cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
X-ray scattering study of the transition dynamics in relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3

Abstract Results of a series of synchrotron radiation scattering studies of a Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PMN) single crystal are presented. The temperature dependence of the 1:1 chemical short-range order (SRO) peaks, e.g. 1/2(115), was studied in detail from 40 to 473 K. At low temperatures, the temperature dependence is very strong, but as the temperature is raised above room temperature, the dependence becomes very weak. Moreover, a secondary peak becomes evident below 100 K. It is suggested here that this change in behavior is due to an anti-phase tilting of the oxygen octahedra coupled with some ordering of the Pb displacements. The temperature dependence of the 1/2(hk2l) positions, e.g. 1/2(015) and 1/2 (0 1 7), were carefully studied through the transition down to 40 K, as well. Peaks at these positions appear at low temperatures due to the in-phase tilting of the BO6 octahedra, but its long-range order is never established. These results imply that both ferroelectric and anti-ferroelectric fluctuations are present in the structure and are evidence of competing interactions in PMN. Along with the quenched disorder due to the B-site randomness, these interactions induce orientational frustration of electric dipoles (Pb–O) in the structure and lead to the observed dielectric behavior. Thus, PMN possesses the underlying physical characteristics of a dipole glass system.
Effect of Similarity of Sound Substitutions on Retention.

Phonetic similarity of the sound to be learned and the sound which is substituted may be an important variable governing phonological acquisition. The effect of phonetic similarity was measured in ...
Degradation of surface-labeled hepatoma membrane polypeptides: Effect of inhibitors

Abstract When their membrane proteins were labeled with 125 I by lactoperoxidase, dividing hepatomacells lost radio activity to the medium in a biphasic manner ( T 1 2 = 16–26 h , > 40 h ). Lysosomotropic weak bases, chloroquine, and NH 4 Cl inhibited the rapid phase by 59%. More than 50% of the radio activity which accumulates in the media from dividing cells during the first 4 h after labeling was trichloroacetic acid-soluble, and was identified as iodotyrosine. Iodotyrosine release from labeled membrane proteins was 60–71% inhibited by lysosomotropic agents chloro quine and NH 4 Cl as well as the sodium-proton ionophore, monensin. The inhibitory effect of NH 4 Cl and monensin was reversible. Inhibitors of microtubule and microfilament function and transglutamination had no effect on release of iodotyrosine to the medium, but trypsin-like protease inhibitors, p -aminobenzamidine, tosyl- l -lysine/chloromethylketone, and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, as well as the cathepsin B inhibitor, leupeptin, inhibited by21–24%. Iodotyrosine release showed a biphasic Arrhenius plot with an activation energy of 17 kcal/mol above but 27 kcal/mol below 20 °C. These results indicate that cell membrane polypeptides require a temperature-limiting event as well as passage through an ion-sensitive compartment prior to their complete degradation to constituent amino acids. In contrast to other lyososomal-mediated events, however, iodinated membrane proteins of dividing cells are degraded in a manner insensitive to, agents which disrupt the cytoskeleton.
Herbert Falk: a vital force in the renaissance of bile acid research and bile acid therapy.

Herbert Falk died on August 8, 2008, after a long illness. It was his vision that initiated the Bile Acid Meetings and brought to market chenodeoxycholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid for the dissolut
What's new in transplantation.

Progress in transplantation this year was marked by the continuing paradox of remarkable scientific and clinical progress in the face of an ever-worsening limitation in the access to life-saving organ replacement therapy. Currently, nearly 80,000 patients await transplantation and despite growing activity and improving results, the demand dwarfs our ability to serve the patients in need (Table 1). The daunting challenge posed by the disparity between what is possible and what is being done continues to drive the field and provide a direction for research. The holy grail for transplantation remains the state of drug-free graft acceptance and the discovery of an unlimited source of replacement tissues. In the short-term, we seek to optimize patient selection and outcomes and minimize the toxicity of immunosuppressive therapy. Progress in both avenues continues steadily with the use of a growing array of therapeutic choices in clinical practice. The use of living donors, recently expanded to include adult liver recipients, remains an ethically challenging but necessary choice that accounts for a growing proportion of transplants performed.
Treatment of murine leukaemia with heterologous antiserum or cyclophosphamide.

