cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Franz–Keldysh effect on magnetoexcitons in quantum wells: beyond perturbation theory

Abstract We consider the optical properties of free electron–hole pairs and excitons in a quantum well in a strong THz-frequency electric field polarized in the quantum-well plane (linearly or circularly polarized) and a crossed static magnetic field in the growth direction. The interplay of the THz and magnetic fields leads to distinctive features in the optical spectra; for a linearly polarized THz field, the optical spectra exhibit THz sidebands, while the sidebands are suppressed for circularly polarized fields. The optical spectra are also strongly suppressed—and in fact formally disappear in the absence of excitons—when the cyclotron and THz frequencies coincide.
Permethylation of barbiturates. Separation and characterization of the reaction products by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A Series of barbiturates (I) has been permethylated with the methylsulfinylmethide carbanion and methyl iodide and the products (II to IV) separated, quantified and characterized by g.c.-m.s. The ratios and fragmentation patterns of II to IV are highly dependent upon the nature of the R-groups. All fragment ions have been confirmed by accurate mass measurements or perdeuteriomethylation.
Insulin-like growth factor binding protein profiles in human ovarian follicular fluid correlate with follicular functional status.

The insulin-like growth factors (IGF), IGF-I and IGF-II, influence ovarian follicular development. The IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) comprise at least six distinct species which may modulate IGF action. We examined IGFBP profiles in follicular fluid (FF) from developing human ovarian follicles with aromatase activity as well as from androgen-dominant, atretic follicles. Western ligand blot analysis of FF from both atretic and active follicles revealed the presence of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-2, confirmed by immunoprecipitation with specific antiserum, as well as 28 kilodalton (kDa) and 24 kDa IGFBPs. In FF specimens obtained during the follicular phase, IGFBP-2 and the 28 kDa and 24 kDa species were present in 3-, 6-, and 19-fold higher amounts in atretic compared to healthy developing follicles, respectively, and were present in greater amounts in atretic FF than in serum. In atretic FF obtained during the luteal phase, lower levels of IGFBP-2 and the 28 and 24 kDa IGFBPs were seen than in atretic follicles in ...
The Case Formulation Approach to Psychotherapy Research Revisited

This article revisits the case formulation approach to psychotherapy outcome research, first proposed by Persons (1991).Â Persons asserted that randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of psychotherapy do not test the theoretical underpinnings of psychotherapy models since these trials standardize rather than individualize patient problems, ignore the link between individualized assessment and treatment as described in these models, and employ standardized rather than individualized treatment.Â This article assesses the current status of these claims, concluding that they remain valid today.Â A reformulated case formulation approach is described and research strategies proposed. Â Investigating the reformulated case formulation approach will require increased resources for case formulation training, the addition of treatment arms in effectiveness trials that include case-formulation-based interventions, and expanded RCTs that include systematic case studies.
A brief review of methods used to elicit or accentuate abnormalities in the electroencephalogram.

Abstract The methods of precipitating clinical and electroencephalographic evidence of the convulsive and allied states are briefly reviewed and evaluated. A suggestion is made for the inclusion of certain of these tests in the electroencephalographic routine.
* LOCATIONAL PRECISION IN CRIME ANALYSIS: A CASE STUDY IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, MARYLAND

Over the last decade, police departments in the United States and elsewhere began to adopt geographic information systems (GIS) technology, recognizing the advantages of a system that enables the inspection of crime patterns and spatial filtering and querying, as well as more sophisticated analyses. If GIS is seen as a “primary” innovation in law enforcement, refinements in both visualization and geographic precision can be considered a secondary wave. In a case study in Baltimore County, Maryland, aerial photography and global positioning systems (GPS) were introduced and evaluated in an effort to develop an understanding of the possible benefits and limitations of the technologies. Incident street addresses geocoded in the usual manner were compared to coordinates obtained from a GPS instrument accurate to within a meter. Analysis suggests that locational errors were greater for some crime categories than for others.
Predicting the longitudinal effects of the family environment on prodromal symptoms and functioning in patients at-risk for psychosis.

Abstract The current study examined the relationship between the family environment and symptoms and functioning over time in a group of adolescents and young adults at clinical high risk for psychosis ( N = 63). The current study compared the ability of interview-based versus self-report ratings of the family environment to predict the severity of prodromal symptoms and functioning over time. The family environmental factors were measured by interviewer ratings of the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI), self-report questionnaires surveying the patient's perceptions of criticism and warmth, and parent reported perceptions of their own level of criticism and warmth. Patients living in a critical family environment, as measured by the CFI at baseline, exhibited significantly worse positive symptoms at a 6-month follow-up, relative to patients living in a low-key family environment. In terms of protective effects, warmth and an optimal level of family involvement interacted such that the two jointly predicted improved functioning at the 6-month follow-up. Overall, both interview-based and self-report ratings of the family environment were predictive of symptoms and functioning at follow-up; however patient's self-report ratings of criticism had stronger predictive power. These results suggest that the family environment should be a specific target of treatment for individuals at risk for psychosis.
Arguments for Abandoning the Term Pseudodementia

