cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of gastric pressures as an indirect method for measurement of intraabdominal pressures in the horse.

Objective – To develop an indirect method for measurement of intraabdominal pressures in the standing horse using measurement of gastric pressures as a less invasive technique, and to compare this method with direct intraabdominal pressures obtained from the peritoneal cavity. Design – Prospective, experimental study. Setting – University-based equine research facility. Animals – Ten healthy adult horses, 7 geldings and 3 mares. Interventions – Gastric pressures were measured using a nasogastric tube with a U-tube manometry technique, while intraperitoneal pressures were measured with a peritoneal cannula. Measurements of intraabdominal pressure were obtained by both methods, simultaneously, and were evaluated using 5 increasing volumes of fluid infused into the stomach (0, 400, 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 mL). Bias and agreement between the 2 methods were determined using Bland-Altman analysis and Lin's concordance correlation coefficients. Measurements and Main Results – Mean gastric pressure was 14.44±4.69 cm H2O and ranged from 0 to 25.8 cm H2O. Intraperitoneal pressure measurements were generally subatmospheric, and ranged from −6.6 to 3.1 cm H2O (mean±SD, −1.59±2.09 cm H2O). Measurements of intraperitoneal pressures were repeatable; however, intra- and interindividual variance was significantly larger for measurements of gastric pressures. The mean and relative bias for comparison between the 2 techniques was 15.9±5.3 cm H2O and 244.3±199.2%, respectively. The Lin's concordance correlation coefficient between gastric and intraperitoneal pressures was −0.003 but this was not statistically significant (P=0.75). Conclusions – There was no statistical concordance between measurements of intraabdominal pressure using gastric and intraperitoneal pressure measurement, indicating that gastric pressures cannot be substituted for intraperitoneal pressure measurement. Direct measurement of intraperitoneal pressures may be a more consistent method for comparison of intraabdominal pressures between horses, due to less variability within and between individuals.
The Morphogenetic Path to Programmable Matter

The endpoint toward which reconfigurable systems should develop is programmable matter, that is, complex systems whose physical properties and structure can be controlled in a systematic way. This can be accomplished by recognizing that computational processes can be used to assemble and reconfigure complex, hierarchically structured systems. Programmable matter may be programmatically controlled externally or internally, which includes self-assembly. The best approach to the self-assembly of complex, hierarchical systems, such as future robots with capabilities comparable to those of animals, is by artificial morphogenesis, which adapts embryological morphogenesis to artificial systems. We review the requirements of self-assembling morphogenetic components.
As Students Become Adults: The Role of Occupational Therapy in the Transition Process

Under The Individuals with Disability Education Improvement Act of 2004, transition services for students with disabilities should be designed within a results-oriented process that facilitates a student's movement from school to postschool activities based on the student's individual strengths, needs, and preferences. As school to postschool transition encompasses myriad changes in life roles, demands, and skills, choosing a suitable high school placement is a crucial decision in preparation for transition from student to adult. Occupational therapy has essential and unique professional skills to collaborate with teams to support, improve, and address the varied factors that encompass the transition process. However, school-based occupational therapists tend to discontinue services earlier in a student's career, with fewer than 40% of school-based occupational therapists addressing the unique needs of adolescents (Schmitz, 2005; Brubaker, 2001; Kardos & White, 2005). This case study describes the collabo...
Serial analysis of biomarkers of acute pancreas allograft rejection

Pancreas transplant recipients experience graft loss in spite of improvements in immunosuppressant therapies and diagnostic technologies. Therefore, a method to improve detection and management of acute rejection is needed. This longitudinal study investigated the usefulness of three biomarkers, granzyme B, perforin, and HLA-DR, measured by real-time PCR on peripheral blood mononuclear cells, for their ability to detect acute rejection and its resolution in 13 recipients of pancreas allograft. Data demonstrated that pre-transplant baseline expression of biomarkers decreased following the initiation of immunosuppression. Throughout follow-up (range 3–27 months), individuals without acute rejection episodes had little variation in their biomarker levels. Recipients with biopsy-proven rejection had a significant increase in the levels of biomarkers as early as 5 weeks before clinical rejection diagnosis. Furthermore, all seven patients with biopsy-proven rejection demonstrated a decrease in the levels of granzyme B and perforin following the increased immunosuppression for the treatment of rejection. This is the first clinical serial measurement of biomarkers in pancreas patients. The data demonstrate that upregulation of granzyme B, perforin, and HLA-DR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells are sensitive to changes in the immune environment and could possibly be used to identify those patients at higher risk of rejection.
Economic growth, lifestyle preferences, and urban size.

