cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
That the Foreign Language Club May Survive

IN the present collegiate era one may of an evening on a large campus visit the Engineering Club, the Philosophy Club, or the History Club. During the same week the Psychology, the Commerce, and the Sociology clubs offer the opportunity of praising or criticizing the handiwork of the refreshment committee. Thus departmental societies have sprung up like a well-known weed of the chicory family. But today so frequently one notices with regret that the foreign language clubs, usually the oldest groups among campus societies, are compelled to work exceedingly hard to frustrate dissolution. Especially is their fight for preservation a difficult one on the campus of the smaller college. Among the several problems which sponsors of the Romance Language and German clubs on the smaller campus must face, the foremost has to do with "distance lends enchantment." It so happens that at an institution of several thousand students the language club can become a general meeting place for those who do not get as much as a fleeting glance of each other for weeks while rushing from class to class, from one end of the campus to the other. At the language club there is the chance to see and chat with friends and acquaintances from other German or Romance Language classes at least once a month, and to meet people interested in one's own subject. Thus, even if the program should not always prove attractive, the social hour will, and the incentive to put in one's appearance at the club is present. This condition, however, is not universal. On the campus harboring from one to five hundred students, Frank sees John and Mary meets Anne every day of the school year. They attend the same classes, sit at the same tables in the commons three times a day, and see the same movie on Saturday evenings. Why, many students ask, should an additional evening each month be spent together at the Deutscher Verein or the Romance Language clubs? This situation makes it mandatory for our literary societies to have something more to offer than folk-song programs and addresses by native speakers or by professors from neighboring institutions. Even films have lost their drawing power, one reason being that student audiences no longer care to be annoyed by the imperfections of the mechanical apparatus. By some strange alchemy, however, it comes to pass that the modern generation of students will always come out to witness a performance on the stage by three-dimensional human beings, who speak, laugh, weep, and gesticulate. And what has this to do with the membership of the foreign language club? Just this: If the language club-especially on the smaller campus--is to survive, it must adopt as its savior one of the oldest arts, dramatics.
Effects of Tween 80 on the growth of the Ehrlich-Lettré ascites carcinoma.

Der Einfluss von Tween 80 auf das Wachstum des Ehrlich-Lettre-Carcinoms war statistisch nicht zu sichern, wenn die Gewichtszunahme allein gemessen wurde. Individuelle Variation im Flussigkeits- und Zellgehalt zeigten, dass oberflachenspannungsherabsetzende Substanzen das Carcinomwachstum durch Eigenschaftsanderung der Zellmembran beeinflussen konnen.
Intelligence storytelling: Moshe Dayan and the 1970 cease‐fire

(1998). Intelligence storytelling: Moshe Dayan and the 1970 cease‐fire. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 429-445.
Defect influence on the T c of A-15 compounds

The defect-induced electron lifetime and energy-gap anisotropy effects on the ${T}_{c}$ of the $A\ensuremath{-}15$ compounds are examined. A self-consistent model calculation demonstrates that the various defect dependences of ${T}_{c}$ can be qualitatively understood in terms of the electron-lifetime effect.
THE EFFECTS OF VARYING AMOUNTS OF STABLE IODIDE ON THE FUNCTION OF THE HUMAN THYROID

ABSTRACT The effect of addition of varying amounts of stable iodine to doses of radioiodine was studied in 64 euthyroid persons and in 46 with disturbed thyroid function. The addition of 1 to 2 mg. of stable iodine, as potassium iodide, reduced the uptake of radioiodine to a significantly greater degree in patients with Graves' disease than in euthyroid patients. The difference in response to the added load of iodine suggests that a relatively brief and precise test of thyroid function, an “iodide inhibition test,” may be evolved from these studies. The concentration of serum inorganic iodide was found, by indirect means, to be considerably less than 0.5 μg. per 100 ml. in most instances, regardless of thyroid function. Calculation of the rate of accumulation of iodine by the thyroid revealed that, when the serum iodide level was raised to about 6 μg. per 100 ml., the normally functioning thyroid gland accepted the load and accumulated more than ten times the normal amount of stable iodide per unit time. ...
Case-control study of failed extubation

Failed extubation (FE), defined as reintubation within 48 hours of planned extubation (PE), is common. The literature suggests that FE complicates 10 to 20% of PE. The consequences of FE have not been well described, nor have its risk factors.
Where are the witches of prehistory

Why are certain common classes of ritually destroyed objects (persons, artifacts, or architecture), such as persecuted witches, so difficult to identify in the archaeological record? Although a common topic in cultural anthropology, witches seldom receive the attention of archaeologists. The difficulties archaeologists face in the study of religion derive, in part, from the lack of correlates linking ritual activities to the formation of archaeological deposits. This paper defines ritual as a technology and employs an object life history approach that draws upon ethnographic, archaeological, and experimental research to begin building such linkages—including those describing the presecution and deposition of witches, sorcerers, and other victims of ritual violence. These new directions are illustrated through a case study of anomalous deposits of human skeletal remains from the North American Southwest
Extramembranous particles in tubular myelin from rat lung

