of Peptide-Pulsed Mature Dendritic Cell Vaccines Results in Superior CD8+ T-Cell Function in Melanoma Patients

Purpose: We evaluated the feasibility, safety, and immunogenicity of mature, peptide-pulsed dendritic cell (DC) vaccines administered by different routes. Patients and Methods: We performed a randomized, phase I, dose-escalation study in 27 patients with metastatic melanoma receiving four autologous peptide-pulsed DC vaccinations. Patients were randomly assigned to an intravenous (IV), intranodal (IN), or intradermal (ID) route of administration (ROA). For each route, primary end points were dose-limiting toxicity, maximum-tolerated dose, and T-cell sensitization. Sensitization was evaluated through tetramer staining, in vitro peptide recognition assays, and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses. Results: Twenty-two (81.5%) of 27 patients completed all four vaccinations. Vaccinations were well tolerated; a few patients exhibited grade 1 to 2 toxicities including rash, fever, and injection site reaction. All routes of administration induced comparable increases in tetramer-staining CD8+ T cells (fi...