cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlates of life expectancy in less developed countries

Analyses were performed to investigate several hypotheses concerning the multiple determinants of levels of life expectancy in developing countries in recent decades and some possible explanation for the observed variations in amount of gain in life expectancy from the 1950's to the 1970's. The findings were significant. For level of life expectancy the results of this present work conform by and large to results of other scholars in this area, although the present work is unique in that only developing countries were included. From the 1960's to the 1970's there has been a shift in the relative importance of economic indicators and general social indicators in favor of the social indicators. In the period 1960-65 some 70% of the variation in levels of life expectancy was associated with per capita income and literacy rates in a ratio of about three to two in favor of the economic variable. By 1970-75 the ratio has become six to one in favor of literacy. In addition, the multivariate model showed that the sanitation variables began to appear as significant correlates of levels of life expectancy in the more recent time period, playing a larger role than level of income per capita. Work pursued as part of a separate but concurrent project explored explicitly this three-way interaction between literacy, life expectancy and sanitation.
Exact computation of the unwrapped phase of finite-length time series

R. McGowan and R. Kuc recently (IEEE Trans. Acoust., Speech, Signal Processing, vol.ASSP-30, p.719 (1982)) showed that a direct relationship between a time series and its unwrapped phase exists. They proposed an algorithm for computing the unwrapped phase by counting the number of sign changes in a Sturm sequence generated from the real and imaginary parts of the discrete Fourier transform. Their algorithm is limited to relatively short sequences by numerical accuracy. An extension of their algorithm is proposed which, by using all-integer arithmetic, permits exact computation of the number of multiples of pi required to determine the unwrapped phase for rational-valued time sequences of arbitrary length. Since the computation is exact, the extended numerical algorithm should be of interest when accurate phase unwrapping is required. >
The Ohio Midlife Women's Study.

The Ohio Midlife Women's Study was longitudinal with measurements occurring at three, 9-month intervals. Our purpose in doing this research was to examine predictors, moderators, and outcome variables associated with the transition to midlife in Caucasian and African American women. Predictor variables included loss and gain of resources. Moderators included menopause symptoms, menopausal status, attitude toward menopause, coping, and demographic characteristics. Outcome variables included anxiety, depression, and health promoting activities. To obtain the proposed final sample of 160 midlife women, an initial sample of 103 African American and 105 Caucasian "healthy" women were recruited in the community. Consistent predictors of anxiety were loss of resources, coping effectiveness, and education. Consistent predictors of depression were loss of resources and education. Health promoting activities were consistently predicted by attitude toward menopause and coping effectiveness. Stress is a better predic...
“Making Public Law, ‘Public’: An Analysis of the Quebec Reference Case and its Significance for Comparative Constitutional Analysis”

The Supreme Court of Canada's advisory opinion in Reference re Secession of Quebec, 1998 (also known, more simply, as the “Quebec reference case”) has been the subject of much interpretation and comment, because of its obvious implications for the future of Canada.1 However, it offers an arguably wider opportunity to consider the role of the judiciary within a liberal democracy. The professional nature of the legal process and its practitioners often has made legal and judicial institutions, to most of the public, distant and alien components of the political system. The technical aspects of many areas of law (such as contracts, torts, and civil procedure) may, in fact, make this area of public concern seem unapproachable to the average citizen; indeed, some legal practitioners may prefer that the law remain that way. That mystique often is transferred to the realm of constitutional law, where the use of technical terms (including Latin words and phrases) may serve, intentionally or not, to insulate legal arguments and proceedings from public scrutiny.2
Visualization of Grit interactions during polishing

Fluorescing and thermal imaging techniques are being employed on a patented test apparatus, known as the Rapid Renewable Lap (RRL), to provide visualization and new insights of the grit interactions between the lap, slurry and workpiece during the polishing of optical materials. Results thus far have demonstrated visualization to grit sizes of 12 um and below using these techniques. The use of these results to improve existing models, define their limits of validity, and apply them to additional types of lapping and polishing processes is discussed.
Fermi surface changes and electron scattering anisotropy in the potassium-rubidium alloy system

