cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Image processing techniques in relation to studies of red cell shape.

The purpose of these remarks is to present a brief description of some techniques of image processing and to offer a few illustrative examples of the ways in which image processing might contribute to studies of red cell shape. Image processing refers to the application of automatic techniques, both digital and analog, to visual images so as to transform the images or to extract quantitative information from them. While it has been known for some time that one can adequately represent a visual image by a mathematical function, it is only within the past 10–15 years that the electronic technology has made it practicable for images to be translated into numerical form and manipulated by computer programs. A number of working groups [8, 9] have already applied image processing to a variety of problems of biological and medical interest; the applications to health science appear to be particularly attractive and numerous, perhaps because so much life science research depends upon visual inspection of biological objects.
Clinical utility of the revised international staging system (RISS) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

8017Background: A recent pooled analysis of 11 international trials formulated a new prognostic algorithm called the Revised International Staging System (RISS) for Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma...
Improving Adversarial Robustness of Ensembles with Diversity Training.

Deep Neural Networks are vulnerable to adversarial attacks even in settings where the attacker has no direct access to the model being attacked. Such attacks usually rely on the principle of transferability, whereby an attack crafted on a surrogate model tends to transfer to the target model. We show that an ensemble of models with misaligned loss gradients can provide an effective defense against transfer-based attacks. Our key insight is that an adversarial example is less likely to fool multiple models in the ensemble if their loss functions do not increase in a correlated fashion. To this end, we propose Diversity Training, a novel method to train an ensemble of models with uncorrelated loss functions. We show that our method significantly improves the adversarial robustness of ensembles and can also be combined with existing methods to create a stronger defense.
4.32 Sexual History of Complainant Generally Excluded

This article addresses the admissibility of the sexual history of a rape victim or other sexual abuse complainant under FRE 412. It discusses the meaning of “sexual behavior” and sexual “predisposition.”
Conformal and projective characterizations of an odd dimensional unit sphere

We obtain two characterizations of an odd-dimensional unit sphere of dimension $>3$ by proving the following two results: (i) If a complete connected $\eta$-Einstein $K$-contact manifold $M$ of dimension $>3$ admits a conformal vector field $V$, then either $M$ is isometric to a unit sphere, or $V$ is an infinitesimal automorphism of $M$. (ii) If $V$ was a projective vector field in (i), then the same conclusions would hold, except in the first case, $M$ would be locally isometric to a unit sphere.
Unresolved conflict, urban insurgency and devastating consequences in Turkey between 2015 and 2016

ABSTRACTFollowing the fallout of peace negotiations between the PKK and the Turkish government, armed conflicts ensued in urban centres in 2015. The PKK erected sandbags and trenches to control territories in the mainly-Kurdish southeastern cities. As a response, the government employed military forces with heavy weaponries to crackdown on the PKK and gain access to neighbourhoods. A large number of residences and neighbourhoods were destroyed, leading to hundreds of civilian casualties and injuries. This study traces landmarks in the PKK insurgency to understand the military interventions between July 2015 and December 2016. Drawing on reports from domestic and international entities, this research describes the consequences of the clashes over the study period. Then, it attempts to visualise and quantify the destruction that took place in conflict zones following the military crackdowns by comparing pre and post satellite images. Overall, the pattern and magnitude of devastation in predominantly Kurdish...
A method to perform pharmacokinetic sampling through a single lumen catheter following drug administration

3113 Introduction: The ability to use a single indwelling catheter for both dosing and sampling purposes can enhance enrollment in pharmacokinetic studies, especially in children. Objective: To develop a procedure for pharmacokinetic sampling from a single indwelling central catheter following drug dosing. Material and Methods: An in vitro model system for drug dosing through a central venous catheter using a variety of commercial catheters (Cook® and CR Bard®) was used for method development. A 3-way stopcock was fitted with both a waste and sample syringe, and was connected to the catheter via a needless access hub. Actinomycin-D (Act-D, 0.5 mg/mL) and vincristine (VCR, 1 mg/mL), two drugs to be studied in an upcoming pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic study, were dosed through the catheter. Sampling occurred from drug-free whole blood. The effect of flush volume and composition, as well as catheter type and lumen size, on residual drug concentration was studied. Concentration profiles were fitted to simple exponential decay models, and were incorporated into models to explore the potential for clinically influential contamination. Results: Limited residual Act-D and VCR concentrations were found in samples obtained after four rinse waste cycles interrupted by a 2 mL saline flush. Mean residual concentrations of Act-D were 0.6±0.6 ng/mL and of VCR were 0.3±0.4 ng/mL, at or below the limit of quantitation, reflecting a six log decrease from initial infusion concentration. Conclusion: We have developed a procedure to efficiently reduce drug contamination during pharmacokinetic sampling from a single lumen catheter. Further evaluation of in vivo validation is ongoing and the proposed configuration will soon be evaluated in a prospective clinical trial currently underway at our institution.
Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses Who Are Arrested and Incarcerated