The term pseudodementia should be avoided in clinical practice. Its importance lies in the fact that it has alerted clinicians to the existence of potentially reversible, or at least treatable, cases of intellectual dysfunction. However, two major problems are associated with its use. First, it implies that the patient has either an organic or a functional illness, whereas many patients have elements of both, especially when depression is superimposed on a true dementia. Second, the term is often mistakenly used diagnostically, whereas it is only descriptive. The term cognitive impairment is preferable to pseudodementia.
Difficulties with the Lag‐Time Measurement of Oxygen Diffusion in Thermally‐Grown SiO2

Discussion des resultats obtenus par Irene et comparaison avec ceux obtenus par Norton dans le cas de la diffusion de l'oxygene dans la silice fondue. Mise en evidence d'un effet de memoire dans la constante de vitesse parabolique montrant que les proprietes de transport de l'oxygene dans SiO 2 dependent de la temperature de croissance de l'oxyde
Identification of a distinctive molecular form of alcohol dehydrogenase in human livers with high activity.

Summary Human liver alcohol dehydrogenase activity and isoenzyme pattern have been compared in specimens from different sources. Specific enzymatic activity was significantly higher in surgical biopsy samples than in autopsy specimens. Furthermore, tissues from individuals who died suddenly from trauma exhibited significantly higher activities than those obtained following disease-related deaths. All livers with high specific activity revealed on starch gel electrophoresis, in addition to the usual isoenzymes, a prominent, previously unrecognized, activity band. This molecular form, more anodic than the others at pH 8.6 and 7.7, was separated by isoelectric focusing. It exhibited kinetic properties characteristic of the alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzymes.
The effects of pregnancy on patients with hyperprolactinemia

Seventy women with amenorrhea with or without galactorrhea associated with high serum prolactin levels and radiologic evidence of pituitary tumors were treated with transsphenoidal tumor resection. The prolactin level was measured in 29 patients before pregnancy, at 3 months post partum or cessation of lactation, and at 6-month intervals thereafter. The results were compared to those of 18 patients who had hyperprolactinemia but no demonstrable radiologic evidence of a pituitary tumor and who responded to bromocriptine and conceived. Our investigations showed that operation resulted in normalization of serum prolactin levels in 74% of patients. Forty of the 49 patients less than 36 years old conceived (80%). Five of 29 patients who were studied before and after operation as well as after delivery showed an increase in serum prolactin levels post partum and persistent amenorrhea suggesting recurrence. Six of the 18 patients who became pregnant after bromocriptine also showed a significant rise in serum prolactin levels above the treatment level. None of the patients in the two groups developed visual changes or symptoms or radiologic changes during pregnancy. These results showed that transsphenoidal operation has a high incidence of success, but some patients may show a rise of serum prolactin levels and persistent amenorrhea after pregnancy or passage of time, suggesting recurrence. Some patients who become pregnant after bromocriptine therapy may have further rises in prolactin greater than pretreatment levels. Follow-up of these patients is indicated.
A cooperative game-theoretic approach to cellular network hand-off

In cellular systems, one of the most significant metrics to measure quality of performance is the average number of call drops in a system. Hand-off mechanism ensures that the active calls in the system are successfully completed without being dropped in the mid communication. This seamless connectivity is achieved as the user moves around transferring active calls from one base station to another. In this paper, we study and propose a hand-off mechanism using cooperative game theory. Using a simple quality of service (QoS) utility function proposed in this paper, we conclude that our optimal deterministic hand-off strategy is to transfer the active calls to the base station with greater signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR) and greater number of available channels.
Rupture of the innominate artery from blunt trauma: current options for management.

Abstract Background: Rupture of the innominate artery is the second most common intrathoracic arterial injury from blunt trauma. It is frequently accompanied by major trauma to other organs. The traditional management is expeditious surgical repair. Methods: Three patients presented to the Emergency Department after motor vehicle collisions with traumatic rupture of the innominate artery from 2001 to 2003. One patient presented with an isolated innominate artery injury. The other two patients presented with multi-system trauma. All patients underwent surgical repair; however, repair was individualized in each case. Results: Diagnosis was obtained via arteriography in all patients after the admission chest radiographs suggested mediastinal injury. In the patient with isolated traumatic innominate artery rupture, urgent repair was performed. In the remaining two, the repair was intentionally delayed (hospital day 4 and 19) until they stabilized or recovered from other injuries or complications. In one of these patients, repair was delayed after an endovascular repair failed. In both patients who underwent delayed repair, mean arterial pressure was maintained at <70 mmHg with beta-blockade. All patients underwent repair without cardiopulmonary bypass and were monitored for adequate cerebral perfusion pressures by measuring the right carotid artery stump pressure. Successful repair was achieved in all the three patients without postoperative complications or mortality. Conclusions: Rupture of the innominate artery from blunt trauma is an infrequent but life-threatening injury that mandates repair. In patients with isolated injuries, prompt intervention is warranted. However, intentional delayed repair may be a practical alternative for those patients with multi-system trauma.
Nonlinear perpendicular least-squares regression in pharmacodynamics.

