cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relieving intraoral pressures generated during orthopedic treatment

A pproximately 20% of patients undergoing orthopedic therapy complain of “pain in the jaws.” Orthopedic treatment may generate compressive forces on the teeth and jaws that can initiate this “pressure pain syndrome” in the maxillofacial structures. These forces result from constant direct pressure on the mandible during orthopedic treatments with traction body casts and braces.’ These forces are applied in a longitudinal fashion either up to the voluntary tolerance of the patient or in passive stretching at lower pressures. Therapy related to correction of spinal curves is based frequently on the action and reaction of forces of significant magnitude. At times this force can reach 20 pounds of longitudinal traction across the spine as indicated with strain gauges and pressure cell monitoring.2 The forces on the mandible and resultant intruding occlusal forces produce pain in the apical regions of the premolars and molars. The pain, usually bilateral, is more marked in the mandibular regions. It occurs without temporomandibular joint (TM J) symptoms, extreme tooth mobility, or pain or thermal hypersensitivity in the teeth. The symptoms usually subside in 2 to 3 weeks if untreated. However, if the painful stimuli can be prevented or treated, the primary orthopedic therapy can be completed more comfortably. This report describes a simple device that has been effective in reducing the pain.
Product-weighted lead codes revisited

Abstract The purpose of this note is to give a short proof of a result published by J. Rosen (J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 20 (1976), 377–384) a few years ago relating ballot paths and the tangent numbers. A similar proof of a similar result with the secant numbers is also outlined.
Management of Postpneumonectomy Empyema and Bronchopleural Fistula

Empyema after pneumonectomy is often associated with a bronchopleural fistula (BDF) and has a significant mortality. Management options include systemic antibiotics and observation, adequate pleural drainage, appropriate parenteral antibiotics, removal of necrotic tissue, and obliteration of residual pleural space. We prefer to treat the empyema with the procedure originally described by Clagett and Geraci in 1963. They demonstrated that postpneumonectomy empyema could be successfully treated by open pleural drainage, frequent wet-to-dry dressing changes, and when the thorax was clean, secondary chest wall closure with obliteration of the pleural cavity with an antibiotic solution. Failure was most often caused by a persistent or recurrent fistula. Because of this, when a BPF is present, the original Clagett technique was modified to include transposition of a well-vascularized muscle to cover the stump at the time of open drainage to prevent further ischemia and necrosis. Our preference is intrathoracic transposition of extrathoracic skeletal muscle. The goals of therapy for postpneumonectomy empyema remain a healthy patient with a a healed chest wall and no evidence of drainage or infection. Excellent results can be obtained in more than 80% of patients by using the Clagett procedure and intrathoracic muscle transposition when a BPF is present.
Partial Abelian semigroups

Orthomodular lattices and posets, orthoalgebras, and D-posets are all examples of partial Abelian semigroups. So, too, are the event structures of test spaces. The passage from an algebraic test space to its logic (an orthoalgebra) is an instance of a general construction involving a partial Abelian semigroupL and a distinguished subsetM\( \subseteq \)L such that perspectivity with respect toM is a congruence onL. The quotient ofL by such a congruence is always a cancellative, unital PAS, and every such PAS arises canonically as such a quotient.
Practical verification techniques for wide-area routing

Protocol and system designers use verification techniques to analyze a system's correctness properties. Network operators need verification techniques to ensure the "correct" operation of BGP. BGP's distributed dependencies cause small configuration mistakes or oversights to spur complex errors, which sometimes have devastating effects on global connectivity. These errors are often difficult to debug because they are sometimes only exposed by a specific message arrival pattern or failure scenario.This paper presents an approach to BGP verification that is primarily based on static analysis of router configuration. We argue that: (1) because BGP's a configuration affects its fundamental behavior, verification is a program analysis problem, (2) BGP's complex, dynamic interactions are difficult to abstract and impossible to enumerate, which precludes existing verification techniques, (3) because of BGP's flexible, policy-based configuration, some aspects of BGP configuration must be checked against a higher-level specification of intended policy, and (4) although static analysis can catch many configuration errors, simulation and emulation are also necessary to determine the precise scenarios that could expose errors at runtime. Based on these observations, we propose the design of a BGP verification tool, discuss how it could be applied in practice, and describe future research challenges.
Cigarette smoking products suppress anti-viral effects of Type I interferon via phosphorylation-dependent downregulation of its receptor

While negative effect of smoking on the resistance to viral infections was known, the underlying mechanisms remained unclear. Here we report that products of cigarette smoking compromise the cellular anti-viral defenses by inhibiting the signaling induced by Type I interferon (IFN). Cigarette smoking condensate (but not pure nicotine) stimulated specific serine phosphorylation-dependent ubiquitination and degradation of the IFNAR1 subunit of the Type I IFN receptor leading to attenuation of IFN signaling and decreased resistance to viral infection. This resistance was restored in cells where phosphorylation-dependent degradation of IFNAR1 is abolished. We conclude that smoking compromises cellular anti-viral defenses via degradation of Type I IFN receptor and discuss the significance of this mechanism for efficacy of IFN-based therapies.
Neonatal thrombocytopenia and chorangioma

