cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maxillary sinusitis as a surrogate model for CF gene therapy clinical trials in patients with antrostomies

Background Assessing the biological activity and clinical efficacy of gene therapy is critically important in cystic fibrosis (CF). It is widely accepted that clinical testing using surrogate markers including pulmonary function will be useful in assessing clinical efficacy. One problem with pulmonary surrogate markers of CF disease is the large number of patients and length of time required to demonstrate clinical efficacy. An alternative to pulmonary testing of new CF treatments is use of the maxillary sinuses as a surrogate model of CF lung disease. Using CF sinusitis as a surrogate model for testing clinical efficacy of new treatments is attractive because CF upper respiratory disease is similar to the lower respiratory disease with respect to electrophysiology and microbiology. Methods Sinusitis recurrence in untreated sinuses was analyzed during a prospective, randomized, unblinded, dose-escalation, within-subjects, phase I clinical trial of the adeno-associated virus mediated cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (AAV-CFTR) gene transfer. Results Clinical symptoms combined with sinus endoscopy proved useful in the diagnosis of unilateral and bilateral sinusitis recurrence. Sinusitis recurred at a rate of 45% during one month of follow-up. IL-8 concentration rose in sinus fluids from affected sinuses. Bacterial cultures and increased sinus leukocytes corroborated recurrent sinusitis. Sinus CT scans were also useful in diagnosing recurrent sinusitis in this surrogate model of CF infectious exacerbations. Conclusions CF sinusitis as a surrogate for lung disease is particularly well-suited for phase II clinical trials of gene transfer agents, with the potential for measuring clinical efficacy in relatively small numbers of patients over relatively short periods of time. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adapting an evidence-based survivorship intervention for Latina breast cancer survivors.

Aim: About 120,000 Latina breast cancer survivors (LBCS) live in the USA with the numbers expected to increase. LBCS experience survivorship disparities and report poor quality of life outcomes. Despite poor outcomes, few survivorship interventions for LBCS are available. Adapting evidence-based interventions for Latinas may be one strategy to reduce disparities. Materials & Methods: An evidence-based intervention called the Breast Cancer Education Intervention was adapted for Latinas. First, certified translation and cognitive interview to assess cultural relevance were conducted. Next, a pilot sample of 40 Latinas who participated in the intervention were asked to provide follow-up evaluation of their satisfaction with and usefulness of the translated education manual and intervention. Results: Thirty LBCS completed the intervention, and 14 LBCS submitted an evaluation summary expressing satisfaction with usefulness, readability and relevance. Conclusion: The process by which translation and cultural ad...
Optimized Structures and Proton Affinities of Fluorinated Dimethyl Ethers: An Ab Initio Study

Ab initio methods have been used to investigate the proton affinity and the geometry changes upon protonation for the molecules (CH3)2O, (CH2F)2O, (CHF2)2O, and (CF3)2O. Geometry optimizations were performed at the MP2/3-2 I G level, and the resulting geometries were used for single-point energy MP2/6-31G calculations. The proton affinity calculated for (CH3)2O was 7 Kjoule/mole from the experimental value, within the desired variance of +/- 8Kjoule/mole for G2 theory, suggesting that the methodology used in this study is adequate for energy difference considerations. For (CF3)20, the calculated proton affinity of 602 Kjoule/mole suggests that perfluorinated ether molecules do not act as Lewis bases under normal circumstances; e.g. degradation of commercial lubricants in tribological applications.
Interlacing Eigenvalues in Time Reversible Markov Chains

For irreducible, reversible, finite state chains we observe that two sets of eigenvalues related to the transition rate matrix Q; (λ0,...,λm)and (γ1,..., γm), are interlaced so that λ0 < γ1 < λ1 < ... < γm < λm. Many quantities associated with LπTA, the distribution of the first passage time to A starting in steady state, can be simply expressed in terms of these eigenvalues, and the interlacing property can be exploited to obtain approximations. There is a close connection between interlacing eigenvalues and completely monotone distributions, as well as a representation for finite mixtures of exponential distributions, which follow from this observation.
Metastatic adenocarcinoma from the colon to the mandible

Published reports of metastatic adenocarcinoma from the colon or rectum to the mandible are extremely rare. Only eight cases had been reported from 1884 to the time this article was written. A case is presented where a metastatic lesion was found to be histologically similar to the known primary tumor in the cecum. The patient first noted dental pain, isolated to his mandibular left second bicuspid, 10 months after a primary tumor was diagnosed. Subsequently, the tooth was extracted, and it was only after the extraction site failed to heal that a biopsy was performed which confirmed a metastatic lesion. Retrospective study of the preextraction radiograph confirmed the presence of a suspicious area in the osseous structure of the mandible at the time of extraction. It must be emphasized that in patients with a positive history of malignancy, metastatic disease must be considered in the differential diagnosis of oral and dental symptoms, and that need for biopsy should be considered with all surgical procedures, including simple extractions.
On the interweaving of partial cross sections of different parity

