cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid volumetric imaging of the human retina in vivo using a low-cost spectral domain optical coherence tomography system

We present a low-cost, high resolution, real-time Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SDOCT) system optimized for rapid 3D imaging of the human retina in vivo. Using a source with an 841nm center wavelength and a FWHM bandwidth of 49nm, 6.67 second length bursts of 100 512 x 1000 pixel images were acquired with an integration time of 50 microseconds/line and a frame rate of 16 frames/sec. Three-dimensional data sets comprising up to 4.0mm x 1.2mm x 2.45mm retinal volumes were streamed to hard disk during this brief ocular fixation interval and post-processed to create 3D volumetric images of the optic nerve head and fovea.
Children's use of referring expressions in spontaneous discourse: Implications for theory of mind development

Abstract This paper refines and extends the empirical base of previous work on children's use of referring expressions in spontaneous discourse within the Givenness Hierarchy framework, and further develops implications of this work for our understanding of the development of a theory of mind. The study supports earlier findings that children use definite and indefinite articles, demonstrative determiners, and demonstrative and personal pronouns appropriately by age 3 or earlier. It also provides further support for two stages in mind-reading ability. The first, implicit and non-representational, includes the ability to assess memory and attention states such as familiarity and attention; the second, representational and more conscious, includes the ability to assess propositional, epistemic states such as knowledge and belief. Distinguishing the two stages provides a possible explanation for why children learn to use forms in ways consistent with their encoded information about how to mentally access an intended referent before they fully exhibit the metarepresentational ability to calculate pragmatic inferences, such as that involved in assessing how much information is relevant for the addressee.
Ion channels: shake, rattle or roll?

Nerve transmission depends on voltage-gated ion-channel proteins, which in turn depend on the behaviour of a membrane domain called the voltage sensor. Therein lies the latest episode in a continuing story.
HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION : THE IMPORTANCE OF ERADICATION IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC DISEASE

PreviewFew areas of practice have been so quickly and thoroughly revolutionized by a single finding as has management of peptic ulcer disease by the 1982 discovery that Helicobacter pylori infection and antral gastritis are strongly related. Empirical therapy for the infection is not recommended; the authors compare several methods of establishing the diagnosis before starting therapy. They also discuss currently used combinations of drugs and who should receive them.
Women, Property, and Surveillance in Classical Athens

While it is sometimes thought that free Athenian women were hemmed in by surveillance within the oikos, this article argues that the obstacle that impeded them when they attempted to control property was that they were excluded from the impersonal and formal systems of surveillance of male citizens. Athenian public life, lived in the view of others, dramatically extended the agency of those within it. While women could compensate for their legal incapacities by cultivating the personal trust of men, this required them to treat some of the people closest to them instrumentally, thus transforming their affectionate relationships.
Relative growth-promoting activity in tissue culture of co-factors and the parent vitamins.

SummaryA number of the co-factors here tested (FMN, DPN, cocarboxylase) had essentially the same activity as the corresponding vitamin (riboflavin, nicotinamide and thiamine, respectively) in promoting the growth of the mouse fibroblast, in terms of either the effective concentration or the amount of growth obtained. Several vitamin conjugates (FAD, TPN, coenzyme A and pyridoxal phosphate) proved significantly less active than the parent vitamin (riboflavin, nicotinamide, pantothenate, and pyridoxal, respectively). The present experiments provide no information as to the degree to which these differences may reflect only variations in cell permeability, rather than partial blocks in the utilization of these specific co-factors, or in their conversion to a more active form. Natural citrovorum factor, however, was somewhat more active than folic acid. Of the vitamin congeners or precursors here tested, pyridoxine and pyridoxal were essentially equivalent in activity; nicotinic acid was significantly less ac...
Ion-beam deposition, heating, and radiation from an aluminum plasma.

Energy transport and photon emission in a thin Al foil bombarded by an energetic proton beam is theoretically investigated with use of a one-dimensional numerical model which self-consistently treats energy deposition by the beam, the hydrodynamic response and ionization dynamics of the target, and the detailed radiation emission and transport. An extensive atomic-level structure with collisional-radiative-equilibrium (CRE) ionization dynamics is employed in conjunction with a hybrid radiation transport scheme consisting of a multifrequency ray tracing formalism for continuum transport and a probabilistic treatment for line transport. The interaction of a 1-MeV-proton beam with a flux of 10/sup 26/ protons/cm/sup 2/ sec on a 15-..mu..m-thick Al slab is investigated. It is found that half or more of the incident energy can be converted to radiation, suggesting that radiation can play a dominant role in the subsequent plasma evolution. Temperature and density profiles, energy histories, emission spectra, and other results are presented.
Results of endoscopic maxillary mega-antrostomy in recalcitrant maxillary sinusitis.

