cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Terahertz time-domain polarimetry for generalized anistropic and chiral materials

We have developed two terahertz (THz) polarimetric methodologies based on terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz- TDS) incorporating three wire-grid polarizers. They require no change to existing THz-TDS setups and are free of any complicated electronic controls and synchronizations. In addition to the standard quantities measured by THz-TDS such as transmission and optical constants, they provide complete information on the anisotropy and chirality for a generalized material through measurements of the full electric field vector and hence the Jones matrix, and calculating specific quantities. Thus terahertz time-domain polarimetry (THz-TDP) can be considered as an upgrade of the conventional THz- TDS, needed for full characterization of anisotropic and chiral materials. In this paper, we describe the details of the experimental settings, mathematical procedures and property quantifications in these methodologies. We present experimental results on an anisotropic polymer sheet showing the effectiveness of the methods, and preliminary data for chiral DNA molecules for the first time in the THz frequency range.
Design Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization Tool for Concurrent Engineering

This paper together with the following two papers present emerging technologies for development of design sensitivity analysis (DSA) and optimization that can be used for concurrent engineering. A summary of recently developed unified continuum DSA methods for linear and nonlinear structural systems is presented. Design sensitivities of static and dynamic responses of elastic solids and built-up structures with respect to material property, sizing, shape, and configuration design variables are considered. For DSA of acoustic response, acousto-elastic systems are treated. For DSA of nonlinear structural systems, both geometric and material nonlinearities are considered. The adjoint variable and direct differentiation methods are used to derive explicit design sensitivity expressions that can be evaluated numerically using analysis results from established finite element analysis (FEA) codes. It is demonstrated that the continuum based DSA method allows design sensitivity computations to be carried out using established FEA codes with respect to geometric design parameters that are employed in computer-aided design (CAD) tools, so that industry standard tools can be exploited in concurrent engineering. A DSA and optimization (DSO) tool with a visually driven user interface is developed to allow design engineers to easily create geometric, design, and analysis models; define performance measures; perform DSA; and carry out a four-step interactive design process that includes visual display of design sensitivity, what-if study, trade-offs, and interactive design optimization.
Fusion within a Detection System Family

A detection system outputs two distinct labels, thus, there are two errors it can make. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) function quantifies both of these errors as parameters vary within the system. Combining two detection systems typically yields better performance when a combining rule is chosen appropriately. When two or more detection systems are combined the assumption of independence is usually made in order to simplify the mathematics, so that we need only combine the individual ROC curves from each system into one ROC curve. This paper investigates label fusion of two and more detection systems drawn from a single Detection System Family (DSF). Given that one knows the ROC function for the DSF, we seek a formula with the resultant ROC function of the fused detection systems as a function (specifically, a transformation) of the ROC function. In previous work, we derived this transformation for the disjunction and conjunction label rules. This paper extends those results to several detection systems within the same family. Examples are given that demonstrates these new transformations acting on the ROC function.
Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D Printing of Millimeter-Scale High-Aspect Ratio (HAR) Structures Exceeding 100:1

Interest in 3D printing has been on the rise and has led to the development of multiple types of 3D printing including Digital Light Processing (DLP)-based printing. In this work, we demonstrate the fabrication of positive relief structures created using DLP 3D printing with aspect ratios exceeding 100:1, not previously achieved with similar types of 3D printing technologies at such scales. Using an open source 3D printing platform, we optimize printing parameters of two methacrylate-based resins to achieve structures approaching high aspect ratios of 140:1.
District Ransomware: Static and Dynamic Analysis

Ransomware is one of the fastest growing threats to internet security. New Ransomware attacks happen around the globe, on a weekly basis. These attacks happen to individual users and groups, from almost any type of business. Many of these attacks involve Ransomware as a service, where one attacker creates a template Malware, which can be purchased and modified by other attackers to perform specific actions. The District Ransomware was a less well-known strain. This work focuses on statically and dynamically analyzing the District Ransomware and presenting the results.
qSSTA: A Statistical Static Timing Analysis Tool for Superconducting Single-Flux-Quantum Circuits

Superconducting single flux quantum (SFQ) technology is an ultra-high performance and low power technology. The technology, however, lacks many of the design automation tools and capabilities that are commonplace in CMOS technology. This article describes methods to efficiently find the conditional probability density function (PDF) of the minimum workable clock period of SFQ circuits in view of manufacturing-induced process variations and presents qSSTA, a statistical static timing analysis tool targeting SFQ circuits. Following a grid-based correlation model, qSSTA represents spatial correlation of SFQ gates at different positions with respect to process parameters. By approximating timing characteristics of SFQ gates in a linear model, qSSTA is able to estimate the clock period as a normal random variable. Furthermore, process variations that generally result in extra delays in CMOS circuits can result in functional errors in SFQ circuits. qSSTA derives the closed form of the conditional PDF of the clock period under the scenario where all SFQ gates in the circuit work correctly. Compared to Monte Carlo simulations on look-up tables, experimental results show that the average percentage errors are 0.89% for the mean values, 8.04% for the standard deviation, and 0.61% for the 98-percentile point, whereas the runtime of qSSTA is 83% faster on average.
Metabolic Syndrome and Physical Performance: The Moderating Role of Cognition among Middle-to-Older-Aged Adults.