Partial cross sections of definite parity, calculated for electronic-rotational energy transfer in the F +H2 collision system, interweave with increasing total angular momentum J. An explanation, in terms of diabatic curve crossings induced by the centrifugal potential in the body-fixed coordinate system, predicts the interweaving to occur only in systems having half-integer J.
DECREASING PERINATAL MORTALITY: UNCHANGED INFANTILE SPASM MORBIDITY

The present study examined whether changes in the incidence of infantile spasms could be used to evaluate changes in the quality of pre- and perinatal care over time. 107 children in 1960 to 1976, and 102 in 1977 to 1991, developed infantile spasms in southern Finland. The number of small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants and infants with neonatal hypoglycaemia decreased significantly. Brain malformations, malformation syndromes and patients with tuberous sclerosis increased; this probably reflects the development of more refined neuroradiological screening methods. SGA infants are probably more apt to develop infantile spasms than preterm infants appropriate for gestational age. Early prenatal factors seem to play a major role in the genesis of infantile spasms. Little can be done to reduce the incidence of infantile spasms, but every effort should be made to reduce the number of SGA infants by good prenatal care. Treatment of hypoglycaemia is important because infantile spasms might be preventable in these infants.
The role of unsteadiness in direct initiation of gaseous detonations

An analytical model is presented for the direct initiation of gaseous detonations by a blast wave. For stable or weakly unstable mixtures, numerical simulations of the spherical direct initiation event and local analysis of the one-dimensional unsteady reaction zone structure identify a competition between heat release, wave front curvature and unsteadiness. The primary failure mechanism is found to be unsteadiness in the induction zone arising from the deceleration of the wave front. The quasi-steady assumption is thus shown to be incorrect for direct initiation. The numerical simulations also suggest a non-uniqueness of critical energy in some cases, and the model developed here is an attempt to explain the lower critical energy only. A critical shock decay rate is determined in terms of the other fundamental dynamic parameters of the detonation wave, and hence this model is referred to as the critical decay rate (CDR) model. The local analysis is validated by integration of reaction-zone structure equations with real gas kinetics and prescribed unsteadiness. The CDR model is then applied to the global initiation problem to produce an analytical equation for the critical energy. Unlike previous phenomenological models of the critical energy, this equation is not dependent on other experimentally determined parameters and for evaluation requires only an appropriate reaction mechanism for the given gas mixture. For different fuel–oxidizer mixtures, it is found to give agreement with experimental data to within an order of magnitude.
Use by bats of old-growth redwood hollows on the north coast of California

Use by bats of basal hollows in old-growth redwoods was indexed using the weight of guano collected on water-permeable screens (guano traps) installed inside the trees. Twenty-six trees were systematically selected from a stand that flanks both sides of an interstate highway in Del Norte Co., California. Traps were checked for guano once a month for 18 months. The quantity of guano collected each month and that every tree was used suggests that the trees served either as day roosts by small numbers of bats or as temporary night roosts. Although bats could not be identified on the basis of characteristics of guano, three fecal morphotypes were identified. Guano was found in all 26 trees during most of the sample periods ; the greatest deposition occurred May through August. Surprisingly, there was a substantial amount of fresh guano collected from most trees during winter months. When all trees were considered, weight of guano was not significantly related to diameter at breast height (dbh) of the tree during summer, winter, or annually, but was related to the internal volume of the hollow during summer and annually. Trees closer to perennial streams had greater weight of guano, but only during summer. The most frequently used trees had greater hollow volumes, greater diameters, and were closer to water than the least-frequently used trees. Although other potential roost sites on redwood trees were not sampled, our work indicates that large hollows are important roost sites. The relationship between weight of guano and size of hollow suggests that forests lacking trees large enough to contain these hollows will provide fewer roosting opportunities that could affect the abundance and diversity of bats.
Fighting for the reputation of vaccines: lessons from American politics.

Over the past decade, the reputation of childhood vaccines has been severely damaged. The latest blow came during a recent episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show ,1 on which 2 celebrity mothers presented emotional stories about their autistic children and implicated the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine in the cause of their illness. Their stories were told despite ample research that has long since debunked the original article by Wakefield et al2 from 1998 (which linked the vaccine and autism) and the fact that their original article was retracted by the journal ( Lancet ) that published it. Nevertheless, attending a lecture at the American Academy of Pediatrics' most recent national conference and exhibition at which the subject of vaccines came up, pediatricians from around the country shared story after story of parents who have refused shots on the basis of what they had seen on Oprah and elsewhere in the media. I recall at least 2 parents in my practice who expressed concern and suspicion about vaccines, not just because of these mothers' testimonials but also because of the response to it by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ms Winfrey read the CDC's statement on air: “CDC places a high priority on vaccine safety and the integrity and credibility of its vaccine safety research. This commitment not only stems from our scientific and medical dedication, it is also personal—for most of us who work at CDC are also parents and grandparents. And as such, we too, have high levels of personal interest and concern in the health and safety of children, families and communities. We simply don't know what … Address correspondence to Rahul K. Parikh, MD, Kaiser Permanente, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 1425 S Main St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596. E-mail: rahul.k.parikh{at}kp.org
Influence of pulse shape and frequency chirp on stability of optical solitons

