cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental Rationale for Continuous Infusion Chemotherapy

The optimal schedule has not been established for the administration of most antineoplastic agents. Schabel et al. (1984), using murine tumor models, have demonstrated the importance of dose intensity for optimal antineoplastic effect. The administration schedule required to achieve maximal dose intensity, however, is not the same for every drug. The pharmacodynamic response to any drug is a function of concentration and duration of exposure. The simplest function is the concentration-time product (C × T) or area under the (concentration) curve (AUC) (Powis 1985). Many antineoplastic agents, however, demonstrate a marked schedule dependency - i.e., at equivalent AUCs, a prolonged infusion will yield much greater tumor cell kill than a shorter infusion or bolus. Other anticancer drugs may exhibit a marked concentration dependency, such that the reverse is true.
Cutting edge: DGYW/WRCH is a better predictor of mutability at G:C bases in Ig hypermutation than the widely accepted RGYW/WRCY motif and probably reflects a two-step activation-induced cytidine deaminase-triggered process

A feature of Ig hypermutation is the presence of hypermutable DNA sequences that are preferentially found in the V regions of Ig genes. Among these, RGYW/WRCY is the most pronounced motif (G:C is a mutable position; R=A/G, Y=C/T, and W=A/T). However, a molecular basis for the high mutability of RGYW was not known until recently. The discovery that activation-induced cytidine deaminase targets the DNA encoding V regions, has enabled the analysis of its targeting properties when expressed outside of the context of hypermutation. We analyzed these data and found evidence that activation-induced cytidine deaminase is the major source of the RGYW mutable motif, but with a new twist: DGYW/WRCH (G:C is the mutable position; D=A/G/T, H=T/C/A) is a better descriptor of the Ig mutation hotspot than RGYW/WRCY. We also found evidence that a DNA repair enzyme may play a role in modifying the sequence of hypermutation hotspots.
Learning from Nepa: Some Guidelines for Responsible Federal Risk Legislation

The past three or more Congresses have seen substantial efforts to enact "risk reform" legislation that would require environmental, health, and safety regulations to be adopted following the performance of risk assessments modeled on quantitative risk assessment methods for carcinogens. While such a requirement has potentially beneficial effects on the quality of the resulting rules, there is also a substantial potential for mischief by reorienting substantive environmental, health, and safety regulation, and by introducing substantial new costs and delays into the regulatory process. This article, which is derived from a report by the authors to support an American Bar Association recommendation on risk legislation, presents eight guidelines that ought to be followed by such legislation were it to be adopted. The article also draws on the experience with the National Environmental Policy Act. Environmental impact statements are analogous to risk assessments in many (heretofore unrecognized) respects, especially the importance of distinguishing between a procedural, analytical tool for decisionmaking and a substantive, result-determinative element of rulemaking.
Perceptual Control Theory

Perceptual control theory (PCT) is a theory of mind that was developed by William T. Powers and his colleagues to explain the purposeful behavior of living organisms (Powers, Clark, & McFarland, 1960). Purposeful behavior is seen in the ability of organisms to produce preselected results in a disturbance-prone world, as in the human ability to drive to a preselected destination despite unpredictable disturbances like road closures and car problems. Powers's use of control theory to explain purposeful behavior was based on his experience as a control engineer, which gave him the opportunity to see that the controlling done by artificial control systems, such as a thermostat, is equivalent to the purposeful behavior carried out by living systems, such as a driver. In both cases, systems are producing preselected results in the face of unpredictable disturbances. PCT is a theory of how systems, living and artificial, produce results on purpose, that is, how they exert control. Keywords: purposeful behavior; control theory; computer modeling; method of levels; cybernetics
Percid Pond Production Techniques

Tremendous variation in survival and growth of percid fry stocked in ponds was addressed through manipulation of amounts and kinds of fertilizers added and stocking densities of fish. Ponds were filled with water from nearby eutrophic lakes less than one week prior to stocking. Survival in these ponds averaged 64%. whereas ponds filled one month before stocking averaged only 14%. Optimal inorganic fertilization was identified as weekly restoration to 600µg N/L (NH4 +NO3) and 30µg P/L as PO4 -3. Organic fertilization gave variable results and water qualities. In one experiment, low organic fertilization alone (28 kg alfalfa meal/ha/week) provided survival and growth comparable to optimal fertilization with inorganic nutrients. Although similar in results, inorganic fertilization was more cost effective than the alfalfa meal. Low fish predation from low stocking or survival allowed Daphnia to overgraze algae. This resulted in a crash in both algae and zooplankton in the ponds. Doubling the initial stocking ...
Between Public and Private: Re-Figuring Politics in Pushkin's «Boris Godunov»

