cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Equilibrium Isotope Effect for Hydrogen Absorption in Palladium

Absorption isotherms at 323 K for the H−D−Pd system were measured by introducing H2 and D2 into Pd in sequence. The method using addition of isotopes to the system in sequence to investigate isotope exchange effects has not been previously reported. The equilibrium absorption pressure in the plateau region of the mixed-isotope system varies with the ratio of H/D in the solid phase. It lies between those of the single-isotope systems of H−Pd and D−Pd. Higher equilibrium pressures are associated with high D/H ratios in the solid phase. A model proposed previously (Luo, W.; Cowgill, D.; Causey, R.; Stewart, K. J. Phys. Chem., B 2008, 112, 8099) for mixed isotope hydride desorption, which correlates the equilibrium plateau pressure of the mixed H−D system with the fractions of D and H in the solid and the equilibrium plateau pressures of the single-isotope systems, is also successfully applied to absorption. When D2 is introduced into the H−Pd system in the plateau region, both the H−D exchange processes in t...
Conformational diversity in (octaethylporphinato)(trichloroacetato)iron(III) derivatives

Abstract Treatment of [Fe(OEP)]2O with trichloroacetic acid (2.5-fold excess) results in the formation of (octaethylporphinato)(trichloroacetato)iron(III). Various crystalline solvates can be isolated, depending on the crystallization solvent. Initial crystallization with CHCl3/hexanes resulted in the isolation of a monoclinic (P21/n, Z=4) unsolvated form, [Fe(OEP)(O2C2Cl3)]. This form contains two distinct porphyrin core conformations at the same lattice site; one is domed and the other is ruffled. Subsequent crystallizations with CHCl3/hexanes resulted in a new triclinic (P 1 , Z=2) crystalline form, [Fe(OEP)(O2C2Cl3)]·CHCl3; the porphyrin core is slightly ruffled. Crystallization with CH2Cl2/hexanes resulted in the isolation of yet another form (triclinic, P 1 , Z=4), [Fe(OEP)(O2C2Cl3)]·HO2C2Cl3, which contains two independent molecules in the unit cell; molecule A is modestly ruffled and molecule B is slightly saddled. All conformations form π–π dimers in the solid state. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements showed that [Fe(OEP)(O2C2Cl3)]·CHCl3 contains a high-spin iron(III) center; the data for [Fe(OEP)(O2C2Cl3)]·HO2C2Cl3 are understood in terms of an admixed intermediate-spin state (S=3/2, 5/2) and are readily fit to a Maltempo model with a ground state multiplet containing about 78% S=5/2 character and 22% S=3/2 character. The structural data for [Fe(OEP)(O2C2Cl3)]·CHCl3 are consistent with the observed high-spin state, while data for [Fe(OEP)(O2C2Cl3)]·HO2C2Cl3 are consistent with the admixed-spin iron(III) character. The observed core conformations have been described by a normal-coordinate structural decomposition method.
Temperature-Programmed Natural Convection for Micromixing and Biochemical Reaction in a Single Microfluidic Chamber

Micromixing is a crucial step for biochemical reactions in microfluidic networks. A critical challenge is that the system containing micromixers needs numerous pumps, chambers, and channels not only for the micromixing but also for the biochemical reactions and detections. Thus, a simple and compatible design of the micromixer element for the system is essential. Here, we propose a simple, yet effective, scheme that enables micromixing and a biochemical reaction in a single microfluidic chamber without using any pumps. We accomplish this process by using natural convection in conjunction with alternating heating of two heaters for efficient micromixing, and by regulating capillarity for sample transport. As a model application, we demonstrate micromixing and subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for an influenza viral DNA fragment. This process is achieved in a platform of a microfluidic cartridge and a microfabricated heating-instrument with a fast thermal response. Our results will significantly simplify micromixing and a subsequent biochemical reaction that involves reagent heating in microfluidic networks.
Expression of α3, β3 and γ1 GABAA receptor subunit messenger RNAs in visual cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus of normal and monocularly deprived monkeys