Abstract Speculation on optimum city size has often resulted in conceptually elegant theoretical notions that have obscured the relationship between urban economic growth and development, and the resulting ecological effects. In addition, urbanites, upon realizing that development may preclude some aspects of their lifestyles, may become more interested in controlling growth. Before relationships between development and lifestyle may be operationalized, however, some means for predicting growth is necessary — input-output analysis is suggested here for that use. In addition, certain lifestyle expressions which present the relationships between growth in the sectors of the economy and land use, and air and water pollution are specified. For example, economic production may be limited by constraints in the natural sectors. In New Orleans, housing and industrial growth generally mean encroachment on wetland areas and therefore may be limited by the amount of wetland needed to support ecological systems. This can be expressed as a relationship between output in the sectors of the economy and land used in production, where land use is constrained by available land. This and other similar constraints involving air and water pollution are formulated. Although optimum city size is not specified, the paper uses a linear programming formulation of the input-output model including lifestyle constraints to show how optimum city size might be specified. Ecological relationships are useful in predicting the impacts of development on the environment. However, they provide very few limiting conditions. It is up to the community to realize the sensitivity of its environment to development and to limit growth, even though such growth usually represents some trade off between existing or preferred lifestyles and development with its resulting lifestyles. Unfortunately, it is unusual for the community to realize the interdependencies between lifestyle, development, and size. It is the hope of this paper that, as sophisticated models such as input-output become operational at the local level, the links between development, size, and lifestyle will become more specified leading to better informed citizens and decision-makers, and improved decisions. Input-output as part of the framework presented here is a useful device to identify appropriate places and points in time where intervention in developmental decisions by citizens is desirable.
Exact Shear-lag Solution for Guided Waves Tuning with Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensors

This paper addresses some unresolved predictive modeling issues related to the use of piezoelectric-wafer active sensors for ultrasonic structural health monitoring. An exact model for the shear-lag transfer between the piezoelectric-wafer active sensor transducer and the structure in the presence of N generic guided wave modes is derived from first principles using the normal-mode expansion formulation. The resulting integral–differential equation is solved using the variational iteration approach. The resulting solution is used to derive an improved modelforthetuningbetweenpiezoelectric-waferactivesensortransducersandthemultimodalguidedwavesusedin ultrasonic structural-health-monitoring applications. The numerical predictions generated by the improved tuning model are compared with experimental results obtained through pitch–catch experiments between two 7 mm piezoelectric-waferactivesensortransducersplacedona1-mm2024-T3aluminumplate.The10–700kHzfrequency range was explored. It was concluded that the improved model using the exact shear-lag solution matches much better the experimental results than previous models. Further theoretical and experimental work is warranted as a follow-up on the work reported in this paper to study the accuracy and convergence properties of the solution, to explore experimental comparison beyond the A1-mode cutoff frequency, and to extend the approach to layered structures and composite materials.
Modulation of epithelial tubule formation by Rho kinase

We have developed a model system for studying integrin regulation of mammalian epithelial tubule formation. Application of collagen gel overlays to Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells induced coordinated disassembly of junctional complexes that was accompanied by lamellipodia formation and cell rearrangement (termed epithelial remodeling). In this study, we present evidence that the Rho signal transduction pathway regulates epithelial remodeling and tubule formation. Incubation of MDCK cells with collagen gel overlays facilitated formation of migrating lamellipodia with membrane-associated actin. Inhibitors of myosin II and actin prevented lamellipodia formation, which suggests that actomyosin function was involved in regulation of epithelial remodeling. To determine this, changes in myosin II distribution, function, and phosphorylation were studied during epithelial tubule biogenesis. Myosin II colocalized with actin at the leading edge of lamellipodia thereby providing evidence that myosin is important in epithelial remodeling. This possibility is supported by observations that inhibition of Rho kinase, a regulator of myosin II function, alters formation of lamellipodia and results in attenuated epithelial tubule development. These data and those demonstrating myosin regulatory light-chain phosphorylation at the leading edge of lamellipodia strongly suggest that Rho kinase and myosin II are important modulators of epithelial remodeling. They support a hypothesis that the Rho signal transduction pathway plays a significant role in regulation of epithelial tubule formation.
Nanofluid Generation Using Multi-Beam Laser Ablation Technique

Multi-beam laser ablation in liquid was used to synthesize nanofluids of silver, Zinc, and aluminum in liquids. In our experiments, two single-mode, Q-switched Nd-Yag lasers operating at 1064 nm, pulse duration of 5.5 ns and 10 Hz rep rate were used. Our results have shown that both laser intensities and multi-beam ablation can increase the ablation rate and promote reduction of the particle sizes and particle size distribution. For silver, we have generated various samples of nanofluids with particles of sizes mainly in the range of 20 to 30 nm. These samples were stable for several months without the need of using dispersants or surfactants. However, for aluminum, the generated fluids were not stable and significant amount of solid precipitates were observed in the stock solutions. The size distribution was from about 5 nm to 300 nm indicating that the particle agglomerated and large distribution in sizes. Typical results from TEM analysis indicated that, for silver-water nanofluids, Ag nanoparticles were fcc single crystals. For aluminum, the particles had different shapes and sizes. These shapes were triangular, rectangular, and fibrous.
TESTICULAR CALCIFICATIONS: INCIDENCE, HISTOLOGY AND PROPOSED PATHOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR TESTICULAR MICROLITHIASIS