The de Haas-van Alphen effect has been used to study the changes in Fermi surface (FS) dimensions and the electron scattering in dilute K(Rb) and Rb(K) alloys. Small discrepancies, around 10%, have been found between the observed FS cross-section changes and those calculated from a linear interpolation of the lattice constant between the two host values, the cross-section changing more rapidly than expected in each case: these discrepancies appear to reflect rather accurately a real nonlinearity in the lattice constant change with solute concentration. There are also measurable changes in the FS anisotropy, which are described well by a combination ofs andp phase shifts in K(Rb) and bys andd in Rb(K). The electron scattering has a significant forward-scattering component, the ratiox ρ/x 0 between the resistivity temperature and the average Dingle temperature being 0.63 and 0.59 for K(Rb) and Rb(K), respectively. The scattering rate anisotropy in Rb(K) is about 7%, with the maximum rate at 〈110〉: this can be fitted rather well by a combination ofs andp phase shifts.
Illness perceptions and emotional well-being in men treated for localized prostate cancer

Abstract Objective Emotional adjustment to cancer survivorship may be influenced by how patients interpret treatment side effects and other cancer-related experiences. The current study examined cognitive representations of illness, as conceptualized by the Self-Regulatory Model (SRM), in men treated for localized prostate cancer (PC). More severe PC perceptions were hypothesized to predict poorer emotional well being, particularly among men experiencing greater post-treatment sexual dysfunction or general life stress. Methods The Perceived Stress Scale, Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite, Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy were administered to 214 men within 18 months of completing treatment for early stage PC. Results Perceptions that PC was less comprehensible, was less likely to be controlled by treatment, and was more likely caused by one's own personality and behaviors remained associated with poorer emotional well being after adjusting for relevant medical and demographic factors. Life stress moderated the relationship between perceived consequences of PC and emotional well-being, such that more severe perceptions of negative consequences predicted poorer emotional well-being only for men experiencing higher life stress. Degree of sexual dysfunction did not moderate any relationships between cancer perceptions and emotional well-being. Conclusion Within 18 months of completing treatment for localized PC, more severe perceived consequences of PC were associated with poorer emotional well-being, particularly among men experiencing greater life stress. Interventions that target distortions in illness perceptions may enhance emotional adjustment among the most distressed PC survivors.
Sum transmission power of multiple cooperative secondary transmitters in dynamic spectrum access networks

Cognitive radio is a desirable technique for secondary users to utilize the spectrum gray space. In order to avoid intolerable interference to primary users, the transmission power of cognitive radios must be carefully managed. In this paper, we analyze the sum transmission power of a group of randomly distributed but fully cooperated secondary transmitters in a network consisting of one primary transmitter and multiple randomly distributed primary receivers. The sum power is given by numerical integrations, or by closed-form approximate expressions. The results indicate that significant secondary transmission power is allowable, depending on the distance of primary and secondary transmitters, as well as the numbers of primary receivers and secondary transmitters. Such results are verified in simulations.
An investigation of place and voice features using fMRI-adaptation

A widely accepted view of speech perception holds that in order to comprehend language, the variable acoustic signal must be parsed into a set of abstract linguistic representations. However, the neural basis of early phonological processing, including the nature of featural encoding of speech, is still poorly understood. In part, progress in this domain has been constrained by the difficulty inherent in extricating the influence of acoustic modulations from those which can be ascribed to the abstract, featural content of the stimuli. A further concern is that group averaging techniques may obscure subtle individual differences in cortical regions involved in early language processing. In this paper we present the results of an fMRI-adaptation experiment which finds evidence of areas in the superior and medial temporal lobes which respond selectively to changes in the major feature categories of voicing and place of articulation. We present both single-subject and group-averaged analyses.
PUMA Cooperates with p21 to Regulate Mammary Epithelial Morphogenesis and Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition

Lumen formation is essential for mammary morphogenesis and requires proliferative suppression and apoptotic clearance of the inner cells within developing acini. Previously, we showed that knockdown of p53 or p73 leads to aberrant mammary acinus formation accompanied with decreased expression of p53 family targets PUMA and p21, suggesting that PUMA, an inducer of apoptosis, and p21, an inducer of cell cycle arrest, directly regulate mammary morphogenesis. To address this, we generated multiple MCF10A cell lines in which PUMA, p21, or both were stably knocked down. We found that morphogenesis of MCF10A cells was altered modestly by knockdown of either PUMA or p21 alone but markedly by knockdown of both PUMA and p21. Moreover, we found that knockdown of PUMA and p21 leads to loss of E-cadherin expression along with increased expression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. Interestingly, we found that knockdown of ΔNp73, which antagonizes the ability of wide-type p53 and TA isoform of p73 to regulate PUMA and p21, mitigates the abnormal morphogenesis and EMT induced by knockdown of PUMA or p21. Together, our data suggest that PUMA cooperates with p21 to regulate normal acinus formation and EMT.
A protein kinase of the plasma membrane of Dictyostelium discoideum