Objective: Mobility limitation and cognitive decline are related. Metabolic syndrome (MetS), the clustering of three or more cardiovascular risk factors, is associated with decline in both mobility and cognition. However, the interrelationship among MetS, mobility, and cognition is unknown. This study investigated a proposed pathway where cognition moderates the relationship between MetS and Mobility. Method: Adults ages 45–90 years were recruited. MetS risk factors and mobility performance (Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and gait speed) were evaluated. Cognition was assessed using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. A factor analysis of neuropsychological test scores yielded three factors: executive function, explicit memory, and semantic/contextual memory. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the relationship among MetS, mobility, and cognition. Results: Of the 74 participants (average age 61 ± 9 years; 41% female; 69% White), 27 (36%) participants manifested MetS. Mean SPPB score was 10.9 ± 1.2 out of 12 and gait speed was 1.0 ± 0.2 m/s. There were no statistically significant differences in mobility by MetS status. However, increase in any one of the MetS risk factors was associated with decreased mobility performance after adjusting for age and gender (SPPB score: β (SE) -.17 (0.08), p < .05; gait speed: -.03 (.01), p < .01). Further adjusting for cognitive factors (SPPB score: explicit memory .31 (.14), p = .03; executive function 0.45 (0.13), p < .01; gait speed: explicit memory 0.04 (0.02), p = .03; executive function 0.06 (0.02), p < .01) moderated the relationships between number of metabolic risk factors and mobility. Conclusion: The relationship between metabolic risk factors and mobility may be moderated by cognitive performance, specifically through executive function and explicit memory.
The Geometry of Over-parameterized Regression and Adversarial Perturbations.

Classical regression has a simple geometric description in terms of a projection of the training labels onto the column space of the design matrix. However, for over-parameterized models -- where the number of fit parameters is large enough to perfectly fit the training data -- this picture becomes uninformative. Here, we present an alternative geometric interpretation of regression that applies to both under- and over-parameterized models. Unlike the classical picture which takes place in the space of training labels, our new picture resides in the space of input features. This new feature-based perspective provides a natural geometric interpretation of the double-descent phenomenon in the context of bias and variance, explaining why it can occur even in the absence of label noise. Furthermore, we show that adversarial perturbations -- small perturbations to the input features that result in large changes in label values -- are a generic feature of biased models, arising from the underlying geometry. We demonstrate these ideas by analyzing three minimal models for over-parameterized linear least squares regression: without basis functions (input features equal model features) and with linear or nonlinear basis functions (two-layer neural networks with linear or nonlinear activation functions, respectively).
Plasmonic Interferometers as TREM2 Sensors for Alzheimer’s Disease

We report an effective surface immobilization protocol for capture of Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2), a receptor whose elevated concentration in cerebrospinal fluid has recently been associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We employ the proposed surface functionalization scheme to design, fabricate, and assess a biochemical sensing platform based on plasmonic interferometry that is able to detect physiological concentrations of TREM2 in solution. These findings open up opportunities for label-free biosensing of TREM2 in its soluble form in various bodily fluids as an early indicator of the onset of clinical dementia in AD. We also show that plasmonic interferometry can be a powerful tool to monitor and optimize surface immobilization schemes, which could be applied to develop other relevant antibody tests.
(Re)inscribing White Cultural Hegemony: The Paradox of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy?

This study examines teachers’ (mis)understandings of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) in one school district in a socially conservative area of the U.S. Midwest. The central concern of this paper...
The motivations, desired outcomes, and visions of partner organizations to Collective Impact tree planting: A transdisciplinary case study of CommuniTree in Northwest Indiana, U.S.