Abstract Complementary RNA probes derived from complementary DNA specifically subcloned from monkey tissue were used to localize, by in situ hybridization histochemistry, the relatively rare α3, β3 and γ1 subunit transcripts of the GABAA receptor in visual cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus of normal monkeys and in monkeys that had been deprived of vision in one eye. Overall, levels of α3, β3 and γ1 subunit transcripts were very low. In the primary visual cortex (area 17) they were concentrated in layers II and VI and in a stratum of white matter subjacent to layer VI. The localization and density of the three messenger RNAs closely resembled those of other rare (α2, α5 and β1) transcripts but their distribution also overlapped that of the predominant α1, β2 and γ2 subunit transcripts. In area 18, α3 and β3 transcript distribution resembled that in area 17, with the addition of a third band of hybridization in layer IV for β3. γ1 subunit transcript localization in area 18 differed significantly from that in area 17, with increased expression restricted to layer IV. In the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, β3 and γ1 transcripts were expressed at low levels across all layers while α3 transcripts were restricted to the magnocellular layers. Following 15 and 18 day periods of monocular deprivation, induced by intravitreal injections of tetrodotoxin, levels of α3 receptor subunit transcripts showed modest reductions in layer VI of area 17 and in deprived geniculate laminae of adult animals. Reductions in α3 transcript levels were much more pronounced in layer IVCβ of a five-month-old monkey deprived for the same time. Levels of β3 and γ1 transcripts were unaffected by monocular deprivation in cortex and geniculate at any age. Taken together with studies of other GABAA receptor transcripts, these results demonstrate the heterogeneity of GABAA receptor messenger RNA expression in the monkey geniculo-striate pathway and the varied response to reduced neuronal activity.
Gamma Probe–Directed Biopsy of the Sentinel Node in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective Management of the N0 neck in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is an important issue for the head and neck surgeon. Experience with radionuclide-labeled colloid injection to identify a sentinel node in malignant melanoma suggests a high level of accuracy for this approach to identify microscopic metastasis when present. We set out to explore the feasibility of using the handheld gamma probe to identify radiolabeled sentinel nodes in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Patient Population Five individuals with N0 necks and accessible oral or oropharyngeal primary sites from a major tertiary referral center. Methods Radiolabel with unfiltered technetium Tc 99m sulfur colloid was injected in quadrants around the primary site followed by immediate dynamic lymphoscintigraphy. Open biopsy of the sentinel node was accomplished within 2 hours of injection after extirpation of the primary site. Regional or complete neck dissection was performed after sentinel node biopsy. Results Sentinel node biopsy accurately identified one or several nodes in 2 cases, including nodes containing metastatic cancer in 1. In the other 3 cases, the radiolabel failed to identify the sentinel node despite the presence of metastatic disease in the nodes at final pathologic study in 2. Conclusions Detection and biopsy of the sentinel node are feasible for selected patients with oral head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with N0 necks. There is a potential savings of time, cost, and morbidity with this approach. However, several substantial problems were encountered with the technique in this limited series of patients. Establishing the reliability of lymphoscintigraphy in this setting would require testing in a much larger patient cohort. Our experience suggests that such an investment may not be warranted.
Making (Electrical) Connections: Exploring Student Agency in a School in India.

Students studying in government-run schools in rural India possess much experiential knowledge of the world around them. This paper presents a narrative account of an ethnographic exploration of such students as they attempted to learn about electricity in an eighth-grade classroom in a government-run schools in a village in India. The paper shows how students having a rich experience with household electric circuits attempt, in a contingent and situated manner, to negotiate their role as students and participate in the school science discourse. The students' actions expressed agency that was contingent, situated, and aimed at selective appropriation of school science discourse for their own purposes. Such expressions of student agency indicate rich possibilities for meaningful learning of science in rural schools in India provided school science is made relevant for their lives and concerns. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed92:297–319, 2008
Ultrasensitive PCR and Real-Time Detection from Human Genomic Samples Using a Bidirectional Flow Microreactor

In this paper we present a reliable bidirectional flow DNA amplification microreactor for processing real-world genomic samples. This system shares the low-power thermal responsiveness of a continuous flow reactor with the low surface area to volume ratio character of stationary reactors for reducing surface inhibitory effects. Silanization with dimethyldichlorosilane in combination with dynamic surface passivation was used to enhance PCR compatibility and enable efficient amplification. For real-time fragment amplification monitoring we have implemented an epimodal fluorescent detection capability. The passivated bidirectional flow system was ultrasensitive, achieving an RNase P gene detection limit of 24 human genome copies with a reaction efficiency of 77%. This starts to rival the performance of a conventional real-time PCR instrument with a reaction efficiency of 93% and revitalizes flow-through PCR as a viable component of lab on a chip DNA analysis formats.
Explaining Peasant Conservatism: The Western European Case

What is the political role of the peasantry? Is it a source of revolution or reaction? For the Third World nations, where this is an issue of special importance, the answer is by no means clear. In the advanced capitalist countries, however, the political impact of peasants has become less ambiguous. Although Lipset once argued that radical consciousness in the United States had shown itself primarily through agrarian struggles, farmers have now evolved into perhaps the most conservative occupational group in America. Harrington Moore, considering the historical place of peasants in the modernization of France, England and Germany, details their revolutionary contribution. But, concerning more recent times, Huggett indicates that, in general, the peasants of Western Europe have expressed themselves politically through the parties of the Right. The contemporary evidence presented here demonstrates that these strong right-wing sentiments on the part of the peasantry persist.
Relaxation Time Effect on the Human Head Using the Thermal Wave Model

