cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Against the Spirit of System: The French Impulse in Nineteenth-Century American Medicine

In this wide-ranging exploration of American medical culture, John Harley Warner offers the first in-depth study of a powerful intellectual and social influence: the radical empiricism of the Paris Clinical School. After the French Revolution, Paris emerged as the most vibrant center of Western medicine, bringing fundamental changes in understanding disease and attitudes toward the human body as an object of scientific knowledge. Between the 1810s and the 1860s, hundreds of Americans studied in Parisian hospitals and dissection rooms, and then applied their new knowledge to advance their careers at home and reform American medicine. By reconstructing their experiences and interpretations, by comparing American with English depictions of French medicine, and by showing how American memories of Paris shaped the later reception of German ideals of scientific medicine, Warner reveals that the French impulse was a key ingredient in creating the modern medicine American doctors and patients live with today. Impressed by the opportunity to learn through direct hands-on physical examination and dissection, many American students in Paris began to decry the elaborate theoretical schemes they held responsible for the degraded state of American medicine. These reformers launched an empiricist crusade "against the spirit of system, " which promised social, economic, and intellectual uplift for their profession. Using private diaries, family letters, and student notebooks, and exploring regionalism, gender, and class, Warner draws readers into the world of medical Americans while investigating tensions between the physician's identity as scientist and as healer.
Linking the Activity Measure for Post Acute Care and the Quality of Life Outcomes in Neurological Disorders

Abstract Haley SM, Ni P, Lai J-S, Tian F, Coster WJ, Jette AM, Straub D, Cella D. Linking the Activity Measure for Post Acute Care and the Quality of Life Outcomes in Neurological Disorders. Objective To use item response theory (IRT) methods to link physical functioning items in the Activity Measure for Post Acute Care (AM-PAC) and the Quality of Life Outcomes in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QOL). Design Secondary data analysis of the physical functioning items of AM-PAC and Neuro-QOL. We used a nonequivalent group design with 36 core items common to both instruments and a test characteristic curve transformation method for linking AM-PAC and Neuro-QOL scores. Linking was conducted so that both raw and scaled AM-PAC and Neuro-QOL scores (mean ± SD converted-logit scores, 50±10) could be compared. Setting AM-PAC items were administered to rehabilitation patients in post–acute care (PAC) settings. Neuro-QOL items were administered to a community sample of adults through the Internet. Participants PAC patients (N=1041) for the AM-PAC sample and community-dwelling adults (N=549) for the Neuro-QOL sample. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Mobility (N=25) and activity of daily living (ADL) items (N=11) common to both instruments were included in analysis. Results Neuro-QOL items were linked to the AM-PAC scale by using the generalized partial credit model. Mobility and ADL subscale scores from the 2 instruments were calibrated to the AM-PAC metric. Conclusions An IRT-based linking method placed AM-PAC and Neuro-QOL mobility and ADL scores on a common metric. This linking allowed estimation of AM-PAC mobility and ADL subscale scores based on Neuro-QOL mobility and ADL subscale scores and vice versa. The accuracy of these results should be validated in a future sample in which participants respond to both instruments.
Effects of low-dose monophasic levonorgestrel with ethinyl estradiol preparation on serum lipid levels: A twenty-four month clinical trial.

Abstract Objective: The aim of this 24-cycle study was to evaluate the effects on serum lipid concentrations of an oral contraceptive preparation containing 100 μg levonorgestrel and 20 μg ethinyl estradiol. Study Design: Forty-two healthy women were enrolled in a study designed to evaluate the effects on serum lipid concentrations of an oral contraceptive containing 100 μg levonorgestrel and 20 μg ethinyl estradiol. Lipid data were evaluated for 28 women who completed 24 cycles of treatment with a preparation of 100 μg levonorgestrel with 20 μg ethinyl estradiol for 21 days followed by placebo for 7 days. Concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol subfractions 2 and 3, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoproteins A-I and B were analyzed. Mean percentage changes from baseline were tested for significance by means of paired Student t tests. Results: Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein subfraction 2, and apolipoprotein A-I concentrations were not significantly changed from baseline. Neither was the ratio of high-density lipoprotein subfraction 2 to high-density lipoprotein subfraction 3. Mean percentage increases in concentrations of triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein subfraction 3, apolipoprotein B, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increases in the ratios of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A-I were significant ( P Conclusion: Changes in the plasma lipid profiles among women receiving monophasic 100 μg levonorgestrel with 20 μg ethinyl estradiol were similar to those seen with other low-dose oral contraceptives, but by cycle 24 only 1 of 7 mean values remained significantly different from baseline. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;181:S59-62.)
Exact Statistical Tolerance Limits for Sample Variances