Currently available software for nonlinear regression does not account for errors in both the independent and the dependent variables. In pharmacodynamics, measurement errors are involved in the drug concentrations as well as in the effects. Instead of minimizing the sum of squared vertical errors (OLS), a Fortran program was written to find the closest distance from a measured data point to the tangent line of an estimated nonlinear curve and to minimize the sum of squared perpendicular distances (PLS). A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted with the sigmoidal E max model to compare the OLS and PLS methods. The area between the true pharmacodynamic relationship and the fitted curve was compared as a measure of goodness of fit. The PLS demonstrated an improvement over the OLS by 20.8% with small differences in the parameter estimates when the random noise level had a standard deviation of five for both concentration and effect. Consideration of errors in both concentrations and effects with the PLS could lead to a more rational estimation of pharmacodynamic parameters.
Decreased skin conductance response habituation in chronically anxious patients.

Abstract Skin conductance response (SCR) habituation to loud tones was tested in chronically anxious patients and controls matched for age, sex and occupation. The results replicate Lader and Wing's finding of slowed response habituation in the patient group. These results are discussed in light of the Lader and Wing model attributing anxiety-proneness to an innate slowness in habituating to stimulation. Two factors which in themselves could cause slowed response habituation were present in the patient group during testing: increased physiological activity and increased threat appraisal. The latter resulted in the patients' frequently attributing signal value to the irrelevant tones. Because of the presence of these contaminating factors, the decreased response habituation in the patient groups can be considered only weak evidence in support of the slowed habituation model. Since the excessive test anxiety in the patient group contributes to both increased physiological activity and increased threat appraisal, it is suggested that SCR habituation testing be undertaken when both patient and control groups can be brought to equivalent states of relaxation.
The oxidation reactions of organolithium-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine complexes

Abstract The reactions of polycyclic hydrocarbon lithium-TMEDA complexes with several transition metal halides and oxides and molecular oxygen have been investigated. Monoanions yielded the symmetric coupling product while dianions were oxidized to aromatic molecules. The stoichiometry for each reagent/anion combination was also determined.
Search for exotic decays from low-energy e+e- direct annihilation.

A new exotic-decay candidate is proposed to resolve the orthopositronium decay rate discrepancy. A search has been performed for the process {ital e}{sup +}{ital e}{sup {minus}}{r_arrow}{gamma}+{ital X}{sup 0}, where the {ital X}{sup 0} is a long-lived, low-mass boson that interacts very weakly with matter and has a charge conjugation eigenvalue {ital C}={minus}1. No evidence for the {ital X}{sup 0} has been found in this experiment, with essentially the entire {ital X}{sup 0} mass range from 0.1 to 1 MeV being excluded as the cause of the decay rate discrepancy. Previous results from other experiments are analyzed for sensitivity to this {ital X}{sup 0}.
Evolution of poison control centers in California.

Poison control centers (PCCs) in California have faced substantial challenges in their effort to stay open and provide vital care for the state’s residents. The number of state PCCs decreased from 20 in the 1970s to 7 in the 1980s as regulations and operation costs increased,[1][1] and in 1989,
The Effect of Freeze-Drying on the Glycosidal Content of Digitalis purpurea and Digitalis lutea L. *

A study of the effects of freeze-drying on the glycosidal content of the leaves of Digitalis purpurea L. and Digitalis lutea L. has been made. The results indicate that freeze-drying is applicable as a means of drying leaves of these two species of digitalis. It is suggested that this method of drying be adopted for leaves of Digitalis purpurea that are to be used as a source of material for tie official preparations of this drug. The moisture content of the lyophilized material compares favorably with that found for the corresponding oven-dried samples. In regards to the toxicity tests, it was found that no significant differences were present with samples made from either the lyophilized or oven-dried material. The chemical assays indicate notable differences in the majority of samples compared. The types and quantities of glycosides present in the powdered samples are not under investigation.
Ostium secundum atrial septal defect associated with balloon mitral valve in children.