Tubular myelin is one morphologic form taken by extracellular pulmonary surfactant. We used electron microscopy after fixation in a mixture of tannic acid and glutaraldehyde followed by osmication to examine tubular myelin fixed in situ , isolated from lavage fluid by isopyknic centrifugation in sucrose gradients, and prepared in vitro from isolated lamellar bodies by the addition of 5 m M Ca 2+ . In each case, the bilayered membranes of tubular myelin were seen as parallel arrays or as a lattice with a spacing of approximately 5 nm. The use of tannic acid produced good visualization of rows of rod-like particles 5 nm in diamter and 14–16 nm in length. The particles were regularly spaced at intervals of 14–16 nm in rows along the angels formed by intersecting membranes. Particles on opposite sides of the bilayer were in register. Since these particles were observed on tubular myelin formed by the addition of calcium to purified lamellar bodies as well as on tubular myelin formed in vivo , they appear to form from material prepackaged in the lamellar bodies of the type II cells. We suggest that these particles are protein and are involved in the formation or maintenance of the structure of tubular myelin.
Adult congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension: management of a complex case.

To the Editor: Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at increased risk of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). These patients have a particularly poor prognosis if untreated when compared with CHD patients without PAH [1]. This case study demonstrates how a complete work-up and continuous follow-up in expert centres is required to ensure that PAH-CHD patients are managed appropriately. A female patient initially presented at a local community hospital at 3 yrs of age when she had failed to thrive. Echocardiography showed the presence of a moderately sized ventricular septal defect (VSD) and pulmonary stenosis. She underwent surgery for pulmonary stenosis with right ventricle outflow tract (RVOT) augmentation and valvectomy. However, the VSD was left open for reasons that were not specified in the patient's notes. Following this procedure, the patient moved out of the area and was lost to follow-up. After 16 yrs, in 2006 and at the age of 19 yrs, she presented to a local cardiologist to enquire whether she could become pregnant. On assessment, she was found to have mild dyspnoea in World Health Organization functional class II/III, oxygen saturation of 91% on room air, loud P2 heart sounds, II/VI holosystolic murmur at the left sternal border, normal jugular venous pressure and no evidence of oedema. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) showed a mildly enlarged right ventricle with normal systolic function, a moderately sized malaligned VSD with left-to-right (systemic-to-pulmonary) shunting, and normal left ventricle size and systolic function. Based on these findings, the patient was referred for immediate VSD closure. At this time, pregnancy was not ruled out. The patient was subsequently referred to an adult CHD/pulmonary hypertension (PH) expert centre for further evaluation. At the adult CHD/PH evaluation, the patient complained of dyspnoea with hill walking, climbing stairs or when carrying heavy loads, …
A Novel Growth Mode of Mo on Au (111) from a Mo(CO)6 Precursor: An STM Study

The growth of a submonolayer of metallic Mo prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of Mo(CO)6 on Au(111) was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). At low coverage, nanoscale Mo clust...
American Association of Poison Control Centers database characterization of human tilmicosin exposures, 2001–2005

Background Tilmicosin is a veterinary antibiotic with significant human toxicity at doses commonly used in animals, but the parenteral dose-response relationship has not been well characterized.
Psychological modulation of the delayed type hypersensitivity skin test.

Considerable data have demonstrated that psychological states can influence the immune system in animals. Whether human immune function can he intentionally modulated by the central nervous system is unknown. This article presents data from two studies that sought to demonstrate intentional modulation of the immune system by psychological interventions. It also discusses the methodological complexities involved with this type of research in humans.
Free energy thermodynamic integrations in molecular dynamics simulations using a noniterative method to include electronic polarization

Abstract Recently a method was proposed by the authors to include electric polarization in molecular dynamics simulations, using a noniterative procedure. Here it is shown that this method is particularly well suited for the calculation of free energy differences between systems that differ in polarizabilities.
Cutting through the clutter: Searching for targets in evolving complex scenes

We evaluated the use of visual clutter as a surrogate measure of set size effects in visual search by comparing the effects of subjective clutter (determined by independent raters) and objective clutter (as quantified by edge count and feature congestion) using "evolving" scenes, ones that varied incrementally in clutter while maintaining their semantic continuity. Observers searched for a target building in rural, suburban, and urban city scenes created using the game SimCity. Stimuli were 30 screenshots obtained for each scene type as the city evolved over time. Reaction times and search guidance (measured by scan path ratio) were fastest/strongest for sparsely cluttered rural scenes, slower/weaker for more cluttered suburban scenes, and slowest/weakest for highly cluttered urban scenes. Subjective within-city clutter estimates also increased as each city matured and correlated highly with RT and search guidance. However, multiple regression modeling revealed that adding objective estimates failed to better predict search performance over the subjective estimates alone. This suggests that within-city clutter may not be explained exclusively by low-level feature congestion; conceptual congestion (e.g., the number of different types of buildings in a scene), part of the subjective clutter measure, may also be important in determining the effects of clutter on search.
Electrochemical Properties of Bis(dicarbollide)uranium Dibromide.

