cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Re: Congenital Spigelian Hernia and Ipsilateral Cryptorchidism: Raising Awareness among Urologists

Spigelian hernias (SHs) are rare in the pediatric population. Although pediatric general surgeons often treat this defect, the increased association between a congenital SH and an ipsilateral undescended testis suggests that urologists may be the first provider encountering this entity. Knowledge of this condition is therefore important. We report one such case of a male infant referred to urology for an undescended testicle. Further investigation revealed the testicle to be within a congenital SH sac. Herein, we additionally review the literature concerning SHs associated with ipsilateral undescended testicles.
Scanning tunneling microscopy characterization of the surface morphology of copper films grown on mica and quartz

Abstract The morphology of copper films grown on quartz, mica, and Ti/quartz has been investigated by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Films grown on quartz, both bare and pre-plated with titanium, are characterized by self-affine fractal scaling behavior over the length scale of 10∼500 nm, while films grown on mica are not. Annealing of the films to 340 °C reduces the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness values, despite the overall scaling behavior remains the same. Films grown on bare quartz have significantly larger RMS roughness than those grown on mica, or quartz pre-plated with titanium. For the latter two cases, the RMS roughness is very low, 1–4 nm for the length scale of L = 500 nm. The overall dependence of copper film morphology on various substrates were discussed in terms of interfacial reaction, lattice mismatch, and surface energy difference of interface surfaces.
Net biogenic silica production and nitrate regeneration determine the strength of the silica pump in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific

Abstract The high-nitrate, low-silicic acid character of the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) has been attributed to the preferential export of diatom biogenic silica (bSiO2) over particulate organic nitrogen due to less efficient recycling of Si in surface waters. To gain insight into the strength of this silica pump, we examined [Si(OH)4] and [bSiO2] distributions and net bSiO2 production rates in two regions of the EEP, one spanning the equator from 4°N to 3.25°S at 140°W and the other along a tropical instability wave (TIW) at 0.5°N between 132.5 and 123.4°W, ending within a cold vortex at 1.75°N by 125°W. Large uncertainty in the net bSiO2 production rate measurement precluded a detailed examination of trends at high spatial resolution, but averaged data revealed clear differences in Si cycling between these two sampling areas. Surface [Si(OH)4] generally remained at levels NO 3 − , consistent with expectations for a silica pump. However, the mean integrated rate of NO 3 − uptake exceeded that of new Si(OH)4 uptake by at least five times, implying preferential nitrate depletion in contradiction to nutrient distributions that indicated preferential Si(OH)4 drawdown. This discrepancy can be resolved if, on average, ∼70% of the nitrate taken up was regenerated in the euphotic zone rather than being supplied by ‘new’ upwelled sources. These results suggest that the silica pump in the EEP arises only in part from the less efficient recycling of biogenic silica compared to organic matter, but also requires efficient recycling of nitrate in surface waters to reduce the rate of new nitrogen production well below the rate of gross nitrate uptake. Additional work will be necessary to confirm this apparent dependency and its relationship to variations in the physical and biological processes driving new production in this system. A relationship between bacterial protease activity and rates of silica recycling was also identified, but, unlike in coastal systems, the contribution of particle-associated bacteria was relatively unimportant in effecting bSiO2 dissolution in the EEP.
A Monte Carlo approach to X-ray attenuation corrections for proton-induced X-ray emission from particulate samples

Abstract It has long been recognized that PIXE (particle-induced X-ray emission) spectra from thick targets need to be modified with respect to the thin target spectra used for calibration. This is due to the degradation of the energy of the protons entering the sample and the attenuation of the X-rays emerging from the sample. Thick-target corrections typically assume the target to be composed of a layer of sample material having uniform thickness. Because many environmental samples, however, are composed of particles averaging several μm in diameter, the usual thick-target corrections are inappropriate. It has previously been shown that size corrections for spherical particles of homogeneous composition can be significant. In the current work a method is presented which employs Monte Carlo techniques to calculate X-ray intensity corrections for particles of arbitrary shape, composition, orientation and size distribution. Empirical equations for proton stopping power and X-ray production cross sections are used in conjunction with X-ray attenuation coefficients to calculate the intensity of the emergent beam. The uncertainty associated with the Monte Carlo calculation is also explored. It is shown that the spherical particle corrections are approximately correct for particles of near-spherical shape; however, they are inadequate for highly elongated or flattened particles or for particles of nonuniform composition.
Fundamental studies on morphology control for latex systems with application to waterborne coatings: The effect of polymer radical mobility in latex particles during polymerization