The Collaborative Study of Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, and Other Sensory Disorders of In[ancy and Childhood is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. Reprint address: Perinatat Research Branch, Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes ~( Health. 4. Walker-Smith, J. A., and Grigor, W.: Celiac disease in a diabetic child, Lancet h 1021, 1969. 5. Komrower, G. M.: Celiac disease in a diabetic child, Lancet h 1215, 1969. 6. Blumenthal, H. T., Probstein, J. G., and Berns, A. W.: Interrelationship of diabetes mellitus and pancreatitis, Arch. Surg. 87: 844, 1963. 7. Hermans, P. E., Huizenga, K. A., Hoffman, H. W., Brown, A. L., Jr., and Markowitz, I-I.: Dysgammaglobutinemla associated with nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the small intestine, Amer. J. Med. 40: 78, 1966. 8. Crabli, P. A., and Heremans, J. F.: Selective IgA deficiency with steatorrhea, Amer. J. Med. 42: 319, 1967. 9. Immonen, P.: Levels of the serum immunoglobulin A, G, and M in the malabsorption syndrome in children, Ann. Pediat. Fenn. 13: 115, 1967. 10. West, C. D., Hong, R., and Holland, N. H.: Immunoglobulin levels from the newborn period to adulthood and in immunoglobulin deficiency states, J. Clin. Invest. 41: 2054, 1962. 11. Stiehn, E. R., and Fudenburg, H. H.: Serum levels of immune globulins in health and disease, Pediatrics 37: 715, 1966. 12. Hendren, W. H., Creep, J. M., and Patton, A. S.: Pancreatitis in childhood: Experience with 15 cases, Arch. Dis. Child. 40: 132, 1965. I3. Chey, W. Y., Shay, tt., and Shuman, C. Q.: External pancreatic secretion in diabetes mellitus, Ann. Intern. Med. 59: 812, I963. 14. Rocky, J. H., Hanson, L. A., Heremans, J. F., and Kunkel, H. G.: Beta-2A aglobulinemia in two healthy men, J. Lab. Clin. Med. 63: 205, 1964.
Characterization of Thin SiO2 Grown by Rapid Thermal Processing as Influenced by Processing Parameters

Significant changes in the electrical characteristics of thin SiO 2 grown by rapid thermal processing were obtained as the processing parameters were changed. The low leakage current corresponding to high barrier height was obtained at the growth temperature of 1000 o C. The fixed charge density and breakdown voltage decreased as the growth temperature increased. Rapid thermal annealing at 1000 o C improved the leakage current. Also, rapid thermal annealing improved the breakdown voltage and caused a reduction in the fixed charge density
Sintering Aids in the Consolidation of Boron Carbide (B4C) by the Plasma Pressure Compaction (P2C) Method

Abstract Boron carbide (B4C) powder has been densified by a novel method of powder consolidation known as Plasma Pressure Compaction (P2C). The P2C technique allows for rapid consolidation of powder by Joule heating of the powder bed. Powder is placed in graphite dies, and uniaxial pressure and low-voltage, high-amperage (10 V, 5000 amps maximum) direct current are applied to achieve densification. Pure B4C powder was consolidated at lower temperature and hold time to densities equal to those achieved by conventional hot pressing. With the addition of a small amount of alumina (Al2O3) as a sintering aid, densities as high as 97% theoretical were attained.
Refractive index changes in Ti3+-doped glass

Abstract A photothermal detection technique has been used to measure changes in the index of refraction in Ti:phosphate-glass. The observed nonthermal change in the index of refraction after optical excitation is negligible for Ti:glass. This behavior, combined with earlier results obtained for Ti:sapphire, indicates that the nonthermal signal can be understood in terms of elastic relaxations around the Ti 3+ ion in the different host materials. Specifically the amorphous glass structure is responsible for the smaller nonthermal signal in Ti:glass.
Reactions to racial discrimination: Emotional stress and help-seeking behaviors.