BackgroundIn patients with chronically diseased maxillary sinuses, poor mucociliary clearance may result from long-standing inflammation or scarring from previous surgery. This subset of patients o...
Evaluation of abnormal liver tests

Serum biochemical tests play an important role in the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic liver disease. Their routine use has led to the increased detection of liver enzyme abnormalities in otherwise asymptomatic patients. These tests consist of markers of hepatocellular injury, tests of liver metabolism, and tests of liver synthetic function. Liver injury can be characterized as primarily hepatocellular versus cholestatic based on the degree of elevation of aminotransferases compared with alkaline phosphatase. A comprehensive history, physical examination, and assessment of pattern of liver injury with additional directed laboratory testing establish the cause of hepatobiliary disease in most cases
Out and Running: Gay and Lesbian Candidates, Elections, and Policy Representation

Out and Running: Gay and Lesbian Candidates, Elections, and Policy Representation by Donald P. Haider-Markel. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2010. pp. xiii + 188. £20.75, pb. ISBN: 97...
Smad3 Induces Atrogin-1, Inhibits mTOR and Protein Synthesis, and Promotes Muscle Atrophy In Vivo

Myostatin, a member of the TGF superfamily, is sufficient to induce skeletal muscle atrophy. Myostatin-induced atrophy is associated with increases in E3-ligase atrogin-1 expression and protein degradation and decreases in Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and protein synthesis. Myostatin signaling activates the transcription factor Smad3 (Small Mothers Against Decapentaplegic), which has been shown to be necessary for myostatin-induced atrogin-1 expression and atrophy; however, it is not known whether Smad3 is sufficient to induce these events or whether Smad3 simply plays a permissive role. Thus, the aim of this study was to address these questions with an in vivo model. To accomplish this goal, in vivo transfection of plasmid DNA was used to create transient transgenic mouse skeletal muscles, and our results show for the first time that Smad3 expression is sufficient to stimulate atrogin-1 promoter activity, inhibit Akt/mTOR signaling and protein synthesis, and induce muscle fiber at...
Milton Hildebrand: Architect of the Rebirth of Vertebrate Morphology

In 1960, Hildebrand deplored that ver? tebrate comparative anatomy "has gelled into a mass of uninspiring facts." There was too much "anatomy" and too little "comparative"; too many details and too few ideas; too much tradition and too little enthusiasm. Yet, the vertebrate body and the interpretation of its form can be mat? ters of not only great fascination, but also of discovery and new theory. There is little doubt that in the first half
Friction of the liquid crystal 8CB as probed by the surface forces apparatus

The surface forces apparatus (SFA) was used to study the lubricating properties of an 8CB liquid crystal film confined between mica surfaces. After displacement of most of the liquid crystal by compression, a 10.2 {angstrom} thick layer of 8CB was found between mica surfaces in the range of applied pressures from 1 to 20 MPa. Under these conditions, the authors found that friction depends linearly on contact area in the 1--1.5 MPa range. They found that the critical shear stress was anisotropic, with values of 0.28 MPa for shear along the 8CB molecular axis and 0.42 MPa for shear in the perpendicular direction. This anisotropy was observed through all the ranges of load where slip occurred. At higher loads (1.5--2.7 MPa), the critical shear stresses increase to 0.6 and 1.2 MPa for parallel and perpendicular shear, respectively.
Lessons for life: a way to complement what we teach

Many reports both from academics and non‐academics in recent years point to the fact that over 75 per cent of a person’s success on a job is based not on technical expertise and knowledge of the subject‐matter but rather on the knowledge of human relations, including personal communication, which like any other topic, must be learned and practised. Unfortunately, most schools and universities do not take this important subject seriously. The major elements of areas to be covered in such a course are discussed in this paper.
Imperfect timing synchronization in multi-hop cooperative networks: Statistical modeling and performance analysis

This paper studies a multi-hop cooperative network operating under imperfect timing synchronization. The timing errors at the receiving nodes are statistically modeled and the effects on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are derived. The distribution of SNR is then used to find the outage probability of the nodes in a hop which together with a Markov model provides the probability of making a successful hop. The results show that the timing synchronization errors reduce the one-hop success probability and the coverage of the network.
Effects of growth factors on temporomandibular joint disc cells

The effects of growth factors on cartilaginous tissues are well documented. An exception is the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc, where data for growth factor effects on proliferation and biosynthesis are very limited. The purpose of this study was to quantify proliferation of and synthesis by TMJ disc cells cultured in monolayer with either platelet derived growth factor-AB (PDGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF), at either a low (10 ng/ml) or high (100 ng/ml) concentration. Proliferation was assessed with a DNA quantitation technique, collagen synthesis was measured via a hydroxyproline assay, and GAG synthesis was determined with a dimethylmethylene blue dye binding assay at 14 days. Overall, the most beneficial growth factor was bFGF, which was most potent in increasing proliferation and GAG synthesis, and also effective in promoting collagen synthesis. At the high concentration, bFGF resulted in 96% more cells than the control and 30 to 45% more cells than PDGF and IGF. PDGF and bFGF were the most potent upregulators of GAG synthesis, producing 2-3 times more GAG than the control. IGF had no significant effect on GAG production, although at its higher concentration it increased collagen production by 4.5 times over the control. Collagen synthesis was promoted by bFGF at its lower concentration, with levels 4.2 times higher than the control, whereas PDGF had no significant effect on collagen production. In general, higher concentrations increased proliferation, whereas lower concentrations favoured biosynthesis.
Nanofibers from Scalable Gas Jet Process