This work reports on the development of composite latex particle morphology in seeded, semicontinuous emulsion polymerization. Previous work has explained particle morphology development in terms of the ability of second stage polymer radicals to diffuse into, or “penetrate,” the seed particles. This article investigates two separate effects that essentially alter the mobility of the second stage polymer radicals. The first is the initiator type, specifically nonionic versus ionic initiators, and the second is the use of chain transfer agent (CTA). It is shown that ionic initiators make it more likely to obtain core shell morphologies by decreasing the penetration of radicals, but only under a narrow set of conditions. Chain transfer agents, on the other hand, allow for more deviation from core shell morphologies by increasing the penetration of radicals, but significant changes were only observed at the highest concentration of CTA studied. Therefore, both factors are fairly subtle and effects are only observed under specific conditions.
Ion movement relaxation in inorganic glasses — salient features

Abstract The movement of (alkali) ions in inorganic glasses shows several general features which cannot be understood from the classical theories for crystals having low mobile ion concentration. These features have been identified from the frequency and temperature dependence of electrical parameters and nuclear spin relaxation and anomalous isotope mass dependence of lithium diffusion in lithium triborate glass. A successful theoretical model is expected to explain various features discussed here including the composition dependence of the observations.
Developments Toward Simulation of Entangled Polymer Melts by Dissipative Particle Dynamics (dpd)

A segmental repulsion force is developed to reduce the frequency of artificial chain segment crossing events in DPD simulations of the dynamics of polymer melts. The scaling of viscosity and center of mass diffusion coefficients with chain length show transitions in scaling exponents at a critical entanglement chain length. Above the entanglement chain length, the scaling exponent for the diffusion coefficient is close to the experimental value of -2, but the scaling exponent for viscosity is close to +2, which is smaller than the experimental value of +3.4. Without segmental repulsion forces, chain segment crossings occur freely, and the scaling of both diffusion coefficient and viscosity follow the Rouse model for all chain lengths.
On the mode of action of myrocin C: Evidence for a CC-1065 connection

Abstract A bioactivation mechanism for myrocin C ( 1 ) is offered in which doubly activated spiro cyclopropane 4 emerges as the reactive intermediate. Support for this proposal is found in comparison of the behavior of 1 with that of 6-desoxymyrocin C (6).
Renal kallikrein responses to dietary protein: A possible mediator of hyperfiltration

Renal kallikrein responses to dietary protein: A possible mediator of hyperfiltration. We studied GFR, RPF and renal kallikrein in rats fed 9%, 25%, or 50% protein (casein) diets for 8 to 13 days. GFR and RPF increased progressively with increasing dietary protein. Renal excretion of active kallikrein (µg/day) was 128 ± 9, 174 ± 11 and 228 ± 14 in 9%, 25%, and 50% protein-fed rats, respectively (P
On the Mean Meridional Mass Motions of the Stratosphere and Mesosphere

Using a simplified, approximate 'Lagrangian-mean' dynamical formulation, the mean meridional mass circulation of the stratosphere and mesosphere is discussed. Under solstice conditions, it is shown that this Lagrangian-mean circulation may be inferred, as a first approximation, from the Eulerian-mean diabatic heating. Diabatic heating rates for the solstices, originally derived by Murgatroyd and Goody (1958), result in Lagrangian-mean rising motion at the tropical tropopause, subsidence across the extra-tropical tropopause, and a very strong summer-to-winter pole flow in the mesosphere. This circulation is exactly that obtained by Murgatroyd and Singleton (1961) for the solstices. Those authors, however, attempted to identify this circulation as the Eulerian-mean motion, and were later criticized for their neglect of the meridional eddy heat flux in the calculation, which proved to be extremely important in the winter hemisphere. The present study, nevertheless, indicates that Murgatroyd and Singleton's circulation may in fact be representative of actual air parcel motions in the stratosphere and mesosphere.
Epidemic models with random coefficients

Mathematical models are very important in epidemiology. Many of the models are given by differential equations and most consider that the parameters are deterministic variables. But in practice, these parameters have large variability that depends on the measurement method and its inherent error, on differences in the actual population sample size used, as well as other factors that are difficult to account for. In this paper the parameters that appear in SIR and SIRS epidemic model are considered random variables with specified distributions. A stochastic spectral representation of the parameters is used, together with the polynomial chaos method, to obtain a system of differential equations, which is integrated numerically to obtain the evolution of the mean and higher-order moments with respect to time.
Continuous-flow electrophoretic separator for biologicals

In the near absence of gravity, a continuous-flow type of electrophoretic separator can be operated with a much thicker separation chamber than is possible under 1 g conditions. This should permit either better resolution or shorter separation time per unit of sample. An apparatus to perform experiments on sounding rockets is under development and will be described. The electrophoresis cell is 5 mm thick by 5 cm wide with 10 cm long electrodes. It is supplied with buffer, sample, and coolant at about 4 C through the use of a passive refrigerant system. UV sample detection and provision for recovery and cold storage of up to 50 sample fractions are now being added to the basic unit. A wide range of operating conditions are electronically programmable into the unit, even up to a short time before flight, and a further range of some parameters can be achieved by exchanging power supplies and by changing gears in the motor drive units of the pump. The preliminary results of some separation studies on various biological products using a commercially available electrophoretic separator are also presented.
On the existence of photoexcited breathers in conducting polymers

Formation and decay mechanisms of photoinduced nonlinear vibronic excitations (``breathers'') in several conjugated polymers are studied using a quantum-chemical excited state molecular dynamics approach. We identify specific coupled vibrational modes responsible for breather excitations and investigate their dependence on chain length. In addition to intermolecular relaxation mechanisms, our calculations show that intramolecular vibrational energy equilibration results in a decay of breathers on a timescale of hundreds of femtoseconds.
Effect of chronic administration of pentobarbital on methadone analgesia and toxicity.