The most common electronics used by the vast majority of the world’s population emit low radio frequencies and they may be harmful to both skin and brain tissue. The bio-heat transfer model is numerically solved to predict the time dependent temperature distribution of micro waves as it emits to the brain caused by everyday electronics in order to understand the effects the waves have on our organs. A time dependent finite difference technique is used to model a multilayer system depicting this external heat source passing through skin, bone, and into the brain. This model accounts for the extra heat generated within the body from the chemical reactions of the tissue, whereas pervious work took this heat sources to be negligible. A relaxation time is also included in the bioheat transfer model in order to account for the response time the tissue takes caused by the perturbation. Most studies neglect this parameter. Parameters for the adult and child head model are compared. The manuscript is aimed to understand the potential threats on the human body caused by everyday use of the technologies such as Ipods, cellular phones, bluetooth’s, etc.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
The imperatives of narrative: health interest groups and morality in network news.

This article examines some of the story conventions of network television news to explain the ways in which healthcare interest groups develop and maintain their presence in this medium—a process that has significant implications for public understanding of healthcare issues, and therefore to bioethics. The article is divided into three sections. The first section focuses on three major normative conventions of television news: adherence to a simple narrative structure, the balance ethic, and avoidance of the “think-piece” and outlines the basic strategies available to interest groups for exploiting these normative conventions. Section two introduces three case studies of organizations and individuals who have run high-profile media campaigns. Section three explores the implications for bioethics of the observations made in this article.
Objective scoring of the TAT: further validation.

Summary Attention was called to a highly objective, reliable and parsimonious. method for scoring the TAT and further empirical evidence of its validity was presented. The scores obtained through this method were found to be significantly related to two other TAT scoring methods and to ratings by independent interviewers of the level of maturity of 64 male and 61 female young adults. The results were related to research bearing on the relation between projective material and overt behavior.
Phase stability in heavy f-electron metals from first-principles theory

The structural phase stability of heavy f-electron metals is studied by means of density-functional theory (DFT). These include temperature-induced transitions in plutonium metal as well as pressure-induced transitions in the trans-plutonium metals Am, Cm, Bk, and Cf. The early actinides (Th-Np) display phases that could be rather well understood from the competition of a crystal-symmetry breaking mechanism (Peierls distortion) of the 5f states and electrostatic forces, while for the trans-plutonium metals (Am-Cf) the ground-state structures are governed by 6d bonding. We show in this paper that new physics is needed to understand the phases of the actinides in the volume range of about 15-30 {angstrom}{sup 3}. At these volumes one would expect, from theoretical arguments made in the past, to encounter highly complex crystal phases due to a Peierls distortion. Here we argue that the symmetry reduction associated with spin polarization can make higher symmetry phases competitive. Taking this into account, DFT is shown to describe the well-known phase diagram of plutonium and also the recently discovered complex and intriguing high-pressure phase diagrams of Am and Cm. The theory is further applied to investigate the behaviors of Bk and Cf under compression.
The role of beta blocking agents as adjunct therapy to membrane stabilizing drugs in malignant ventricular arrhythmia

Antiarrhythmic drugs are often either partially or totally ineffective for the suppression of ventricular arrhythmias in a given patient. Drug combinations afford an additional therapeutic option. We report the role of beta-blocking agents as adjunct therapy to membrane stabilizing drugs in the management of patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The study group included 54 patients who were evaluated by 24-hour ambulatory monitoring and symptom-limited exercise testing. Patients underwent control studies without antiarrhythmic drugs, were evaluated on membrane stabilizing drugs and beta blocking agents separately, and were then tested on combination therapy. The combination of a beta-blocking agent and a membrane stabilizing drug abolished ventricular tachycardia and couplets in 83% and 86% of exercise tests in patients with this arrhythmia present during therapy with membrane drugs alone (p less than 0.01). The addition of a beta blocker to a membrane drug, as evaluated by ambulatory monitoring, resulted in an abolition of ventricular tachycardia and couplets in 43% and 20% of studies (p less than 0.05). Ventricular premature beat frequency was reduced by more than 50% in 65% of exercise tests and in 52% of monitoring studies (p less than 0.05). In this population, beta-blocking agents failed to reduce ventricular arrhythmias when used alone. Thus the addition of a beta blocker to a membrane stabilizing drug significantly enhances the suppression of ventricular arrhythmia, especially when assessed by exercise testing. This results from synergistic drug effects of the combination rather than from the effect of the individual drugs.
Influenza. I. The hemagglutination and infectivity titre curves of PR8 influenza virus cultivated in embryonated eggs at different temperatures.