The disproportionately high percentage of adults with serious mental illnesses in correctional facilities is well documented. For decades, mental health officials, family members, and people with mental illnesses have implored local, state, and federal government officials to invest in community-based mental health services as a way to address this phenomenon. This chapter explores why it is that so many adults with mental illness are arrested and incarcerated, what is different about this problem today than years ago, how much recent progress has been realized, and what challenges must be addressed in the years ahead to make fundamental change. The chapter ends with a description of promising national initiatives that build on the accomplishments to date with the express purpose of reducing the number of adults with serious mental illnesses under correctional supervision.
Abstract 2439: A semi-supervised deconvolution method for quantifying the composition and activity of tumor-infiltrating cell types

Tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a key role in tumorigenesis, disease progression and the acquirement of drug resistance. An accurate assessment of TME cellular compositions may not only shed light on how TME interacts with cancer cells, but also bring new insights for translational researchers in studying the non-responding mechanism of immunotherapy. Traditional deconvolution methods infer the relative proportions of predefined cell types based on a tissue omics data through either regression- or enrichment- based approaches. However, there are several challenges that remain unsolved in the current formulations, including (1) identifying the Immune/Stromal (I/S) cell types that truly exists in a TME, (2) identifying the marker genes for each cell type that are specifically expressed by one or a few I/S cell types in a TME, (3) co-linearity among to-be-assessed I/S proportions due to their co-infiltration. We have developed a novel semi-supervised deconvolution method namely ICTD (Inference of Cell types and Deconvolution), addressing the three challenges via (i) developing a Bi-Cross Validation (BCV) based matrix rank test to assess the significance level of the existence of cell types and signature genes, (ii) utilizing a constrained Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) to eliminate the effect of co-linearity. We validated ICTD on bulk tumor datasets simulated using single-cell RNA-seq data. Our analysis suggested that ICTD has a largely improved prediction accuracy of TME compositions comparing to existing methods, and particularly, it is capable of identifying novel or sub-cell types. We applied our method to TCGA and other gene expression data of breast and prostate cancer. Subsets of CD8+ T cells with varied cytotoxicity levels and subtypes of fibroblast cells were identified. Moreover, integrated with an analysis of an independent single-cell and cell line gene expression dataset, we identified genes specifically expressed by cancer cells that are associated with decreased T cell cytotoxicity level. Citation Format: Wennan Chang, Changlin Wan, Yifan Sun, Yan Han, Siyuan Qi, Xiongbin Lu, Sha Cao, Chi Zhang. A semi-supervised deconvolution method for quantifying the composition and activity of tumor-infiltrating cell types [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2439.
A Dynamic Weighted Aggregation Equivalent Modeling Approach for the DFIG Wind Farm Considering the Weibull Distribution for Fault Analysis

The developing process of the aggregated dynamic equivalent model (DEM) for doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind farms could be less computational and more efficient compared with the multimachine DEM, but less accurate when wind speed differences exist inside the wind farm. In addition, the wind speed differences contribute to the different activation patterns of the crowbar systems of DFIGs. Therefore, a dynamic weighted aggregation modeling approach is proposed in this paper to improve the applicability of the aggregated DEM for DFIG wind farm. First, the Gaussian density distance clustering algorithm is applied to segment the wind speed power curve into different zones such that each segmented zone is corresponded to one equivalent aggregated machine. Then the dynamic weighted aggregation equivalent model could be developed based on the conventional aggregated DEM, where the weighting factors for each generator are calculated according to the Weibull distribution of wind speeds. Different scenarios are simulated in MATLAB/Simulink environment to analyze the applicability of the proposed dynamic weighting equivalent model. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
High Contrast and Resolution Labeling of Amyloid Plaques in Tissue Sections from APP-PS1 Mice and Humans with Alzheimer's Disease with the Zinc Chelator HQ-O: Practical and Theoretical Considerations.

Background Various methodologies have been employed for the localization of amyloid plaques in numerous studies on Alzheimer's disease. The majority of these stains are thought to label the plaques by virtue of their affinity for aggregated Aβ. However, plaques are known to contain numerous other components, including multivalent metals such as zinc. Objective This investigates whether it is possible to localize the presence of zinc in parenchymal and vascular amyloid plaques in afflicted brains. To accomplish this, a novel fluorescent zinc chelator, HQO, was investigated to determine its mechanism of binding and to optimize a stain for the high contrast and resolution histological localization of amyloid plaques. Methods A novel zinc chelator, HQ-O, was developed for localizing zinc within amyloid plaques. The histology involves incubating tissue sections in a dilute aqueous solution of HQ-O. Its compatibility with a variety of other fluorescent methodologies is described. Results All amyloid plaques are stained in fine detail and appear bright green under blue light excitation. The staining of parenchymal plaques correlates closely with that seen following staining with antibodies to Aβ, however, the HQ-O sometimes also label additional globular structures within blood vessels. In situ mechanistic studies revealed that fluorescent plaque-like structures are only observed with HQ-O when synthetic Aβx-42 is aggregated in the presence of zinc. Conclusion Zinc is intimately bound to all amyloid plaques, which was demonstrated by its histological localization using a novel fluorescent zinc chelator, HQ-O. Additionally, the tracer is also capable of labeling intravascular leucocytes due to their high zinc content.
Nasal Drug Delivery