Alexander Pushkin went about, quite deliberately, to write an historical drama without the conventional romantic sub-plot. He remarked in 1829 in reference to his Boris Godunov : "A tragedy without love has appealed to my imagination." In this, he was probably following the advice of Voltaire who railed against "love intrigues, often foreign to the subject, and so often debased by idle buffooneries." And with his drama Orestes , the French playwright made the following claim: "I have at least given my countrymen some idea of a tragedy without love , without confidants, and without episodes" (italics mine). The romantic sub-plot, in Voltaire's view, detracted from the gravitas of the main political/military plot-line. He therefore argued for a clear separation of romance and politics. But while Voltaire simply omits a romantic sub-plot, Pushkin "lays bare" his rejection of it within Boris Godunov , thereby critically engaging the tradition. Furthermore, his inclusion of "buffooneries" in his drama and his indebtedness to Shakespeare, whom Voltaire considered "a barbarian," suggest that Pushkin may have had somewhat different motives in excising romance than did Voltaire.
A general method for nested RT-PCR amplification and sequencing the complete HCV genotype 1 open reading frame

Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a pathogenic hepatic flavivirus with a single stranded RNA genome. It has a high genetic variability and is classified into six major genotypes. Genotype 1a and 1b cause the majority of infections in the USA. Viral genomic sequence information is needed to correlate viral variation with pathology or response to therapy. However, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the HCV genome must overcome low template concentration and high target sequence diversity. Amplification conditions must hence have both high sensitivity and specificity yet recognize a heterogeneous target population to permit general amplification with minimal bias. This places divergent demands of the amplification conditions that can be very difficult to reconcile.
Kinetics of Methane Hydrate Formation from SDS Solution

The role of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in methane hydrate formation is investigated in a nonstirred batch reactor. Addition of SDS reduces the induction time, but no systematic trend is observed between induction times and SDS concentrations. The hydrate growth is analyzed by using a diffusion-reaction kinetics model with an assumption that crystallization occurs only in the liquid film at the gas−liquid interface. At the start of hydrate growth, the apparent rate constant increases linearly with increasing aqueous SDS concentrations. The apparent rate constant during hydrate growth increases as more available gas−liquid interface is generated. SDS not only increases hydrate nucleation rate by reducing the interfacial tension between hydrate and liquid but also accelerates hydrate growth rate by increasing the total surface area of hydrate particles and the gas−liquid interfacial area.
Effect of Ligand Electronics on the Stability and Chain Transfer Rates of Substituted Pd(II) α-Diimine Catalysts(1)

The effect of electron-donating and -withdrawing groups on the ligands of Pd(II) α-diimine olefin polymerization catalysts on catalyst stability, activity, and polymer molecular weight is investigated. The polyethylene molecular weight and the productivity of catalysts bearing substituted bis(aryl)dimethyldiazabutadiene (Me2DAB) and bis(aryl)acenaphthenequinonediimine (BIAN) ligands were analyzed over time at room temperature and 40 °C to monitor catalyst stability and chain transfer processes. The introduction of electron-donating groups led to a dramatic increase in polymer molecular weight, with polymer chains still growing after 24 h of polymerization. The amino-substituted Me2DAB analogue afforded polymer of more than twice the molecular weight compared to the polymer made with the unsubstituted analogue after 24 h of polymerization. The unsubstituted catalysts and those bearing electron-withdrawing groups, however, reached a maximal molecular weight, generally lower, after a comparatively short time...
Application of singularity expansion method for monitoring the deployment of arterial stents

A stent is a metal tube used to treat blocked blood vessels in the body. The stent is deployed into obstructed part of the blood vessel to keep it open and improve the blood flow in the diseased area. During the stent implantation, the collapsed stent is expanded into the artery to a size so as to stick to the artery walls. Because of the significant health dangers caused by the over-expansion or under-expansion of the stent, having a proper estimation of diameter of the stent in the artery during expansion is important. However, yet to date, no method exists that would allow real time monitoring during and after the stent expansion process. In this article, we present a novel methodology to estimate diameter of the stent during and after deployment in the artery by applying the singularity expansion method (SEM). According to SEM, the transient electromagnetic signal scattered from bodies can be described by poles and residues. Poles are intrinsic property of the body that can be used to detect deformation of an object such as expansion. We have demonstrated the idea of estimating diameter of a stent via tracking poles by both simulation and measurement. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:2241–2246, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27053
Innate Visual Form Preferences in the Imprinting Behavior of Hatchling Chicks

1. Dark-reared socially naive hatchling chicks 13 to 16 hours old were exposed to one of ten two-dimensional forms in an imprinting procedure. Two different imprinting procedures were used. 2. The relative effectiveness of the ten forms, from high to low, in eliciting affiliative behavior was as follows: square, pentagon, oval, diamond, triangle, serrated circle, star, rectangle, circle, and hexagon. 3. These preferences were compared with the pecking preferences found for the same shapes that have been previously reported by GOODWIN & HESS (190). 4. A comparison of affiliative and pecking behavior was made.
Long-term continuous electrocardiographic recordings and electrophysiologic testing to select patients with ventricular arrhythmias for drug trials and to determine antiarrhythmic drug efficacy