The cyclic voltammogram of [(η5-C2B9H11)2UBr2]·2[Li(THF4)] shows the electrochemical generation of a uranium(III) species. Subsequent Na/Hg reduction of [(η5-C2B9H11)2UBr2]·2[Li(THF4)] leads to the new isolable uranium(III) species [(η5-C2B9H11)2UBr(THF)]·2[Li(THF)x] (x = 2−4). The green uranium(III) complex was characterized by NMR and elemental analysis and its structure determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The coordination geometry around the dinegative uranium(III) moiety is pseudotetrahedral with two dicarbollide ligands, a bromide ligand, and a THF ligand. The electrochemical properties of the dicarbollide complex are discussed and compared to similar cyclopentadienyluranium complexes.
Tumor necrosis factor-α as a biochemical marker of pain and outcome in temporomandibular joints with internal derangements

Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) in human temporomandibular joint (TMJ) synovial fluid. The present study continues the investigation of the role of TNF in TMJs with internal derangements. Materials and Methods: Synovial fluid was obtained from 18 TMJs in 12 patients undergoing either arthroscophy (14 joints) or arthrotomy (four joints) for internal derangements. Standardized clinical data were collected preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively. Results: When pain on palpation was absent, the mean preoperative TNF level was 14 ± 6 ng/mL. When pain on palpation was present, the mean TNF level was 42 ± 39 ng/mL (significant difference at P = .05). When the surgical outcome was poor, the mean preoperative TNF level was 26 ± 9 ng/mL. When the outcome was within the stated guidelines for a favorable result, the mean TNF level was 12 ± 7 ng/mL (significant difference at P = .05). In addition, a significant reduction (P = .05) in TNF following joint lavage (preoperative, 48 ng/mL to postoperative, 7 ng/mL) was found. Conclusions: The finding of a positive correlation between preoperative pain and TNF values suggests a biochemical basis for the origin of the pain associated with internal derangements. The relationship between preoperative TNF levels and surgical outcome suggests that the prognosis for surgery may be predicted by measuring biochemical markers of joint disease.
Family interactions predict intraindividual symptom variation for adolescents with bulimia.

Objective Following family systems and stress theories, this study considered predictors of symptom variation experienced by adolescents with bulimia. Methods Using experience sampling methodology, 20 girls clinically diagnosed with bulimia nervosa completed questionnaires about hassles and bulimic symptoms for 1 week, eight times daily, whenever they were contacted by pager. Perceived family environment was defined by the Family Environment Scale and the Conflict Behavior Questionnaire. Results Regression analyses found that potent family hassles were positive predictors of bulimic symptoms later that day for girls who perceived their family as having high levels of conflict or low levels of emotional expressiveness. This was not found when girls perceived their family environment as more normal. Discussion Within the context of a perceived dysfunctional family environment, potent family hassles can predict interindividual and intraindividual bulimic symptom variation for adolescent girls. © 2003 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 34: 450–457, 2003.
The Beginnings of Microscopic Petrography in the United States, 1870-1885

In the 1860's and 70's, microscopic petrography flourished in Germany, where descriptions and classifications of rocks were highly valued for their own sake. American geologists, however, were more interested in stratigraphical correlations and had relatively little use for petrographical details. Thus, such Americans as George Hawes and Alexis Julien, who attempted to introduce the microscope for purely petrographical work in the early 1870's, had great difficulties in finding an audience. During the late 1870's, however, a number of American geologists-including federal geologists working amongst the volcanic rocks of the West, state geologists mapping in the Lake Superior region, and mining geologists examining the Comstock Lode and the Leadville district-came to appreciate the aid microscopic petrography could provide for stratigraphical correlations. This growing interest led to the hiring of a number of microscopic petrographers around 1880. These petrographers were trained in Germany, where they ha...
Endoscopic lumbar foraminotomy

Foraminal stenosis frequently causes radiculopathy in lumbar degenerative spondylosis. Endoscopic transforaminal techniques allow for foraminal access with minimal tissue disruption. However, the effectiveness of foraminal decompression by endoscopic techniques has yet to be studied. We evaluate radiographic outcome of endoscopic transforaminal foraminotomies performed at L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1 on cadaveric specimens. Before and after the procedures, three dimensional CT scans were obtained to measure foraminal height and area. Following the foraminotomies, complete laminectomies and facetectomies were performed to assess for dural tears or nerve root damage. L3-L4 preoperative foraminal height increased by 8.9%, from 2.12±0.13cm to 2.27±0.14cm (p<0.01), and foraminal area increased by 24.8% from 2.21±0.18cm(2) to 2.72±0.19cm(2) (p<0.01). At L4-L5, preoperative foraminal height was 1.87±0.17cm and area was 1.78±0.18cm(2). Endoscopic foraminotomies resulted in a 15.3% increase of foraminal height (2.11±0.15cm, p<0.05) and 44.8% increase in area of (2.51±0.21cm(2), p<0.01). At L5-S1, spondylitic changes caused diminished foraminal height (1.26±0.14cm) and foraminal area (1.17±0.18cm(2)). Postoperatively, foraminal height increased by 41.6% (1.74±0.09cm, p<0.05) and area increased by 98.7% (2.08±0.17cm(2), p<0.01). Subsequent inspection via a standard midline approach revealed one dural tear of an S1 nerve root. Endoscopic foraminotomies allow for effective foraminal decompression, though clinical studies are necessary to further evaluate complications and efficacy.
Probability limit theorems and the convergence of finite difference approximations of partial differential equations