Abstract In mice implanted with pentobarbital pellets (75 mg) for three days, the AD50 of methadone at 60, 90 or 120 min after the administration of the drug was about twice that of the control animals. Also with the four doses of methadone HCl tested, pentobarbital-treated animals exhibited a mean positive analgetic response less than that of the control group. The studies revealed that the decrease in methadone analgetic response was dependent on duration of pentobarbital pellet implantation. The LD50 of methadone-HCl increased 1.7 times that of the placebo control group. The pentobarbital pellet implantation resulted in reduction of methadone toxicity and attenuation of methadone analgesia which correlated with an induction of hepatic microsomal N-demethylase activity.
Density Variant Glycan Microarray for Evaluating Cross-Linking of Mucin-like Glycoconjugates by Lectins

Interactions of mucin glycoproteins with cognate receptors are dictated by the structures and spatial organization of glycans that decorate the mucin polypeptide backbone. The glycan-binding proteins, or lectins, that interact with mucins are often oligomeric receptors with multiple ligand binding domains. In this work, we employed a microarray platform comprising synthetic glycopolymers that emulate natural mucins arrayed at different surface densities to evaluate how glycan valency and spatial separation affect the preferential binding mode of a particular lectin. We evaluated a panel of four lectins (Soybean agglutinin (SBA), Wisteria floribunda lectin (WFL), Vicia villosa-B-4 agglutinin (VVA), and Helix pomatia agglutin (HPA)) with specificity for α-N-acetylgalactosamine (α-GalNAc), an epitope displayed on mucins overexpressed in many adenocarcinomas. While these lectins possess the ability to agglutinate A1-blood cells carrying the α-GalNAc epitope and cross-link low valency glycoconjugates, only SBA...
Data structures in SL5

The procedural approach to data structures used in the SL5 programming language is described. The SL5 procedure mechanism forms the basis for this approach to data structures by treating procedures and their activation records (environments) as data objects and by decomposing the traditionally atomic operation of procedure invocation into more elementary components. The basic idea is that environments, since they are data objects, can also be used as data structures. The result is a single unified linguistic mechanism for constructing both procedures and data structures. Several examples are given.
Use of amphiphilic polymer particles for in situ extraction of sorbed phenanthrene from a contaminated aquifer material.

Amphiphilic polyurethane (APU) nano-network polymer particles were tested for their efficiency to remove a model hydrophobic pollutant (phenanthrene) from a contaminated sandy aquifer material. Results from batch experiments indicated that the APU particles were weakly adsorbed onto the aquifer sand (KdP = 0.0063 mL/g). In column experiments, 97 to 98% of applied APU particles were recovered after passage of 2 to 3 pore-volumes of rinse water. The chemically cross-linked nature of the APU particles and ionic functional groups on particle surfaces decrease their affinity to adsorb onto the soil. APU nano-network suspensions extracted up to 98% of the phenanthrene sorbed on the aquifer material with extremely low loss of particles. Passage of fewer pore-volumes of an APU emulsion was needed to achieve a given level of remediation relative to results reported for surfactant solutions. Although the concentration of APU particles in the washing solution was greater than the reported concentrations used for sur...
Combined event-related fMRI and EEG evidence for temporal-parietal cortex activation during target detection

Target detection is the process of bringing a salient stimulus into conscious awareness. Target detection evokes a prominent event-related potential (ERP) component (P3) in the electroencephalogram (EEG). We combined the high spatial resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with the high temporal resolution of EEG to investigate the neural generators of the P3. Event-related brain activation (ERBA) and ERPs were computed by time-locked averaging of fMRI and EEG, respectively, recorded using the same paradigm in the same subjects. Target detection elicited significantly greater ERBAs bilaterally in the temporal-parietal cortex, thalamus and anterior cingulate. Spatio-temporal modelling of ERPs based on dipole locations derived from the ERBAs indicated that bilateral sources in the temporal-parietal cortex are the main generators of the P3. The findings provide convergent fMRI and EEG evidence for significant activation of the temporal-parietal cortex 285-610 ms after stimulus onset during target detection. The methods developed here provide a novel multimodal neuroimaging technique to investigate the spatio-temporal aspects of processes underlying brain function.
Origin of flux ropes in Venus' ionosphere

