cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of PGC-1 Coactivators in Aging Skeletal Muscle and Heart

Aging is the progressive decline in cellular, tissue, and organ function. This complex process often manifests as loss of muscular strength, cardiovascular function, and cognitive ability. Mitochondrial dysfunction and decreased mitochondrial biogenesis are believed to participate in metabolic abnormalities and loss of organ function, which will eventually contribute to aging and decreased lifespan. In this review, we discuss what is currently known about mitochondrial dysfunction in the aging skeletal muscle and heart. We focused our discussion on the role of PGC-1 coactivators in the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and function and possible therapeutic benefits of increased mitochondrial biogenesis in compensating for mitochondrial dysfunction and circumventing aging and aging-related diseases.
C-reactive protein decreases expression of thrombomodulin and endothelial protein C receptor in human endothelial cells

Background. C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with atherosclerosis and thrombosis. However, it is unclear whether CRP has direct effects on the antithrombogenic properties of endothelial cells. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of CRP on the expression of thrombomodulin (TM) and the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) in human endothelial cells. Methods. Human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) were treated with CRP in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The messenger RNA levels of TM and EPCR were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Anti-CD32 antibody and curcumin were used to block the potential effects of CRP. Results. In HCAECs, CRP (10 and 25 μg/mL) significantly reduced TM messenger RNA levels by 18 and 30%, respectively, compared with controls (P <.05). This effect was also confirmed in other types of human endothelial cells from umbilical veins and skin microvessels. The cells treated with CRP (10 and 25 μg/mL) showed significant reductions of EPCR mRNA levels by 34% and 33%, respectively (P <.05). Anti-CD32 antibody partially blocked CRP-induced downregulation of TM and EPCR in HCAECs. Furthermore, curcumin (5 and 10 μM) in combination with CRP (10 μg/mL) significantly increased TM mRNA levels by 45 and 100%, respectively, and increased EPCR mRNA levels by 24 and 45%, respectively, compared with those in CRP-treated cells (P <.05). Conclusions. CRP significantly decreases the expression of TM and EPCR in human endothelial cells, thereby promoting thrombogenic conditions. This effect is partially mediated by CD32. Curcumin completely blocks CRP-induced downregulation of TM and EPCR in HCAECs.
Coiling of cerebral aneurysm remnants after clipping.

OBJECTIVE During the past decade, options for the management of aneurysm remnants after clipping have expanded. Advances in aneurysm coiling techniques and technology have allowed for more remnants to be treated safely. We present our experience with this approach and discuss its indications, limita
Pretreatment of methanogenic granules for immobilized hydrogen fermentation

Abstract Hydrogen can be produced through fermenting sugars in a mixed bacterial culture under anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic granular sludge was proposed as immobilized hydrogen producing bacteria to be used in hydrogen fermentation after methanogenic activity of the granule was eliminated in the pretreatment process. This paper reports an innovative treatment method to directly convert methanogenic granules to hydrogen producing granules using chloroform. Chloroform treatment was compared against acid and heat treatments of sewage sludge and methanogenic granules in terms of effectiveness to eliminate methanogenic activity. The results showed that chloroform treatment was the most effective among the three methods tested. Acid and heat treatments that were effective for sewage sludge treatment were observed not highly effective for application to granules because of the protection from the granular structure. In contrast, methanogens were very sensitive to the chloroform even at very low level. Methane production was almost completely inhibited in both sewage sludge and granules with the treatment with only 0.05% chloroform addition into the culture medium. If the chloroform concentration was controlled at low levels, chloroform selectively inhibited methanogenic activity while did not affect the hydrogen production. At high concentration range, chloroform also inhibited hydrogen production. Chloroform caused irreversible methanogenic activity elimination but hydrogen production recovered to normal after chloroform addition stopped. Chloroform showed desirable selectivity on inhibition of methanogens from hydrogen producing bacteria, nearly permanently eliminated the methane production, postponed the hydrogen consumption to acetic acid, while allowed recovery for normal hydrogen production. Chloroform treated granules were repeatedly cultured for eight time without noticeable damage. Continuous culture with chloroform treated granules showed that the granule structure could be kept for over 15 days and new granules started to form after 10 days operation. The hydrogen productivity reached 11.6 L/L/day at HRT 5.3 h, which all showed potential application of chloroform treatment of methanogenic granules in the immobilized hydrogen fermentation.
Paramagnon picture of the low-temperature susceptibility of some intermediate-valence compounds

We show that the low-temperature susceptibility of Ce ${(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{n},\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{n})}_{3}$ compounds has a quadratic temperature dependence with positive coefficient. We demonstrate that this behavior is well accounted for by a generalization to arbitrary band shapes of the paramagnon theory, which has been applied previously to liquid $^{3}\mathrm{He}$. This result is relevant to the whole class of mixed-valence materials. We conclude that the previously proposed phenomenology that treats valence-fluctuation materials as heavy, nearly magnetic Fermi liquids finds further support in the present analysis.
Moving forward: transgender persons as change agents in health care access and human rights.