This study examines Black, Latino, Asian American, American Indian and Biracial participants' (N = 260) emotional and psychological reactions to encounters with racism, and the help-seeking strategies they used to deal with those reactions. This class of participants is important to study because its members are likely to live and/or work in racially diverse environments. Participants who reported direct experiences with racism had higher levels of anxiety, guilt/shame, hypervigilance, and positive emotions than those who did not. Racial harassment (hostility) was associated with more hypervigilant and anxious reactions than racial discrimination (avoidance). Help-seeking patterns indicated that people of Color were more likely to seek help from friends and family than from mental health professionals. Practice and research implications are addressed.
RESERVATION WAGES AND THE UNION JOB QUEUE: A SAMPLE SELECTION APPROACH

This paper uses a unique data set of unemployed semi-skilled workers to examine the relationship between reservation wages and the decision to queue for a union sector job. Estimation of selected reservation wage equations indicates that the failure of all previous estimates to model the queuing decision results in biased coefficients. Those workers who queue for a union job are subject to a distinct reservation wage formation process which differs from those not queuing. Moreover, a structural estimate of the queuing decision demonstrates that workers with the greatest differences between estimated reservation wages in the union and non-union sector are the most likely to queue. This estimate of the queuing decision stands as one of the few which focus on unemployed workers. Among other results, women and minorities are more likely to queue for union jobs, all else equal.
Diaphragmatic EMG in studies of inspiratory “off-switch” threshold in humans

Diaphragmatic EMG (EMGdi) analyzed as a moving time average and quantitated as peak inspiratory activity $$\left( {\bar X_p } \right)$$ was used with tidal volume (V T)to assess the changes in inspiratory “of-switch” threshold in six normal subjects during three CO2 rebreathing experiments performed on different days. The qualitative characteristics ofV Tvs inspiratory time (T)Iwere not reproducible andV Tshowed poor linear correlation with 1/T Iduring range 2 (Meanr=0.54±0.24) whereas, the qualitative characteristics of $$\left( {\bar X_p } \right)$$ vsT Irelationship showed good reproducibility and during range 2, $$\left( {\bar X_p } \right)$$ correlated better with 1/T I(Meanr=0.81±0.20) thanV T.In each runV Tresponse to increasing CO2 eventually flattened afterV Treached its maximum in spite of continuing increase in $$\left( {\bar X_p } \right)$$ giving rise to a plateau ofV Tvs $$\left( {\bar X_p } \right)$$ relationship. We suggest that $$\left( {\bar X_p } \right)$$ is a better index of inspiratory “off-switch” threshold thanV Twhich seems to be dependent on mechanical factors in addition to neural modification ofT Iduring CO2 rebreathing in humans.
Alice Munro: Hard-luck stories or there is no sexual relation

(1995). Alice Munro: Hard-Luck Stories or There is No Sexual Relation. Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction: Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 121-129.
Surfing on the edge of chaos: Nonlinear science and the emergence of a doctrine of preventive war in the US

This article argues that during the 1990s, military professionals and civilian defense experts in the US used concepts and metaphors from nonlinear science to translate tenets of 1980s battlefield strategy and tactics into theories of international politics and foreign policy that posited the necessity of speed and offense in the face of a supposedly more chaotic and dangerous post-Cold War world. Ultimately, the most militaristic of the lessons supposedly learned from and justified by the ‘new sciences’ made their way to the highest reaches of the US Department of Defense under President G.W. Bush, and served as a foundation for acting quickly and preventively against ‘gathering threats’. In addition to allowing us to understand better the origins of the ‘Bush Doctrine’, this paper improves our understanding of the relationship between the sciences and the state/military in the post-Cold War US — in particular the role of scientific metaphor in national security discourses that have focused on the challe...
Grazing on filamentous algae by herbivorous zooplankton

SUMMARY. 1. Feeding experiments were conducted to examine filtering rates and selectivity of a variety of zooplankton taxa (including cladocerans, copepods and a rotifer) for filamentous diatoms, green and blue-green algae. 2. Most herbivores were capable of consuming some filamentous algae at rates similar to or higher than those on unicellular algae. Only feeding of Diaphanosoma brachyurum Lieven and Moina micrura Kurz seemed to be primarily limited by the filamentous morphology. 3. Filtering rates and selectivities of most herbivores were much higher for the diatom Melosira granulata angustissima Muller than for similarly sized blue-green algal filaments, indicating that chemical factors strongly influence consumption of filamentous algae. 4. The toxic blue-green algal filament Anabaena flos-aquae De Brebisson NRC 44–1 had a much strong inhibitory effect on zooplankton feeding than other filaments. The only herbivores that were not inhibited by this strain have been shown to be resistant to blue-green algal toxins, or strongly avoided consuming the blue-green alga. These results indicate that the inhibitory effect of filamentous algae is due more to toxic or noxious chemicals than to the filamentous morphology. 5. Selectivities of zooplankton for filamentous algae were largely independent of herbivore body size. The small-bodied cladoceran Bosmina longirostris Muller had the highest selectivities for filamentous algae.
17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in human breast cancer: Analysis of kinetic and clinical parameters