Abstract In Northwest Indiana, a new urban forestry effort called CommuniTree has emerged with a goal of helping solve some of the region’s post-industrial social and ecological issues. Though no panacea, tree planting can have significant benefits, including air pollution abatement, temperature moderation, stormwater management, and beautification. CommuniTree is a Collective Impact-style collaborative of over a dozen partner groups (public, nonprofit, private, and partnership organizations) that plants trees on public and industrial properties in post-industrial Northwest Indiana communities where urban forestry governance and resources are relatively lacking. This paper presents the results of the first phase of a transdisciplinary research program that draws insights from urban forest governance scholarship and transdisciplinary sustainability science as well as from urban forest professionals involved in CommuniTree who helped design the research. We used a transdisciplinary case study approach with qualitative interviews with key informants from CommuniTree partner organizations to investigate partner organizations’ motivations for participating, desired outcomes, and long-term visions for CommuniTree. We find that the CommuniTree partnership itself is an intrinsic incentive to partners’ participation: once an influential champion brought the group together, they were motivated to stay involved by the work and structure of CommuniTree. The scant existing urban forest governance in the region also motivated partners to contribute to CommuniTree collective action. For desired outcomes, we find that partners are interested in the potential improvements to ecological quality that may result for the region such as improved stormwater management and air quality, but that more than ecological outcomes, partners are interested in the social outcomes that might come of the CommuniTree, including engaging communities in ecological stewardship activities and the beautification and general improvements to public spaces that result from tree planting. And for its future, partners conveyed a plurality of visions for CommuniTree’s growth including expanding the program to new communities, planting trees on new types of locations, and involving more partners, the general public, and new volunteer groups. However, current CommuniTree structure has vulnerabilities to its sustainability and longevity, including a reliance on predominantly grant funding, shifting organizational dynamics within/among partners, and a lack of systematic integration of the voices of local community members. In conclusion, this research on CommuniTree’s structure and function (i.e., the governance and activities) and on what partners value as desired outcomes and for the future informs an understanding of the vulnerabilities and opportunities for CommuniTree as the program evolves to better meet the needs of current partners, future stakeholders, and, most importantly, community members.
Delayed FDG PET Provides Superior Glioblastoma Conspicuity Compared to Conventional Image Timing

Background: Glioblastomas are malignant, often incurable brain tumors. Reliable discrimination between recurrent disease and treatment changes is a significant challenge. Prior work has suggested glioblastoma FDG PET conspicuity is improved at delayed time points versus conventional imaging times. This study aimed to determine the ideal FDG imaging time point in a population of untreated glioblastomas in preparation for future trials involving the non-invasive assessment of true progression versus pseudoprogression in glioblastoma. Methods: Sixteen pre-treatment adults with suspected glioblastoma received FDG PET at 1, 5, and 8 hours post-FDG injection within the three days prior to surgery. Maximum standard uptake values were measured at each timepoint for the central enhancing component of the lesion and the contralateral normal-appearing brain. Results: Sixteen patients (nine male) had pathology confirmed IDH-wildtype, glioblastoma. Our results revealed statistically significant improvements in the maximum standardized uptake values and subjective conspicuity of glioblastomas at later time points compared to the conventional (1h time point). The tumor to background ratio at 1h, 5h, and 8h was 1.4±0.4, 1.8±0.5, and 2.1±0.6, respectively. This was statistically significant for the 5h time point over the 1h time point (p>0.001), the 8h time point over the 1h time point (p=0.026), and the 8h time point over the 5h time point (p=0.036). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that delayed imaging time point provides superior conspicuity of glioblastoma compared to conventional imaging. Further research based on these results may translate into improvements in the determination of true progression from pseudoprogression.
A framework for the coordination of legged robot gaits

This paper introduces a framework for representing, generating, and then tuning gaits of legged robots. We introduce a convenient parametrization of gait generators as dynamical systems possessing designer specified stable limit cycles over an appropriate torus. This parametrization affords a continuous selection of operation within a coordination design plane, inspired by biology, spanned by axes that determine the mix of "feedforward/feedback" and "centralized/decentralized" control. Tuning the gait generator parameters through repeated physical experiments with our robot hexapod, RHex, determines the appropriate operating point - the mix of feedback and degree of control decentralization - to achieve significantly increased performance relative to the centralized feedforward operating point that has governed its previous behavior. The present preliminary experiments with these new gaits suggest that they may permit for the first time locomotion over extremely rough terrain that is almost as reliable, rapid, and energy efficient as the very fastest or most efficient outcomes centralized feedforward gaits can achieve on level ground.
Biodegradation of Organic Pollutants

Biodegradation refers to the microbial decomposition of compounds, typically of those that negatively impact human health, in the environment. The genes, enzymes and pathways have been elucidated to understand environmental processes, engineer remediation of polluted environments and to predict the fate of chemicals in the environment. Keywords: biodegradation; bioremediation; bacteria; pollutants; evolution
The impact of Tai Chi exercise on coronary heart disease: a systematic review.