Daniel G. Cobos, BSN, MPH, RN, ACRN, is Ryan White Part C Program nurse/outreach coordinator, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska. Jonathan Winston Jones, MA, is development associate, Nebraska Appleseed Center for the Law in the Public Interest, Lincoln, Nebraska. Transgender persons are on the front lines of negotiations on expectations of gender identity and expression. For the purpose of this report, transgender includes ‘‘any person who has a gender identity that is different from their natal sex and/or who expresses their gender in ways that contravene societal expectations of men and women’’ (Bockting, Robinson, Forberg, and Scheltema, 2005, p. 2). Gender variations have strong roots in the histories of many cultures. Depictions of transgender persons have been found in artifacts from ancient Rome. Some North American indigenous cultures include two-spirit people, meaning that individuals who embody both genders have been part of native cultures. Various Hindu cultures embrace the concept of hidras, which is neither man nor woman (Lombardi, 2001). Samoans accept fa’afafine (also spelled faafafine, fafafige, or fafafine), biological males who choose or are chosen to be raised female and fulfill important domestic roles in Samoan culture. The Thai are tolerant of kathoeys (also spelled katoey), male-to-female (MTF) transgender persons who often work in traditionally feminine occupations (Croall & Elder, 1999; Matzner, 1999; Winter & Udomsak, 2002). Today, transgender may include ‘‘crossdressers, drag kings/queens, transsexuals, people who are androgynous, Two-Spirit people, and people who are bi-gendered or multi-gendered, as well as people who do not identify with any labels’’ (Bockting et al., 2005, p. 2). Lack of acceptance of transgender persons in the United States is an important measurement of how far this country must go to realize its promise of equal
Synthesis of racemic amphetamine-d1 and amphetamine-d3

The synthesis of racemic amphetamine-d1 and amphetamine-d3 is described. Low temperature reduction of benzoyl chloride with lithium deuterido-tri (t-butoxy) -aluminate afforded the desired benzaldehyde-t1 in good yield. The aldehyde was condensed with nitroethane and the resulting phenyl-2-nitropropene-d1 was reduced with LiAlH4 to give racemic amphetamine-d1, or with LiAlD4 to furnish racemic amphetamine-d3 in approximately 50% overall yield.
Multiple roles of the tuberous sclerosis complex genes.

Soon after proposing the “two-hit” hypothesis for tumorigenesis, Knudson pursued further experimental validation of the concept by using a rat model of dominantly inherited renal tumor. Today, the Eker rat is one of the best characterized models of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and has been used extensively for study of the function of the TSC2 tumor suppressor gene. Along with TSC1, these two genes behave as expected for tumor suppressor genes with evidence for loss of heterozygosity in tumors and suppression of growth when expressed in proliferating cells. Despite much experimental work, the mechanisms of these genes have remained elusive until recently. This review summarizes some of the current concepts in our understanding of the biological and biochemical function of the TSC genes. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A study of the influence of sex on genome wide methylation

Sex differences in methylation status have been observed in specific gene-disease studies and healthy methylation variation studies, but little work has been done to study the impact of sex on methylation at the genome wide locus-to-locus level or to determine methods for accounting for sex in genomic association studies. In this study we investigate the genomic sex effect on saliva DNA methylation of 197 subjects (54 females) using 20,493 CpG sites. Three methods, two-sample T-test, principle component analysis and independent component analysis, all successfully identify sex influences. The results show that sex not only influences the methylation of genes in the X chromosome but also in autosomes. 580 autosomal sites show strong differences between males and females. They are found to be highly involved in eight functional groups, including DNA transcription, RNA splicing, membrane, etc. Equally important is that we identify some methylation sites associated with not only sex, but also other phenotypes (age, smoking and drinking level, and cancer). Verification was done through an independent blood cell DNA methylation data (1298 CpG sites from a cancer panel array). The same genomic site-specific influence pattern and potential confounding effects with cancer were observed. The overlapping rate of identified sex affected genes between saliva and blood cell is 81% for X chromosome, and 8% for autosomes. Therefore, correction for sex is necessary. We propose a simple correction method based on independent component analysis, which is a data driven method and accommodates sample differences. Comparison before and after the correction suggests that the method is able to effectively remove the potentially confounding effects of sex, and leave other phenotypes untouched. As such, our method is able to disentangle the sex influence on a genome wide level, and paves the way to achieve more accurate association analyses in genome wide methylation studies.
Laser flash photolysis of O2 and F2 mixtures: The O2F ν1 band at 6.7 μm

Abstract We report the first experimental observation of the ν 1 band (OO stretching) of the O 2 F radical in the gas phase and its equilibrium existence with O 2 F 2 . The radical was formed by laser flash photolysis of O 2 and F 2 mixtures in a very long pathlength cell and the detection was done by a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer.
Attentional and Perceptual Disturbances in Children With Tourette's Syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Epilepsy

