cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of surgery and anesthesia on blood magnesium and calcium concentrations in canine and feline patients

Abstract Objective To demonstrate the effect of anesthesia and surgery on serum ionized magnesium and ionized calcium concentrations in clinical canine and feline patients. Animals 37 client-owned dogs, ASA PS I–III and 10 client-owned cats, ASA PS I, all receiving anesthesia for elective or emergent surgery at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Materials and methods Plasma ionized and serum total magnesium, and plasma ionized calcium were measured prior to and after a group-standardized anesthetic protocol. Results Regardless of pre-operative medication (hydromorphone or butorphanol), anesthetic induction (thiopental or lidocaine/hydromorphone/diazepam (LHD) and propofol combination), or type of surgical procedure (peripheral surgery or laparotomy), post-operative plasma ionized calcium concentration decreased in all groups of dogs, while post-operative plasma ionized magnesium increased in all groups, although the changes were not always significant. The dogs who were induced with an LHD and propofol technique had a greater increase in ionized magnesium (0.36 ± 0.07 to 0.42 ± 0.07 mmol L−1) than the group in which anesthesia was induced with thiopental (0.41 ± 0.07 to 0.42 ± 0.07 mmol L−1, p = 0.009). The cats showed similar changes in ionized magnesium and ionized calcium, and also had a significant increase in serum total magnesium (2.17 ± 0.20 to 2.31 ± 0.25 mg dL−1, p = 0.009) Conclusions, clinical relevance A post-operative decrease in ionized calcium was demonstrated in healthy animals, as well as an increase in ionized or total magnesium after various anesthetic protocols and surgeries. These changes, while statistically significant, do not appear to be clinically significant, as values remained within reference ranges at all times.
Fluctuations in transcription factor binding can explain the graded and binary responses observed in inducible gene expression.

Abstract Inducible genes are expressed in the presence of an external stimulus. Individual cells may exhibit either a binary or graded response to such signals. It has been hypothesized that the chemical kinetics of transcription factor/DNA interactions can account for both these scenarios (EMBO J. 9(9) (1990) 2835; BioEssays 14(5) (1992) 341). To explore this question, we have conducted work based on the experimental results of Fiering et al. (Genes Dev. 4 (10) (1990) 1823). In these experiments, three upstream NF-AT binding sites control transcription of the lacZ gene, which codes for the enzyme β -Galactosidase. The experimental data show a binary response for this system. We consider the effects of fluctuations in NF-AT binding on the response of the system. Our modeling results are in good qualitative agreement with the experimental data, and illustrate how the binary and graded responses can stem from the same underlying mechanism.
NEW DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR TUBING AND CASING BUCKLING IN INCLINED WELLS

This paper describes how deformations, forces and stresses of buckled tubing and casing in inclined holes can be predicted. It is also shown that wall frictional forces on buckled pipe can be reduced greatly by increasing the axial force above the normal operating value and then slacking off.
Methodological issues in male caregiver research: an integrative review of the literature.

Purpose of the paper. The purpose of this integrative review of the literature is to identify sampling and analysis issues related to gender in caregiver research in the nursing and health literature. Background. Men provide approximately 28% of the care in the home to functionally impaired elders in the United States of America (USA), and because of demographic predictions are expected to provide more in the future. Social science research related to male caregivers has been criticized as having many limitations. A critical review of the nursing and health literature would be helpful to nursing researchers and clinicians by identifying limitations in caregiving research related to gender and providing direction for future research. Methods. A literature search using the CINAHL database and the terms ‘family caregiver’, ‘dementia’, and ‘male’ was conducted. Thirty-six articles were retrieved, reviewed, and abstracted. Findings. Thirteen articles were qualitative studies, 22 were quantitative, and one had both qualitative and quantitative components. Many of the studies used small samples, and no analysis was included by gender. Most of the samples were convenience samples, with many being self-selected. There was also a lack of analysis of data by family relationship. No qualitative studies and only nine of the quantitative studies included analysis of the data by gender. Studies that reported by gender were all cross-sectional. Conclusions. There is a need for caregiver research that has larger samples of males, and includes analysis by gender and family relationship. There is also a need for more intervention studies that are well controlled, and evaluate the effect of the intervention on both male and female caregivers.
Toxicity of pseudomonas toxin for mouse LM cell fibroblasts

Pseudomonas toxin inhibited protein synthesis in mouse LM fibroblast monolayers. Incubation of toxin with LM cell monolayers resulted in a depletion of functional elongation factor 2. The initial interaction of pseudomonas toxin with mouse LM cells was rapid; within 2.5 min, toxin was rendered inaccessible to neutralization with specific pseudomonas antitoxin. At 4°C toxin adsorbed to the cell surface, but remained at a site where it could be neutralized with antitoxin. Ammonium chloride (20 mM) rendered LM cells insensitive to the action of toxin. The ammonium salt did not prevent adsorption of toxin to the cell membrane; rather, it appeared to maintain toxin at a site amenable to antitoxin neutralization.
Acute Vascular Endothelial Changes Associated with Increased Blood Velocity Gradients