Exact statistical tolerance limits on the population of sample variances and standard dewtions arising from a normal (μ, σ2) distribution are derived. The use of tolerance limits on the variance or standard deviation is motivated by a number of applied problems which we describe. These tolerance limits are discussed in relation to the usual control chart limits.
Pasture canopy temperature under cloudy humid conditions

Abstract The temperature of a forage canopy, which is determined primarily by climate conditions and plant water status, is an important regulator of the forage's physiological processes. Canopy temperature measurements are widely taken as an indicator of plant-water status under arid, sunny conditions. This study was conducted to determine the canopy temperature response of orchardgrass ( Dactylis glomerata L.) to the high humidity and variable radiation levels of Appalachia. Average hourly climate parameters were measured along with average hourly canopy temperature and daily evapotranspiration from a monolith lysimeter at the North Appalachian Experimental Watersehd at Coshocton, Ohio, from Day 110 through 183 of 1989. The responses during a reference spring with plentiful rainfall indicate that canopy temperature decreased 2.1°C for a 1 kPa increase in vapor pressure deficit and increased 0.6°C for each 100 W m −2 increase in net radiation. The levels of average hourly wind during this period had no significant effect on canopy temperature. Aerodynamic and canopy resistances calculated from canopy temperature responses to vapor pressure deficit and net radiation were consistent except at net radiation levels below 100 W m −2 . Reductions in canopy height by a half, as a result of lodging, had no pronounced effect on evapotranspiration or canopy temperature. The response of canopy temperature to changes in climate conditions was as reliably determined under cloudy humid conditions as under sunny conditions.
ON A REGULARIZED INVERSE PROBLEM OF THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL PLASMA-WAVE EQUATION

We consider potential inversion of the multidimensional plasma-wave equation, where the potential is to be determined from boundary responses of the half space to an impulsive plane-wave source. It is well known that this problem is ill-posed due to the lack of control in large transversal wavenumbers. In this paper, we study a regularized version of the problem, which was originally proposed by Yagle and Levy for numerical computations. We reformulate the regularized problem as a system of nonlinear integral equations, and obtain various results on stability, uniqueness, and existence of the solution to the problem. Our main results show that the regularized problem is well-posed up to a `critical depth' which depends on the size of the data and the regularization operator, i.e. the regularized problem has a unique solution which continuously depends on the data (in the sense of the norms defined in this paper), up to the critical depth.
To Promote the General Welfare: The Case for Big Government. Edited by Steven Conn . (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2012. Pp. ix, 233. $19.95.)

It might seem axiomatic: Industrial societies foster more government involvement—economic and social—than undeveloped nations. But in this work, Steven Conn suggests that the government's role has ...
Investigating a Debt Channel for the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs: Evidence from the Sovereign Bond Market

I examine the change in prices of foreign sovereign dollar bonds over several weeks in 1930 that marked major legislative progress for the Smoot-Hawley tariffs. If the market was preoccupied by anticipated debt-repayment problems arising from the tariffs, this should be visible in the cross-country pattern of bond prices. The bond price data are compared to indicators of country sensitivity to the tariffs and debt service. A significant relationship is found for bond price changes in June 1930, but the size of the effect is very small. Analysis at the regional and individual country level reveals some puzzling cases. r he conventional wisdom in economics has been that the Smoot-Hawley tariffs of 1930 do not have a major role in explaining the severity of the Great Depression. Even though the tariffs were assigned an important role in contemporary discussions of the Depression, Charles Kindleberger, amongst many others, notes that the primary effect of tariffs is to redirect aggregate demand from foreign to home products; while there are losses due to lower gains from trade, there are also gains in aggregate demand.1 The argument applies with special force for the United States and Europe, because exports and imports were a relatively small proportion of U.S. Gross Domestic Product to begin with, and Europe traded relatively little with the United States. Thus although Douglas Irwin finds that the tariffs can explain 40 percent of the decline in imports during the Depression, it is still difficult to view this shock as having a major macroeconomic impact in the United States.2 Kindleberger prefers to view the tariffs as an indication of lack of constructive leadership at the global level: the signing of the bill by Hoover "made clear that in the world economy no one was in charge."3 Nevertheless, there have been occasional aftempts to affach more than symbolic importance to the tariffs. Mario Crucini and James Kahn have used a combined stochastic growth and computable general equilibrium approach to argue
Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for hilar tumors: perioperative outcomes.