Abstract Long-term continuous electrocardiographs recordings (Holter recordings) and electrophysiologic testing are useful for selecting patients for antiarrhythmic drug trials and for evaluating efficacy and adverse effects during therapy. These 2 methods are used to establish patient eligibility and to stratify patients during randomization. Both noninvasive testing and electrophysiologic studies help to classify arrhythmias as benign, potentially malignant or malignant. Holter monitoring and electrophysiologic studies each have unique advantages and disadvantages for baseline evaluation before starting antiarrhythmic drug treatment and for evaluation of efficacy or adverse effects during follow-up. Both methods have been shown to predict outcome of treatment in patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmias (i.e., can be used as surrogates for sudden death). Several ongoing studies are attempting to extend our knowledge of these 2 techniques. A multicenter study in the United States is comparing the 2 methods for applicability, predictive accuracy and cost. Investigators in the Netherlands are testing the validity of electrophysiologic studies by continuing antiarrhythmic drug treatment whether or not programmed ventricular stimulation predicts success or failure. Finally, new proposals have been made for conducting randomized, controlled studies in selected patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmias using time to drug failure as the endpoint.
Anomalous Elongational Flows and Change of Type

Anomalous effects on elongational flows at high rates of elongation reported by Ferguson, et al. [1987] are here treated as a change of type following the work of Joseph and Chen [1988]. Analysis predicts that the vorticity near the drum is hyperbolic, elliptic away from the drum, under the supercritical conditions in the experiment when the shear-wave speeds have the values which we measured with our meter.
Depression and Cognitive Function in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

Background Both depression and cognitive impairment are common in hemodialysis patients, are associated with adverse clinical outcomes, and place an increased burden on health care resources. Study Design Cross-sectional cohort. Setting & Participants 241 maintenance hemodialysis patients in the Boston, MA, area. Predictor Depressive symptoms, defined as a Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) score ≥16. Outcome Performance on a detailed neurocognitive battery. Results Mean age was 63.8 years, 49.0% were women, 21.6% were African American, and median dialysis therapy duration was 13.8 months. There were 57 (23.7%) participants with significant depressive symptoms. In multivariable analysis adjusting for age, sex, education, and other comorbid conditions, participants with and without depressive symptoms performed similarly on the Mini-Mental State Examination ( P = 0.4) and tests of memory. However, participants with greater depressive symptoms performed significantly worse on tests assessing processing speed, attention, and executive function, including Trail Making Test B ( P = 0.02) and Digit-Symbol Coding ( P = 0.01). Defining depression using a CES-D score ≥18 did not substantially change results. Limitations Cross-sectional design, absence of brain imaging. Conclusions Hemodialysis patients with a greater burden of depressive symptoms perform worse on tests of cognition related to processing speed and executive function. Further research is needed to assess the effects of treating depressive symptoms on cognitive performance in dialysis patients.
Heterogeneity of protein metabolism between liver cells as studied by radioautography.

General protein metabolism of cells within the simple liver acinus was studied with radioautography. Rats were injected with 3H leucine and at various times thereafter a sample of their liver was prepared for radioautography. Analysis of the radioautograms revealed that cells near terminal portal venulcs incorporated and lost radioactivity faster than other cells. It was concluded that these cells represent all area of increased protein metabolism in the liver.
The roles of nicotine and natural enemies in determining larval feeding site distributions of Manduca sexta L. and Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth) on tobacco

Field observations indicated that hornworms select feeding sites non-randomly on tobacco. We tested the hypotheses that differences in feeding site locations of larvae of Manducasexta L. and Manducaquinquemaculata (Haworth) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) on tobacco could be explained by differential nicotine concentrations within plants and leaves, species-specific responses to nicotine, or pressure exerted by natural enemies. Results showed that third-instar larvae of M. sexta fed more proximally and centrally on the leaf, whereas M. quinquemaculata fed more distally. Within-plant selection of leaves did not differ; both species selected leaves in the middle region of the plant. Nicotine concentrations in a high nicotine genotype, NC95, varied within each leaf, increasing 2—3 fold from the basal to apical portion of the leaf, and within each plant, increasing 7—10 fold from the first fully expanded leaf to the twelfth (lowest) leaf. In laboratory bioassays, both Manduca species responded to nicotine as a feeding deterrent. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated that gustatory organs of both species responded to nicotine at concentrations found in tobacco leaves and that M. quinquemaculata generally showed a less vigorous response to nicotine than M. sexta. Field mortality of M. sexta due to parasitism by Cotesiacongregata (Say) and to parasitism and predation combined differed among feeding sites; predation alone did not. Results suggest that although nicotine concentration and species specific responses to nicotine play a role in determining feeding site locations, pressure exerted by natural enemies, especially parasitism by C. congregata, is more important.
Purification of a hemolytic factor from ras oncogene transformed fibroblasts.