A new, simple, and effective method is reported for production of polymer fibers ranging from a few tens of nanometers to a few micrometers from polymer solutions. The method capitalizes on a high velocity expanding gas jet to turn polymer solutions streaming from nozzles into fibers with smooth or wrinkled fiber surface morphology and with core–shell and side-by-side arrangements. The polymer solution is brought in contact with the gas jet on a flat surface, at the tip of a circular needle, and at the surface a pendant drop. The fiber diameter bears relationship with capillary number of the liquid jet and polymer concentration in the solution. Several levels of fiber conglutination are observed as function of collection distance from the nozzle set up.
The ductuli efferentes of the goat: a morphological study.

The morphology of the ductuli efferentes of the goat was compared with that of other animal species, especially with that of the bull. Both in the goat and in the bull, it forms a slightly brownish, bulbous mass of highly convoluted ductules (18–19 in the goat, 13–16 in the bull) that occupies approximately one third of the first limb of the caput epididymidis. The epithelium consists of two major cell types, ciliated and nonciliated, and a few intraepithelial lymphocytes and macrophages. The nonciliated cells can be further divided into three types: type II cells are characterized by specific granules that are dense, mostly homogeneous, eosinophilic, osmiophilic, and positive to periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining; type III cells are characterized by specific vacuoles that appear empty and do not stain with PAS, eosin, or osmium; type I cells lack both granules and vacuoles. These morphological, histochemical, and tinctorial differences observed among nonciliated cell types suggest that they are probably independent cell types rather than functional stages of one cell type. All three cell types are endowed with absorptive features such as microvilli, pinocytotic vesicles, and subapical vacuoles, but a higher differentiation of these features in type III cells suggests their greater role in the absorption of testicular fluid. Whether granules of type II cells and vaculoes of type III cells are absorptive and/or secretory remains unresolved from the available data. However, some circumstantial evidence, as presented in the discussion, supports the latter possibility.
Use of a novel marker, calponin, for myoepithelial cells in fine-needle aspirates of papillary breast lesions.

Benign and malignant papillary lesions of the breast (PBL) can be difficult to distinguish in fine-needle aspirates (FNA). This study evaluates the use of smooth muscle actin (SMA) and a new smooth muscle-specific protein, calponin, for identifying myoepithelial cells (MEC) by immunohistochemical methods in paraffin-embedded cell blocks of FNA of PBL. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cell blocks of 40 cases of PBL were stained using SMA and calponin, steam heat-induced epitope retrieval, and an avidin biotin-complex technique. Staining was evaluated in MEC, epithelial, and stromal cells. The diagnosis of benign vs. malignant papillary lesion was made by using cytomorphological criteria and the presence/absence of MEC in the cell block. These results were compared to the original cytologic and subsequent histologic diagnoses. Of 40 cases of FNA diagnosed as PBL, there were 27 intraductal papillomas (IP), 6 papillary lesions with atypical features (PLAF), and 7 papillary carcinomas (PC). In all of the IP, MEC stained both with SMA and calponin. None of the PC cases was positive for MEC with calponin, and 2 out of 7 cases were weakly positive by SMA. In 6 cases of PLAF, 2 were negative for MEC, both by SMA and calponin, and a malignant papillary lesion was confirmed by histology. The remaining 4 cases were positive for MEC with both markers and were confirmed to be benign by histology. SMA stained stromal cells strongly in all of the cases where stroma was present (18 of a total of 40 cases of PBL), while calponin stained stroma focally in only 7 cases. More than half of all cases had nuclear staining of epithelial cells with SMA; calponin did not show any nuclear staining.
The incorporation of radioactive acetate into biliary cholesterol and cholic acid.

Abstract 1-14C sodium acetate and 2-14C sodium acetate were administered through the portal vein to animals whose common bile duet had been cannulated. Daily samples of the bile were collected after treatment with the labelled acetate. Biliary cholesterol and cholic acid were isolated from each sample and the specific activities of each were measured. The specific activity of the cholic acid was found to be greater than the specific activity of cholesterol in a majority of the samples measured. Cholic acid preparations obtained from 1-14C sodium acetate and 2-14C sodium acetate were decarboxylated and the specific activities of the carboxyl carbon atoms determined. The specific activities of the carboxyl were consistent with the assumption that cholic acid is derived from cholesterol by cleavage of the three terminal carbons of the side-chain.
Forward and Backward Tactile Recognition Masking