Groups of embryonated eggs infected with the PR8 strain of influenza virus A were incubated at 34 degrees , 37.5 degrees , and 40 degrees C. At frequent intervals, for periods ranging up to 96 hours, pooled allantoic fluids were tested simultaneously for infectivity and hemagglutination. After about 12 hours of virus growth, fluids often showed infectivity titres greater than 10(-5), but were incapable of causing hemagglutination. At later time intervals, marked disagreement between the two tests for viral activity was noted at all temperatures, but most strikingly at 40 degrees C. Hemagglutination titres were highest and best sustained in eggs incubated at 34 degrees C., while incubation at 37.5 degrees C. resulted in the highest and best sustained infectivity titres. Hemagglutination titre determinations do not reflect accurately the rate of influenza virus multiplication. Possible reasons for the lack of correspondence between hemagglutination and infectivity are discussed.
Influence of light intensity on retinomotor responses inChanna punctatus (Bleeker)

In bright light-adapted (25 Iux) retina ofChanna punctatus, the pigment in the epithelial cell is fully migrated into the epithelial cell protuberances. In dim light-adapted retimae (6, 3 and 1 lux), the pigment concentration gradually decreases into the tips of the epithelial cell protuberances and its concentration gradually increases in the origin of the epithelial cell protuberances. In dark-adapted retina, the pigment is fully expanded into the epithelial cell. The pigment concentration is more in the vitread region. The cones remain contracted in light-adapted retinae of various light intensities. The rods are visible only in dim light-adapted (6, 3 and 1 lux) retinae and invisible in dark (0 lux). The mechanism of pigment migration in this fish is different from those of other fish.
Estimating landfill methane emissions

Landfill methane emissions, estimated to be around 2 million tonnes in 1990, represent a significant but highly uncertain proportion of the UK's releases of methane to the atmosphere. The mass and rate of methane emissions depends on many factors that are difficult to quantity and vary from site to site. Direct measurements of landfill methane emissions are scarce and the UK currently uses simple models for its estimates. These models necessarily use data and assumptions with wide uncertainty ranges. The Department of the Environment is funding two complementary projects measuring landfill methane emissions. These studies aim to reduce uncertainties in UK landfill emissions estimates and help inform guidance to regulators and operators on measures to reduce landfill methane emissions.
Formulas for conversion between Octopus and Humphrey threshold values and indices

•Background: Comparing the results in a patient tested with two different automated perimeters can be difficult. The purpose of this study is to derive and test formulas for conversion between threshold values of every single test location and indices measured with Octopus and Humphrey perimeters. • Methods: We tested 50 eyes of 27 patients with program G1 of the Octopus perimeter and program 24-2 of the Humphrey Field Analyzer. All pairs of tests were performed on separate days but within 1 month of each other. Twelve eyes had normal visual fields, and 38 eyes had mild to moderate glaucomatous defects. Thirty-three eyes were chosen to determine empirically prediction equations for each test location and for each of the global indices, while the 17 remaining eyes were used to test the validity of the predictions. • Results: The mean absolute difference (i.e. the mean of the absolute values of the differences) between the predicted and the actual Octopus thresholds was 4.2±1.6 dB. The mean absolute difference between the predicted and the actual Humphrey thresholds was 5.7±1.6 dB. These differences were lower than the mean expected 5th to 95th percentile range of long-term fluctuation (10.3±2 dB for the Octopus fields and 9.2±2.2 dB for the Humphrey fields).• Conclusion: Conversion formulas between Octopus and Humphrey formats can be used, with a known error of the estimate, to compare the perimetric results of the patients tested with the two instruments.
Direct, real time measurement of meniscal blood flow An experimental investigation in sheep

The functional microcirculatory system of the meniscus was investigated in nine sheep using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). The highest blood flows recorded were found at the periphery and at the anterior and posterior horns, and this finding was confirmed by india ink injections in five sheep and by meniscal autoradi ographs following intraatrial injection of 20 million Cs46 microspheres in four sheep. LDF provides accurate and reproducible assessment of meniscal blood flow. If adequate probes can be developed, this method offers great promise in the clinical assessment of blood flow within the substance of meniscal tears, thus offering the surgeon initial information in the decision to repair or resect a meniscal tear.
Abstract 5157: Functional and regulatory role of src kinase in podoplanin expressing glioma cancer stem cells