Abstract We examine conditions under which certain combinations of initial pulse shape and chirp, or phase modulation, destabilize solitons in optical fibers. Destabilization occurs when eigenvalues (EVs) of an associated Zakharov–Shabat system, which move along the positive imaginary axis with increasing chirp parameter C, either are absorbed into the lower half plane or collide with another EV. In either the absorption or collision case the corresponding soliton, which is a solution of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation with constant or periodic amplitude as a function of propagation distance, becomes unstable. We have observed for the first time the emergence of an EV from the lower half plane that pursues, and collides with, an existing EV. We identify several properties of general EV evolution, as C varies, and give a heuristic criterion under which initial pulses of a certain shape experience EV absorptions only, with no collisions.
Sugar Smarts: an Educational Guide to Meal Planning with Gestational Diabetes

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: This guide will improve the management of low-literacy patients with gestational diabetes. An important challenge for healthcare professionals is to develop nutrition patient education materials that improve comprehension and encourage dietary compliance. This problem is compounded when designing materials for low-literacy patients. Despite the availability of these materials, few actively involve the patient We have developed a novel interactive educational guide for low-literacy gestational diabetics to reinforce learning and increase compliance. Gestational diabetes can be effectively treated with dietary therapy, therefore interactive materials are potentially more efficacious than current educational methods. This guide presents the essentials of nutrition during pregnancy and meal planning using graphics with educational and interactive sections. The education section provides an easy to read explanation of gestational diabetes and its implications, plus a discussion of how diet can change blood glucose concentration. The interactive section includes a daily eating plan that can be used to individualize meal and snack options using the different food groups. Each food group is discussed with pictures and descriptions of types of foods to be eaten and avoided. Pictorial sample menus are provided to demonstrate meal planning. After reviewing the interactive section, the patient will have all the essentials to plan meals appropriately. Future uses of this guide may extend past its current scope.
Implementation of CDC’s School Health Index in 3 Midwest Middle Schools: Motivation for Change

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s School Health Index (SHI), a guide for completing a coordinated school-based program needs assessment relative to healthy eating, physical activity, a tobacco-free lifestyle, and prevention of other health risk behaviors and conditions, was used to assess current programming at 3 midwestern middle schools. Methods: Employing somewhat different procedures, data were collected from focus groups comprising school administrators, teachers, parents, community members, and students. Participants responded to SHI module questions and provided comments based on their perceptions. Both quantitative and qualitative data were recorded for each module, after which participants answered 3 planning questions intended to guide prioritization of actions to improve policies and programs based on importance, cost, time, commitment, and feasibility. Results: Each school developed recommendations and strategies based on highest priority needs related to community involvement, professional development, health screenings, and health education materials in classrooms. Conclusions: The experience of completing the SHI in 3 different schools provided important insights about the data collection process as well as assessment results that have implications for the design and implementation of prevention programs.
Pervaporation of ethanol-water mixtures through polydimethylsiloxane-polystyrene interpenetrating polymer network supported membranes

Abstract The pervaporation performances of polydimethylsiloxane-polystyrene interpenetrating polymer network (PDMS-PS IPN) layers supported on polyethersulfone (PESF) ultrafiltration membranes for ethanol-water mixtures were investigated. The PDMS-PS IPN layers were prepared via the sequential IPN technique. The mechanical properties and the film-forming capability of the PDMS-PS IPN are superior to those of the crosslinked PDMS. An inversion of the selectivity of PDMS-PS IPN layers supported on PESF membranes was observed; at low ethanol concentrations in the feed, the membrane was more selective for ethanol, while at high concentrations it was more selective for water. An explanation is suggested for this inversion. For a mixture containing 10 wt% ethanol, which is of interest in biotechnology, the membrane was ethanol selective, and the permeation rate and separation factor of the PDMS-PS IPN supported membrane at 60°C, with a crosslinked PS content of 40 wt%, were 160 g/m2 h and 5.5, respectively.
Radiation risk to the urologist during endourologic procedures, and a new shield that reduces exposure.