Purpose: (a) To explore current studies on Tai Chi and its impact on coronary heart disease (CHD), (b) provide critique of existing studies, and (c) provide recommendations for clinical practice and future research. Data sources: Comprehensive review of literature. Conclusions: Tai Chi is a safe alternative exercise for patients who are at risk of CHD or with existing CHD. Implementing Tai Chi exercise may improve serum lipids, blood pressure, and heart rate. Implications for practice: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are in an ideal position to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention. NPs may prescribe Tai Chi as an alternative exercise therapy for their patients who are at risk for developing CHD and even for those with existing CHD. Tai Chi exercise may help prevent and even reverse the progression of cardiac disease.
Analysis of Interactions Between Genomic Loci Through Chromosome Conformation Capture (3C)

Genome architecture plays a significant role in the regulation of DNA-based cellular processes such as transcription and recombination. The successful accomplishment of these processes involves coordinated interaction of DNA elements located at a distance from each other. The 'Chromosome Conformation Capture' (3C) assay is a convenient tool for identification of physical association between spatially separated DNA elements in a cell under physiological conditions. The principle of 3C is to convert physical chromosomal interactions into specific DNA ligation products, which are then detected by PCR. The 3C protocol was originally used to identify long-range, stable chromosomal interactions in yeast. Here we describe a modified 3C procedure that can detect transient, short-range interactions of DNA elements separated by a distance of less than 700 bp. This method has been successfully used to detect dynamic interaction of transcription regulatory elements in yeast and can be used for detecting similar interactions of other genomic regions.
Non-Robbery-Related Occupational Homicides in the Retail Industry, 2003–2008

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine non-robbery-related occupational homicides in the retail industry from 2003 to 2008. METHODS: Data were abstracted from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Motive (robbery- or non-robbery-related) and workplace violence (WPV) typology (Type I-IV) were assigned using narrative text fields. Non-robbery-related homicide rates were calculated and compared among WPV types, demographic characteristics, and occupation. RESULTS: Twenty-eight percent of homicides that occurred in the retail industry were non-robbery-related. The leading event associated with non-robbery-related homicides was Type II (perpetrated by customers) (34%), followed by Type IV (perpetrated by personal relationship) (31%). The majority of homicides were due to arguments (50%). Security guards and workers in drinking establishments had the highest homicide rates per 100,000 workers (14.3 and 6.0, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Non-robbery-related homicides comprised a meaningful proportion of workplace homicides in the retail industry. Research is needed to develop strategies to prevent non-robbery-related homicides specifically. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en
Physical Fitness of Children and Adolescents in the United States: Status and Secular Change

The physical fitness of school-age children in the United States is considered from two perspectives - status and secular change. This chapter principally examines health-related fitness, including
Quasioptical System Design: Principles and Examples

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Design Methodology and General Guidelines System Design Examples Conclusions Bibliographic Notes
Capillary Electrophoresis of Peptides

The ability to resolve effectively peptides obtained by chemical or proteolytic cleavage is important in the structural investigation of proteins, whether it be minute amounts of protein isolated from a biological source or protein produced recombinantly for pharmaceutical use. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) can be used rapidly to resolve peptides electrophoretically in free solution with a selectivity that differs from that of other separation approaches. In this article, we provide a description of the instrumentation for CE and the fundamental principles driving peptide separation at low and high pH. Guidelines for method optimization of peptide injection and separation by CE are given along with a number of examples from the literature demonstrating the utility of CE for interrogating protein structure via CE-based peptide and glycopeptide analysis.
Lift Every Voice: Institutional Climate and the Experiences of Undocumented Students at Jesuit Universities

In recent years, researchers have paid increased attention to the challenges undocumented students face in accessing higher education. However, within this growing field of inquiry, the unique experiences of undocumented students at Jesuit universities have been largely unexamined. Building on the groundbreaking study of the situation of undocumented students at the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, which was published as the Immigrant Student National Position Paper (ISNPP), this article presents findings collected at the University of San Francisco as a part of a university-wide effort to assess the needs of undocumented students on campus. Three key themes emerged from this mixed-method study: (1) social justice is a draw and an anchor for undocumented students, (2) an institutional culture of silence breeds silence as an individual navigational strategy among undocumented students, and (3) unique financial stresses shape feelings of belonging for undocumented students. These themes both corroborate the ISNPP report and build a more nuanced understanding of the undocumented student experience on Jesuit campuses by highlighting the influence of institutional climate on student voice and student experience at the University of San Francisco.
Reducing Economic Disparities for Female Offenders: The Oxford House Model.

