cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OP0061 Recombinant osteoprotegerin (opg) regulates bone erosions and osteoclast numbers in a schedule-dependent manner in joints of male lewis rats with adjuvant arthritis

Background Our laboratory has shown that bone destruction in the Lewis rat model of adjuvant arthritis (AdA) can be significantly reduced by daily administration of recombinant human osteoprotegerin (rhOPG) if treatment is initiated at the onset of clinical arthritis.1 Objectives The current study was performed to assess the ability of rhOPG to spare bone using an abbreviated dosing schedule. Methods AdA was induced in male Lewis rats (8 weeks old, n = 6/group) on Day 0; clinical arthritis (indicated by hind paw swelling) developed on Day 9. Arthritic animals received rhOPG (daily s.c. bolus of 4 mg/kg) by one of four schedules: no rhOPG (Group 1, control for AdA induction); daily rHOPG, Days 9 to 15 (Group 2, control for rhOPG efficacy); early intervention, Days 9 to 11 (Group 3); or delayed intervention, Days 13 to 15 (Group 4). Rats were necropsied on Day 16, and bone mineral density [BMD] of bones in the tibiotarsal (ankle) joint was measured by DEXA (dual X-ray absorptiometry). Next, sections of formalin-fixed, decalcified, paraffin-embedded hind paws were stained by an indirect immunohistochemical method to detect cathepsin K, an osteoclast marker. Histopathologic scores to assess lesion severity (given below as group means ± standard deviation) were acquired for inflammation, bone erosion, and osteoclast numbers using tiered, semi-quantitative grading scales. Results Joints of vehicle-treated arthritic animals (Group 1) exhibited measurable loss of BMD as well as extensive inflammation (4.0 ± 0), skeletal erosion (4.5 ± 0.5), and osteoclast production (4.0 ± 0). As noted previously,2 rhOPG therapy throughout the 7-day clinical course of AdA (Group 2) preserved BMD and almost completely inhibited erosions (1.2 ± 0.4) and osteoclastogenesis (0.8 ± 0.8) but did not modify the extent of inflammation (3.7 ± 0.5). Early initiation of rhOPG treatment (Group 3) yielded similar retention of BMD as well as reductions in erosion (1.2 ± 0.4) and osteoclast (1.7 ± 0.5) scores. However, in comparison to Groups 2 and 3, delayed rhOPG administration (Group 4) protected BMD and lowered the mean osteoclast score (2.0 ± 0.3) but was significantly less effective in preventing erosions (2.5 ± 1.4). Conclusion Our data indicate that early intervention with a bone-sparing agent such as rhOPG is needed to obtain the greatest clinical benefit with respect to protecting skeletal integrity in arthritic joints but also show that delayed rhOPG therapy can reduce the loss of joint BMD even in the presence of severe inflammation. References Kong, et al. Nature 1999;402:304 Feige, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2000;59(Suppl I):148
Bone Densitometry in Children: What Clinicians Need to Know

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a key component of bone health assessment in children and adolescents with increased risk of fracture due to primary or secondary bone disorders. This chapter summarizes the principles and indications of DXA scans for clinical practice and the key concepts of interpretation of DXA results.
Molecular Radiative Energy Shifts under Strong Oscillating Fields

Coherent manipulation of light-matter interactions is pivotal to the advancement of nanophotonics. Conventionally, the non-resonant optical Stark effect is harnessed for band engineering by intense laser pumping. However, this method is hindered by the transient Stark shifts and the high-energy laser pumping which, by itself, is precluded as a nanoscale optical source due to light diffraction. As an analog of photons in a laser, surface plasmons are uniquely positioned to coherently interact with matter through near-field coupling, thereby, providing a potential source of electric fields. Herein, the first demonstration of plasmonic Stark effect is reported and attributed to a newly uncovered energy-bending mechanism. As a complementary approach to the optical Stark effect, it is envisioned that the plasmonic Stark effect will advance fundamental understanding of coherent light-matter interactions and will also provide new opportunities for advanced optoelectronic tools, such as ultrafast all-optical switches and biological nanoprobes at lower light power levels.
A Multi-Component Transition of Care Improvement Project to Reduce Hospital Readmissions Following Ischemic Stroke:

Background:Ischemic stroke (IS) is a common cause of hospitalization which carries a significant economic burden and leads to high rates of death and disability. Readmission in the first 30 days af...
The AuGa2 Dilemma — Superconducting Version

The magnetic response of two nominal AuGa2 samples has been studied as functions of temperature, applied magnetic field and pressure. These samples display widely different superconducting transition temperatures, critical magnetic field curves and pressure effects. Variations of the initial slope, i.e., (dHc/dT)To, with pressure supports the concept of an electronic transition at about 0.55 GPa. Changes in the magnetic response as a function of pressure suggest that some sort of lattice transformation must also occur at this pressure.
Phosphorus and nitrogen losses from poultry litter stacks and leaching through soils