The joule dissipation inside flux ropes in Venus' ionosphere is so great that they must be formed near, and maintained at, the place where they are observed. Thus ropes are not formed by a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of the ionopause. The hypothesis that ropes may be formed by the dynamo action of internal gravity waves in Venus' thermosphere (Luhmann and Elphic, 1985; Cole, 1993) is strengthened by discussion of a magnetic evolution equation which includes neutral air motion. However, the dynamo process would work only at altitudes at which v(sub in) is greater than or equal to omega(sub i). At altitudes or parts of a rope where v(sub in) is much less than omega(sub i), the process does not work. A solar wind dynamo is therefore examined to account for the ropes. Thereby a major new heat source for ions of the Venus ionosphere associated with the ropes is uncovered.
Miniaturizing wireless implants

A breakthrough in wireless power transfer enables smaller implantable devices, opening the door to new applications.
Macrophages in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Kidney Diseases

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated nephropathies are characterized by renal immune cell interstitial infiltration in patients with peripheral T-cell depletion. Since interstitial inflammation may mediate cytokineinduced fibrosis, we evaluated the immune cell population in the interstitium and glomeruli in renal biopsy tissue from 10 HIV-infected patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (HIVFGS), staining renal biopsy specimens for UCHL-1 (a T-cell marker), 013134 (predominantly a T helper-cell marker), PG-M1 (a macrophage marker), and L26 (a B-cell marker), and comparing them with renal tissue specimens from patients with HIV-associated immune complex glomerulonephritis (ICD) and from uninfected patients with FGS. Five fields comprising 0.2 mm 2 were examined at a magnification of ×400, a total area of 1 mm 2 . Total immune cells were estimated as the sum of UCHL-1, L-26, and PG-M1 cells. The T helper to suppressor (HIS) ratio was estimated as OPD4/(UCHL-1 - OPD4) lymphocytes. Tubular interstitial infiltrate was variable but dense in the majority of the infected biopsies, and was mild to moderate in all uninfected cases. The proportion of interstitial macrophages was greater in biopsy specimens from patients with HIVFGS than in those with HIVICD. In contrast, there was a greater percentage of B cells in the infiltrate in HIVICD compared with HIVFGS. Although there were fewer immune cells in whole glomeruli compared with 1 mm 2 interstitium, macrophages were the predominant cells in glomeruli. B lymphocytes were generally absent in glomeruli in infected tissue, a pattern similar to uninfected tissue. The blood H/S ratio in HIVinfected patients was 0.2 ± 0.03. However, the HIS ratio in infected renal interstitial tissue was not different from that in uninfected tissue. Immune cell populations in glomeruli did not correlate with serum creatinine concentration or creatinine clearance in all patients or in any individual subgroup. The total number of glomerular immune cells, T cells, and macrophages correlated with urinary protein excretion in patients with HIVFGS. The glomerular macrophage to T cell ratio correlated with the level of urinary protein excretion in patients with HIVICD. The total number of interstitial immune cells and serum creatinine correlated strongly in the group with HIVICD. Urinary protein excretion correlated with the number of total interstitial immune cells in the entire study population, in all HIV-infected patients, and in patients with HIVICD. In patients with HIVFGS, the interstitial H/S ratio correlated directly with the creatinine clearance. Our data suggest that immune cell sequestration occurs in renal tissue in HIV-infected patients. Increased infiltrating immune cells, and specifically macrophage infiltration, may be associated with the pathogenesis of HIVFGS.
Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast with apocrine cytology: definition of a borderline category

Papillary patterns of apocrine cells are frequent in benign breast biopsies and pose little diagnostic difficulty when the classic apocrine cytology is present. Dilemmas in diagnosis do occur, however, when the usual papillary patterns of hyperplastic apocrine epithelium are absent in hyperplastic lesion, particularly if it is extensive, presents more complex patterns, and/or lacks usual nuclear features. We classified lesions with nonclassic apocrine features into diagnostic categories to separate those with malignant potential from those that are truly benign. We selected 54 such cases sent in consultation over a 2-year period (1989 to 1991). We applied two sets of criteria: nuclear patterns (usual, borderline, and as seen in ductal carcinoma in situ) and extent of lesion ( 8 mm). The cases were categorized into diagnostic groups defined by these criteria of extent of lesion and cytologic features. We believe that application of these criteria recognizing borderline features to unusual, apocrine lesions fosters reproducibility in diagnosis and thus predictability of clinical outcome. We found only 10 cases to fit into borderline categories after use of the two criteria. The clinical utility of this suggested diagnostic stratification will require follow-up studies for linkage of criteria to clinical outcomes.
Animal–plant interactions on the Iranian plateau and in adjacent areas: Using bioarchaeological methods in the reconstruction of agro-pastoral practices

The Iranian plateau, with adjacent regions (southern Caucasus and Central Asia, the Indo-Iranian borderlands), forms an important landmass between the Near East and Mesopotamia to the West, the Ind...
Locomotor deficits in adult rats with moderate to massive retardation of cerebellar development during infancy.

