cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A clinical study of premenstrual tension.

Abstract A study of 249 volunteers with premenstrual symptoms at Westfield State Farm indicated that 51 per cent of the prison population (131 of 257 inmates), with an average age of 32.4 years, and 33 per cent of the reformatory population (118 of 358 inmates), with an average age of 21.4 years, suffered from premenstrual tension. Sugar tolerance tests showed a hypoglycemic-type curve in the premenstrual phase and premenstrual vaginal smears indicated hyperestrogenic stimulation. Review of the inmates' records indicated that 62 per cent of crimes of violence were committed in the premenstrual week. Therapy consisted of medication containing vitamin B complex and ammonium chloride, and supplementary feedings of milk and cheese in the premenstrual period. Analysis of the reported improvement indicates: 15 per cent of inmates reported improvement when given placebos only 39 per cent of inmates reported improvement with placebos plus supplementary high-protein diet; 61 per cent of inmates reported improvement when given medication only 79 per cent of inmates reported improvement when given medication plus supplementary high-protein diet. Medication in this phase of the study is held to be effective on symptoms of premenstrual tension rather than on the underlying estrogen-progesterone imbalance. Results showed increased work output, improvement in behavior and attitude, fewer requests for analgesic and sedative medication, less punishment for infraction of rules, and marked increase in the general morale.
Two-dimensional separation of axonemal proteins.

Publisher Summary The procedure described in this chapter is meant to resolve the molecular components of Chlamydomonas axonemes. It can be applied to all kinds of axonemes for various purposes—namely, the analysis of axonemal fractions, the identification of defective gene products, the recognition of cytoskeletal proteins, and, finally, the definition of “molecular signatures” that are formed by specific substructures. These signatures consist of characteristic two-dimensional patterns of spots. The development of two-dimensional electrophoretic procedures capable of resolving nearly all axonemal proteins provided the opportunity to identify the molecular components of all major axonemal substructures. Axoneme is composed of hundreds of distinct polypeptides that have different concentrations and are post-translationally modified. The procedure discussed consists of two successive gel electrophoreses of polypeptides that, first, are resolved in a pH gradient and, then, are separated by conventional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). During the first step the polypeptides retain their own electric charge but do not reach their isoelectric point. The procedure works very well for separating proteins that are smaller than 200,000 Da. Larger proteins need analysis by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE. The electrophoreses are performed in two homemade, vertical apparatus that hold 16-cm-wide, 1Pcm-long, 0.3-cm-thick glass plates and 35.5-cm-wide, 26.5-cm-long, 0.4-cm-thick glass plates, respectively. The dimensions of the apparatus for the second electrophoresis are designed so that two samples can be run side-by-side in an identical acrylamide gradient. The procedure is described in detail. Following the second electrophoresis, detection of polypeptides is performed either by silver staining of wet gels or autoradiography of dried gels. In nonequilibrium electrophoresis of polypeptides in a gradient of pH, all polypeptides under analysis remain in the gel. Polypeptides that could irreversibly precipitate at their isoelectric point in a focusing gel remain soluble and can be separated in the gel used for the second electrophoresis.
Ultra-Broadband Infrared Pulses from a Potassium-Titanyl Phosphate Optical Parametric Amplifier for VIS-IR-SFG Spectroscopy

A non-collinear KTP-OPA to provide ultra-broadband mid-infrared pulses was designed and characterized. With proper pulse-front and phase correction, the system has a potential for high-time resolution vibrational VIS-IR-SFG spectroscopy.
Morphologies and Energy Sources of Luminous Infrared Galaxies

Infrared images of a sample of luminous galaxies reveal two (sometimes more) high luminosity blight spots on scales 1–10 kpc in 15 of the 24 galaxies for which the data have been analyzed. We discuss whether these bright spots are “double nuclei,” and are, therefore, evidence for the interpretation that these galaxies are the products of a merger, or whether the spots are luminous extra-nuclear regions of star-formation induced by an interaction.
Decision Theory: Biostatistical Aspects

Statistical decision theory is a set of techniques for making optimal decisions in the setting of uncertainty. Both frequentist and Bayesian approaches have been developed. The definition of a Bayesian decision problem requires the specification of an unknown parameter and its prior probability density function (pdf), observed data (if any), a likelihood function, a set of possible decisions or actions, and a loss or utility function whose expectation is to be optimized. The expected loss can be defined in a number of ways, yielding a frequentist risk, the conditional Bayes risk, and the Bayes risk. The goal is generally to select a decision rule that maps the possible observed data to a set of actions so that the Bayes risk is minimized. Alternatively, a frequentist may seek to minimize the maximum frequentist risk that might be experienced over all possible fixed values of the unknown parameter, yielding the optimal “minimax” decision rule. Examples in the chapter include a problem of selecting drug therapy when the patient diagnosis is unclear and the decision to order a test to determine the disease present, choosing a sample size when the goal is to estimate an unknown mean of a normally distributed variable, sequential stopping rules determined through back induction, and sequential allocation or assignment (bandits). Keywords: prior probability; posterior probability; loss function; utility function; Bayes theorem; frequentist risk; Bayes risk; minimax; sequential analysis; adaptive assignment
A role for subplate neurons in the patterning of connections from thalamus to neocortex