Perceptual, motor, and neuromaturational competence were assessed using a battery of tasks with three groups of children with diagnosed disorders of Tourette's syndrome (TS), attentional deficit with no known organic substrate (Constitutional AD), and attentional deficit disorder in children with epilepsy (E-ADD). The purpose was to determine how the three groups related to each other on these measures and to establish clinical validation of the test battery. As predicted, the control and the TS groups did much better than the ADD and seizure groups. The TS group differed from the controls on only a handful of measures, whereas the constitutional ADD and E-ADD children were far more deviant than the TS children. The E-ADD children as a group suffered difficulties in virtually every area. Language: en
[125I]Iodo-Epidermal Growth Factor Binding and Mitotic Responsiveness of Porcine Granulosa Cells Are Modulated by Differentiation and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone*

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates granulosa cell (GC) proliferation of certain species and modulates FSH-induced GC differentiation. The present study was undertaken to characterize the binding properties of the EGF receptor in porcine GCs to determine if the EGF responsiveness of mitotically active porcine GCs was related to their differentiated state and was regulated by reproductive hormones in vitro. Characterization of the EGF receptor-binding properties of porcine GCs revealed that saturation binding was achieved with 10 ng/ml [mI]iodo-EGF after 1 h at 37 C. In all states of differentiation, porcine GCs expressed few (<20,000/cell), specific, high affinity EGF receptors with apparent Kd values of 5.5 ± 0.7 x 10"10 M (mean ± SEM; n = 6). Freshly harvested GCs obtained from small follicles were considered slightly differentiated (SDs) and bound, on the average, 2.6-fold more [125I]iodo- EGF than highly differentiated cells (HDs) obtained from large follicles which had further differentiated in ...
Effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on interleukin-4-mediated mechanisms of immunity.

Abstract Because of similarities in the independent actions of the pleiotropic cytokine, interleukin-4 (IL-4), and the environmental contaminant, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), on murine B-lymphocytes suggested in earlier studies, we have investigated whether the immunosuppression mediated by direct exposure to TCDD in vitro is due to an IL-4-like biological activity. In particular, the ability of TCDD to mimic hallmark responses of B-cells to IL-4, such as upregulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens of the class II type, increases in cell surface expression of the low affinity form of the Fc receptor for IgE (CD23) and induction of immunoglobulin class switching, was tested. At concentrations that readily suppress B-cell proliferative and antibody-forming cell responses, TCDD failed to demonstrate any of the activities of IL-4 observed in parallel cultures. Further, in experiments in which TCDD was preincubated with B-cells before addition of IL-4, no evidence of increased IL-4 activity was observed. Rather, TCDD preincubation resulted in decreased secretion of IgGI and IgE in B-cell cultures stimulated to undergo immunoglobulin class switching by incubation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and IL-4. Because TCDD produced comparable suppression of IgM secretion induced by LPS alone (i.e., no IL-4), it appears that TCDD inhibits the formation of fully differentiated B-cells capable of secreting antibody and has no effects on class switching events per se. Coupled with previous reports from this and other laboratories, these observations indicate that TCDD is able to suppress secretion of several classes of immunoglobulin.
Where the Facts End: Richard De George and the Rise of Business Ethics

Not lost on most educated readers of Dicken’s Hard Times is that one of Gradgrind’s two youngest children is named ‘‘Malthus’’ and the other, ‘‘Adam Smith.’’ When Richard De George published Ethics, Free Enterprise, and Public Policy with Oxford University Press in 1978 (De George and Pichler 1978), academic business research was achieving the zenith of what might be called its ‘‘Thomas Gradgrind Stage.’’ And at that same time the nascent area now known as ‘‘business ethics’’ shifted stage abruptly from egg to larval; it had yet to undergo chrysalis; and it had yet to take wing. How remarkable it is that Richard De George not only doctored this novel birthing but also shaped its metamorphosis over the next 30 years. Philosophers, Richard De George one of the chief among them, began to hammer away at the anchor stones of the fact-based academic business enterprise. From 1978 onward the world of business ideas would never be the same. Richard De George played a prominent role in the seismic shift in the evolution of what we now think of as ‘‘business ethics.’’ Much of the story of this evolution revolves around a concept common to philosophy but only now becoming common in management theory: namely ‘‘epistemology.’’ It is a story of facts and values. Richard De George was one of the first to show management theorists that values could be discussed rationally and from a vantage point that was not entirely empirical. Oddly enough, one might compare the reactions to the nascent study of business ethics to reactions decades ago to the study of human sexual behavior. To be sure, in the popular imagination the first topic is crowned by a halo of supererogatory, perhaps even ‘‘impossible’’ idealism; while the second topic is weighted down by popular conceptions of ‘‘lower’’ instincts. But at least in their geneses the two fields shared striking similarities. Both at their inception were subordinated to the status of non-academic interest. Both were dismissed as popular topics, ones fit for media attention and casual conversation but not for high-level empirical and theoretical research. Both were subject to entrenched prejudices that covertly blocked inquiry. And both in the ensuing decades have proven conclusively how silly those prejudices were. In the US and Western Europe, the catapulting of both fields into serious consideration demanded singular initiatives, ones that galvanized the attention of serious researchers and pointed the way to their possible future. In the instance of sexual behavior, it was the Kinsey Reports, two volumes on human sexual behavior that appeared in 1948 and 1953 (Institute for Sex Research and Kinsey 1953; Kinsey et al. 1948). In the instance of business ethics, it was the launching of academic journals (the Journal of Business Ethics first appeared in the United States in February of 1982) and the pioneering work of T. Donaldson (&) The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 644 Huntsman Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA e-mail: donaldst@wharton.upenn.edu
Charles-Michel Billard (1800-1832): pioneer of infant pathology.