Probability limit theorems applied to convergence of finite difference approximations of partial differential equations
Quantum confined Stark effect in GaInNAs/GaAs multiple quantum wells

The potential of the GaInNAs/GaAs material system for the fabrication of tunable devices based on the quantum confined Stark effect is investigated. Transfer matrix calculations are presented to show that the band alignment is ideal for such applications since the large conduction band offset and heavier electron effective mass limit electron tunnelling and exciton quenching in the presence of an electric field. Optical transitions up to the third confined energy levels (3e–3h) were observed by electroreflectance spectroscopy in a Ga0.84In0.16N0.02As0.98:Sb/ GaAs p–i–n multi-quantum well structure. A 12 meV Stark shift of the fundamental transition is found experimentally with an estimated applied electric field of 60 kV/cm, in good agreement with an effective well width calculation.
“Living the Literate Life”: How Teachers Make Connections Between the Personal and Professional Literate Selves

This study examines teachers' beliefs about themselves as literate people and how those beliefs translate into classroom literary practice. Using a multi-method approach, it explores the private literate selves (via diary, survey, and interviews) of twelve K–12 teachers and establishes a foundational understanding of the influence of the social and personal nature of literacy on teacher support for literacy in the classroom and how teachers' personal literacy practices are made public to classroom learners. Results indicate that literacy played an important functional role in the lives of all 12 teachers. There was variability in the prominence of literacy for pleasure in the teachers' lives. In addition, there was variability in whether and in what ways teachers made their literacy practices public for their students. Implications for teacher education and professional development programs are offered.
A GEOMETRIC AND ALGEBRAIC DESCRIPTION OF ANNULAR BRAID GROUPS

We provide a new presentation for the annular braid group. The annular braid group is known to be isomorphic to the finite type Artin group with Coxeter graph Bn. Using our presentation, we show that the annular braid group is a semidirect product of an infinite cyclic group and the affine Artin group with Coxeter graph An - 1. This provides a new example of an infinite type Artin group which injects into a finite type Artin group. In fact, we show that the affine braid group with Coxeter graph An - 1 injects into the braid group on n + 1 stings. Recently it has been shown that the braid groups are linear, see [3]. Therefore, this shows that the affine braid groups are also linear.
Linguistics and the future of computation

My subject is the art of computation: computer architecture, computer programming, and computer application. Linguistics provides the ideas, but the use I make of them is not the linguist's use, which would be an attempt at understanding the nature of man and of human communication, but the computer scientist's use. In ancient India, the study of language held the place in science that mathematics has always held in the West. Knowledge was organized according to the best known linguistic principles. If we had taken that path, we would have arrived today at a different science. Our scholarship draws its principles from sources close to linguistics, to be sure, but our science has rather limited itself to a basis in Newtonian calculus. And so a chasm separates two cultures.
Thermoluminescence studies of the gamma-ray irradiated ferroelectrics Rochelle salt and guanidine aluminum sulfate hexahydrate

Samples of Rochelle salt and guanidine aluminum sulfate hexahydrate were irradiated with Co/sup 60/ gamma rays up to 3.5 x 10/sup 6/ r at liquid nitrogen temperature, after which they were warmed at a constant rate and observed with a photomultiplier tube. The grade Rochelle salt powder was found to produce a glow peak at about -61 deg C, corresponding to a trap depth of about 0.42 ev, which was removed completely by two recrystallizations from water solution. Rochelle salt single crystals also yielded no detectable thermoluminescence, indicating a maximum trap concentration significantly less than 10/sup 6/ per gram. Guanidine aluminum sulfate hexahydrate showed three glow peaks, at - 146, -119, and about - 5 deg C, corresponding to trap depths of 0.25, 0.31, and 0.54 ev respectively. The major peak at -146 deg C became more prominent as the dose was increased to 3.5 x 10/sup 6/ r At low doses (10,000 r) the -119 deg C peak was largest but became completely concealed by the lower temperature peak at 3.5 x 10/sup 6/ r. The low and very broad peak at -5 deg C was most easily seen at intermediate doses of 10/sup 5/ and 10/sup 6/ r,more » becoming undetectable at lower doses and becoming poorly resolved at higher doses. Trap concentration for an exposure of 3.5 x 10/sup 6/ r was estimated to be 7 x 10/sup 9/ per gram. (auth)« less
The Dilemmas of Regulating Casino Gambling