During cerebral cortical development, ingrowing axons from different thalamic nuclei select and invade their cortical targets. The selection of an appropriate target is first evident even before thalamic axons grow into the cortical plate: initially axons accumulate and wait below their cortical target area in a zone called the subplate. This zone also contains the first postmitotic neurons of the cerebral cortex, the subplate neurons. Here we have investigated whether subplate neurons are involved in the process of target selection by thalamic axons by ablating them from specific cortical regions at the onset of the waiting period and examining the subsequent thalamocortical axon projection patterns. Subplate neurons were ablated at the onset of the waiting period by intracortical injections of kainic acid. The effect of the ablation on the thalamocortical projection from visual thalamus was examined by DiI-labeling of the LGN days to weeks following the lesion. At two to four weeks post-lesion, times when LGN axons would have normally invaded the cortical plate, the axons remained below the cortical plate and grew past their appropriate cortical target in an anomalous pathway. Moreover, examination of LGN axons at one week post-lesion, a time when they would normally be waiting and branching within the visual subplate, indicated that the axons had already grown past their correct destination. These observations suggest that visual subplate neurons are involved in the process by which LGN axons select and subsequently grow into visual cortex. In contrast, subplate neurons do not appear to play a major role in the initial morphological development of the LGN itself. Subplate ablations did not alter dendritic growth or shapes of LGN projection neurons during the period under study, nor did it prevent the segregation of retinal ganglion cell axons into eye-specific layers. However, the overall size of the LGN was reduced, suggesting that there may be increased cell death of LGN neurons in the absence of subplate neurons. To examine whether subplate neurons beneath other neocortical areas play a similar role in the formation of thalamocortical connections, subplate neurons were deleted beneath auditory cortex at the onset of the waiting period for auditory thalamic axons. Subsequent DiI labeling revealed that in these animals the majority of MGN axons had grown past auditory cortex instead of innervating it. Taken together these observations underscore a general requirement for subplate neurons throughout neocortex in the process of cortical target selection and ingrowth by thalamic axons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Porous-media formulation for multiphase flow with heat transfer

Abstract A set of governing differential-integral conservation equations for a multiphase system with stationary structures is presented. This set of governing equations is derived based on the porous media formulation via local volume averaging, and is particularly suitable for numerical computations in most engineering problems. The integrals depend on interface configurations and are probabilistic in nature. These equations are reducible to differential equations under simplifying assumptions for a specific configuration of the interface. The porous-media formulation presented here uses concepts of volume porosity, directional surface permeabilities, distributed resistance, and distributed heat source and sink. The concept of directional surface permeability is new and greatly facilitates modeling in temperature and velocity fields in anisotropic media, and, in general, improves resolution and accuracy, particularly for momentum transfer. Both the conventional porous-media formulation and the continuum formulation are subsets of the new porous media formulation.
A Practical Robotic End-Effector for Grasping Postal Sacks

This article describes a new class of end-effectors that can be used with robotic and material handling devices for grabbing and holding deformable objects with undefined shapes such as sacks and bags. These end-effectors can grab and hold filled sacks from any point on the sack and regardless of the sack orientation and position. The first prototype end-effector, designed for the U.S. Postal Service, has two rollers. The rollers are pushed toward each other by the force of a spring. When the rollers are powered to spin, the inward spinning of the rollers causes the sack material to be dragged in between the rollers due to the friction between the surfaces of the rollers and the sack material. The spring pushes the rollers toward each other with sufficient force to hold the sack material in place between the rollers. The end-effector described here has been evaluated and proven to be exceedingly effective in grabbing and holding postal sacks. This article describes the underlying principles of the design, grasp conditions and control of the end-effector.
Facile synthesis of spin labelled steroids by esterification.

Abstract Hydroxy steroids have been spin-labelled by esterification at various positions around the steroid ring nucleus. This has been made possible by means of an amino pyricline catalyst in conjunction with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide as a coupling agent. The desired products are synthesized under very mild and simple reaction conditions and are easily purified. The yields are higher than those obtained by other synthesis methods.
Working with dangerous bugs

As part of the national effort in the US to protect civilians from bioterrorist attacks, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) was charged with the development of diverse research resources. The NIAID Resources for Biodefense Research program is forging new collaborations between immunologists and infectious disease experts and is reinvigorating research in the general area of immune protection against pathogenic infection.
Sociocultural Misalignments Faced by Preschool Chinese Emergent Bilinguals: A Case Study

