cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Designing object-based audio-visual content representation format for mobile devices

Mobile devices today are able to play increasingly rich multimedia content. While the computing capability of a mobile device is a known quantity, the communications capabilities and available battery vary continuously. We propose to use object based content representation to enable content adaptation under low power and/or low bandwidth conditions. We show why the scene description format of MPEG-4 (BIFS) is not suitable for mobile devices and develop basic functionalities of content description formats for mobile devices. We discuss the design principles of a format we are developing, called OCode, that uses non-traditional content representation techniques such as object based representation to enable content adaptation under low bandwidth and battery conditions.
Modification of prenatal auditory experience alters postnatal auditory preferences of bobwhite quail chicks.

Abstract This study assessed the effects of altered prenatal auditory experience on bobwhite quail chicks' (Colinus virginianus) species-specific preference for the bobwhite maternal call. Results revealed that when the repetition rate of the embryonic vocalizations normally present in the prenatal environment was altered, the species-typical auditory preference of hatchlings for the maternal call was also altered. Specifically, embryos exposed to embryonic vocalizations with a faster repetition rate than normal subsequently preferred a bobwhite maternal call with a faster repetition rate over one with its normal repetition rate. Bobwhite embryos thus appear able to abstract features of their prenatal auditory environment to other auditory events in the postnatal period. This demonstration of prenatal perceptual learning is in keeping with other recent studies from behavioural embryology, which have also demonstrated that prenatal perceptual experience can influence later responses to species-typical stim...
Ritual increases children’s affiliation with in-group members☆

Abstract This study examined the impact of ritual participation on children's in-group affiliation ( N =71, 4–11-year-old children). A novel social group paradigm was used in an afterschool program to test the influence of a ritual versus a control task on a measure of affiliation with in-group versus out-group members. The data support the hypothesis that the experience of participating in a ritual increases in-group affiliation to a greater degree than group activity alone. The results provide insight into the early-developing preference for in-group members and are consistent with the proposal that rituals facilitate in-group cohesion. We propose that humans are psychologically prepared to engage in ritual as a means of in-group affiliation.
Interstitial eosinophilic aggregates in diabetic nephropathy: allergy or not?

Background Interstitial eosinophilic aggregates (IEA) in renal biopsies often suggest allergic tubulointerstitial nephritis, yet clear associations with drug reactions are often difficult to establish. IEA are also encountered in diabetic nephropathy (DN) and thought to be attributed to medication exposure. Methods Native medical kidney biopsies performed at the University of Washington Medical Center were reviewed, including DN (n = 64), IgA nephropathy (IgAN, n = 28), membranous nephropathy (MN, n = 14), focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS, n = 27) and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN, n = 28). IEA were defined as ≥5 eosinophils per high power field. The severity of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) was scored semi-quantitatively as minimal, mild, moderate or severe. Results IEA were remarkably more prevalent in DN (41%), when compared with IgAN (7%, P = 0.001), MN (8%, P = 0.017) or MPGN (14%, P = 0.013), but not FSGS (26%, P = 0.18). In DN cases, univariate analysis revealed that IEA were associated with greater IFTA severity, but not with the percentage of glomerulosclerosis, mesangial expansion, history of drug allergy, number of prescribed medications or particular class of medications (antibiotics, NSAIDs, aspirin, thiazide, loop diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, insulin, sulfonylurea, metformin or allopurinol). Multivariate analysis showed that the severity of IFTA was the only significant predictor for IEA (P Conclusions Our study shows that IEA are more common in DN, when compared with other types of glomerulopathy. In DN, IEA are associated with the severity of IFTA but not with prescribed medications or clinical history of allergy. This suggests that in DN IEA are often associated with chronic tubulointerstitial injury and are not diagnostic of an allergic interstitial nephritis.
Interaction between vitamin K nutriture and bacterial overgrowth in hypochlorhydria induced by omeprazole.

Subjects taking a hydrogen pump blocking agent (omeprazole) develop bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. We tested the hypothesis that this bacterial overgrowth produces menaquinones, which would meet the vitamin requirement in situations of vitamin K deficiency. In a crossover-type design, 13 healthy volunteers eating a phylloquinone-restricted diet for 35 d were randomly assigned to take omeprazole during the first period of study or starting on day 15 until the end of the study. Coagulation times, serum osteocalcin [total osteocalcin and undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC)], plasma phylloquinone, urinary gamma-carboxyglutamic acid, and plasma undercarboxylated prothrombin (PIVKA-II) were measured. Plasma phylloquinone concentrations declined 82% with dietary phylloquinone restriction (P 0.05). The mean value for PIVKA-II during the phylloquinone-restricted diet significantly increased 5.7-fold from baseline (P < 0.05); however, the combination of omeprazole treatment and the phylloquinone-restricted diet significantly reduced PIVKA-II values by 21% (P < 0.05) compared with the diet period alone. There were no alterations in total or percentage ucOC concentrations during the phylloquinone-restricted diet or during the period of diet plus omeprazole treatment. Our data support the hypothesis that bacterial overgrowth results in the synthesis and absorption of menaquinones. These menaquinones contribute to vitamin K nutriture during dietary phylloquinone restriction, but not enough to restore normal vitamin K status.
Comment on the transmission matrix for a dielectric interface