Abstract Transformation of NIH-3T3 fibrobiasts by the Harvey murine sarcoma viral oncogene or by cultivation of fibroblasts under low serum conditions (spontaneous) resulted in the acquisition of hemolytic activity, as demonstrated by coincubation of the transformed fibroblasts with 59 Fe-labeled red blood cells. The tumor Hemolytic Factor was partially purified from conditioned media produced by T-24 human bladder transformed fibroblasts by ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by anion and gel filtration chromatography. The hemolytic factor has a molecular weight of 66,000 as documented by SDS-PAGE and is destroyed by heating to 60°C.
Deep expression of the Indonesian Throughflow : Indonesian Intermediate Water in the South Equatorial Current

[1] The narrow westward flow of the South Equatorial Current (SEC), centered at 12°S and carrying freshened water from the Indonesian seas, is traced across the Indian Ocean using data from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment. The jet is remarkably zonal and quasi-barotropic, following the potential vorticity contours characteristic of the tropics, separating higher-oxygen and lower-nutrient waters of the subtropics from the oxygen-depleted waters of the tropics. The fresh surface waters are the usual Indonesian Throughflow Water reported previously. Less well studied is the intermediate-depth SEC carrying fresher water from the Banda Sea and Pacific, known as Indonesian Intermediate Water (IIW) or Banda Sea Intermediate Water. The high-silica signature of IIW is documented here, permitting us to (1) trace the spread of IIW from sill density at Leti Strait to higher density as it is diluted toward the west and (2) define an IIW core for transport estimates, of 3 to 7 Sv westward, using geostrophic and LADCP velocities. The high IIW silica is traced to the Banda Sea, arising from known diapycnal mixing of Pacific waters entering through Lifamatola Strait and local sources. New heat, freshwater, oxygen, and silica budgets within the Indonesian seas suggest at least 3 Sv of inflow through the relatively deep Lifamatola Strait, supplementing the observed 9 Sv through the shallower Makassar Strait. Both shallow and deep inflows and outflows, along with vigorous mixing and internal sources within the Indonesian seas, are required to capture the transformation of Pacific to Indonesian Throughflow waters.
Marketing the Monster: Advertising Computer Technology

Interpreting the rich and striking blend of technical, intellectual, economic, social, and cultural information in advertisements of computer technology reveals how popular understanding and perceptions of the meaning of computers changed between 1950 and 1980. The study's findings contribute to the historical understanding of the social diffusion of the technology in society; its methodology illustrates the historiographic strengths and weaknesses of using advertisements as historical documents.
The ring-puckering vibration of cyclobutane and cyclobutane-d8 in their gas phase Raman and infrared spectra

Four bands have been observed for cyclobutane and six for cyclobutane-d8 in the Raman spectrum of the gas between 90 and 200 cm−1. These are due to the highly anharmonic ring puckering mode. The symmetric double minimum potential function for the puckering in C4H8 is V(cm−1) = 6.932 × 105χ4 − 3.790 × 104χ2, where χ is one half the distance between the ring diagonals in angstroms. The barrier height is 518 ± 5 cm−1 (1481 ± 14 calmole). For C4D8, V(cm−1) = 6.753 × 105χ4 − 3.705 × 104χ2 and the barrier height is 508 ± 8 cm−1 (1452 ± 23 calmole). For both molecules the equilibrium dihedral angle is 35°. The puckering transitions for C4H8 have also been measured in the infrared from (a) sum and difference tones with another fundamental at 1453.9 cm−1, (b) from difference tones with 2878.7 cm−1, and (c) from sum tones with 2986.7 cm−1. Only a portion of these data are given here because a very recent paper by stone and MILLS [Mol. Phys. 18, 631 (1970)] reports the same measurements. Our data and assignments agree almost exactly with theirs, so we do not repeat them in full.
Multicenter Evaluation of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Testing after Implant: The Post Implant Testing Study (PITS)

To reassess the function of the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) many electrophysiology centers perform a second test after the initial test at implant. A prospective multicenter study evaluated the necessity and yield of routine postimplant defibrillator testing. The results of 843 postimplant defibrillator tests were collected from 31 centers. The 764 routine tests in which ventricular fibrillation was successfully induced were analyzed. Variables examined included patient age, presenting arrhythmia, underlying heart disease, left ventricular ejection fraction, defibrillator age, make and model of ICD, electrode system, defibrillation threshold, polarity, and waveform. The overall failure rate was 3.1% (24/764). Units tested later than 365 days after implant tended to have a higher failure rate than those tested within the first month or the next eleven months (6.5%, 3.0%, 2.3%, respectively, P = 0.374). The failure rate was higher in patients with left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% than those with higher ejection fractions (3.8% vs 2.0%, P = 0.167). These trends did not reach statistical significance. No other baseline characteristic was associated with higher failure rates. Routine testing of ICDs reveals an overall failure rate of 3.1%. While the rate was low, defibrillator failure places the patient at high risk for sudden cardiac death. As any failure in this population is associated with a high risk of sudden cardiac death, routine defibrillator testing may be justified.
Compartmentalized Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Originates from Long-Lived Cells in Some Subjects with HIV-1–Associated Dementia