There is a paucity of research about the schooling experiences of preschool Chinese emergent bilinguals. This is especially evident when compared to other minoritized groups and warrants attention because of the rapid increase in Chinese immigrants in the US recently. This study investigates the sociocultural misalignments a group of preschool Chinese emergent bilinguals from low socioeconomic backgrounds encounter in school and the implications of these misalignments. The study spanned 7 months and included participant observation, interviews, and collection of textual/visual evidence as methods of inquiry. Findings point toward assimilationist tendencies in school as students experienced challenges becoming independent, making decisions, adjusting to individualistic outlooks, and adapting to different dining habits. Despite the subjugation of home culture under school culture, parents and students remained silent about their needs. The findings suggest that this silence needs to be reinterpreted in light of cultural and class differences. The author also proposes the deconstruction of the model minority myth surrounding Chinese students and the reimagination of new ways to collaborate with families and students so that both home and school cultures can be equally honored.
Genie chains and the degrees of freedom of the K-user MIMO interference channel

We explore the degrees of freedom (DoF) of the K > 3 user M T × M R MIMO Gaussian interference channel where each transmitter is equipped with M T and each receiver is equipped with M R antennas. Expressing the DoF characterization as a function of the ratio γ = M/N, where M = min(M T , M R ) and N = max(M T , M R ), we find that when γ ≤ γ o = K−1/K(K−2) = γ o , the DoF value per user is piecewise linear depending on M and N alternately, similar to the DoF characterization for K = 3 which has been previously obtained. The regime γ > γ o , which is the dominant regime for K > 3 users and is not encountered in the K = 3 user setting, is the main focus of this paper. Our DoF results in this regime are obtained through a novel “genie chains” approach, which is the main contribution of this work. It is a chain of mappings from genie signals provided to a receiver to the exposed signal spaces at that receiver, which then serve as the genie signals for the next receiver in the chain, until an acceptable genie with the required number of dimensions is obtained, essentially converting an information theoretic problem into a linear algebra problem.
Mythic aspects of the demographic transition

Demographic transition the idea that making people healthier and wealthier will make their population shrink lowering birth rates is a myth. If Europe is the only model used to make a case for demographic transition then one is ignoring the facts in other countries. Ireland and France are growing again. The Europeans curbed their family sizes because apartment living is not condusive to large families. A housing shortage in Europe is the cause of a decrease in the birth rate not the accidental fact that they became healthier and wealthier. In India Turkey and Guatemala the people have become healthier and wealthier but they are still over populating. All the poor countries of the world are overpopulated. The people use precious resources to survive leaving nothing for the soil to nourish to protect. Every year nature takes care of those not able to care for themselves. Disease and starvation are the two biggest killer of the poor. Some people feel they must help the poor to survive. But if the help is only in the form of food and medical care and not birth control as well then one is only prolonging a bigger catastrophe.
Statistical thermodynamics model and empirical correlations for predicting mixed hydrate phase equilibria

a b s t r a c t Natural gas hydrate deposits contain CH4 along with other hydrocarbon gases like C2H6, C3H8 and non- hydrocarbon gases like CO2 and H2S. If CH4 stored in natural gas hydrates can be recovered, the hydrates would potentially become a cleaner energy resource for the future producing less CO2 when combusted than does coal. The production of CH4 from natural gas hydrate reservoirs has been predicted by reservoir simulators that implement phase equilibrium data in order to predict various production scenarios. In this paper two methods are discussed for calculating the phase equilibria of mixed hydrates. In the first method, the phase equilibrium is predicted using a 'cell potential' code, which is based on van der Waals and Platteeuw statistical mechanics, along with variable reference parameters to account for lattice distortion, and with temperature-dependent Langmuir constants proposed by Bazant and Trout. The method is validated by reproducing the existing phase equilibrium data of simple and mixed hydrates and the structural transitions that are known to occur, without the use of any fitting parameters. A computationally-simple method is to use empirical correlations of gas hydrate dissociation pressure with respect to temperature and gas-phase composition as they are easy to implement into the simulators. The parameters for the empirical expression were determined for the CH4-C2H6 mixed hydrate system by non-linear regression analysis of available experimental data and data obtained from the first method.
Thin optic constraint

Abstract The success of using thin substrates in various fields has urged researchers to further study the possibilities of improving the technology for future applications. For example, the high surface-area-to-weight ratio and strength of sheet glass allow flat-panel display technology to result in high-definition televisions that can be hung on walls like paintings. Sheet glass is also the prime candidate for grazing-incidence foil-optic X-ray telescopes, such as the segmented mirror approach considered for the NASA C onstellation X mission, where cost limitations necessitate lightweight substrates. The effects of different parameters present during the metrology of thin optics, such as gravity, frictional and thermal forces, are identified and analyzed. These forces alter the optic’s surface topography by tens of microns depending on how the optics are manipulated and constrained. This renders metrology and thus surface shaping process results inconclusive. A metrology truss utilizing monolithic flexures to kinematically constrain thin optics during metrology is designed. This device mitigates the effects of the forces mentioned above that are induced on the thin sheet while being mechanically constrained, thus significantly improving the repeatability of the optic surface map measurements.
NODULATION COMPETITIVENESS OF TN5-INDUCED MUTANTS OF RHIZOBIUM FREDII USDA208 THAT ARE ALTERED IN MOTILITY AND EXTRACELLULAR POLYSACCHARIDE PRODUCTION

The role of motility and extracellular polysaccharide production in nodulation competitiveness of Rhizobium fredii was examined. Transposon Tn5 was used to mutagenize strain USDA208, and mutants wi...
The FasT-Fix Repair Technique for Ramp Lesion of the Medial Meniscus.