The purpose of this study is to quantify the acute changes in endothelial histology that are associated with an induced increase in blood velocity. A nontraumatic intra-aortic device was designed to produce a rapid convergence of the aortic blood stream into a narrow channel along the ventral aspect of the thoracic aorta in dogs. The endothelial surface overlying this channel was exposed to a broad range of surface shearing stress by the accelerated blood flow. Techniques were developed to quantify the resulting distribution of shearing stress so that the stress to which the endothelial surface was exposed at every point along the channel could be determined. Special histologic techniques were developed using formalin fixation and gelatin embedding of the tissue so that endothelial cytology could be studied and criteria for normal cells established. Using these criteria, cell counts were done to establish the "normal" endothelial cell population density as a function of stress exposure. The stress corresponding to the mode of these cell density distribution curves was defined as the acute yield stress (τ c ). The acute yield stress for endothelial cells was found to be 379±85 (SD) dynes/cm 2 . Exposure to stress in excess of this value for periods as short as one hour resulted in marked deterioration of the endothelial surface consisting of endothelial cytoplasmic swelling, cell deformation, cell disintegration, and finally dissolution and erosion of cell substance. The relationship of these events to cellular rheology and interfacial chemistry is discussed.
The elementary-equivalence classes of clopen algebras of P-spaces

Two Boolean algebras are elementarily equivalent if and only if they sat- isfy the same rst-order statements in the language of Boolean algebras. We prove that every Boolean algebra is elementarily equivalent to the algebra of clopen subsets of a normal P -space.
Effects of Probiotic Diet Supplements on Disease Resistance and Immune Response of Young Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

Abstract Probiotic microbial feed supplements are gaining wide acceptance in livestock production, and may be applicable to aquaculture production systems. In two experiments, fry of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticuswere fed a basal diet supplemented with commercially-available probiotic microorganisms. Survival, growth, disease resistance, and immunological parameters were monitored for a maximum of 94 days. Bacterial populations were higher in the digestive tracts of tilapia receiving probiotic diets, and colony morphology suggested that viable probiotic bacteria persisted up to 48 hours after feeding. Survival was higher after 39–63 days in fish receiving the Bioplus probiotic, Bacillus spp. There was no difference in growth, lysozyme, total serum immunoglobulin, complement, specific anti-streptococcal antibody levels, or mortality due to Streptococcus iniae infection either before or after disease challenge. The results suggest that these commercially-available probiotic microorganisms do not provid...
Assessing solar energy and water use efficiencies in winter wheat: A case study

Abstract Water-use and solar-energy-conversion efficiencies of two cultivars of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L., vars. ‘Centurk’ and ‘Newton’) planted at three densities, were examined during a growing season. The water-use efficiencies of both cultivars varied from vegetative growth to booting stage and decreased thereafter for the rest of the season. When the two cultivars were compared, ‘Centurk’ was more water-use efficient based on total dry weight as well as grain yield production. Water use was the lowest under the light, and the highest under the heavy, planting densities of both cultivars. Water-use efficiency of medium and heavy planting densities were greater than the light planting densities in both cultivars. The canopy radiation extinction coefficients (K), of both cultivars increased with increases in planting density. Fractional absorption of photosynthetically active radiation, ϵa, by both cultivars increased from the time of jointing until anthesis, and then varied during senescence. The seasonal changes of K and ϵa were associated with the changes in the green-leaf area index. The efficiency of the conversion of absorbed radiation to dry matter (biochemical efficiency) decreased throughout the growing season in both cultivars. The light absorption, biochemical and photosynthetic efficiencies were improved as planting density increased.
Shear-induced sphere-to-cylinder transition in diblock copolymer thin films

Applying sufficiently strong shear to thin films of a sphere-forming polystyrene–polyisoprene diblock copolymer is shown to induce an order-order transition to cylinders. The transformation is not continuous or epitaxial, as the intercylinder spacing is ca. 10% greater than the spacing between close-packed lines of spheres. The transition is facilitated when the block copolymer has a composition which places it close to the “zero-field” (no shear) sphere/cylinder phase boundary; the shear-induced transformation is more difficult and less effective for a polymer further from this boundary. Applying a modest shear stress to a polymer close to the boundary distorts the hexagonal lattice formed by the spheres without forming cylinders; the mechanical anisotropy produced by this distortion is sufficient to permit a film containing only a single layer of spherical domains to align in shear.
Toward improved and practical incentive regulation