How very wide, and, at the same time, an almost unbeaten track, lies open to investigate the diseases of new-born infants by an attentive and accurate observation in dissection after death, as well...
The conduction of protons in different stereoisomers of dioxolane-linked gramicidin A channels

Two different stereoisomers of the dioxolane-linked gramicidin A (gA) channels were individually synthesized (the SS and RR dimers;. Science. 244:813-817). The structural differences between these dimers arise from different chiralities within the dioxolane linker. The SS dimer mimics the helicity and the inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonding of the monomer-monomer association of gA's. In contrast, there is a significant disruption of the helicity and hydrogen bonding pattern of the ion channel in the RR dimer. Single ion channels formed by the SS and RR dimers in planar lipid bilayers have different proton transport properties. The lipid environment in which the different dimers are reconstituted also has significant effects on single-channel proton conductance (g(H)). g(H) in the SS dimer is about 2-4 times as large as in the RR. In phospholipid bilayers with 1 M [H(+)](bulk), the current-voltage (I-V) relationship of the SS dimer is sublinear. Under identical experimental conditions, the I-V plot of the RR dimer is supralinear (S-shaped). In glycerylmonooleate bilayers with 1 M [H(+)](bulk), both the SS and RR dimers have a supralinear I-V plot. Consistent with results previously published (. Biophys. J. 73:2489-2502), the SS dimer is stable in lipid bilayers and has fast closures. In contrast, the open state of the RR channel has closed states that can last a few seconds, and the channel eventually inactivates into a closed state in either phospholipid or glycerylmonooleate bilayers. It is concluded that the water dynamics inside the pore as related to proton wire transfer is significantly different in the RR and SS dimers. Different physical mechanisms that could account for this hypothesis are discussed. The gating of the synthetic gA dimers seems to depend on the conformation of the dioxolane link between gA's. The experimental results provide an important framework for a detailed investigation at the atomic level of proton conduction in different and relatively simple ion channel structures.
Joint Channel and Echo Impulse Response Shortening for High-Speed Data Transmission

The unit-norm constraint optimization for joint shortening of channel and echo impulse response is presented in this paper. The optimization is performed in the mean-square sense (MSE) and compared to unit-tap constraint joint shortening optimization. The proposed method could serve in performing joint echo cancellation and equalization for data transmission over category cables for the next IEEE standard on short-range ultra high-speed copper interconnections used in data servers, high-performance computing centers, local area networks, etc. The main objective of the presented algorithm is to extensively reduce the power and implementation complexities of a 40GBASE-T system.
Implementation of Ultraportable Echocardiography in an Adolescent Sudden Cardiac Arrest Screening Program

Background: Over a 12-month period, adolescent heart-screening programs were performed for identifying at-risk adolescents for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in our community. Novel to our study, all adolescents received an abbreviated, ultraportable echocardiography (UPE). In this report, we describe the use of UPE in this screening program. Methods and Results: Four hundred thirty-two adolescents underwent cardiac screening with medical history questionnaire, physical examination, 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), and an abbreviated transthoracic echocardiographic examination. There were 11 abnormalities identified with uncertain/varying clinical risk significance. In this population, 75 adolescents had a murmur or high ECG voltage, of which only three had subsequent structural abnormalities on echocardiography that may pose risk. Conversely, UPE discovered four adolescents who had a cardiovascular structural abnormality that was not signaled by the 12-lead ECG, medical history questionnaire, and/or physical examination. Conclusions: The utilization of ultraportable, handheld echocardiography is feasible in large-scale adolescent cardiovascular screening programs. UPE appears to be useful for finding additional structural abnormalities and for risk-stratifying abnormalities of uncertain potential of adolescents' sudden death.
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the shadowy world of Elie de Cyon

Elie de Cyon (1843-1912) est un physiologiste qui tout au long de sa vie fut concerne par les evenements et les personnalites relies au Protocole des Sages de Sion. Elie de Cyon n'etait pas le seul converti a exprimer des vues largement exagerees a propos du pouvoir juif. Des gens comme Marx ou Disraeli issus de familles converties parlaient negativement des Juifs. Cyon se montre antisemite lorsqu'il aborde la societe berlinoise bismarckienne et notamment le monde de la banque qui gravitait autour du chancelier (Bleichroder). Ses remarques sont typiques des prejuges de cette epoque
STUDIES ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF LACTATION. VII. LACTATION IN THYROIDECTOMIZED RATS AND GUINEA PIGS1