This chapter covers the fundamentals of nasal drug delivery. Anatomical barriers to drug delivery, examples and functions of commonly used excipients, and device design are reviewed. Analytical procedures relevant to testing the performance of nasal drug products are also introduced.
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy presenting with different morphological patterns in the same patient: a case report and review of the literature.

Abstract Background Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy is characterized by transient left ventricular systolic dysfunction, which often mimics a myocardial infarction and is usually triggered by emotional or physical stress. There are four variants of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, based on the affected left ventricular area. Case We report a 75-year-old female with a past medical history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and chronic kidney disease who presented with chest pain that had started after a stressful, emotional event. Her electrocardiogram showed no ischemic changes, troponin was mildly elevated, and cardiac catheterization revealed nonobstructive coronary artery disease. Echocardiogram showed a decreased ejection fraction and apical akinesia with basal hyperkinesia consistent with classical Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy. Decision-making The patient symptomatically improved on optimal heart failure therapy, and a follow-up echocardiogram showed improvement in her systolic function. Over a year later, the patient was readmitted with chest pain, which also began after an emotional event. ECG showed nonspecific ST-T wave changes, and troponin was mildly elevated. Echocardiogram demonstrated a reduced ejection fraction and inferior akinesia with apical hyperkinesia consistent with reverse Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy. A repeat cardiac catheterization exhibited mild nonobstructive coronary artery disease unchanged from her previous report. A follow-up echocardiogram showed full recovery of her systolic function. Conclusion Classical and reverse Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy due to different stressors have been reported in the literature individually, but up to our knowledge, both variants of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy occurring in the same patient has not been reported previously.
Synthesis of a d1-titanium fluoride kagome lattice antiferromagnet.

The kagome lattice, composed of a planar array of corner-sharing triangles, is one of the most geometrically frustrated lattices. The realization of a spin S = 1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnet is of particular interest because it may host an exotic form of matter, a quantum spin liquid state, which shows long-range entanglement and no magnetic ordering down to 0 K. A few S = 1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnets exist, typically based on Cu2+, d9 compounds, though they feature structural imperfections. Herein, we present the synthesis of (CH3NH3)2NaTi3F12, which comprises an S = 1/2 kagome layer that exhibits only one crystallographically distinct Ti3+, d1 site, and one type of bridging fluoride. A static positional disorder is proposed for the interlayer CH3NH3+. No structural phase transitions were observed from 1.8 K to 523 K. Despite its spin-freezing behaviour, other features—including its negative Curie–Weiss temperature and a lack of long-range ordering—imply that this compound is a highly frustrated magnet with unusual magnetic phase behaviours. The highly frustrated spin-1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnet, predicted to exhibit unconventional magnetic behaviours, has remained difficult to synthesize without structural imperfections. Now, a d1-titanium fluoride kagome lattice antiferromagnet has been prepared in which there is only one crystallographically distinct Ti3+ site and one type of bridging fluoride, and it is shown to be a frustrated magnet with unusual magnetic properties.
Epigenomic and Transcriptomic Dynamics During Human Heart Organogenesis

Rationale: There is growing evidence that common variants and rare sequence alterations in regulatory sequences can result in birth defects or predisposition to disease. Congenital heart defects ar...
Definitions of "rural" and "urban" and understandings of economic transformation: Evidence from Tanzania

Designing effective policies for economic development often entails categorizing populations by their rural or urban status. Yet there exists no universal definition of what constitutes an "urban" area, and countries alternately apply criteria related to settlement size, population density, or economic advancement. In this study, we explore the implications of applying different urban definitions, focusing on Tanzania for illustrative purposes. Toward this end, we refer to nationally representative household survey data from Tanzania, collected in 2008 and 2014, and categorize households as urban or rural using seven distinct definitions. These are based on official administrative categorizations, population densities, daytime and nighttime satellite imagery, local economic characteristics, and subjective assessments of Google Earth images. These definitions are then applied in some common analyses of demographic and economic change. We find that these urban definitions produce different levels of urbanization. Thus, Tanzania's urban population share based on administrative designations was 28% in 2014, though this varies from 12% to 39% with alternative urban definitions. Some indicators of economic development, such as the level of rural poverty or the rate of rural electrification, also shift markedly when measured with different urban definitions. The periodic (official) recategorization of places as rural or urban, as occurs with the decennial census, results in a slower rate of rural poverty decline than would be measured with time-constant boundaries delimiting rural Tanzania. Because the outcomes of analysis are sensitive to the urban definitions used, policy makers should give attention to the definitions that underpin any statistics used in their decision making.
Origin of the energy bandgap in epitaxial graphene