One of the major reasons for the reluctance to legalize many of the popular forms of gambling is the belief that these forms are particularly difficult to control honestly. It is generally believed that organized crime has been able to undermine regulatory mechanisms. This paper reports on the difficulties and successes of the Nevada Gambling Control Board's efforts to deal with a sophisticated and complex form of gambling organization and compares and contrasts that regulation with the regulation of casino gambling in England.
Local Extinction and Unintentional Rewilding of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) on a Desert Island

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) were not known to live on Tiburon Island, the largest island in the Gulf of California and Mexico, prior to the surprisingly successful introduction of 20 individuals as a conservation measure in 1975. Today, a stable island population of ∼500 sheep supports limited big game hunting and restocking of depleted areas on the Mexican mainland. We discovered fossil dung morphologically similar to that of bighorn sheep in a dung mat deposit from Mojet Cave, in the mountains of Tiburon Island. To determine the origin of this cave deposit we compared pellet shape to fecal pellets of other large mammals, and extracted DNA to sequence mitochondrial DNA fragments at the 12S ribosomal RNA and control regions. The fossil dung was 14C-dated to 1476–1632 calendar years before present and was confirmed as bighorn sheep by morphological and ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis. 12S sequences closely or exactly matched known bighorn sheep sequences; control region sequences exactly matched a haplotype described in desert bighorn sheep populations in southwest Arizona and southern California and showed subtle differentiation from the extant Tiburon population. Native desert bighorn sheep previously colonized this land-bridge island, most likely during the Pleistocene, when lower sea levels connected Tiburon to the mainland. They were extirpated sometime in the last ∼1500 years, probably due to inherent dynamics of isolated populations, prolonged drought, and (or) human overkill. The reintroduced population is vulnerable to similar extinction risks. The discovery presented here refutes conventional wisdom that bighorn sheep are not native to Tiburon Island, and establishes its recent introduction as an example of unintentional rewilding, defined here as the introduction of a species without knowledge that it was once native and has since gone locally extinct.
Congenital central nervous system tumors

Congenital central nervous system (CNS) tumors are a rare and diverse group of tumors with variable biological behavior depending on location and histology. This review summarizes the published literature and describes the definition, epidemiology, diagnosis and evaluation, and treatment of congenital central nervous system tumors.
A simulation analysis of sequencing rules for ASRS in a pull-based assembly facility

Just-in-time (JIT) systems operate on a pull-based production control. The material needed is expected to be at its production site when and only when it is needed. When an automated storage retrieval system (ASRS) is used as a valve warehouse to support JIT manufacturing, the delivery time becomes critical. This paper presents an investigation on the effect of job sequencing rule on delivery performance of an ASRS, which is used as a valve warehouse to support a pull-based Kanban-driven assembly line. The analysis was based on computer simulation. The interaction of the sequencing rules with other control variables was also examined
High-temperature shock formation of N2 and organics on primordial Titan.

Theoretical models suggest that the initial form of nitrogen in Titan's atmosphere may have been NH3. The possible importance of strong shocks produced during high-velocity impacts accompanying the late stages of accretion are investigated as a method for converting NH3 to N2, of which Titan's atmosphere is now primarily composed. The focused beam of a high-power laser is used to simulate the effects of an impact in Titan's atmosphere. For mixtures of 10, 50, and 90 percent NH3, yields of 0.25, 1, and 6 x 20 to the 17th molecules of N2 per joule, respectively, were obtained. It is also found that the yield of HCN is comparable to that for N2. Several other hydrocarbons are produced, many with yields in excess of theoretical high-temperature-equilibrium models. The above yields, when combined with models of the satellite's accretion, result in a total N2 production comparable to that present in TItan's atmosphere and putative ocean.
Albrecht theory of resonance Raman scattering: applied to conjugated polymers in the solid-state limit

Abstract The connection between the vibronic picture of Raman scattering and the third-order perturbation approach in solid-state physics is clarified. Starting from the Kramers—Heisenberg—Dirac formula for Raman scattering, we derive analytical expressions for the Condon and Herzberg—Teller terms for polyacetylene in the solid-state limit. Close to resonance the Condon term dominates and converges to the usual solid-state result. In the off-resonance region the Herzberg—Teller term is comparable to the Condon term, in contrast to the small molecule case.
Recurrent Syncope in a Patient with Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm

We report a case of a 79-year-old male patient with syncope. The thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) which size was 4.6/6.0 mm, was pointed out in 1997. Episodes of syncopal attack associated with walking and urinating were developed in 2005. Neurally mediated syncope (NMS) was suggested because magnetic resonance imaging of head and neck, echocardiography and electrocardiogram showed no abnormal findings. Permanent pacemaker was implanted for uncontrollable cardioinhibitory type of NMS in 2006. However, syncopal attack was reccured during the meal one month later after pacemaker implantation. Ventricular pacing rhythm with low blood pressure was observed on admission, so diagnosed as mixed type of NMS. At that time, the size of TAA was enlarged (7.2/8.4 mm), and total arch replacement surgery was performed. The syncopal attack had disappeared for five years after surgery. Conclusions: Total arch replacement surgery was feasible in a patient with vasovagal reflex-mediated syncope. This syncope might be associated with mechanical compression of the baroreceptor of aortic wall by TAA.
Lamellar mixing models for structured chemical reactions and their relationship to statistical models; Macro- and micromixing and the problem of averages

In the lamellar mixing model, statistical treatments and average values of important variables are introduced near the end of the analysis, not at the beginning. A description based on a Lagrangian point of view of fluid mechanics, diffusion, and reaction in the neighborhood of a moving material particle is compared with other mixing approaches. Rational definitions for micro and macro mixing are specified. Usefulness of the lamellar model is demonstrated by (a) solution for concentrations field with multicomponent diffusion and n-linear chemical reactions in an arbitrary local flow field, (b) indication of criteria for the relative importance of molecular diffusion chemical reaction, local flow, and associated real time in each micro-flow element, (c) effect of real time in each micro-flow element. Potential uses include (a) perturbation schemes for analysis of mixing influence on complex chemical reactions, (b) use of chemical reactions to obtain average fluid mechanical information in complex motions.
Stochastic and Deterministic Assembly Processes in Subsurface Microbial Communities

A major goal of microbial community ecology is to understand the forces that structure community composition. Deterministic selection by specific environmental factors is sometimes important, but in other cases stochastic or ecologically neutral processes dominate. Lacking is a unified conceptual framework aiming to understand why deterministic processes dominate in some contexts but not others. Here we work toward such a framework. By testing predictions derived from general ecological theory we aim to uncover factors that govern the relative influences of deterministic and stochastic processes. We couple spatiotemporal data on subsurface microbial communities and environmental parameters with metrics and null models of within and between community phylogenetic composition. Testing for phylogenetic signal in organismal niches showed that more closely related taxa have more similar habitat associations. Community phylogenetic analyses further showed that ecologically similar taxa coexist to a greater degree than expected by chance. Environmental filtering thus deterministically governs subsurface microbial community composition. More importantly, the influence of deterministic environmental filtering relative to stochastic factors was maximized at both ends of an environmental variation gradient. A stronger role of stochastic factors was, however, supported through analyses of phylogenetic temporal turnover. Although phylogenetic turnover was on average faster than expected, most pairwise comparisons were not themselves significantly non-random. The relative influence of deterministic environmental filtering over community dynamics was elevated, however, in the most temporally and spatially variable environments. Our results point to general rules governing the relative influences of stochastic and deterministic processes across micro- and macro-organisms.
Immunoprofile of benign and malignant fibrohistiocytic tumors

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 26 malignant fibrous histiocytomas (MFH) and 61 benign fibrohistiocytic proliferations (BFHP) were evaluated immunohistochemically. An avidinbiotin-peroxidase technique was used to determine immunoreactivity for alpha-1 antichymotrypsin, muramidase, HLA-DR, leucocyte common antigen, S-100 protein, vimentin, desmin, and keratin. MFHs were consistently positive for ACT and vimentin and inconsistently reactive for the other antigens. MFHs were negative for LCA suggesting a mesenchymal origin for these lesions. In the MFH histologic subtypes, antigen expression was not significantly different to be useful in their classification. Also no distinctive pattern emerged relative to immunoreactivity and tumor location. The benign lesions, giant cell tumor of tendon sheath, dermatofibroma, and oral benign fibrous histiocytoma differed from the MFHs in that they were often LCA positive, suggesting origin from hematopoetic mononuclear-macrophages. The immunoprofiles of peripheral fibromas and "giant cell" fibromas were felt to be consistent with origin from mesenchymal cells. Several of the antigens studied could be used to differentiate the benign lesions studied from other benign neoplasms. The antigens were, however, of little value in separation of benign and malignant lesions.
Identifying selective inhibitors against the human cytosolic sialidase NEU2 by substrate specificity studies

Aberrant expression of human sialidases has been shown to associate with various pathological conditions. Despite the effort in the sialidase inhibitor design, less attention has been paid to designing specific inhibitors against human sialidases and characterizing the substrate specificity of different sialidases regarding diverse terminal sialic acid forms and sialyl linkages. This is mainly due to the lack of sialoside probes and efficient screening methods, as well as limited access to human sialidases. A low cellular expression level of the human sialidase NEU2 hampers its functional and inhibitory studies. Here we report the successful cloning and expression of the human sialidase NEU2 in E. coli. About 11 mg of soluble active NEU2 was routinely obtained from 1 L of E. coli cell culture. Substrate specificity studies of the recombinant human NEU2 using twenty p-nitrophenol (pNP)-tagged α2-3- or α2-6-linked sialyl galactosides containing different terminal sialic acid forms including common N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), non-human N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nonulosonic acid (Kdn), or their C5-derivatives in a microtiter plate-based high-throughput colorimetric assay identified a unique structural feature specifically recognized by the human NEU2 but not two bacterial sialidases. The results obtained from substrate specificity studies were used to guide the design of a sialidase inhibitor that was selective against human NEU2. The selectivity of the inhibitor was revealed by the comparison of sialidase crystal structures and inhibitor docking studies.
New Square S=1/2 Heisenberg Antiferromagnetic Lattices: Pyridinium Tetrahalocuprates and Bispyrazinecopper(II) Tetrafluoroborate