WE have compared chemotherapy and immunotherapy in AKR mice injected with a syngeneic tumour, strain BW5147 lymphatic leukaemia. Previous investigations disclosed significant therapeutic benefit from isologous or homologous antiserum against mouse leukaemia1–4 or with antiserum raised against murine tumour viruses5. In contrast, toxicity has been a significant obstacle to the therapeutic use of heterologous antiserum6,7. Reports8–12 of successful use of heterologous antiserum, however, suggested that further study was warranted, and an experiment was designed to compare quantitatively the therapeutic activity of antiserum with conventional chemotherapy.
Inactivation of Escherichia coli with power ultrasound in apple cider

The use of acoustic energy to secure apple cider safety was explored. Inactivation tests were performed with Escherichia coli K12 at 40 °C, 45 °C, 50 °C, 55 °C, and 60 °C with and without ultrasound, followed by a validation test with E. coli O157:H7 at 60 °C. The cell morphology was observed with environmental scanning electron microscopy for samples treated at 40 °C and 60 °C. Physical quality attributes of the apple cider (pH, titratable acidity, °Brix, turbidity, and color) were compared for treated samples. The inactivation tests showed that sonication increased E. coli K12 cell destruction by 5.3-log, 5.0-log, and 0.1-log cycles at 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C, respectively. The additional destruction due to sonication was more pronounced at sublethal temperatures. At the lethal temperature of 60 °C, the rate of death by ultrasound was not significantly different compared with the thermal-alone treatment. The inactivation of E. coli K12 with heat was described by 1st-order kinetics, especially at 50 °C and 60 °C. For ultrasound treatments, concave upward survival curves were observed, which had a shape factor in the range of 0.547 to 0.720 for a Weibull distribution model. Extensive damage for ultrasound treated E. coli K12 cells, including cell perforation, was observed. Perforation is a unique phenomenon found on ultrasound-treated cells that could be caused by liquid jets generated by cavitation. Titratable acidity, pH, and °Brix of the cider were not affected by ultrasound treatment. Minor changes in color and turbidity for ultrasound treated samples, especially for sonication at 40 °C for 17.7 min, were observed.
An Examination of L1 and L2 Gesture Use: What Role Does Proficiency Play?.

This study examines possible connections between second language competency and frequency and type of gesture use (illustrators, compensatory illustrators, adaptors, emblems, regulators, and affect displays). To this end, 75 students enrolled in beginning, intermediate, and advanced college-level Spanish courses were videotaped while conversing in dyads, first in Spanish and then in English. ANOVA results based on observer responses to the videotape indicated that advanced learners used significantly more speech-related, meaning-enhancing gestures than did beginning and intermediate students and that participants used significantly more gestures overall in their native English than they did in the target language (Spanish). Pedagogical implications address the creation of supportive environments, training in strategies, and the use of authentic classroom activities that include the visual modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
"Motivation Is First--Then They Can Do Anything": Portrait of an Indian School for the Gifted and Talented.

Utilizing a qualitative research tne thodology', the researcher presents a portrait of the Jnana Prabhodini School in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Observations, interviews, and document review were conducted. The purpose of the school is to educate gifted and talented students not only for academics, but for motivation to help their state, country, and the world. The school is indigenous, based on the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda. The rhetoric of the field of the education of the gifted and talented is that bright students are our future leaders. This school in India steens more geared to producing leaders than does current gifted education in the United States. The JP school seems to fall within the philosophies of Freire and Krishnamurti, who urged that education should lead to liberation of students' minds from the conditioning of society and then to the liberation of others.
Relationship between childhood sexual abuse and topography of parasuicide among women with borderline personality disorder

The association between borderline personality disorder (BPD), childhood sexual abuse, and topography of parasuicidal behavior was investigated. Subjects were 37 outpatient women meeting DSM-III-R (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) and Gunderson's (Gunderson, Kolb, & Austin, 1981) criteria for BPD, who had at least two instances of parasuicidal behavior. Seventy-six percent of this group reported a history of some type of childhood sexual abuse. It was predicted that women with a history of sexual abuse would report parasuicidal behavior that was more lethal, with higher suicide intent, higher medical severity, lower impulsivity, and lower instrumental intent. It was found that BPD individuals who report a history of childhood sexual abuse engaged in parasuicide that was more lethal than that of women who did not report abuse.
PORTLAND, OREGON: REGIONAL CITY IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY

As a medium-sized metropolitan area, Portland, Oregon is modestly but increasingly part of the global economy. Foreign direct investment and international trade are becoming more significant. Internationalization of the area is reflected in dramatic increases in ethnic populations and businesses, ongoing cultural exchanges with foreign countries, and foreign-financed urban developments. Despite these changes, Portland's position is likely to remain secondary to that of other West Coast cities—its future tied to an emerging "Cascadia conurbation" that stretches from Vancouver, British Columbia to southern Oregon.
Structure of Mixing Layers and Jets