Abstract Eight children with an ostium secundum atrial septal defect and balloon mitral valve are described. Leftward-superior QRS forces, abnormal T waves and suggestive apical auscultatory findings (midsystolic click or a late systolic murmur of mitral insufficiency) were frequently observed and led to the erroneous diagnosis of ostium primum atrial septal defect in six cases. Lack of any or all of these manifestations did not preclude the presence of a balloon mitral valve. The prognostic importance of this valvular lesion indicates the need to perform left ventriculography in all patients with an atrial septal defect.
Abstract 1227: Anti-oncogenic role of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- β/Δ (Pparβ/Δ) involves regulation of viral Hras1 (v-Hras1)-induced senescence and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in mouse primary keratinocytes

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Pparβ/Δ-null mice exhibit enhanced chemically-induced skin tumorigenesis compared to wild-type counterparts. Since an oncogenic mutation of Harvey sarcoma ras virus gene (v-Hras1) is a critical event in chemical carcinogenesis, the role of PPARβ/Δ in mouse primary keratinocytes infected with a retrovirus encoding viral Hras1 (v-Hras1) gene was examined. While v-Hras1 induced senescence in wild-type mouse primary keratinocytes, the level of v-Hras1-induced senescence was significantly reduced in Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes, which was due in part to decreased phospho-MEK and phospho-ERK during the early stage of v-Hras1 expression. In addition, while total v-Hras1 protein level was comparable between wild-type and Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes, the level of the GTP-bound form of v-Hras1 was significantly decreased in Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes from 4 day to 7 day post v-Hras1 infection. Surprisingly, the decreased activity of v-Hras1 did not lead to a decreased level of phospho-AKT in Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes. However, Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes were more dependent upon PI3K-AKT pathway for maintenance of proliferation and evasion of senescence. Differentially expressed genes between wild-type and Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes that are involved in the regulation of senescence were determined by cDNA microarray analysis. Differential expressions of both positive and negative regulators of RAS pathway were observed between wild-type and Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes following v-Hras1 infection. Notably, the mRNA encoding CDK inhibitor p27Kip1 was lower in Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes, In addition, Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes showed enhanced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and unfolded protein response (UPR) post v-Hras1 infection, characterized by enhanced vacuolation and higher levels of major ER stress markers. However, the enhanced ER stress did not lead to apoptosis in Pparβ/Δ-null keratinocytes. These results suggest an anti-oncogenic role of PPARβ/Δ in v-Hras1-transformed mouse primary keratinocytes that involves both the promotion of anti-tumorigenic senescence and attenuation of pro-tumorigenic ER stress and UPR. (Supported by CA124533) Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1227. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1227
Dual-function adaptive optics to mitigate atmospheric effects in a laser communication system

The degrading effects of the atmosphere on a laser communication link can be partially removed with a combination of conventional low-order adaptive optics and other adaptive techniques. Recent experiments performed at UNC Charlotte indicate a measureable reduction in the bit-error rate for a laser communication system by correcting for the phase effects of propagation that are manifested in scintillation at the receiver. Further implementation of an adaptive field-of-view can help to reduce the effect of wide-angle scattering that appears in the extinction ratio. The theory and predictions of the combined adaptive techniques will be discussed along with a description and results of a laboratory experiment replicating a monostatic 1.55 μm laser propagation with a cooperative wavefront beacon at the receiver. The result is scaled to represent an actual propagation of 6 km under moderately high scintillation conditions.
Postseismic deformation and stress changes following the 1819 Rann of Kachchh, India earthquake: Was the 2001 Bhuj earthquake a triggered event?

[1] The 2001 Mw 7.6 Bhuj earthquake occurred in an intra-plate region with rather unusual active seismicity, including an earlier major earthquake, the 1819 Rann of Kachchh earthquake (M7.7). We examine if static coseismic and transient postseismic deformation following the 1819 earthquake contributed to the enhanced seismicity in the region and the occurrence of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, ∼100 km away and almost two centuries later. Based on the Indian shield setting, great rupture depth of the 2001 event and lack of significant early postseismic deformation measured following the 2001 event, we infer that little viscous relaxation occurs in the lower crust and choose an upper mantle effective viscosity of 1019 Pas. The predicted Coulomb failure stress (DCFS) on the rupture plane of the 2001 event increased by more than 0.1 bar at 20 km depth, which is a small but possibly significant amount. Stress change from the 1819 event may have also affected the occurrence of other historic earthquakes in this region. We also evaluate the postseismic deformation and ΔCFS in this region due to the 2001 event. Positive ΔCFS from the 2001 event occur to the NW and SE of the Bhuj earthquake rupture.
Newtonian hypersonic theory for normal shock wave structure.