Stacking poultry litter in fields prior to land application is a common practice that provides important logistical benefits to farmers, but may lead to environmental losses of nutrients. A 2-year field study was conducted to evaluate phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) losses from poultry litter stacks with and without a protective cover. Surface runoff from the litter stacks and leachate through two texturally contrasting soils (sand and silt loam) was monitored using a combination of runoff collectors and zero-tension lysimetry. Nutrient losses in surface runoff were small (total P < 3 g m−2; total inorganic N < 7 g m−2), particularly when compared with losses in leachate (total P < 60 g m−2; total inorganic N < 290 g m−2). Covering stacks reduced leachate total P losses by 25–100 times and total inorganic N losses by 25–770 times, such that leachate nutrient losses from covered stacks were similar to that in the controls with no manure stacking. Despite relatively small nutrient losses from litter stacks over the 2-year study, results point to substantial nutrient accumulation in soil after repeated stacking. Water-extractable P concentrations in upper 5-cm soils were similar between covered (120–240 mg kg−1) and uncovered stacks (140–250 mg kg−1), but soil nitrate-N concentrations were much higher under the covered stack (80–140 mg kg−1) than the uncovered stack (<5 mg kg−1). This study clearly points to benefits of covering litter stacks, but highlights long-term concerns with regard to soil nutrient accumulation.
Experience with a Software Engineering Project Course

This paper presents an approach to meeting the academic objectives of advanced software engineering project courses. The objectives are increased competence and confidence of the students in carrying out software development projects. The academic context includes a simulated industrial context. Part of the industrial context consists of industrial roles played for the student team by the instructor and others. The project itself is divided into tasks related to deliverables and collateral responsibilities. The software production model is a combination of the waterfall, iterative enhancement, and document-driven techniques. A software development environment is mentioned although the details are presented elsewhere. Further detail is given for five project courses conducted by the author.
A metal and via maskset programmable VLSI design methodology using PLAs

In recent times there has been a substantial increase in the cost and complexity of fabricating a VLSI chip. The lithography masks themselves can cost between /spl epsi/ and /spl ges/. It is conjectured that due to these increasing costs, the number of ASIC starts in the last few years has declined. We address this problem by using an array of dynamic PLAs which require only metal and via mask customization in order to implement a new design. This would allow several similar-sized designs to share the same base set of masks (right up to the metal layers) and only have different metal and via masks. We have implemented our methodology for both combinational and sequential designs, and demonstrate that our approach strikes a reasonable compromise between ASIC and field programmable design methodologies in terms of placed-and-routed area and delay. Our method has a 2.89/spl times/ (3.58/spl times/) delay overhead and a 4.96/spl times/ (3.44/spl times/) area overhead compared to standard cells for combinational (sequential) designs.
Beta-elimination of phosphate from reaction intermediates by site-directed mutants of ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase.

Five residues (Thr-53, Asn-54, Gly-370, Gly-393, and Gly-394) of Rhodospirillum rubrum ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase are positioned to serve as hydrogen-bond donors for the C1 phosphate of ribulose bisphosphate and thereby constrain conformational flexibility of the initial enediol(ate) intermediate (Knight, S., Andersson, I., and Branden, C.-I. (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 215, 113-160). To study the functional contributions of the residues implicated in ribulose bisphosphate binding and intermediate stabilization, we have replaced them individually with alanine, either to remove the H-bonding group (T53A, N54A) or to introduce bulk (G370A, G393A, G394A). Consequences of substitutions include diminution of carboxylase activity (with a lesser impact on enolization activity), increase of Km (ribulose bisphosphate), and decrease of carboxylation: oxygenation specificity. During catalytic turnover of ribulose bisphosphate by several mutants, substantial amounts of the substrate are diverted to 1-deoxy-D-glycero-2,3-pentodiulose 5-phosphate, reflecting beta-elimination of phosphate from the enediol(ate) intermediate. This side product is not observed with wild-type enzyme, nor has it been reported with mutant enzymes characterized previously. Another consequence of disruption of the phosphate binding site is enhanced production of pyruvate, relative to wild-type enzyme, by some of the mutants due to decomposition of the acicarbanion of 3-phosphoglycerate (the terminal intermediate). These data provide direct evidence that phosphate ligands stabilize conformations of intermediates that favor productive turnover and mitigate beta-elimination at two stages of overall catalysis.
Hydrogen as energy storage element

A residential wind-driven power system, using hydrogen for storage, is described. The advantages of the system are that it is self-contained, and utilizes off-the-shelf components.
New approach to interpretation of technetium-99m pyrophosphate scintigraphy in detection of acute myocardial infarction: clinical assessment of diagnostic accuracy.

