cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduction of Cyclic and Acyclic Diazene Derivatives by Azotobacter vinelandii Nitrogenase: Diazirine and trans-Dimethyldiazene†

Nitrogenase reduces N2 to NH3, but the mechanistic details are unclear. Diazene (N2H2), a proposed 2e-/2H+ intermediate on the reduction pathway, is labile under typical enzyme assay conditions, and no firm evidence is available on whether or not it can be reduced by or inhibit nitrogenase. In this paper, we compare the interactions of Azotobacter vinelandii (Av) nitrogenase with two diazene analogues: diazirine, a photolabile diazene containing the azo (−NN−) group in a strained, three-membered ring, and trans-dimethyldiazene, a diazene containing an unstrained trans-disubstituted NN bond. Diazirine is reduced by nitrogenase under specific conditions to methane, methylamine, and ammonia in a ratio of ca. 1:2:4−5 with a Km value for all three products similar (0.05−0.09 mM) to that of dinitrogen (0.06−0.12 mM). The Km value of diazirine does not depend on the ratio of nitrogenase Fe protein (Av2) to nitrogenase MoFe protein (Av1) at Av2:Av1 ratios of 0.71 and 14.9. Diazirine potently and competitively in...
Poor oral hygiene, wearing dentures at night, perceptions of mouth dryness and burning, and lower educational level may be related to oral malodor in denture wearers.

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Oral malodor and removable complete dentures in the elderly. Nalcaci R, Baran I. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2008;105(6):e5-9. Reviewer Neal R. Garrett, PhD Purpose/Question Is oral malodor in complete denture wearers related to various sociodemographic factors, medical conditions, and oral hygiene? Does provision of oral hygiene instruction decrease oral malodor? Source of Funding Information not available. Type of Study/Design Case series study. Level of Evidence Level 2: Limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence Strength of Recommendation Grade Not applicable
The Stoicism of the Ideal Orator: Cicero's Hellenistic Ideal

This reading of De Oratore uses Stoic philosophy and rhetoric to trace out a complex Ciceronian theory of rhetoric. Cicero rejected Stoic style, labeling it as meager and unpersuasive. However, he coalesced Stoic philosophy with Greek rhetoric to produce his ideal orator. Cicero described eloquentia as natural public speech that was distinctive to every person, yet he also explained how eloquence, like wisdom, unified aspects of the entire universe. Through these connections, Stoic influences enabled Cicero to negotiate major questions concerning rhetoric, such as the emotional control of the orator, the virtue of eloquence, and the status of rhetoric as an art. Cicero's negotiation is productive of a theory of rhetoric that is useful today, especially as it holds speech and public action as important and fundamental acts of human individuality.
Intake of Food Guide Pyramid Servings: A Comparison of WIC Children in Wisconsin and Children from 1994 CSFII

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine if foods provided by the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) affect selected indicators of diet quality among WIC participants. Recall data from 179 Wisconsin WIC children ages 2 to 5 years were converted to Food Guide Pyramid servings and compared to the 1994 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes of Individuals (CSFII) Food Guide Pyramid servings data. Three comparison groups were identified from CSFII for children ages 2 to 5 years in the mid-west region: WIC participants and non-WIC participants above and below 185% of the federal poverty level. Means and standard errors for the Wisconsin data were computed with SPSS for Windows; WesVarPC was used to obtain weighted means and standard errors for CSFII data. The number of Food Guide Pyramid servings were compared among groups using a z-test. In general, WIC participants consumed more of some dairy products and vegetables and less added sugar than the children not participating in WIC, suggesting a significant contribution of WIC supplemental foods and nutrition education to the dietary quality of its participants. These findings should be of particular interest to practitioners involved in program planning for WIC and persons who allocate funding to the WIC program.
Purchasing and Supplier Involvement in Process Improvement: A Source of Competitive Advantage

SUMMARY While purchasing and supplier involvement in new product development has been studied, little research has been conducted into purchasing and supplier involvement in production process development/ improvement. Two hundred seventy-one senior managers responded to a mail questionnaire regarding purchasing and supplier involvement in process development/improvement in anufacturing, service, not-for-profit, and government organizations. Factor scores of the research variables were analyzed using t-tests to assess the effects of process as a source of competitive advantage, purchasing involvement, and supplier involvement on process development/improvement practice and strategy. Contingency table analysis with the chi-square statistic was used to assess the effects of industry category. It was found that processes contribute to competitive advantage, purchasing plays a major role in process development/improvement, and that purchasing and supplier involvement contributes to process development/improvement in all industry categories. These contributions are greatest in manufacturing. The implications of this research to purchasing professionals, researchers, and academicians are discussed.
Factors Affecting Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Concentration in Bovine Milk