Newtonian hypersonic theory for normal shock wave structure, discussing asymptotic solutions and three layer models
Structural and chemical studies of zeolite ABW type phases : Syntheses and characterizations of an ammonium zincophosphate and an ammonium beryllophosphate zeolite ABW structure

Hydrothermal syntheses and X-ray crystal structures of two framework phosphates are described. The framework topologies of NH 4 ZnPO 4 and NH 4 BePO 4 are the same as that of the zeolite ABW type. Preparation of these two compounds is a rare example of the direct synthesis of ammonium zeolite analog structures. The framework can be considered as built from the stacking of hexagonal layers. A literature study of ABCX 4 -type structures reveals more than two dozen compounds with the ABW-type topology in addition to about a dozen structures already tabulated. The newly discovered materials with the ABW topology have diverse chemical compositions and display various lattice symmetries. Other interesting properties of these ABW phases include displacive phase transitions and crystal twinning. The compositional and structural diversities of these ABW phases have important implications for the future design of new zeolite phases. Crystal data for NH 4 ZnPO 4 : M = 178.38, space group P2 1 (No. 4), a = 8.7966(5) A b = 5.4565(3)A, c = 8.9654(5)A, β = 90.323(1)°, V = 430.75(1)A 3 , Z = 4, D c = 2.753 g cm −3 , Mo K α, (μ = 5.970 mm −1 , 2θ max = 56.00 °, R( F ) = 3.88% for 129 parameters and 1769 reflections with I > 2σ( I ). Crystal data for NH 4 BePO 4 : M = 122.02, space group Pna2 1 (No. 33), a = 8.7196(7)A, b = 8.5919(7)A, c = 4.9661(4)A, V = 372.05(5)A 3 , Z = 4, D c = 2.178 g cm −3 , Mo K α, μ = 0.608 mm −1 , 2θ max = 56.46°, R( F ) = 2.77% for 81 parameters and 840 reflections with I > 2σ( I ).
Imitation of a two-action sequence by pigeons

Developmental psychologists have describedimitation as a process that suggests perspective-taking abilities. However, imitative behavior has been found in animals, which are generally not considered capable of taking the perspective of another. Previous studies with birds have demonstrated the imitation of a single response (sometimes referred to asaction-level imitation). In the present experiment, we examined the extent to which pigeons would imitate an unfamiliar sequence of two behaviors (sometimes referred to asprogram-level imitation). Our results indicate that, although there are individual differences, pigeons show a significant tendency to match a demonstrated sequence of behavior involving, first, a response to a treadle (pecking at it or stepping on it) and, second, pushing aside a screen that blocks access to food (a left-vs.-right push).
Vascular abnormalities in asymptomatic, healthy young adult smokers without other major cardiovascular risk factors: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

Cigarette smoking, an established cardiovascular (CV) disease risk factor, is known to impair pulsatile arterial function in middle-aged and older adults. However, information is scant in healthy young adults for whom smoking is the only CV risk factor, at current guidelines. Nonsmokers (n = 145) and smokers (n = 142) aged on average 36 years were selected for not having obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, or clinically manifest CV disease. Pulsatile arterial function was measured in terms of large artery compliance (C1), small artery compliance (C2), and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) by noninvasively recorded radial artery waveforms. Smokers versus nonsmokers had significantly lower measures of adiposity and LDL-cholesterol; and higher systolic blood pressure and triglycerides. In addition, smokers versus nonsmokers had lower C2 (5.09 v 6.63 mL/mm Hg × 100, P = .0009) and higher SVR (1399.0 v 1325.5 dyn · sec · cm−5, P = .006), after adjustment for race, sex, and age. Decreases in C2 (P for trend = .001) and increases in SVR (P for trend = .01) were noted with increasing years of smoking. Multivariate analysis revealed that duration of smoking was associated adversely with C2 (P = .004), independent of race, sex, age, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and insulin. The odds of having adverse C2 (bottom 10 percentile) and SVR (top 10 percentile) were, respectively, 2.9 (P = .01) and 2.6 (P = .07) times higher in smokers versus nonsmokers. The observed deleterious effects of cigarette smoking on arterial wall dynamics in otherwise healthy young adults underscore the need for aggressive early prevention and intervention strategies to control smoking behavior.
Variability in estimates of oil contamination in the intertidal zone of a gravel beach

Abstract Estimates of the surface cover of stranded oil on a gravel beach ranged between 25 and 51%. This variability is attributed primarily to wet weather conditions that altered the colour of the surface substrate, thus making identification of oil or oiled sediments difficult. Estimates and the observations from three surveys in wet weather ranged between 25 and 46%; whereas on a dry day the range from four surveys was only 42–51%. Within this small study area (7200 m2) the same observer provided estimates of the surface oil cover that ranged from 1800 to 3680 m2. This wide variability for a small section of shoreline would probably be magnified during reconnaissance surveys where long sections of coast are surveyed to determine the degree of contamination. Surveys of beach contamination for cleanup decisions or for damage assessment should be conducted with regard to the environmental (weather) conditions and the degree of accuracy that is required from the survey.
Some ageing characteristics of lime