Summary Forward and backward tactile recognition masking were investigated with a 15 by 15 array of tactile point-stimulators with the use of targets consisting of line segments differing in location and orientation and a random-dot embedding mask. Ss were paid graduate student volunteers (three males and one female). Durations of targets and masks were varied, and interstimulus intervals ranged from zero to 300 msec. Increases in target duration over mask duration decreased forward, but not backward masking. Small increases in mask duration over target duration increased both forward and backward masking. Further large increases in mask duration increased backward masking, but had no effect on forward masking. The results were interpreted as indicating that forward masking is predominantly influenced by peripheral processes, while backward masking is the result of a combination of peripheral and central processes, in agreement with similar findings in audition and vision.
PRODUCTION OF INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTORS BY OVARIAN GRANULOSA CELLS

Evidence for ovarian secretion of somatomedins or insulin-like growth factors (IGF's) was generated by two approaches. First, porcine granulosa cells were shown to produce IGF's and an IGF-binding protein under serum-free conditions in vitro. The ovarian IGF's were recognized in two competitive binding assays specific for IGF's, a RIA using antibodies to human IGF-I and a radioreceptor assay using rat liver plasma membranes. IGF secretion was maintained for at least 10 days in culture. Second, ovarian production of IGF's in vivo was suggested by studies which showed that IGF levels in follicular fluid from preovulatory follicles were significantly greater than those in either serum or immature follicles. In contrast, similar low levels of insulin were observed in the follicles and serum. In conjunction with previous evidence of IGF action on granulosa cells, the present studies suggest the possibility of an autocrine role of IGF's in regulating follicular growth and development.
Synthetic materials as wire insulation

Preceded by a historical outline of the use of synthetic materials for insulating electric conductors, this article reviews in some detail the use of these materials on magnet wire, with particular reference to the recent introduction of the new insulating coating called “Formex” which is a synthetic resin embodying polyvinyl formal and is applied to wires by the floating die method. Comparative tests show this new material to be markedly superior to former enamel insulating coatings.
Managing Organizational Bias in the Post‐audit of MIS Projects

Discusses how most organizations use formal methods which are purely objective and rational to evaluate system projects. Such methods are incapable of capturing the social aspects of system projects and as such are not appropriate. Inappropriate evaluation mechanisms and criteria have caused the detrimental effects of organizational bias to flourish, thereby defeating the purposes of project evaluation. Organizations, either knowingly or unknowingly, are judging instead of evaluating projects with the intention to punish or reward the project teams and so encourage biasing effects. Contends that an effective project evaluation should adopt a socio‐technical approach to reflect the socio‐technical nature of information systems. Describes and illustrates managerial guidelines on socio‐technical approach to project evaluation capable of accounting and controlling for the obvious effects of organizational bias.
Timing of brain insults in severe neonatal encephalopathies with isoelectric EEG

In a neonatal intensive care unit of a large obstetric hospital, 20 neonates (7 preterm, 9 term, 4 postterm) with at least one isoelectric recording were treated over a 6-year period. Seventy-four EEGs were obtained in this cohort, including 36 isoelectric recordings. Seven infants in this group had evidence of a predominant antepartum component of a pathologic process based on placental, postmortem examination findings, or clinical history. Of the 16 placentas available for review, chronic lesions were observed in 13 of 16 specimens, including villitis, infarction, dysmaturity, and thrombosis. Seven of 9 patients with postmortem neuropathologic examinations had evidence of chronic lesions, principally neuronal necrosis, infarction, and microcalcifications. An additional 10 infants had evidence of an antepartum contribution to a pathologic process that continued into either the intrapartum or neonatal periods, based on maternal and/or neonatal medical factors. Clinical findings supportive of antepartum insults included intrauterine growth retardation, antepartum hemorrhage, abnormal antepartum fetal heart rate patterns, and maternal medical complications. Three patients had either intrapartum- or neonatal-onset of injury. Clinical signs of severe encephalopathy, however, were present in the immediate postnatal period in most patients (18 of 20; 90%). Assessment of clinical and pathologic information on neonates with isoelectric EEGs may estimate the timing of brain injury to the antepartum period, as opposed to, or in addition to, the labor and delivery periods. A neonate who suffered brain injury before parturition may be neurologically depressed after birth with absence of electrocerebral activity on EEG.
A "square-root rule" for reinsurance

In previous work, the authors derived a mathematical expression for the optimal (or "saturation") number of reinsurers for a given number of primary insurers (see Powers and Shubik, 2001). In the current article, we show analytically that, for large numbers of primary insurers, this mathematical expression provides a "square-root rule"; i.e., the optimal number of reinsurers in a market is given asymptotically by the square root of the total number of primary insurers. We note further that an analogous "fourth-root rule" applies to markets for retrocession (the reinsurance of reinsurance).
An Examination of the Large-Scale Clustering of the Las Campanas Redshift Survey