In this study, we assessed the rate of estradiol degradation via the 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) enzyme in breast tumors from postmenopausal women. We initially studied the effects of time, level of enzyme activity, amount of tissue assayed, and substrate concentration on the linearity of conversion of estradiol to estrone in breast tumor homogenates. The reaction was demonstrated to be linear when less than 15% conversion of estradiol to estrone occurred over 30 min with homogenates produced from 2.5 mg of tissue. Detailed kinetic experiments demonstrated the presence of two classes of enzyme activity, one with high affinity and the other with low affinity. In 83% of the tumors examined, the high affinity form was present and had a median Km of 0.62 microM and Vmax of 82 nmol/g protein/h. In 29 tumors, HSD activity could be precisely quantified and correlated with clinical parameters. No statistically significant correlation of enzyme activity with estrogen receptor (r2 = 0.06) or progesterone receptor (r2 = 0.006) or with patient age could be detected (r2 = 0.001). In 12 additional tumors, activity exceeded 15% conversion of estradiol to estrone at 30 min and precise quantitation was not possible. The average content of progesterone receptor was similar for these 12 tumors as for the 19 with lower HSD activity. However, estrogen receptor content and patient age were lower in the group with high HSD activity. The finding of a high affinity form of HSD in this study provides support for the biological importance of this enzyme in breast cancer tissues.
Complementary DNA base interactions: application of recently refined electrostatic interaction theory.

Electrostatic interactions between the DNA bases in the Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding configuration are examined in both the molecular and the atomic multipole representation using three different methods of calculation: (a) CNDO wave functions and definitions of moments, (b) IEHT wave functions and division of two-center densities and (c) IHET wave functions with equally divided overlap densities. It is shown that the inclusion in the interaction series of terms at least as high as the quadrupole-quadrupole is required to quantitatively characterize the interactions. Convergence is more rapid with the atomic multipole representation and is unaffected by the type of assignment of formal charges. A quantitative approach to the problem of the role of electrostatic interactions in hydrogen bonding in DNA is thus provided, with obvious impact on the investigation of molecular recognition processes.
Action spectra of the phototactic responses in Euglena.

Abstract 1. 1. The action spectra of positive topophototaxis and of positive and negative phobophototaxis have been determined to 10% precision from 350 to 800 nm. The measurements were carried out in the “phototaxigraph”, a recording instrument which allows the determination of the rate of response of microorganisms to light of controlled intensity and wavelength, at wavelength intervals of 12.5 nm, with a half-band width of 4nm. 2. 2. No phototactic responses occur at wavelengths greater than 550 nm. 3. 3. The action spectrum of negative phobophototaxis, which should most closely resemble the absorption spectrum of the photoreceptor pigments, exhibits major sharp peaks at 450 nm and 480 nm, a minor peak at 412 nm, and a major broad peak around 365 nm. This spectrum implicates a flavin pigment as mediating the primary photoact. 4. 4. Positive phototaxis and positive phobotaxis exhibit almost identical action spectra, with peaks at 480 nm and 375 nm. These action spectra probably represent a composite of the absorption spectra of the photoreceptor pigments and of the screening pigments which mediate the topic response. It is concluded from experiments with polarized light that two perpendicularly oriented and physically separated pigment systems cooperate in shading the photoreceptor. The molecules of the long wavelength system (operating from 400 nm to above 550 nm) are located in the stigma and arranged such that their long axes are parallel to the long axis of the organism, while the molecular transition moments of the short wavelength system, which screens below 400 nm, are arranged at right angles to the long axis of the organism.
Analysis and wind-tunnel simulation of pedestrian-level winds in San Francisco

Abstract The city of San Francisco enacted a pedestrian-level wind ordinance as part of its city and county municipal code in 1985. The purpose of this paper is to present in engineering detail the wind-tunnel testing procedure and associated analysis which allows scaling of the wind-tunnel measurements. This technique uses site specific meteorological weather data, coupled with the wind-tunnel data, to predicted full-scale wind speeds. The full-scale speeds are presented in terms of 10% exceeded equivalent wind speeds as required by the wind ordinance. Also, a description of the wind-tunnel facility in which many of the pedestrian-level wind studies are carried out is presented.
Limits of artificial selection under unbalanced mating systems.

The influence of unbalanced mating systems — factorial mating (FM) and random loss of families after a full diallel crossing (RS) — on the ultimate probability of gene fixation (u(Π)) and the time required to fix or lose a gene (t(Π)) are investigated. The average u(Π) of these systems is smaller than that of random mating, and the range of u(Π) for a given initial parental genotype combination is very large (close to one for most initial genotypic combinations). The average u(Π) of different parental genotypic combinations of a given gene frequency are different. These systems accelerate the t(Π).
Infrared measurement and modeling of tropospheric carbon monoxide

The purpose of this continued study is to model correctly the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) in the troposphere of Harrisonburg, VA using an atmospheric modeling software program coupled with an experimental technique. In previous years, multiple raw data sets were collected using a technique known as gas filter correlation radiometry (GFCR) developed at NASA Langley Research Center. This technique utilizes the infrared (IR) radiance of the full moon and combines a ground-based IR data collection system with a blackbody calibration to yield a power value of the radiant stream. The raw data are processed by differencing a radiance stream obtained from the moon as passed through an evacuated cell against a cell containing a fixed concentration of CO. This power value is then compared with those simulated by the atmospheric modeling software HITRAN-PC. HITRAN-PC can simulate the atmosphere of Harrisonburg with a few key changes of input. It can then model the transmittance of the atmosphere, and by applying an algorithm developed in-house, we can correlate this transmission to a corresponding power value. The modeling is performed multiple times with various estimated values of CO, simulating clean and polluted conditions. Once the power value from the data and the power value from the modeling converge, the CO concentration is determined.
Analysis of multi-land high pressure oil seals