This study involves the special case of lime compacts which are considered to serve as models for the system of lime in hydrated Portland cement paste. The ageing of lime was studied by measuring length changes of powdered samples under various steady-state and alternating conditions of humidity. As an explanation for the unique behaviour of lime compacts, a primary mechanism is proposed based on the theory that recrystallisation occurs at least at areas of particle contact when lime compacts are exposed to humidities above a certain value. Furthermore, this recrystallised product is more accommodating than the parent material, and hence it can be consolidated by forces due to menisci or changes in surface free-energy. This action is manifested by irreversible shrinkage on storage at intermediate humidities, by drying after storage or by alternating between two levels of humidity.
Hypothyroidism after thyroidectomy for Graves' disease

In 100 patients who underwent subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves' disease in 1970 through 1975, postoperative hypothyroidism developed in 75 patients an average of 4.6 months after operation. One patient had permanent hypocalcemia. Unilateral vocal cord function was abnormal postoperatively in three patients. Thyroidectomy for Graves' disease is used at our institution much less frequently than in the past and its use is being restricted to a younger population. The low recurrence rates of thyrotoxicosis (1 percent) was obtained at the expense of a high rate of postoperative hypothyroidism.
End user software engineering: CHI 2007 special interest group meeting

Recently, researchers have been working to bring the benefits of rigorous software engineering methodologies to end users who find themselves in programming situations, to try to make their software more reliable. End users create software whenever they write, for instance, educational simulations, spreadsheets, or dynamic e-business web applications. Unfortunately, errors are pervasive in end-user software, and the resulting impact is sometimes enormous. This special interest group meeting has three purposes: to bring the results of a recent (February 2007) week-long "Dagstuhl" meeting on end-user software engineering to interested researchers at CHI; to incorporate attendees' ideas and feedback into an emerging survey of the state of this interesting new subarea; and generally to bring together the community of researchers who are addressing this topic, with the companies that are creating end-user programming tools.
Steered molecular dynamics and mechanical functions of proteins

Atomic force microscopy of single molecules, steered molecular dynamics and the theory of stochastic processes have established a new field that investigates mechanical functions of proteins, such as ligand-receptor binding/unbinding and elasticity of muscle proteins during stretching. The combination of these methods yields information on the energy landscape that controls mechanical function and on the force-bearing components of proteins, as well as on the underlying physical mechanisms.
Exploiting new terrain: an advantage to sociality in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum

Understanding the ecological benefits of social actions is central to explaining the evolution of social behavior. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum has been well studied and is a model for social evolution and development, but surprisingly little is known about its ecology. When starving, thousands of the normally solitary amoebae aggregate to form a differentiated multicellular organism known as a slug. The slug migrates toward the soil surface where it metamorphoses into a fruiting body of hardy spores held up by a dead stalk comprising about one-fifth of the cells. Multicellularity in D. discoideum is thought to have evolved to lift the spores above the hazards of the soil where spores can be picked up for long-distance dispersal. Here, we show that multicellularity has another advantage: local dispersal to new food sources. We find that cells shed by D. discoideum slugs during migration consume and remove bacteria in the path of the slug, although slugs themselves do not breakup. We also show that slugs are adept at local dispersal by comparing migration of slugs with migration of individual cells of the mutant, CAP2, which cannot aggregate and so rely only on cellular movement. In particular, the solitary cells of the aggregation mutant are unable to cross a soil barrier, easily crossed by slugs. We propose that the exploitation of local food patches is an important selective benefit favoring multicellular cooperation in D. discoideum. Key words: altruism, Dictyostelium discoideum, multicellularity, social evolution, sociality. [Behav Ecol]
Thin junction tree filters for simultaneous localization and mapping

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is a fundamental problem in mobile robotics: while a robot navigates in an unknown environment, it must incrementally build a map of its surroundings and, at the same time, localize itself within that map. One popular solution is to treat SLAM as an estimation problem and apply the Kalman filter; this approach is elegant, but it does not scale well: the size of the belief state and the time complexity of the filter update both grow quadratically in the number of landmarks in the map. This paper presents a filtering technique that maintains a tractable approximation of the belief state as a thin junction tree. The junction tree grows under filter updates and is periodically "thinned" via efficient maximum likelihood projections so inference remains tractable. When applied to the SLAM problem, these thin junction tree filters have a linear-space belief state and a linear-time filtering operation. Further approximation yields a filtering operation that is often constant-time. Experiments on a suite of SLAM problems validate the approach.
Rebalancing the risks of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance imaging