Abstract In a recent paper the reflection and transmission matrices for a dielectric interface based on Fresnel formulas are derived [Garcia RDM. Fresnel boundary and interface conditions for polarized radiative transfer in a multilayer medium. J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transfer 2012;113:306–17]. Although the final formulas appear to be correct, we found that there are some significant conceptual and logical flaws in the derivation. Here we explain that the misunderstanding is due to the different physical significances of the Stokes parameters for the coherent and diffuse radiation field and that the so-called transmission factor directly originates from the physical definition of the Stokes parameters. We also clarify a few incorrect interpretations in the aforementioned paper about previously published works.
Ethnic-immigrant disparities in total and abdominal obesity in the US.

Objectives To examine sex-specific disparities in total and abdominal obesity prevalence across 6 ethnic-immigrant groups and explore whether the observed differences were attributable to diet and physical activity (PA). Methods Data were from 4331 respondents age 18-64 from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Sex-specific multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Results Regardless of race-ethnicity, immigrants exhibited lower prevalence of total and abdominal obesity than natives. Among the US-born, Whites had the lowest total obesity prevalence followed by Hispanics and then Blacks; but racial-ethnic disparities for immigrants were different. In abdominal obesity, US-born white men had the highest prevalence. PA helped explain some ethnic-immigrant disparities. Conclusions Complex interactions of sex by race-ethnicity and nativity exist for obesity prevalence.
Is smaller better?--Scaling of characteristics with size of fiber-optic chemical and biochemical sensors

Micron and submicron fiber-optic chemical and biochemical sensors have been developed recently in our laboratory. Here we give a theoretical discussion, based on pragmatic modes of operation, of the advantages and disadvantages of optode miniaturization. In most instances we present explicit functional dependences of specific optode characteristics on the optode radius (r). For instance, the absolute detection limit decreases with r3 (good the response time reduces with r2 (good noise ratio decreases with r (bad our standard working conditions. Other features that improve with down-sizing include sample volume, sensitivity, invasiveness, spatial resolution, enzyme activity, heating of sensor and/or sample, toxicity and materials cost. Features that may worsen include fluorophore leaching and photodamage to sensor and/or sample. Methods for overcoming these disadvantages make use of the shorter response times of small optodes and forward optical signal collection with small samples (utilizing standard lab microscopes). We refer to the ultimate goal of non-destructive single molecule detection and imaging.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Review: Several bedside instruments are accurate for diagnosing delirium in hospitalized patients

Source Citation Wong CL, Holroyd-Leduc J, Simel DL, Straus SE. Does this patient have delirium? Value of bedside instruments. JAMA. 2010;304:779-86. 20716741
Growth and differentiation of stage 24 limb mesenchyme cells in a serum-free chemically defined medium.

Abstract A serum-free defined medium which supports the differentiation of chick limb mesenchymal cells has been developed. In this medium, stage 24 embryonic limb mesenchymal cells which are plated at high density (5×10 6 cells/35-mm culture dish) differentiate into chondrocytes. Morphologically, these cultures appear only slightly different from those in which the cells are maintained in serum-containing medium. DNA levels and proline incorporation in cultures grown in defined medium are indistinguishable from control cultures. The rate of radiolabeled sulfate incorporation, a monitor of the rate of proteoglycan synthesis, in Day 8 high-density cultures maintained in defined medium is approximately 70–80% of control values. Additionally, growth and differentiation of intermediate-density (2× 10 6 cells/35-mm culture dish) and low-density (1× 10 6 cells/35-mm dish) cultures are also supported by this defined medium. The availability of this medium allows exploration of bioactive factors which affect or modulate mesenchymal cell differentiation and subsequent development.
A Twin Study of Intracerebral Volumetric Relationships

Using high resolution magnetic resonance imaging data, we examined the interrelationships between eight cerebral lobar volumetric measures via both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in a large sample (N = 484) of pediatric twins and singletons. These analyses suggest the presence of strong genetic correlations between cerebral structures, particularly between regions of like tissue type or in spatial proximity. Structural modeling estimated that most of the variance in all structures is associated with highly correlated lobar latent factors, with differences in genetic covariance and heritability driven by a common genetic factor that influenced gray and white matter differently. Reanalysis including total brain volume as a covariate dramatically reduced the total residual variance and disproportionately influenced the additive genetic variance in all regions of interest.
GP-based secondary classifiers