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC The majority of patients with malignant gliomas, the most common and most lethal brain tumor, develop disease recurrence despite aggressive, multi-modality therapies. This treatment resistance has been attributed to a small population of tumor-initiating glioma cancer stem cells (GSCs). We recently described a new marker of GSCs, podoplanin (pdpn), based on analyses of gene expression profiling data and have found it to more accurately identify the stem cell population than other described markers, such as CD133, and to play a functional role stem cell phenotype. Pdpn expressing cells formed neurospheres at high rates in vitro, were more resistant to ionizing radiation, and initiated tumors in vivo. Pdpn belongs to a mesenchymal gene signature that is characteritic of poor patients survival from malignant gliomas. To identify the mechasism of pdpn within GSCs, we evaluated putuative binding partners to this transmembrane glycoprotein. One such partner, target of myb-like-1 (tom1l1) has been shown to regulate the Src oncogene pathway. The cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases of the Src family (SFK) play important roles in signal transduction induced by growth factors leading to DNA synthesis, cytoskeletal rearrangement, and receptor endocytosis. We therefore hypothesized that pdpn's role GSCs is due to its interaction with the Src pathway. Our aim for this study was to analyze downstream signaling events of Src in association with pdpn and its functional significance in glioma stem cell maintanence, invasion, and chemoradiation resistance. Using primary GSC and established glioma cell lines engineered to either overexpress or silence PDPN, we screened for SFK protein activation (phosphorylation) by immunblot. Changes in Src activation were correlated to in vitro invasion assays, in vivo tumor initiation, and radiation resistance. Preliminary data confirms binding of tom1l1 to pdpn and regulation of SFK activation. Engineered clones with shRNA targeting pdpn and/or tom1l1 were examined by expression profiling for downstream transcriptional changes. In summary, our data suggest a role of SFKs in the regulation of stemness by pdpn. These data integrate well with ongoing trials using Src-kinase inhibitors which may directly target the pdpn-expressing, GSC population in tumors and perhaps overcome the treatment resistance of these critical cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5157.
Humoral immunostimulation. I. Increased uptake of (125I)iododeoxyuridine and (3H)thymidine into TNP-cells treated with anti-TNP antibody.

Interaction of microgram quantities of highly purified rabbit anti-TNP antibodies with TNP-substituted HeLa, HEp-2, and L cells caused an intense stimulation of radioactive nucleoside ([125I]UdR and [3H]TdR) uptake which was maximal 24–72 h after exposure of cells to antibody. The stimulation of nucleoside uptake and presumaly DNA synthesis was shown to be immuno logically mediated because unsubstituted cells were not stimulated by anti-TNP antibody, normal rabbit gamma globulin did not stimulate TNP-cells, and a hapten inhibitor, e-DNP-lysine, prevented the stimulation of TNP-cells by anti-TNP antibody. These findings demonstrate that interaction of antibody with cell surface antigen can alter cell membrane transport, and possibly can enhance cell growth.
Uncoupling of occlusion from ATP hydrolysis activity in sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase.

The uncoupling of Ca2+ transport from ATP hydrolysis in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase by trypsin digestion was re-investigated by comparing ATPase activity with the ability of the enzyme to occlude Eu3+ (a transport parameter) after various tryptic digests. With this method, re-examination of uncoupling by tryptic digest of the ATPase revealed that TD2 cleavage (Arg-198) had no effect on either occlusion or ATPase activity. Digestion past TD2 in the presence of 5 mM Co2+ and at 25°C resulted in the loss of about 70% of the ATPase activity, but no loss of occlusion. Digestion past TD2 in the presence of 5 mM Ca2+, 3 mM ATP, and at 25°C resulted in a partially uncoupled enzyme complex which retained about 50% of the ATPase activity, but completely lost the ability to occlude Eu3+. Digest past TD2 in the presence of 5 mM Ca2+ and 3 mM AMP-PNP. (a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog) at 25°C resulted in no loss of occlusion, thus revealing the absolute requirement of ATP during the digest to elimina...
FORMATION CONSTANTS OF CERTAIN METAL COMPLEXES OF THIOGUANINE.

Abstract The acid dissociation constants of 2-amino-6-mercaptopurine and the formation constants of its metal chelates with Pb(II), Zn(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Mn(II) in 50% v/v aqueous dioxane have been determined and compared with chelate formation constants that have been reported for other substituted purines.
The Republic as Philosophical Drama

The aftereffects of the Peloponnesian War were still spawning the pains and failures of the Greek cities making even more obvious the need for political decisions to prevent another yet destructive conflict. Plato was still in his early manhood when it became clear to him that the continuation of political decadence called for careful diagnosis if it was ever to be stopped or at least subjected to reasonable controls. One of Plato’s motives for turning to philosophy as well as writing the Republic was the search for such political wisdom, so that at least the execution of philosophers would not be repeated.
Assignment of the Lens Intrinsic Membrane Protein MP19 Structural Gene to Human Chromosome 19

(1992). Assignment of the lens intrinsic membrane protein MP19 structural gene to human chromosome 19. Current Eye Research: Vol. 11, No. 5, pp. 421-424.
Pilot-Scale Investigation of the Influence of Coal−Biomass Cofiring on Ash Deposition

Cofiring biomass with coal is a promising short-term option for reducing the net CO2 emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. This paper examines the effects of cofiring biomass and coal on ash deposition under conditions representative of those found in the superheater region of pulverized-coal boilers. Experiments were conducted with blends of eight different fuelsthree types of bituminous coal, sub-bituminous coal, two types of straw, switchgrass, and wood. For each fuel, reference tests of unblended fuel establish a baseline against which to compare the results from the cofiring tests. The deposition rates for the cofire blends are between the measured deposition rates of the unblended fuels. Therefore, blending straw with coal reduces the high deposition rates observed while firing unblended straw, and cofiring coal with wood results in slightly lower deposition rates than those that occur while firing unblended coal. The primary interaction between the biomass and coal during cofiring is the...
Spina bifida and unilateral focal destruction of the distal femoral epiphysis