A modified classification for interpreting technetium-99m pyrophosphate scintigrams defines the 2+ diffuse pattern of tracer uptake as equivocal rather than positive for acute myocardial infarction. Results of scintigraphy using this classification were compared with results of standard diagnostic tests for myocardial infarction in 235 patients admitted to a coronary care unit with acute chest pain. Of 81 patients with acute transmural infarction by standard clinical, electrocardiographic and serum enzyme criteria, 76 had a positive, 5 an equivocal and none a negative scintigram. Of 18 with acute nontransmural infarction by standard criteria, 7 had a positive, 9 an equivocal and 2 a negative scintigram. Thus it was uncommon for a patient with acute myocardial infarction, transmural or nontransmural, to have a definitely negative technetium-99m pyrophosphate study. Ten patients had equivocal evidence of infarction by standard criteria. Of the remaining 126 patients with no evidence of acute myocardial infarction by standard criteria, 87 had a negative, 35 an equivocal and 4 a definitely positive scintigram. Thus the definitely positive scintigraphic pattern was relatively highly specific for acute myocardial infarction. If the 2+ pattern had been considered positive, the specificity of the technique would have been greatly decreased. Computer processing strengthened observer certainty of the visual impression but changed the scintigraphic evaluation in only eight cases. Thus, use of an equivocal pattern renders technetium-99m pyrophosphate imaging both an extremely sensitive and specific method for detecting acute myocardial infarction.
WORM-SEAL: trustworthy data retention and verification for regulatory compliance

As the number and scope of government regulations and rules mandating trustworthy retention of data keep growing, businesses today are facing a higher degree of regulation and accountability than ever. Existing compliance storage solutions focus on providing WORM (Write-Once Read-Many) support and rely on software enforcement of the WORM property, due to performance and cost reasons. Such an approach, however, offers limited protection in the regulatory compliance setting where the threat of insider attacks is high and the data is indexed and dynamically updated (e.g., append-only access logs indexed by the creator). In this paper, we propose a solution that can greatly improve the trustworthiness of a compliance storage system, by reducing the scope of trust in the system to a tamper-resistant Trusted Computing Base (TCB). We show how trustworthy retention and verification of append-only data can be achieved through the TCB. Due to the resource constraints on the TCB, we develop a novel authentication data structure that we call Homomorphic Hash Tree (HHT). HHT drastically reduces the TCB workload. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Neck afferents and muscle sympathetic activity in humans: implications for the vestibulosympathetic reflex

Ray, Chester A., and Keith M. Hume. Neck afferents and muscle sympathetic activity in humans: implications for the vestibulosympathetic reflex. J. Appl. Physiol. 84(2): 450–453, 1998.—We have shown...
Robust stability of discrete-time systems for unstructured Markov perturbations

Considers the stability robustness of linear discrete-time systems with random perturbations. A short survey of some existing stability results on jump Markov parameter systems is given and new results on the stability robustness of such systems are provided. >
Statistical Primer for Brick Masonry

Methods of sampling and statistical data reduction applicable to brick masonry are reviewed. Techniques for plotting histograms and probability density functions for normal and log normal distributions are discussed. Criteria for establishing sample size and specification requirements are enumerated. Binary operations with variables are illustrated. The concept of structural reliability is introduced. Seventeen log-normal graphs of various brick masonry properties are included.
5′ Flanking region of immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region genes displays length heterogeneity in germlines of inbred mouse strains

Genomic Southern blotting analysis reveals that a 5' flanking DNA sequence located 1.5-2.0 kb upstream from the C mu and C alpha genes undergoes extensive length variation in the germlines of inbred and wild mice. In addition, genomic clones of the BALB/c C mu gene undergo deletion events during their propagation in Charon 4A when maintained in RecA+ bacterial strains. These deletion events occur between the JH cluster and the C mu gene and approximately 2.0 kb 5' of the C alpha gene, and may encompass several kb of DNA. Deletion events are capable of yielding a group of C mu clones which differ in size by units of 100-200 bp. The site of length variation in the mouse germline corresponds to the location of these cloning-derived deletion events, suggesting that both phenomena are reflections of intrinsic genetic properties of these Ig gene 5' flanking sequences.
Effects of sustained-release methoprene and a combined formulation of liquid methoprene and Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis on insects in salt marshes.

Aquatic insects are an important component of the food web in salt marshes, therefore it is necessary to test whether pesticides used to control mosquitoes in salt marshes are safe for nontarget insects. We tested the nontarget effects of a combined formulation (duplex) of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (B.t.i.) and liquid methoprene (an insect development regulator) or sustained-release methoprene pellets (Altosid® pellets) by applying these materials to replicated salt marsh ponds at maximum label rates. Untreated ponds served as controls. We measured effects of the pesticides by rearing immature mosquitoes (Aedes dorsalis) and water boatmen (Trichocorixa reticulata) in predator-exclusion cages and by monitoring uncaged populations of invertebrates using replicated sweep-net samples. Both pesticides killed caged mosquitoes, and the activity of the Altosid® pellets continued through 99 days. There were no detectable effects of either pesticide on the survival or maturation of T. reticulata, or on abundances of uncaged invertebrates. The long-term activity of the pellets could help minimize mosquito abatement activity in salt marshes where there are breeding birds or endangered species. However, other studies suggest that this advantage needs to be balanced against the risks that sustained-release formulations could lead to development of resistance in mosquitoes or that initially undetected nontarget effects could build over time.
Tracking configuration changes proactively in large IT environments