Locomotor ability was assessed in adult rats in which acquisition of postnatally formed granule cells was moderately or severely retarded by two or four doses of low-level X-ray delivered in infancy to the head region containing the cerebellum. Irradiated groups equaled controls in swimming speed and on endurance in running on a treadmill. The level, uphill, and downhill running speeds of the moderately retarded group was not affected but there was some reduction in the severely retarded rats. Horizontal jumping ability was impaired in the irradiated groups in proportion to their retardation. Irradiated rats were handicapped in climbing a narrow metal rod to escape water but did not differ from controls on a wide rod with footholds. Preliminary data with a new apparatus indicated exaggerated body sway during locomotion in the irradiated animals. Finally, rats were trained to cross stationary and rotating rods of different width and texture for food reward. There were no falls and disqualifications on the rough-surfaced stationary rods at any of the widths tested, but with decreasing widths there was a decrement in the speed of the irradiated animals. Failures increased on the slippery rods and the deficits became more pronounced when rotation of the rods was added as a performance variable. The data suggested the increasing involvement of the cerebellum in regulating locomotion when multiple exteroceptive and proprioceptive information and appropriate adjustments have to be coordinated concurrently.
Experimental study of the response of CZT and CdTe detectors of various thicknesses in strong magnetic field

Abstract In this paper, we used a combined experimental and Monte Carlo simulation approach to investigate the detailed charge collection process within thick CdTe/CZT detectors operated inside a strong magnetic field. As one of the key objectives, we quantitatively assessed the effect of the Lorenz force on the migration of charge carriers inside the detector bulk. This information would allow an accurate modeling of the detector's response to gamma ray interactions and therefore help to compensate for the event-positioning error induced by the strong magnetic field. In this study, a pixilated ERPC detector with 350 μm square pixels was set on a non-magnetic gantry and operated inside a 3 T Siemens MRI scanner. Multiple studies, with similar geometries, were performed using the same detector setup with and without the presence of the magnetic field to investigate the effect on the charge collection behavior from the strong magnetic field. The experimental results were used to validate the Monte Carlo simulation package that models both photon transportation and charge collection process inside the detector.
Effects of cortisone during immunization with Crotalus venom. A preliminary report

Abstract Mohamed and Kamel [1] reported that cortisone with atropine reduced mortality in dogs and rabbits subjected to an immunizing course of venom from the Egyptian black snake Walterinnesia aegyptea , and did not appear to affect the neutralizing property of the antivenin. They noted a loss of weight in their dogs during the early stages of the immunization program, but reported no other significant changes in their animals. During studies on a Crotalus (rattlesnake) monovalent antivenin prepared from rabbit serum [2], it was found that rabbits receiving cortisone plus venom were more susceptible to infection and had a higher mortality rate than those receiving the venom alone. For these reasons, the cortisone treated rabbits were removed from these experiments. The present study was designed to evaluate the use of cortisone in an immunizing program with Crotalus venom.
On-Roadway In-Cabin Exposure to Particulate Matter: Measurement Results Using Both Continuous and Time-Integrated Sampling Approaches

The Atlanta Commuters Exposure (ACE) Study was designed to measure in-cabin exposure to roadway particulate pollution and acute health response in a panel of adults with and without asthma following a 2-h scripted route along major highways in Atlanta. This article focuses on methods and results of both continuous and integrated approaches used to measure the concentration of PM2.5 mass, particle number concentration (PNC), black carbon (BC) mass, and particle-bound PAHs, in-cabin noise, PM elemental composition, elemental carbon, organic carbon, water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) content, and speciation of a broad range of organic compounds including alkanes, hopanes, and PAHs. Speciated PM data indicates that in-cabin particles derive from three non-co-varying processes: the resuspension of road dust containing crustal elements and previously-deposited brake pad residue with a contribution of normal fuel combustion, incomplete combustion processes producing PAHs and carbon particles, and particles abla...
A comparative study of the reliability of nine statistical software packages

The reliabilities of nine software packages commonly used in performing statistical analysis are assessed and compared. The (American) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) data sets are used to evaluate the performance of these software packages with regard to univariate summary statistics, one-way ANOVA, linear regression, and nonlinear regression. Previous research has examined various versions of these software packages using the NIST data sets, but typically with fewer software packages than used in this study. This study provides insight into a relative comparison of a wide variety of software packages including two free statistical software packages, basic and advanced statistical software packages, and the popular Excel package. Substantive improvements from previous software reliability assessments are noted. Plots of principal components of a measure of the correct number of significant digits reveal how these packages tend to cluster for ANOVA and nonlinear regression.
Relatively more atherogenic coronary heart disease risk factors in prediabetic women than in prediabetic men