The concern for fatal cancers caused by ionizing radiation exposure associated with the increased use of CT in children is well documented. Inappropriate adult CT techniques applied to children can result in excessive radiation exposure [1], exposures similar to the dose received by a group of nuclear bomb survivors who later developed an increased cancer rate [2, 3]. CT examinations are projected by some to eventually account for up to 1.5–2.0% of future cancers in the United States [4]. Although only 7% of CT scans are in children, they are expected to account for up to 15% of the additional cancers because of increased life expectancy and sensitivity of children to radiation. Risk estimates for excess cancer mortality from radiation exposure of 1 death per 2,000 scans assume an effective dose of 10 mSv per scan and a risk of 5% per sievert [4]. MRI by contrast is perceived as a panacea for many applications performed by CT because it uses no ionizing radiation. General anesthesia risks associated with performing MRI in children need to be compared to the risk of ionizing radiation associated with CT. General anesthesia presents both acute and long-term risks to children undergoing MRI. The death rate for patients undergoing general anesthesia for MRI is cited to be 5.3 deaths per million [5]. Greater anesthesia risk for children undergoing an MRI examination is recognized [6, 7]. One study found that the mortality rate for general
Products of Therapeutic Insulins in the Blood of Insulin-dependent (Type I) Diabetic Patients

The tendency of insulin in high concentrations to selfassociate and the widespread presence of insulindegrading enzymes suggest that fragments and/or aggregates of insulin may circulate in normal and insulin-dependent diabetic (IDOM) individuals. To examine this possibility, we have analyzed, by sensitive physicochemical methods, immunoreactive insulin (IRI) taken from the blood of 9 healthy volunteers and 12 insulin-dependent diabetic patients. IRI from the blood of the normal volunteers was composed of 6000 (91.0 ± 1.4%) and 9000 (9.0 ± 1.4%) molecular weight (mol wt) material. By 10% polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and reverse-phase, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the 6000 mol wt material was indistinguishable from human insulin standards and insulin fragments were not found. C-peptide reactivity in the 9000 mol wt material confirmed the expected presence of proinsulin and intermediates of proinsulin conversion. IRI harvested from the blood of 12 C-peptide-negative IDDMs, using a variety of insulin preparations, also separated into 6000 (80.5 ± 3.9%) and 9000–12,000 (19.5 ± 3.9%) mol wt material. By HPLC, 6000 mol wt IRI was either pork insulin (in volunteers using pure pork insulin) or a mixture of beef (∼90%), pork (∼10%) and deamidated beef (trace) insulin in those using a beef-pork mixture. However, the 9000–12,000 mol wt material had characteristics entirely distinct from proinsulin of either human or animal origin: (1) C-peptide reactivity was undetectable using any of three sensitive radioimmunoassay systems, (2) on PAGE it migrated more rapidly than proinsulin-like material, and (3) in contrast to proinsulin, it was unaffected by proteolytic degradation. We conclude that a covalent aggregate of therapeutic insulin circulates in diabetic patients who use a variety of insulin preparations. Insulin aggregates may account for a relatively large amount of the total IRI in IDDMs, and these aggregates may promote the formation of anti-insulin antibodies and affect the action of insulin.
Optimotaxis: A Stochastic Multi-agent Optimization Procedure with Point Measurements

We consider the problem of seeking the maximum of a scalar signal using a swarm of autonomous vehicles equipped with sensors that can take point measurements of the signal. Vehicles are not able to measure their current position or to communicate with each other. Our approach induces the vehicles to perform a biased random walk inspired by bacterial chemotaxis and controlled by a stochastic hybrid automaton. With such a controller, it is shown that the positions of the vehicles evolve towards a probability density that is a specified function of the spatial profile of the measured signal, granting higher vehicle densities near the signal maxima.
Nanoporous impedemetric biosensor for detection of trace atrazine from water samples

Trace contamination of ground water sources has been a problem ever since the introduction of high-soil-mobility pesticides, one such example is atrazine. In this paper we present a novel nanoporous portable bio-sensing device that can identify trace contamination of atrazine through a label-free assay. We have designed a pesticide sensor comprising of a nanoporous alumina membrane integrated with printed circuit board platform. Nanoporous alumina in the biosensor device generates a high density array of nanoscale confined spaces. By leveraging the size based immobilization of atrazine small molecules we have designed electrochemical impedance spectroscopy based biosensor to detect trace amounts of atrazine. We have calibrated the sensor using phosphate buffered saline and demonstrated trace detection from river and bottled drinking water samples. The limit of detection in all the three cases was in the femtogram/mL (fg/mL) (parts-per-trillion) regime with a dynamic range of detection spanning from 10 fg/mL to 1 ng/mL (0.01 ppt to 1 ppm). The selectivity of the device was tested using a competing pesticide; malathion and selectivity in detection was observed in the fg/mL regime in all the three cases.
The Many Languages of American Literature: Interpreting Sojourner Truth’s Narrative (1850) as Dutch-American Contact Literature

Building on the suggestion by the editors of the Routledge Companion to World Literature (2011) to re-frame the field of literary studies from a global and transnational perspective, this article suggests a new approach to the concept of ‘contact literature’. Reading American literature as ‘contact literature’ assumes that even if an American literary text is written in English, the other languages of the ‘contact zone’ in which the text originated and/or to which it alludes also impacted the writing process and therefore need to be included in the analysis. This new approach to the analysis of American literature is applied here to Sojourner Truth’s famous slave narrative, published in 1850. Since Truth spent the first 30 years of her life as a slave in a predominantly Dutch-speaking environment in the Hudson Valley, analysing her narrative as ‘contact literature’ implies a focus on Dutch cultural traces. This is done in two chapters — one dealing with Dutch language and literature, the other with Dutch ...
Space-frequency precoding for an OFDM based system exploiting spatial and path correlation