AbstractPurpose: Testicular microlithiasis is a clinical syndrome in which men present with innumerable testicular calcifications. Indirect evidence suggests that this syndrome may be associated with an increased risk of germ cell neoplasia. The incidence and types of testicular calcification in normal and diseased testes is unknown.Materials and Methods: A series of 131 orchiectomy specimens were reviewed, including 79 germ cell tumors, and 100 entirely embedded autopsy testes in men with no known testicular pathology.Results: Two types of calcifications were identified. Hematoxylin bodies, consisting of amorphous calcific debris, were present in 6 cases associated with germ cell tumors. In contrast, laminated calcifications were found not only in association with germ cell tumors (35 cases), but also in 2 of 4 cryptorchid testes and 6 of the remaining 145 testes (4%). Of these calcifications 61% were multiple. When laminated calcifications were associated with germ cell tumors there was an increased inc...
Pediatric myringoplasty: factors that affect success-a retrospective study.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of patient and graft variables on the successful closure of tympanic membrane perforations treated with myringoplasty at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from 2000 to 2005. Study Design: Retrospective chart review at an academic tertiary-care children's hospital. Methods: Charts were reviewed for 604 children, ages 1 to 18 years old, with complete records who underwent myringoplasty by the pediatric otolaryngology practice at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC from 2000 to 2005, totaling 777 procedures. Results: Significant variables include patient age, number of prior tubes, perforation etiology (P < .000), presence of a retained tube (P < .000) as well as tube type (P = .016), graft material (P = .001), and history of Down syndrome (P = .035). Nonsignificant variables include season of procedure (P = .599), status of adenoid tissue (P = .910), prior otorrhea (P = .175), as well as perforation location (P = .318) and duration (P = .150). Conclusions: Proper patient and graft material selection can affect the outcome of myringoplasty procedures. Practical implications from these data suggest that Gelfoam myringoplasty is more successful than either paper patch or fat graft closures, with a 90.8% success rate (P = .001). Myringoplasty should not be deferred during the winter months as the season of procedure does appear to not affect the success of closure (P = .60). Similarly, the presence or absence of adenoid tissue did not affect the success of closure (P = .91).
An exploration of affect factors and their role in user technology acceptance: Mediation and causality

Affect factors have gained researchers' attention in a number of fields. The Information Systems (IS) literature, however, shows some gaps and inconsistencies regarding the role of affect factors in human–computer interaction. Building upon prior research, this study aims at a better understanding of affect factors by clarifying their relationships with each other and with other primary user acceptance factors. Two affect variables that are different in nature were examined: computer playfulness (CP) and perceived enjoyment (PE). We theoretically clarified and methodologically verified their mediating effects and causal relationships with other primary factors influencing user technology acceptance, namely perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), and behavioral intention (BI). Quantitative data were analyzed using R.M. Baron and D. Kenny's (1986) method for mediating effects and P.R. Cohen, A. Carlsson, L. Ballesteros, and R.S. Amant's (1993) path analysis method for causal relationships. These analyses largely supported our hypotheses. Results from this research indicate that a PE → PEOU causal direction is favored, and PEOU partially mediates PE's impacts on PU whereas PE fully mediates CP's impact on PEOU. With the increased interest in various affect factors in user technology acceptance and use, our study sheds light on the role of affect factors from both theoretical and methodological perspectives. Practical implications are discussed as well. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Distinct Transcriptional Activation Functions of STAT1α and STAT1β on DNA and Chromatin Templates

Interferon-induced transcription depends upon tyrosine phosphorylation, subsequent dimerization, and binding to DNA of STAT1. Other factors, including but not necessarily limited to CBP/p300, then bind within the C-terminal 38 amino acid transactivation domain (TAD) to activate transcription. We show that both tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT1alpha (full-length wild-type protein) and STAT1beta (lacking the TAD) stimulate in vitro transcription on a naked DNA template. Furthermore, in a system with purified proteins and naked DNA, STAT1alpha- and STAT1beta-dependent transcription is stimulated by the TRAP/Mediator co-activator complex. Thus STAT1, through some site other than the C-terminal TAD, can interact with TRAP/Mediator or some intermediate protein. Although both STAT1alpha and STAT1beta bind to known STAT sites within in vitro assembled chromatin templates, only STAT1alpha, and not STAT1beta, in cooperation with p300 and acetyl-CoA, stimulated in vitro transcription from chromatin. After interferon-gamma treatment, cells recruit STAT1alpha or -beta to the chromosomal interferon-1 gene, but only STAT1alpha-containing cells recruit p300 and stimulate transcription. We conclude that chromatin remodeling by p300 in vivo makes TRAP/Mediator effective in stimulating transcription.
Abnormalities in membrane microviscosity and ion transport in genetic muscular dystrophy.