The first half of this paper overviews traditional methods of ratemaking—embedded and marginal cost pricing—and four recent alternatives—automatic rate adjustments, profit-sharing, tariff menus, and the Vogelsang-Finsinger convergence mechanism—that have come to challenge them. We develop a list of nine desirable properties that are suitable to gauge any regulatory mechanism. In the second half of the paper, we explore in greater detail two recent incentive plans—the FCC's price caps approach and a mechanism that the three authors proposed in a FERC document. Based on the nine properties, these two mechanisms are compared.
1239 DETECTION OF GESTATIONAL DIABETES IN THE FIRST TRIMESTER: ABNORMALITIES IN CELL MEMBRANE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

Detection of gestational diabetes (GD) is currently limited to the last trimester, whereas the associated letal abnormalities occur early in pregnancy due to disturbances in maternal metabolism. He have studied 39 pregnant subjects with varying degrees of carbohydrate tolerance at intervals during pregnancy. Heparinized blood samples (10-15cc) were obtained from all subjects after an overnight fast, for studies of [125]I-insulin binding, membrane phospholipid (PL) and membrane fluidity determinations using fluorescence polarization (FP). The data suggest that a detect in insulin binding and insulin action is present in women with GD, associated with disturbances in both membrane structure and biophysical behavior. This detect, similar to that seen in obese. Type II diabetic subjects is detectable betore 12 weeks gestation. Early detection ot GD, permitting the institution of appropriate measures of metabolic control in these subjects, should result in marked reduction of perinatal morbidity.
Sulfation and phosphorylation of the neural cell adhesion molecule, N-CAM

Embryonic chicken brain tissue cultured in media containing 35S-labeled sulfate or 32P-labeled phosphate incorporated 35S or 32P into the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM). The 35S label was located in asparagine-linked carbohydrates on both glycopeptides (molecular weights, 170,000 and 140,000) but not in the sialic acid. The 32P label was detected in phosphoamino acids in the carboxyl-terminal third of both polypeptides, but the ratio of phosphoserine to phosphothreonine differed in the two species. The sulfated saccharides and phosphoamino acids may provide additional sites for functional control of N-CAM.
6-Methoxyflavonoids from Brickellia californica

Abstract Two new and eleven known 6-methoxyflavonoids were identified in leaf tissue of Brickellia californica. The new flavonols are eupatin 3-SO3 Ca1/2 and patuletin 3-SO3K. The known compounds include the flavones hispidulin and eupafolin and their respective 7- and 4′-monomethyl ethers and the flavonols; spinacetin, eupatin, patuletin 3-glucoside and 3-galactoside, and eupatolitin 3-galactoside.
Perceptual encoding optimization for JPEG XR image coding using spatially adaptive quantization step size control

JPEG XR, a new international standard for image coding, was approved as ITU-T Recommendation T.832 in March 2009, and as ISO/IEC international standard 29199-2 in July 2009. JPEG XR was designed based on Microsoft coding technology known as HD Photo. Since JPEG XR is an emerging new specification, exploration of advanced encoding techniques for JPEG XR is an important area of study. In order to advance understanding of JPEG XR and its capabilities, the development of enhanced encoding techniques for optimization of encoded JPEG XR perceptual image quality is particularly valuable. This paper presents techniques and results focusing on exploring the capabilities of the spatially adaptive quantization syntax of the emerging JPEG XR standard.
SU-GG-I-07: Monitoring Radiation Dose in Cerebral CT Perfusion Exams

PURPOSE: This paper is to study how to monitor and manage the radiation dose in cerebral CT perfusion exams with various CTscanners including a 10 slice MDCT, a 64 slice VCT and a 320 detector row volume scanner. METHODS & MATERIALS: Several cerebral CT perfusion protocols have been studied with various tube current settings. Radiation dose measurements were done on an anthropormorphic head phantom using an optically stimulated luminescence(OSL) dosimeter device (MicroStar, Landauer) and an ion chamber dosimeter (Accu‐Pro, RadCal). All the measurements were done at the skin surface. Several OSLs were used to cover the X‐ray slice beam width. The readout of OSLs was performed right on site with a portable reading device. RESULTS: The accuracy of the OSLs was verified through a side‐by‐side comparison with an ion chamber dosimeter. It is shown that the OSL sensor is angle independent that makes it advantageous over those solid state personal dosimeters for real‐time CT dose measurements. For our study, 80 kVp was utilized for the cerebral CT perfusion exams. The tube current varied from 80 mA to 200 mA. The radiation dose varied directly with the selection of tube voltage and current settings. Considerable variations were also observed among different types of CTscanners. Conclusion: Since there is a potential risk for the skin dose to be accumulated beyond the threshold for determinant effects such as skin erythema and epilation in CT perfusion exams, it is important to optimize the protocol and monitor the patient dose closely. This paper verifies a tool to do that. It can be utilized during the initial set‐up of the protocol. Also, it will be useful for individual patient dose monitoring from case to case. It adds the safeguard to high dose CT scans such as cerebral CT perfusion exams.
A spectrophotometric method for the determination of nucleoside triphosphates (pyrophosphorolysis of nucleoside diphosphate sugars).