Objective To compare perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) for hilar vs nonhilar tumors. Materials and Methods The study retrospectively reviewed 364 patients with available computed tomography scans undergoing RAPN. Demographic data and perioperative outcomes results were compared between the hilar (group 1, n = 70) and nonhilar tumors (group 2, n = 294). Multivariate analysis was used to identify predictors of warm ischemia time (WIT), estimated blood loss (EBL), major perioperative complications, and postoperative renal function. Results There were no differences with respect to demographic variables. Hilar tumors had higher RENAL (radius, exophytic/endophytic properties of the tumor, nearness of tumor deepest portion to the collecting system or sinus, anterior/posterior descriptor and the location relative to polar lines) scores ( P P P P P = .04). No differences were noted in transfusion rate, length of stay, complications (overall and major) and positive margins. Postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate showed no significant difference between hilar vs nonhilar patients on postoperative day 3 (70.12 vs 74.71 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , P = .31) or at last follow-up (72.62 vs 75.78 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , P = .40), respectively. Multivariate analysis found hilar location was independently associated with increased WIT without significant changes in EBL, major complications, or postoperative renal function. Conclusion RAPN represents a safe and effective procedure for hilar tumors. Hilar location for patients undergoing RAPN in a high-volume institution seems not be associated with an increased risk of transfusions, major complications, or decline of early postoperative renal function.
Period doubling bifurcation problems in the softening Duffing oscillator with nonstationary excitation

The Duffing oscillators are widely used to mathematically model a variety of engineering and physical systems. A computational analysis has been initiated to explore the effects of nonstationary excitations on the response of the softening Duffing oscillator in the region of the parameter space where the period doubling sequences occur. Significant differences between the stationary and nonstationary responses have been uncovered: (i) the stationary transitions from T to 2T, from 2T to 4T ... etc. branches at the stationary period doubling bifurcations are smooth, in nonstationary cases they exhibit jumps to the near stationary branches at the values of the control parameters greater than those for the stationary; this phenomenon is called penetration (delay or memory). The lengths of the penetrations is being compressed to zero with the increasing number of the iterations. (ii) The stationary and nonstationary responses eventually settle on different limit motions, the nonstationary has modulated components. (iii) The jumps appearing in the stationary bifurcation diagram at 2T from the upper to the lower branches of the (x, f) and (x, Ω), i.e., (displacement-forcing amplitude) and (displacement-forcing frequency), diagrams have been replaced by continuous transition in the nonstationary diagram climinating thus the discontinuity. Apart from these differences, some specific characteristic nonstationary responses have been observed not encountered in the stationary cases: (iv) the appearance of the ‘window’ in the nonstationary limit bifurcation diagrams. (v) The nonstationary limit motions located on the upper (lower) branches of the (x, f) or (x, Ω) diagrams expanded rapidly to the lower (upper) branches. (vi) The stationary and nonstationary bifurcation diagrams are extremely sensitive to the initial conditions, manifested by the mirror reflections, called the flipflop phenomenon. (vii) The nonstationary limit motion has been characterized by a complex phase portrait, the appearance of the Cantor-like set of the limit motion bifurcation plot, and continuous spectral density. For the purpose of comparison, a stationary period doubling sequence T, 2T,..., 2 n T,... stationary limit motion, χST which is known to be chaotic has been determined. A far reaching observation has been made in the process of this study: the determination of the nonstationary bifurcations, their branches and limit motions, has been independent of the calculations of the stationary ones, indicating, thus, the existence of an independent class of nonstationary (time varying) dynamics.
The developmental niche: a theoretical framework for analyzing the household production of health.

Abstract Recent efforts to promote child survival and development internationally have focused new attention on the importance of the household as a mediator of both environmental risks and programmatic interventions to promote better health. In this paper, we introduce a theoretical framework, the ‘developmental niche,’ derived from studies of children's behavior and development in different cultural contexts, as a tool for analyzing the household production of health. The developmental niche is conceptualized in terms of three basic components: (1) the physical and social settings of the child's everyday life; (2) culturally regulated customs of child care and child rearing; and (3) the psychology of the caretakers. The relevance of each of these components to the household production of health is illustrated through examples from research in several cultures, including Malaysia, Kenya, Bangladesh, India, and the U.S. Further discussion centers on three corollaries of the developmental niche framework that point to the interactive relationships among the three components, between the niche and the larger environment, and between the niche and the child (or any individual seen from a developmental perspective). It is suggested that this approach is useful for identifying and collecting relevant information on household-level factors that affect health outcomes, and thus for organizing more effective interventions. At a theoretical level, the developmental niche framework also facilitates understanding processes of mutual adaptation between the individual and the environment as they are filtered through the constraints of household settings, customs and caretaker psychologies.
Application of Term Rewriting Techniques to Hardware Design Verification

Term rewriting systems have been used in automatic theorem proving. A canonical term rewriting system for boolean algebra recently discovered, and a refutation technique using Knuth-Bendix completion procedure can be used to prove boolean formulas arising in logic verification. In this paper a design verification system based on term rewriting techniques is presented. It can prove total correctness of combinational circuits without exhaustive simulation. A prototype system implemented on a Motorola 68010 based workstation shows that the system performs favorably compared to a simulator.
Role of penetration twins in the morphological development of vapor-grown diamond films