WE have demonstrated recently several functional differences between membrane-bound enzymes from tissues of muscular dystrophic chicks and of controls1. Several other membrane anomalies have been associated with this disease2–7, but so far the only known biochemical anomaly in the affected membranes is a difference in lipid composition8,9. This could cause all the observed functional defects, including those in enzyme activities and permeability, through an alteration in the membrane microenvironment10. Certain physical properties of the microenvironment can be studied by fluorescent polarisation techniques that measure the mobility of a lipid-soluble fluorescent dye11,12. The basis for this approach is the fact that membrane cholesterol, which strongly affects the microviscosity of liposomes10, is present in significantly greater than normal amounts in genetic muscular dystrophy. Using this approach, we found (Table 1) that the membranes of muscle, liver and erythrocytes of dystrophic chicks have a significantly higher microviscosity than normal controls. The greatest difference was in muscle, the site of the clinical symptoms of this genetic disease. The higher cholesterol :phospholipid ratio characteristic of the diseased membrane is sufficient to account for the observed increase in microviscosity11.
Advancing the Selection of Neurodevelopmental Measures in Epidemiological Studies of Environmental Chemical Exposure and Health Effects

With research suggesting increasing incidence of pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders, questions regarding etiology continue to be raised. Neurodevelopmental function tests have been used in epidemiology studies to evaluate relationships between environmental chemical exposures and neurodevelopmental deficits. Limitations of currently used tests and difficulties with their interpretation have been described, but a comprehensive critical examination of tests commonly used in studies of environmental chemicals and pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders has not been conducted. We provide here a listing and critical evaluation of commonly used neurodevelopmental tests in studies exploring effects from chemical exposures and recommend measures that are not often used, but should be considered. We also discuss important considerations in selecting appropriate tests and provide a case study by reviewing the literature on polychlorinated biphenyls.
Spectres of the Third World: global modernity and the end of the three worlds

The three worlds configuration was a product of Eurocentric mappings of the world to deal with the postcolonial situation that emerged after World War II. Mortgaging Third World futures to either capitalism or socialism, which was a premise of this mapping, also pointed to a future dominated by alternatives of European origin. The situation I describe as ‘global modernity’ refers to a post-Eurocentric modernity that has scrambled notions of space and time inherited from modernity. It is a product of modernity, and of the struggles that the idea of three worlds sought to capture, but those struggles have led to unanticipated reconfigurations globally, including the reconfiguration of capitalism that has globalised following the fall of the Second World (the world of socialisms). This article discusses some of the problems attendant upon this situation.
Destruction of stereopsis

Three theories of stereopsis are described and an experiment performed to decide between them. The results fit Hochberg’s (1964) suppression model. An alternative explanation, involving weaker assumptions, is suggested.
Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect: A Randomized Effectiveness Trial

The primary purpose of this study was to conduct a randomized effectiveness trial of Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN) for physically abused youth (mean age = 13.88 years, 55.8% female, 68.6% Black) and their families. Eighty-six families being followed by Child Protective Services due to physical abuse were randomly assigned to MST-CAN or Enhanced Outpatient Treatment (EOT), with both interventions delivered by therapists employed at a community mental health center. Across five assessments extending 16 months post baseline, intent-to-treat analyses showed that MST-CAN was significantly more effective than EOT in reducing youth mental health symptoms, parent emotional distress, parenting behaviors associated with maltreatment, youth out-of-home placements, and changes in youth placement. Also, MST-CAN was significantly more effective at improving natural social support for parents. Effect sizes were in the medium to large range for most outcomes examined. Although fewer children in the MST-CAN condition experienced an incident of reabuse than did counterparts in the EOT condition, base rates were low and this difference was not statistically significant. The findings of this study demonstrate the potential for broad-based treatments of child physical abuse to be effectively transported and implemented in community treatment settings.
Morrison Formation of Colorado Plateau Region--Progress Report: ABSTRACT