Genetic programming (GP) is used to evolve secondary classifiers for disambiguating between pairs of handwritten digit images. The inherent property of feature selection accorded by GP is exploited to make sharper decision between conflicting classes. Classification can be done in several steps with an available feature set and a mixture of strategies. A two-step classification strategy is presented in this paper. After the first step of the classification using the full feature set, the high confidence recognition result will lead to an end of the recognition process. Otherwise a secondary classifier designed using a sub-set of the original feature set and the information available from the earlier classification step will help classify the input further. The feature selection mechanism employed by GP selects important features that provide maximum separability between classes under consideration. In this way, a sharper decision on fewer classes is obtained at the secondary classification stage. The full feature set is still available in both stages of classification to retain complete information. An intuitive motivation and detailed analysis using confusion matrices between digit classes is presented to describe how this strategy leads to improved recognition performance. In comparison with the existing methods, our method is aimed for increasing recognition accuracy and reliability. Results are reported for the BHA test-set and the NIST test-set of handwritten digits.
SUITCASE FARMING IN SULLY COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA1

(1958). SUITCASE FARMING IN SULLY COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA. Annals of the Association of American Geographers: Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 27-40.
Factorization of involutions in characteristic two orthogonal groups: An application of the Jordan form to group theory

Abstract This paper uses the theory of the Jordan canonical form for a matrix and the theory of orthogonal sums of isometries in metric vector spaces (quadratic spaces) in order to prove a theorem on the factorization of involutions in the orthogonal groups of metric vector spaces over fields of characteristic two. Using this theorem, a classification scheme for such involutions is devised. This scheme is similar to the scheme for involutions when the field is of characteristic not equal of two.
Effect of Resistance Training on Strength, Postural Control, and Gait Velocity among Older Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 14-week resistance training program on the ankle strength, training intensity, postural control, and gait velocity of older adults. Forty-two older adults (mean age = 72), 21 in the resistance and control groups, completed the 14-week project. The resistance training group participated in 14 weeks of resistance training three times per week using elastic bands (Theraband) for resistance. Isokinetic ankle strength, training intensity, postural stability, and gait velocity were measured prior to and following the 14-week intervention. Following the training, the resistance group exhibited improved ankle dorsiflexion, training resistances, and gait velocity, but showed no change in plantar flexion or postural control. The control group also exhibited improvements in dorsiflexion, but these gains were approximately one-half of the gains observed in the resistance training group. Finally, when adjusted for baseline differences, subjects in the resistance training group demonstrated no changes in the dependent measures over the control group.
Urban Teachers’ Beliefs on Teaching, Learning, and Students A Pilot Study in the United States of America

Less qualified urban teachers may contribute to the achievement gap between urban and nonurban students. A pilot study is conducted in an urban teacher education institution to examine teachers’ beliefs in teaching, learning, and students. The objectives are to describe teachers’ beliefs of the 28 pre-service and 26 in-service teachers in general and to investigate differences in their beliefs on a 26-item survey. Mean scores and standard deviations are used to describe teachers’ beliefs, and a t test is used to examine the differences. The results from the urban pre-service and in-service teachers in this study do not support characteristics of culturally relevant teachers to meet urban students’ needs.
The association between periodontal disease and cancer: a review of the literature.

Abstract Objectives Periodontal disease has long been linked to many systemic diseases, and recently a link between periodontal disease and cancer has been established. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature to explore the evidence to date of a relationship between periodontal disease and cancer. In addition, the main hypotheses for the association are discussed along with challenges in evaluating the evidence. Data/sources/study selection In this review, English-language papers studying the relationship between periodontal disease or tooth loss in humans and increased risk of several types of cancers along with overall cancer risk between 1990 and April 2009 were reviewed. Conclusions The most consistent increased risk was noted in studies of oral and esophageal cancers and periodontal disease. Gastric and pancreatic cancers had an association in most but not all studies. Lung, prostate, hematologic and other cancers were less consistently associated or did not have sufficient studies to determine a predictable pattern. Studies to date indicate a positive correlation between several forms of cancer and periodontal disease.
Bipedicle delayed flap closure of persistent radiated tracheocutaneous fistulas