Objectives With the increasing use of endourologic procedures to diagnose and treat urologic problems,the urologist's exposure to radiation from fluoroscopy becomes an important safety consideration. Although collimation of the x-ray beam generally prevents direct radiation exposure by the urologist, the patient absorbs radiation during the procedure and becomes a secondary source of exposure through radiation scatter. Methods . We measured radiation exposure to the urologist during endourologic procedures using standard body shields and thyroid collars. We repeated our surveys using a newly designed urologic surgery radiation shield. Results . We found dose rates to the urologist of up to 1100 mrem per hour of flouroscopy time. The maximum yearly whole-body exposure as recommended by the National Council on Radiation Protection is 5000 mrem, or 5 rem. Conclusions . Urologists should be cognizant of this radiation risk, and the concepts of time, distance, andshielding are critically important to know in efforts to reduce radiation exposure. We introduce a newly designed fluoroscopic drape which reduces the radiation dosage to the urologist from scatter nearly 70-fold. We found this shield to be very practical and easy to use, and we offer it as an effective safeguard against secondary radiation exposure.
Virtual pressure and virtual fugacity in catalysis and electrocatalysis

The generalized De Donder equation and the generalized Butler-Volmer equation can be used to understand and calculate so-called virtual pressure or virtual fugacity of reactants or products in catalytic and electrocatalytic cycles respectively. This illustrates the usefulness of general relations between kinetics and thermodynamics in sub-fields of catalysis that differ in their methodology.
Formation of circular amplifications in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a breakage-fusion-bridge mechanism.

Primary gene amplification, the mutation from one gene copy per genome to two or more copies per genome, is a major mechanism of oncogene overexpression in human cancers. Analysis of the structures of amplifications can provide important evidence about the mechanism of amplification formation. We report here the analysis of the structures of four independent spontaneous circular amplifications of ADH4:CUP1 in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The structures of all four amplifications are consistent with their formation by a breakage-fusion-bridge (BFB) mechanism. All four of these amplifications include a centromere as predicted by the BFB model. All four of the amplifications have a novel joint located between the amplified DNA and the telomere, which results in a dicentric chromosome, and is adjacent to all the copies of the amplified DNA as predicted by the BFB model. In addition we demonstrated that two of the amplifications contain most of chromosome VII in an unrearranged form in a 1:1 ratio with the normal copy of chromosome VII, again consistent with the predictions of the BFB model. Finally, all four amplifications are circular, one stable endpoint for molecules after breakage- fusion-bridge.
Validity of the Wisconsin Card Sorting and Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFS) Sorting Tests in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system that causes cognitive impairment with a frequency of roughly 50%. While processing speed and memory defects are most commonly observed, a substantial number of patients also have deficiency in higher executive ability. Two tests, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Sorting Test from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFS), have been recommended for evaluation of neuropsychological impairment in MS. We investigated the validity of these tests in 111 MS patients and 46 age- and education-matched controls. MS patients performed more poorly on both measures, but only the DKEFS discriminated the groups after controlling for depression. Both tests were modestly or strongly correlated with MRI indices of brain atrophy or lesion burden and discriminated between employed and disabled patients. While both tests appear to have good validity in the MS population, the availability of alternative forms makes the DKEFS an attractive alternative to the WCST, as was suggested by a consensus panel.
Femtosecond pulsed laser ablation of GaAs

Abstract The properties of femtosecond-pulsed laser deposited GaAs nanoclusters were investigated. Nanoclusters of GaAs were produced by laser ablating a single crystal GaAs target in vacuum or in a buffer gas using a Ti–sapphire laser with a 150 fs minimum pulse length. For in-vacuum deposition, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that the average cluster size was approximately 7 nm for laser pulse lengths between 150 fs and 25 ps. The average cluster size dropped to approximately 1.5 nm at a pulse length of 500 ps. It was also observed that film thickness decreased with increasing laser pulse length. A reflective coating, which accumulated on the laser admission window during ablation, reduced the amount of laser energy reaching the target for subsequent laser shots and developed more rapidly at longer pulse lengths. This observation indicates that non-stoichiometric (metallic) ablatants were produced more readily at longer pulse lengths. The angular distribution of ejected material about the target normal was well fitted to a bi-cosine distribution of cos 47 θ+ cos 4 θ for ablation in vacuum using 150 fs pulses. XPS and AES revealed that the vacuum-deposited films contained excess amorphous Ga or As in addition to the stoichiometric GaAs nanocrystals seen with XRD. However, films containing only the GaAs nanocrystals were produced when ablation was carried out in the presence of a buffer gas with a pressure in excess of 6.67 Pa. At buffer gas pressure on the order of 1 Torr, it was found that the stoichiometry of the ablated target was also preserved. These experiments indicate that both laser pulse length and buffer gas pressure play important roles in the formation of multi-element nanocrystals by laser ablation. The effects of gas pressure on the target’s morphology and the size of the GaAs nanocrystals formed will also be discussed.
A study of the spectrum beyond 200 keV of second-stage solar flare X-ray emission