Men with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) have a twofold increased risk of coronary heart disease and women with NIDDM have a fourfold increased risk. The reasons for this higher relative risk in NIDDM women than in NIDDM men is not completely understood. Since some studies suggest that duration of clinical diabetes and degree of hyperglycaemia have only a modest effect on coronary heart disease risk, we hypothesized that women who eventually convert to NIDDM might have a more atherogenic pattern of lipids and blood pressure relative to subjects who do not convert than male converters, even in the prediabetic period. We examined this issue in Mexican-American subjects in the 8-year follow-up of the San Antonio Heart Study. Seventy-nine out of 801 men converted to NIDDM compared to 133 out of 1131 women. In both men and women, conversion to NIDDM was significantly associated with increased body mass index, fasting insulin and glucose, higher triglyceride and blood pressure and lower high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The relative differences between converters and non-converters was significantly greater for women than for men; this interaction term for gender by conversion status was statistically significant for fasting insulin, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure. Thus, the higher relative risk for coronary heart disease in women with NIDDM relative to men with NIDDM may be partially due to their greater burden of cardiovascular risk factors even prior to the onset of diabetes.
Energy balance of on-farm production and extraction of vegetable oil for fuel in the United States' inland northwest.

Abstract This paper (1) presents a comprehensive method for calculating the energy required to produce vegetable oil fuels on the farm and (2) determines the balance between energy inputs and outputs per area for vegetable oil produced from sunflower, safflower and winter rape. The energy required for on-farm extraction of vegetable oils was estimated and the energy inputs apportioned between the oil and meal co-products, based on University of Idaho analysis of expeller-extracted materials. All three oilseeds yielded positive energy balances.
The Educational Legacy of El Plan de Santa Barbara: An Interview With Reynaldo Macías

In this interview, Reynaldo F. Macias, chair of the recently established Department of Chicana/o Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), talks about the historical significance of El Plan de Santa Barbara, its impact on Chicana/o studies throughout the Southwest, and its relevance in establishing a department at UCLA, and the future of the discipline. Reynaldo F. Macias is the author, coauthor, and editor of 6 books and more than 3 dozen research articles and chapters on such topics as bilingual education, Chicanes and schooling, language choice, language policies, and media research.
Palliative care and rehabilitation

Disability in patients with advanced cancer often results from bed rest, deconditioning, and neurologic and musculoskeletal complications of cancer or cancer treatment. Terminally ill patients have a high prevalence of weakness, pain, fatigue, and dyspnea in addition to other symptoms. Rehabilitation and palliative care have emerged as two important parts of comprehensive medical care for patients with advanced disease; this article discusses the relationship between the two and the possible role of rehabilitation interventions in the care of terminally ill patients. Palliative care and rehabilitation share common goals and therapeutic approaches. Both disciplines have a multidisciplinary model of care, which aims to improve patients' levels of function and comfort. There is scarce evidence that rehabilitation interventions can impact function and symptom management in terminally ill patients. However, clinical experience suggests that the application of the fundamental principles of rehabilitation medicine is likely to improve their care. Physical function and independence should be maintained as long as possible to improve patients' quality of life and reduce the burden of care for the caregivers. Future research on the rehabilitation of terminally ill patients should focus on better understanding the role of rehabilitation and defining appropriate interventions. The development of an evidence-based body of knowledge will ensure that these patients receive appropriate rehabilitation interventions.
How can the risk of long-term consequences of rheumatoid arthritis be reduced?

The long-term natural history of rheumatoid arthritis includes early radiographic damage and progression, severe functional declines, work disability and increased mortality rates. Emerging evidence suggests that this natural history may be favourably affected by disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which slow the radiographic progression and functional decline. It is necessary to document both the efficacy of these drugs in randomized controlled clinical trials and their long-term effectiveness in clinical observational studies. Although a 20% improvement in inflammatory measures in the American College of Rheumatology Core Data Set (ACR20) distinguishes DMARDs from placebo in clinical trials, it is not clear that a control of inflammation at this level, or even at 50%, is sufficient to prevent long-term damage. There is limited financial support for long-term observational studies, which depend on data from the clinical experience of rheumatologists. Quantitative databases from clinical care, can be developed to document long-term outcomes in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis to include additional physical, radiographic, laboratory and patient questionnaire quantitative data. Patient self-report questionnaires appear to provide the least expensive and most effective measures toward this goal.
Amphiphilic peroxynitrite decomposition catalysts in liposomal assemblies