Abstract The enzyme-catalyzed pyrophosphorolysis of nucleoside diphosphate sugars has been followed spectrophotometrically using 3-P-glycerate kinase (EC 2.7.2.3) and glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.12) coupled to the oxidation of NADH. The method is rapid, and gives a direct recording of enzyme activity. Some limitations are discussed but these generally apply when crude systems are analyzed. The method has been used for measuring the adenosine, guanosine, inosine, and uridine triphosphates resulting from the pyrophosphorolysis of ADP-Man, GDP-Glc, GDP-Man, IDP-Glc, IDP-Man, UDP-Glc, UDP-Man, UDP-Gal, UDP-N-AGlem, and UDP-Xyl.
Tables for the Identification of N. F. X Crystalline Substances by the Microscopic-Crystallographic Method*

Optical crystallographic data for 184 N. F. X crystalline substances are given and arranged in a determinative table for rapid identification of specific compounds.
The critical excitation and response of simple dynamic systems

Abstract A method for defining the critical excitations and responses of dynamic systems is examined. The critical excitations are those functions which maximize some response norm with respect to the constraints placed on the admissible excitations. A class of critical responses for linear, elastoplastic and hysteretic single degree of freedoms systems is studied, showing the frequency and amplitude relations for these solutions. For linear systems it is shown that the critical excitations producing either a maximum displacement response or maximum energy input are harmonic and derivable from the harmonically excited response functions for the same linear system. The critical excitations for elastoplastic systems, however, are not harmonic and at low frequencies the response is significantly larger than the harmonically excited response. The critical response solutions require higher multiple frequency components to exist. Both periodic and inelastic offset types of critical response are examined for a hysteretic, elastoplastic system and the response characteristics for these solutions are discussed.
Nitric oxide synthase activity from a hematophagous insect salivary gland

The salivary glands of the hematophagous insect, Rhodnius prolixus, contain a nitrosylhemeprotein that dissociates its ligand, NO, to the host tissues while the insect is searching for a blood meal. We now report a salivary nitric oxide synthase activity in this insect. The activity is dependent on NADPH, FAD, tetrahydrobiopterin, calmodulin, Ca2+, and converts arginine to citrulline while producing vasorelaxing activity. Molecular sieving indicates a molecular weight of 185 kDa, coeluting with a diaphorase activity. Results indicate similarity of this insect activity to the vertebrate constitutive NO synthase, suggesting NO synthesis is an evolutionary old biological pathway.
Longest-term placement problems in an acute care hospital.

Abstract Of 219 admissons solely for placement purposes to an urban county hospital in 1978, eleven patients remained hospitalized for longer than 100 days each. All of these prolonged-stay patients had multiple impediments to placement including unavailability of intermediate nursing home beds in the community, conflicting placement agencies and policies, family considerations, delays in obtaining guardianship, and communication lapses. Patient factors, including aggressive behavior and hospital-acquired illness, comprised additional barriers to placement. In order to minimize nonessential bed-days in acute care hospitals, community evaluation and placement services for the elderly should be improved. In the hospital, efforts should be made to streamline the placement process through physician education, aggressive discharge planning, improved communications, and affiliation with long-term care facilities.
Relative importance of recruitment and other causes of variation in rocky intertidal community structure

Abstract Recruitment limitation has been advocated as a major cause of community structure on rocky shores. Earlier work was criticized for failing to assess this possible source of variation. To evaluate this suggestion in relation to factors already known to be important in such communities, I incorporated estimates of recruitment with data from prior experiments in New England and Panama and reanalyzed the results using multiple regression. Rates of increase of prey abundance in predator exclusion experiments in New England were at least an order of magnitude greater than in Panama (e.g., ti took 4–6 mth vs. 60–72 mth to reach 100% cover, respectively). Recruitment densities of sessile invertebrates and algae were variable in space and time at both sites, but were lower by at least an order of magnitude and less synchronous in Panama than in New England. The analyses indicated that, although predation, competition, recruitment, and level on the shore explained significant amounts of variation in community structure at both places, the proportionate contributions of these factors differed. In New England, recruitment explained at most 11% while predation and competition explained 50% to 78% of variation in sessile invertebrate abundance. In Panama, recruitment explained 39% to 87% while predation and competition explained 8 to 10% of variation in sessile invertebrate adundance. Hence, when low, recruitment density appears important in influencing the structure of these communities.
Energy margins in a dry-winding superconducting test coil Part 1: Dissipation within the conductor