An intensive study of the Morrison formation in the Colorado Plateau region is being made by the U. S. Geological Survey on behalf of the Atomic Energy Commission. This report summarizes some of the results of three years' work. End_Page 1108------------------------------ In the Colorado Plateau the Morrison formation of Upper Jurassic age may be divided into two parts. The lower part consists of two gradational and intertonguing lithologic members--the Salt Wash sandstone member, present in southeastern Utah, western Colorado, and extending short distances into Arizona and New Mexico; and the Recapture shale member, present in northwestern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, and extending a short distance into southeastern Utah. Both members consist predominantly of fluviatile deposits of sandstone and claystone with increasing proportions of sandstone and conglomerate near the main sources. The Salt Wash member was derived from sedimentary rocks, mainly from a southwesterly source, probably in western Arizona. The Recapture member was derived from sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks, mainly from a southern source, probably in west-central New Mexico. Away from these source areas the members become thinner and contain increasing proportions of claystone and limestone. The Salt Wash sandstone member generally is absent northeast of the crest of the ancestral Uncompahgre uplift and it loses its identity, except in a few places in the Central Colorado basin where discontinuous sandstone beds, considered to be Salt Wash, are present. The upper part of the Morrison formation likewise consists of two lithologic members--the Brushy Basin shale member and the Westwater Canyon sandstone member. The Brushy Basin member is present over all the Colorado Plateau except for a belt extending from south-central Utah to central New Mexico, where it is absent, partly as a result of pre-Dakota erosion. The Westwater Canyon member occupies the lower part of the Brushy Basin interval in southeastern Utah, northwestern New Mexico, and northeastern Arizona; it is thought to replace the Brushy Basin by gradation and intertonguing. The Westwater Canyon consists of fluviatile deposits of sandstone and minor claystone and represents a continuation of deposition similar to that of the lower part of the Morrison. It appears to have the sa e source and source rocks as the Recapture member. It also is conglomeratic near its source and becomes thinner and nonconglomeratic away from the source area. The Brushy Basin shale member is predominantly varicolored claystone with minor lenses of sandstone, conglomerate, and limestone, and consists in large part of fluviatile deposits. However, in lithologic characteristics, it contrasts sharply with the rest of the Morrison. The member may contain beds formed in ephemeral lakes or playas, and some of the material may have been contributed by ash falls. Evidence for the source of the Brushy Basin member is meager. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1109------------
Electric quadrupole interactions in non-axially symmetric electric field gradients of spinI=2 and 3 nuclei in polycrystalline sources

Calculations and formulae are presented for the purpose of understanding and analyzing Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC) experiments that use spin-two and spin-three probe nuclei. For electric quadrupole interactions of probe nuclei in a polycrystalline source with non-axially symmetric electric field gradients, the interaction frequencies and perturbation functions for spin-two and spin-three nuclei differ qualitatively and quantitatively from those for spin-five-halves nuclei. These differences result primarily because them-states of integral-spin nuclei are nondegenerate in an asymmetric electric field gradient. To help the experimenter deal with the added complexity of the integral-spin casesI=2 and 3, closed-form expressions are provided for the energy eigenvalues and the eigenvectors as a function of the asymmetry parameter η. To deal with the problem of calculating the perturbation functionsGkk(t) for η>0, the summation overm-state quantum numbers is formulated in terms ofan′,n(k)-coefficients. These coefficients are analogous to theSkn-coefficients used in the case for η=0. To illustrate the differences between the half-integral-spin caseI=5/2 and the integral-spin casesI=2 and 3, energy difference diagrams andan′,n′(2) diagrams are presented and discussed.
Current success in the treatment of intussusception in children

Background Intussusception remains a common cause of bowel obstruction in young children and results in significant morbidity and mortality if not promptly treated. The goal of this study was to determine the current success rate of radiologic reduction, the requirements for operative intervention, and the effect of delay in presentation on outcome. Methods Children treated for intussusception over a 15-year period were reviewed after treatment at a tertiary children’s hospital. Records were reviewed for patient outcomes from radiologic evaluation and surgical intervention. Results Two hundred forty-four children with intussusception were identified. Median age was 8.2 months (range, 16 days to 12.7 years). Eighty-seven percent of patients had ileocolic or ileoileocolic intussusception. The most common presenting symptoms were emesis (81%), hematochezia (61%), and abdominal pain (59%). Contrasted enemas were performed in 190 children, with successful reduction in 46%. Air-contrasted enema reduction was more successful than liquid-contrasted techniques (54% vs 34%; P = .017). Success in reduction was greater if symptom duration was 24 hours (59% vs 36%; P = .001). Despite failed prior attempts at reduction, 48% were reduced on reattempted enema reduction. One hundred forty children required surgical intervention for intussusception with 50% requiring bowel resection. Children with symptom duration >24 hours had a greater risk of requiring surgery (73% vs 45%; P Conclusions Success of intussusception reduction is improved with air-contrasted techniques and is not affected by previously failed, outside attempts. Delay in presentation decreases success in radiologic reduction and increases risk of operative intervention and bowel resection.
The pharmacokinetics and absolute bioavailability of selegiline in the dog