S.Y. Zhou, 2 D.A. Siegel, 2 A.V. Fedorov, F. El Gabaly, A. K. Schmid, A.H. Castro Neto, and A. Lanzara 2 Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA Department of Physics, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA (Dated: April 14, 2008)
Locoregional Therapies for Bridging and Downstaging Hepatocellular Carcinoma Prior to Liver Transplant

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary liver malignancy and is a common indication for liver transplantation. To qualify for liver transplantation, the size and number of tumors must be within established criteria. The Milan criteria is the most well-established of these criteria, however there is evidence these criteria can be safely expanded without affecting outcomes. While awaiting liver transplantation, locoregional therapy can be used as bridging therapy to maintain the tumor burden within criteria. Locoregional therapy can also be used to decrease tumor burden within transplant criteria, a process called downstaging. For tumors <3 cm, thermal ablation—most commonly using a radio-frequency probe—is preferred when feasible and offers tumor control approaching that of resection. Larger or multifocal lesions are usually treated with either trans-arterial chemoembolization or yttrium-90 trans-arterial radioembolization. The choice between these two interventions is generally based on institutional preference as neither has demonstrated survival advantage in the transplant population. However, single center trials show longer time to progression, improved downstaging success, and less microvascular invasion in patients treated with trans-arterial radioembolization. More recently stereotactic body radiation therapy has demonstrated efficacy in patients who are not candidates for other locoregional therapy or have progressed despite prior locoregional therapy.
Use of captive starlings to determine effects of pollutants on passerine reproduction

Three reproductive trials were conducted to develop techniques for propagation of captive starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) which could determine the effects of environmental contaminants on passerine reproduction. Trials wereconducted during the spring of 1979 in five adjacent 2.4 by 3 by 12-m outdoor wire pens containing four or ten pairs of starlings, a similar number of nest boxes, perches, water, commercial turkey starter, and alfalfa hay as nesting material. Nestling diets consisted of combinations of Nebraska Brand bird of prey diet, live or frozen mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and crickets (Acheta domestics), or live earthworms (Pheretima sp.). Starlings reproduced successfully when the number of breeding pairs per pen was reduced from ten to four. The average clutch sizes for each pen (4.3 to 4.9) were similar to those reported for wild starlings. Hatching (60 to 90.4 percent) and fledging (0 to 100 percent) success varied among pens. The fledging success was greatest in the pens which received the most diverse nestling diets: Nebraska Brand diet plus frozen or live mealworms and crickets. Whether the insects were presented alive or frozen appeared to have little effect on the reproductive success. The starlings did not consume or carry earthworms to their young. The body weights of 20-day-old nestlings raised in captivity (X = 73.9 g) were similar to those of starlings in the wild. The use of single pairs per pen may eliminate problems in presentation of nestling diets due to asynchrony in breeding between pairs and excessive interactions among individuals, which may interfere with parental care. The starling appears to be an excellent model for examining the effects of environmental contaminants on the reproduction of songbirds in captivity.
Inhibitory control may not explain the link between approximation and math abilities in kindergarteners from middle class families

Past research suggests that individual differences in the acuity of the approximate number system (ANS) are associated with children’s math abilities. However, some recent work has argued that these associations can be explained through shared reliance on inhibitory control. Here, we test this claim in two separate experiments. In Experiment 1, 42 five- and six-year-old children completed a non-symbolic number comparison task to assess ANS acuity as well as standardized experimenter-administered assessments for inhibitory control and math ability. Children’s accuracy in the number comparison task and scores on the math assessment were significantly correlated, even when controlling for performance on the inhibitory control task. To rule out that our findings were due to the nature of the inhibitory control task, in Experiment 2, we administered a different, computerized inhibitory control task, and similar tasks to assess ANS acuity and math ability as in Exp. 1 to 169 children aged three to six years. Similar to the result of Experiment 1, we found that associations between accuracy in the number comparison task and math ability persisted when controlling for performance on the inhibitory control task. Together these results suggest that ANS acuity is uniquely associated with early math abilities, independent of the effect of inhibitory control.
Gender studies and communication

(1989). Gender studies and communication. Critical Studies in Mass Communication: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 202-208.
Identification of Cysteine 530 as the Covalent Attachment Site of an Affinity-labeling Estrogen (Ketononestrol Aziridine) and Antiestrogen (Tamoxifen Aziridine) in the Human Estrogen Receptor