Introduction This technical note describes a new arthroscopic technique to repair the peripheral attachment lesion of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus. The operation was performed under arthroscopy using a standard anterior portal.
A loss of naiveté

Monogenic disorders leading to primary immunodeficiency have fascinated scientists and clinicians alike by their capacity to reveal the complexities of intracellular signaling pathways. Two articles in this issue of Blood by Abdollahpour et al and Nehme et al illustrate this point vividly,
A phase i study of high-dose melphalan + topotecan + VP-16 phosphate (Mtv) Followed by autologous stem cell rescue in multiple myeloma

Abstract We conducted a dose-escalation trial of topotecan (TPT) given in combination with melphalan & VP-16. In this HDC protocol in multiple myeloma the drugs were given as melphalan (150 mg/m 2 , total dose)→TPT (0 to 27 mg/m 2 , total dose)→VP-16 phosphate (2400 mg/m 2 , etoposide equivalent total dose). Thirty-five patients have been enrolled in this study. Ten patients were enrolled in the first dose level (melphalan and VP-16 phosphate only), while TPT was dose-escalated from 10 mg/m 2 to 27 mg/m 2 (total dose over 3 days) in dose levels 2–5. The MTD of high-dose topotecan is 20 mg/m 2 , with a DLT or grade 3/4 mucositis and enteritis. The 100 day non-relapse mortality is 5.7%. There have been two regimen-related deaths; one patient died of cardiotoxicity and the other of sepsis/ARDS after being intubated for severe mucositis. The median day to an ANC >500/μl is day +10, while the median day to a platelet count >50,000/μl is day +17.5. The overall response in 31 evaluable patients is 52% (10 CR + 6 PR) while another 42% demonstrated stable disease. The event free survival and overall survival at 6 months are 77% ± 8% and 96% ± 3.5%, respectively. The PK of TPT in this study have been found to be similar to those found in a recent phase I study of ifosfamide→TPT→ etoposide, TIME regimen. The results of confocal microscopy analyses of malignant plasma cells obtained from MTV patients demonstrate that the subcellular distribution of topo I and IIα may be critical in determining the sensitivity of these cells to inhibitors of these enzymes.
Production and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies against the Recombinant p50csk Protein Tyrosine Kinase: A Tool for Signal Transduction Research

p50csk is a protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) that has been reported to regulate the activity of other PTKs belonging to the src gene family. Several hybridoma clones that produce monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against recombinant p50csk were established. Five of the clones were analyzed for their ability to recognize native and denatured p50csk protein after undergoing native and denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by western blotting. In addition, the clones were tested for their ability to immunoprecipitate p50csk and yet maintain tyrosine kinase activity of antibody-bound p50csk. None of the clones cross-reacted with pp60c-src, a PTK that shares with p50csk the homologous SH1 catalytic domain and SH2 and SH3 regulatory domains. These MAbs can be used to study p50csk directly, and its role in regulating members of the src family.
Comparison of physician-rated performance characteristics of hydrophilic-coated guide wires.

Purpose The present study was undertaken to determine whether hydrophilic-coated guide wires differed significantly according to physician-rated performance. Materials and Methods In this single-blinded, randomized prospective trial, three standard-shaft, 3-cm, angled-tip hydrophilic-coated guide wires were compared: the ZIPwire, HiWire, and Glidewire. Physicians rated performance characteristics on a five-point scale. Results The Glidewire had significantly greater physician-rated tip radiopacity (3.3 ± 0.5 vs. 3.0 ± 0.6; P = .04), wire radiopacity (3.3 ± 0.5 vs. 3.0 ± 0.6; P = .04), and "lubricity" (3.3 ± 0.6 vs. 2.6 ± 1.0; P P = .02) and Glidewire (3.2 ± 0.6; P P = .01) and ZIPwire (2.7 ± 0.8; P P P Conclusions In addition to the highest-rated overall balance of properties, the Glidewire had significantly higher-rated lubricity and radiopacity characteristics compared with the ZIPwire.
Immunocytochemical localization of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the cat superior colliculus