A considerable amount of progress has been made since the original studies on the lactogenic hormone of the anterior pituitary by Strieker and Greuter (1), Corner (2), and Nelson and Pfiffner (3, 4), toward an understanding of the physiology of milk secretion. These and other confirmatory studies were made on animals with intact hypophyses and thoroughly demonstrated the relation of the anterior lobe to the initiation of lactation. The ablation of the pituitary in lactating animals demonstrated the necessity of that gland for the maintenance of milk secretion. See Nelson (5) for a review of these studies. It was reasonable to suppose that the administration of lactogenic hormone to hypophysectomized animals would result in the initiation of lactation. However, the results of such studies have been conflicting. Lyons, Chaikoff and Reichert (6) and McPhail (7, 8) reported the initiation of lactation in hypophysectomized dogs, ferrets, and cats while Selye, Collip and Thomson (9) were unable to do so in the ...
Examination of interphase thermal property variance in glass fiber composites

In an effort to understand the implications of the fiber/matrix interphase on the performance of aerospace grade composite materials, a study was performed to examine the properties of the interphase region on the micro-scale. An epoxy resin was cured with several curing agent systems to evaluate the material based variations in experimental detection of glass transitions with scanning thermal microscopy (SThM). After an appropriate material was selected, glass fibers with different finishes were impregnated with an epoxy/amine resin system, and the properties of the interphase regions were examined using scanning thermal microscopy.
Extensions of multielement functional analyses using reversal-type designs.

Functional analyses of self-injurious behavior (SIB) using multielement designs do not always produce clear-cut results, thereby reducing the likelihood that treatment programs are based on an understanding of behavioral function. Lack of response differentiation in multielement assessments may be due to several factors; one is interaction effects due to rapid condition changes. This study demonstrates the utility of more traditional reversal-type designs, in which assessment conditions are presented sequentially, when the results of multielement functional analyses are unclear. Results are discussed in terms of (1) the relative benefits of various forms of assessment designs, and (2) implications for future research.
EVALUATION OF APHIDOLETES APHIDIMYZA (DIP. : CECIDOMYIIDAE) FOR CONTROL OF MYZUS PERSICAE (HOM. : APHIDIDAE) IN GREENHOUSE AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential of inoculative releases of the predatory midge,Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani), on aphid populations on vegetables. The predator was collected from wild and cultivated plants in upstate New York and subsequently reared in the laboratory. Midges from the rearings were released, as pupae, into greenhouses and field plots where plants were infested with aphids, predominately the green peach aphid,Myzus persicae (Sulzer).
Current concepts in the prevention and treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common causes of infection in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Efforts to prevent VAP have focused on both pharmacologic and nonpharmacol...
Let's learn!: enhancing user's engagement levels through passive brain-computer interfaces

This work in progress paper describes a proof-of-concept that explores the question: "Can users retain more information by incrementing their reading engagement physiologically?" This may help users to better learn the material even when it is uninteresting. Further, this paper explains how using Brain-Computer Interfaces can be used to measure/capture the engagement levels of a user while he or she is performing a task, in this case reading. Also this explores, how beneficial it may be for reading engagement physiologically to deliver the best reading experience.
Total Variation Denoising and Enhancement of Color Images Based on the CB and HSV Color Models

Most denoising and enhancement methods for color images have been formulated on linear color models, namely, the channel-by-channel model and vectorial model. In this paper, we study the total variation (TV) restoration based on the two nonlinear (or nonflat) color models: the chromaticity?brightness model and hue?saturation?value model. These models are known to be closer to human perception. Recent works on the variational/PDE method for nonflat features by several authors enable us to denoise the chromaticity and hue components directly. We present both the mathematical theory and digital implementation for the TV method. Comparison to the traditional TV restorations based on linear color models is made through various experiments.
Fracture Strength–Fracture Resistance Response and Damage Resistance of Sintered Al2O3–ZrO2 (12 mol% CeO2) Composites

The fracture strengths of sintered Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] containing 20 and 40 vol% ZrO[sub 2](12 mol% CeO[sub 2])--zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA)--composites along with the fracture resistance can be increased (e.g., to [approximately]900 MPa and >12 MPa[center dot]m[sup 1/2], respectively), by increasing the mean grain size of the t-ZrO[sub 2] (and the Al[sub 2]O[sub 3]) from [approximately]0.5 [mu]m to [approximately]3 [mu]m. At these lower t-ZrO[sub 2] contents, the fracture strength-fracture resistance curves show a continuous rise as opposed to the strength maxima observed in polycrystalline t-ZrO[sub 2] (12 mol% CeO[sub 2]), CeTZP, and ZrO[sub 2] (12 mol% CeO[sub 2]) ceramics containing [<=] 20 vol% Al[sub 2]O[sub 3]. The toughened composites also exhibit excellent damage resistance with fracture strengths of 500 MPa retained with surfaces containing [approximately]150-N Vickers indentations which produce cracks off [approximately]160-[mu]m radius. Greater damage resistance correlates with an increase in the apparent R-curve response of these composites.
Response to Letter by den Hertog et al