Radiosequence analysis of peptide fragments of the estrogen receptor (ER) from MCF-7 human breast cancer cells has been used to identify cysteine 530 as the site of covalent attachment of an estrogenic affinity label, ketononestrol aziridine (KNA), and an antiestrogenic affinity label, tamoxifen aziridine (TAZ). ER from MCF-7 cells was covalently labeled with [3H]TAZ or [3H]KNA and purified to >95% homogeneity by immunoadsorbent chromatography. Limit digest peptide fragments, generated by prolonged exposure of the labeled receptor to trypsin, cyanogen bromide, or Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, were purified to homogeneity by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the position of the labeled residue was determined by sequential Edman degradation. With both aziridines, the labeled residue was at position 1 in the tryptic peptide, position 2 in the cyanogen bromide peptide, and position 7 in the V8 protease peptide. This localizes the site of labeling to a single cysteine at position 530 in the receptor sequence. The identity of cysteine as the site of labeling was confirmed by HPLC comparison of the TAZ-labeled amino acid (as the phenylthiohydantoin and phenylthiocarbamyl derivatives) and the KNA-labeled amino acid (as the phenylthiocarbamyl derivative) with authentic standards prepared by total synthesis. Cysteine 530 is located in the hormone binding domain of the receptor, near its carboxyl terminus. This location is consistent with earlier studies using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to analyze the size of the proteolytic fragments containing the covalent labeling sites for TAZ and KNA and the antigen recognition sites for monoclonal antibodies. The fact that both the estrogenic and antiestrogenic affinity labeling agents react covalently with the same cysteine indicates that differences in receptor-agonist and receptorantagonist complexes do not result in differential covalent labeling of amino acid residues in the hormone binding domain.
Kinetic Mechanism of Rabbit Muscle Glycogen Phosphorylase a

Abstract Isotope-exchange rates at chemical equilibrium were determined for the glycogen-α-d-glucopyranose 1-phosphate-Pi system in the presence of phosphorylase a. Exchange of 32P from α-d-glycopyranose 1-phosphate (glucose-1-P) into Pi and exchange of 14C from glucose-1-P into glycogen were followed simultaneously by the use of glucose-1-P containing both isotopes. Concentrations of glucose-1-P and Pi were varied together in their equilibrium ratio at constant glycogen concentration, and the concentration of glycogen was varied at fixed concentrations of phosphates. Exchange rates for the two isotopes were equal under all conditions (with the possible exception of measurements at the highest concentrations of the phosphates) and gave linear reciprocal plots. One exception was noted in which the reciprocal plot was concave upward at low concentrations of substrate, probably because of allosteric effects. The results support a rapid equilibrium mechanism. Initial velocity of the reaction in the absence of product was determined by the use of an isotopic assay. The results were characteristic of a sequential mechanism. Isotope-exchange rates were also determined under nonequilibrium conditions. Exchange of 32P from glucose-1-P into Pi was followed as a function of glycogen concentration at a fixed concentration of glucose-1-P and several fixed concentrations of Pi. The exchange was also followed as a function of glucose-1-P concentration at fixed glycogen concentration and several fixed Pi concentrations. Similar experiments were done while following the exchange from Pi into glucose-1-P. These experiments are equivalent to conventional product inhibition experiments. The results indicate that the two phosphates are noncompetitive inhibitors with respect to glycogen, but are competitive with respect to one another. Our conclusion is that phosphorylase a has a rapid equilibrium Random Bi-Bi mechanism involving binary complexes of enzyme with glycogen, glucose-1-P, and Pi, and ternary complexes of enzyme with glycogen and glucose-1-P and with glycogen and Pi.
Novel digital calibration architecture and implementation based on DNL/INL trade-off for high performance D/A conversion

This paper introduces a novel fully digital D/A converter linearity calibration scheme based on a DNL and INL tradeoff (DIT) principle. Both analytical and statistical simulation results show a few bits of D/A converter linearity improvement by such a technique.
Black Holes, Hawking Radiation and the Information Paradox

This talk is about results obtained by Kirill Melnikov and myself pertaining to the canonical quantization of a massless scalar field in the presence of a Schwarzschild black hole. After a brief summary of what we did and how we reproduce the familiar Hawking temperature and energy flux, I focus attention on how our discussion differs from other treatments. In particular I show that we can define a system which fakes an equilibrium thermodynamic object whose entropy is given by the A/4 (where A is the area of the black hole horizon), but for which the assignment of a classical entropy to the system is incorrect. Finally I briefly discuss a discretized version of the theory which seems to indicate that things work in a surprising way near r=0.
Unusual wrist tremor: unilateral isometric tremor?