This paper reports the pattern of labeling in the cat superior colliculus produced by an antiserum raised against BSA-conjugated gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and visualized by light and electron microscope immunocytochemistry. Neuropil labeling was densest within the zonal and superficial gray layers but was also found in the deep layers. Neurons labeled by the GABA antibody were also most dense within the zonal and superficial gray layers, although many labeled neurons were also found in the deeper layers. The ratio of labeled to unlabeled cells varied from an average of 45% in the superficial subdivision and the intermediate gray layer to less than 30% in the deeper laminae. Almost all intensely labeled cells were small (mean area = 127 micron 2) and had varied morphologies. Several types of labeled cell were observed with the electron microscope. One type had a horizontal, fusiform cell body and a deeply invaginated nucleus. Another type had a small round or ovoid cell body with cytoplasm clumped at one end. Labeled cells with other morphologies were also occasionally seen. No labeled glial cells were found. Two types of vesicle-containing dendrite were stained by the GABA antibody. One type had loose accumulations of small synaptic vesicles and often received input from retinal terminals. Another type had spines also containing small synaptic vesicles. Labeled dendrites without synaptic vesicles were also seen frequently. Putative axon terminals labeled by the GABA antibody had densely packed synaptic vesicles and formed symmetric synaptic contacts. Labeled myelinated axons were also commonly found. These results confirm those using uptake of tritiated GABA (Mize et al.: J. Comp. Neurol. 202:385-396, '81, J. Comp. Neurol, 206:180-192, '82) in that two of the same classes of GABA neuron, horizontal I and granule I cells, were identified in the superficial laminae. However, the GABA antiserum used in this study also revealed a third class of GABA neuron with vesicle-containing spines. The antiserum also labeled a significant number of putative GABAergic neurons located in the deep subdivision of the cat superior colliculus which were not previously recognized by using transmitter autoradiography.
Clinical correlations of antibodies in pemphigus studied by radioimmunoassay

Pemphigus antibodies of class G immunoglobulins (IgG) were studied with the use of a solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) that utilizes COLD-16, a squamous cell tumor line, as the substrate. Sera from patients with pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus vegetans showed greater average binding than did sera from patients with pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus erythematosus. The patients were subgrouped according to their clinical presentations and were divided into patients with skin lesions only, those with mucous membrane lesions only, and those with both skin and mucous membrane lesions. No significant differences were observed between these groups. There was good correlation between IgG binding in the RIA and both the disease activity and the response to therapy. Blood group antigen absorbable "false positive" anti-intercellular substance antibodies were not detected in the RIA.
Ultrastructure of photoreceptors in the eye of Hermissenda labelled with intracellular injections of horseradish peroxidase.

The terminal processes of single and of pairs of identified photoreceptors in the eyes of the nudibranch molluscHermissenda crassicornis were studied by light and transmission electron microscopy after their somata were labelled by intracellular iontophoresis of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The HRP spread from the somata into the axons and fine terminal processes within the neuropil of the cerebropleural ganglia. The photoreceptors ended in extensive secondary branches in the neuropil where previous electrophysiological studies had indicated the probable site of synaptic interactions between photoreceptors. Clear round vesicles (54–126 nm diameter) within labelled processes were similar to the vesicles found in the somata and axon hillocks. The terminal processes of pairs of type B photoreceptors contained different intensities of the HRP label. Uniform intensities of the HRP label were found in the terminal processes of single type B photoreceptors. These differences in intensity suggested that the terminal processes were from different type B photoreceptors. This finding suggests that the connections between type B photoreceptors are probably monosynaptic.
Closed-Loop Neural Network-Based NMES Control for Human Limb Tracking

Closed-loop control of skeletal muscle is complicated by the nonlinear muscle force to length and velocity relationships and the inherent unstructured and time-varying uncertainties in available models. Some pure feedback methods have been developed with some success, but the most promising and popular control methods for neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) are neural network (NN)-based methods. Efforts in this paper focus on the use of a NN feedforward controller that is augmented with a continuous robust feedback term to yield an asymptotic result (in lieu of typical uniformly ultimately bounded stability). Specifically, an NN-based controller and Lyapunov-based stability analysis are provided to enable semi-global asymptotic tracking of a desired limb time-varying trajectory (i.e., non-isometric contractions). The developed controller is applied as an amplitude modulated voltage to external electrodes attached to the distal-medial and proximal-lateral portion of the quadriceps femoris muscle group in non-impaired volunteers. The added value of incorporating a NN feedforward term is illustrated through experiments that compare the developed controller with and without the NN feedforward component.
When does a workflow complete

Workflow Management Systems (WFMS) coordinate execution of logically related multiple tasks in an organization. Each workflow that is executed on such a system is an instance of some workflow schema. A workflow schema is defined using a set of tasks that are coordinated using dependencies. Workflows generated from the same schema may differ with respect to the tasks executed. An important issue that must be addressed while designing a workflow is to decide what tasks are needed for the workflow to complete - we refer to this set of tasks as the completion set. Since different tasks are executed in different workflow instances, a workflow schema may be associated with multiple completion sets. Incorrect specification of completion sets may prohibit some workflow from completing. This, in turn, will cause the workflow to hold on to the resources and raise availability problems. Manually generating these sets for large workflow schemas can be an error-prone and tedious process. Our goal is to automate this process. We investigate the factors that affect the completion of a workflow. Specifically, we study the impact of control-flow dependencies on completion sets and show how this knowledge can be used for automatically generating these sets. We provide an algorithm that can be used by application developers to generate the completion sets associated with a workflow schema. Generating all possible completion sets for a large workflow is computationally intensive. Towards this end, we show how to approximately estimate the number of completion sets. If this number exceeds some threshold specified by the user, then we do not generate all completion sets.
Optimizing renal cortical neoplasm tissue sampling through a modified biopsy technique: laboratory experience and initial clinical experience.