Maintaining consistent views of components in complex IT environments is challenging due to frequent changes applied to the systems. Discovery tools, typically used for scanning the environment, can fail to gather up-to-date information. We present a technique to track changes by monitoring system events induced by a change. The system events are associated to entities in a configuration model. A change in a software component may also necessitate change to a dependent application. We track cross-product dependency by enhancing the configuration model of the service. We show the efficacy of our techniques by extending the configuration model of a complex IT environment.
Differential equations in spaces of compact operators

We study a system of differential equations in C(H), the space of all compact operators on a separable complex Hilbert space, H. The systems considered are infinite-dimensional generalizations of mathematical models of learning, implementable as artificial neural networks. In this new setting, in addition to the usual questions of existence and uniqueness of solutions, we discuss issues which are operator theoretic in nature. Under some restrictions on the initial condition, we explicitly solve the system and represent the solution in terms of the spectral representation of the initial condition. We also discuss the stability of those solutions, and describe the weak, strong, and uniform limit sets in terms of their respective spectral properties.
Large Margin Gaussian Mixture Models with Differential Privacy

As increasing amounts of sensitive personal information is aggregated into data repositories, it has become important to develop mechanisms for processing the data without revealing information about individual data instances. The differential privacy model provides a framework for the development and theoretical analysis of such mechanisms. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for learning a discriminatively trained multiclass Gaussian mixture model-based classifier that preserves differential privacy using a large margin loss function with a perturbed regularization term. We present a theoretical upper bound on the excess risk of the classifier introduced by the perturbation.
Potential indirect effects of aerosol on tropical cyclone intensity: convective fluxes and cold-pool activity

Abstract. Observational and model evidence suggest that a 2008 Western Pacific typhoon (NURI) ingested elevated concentrations of aerosol as it neared the Chinese coast. This study uses a regional model with two-moment bin-emulating microphysics to simulate the typhoon as it enters the field of elevated aerosol concentrations. A clean maritime field of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) was prescribed as marine background CCN concentrations and then based on satellite and global aerosol model output, increased to pollution levels and further enhanced in sensitivity tests. The typhoon was simulated for 96 h beginning 17 August 2008. During the final 60 h CCN concentrations were enhanced as it neared the Philippines and coastal China. The model was initialized with both global reanalysis model data and irregularly spaced dropsonde data from the 2008 T-PARC observational campaign using an objective analysis routine. At 36 h, the internal nudging of the model was switched off and allowed to freely evolve on its own. As the typhoon encountered the elevated CCN in the sensitivity tests, a significant perturbation of windspeed, convective fluxes, and hydrometeor species behavior was simulated. Early during the ingestion of enhanced CCN, precipitation was reduced due to suppressed collision and coalescence, and storm winds increased in strength. Subsequently, owing to reduced fall speeds of the smaller drops, greater amounts of condensate were thrust into supercooled levels where the drops froze releasing greater amounts of latent heat of freezing. Convection thereby intensified which resulted in enhanced rainfall and more vigorous convectively-produced downdrafts. As the convection intensified in the outer rainbands the storm drifted over the developing cold-pools. The enhanced cold-pools blocked the inflow of warm, moist air into the core of the typhoon which led to a weakening of the typhoon with significantly reduced low level wind speeds. The very high amounts of pollution aerosols resulted in large amounts of condensate being thrust into the storm anvil which weakened convective downdrafts and cold-pools, yet the system did show reductions in windspeed (although weaker) compared with the clean control run. This study suggests that ingestion of elevated amounts of CCN into a tropical cyclone (TC) can appreciably alter the intensity of the storm. This implies that intensity prediction of TCs would be improved by including indirect aerosol affects. However, the pollution aerosols have very little impact on the storm track.
Design of π-conjugated organic materials for one-dimensional energy transport in nanochannels

Various end-substituted distyrylbenzenes have been synthesized to serve as guest molecules in inclusion compounds to promote efficient energy transport along one-dimensional channels. Their optical and photophysical properties have been characterized at both experimental and theoretical levels. All molecules display a large transition dipole moment between the ground state and lowest excited state and hence a short radiative lifetime (on the order of 1−2 ns). They also exhibit a large spectral overlap between the emission and absorption spectra, which enables efficient energy transport between molecules arranged in a head-to-tail configuration in nanochannels. Hopping rates on the order of 1012 s-1 are calculated at a full quantum-chemical level; this is much larger than the radiative lifetimes and opens the way for energy migration over large distances. Changes in the nature of the terminal substituents are found to modulate the optical properties weakly but to impact significantly the energy transfer rates.
Parathyroid adenoma and nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma

The incidence of thyroid carcinoma in patients with hyperparathyroidism has been reported as higher than expected. We record our experience with 272 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. Malignant thyroid lesions were found in 11.4%. We conclude that this is more than a fortuitous association.
Human upper limb 1dynamics

Abstract A dynamical model is developed for studying the motion and control of a pair of human upper limbs, which are coupled mechanically through an articulated torso. The model is particularly applicable to the design and development of arm powered vehicles as well as the simulation of any one- or two-arm task. An equivalent open link chain model of the relevant upper body skeletal members is presented. Kane's equations are then used to derive the three dimensional dynamical equations of motion for the system, subject to constraint forces and torques on the end effectors (hands).
Spatial profiles in partial oxidation of methane and dimethyl ether in an autothermal reactor over rhodium catalysts

Abstract Catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) reactors have complex concentration and temperature gradients which make it difficult to understand the mechanism of autothermal operation. Previous research in the Schmidt group on methane CPO using the capillary sampling technique has shown the existence of two zones – oxidation and reforming [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] . Nearly (>90%) all of the oxygen in the feed is converted within the first 2 mm of the catalyst bed. In this paper, temperature and concentration profiles during the CPO of methane and dimethyl ether CH3OCH3, an oxygenated hydrocarbon, are presented. Results with the two feeds are compared and the nature of the profiles was similar, with sharp gradients existing in the oxidation zone with slower chemistries in the reforming section. The rhodium catalyst in the oxidation zone during methane CPO was also analyzed using XPS and XRD and shown to be rhodium metal.
Observed trends in values of target mean excitation energy and Barkas‐effect parameter extracted from stopping power measurements*

In the course of analyzing stopping power measurements in terms of modified Bethe-Bloch theory, results for a number of experiments with proton and alpha particle projectiles revealed consistent trends in extracted valuesof mean excitation energies and Barkas-effect parameters. For a given target the value of mean excitation energy determined with proton data exceeds that determined with alpha particle data, whereas the opposite trend prevails for the values of Barkas-effect parameter. One series of experiments carried out by the same group, utilizing four organic (co)polymers as targets, manifests the above trends with the added feature that the difference in parameter values increases monotonically with increasing target (average) atomic number. A conjecture is advanced in an attempt to explain the observed trends in parameter values. An investigation of further measurements with the same targets and Li ion projectiles reveals that the original trends are generally followed in the analyses featuring projectiles of higher atomic number than the two light projectiles initially included.
Functional IP3‐ and ryanodine‐sensitive calcium stores in presynaptic varicosities of NG108–15 (rodent neuroblastoma × glioma hybrid) cells

1 Presynaptic varicosities of the model neuronal cell line NG108–15, a cholinergic neuroblastoma cell × glioma cell hybrid capable of innervating striated myotubes, were examined for the presence of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-sensitive and Ca2+-activated (ryanodine-sensitive) Ca2+ stores using confocal microscopic imaging of Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent dye loaded into the cells. 2 Initial demonstration of the presence of IP3 receptors and ryanodine receptors in the NG108–15 varicosities was obtained using immunocytochemistry. 3 Treatment of NG108–15 cells with bradykinin (0.1 μM), whose receptor is linked to IP3 generation, and separately, caffeine (10 mM), an activator of endoplasmic reticulum ryanodine receptors, resulted in substantial increases in [Ca2+]i in the varicosities. 4 K+-evoked changes in [Ca2+]i in the varicosities were reduced (52 %) after emptying the ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+ store using caffeine (10 mM), but were not affected by prior depletion of the IP3-sensitive Ca2+ store using thapsigargin (1 μM). 5 Bradykinin-induced changes in [Ca2+]i were abolished following depletion of the IP3-sensitive Ca2+ store using thapsigargin (1 μM) and were reduced (72 %) by prior emptying of the ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+ store with caffeine (10 mM). 6 The same results were obtained when the varicosities of the NG108–15 cells had formed synaptic junctions with co-cultured rat hindlimb myotubes. 7 Taken together, the results suggest that, in the varicosities, activation of the IP3 pathway evoked the release of Ca2+ from the IP3-sensitive store, which, in turn, secondarily induced the release of Ca2+ from the ryanodine-sensitive store via Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release, and that depolarization-induced Ca2+ entry evoked Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release only from the ryanodine-sensitive store. Thus, functional internal Ca2+ stores are inherent components of presynaptic varicosities in this neural cell line.
Increasing peripapillary atrophy is associated with progressive glaucoma

Abstract Objective This study aimed to determine the incidence and degree of progression of peripapillary atrophy in progressive and nonprogressive glaucoma. Study design A retrospective cohort study. Participants A total of 75 eyes of 75 patients were examined. Main outcome measures Qualitative assessment of optic disc, peripapillary atrophy, and visual field change was performed by three experienced, masked, independent observers. Methods Rim-disc area ratio and peripapillary atrophy-disc area ratio were measured at baseline and follow-up with computer-aided planimetry. Results Among 75 eyes studied with an average duration of follow-up of 8 years (range, 4–19 years), 33 (44%) showed progressive optic disc damage. Twenty-one (64%) of 33 eyes with progressive disc damage showed peripapillary atrophy progression, and 7 (17%) of 42 eyes without progressive disc damage showed peripapillary atrophy progression; this difference was significant ( P P r = −0.35, P = 0.002). Conclusion Progression of peripapillary atrophy is associated with progressive optic disc damage and progressive visual field loss in glaucoma and may be used as a marker for progressive glaucomatous damage.
Embedding a secondary communication channel transparently within a cyclic redundancy check (CRC)