Response: We appreciate the importance of avoiding increased body temperature after stroke as treatment of fever reduced poor neurological outcome after stroke.1 We thank Dr …
Kontaminierter Boden als Abfall

Seit dem 7. 9. 2004 liegt ein weiteres Urteil des EuGH zum europaischen Abfallbegriff vor. Danach ist Benzin, das unbeabsichtigt in den Boden und das Grundwasser gelangt, ebenso als Abfall zu qualifizieren wie das verunreinigte Erdreich selbst. Nach Ansicht des Gerichtshofs spielt es dabei keine Rolle, ob der Boden nach der Verschmutzung ausgehoben worden ist oder nicht. Diese Rechtsprechung steht nicht langer im Einklang mit der standigen Rechtsprechung deutscher Gerichte und wirft insbesondere mit Blick auf die fehlende Sonderrechtsfahigkeit nicht ausgehobenen kontaminierten Erdreichs Fragen auf, denen im folgenden Beitrag nachgegangen werden soll.
Developing and pilot testing practical measures of preanalytic surgical specimen identification defects.

Accurate patient identification is a National Patient Safety Goal. Misidentification of surgical specimens is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and costs of care. The authors developed 12 practical, process-based, standardized measures of surgical specimen identification defects during the preanalytic phase of pathology testing (from the operating room to the surgical pathology laboratory) that could be used to quantify the occurrence of these defects. The measures (6 container and 6 requisition identification defects) were developed by a panel of physicians, pathologists, nurses, and quality experts. A total of 69 hospitals prospectively collected data over 3 months. Overall, there were identification defects in 2.9% of cases (1780/60 501; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.0%-4.4%), 1.2% of containers (1018/81 656; 95% CI = 0.8%-2.0%), and 2.3% of requisitions (1417/61 245; 95% CI = 1.2%-4.6%). Future research is needed to evaluate if hospitals are able to use these measures to assess interv...
High flow/low resistance cannulas for percutaneous arteriovenous carbon dioxide removal.

Percutaneous cannulas with low resistance are necessary for arteriovenous carbon dioxide removal (AVCO2R) to allow highest flow at lowest pressure to maximize CO2 removal. Commercially available arterial (A) and venous (V) percutaneous cannulas (8–18 Fr) were tested for pressure/flow characteristics under conditions that simulated percutaneous AVCO2R at clinically pertinent flow rates between 200–1000 ml/mm to obtain the M number previously described by Delius, et al. The Bio-Medicus (Bio-Medicus, Grand Rapids, MI) 17F A, Research Medical, Inc (RMI) (Model FEM II, Research Medical, Inc., Midvale, UT) 16F A, and RMI 18F V cannulas exhibited the lowest M numbers that correlated with low resistance to flow. The four most clinically favorable arterial cannulas (8,10,12, and 14 Fr), coupled with a venous cannula four French sizes larger, were used in an AVCO2R circuit in adult sheep (n = 3) at varying mean arterial pressures (MAP) between 65–105 mmHg. The 8, 10, 12, and 14 Fr arterial cannulas allowed an arteriovenous flow of 208 ± 72, 530 ± 37, 848 ± 66, and 944 ± 96 ml/min, respectively, at a MAP of 65 mmHg. An increase in MAP to 105 mmHg was associated with approximately a 41,30,32, and 27% increment in blood flow, respectively. In summary, an arterial percutaneous cannula of 10 Fr or larger will allow AVCO2R blood flow greater than 500 ml/min, as previously shown by Brunston et al. to achieve total CO2 removal without incurring hypercapnia. ASIO Journal 1997; 43:M817-M820.
A DIRECT LIGHT EFFECT ON MAINTAINING PHOTOSYNTHETIC ACTIVITY OF NITELLA CHLOROPLASTS

The chloroplasts of internodal cells of Nitella are fixed to a stationary layer of cytoplasm whereas the nuclei and most of the cytoplasm stream along the longitudinal axis. Isolated internodal cells were maintained for several days with half the cell kept in the dark, the other half kept under continuous light. Photosynthetic activity of the cells was checked by placing the cell evenly illuminated in a 14CO2 atmosphere. Chloroplasts of the previously dark half of the cell were found to fix only half as much CO2 as the chloroplasts which were continuously illuminated. These results are discussed in relation to the possible direct effect of light on biosynthetic reactions of mature chloroplasts.
Adolescent Perceptions of Body Weight and Weight Satisfaction

Analysis of perception of body weight and weight satisfaction among 1,915 adolescents showed that a perception of being too fat was particularly dissatisfying for girls while a perception of being much too thin was most dissatisfying for boys.
Development of the IHMC Mobility Assist Exoskeleton

The IHMC Mobility Assist Exoskeleton is a robotic suit that a user can wear for strength augmentation or gait generation. This first generation exoskeleton prototype focuses on providing walking assistance to persons with lower extremity paralysis. The main goal is to successfully enable a person that cannot walk without assistance to walk in a straight line a distance of 15 feet. When in disable assist mode this prototype will rely on the user to provide balance control, and thus an external means for balancing will be required, such as crutches or a walker. Power and control is off board and supplied to the Exoskeleton by means of a tether. Rotary Series Elastic Actuators (RSEAs), which have high force fidelity and low impedance were designed to power the joints. This paper describes the design, test results, future work and potential applications of the exoskeleton.
Optimal Tax Policy in a Stochastically Growing Economy