Abstract To establish the naturally occurring range of insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations in bovine milk, samples from individual cows (n = 409) managed on five Missouri dairy herds were assayed. Parity, stage of lactation, and farm affected milk insulin-like growth factor-I concentration. Milk insulin-like growth factor-I concentration was higher in early lactation than mid and late lactation with concentrations in multiparous cows exceeding those in primiparous cows. Insulin-like growth factor-I concentration was negatively correlated to milk production the day of sample collection (r = –.15) and not correlated to predicted 305-d milk yields. Unprocessed bulk tank milk samples (n = 100) from a commercial processing plant had a mean concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I in milk of 4.32ng/ml with a range of 1.27 to 8.10ng/ml. This distribution was similar to the range detected in samples from individual cows, but values were lower than those reported for human milk. Concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I in milk was not altered by pasteurization (at 79°C for 45s). However, insulin-like growth factor-I was undetectable in milk heated to temperatures (121°C for 5min) required for infant formula preparation or in commercially available infant formula. These data indicated that insulin-like growth factor-I is a normal but quantitatively variable component of bovine milk that is not destroyed by pasteurization but is undetectable in infant formula. Concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I in bovine milk is lower than concentrations reported for human milk yet similar to those reported for human saliva. Farm, stage of lactation, and parity all have large effects on variability of insulin-like growth factor-I concentration of bovine milk.
Theory of cw Raman oscillation in optical fibers

A theory for Raman fiber laser oscillators is presented. The Stokes output and the residual pump power are shown to be calculable from a knowledge of the input pump power and the fiber characteristics. The evolution of the pump and the Stokes waves along the fiber are also obtained. The threshold pump power and the oscillation condition are considered. Pump depletion is incorporated in the analysis and is shown to be the dominant saturation effect present in a Raman fiber laser.
Solid-liquid mass transfer in turbulent pipe flow

Mass transfer rates were measured for smooth pipe sections of benzoic acid dissolving in glycerine-water solutions. For Reynolds numbers of 10,000 to 100,000 and Schmidt numbers of 430 to 100,000, the data were correlated with an average deviation of 5·4 per cent by the equation NSh = 0·0096 NRe0.913NSc0·346 The data fall 5 to 10 per cent below the correlation of Friend and Metzner [2] and 20 to 100 per cent above other published correlations (1, 3, 4). The 0·346 exponent for the Schmidt number appears significantly different from the value of 13 predicted by simple theories. Mass transfer coefficients were also measured for Methocel solutions of 1 to 9 cP viscosity but almost the same diffusivity. The coefficients were only 0 to 6 per cent greater than those given by the above equation, giving added support to the significance of the Schmidt number. Stoffubergangskoeffizienten wurden auch in Methocel-Losungen der Viskositat 1 bis 9 cP, jedoch bei gleichen Diffusionskoeffizienten, gemessen. Die Werte liegen hochsten 6% uber denjenigen, die sich aus obiger Gleichung ergeben; damit scheint die Gultigkeit des Sc-Exponenten erwiesen.
Molecular-dynamics study of lattice-defect-nucleated melting in silicon.

The high-temperature behavior of both a high-angle twist grain boundary and a free surface on the (110) plane of silicon are investigated using molecular dynamics and the Stillinger-Weber potential. It is found that, above the thermodynamic melting point, melting is nucleated at the grain boundary or surface and propagates through the system with a velocity that increases with temperature. We conclude that, due to the relatively fast nucleation times, melting in real crystals should be initiated at grain boundaries and surfaces, a conclusion that is entirely in accord with experiment.
Neoceptor concept based on molecular complementarity in GPCRs: a mutant adenosine A(3) receptor with selectively enhanced affinity for amine-modified nucleosides.

Adenosine A3 receptors are of interest in the treatment of cardiac ischemia, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases. In an effort to create a unique receptor mutant that would be activated by tailor-made synthetic ligands, we mutated the human A3 receptor at the site of a critical His residue in TM7, previously proposed to be involved in ligand recognition through interaction with the ribose moiety. The H272E mutant receptor displayed reduced affinity for most of the uncharged A3 receptor agonists and antagonists examined. For example, the nonselective agonist 1a was 19-fold less potent at the mutant receptor than at the wild-type receptor. The introduction of an amino group on the ribose moiety of adenosine resulted in either equipotency or enhanced binding affinity at the H272E mutant relative to wild-type A3 receptors, depending on the position of the amino group. 3‘-Amino-3‘-deoxyadenosine proved to be 7-fold more potent at the H272E mutant receptor than at the wild-type receptor, while the corr...
Eyewitness identification discriminability: ROC analysis versus logistic regression