Increasing numbers of patients have had tracheostomies for prolonged periods of time and when subsequently decannulated have developed persistent tracheocutaneous fistula. A substantial percentage of these patients have undergone successful combined modality therapy excluding surgery for advanced head and neck cancer with resulting healing deficits of the remaining tissues. Although these patients may be deemed suitable for decannulation at this particular point, the potential still exists that access to the trachea will be required sometime in the future. This situation requires a method of closure that is reasonably reliable and yet, at the same time, relatively easily reversible. The surgical technique presented appears to meet these demands. After primary inversion of the edges of the tracheocutaneous fistula, a bipedicle flap is developed and positioned over the tracheostomy site. The inferior edge of the flap is left open for temporary air escape to decompress the suture line. This line subsequently heals by secondary intention over the succeeding weeks. Although there has not been, to date, the need to reverse the closure, the relative thinness of the tissue as opposed to alternative techniques suggests that it should not be difficult.
Changes in motivation for parenthood among young married couples

The perceived satisfactions, costs, and overall motivation associated with having a first or second child was assessed at two time points for 507 married couples. Motivation associated with parenthood varied systematically over time and was influenced by attainment of cultural fertility norms and the impact of a birth. Among those who experienced a birth between Times 1 and 2, couples who already had a child showed a much greater drop in motivation for a future child than did initially childless couples. Husbands perceived lower costs associated with an additional child than did wives.
Expressing meaningful processing requirements among heterogeneous nodes in an active network

Abstract : Active Network technology envisions deployment of virtual execution environments within network elements, such as switches and routers. As a result, nonhomogeneous processing can be applied to network traffic associated with services, flows, or even individual packets. To use such a technology safely and efficiently, individual nodes must provide mechanisms to enforce resource limits. To provide effective enforcement mechanisms, each node must have a meaningful understanding of the resource requirements for specific network traffic. In Active Network nodes, resource requirements typically come in three categories: bandwidth, memory, and processing. Well-accepted metrics exist for expressing bandwidth (bits per second) and memory (bytes) in units independent of the capabilities of particular nodes. Unfortunately, no well-accepted metric exists for expressing processing (i.e., CPU time) requirements in a platform independent form. This paper investigates a method to express the CPU time requirements of Active Applications (similar to distributed, mobile agents) in a form that can be meaningfully interpreted among heterogeneous nodes in an Active Network. The model consists of two parts: a node model and an application model. For modeling applications, the paper describes and evaluates a semi-stochastic state-transition model intended to represent the CPU usage requirements of Active Applications. Using measurement data, the general model is instantiated for two Active Applications, ping and multicast. The model instances are simulated, and the simulation results are compared against real measurements. For both Active Applications, the simulated and measured CPU time usage compare within 5% for the mean and the 90th and 95th percentiles. The 99th percentiles compare within 7%. The paper also evaluates three different scaling factors that might be used to transform a model accurate on one node into terms that prove accurate on another node.
Relative penetration of L-dopa and 5-HTP through the brain barrier using dimethyl sulfoxide.

Le passage de la dopa a travers la barriere hemato-encephalique semble Etre facilite par le dimethyl sulphoxyde (DMSO) tandis qu'aux mEmes conditions le 5-HTP franchit cette barriere seulement dans une region tres limitee de l'hypothalamus, chez les rats.
Development of guidelines for treatment of children with phenylketonuria: report of a meeting at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development held August 15, 1995, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

Objective. To convene a small group of experts in diagnosis and management of PKU to discuss the following issues: the Subject Review of PKU management being performed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Genetics (COG), the published British guidelines on PKU management, and the feasibility, suitability, and mechanism of developing PKU management guidelines for the United States. Methods. A 1-day meeting was held at the National Institutes of Health under the auspices of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, convening experts in PKU diagnosis and management and members of the AAP/COG. Results. The group reviewed the published reports of outcomes of treatment of PKU and the British guidelines that were developed based on those data. It also reviewed the results of surveys of directors of clinics that manage PKU, parents of children with PKU, and young adults with PKU. Conclusion. The group supported the efforts of the AAP/COG to perform this review of PKU management. The group concluded that significant issues need to be resolved to provide sufficient information to establish US guidelines for PKU management. The establishment of such guidelines is an important next step in PKU management in the United States.
Middle ear injury resulting from temporomandibular joint arthroscopy.

useful in head and neck reconstruction.3-6 Because the venae comitantes are too small to secure proper venous drainage, drainage of the flap was achieved by using both the venae comitantes of the radial artery and the cephalic vein. These vascular pedicles are constant in their size and position. The long vascular pedicle and constant large vascular caliber make anastomosis easy to the recipient vessels of the neck (e.g., the sublingual or the suprathyroid artery and the external jugular vein). The skin and subcutaneous tissue of the forearm flap are thin and pliable. The brachioradialis muscle is nourished by many muscle branches from the radial artery, and the volume is suitable for reconstruction of the orbicularis oris muscle. These anatomic characteristics provide much advantage in using the forearm flap for one-stage reconstruction of the upper lip as a sphincter.
Quantitative and qualitative applications of conjugate-wave holographic interferometry