Abstract To study the role of liquid helium trapped within the winding of ‘dry’ superconducting magnets, energy margins were measured in a dry-winding superconducting test coil. The test coil comprised five non-inductive layers, each wound with circular cross-section multifilamentary NbTi superconducting wire. A pulsed coil, applied only through the two middle layers of the test coil carrying a transport current in a background magnetic field, was used to simulate a transient disturbance induced within the conductor over a confined region of the magnet. Measured energy margins, with the test coil immersed in liquid helium or in gaseous helium, agree well with the conductor's enthalpy densities required to drive the conductor normal. Experimental results show that the liquid helium occupying the void space within the winding has no beneficial effect against transient disturbances induced internally in the conductor; it does, however, slow down quench propagation. Because of the presence of an insulation layer at the conductor surface, the winding is effectively adiabatic against internal disturbance pulses. The trapped liquid helium is expected to be beneficial against transient heating applied external to the conductor surface, as would be the case with mechanical disturbances.
Statistical Comparison of Magnetic Clouds with Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections for Solar Cycle 23

We compare the number and characteristics of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) to those of magnetic clouds (MCs) by using in-situ solar wind plasma and magnetic field observations made at 1 AU during solar cycle 23. We found that ≈ 28% of ICMEs appear to contain MCs, since 103 magnetic clouds (MCs) occurred during 1995 – 2006, and 307 ICMEs occurred during 1996 – 2006. For the period between 1996 and 2006, 85 MCs are identified as part of ICMEs, and six MCs are not associated with ICMEs, which conflicts with the idea that MCs are usually a subset of ICMEs. It was also found that solar wind conditions inside MCs and ICMEs are usually similar, but the linear correlation between geomagnetic storm intensity (Dst min ) and relevant solar wind parameters is better for MCs than for ICMEs. The differences between average event duration (Δt) and average proton plasma β (〈β〉) are two of the major differences between MCs and ICMEs: i) the average duration of ICMEs (29.6 h) is 44% longer than for MCs (20.6 hours), and ii) the average of 〈β〉 is 0.01 for MCs and 0.24 for ICMEs. The difference between the definition of a MC and that for an ICME is one of the major reasons for these average characteristics being different (i.e., listed above as items i) and ii)), and it is the reason for the frequency of their occurrences being different.
An Assessment of Diet-Overlap Indexes

Abstract Dietary components of Mississippi silversides (Menidia audens) and juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were tabulated by the percentage of occurrence, the percentage of total number, the percentage of total volume, the average of the volume percentages, and the relative importance index. Each of these diet measures was then applied to three published overlap indexes and a correlation method (Spearman rank correlation coefficient). Each measure of diet resulted in different values for a particular overlap index (0.04 to 1.06) and for the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (0.06 to −0.30). Likewise, each index gave different values for different diet measures. Of these indexes and diet measures, the Schoener index based on the average of volume percentages is recommended with reservations.
Formation of a polybenzyl‐like polymer under anionic conditions

In an unsuccessful attempt to synthesize 3-phenyl-1-propyne by reacting sodium acetylide with benzyl chloride in liquid ammonia, a glassy, amber-colored, low molecular weight polymer was obtained as the major product. Spectroscopic evidence suggests that the polymer has a highly branched polybenzyl-like structure, but without the multiply substituted benzene rings characteristic of polybenzyl polymers obtained upon Friedel-Crafts cationic polymerization of benzyl chloride
Developing Generalized Teaching Skills in Mothers of Autistic Children

An education program designed to assist parents in teaching adaptive behavior skills to their autistic children is described. During training, mothers were trained through the use of written materials, modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and oral feedback to use prompting and reward techniques. To facilitate generalization, an additional instructional program with informational, problem-solving, and self-monitoring components was employed. Training procedures were introduced in either a sequential or a simultaneous fashion to eight mother-child dyads. Assessments of multiple maternal and child behaviors were conducted in a play training situation and also in two nontrageted generalization teaching situations. After training, mothers displayed the skill taught and children showed an increase in targeted behaviors as well as a decrease in noncompliance in all three situations. A component analysis revealed that skills training alone was sufficient to produce generalized changes in maternal teaching behavior. Th...
Dangerous Woods and Perilous Pearl Shells The Fabricated Politics of a Longhouse in Pangia, Papua New Guinea

This article approaches the analysis of ambivalence in exchange relations between groups in the Pangia area of the Southern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea from an unusual angle: the structure and materials of a ceremonial longhouse constructed to house participants in a gift-giving occasion. The sponsor of the feast declared that it was to mark peace and alliance with neighbors, but one of the recipients noted that the types of wood used in the building themselves carried threatening and competitive messages encoded non-verbally. Gifts of pearl shells and pork were similarly interpreted as double-sided: both to repair friendships and to declare enmities. The recipients themselves risked, from their point of view, death in accepting these perilous gifts from a longhouse consisting of ‘dangerous woods’. The case study illustrates the possible disjuncture of interpretations of material acts and structures by differently positioned persons in the social arena.
Opportunistic Toxoplasmic Retinochoroiditis Following Chemotherapy for Systemic Lymphoma: A Light and Electron Microscopic Study