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) invades the central nervous system (CNS) shortly after systemic infection and can result in the subsequent development of HIV-1-associated dementia (HAD) in a subset of infected individuals. Genetically compartmentalized virus in the CNS is associated with HAD, suggesting autonomous viral replication as a factor in the disease process. We examined the source of compartmentalized HIV-1 in the CNS of subjects with HIV-1-associated neurological disease and in asymptomatic subjects who were initiating antiretroviral therapy. The heteroduplex tracking assay (HTA), targeting the variable regions of env, was used to determine which HIV-1 genetic variants in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were compartmentalized and which variants were shared with the blood plasma. We then measured the viral decay kinetics of individual variants after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy. Compartmentalized HIV-1 variants in the CSF of asymptomatic subjects decayed rapidly after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy, with a mean half-life of 1.57 days. Rapid viral decay was also measured for CSF-compartmentalized variants in four HAD subjects (t(1/2) mean = 2.27 days). However, slow viral decay was measured for CSF-compartmentalized variants from an additional four subjects with neurological disease (t(1/2) range = 9.85 days to no initial decay). The slow decay detected for CSF-compartmentalized variants was not associated with poor CNS drug penetration, drug resistant virus in the CSF, or the presence of X4 virus genotypes. We found that the slow decay measured for CSF-compartmentalized variants in subjects with neurological disease was correlated with low peripheral CD4 cell count and reduced CSF pleocytosis. We propose a model in which infiltrating macrophages replace CD4(+) T cells as the primary source of productive viral replication in the CNS to maintain high viral loads in the CSF in a substantial subset of subjects with HAD.
Intraspecific Differences in Temperature‐Induced Respiratory Acclimation of Desert Saltbush

Following preconditioning to three temperature regimes (5°—16°C, 21°—32°C, 32°—43°C), dark respiration was measured over a 35°C range in three geographically isolated populations of Atriplex polycarpa (Torr.) S. Wats. Intraspecific differences in carbon dioxide exchange were found which correlated with the climate of the area of origin of the population.
Chromosomal abnormality in prune belly syndrome.

A newborn male infant with prune belly syndrome was found to have a small extra chromosome, the second reported instance of this association. In addition to the triad of abnormalities, the propositus had cardiac malformations, hypoplastic lungs, low set ears, bilateral club feet and a cerebellar malformation featuring immature cell heterotopias.
Biotransformation rates of the butoxyethyl ester of 2,4-D by bottom and surface aufwuchs

Abstract An experiment was conducted to investigate the variability in biotransformation rate coefficients of a xenobiotic, the butoxyethyl ester of 2,4- d , in natural waters between aufwuchs grown on Teflon strips located on the bottom and at the water surface of a pond and a river. The colonized strips and the natural waters were transported to the laboratory where the biotransformation studies were done under controlled conditions. Statistical analyses applied to the first-order rate coefficients showed a significant difference between bottom and surface aufwuchs for the river only. For both pond and river, a significant difference was shown when the aufwuchs was suspended, however. The aufwuchs mat thickness was significantly different between bottom and surface for the pond but not for the river and the biomass as ash-free dry weight was significantly different for both water bodies. The variability of biomass and first-order rate coefficients was higher with the bottom colonized aufwuchs than with the surface colonized aufwuchs.
Morphologic and neurochemical studies of embryonic brain development in murine trisomy 16.

Abstract Telencephalic and diencephalic/brainstem regions from embryonic trisomy-16 mice (Ts16) between gestational days 15–18 were analyzed for alterations of morphologic and neurochemical parameters and compared to phenotypically normal littermates. Mean trisomic wet weights from both regions were significantly diminished (> 20%) and total protein content was reduced. Ratios of the thickness of the ventricular (germinal) zone to the thickness of the whole cortex were increased, suggesting a delay in neuronal differentiation. Pre- and postsynaptic markers for GABAergic, cholinergic, catecholaminergic and serotonergic transmitter systems were compared. A significant impairment of the trisomic brain catecholaminergic and serotonergic system development was observed, based upon regional reductions in norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin content. Choline acetyltransferase activity in the diencephalon/brainstem was reduced by 21–26% in contrast to normal levels within the cerebral hemispheres. Presynaptic GABAergic markers were not affected in the Ts16 embryos. It is concluded that although a genetic imbalance involving chromosome 16 in the mouse embryo produces a delay in neurogenesis, it has a more selective effect on the catecholaminergic, serotonergic and cholinergic systems than on GABAergic neurons.
Prolonged nociceptive responses to hind paw formalin injection in rats with a spinal cord injury