Conjugate wave holographic interferometry (CWHI) is a non- contact method for measuring deformation and strain on ordinary surfaces. It has not been widely used, however. In this paper three experiments are performed: the measurement of displacement in a simply supported beam, the measurement of the crack mouth opening displacement in a notched specimen, and a qualitative study of thermal expansion in a simply supported beam. The experimental results agreed well with the values predicted by theory. Additionally, the thermal expansion study indicated that CWHI can show the interaction of various parts of the test apparatus which can aid in interpreting experimental results. Overall, it can be concluded that CWHI is a useful method of isolating and quantitatively determining in-plane deformations with submicron precision. Based on these results, it appears that CWHI would be useful for certain nondestructive evaluation applications on components where displacements and/or strain would provide critical information. Although CWHI has only been demonstrated in a laboratory setting, its potential for nondestructive evaluation of structural composites and materials appears promising. One such example is its use for examining the behavior of graded composite materials under mechanical or thermal load. This is presently being investigated. In general, the method would be appropriate for applications where Moire interferometry could not be used.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Perceptions of an ideal point-of-care test for sexually transmitted infections--a qualitative study of focus group discussions with medical providers.

Background A point-of-care test (POCT) for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which offers immediate diagnosis resulting in patients receiving diagnosis and treatment in a single visit, has the ability to address some of the STI control needs. However, needs assessment from STI experts and end users about currently available STI POCTs and their future new development has not been evaluated since World Health Organization Sexually Transmitted Diseases Diagnostics Initiative was formed over 15 years ago. Therefore, our objective was to explore the perceptions of the ideal types of STI POCT for use in health care settings. Methodology/Principal Findings A qualitative study, encompassing eight focus groups, was conducted from March 2008 through April 2009. Participants included 6 STD clinic directors, 63 clinicians, and 7 public health/laboratory/epidemiology professionals in the STI field. Discussion topics included currently available POCT, perceived barriers to using POCT in clinics, priority STI for the development of new POCT, and characteristics of the ideal POCT. All discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Themes raised as barriers for current POCT included complexity, long time frames of the so-called “rapid” test, multiple time-driven steps, requiring laboratory technician, difficulty in reading result, interruption of workflow, unreliability, and invasiveness. Chlamydia trachomatis was identified as the priority organism for development of a new STI POCT. Themes indicated for the ideal POCT included rapid turnaround (up to 20 minutes), ease of use, non-invasive, accurate (preferred sensitivity and specificity in the range of high 90s), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-waived, user-friendly (for both patients and staff), compact, durable, and sturdy. Conclusions/Significance Focus group discussions with STI experts and professionals highlighted chlamydia as the top priority pathogen for POCT development, and identified the qualities of new POCT for STIs. Participants endorsed ease of use, rapid turnaround and high accuracy as essential characteristics of an ideal POCT.
Ginseng face cream and unexplained vaginal bleeding

A case of postmenopausal bleeding attributed to the use of topical ginseng is reported. Ginseng appears to have an estrogen-like effect on genital tissues.
ICAM-1 Induction in the Mouse CNS Following Irradiation

Injury to the central nervous system (CNS) results in inflammation, increased trafficking of leukocytes into the CNS, induction of cytokines, and exacerbation of the primary injury. The increased trafficking of neutrophils into the CNS has been described following a number of injury models including stab, stroke, and excitotoxin-induced injury. This enhanced trafficking has largely been ascribed to the adhesion molecule intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54). In the current study, we wished to determine if the inflammation caused by irradiation of the CNS resulted in a similar induction of ICAM-1. C3H/HeJ mice were irradiated using gamma irradiation aimed over the right cerebral hemisphere. The relative induction of ICAM-1 mRNA levels was determined using quantitative RT-PCR 6 hours following irradiation with either 0, 5, 15, 25 or 35 Gy. ICAM-1 message was seen to exhibit a normal dose response curve with increasing mRNA levels seen at 15 Gy and higher. To determine the cellular distribution of the ICAM-1 protein following irradiation, mice were sacrificed at 4 hrs, 24 hrs, 48 hrs and 7 days following 25 Gy irradiation and the tissue was processed for ICAM-1 immunocytochemistry. ICAM-1 staining was seen to increase in both endothelial cells and astrocytes beginning as early as 4 hrs. The staining intensity continued to increase throughout the 7 day period observed. Together, these results suggest that irradiation of the CNS causes a rapid induction of both ICAM-1 mRNA and protein. This suggests that increased leukocyte trafficking into the CNS may exacerbate the inflammation induced by radiation injury.
Field evaluation of infiltration models in lawn soils