This article is intended as a brief review of the substantial progress that has been made in recent years regarding our understanding of the structure of incompressible mixing layers and jets. The work has been aimed at the graduate student who possesses a familiarity with the general areas of laminar-turbulent transition and turbulence, but is not familiar with the specific research areas involving mixing layer and jet flows. The article should be of assistance both in assimilating the vast body of literature that exists in this field as well as in deciding what avenues present fertile grounds for investigation. Since a number of the topics described are relatively new, it is believed that the article will also be of interest to the specialist. The review should not be considered exhaustive but rather should serve to guide the interested reader to more detailed works.
Higher stromal expression of transforming growth factor-beta type II receptors is associated with poorer prognosis breast tumors.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFB) is a potent inhibitor of normal epithelial cell proliferation, and may be one of the regulatory factors that are perturbed during tumor development. While many tumor cell lines no longer respond to the inhibitory effects of TGFB due to a reduction or absence of the type II receptor (TGFBR2), the role of TGFBR2 in tumors from patients with breast cancer is less clear. The objective of this study was to screen human breast tumors to determine if there was a TGFBR2 mutation and/or altered expression of TGFBR2 protein. Using 10 unique primers, SSCP-PCR was used to detect heterozygosity in the complete coding sequence from 72 tumors and normal DNA from 20 individuals. One region of the promoter was also examined. Expression of TGFBR2 in the same breast tumors was examined by immunohistochemistry. Sequence variations were identified among normal and tumor tissue samples by SSCP-PCR within coding regions of exon 4 (1/72 samples) and within non-coding regions of intron 2 (1/72), intron 3 (72/72), and intron 6 (1/72). A new polymorphism was identified in intron 3. Observed allele frequencies were consistent with Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in both the tumors and normal DNA. TGFBR2 was expressed in the epithelium and stroma of tumor tissue. The percentage of cells expressing TGFBR2 in stroma was higher in patients that had a positive lymph node status and/or negative estrogen and progesterone receptor expression. There was no relationship between TGFBR2 expression in the epithelium and these variables.
Newton's method for gradient equations based upon the fixed point map: Convergence and complexity study

An approximate Newton method, based upon the fixed point mapT, is introduced for scalar gradient equations. Although the exact Newton method coincides for such scalar equations with the standard iteration, the structure of the fixed point map provides a way of defining anR-quadratically convergent finite element iteration in the spirit of the Kantorovich theory. The loss of derivatives phenomenon, typically experienced in approximate Newton methods, is thereby avoided. It is found that two grid parameters are sssential,h and $$\bar h \approx h^2 $$ . The latter is used to calculate the approximate residual, and is isolated as a fractional step; it is equivalent to the approximation ofT. The former is used to calculate the Newton increment, and this is equivalent to the approximation ofT?. The complexity of the finite element computation for the Newton increment is shown to be of optimal order, via the Vituskin inequality relating metric entropy andn-widths.
The role of arginine vasotocin and prostaglandin F2α on oviposition and luteolysis in the common snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina

Abstract The administration of arginine vasotocin (AVT) to gravid snapping turtles with steroidogenically active corpora lutea and high plasma progesterone concentration (1480 ± 155 pg/ml) did not trigger oviposition, whereas 12 days after ovulation when luteolysis occurred and plasma progesterone concentration was low (570 ± 78 pg/ml), treatment with AVT caused oviposition. Controls with high plasma progesterone concentration (1605 ± 185 pg/ml) oviposited 15–23 days after ovulation when plasma progesterone concentration dropped to 201 ± 35 pg/ml. Deluteinization-induced oviposition was initiated 15 hr after surgery and was completed by 30 hr. Oviposition of complete clutches occurred and was correlated with a significant drop in plasma progesterone. Sham-operated turtles did not exhibit oviposition and no significant change in progesterone concentration was observed. A single injection of prostaglandin F 2α (PGF) in recently ovulated turtles induced early luteolysis and a significant decrease in plasma progesterone concentration after 24–30 hr. A single administration of PGF caused the disappearance of steroidogenic features such as the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria with tubular cristae 48 hr later. Also PGF triggered the invasion of a hyaline-like material from the luteal theca into the luteal cell mass which eventually induced luteolysis. The role of AVT, PGF, and progesterone in relation to egg retention and oviposition is discussed.
Nonlinear phase noise in optical communication systems using eigenfunction expansion method

We report on a generalization of the eigenfunction expansion method to model the performance of multichannel optical-fiber communications systems in the presence of nonlinear phase noise. Our method is fast, accurate, and easy to implement for numerical simulations in multichannel wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) systems. We also account for the dispersion to all orders for increased accuracy in multichannel systems.
Optimal Feedback Control: Foundations, Examples, and Experimental Results for a New Approach

Typical optimal feedback controls are nonsmooth functions. Nonsmooth controls raise fundamental theoretical problems on the existence and uniqueness of state trajectories. Many of these problems are frequently addressed in control applications through the concept of a Filippov solution. In recent years, the simpler concept of a π solution has emerged as a practical and powerful means to address these theoretical issues. In this paper, we advance the notion of Caratheodory-π- solutions that stem from the equivalence between closed-loop and feedback trajectories. In recognizing that feedback controls are not necessarily closed-form expressions, we develop a sampling theorem that indicates that the Lipschitz constant of the dynamics is a fundamental sampling frequency. These ideas lead to a new set of foundations for achieving feedback wherein optimality principles are interwoven to achieve stability and system performance, whereas the computation of optimal controls is at the level of first principles. We demonstrate these principles by way of pseudospectral methods because these techniques can generate Caratheodory-π solutions at a sufficiently fast sampling rate even when implemented in a MATLAB® environment running on legacy computer hardware. To facilitate an exposition of the proposed ideas to a wide audience, we introduce the core principles only and relegate the intricate details to numerous recent references. These principles are then applied to generate pseudospectral feedback controls for the slew maneuvering of NPSAT1, a spacecraft conceived, designed, and built at the Naval Postgraduate School and scheduled to be launched in fall 2007.
Prediction of the thermodynamic properties of aqueous metal complexes to 1000°C and 5 kb