Morphologies of vapor-deposited polycrystalline diamond films range from clean multimicron crystallites to nanocrystalline cauliflower nodules, depending on deposition conditions. While previous efforts to connect diamond film quality to growth conditions focus on competitive growth of nondiamond phases, we propose that twinning is a major controlling factor. We use a geometric construction to define growth conditions under which a given twin can outgrow and possibly bury the parent face on which it originated. We then show how the full spectrum of diamond crystallite shapes and film morphologies are explained in terms of penetration twins without reference to the actual mechanistics of diamond growth. This results in a reactor map that serves as a powerful tool in process development and control.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Long-Range Magnetic Interactions in the Multiferroic Antiferromagnet MnWO4

The spin-wave excitations of the multiferroic ${\mathrm{MnWO}}_{4}$ have been measured in its low-temperature collinear commensurate phase using high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering. These excitations can be well described by a Heisenberg model with competing long-range exchange interactions and a single-ion anisotropy term. The magnetic interactions are strongly frustrated within the zigzag spin chain along the $c$ axis and between chains along the $a$ axis, while the coupling between spin along the $b$ axis is much weaker. The balance of these interactions results in the noncollinear incommensurate spin structure associated with the magnetoelectric effect, and the perturbation of the magnetic interactions leads to the observed rich phase diagrams of the chemically doped materials. This delicate balance can also be tuned by the application of external electric or magnetic fields to achieve magnetoelectric control of this type of materials.
Cross Sections for Actinide Burner Reactors

Recent studies have shown the feasibility of burning higher actinides (i.e., transuranium (TRU) elements excluding plutonium) in ad hoc designed reactors (Actinide Burner Reactors: ABR) which; because of their hard neutron spectra, enhance the fission of TRU. The transmutation of long-lived radionuclides into stable or short-lived isotopes reduces considerably the burden of handling high-level waste from either LWR or Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR) fuels. Because of the large concentrations of higher actinides in these novel reactor designs the Doppler effect due to TRU materials is the most important temperature coefficient from the point of view of reactor safety. Here we report calculations of energy group-averaged capture and fission cross sections as function of temperature and dilution for higher actinides in the resolved and unresolved resonance regions. The calculations were done with the codes SAMMY in the resolved region and URR in the unresolved regions and compared with an independent calculation.
Chiral analysis using the kinetic method with optimized fixed ligands: applications to some antibiotics.

A new version of the kinetic method for chiral analysis, which employs a fixed (nondissociating) ligand as well as the usual analyte and chiral reference ligands, is introduced to simplify the kinetics of this experiment. Singly charged clusters containing the divalent transition metal ion MnII, a peptide which serves as a fixed ligand, an amino acid chiral reference, and the analyte 4-benzyl-2-oxazolidinone were generated by electrospray ionization (ESI). The cluster ion of interest was mass-selected, and the kinetics of its competitive unimolecular dissociations was investigated in an ion trap mass spectrometer. The chiral selectivity ( ), the ratio of the two fragment ion abundances when the cluster contains one pure enantiomer of the analyte expressed relative to that for the other enantiomer, varies with increasing size of the fixed peptide ligands. The metal−ligand and the ligand−ligand interactions that produce chiral discrimination are optimized in the tetrapeptide fixed ligand Gly-Gly-Ala-Gly, as...
The Rest Period of Apricot Flower Buds as Described By a Regression of Time of Bloom on Temperature.

The buds of deciduous fruit trees which remain dormant when temperatures are favorable for growth are said to be in a state of rest or in the rest period. The rest influence varies in intensity, however, such that dormancy from this cause also varies and is most intense only when the rest is the deepest. Buds with lesser intensities of rest respond to favorable growing temperatures with rates of growth which vary inversely with the depth of the rest influence. It is possible, therefore, to describe the rest period by evaluating periodically the responsiveness of buds to temperatures favorable for growth. Such an evaluation is herein described for the flower buds of the Royal apricot. The time of bloom is an end-point for measuring the rate of development of flower buds. For a given temperature favorability, the opening of the buds in the spring will depend on the amount of rest remaining after the buds have experienced the rest-breaking influence of chilling temperatures in the preceding winter. The deeper the rest remaining in the spring, other things being equal, the later will be the bloom. Bloom records of the Royal apricot, together with appropriate temperature data, were available for 24 seasons from Winters and for 20 seasons from Brentwood, California. The records were considered as 44 observations in the statistical treatment of the data, even though the same years were involved at both locations in 20 of the seasons. The dates of bloom were coded as the number of days from February 2 to full bloom inclusive. The temperature data were obtained from weekly thermograph records. Tabulations were made of the number of hours of temperatures experienced in a series of temperature classes listed below. These data were converted to a growth unit index which expresses the favorability of temperatures for growth. Growth units were calculated by summing the products of the number of hours in the temperature classes and appropriate coefficients of temperature efficiency. This procedure weights the effectiveness of different temperatures. The coefficients of temperature efficiency which were used are based on the apparent efficiencies of temperatures in promoting the development of apricot fruits (2). Although they were derived from fruit data, they were applied here as the best approximation for weighting the effectiveness of temperatures for bud development, since no such coefficients have been derived specifically for buds. The coefficients used are as follows:
Dietary sterol effects on mevalonate kinase activity in axenic and non-axenic Sarcophaga bullata (Diptera)☆