Abstract Background: Peroxynitrite (ONOO − ), a toxic biological oxidant, has been implicated in many pathophysiological conditions. The water-soluble porphyrins 5,10,15,20-tetrakis( N -methyl-4′-pyridyl)porphinato iron(III) (FeTMPyP) and manganese(III) (MnTMPyP) have recently emerged as potential drugs for ONOO − detoxification, and FeTMPyP has demonstrated activity in models of ONOO − related disease states. We set out to develop amphiphilic analogs of FeTMPyP and MnTMPyP suitable for liposomal delivery in sterically stabilized liposomes (SLs). Results: Three amphiphilic iron porphyrins (termed 1a-c ) and three manganese porphyrins (termed 2a-c ) bound to liposomes and catalyzed the decomposition of ONOO − . The polyethylene-glycol-linked metalloporphyrins 1b and 2b proved the most effective of these catalysts, rapidly decomposing ONOO − with second-order rate constants (k cat ) of 2.9 × 10 5 M −1 s −1 and 5.0 × 10 5 M −1 s −1 , respectively, in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes. Catalysts 1b and 2b also bound to SLs, and these metal loporphyrin-SL constructs efficiently catalyzed ONOO − decomposition (k cat ≈ 2 × 10 5 M −1 s −1 ). The analogous metalloporphyrins 1a and 2a , which are not separated from the vesicle membrane surface by polyethylene glycol linkers, were significantly less effective (k cat ≈ 3.5 × 10 4 M −1 s −1 ). Conclusions: For these amphiphilic analogs of FeTMPyP and MnTMPyP, the polarity of the environment of the metalloporphyrin headgroup is intimately related to the efficiency of the catalyst; a polar aqueous environment is essential for effective catalysis of ONOO − decomposition. Thus, catalysts 1b and 2b react rapidly with ONOO − and are potential therapeutic agents that, unlike their water-soluble TMPyP analogs, could be administered as liposomal formulations in SLs. These SL-bound amphiphilic metalloporphyrins may prove to be highly effective in the exploration and treatment of ONOO − related disease states.
Country Music and Suicide — Individual, Indirect, and Interaction Effects: A Reply to Snipes and Maguire

Les AA. s'efforcent de repondre a Jeffrey Snipes et Edward Maguire qui, dans un article de ce meme numero, qui critiquent leur analyse mettant en relation les suicides et la musique country. Ils soulignent que leur approche a neglige les donnees biographiques sur les individus qui ecoutent ce type de musique et n'ont pas cherche a en evaluer la diffusion. Ils s'efforcent de combler cette lacune et mettent en evidence le fait que les individus qui ecoutent de la musique country, qui possedent une arme et qui sont separes ou divorces sont plus exposes aux risques de suicide que ceux qui n'en ecoutent pas. Ils estiment que la musique country est un facteur qui exerce un effet indirect sur ce phenomene et cela en interaction avec d'autres facteurs
The accuracy of kinetic parameters estimated from batch and integral reactor data

The accuracy of rate constant estimates obtained by minimizing the sum of squares of differences between observed and calculated concentrations is considered. Closed solutions are obtained for some basic types of first order reaction schemes. The results are presented in the form of plots of the dimensionless variance of parameter estimates. The kineticist can use the plots both in analyzing experiments and in planning them for maximum economy. Such advance studies are capable of providing valuable insight into questions of experimental design even when the reaction scheme is unknown. On a etudie l'exactitude des estimes relatifs a la constante de vitesse qu'on obtient en minimisant la somme des carres des differences entre les concentrations observees et celles qu'on a calculees. On obtient des solutions fermees pour certains genres fondamentaux de systemes de reaction de premier order. On presente, sous forme de graphiques, les resultats de la variance sans dimensions des estimes des parametres. Le prepose a la cinetique peut utiliser les dits graphiques pour analyser le travail experimental et le planifier pour minimiser son coǔt. Des etudes preliminaires de ce genre permettent d'obtenir une connaissance precieuse des questions relatives a la conception de travaux experimentaux, lorsqu'on ne connait pas le systeme de reaction.
Novel bimodular DNA aptamers with guanosine quadruplexes inhibit phylogenetically diverse HIV-1 reverse transcriptases

DNA aptamers RT5, RT6 and RT47 form a group of related sequences that inhibit HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). The essential inhibitory structure is identified here as bimodular, with a 5' stem-loop module physically connected to a 3'-guanosine quadruplex module. The stem-loop tolerates considerable sequence plasticity. Connections between the guanosine triplets in the quadruplex could be simplified to a single nucleotide or a nonnucleic acid linker, such as hexaethylene glycol. All 12 quadruplex guanosines are required in an aptamer retaining most of the original loop sequence from RT6; only 11 are required for aptamer R1T (single T residue in intra-quadruplex loops). Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy gave ellipticity minima and maxima at 240 nm and 264 nm, indicating a parallel arrangement of the quadruplex strands. The simplified aptamers displayed increased overall stability. An aptamer carrying the original intra-quadruplex loops from RT6 inhibited RT in K(+) buffers but not in Na(+) buffers and displayed significant CD spectral broadening in Na(+) buffers, while R1T inhibited RT in both buffers and displayed less broadening in Na(+) buffers. The bimodular ssDNA aptamers inhibited RT from diverse primate lentiviruses with low nM IC(50) values. These data provide insight into the requirements for broad-spectrum RT inhibition by nucleic acid aptamers.
A Micro-Econometric Model of Capital Utilization and Retirement: The Case of the U.S. Cement Industry