Unilateral lesioning of the spinal dorsal horn with the excitotoxin quisqualic acid (QUIS) leads to robust degeneration of dorsal horn grey matter, and robust pain-related symptoms, such as cutaneous hypersensitivity, persist long after injury. A possible mechanism that underlies the pain-related symptoms is the disruption of dorsal horn inhibitory neuron function, leading to decreased inhibition of nociceptive neurons. Five percent formalin was injected into the hind paw of rats with either a QUIS lesion or sham lesion. Both QUIS- and sham-lesioned rats displayed bi-phasic hind paw flinches following formalin injection, but a prolonged response was observed in QUIS-lesioned rats. The expression of the immediate-early gene product Fos in the dorsal horn ipsilateral to formalin injection was similar between QUIS- and sham-lesioned rats. In QUIS-lesioned rats, however, there was a marked absence of dorsal horn neurons, particularly GABAergic neurons, compared to sham-lesioned rats. The prolonged nociceptive response observed with a unilateral QUIS lesion may be due to generalized changes in dorsal horn neuron function including a loss of inhibitory neuron function.
Robotics For High Power Laser Beam Manipulation

The research and development programs in manufacturing science at The Pennsylvania State University have a major emphasis on laser materials processing technology development. A major thrust of this program is the development of an intelligent robotic system which can manipulate a laser beam in three dimension with the precision required for welding. The robot is called LARS for Laser Articulated Robotic System. A gantry based robot was selected as the foundation for LARS and the system is divided into five major subsystems: robot, electronic control, vision, workhead, beam transport, and software. An overview of the Laser Robotics program including laser materials processing research programs will be provided.
Evanescent sensing in doped sol-gel glass films

Abstract Bromophenol blue, a pH indicator, was entrapped in porous glass films prepared by the sol-gel method. The colorimetric response of the films to pH was assessed visibly and by attenuated total reflectance spectrometry. The entrapped indicator was nonleachable and responded to solution pH changes in a reversible manner. The immobilization of indicator molecules in porous sol-gel films appears to be a particulary promising approach to optical waveguide sensor development.
Diabetes: assessing the pipeline.

Abstract Type 2 diabetes is recognised as a major cardiovascular risk factor, and future therapies must therefore address more than just blood glucose levels. Novel approaches to the treatment of type 2 diabetes are now at various stages of development or regulatory approval. Exenatide and pramlintide, analogues of gut-derived hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and amylin, respectively, have demonstrated improvements in glycaemic control and bodyweight in clinical studies and have been recently approved for treatment of type 2 diabetes. Initial studies have indicated that agents that activate both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α and γ improve glycaemic control and have beneficial effects on lipid profiles. Two dual PPARα/γ agonists, muraglitazar and tesaglitazar, are under regulatory review and in phase III trials, respectively. Modulation of the endogenous endocannabinoid system by rimonabant, which is under regulatory review, has been shown to improve body weight, atherogenic lipid profiles and glycaemic control. In addition, enhanced understanding of the pathophysiology underlying the microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes has led to the development of targeted therapies for conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, including the protein kinase C (PKC)-antagonist ruboxistaurin, now in phase III trials. Such therapies should enable physicians to achieve more for their patients with type 2 diabetes.
Real-time climate monitoring of global snow cover

Abstract Northern Hemisphere snow cover area has been operationally mapped by NOAA/NESDIS since November 1966. Digitized snow cover charts have been available since 1982. Thus snow cover area is, by far, the oldest and most stable satellite-derived parameter useful for climate monitoring. The use of snow cover is discussed both as a climate monitoring tool, in its own right, and as an example of the problems. challenges, and advantages of satellite data for global climate monitoring.
Prediction of kindergarten reading success from preschool report of parents

Most screening techniques for school learning difficulty have utilized data obtained from the child during an examination session. However, the child's potential for school learning difficulty may be assessed more reliably by parent report. The Minnesota Child Development Inventory was used to obtain parent observations on 59 children before the start of the kindergarten year. At the end of the kindergarten year, measures of reading skill were obtained by two group tests (Lippincott Reading Readiness Test and Metropolitan Reading Readiness Test) and one test administered individually to each child (Wide Range Achievement Test). Results indicated that the parent report on a number of variables from the MCDI correlated highly with postkindergarten success in reading (multiple r = 0.79). Although follow-up in the primary grades will be needed to determine whether these relationships hold, the data are provocative in suggesting that greater attention should be given to parent reports in evaluating a child's school readiness.
Motor Skill Abilities in Toddlers with Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, and Atypical Development.

Abstract Motor skills were assessed in 397 toddlers, and it was demonstrated that atypically developing toddlers exhibited significantly greater motor skill abilities than toddlers with autistic disorder. No significant difference on gross or fine motor skill abilities were found between atypically developing toddlers and toddlers with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), or between toddlers with autistic disorder and toddlers with PDD-NOS. Gross and fine motor skills were found to be more impaired for toddlers with autistic disorder compared to the atypical development group. Furthermore, differences in gross or fine motor skills between the autistic disorder and the PDD-NOS group approached significance. Approximate effect sizes were also calculated. Implications of the results are also discussed.
Electronic Integration of Prerequisite Course Content