Abstract The effects of dietary sterols on the mevalonate kinase of Sarcophaga bullata larvae have been determined. Larvae reared axenically to day 6 on semi-defined cholesterol and β-sitosterol diets evidence a two- to threefold increase in enzyme specific activity compared to the non-axenic larvae at the same developmental time. Under non-axenic growth conditions, the larva evidences a clear pattern of kinase activity in response to varying dietary cholesterol concentrations. A 50 per cent increase in specific activity is observed when cholesterol concentration is reduced to 1 100 that of the standard dietary optimum (1·0 per cent). Of other sterols studied, β-cholestanol produces the most significant effect on the larval enzyme. Larval growth rate indices and survival determinations have been calculated for the insects reared on cholesterol and β-sitosterol regimens. The results of these investigations are discussed in relation to the effect of nutritional stimuli on enzyme levels in axenic and non-axenic organisms and the control of isoprenoid biosynthesis in this insect.
Linking fragipans, perched water tables, and catchment-scale hydrological processes

Abstract Soils with very slowly permeable fragipans and fragipan-like argillic horizons are extensive throughout the Palouse Region of northern Idaho and eastern Washington, USA. These soils develop seasonal perched water tables (PWTs) under the xeric moisture regime of the region. The objective of this study was to utilize a hydropedology approach to examine the linkages between fragipans, PWTs, and catchment-scale hydrological processes such as soil water storage, runoff, and lateral throughflow. A 1.7-ha catchment dominated by Fragixeralfs (Fragic Luvisols) was instrumented with 135 automated shallow wells to monitor PWTs. Soil water content was measured with water content reflectometry probes, and catchment outflow was measured with a flume. A 35 m × 18 m plot was isolated hydrologically from the surrounding hillslope using tile drains and plastic sheeting to measure perched water outflow. Results show that during the wet winter and spring months, the transition from unsaturated to saturated conditions is accompanied by changes in volumetric water storage of only 4–5%. PWT levels are at the surface of ∼ 26–45% of the catchment soils during periods of high rainfall and snowmelt, thereby generating saturation-excess surface runoff from hillslopes. Observed solute movement via subsurface flow is very rapid and ranges between 2.9 and 18.7 m d − 1 when PWTs are maintained in more-permeable Ap and Bw horizons. Subsurface lateral flow accounts for as much as 90% of the incident precipitation and snowmelt during early spring. Data indicate that the relatively shallow depth to the fragipans and high K sat in surface soil layers combine to create a very flashy hydrological system characterized by considerable temporal and spatial variation in patterns of saturation-excess runoff.
Translational applications of antibody phage display

Recent developments in molecular immunology have facilitated the expression of immune repertoires in the form of immunoglobulin fragments on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage. Such approaches, known as “phage display”, have provided powerful tools for producing monoclonal antibodies for research, clinical, and therapeutic applications. Our laboratory has combined these techniques with novel selection methods to isolate extraordinarily large arrays of human antibodies that can be used for developing new diagnostic reagents and methods for their use, as well as reagents that may serve as leads for the design of novel therapeutic molecules. In particular, application of phage display to the study of antibody-mediated autoimmune disease, notably idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and pemphigus have facilitated comprehensive genetic and serologic analyses of pathogenic autoantibodies thereby offering new insights into disease pathophysiology and approaches for their treatment.
Electroform replication used for multiple X-ray mirror production

Work done to produce x-ray mirrors via electroform replication is reported. Several advances have been made over previous work. We have produced lower grazing incidence angle (30 min) mirrors, obtained quantitative measurements up to higher energies (6.40 keV), produced about four times as many replicas from one mandrel, and obtained angular resolutions better than other work done with replicated metal mirrors.
Belief and behavior: The role of "folk psychology" in psychiatry

Abstract Most psychiatrists assume that belief is a basis for behavior. The validity of this assumption has been challenged by certain philosophers who assign the concept belief to the domain of “folk psychology”. These philosophers contend that the discoveries of neuroscience will eliminate the ideas of folk psychology from scientific discourse and that behavior will eventually be accounted for in terms of brain states. In order to examine the relationship of belief and behavior, examples of self-mutilation by normal and abnormal individuals are reviewed. It is concluded that belief is a basis for behavior and that neuroscience, like folk psychology, is valid only within certain limits.
Conversion of Kepone by Methanosarcina thermophila