Water infiltration into soil is a critical process in designing irrigation systems, especially those used for the application of wastewater to land. Although some research was conducted to evaluate the performance of proposed infiltration models, few efforts were given to the study of infiltration models specifically in lawn soils. This paper was to compare five existing classic infiltration models with field data collected from lawn soils, to estimate and assess those models’ parameters, and to evaluate their prediction ability for lawn irrigation systems. A field study was conducted in three lawn soils using a double-ring infiltrometer. The performances of infiltration models proposed by Philip, Kostiakov, Mezencev, the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (originally the United States Soil Conservation Service), and Horton were investigated with consideration of sum of squared error, root mean square error, coefficient of determination, adjusted coefficient of determination, mean error, absolute value of mean error, model efficiency, and Willmott’s index of agreement. Mezencev model and Horton model performed better than the other three infiltration models. The research indicated that three-parameter models had the best description of the relationship between cumulative infiltration and time in the researched lawn soils.
Increased detection of prolactin binding of rat ventral prostate after treatment with dextran coated charcoal: evidence for a direct dihydrotestosterone-prolactin interaction.

The initial objective of this study was to determine the effect of pretreatment of membrane fractions with dextran coated charcoal (DCC) on specific prolactin (PRL) binding of rat prostate. Preincubation of 15,000 χ g and 100,000 × g pellets of adult male rat ventral prostate with DCC consistently increased PRL binding. DCC pretreatment failed to increase PRL binding in prostatic membranes from immature male rats (24–25 days old) and from adult male rats castrated 3 days previously. Prostatic PRL binding of immature rats was two-fold greater than that of intact adult rats,while orchidectomy reduced prostatic PRL binding by 40–50%. Scatchard analysis indicated that the increase in PRL binding of intact adult prostate membranes produced by DCC was due to an increase in the number of PRL receptor sites. The postpubertal decrease in prostatic PRL binding and effect of DCC in intact adult prostate suggested that substances of testicular origin inhibited PRL binding of prostatic membranes. Consequently, membran...
Frictionless contact problem for an elastic layer under axisymmetric loading

Abstract The paper considers the frictionless contact problem for an elastic layer which is resting on a rigid horizontal foundation and is acted upon by an axisymmetric line load P, a uniform clamping pressure p0, and a vertical homogeneous body force ρg, due to gravity. For varying values of the radius of the loading ring and of the load ratio P/(ρgh + p0)h, the critical value of the applied load initiating an interface separation along the contact plane, the size of the separation area, and the distribution of the contact stress are studied, and some numerical results are given.
Alzheimer's disease cells exhibit defective repair of alkylating agent—induced DNA damage

The most common cause of senile and presenile dementia is Alzheimer's disease, a disorder with an undetermined cause. A number of studies have indicated that neurons from patients with Alzheimer's disease have decreased ribonucleic acid levels and reduced protein synthesis. Recent studies using lymphoblasts from patients with Alzheimer's disease have indicated that these cells are more sensitive to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)–alkylating agents. We have used cell survival, unscheduled DNA synthesis, and alkaline elution to assess the capacity for DNA repair in skin fibroblasts from normal control subjects, control subjects with central nervous system disease, and patients with Alzheimer's disease. Our results indicate that the Alzheimer's disease cells, unlike normal cells, fail to repair methyl-methane sulfonate–induced DNA damage. Both normal and Alzheimer's disease cells are able to ameliorate the effects of ultraviolet light. These results indicate that a specific pathway for DNA repair is affected in Alzheimer's disease. The repair defect may be related to the cause of the disease or may be the cause of the disease.
Unusual association of congenital middle ear cholesteatoma and first branchial cleft anomaly: management and embryological concepts

Objective To report two cases of an undescribed association of first branchial cleft fistula and middle ear congenital cholesteatoma and to discuss management and embryological hypothesis. Design Retrospective study and review of the literature Results Both patients were young girls free of past medical or surgical history. Surgical removal of the first cleft anomaly found in the two cases a fistula routing underneath the facial nerve. Both cholesteatomas were located in the hypotympanum, mesotympanum. In one case, an anatomical link between the two malformations was clearly identified with CT scan. Discussion The main embryological theories and classification are reviewed. A connection between Aimi's and Michaels' theories (congenital cholesteatoma) and Work classification might explain the reported clinical association.
Relative bioavailability of four macrocrystalline nitrofurantoin capsules

Abstract This report describes the results of a bioequivalence study in 22 healthy subjects, in which the rate and extent of recovery of nitrofurantoin in the urine were measured after administration of single 100 mg doses of 3 test products and of Macrodantin as the reference product. All 3 test products were found to release more nitrofurantoin at a greater rate than Macrodantin; therefore, they were not bioequivalent. In addition, the 3 test products did not provide a greater duration of effective concentrations in the urine and thus had no potential for greater effectiveness or reduced dosing intervals. Thus, use of the test products would increase potential for adverse effects, expressed as gastrointestinal intolerance, without increasing effectiveness.
Your process is showing: controversy management and perceived quality in wikipedia