Objectives. To evaluate the effect of electronic integration of embedded prerequisite information (EPI) on student learning. Design. Specific prerequisite information presented in a Chemical Basis ...
Plasma Self-Q Switching in Far Infrared Lasers

The plasma electrons in pulsed far ir lasers constitute a temporary divergent refractive element. This lens element can be strong enough to prohibit stable laser modes and serves to explain the delay commonly reported between current and laser pulses. With electron recombination the cavity rapidly becomes stable, Q switching the laser pulse. The lens effect and Q-switching rate are calculated in terms of tube dimensions, laser frequency, electron density, and radial electron density distribution. Higher laser frequencies appear earlier when this effect is operative. A simple criterion is given to distinguish this delay effect from other sources of laser pulse delay. Experimental measurements are presented of cavity stability as a function of mirror curvature and electron density; wall reflections are shown to be important. The radial electron density distribution is compared with plasma theory results. Lens effects associated with the laser gain are shown to be negligible.
Quest for Success: Nicholas Pisacano Scholars Presentation

I am honored to be with you today because you, as Pisacano Scholars, represent an elite group. There are not many of you, and much is being asked of you. I was asked to do two things today. The first was to share some recollections about Nicholas Pisacano. It is unfortunate that you did not know
Patient Controlled Analgesia Post Cardiac Surgery Results in Shorter Hospital Stays

Despite the easy accessibility and common use by orthopedic and gynecologic surgeons, physicians caring for postoperative cardiac surgery pts have been extremely reluctant to prescribe pt controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps for their pts. The major concerns expressed were respiratory depression, overdosing, inadequate pain control, and loss of “control” by the physician/nursing staff. Sixty pts who were scheduled to undergo myocardial revascularization were selected and asked to participate in the study. Thirty were used as controls and received standard postoperative pain management. Thirty (age, sex, a procedure matched) subjects were asked to use the PCA pump postoperatively. Five pts in each group were “redo”’ surgeries. Amount of MSO4 used during consecutive eight hour periods beginning four hours after endotracheal extubation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Control Group 12 mg 8 mg 10 mg pills pills pills pills PCA Group 7 mg 6 mg 6 mg 5 mg 5 mg 4 mg 3 mg Average length of hospital stay for the control group was 7.2 days, while it was 5.8 in the PCA pump group (p l 0.1). The reasons for earlier discharge were earlier participation in rehab, less nausea from decreased use of oral pain meds, better pain control, and less atelectasis and pulmonary infiltrates on CXR. Cost of hospital stay was significantly less in the PCA group (p l 0.01). The major difficulty with this approach to postoperative pain management is reorientation of both the physician and nursing staff. Only one pt had a complications of over sedation with the PCA pump, because of family interference. Overall, pts can be managed with PCA pumps post cardiac surgery safely, with less cost, and greater pt satisfaction than by the current standard of IV MSO4 and pain pills administered by a nurse.
Circulating catecholamines, plasma renin and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity with postural stress.

Abstract Changes in human plasma renin activity, catecholamines and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity as a result of head-up tilt and low salt diet are reported. Both salt restriction and head-up tilt increased plasma renin activity and these responses appeared to summate. Head-up tilt increased plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine, but sodium restriction was without effect. Neither stimulus produced significant alterations in plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase catalytic activity. No correlation between dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity and either circulating catecholamine was observed. These results indicate that plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase catalytic activity is not a good indicator of acute relatively mild changes in sympathetic activity in humans.
Partial characterization of a major family of proteins in turions of Hydrilla verticillata

Electrophoretograms of turions of dioecious Hydrilla verticillata (L. f.) Royle, run under non-denaturing conditions, had a major complex protein band at Rf0.45 (7.5% acrylamide). Extracts of monoecious plants under similar conditions had major bands at Rf 0.43 and 0.45. The polypeptides which comprise these bands were partially purified and characterized. The major protein fraction in extracts of dioecious turions had a molecular mass of 58 kDa on gel permeation chromatography. Electrophoresis of this fraction under denaturing conditions in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate indicated principal bands with molecular masses of 58 and 57 kDa. Extracts from turions of the monoecious biotype had major bands at 59 and 55 kDa after electrophoresis under denaturing conditions. Antisera were raised against the proteins from the dioecious turion at Rf 0.45 after electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions. When blots of gels run under non-denaturing conditions were probed with these antisera, a complex band was seen at Rf 0.45 for extracts of the dioecious biotype, while bands were observed at Rf 0.43 and 0.45 for the monoecious extracts. After electrophoresis under denaturing conditions, immunoreactive bands were noted at 58 and 57 kDa or 59 and 55 kDa in extracts of dioecious and monoecious turions, respectively. Extracts of leaves and stems of H. verticillata had detectable amounts of immunoreactive proteins, regardless of photoperiod, hence turion production. Related plants with the aquatic habit had immunoreactive proteins in their leaves and organs of perennation [Elodea canadensis Michx., Elodea nuttallii (Planch.) St. John, and Egeria densa Planch., Potamogeton nodosus Poir. and P. pectinatus L.], but the presence of these proteins was not noted in other plants (Zea mays L., Allium cepa L., Spinacia oleracea L., Lemna gibba L., or Solanum tuberosum L.).
Union power and the American labour movement