Background: Tremors may be difficult to classify. Case Report: An 83‐year‐old male presented with an unusual left wrist tremor. The tremor could be reproducibly elicited by making a fist or carrying a weighted object (e.g., a shopping bag, bottle of water) of approximately 1 lb or more, and it intensified with heavier weights. The tremor was difficult to classify, although it shared features with isometric tremor. Discussion: This specific presentation of tremor has not been reported previously. We hope that the detailed description we provide will aid other neurologists who encounter this or similar tremors in their clinics.
The Role of the Observer in Uniform Systems

Starting from models of particular interest for the physicist, there has evolved in the course of years, with different emphasis and varying degrees of abstraction, a vast literature of mathematical structures known collectively as “general dynamical systems [1].” In this area of investigation, the analysis of particular systems has often led to the study of more general media, i.e., of “host” systems in which a variety of “guest” systems can be embedded. Great conceptual economy and, at the same time, great flexibility, is achieved by considering media that are arbitrarily extended and uniform. For example, while a differential equation of the form x = -f(x) describes a single, isolated oscillator, partial differential equations such as those of the electromagnetic field in a homogeneous medium may be made to describe, with a suitable choice of initial conditions, systems of waves of many kinds, including particle-like “packets” of waves. In the discrete domain, a particular sequential process realized by a specialized piece of hardware, may be reproduced by assigning appropriate initial conditions (stored program) to a more uniformly structured, general-purpose computer.
Where there is no state: household strategies for the management of illness in Chad.

Abstract The current structure of the health care system in Chad, which is characterized by a weak public health system and a nascent and largely unaffordable private sector, raises questions about how low-income households manage illnesses. These questions are also compelling because of claims about the potential of oil-related investments to restructure the current landscape of care over the next 25–30 years. This paper focuses on household strategies for treating episodes of malaria reported in an on-going, longitudinal study of household health and access to care in Chad. Treatment of malaria outside the health care system is widespread in endemic areas, therefore it is not surprising that low-income households in this study rely heavily on unregulated drug markets for care. However, the paper shows how self-medication and the use of these drug markets are shaped by the current organization and delivery of care, and are not simply the outcome of a lack of information about the dangers associated with such practices. The paper also shows the consequences of this particular constellation of services for health in low-income households. We see, for example, the emergence of regimes for managing illness that consist of keeping debilitating symptoms at bay through the use of intermittent, sub-optimal therapies that provide a temporary reprieve but not a ‘cure.’ We also see that households ignore health problems—absorbing them into the experience of everyday life—that might elsewhere demand attention. When illnesses appear as crises it is often because cash-strapped households are unable to sustain this type of management regime, and easily treatable problems spiral out of control. Whether and how the experiences of the low-income households described in this paper will be impacted by the public investment of oil revenues in the health sector is the question our longitudinal study is designed to address.
Role of cAMP in the release from dormancy of freshwater sponge gemmules.

Abstract The role of 3′5′-cyclic AMP (cAMP) in the release from dormancy of gemmules from the freshwater sponge Spongilla lacustris was investigated. During the first 2 hr of germination a significant decrease in the gemmule cAMP content was observed. In the presence of amino-phylline, at concentrations which inhibit the gemmule-cAMP-phosphodiesterase, the cAMP content did not decrease and germination was arrested at a stage prior to nuclear separation and cell division. The findings suggest that inhibition of cell division by cAMP participates in the control of dormancy.
CD4+ cytolytic effectors are inefficient in the clearance of Listeria monocytogenes

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) recognize and lyse target cells through the interaction of the T-cell receptor complex with the class I or class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The production of class I-restricted CTL has been shown to be critical to the elimination of specific pathogens including Listeria monocytogenes. However, the function of class II-restricted CTL in the clearance of intracellular pathogens is poorly understood. H-2b beta 2-microglobulin-deficient mice (beta 2M-/-) are not able to produce CD8+ CTL in response to infection with L. monocytogenes. We used this model to evaluate the efficacy of class II-restricted CTL, in the absence of a class I-restricted response, during a primary infection with L. monocytogenes. We demonstrate that, despite their effectiveness in adoptive transfer of protection, Listeria-specific CD4+ class II-restricted cytotoxic lymphocytes are ineffective in decreasing titres of L. monocytogenes in the spleen was found established infection. In beta 2M-/- mice, persistence of L. monocytogenes in the spleen was found preferentially in class II-negative cells. Surprisingly, class I-restricted CTL from C57BL/6 mice were capable of decreasing bacterial titres during an established infection even in the absence of detectable class I on the surface of cells from beta 2M-/- mice. These data strongly suggest that, in the absence of a class I-restricted response, pathogens that elicit a class II-restricted cytotoxic response may escape prompt eradication by the immune system.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Methane Hydrate Using Polarizable Force Fields

Molecular dynamics simulations of methane hydrate have been carried out using the polarizable AMOEBA and COS/G2 force fields. Properties calculated include the temperature dependence of the lattice constant, the OC and OO radial distribution functions, and the vibrational spectra. Both the AMOEBA and COS/G2 force fields are found to successfully account for the available experimental data, with overall somewhat better agreement with experiment being found for the AMOEBA model. Comparison is made with previous results obtained using TIP4P and SPC/E effective two-body force fields and the polarizable TIP4P-FQ force field, which allows for in-plane polarization only. Significant differences are found between the properties calculated using the TIP4P-FQ model and those obtained using the other models, indicating an inadequacy of restricting explicit polarization to in-plane only.
Orthophosphate uptake by phytoplankton and bacterioplankton from the Los Angeles Harbor and Southern California coastal waters