We have studied the spectra of three solar flares with second-stage hard X-ray emission observed by instruments on board the OSO 5 spacecraft. Using a Monte Carlo program, we have calculated the expected flux of solar X-rays reflected from the Earth's atmosphere for the observed solar X-ray spectra. The results have been compared with the observed reflected fluxes, which were also detected by the above instruments. We show that for the events considered here, which are necessarily intense and have hard spectra, the simple extrapolation of the observed solar spectrum to higher energies cannot explain the observed flux of the reflected radiation. Instead, we find the need to postulate the existence of a solar X-ray flux at energies above 200 keV larger than that obtained from simple extrapolation. In particular, we find evidence against a thermal spectrum in at least one of the events considered.
Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial Cu/Ni/Cu/Si (001)

Abstract We have deposited epitaxial Ni Cu bilayers and Cu/Ni/Cu trilayers on single-crystal (100) Si substrates in a molecular beam epitaxy chamber. The magnetic properties were studied in situ using magneto-optic Kerr effect measurements, and ex situ using vibrating sample magnetometry. The preferred direction of magnetization is perpendicular to the film plane across a broad region of Ni thickness. The thickness dependence of the anisotropy energy has been explained using the Neel pair interaction model and in terms of carefully characterized strains which are thickness-dependent due to misfit relaxation. We have observed misfit dislocations in these films using transmission electron microscopy and measured their average separation as a function of Ni thickness. Additionally, strain in the Ni layers has been measured as a function of Ni thickness using substrate curvature measurements. Using these results, we have calculated the value of the surface magnetic anisotropy term, which we have shown to be strain dependent.
A genome-wide panel of congenic mice reveals widespread epistasis of behavior quantitative trait loci

Understanding the genetics of behavioral variation remains a fascinating but difficult problem with considerable theoretical and practical implications. We used the genome-tagged mice (GTM) and an extensive test battery of well-validated behavioral assays to scan the genome for behavioral quantitative trait loci (QTLs). The GTM are a panel of 'speed congenic' mice consisting of over 60 strains spanning the entire autosomal genome. Each strain harbors a small (approximately 23 cM) DBA/2J donor segment on a uniform C57BL/6J background. The panel allows for mapping to regions as small as 5 cM and provides a powerful new tool for increasing mapping power and replicability in the analysis of QTLs. A total of 97 loci were mapped for a variety of complex behavioral traits including hyperactivity, anxiety, prepulse inhibition, avoidance and conditional fear. A larger number of loci were recovered than generally attained from standard mapping crosses. In addition, a surprisingly high proportion of loci, 63%, showed phenotypes unlike either of the parental strains. These data suggest that epistasis decreases sensitivity of locus detection in traditional crosses and demonstrate the utility of the GTM for mapping complex behavioral traits with high sensitivity and precision.
Adaptive Triangulation of Evolving, Closed, or Open Surfaces by the Advancing-Front Method

The advancing-front method is adapted to describe the evolution of open or closed three-dimensional surfaces in terms of an unstructured grid consisting of quadratic triangular elements. In science and engineering applications, the surface may be identified with a material interface, a free boundary, or a moving front. In the numerical method, the geometrical properties of the surface and the coordinates of the triangle vertices are computed either in terms of available analytical expressions, or by means of interpolation through an underlying coarse grid. The shape and size of the curved triangular elements are determined by the maximum magnitude of the mean or directional local surface curvature. Two algorithms are implemented: the first one for simply connected open surfaces bounded by closed lines, and for closed surface with plane symmetry; and the second for closed surfaces. In the case of open surfaces, the discretization front advances from a one-dimensional boundary grid that traces the bounding curve. The boundary grid is generated either by a one-dimensional version of the advancing-front method, or by requiring a set of criteria based on local line representation with circular arcs. In the case of closed surfaces, the discretization front emanates from the point of the maximum mean curvature. In both cases, the algorithm also interpolates to generate the values of surface geometrical or physical variables such as temperature or concentration of a surface-active agent. The method was tested by following the motion of several passive and active surfaces evolving under the action of specified fields of flow, while performing occasional regridding to ensure adequate spatial resolution. In one test, the large deformation of a viscous drop subjected to an infinite simple shear flow at vanishing Reynolds number was computed into the regime where a cigar-like shape is established, thereby extending previous numerical computations for small and moderate deformations and reproducing experimentally observed shapes. Overall, the adaptive-front method emerges as an important tool in numerical studies of free boundaries or moving fronts and should be useful in a broad range of applications.
High temperature lubrication of ceramics by surface modification