Large-scale collaboration systems often separate their content from the deliberation around how that content was produced. Surfacing this deliberation may engender trust in the content generation process if the deliberation process appears fair, well-reasoned, and thorough. Alternatively, it could encourage doubts about content quality, especially if the process appears messy or biased. In this paper we report the results of an experiment where we found that surfacing deliberation generally led to decreases in perceptions of quality for the article under consideration, especially - but not only - if the discussion revealed conflict. The effect size depends on the type of editors' interactions. Finally, this decrease in actual article quality rating was accompanied by self-reported improved perceptions of the article and Wikipedia overall.
The effects of variations in human immune-response genes

One of the most critical interactions that initiate an immune response is the genetically determined signal provided by molecules encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of genes. The...
A High Resolution Gas Scintillation Proportional Counter for Studying Low Energy Cosmic X-Ray Sources

A gas scintillation proportional counter has been constructed for use in detecting subkiloelectron-volt X-rays from cosmic sources. Over a sensitive area of 5 cm2, this instrument has a measured energy resolution of 85 eV (FWHM) at 149 eV. This is significantly better than similarly sized solid state detectors. Rise-time discrimination is used both to reject space background and to reduce low energy noise below 50 eV. The development of an imaging capability for this instrument is discussed.
Nuclear spectroscopy of neutron-deficient hafnium and rare earth activities

Abstract A spectrographic survey was made of transitions converting in lutetium isotopes in the mass interval 168 ≦ A ≦ 175. Partial decay schemes are deduced from energy sums, multipolarities and intensities of the transitions. The proposed excited states are described using the Mottelson and Nilsson predictions. The amount of experimental information appears sufficient to justify an analysis for systematic properties of intrinsic states and of the associated rotational bands. Previous assignments in related nuclei are incorporated in the energy-level systematics. More complete conversion electron measurements permit extension of nuclear level structures of 173Yb, 157Gd, 149Eu and 151Eu. For the decay of 133La → 133Ba, an energy-level diagram is proposed which accounts for most of the radiation intensity.
Identification of Epigenetically Altered Genes in Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a terminal disease involving the progressive degeneration of motor neurons within the motor cortex, brainstem and spinal cord. Most cases are sporadic (sALS) with unknown causes suggesting that the etiology of sALS may not be limited to the genotype of patients, but may be influenced by exposure to environmental factors. Alterations in epigenetic modifications are likely to play a role in disease onset and progression in ALS, as aberrant epigenetic patterns may be acquired throughout life. The aim of this study was to identify epigenetic marks associated with sALS. We hypothesize that epigenetic modifications may alter the expression of pathogenesis-related genes leading to the onset and progression of sALS. Using ELISA assays, we observed alterations in global methylation (5 mC) and hydroxymethylation (5 HmC) in postmortem sALS spinal cord but not in whole blood. Loci-specific differentially methylated and expressed genes in sALS spinal cord were identified by genome-wide 5mC and expression profiling using high-throughput microarrays. Concordant direction, hyper- or hypo-5mC with parallel changes in gene expression (under- or over-expression), was observed in 112 genes highly associated with biological functions related to immune and inflammation response. Furthermore, literature-based analysis identified potential associations among the epigenes. Integration of methylomics and transcriptomics data successfully revealed methylation changes in sALS spinal cord. This study represents an initial identification of epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in sALS which may improve our understanding of sALS pathogenesis for the identification of biomarkers and new therapeutic targets.
Synthesis and Characterization of All Renewable Resources Based Branched Polyester: Poly(2,5-furandicarboxylic acid-co-glycerol)

Condensation of all renewable resources based monomers 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and glycerol in the presence of 2 mol% Sb2O3 catalyst at 210°C gives a branched polyester resin in 70% yield. This resin was characterized by elemental analysis, 1H, 13C NMR, FT-IR, and TGA-DTG.
Angular distribution XPS studies on recoil-implanted substrates: Au in Al2O3

Abstract Angular distribution XPS has been employed for the first time to follow the changes in the electronic structure of gold as it is implanted into Al2O3 overlayers on aluminium by recoil. The rudimentary aspects of the implantation process may be followed by observing the Au 4f 7 2 intensity as a function of primary ion dose for discrete values of θ. Intensity versus primary ion dose curves show three distinct regions — a continuous-film region, an island and cluster region, and an implanted-atom region. For this system, while only gold atoms are introduced into the substrate, the surface contains clusters of gold even for very low gold concentrations. The valence-band density of states shows good agreement with a theoretical spectrum calculated using a unity polarizability model previously described.
Shortening of Electromechanical Systole as a Manifestation of Excessive Adrenergic Stimulation in Acute Myocardial Infarction