Following the point of view of K. Falconer, a set referred to as fractal can be defined as a set with fine structure, some form of approximate or statistical self-similarity, and too irregular a structure to describe via traditional geometric language. The renewed modern interest in fractals has found as one of its applications the study of large-scale structure, giving a quantitative descriptive scheme to ideas that had been expressed qualitatively as early as the 1920s. This paper presents the results of an analysis of the structure of the Las Campanas Redshift Survey (LCRS). The LCRS is a galaxy survey of approximately 26,000 galaxies (in six declination slices) that has been studied extensively over the past few years with an eye toward understanding large-scale structure. For this analysis, I have used the pointwise dimension, an easy-to-apply fractal statistic that has previously been used to study cluster interiors, galactic distributions, and cluster distributions. The present analysis has been performed to serve as a guide for the study of future large redshift surveys. I find that the LCRS slices show statistical differences from homogeneous distributions out to a scale of 200 Mpc. More specifically, using Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests to compare the environments (quantified by the pointwise dimension) of individual galaxies within slices of LCRS to environments of galaxies in homogeneous slices show statistically significant differences, to the 99% level, out to fits of 200 Mpc. While this differs from some analyses that show a trend toward homogeneity at smaller regimes, it is consistent with other galaxy catalog analyses that show no trends toward homogeneity on even larger scales.
Getting to grips with myelin injury in progressive multiple sclerosis

Inflammatory-mediated demyelination of the central nervous system with well-recognized axonal injury has been described for over a hundred years. Yet, many pathologic aspects of multiple sclerosis remain poorly understood (Noseworthy et al ., 2000). Clinically, a high proportion of patients with relapsing–remitting disease advance to the secondary progressive stage of the disease (Lublin and Reingold, 1996). In contrast, ∼15% of patients never experience clinical relapses and demonstrate a steadily progressive phenotype from onset. The ability of available therapies, approved for the relapsing–remitting form of the illness, to modify the disease course in secondary or primary progressive multiple sclerosis is dismal (Compston and Coles, 2008). Paradoxically, success of the immunopathologic ‘line of thinking’ has revealed numerous deficiencies in our understanding of the neurobiology of the disease, including interdependence of the axon and oligodendrocyte (Piaton et al ., 2010). At the heart of this broadening discussion of multiple sclerosis pathology is the question of what triggers disease progression and the mechanisms that lead to increased disability. One area of research germane to this question is the expansion of focal inflammatory demyelinating lesions and the remyelinating capacity of the central nervous system in progressive phenotypes, i.e. secondary and primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Extensive cortical demyelination is a cardinal feature of progressive disease and presumably the cause of many symptoms of late-stage multiple sclerosis. Axonal injury and loss occur in association with activity of the adaptive immune response, thus leading to the question as to why this inflammation is resistant to the anti-inflammatory effects of existing therapies (Kutzelnigg et al ., 2005; Frischer et al ., 2009). The answer may partly lie in the slowly expanding demyelinating ‘front’ and the remyelinating capacity of focal lesions in the central nervous system, although much has yet to be learned about axonal–glial interactions and the state …
Ear to the Streets: The Race, Hip-Hop, and Sports Learning Community at Louisiana State University

Learning communities are defined as linked courses that encourage integration of the curriculum, help students establish academic and social support networks, and bring the faculty together to coll...
Mutual Mistrust in the Medical Care of Drug Users: The Keys to the “Narc” Cabinet

OBJECTIVE: Caring for patients who are active drug users is challenging. To better understand the often difficult relationships between illicit drug-using patients and their physicians, we sought to identify major issues that emerge during their interactions in a teaching hospital.
Growth Hormone Production by Human Pituitary Glands in Organ Culture: Evidence for Predominant Secretion of the Single-Chain 22,000 Molecular Weight Form (Isohormone B)*

Human GH (hGH) extracted from pituitary glands is known to consist of several molecular forms (isohor-mones). The predominant pituitary form is the 22,000 mol wt single-chain peptide (hGH-B), but several proteolytically cleaved 2-chain forms (hGH-C, D, and E) as well as a single-chain variant with a 15 amino acid deletion (20K) are also present. It is not known which of these forms is secreted. Since hGH-D and E exhibit substantially enhanced biological activity, it has been postulated that hGH may be proteolytically activated before or during secretion to the more potent 2-chain forms, and that hGH-B may represent a pituitary storage form serving as a prohormone. In order to test this hypothesis and to gain insight into the chemical nature of secreted hGH, we studied the synthesis and secretion of hGH by human pituitary glands in organ culture. One normal pituitary and 5 pituitaries from patients with pituitary disease (acromegaly, prolactinoma, Cushing's disease, and chromophobe adenoma) were studied. B...
Establishing Effective Repositioning Communications in a Competitive Marketplace

Product positioning is important to marketers because it can influence consumers' brand perceptions and brand choice. Although most research has examined the issue of positioning a new brand from a managerial perspective, there has been little research framing the important issue of positioning from the consumers' perspective or that looks at the ubiquitous problem of repositioning a familiar brand. In this paper, a framework is developed which suggests that a successful communication strategy aimed at repositioning a familiar brand is based on two factors: the learning of the new positioning and the inhibition of the old positioning. Evidence is provided to support the notion that a repositioning communication is most effective when interference of the old positioning, engendered by competitive interference, is paired with the learning of the new positioning.
Advanced Environmental Barrier Coatings (EBC’s)