Abstract Results of recent investigations on the friction and wear of ceramics have shown that the surface modification of structural ceramics is an extremely promising method for the high temperature self-lubrication of these materials. Further development of such advanced ceramics requires an understanding of the chemistry and mechanical properties of the tribological films which form on and lubricate the ceramics. In this paper an overview is presented of critical issues which must be addressed in this area. In addition, a phenomenological model of the lubricating properties of such films is discussed in light of recent results on ion-beam-modified Si3N4 and partially stabilized zirconia and of current knowledge of surface modification chemistry and structure.
Lichterscheinungen, Eiskristalle und Himmelsarchäologie

Dieser Artikel handelt von schonen Dingen, die man am Himmel sehen kann, ohne das dazu eine spezielle Ausrustung oder und ein besonderer Beobachtungsort notig ist Jeder kann sie beobachten, jeder der schauen kann. Es gibt viele solcher Phanomene, z. B. der Regenbogen, das Himmelsblau, das Abendrot, schwarze Wolken oder der grune Strahl. In diesem Beitrag werde ich mich aber auf jene Effekte beschranken, die von der Wechselwirkung des Sonnenlichts mit winzigen Eiskristallen herruhren, die in der Atmosphare herumschwirren. Noch genauer: Meine Ausfuhrungen werden nur von den beiden Eiskristalltypen der Abbildung 2 handeln. Zum einen sind es flache hexagonale Kristalle, sogenannte Plattchen, zum anderen die hexagonalen Saulen, die wir wegen ihrer Ahnlichkeit mit einem ungespitzten Bleistift „Bleistiftkristalle” nennen. Beide Formen wurden schon gesammelt und fotografiert, und man weis, das sie haufig auftreten. Sie sind die Ursache fur die meisten der beobachteten Halo-Erscheinungen. — Ein Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es, Sie mit einer ganzen Klasse von schonen Effekten vertraut zu machen, die Sie moglicherweise nie zuvor beachtet haben, nach denen Sie aber nach dieser Lekture (mit Erfolg!) Ausschau halten werden. Damit die Freude am Verstandnis der Dinge als solche nicht zu gering geschatzt wird, lassen Sie mich daran erinnern, das es dieses Verstehen der Welt um uns herum war — und unsere Begeisterung daruber -, was den wahren Ursprung dessen bildet, was wir heute Naturwissenschaft nennen.
Experimental and Theoretical Studies on the Thermal Decomposition of Heterocyclic Nitrosimines1

A series of substituted 2-nitrosiminobenzothiazolines (2) were synthesized by the nitrosation of the corresponding 2-iminobenzothiazolines (6). Thermal decomposition of 2a−f and of the seleno analogue 7 in methanol and of 3-methyl-2-nitrosobenzothiazoline (2a) in acetonitrile, 1,4-dioxane, and cyclohexane followed first-order kinetics. The activation parameters for thermal deazetization of 2a were measured in cyclohexane (ΔH⧧ = 25.3 ± 0.5 kcal/mol, ΔS⧧ = 1.3 ± 1.5 eu) and in methanol (ΔH⧧ = 22.5 ± 0.7 kcal/mol, ΔS⧧ = −12.9 ± 2.1 eu). These results indicate a unimolecular decomposition and are consistent with a proposed stepwise mechanism involving cyclization of the nitrosimine followed by loss of N2. The ground-state conformations of the parent nitrosiminothiazoline (9a) and transition states for rotation around the exocyclic CN bond, electrocyclic ring closure, and loss of N2 were calculated using ab initio molecular orbital theory at the MP2/6-31G* level. The calculated gas-phase barrier height for the...
Teleostean Urophysis: Stimulation of Water Movement across the Bladder of the Toad Bufo marinus

An effect of material from the caudal neurosecretory system of a teleost on the isolated toad bladder is described. Urophysial breis from Gillichthys mirabilis result in dose-related water movement across the bladder. As little as one one-hundredth of a urophysis induces a threefold increase in osmotic water movement.
We need to communicate!: helping hearing parents of deaf children learn american sign language

Language immersion from birth is crucial to a child's language development. However, language immersion can be particularly challenging for hearing parents of deaf children to provide as they may have to overcome many difficulties while learning American Sign Language (ASL). We are in the process of creating a mobile application to help hearing parents learn ASL. To this end, we have interviewed members of our target population to gain understanding of their motivations and needs when learning sign language. We found that the most common motivation for parents learning ASL is better communication with their children. Parents are most interested in acquiring more fluent sign language skills through learning to read stories to their children.
EVALUATION OF RED LIGHT CAMERA ENFORCEMENT IN OXNARD, CALIFORNIA