Abstract To reach conclusions regarding the respective accuracy of two conditions, eyewitness researchers evaluate correct and false identification rates computed across participants. Two approaches typically are employed. One approach relies on ratio-based probative value measures; but Wixted and Mickes (2012) and Gronlund, Wixted, and Mickes (2014) showed that these measures fail to disentangle an assessment of accuracy (i.e., discriminability between guilty and innocent suspects) from response bias (i.e., a willingness to make a response). Our focus is on a second approach, logistic regression analyses of the correct and of the false identification rates. Logistic regression also fails to disentangle discriminability from bias. Therefore, it only can denote the most accurate condition in limited circumstances. The best approach for reaching the proper conclusion regarding which condition is most accurate is to use receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. Simulated ROC data illustrate the problem with a reliance on logistic regression to assess accuracy.
Dexterous Trajectory Tracking Control of a Mobile Robot

A departure from the traditional trajectory tracking control technique of a mobile robot is presented here in order to accommodate sudden changes in the reference trajectory. It is expected that in a dynamic, uncretain environment the robot may need to make sudden changes in its navigation strategy that may necessitate such an approach. In this work, a hybrid control framework is developed that first determines a suitable control strategy for a particular subtask and then implements it by means of choosing the specific controller. A supervisor is used to determine the suitable control strategy. The swiching stability among a set of trajectory tracking controllers is analyzed. Extensive simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed control technique.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
The use of microdebrider for the treatment of accessory axillary breast

Accessory axillary breast tissue can be fairly common occurring in 2-6% of women. Treatment modalities thus far include direct excision as well as liposuction. While direct excision allows for accessible and adequate tissue resection, it results in long unsightly scars and the creation of significant amount of dead space. This may be complicated by seroma and haematoma formation. Liposuction is not without its drawbacks either. It is often very difficult to remove fibro-glandular breast tissue resulting in inadequate excision, thus leaving behind a visible core of breast tissue. This has led some surgeons to use a combination of direct excision and liposuction to manage accessory axillary breast tissue. Hence, we present the use of the microdebrider for sharp and precise excision of accessory axillary breast tissue. This day procedure can be performed through a single 5-mm incision which is well hidden in the axillary skin folds while allowing the operator the amount of control needed to accurately remove fibro-glandular breast tissue and restore an aesthetically pleasing contour to the axilla.
Enhanced sensitivity of a passive optical cavity by an intracavity dispersive medium

The pushing of the modes of a Fabry-Perot cavity by an intracavity rubidium cell is measured. The scale factor of the modes is increased by the anomalous dispersion and is inversely proportional to the sum of the effective group index and an additional cavity delay factor that arises from the variation of the Rb absorption over a free spectral range. This additional positive feedback further increases the effect of the anomalous dispersion and goes to zero at the lasing threshold. The mode width does not grow as fast as the scale factor as the intracavity absorption is increased resulting in enhanced measurement sensitivities. For absorptions larger than the scale factor pole, the atom-cavity response is multivalued and mode splitting occurs.
How the T Cell Receptor Sees Antigen—A Structural View

Structures of many of the cell surface receptor-ligand complexes mediating the interactions between T cells and target cells have been determined in the past ten years. While snapshots of T cell receptors bound to their peptide-MHC ligands appear to have defined a general interaction or "docking" solution, many of the most fundamental structural questions in antigen recognition lack detailed answers and thus pose exciting experimental challenges for the future.
Control Group Methods for HPT Program Evaluation and Measurement

This research contributes to the methodologies in HPT program evaluation and measurement that are fairly lacking to date. First, a theoretical foundation for a control group is established based on a brief review of control group applications in various fields. Then, four types of control groups applicable to HPT program evaluation and measurement are defined and classified, and threats to internal and external validity in control group applications are explored. Lastly, four evaluation and measurement scenarios are presented for an E-learning program to demonstrate the applicability of the control group methods for HPT program evaluation and ROI measurement.
The use of magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy in the assessment of patients with head and neck and other superficial human malignancies

The proper demarcation of diseased tissue is important for radiation therapy planning and treatment. The volume to be irradiated is usually identified on radiographs or on x-ray computed tomography (CT) sections. Magnetic resonance (MR)-derived images of the proton T2 relaxation times in small pixel elements, typically 0.5 mm2 or less, provide significantly sharper differentiation between normal and diseased tissue. The T2 values in tissue depend on the tissue composition, histologic condition, and physiologic environment within the tumor. Furthermore, for many tumors the histogram of T2 values has a clear biphasic distribution suggesting that T2 maps may be useful for the identification of necrotic or hypoxic regions within tumors. The distribution of T2 values within the tumor bed shows the general pattern that the T2 values are elevated with a range greater than that seen in normal muscle. Elevated T2 values are not by themselves diagnostic of malignancy; however, they demonstrate the heterogeneity of the microenvironment present within a tumor. The spatial distribution of T2 values is being explored as a method for computer assistance in the delineation of the target volume for treatment planning. In addition, MR P-31 spectroscopic examinations were performed on 30 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. Although hampered by muscle contamination in some P-31 spectra obtained with surface coil profile localization techniques, significant trends can still be appreciated in our data. These trends include the following: (1) the P-31 spectra from malignant tissue have well-resolved spectral lines in the upfield region that correspond to Pi, phosphomonoester (PME), and phosphodiester (PDE) not usually seen in normal muscle; (2) the PDE/B-ATP and PME/B-ATP ratios are greater than unity in all cases; and (3) most of the tumors have higher PME peaks than PDE peaks. The P-31 spectra from patients treated with ionizing radiation changed during and after therapy. Some of the changes could be associated with alteration of the tumor metabolic activity or synthesis and breakdown of lipoproteins. These studies suggest that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies may be useful for both radiotherapy treatment planning and the noninvasive monitoring of patients both before and during treatment.
TLR3 agonist improves survival to secondary pneumonia in a double injury model.