Techniques are proposed for transparently recapturing part of the capacity of a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and using the recaptured capacity to carry a secondary communication channel. To do this, a transmitter induces CRC violations in outbound packets of a primary channel according to a set of error templates that are known to both the transmitter and the receiver, and that map one-to-one onto a set of secondary-channel-data words. The receiver corrects the errors by constrained trial and error to deduce which template the transmitter used, and consequently the intended secondary data. Imposing a P-bit-per-packet secondary channel is shown to reduce the performance of the primary channel's CRC as though the degree of the generator polynomial had been reduced by P, where P is an integer. The technique is extended to recapture CRC capacity in fractional-bit increments by permitting only certain codewords to bear the secondary channel. A further extension uses a set of generators mapped one-to-one onto the set of secondary-channel words and known a priori to both the transmitter and receiver. A secondary channel is provided by selecting each packet's primary-channel CRC generator in response to a desired secondary-channel word. A variant of this technique improves the performance of the CRC by selecting the generator according to transmission performance or packet length rather than carrying a secondary channel.
Nurse-Managed Health Centers And Patient-Centered Medical Homes Could Mitigate Expected Primary Care Physician Shortage

Numerous forecasts have predicted shortages of primary care providers, particularly in light of an expected increase in patient demand resulting from the Affordable Care Act. Yet these forecasts could be inaccurate because they generally do not allow for changes in the way primary care is delivered. We analyzed the impact of two emerging models of care--the patient-centered medical home and the nurse-managed health center--both of which use a provider mix that is richer in nurse practitioners and physician assistants than today's predominant models of care delivery. We found that projected physician shortages were substantially reduced in plausible scenarios that envisioned greater reliance on these new models, even without increases in the supply of physicians. Some less plausible scenarios even eliminated the shortage. All of these scenarios, however, may require additional changes, such as liberalized scope-of-practice laws; a larger supply of medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, and aides; and payment changes that reward providers for population health management.
InGaAsP/InP multiple quantum wells grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy

We have grown In1-xGaxAsyP1-y/InP multiple quantum well structures with 1.3 μm excitonic absorption at room temperature by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy. In-situ composition determination in GaAs1-xPx and InAsxP1-x was carried out by measuring group-V-induced intensity oscillations of reflection high-energy electron diffraction. Based on the in-situ composition calibration for these ternary end members, Ga and As compositions in the quaternary compound, In1-xGaxAsyP1-y, were controlled successfully. Measurements by X-ray rocking curve, low-temperature photoluminescence and absorption spectroscopy indicate that high-quality In1-xGaxAsyP1-y/InP multiple quantum well samples were obtained.
Hooke on Earthquakes: Lectures, Strategy and Audience

Much has been written about Robert Hooke's so-called ‘Discourse of Earthquakes’, the series of lectures he delivered before the Royal Society of London over the years 1667–1700. The chief points of the lectures are thus well known: fossils (the word is used here in its modern meaning) are the remains of once-living organisms, and their burial in rather odd places within the earth's crust can be explained by the dislocations of land and sea resulting from earthquakes.
Regularized reconstruction to remove blocking artifacts from block discrete cosine transform compressed images

In most block-transform based codecs (coder-decoder) the compressed image is reconstructed using only the transmitted data. In this paper, the reconstruction is formulated as a regularized image recovery problem where both the transmitted data and prior knowledge about the properties of the original image are used. This is accomplished by minimizing an objective function, using iterative algorithms, which captures the smoothness properties of the original image. Experimental results are presented which demonstrate that the proposed regularized algorithms yield reconstructed images with superior quality, both visually and using objective distance metrics, to that of traditional decoders that use only the transmitted transform coefficients.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Correction for contamination by free glycerol in an enzymatic phosphatidylglycerol assay