This paper analyses the optimal taxation of capital in a stochastically growing small open economy in which there is a perfect market for a traded bond. The analysis emphasizes the dependence of the optimal tax structure upon the policy rule guiding the growth of government expenditure, and its impact on the behaviour of private agents. In general three taxes, reflecting three required conditions, are necessary to attain the first-best optimum. The first is to correct for any externality caused by government expenditure; the second is to attain the optimal portfolio share; the third is to ensure that the government budget constraint is met.
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF THE AMERICAN TROPICS: A FORTY‐YEAR REVIEW

For a decade or so after World War II, human geographers working in the American tropics found socio-political conditions and resultant research topics little changed from those before the war. This was in contrast to the Old World tropics where decolonization processes and the demands of economic development and new nation building produced divergent research currents, For the first half of the period under review, the American tropics continued to be the province largely of geographers with culturalhistorical questions grounded in natural historical bases. The legacy is Humboldt's; the practitioners most notably students of Carl Sauer or German counterparts such as Carl Troll. French and British regionalist approaches, strong in the region before World War II, survived less successfully. By the 1980s, however, broad pan-tropical currents of geographic discourse and debate had become established. New practices and theories were formulated and tested as North Atlantic geographers borrowed from antipodean innovators and others working in the Asian and African tropics. Since the 1980s, there have been greater efforts at dialogue and collaboration with host country colleagues. As might be expected in this era of ‘globalization’, national research styles and agendas have become less evident. This paper offers a highly selective map of research nodes within tropical Americanist geography since the early 1950s. The selection of examples includes qualitative criteria, but more importantly, research that signify stasis or intensification as well as turning points and departures in the overall development of this literature. The contours of this history suggest some highly evolved, even idiosyncratic enterprises, but in the main, it is an unfolding that suggests broad congruencies with human geographic work elsewhere in the tropics.
A nonlinear, dynamic, simulation model for transport, and whole plant allocation of systemic xenobiotics following foliar application. IV: Physicochemical properties requirements for optimum absorption and translocation

Abstract The relationship between the physicochemical properties (molar volume, partition coefficient, and dissociation constant) of slow-acting systemic postemergence xenobiotics and their uptake and translocation to the sites of action was investigated using the nonlinear, dynamic simulation model ERMESSE. When the pKa was held constant at 4.0, the model enables the prediction of the uptake of a systemic xenobiotic as a function of its partition coefficient and molar volume. The model also considered the effects of the physicochemical properties of a systemic xenobiotic on its long-distance translocation within the vascular tissues. For instance, when the log Kow and pKa were held constant at 1.5 and 6.0, respectively, the model predicted a higher translocation rate (55%) for molecules with a small (e.g., MV = 100 cm3 mol−1) as opposed to a large (e.g., MV = 300 cm3 mol−1, 33%) molar volume. In addition, the theoretical predictions from the ERMESSE model showed that any xenobiotic with a molar volume not exceeding 300 cm3 mol−1 could provide an uptake ⩾50% and a translocation rate ⩾25% when its log Kow is between −0.5 and 2.5 and its pKa is between 0.0 and 8.0.
Examining the added value of audio, graphics, and interactivity in an Internet intervention for pediatric encopresis.

A growing number of Web sites provide personalized health interventions using the technological advances afforded by the Internet. It is critical to determine how to best develop these applications to obtain positive outcomes. Several small studies are presented here to determine whether 3 Web components-audio, graphics, and interactivity-should be incorporated. Forty-nine children and their parents presenting to a pediatric gastroenterology clinic for treatment of encopresis participated. They were shown modules of an encopresis Internet intervention both with and without the study components to examine pre to post changes in knowledge, motivation, and readiness to change. Multivariate analyses indicated highly significant pre-post effects for each of the 3 components. To our knowledge, this is the first time specific Web-based components of an Internet intervention were empirically evaluated to determine incorporation in the development of an online treatment program.
Discharging patients from a custodial institution

Wisconsin cares for its chronic mental patients in county-operated institutions. Two state hospitals provide treatment for acute patients. A demonstration experiment in one of these counties revealed that patients who normally require hospitalization at the state institution could be treated at the county facility. This opening of a county hospital required changes in 3 major areas: (1) changes in public policy regarding the use of the hospital for custodial purposes, (2) changes in the administrative practices of the hospital itself, and (3) the assignment of treatable cases to the institution. It did not require the development of inpatient treatment programs.
GONADOTROPIC STIMULATION IN INTACT AND THYROIDECTOMIZED ADULT FEMALE RATS