Abstract Background Toll-like receptors (TLR) can initiate various immune responses and are therefore activated under diverse infectious states. Previous studies have focused on TLR3 primarily as an antiviral pathway. However, recent research has demonstrated its efficacy in bacterial infection. Having developed a murine double injury model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa), we hypothesized that targeted administration of Poly I:C, a TLR3 agonist, would protect mice against secondary pneumonia. Material and methods B6 mice underwent CLP followed 4 d afterward by an intranasal dose of Pa. Animals were given Poly I:C or vehicle (phosphate-buffered saline) intranasally 24 h post CLP and every day thereafter for a total of 6 d. For acute studies, mice were sacrificed at two time points, 4 d post CLP and 1 d post pneumonia (Pa). Results Poly I:C treatment led to a significant improvement in survival (69% versus 33%). Cytokine analysis from bronchioalveolar lavage displayed significant differences both immediately before and after pneumonia. Bronchioalveolar lavage cultures taken at 24 h post double injury showed significantly higher colony counts in the lungs of control animals compared with those of Poly I:C animals. Measurements of TLR3 expression showed significant increases within both the immune and lung epithelial cells of Poly I:C–treated mice. Finally, the lungs of treated animals had significant increases in lymphocytes and innate cells. Conclusions The prophylactic treatment applied in this clinically relevant model further illustrates the overarching hypothesis of immune dysfunction and the possibility of corrective immune modulation within the setting of sepsis.
The dismal economics of virtual worlds

This article analyzes the economics of virtual worlds in order to assess their viability. It identifies eight basic business models. Most of those will not be profitable in a competitive and open general virtual world. However, the owner/operator of the virtual world can capitalize on the value of the community, and benefit from managing and reducing competition. The fundamental economics of digital activities suggest that this sector--and Web 2.0 activities more generally--will be subject to boom-bust cycles.
Michael Balint — England's Unsung Group Psychology Pioneer

This article reviews Michael Balint's pioneering contributions to the psychoanalytically based training of human services professionals in a group context. The puzzling failure on the part of his compatriots to acknowledge his work, in the face of its wide international medical recognition, is considered.
Glucocorticoid effects on IGF-1/somatomedin-C and somatomedin-inhibitor in streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Diabetes is associated with a fall in serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1/somatomedin-C (IGF-1/Sm-C) and a rise in somatomedin inhibitor, a factor which antagonizes somatomedin action. We attempted to determine if the presence of glucocorticoids was required for diabetes-related alterations in these circulating growth factors. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin in intact or adrenalectomized rats. Adrenalectomized-nondiabetic and adrenalectomized-diabetic rats were given either no glucocorticoid or daily hydrocortisone acetate at 0.5 or 50 mg/kg body weight, and killed 48 hours after streptozotocin treatment. After serum fractionation via size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), IGF-1/Sm-C was determined by radioimmunoassay, and somatomedin inhibitor by bioassay according to the ability of serum fractions to blunt cartilage stimulation by normal serum. Intact-diabetic rats had 22% weight loss, glucose 427 mg/dL, and β-hydroxybutyrate 7.2 mmol/L (all P 400 mg/dL) and decline in IGF-1/SmC, with or without glucocorticoid replacement. However, adrenalectomized-diabetic rats had greatly reduced weight loss (10%), β-hydroxybutyrate (1.5 mmol/L), and somatomedin inhibitor (59% of control), all P < .01 v intact-diabetic. Hydrocortisone 0.5 mg/kg in these animals increased weight loss but had no significant effect on β-hydroxybutyrate or somatomedin inhibitor levels. In contrast, adrenalectomized-diabetic rats given hydrocortisone acetate 50 mg/kg exhibited weight loss, β-hydroxybutyrate, and somatomedin inhibitor values comparable to levels in intact-diabetic rats (all P = NS). Serum β-hydroxybutyrate and somatomedin inhibitor were significantly correlated (r = 0.73, P < .001). Although liver perfusates of adrenalectomized-diabetic rats contained low levels of somatomedin inhibitor, pretreatment with hydrocortisone 50 mg/kg led to a marked rise in inhibitor (P < .05). These results suggest that the diabetes-associated fall in serum IGF-1/Sm-C levels is independent of glucocorticoids, but the increase in somatomedin inhibitor requires elevated levels of these steroids. Glucocorticoid-dependent fluctuations in somatomedin inhibitor may reflect altered release by the liver.
Interpretation of Coastal HF Radar–Derived Surface Currents with High-Resolution Drifter Data