We investigate the capacity behavior of an OFDM wireless link for the frequency selective MIMO channel with correlated paths. The derivation is based on a particular channel model that characterizes path correlation as well as spatial correlation. As in the case of spatial correlation, path correlation can reduce capacity. If there is no channel knowledge at the transmitter, the capacity reduction of an OFDM based system due to path correlation can be explained in terms of the effective SNR at each tone. With spatial and path correlation information at the transmitter, we derive the optimal space-frequency precoder at every tone by numerical optimization techniques. We propose a sub-optimal precoding scheme with lower complexity which leads to a tight lower bound of the capacity of the OFDM system.
Facial emotion perception in depression and bipolar disorder: A quantitative review

A considerable body of literature has reported on emotion perception deficits and the relevance of these impairments in persons with depression and bipolar disorder. Fifty-one studies published between 1981-February 2009 were examined regarding emotion perception abilities between patient and control groups, and potential methodological, demographic and clinical moderators. Studies were identified through a computerized literature search of the MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and PubMed databases. The Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) standard (Stroup et al., 2000) was followed in the extraction of relevant studies and data. Data on emotion perception, methodology, demographic and clinical characteristics were compiled and analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis version 2.0 (Biostat, 2005). The meta-analysis revealed a moderate deficit in emotion perception in both bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, irrespective of task type, diagnosis, age of onset/duration of illness, sex, and hospitalization status. Several factors that moderated the observed impairment include self-reported depression, age at time of testing, and years of education. Emotion perception impairment in bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder represents a moderate and stable deficit that appears to be moderated by a limited number of demographic and clinical factors.
Improving the precision of noisy oscillators

Abstract We consider how the period of an oscillator is affected by white noise, with special attention given to the cases of additive noise and parameter fluctuations. Our treatment is based upon the concepts of isochrons, which extend the notion of the phase of a stable periodic orbit to the basin of attraction of the periodic orbit, and phase response curves, which can be used to understand the geometry of isochrons near the periodic orbit. This includes a derivation of the leading-order effect of noise on the statistics of an oscillator’s period. Several examples are considered in detail, which illustrate the use and validity of the theory, and demonstrate how to improve a noisy oscillator’s precision by appropriately tuning system parameters or operating away from a bifurcation point. It is also shown that appropriately timed impulsive kicks can give further improvements to oscillator precision.
“TODAY” Reflects on the Changing “Faces” of Type 2 Diabetes

The diabetes landscape has seen unprecedented changes over the recent past. On the one hand, there have been consistent and impressive advancements in clinical care, which include new therapeutic agents, novel dietary approaches, technical advances in glycemic monitoring and closed-loop technology, and a heightened awareness of individuals at risk. The tools required to treat and halt the progression of diabetes complications and the clinical evidence in support of effective management strategies have been established. On the other hand, the need for these developments has never been greater given the global burden of the diabetes epidemic. A particularly disturbing observation is that the “faces” of those who develop type 2 diabetes are becoming younger by the year as evidenced by the reports demonstrating the increased frequency of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in youth (1–3). Until recent data were made available, it was really not known how adolescents would respond to therapies normally reserved for the adult population. We also had no evidence regarding the rate and severity of the complications in this age-group or the prevalence and progression of other risk factors. In this regard, the TODAY (Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth) study has succeeded in filling a major gap in knowledge (4–10). Thus, given the importance of the problem of type 2 diabetes in youth and the need to effectively disseminate the information, our editorial team has elected to feature the TODAY study in this issue of Diabetes Care . Specifically, articles from the TODAY study researchers featured in this issue provide new data on the efficacy and safety of clinical treatment and longitudinal observations of specific risk factors and complications for the new “faces” of the type 2 diabetes epidemic—namely, adolescents! As I reflect on the problem …
Mapping the Alpine Treeline Ecotone with Digital Aerial Photography and Textural Analysis

Abstract Textural classifications offer a scale‐sensitive approach to understanding the alpine treeline ecotone in Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A. Using aerial photography as primary data, we describe a classification technique, incorporating both spectral and spatial information, to provide ecological insights into the scale dependencies of individual ecotone elements. We found that improvements in classification accuracies incorporating both texture and brightness value depend upon window size and texture parameter, indicating that the optimal scale of analysis varies among ecotone classes. Using texture in image analysis of the ecotone highlights scale sensitivities in ecotone components. Therefore, textural analyses may be useful for reducing error in classifications by providing information on the scale at which various landscape patterns operate.