An analysis for the laminar/turbulent flow in high pressure oil ring seals is presented. A fully-developed bulk-flow model for low axial Reynolds numbers is introduced to predict the static and dynamic force response of multi-land oil seals. The model includes the effects of bearing surface roughness, variable seal clearances, fluid inertia and viscous loss effects at the inlet of the first land in a multi-land oil seal. Internal groove pressures in the seals are determined via a mass conservation algorithm with Reynolds condition at the cavitation inception zone. Predictions show that the viscosity effect at the seal inlet is minimal for turbulent flow across the seal. However, for laminar oil seals, the entrance loss viscous effect can substantially increase the direct stiffness. Load capacity and rotordynamic force coefficients for one-land, two-land and three-land seal examples are discussed in detail. Presented at the 47th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 4–7, 1992
Parallel inhibition of neutrophil arachidonic acid metabolism and lysosomal enzyme secretion by nordihydroguaiaretic acid.

Abstract Arachidonic acid at concentrations from 0.2 to 2.0 × 10−6M induces the secretion of lysosomal enzymes from cytochalasin B-treated rabbit neutrophils. These concentrations of arachidonic acid are metabolized primarily to hydroxyeicosatetraenic acids rather than to cyclooxygenase products. A good correlation is observed between the extent of arachidonic acid metabolism and the secretion of lysosomal enzymes. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (1−10μM) inhibits both lysosomal enzyme secretion and the production of lipoxygenase products by neutrophils.
Formation and coarsening of Ag(110) bilayer islands on NiAl(110): STM analysis and atomistic lattice-gas modeling

Scanning tunneling microscopy analysis of the initial stages of film growth during deposition of Ag on NiAl(110) reveals facile formation of bilayer Ag(110) islands at temperatures of 130 K and above. Annealing subsequent to deposition at 130 K induces coarsening of the bilayer island distribution. The thermodynamic driving force for bilayer island formation reflects a lower relative surface energy for films of even layer thicknesses. This feature derives from quantum size effects due to electron confinement in the Ag film. The kinetics of island formation and relaxation is controlled by terrace and edge-diffusion barriers, detachment barriers, interlayer diffusion barriers, and layer-dependent adsorption and interaction energies. These key energies are determined from density-functional theory analysis and incorporated into an atomistic lattice-gas model for homogeneous island formation, where specification of the adatom hop rates is consistent with detailed balance. Model analysis via kinetic Monte Carlo simulation elucidates the role of strongly anisotropic interactions in development during deposition of elongated island growth shapes and also in facilitating upward mass transport needed for bilayer island formation. The model succeeds in recovering island densities at lower temperatures but experimental densities exceed model predictions at higher temperatures plausibly due to heterogeneous nucleation at surface defects. The same model successfully describes postdeposition coarsening of small islands grown at 130 K.
The state and environmental challenges: A critical exploration of alternatives to the state‐system

Environmental issues have recently become an object of study among students of international relations. At the most theoretical level, a number of scholars criticise the ability of the state‐system to respond to environmental dangers and prescribe fundamentally different structures of governance as replacements for it. The two main schools of thought involved in this line of inquiry are supra‐statism (creating world‐government) and sub‐statism (decentralising power away from contemporary states). This article reviews and analyses these two conceptions. It aims to show that although they present themselves as radical departures from state‐centric thinking, they actually reaffirm the centrality of the institution of the state when thinking about forms of governance able to address environmental problems.
Evaluation of Feeding Related Problems and Apparent Life Threatening Events in Infancy. 1237

Evaluation of Feeding Related Problems and Apparent Life Threatening Events in Infancy. 1237
Quantitative Variation in Water-Use Efficiency across Water Regimes and Its Relationship with Circadian, Vegetative, Reproductive, and Leaf Gas-Exchange Traits