Orthophosphate (P) uptake on a seasonal basis in surface waters and in vertical profiles was directly proportional to the standing stocks of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton in the outer Los Angeles Harbor and in southern California coastal waters during 1978–1979. A phytoplankton-enriched size fraction (PEF) which was retained on a 1 μm pore-size filter contained 83% of the total chlorophyll a but only 18% of the total bacteria. A bacterioplankton-enriched size fraction (BEF) which passed the 1 μm filter but was retained on a 0.2 μm filter contained 82% of the total bacteria but only 17% of the total chlorophyll a. PEF and BEF accounted for 91 and 9% of the microbial carbon, respectively. The differential uptake of 10 radiolabeled substrates more fully characterized PEF and BEF. 33P uptake occurred in both PEF and BEF, accounting for 47 and 53%, respectively, of the total uptake. 33P uptake by both size fractions was inhibited by low concentrations of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and carbonyl cyanide, m-chlorophenylhydrozone (CCCP). Darkness and low levels of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) selectively inhibited 33P uptake by PEF; valinomycin selectively inhibited 33P uptake by BEF. An experiment measuring 33P uptake velocity versus P concentration produced sigmoidal saturation kinetics at high levels of exogenous P. Kinetic parameter analyses according to the Hill equation gave a V max of 7.12 nmol l−1 h−1 and aK t of 0.41 nmol l−1 for PEF, and a V max of 5.17 nmol l−1 h−1 and aK t of 112 nmol l−1 for BEF. Consideration of relative surface areas of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton, their 33P uptake rates in light and dark, and estimates of the population turnover times emphasizes the potential importance of bacterioplankton in community phosphorus metabolism.
Evaluating Alternative Explanations in Ecosystem Experiments

Unreplicated ecosystem experiments can be analyzed by diverse statistical methods. Most of these methods focus on the null hypothesis that there is no response of a given ecosystem to a manipulation. We suggest that it is often more productive to compare diverse alternative explanations (models) for the observations. An example is presented using whole-lake experiments. When a single experimental lake was examined, we could not detect effects of phosphorus (P) input rate, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and grazing on chlorophyll. When three experimental lakes with contrasting DOC and food webs were subjected to the same schedule of P input manipulations, all three impacts and their interactions were measurable. Focus on multiple alternatives has important implications for design of ecosystem experiments. If a limited number of experimental ecosystems are available, it may be more informative to manipulate each ecosystem differently to test alternatives, rather than attempt to replicate the experiment.
Acute hepatotoxicity of oncolytic adenoviruses in mouse models is associated with expression of wild-type E1a and induction of TNF-α

Abstract Replication competent adenoviruses with various E1 modifications designed to restrict their replication to tumor cells are being evaluated as oncolytic agents in clinical trials. In mouse models, we observed that such oncolytic adenoviruses showed greater hepatotoxicity than E1-deleted adenovirus vectors following intravenous administration. Additional studies in congenic BALB/c, nude, and beige/Scid mice demonstrated dose-dependent hepatotoxicity and indicated that beige/Scid was the most sensitive strain. Comparison of E1-containing viruses showed that hepatotoxicity correlated with expression of wild-type E1a in the liver. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed rapid increases in viral DNA levels in the liver with a virus containing wild-type E1a. This was correlated with rapid induction of TNF-α to high levels and with rapid elevation of serum ALT. Hepatotoxicity was significantly reduced for an adenovirus with deletions in the region E1a ( dl 01/07) or a virus lacking E1a. The results suggest a mechanism for hepatotoxicity involving virus-induced production of local TNF-α release and E1a-mediated sensitization of hepatocyte killing.
SV40 T antigen increases the expression and activities of p34cdc2, cyclin A, and cyclin B prior to immortalization of human diploid fibroblasts.

SV40 T antigen induces karyotype instability soon after it is expressed in human diploid fibroblasts and ultimately promotes cell immortalization and tumorigenesis. Protein levels and activities of mitotic cell cycle proteins have been shown to be elevated in several immortal cell lines relative to their normal parental cells, suggesting a possible role for the aberrant regulation of mitosis in karyotype instability. We show here that IMR-90 human diploid lung fibroblasts expressing the SV40 tumor antigens display increased protein levels and associated enzymatic activities of cyclin A, cyclin B, and p34cdc2 long before crisis and immortalization. These elevations cannot be explained by faster cell growth or altered cell cycle distributions. Increased protein levels were not totally accounted for by elevated levels of the corresponding mRNA, indicating that T antigen modulates expression at least partially by posttranscriptional mechanisms. These results indicate that perturbation of mitotic regulatory proteins precedes crisis, and imply that altered mitotic control is a direct consequence of T antigen expression rather than an outcome of secondary events associated with immortalization. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Potential clinical applications of c‐reactive protein

This article reviews the clinical applications of C-reactive protein (CRP). This acute-phase protein is a distinct and sensitive marker for inflammation and tissue injury. It is a simple, fast, and relatively inexpensive latex agglutination test. The aspects of CRP reviewed include diagnostic support, serial measurements to evaluate disease course and therapeutic response, and screening studies.
Mean fields: Explicit dispersive and retardation properties of the dynamical polarization potential within a simple model.