Red light cameras are increasingly being used to supplement police efforts to enforce against noncompliance with traffic signals--a substantial contributing factor in urban motor vehicle crashes. Camera enforcement is intended to modify driver behavior through both general deterrence and punishment of individual violators. A before/after quasi-experimental design with controls was employed to evaluate the influence of a red light camera enforcement program on red light violation rates in the city of Oxnard, CA. A total of 14 intersections (nine camera sites, three non-camera sites, and two control sites) were studied. Overall, the red light violation rate was reduced approximately 42% several months after the enforcement program began. Increases in driver compliance with red lights were not limited to the camera-equipped intersections but spilled over to nonequipped intersections as well. Results of public opinion surveys conducted approximately 6 weeks before, 6 weeks after, and 6 months after the camera enforcement program began indicated that nearly 80% of Oxnard residents support using red light cameras as a supplement to police efforts to enforce traffic signal laws.
Optimal schedules of cancer surveillance and tumor size at detection

The paper explores methodological and mathematical aspects of a new approach to constructing optimal schedules of cancer screening. This approach consists of systematic use of tumor size at detection, combining stochastic models of tumor latency, tumor growth and tumor detection. and employing a new biologically natural screening efficiency criterion defined as the Kantorovich distance between the tumor size at spontaneous detection in the absence of screening and the tumor size at detection when both spontaneous and screening based mechanisms are in place. An explicit formula for the efficiency functional is obtained. Sample calculations suggests that in the case of exponential tumor growth, the optimal screening schedules with a fixed number of exams have a trend to uniformity.
Selenium and immunocompetence in patients with head and neck cancer.

This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study aimed to determine whether oral intake of 200 µg/d of sodium selenite, a dose within the safe and adequate daily intake (50–200 µg/d) recommended by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board, will abrogate depressed or enhance normal-level immune functions of patients receiving therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Subjects were given one selenium/placebo tablet/d for 8 wk, beginning on the day of their first treatment for the disease (e.g., surgery, radiation, or surgery and radiation) and their immune functions were monitored. Supplementation with selenium (Se) during therapy resulted in a significantly enhanced cell-mediated immune responsiveness, as reflected in the ability of the patient’s lymphocytes to respond to stimulation with mitogen, to generate cytotoxic lymphocytes, and to destroy tumor cells. The enhanced responsiveness was evident during therapy and following conclusion of therapy. In contrast, patients in the placebo arm of the study showed a decline in immune responsiveness during therapy, which was followed, in some patients, by an enhancement, but the responses of the group remained significantly lower than baseline values. The data also show that at baseline, patients entered in the study had significantly lower plasma Se levels than healthy individuals, and patients in stage I or II of disease had significantly higher plasma selenium levels than patients in stage III or IV of disease.
Melanin deposits associated with the venom glands of snakes.

Melanin deposits in the heads of both true vipers (Viperinae) and pit vipers (Crotalinae) are concentrated over the dorsal and dorsolateral aspects of the venom glands. This pigment may occur in any or all of six sites which include the epidermis, dermis, tissues covering the venom glands, and the interior of the glands themselves. The extreme localization of these melanin deposits suggests that they shield the venom glands from light. Calculations indicate that without such shielding the light energy penetrating the venom glands in the visible and ultraviolet portions of the solar spectrum would damage the venom-synthesizing apparatus and detoxify stored venom. Elapid and hydrophiid snakes have less dense pigment over the venom gland than vipers. Literature reports indicate that elapid venom is less sensitive to photodetoxification than is venom from vipers. Most colubrid snakes, including several with protein-secreting Duvernoy's glands, have little or no melanin associated with the glands. Venomous colubrids in the genera Ahaetulla, Dryophis, Leptophis, and Oxybelis have pigment over the glands as dense as that seen in vipers. Iridophores probably also shield venom glands from radiation. In puff adders and Gaboon vipers (Bitis) there appears to be an ontogenetic change in the shielding of the venom glands from melanocytes in young individuals to iridophores in adults.
Maximal O2 uptake of boys and girls -- ages 14--17.

White high school girls (n = 120) and boys (n = 120) aged 14--17 years, selected from 9th, 10th, 11th and 12 grades of a northern, midwest U.S. high school performed running exercise on a motor driven treadmill for determinations of maximal O2 uptake (VO2 max). The mean VO max for all age groups was 40.8 +/- 4.0 and 54.7 +/- 5.6 ml/kg-min-1 for girls and boys respectively. The difference in VO2 max across age groups varied only from 40.2--41.2 ml/kg-min-1 for girls and 54.0-56.3 ml/kg-min-1 for boys. These differences were not significant (P greater than 0.05). The reported VO2 max data are compared with those reported in other studies for bicycle ergometer and treadmill excercise using similar age groups.
Assay of neomycin phosphotransferase activity in cell extracts

Abstract A simple method for the measurement of neomycin phosphotransferase (NPT) activity in crude extracts of eukaryotic cells is described. This method is based on the elimination of interfering phosphorylated proteins by using phenol-chloroform extraction. This solution phase assay allows the detection of ⩾0.01 ng of NPT in the crude cell extract. Rapid screening of a large number of cell cultures generated in gene-transfer experiments, using NPT as a selective marker, is made possible by this simple technique. Further, the promoter strength of vector constructs used in gene therapy may also be estimated by this procedure.
School-Based Mentoring as Selective Prevention for Bullied Children: A Preliminary Test