ABSTRACTIn the past 30 years the rate of increase in incarceration for females who abuse substances has outpaced that of men. Women have increased health and economic disparities and face barriers to economic mobility, increasing their risk of returning to the criminal justice system. Past research suggests that there is a positive relationship between living in Oxford House and employment wages, yet the impact of having a criminal history on this relationship was unknown. This study used a nationwide sample of 136 women living in Oxford Houses in a regression analysis with length of stay in Oxford House predicting employment wages, and moderated by criminal history. There was a positive relationship between length of stay and wages. Criminal history modified the association between length of stay and wages, and length of stay had a significantly greater impact on wages for women with criminal convictions. The findings provide a contribution to alcohol and drug abuse and economic literature by identifying...
78 SOCIAL SUPPORT AND STRESS IN MOTHERS OF ASTHMATIC CHILDREN: RELATIONSHIP TO MORBIDITY

Social support and stress have been shown to modify the course of chronic illness in adults. This has not been examined in the pediatric population although clinical observations suggest that maternal social support and stress may affect the outcome of a child's chronic illness. This study examines the relationship between these maternal factors and the asthmatic child's morbidity. A group of 35 mothers of asthmatic children seen at Children's Hospital at Stanford completed a questionnaire assessing their social support, stress and compliance with medical care. Baseline morbidity data were collected by maternal recall of emergency room visits (ER) and hospitalizations for the child's asthma over the past year, type of medication used and the mother's perception of the severity of the asthma. Chi-square analysis of the data showed: 1) mothers with low social support perceived increased severity of their children's asthma, 2) children of mothers with small social networks had more ER visits per year and 3) while maternal stress alone was unrelated to morbidity, mothers who had both high stress and small social networks had children with more ER visits per year than other groups. Neither social support nor stress were related to the degree of asthma, seasonality or type of medication used. These data suggest that measures of maternal social support and stress can delineate a subgroup of mothers whose children have higher morbidity and who may derive maximum benefit from supportive care by health professionals.
Classical electrodynamics on null planes. Canonical formalism

The purpose of this paper is to give a complete null-planes description of the canonical formalism for the electromagnetic field. A complete set of Poisson-bracket relations is obtained for the null variables of the electromagnetic field. The Hamiltonian form of the null Maxwell equations is obtained.
Locomotor Stereotypy Produced by Dexbenzetimide and Scopolamine Is Reduced by SKF 83566, Not Sulpiride

Like amphetamine, scopolamine produces locomotor stereotypy (repetitive routes of locomotion) in an open field. To determine whether locomotor stereotypy is a common behavioral effect of anticholingeric agents, several doses of the anticholinergic dexbenzetimide were tested for the ability to produce locomotor stereotypy; like scopolamine, dexbenzetimide produced locomotor stereotypy. To investigate a possible role of dopamine in anticholinergic-induced locomotor stereotypy, we tested the ability of the dopamine D1 antagonist SKF 83566 and the D2 antagonist sulpiride to block the locomotor stereotypy induced by scopolamine as well as dexbenzetimide. SKF 83566 blocked scopolamine- and dexbenzetimide-induced locomotor stereotypy; sulpiride did not reduce dexbenzetimide-induced locomotor stereotypy, but enhanced scopolamine-induced locomotor stereotypy. Hyperlocomotion was reduced by both dopamine antagonists. Results are interpreted in support of the notion that dopamine is the likely candidate mediating locomotor stereotypy.
Analysis of asymmetric stiffened shell type structures by the finite element method III. Constant transverse shear model

Abstract This paper, the third part of the analysis of asymmetric stiffened shell, deals with flat rectangular elements, improved by using isoparametric representation for in-plane displacements and by adding a simple constant transverse shear model. The effects of structural stiffeners, elastic foundations, and surface and thermal loadings, as well as the dynamic mass matrix, are derived from the Principle of Virtual Work for assumed continuous deformation modes within the panel.
Relative Effective Frequency Response of Bone versus Air Conduction Stimulation Examined via Masking

An adaptation of the sensorineural acuity level procedure was employed to obtain thresholds under bone- (BC) vs. air-conducted (AC) white noise masking. For the BC masking condition, a Radioear B71 was placed on one mastoid. An Etymotic ER3 with a foam tip placed in the ear on the same side was used to deliver the pure-tone probe stimulus. This transducer was chosen to approximate the Telephonies TDH-39 earphone response characteristic while reducing occlusion effect. For the AC masking condition, the masker and probe were mixed electrically and delivered to the earphone. Masked threshold data, transformed into frequency response curves, demonstrated greater variance of BC vs. AC response across frequency but less high-frequency roll-off than expected from coupler measurements obtained using an artificial mastoid and 6-cm3 cavity, respectively.
A SHH-responsive signaling center in the forebrain regulates craniofacial morphogenesis via the facial ectoderm