Focal destruction of the postero-lateral distal femoral epiphysis was present on radiographs in two children with spina bifida and objective lower limb sensory loss. Each patient presented with painless swelling of the knee. In one patient the epiphysis showed sclerosis and fragmentation associated with a defect. In the second patient the destructive change was the dominant radiographic abnormality and simulated bone tumor. Computed tomography in this patient showed a bone fragment occupying the defect suggesting epiphyseal fracture. The lesion in each patient was believed to be traumatic in origin and to represent a stage in the development toward neuropathic arthropathy.
Immune alteration fends off AIDS.

Comparative studies of the immune response to simian immunodeficiency virus in two nonhuman primate species provide insight into a central aspect of HIV infection—the ability of the virus to cause chronic activation of the immune system (pages 1077–1087).
Correlation of distal tephra layers in loess in the Channeled Scabland and Palouse of Washington state

Thirty-two distal tephra layers that are interbedded in Quaternary loess at 13 sites in the Channeled Scabland and Palouse were sampled as part of a regional study of the stratigraphy and chronology of dominantly windblown sediments on the Columbia Plateau. An electron microprobe was used to determine the elemental composition of volcanic glass in all of the samples and also to determine the composition of ilmenite in 14 of them. Two of the distal tephra layers correlate with Glacier Peak eruptions (11,200 yr B.P.), five with Mount St. Helens tephra set S (13,000 yr B.P.), and nine with Mount St. Helens tephra set C (ca. 36,000 yr B.P.) based on analysis of glass and ilmenite in reference pumices from Glacier Peak, Mount St. Helens, Mount Mazama, Mount Rainier, and Mount Jefferson, on the calculation of similarity coefficients for comparisons of both glass and ilmenite reference compositions with those of distal tephras, and on considerations of stratigraphic position. The composition of glass and ilmenite and the stratigraphic position of one distal tephra layer in the loess suggests that it is from an eruption of Mount St. Helens at least several thousand years older than the set C eruptions. Glass composition and stratigraphic position of a distal tephra at another site in loess suggested a possible correlation with some layers of the Pumice Castle eruptive sequence at Mount Mazama (ca. 70,000 yr B.P.), but similarity coefficients on ilmenite of only 45 and 48 fail to support the correlation and show why multiple correlation methods should be used. Similarity coefficients higher than 96 for both glass and ilmenite establish a correlation with Mount St. Helens layer Cw for distal layers in two widely separated sites. These layers are in sedimentary successions that are closely associated with giant floods in the Channeled Scabland. The 36,000 yr B.P. radiocarbon age of the Mount St. Helens set C establishes a minimum limiting date for an episode of flooding that predates the widespread late Wisconsin floods. A correlation of distal tephra layers at two other sites in the Scabland and Palouse establishes a chronostratigraphic link to a still-older episode of flooding within the Brunhes Normal Polarity Chron. Six distal tephra layers in pre-late Quaternary loess that are not correlated with known or dated eruptions have compositions and distinctive stratigraphic positions relative to magnetic reversal boundaries that make them key markers for future work.
Analysis of (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se 2 solar cells deposited by a hybrid process

(Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se 2 (ACIGS) thin films were deposited using a hybrid process combining reactive dc sputtering (Cu, In, Ga) and thermal evaporation (Se) and then processed for complete PV devices. Efficiencies as high as 12.6% (without MgF 2 AR coating) were obtained. Performance of these devices were analyzed and compared with evaporated CIGS solar cells with equivalent band gap. Our analysis shows that the reason for the lower efficiency of these devices compared to evaporated CIGS (of equivalent Eg) may be attributed to the low Vocά associated with a low FF. XRD, SEM and SIMS analysis seems to indicate a strong influence of the crystal orientation on the efficiency as well as the compositional distribution of the elements (with lower Cu and Ag at the interface with CdS) that may lead to a lower quality junction, and therefore enhanced recombination.
The participation of substantia nigra zona compacta and zona reticulata neurons in morphine suppression of caudate spontaneous neuronal activities in the rat

Abstract Spontaneous, unitary activity from the caudate nucleus, substantia nigra zona reticulata and zona compacta were recorded extracellularly from lightly anesthetized rats. Intravenous injection of morphine (5 mg/kg) produced a depression of both caudate and reticulata discharges with a concomitant increase in the compacta activities. These effects were reversed by naloxone (1 mg/kg, i.v.). Microinjection of morphine (25, 50, and 100 μg) directly into the substantia nigra zona compacta induced a naloxone-reversible depression of caudate activity. Direct nigral application of strychnine (5 μg), a glycine antagonist, resulted in a moderate decrease in caudate activity and an increase in compacta discharges, but no appreciable effect on the reticulata neurons. Morphine (5 mg/kg, i.v.) further enhanced the strychnine effects on both caudate and compacta cells, while depressing the reticulata neurons. These results suggest that morphine may suppress caudate spontaneous activity via an activation of the nigrostriatal neurons and an inactivation of a novel striatonigral pathway. The latter may incorporate the reticulata neurons, which may exert a tonic inhibition on the compacta cells, possibly using glycine as the putative neurotransmitter.
On the Chain Code of a Line