This preliminary study tested the benefits of school-based lunchtime mentoring as a form of selective prevention for bullied children. Participants were 36 elementary school children in grades 4 and 5 who had been identified as bullied (based on child and teacher reports). Children in the Lunch Buddy program (n = 12) were paired with a college student mentor who visited twice each week during the spring semester of an academic year. Also participating were 24 matched-control children; 12 were from the same school as Lunch Buddy children (“Same” controls) and 12 were from a school different from that of Lunch Buddy children (“Different” controls). Results indicated that compared to Different control children, Lunch Buddy children experienced significantly greater reductions in peer reports of peer victimization from fall to spring semesters. Lunch Buddy children and mentors viewed the relationship as positive, and parents and teachers were very satisfied with Lunch Buddy mentoring. We discuss the implications of our findings for both research and practice.
Portable automatic text classification for adverse drug reaction detection via multi-corpus training

Display Omitted We introduce a portable model for Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) detection from text.We present two annotated datasets built in-house for ADR detection from social media.We show that using NLP-based feature extraction improves ADR classification accuracy.We introduce multi-corpus training for ADR classification using compatible features.Our results verify that multi-corpus training can significantly improve accuracy. ObjectiveAutomatic detection of adverse drug reaction (ADR) mentions from text has recently received significant interest in pharmacovigilance research. Current research focuses on various sources of text-based information, including social media-where enormous amounts of user posted data is available, which have the potential for use in pharmacovigilance if collected and filtered accurately. The aims of this study are: (i) to explore natural language processing (NLP) approaches for generating useful features from text, and utilizing them in optimized machine learning algorithms for automatic classification of ADR assertive text segments; (ii) to present two data sets that we prepared for the task of ADR detection from user posted internet data; and (iii) to investigate if combining training data from distinct corpora can improve automatic classification accuracies. MethodsOne of our three data sets contains annotated sentences from clinical reports, and the two other data sets, built in-house, consist of annotated posts from social media. Our text classification approach relies on generating a large set of features, representing semantic properties (e.g., sentiment, polarity, and topic), from short text nuggets. Importantly, using our expanded feature sets, we combine training data from different corpora in attempts to boost classification accuracies. ResultsOur feature-rich classification approach performs significantly better than previously published approaches with ADR class F-scores of 0.812 (previously reported best: 0.770), 0.538 and 0.678 for the three data sets. Combining training data from multiple compatible corpora further improves the ADR F-scores for the in-house data sets to 0.597 (improvement of 5.9 units) and 0.704 (improvement of 2.6 units) respectively. ConclusionsOur research results indicate that using advanced NLP techniques for generating information rich features from text can significantly improve classification accuracies over existing benchmarks. Our experiments illustrate the benefits of incorporating various semantic features such as topics, concepts, sentiments, and polarities. Finally, we show that integration of information from compatible corpora can significantly improve classification performance. This form of multi-corpus training may be particularly useful in cases where data sets are heavily imbalanced (e.g., social media data), and may reduce the time and costs associated with the annotation of data in the future.
An 8-bit 1.5GS/s flash ADC using post-manufacturing statistical selection

An 8-bit, 1.5GS/s flash ADC is presented. Comparators are digitally calibrated using statistical selection. INL of 1.32 LSB and DNL of 1.23 LSB are achieved. Average comparator noise of 5mV rms (1.3 LSB) limits SNDR to 37dB at low frequencies. Total power is 35mW, 20mW in the S&H and 15mW in the ADC core. The figure of merit is 0.42pJ/conv, the best reported for 1+GS/s, 7+-bit ADCs.
NMR Structure in a Membrane Environment Reveals Putative Amyloidogenic Regions of the SEVI Precursor Peptide PAP248−286

Semen is the main vector for HIV transmission worldwide. Recently, a peptide fragment (PAP248−286) has been isolated from seminal fluid that dramatically enhances HIV infectivity by up to 4−5 orders of magnitude. PAP248−286 appears to enhance HIV infection by forming amyloid fibers known as SEVI, which are believed to enhance the attachment of the virus by bridging interactions between virion and host-cell membranes. We have solved the atomic-level resolution structure of the SEVI precursor PAP248−286 using NMR spectroscopy in SDS micelles, which serve as a model membrane system. PAP248−286, which does not disrupt membranes like most amyloid proteins, binds superficially to the surface of the micelle, in contrast to other membrane-disruptive amyloid peptides that generally penetrate into the core of the membrane. The structure of PAP248−286 is unlike most amyloid peptides in that PAP248−286 is mostly disordered when bound to the surface of the micelle, as opposed to the α-helical structures typically foun...