Interactions among the forebrain, neural crest and facial ectoderm regulate development of the upper jaw. To examine these interactions, we activated the Sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway in the brain. Beginning 72 hours after activation of the SHH pathway, growth within the avian frontonasal process (FNP) was exaggerated in lateral regions and impaired in medial regions. This growth pattern is similar to that in mice and superimposed a mammalian-like morphology on the upper jaw. Jaw growth is controlled by signals from the frontonasal ectodermal zone (FEZ), and the divergent morphologies that characterize birds and mammals are accompanied by changes in the FEZ. In chicks there is a single FEZ spanning the FNP, but in mice both median nasal processes have a FEZ. In treated chicks, the FEZ was split into right and left domains that resembled the pattern present in mice. Additionally, we observed that, in the brain, fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8) was downregulated, and signals in or near the nasal pit were altered. Raldh2 expression was expanded, whereas Fgf8, Wnt4, Wnt6 and Zfhx1b were downregulated. However, Wnt9b, and activation of the canonical WNT pathway, were unaltered in treated embryos. At later time points the upper beak was shortened owing to hypoplasia of the skeleton, and this phenotype was reproduced when we blocked the FGF pathway. Thus, the brain establishes multiple signaling centers within the developing upper jaw. Changes in organization of the brain that occur during evolution or as a result of disease can alter these centers and thereby generate morphological variation.
899 EXTRAGONADAL ENDODERMAL SINUS TUMOR IN EARLY CHILDHOOD: TREATMENT RESPONSE AND LONGTERM EFFECT

Endodermal sinus tumor is the most common form of germ cell malignancy found in the infantile testis. Histologically identical tumor may originate in extragonadal sites in young children, predominately in sacrococcygeal teratomas or presacral space. Extragonadal endodermal sinus tumors in young children appear to respond to cisplatinum (DDP) combinations, unlike the poor response reported in extragonadal, mainly mediastinal and retro-peritoneal, germ cell tumors in the adolescent or adult. Treatment methods and results in six children with endodermal sinus tumor occurring in sacral sites are the subject of this report. All presented to Children's Hospital of Michigan (1975-82) between ages 12-31 months(median 20 mo) with unresectable or disseminated disease. Two of six underwent resection of a benign sacrococcygeal teratoma within the first month of life and returned with metastatic disease to lungs and retroperitoneal node or liver. Three children presented with previously undetected sacral mass, one with bone and lung metastases. Approach to the two without metastatic disease included vincristine-cyclophosphamide-dactinomycin; one survives disease free at nine years. The sixth child, the only male, presented with urinary retention secondary to presacral primary and multiple lung nodules; he is disease free at 32 months following four courses of DDP-velbanbleomycin. The remaining living child has had a 36 mo course of recurring disease responsive to four different DDP combinations.
The fungicide captan reduces nuclear DNA content in maize seedlings

Captan, a major fungicide used by the US maize industry, was studied to determine its effect on the nuclear DNA content of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings. Captan was applied to kernels at the recommended agronomic rates. The nuclear DNA content of the seedlings was determined by flow cytometry. In two maize hybrids examined, a reduction in nuclear DNA content was observed. Two different fluorochromes, with different staining mechanisms, were used to determine nuclear DNA content. Both of these fluorochromes revealed a reduction in nuclear DNA. Captan is reported to inhibit DNA synthesis in several animal systems. The reduction of maize nuclear DNA observed in this study may be a result of DNA synthesis inhibition induced by captan (.)
Broadband Field-Resolved Terahertz Detection in Laser-Induced Plasma with Controlled Optical Bias

Broadband coherent THz detection in laser-induced plasmas is a well-established detection technique. We report new modification, where injection and control of a second harmonic local bias field allows for simpler implementation particularly for stand-off applications.
Insulin secretion in the pancreatic venous effluent of unstressed dogs

Abstract Pancreatic vein blood was collected from six conscious, unstressed dogs with chronic indwelling silastic catheters in the splenic vein. Periinflammatory changes of the vessel wall ultimately led to thrombosis. Following glucose administration, a biphasic pattern of insulin release was readily observed. Insulin in peripheral vein blood did not accurately reflect release from the pancreas because of changes produced by liver insulinases and other damping effects.
Improved differentiation of patients with and without ventricular tachycardia by frequency analysis of multiple electrocardiographic leads

Previously, these investigators have analyzed fast Fourier transforms of signal-averaged electrocardiograms (ECGs) to distinguish patients with from those without sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT). In these studies, analysis was performed on X, Y and Z ECG signals and patient to patient comparisons were based on an average of the X, Y and Z results. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which fast Fourier transform analysis of individual ECG leads and of the vector magnitude contribute to the differentiation of patient groups. Studies were performed in 28 normal subjects (group I), 38 patients with prior myocardial infarction but without VT (group II), 38 patients with anterior infarction and sustained VT (group III) and 29 patients with inferior infarction and sustained VT (group IV). Results in group I were used to define normal values for the area and peak magnitude ratios for the individual X, Y and Z leads and for the vector magnitude and to define normal values for the mean XYZ area and peak magnitude ratios. Spectra of the X, Y and Z leads, the vector magnitude and the mean XYZ results were significantly different in patients with VT compared with normal subjects and patients without VT (p less than 0.001). Results were abnormal in multiple leads from 71% of patients with VT and from only 5% of normal subjects (p less than 0.0001). In many patients with VT, abnormalities were identified in 2 of the 3 leads indicating a selective spatial distribution of altered ECG signals that elicit abnormal frequency components.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A Numerical Analysis of the Emissions Characteristics of Biodiesel Blended Fuels