A large number of aqueous metal complexes contribute significantly to hydrothermal, metamorphic, and magmatic processes in the crust of the Earth. Nevertheless, relatively few thermodynamic data other than dissociation constants (K) for a few dozen of these complexes have been determined experimentally at elevated temperatures and pressures. The calculations summarized below are intended to supplement these experimental data by providing interim predictions of the thermodynamic properties of supercritical aqueous metal complexes using the revised HKF (Helgeson et al., 1981) equations of state for aqueous species (Tanger and Helgeson, 1988; Shock et al., 1992) and correlations among equations of state parameters and standard partial molal properties at 25 degrees C and 1 bar (Shock and Helgeson, 1988, 1990; Shock et al., 1989). These equations and correlations permit retrieval of the conventional standard partial molal entropies (mean S0), volumes (mean V0), and heat capacities (mean C0P) of aqueous metal complexes at 25 degrees C and 1 bar from published values of log K in the supercritical region and the limited number of experimental dissociation constants available in the literature over relatively short ranges of elevated temperature at PSAT (PSAT and SAT are used in the present communication to refer to pressures corresponding to liquid-vapor equilibrium for the system H2O except at temperatures <100 degrees C, where they refer to the reference pressure of 1 bar). The standard partial molal properties computed in this way can then be used to generate corresponding values of delta mean S0, delta mean V0, and delta mean C0P of association, which for similar complexes correlate linearly with mean S0, mean V0 and mean C0P, respectively, of the constituent cations and ligands at 25 degrees C and 1 bar. Generalizing these correlations and combining them with the equations of state permits prediction of the temperature and pressure dependence of log K and other thermodynamic properties of a large number of aqueous metal complexes. As a consequence, it is possible to retrieve values of log K at 25 degrees C and 1 bar from the results of hydrothermal experiments at higher temperatures and pressures or to predict values of log K at hydrothermal conditions when no experimental data are available at temperatures and pressures above 25 degrees C and 1 bar. Such predictions can be made for temperatures and pressures from 0 degrees C and 1 bar to 1000 degrees C and 5000 bars.
Research resources for Drosophila : the expanding universe

Drosophila melanogaster has been the subject of research into central questions about biological mechanisms for almost a century. The experimental tools and resources that are available or under development for D. melanogaster and its related species, particularly those for genomic analysis, are truly outstanding. Here we review three types of resource that have been developed for D. melanogaster research: databases and other sources of information, biological materials and experimental services. These resources are there to be exploited and we hope that this guide will encourage new uses for D. melanogaster information, materials and services, both by those new to flies and by experienced D. melanogaster researchers.
The autobiographical manifesto: Identities, temporalities, politics

(1991). The autobiographical manifesto: Identities, temporalities, politics. Prose Studies: Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 186-212.
Model parameter estimation and analysis: Understanding parametric structure

We developed three algorithms to facilitate an analysis of the parameter combinations (PASS points) that fit experimental data to a desired degree of accuracy. The clustering algorithm separates PASS points into clusters (PASS clusters) as a preliminary step for the following geometrical parametric analyses. The PASS region reconstruction algorithm defines the space of a PASS cluster to allow further parametric structural analysis. The feasible parameter space expansion algorithm produces a complete PASS cluster to be used for model predictions to evaluate the effects of variability and uncertainty. These algorithms are demonstrated using two pharmacokinetic models; a single compartment model for procainamide and a three-compartment physiologically based model for benzene. We found a more thorough representation of the parameter space than previously considered. Thus, we obtained model predictions that describe better the variability in population responses. In addition, we also parametrically identified a subpopulation that may have a higher risk for cancer.
Diagnosis and management of Barrett's esophagus for the endoscopist.

In Barrett’s esophagus, the stratified squamous epithelium lining the esophagus is replaced by specialized intestinal-type columnar epithelium. The prevalence of Barrett’s esophagus has ranged from 0.9% to 4.5%. The rate of progression from Barrett’s esophagus to esophageal adenocarcinoma is 0.5% per patient-year. Proton-pump inhibitors are the mainstay of symptom control in Barrett’s patients. Nondysplastic Barrett’s and Barrett’s with low-grade dysplasia (LGD) are typically managed by periodic surveillance. Radiofrequency ablation is being evaluated as a modality for managing nondysplastic Barrett’s and Barrett’s with LGD. The options for the management of Barrett’s patients with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) include endoscopic therapy, surgery, and intensive surveillance until biopsy reveals adenocarcinoma. Endoscopic therapy involves endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and ablation. More aggressive techniques such as endoscopic submucosal dissection and larger segment endoscopic mucosal resection are under study. In this review, we discuss the diagnosis and management of Barrett’s esophagus. The recommendations from the major gastroenterologic societies and the current and investigational endoscopic modalities for the management of Barrett’s esophagus with and without dysplasia are reviewed.
Death after rejection with severe hemodynamic compromise in pediatric heart transplant recipients: a multi-institutional study.