Abstract Two methods are investigated for their ability to either correct for or obviate the potential for interference from free glycerol if it were coextracted or entrained in the extraction solvent commonly used to isolate phosphatidylglycerol from amniotic fluid. In such circumstances, endogenous glycerol at sometimes extremely high concentration is a problem. Corrective action is important in methods using test-tube procedures involving enzymatic approaches for the determination of phosphatidylglycerol because the value obtained can be useful in predicting the potential for respiratory distress syndrome in the late fetal state. The analytical problem occurs because the glycerol head group is hydrolyzed from phosphatidylglycerol in the intial enzymatic reaction of our coupled system. It then becomes the key substrate in the sequence of enzymatic reactions required to finally determine the concentration of phosphatidylglycerol present. Obviously then, free glycerol present is a problem. One corrective method involves the determination of the absorbance of the color formed with contaminating glycerol which will be subtracted from that generated from the color formed from glycerol derived from phosphatidylglycerol. This might be considered a more conventional approach, similar to the way serum triglycerides are currently corrected for endogenous or iatrogenic glycerol. However, it differs from those procedures that run a blank and a sample separately in that in this case glycerol and phosphatidylglycerol are determined sequentially on the same sample to yield two rising curve plateaus. The other method involves the treatment of glycerol in a manner that does not allow absorbance to be generated at the peak maximum for no visible chromogen is formed from the free glycerol product, hydrogen peroxide, in the measured indicator reaction. The statistical data obtained in this investigation using absolute concentrations of glycerol and phosphatidylglycerol alone and in mixtures in both within-day and day-to-day precision studies suggest that the enzymatic test-tube procedure is a simple, sensitive, and viable approach to the assay of phosphatidylglycerol and shows no interference from free glycerol were it present at expected levels in solvent-extracted amniotic fluid samples. The graphic data presented help reinforce the statistical data as a proven quantitative characteristic of the procedure for this important surfactant marker phospholipid.
The rise of the underdog? The relative age effect reversal among Canadian-born NHL hockey players: A reply to Nolan and Howell

The relative age effect associated with cut-off dates for hockey eligibility has been an ongoing debate in certain academic circles and in the popular media. The effect is primarily found in Canadi...
Characterization of the plasmids of Bacillus megaterium: Base composition and reassociation kinetics analysis

Abstract The sequence complexity of several plasmids of Bacillus megaterium has been determined by reassociation kinetics, both optically and by the S1 nuclease method. G + C values calculated from T m 's obtained at several salt concentrations were compared to G + C values calculated from buoyant densities determined by isopycnic centrifugation. The G + C values for each plasmid are not substantially different from each other or from the chromosome, and the comparison of values calculated by the two methods shows that there are few, if any, modified or unusual bases present. Reassociation kinetics imply that each plasmid size class is unique in nucleotide sequence and that they contain no detectable high-complexity chromosomal DNA. Two plasmid species, the 4.0- and 6.2-md species, contain internal AT-rich regions. The role of dioxane in revealing such intramolecular heterogeneity is discussed.
Systemic natural killer activity following cardiac engraftment in the rat: Lack of correlation with graft survival

Abstract The systemic NK activity was studied both in untreated rats which acutely reject allogeneic heterotopic heart grafts and in cyclosporine-treated rats which tolerate their transplants. The trend and magnitude of changes in NK activity were similar at all time points for the two animal groups. Compared to naive rats, peak NK activity was noted 7–8 days after engraftment in untreated rats and 7–12 days after engraftment in cyclosporine-treated hosts. In both groups, NK activity returned to normal levels by 3 weeks. No evidence could be found for inactivation of NK cells or their precursors in vivo in ungrafted rats undergoing cyclosporine treatment alone. These data are consistent with prior studies and suggest that non-specific cytotoxic activity does not represent a crucial force contributing to acute rejection of vascularized organ grafts.
Use of a Performance Evaluation Model for Research in Business Gaming

Despite their relatively recent introduction business games seem to have made a real contribution in the area of management development. Further progress should be made in measuring and validating ...
Preparing medical students to care for older adults: the impact of a Senior Mentor Program.

PURPOSE To provide alternative training experiences for medical students to improve the competencies needed to provide care for older adults. METHOD Part of a comprehensive approach to integrating geriatric content at the University of South Carolina (USC) School of Medicine, the Senior Mentor Program (SMP) was launched in 2000. The SMP links pairs of students with older community volunteers in the spring of the first year. Students visit their mentors throughout medical school, and execute assignments that complement materials covered in the traditional curriculum. To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of the SMP, the authors describe the program's operation and outputs, the extent to which undergraduate medical education at USC and the SMP meet the core competencies for care of older adults promulgated by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), and analyze the coverage of geriatrics content from 2000 to 2005 at USC, as indicated by responses to the Medical School Graduation Questionnaire. RESULTS From 2000 to 2005, 379 students enrolled in the SMP; 133 graduates of the classes of 2004 and 2005 have completed the SMP. Students and mentors indicated high acceptance and enthusiasm. The program has been maintained with minimal administrative burden. USC covered only half of AGS competencies before the SMP, but now covers 100%, with nearly a third met specifically through the SMP. USC graduates reporting inclusion of geriatrics throughout their four years of training rose from 66% in 2002 to 96% in 2004-05. CONCLUSIONS The SMP has had a substantial impact on students' preparation for dealing with an aging patient population.
A low temperature magnetic susceptibility study of phenanthrolinium pentachloro manganate(III): [PhenH2] [MnCl5]