Computer simulations were conducted to study the combined effects of methyl soyate (biodiesel) blends with no. 2 diesel fuel on diesel engine (D.I.) performance. Diesel engine emissions and heat release rates were some of the parameters studied. The results from the computer simulations were compared against previously published results (Choi et al., 1997) from engine tests conducted on a single cylinder version of the Caterpillar 3400 series heavy duty diesel engine. The experiments and simulations were performed over a range of injection timings allowing particulate versus NO{sub x} trade-off curves to be generated. Phillips 66 certified no. 2 diesel fuel was used as the baseline; mixtures of 20% and 40% by volume of methyl soyate with the baseline no. 2 diesel fuel were used as the biodiesel blends. The multidimensional KIVA-II code (ERC version 2.4) was used to better understand the factors controlling the formation of NO{sub x} and soot. KIVA-II modeled the high load, single injection combustion of the baseline {number_sign}2 diesel fuel and the biodiesel blends. The code was changed to account for different fuel effects and the computational results were then compared against the experimental data. It is concluded that the increased NO{sub x} observed with themore » use of biodiesel fuels (in spite of their lower heats of combustion) is due to increased local temperatures as a result of enhance fuel/air mixing and increased spray penetration. The increased spray penetration results from the higher fuel viscosity of the biodiesel blended fuels which leads to reduced injection durations.« less
Near-infrared photo-excited emission from tissues treated at different temperature levels.

Background and Objective There is a lack of methods to evaluate the extent of thermal treatment of biological tissue. The intensity of the near-infrared (NIR) emission photo-excitation was investigated from tissue undergoing different levels of heat treatment. Study Design/Materials and Methods Chicken muscle was heated in an oven at different temperature levels ranging from 40°C until burn-off. The spectral emission intensity from these heat-treated tissues was measured with a CCD camera and the intensity was calculated. Results The emission intensity increased proportionally with respect to the extent of treatment temperature until burning. Linear relationships between treatment temperature and the emission intensity from tissue samples were found in three temperature ranges: from 40 to 160°C, from 165 to 220°C, and from 225 to 250°C. Conclusions The change in tissue damage after heat treatment could be detected by measuring the NIR emission intensity from the thermally damaged tissues. Lasers Surg. Med. 29:18–22, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The effects of in vivo acclimation temperature on the fatty acid composition of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) peripheral blood cells

Channel catfish were acclimated in vivo to 12, 17, 22 or 27 degrees C and their peripheral blood erythrocytes, thrombocytes, T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes assayed for cellular fatty acid composition. Excepting cells from 12 degrees C acclimated fish, all cells responded to acclimation to lower temperatures by exhibiting increased levels of phospholipid unsaturated fatty acids. Although temperature independent differences were observed between erythrocytes, thrombocytes and lymphocytes, no differences between T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes were seen.
SMOCs: supramolecular organizing centres that control innate immunity

The diverse receptor families of the innate immune system activate signal transduction pathways that are important for host defence, but common themes to explain the operation of these pathways remain undefined. In this Opinion article, we propose--on the basis of recent structural and cell biological studies--the concept of supramolecular organizing centres (SMOCs) as location-specific higher-order signalling complexes in which increased local concentrations of signalling components promote the intrinsically weak allosteric interactions that are required for enzyme activation. We suggest that SMOCs are assembled on various membrane-bound organelles or other intracellular sites, which may assist signal amplification to reach a response threshold and potentially define the specificity of cellular responses that are induced in response to infectious and non-infectious insults.
An Elementary Approach to L-Functions mod p

We give a brief presentation of basic facts concerning the relationship of L-functions mod p and the Cartier operator. We take the notion of the Cartier operator for granted but develop all other notions that we need from scratch. An idea taken from Tate's famous “sum of residues equals zero” paper plays a key role and gives the paper a distinctly “functional analytic” flavor. All the ideas in the paper have been “in the air” for some time; our contribution is simply to organize them and to express them succinctly.
Cervical cancer screening in Kolkata, India: beliefs and predictors of cervical cancer screening among women attending a women's health clinic in Kolkata, India.