Selegiline is beneficial to Parkinsonian patients as an adjunct to levodopa therapy. Currently no pharmacokinetic data are available for selegiline in the literature, mainly due to lack of analytical methods that can measure concentrations below 10 ng mL-1 in plasma. A sensitive fluorimetric assay based on inhibition of rat brain monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) in vitro has been developed to measure selegiline in plasma as low as 0.25 ng mL-1. The pharmacokinetics of selegiline were investigated following intravenous and oral administration to four female mongrel dogs. Each dog received 1 mg kg-1 selegiline in solution via gavage or by an intravenous route separated by one week. The mean terminal half-life, volume of distribution of the central compartment, and systemic clearance of selegiline were 60.24 +/- 9.56 min, 6.56 +/- 0.56 L kg-1, and 159.91 +/- 19.28 mL min-1 kg-1, respectively. After oral administration selegiline appeared to be absorbed rapidly with a tmax and Cmax of 25 +/- 5.8 min and 5.2 +/- 1.36 ng mL-1, respectively. The absolute bioavailability of selegiline in the dog was 8.51 +/- 3.31%.
Territorial jurisprudence, ikhtilaf al-darayn: Political boundaries & legal jurisdiction

Abstract Background: Ikhtilaf al-darayn (territoriality) is a unique Hanafi legal concept that signifies the Hanafi recognition of the constraints of enforcing a legal system when it comes to geopolitical realities. This paper argues that the Hanafi legal application of the theory of territoriality in their primary legal literature allowed them to go beyond defining individuals based on their religious identities to mainly focus on the legal status of individuals within or outside Muslim jurisdiction. Unlike the majority of Islamic legal schools, Hanafis consistently upheld the theory of territoriality and stressed that the universal features of the law do not have any legal imperative outside the political framework of Muslim jurisdiction. Hence, they acknowledged the constraints of the legal and political powers of the Imam outside the Muslim jurisdiction. Methodology: The primary Hanafi legal texts were relied upon to explore the theoretical foundation of the concept of territoriality (ikhtilaf al-dara...
Self-pulsing oxide-confined vertical-cavity lasers with ultralow operating current

Selectively oxidised vertical-cavity lasers which exhibit self-pulsating lasing at currents as low as 470 nA are reported. Characteristics including linearly polarised emission, narrow linewidths and coherent near- and far-field diffraction indicate that these devices operate as lasers at DC currents 1 mA.
INDUCTION-HEATED TOOL MACHINING OF ELASTOMERS—PART 1: FINITE DIFFERENCE THERMAL MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION

ABSTRACT Experiments and finite difference thermal modeling of the induction-heated tool for end milling of elastomers are investigated. Three sets of experiments are designed to calibrate the contact thermocouple for the tool tip temperature measurement, study the effect of tool rotational speed on induction heat generation and convective heat transfer, and measure the tool temperature distribution for finite difference inverse heat transfer solution and validation of modeling results. Experimental results indicate that effects of tool rotation on induction heat generation and convective heat transfer are negligible when the spindle speed is below 2000 rpm. A finite difference thermal model of the tool and insulator is developed to predict the distribution of tool temperature. The thermal model of a stationary tool can be expanded to predict the temperature distribution of an induction-heated rotary tool within a specific spindle speed range. Experimental measurements validate that the thermal model can ...
Evidence for potential fluctuations in compensated amorphous silicon

Measurements of the electron and hole drift mobilities and the optical-absorption edge in compensated hydrogenated amorphous silicon are reported. The mobilities of both carriers decrease with increasing doping and converge to similar values for gas-phase doping levels greater than one part per thousand. The mobility and optical-absorption data are not consistent with disorder-induced band-tail broadening, but agree with the predictions of a model of long-range potential fluctuations originating from charged donor and acceptor states.
A bootstrap method to compare the shapes of two scalp fields

A method is described to compare two evoked potential scalp fields in order to decide if the two fields are the same or different. The method uses Efron's bootstrap technique which avoids potential errors due to assumptions about the underlying stochastic process. It is configured to focus only on the shape of the evoked potential scalp field. The method is applied to a simple visually evoked potential paradigm and results are compared to the chi-square test using data from 7 normal subjects.
Toward a unified model of developmental timing: A "molting" approach

Animal development requires temporal coordination between recurrent processes and sequential events, but the underlying timing mechanisms are not yet understood. The molting cycle of C. elegans provides an ideal system to study this basic problem. We recently characterized LIN-42, which is related to the circadian clock protein PERIOD, as a key component of the developmental timer underlying rhythmic molting cycles. In this context, LIN-42 coordinates epithelial stem cell dynamics with progression of the molting cycle. Repeated actions of LIN-42 may enable the reprogramming of seam cell temporal fates, while stage-specific actions of LIN-42 and other heterochronic genes select fates appropriate for upcoming, rather than passing, life stages. Here, we discuss the possible configuration of the molting timer, which may include interconnected positive and negative regulatory loops among lin-42, conserved nuclear hormone receptors such as NHR-23 and -25, and the let-7 family of microRNAs. Physiological and environmental conditions may modulate the activities of particular components of this molting timer. Finding that LIN-42 regulates both a sleep-like behavioral state and epidermal stem cell dynamics further supports the model of functional conservation between LIN-42 and mammalian PERIOD proteins. The molting timer may therefore represent a primitive form of a central biological clock and provide a general paradigm for the integration of rhythmic and developmental processes.
The relation between enbrittlement and structural relaxation of an amorphous metal

Abstract The ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of a Fe79·3B16·4Si4·0C0·3 glass, determined by performing bend tests at different temperatures, has been observed to shift continuously with increasing annealing. This shift can be correlated with the change in enthalpy due to structural relaxation, measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The correlation can be described by a simple phenomenological model, based on the change in free volume during relaxation and a minimum free volume for ductility. This glass remains entirely homogeneous during the annealing treatments, and surface crystallization has been ruled out as a cause of brittle fracture.
CCMCL1: a new model of aggressive mantle cell lymphoma.