Drought limits light harvesting, resulting in lower plant growth and reproduction. One trait important for plant drought response is water-use efficiency (WUE). We investigated (1) how the joint genetic architecture of WUE, reproductive characters, and vegetative traits changed across drought and well-watered conditions, (2) whether traits with distinct developmental bases (e.g. leaf gas exchange versus reproduction) differed in the environmental sensitivity of their genetic architecture, and (3) whether quantitative variation in circadian period was related to drought response in Brassica rapa. Overall, WUE increased in drought, primarily because stomatal conductance, and thus water loss, declined more than carbon fixation. Genotypes with the highest WUE in drought expressed the lowest WUE in well-watered conditions, and had the largest vegetative and floral organs in both treatments. Thus, large changes in WUE enabled some genotypes to approach vegetative and reproductive trait optima across environments. The genetic architecture differed for gas-exchange and vegetative traits across drought and well-watered conditions, but not for floral traits. Correlations between circadian and leaf gas-exchange traits were significant but did not vary across treatments, indicating that circadian period affects physiological function regardless of water availability. These results suggest that WUE is important for drought tolerance in Brassica rapa and that artificial selection for increased WUE in drought will not result in maladaptive expression of other traits that are correlated with WUE.
Do GnRH neurons express the gene for the NMDA receptor

Abstract Previous studies have revealed that in several animal models, N-methyl- d,l -Aspartate (NMA) stimulates LH secretion by acting at a suprapituitary site. In addition, NMDA receptor antagonists appear to block GnRH neuronal activation on the afternoon of proestrous as evidenced by the lack of c-Fos expression in the neurons and by the absence of an ovulatory LH surge. However, administration of NMA does not induce c-Fos or c-Jun expression in GnRH neurons. To better understand the effects of NMDA receptor activation on GnRH neuronal function, we examined whether GnRH neurons express the NMDA receptor in male rats, and in female rats during diestrus and proestrus, by performing double label in situ hybridization. An 35S-labeled cRNA probe for the NMDA receptor subunit (NMDAR1) was used to quantify NMDAR1 mRNA and a digoxigenin-labeled cRNA probe for GnRH was used to identify GnRH neurons. The data were quantified and expressed as grains/average cell area. In male and female rats, less than 5% of GnRH neurons expressed grain levels twice the minimum detectable level and were considered double-labeled. However, many non-GnRH neurons in the same areas as GnRH neurons expressed high levels of NMDAR1 mRNA. These results suggest that the effects of NMA on GnRH secretion are unlikely to be mediated solely by the activation of NMDA receptors on GnRH neurons. Given the widespread expression of NMDAR1 mRNA in the hypothalamus, it is possible that the stimulatory effects of NMA on GnRH neurons are indirect through activation of other neurons.
On conditions of “negative creep” in amorphous solids

Abstract Sufficient conditions for instability of a nonlinear system exhibiting “negative creep” (i.e. negative classical elastic moduli) are obtained on the basis of Hadamard analysis of the coupled system of partial differential equations. A coupled elastic system with diffusion only or energy and diffusion equations is analyzed and conditions on the moduli are obtained that render uniformly bounded initial data unstable.
Introduction of human adenomatous polyposis coli gene into Min mice via cationic liposomes.

Background The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene is a tumor-suppressor gene involved in familial polyposis coli (FAP), a hereditary disease heralded by the development of hundreds of colorectal adenomas. A mouse model for FAP, the multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mouse, develops multiple adenomatous polyps of the large and small intestine similar to their human counterparts. To test the feasibility of introducing normal human APC as a means of either preventing or reversing polyp formation, we describe a method of in vivo transfection of APC into colonic epithelium of the Min mouse. Methods. Anesthetized young (4 weeks) Min mice were treated with enemas containing lipofectant and a normal human APC cDNA plasmid every 72 hours for 2 months and then euthanized at 24, 48, and 72 hours after the last treatment. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the presence of the plasmid DNA. Results. PCR on the extracted colonic epithelial DNA showed the presence of plasmid DNA up to 72 hours after the last treatment. Expression of the plasmid construct was confirmed by reverse transcriptase-PCR Conclusions. We have demonstrated the repeated introduction and detection of normal human APC in the colonic epithelium of the Min Mouse in vivo during an extended period of time with no toxic side effects by means of our prolonged therapy
Use of ELISA to differentiate marine species of Dendryphiella

Relationships between the marine deuteromycetes Dendryphiella arenaria and D. salina were determined using Ouchterlony Immunodiffusion (OID) and Enzyme-Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (ELISA). Data obtained from the OID showed cross reactivity between the two species, some of which was not removed by cross-absorption, and therefore did not differentiate between the two species. ELISA was able to differentiate between species of Dendryphiella and may prove to be a useful tool to distinguish between other taxa of fungi.
Electrotonus on a cell of finite dimensions

Abstract It is shown that (i) in most circumstances the plasmalemma potential of a cell is determined primarily by the potential of the cell's interior and only secondarily by the potential of the cell's exterior; (ii) the potential of a cross section of cell will become sensibly uniform even fairly close to a current source; and (iii) the variation of potential down the long axis of a cell can be accurately described by simple cable theory except in the neighborhood of a current source.
Centrosomal kinase Nek2 cooperates with oncogenic pathways to promote metastasis.