Abstract Background: Rejection with severe hemodynamic compromise results in high mortality in adult transplant patients. This study determines the incidence, outcome and risk factors for rejection with severe hemodynamic compromise in a multi-institutional study of pediatric heart transplant recipients. Methods Data from 847 patients transplanted between 1/1/93 and 12/31/98 at 18 centers in the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study were analyzed. Rejection with severe hemodynamic compromise was defined as a clinical event occurring beyond 1 week postoperatively, which led to augmentation of immunosuppression and use of inotropic therapy. Actuarial freedom from such rejection and death after rejection were determined and risk factors sought. Results Among 1,033 rejection episodes in 532 patients, 113 (11%) episodes were associated with severe hemodynamic compromise in 95 patients. The highest risk for severe rejection was in the first year. Risk factors were older recipient age ( p >.05) and non-white race ( p >.001). Survival after an episode was poor (60%), and biopsy score did not affect outcome. Deaths were due to rejection ( n = 14), other cardiac causes ( n = 17), infection ( n = 5), lymphoma ( n = 2), pulmonary causes ( n = 2), and thrombosis ( n = 1). Conclusions Rejection with severe hemodynamic compromise occurs in 11% of pediatric patients, irrespective of age, sex or biopsy score, and mortality is high. Non-white race and older recipient age are independent risk factors for rejection with severe hemodynamic compromise. Aggressive treatment and close surveillance should be crucial components of protocols aimed at reducing the high mortality.
Algorithms for oligopolistic market equilibrium problems

Abstract In this paper we consider a general oligopoly model introduced by Dafermos and Nagurney which subsumes some models treated earlier numerically and give alternative variational inequality formulations of the governing Nash equilibrium defined over Cartesian products of sets. We then exploit these formulations to construct non-linear and linearized serial decomposition schemes by firms and by firm and demand market pairs. We also introduce a new equilibration operator to solve the embedded mathematical programming problems. Our computational experience for randomly generated examples for three classes of general problems suggests strongly that the linearized Gauss-Seidel decomposition method by firms is computationally superior.
Militarized Interstate Disputes and United States Uses of Force

Research on questions such as whether national leaders use force in the international arena to divert attention from problems at home depends on a valid and reliable list of the incidents in which various states have used military force. In the case of the United States, several data sets have been used for this purpose. This research note compares two widely used data sets, the militarized interstate disputes (MID) data, which cover disputes involving all states between 1816 and 1992, and the data originally compiled by Stephen Kaplan and Barry Blechman, which cover only the United States since World War II. This comparison indicates that, in spite of its usefulness for other conflict research, the MID data are not appropriate for analyses of U.S. decisions to use force, including tests of the diversionary hypothesis. The MID data set excludes several categories of incidents relevant to major theoretical arguments about the use of force and includes many irrelevant incidents. These problems are likely to apply to similar analyses of other states as well. The Blechman and Kaplan data set also excludes some relevant events, but its omissions are less consequential. We offer a revised list of United States uses of force between 1870 and 1995.
Editorial Review: Palytoxin: Mechanism of Action of a Potent Marine Toxin

AbstractPalytoxin, the most potent marine toxin known, causes death at doses as low as 0.025 μg/kg. Its chemical structure contains no identifiable subunits, making it one of the most complex natural products known. It exhibits a wide variety of pharmacological actions Including stimulating release of K+ from various cell types; depolarization of excitable membranes; contraction of smooth muscle; cardiovascular effects; hemolysis; histamine, prostaglandin and norepinephrine release; platelet aggregation and bone resorption. It also exhibits Inhibition of sperm motility, anti-tumor activity and tumor-promoting activity. Studies on the molecular mechanism of action have led to several proposed mechanisms. The most extensively studied is the proposal that palytoxin interacts with (Na+,K+)-ATPase at the ouabain binding site, but rather than inhibiting the ion pump as ouabain does, it converts it to an open ion channel, resulting in collapse of ion gradients across the cell membrane. Other possible mechanisms ...
Transsternal Radical Thymectomy for Myasthenia Gravis: A 15-Year Review

Thymectomy is an accepted therapeutic modality for patients with myasthenia gravis. The selection of patients for operation and the surgical approach are controversial. We reviewed 52 patients (aged 18 months to 82 years; mean age, 34 years) treated with transsternal radical thymectomy between 1972 and 1987. Patients were symptomatically staged according to the modified Osserman classification. There was one hospital death and postoperative follow-up was obtained on 51 patients. Improvement after thymectomy was observed in 3 of 11 patients (27%) in Osserman stage I, 16 of 25 patients (64%) in Osserman stage IIA, and 13 of 15 patients (86%) in combined Osserman stages IIB, III, and IV. Preoperative Osserman stage, patient sex, and thymic histology correlated with postoperative clinical response. Transsternal radical thymectomy is effective therapy for myasthenia gravis. Sustained improvement is obtained in patients with moderate and advanced disease. The majority of patients with ocular disease do not benefit from operation.
Simultaneous percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and transcatheter embolization of latrogenic aortocoronary vein fistula