Acetate-grown cultures of Methanosarcina thermophila converted uniformly labeled [14C]Kepone to polar and nonpolar products with 86% of the Kepone degraded within the first 10 days. The titanium(III) citrate-reduced CO dehydrogenase enzyme complex isolated from M. thermophila also catalyzed the conversion of Kepone to polar and nonpolar products with a similar pattern as seen with whole cell cultures. Similar patterns of soluble Kepone decomposition products were obtained with reduced vitamin B12, reduced corrinoid cofactor (factor III) isolated from the CO dehydrogenase enzyme complex, and reduced coenzyme F430 isolated from the methyl coenzyme M methylreductase of M. thermophila.
Agriculture-based biomass energy supply — a survey of economic issues

Abstract There is a large potential for the production of energy crops on agricultural land. Most of the biomass produced has alternative use as food, feed or fiber. In most cases, energy utilization of the biomass is far from competitive given today's prices. If dedicated energy crops are to be more competitive in the future, fossil energy prices must increase relative to the price of food, feed and fiber. Considerable spread exists among published future fossil fuel price forecasts. From currently available evidence, there is small hope that fossil energy prices will increase relative to the price of food and feed. The impact on the greenhouse gas balance is the most important positive factor for biomass energy, compared with fossil energy. For the time being there is no consensus among economists about the magnitude of the environmental costs of greenhouse gas emissions. Reasonable values on the external effects are in most cases not enough to make agriculture-based biomass energy competitive. Considerable government subsidies are needed. There is, however, no economic justification for such subsidies. Biomass energy systems using low quality biomass, originating as a by-product from the production of food, feed and/or fiber, is the most promising niche for energy from agricultural biomass.
Intact, injured, necrotic and apoptotic cells after focal cerebral ischemia in the rat

Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) leads to brain cell death. However, quantitation of injured brain cells and inflammatory cells after MCAo has not been determined in the rat. Transient (2 h) MCAo was therefore induced in male Wistar rats by means of an intraluminal monofilament. Immunohistochemical and histochemical procedures performed at 46 h after MCAo were used to identify specific cellular populations in ischemic and control rats (n=11). In the ischemic core of the lesion, approximately 24.7% of cells disappeared. Forty-four point eight percent of parenchymal cells consisted of intact (13.0%) or reversibly injured swollen (7.6%) and scalloped/shrunken dark (24.2%) cells. The percentage of irreversibly damaged cells was 55.2%, and included 49.9% necrotic cells (10.5% red and 39.4% ghost) and 5.4% apoptotic cells. In the inner boundary zone of the lesion, 15.9% of cells disappeared. Viable cells constituted 62.0% of all remaining cells. Neutrophils and macrophages were localized to this area. In the outer boundary zone of the lesion, 9.0% of cells disappeared. Viable cells constituted 91.6% of all remaining cells. The ratio of apoptotic to necrotic cells was 1:9, 1:6, 1:13 in the ischemic core, inner and outer boundary zones, respectively. Our data suggest the presence of three zones within the ischemic lesion: the core, and inner and outer boundaries. At 46 h after 2 h of MCAo the ischemic lesion is highly heterogenous containing relatively large percentages of morphologically intact cells, suggesting the possibility of an extended window of therapeutic opportunity.
Zipping Backwards the Other Way – Yet Another Unique Aspect of Cellulose

Readers of this journal may be keenly aware of cellulose’s remarkable attributes, such as high stiffness, insolubility in just about everything, resistance to enzymatic attack, dimensional stability in the lengthwise direction, and toughness associated with the alternating crystalline zones and less organized regions. But if you dissolve cellulose and then allow it to recrystallize, the resulting crystals are at the same time radically different, and yet remarkably similar in most respects to the native form. Exactly half of the macromolecules in regenerated cellulose have been reversed 180 degrees in their direction. The behavior of dropped pencils can help explain why this happens.
Detecting falls with 3D range camera in ambient assisted living applications: A preliminary study

In recent years several world-wide ambient assisted living (AAL) programs have been activated in order to improve the quality of life of older people, and to strengthen the industrial base through the use of information and communication technologies. An important issue is extending the time that older people can live in their home environment, by increasing their autonomy and helping them to carry out activities of daily livings (ADLs). Research in the automatic detection of falls has received a lot of attention, with the object of enhancing safety, emergency response and independence of the elderly, at the same time comparing the social and economic costs related to fall accidents. In this work, an algorithmic framework to detect falls by using a 3D time-of-flight vision technology is presented. The proposed system presented complementary working requirements with respect to traditional worn and non-worn fall-detection devices. The vision system used a state-of-the-art 3D range camera for elderly movement measurement and detection of critical events, such as falls. The depth images provided by the active sensor allowed reliable segmentation and tracking of elderly movements, by using well-established imaging methods. Moreover, the range camera provided 3D metric information in all illumination conditions (even night vision), allowing the overcoming of some typical limitations of passive vision (shadows, camouflage, occlusions, brightness fluctuations, perspective ambiguity). A self-calibration algorithm guarantees different setup mountings of the range camera by non-technical users. A large dataset of simulated fall events and ADLs in real dwellings was collected and the proposed fall-detection system demonstrated high performance in terms of sensitivity and specificity.
Root Caries in an Optimally Fluoridated and a High-fluoride Community