Dense, uniform and crack-free mullite (3Al2O3·2SiO2) coatings were deposited on Sibased substrates by chemical vapor deposition using the AlCl3–SiCl4–H2–CO2 system. The coatings were compositionally graded, with the Al/Si ratio increasing towards the outer surface of the coatings for improved corrosion resistance. Mullite grains nucleated when the surface composition of the growing coating was in a narrow range close to that of stoichiometric mullite. The growth rate and crystal structure of mullite were dependent upon temperature, pressure, reactant concentration, and reactant ratios. The phase transformations occurring in these coatings during high-temperature anneals in the range 1100–1400 °C were studied.
The effects of cardioplegia washout on myocardial preservation.

Abstract Preservation of the myocardium in vitro is more effective than preservation in vivo when preservation conditions are apparently the same. The washout of cardioplegia from the myocardium by noncoronary blood flow has been implicated as a probable cause of the poorer myocardial preservation seen in vivo . Isolated dog hearts were used to study the effects of cardioplegia washout by low flow perfusion (0.05 ml/min/g LV weight) during a 2-hr preservation period. Six experimental groups of five hearts each underwent 2 hr of myocardial preservation at temperatures of 20°C (three groups) or 30°C (three groups). The three groups for each temperature consisted of retrograde coronary sinus perfusion (to simulate cardioplegia washout by collateral flow) with blood cardioplegia (BC), normal blood (NB), or no perfusion at all (No CSP). The quality of preservation in each group was assessed by measuring recovery of left ventricular function, tissue water and electrolyte content, and myocardial high-energy phosphate and adenylate content prior to, during, and following preservation. In hearts maintained at 20°C, cardioplegia washout did not significantly affect left ventricular function or myocardial levels of H 2 O, Na, K, ATP, or total adenylates. When myocardial temperature was allowed to increase to 30°C, preservation was better with low flow perfusion during the preservation period. Hearts warmed to 30°C with no cardioplegia washout experienced a 50% loss of tissue ATP levels and recovered less than 30% of normal left ventricular function during a 150-min reperfusion period. In contrast, hearts slowly perfused during the preservation period maintained nearly normal levels of ATP and returned to normal function by 150 min of reperfusion. Although myocardial warming by noncoronary perfusion has a detrimental effect on myocardial preservation, the slow washout of cardioplegia per se has no apparent detrimental effect on preservation.
Can the ordinary chondrites have condensed from a gas phase

The conditions under which ordinary chondrites containing iron in three different chemical states can form in thermodynamic equilibrium with a gas phase are calculated. Hydrogen depletion factors of 100-1000 are obtained and the formation of liquid condensates from residual gases occurs at pressures (prior to hydrogen depletion) of roughly equal to or greater than 1 atm.
Long-term results of bulking agent injection for persistent incontinence in cases of neurogenic bladder dysfunction

Purpose: We evaluated the effectiveness of bladder neck injection as a supplementary treatment for persistent low pressure incontinence after unsatisfactory fascial sling procedures in patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction.Materials and Methods: A total of 89 patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction underwent fascial sling procedures between 1992 and 2005. Because of unsatisfactory results, 27 patients received endoscopic injection of a bulking agent. All patients included in the study underwent urodynamic examination after the sling procedure, which revealed persistent low pressure transurethral leakage of urine. We retrospectively analyzed the endoscopic approach used to administer the bladder neck injection, method of postoperative catheterization and number of injections given. Efficacy of bladder neck injection was graded by the patient and the urologist.Results: After a median followup of 8 years (range 2.5 to 14) only 2 patients (7%) were continent after having re...
Endotherapy for superficial adenocarcinoma of the esophagus: an American experience

Background EMR and ablation are increasingly being used alone or in combination for treatment of Barrett's neoplasia. Given a very low rate of lymph node metastasis, endotherapy has become an accepted treatment option for T1a esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) with low-risk features. Objective To report our experience of endoscopic management of T1a EAC in a large, tertiary-care center. Design Retrospective review. Setting Tertiary-care referral center. Patients Patients treated endoscopically for low-risk T1a EAC at our center. Intervention EMR and endoscopic ablation. Main Outcome Measurements Death related to esophageal cancer, remission of adenocarcinoma, dysplasia, and intestinal metaplasia. Results A total of 54 patients underwent endotherapy for low-risk T1a EAC from 2006 to 2012. Mean (± SD) follow-up was 23 (± 16) months, mean (± SD) size of resected adenocarcinoma was 7.1 (± 4.3) mm, and mean (± SD) Barrett's esophagus length was 4.5 (± 3.9) cm. Band-assisted, cap-assisted, and lift and cut EMR were performed in 85%, 11%, and 4% of patients, respectively; 81% underwent additional ablative therapy (radiofrequency ablation 95%, cryotherapy 9%, photodynamic therapy 2%). Complete remission from cancer was achieved in 96%, complete remission from dysplasia in 87%, and complete remission from intestinal metaplasia in 59%. The overall survival was 89%; there were no deaths related to esophageal cancer. Limitations Retrospective study. Conclusion Endotherapy for T1a EAC was safe and effective in our American cohort. Endotherapy should be considered primary therapy for appropriate patients with low-risk lesions. Complete Barrett's esophagus eradication after EMR is important to reduce the development of metachronous lesions.
Optical WDM rings using a smart wavelength routing assignment