Abstract Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) can be complicated by inadvertent grafting of a coronary vein. This may result in continued angina pectoris related to the unbypassed critically narrowed coronary artery1,2 or to congestive heart failure3 secondary to a left-to-right shunt. Therapeutic recommendations have included no treatment,4,5 surgical ligation of the iatrogenic aorto-coronary vein fistula with or without revascularization of the diseased artery,1,2,5–7 and percutaneous embolic occlusion of the aortocoronary vein fistula.3 This report describes a patient in whom percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of the underlying stenosed coronary artery and percutaneous embolic occlusion of the aortocoronary vein fistula was performed simultaneously.
Dietary Linolenic Acid Is Associated With a Lower Prevalence of Hypertension in the NHLBI Family Heart Study

Dietary linolenic acid has been shown to be associated with coronary artery disease. However, limited data are available on its effects on blood pressure. We used data from 4594 white participants (aged 25 to 93 years) in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Family Heart Study to evaluate whether dietary linolenic acid was associated with prevalent hypertension and resting blood pressure. We used generalized estimating equations to determine the prevalence odds ratios (ORs) of hypertension and adjusted means of systolic and diastolic blood pressure across quartiles of linolenic acid. Mean dietary linolenic acid intake was 0.81+/-0.35 g per day for men and 0.69+/-0.29 g per day for women. From the lowest to the highest quartile of linolenic acid, multivariable adjusted ORs (95% confidence interval [CI]) for hypertension were 1.0 (reference), 0.73 (0.56 to 0.95), 0.71 (0.53 to 0.95), and 0.67 (0.47 to 0.96), respectively (P for trend 0.04), controlling for age, sex, energy intake, body mass index, risk group, study site, education, smoking, alcohol intake, exercise, and history of coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus. Dietary linolenic acid was related inversely to resting systolic (P for trend 0.03) but not diastolic blood pressure (P for trend 0.43). Linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, was not associated with prevalent hypertension or blood pressure. These data suggest that dietary linolenic acid is associated with a lower prevalence of hypertension and lower systolic blood pressure in white subjects.
Product Device Analysis for Radar Applications

By applying the theory of two-dimensional Fourier transforms to the response of a product device, results are developed that may be applied to tracking radar range gates, phase detectors, and angle-error detectors. These responses are general in that noises that are present can be nonstationary with arbitrary power spectrum while the radar signal, a pulse stream, can have any envelope shape.
mut0 methylmalonic acidemia: eleven novel mutations of the methylmalonyl CoA mutase including a deletion-insertion mutation.

Methylmalonic aciduria (MMA) is an autosomal-recessive disorder caused by inadequate function of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MCM), a nuclear-encoded, mitochondrial enzyme that uses adenosylcobalamin as a cofactor. Biochemical cell studies have delineated phenotypic variants: mut(0) phenotypes in which there is no detectable enzymatic activity and mut- phenotypes in which there is residual cobalamin-dependent activity. Mutation screening in MMA has led to the detection of 30 disease-specific mutations. In 14 patients with the mut(0) phenotype we found 11 novel mutations (K54X, A137V, F174S, 620insA, G203R, Q218H, A535P, H627R, 2085delG and 2270del4/ins5), 6 of them homozygous, consisting of 1 nonsense, 6 missense, 1 splice site, and 3 frame shift mutations. The position in relation to different functional domains in MCM allow for an interpretation of the identified mutations. Hum Mutat 16:179, 2000.
Metal-polymer Schottky barriers on processible polymers

Abstract We present the results of a study of strong rectification by metal-polymer (Schottky) diodes made by evaporating metal contacts onto films of a soluble semiconducting polymer cast from solution. Poly(3-hexylthiophene), a soluble alkyl derivative of poly(thiophene), and indium contacts form the Schottky diodes. Current-voltage characteristics exhibit rectification ratios in the range 100:1 to 1000:1; the forward current increases exponentially over several decades, whereas a relatively small leakage current flows under reverse bias. Temperature dependence of the current-voltage characteristics differs from that of conventional Schottky diodes and suggests transport processes other than conventional thermionic emission.
Habitat Specificity, Speciation, and Species Density in Australian Desert Lizards

From data demonstrating habitat specificity, it is concluded that Australian desert lizards recognize more habitats than North American desert lizards. The large amount of environmental heterogeneity and intimate mixing of habitats in Australia allow many more lizard species to coexist there than in North America. An interpretive hypothesis for lizard speciation by means or habitats fluctuating in time and space is proposed. See full-text article at JSTOR
Redistribution of Kv2.1 ion channels on spinal motoneurons following peripheral nerve injury.