Abstract The temperature and field dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of [PhenH2] [MnCl5] have been determined over the range 300 K to 1.43 K. The complex behaves as a simple Curie paramagnet over this temperature interval with no evidence of either significant intermolecular exchange, single ion zero field splitting or spin-orbit effects in the magnetic behavior. These results are considered in terms of the known electronic and molecular structure of the complex.
Reply to “contribution of inner-sphere reorganization in electron transfer reaction in solution” by S.U.M. Khan and J.O'M. Bockris

Abstract Equations and interpretations in the Khan—Bockris Comment are the same as in the author's paper except for the valid objection to the computation of literature values of force constants. The argument that inner-sphere reorganization energies are dominant is rather pointless since the opposite view is equally supported by experiment. The Khan—Bockris force constants are inaccurate because of the method of computing reduced masses and the use of metal—ligand distances superseded by more recent values.
The Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) Investigation

The Cassini visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) investigation is a multidisciplinary study of the Saturnian system. Visual and near-infrared imaging spectroscopy and high-speed spectrophotometry are the observational techniques. The scope of the investigation includes the rings, the surfaces of the icy satellites and Titan, and the atmospheres of Saturn and Titan. In this paper, we will elucidate the major scientific and measurement goals of the investigation, the major characteristics of the Cassini VIMS instrument, the instrument calibration, and operation, and the results of the recent Cassini flybys of Venus and the Earth-Moon system.
Reflections: An introductory exercise to the transactionist perspective

Using the transactionist perspective in our communication with others involves constructing those others with whom we communicate. An exercise called “Reflections” focuses on the inferences, assumptions, and guesses we make as we select from the cues others give off — cues necessary for the process of determining our definition of them. Useful in secondary, community college and college classrooms, “Reflections” can serve as a valuable, interesting, and unique classroom experience. This essay discusses the implementation and the outcome of the exercise as well as some of the reactions students have to it.
Contemporary philosophy of mind

The question as to the place of Mind in Nature is a reformulation of the question as to the place of human beings in nature. T. H. Huxley's essay on 'Man's Place in Nature' * was an attempt to break down the distinction between human beings and animals by viewing our species in the light of biological evolution. For most people at least, Huxley settled the question of whether the existence of our species required a different sort of explanation than did the existence of other kinds of animals. But this result simply transferred the problem to philosophy. The question now became: granted that what is special about human beings was produced by the same sorts of causes as produced the special faculties of the other animal species, are these human facul ties nonetheless so different that there is a special, philosophical problem about their nature? Granted, in other words, that what we call "mind" came into the world by spatio-temporal mechanisms homogeneous with those which produced the rest of the world's contents, what is it that we call "mind"? Something which is simply a special case of the other physical things which emerged? Or something "irreducible" to the physical? This is a vague question because "irreducible" is a multiply am biguous word. Most discussions of "the mind-body problem" argue for reducibility or irreducibility by tacitly choosing a sense, or senses, of "reducible" favorable to their own side. There are many such senses, stretching along a spectrum between a purely causal sense at one end and a purely definitional sense at the other. Those inclined to reduce mind to matter like to think that Huxley's point that mind emerged from matter is enough to show that there can be no ontolo gical discontinuity. So this side employs a sense of "reducible" in which X's are reducible to Y's if all the causes of X's are Y's. Those inclined to proclaim the irreducibility of mind like to think that since you cannot communicate what tarragon tastes like by telling a story about molecules there obviously is an ontological discontinuity. So
Biomechanics of Thoracolumbar Burst and Chance-Type Fractures during Fall from Height

Study Design In vitro biomechanical study. Objective To investigate the biomechanics of thoracolumbar burst and Chance-type fractures during fall from height. Methods Our model consisted of a three-vertebra human thoracolumbar specimen ( n = 4) stabilized with muscle force replication and mounted within an impact dummy. Each specimen was subjected to a single fall from an average height of 2.1 m with average velocity at impact of 6.4 m/s. Biomechanical responses were determined using impact load data combined with high-speed movie analyses. Injuries to the middle vertebra of each spinal segment were evaluated using imaging and dissection. Results Average peak compressive forces occurred within 10 milliseconds of impact and reached 40.3 kN at the ground, 7.1 kN at the lower vertebra, and 3.6 kN at the upper vertebra. Subsequently, average peak flexion (55.0 degrees) and tensile forces (0.7 kN upper vertebra, 0.3 kN lower vertebra) occurred between 43.0 and 60.0 milliseconds. The middle vertebra of all specimens sustained pedicle and endplate fractures with comminution, bursting, and reduced height of its vertebral body. Chance-type fractures were observed consisting of a horizontal split fracture through the laminae and pedicles extending anteriorly through the vertebral body. Conclusions We hypothesize that the compression fractures of the pedicles and vertebral body together with burst fracture occurred at the time of peak spinal compression, 10 milliseconds. Subsequently, the onset of Chance-type fracture occurred at 20 milliseconds through the already fractured and weakened pedicles and vertebral body due to flexion-distraction and a forward shifting spinal axis of rotation.