The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence and distribution of root caries in two New Mexico communities. One community, Deming, had a natural fluoride concentration of 0.7 mg/L in its drinking water, optimum for its climate. The other, Lordsburg, was naturally fluoridated at 3.5 mg/L, five times the optimum. Dental examinations were carried out on 151 adults in Deming (mean age, 39.8 years) and 164 in Lordsburg (mean age, 43.2 years); only persons born in the communities were included. Prevalence of root caries was 23.8% in Deming and 7.3% in Lordsburg; mean number of lesions was 0.69 in Deming and 0.08 in Lordsburg (p less than 0.0001). Although there was more gingival recession in Lordsburg, Root Caries Index scores were five times greater in Deming. Root caries was more prevalent in older age groups, and was correlated with coronal caries experience in both communities. Root caries was correlated with plaque and calculus scores in Deming only. Logistic regression showed that city of residence was the major predictor of root caries, with other significant predictors being age, education, gingival recession, and loss of periodontal attachment. When combined with previous research, these results confirm that root caries experience is directly related to the fluoride concentration in the drinking water.
A Finite-Element Solution Procedure for the Interpolation of Current Data in Complex Regions

Abstract A finite-element solution technique is introduced to develop current patterns subject to geostrophic and Ekman dynamics for an irregular continental shelf region. The interpolation bases set of functions uses triangular topology. Alternate boundary conditions are discussed and related to both the mathematical nature of the governing equation and the geophysical constraints imposed on the flow. Examples of the derived current patterns are shown for two regions of the Gulf of Alaska.
Pathological Biomineralization of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are aggregates of microcrystals, most commonly containing calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) as the primary constituent. The formation of these aggregates in the renal tubules of the kidney and their attachment to epithelial cells lining the renal tubules are thought to involve adhesion events between COM crystal surfaces and urinary species that bind to these surfaces. The pathological behavior of COM is in stark contrast to calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD), a different mineral phase commonly found in voided urine but much less frequently in stones, and whose presence is thought to protect against stone formation. This observation suggests that the structure and composition of calcium oxalate crystal surfaces and the fundamental interactions of these surfaces with urinary species are crucial to unraveling the complex pathology of this debilitating disease.
MO‐D‐BRB‐02: The Radiological Physics Center's Quality Audit Program: Where Can We Improve?

Purpose: To analyze the findings of the Radiological Physics Center's (RPC) QA audits of institutions participating in NCI sponsored clinical trials. Methods: The RPC has developed an extensive Quality Assurance (QA) program over the past 44 years. This program includes on‐site dosimetry reviews where measurements on therapy machines are made, records are reviewed and personnel are interviewed. The program's remote audit tools include mailed dosimeters (OSLD/TLD) to verify output calibration, comparison of dosimetry data with RPC ‘standard’ data, evaluation of benchmark and patient calculations to verify the treatment planning algorithms, review of institution's QA procedures and records, and use of anthropomorphic phantoms to verify tumordose delivery. The RPC endeavors to assist institutions in finding the origins of any detected discrepancies, and to resolve them. Results: Ninety percent of institutions receiving dosimetry recommendations has remained level for the past 5 years. The most frequent recommendations were for not performing TG‐40 QA tests, wedge factors, small field size output factors and off‐axis factors. Since TG‐51 was published, the number of beam calibrations audited during visits with ion chambers, that met the RPC's ±3% criterion, decreased initially but has risen to pre‐TG‐51 levels. The OSLD/TLD program shows that only ∼3% of the beams are outside our ±5% criteria, but these discrepancies are distributed over 12–20% of the institutions. The percent of institutions with i,3l beam outside the RPC's criteria is approximately the same whether OSLD/TLD or ion chambers were used. The first time passing rate for the anthropomorphic phantoms is increasing with time. The prostate phantom has the highest pass rate while the spine phantom has the lowest. Conclusions: Numerous dosimetry errors continue to be discovered by the RPC's QA program and the RPC continues to play an important role in helping institutions resolve these errors. This work was supported by PHS grants CA10953 and CA081647 awarded by NCI.
Wittgenstein: On Certainty and Truth