Abstract As part of a program to create new low dimensional S=1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg compounds with moderate exchange, we have prepared four new copper complexes with square magnetic lattices. The complexes L2[CuX4] have been prepared (L = 2-amino-5-methylpyridinium, X = Cl, Br; L = 2-amino-5-chloropyridinium, X = Br). The compounds are isomorphous, giving monoclinic crystals; space group C2/c. The tetrahalometallate ions lie in C-centered layers, forming a square magnetic lattice. The layers are separated by the organic cations. Preliminary analysis of the magnetic data shows that the exchange constant, J, increases in the order Br > Cl and 2-amino-5-chloropyridinium > 2-amino-5-methylpyridinium. A new member of the pyrazine bridged family M(pyrazine)2X2 has also been prepared and studied. Cu(pz)2 (BF4)2 also crystallizes in the space group C2/c. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the susceptibility yields and exchange value of −7.98 K, similar to that found for the known Cu(pz)2(ClO4)2 ...
Electrophoretic analysis of liver neuraminidase-1 variation in mice and additional evidence concerning the location of NEU-1.

SUMMARY Neuraminidase-1 (NEU-1) is one of two neuraminidase isozymes which can be detected electrophoretically in mouse liver extracts. The inheritance of variation in NEU-1 and the linkage relationships of the gene controlling this variation were studied through a backcross analysis involving the SM/J and MA/MyJ inbred strains, and by examination of NEU-1 phenotypes in three congenic strains: Bl0.SM, Bl0.SM(22R) and B10.RVB. The data indicate that NEU-1 is controlled by Neu-1, a gene previously identified by its effect on total liver neuraminidase activity in whole tissue homogenates. Analysis of the congenic strains revealed identical low activity (SM/J-type: Neu-1α/Neu-1α) NEU-1 phenotypes in all three strains. This indicates that Neu-I lies in the segment of the SM/J-derived H-2 region that is common to all three strains: H-2Eα to H-2D. In addition, we examined the relationship between NEU-1 and phenotypic variation in liver acid phosphatase (AP; for which a new typing method is described) and linkage order among several other enzyme-coding genes linked to H-2. In all animals that could be scored confidently for AP, the NEU-1 and AP phenotypes were concordant, adding support to the hypothesis that both phenotypes are controlled by Neu-1. Recombination rates among six H-2-Linked marker loci were unexpectedly low, but were sufficient to verify the position of Upg-1 as the telomeric flanking marker relative to Glo-I, H-2 (C4), Neu-1 (Apl), Ce-2 and Pgk-2.
Efficient optimization of crystallization conditions by manipulation of drop volume ratio and temperature

An efficient optimization method for the crystallization of biological macromolecules has been developed and tested. This builds on a successful high-throughput technique for the determination of initial crystallization conditions. The optimization method takes an initial condition identified through screening and then varies the concentration of the macromolecule, precipitant, and the growth temperature in a systematic manner. The amount of sample and number of steps is minimized and no biochemical reformulation is required. In the current application a robotic liquid handling system enables high-throughput use, but the technique can easily be adapted in a nonautomated setting. This method has been applied successfully for the rapid optimization of crystallization conditions in nine representative cases.
Assessing the leakage rates from punctured submerged vessels

The leakage of fluid leaving a puncture in a pressurized vessel immersed in a quiescent, miscible medium is studied under steady flow conditions. This problem has engineering applications in submerged pipelines and hazardous gas lines. The leakage rate for the puncture is characterized as functions of various hydrodynamic and geometric conditions. Dimensional analysis shows that the leakage percent, Q*, is a function of the Reynolds number, the pressure ratio between the center of the tube and the external hydrostatic pressure, P*, and the hole-to-main tube diameter ratio, D*. The effect of puncture shape is also examined, rectangular and circular. A 3-D finite volume computational model is constructed for laminar flow of a Newtonian fluid under steady conditions and validated with supporting experiments. The results show that the fractional leakage rate Q* increases with P* and approaches a constant value at high P* for a fixed Reynolds number. In addition, it is found that the leakage rate increases with decreasing Reynolds number at a fixed pressure ratio. The geometric effect of the diameter ratio is shown to have a more pronounced effect near a pressure ratio of two with more fluid exiting the puncture for larger diameter ratios. The results of the shape analysis show that the circular puncture has the largest fractional leakage when compared to a rectangle with an equivalent cross-sectional area.
Chronic opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain: How can the scales predict outcome without a good SMACK?