STUDIES on the influence of delayed resorption of gonadotropic hormones upon ovarian hypertrophy have been confined to immature test animals both normal and hypophysectomized and with good reason, since the complication arising from the presence of endogenous hormone or a somewhat stimulated ovary is negligible. In the present paper, the problem has been extended to the adult rat in order to include the factors of endogenous hormone and developed ovary. In earlier studies (1), we concluded that thyroidectomy produced results similar to delayed resorption, and thyroxin administration produces results similar to rapid resorption on the basis of the decrease or increase in rate of exchange of body fluids which these procedures bring about, so decreasing or increasing the rate of hormone liberation. It was considered desirable also to test out this hypothesis in the adult rat, which had been subjected to early thyroidectomy, since the influence of the thyroid upon the ultimate development and response of the ...
A developmental view of giftedness: From being to doing

Rena Subotnik is director of the Esther Katz Rosen Center for Gifted Education Policy at the American Psychological Association. She is author of Genius Revisited: High IQ Children Grown Up (1993), and co-editor of Beyond Ter-man: Contemporary Longitudinal Studies of Gift-edness and Talent (with Karen Arnold). Remark-able Women: Perspectives on Female Talent Development (with Karen Arnold and Kathleen Noble), and the second edition of the Interna-tional Handbook of Research on Giftedness and Talent (with Kurt Heller, Franz Monks, and Robert Sternberg). E-mail: rsubotnik@apa.org
Human epidermal proteolipids: Isolation, partial characterization, and subcellular localization

Since the first description of organic-soluble proteins (i.e., proteolipids), much attention has focused on the isolation, purification, characterization, localization, and function of these intrinsic membrane proteins in a variety of different tissues. Using a rapid purification scheme, which allowed the transfer of organic-soluble proteolipids to aqueous phases, we have isolated proteolipids from cultured human keratinocytes and human epidermis for the first time. A partial characterization of these proteolipids, including molecular-weight determination by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), amino acid composition, and an N-terminal sequencing revealed a preponderance of hydrophobic amino acids (> 60% overall and > 78% in N-terminal sequence), typical of other proteolipids. The composition of fatty acids, covalently bound to whole purified apoprotein fractions, displayed a predominance of palmitic > oleic > stearic acids. Comparison of the molecular species of proteolipids isolated from whole epidermis with those obtained from keratinocyte cultures by SDS-PAGE revealed a comparable spectrum of apoprotein species. Finally, subcellular fractionation of cultured keratinocytes, used to localize proteolipids to specific cellular compartments, suggested that one of the major apoprotein species (30 kD) is present in mitochondira, whereas the lower molecular weight species are localized in plasma membrane-enriched fractions. Although evidence is lacking for a specific function(s) of this class of molecules in the epidermis, the hypothesis that it plays a role in epidermal differentiation, for example, as constituents of calcium and/or proton pumps, is discussed.
VARIABLE‐RATIO SCHEDULES AS VARIABLE‐INTERVAL SCHEDULES WITH LINEAR FEEDBACK LOOPS

The mathematical theory of linear systems has been used successfully to describe responding on variable-interval (VI) schedules. In the simplest extension of the theory to the variable-ratio (VR) case, VR schedules are treated as if they were VI schedules with linear feedback loops. The assumption entailed by this approach, namely, that VR and VI-plus-linear-feedback schedules are equivalent, was tested by comparing responding on the two types of schedule. Four human subjects' lever pressing produced monetary reinforcers on five VR schedules, and on five VI schedules with linear feedback loops that reproduced the feedback properties of the VR schedules. Pressing was initiated by instructions in 2 subjects, and was shaped by successive approximation in the other 2. The different methods of response initiation did not have differential effects on behavior. For each of the 4 subjects, the VR and the comparable VI-plus-linear-feedback schedules generated similar average response rates and similar response patterns. The subjects' behavior on both types of schedule was similar to that of avian and rodent species on VR schedules. These results indicate that the assumption entailed by the VI-plus-linear-feedback approach to the VR case is valid and, consequently, that the approach is worth pursuing. The results also confute interresponse-time theories of schedule performance, which require interval and ratio contingencies to produce different response rates.
Hairy cell leukemia (leukemic reticuloendotheliosis) II. Ultrastructure of the spleen.

Seven surgically removed spleens from patients with hairy cell leukemia and hypersplenism were examined ultrastructurally. In all spleens the pulp cords were diffusely and compactly infiltrated by hairy cells. Numerous hairy cells were also evident in the often distended sinuses. The hairy projections were readily visible in electron micrographs and tended to interdigitate to form syncytium-like aggregates. Compression of hairy cells within the cords flattened the projections against the cell bodies and may account for the surface alterations reported by scanning electron microscopic studies. Controversy over the cytogenesis of hairy cells has not been resolved by ultrastructural studies. Although all seven patients had hypersplenism, the hairy cells showed no evidence of phagocytic activity. However, active phagocytosis by cordal macrophages was observed and there is a probable absolute increase in their number contributing to the splenomegaly. The dense infiltrate of hairy cells causes marked widening of the cords and retards the passage of formed elements of the blood through the red pulp. Prolonged sojourn of these elements in a metabolically unfavorable environment results in cellular damage, increased exposure of cordal macrophages, and premature destruction with the evolution of a hypersplenic syndrome.