Abstract Pathophysiological responses to peripheral nerve injury include alterations in the activity, intrinsic membrane properties and excitability of spinal neurons. The intrinsic excitability of α-motoneurons is controlled in part by the expression, regulation, and distribution of membrane-bound ion channels. Ion channels, such as Kv2.1 and SK, which underlie delayed rectifier potassium currents and afterhyperpolarization respectively, are localized in high-density clusters at specific postsynaptic sites ( Deardorff et al., 2013 , Muennich and Fyffe, 2004 ). Previous work has indicated that Kv2.1 channel clustering and kinetics are regulated by a variety of stimuli including ischemia, hypoxia, neuromodulator action and increased activity. Regulation occurs via channel dephosphorylation leading to both declustering and alterations in channel kinetics, thus normalizing activity ( Misonou et al., 2004 , Misonou et al., 2005 , Misonou et al., 2008 , Mohapatra et al., 2009 , Park et al., 2006 ). Here we demonstrate using immunohistochemistry that peripheral nerve injury is also sufficient to alter the surface distribution of Kv2.1 channels on motoneurons. The dynamic changes in channel localization include a rapid progressive decline in cluster size, beginning immediately after axotomy, and reaching maximum within one week. With reinnervation, the organization and size of Kv2.1 clusters do not fully recover. However, in the absence of reinnervation Kv2.1 cluster sizes fully recover. Moreover, unilateral peripheral nerve injury evokes parallel, but smaller effects bilaterally. These results suggest that homeostatic regulation of motoneuron Kv2.1 membrane distribution after axon injury is largely independent of axon reinnervation.
Creep mechanisms and microstructure evolution of Nextel™ 610 fiber in air and steam

Abstract Creep rates of Nextel™ 610 alumina fibers were measured at 1100 °C and 100–500 MPa in air and steam. Steam increased creep rates and reduced fiber lifetimes. Fiber microstructures were characterized by TEM. The small amounts of grain growth, fiber-axis grain elongation, and pore growth that occur during creep were quantified. To separate the effects of stress and temperature on microstructural evolution, grain growth and elongation were also quantified for fibers heat-treated for 1–100 h in air at 1100–1500 °C. Grain growth laws were determined. The contributions of pore growth and grain elongation to creep strain were quantified. Grain elongation accounts for a large fraction of the strain during creep in air, but little in steam. Pore growth was more pronounced in steam, but does not create significant creep strain. Creep and failure mechanisms consistent with the observed microstructural changes are discussed.
Aggregation patterns and release of adenosine diphosphate from guinea pig platelets

Abstract Guinea pig platelets aggregate biphasically following addition of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to platelet-rich plasma, and second phase aggregation is associated with release of platelet ADP. Nucleotide release is dependent upon first phase aggregation, and is not caused by exogenous ADP itself. Desmethylimipramine and aspirin, which block second phase aggregation, also block tendon extract-induced aggregation. Results indicate a common factor in mechanism of ADP release caused by platelet-tissue adhesion, and platelet-platelet adhesion.
Modified procedures for determination of free and total gossypol pigments

The inclusion of hydrochloric acid and thiourea in the gossypol blanks in present official AOCS methods for free and total gossypol produced equivalent absorbances identical to those obtained in the AOCS procedure for gossypol in oils. The treatment relieved the darkening of reagent blanks and allowed the same calibration data to be used for all three methods. Aniline was the reagent in each.
Exposure to Residential Electric and Magnetic Fields and Risk of Childhood Leukemia

The relation between exposure to electric and magnetic fields in the home, as assessed by measurements, wiring configuration, and self-reported appliance use, and risk of leukemia was investigated in a case-control study among children from birth to age 10 years in Los Angeles County, California. Cases were ascertained through a population-based tumor registry from 1980 to 1987. Controls were drawn from friends and by random digit dialing. Interviews were obtained from 232 cases and 232 controls. Available for analysis were measurements of the magnetic field in the child's bedroom over 24 hours or longer (164 cases and 144 controls), spot measurements of magnetic and electric fields (140 cases and 109 controls), and wiring configuration (219 cases and 207 controls). No clear associations between leukemia risk and measured magnetic or electric fields were seen. An association between the Denver Wertheimer-Leeper wiring configuration and childhood leukemia risk was observed (odds ratio for very high relative to very low current and underground configuration combined = 2.15, 95% confidence interval 1.08-4.28; p for trend = 0.008) and was not substantially altered by adjustment for potential confounding factors. Cases were more likely than controls to report use of several appliances that produce high electric and magnetic fields. Our results support an association between childhood leukemia risk and wiring configuration, but not direct measurements of electric and magnetic fields.
Effect of oral micronized progesterone on androgen levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract Objective: To determine whether the use of oral micronized progesterone (OMP) to induce withdrawal bleeding in women suspected of having polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) alters circulating androgen levels. Design: Prospective clinical trial. Setting: Academic medical center. Patient(s): Eight reproductive-aged women with PCOS. Intervention(s): Blood was sampled before (week 0) and weekly after (weeks 1 to 4) the administration of OMP (Prometrium, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Marietta, GA), 100 mg in the morning and 200 mg before bedtime for 7 days. Main Outcome Measure(s): The levels of total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and androstenedione (A4) were determined in the blood samples. Result(s): In seven of the eight women studied, menstrual cycle intervals were >3 months, while one was eumenorrheic; six of the eight women had hirsutism (modified Ferriman-Gallwey score >7). Mean age was 28.9 ± 10.4 years and mean body mass index was 33.9 ± 4.7 kg/m 2 . The mean values of TT, FT, SHBG, DHEAS, A4, and 17-OHP did not change with OMP administration. However, a higher 17-OHP level was observable at the completion of OMP administration (week 2). Conclusion(s): We conclude that the administration of OMP (100 mg in the morning and 200 mg before bedtime for 7 days) to induce withdrawal bleeding in women with PCOS does not significantly alter circulating androgen or 17-OHP levels, and can be used to time blood sampling in these patients.
Correcting ESL Errors Using Phrasal SMT Techniques