OBJECTIVES We evaluated 11 currently available biopsy devices using a standard and a novel renal biopsy technique in a porcine model. We then applied our laboratory findings to clinical practice to improve our biopsy results during laparoscopic renal cryoablation procedures. METHODS A total of 11 biopsy devices were applied to live porcine renal tissue using two different techniques. In groups 1 and 2, the biopsy devices were deployed external to the renal tissue and in a standard manner after insertion into the renal tissue, respectively. Ten biopsies were performed for each condition and with each device. The biopsy quality metrics included sample core length and width and number of glomeruli and vessels in each sample. Subsequently, we confirmed our laboratory finding regarding the optimal biopsy technique during 10 sequential laparoscopic renal cryoablation procedures. During these procedures, each renal mass underwent the standard and modified biopsy techniques. RESULTS In the animal investigation, a total of 220 biopsies were performed. Regarding the biopsy technique, the mean core length for groups 1 and 2 was 7.32 and 4.91 mm (P <0.01) and the mean number of glomeruli was 7.6 and 4.2 (P <0.01), respectively. Clinically, 10 patients successfully underwent renal cryoablation in conjunction with the two renal biopsy groups. In all 10 cases, between the two biopsies, a histopathologic diagnosis was successfully obtained. The preablation standard and preablation modified biopsy technique established a diagnosis 7 of 10 and 9 of 10 times, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our preliminary laboratory and clinical data have demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of the modified biopsy technique.
Constant energy synchronous, time-resolved phosphorimetry

Abstract The combination of constant energy synchronous luminescence spectrometry (CESLS) with a pulsed source-gated detector is used to demonstrate the analytical power of time-resolved CESLS in phosphorimetry. Several binary mixtures are evaluated to demonstrate the spectral simplification of this approach.
Plastic deformation of single crystals of sapphire: Basal slip and twinning

Abstract Structural background has been presented in the form of a model based on a framework of oxide ions in hexagonal closest packing, with aluminum ions in octahedral interstices. Dislocation concepts have then been used for interpreting the significance of the crystallographic elements of slip: 〈11 2 0〉, {0001}, and comparisons have been made with the structurally related hexagonal metals. The Burgers vector of a total dislocation has been discussed in terms of the structure of the crystal, and reasons have been given for questioning whether slip occurs by a total dislocation mechanism. Alternative extended dislocation models have been deduced; the simplest one is based on quarter partials with Burgers vectors identical to those for half partials in the hexagonal metals. In order to move, the quarter partials in question require co-operative displacements of the two kinds of ions. Accordingly, selfpinning occurs if either kind of ion is unable to move. In addition, it has been shown that the experimentally observed crystallographic elements of deformation twinning can be fully understood only if one assumes that the twinning shears correspond to the synchronized displacements of a quarter partial. Moreover, the classically predicted structure of the twinning interface cannot be achieved by any shear mechanism which also satisfies the experimentally observed shear. On the other hand, the synchronized shear model leads to a classically unpredicted but nevertheless entirely satisfactory kind of twinning interface, which contains a glide plane rather than a true mirror. Consequently, the twinned crystal possesses only a macroscopic mirror plane of symmetry. The concept of partial slips involving synchronized shears of both kinds of ions should be useful in understanding plastic flow in ionic crystals in general.
The role of microstructure in taming the Rayleigh capillary instability of cylindrical jets

Abstract It is observed both in nature and in technological processes that filaments with anisotropic molecular-scale structure are less susceptible to breakup due to capillary instability than homogeneous, isotropic fluids in similar filament flows. Here we provide rigorous evidence that the strong coupling of microstructure to the hydrodynamics of cylindrical axisymmetric free surface filaments, indeed fundamentally alters the linearized stability of cylindrical jets. We extend Rayleigh's classical inviscid analysis of cylindrical jets to the three-dimensional (3D), macroscopic flow-orientation equations derived from the Doi kinetic theory for liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs). These equations assume rigid rod-like molecules and incorporate LCP effects of molecular relaxation, anisotropic drag, polymer kinetic energy, LCP density, and an intermolecular potential which couple orientation dynamics to standard free surface fluid equations. Depending on the LCP density, there are between one and three flow-independent orientation equilibria which persist in a constant-velocity, cylindrical free surface flow: an isotropic phase exists at all concentrations, whereas two anisotropic phases exist at sufficiently high LCP density. These equilibrium LCP cylindrical jets have two independent sources of instability, hydrodynamic and orientational, each identified within the coupled flow/orientation free surface equations. For this paper we restrict to equilibria free of orientational instabilities. All streamwise perturbations of wavelength greater than the jet circumference are unstable to capillary instability; only the strength of the instability and most dominant wavelength are affected by LCP microstructure. The degree to which microstructure reduces the capillary instability depends on two critical scaling parameters: an LCP capillary number Calcp (a ratio of LCP-induced surface stress to interfacial capillary stress); and the anisotropic drag/friction parameter σ. The most striking result is: for sufficiently large Calcp and highly anisotropic drag (σ ∼ 0) the capillary growthrate can be uniformly lowered, arbitrarily close to zero. For sufficiently small Calcp, all capillary-dominated growthrates are reduced, but are bounded below in terms of an explicit, sharp estimate and bounded above by the Rayleigh formula. The upshot is: inviscid LCP jets are predicted to yield bigger drops which form on longer timescales than an inviscid isotropic fluid with the same surface tension.
Utility of the Mini-Mult in a community mental health setting.