Abstract Dense arrays of surface drifters are used to quantify the flow field on time and space scales over which high-frequency (HF) radar observations are measured. Up to 13 drifters were repetitively deployed off the Santa Barbara and San Diego coasts on 7 days during 18 months. Each day a regularly spaced grid overlaid on a 1-km2 (San Diego) or 4-km2 (Santa Barbara) square, located where HF radar radial data are nearly orthogonal, was seeded with drifters. As drifters moved from the square, they were retrieved and replaced to maintain a spatially uniform distribution of observations within the sampling area during the day. This sampling scheme resulted in up to 56 velocity observations distributed over the time (1 h) and space (1 and 4 km2) scales implicit in typical surface current maps from HF radar. Root-mean-square (RMS) differences between HF radar radial velocities obtained using measured antenna patterns, and average drifter velocities, are mostly 3–5 cm s−1. Smaller RMS differences compared wi...
Numerical Contact Analysis of Transversely Isotropic Coatings: A Cylinder Within a Circumferential Groove

The contact characteristics of transversely isotropic coatings are investigated for a cylinder within a circumferential groove using a two-dimensional finite element model. With the model, contact behavior is evaluated at more than 400 operating conditions by varying coating material, coating thickness, normal load, and cylinder/groove radii. Based on the finite element results, numerical expressions are derived for the maximum surface pressure, contact length, and approach distance as a function of a transversely isotropic coating parameter, ζ. The importance of these expressions, as related to design and the selection of materials for reducing wear in contacting surfaces, is subsequently discussed.
Age-dependent actions of dopamine on inhibitory synaptic transmission in superficial layers of mouse prefrontal cortex.

Numerous developmental changes in the nervous system occur during the first several weeks of the rodent lifespan. Therefore, many characteristics of neuronal function described at the cellular level from in vitro slice experiments conducted during this early time period may not generalize to adult ages. We investigated the effect of dopamine (DA) on inhibitory synaptic transmission in superficial layers of the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) in prepubertal [postnatal age (P; days) 12–20], periadolescent (P30–48), and adult (P70–100) mice. The PFC is associated with higher-level cognitive functions, such as working memory, and is associated with initiation, planning, and execution of actions, as well as motivation and cognition. It is innervated by DA-releasing fibers that arise from the ventral tegmental area. In slices from prepubertal mice, DA produced a biphasic modulation of inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) recorded in layer II/III pyramidal neurons. Activation of D2-like receptors leads to an ...
Long-term desorption of trichloroethylene from flint clay using multiplexed optical detection

Abstract The long-term desorption of trichloroethylene (TCE) from powdered flint clay was examined using a multiplexed, phase sensitive infrared technique which provided a gas phase detection limit of 0.0045 torr for continuous monitoring of the desorption process for at least 3 days. The vapor phase TCE concentrations as a function of desorption time exhibit a significant deviation from Langmuir kinetics. The desorption process is adequately described by bonding sites with a gamma distribution for the desorption rate coefficients. The mean desorption rate for powdered flint clay at 25°C is k d =0.50 ± 0.02 h −1 . ©
Interpretive cues and ambiguity in generalized anxiety disorder

The current study investigated whether generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) individuals rely on antecedent information to interpret ambiguity and whether reliance on such preceding cues persists in the absence of potential threat. Twenty-six GAD and 23 nonanxious control college students performed a lexical decision task, using homographs (i.e. words with multiple meanings) as ambiguous primes. In half the trials, a homograph prime that possessed both threat-related, as well as neutral meanings was followed by a target word related to one of these two meanings. In addition, each ambiguous prime was immediately preceded by a series of four antecedent words that were either: (a) associated with the threatening meaning of the prime; (b) associated with the neutral meaning of the prime; or (c) unrelated to either meaning of the homograph, as well as the target. Homographs for which both meanings were neutral in valence comprised the other half of the trials. Effect size statistics suggest that GAD participants utilized the antecedent words to interpret the homograph primes with threat-related meanings, unlike their nonanxious counterparts (p<0.06). When both meanings of the homograph prime were neutral in valence, the GAD group appeared deficient in the use of preceding information to interpret the ambiguous prime.
Chondrolysis following slipped capital femoral epiphysis in Jamaica.