Chronic opioid therapy presents potential benefits to the patient with chronic noncancer pain. Clearly, chronic opioid therapy has risks such as misuse, abuse, and diversion. Screening tools have been developed to define patients at risk for, predict, and detect these negative outcomes. Careful study demonstrates that the tools and their application in clinical practice are imperfect and often fail to fulfill their promise. Barriers to their success range from limited psychometric capabilities to the presence of confounding psychiatric comorbidities. However, the essence of poor outcome in the care of patients with chronic noncancer pain is the inexperience of the practitioner with chronic opioid therapy and the lack of a comprehensive approach to case formulation. The care of patients can only reach its full potential if practitioners follow a standardized approach repeatedly with ongoing reflection about why a particular outcome occurred, what they could do differently, and how a coherent evidence-based rationale supports their recommendations. This iterative process will refine clinical practice and produce experts in pain management.
The Catholic medical practitioner, family planning, and the Church.

In daily practice, obstetricians and gynaecologists, family practitioners, midwives, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants frequently deal with family planning issues. They commonly advise, prescribe, inject, insert and operate with the aim of preventing or interrupting fertilisation and conception. However, Roman Catholic practitioners are constantly faced with the dilemma between doing the right thing for their patients and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church (‘Church’ for the remainder of this discussion), which opposes any artificial means of family planning and also abortion.1 Abortion will not be discussed here, as that issue would raise the argument to a different level. The official position of the Church has been and still is that Catholics are not allowed to use any so-called artificial methods to prevent pregnancy.1 The Church considers the practice of any means of artificial intervention to be a grave sin. Catholic medical practitioners are equally prohibited from prescribing or carrying out such interventions,1 even though they may realise that doing so might be in the best interest of their patients. In a simplistic way, this dilemma leaves Catholic practitioners with only two possible options: adhering to the teachings of the Church or following their own consciences. Following one's individual conscience is what the Church teaches anyway.2 First, the medical practitioner may decide to abide by the teaching of the Church. However, in refusing to make available a wide range of contraceptive measures to their patients individuals will not be able to select what is perceived as being the most appropriate in their situation and make an informed choice. The practitioner will thereby be denying their patients a medical service that they may desperately need and want, and in fact may also be contributing indirectly to one of the world's most pressing problems, namely overpopulation.3 …
270°C, 1 GHz oscillator-type active antenna

Reported is the first demonstration of an active antenna operating at 1 GHz and at temperatures above 200degC. A Clapp oscillator integrated with a slot-ring antenna generated and transmitted a 1 GHz signal from 25 to 270degC. The oscillation frequency varied by less than 4 over the temperature range.
Feedback control of soliton self-frequency shift and nonlinear loss in optical fibers

We use adaptive feedback to control the amount of soliton Raman self-frequency shift in 100 meters of optical fiber. Phase-only pulse shaping at 1.55 /spl mu/m with a deformable mirror is used at the input.
Commentary: monitoring expanded health insurance for children: challenges and opportunities.

Enacted in 1997 as Title XXI of the Social Security Act, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) offers significant potential for expanding health insurance for children and improving their access to care.1 According to the states, nearly 2 million children were enrolled by October 1999.2 Ultimately, 3 million uninsured children in low-income families, or about one third of all US uninsured children, could eventually gain coverage under SCHIP.3 Moreover, SCHIP outreach efforts may also lead to increased enrollment levels of children already eligible for Medicaid. More than 2 years have now passed since enactment of the program and many of the components needed to monitor the program are now in place. These include a new template to assist states in meeting federal reporting requirements, an external evaluation funded by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), several SCHIP research projects funded through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The enactment of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 further enhances the prospects for a comprehensive approach to monitoring. This act, incorporated in one of the final appropriations bills for fiscal year 2000 (Public Law 106-113), not only included new appropriations for data collection and evaluation as indicated above, but also expands Congressional oversight by specifying periodic audits by the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services combined with monitoring reports from the General Accounting Office to assess progress in reducing the number of uninsured low-income children. The legislation also directs the federal Department of Health and Human Services to take an active role in coordinating and consolidating data and reports regarding children's health. In this commentary, we outline several elements of a comprehensive national monitoring program and discuss how these new data collection and evaluation initiatives fit within this …
Two Iterative Algorithms for Computing the Singular Value Decomposition from Input/Output Samples

The Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) is an important tool for linear algebra and can be used to invert or approximate matrices. Although many authors use "SVD" synonymously with "Eigenvector Decomposition" or "Principal Components Transform", it is important to realize that these other methods apply only to symmetric matrices, while the SVD can be applied to arbitrary nonsquare matrices. This property is important for applications to signal transmission and control. I propose two new algorithms for iterative computation of the SVD given only sample inputs and outputs from a matrix. Although there currently exist many algorithms for Eigenvector Decomposition (Sanger 1989, for example), these are the first true sample-based SVD algorithms.