Summary.-The usefulness of the Mini-Mult in a community mental health setting was investigated. The scale was administered to male and female suicidals, nonsuicidals, alcoholics, nonalcoholics, suicidal alcoholics, znd suicidal nonalcoholics. The results indicate that the Mini-Mult may have some utility in a community mental health setting. Research and clinical data confirm the utility of the MMPI in a variety of clinical settings. Sometimes, however, it is not feasible to administer the 566-item MMPI so several, short-forms have been developed including the 71item Mini-Mult, the 86-irem Midi-Mult, the 104-item Maxi-Mult, the 166item FAM, the 168-item MMPI, and the 173-item Hugo. Studies of these short forms have inconclusively demonstrated their relative efficacy (Wilcockson, Bolton, & Dana, 1983). Given poor eyesight, inadequate verbal skills, reading difficulties, or acute distress, many patients are either unable or unwilling to comp!ete a full-length MMPI, so a short but valid instrument is needed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of the Mini-Mult in a community mental health setting. The Mini-Mult contains 71 items that Kincannon (1968) reworded for use in an interview situation and includes abbreviated versions of all the usual clinical and validity scales of the long form with the exceptions of Mf and Si. The Mini-Mult has been investigated by several researchers. Simono (1975) explored the usefulness of this instrument in a university counseling center. He found that, in that setting, the Mini-Mult did not provide clinical data comparable to those of the MMPI with regard to various indices of personal and social adaptation probIems. Nevertheless, Simono concluded that, because it offers a brief method of personality assessment, additional research should be conducted to determine the validity of the Mini-Mult as a separate personality measure. Tsushima (1975) concluded that regardless of the shortcomings of the Mini-Mult, it could be used as a substitute for the MMPI for patients in a medical setting when the standard version could not be used. On the other hand, Thorton, Finch, and Griffon ( 1975 ) found that, while correlations between the Mini-Mult and the long form were significantly high, eight of the 11 scale means were significantly different and there was inadequate correspondence
Optimal Comparable Selection and Weighting in Real Property Valuation: An Extension

Vandell (1991) recently developed a rigorous minimum variance technique for selecting and weighting comparables in real estate appraisal. This article extends Vandell's methodology in three areas: (1) an alternative objective function; (2) an approach that explicitly recognizes the non-negativity constraint on comparable weights; and, (3) a more robust comparable inclusion process. Using Vandell's data, we show how our methodology modifies Vandell's results.
Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy for the Analysis of Agricultural Soils

The objective of this work was to investigate the usefulness of near infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy in determining: (i) various constituents (total N, total C, active N, biomass and mineralisable N, and pH), (ii) parameters (soil source, depth from which sample was obtained, type of tillage used) and (iii) rate of application of NH4NO3 fertiliser) of low organic matter soils. A NIRSystems model 6250 spectrometer was used to scan soil samples (n = 179) obtained from experimental plots at two locations with three replicate plots under plow and no till practices at each location with three rates of NH4NO3 for each plot (2 × 3 × 2 × 3). For each of these, samples were taken from five depths for a total of 2 × 3 × 2 × 3 × 5 or 180 samples (one sample lost). The results demonstrated that NIR reflectance spectroscopy can be successfully used to determine some compositional parameters of low organic matter soils (particularly total C and total N). It is also apparent that for non-biological parameters (excluding soil type as reflected by source) such as the depth from which the sample was obtained, the rate of application of NH4NO3 fertiliser and the form of tillage used, that NIR reflectance spectroscopy is not very useful, unless a very limited set of samples is used (i.e. single tillage and location). For other determinations, such as pH, biomass N and active N, the results may be useful depending on the exact needs in question. Finally, from the results presented here, NIR reflectance spectroscopy was not successful in determining soil N mineralisable in 21 days.
Activity determinants of helical antimicrobial peptides: a large-scale computational study.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), produced by a wide range of organisms, have attracted attention due to their potential use as novel antibiotics. The majority of these peptides are cationic and are thought to function by permeabilizing the bacterial membrane, either by making pores or by dissolving it (‘carpet’ model). A key hypothesis in the literature is that antimicrobial and hemolytic activity correlate with binding affinity to anionic and zwitterionic membranes, respectively. Here we test this hypothesis by using binding free energy data collected from the literature and theoretical binding energies calculated from implicit membrane models for 53 helical AMPs. We indeed find a correlation between binding energy and biological activity, depending on membrane anionic content: antibacterial activity correlates best with transfer energy to membranes with anionic lipid fraction higher than 30% and hemolytic activity correlates best with transfer energy to a 10% anionic membrane. However, the correlations are weak, with correlation coefficient up to 0.4. Weak correlations of the biological activities have also been found with other physical descriptors of the peptides, such as surface area occupation, which correlates significantly with antibacterial activity; insertion depth, which correlates significantly with hemolytic activity; and structural fluctuation, which correlates significantly with both activities. The membrane surface coverage by many peptides at the MIC is estimated to be much lower than would be required for the ‘carpet’ mechanism. Those peptides that are active at low surface coverage tend to be those identified in the literature as pore-forming. The transfer energy from planar membrane to cylindrical and toroidal pores was also calculated for these peptides. The transfer energy to toroidal pores is negative in almost all cases while that to cylindrical pores is more favorable in neutral than in anionic membranes. The transfer energy to pores correlates with the deviation from predictions of the ‘carpet’ model.
Phosphorylation of a Constitutive Serine (S642) in BK Channel Variants Containing the Alternate Exon ‘SRKR’ Alters Current Properties