To the editor: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is incurable using current standard therapeutic regimens.[1][1] There are relatively few relevant cell lines and mouse models. To evaluate new drugs and develop rational combination therapies, we have established and thoroughly characterized a new MCL cell
Significance of Isolated Positive IgM Serologic Results by Enzyme Immunoassay for Coccidioidomycosis

Serologic testing is important for diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis. Many methods are available for diagnostic testing. Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) can be performed quickly and locally but has the potential for false-positive results in patients manifesting a positive EIA for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies and a negative EIA for immunoglobulin G (IgG). We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 405 patients with coccidioidal serologic testing performed between 1999 and 2003. Of 706 EIAs, 37 (5%) produced test results for 28 patients that showed isolated IgM positivity. Among these 28 patients, 24 (86%) had positive serologic findings by other methods (complement fixation or immunodiffusion or both), and 7 (25%) had positive microbiologic or histopathologic findings. All 4 (14%) patients without other positive serologic results had diagnostic tests with positive microbiologic or histopathologic results. No false-positive IgM assays were observed. We conclude that the false-positive rate of the EIA IgM is low, and that an isolated positive EIA IgM should prompt further follow-up and diagnostic testing.
Vibrations of cantilevered skewed trapezoidal and triangular plates with corner stress singularities

Abstract In a recent companion paper, the efficacy of admissible corner functions used in conjunction with mathematically complete polynomials has been demonstrated in an exhaustive amount of Ritz convergence tables apropos to cantilevered skew parallelogram plates. The present work extends the method to include skewed plates having trapezoidal and triangular planforms, and is the first known vibrational study encompassing the effect of bending stress singularities at the reentrant corner of such plates. Extensive and accurate nondimensional frequency tables and graphical charts are presented for a series of trapezoidal plates showing the effect of aspect ratio, chord ratio and skew angle. The importance of using admissible corner functions in skew trapezoidal plate vibrations is found to increase as the skew angle increases and as the aspect ratio and chord ratio decreases. Some theoretical and experimental data heretofore published for delta and skewed triangular cantilevered plates are compared with results obtained using the present method. No previous theoretical results for skewed trapezoidal cantilevered plates are known to exist.
Context-specific adaptation of saccade gain.

Previous studies established that vestibular reflexes can have two adapted states (e.g., gain) simultaneously, and that a context cue (e.g., vertical eye position) can switch between the two states. The present study examined this phenomenon of context-specific adaptationfor horizontal saccades, using a variety of contexts. Our overall goal was to assess the efficacy of different context cues in switching between adapted states. A standard double-step paradigm was used to adapt saccade gain. In each experiment, we asked for a simultaneous gain decrease in one context and gain increase in another context, and then determined if a change in the context would invoke switching between the adapted states. Horizontal eye position worked well as a context cue: saccades with the eyes deviated to the right could be made to have higher gains while saccades with the eyes deviated to the left could be made to have lower gains. Vertical eye position was less effective. This suggests that the more closely related a context cue is to the response being adapted, the more effective it is. Roll tilt of the head, and upright versus supine orientations, were somewhat effective in context switching; these paradigms contain orientation of gravity with respect to the head as part of the context.
Intrinsic domain and loop dynamics commensurate with catalytic turnover in an induced-fit enzyme.

Summary Arginine kinase catalyzes reversible phosphoryl transfer between ATP and arginine, buffering cellular ATP concentrations. Structures of substrate-free and -bound enzyme have highlighted a range of conformational changes thought to occur during the catalytic cycle. Here, NMR is used to characterize the intrinsic backbone dynamics over multiple timescales. Relaxation dispersion indicates rigid-body motion of the N-terminal domain and flexible dynamics in the I182–G209 loop, both at millisecond rates commensurate with k cat , implying that either might be rate limiting upon catalysis. Lipari-Szabo analysis indicates backbone flexibility on the nanosecond timescale in the V308–V322 loop, while the rest of the enzyme is more rigid in this timescale. Thus, intrinsic dynamics are most prominent in regions that have been independently implicated in conformational changes. Substrate-free enzyme may sample an ensemble of different conformations, of which a subset is selected upon substrate binding, with critical active site residues appropriately configured for binding and catalysis.
Context-produced increase in visibility