Centrosomal kinase Nek2 is overexpressed in different cancers, yet how it contributes toward tumorigenesis remains poorly understood. dNek2 overexpression in a Drosophila melanogaster model led to upregulation of Drosophila Wnt ortholog wingless (Wg), and alteration of cell migration markers—Rho1, Rac1 and E-cadherin (Ecad)—resulting in changes in cell shape and tissue morphogenesis. dNek2 overexpression cooperated with receptor tyrosine kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling to upregulate activated Akt, Diap1, Mmp1 and Wg protein to promote local invasion, distant seeding and metastasis. In tumor cell injection assays, dNek2 cooperated with Ras and Src signaling to promote aggressive colonization of tumors into different adult fly tissues. Inhibition of the PI3K pathway suppressed the cooperation of dNek2 with other growth pathways. Consistent with our fly studies, overexpression of human Nek2 in A549 lung adenocarcinoma and HEK293T cells led to activation of the Akt pathway and increase in β-catenin protein levels. Our computational approach identified a class of Nek2-inhibitory compounds and a novel drug-like pharmacophore that reversed the Nek2 overexpression phenotypes in flies and human cells. Our finding posits a novel role for Nek2 in promoting metastasis in addition to its currently defined role in promoting chromosomal instability. It provides a rationale for the selective advantage of centrosome amplification in cancer.
Effects of phenytoin on amygdaloid kindled seizures in the rat.

Abstract The effects of oral phenytoin (0.25 g/kg) on the evolution of amygdaloid seizures were investigated using the kindling technique in rats. By utilizing low intensity stimulation at threshold for after-discharge, it was found that phenytoin produced a 23% increase in threshold for after-discharge and generalized seizures in fully kindled rats with blood levels in the human therapeutic range. Although half of the animals demonstrated a block of after-discharge after Phenytoin was started when the stimulation intensity was increased, the phenytoin animals developed generalized seizures in the same manner as controls.
Mechanical and electrical response of carbon nanotube-based fabric composites to Hopkinson bar loading

The numerous structural applications of composites, coupled with their complex, rate-dependent mechanical behavior necessitate research into their mechanical response under dynamic loading scenarios. While the damage mechanisms of composites under dynamic compression loading are well-understood, measuring the occurrence of damage in a non-invasive manner is challenging. Toward this end, we investigate the electrical response of an embedded percolating carbon nanotube network in woven fabric/epoxy composites to dynamic compression loading. The percolating network is established through the use of a non-uniform dispersion of carbon nanotubes, achieved using a fiber sizing agent. The resulting conductive network is sensitive to delamination and damage occurring near the fiber surfaces. The dynamic mechanical response of the composite specimens is explored using Hopkinson bar methodology. Definite increases in baseline resistance of the conductive composite specimens are seen after repeated impacts demonstrating the ability of the carbon nanotube network of these conductively modified composites to respond electrically to damage induced during dynamic loading.
Anisotropy of charge carriers and dielectric function of YBa2Cu4O8 (Y124)

Abstract Orientation dependent (momentum transfer resolved) electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS) has been utilized to probe the localization of free carrier plasmons in single crystals of YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 (Y124). Two low energy excitations are observed in EELS spectra, one at about 1.4 eV which is the free carrier plasmon,and another excitation at about 3.2 eV. The oscillator strength of the free carrier plasmon is observed to vary considerably with momentum transfer. Maximum oscillator strength of the free carrier plasmon is observed when the momentum transfer ( q ) is confined to the ab planes, while the minimum strength is observed for q parallel to the c -axis. Dielectric function calculated using the Kramers-Kronig analysis indicates that the major differences in the dielectric function ofY124 within the ab plane versus along the c -axis are confined only within the first few eVs. The O K core loss spectra exhibit subtle but important deviations from that of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (Y123). Possible EELS spectral signatures of the double chains in Y124 are discussed.
Entrainment from Spray Distributors for Packed Columns

Spray nozzles are widely used to provide a uniform liquid distribution to packed distillation and absorption columns. A disadvantage of such distributors is, however, the tendency for the atomized drops to be entrained by the upflowing gas. In some instances it is not convenient or even possible to remove the entrained liquid from the gas. A theoretical model has been developed for estimating the total entrainment from spray nozzle distributors. The model is based on drop size distribution and drop bouyancy relationships and has been confirmed by measurements in a 11.5-in. diameter spray contactor, using four different solid-cone nozzles and the air−water system. The model has also been confirmed by measurements of others using an air−paraffinic oil system. The model takes into account orifice diameter, phase flow rates, and phase physical properties. It predicts total entrainment and does not allow for partial removal of entrainment by walls, adjacent sprays, or target devices used to collect the entrain...
The Centennial of Spectrochemistry—Presented at the Washington Meeting of the Optical Society of America, April 7, 1960