Kcnma1, the gene encoding the pore forming subunit of the BK Ca2+-activated K+ channel, undergoes extensive alternative splicing across tissues, tuning BK current properties. Phosphorylation and β subunit association further contribute to diverse BK current properties, but the interplay of these mechanisms have not been well-investigated in BK variants cloned from native tissues. We used RT-PCR to identify two Kcnma1 splice variants in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus (BK0 and BKSRKR). Both variants contain an alternate translation start (MANG) compared to the canonical start (MDAL), no insert at splice site 2 (STREX), an insert at site 3 (near the Ca2+ bowl), as well as an alternate C-terminus (VYR). However, they differ at splice site 1, containing a four amino acid SRKR alternate exon located near the end of the RCK1 domain. Voltage-clamp recordings from the variants expressed in HEK293 cells revealed that BKSRKR channels produced BK currents with distinct properties from the insertless BK0 variant, with significantly right-shifted G-Vs, slower activation, and faster deactivation kinetics at 0, 1, and 100 μM Ca2+. Co-expression of the β4 subunit enhanced these differences in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Inclusion of SRKR resulted in two predicted phosphorylation sites in BKSRKR, S642 (a constitutive residue present in both variants) and S644 (within the SRKR exon). Alkaline phosphatase treatment and mutations at both positions revealed that phosphorylation of S642 is both necessary and sufficient to produce the observed differences between BK0 and BKSRKR current properties. These data demonstrate that phosphorylation of S642 underlies the differences in current properties between BKSRKR and BK0, and suggests the alternate exon SRKR serves to enhance S642 phosphorylation in native tissues.
New insights into treatment of venous thromboembolism

Several advances have occurred over the last 2 years in the clinical management of venous thromboembolism (VTE), as evidenced by several high-profile publications in top-tier medical journals. The translation of the knowledge gained into routine clinical practice is an important challenge so that VTE is managed optimally and established and new anticoagulants are used effectively and safely. This chapter reviews issues of VTE treatment from acute management to treatment of long-term complications, addressing new data gained in the last 2 years and putting them into a clinical context, with the goal of improved everyday VTE management.
Nitric oxide synthase inhibition speeds oxygen uptake kinetics in horses during moderate domain running.

Abstract Within the moderate exercise intensity domain, the speed of oxygen uptake ( V O 2 ) kinetics at the transition to a higher metabolic rate is thought to be limited by an inertia of the oxidative machinery. Nitric oxide (NO)-induced inhibition of O2 consumption within the electron transport chain may contribute to this inertia. This investigation tested the hypothesis that a reduction or removal of any such NO effect via infusion of Nω-nitro- l -arginine methyl ester ( l -NAME; a NOS inhibitor) would speed V O 2 kinetics at the onset of moderate exercise. Five Thoroughbred geldings underwent four transitions to running speeds of 7 m sec−1 (two control, C, 2 l -NAME [20 mg kg−1]) on an equine treadmill during which pulmonary gas exchange was determined using a bias flow system. Consistent with exercise in the moderate intensity domain, in none of the transitions was a V O 2 slow component elicited. The l -NAME treatment significantly accelerated V O 2 kinetics via a reduction of the primary amplitude time constant (C, 17.3±1.7; l -NAME, 11.8±1.5 sec, P l -NAME, 4.7±1.2 L; P=0.06). These data support the notion that NO contributes prominently to the oxidative enzyme inertia and thus the speed of V O 2 kinetics at the onset of moderate intensity exercise in the horse.