After a prolonged period of chemotherapy for a disseminated nodular lymphoma, a 51-year-old woman developed a white lesion in the left macular region, in the absence of any overt lymphomatous disease elsewhere. The initial retinal diagnosis was nonetheless a lymphomatous infiltrate. Due to her severely immunocompromised state, the patient developed pneumonia and died. The involved left eye was examined postmortem by light and electron microscopy. The retinal lesion was discovered to be caused by infection with Toxoplasma gondii , which on postmortem evaluation was also found in the brain together with subclinical lymphomatous disease and multifocal leucoencelphalopathy. Many viable and intact cysts were observed floating within the necrotic retina as well as lodged within recognizable retinal cells. Most of the organisms were encysted bradyzoites, although a rare tachyzoite was discovered in the extracellular space. Unusual features examined ultrastructurally were a preretinal membrane formed exclusively by glial cells, residual proliferating glial cells within the retina that were frequently related to surviving capillaries, and a multilaminar spindle cell placoid proliferation of pigment epithelial cells, assuming almost pseudo-sarcomatous proportions. Banded extracellular membrane material was focally observed between the proliferating pigment epithelial cells. No neoplastic lymphoreticular cells were discovered within the choroid, but a curious feature was the production of basement membranes by the surviving choroidal melanocytes. Toxoplasmosis should therefore be considered along with fungi and viruses in the differential diagnosis of white retinal lesions appearing in immunocompromised patients.
New ultrastructural evidence for a protein transport system in endothelial cells of gerbil brains.

Pathways for transfer of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) across the cerebral microvasculature were studied in Mongolian gerbils after inducing either unilateral carotid-artery ligation or intracarotid air embolism. Electron microscopy on samples from both ipsilateral and contralateral brain hemispheres showed the reaction product (HRP) in the endothelial cytoplasm of capillaries and arterioles in all animals; in the basal lamina, HRP was seen only after long (3–4 h) ischemic periods. HRP was seen within both spherical and tubular structures, with the latter appearing in obliquely or longitudinally sectioned blood vessels. These endothelial channel-like structures are part of a tubulovesicular network which seemingly exists in the normal endothelium of the gerbil brain. The tubules serve as pathways for proteins into the brain; protein transfer becomes enhanced following circulatory injuries such as ischemia.
Schwarz-Christoffel transformation for the simulation of two-dimensional capacitance (VLSI circuits)

An inherent problem in the use of simulators for the determination of capacitance in VLSI circuits is the verification of the reliability of the simulation. The problem is due to the numerical approximations made in order to achieve a versatile simulation. The Schwarz-Christoffel transformation provides theoretically exact simulation of a limited class of problems consisting of two odd shaped conductors embedded in a uniform dielectric. It is proposed that the Schwarz-Christoffel technique can be used to calibrate simulators designed for more general problems. >
Why this new journal

The development of a medical journal has multiple potential benefits. The demand for journal space continues to increase, and many journals state that they can only publish 20% of the submitted manuscripts. Medical journals in United States attract an international audience of readers and authors. The residency review committee for internal medicine expects key faculty to have scholarly activity. This promotes an academic environment in both residencies and fellowships, and ideally most faculty members should try to submit one scholarly activity for publication per year. Consequently, we think there is a need for additional journals.
Legal symmetry and legal differentiation under a future deal on climate

The stalemate in the climate negotiations is related to the legal character of an international agreement to address climate change. There is ongoing tension between the demand of some developed countries that all countries must be bound by the same standard of legal character (‘legal symmetry’) and the insistence that developed countries must be held to a higher standard of legal character (‘legal differentiation’). The legal character of the future climate deal is unravelled into four component parts to demonstrate that—if negotiators are able to reach consensus on the substance of an agreement—viewing each of the components of legal character separately might offer a way of reconciling tensions over symmetry and differentiation. The focus on the first of these components—the legally binding character of the agreement—distracts countries from an essential debate on the specificity and ambition of the commitments that might be contained in such an agreement. Instead, it is suggested that negotiators focu...
Linkage relationships between genes controlling seed proteins in French bean

The inheritance of phaseolin and globulin-2 (G2)/albumin polypeptides was investigated in crosses involving varieties which exhibited the three electrophoretic banding patterns of phaseolin found in French bean. ‘Total’ seed protein extracts of single seeds of the F1 and F2 generations from the crosses: ‘Sanilac’ × ‘Contender’, ‘BBL 240’ × ‘Contender’, and ‘Sanilac’ × ‘BBL 240’ were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Segregation of the genes controlling phaseolin and G2/albumin polypeptides, and those controlling a further five groups of seed proteins (A, B, D, E, and F) were observed. No recombinant electrophoretic phenotypes were seen for phaseolin or G2/albumin polypeptides suggesting that the genes controlling each of these groups of polypeptides are closely linked and segregate like single Mendelian genes. The phaseolin genes and G2/albumin genes were not linked to each other. The group of genes controlling phaseolin polypeptides were linked to those controlling group B proteins, and those controlling G2/albumin polypeptides were linked to those controlling group F proteins.
OOCYTE DIFFERENTIATION IN THE SEA URCHIN, ARBACIA PUNCTULATA, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE ORIGIN OF CORTICAL GRANULES AND THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE CORTICAL REACTION