Functionality is inserted into the physical layer of WDM optical networks in order to provide for an efficient carrier routing and packet-addressing scheme. No optoelectronic conversions are needed along the network nodes, except at the source and destination nodes. Tuned transmitters or receivers are not used. The ancillary network routing management structure is dramatically reduced, together with the total network cost. Simple and efficient mechanisms to avoid optical carrier modulation inefficiency and data collision are introduced. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 34: 121–125, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10392
Do Proteins Capable of Causing Spongiform Neurodegeneration Induce Aggresomes In Vitro and In Vivo as an Indicator of Their Neurotoxic Mechanisms? (P03.261)

Objective: To explore the generality of aggresome formation in neurodegeneration, we investigated whether aggresomes arise in two spongiform neurodegeneration models, in which vacuolation is induced by neural stem cell (NSC) dissemination of puromycin-N-acetyltransferase (PAC) or retroviral envelope (Env) in the developing central nervous system (CNS). Background Several human neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the presence of protein deposits called aggresomes. A previous report indicated that expression of PAC in certain cultured cells causes protein aggregation. Additionally, in vivo studies from our laboratory suggest that astrocytic expression of PAC induces a spongiosis similar to that induced by Env. The present study collates these findings to understand whether aggresomes are an indicator of protein toxicity in vitro and in vivo . Design/Methods: Aggresome markers were used to assay intracellar aggregates in HeLa and glial cells transfected/transduced with vectors containing either Env or PAC and green fluorescent protein (GFP), a cellular identification marker. In situ studies were executed by immunostaining for aggresomes in neonatal mice transplanted with NSCs disseminating PAC or Env. Pathologically refractive NSCs transduced with PAC displaying surface Env served as controls. Results: No aggresome formation was detected in response to neurotoxic protein transfection/transduction; however, these proteins did induce an unexpected down-regulation in GFP protein expression. Moreover, brains engrafted with PAC-transduced NSCs precipitated focal spongiform neurodegeneration, thereby overcoming a previous restriction noted with Env. These NSCs differentiated into oligodendrocytes suggesting that PAC influenced their in vivo fate and capacity for inducing spongiosis. Conclusions: The present studies indicate that while spongiogenic proteins do not universally induce aggresome formation, they can alter cellular physiology by influencing endogenous protein expression and modifying cellular differentiation programs that result in neuronal dysregulation. Whether these activities are broadly applicable to other neurodegenerative diseases mediated by abnormal proteins remains to be investigated. Supported by: The American Academy of Neurology. Disclosure: Dr. Das has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dunphy has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cardona has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lynch has nothing to disclose.
A Transistorized Nuclear Instrumentation System for Nuclear Research

A brief description of the transistorized modular nuclear instrumentation developed for use at Yale is presented in this paper. The salient advantages of this system including greatly reduced space and power requirements, increased reliability, flexibility and convenience of use through a library of circuit elements and finally, ease of assembly of complex systems and of servicing are stressed. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of very close liaison between the instrument design and development engineer and the scientific users of the instrumentation.
Aberrant Coronary Artery Origin From the Aorta: Diagnosis and Clinical Significance

Twenty-one patients with anomalous coronary artery origin from the aorta are discussed, and the cases reported in the literature are reviewed. The left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (Cx) arteries arose aberrantly from the right sinus of Valsalva of the aorta (RSV) in six patients. In four of these patients the connecting branch from the anomalous origin passed anterior to the aorta and the right ventricular in-fundibulum (RVinf), and in two patients, this branch passed between the aorta and RVinf. In 11 patients only the Cx was aberrant, and arose either from the RSV directly or from the right coronary artery (RCA), and passed posterior to the aorta and RVinf. In four patients the RCA arose aberrantly — in three from the left sinus of Valsalva of the aorta passing anteriorly, and in one from the left Cx passing posteriorly. Aberrant coronary artery origin from the aorta had clinical consequences only when the branch connecting the LAD and Cx to the RSV passed between the aorta and RVinf. B...
Effectiveness of radiotherapy for elderly patients with anaplastic gliomas.