1. We reviewed the cases of all patients with slipped capital femoral epiphysis at the University Hospital of West Indies. Forty-seven hips in thirty-six black patients were evaluated, and in 40 per cent of these hips chondrolysis developed. 2. The appearance of roentgenographic changes of chondrolysis was predictable. There was a very high percentage occurring within one year of diagnosis of slipped epiphysis and within six months of closure of the proxinial femoral growth plate. 3. The persistent absence of motion in all planes following slipping of the capital femoral epiphysis was a constant finding in patients with chondrolysis. This loss of motion can be diagnostic of impending chondrolysis and is usually present before the appearance of the roentgenographic changes. 4. The microscopic changes suggest that the primary lesion is not necrosis of cartilage but a replacement of articular cartilage by pannus formation.
A fast match for continuous speech recognition using allophonic models

In a large vocabulary real-time speech recognition system, there is a need for a fast method for selecting a list of candidate words from the vocabulary that match well with a given acoustic input. The authors describe a highly accurate fast acoustic match for continuous speech recognition. The algorithm uses allophonic models and efficient search techniques to select a set of candidate words. The allophonic models are derived by constructing decision trees that query the context in which each phone occurs to arrive at an allophone in a given context. The models for all the words in the vocabulary are arranged in a tree structure and efficient tree search algorithms are used to select a list of candidate words using these models. Using this method, the authors are able to obtain over 99% accuracy in the fast match for a continuous speech recognition task which has a vocabulary of 5000 words. >
Investigation of surface morphology of emeraldine hydrochloride by scanning tunneling microscopy

An STM investigation of the surfaces of emeraldine hydrochloride films indicates that the surfaces are characterized by features that are generally fiberlike in appearance. The widths of these structures ranged from 10 to 140 nm, and the apparent heights varied from 0.5 to 70 nm. Fiber lengths of up to 1 μm were observed. In some regions, the fibers appeared to be highly interconnected in a random fashion while in others there was nearly parallel alignment.
Implementation of Dynamical Nucleation Theory with Quantum Potentials

A method is implemented within the context of dynamical nucleation theory in order to efficiently determine the ab initio water dimer evaporation rate constant. The drive for increased efficiency in a Monte Carlo methodology is established by the need to use relatively expensive quantum mechanical interaction potentials. A discussion is presented illustrating the theory, algorithm, and implementation of this method to the water dimer. Hartree-Fock and second order Moller-Plesset perturbation theories along with the Dang-Chang polarizable classical potential are utilized to determine the ab initio water dimer evaporation rate constant.
Functional importance vs keystoneness: Reformulating some questions in theoretical biocenology

Two concepts relating to the influence of individual species on the biocenoses in which they occur are reviewed. The first, the general functional importance of a species, is defined as the sum, over all species, of the changes (sign ignored) in productivity which would occur on removal of the particular species from the biocenosis. General functional importance is calculated as: I i = Σ j | P j,t = 1 - P j,t = 0 | where P j is the productivity of the jth species before (t = 0) and after (t = 1) removal of the particular (ith) species being evaluated. Though I i values cannot be determined empirically, this concept raises provocative questions for theoretical biocenology. The second concept reviewed is that of the keystone species. Never having been precisely or operationally defined, 'keystone' has come to mean little more than 'important for something.' Moreover, there is no empirical or theoretical foundation for the idea that there exists in any biocenosis a natural dichotomy corresponding to the verbal one of keystone and non-keystone species. Some investigators have implied that such a dichotomy is suggested by the frequency distributions of experimentally determined values of interaction strength. The patterns they refer to are, however, artifacts resulting from small sample sizes and the plotting of frequency distributions on arithmetic rather than logarithmic scales. As a casual metaphor 'keystone species' was appealing and harmless; but the pretence that it is a well-defined concept or phenomenon has had a stultifying effect on ecological thought and argument.
An Integrated 800-MHz Coupled-Resonator Tunable Bandpass Filter in Silver With a Constant Bandwidth

This paper presents a fully integrated tunable lumped filter on silicon using a low-temperature silver micromachining process. A prototype 836-MHz bandpass filter with a 3-dB bandwidth of 5.9% and insertion loss of 4.8 dB is demonstrated in a second-order coupled-resonator configuration. Continuous tuning of 50 MHz is achieved by electrostatically actuating the lateral air-gap capacitors of the filter. To control the bandwidth while tuning the center frequency, reconfigurable termination impedance is proposed. As a proof of concept, a low-noise amplifier with tunable input impedance is designed to interface with the bandpass filter. The tunable impedance is realized at the input of the low-noise amplifier using a shunt positive metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor. The fabrication, design, and measurement results of the filter are detailed, and future research directions to improve the performance of such filters are discussed.
Optical micro-angiography images structural and functional cerebral blood perfusion in mice with cranium left intact