The paper presents a micro-econometric model of capital utilization and retirement. Estimates of a firm's discrete decision problem with regard to an existing piece of capital—whether to operate, hold idle or retire it—are obtained, in the context of the U.S. cement industry, by solving a discrete-choice stochastic dynamic programming model. The estimates are then used to simulate the effects of product and input price changes, and changes in the size and age of a cement kiln on a firm's propensity to operate, hold idle and retire a kiln.
Electron Transfer Triggered by Optical Excitation of Phenothiazine-tris(meta-phenylene-ethynylene)-(tricarbonyl)(bpy)(py)rhenium(I)

We have investigated excited-state electron transfer in a donor-bridge-acceptor complex containing phenothiazine (PTZ) linked via tris(meta-phenylene-ethynylene) to a tricarbonyl(bipyridine)(pyridine)Re(I) unit. Time-resolved luminescence experiments reveal two excited-state (*Re) decay regimes, a multiexponential component with a mean lifetime of 2.7 ns and a longer monoexponential component of 530 ns in dichloromethane solution. The faster decay is attributed to PTZ → *Re electron transfer in a C-shaped PTZ-bridge-Re conformer (PTZ–Re ≈ 7.5 A). We assign the longer lifetime, which is virtually identical to that of free *Re, to an extended conformer (PTZ–Re > 20 A). The observed biexponential *Re decay requires that interconversion of PTZ-bridge-Re conformers be slower than 10^6 s^(–1).
Good housekeeping: why do shelter‐dwelling caterpillars fling their frass?

Although both feeding and elimination of waste are imperatives for all animals, ecologists and evolutionary biologists have devoted considerable attention to foraging, while largely ignoring defecation. Many organisms, however, exhibit defecation behaviours that appear to have been shaped by natural selection in a range of ecological contexts. Accumulation of waste may pose particular challenges for animals that exhibit high site fidelity or live within enclosed spaces. In a taxonomically widespread but largely unexamined behaviour, many caterpillars that construct and inhabit leaf shelters ballistically eject their individual faecal pellets (frass) great distances at great speeds. Here, I show that elimination of chemical cues for natural enemies is likely to have been a driving force behind the evolution of frass ejection behaviour in skipper caterpillars; hygiene and crowding are less important in this system.
The Evolution of Muslim Urban

Islamic society is ever intriguing. Across broad territories and over millenia of time, it maintains a constant identity; yet it is always elusive, varied, and changing. The study of Islamic urbanism, like so many Islamic topics, oscillates between attempts to define what is fundamental and universal in Islamic city life, and what is ineffably individual about each locality; the contradictory perspectives seem equally valid. While topography, culture, and history have given each locality a unique identity, by the middle ages, Middle Eastern towns between the Nile and the Jaxartes—the core area of Islamic society—shared common features of social organization. Small communities, such as families, neighborhood quarters, and fraternities were the fundamental units of society. Town populations were gathered into loosely organized religious bodies, such as schools of law, Shirite sects, and Sufi brotherhoods, who were dominated by ethnically alien elites organized into slave armies and slave-maintained governments, and who garrisoned and extracted revenues from the towns while remaining separate from local community life. Characteristically, then, Middle Eastern Muslim cities operated on three levels-parochial groups, religious communities, and imperial regimes. Organized urban life depended on the relationships between person and groups within this three-tiered institutional pattern.
Ultra-widely tunable photonic microcavities through evanescent field perturbation

Evanescent perturbation is examined as a means of tuning photonic microcavities over large wavelength ranges. 27 nm reversible tuning is achieved through nanometric control of a silica perturbing body in the near-field of a microring resonator.
Restricted Diffusion in the Corpus Callosum in Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy

Restricted diffusion within the splenium of the corpus callosum was described in various conditions, but is not a prominent finding in magnetic resonance imaging after neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Perinatal characteristics were reviewed in 42 term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy treated with selective head cooling. Neonatal images of 34 infants were reviewed. Ten of 34 (29%) infants demonstrated restricted diffusion changes within the splenium of the corpus callosum, with a significantly higher incidence of death or severe developmental delay, compared with infants without changes in the splenium of the corpus callosum (n = 24) (P = 0.002). The positive predictive value of changes in the splenium of the corpus callosum regarding poor outcomes or death was 90%. Changes in the splenium of the corpus callosum were also associated with lower birth weights, larger base deficits in cord arterial gas, and more severe encephalopathy during enrollment in selective head cooling. Restricted diffusion within the splenium of the corpus callosum of term infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is often associated with extensive brain injury, and in these circumstances appears to be an early neuroradiologic marker of adverse neurologic outcomes.