Postoperative radiotherapy (RT) is utilized routinely in the management of anaplastic World Health Organization Grade III gliomas (AG), including anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) and anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO). However, the optimal role of RT in elderly AG patients remains controversial. We evaluated the effectiveness of RT in elderly AG patients using a national cancer registry. The USA Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (1990–2008) was used to query patients over 70 years of age with AA or AO. Independent predictors of overall survival were determined using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Among 390 elderly patients with AG, 333 (85%) had AA and 57 (15%) had AO. Approximately two-thirds of AA patients (64%) and AO patients (65%) received RT. Most AO patients (58%) and many AA patients (41%) underwent surgical resection; the remainder had biopsy. The median overall survival for all patients who underwent RT was 6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5–7 months) versus 2 months (95% CI 1–6) in patients who did not have RT. Patients who had gross total resection (GTR) plus RT had a median overall survival of 11 months (95% CI 7–14). Multivariate analysis for all patients showed that undergoing RT was significantly associated with improved survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.52, p < .0001). AA tumor type (HR 1.37, p = .03) was associated with worse survival than AO tumor type; female sex (HR 0.59, p < .0001) and being married (HR 0.66, p = .002) significantly improved survival. Patients that underwent GTR had a significant reduction in the hazards of mortality compared to biopsy (HR 0.72, p = .04). Elderly AG patients undergoing RT had better overall survival compared to patients who did not receive RT. Treatment strategies involving maximal safe resection plus RT should be considered in the optimal management of AG in elderly patients.
Zwitterionic Polymerization: A Kinetic Strategy for the Controlled Synthesis of Cyclic Polylactide

The zwitterionic ring-opening polymerization of lactide initiated by N-heterocyclic carbenes generates cyclic polylactides with well-defined molecular weights between M(n) = 5000 and 30,000 g/mol with narrow polydispersities (M(w)/M(n) < or = 1.31). These zwitterionic polymerizations are extremely rapid (k(p) = 48.7 M(-1) s(-1)), but also exhibit exceptional control of molecular weight and molecular weight distribution. The unusual kinetic features of these zwitterionic polymerizations are illuminated with kinetic and mechanistic investigations, which implicate a mechanism that involves a slow initiation step (second order in [M]), a propagation step (first order in [M]) that is much faster than initiation (k(i) = 0.274 M(-2) s(-1)), cyclization (k(c) = 0.0575 s(-1)), and depropagation (k(d) = 0.208 s(-1)). Numerical and stochastic simulations of the kinetic data provide a kinetic rationale for the evolution of molecular weight with monomer conversion: the molecular weights increase with increasing monomer conversion, exhibit a nonzero intercept near 0% monomer conversion, and are relatively insensitive to the initial monomer-to-initiator ratio. The observed narrow molecular weight distributions are due to a high rate of propagation relative to cyclization and chain transfer. Kinetic simulations define the kinetic criteria under which the active zwitterions remain in solution; these simulations were substantiated by chain-extension experiments, which provide experimental evidence for chain extension of the zwitterions and reinitiation by the N-heterocyclic carbenes liberated upon macrocyclization. The kinetic model rationalizes some of the unique features of zwitterionic ring-opening polymerization and provides a useful mechanistic framework to optimize these polymerizations as a strategy to generate well-defined cyclic polyesters.
Thermal Performance of Deep-Burn Fusion-Fission Hybrid Waste in a Repository

The Laser Inertial Confinement Fusion Fission Energy (LIFE) Engine [1] combines a neutron-rich but energy-poor inertial fusion system with an energy-rich but neutron-poor subcritical fission blanket. Because approximately 80% of the LIFE Engine energy is produced from fission, the requirements for laser efficiency and fusion target performance are relaxed, compared to a pure-fusion system, and hence a LIFE Engine prototype can be based on target performance in the first few years of operation of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Similarly, because of the copious fusion neutrons, the fission blanket can be run in a subcritical, driven, mode, without the need for control rods or other sophisticated reactivity control systems. Further, because the fission blanket is inherently subcritical, fission fuels that can be used in LIFE Engine designs include thorium, depleted uranium, natural uranium, spent light water reactor fuel, highly enriched uranium, and plutonium. Neither enrichment nor reprocessing is required for the LIFE Engine fuel cycle, and burnups to 99% fraction of initial metal atoms (FIMA) being fissioned are envisioned. This paper discusses initial calculations of the thermal behavior of spent LIFE fuel following completion of operation in the LIFE Engine [2]. The three timemore » periods of interest for thermal calculations are during interim storage (probably at the LIFE Engine site), during the preclosure operational period of a geologic repository, and after closure of the repository.« less
The triggering of large earthquakes by Earth tides

Four results have been obtained in a study of statistics of earthquake sequences. A method has been devised for constructing a catalog of events, which has a statistically significant likelihood of containing all events with magnitudes greater than a certain cutoff. The method of obtaining this cutoff is to construct what is well known to the statistician as contingency tables for the likelihood that shocks of a given magnitude follow consecutively upon shocks of another given magnitude. Highly nonrandom distributions of magnitude contingencies are rejected.