Alteration in regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) is the direct result of changes in neuronal activity. It is crucial to monitor the spatio-temporal characteristics of cerebro-vascular blood perfusion in the studies of cerebral diseases. Optical micro-angiography (OMAG) is a recently developed imaging technique capable of resolving 3D distribution of dynamic blood perfusion at a capillary level resolution within microcirculatory beds in vivo. The authors report the applications of OMAG in mouse ischemic stroke model. The study demonstrates that OMAG is a useful method capable of providing in vivo serial assessment of 3D cerebro-vascular pathophysiology with high sensitivity, and therefore, has the potential for use in the study of brain disorders and repairs. (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Performativity in the Bilingual Classroom: The Plight of English Learners in the Current Reform Context

This article analyzes illustrative classroom events documented during an ethnographic study of bilingual classrooms in a “high-achieving” school. Through a performativity lens that emphasizes the discursive constitution of subjectivities, I demonstrate how discourses around achievement and success in the current reform context exacerbated one bilingual teacher's deficit-oriented ideologies about English learners and their families. This analysis has implications for practitioners and researchers interested in effectively supporting our most vulnerable student populations, and their teachers, in public schools. [English learners, accountability, literacy, performativity, bilingual education]
CancerGenes: a gene selection resource for cancer genome projects

The genome sequence framework provided by the human genome project allows us to precisely map human genetic variations in order to study their association with disease and their direct effects on gene function. Since the description of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes several decades ago, both germ-line variations and somatic mutations have been established to be important in cancer-in terms of risk, oncogenesis, prognosis and response to therapy. The Cancer Genome Atlas initiative proposed by the NIH is poised to elucidate the contribution of somatic mutations to cancer development and progression through the re-sequencing of a substantial fraction of the total collection of human genes-in hundreds of individual tumors and spanning several tumor types. We have developed the CancerGenes resource to simplify the process of gene selection and prioritization in large collaborative projects. CancerGenes combines gene lists annotated by experts with information from key public databases. Each gene is annotated with gene name(s), functional description, organism, chromosome number, location, Entrez Gene ID, GO terms, InterPro descriptions, gene structure, protein length, transcript count, and experimentally determined transcript control regions, as well as links to Entrez Gene, COSMIC, and iHOP gene pages and the UCSC and Ensembl genome browsers. The user-friendly interface provides for searching, sorting and intersection of gene lists. Users may view tabulated results through a web browser or may dynamically download them as a spreadsheet table. CancerGenes is available at http://cbio.mskcc.org/cancergenes.
MAST CELLS AS SOURCES OF TISSUE HISTAMINE

Enumeration of mast cells and determination of histamine in sections of dog skin and dog lung have shown that the regions of the tissue rich in mast cells are also rich in histamine. In the skin, the outer layers of the dermis contain higher concentrations of histamine and mast cells than any other region. Average values of the histamine content and mast cell count for dog liver, heart, muscle, and kidney, and for beef liver parenchyma and capsule, also exhibit a positive relationship between these two parameters, although the amount of histamine found per mast cell varied from 7 µµg. in dog skin to 32 µµg. in beef liver capsule. When the size of the mast cells was taken into account, the intracellular concentration of histamine was found to be of the same order (about 0.4 molar) for all the tissues examined except skin and kidney. In both dog skins analyzed, the intracellular concentration was about 0.1 molar. In kidney both mast cell and histamine values were too low for accurate estimation. The concentration of histamine in the mast cells investigated was much greater than the concentration in human basophils, the blood elements richest in histamine. The mechanism of the localization of histamine in mast cells is briefly considered.
Diet of Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculafus) in Indiana Streams

ABSTRACT Grass pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) was collected from 16 streams and rivers in Indiana for diet analysis to determine the effects of this small-bodied esocid on lotic ecosystems. The 128 fish used in the analysis were divided among three size classes- 57–95 mm, 96–150 mm, and > 150 mm. Grass pickerel exhibited an ontogenetic shift in prey type with increasing size. The small size class had a diet dominated by fish, the intermediate size class had a diet dominated by both fish and crayfish, and the large size class had a diet dominated by crayfish. Insects also made up 22% of the volume of small and 29% of the volume of the intermediate size classes, whereas the large size class consumed only 1% insects by volume. Calculated relative importance index (RI) showed that grass pickerel diet shifted from one dominant in fish (RI = 53) at the small size class to one dominated by crayfish (RI = 57) at the large size class. The grass pickerel was opportunistic in its diet choices and fed on inc...
Practical adaptive hybrids with no bursting