In 1970 Freeman suggested the following criteria which the chain code of a line must meet [1], [2]: 1) at most two basic directions are present and these can differ only by unity, modulo eight, 2) one of these values always occurs singly, 3) successive occurrences of the principal direction occurring singly are as uniformly spaced as possible. In this correspondence we give the following: 1) an algorithm presentation of Freeman's three properties about the chain code of a line and the proof that it is also the algorithm recognizing whether a chain code is the chain code of a line, 2) the proof of the equivalence of the above presentation and Rosenfeld's chord property [3].
Surrealism and the Spanish Civil War

Surrealism and the Spanish Civil War, by Robin Adele Greeley, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 2006, 240 pp., $65.00, ISBN 9780300112955 In her new book Surrealism and the Spanish Civil...
An XPS study on the evolution of type 304 stainless steel surface during routine TCSU operation

Abstract A surface analysis study was carried out to monitor the first-wall evolution in the Translation, Confinement, and Sustainment Upgrade (TCSU) experiment. A type 304 stainless steel sample was exposed to processes including the standard ex-situ surface preparation, helium glow discharge cleaning (He-GDC), plasma discharges, and backfilling the vacuum chamber with filtered N2. After each process, the sample was carried to a surface analysis chamber for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), using a custom designed in-vacuum transfer device. Results indicated that He-GDC was effective in removing both physically and chemically bound carbon and oxygen on the stainless steel surfaces due to the physical impact of the glow. The plasma discharges resulted in oxidation on the surface. The use of filtered nitrogen during vacuum breaks was verified as an effective method for minimizing carbon and oxygen contamination.
Combining Epidemiologic and Biostatistical Tools to Enhance Variable Selection in HIV Cohort Analyses

Variable selection is an important step in building a multivariate regression model for which several methods and statistical packages are available. A comprehensive approach for variable selection in complex multivariate regression analyses within HIV cohorts is explored by utilizing both epidemiological and biostatistical procedures. Three different methods for variable selection were illustrated in a study comparing survival time between subjects in the Department of Defense's National History Study and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center's HIV Atlanta VA Cohort Study. The first two methods were stepwise selection procedures, based either on significance tests (Score test), or on information theory (Akaike Information Criterion), while the third method employed a Bayesian argument (Bayesian Model Averaging). All three methods resulted in a similar parsimonious survival model. Three of the covariates previously used in the multivariate model were not included in the final model suggested by the three approaches. When comparing the parsimonious model to the previously published model, there was evidence of less variance in the main survival estimates. The variable selection approaches considered in this study allowed building a model based on significance tests, on an information criterion, and on averaging models using their posterior probabilities. A parsimonious model that balanced these three approaches was found to provide a better fit than the previously reported model.
Archaic of the Lower Mississippi Valley

No archaeological remains which the majority of specialists will accept as Archaic have been found in the Mississippi Valley from the mouth of Ohio River to the Gulf of Mexico. Despite this, the literature reflects a general acceptance of the belief that the Archaic stage is well represented in the Lower Valley. The presence of concentrated Archaic populations in northern Alabama and western Tennessee and Kentucky has given comparative support to these expectations and has provided part of the source for some of the hypothetical statements in the literature of what the Lower Valley Archaic ought to be like. Although the failure of writers to agree on a definition of Archaic which will satisfy the evidence in all of the areas of Eastern United States has contributed to the problem of identifying Archaic materials in the Lower Valley, the lack of these remains can best be explained by the geology of the region. The cutting and filling of the Alluvial Valley during the Pleistocene changes in sea level have removed or buried all of the surfaces that might have been occupied by Archaic peoples. The surface of the Alluvial Valley is everywhere less than 5000 years old. Possible Late Archaic sites are located on old stable beach ridges or near enough to the Pleistocene terraces not to have been included in the general pattern of Recent coastal subsidence. It is concluded that Archaic or earlier materials are absent in the Lower Alluvial Valley of the Mississippi River. Neither Tchefuncte nor Copell are accepted as Archaic; Poverty Point is viewed as transitional from an Upper Archaic tradition to some phase of the Formative stage. Poverty Point materials may not be expected to be found in quantity along the Gulf Coast of the Mississippi Delta region.
Startpunten van elektromyografische activiteit in de M. vastus medialis obliquus en M. vastus lateralis bij proefpersonen met en zonder patellofemorale pijn