Abstract D. discoideum amoebae were found to phosphorylate plasma membrane proteins when intact cells were incubated with either [γ- 32 P]ATP or [ 32 P]phosphate. In the first case, the incorporation was largely a consequence of the hydrolysis of [γ- 32 P]ATP, cellular uptake of the generated [ 32 P]phosphate and its subsequent incorporation into ATP. When the contribution of this process to the phosphorylating activity of intact cells was eliminated, an ecto-protein kinase (ATP: protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) activity could be demonstrated. As amoebae progressed through their aggregation program, they showed a decreased ability to phosphorylate their plasma membrane when incubated with [γ- 32 P]ATP or [ 32 P]phosphate. Analysis of ATPase activity, permeability properties and the pattern of proteins phosphorylated by intact cells and isolated plasma membranes lead to the following conclusions: the lower levels of phosphorylation observed with starved cells reflected an altered uptake of [ 32 P]phosphate by these cells rather than a significant change in the plasma membrane protein kinase activity. Neither the substrates nor the activity of the ecto-protein kinase was dramatically altered during starvation.
Penicillinase activity in three strains ofClostridium butyricum

Three strains ofClostridium butyricum exhibited elevated minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to penicillin (64–1,024 μg/ml), ampicillin (32–256 μg/ml), carbenicillin (128–1,024 μg/ml), and oxacillin (32–64 μg/ml). Cephalosporin/cephamycin agents were more active than penicillin drugs. All isolates were found to possess a β-lactamase. The β-lactamases were primarily cell associated during the logarithmic phase of growth. Stationary-phase cells released most of the enzyme into the culture medium. Cephalothin supplementation of broth cultures with concentrations equivalent to one-eighth of the MIC significantly increased the quantity of β-lactamase synthesized. The β-lactamases produced by these three isolates exhibited greatest activity with penicillin followed by ampicillin>cephaloridine>carbenicillin and oxacillin. No enzymatic activity was observed using cephalothin, cephalexin, cefazolin, cefoxitin, or cephamandole substrates. The β-lactamases were inhibited by clavulanic acid and para-chloromurcuribenzoate and not inhibited by cloxacillin. Each enzyme exhibited an isoelectric point of 4.2.
Cell attachment and chemotaxis can utilize the same peptide sequence of fibronectin.

Abstract Fibronectin and fragments of the parent molecule are involved in cell-substrate attachment, cell migration and chemotaxis. The cell attachment sequence, Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro, was synthesized and tested for its ability to effect ligamentum nuchae fibroblast chemotaxis. This hexapeptide and fibronectin itself both caused directed cell migration, with maximal activity in the 10 −10 to 10 −9 M range. These data demonstrate that the fibronectin cell binding site and chemotaxis site share a common sequence.
Principal Mueller matrix of reflection and scattering measured for a one-dimensional rough surface

Reflectance R, ellipsometric parameters (c, D), depolariza- tions D, and cross-polarized depolarization Dv of specular reflection, and scattering by a rough stainless steel surface are measured using a null ellipsometer. The three polarization elements (Px ,Py ,Pz) of a principal Mueller matrix are obtained from D, c, and D. The measured c and D of specular reflection for incident angle u.70 deg are fit to the Fresnel equations to obtain n and k. The measured specular R(u) is fit to Beck- mann's scattering theory to obtain the root mean square (rms) rough- ness s. The fits (5 392 nm) is of the same order as the stylus measured s (5 484 nm). The D of specular reflection is small ( , 0.07). Scattering measurements are made with variable sample orientation at a detection direction 40 deg backward from the incident direction. The Dv of scatter- ing is very small (, 0.002). The values of c, D, Px , Pz , and Dv of scattering are about constant for an off-specular angle (OSA) within 660 deg and can be explained by the facet model with single scattering. The measured bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) in this region can be converted to slope angle distribution with OSA52 slope angle. The values of c, D, Px , Pz , and Dv of scattering deviate signifi- cantly and symmetrically from a constant level for uOSAu.60 deg, for which the simple facet model with single scattering does not apply.
Time course of lamotrigine de-induction: impact of step-wise withdrawal of carbamazepine or phenytoin.