The bursting phenomenon in the echo cancellation of telephone systems is investigated. The setup studied is an adaptive hybrid system with an echo canceller (EC) at the near end and a fixed feedback at the far end. Two effective approaches are proposed to ensure that bursting does not happen. Both are based on checking the cross-correlation between the input and the error of the EC. Bursting is avoided by stopping the drifting of the coefficients of the adaptive filter. The effectiveness of these two approaches is illustrated by extensive computer simulations using realistic hybrids. >
Self-Help Literature and the Making of an Illness Identity: The Case of Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a controversial pain disorder. In biomedical lexicon FMS is a functional somatic syndrome, or an illness for which there is no organic explanation or demonstrable physiological abnormality. Approximately six million Americans are diagnosed with FMS; nearly all of those diagnosed are women. I approach FMS using insights from the illness experience and identity formation literatures. In particular, I explore the mechanisms within FMS self-help literature that facilitate the creation of an illness identity. Through a qualitative analysis of the five best-selling FMS self-help books, I demonstrate how a public FMS illness narrative encourages the organization of dissimilar experiences into a unified illness identity. Additionally, I demonstrate how the permissive boundaries of this identity function to reduce self-doubt and alienation in a context were biomedicine is unable to make FMS visible. I support these claims using interviews with FMS sufferers to show how they read these texts into their lived illness experiences and how their lived experiences are read onto these texts. Finally, I contend that the processes of illness identity formation described here are not exclusive to FMS or limited even to other contested illnesses. The formation of illness identities is a common consequence of participation in health-related, self-help communities generally and is integral to contemporary processes of medicalization.
Teacher Narratives and Student Engagement: Testing Narrative Engagement Theory in Drug Prevention Education

Testing narrative engagement theory, this study examines student engagement and teachers' spontaneous narratives told in a narrative-based drug prevention curriculum. The study describes the extent to which teachers share their own narratives in a narrative-based curriculum, identifies dominant narrative elements, forms and functions, and assesses the relationships among teacher narratives, overall lesson narrative quality, and student engagement. One hundred videotaped lessons of the keepin' it REAL drug prevention curriculum were coded and the results supported the claim that increased narrative quality of a prevention lesson would be associated with increased student engagement. The quality of narrativity, however, varied widely. Implications of these results for narrative-based prevention interventions and narrative pedagogy are discussed.
Tetrahedral and hexahedral invertible finite elements

We review an algorithm for the finite element simulation of elastoplastic solids which is capable of robustly and efficiently handling arbitrarily large deformation. In fact, the model remains valid even when large parts of the mesh are inverted. The algorithm is straightforward to implement and can be used with any material constitutive model, and for both volumetric solids and thin shells such as cloth. We also discuss a mechanism for controlling plastic deformation, which allows a deformable object to be guided towards a desired final shape without sacrificing realistic behavior, and an improved method for rigid body collision handling in the context of mixed explicit/implicit time-stepping. Finally, we present a novel extension of our method to arbitrary element types including specific details for hexahedral elements.
Dynamically downscaling predictions for deciduous tree leaf emergence in California under current and future climate

Models that predict the timing of deciduous tree leaf emergence are typically very sensitive to temperature. However, many temperature data products, including those from climate models, have been developed at a very coarse spatial resolution. Such coarse-resolution temperature products can lead to highly biased predictions of leaf emergence. This study investigates how dynamical downscaling of climate models impacts simulations of deciduous tree leaf emergence in California. Models for leaf emergence are forced with temperatures simulated by a general circulation model (GCM) at ~200-km resolution for 1981–2000 and 2031–2050 conditions. GCM simulations are then dynamically downscaled to 32- and 8-km resolution, and leaf emergence is again simulated. For 1981–2000, the regional average leaf emergence date is 30.8 days earlier in 32-km simulations than in ~200-km simulations. Differences between the 32 and 8 km simulations are small and mostly local. The impact of downscaling from 200 to 8 km is ~15 % smaller in 2031–2050 than in 1981–2000, indicating that the impacts of downscaling are unlikely to be stationary.
Capture‐RT‐PCR assay of mRNA in breast tumors: int‐2 and HERV‐K env mRNA

Gene expression at the mRNA level is likely to be a rapidly responding intermediate biomarker for use as a surrogate endpoint in Phase II clinical trials of breast cancer. Using a technology called “capture-RT-PCR,” we have been able to show ectopic int-2 mRNA expression in 7/9 breast tumors, including two fibroadenomas. The level of expression varied, high expression being observed in three tumors. Frequent expression of int-2 in breast tumors is contrary to published reports, possibly reflecting differences in technology. int-2 expression in fibroadenomas suggests that the marker may precede malignancy. Conversely, if fibroadenomas are not premalignant, int-2 expression may be gratuitous. These alternatives need to be tested in a clinical trial. Human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) env gene expression was detected in only 1/7 breast tumors. Expression of this retroviral gene is more restricted than int-2 expression. c-myc was expressed in all 10 tumors studied, albeit at widely varying levels. Expression of prad1 and erbB-2 are under study. Gene expression will be compared with gene amplification. It is anticipated that a capture-RT-PCR assay simultaneously signifying levels of expression of several oncogenes/anti-oncogenes will be a most informative surrogate endpoint biomarker. In particular, chaotropic salt methods that simplify sample preparation and mRNA isolation and reduce these combined steps to a 10 minute procedure will be presented.