It has not been clearly shown that context (e. g., three lines of a square) increases the visibility of a feature (e. g., the fourth line of the same square). To investigate this possibility, four sets of context+feature, context, feature, and BLANK (empty field) stimuli were used. For three out of the four sets, the context+feature stimulus was less likely to be falsely identified as the context and BLANK stimuli (i. e., the stimuli without the feature) than was the feature stimulus. For the same three sets, discriminating between the context+feature and context stimuli produced fewer false identifications (FIs) than discriminating between the feature and BLANK stimuli. The conclusion: the context components of context+feature stimuli increased the visibility of the feature components of the same stimuli.
Distribution of Holocene Silicoflagellates in North Pacific Sediments

Modern silicoflagellate taxa found in North Pacific surface sediments are redefined and described. A new tropical species, Dictyocha calida, is introduced. Geographic distribution and relative abundance of each species are mapped for the North Pacific, based on Holocene sediment samples. The maps show that most species have definite climatic ranges, which can often be correlated with oceanic water masses. In addition, temperature preferences of certain species can be used for paleoclimatic interpretation. Distribution of Holocene silicoflagellates in North Pacific sediments
Collective effects in short wavelength free-electron lasers

Abstract The self-fields generated by the propagation of pulsed electron beams through the wiggler fields in free-electron lasers are calculated and shown to be diamagnetic. A one-dimensional theory for pulsed beams is applied to proposed designs for fourth generation light sources of high-intensity X-rays, which employ beams with current densities of several hundred MA/cm 2 . The theory indicates that the diamagnetic effect is unlikely to affect either the growth length or the fundamental emission energy and bandwidth of these devices.
Influence of Pretreatment and Treatment Factors on Intermediate to Long-Term Outcome After Prostate Brachytherapy

Purpose: We describe how treatment factors influence biochemical freedom from failure, local control, freedom from metastasis and cause specific survival in patients treated with prostate brachytherapy.Materials and Methods: We followed 2,111 men who underwent brachytherapy a median of 6 years (range 2 to 17). Median prostate specific antigen was 7 ng/ml. Of the men 1,455 (68.9%) had clinical stage T2a or less and 1,428 (67.6%) had Gleason score less than 7. A total of 1,171 patients (55.5%) received 125I, 221 (10.4%) received 103Pd and 719 (34.1%) received supplemental external beam irradiation combined with 103Pd. Post-implant dosimetry was done 30 days after implantation with doses converted to the biologically effective dose. Prostate biopsy was done 2 years after permanent prostate brachytherapy in 586 men (27.8%). Survival functions were determined by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression with proportions tested by the log rank test.Results: The 12-year biochemical freedom from failure rate was...
The Stagnation of Brazil's Exports: Reply

In a recent issue of this Journal Thomas C. Lowinger presented a "Comment" on an earlier paper of mine.' My paper discussed three features of Brazilian trade and development during the years 1947-1962. First, I pointed out that, contrary to earlier discussions that had considered Brazilian exports mainly in terms of coffee and its unpromising prospects, the stagnation of aggregate Brazilian export receipts during the period under consideration had been due largely to the performance of noncoffee exports. Second, I noted that this poor export experience had been caused not by adverse world demand conditions, but by Brazilian policies that had limited the supply of noncoffee exports.2 The implication was that, if the Brazilian authorities would relax the measures discriminating against exports of noncoffee products, they could realistically expect substantial increases in noncoffee exports and thus in total foreign exchange earnings. Finally, I analyzed the special features that export stagnation, coming together with rapidly growing domestic demand, had imparted to Brazilian economic development. Lowinger's "Comment" does not dispute my analysis in the latter two areas. He does, however, believe that "to attribute the overall stagnation of Brazil's exports 'largely' to its noncoffee exports would not be in accord with the post-1953 evidence." In addition, he considers it "misleading to view the entire post-World War II period in terms of one explanatory model"; and suggests 1953, the year of a Brazilian devaluation, for demarcating two periods in Brazil's postwar export experience. I will discuss these two issues in sequence. There is a straightforward way to test my hypothesis that the behavior of Brazil's aggregate export receipts (Xa) has been governed mainly by the behavior of noncoffee exports, (Xn0). This is to regress annual observations of the first differences of Xa against
IAPs: What's in a Name?

Originally described in insect viruses, cellular proteins with Baculoviral IAP repeat (BIR) motifs have been thought to function primarily as inhibitors of apoptosis. The subsequent finding that a subset of IAPs that contain a RING domain have ubiquitin protein ligase (E3) activity implied the presence of other functions. It is now known that IAPs are involved in mitotic chromosome segregation, cellular morphogenesis, copper homeostasis, and intracellular signaling. Here, we review the current understanding of the roles of IAPs in apoptotic and nonapoptotic processes and explore the notion that the latter represents the primary physiologic activities of IAPs.