This paper presents morphological evidence on the origin of cortical granules in the oocytes of Arbacia punctulata and other echinoderms. During oocyte differentiation, those Golgi complexes associated with the production of cortical granules are composed of numerous saccules with companion vesicles. Each element of the Golgi complex contains a rather dense homogeneous substance. The vesicular component of the Golgi complex is thought to be derived from the saccular member by a pinching-off process. The pinched-off vesicles are viewed as containers of the precursor(s) of the cortical granules. In time, they coalesce and form a mature cortical granule whose content is bounded by a unit membrane. Thus, it is asserted that the Golgi complex is involved in both the synthesis and concentration of precursors utilized in the construction of the cortical granule. Immediately after the egg is activated by the sperm the primary envelope becomes detached from the oolemma, thereby forming what we have called the activation calyx (see Discussion). Subsequent to the elaboration of the activation calyx, the contents of cortical granules are released (cortical reaction) into the perivitelline space. The discharge of the constituents of a cortical granule is accomplished by the union of its encompassing unit membrane, in several places, with the oolemma.
An Empirical Approach to Estimating Detection Limits Using Collocated Data

Measurements of trace species generally become less certain as concentrations decrease. Data analysts need guidance on the ranges in which particular measurements are meaningful. This guidance is n...
Stress and Temperature Dependence of the Paramagnetic Resonance Spectrum of Nickel Fluosilicate

The crystalline field splitting of the ground state spin triplet of divalent nickel in the fluosilicate, NiSi${\mathrm{F}}_{6}$\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}6 ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O, has been measured at room temperature as a function of hydrostatic pressure to 10 000 kg/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ and uniaxial stress to 150 kg/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. The anisotropic compressibility and thermal expansion of this trigonal crystal have also been determined. Combining these data with the known variation of the splitting with temperature, its dependence on isothermal unit cell geometry and on temperature at constant unit cell dimensions is calculated. The splitting is found to be independent of volume within experimental error but proves to be quite sensitive to unit cell shape. The deduced explicit temperature dependence is three times larger than that measured at atmospheric pressure. The magnitude and geometrical variation of the crystalline field splitting may be qualitatively understood using a static, ionic model of the ${(\mathrm{N}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}}6{\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O})}^{2+}$ octahedral complex. A rather general analysis of the explicit temperature dependence indicates, however, that low-frequency lattice vibrations play a dominant role in determining the observed value of the splitting.The resonance line widths are observed to increase monotonically and quite nonlinearly with increasing pressure. This broadening is discussed in terms of isotropic and anisotropic exchange interactions. In agreement with earlier conclusions of Ollom and Van Vleck it is inferred that the two mechanisms are of comparable importance in this paramagnetic salt.
Using a Thematic Laboratory-Centered Curriculum to Teach General Chemistry.

This article describes an approach to general chemistry that involves teaching chemical concepts in the context of two thematic laboratory modules: environmental remediation and the fate of pharmaceuticals in the environment. These modules were designed based on active-learning pedagogies and involve multiple-week projects that dictate what content is taught and in which order the content is presented. Students were expected to design experimental procedures, analyze data, and communicate their results. A description of the two laboratory modules is included along with a week-by-week description of the student experience.
Quantitative flow dichroism. II. Form dichroism at ultraviolet wavelengths.

Form dichroism has been predicted to make an important contribution to the dichroic spectra of rod-shaped macromolecules. Ultraviolet flow dichroism experiments on tobacco mosaic virus and bacteriophage fd in solvents of different refractive indices were unable to detect the phenomenon, indicating that for these viruses form dichroism is much less important than had been postulated.
Wakefulness: An eye-opening perspective on orexin neurons

Orexin-containing neurons regulate wakefulness, and loss of orexin produces narcolepsy. Recent studies of mice lacking orexin neurons have shown that these cells also play essential roles in the control of feeding and energy balance.
Efficient scheduling of pigeons for a constrained delay tolerant application

Information collection in the disaster area is an important application of pigeon networks--a special type of delay tolerant networks (DTNs) that borrows the ancient idea of using pigeons as the telecommunication method. The aim of this paper is to explore highly efficient scheduling strategies of pigeons for such applications. The upper bound of traffic that can be supported under the deadline constraints for the basic on-demand strategy is given through the analysis. Based on the analysis, a waiting-based packing strategy is introduced. Although the latter strategy could not change the maximum traffic rate that a pigeon can support, it improves the efficiency of a pigeon largely. The analytical results are verified by the simulations.
Using Contextual Learning to Improve Diagnostic Accuracy: Application in Breast Cancer Screening