Background. Proportionally, India has the highest mortality from cervical cancer in the world. Methods. A 2nd-year medical student recruited 299 women from a gynecology clinic in Kolkata, India who completed a questionnaire assessing demographic information; health care history; Pap test utilization; and knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about cervical cancer and screening. Results. A total of 10% had received a Pap test at least once. Most women reported “limited” to “no” knowledge of cervical cancer (84%) and the Pap test (95%). Age (P<.013) and perceived knowledge of a Pap test (P<0.001) were significant predictors of first-time screening. Conclusions. Findings suggest a need to increase cervical cancer awareness in the community and to develop community-based screening programs.
207 Pb/ 206 Pb whole-rock age of gneisses from the Kangerdlugssuaq area, eastern Greenland

We present here a brief description of geological relations and results of lead isotopic analyses of eight whole-rock samples of Precambrian gneiss from an area near the Skaergard Intrusion in the Kangerdlugssuaq region of eastern Greenland.
Approximate two-parameter phase function for light scattering

A two-parameter phase function is described for highly anisotropic angular scattering distributions. The phase function has a convenient analytic representation since it is the generating function for the Gegenbauer (or ultraspherical) polynomials. Sample calculations illustrate the large variety of forward-to-backward scattering amplitudes and shapes that can be fit with the two parameters. Illustrative phase functions are given that approximate light scattering distributions predicted for several biological and atmospheric specimens from Rayleigh-Gans and Mie models. A suggested classification scheme for size and refractive index of microparticles in human blood is presented as a potential application of the phase function with two parameters.
Estimation of average number of nucleotide substitutions when the rate of substitution varies with nucleotide.

A formal mathematical analysis of Kimura's (1981) six-parameter model of nucleotide substitution for the case of unequal substitution rates among different pairs of nucleotides is conducted, and new formulae for estimating the number of nucleotide substitutions and its standard error are obtained. By using computer simulation, the validities and utilities of Jukes and Cantor's (1969) one-parameter formula, Takahata and Kimura's (1981) four-parameter formula, and our sixparameter formula for estimating the number of nucleotide substitutions are examined under three different schemes of nucleotide substitution. It is shown that the one-parameter and four-parameter formulae often give underestimates when the number of nucleotide substitutions is large, whereas the six-parameter formula generally gives a good estimate for all the three substitution schemes examined. However, when the number of nucleotide substitutions is large, the six-parameter and four-parameter formulae are often inapplicable unless the number of nucleotides compared is extremely large. It is also shown that as long as the mean number of nucleotide substitutions is smaller than one per nucleotide site the three formulae give more or less the same estimate regardless of the substitution scheme used.
Peirce and the Art of Reasoning.

Drawing on Charles Peirce’s descriptions of his correspondence course on the “Art of Reasoning,” I argue that Peirce believed that the study of logic stands at the center of a liberal arts education. However, Peirce’s notion of logic included much more than the traditional accounts of deduction and syllogistic reasoning. He believed that the art of reasoning required a study of both abductive and inductive inference as well the practice of observation and imagination. Employing these other features of logic, his course foreshadowed a number of developments in twentieth century educational theory: the belief that non-traditional students should be educated, the claim that the art of reasoning (or critical reasoning) was important to all theoretical practices, and that the art of reasoning was important to the overall growth of a person. The upshot is that Peirce’s course in the art of reasoning should make us reconsider making logic courses, under Peirce’s broad conception of logic, required courses in high school and higher education.
A Putative Mammalian RNA Helicase with an Arginine-Serine-rich Domain Colocalizes with a Splicing Factor

We have cloned a rat cDNA whose deduced primary structure yields a protein of 117.4 kDa. Because this protein contains RNA helicase consensus motifs, among them a "DEAD" box, we have termed it HEL117 (for helicase of 117.4 kDa). Besides the helicase consensus motifs, HEL117 contains an arginine-serine (RS)-rich domain, which occurs in some proteins involved in RNA splicing. Moreover, the COOH-terminal region of 78 residues of HEL117 is 38.5% identical and 59% similar to the COOH-terminal region of a yeast PRP5 protein that is involved in RNA splicing. Rabbit antibodies generated against a synthetic peptide of HEL117 identified a single polypeptide not only in rat cells but also in cells of other mammals as well as chicken. The antibodies revealed a finely punctate and speckled intranuclear staining in immunofluorescence microscopy. A monoclonal antibody against a human splicing factor containing an RS domain (SC35) showed, in double immunofluorescence microscopy, largely overlapping staining consistent with HEL117 being involved in RNA splicing.
Negotiating as an ethics action (praxis) strategy

Ethical reasoning as an action (praxis) as opposed to a knowing (epistemology) strategy is not always effective in guilding ethical, stopping or turning around unethical organizational behavior. In contrast, nonviolent forcing strategies can be very effective, but also destructive. If reasoning is an idealistic thesis and forcing is its pragmatic, material antithesis, then do we need a synthesis action (praxis) strategy such as problem solving negotiating? There are also limitations with negotiating.