The birth and growth of spectrochemistry are reviewed on the occasion of its centennial. The origin of spectrochemistry is found in the two classical memoirs published by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff a century ago in Poggendorff’s Annalen, in which they gave the first definite and general answer to the question as to whether the bright lines in the spectrum of a glowing gas are dependent exclusively on its chemical composition. We find there also the foundations of astrophysics and a report on the first discovery of a new chemical element by spectral analysis (cesium).Short biographical sketches of Bunsen and Kirchhoff are given, and the major conclusions of their two famous memoirs are cited. The growth of this new method of chemical analysis is then briefly traced to this centennial year, when such analyses are already being widely made in science and technology by electronic automation.
Implications of failing to achieve successful long-term maintenance treatment of recurrent unipolar major depression

This is a review article that describes current data, issues, and controversies regarding long-term maintenance treatment of depression. The authors suggest that the issues represent a public health crisis. This paper will identify the need, from both a health-care and economic perspective, for more research on the efficacy of maintenance treatment for this pernicious and lifelong disorder. Data will be reviewed on the natural course of unipolar depression, focusing on clinical predictors that increase the risk of a relapse or recurrence. This review will include new data from the National Institute of Mental Health Collaborative Depression Study. Failing to achieve adequate maintenance treatment for unipolar recurrent major depression has psychopathological and psychosocial consequences, decreasing work productivity and the quality of a person's life. Published double-blind placebo-controlled studies on continuation treatment of major depression will be reviewed. The two competed double-blind placebo-controlled long-term maintenance studies of recurrent unipolar major depression will be discussed in detail. Despite the positive findings from research done to date, there remain many unresolved questions relating to the maintenance treatment of recurrent unipolar major depression, and the need for research in this area is critical. The paper concludes with recommendations for long-term maintenance treatment of unipolar major depression.
Effects of hemolysis and lipemia on the COBAS salicylate and acetaminophen assays compared to GDS assays.

Abstract Objective We compared the COBAS® acetaminophen and salicylate assays (Roche Diagnostics) with the Stanbio GDS assays (Stanbio Laboratories) that are currently used in our laboratory with respect to interferences from hemolysis and lipemia. Methods Acetaminophen and salicylate were added into human serum with varying concentrations of hemoglobin or Intralipid® to generate a range of acetaminophen and salicylate concentrations. Then the COBAS® and GDS assays were used to measure the apparent drug concentrations; the H and L indices were measured to determine the extent of hemolysis and lipemia present in each specimen. Results Both hemolysis and lipemia have less effect on the COBAS® acetaminophen and salicylate assays than on the GDS assays. Conclusions The COBAS® assays for acetaminophen and salicylate are preferable to the current GDS assays in clinical toxicology laboratories.
Challenges Associated with Metabolic Syndrome

Approximately 2500 Americans die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) each day. Each year, CVD claims more lives than the next four leading causes of death combined. Direct and indirect costs of CVD are estimated to be $403.1 billion in 2006. Despite advancements in conventional therapy, the residual risk of CVD continues to rise. One component of the cardiometabolic risk is metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of interrelated risk factors of metabolic origin including abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, elevated plasma glucose level, and prothrombotic and proinflammatory states that promote atherosclerotic CVD and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Approximately 47 million residents of the United States have metabolic syndrome. Abdominal obesity and insulin resistance appear to be its predominant underlying risk factors. Abdominal adiposity is considered high-risk fat, and it is associated with insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and prothrombotic and/or proinflammatory states. Despite notable advances in cardiovascular risk management, the prevalence of cardiovascular events and type 2 diabetes remains high. First-line therapy for individuals with metabolic syndrome should be directed to the major CVD risk factors, namely, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, hypertension, and diabetes, and it should emphasize lifestyle modification. Until additional research better defines the most appropriate therapies, conventional cardiovascular risk factors, such as lipid levels, blood pressure, and diabetes, should be managed in individuals with metabolic syndrome according to nationally accepted clinical guidelines.
Audit Fees and Social Capital

ABSTRACT: We examine the impact of social capital on audit fees. We find that firms headquartered in U.S. counties with high social capital pay lower audit fees. Social capital measures the level of mutual trust in a region. Our results suggest that auditors judge the trustworthiness of their clients based on where the firm is headquartered and charge a premium when they trust the firm less. The basis of our results is the examination of more than 28,000 audit fees for more than 5,000 firms spanning the period of 2000 to 2009. The results are robust to controlling for a large number of firm-level and county-level characteristics. JEL Classifications: M42; M14.
The visual process: photophysics and photoisomerization of model visual pigments and the primary reaction.

— A systematic comprehensive consideration of the emission spectroscopy, emission lifetimes, transient spectroscopy, as well as quantum yields of fluorescence, triplet occupation and photoisomeriz-ation is given for a wide variety of polyene derivatives including retinyl and longer, as well as shorter chainlength homologs. Absorption spectral properties and the results and significance of theoretical calculations are also included. Chainlength, solvent and temperature effects on state order and photophysical as well as photoisomerization properties are evaluated. The mechanism for the primary light step in vision is considered in light of photophysical and photoisomerization data on model visual pigments and rhodopsin.