Achtergrond en doel. De meeste onderzoekers zijn het erover eens dat het niet goed ‘sporen’ van de patella een belangrijke factor is bij het patellofemorale pijnsyndroom (pfps). Als mogelijke oorzaak van dit slechte sporen wordt door veel auteurs een inadequate neurale controle van de M. quadratus femoris genoemd. De M. vastus lateralis (vl) zou tijdens extensie van de knie sterker en/of vroeger worden geactiveerd dan de M. vastus medialis obliquus (vmo), waardoor de patella meer naar lateraal wordt getrokken.
Preprocessing of off-axis iris images for recognition

Iris recognition is an increasingly popular biometric due to its relative ease of use and high reliability. However, commercially available systems typically require on-axis images for recognition, meaning the subject is looking in the direction of the camera. The feasibility of using off-axis images is an important area of investigation for iris systems with more flexible user interfaces. The authors present an analysis of two image transform processes for off-axis images and an analysis of the utility of correcting for cornea refraction effects. The performance is assessed on the U.S. Naval Academy iris image database using the Ridge Energy Direction recognition algorithm developed by the authors, as well as with a commercial implementation of the Daugman algorithm.
On the structure and chemistry of Ni3Al on an atomic scale via atom-probe field-ion microscopy

Abstract The atom-probe field-ion microscope (APFIM) is employed to study the structure and chemistry of boron-doped Ni3Al on an atomic scale. In this study annealed melt-extracted wire specimens were analyzed using time-of-flight mass spectroscopy along the 〈100〉 direction exposing the 100 fundamental and superlattice planes. Not only is the depth resolution equal to the interplanar spacing of 0.18 nm, but the transitions between these planes are unambiguously identified by characteristic changes in the field-evaporation rate. The identification of the plane transitions allows, for the first time, to precisely count the number of detected atoms per plane in this material. The extent of the interruption associated with the transition from a pure nickel plane to a mixed nickel-aluminum plane is not significantly different from the reverse transition. From the small number of Al atoms encountered in the supposed pure Ni planes and the symmetry of the cubic system, it is inferred that variations in the measured composition of the mixed planes are not a result of actual composition fluctuations in this alloy, as has been previously argued.
Power efficient resource scaling in partitioned architectures through dynamic heterogeneity

The ever increasing demand for high clock speeds and the desire to exploit abundant transistor budgets have resulted in alarming increases in processor power dissipation. Partitioned (or clustered) architectures have been proposed in recent years to address scalability concerns in future billion-transistor microprocessors. Our analysis shows that increasing processor resources in a clustered architecture results in a linear increase in power consumption, while providing diminishing improvements in single-thread performance. To preserve high performance to power ratios, we claim that the power consumption of additional resources should be in proportion to the performance improvements they yield. Hence, in this paper, we propose the implementation of heterogeneous clusters that have varying delay and power characteristics. A cluster's performance and power characteristic is tuned by scaling its frequency and novel policies dynamically assign frequencies to clusters, while attempting to either meet a fixed power budget or minimize a metric such as Energy /spl times/ Delay/sup 2/ (ED/sup 2/). By increasing resources in a power-efficient manner, we observe an 11% improvement in ED/sup 2/ and a 22.4% average reduction in peak temperature, when compared to a processor with homogeneous units. Our proposed processor model also provides strategies to handle thermal emergencies that have a relatively low impact on performance.
A 10-year, longitudinal assessment of dopamine agonists and methadone in the treatment of restless legs syndrome

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a chronic disease, which is managed with palliative medications that are likely to be required for a patient’s lifetime. It is, therefore, important to know the longterm consequences of these treatments. Currently, the most commonly prescribed treatment for RLS is one of the dopamine (DA) agonists. Most of what we understand about efficacy and side effects of the DA agonists are, however, derived from relatively short-term studies. This is particularly a problem since these medications produce in some patients a significant increase or augmentation of RLS symptoms known to occur during the first 2 years of treatment and perhaps even later in treatment. The primary aim of this study was to determine the long-term efficacy (10-year) for commonly used RLS medication types: dopaminergic agonists and opioids. Methods: Records of all RLS patients treated in one tertiary care center with pramipexole, pergolide or methadone during the years 1997–2007 were reviewed. The duration and reason for any discontinuation of treatment and medication doses were recorded. Results: Annual rates for discontinuing treatment persisted for up to 10 years of treatment and were fairly constant after the first year at 9% for pramipexole, 8% for pergolide, and 0% for methadone. Similarly, annual augmentation rates were fairly constant after the first year and persisted for up to 10 years at 7% for pramipexole, 5% for pergolide, and 0% for methadone. The percentage continuing on the treatment medication for over 5 years was 58% for pramipexole and 35% for pergolide. Conclusions: The DA agonists appear to have a limited period of clinical utility for many patients. Severe augmentation, while not common in any 1 year, can develop even after years on the medication. Methadone, in contrast, shows neither augmentation nor major problems with continued efficacy after the first year of treatment.