There is by now ample empirical support for the claim that unions do affect labour contracts 1 . These results indicate that unions do indeed have some bargaining power. In order to develop public policies towards unions, it becomes important, therefore, to understand the ways in which their bargaining power operates. Several theoretical speculations have related bargaining power to both product and labour market structures 2 . Yet, there has been very little empirical corroboration of the arguments developed 3 . A major impediment to empirical testing has been the lack of quantitative information on the industrial relations network. In recent years, however, the US Bureau of Labour Statistics has collected large bodies of data on collective bargaining contracts. In this paper, one of these data sets is used 4 to generate quantitative measures of the determinants of union power. The paper is organized as follows. In the first section, the major theoretical arguments concerning the determinants of union po...
A framework for probabilistic evaluation of interval management tolerence in the terminal radar control area

Projections of future traffic in the national airspace show that most of the hub airports and their attendant airspace will need to undergo significant redevelopment and redesign in order to accommodate any significant increase in traffic volume. Even though closely spaced parallel approaches increase throughput into a given airport, controller workload in oversubscribed metroplexes is further taxed by these approaches that require stringent monitoring in a saturated environment. The interval management (IM) concept in the TRACON area is designed to shift some of the operational burden from the control tower to the flight deck, placing the flight crew in charge of implementing the required speed changes to maintain a relative spacing interval. The interval management tolerance is a measure of the allowable deviation from the desired spacing interval for the IM aircraft (and its target aircraft). For this complex task, Formal Methods can help to ensure better design and system implementation. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic framework to quantify the uncertainty and performance associated with the major components of the IM tolerance. The analytical basis for this framework may be used to formalize both correctness and probabilistic system safety claims in a modular fashion at the algorithmic level in a way compatible with several Formal Methods tools.
A nano-scale reconfigurable mesh with spin waves

In this paper, we present a nano-scale reconfigurable mesh that is interconnected with ferromagnetic spin-wave buses. The architecture described here, while requiring the same number of switches and buses as the standard reconfigurable meshes, is capable of simultaneously transmitting N waves on each of the spin-wave buses. Because of this highly parallel feature, very fast and fault-tolerant algorithms can be designed. Furthermore, unlike the traditional spin-based nano structures, which transmit charge, here waves are transmitted. As a result of this, the power consumption of the proposed modules may be low. And using phase logic, simple operations such as AND/OR/NOT can be performed efficiently on the transmitted waves.
Addressing the barriers to mental health services for inner city children and their caretakers

This paper will outline a series of three research studies meant to identify factors related to child mental health service usage and barriers to help seeking for urban minority children and their caretakers. In addition, this paper will describe the systematic development and evaluation of a telephone intervention strategy aimed towards increasing overall attendance at initial intake appointments at an urban child serving agency. The first study explores differences in demographic variables, for two groups of children (n=450), those that came to an initial intake interview and those that requested child mental health services, but failed to come to any scheduled appointments. The second study evaluates a telephone engagement intervention meant to increase initial attendance (n=54). Finally, the third study, more rigorously evaluates the impact of an intensive telephone intervention on initial attendance rates by randomly assigning families to the more focused telephone intervention or a “business as usual” telephone screening (n=108).
DNA polymorphisms defined by the Tu108 probe map to theTla region of mouse chromosome 17

Hybridation de la sonde Tu108 cartographiee dans le complexe t avec les marqueurs lies a la region H-2 du chromosome 17 de la souris et notamment la region Tla
Internal failures in model elastomeric composites

Finite element methods have been used to calculate the rate of release of strain energy caused by growth of an internal crack in some model elastic composites under tension. A layer of a linearly elastic material was considered, bonded between two flat or two spherical rigid surfaces. The reduction in strain energy caused by a small circular crack at the interface was found to be only about one-half of that due to a similar crack in the centre of the layer, in accord with the conjecture of Andrews and King. Cracks in the centre of a thin layer bonded between flat surfaces caused about the same release of energy as a crack in the centre of a thick specimen under the same tensile stress. On the other hand, a crack in a thin layer bonded between two spherical surfaces caused a much larger rate of energy release, depending on the radius of the layer relative to its minimum thickness. Growth of an initial crack would thus occur at a small applied stress. For thin layers between both flat and spherical surfaces, the rate of release of energy decreased as the crack grew, indicating that the crack would stabilize at a finite size. These conclusions are in accord with some observations of cracks in thin elastic layers.
Deconstructing phosphatases in limb development

Signalling by growth factors, such as fibroblast growth factor (FGF), is critical for many of the morphogenetic events that shape the early embryo — including limb development. Recent findings regarding the regulation of FGF during limb development bridge the divide between results gained from in vitro biochemistry and the realities of in vivo development.