The relationship between shortened electromechanical systole (QS2I) and 24-hour urinary catecholamine excretion (E+NE) was studied in 51 patients admitted to the coronary care unit with suspected acute myocardial infarction. Among these patients, 24 had a documented acute myocardial infarction while 27 had chest pain without evidence of recent myocardial infarction. Patients receiving cardioactive drugs or with impaired renal function were excluded. Initial elevation of catecholamine excretion was found in 22 of 24 subjects with myocardial infarction and 14 patients without documented myocardial infarction. A close linear correlation (r = -0.82, P < 0.001) was noted between shortening of the QS2I and catecholamine excretion among all patients irrespective of the presence of documented infarction. Patients with serious arrhythmias had significantly higher levels of catecholamine excretion. In 13 patients with a short QS2I, 2.5 mg of propranolol given intravenously produced a significant lengthening of the ...
Clinical Science Review: Current Aspects of Thrombolytic Therapy in Women with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains the greatest threat to health in our society and is the most common cause of death in the United States and in many other Western industrialized countries. Recent data demonstrate that mortality from MI is continuing to decline. In these days of more aggressive management of acute MI (AMI) there has been a resurgence of interest in advances in thrombolytic therapy. However, observational studies of patients with AMI have shown that women sustaining an AMI have a worse prognosis than men. AMI is the number-one killer of women in the United States ; approximately 247,000 of more than 520,000 deaths due to AMI that occur each year are among women, and almost one-third of the women are younger than forty-five years old. While there have been great advances in thrombolytic therapy, these advances have benefited men to a more significant degree than they have benefited women. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the efficacy of thrombolytic therapy in women with AMI with consideration of some of the key components of its effectiveness : mortality, bleeding risk, infarct-artery patency, ventricular function, and cardiac arrhythmia.
Insights into the Molecular Mechanism of Inhibition and Drug Resistance for HIV-1 RT with Carbovir Triphosphate†

Abacavir (1592U89, or Ziagen) is a powerful and selective inhibitor of HIV-1 viral replication that has been approved by the FDA for treatment of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Abacavir is metabolized to the active compound carbovir triphosphate (CBVTP). This compound is a guanosine analogue containing a 2‘,3‘-unsaturation in its planar carbocyclic deoxyribose ring that acts on HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RTWT) as a molecular target, resulting in chain termination of DNA synthesis. A single amino acid change from methionine 184 to valine in HIV-1 RT (RTM184V) has been observed clinically in response to abacavir treatment. The ability of the natural substrate, dGTP, or CBVTP to be utilized during DNA- and RNA-directed polymerization by RTWT and RTM184V was defined by pre-steady-state kinetic parameters. In the case of RTWT, CBVTP was found to be a surprisingly poor substrate relative to dGTP. In both DNA- and RNA-directed polymerization, a decrease in the efficiency of CBVTP utilization with respect ...
NETWORK MODELING ISSUES FOR GRID APPLICATION SCHEDULING

The dominant trend in scientific computing today is the establishment of platforms that span multiple institutions to support applications at unprecedented scales. On most distributed computing platforms a requirement to achieve high performance is the careful scheduling of distributed application components onto the available resources. While scheduling has been an active area of research for many decades most of the platform models traditionally used in scheduling research, and in particular network models, break down for platforms spanning wide-area networks. In this paper we examine network modeling issues for large-scale platforms from the perspective of scheduling. The main challenge we address is the development of models that are sophisticated enough to be more realistic than those traditionally used in the field, but simple enough that they are still amenable to analysis. In particular, we discuss issues of bandwidth sharing and topology modeling. Also, while these models can be used to define and reason about realistic scheduling problems, we show that they also provide a good basis for fast simulation, which is the typical method to evaluate scheduling algorithms, as demonstrated in our implementation of the SIMGRID simulation framework.
Naloxone enhancement of punishment in the rat

Abstract Rats were trained to lever press on a variable interval one minute schedule of reinforcement for food pellets. Subsequently in punishment sessions, lever presses also produced electric grid shocks on a fixed ratio 20 schedule. With punishment, lever pressing levels were reduced by about 15%. When naloxone was administered prior to punishment sessions, shocks reduced lever pressing levels by about 50% following the 3 mg/kg dose and by aboaut 80% following the 10 mg/kg dose. This naloxone-induced enhancement of the effect of punishment was probably mediated through an antagonism of naturally-occurring brain peptides with opiate-like activities.
Host and parasite factors regulating the development of CD4+ T-cell subsets in experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis

Identification des facteurs de l'hote et du parasite capable d'induire la stimulation de differentes sous populations de cellules T helper apres infection avec Leishmania major