Clinicians need to routinely make management decisions about patients who are at risk for a disease such as breast cancer. This paper presents a novel clinical decision support tool that is capable of helping physicians make diagnostic decisions. We apply this support system to improve the specificity of breast cancer screening and diagnosis. The system utilizes clinical context (e.g., demographics, medical history) to minimize the false positive rates while avoiding false negatives. An online contextual learning algorithm is used to update the diagnostic strategy presented to the physicians over time. We analytically evaluate the diagnostic performance loss of the proposed algorithm, in which the true patient distribution is not known and needs to be learned, as compared with the optimal strategy where all information is assumed known, and prove that the false positive rate of the proposed learning algorithm asymptotically converges to the optimum. In addition, our algorithm also has the important merit that it can provide individualized confidence estimates about the accuracy of the diagnosis recommendation. Moreover, the relevancy of contextual features is assessed, enabling the approach to identify specific contextual features that provide the most value of information in reducing diagnostic errors. Experiments were conducted using patient data collected at a large academic medical center. Our proposed approach outperforms the current clinical practice by 36% in terms of false positive rate given a 2% false negative rate.
Free convection between horizontal concentric cylinders in a slightly-thermally stratified fluid

Abstract The present paper considers the steady, two-dimensional Flow of a vertically stratified viscous fluid in the annulus between two concentric horizontal cylinders in a uniform gravity field. The outer cylinder is assumed to be maintained at a variable temperature such that conditions for vertical stratification are satisfied. Theoretical solutions are obtained in a power series of (modified) Grashof number G up to G 3 . Two cases are considered: when the inner cylinder is either thermally insulated or when its surface temperature is kept constant. Results are presented mostly in the form of graphs of the streamlines and isotherms. A dimensionless stratification parameter S governs the flow. For S equal to zero, the solutions tend to the unstratified case. When S approaches infinity, the flow has both vertical and horizontal symmetry. When the inner cylinder is thermally insulated, the streamline pattern is almost the same as in the isothermal case ( S = ∞), but the directions of the flow are reversed.
An improved procedure for the assay of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase in rat liver homogenates.

Abstract An improved rapid procedure for the separation of labeled glycogen formed in the assay of glycogen synthase (EC 2.4.1.11) in liver homogenates is described. The glycogen formed from UDPG-glucose is separated from phosphate compounds and other electrolytes by passage through a small column of an anion-exchange resin in the acetate or chloride form. The effluent contains glycogen and other polysaccharides and sugars. When the synthase activity is low about half of the labeled glycogen formed in the assay is broken down by amylases or glucosidases, causing an underestimation of the activity by conventional methods of glycogen precipitation. The use of anion-exchange resin avoids this error. From 30 to 70% of the a form of glycogen synthase in rat liver homogenates is in a particulate form found in the pellet centrifuged at 10,000 to 20,000g. the apparent K m for UDPG, for both the a and b forms in rat liver homogenates is 0.9 m m . A rapid procedure to assay the two forms of glycogen phosphorylase by separating radioactive glycogen from glucose 1-phosphate with ion-exchange resins is described.
Screening for Lung Cancer* : The Guidelines

Although virtually all individuals with advanced lung cancer succumb to the disease, a substantial portion of individuals diagnosed at an earlier stage can be cured. This dichotomy has provoked interest in lung cancer screening. To date, randomized controlled trials of chest x-ray and sputum cytology have failed to demonstrate that screening with either modality decreases lung cancer mortality; neither of these technologies can be recommended. Early studies of lung cancer screening with low-dose CT (LDCT) appear promising; however, only data from observational studies are available. We recommend that individuals should only be screened with LDCT in the context of well-designed clinical trials.
In vivo immunization against autologous glioblastoma-associated antigens

A glioblastoma patient was immunized in vivo with a mixture of autologous and homologous glioblastoma cells coupled to adjuvant peptide and cord-factor analog. Immune activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes was measured in a short-term 51chromium-release assay against autologous tumor target cells. The patient developed direct cell-mediated cytotoxicity against tumor-associated antigens, which appeared to be T-cell mediated.
Role of interactions between the origin recognition complex and SIR1 in transcriptional silencing

Transcriptional silencing of the HM mating-type loci in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is caused by the localized formation of an altered chromatin structure, analogous to heterochromatin in higher eukaryotes. Silencing depends on cis-acting sequences, termed silencers, as well as several trans-acting factors, including histones H4 and H3, proteins RAP1 and ABF1, and the four SIR proteins (SIR1-4). Each of the four HM silencers contains an autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) to which the origin replication complex (ORC) binds. This six-protein complex is required for initiation of DNA replication, as well as for silencing. Efficient establishment of the silenced state requires both passage through the S phase of the cell cycle and SIR1 protein. Previous experiments suggested that SIR1 might be localized to the silencers by binding to ORC and/or RAP1. Here we report that SIR1 can bind directly to ORC1, the largest of the ORC subunits, and that targeting of SIR1 to ORC1 at a silencer is sufficient to establish a silenced state.