Dans le cadre du colloque consacre a l'essai de Wittgenstein sur «La certitude», organise par H. E. Mason a l'universite du Minnesota en octobre 1996, l'A. defend l'idee selon laquelle Wittgenstein redefinit le role de la certitude dans la langage, dans la recherche, dans la connaissance et dans la vie quotidienne, a partir d'une conception minimaliste de la verite qu'il s'agit d'etudier. Exposant la these que Wittgenstein oppose a Moore, l'A. distingue la certitude de la connaissance, en definit les caracteristiques en termes d'objectivite, d'action, d'image, de jugement, de proposition et de jeu de langage. En reponse a la conference de P. Winch, l'A. montre que la certitude implique la verite, non pas dans le sens d'une refutation metaphysique du scpeticisme, mais dans le sens d'une communication par l'image
Design, Utility, and History of the Colorado Adoption Project: Examples Involving Adjustment Interactions

This article describes the Colorado Adoption Project (CAP), a longitudinal study in behavioral development, and discusses how adoption studies may be used to assess genetic and environmental etiolo...
Dynamics of Co-infection with M. tuberculosis and HIV-1

Since 1985, there has been a renewed epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) that was previously thought to be in check. There is evidence to believe the main factor for this resurgence has been the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Co-infection with HIV and M. Tuberculosis has profound implications for the course of both diseases. This study represents a first attempt to understand how the introduction of an opportunistic infection, namely Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes TB, affects the dynamic interaction of HIV-1 and the immune system. We create a mathematical model using ordinary differential equations to describe the interaction of HIV and TB with the immune system. It is known that infection with TB can decrease the CD4(+) T cell counts-a key marker of AIDS progression; thus, it shortens survival in HIV infected individuals. Another main marker for HIV progression is the viral load. If this load is increased due to the presence of opportunistic infections, the disease progression is much more rapid. We also explore the effects of drug treatment on the TB infection in the doubly-infected patient.
Depinning, defect creation and quantum tunnelling

Abstract We study a mechanism of depinning of an electron crystal via generation and separation of a dislocation pair. A depinning electric field of the same order of magnitudes as the experimental result is found. This depinning electric field is smaller by three orders of magnitude than the potential barrier set by the pinning frequency. In the low impurity density limit the depinning field is proportional to the square root of the dopant density and the 1.5 power of the dislocation energy. The 1.5 power functional dependence has been observed experimentally. Our mechanism can be viewed as a convenient way to describe collective quantum many body tunnelling.
A long-acting silicone delivery system for morphine and naloxone administration

Abstract A silicone (dimethylpolysiloxane) slow-release pellet containing morphine sulfate or naloxone HCI was developed for tissue implantation. The morphine-silicone pellet (300 mg morphine sulfate per pellet) induced a high level of tolerance and physical dependence in mice within 24 hr of implantation and the effects were maintained for 96 hr. Morphine was released immediately upon subcutaneous implant of the pellet and peak blood levels of morphine were observed within 12 hr of implantation. The pellet continued to release morphine over a 144-hr period and the blood levels remained elevated. Naloxone HCI-silicone slow-release pellets (25 mg naloxone HCI) blocked the analgesic action of morphine sulfate (10 mg kg ) over 144 hr of implantation. The present study indicates that a silicone pellet containing naloxone can effectively antagonize the acute action of morphine sulfate over a prolonged period of time.
Visual Performance Under Mesopic Conditions: Consequences for Roadway Lighting

Mesopic vision corresponds to luminances in which both the rods and cones contribute to vision. Many light levels for roadways, parking lots, and other exterior locations result in luminances within the mesopic vision region. Research is summarized that shows that the potentially large magnitude of spectral effects under mesopic conditions cannot be predicted from orthodox models of visual response without additional information about the contrast, size, and context of a visual stimulus. If peripheral detection is a relevant visual task for a roadway lighting installation that operates at mesopic conditions, then characterizing light levels in terms of photopic luminous efficiency, as is conventionally done, will not properly characterize the effectiveness of those light levels for this response. Consideration of the visual periphery can result in different selection of light sources than would result from a consideration of on-axis vision alone.
Contextual Influences on Gender Segregation in Emerging Adulthood

To better understand contextual influences on gender segregation in emerging adulthood, we examined the extent to which college students (N = 285; 178 females, 107 males) from the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. nominated same-gender peers when listing their close friends, preferred workmates for projects in English and math classes, and preferred partners for “hanging out.” We used an established, self-report measure to examine the relation between preferences to affiliate with same-gender peers and students’ gender-typed activity involvement (i.e., involvement in activities stereotypically associated with one’s own gender). The majority of close friends nominated by both women and men were same-gender peers, but men nominated relatively more same-gender friends than did women. Workmate nominations for class projects followed gender stereotypes. Women were least likely to nominate same-gender workmates for a math project compared to an English project or to “hang out.” Men were least likely to nominate same-gender workmates for a project in English compared to a math project or to “hang out.” For both women and men, nominating more same-gender friends and workmates was associated with less involvement in activities stereotypically associated with the other gender. The stability of emerging adults’ preferences for same-gender peers across contexts is discussed.