This paper presents a pilot study of the use of phrasal Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) techniques to identify and correct writing errors made by learners of English as a Second Language (ESL). Using examples of mass noun errors found in the Chinese Learner Error Corpus (CLEC) to guide creation of an engineered training set, we show that application of the SMT paradigm can capture errors not well addressed by widely-used proofing tools designed for native speakers. Our system was able to correct 61.81% of mistakes in a set of naturally-occurring examples of mass noun errors found on the World Wide Web, suggesting that efforts to collect alignable corpora of pre- and post-editing ESL writing samples offer can enable the development of SMT-based writing assistance tools capable of repairing many of the complex syntactic and lexical problems found in the writing of ESL learners.
Assessment of Computer-Based Preferences of Students With Profound Multiple Disabilities:

This article reports on two studies investigating the use of computer-based stimuli that may then be used to develop activities and programming for students with profound multiple disabilities (PMD). Both studies used an alternating treatments design and systematic assessment strategy to present stimuli sequentially and to measure student responses to the varying computer-based stimuli. Study 1 compared student preferences for computer-based stimuli (individualized video programs and commercially available cause-and-effect software), which were then used in Study 2 to compare student preferences for stimuli presented on a traditional computer-based system and a large interactive whiteboard. Results support use of computer-based stimuli and video-based stimuli that may be used in the development and implementation of educational programs for students with PMD.
How kelp produce blade shapes suited to different flow regimes: A new wrinkle

Synopsis Many species of macroalgae have flat, strap-like blades in habitats exposed to rapidly flowing water, but have wide, ruffled ‘‘undulate’’ blades at protected sites. We used the giant bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, to investigate how these ecomorphological differences are produced. The undulate blades of N. luetkeana from sites with low flow remain spread out and flutter erratically in moving water, thereby not only enhancing interception of light, but also increasing drag. In contrast, strap-like blades of kelp from habitats with rapid flow collapse into streamlined bundles and flutter at low amplitude in flowing water, thus reducing both drag and interception of light. Transplant experiments in the field revealed that shape of the blade in N. luetkeana is a plastic trait. Laboratory experiments in which growing blades from different sites were subjected to tensile forces that mimicked the hydrodynamic drag experienced by blades in different flow regimes showed that change in shape is induced by mechanical stress. During growth experiments in the field and laboratory, we mapped the spatial distribution of growth in both undulate and strap-like blades to determine how these different morphologies were produced. The highest growth rates occur near the proximal ends of N. luetkeana blades of both morphologies, but the rates of transverse growth of narrow, strap-like blades are lower than those of wide, undulate blades. If rates of longitudinal growth at the edges of a blade exceed the rate of longitudinal growth along the midline of the blade, ruffles along the edges of the blade are produced by elastic buckling. In contrast, flat blades are produced when rates of longitudinal growth are similar across the width of a blade. Because ruffles are the result of elastic buckling, a compliant undulate N. luetkeana blade can easily be pushed into different configurations (e.g., the wavelengths of the ruffles along the edges of the blade can change, and the whole blade can twist into left- and right-handed helicoidal shapes), which may enhance movements of the blade in flowing water that reduce self-shading and increase mass exchange along blade surfaces.
Input-output modeling of nonlinear systems with time-varying linear models

Time varying ARMA (autoregressive moving average) and ARMAX (autoregressive moving average with exogenous inputs) models are proposed for input-output modeling of nonlinear deterministic and stochastic systems. The coefficients of these models are estimated by a random walk Kalman filter (RWKF). This method requires no prior assumption on the nature of the model coefficients, and is suitable for real-time implementation since no off-line training is needed. A simulation example illustrates the method. Goodness of performance is judged by the quality of the residuals, histograms, autocorrelation functions and the Kolmogorov-Smirnoff test.