The dynamical polarization potential corresponding to a simple and tractable, but physically meaningful, two-channel model is derived and examined, with particular attention to its analytic properties. This enables us to illustrate explicitly the emergence of the general dispersive and retardation features expected from the imposition of causality. The energy dependence of the potential, and the associated nonlocality in time expressed by its Fourier transform, are explored. A new theorem is proposed for the asymptotic behavior of the Fourier transforms.
Traditions, conventions, croyances et magie

Les grandes traditions sont souvent presentees comme etant des formes theâtrales figees, archaiques, tres codees et fortement inscrites dans le tissu d’une culture. A un point tel qu’on en vient parfois a confondre tradition theâtrale et folklore. Pourtant, ce que l’on nomme le « systeme » de Stanislavski peut aujourd’hui etre considere comme une tradition theâtrale, de meme que la biomecanique de Meyerhold et le mime corporel de Decroux. Peut-on en dire autant du burlesque quebecois et du theâtre experimental de Jean-Pierre Ronfard et de Robert Gravel ? Ces pratiques representent-elles des traditions propres a la culture quebecoise ? Qu’est-ce qu’une tradition theâtrale ? Un point de vue sur le theâtre, une pensee artistique ou une maniere de faire ? Cet article tente de repondre a certaine de ces questions.
DIVING-RELATED EMERGENCIES

The evaluation and management of medical problems related to diving used to be strictly under the aegis of a limited number of physicians involved in military or occupational medicine. The influences of technology and affluence, however, have contributed to increased diving activities in science, industry, and especially recreation. Recent estimates place the number of sport divers in the United States at approximately 5 million, with another several hundred thousand new divers being trained annually. Accordingly, the incidence of diving-related disorders has increased. The Divers' Alert Network (DAN) recorded 1164 diving-related injuries treated in 1994 alone, in addition to 97 fatalities. These numbers do not reflect injuries not reported to DAN. 19 Furthermore, the proliferation of hotel-hosted dive courses in tropical vacation spots has greatly increased the number of rapidly trained, relatively unsophisticated divers who then fly home again, often shortly after completing their last dive. Therefore, treatment of diving-related problems may be encountered by emergency physicians in diverse geographic locations. The medical problems associated with diving are all related to the fact that divers are exposed to environments for which humans are poorly adapted and which contain potentially hazardous life. Some common problems involve exposure-related illness and traumatic injuries, but medical management does not significantly differ compared with the nonaquatic environment. Dermatitides, infections, and envenomations related to marine flora and fauna can be banal or exotic, but an appropriately detailed discussion exceeds the scope of this article. The vast majority of dangerous diving-related medical conditions, however, are caused by the effects of changes in pressure underwater and the necessity for a source of breathable air, usually supplied by a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA). This article focuses on these concerns.
Zircon geochronology and ca. 400 Ma exhumation of Norwegian ultrahigh-pressure rocks: An ion microprobe and chemical abrasion study

Understanding the formation and exhumation of the remarkable ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks of the Western Gneiss Region, Norway, hinges on precise determination of the time of eclogite recrystallization. We conducted detailed thermal ionization mass spectrometry, chemical abrasion analysis and sensitive high-resolution ion-microprobe analysis of zircons from four ultrahigh- and high-pressure (HP) rocks. Ion-microprobe analyses from the Flatraket eclogite yielded a broad range of apparently concordant Caledonian ages, suggesting long-term growth. In contrast, higher precision thermal ionization mass spectrometry analysis of zircon subject to combined thermal annealing and multi-step chemical abrasion yielded moderate Pb loss from the first (lowest temperature) abrasion step, possible minor Pb loss or minor growth at 400 Ma from the second step and a 407–404 Ma cluster of slightly discordant 206Pb/238U ages, most likely free from Pb loss, from the remaining abrasion steps. We interpret the latter to reflect zircon crystallization at ∼405–400 Ma with minor discordance from inherited cores. Zircon crystallization occurred at eclogite-facies, possibly post-peak conditions, based on compositions of garnet inclusions in zircon as well as nearly flat HREE profiles and lack of Eu anomalies in zircon fractions subjected to chemical abrasion. These ages are significantly younger than the 425 Ma age often cited for western Norway eclogite recrystallization, implying faster rates of exhumation (>2.5–8.5 km/Myr), and coeval formation of eclogites across the UHP portion of the Western Gneiss Region.