Abstract Objective: The objective of the present analysis is to examine lamotrigine (LTG) pharmacokinetics both during polytherapy with enzyme inducing antiepileptic drugs and to evaluate the time course of de-induction following the step-wise withdrawal of enzyme inducers. Background: LTG pharmacokinetics can be significantly influenced by concomitant AEDs, and the addition of enzyme inducers can markedly increase LTG clearance, thereby reducing serum concentrations. A clinically relevant question is how will LTG clearance and resulting plasma concentrations be altered during concomitant enzyme inducer withdrawal/conversion process. Design/Method: As part of a previously published, active-control, LTG monotherapy trial, dose and plasma concentration data for LTG, carbamazepine (CBZ) or phenytoin (PHT) were obtained. Following the attainment of a LTG target dose of 500 mg/day, CZB or PHT were withdrawn in weekly 20% decrements. Following inducer withdrawal, LTG was then continued as monotherapy for an additional 12 weeks. Plasma concentrations and daily doses of LTG, CBZ, or PHT were obtained at regularly scheduled study visits during inducer withdrawal and during LTG monotherapy. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the plasma concentration data was done to determine the time-course and effect of inducer plasma concentration on LTG oral clearance (Cl o ), where LTG Cl o was estimated as the dose/concentration ratio. Results: Of the 156 patients enrolled in this trial, 76 were assigned to LTG arm, 43 completed the withdrawal to monotherapy phase with 28 successfully completing the study. In a subset analysis of completers, LTG Cl o determined prior to withdrawal of the inducers was significantly greater in patients ( n =28) on LTG+PHT (160% increase) than in those ( n =48) receiving LTG+CBZ (62% increase): 1.77±0.77 vs. 1.06±0.41 ml/min/kg, respectively, p =0.017. The significant reduction in LTG Cl o occurred only when CBZ plasma concentrations reached approximately 2 μg/ml or PHT plasma concentrations reached zero. Conclusions: Mean LTG plasma concentrations will approximately double following the withdrawal PHT; however increases of only 60% may occur following the withdrawal of CBZ. Importantly, these data suggest that LTG concentrations would not be expected to increase until the concomitant inducer is almost completely removed.
Cardiac Troponin I in Fulminant Adenovirus Myocarditis Treated with a 24-Hour Infusion of High-Dose Intravenous Immunoglobulin

We report a successful outcome on an acute adenovirus myocarditis treated with a 24-hour high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (24-HDIVIG) in a 4.5-year-old girl. A postviral etiology of acute myocarditis was assessed on the basis of the polymerase chain reaction technique. Among other early markers of cardiac injury, cardiac isoform of troponin-I (cTnI) was significantly correlated to the left ventricular ejection fraction (r = -0.86, p < 0.0001). Follow-up of cTnI, which might also be correlated to the short-term outcome, allows fast, easy, and noninvasive estimation of response to the aggressive treatment with 24-HDIVIG in acute adenovirus myocarditis in children.
Mitochondrial DNA mutations, oxidative stress, and aging

Advances in understanding of mitochondrial physiology and genetics in relation to pathology have exploded in the last decade. Paralleling this increase has been an active debate about the role of mitochondrial oxidative stress with regard to mitochondrial DNA mutations, aging, and disease. We discuss in a historical context the rapid progress in our understanding of the role of mitochondrial DNA mutations in disease, mitochondrial oxidative stress in aging, and the potential interplay between these two phenomena.
So These Numbers Really Mean Something? A Role Playing Scenario-Based Approach to the Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

A new curricular approach in our undergraduate second-year instrumental analysis laboratory was implemented. Students work collaboratively on scenarios in diverse fields including pharmaceuticals, forensics, gemology, art conservation, and environmental chemistry. Each laboratory section (approximately 12 students) is divided into three groups that play one of three roles: an accusatory group, a defense group, or a governmental agency. Experimental results guide a group’s interpretation of the scenario consequences. The students must provide the qualitative and quantitative data they have gathered and must also interpret the results of the data and discuss how the data affect their group’s position in the role-playing scenario. The groups present their findings in poster, oral, or written format throughout the semester. Here, we describe the rationale for this new approach to the instrumental analysis laboratory, the assessment, and the results of our implementation.
Remarks on the trinuclear acetato complexes of iron(III), chromium(III) and aluminium

Abstract The reaction between acetic anhydride and the hydrated nitrates of iron(III), chromium (III) and aluminium has been re-examined. Nitrates of unipositive acetato-hydroxo complexes are formed as intermediates whose composition is [M3(OCOCH3)7OH·nH2O]NO3 with n varying from 0 to 4. In the final stage of the reaction, an additional acetato group replaces the nitrate ion while the hydroxo group is carried into the end product. The reaction, therefore, is not useful for the preparation of the pure tri-acetates of the formula M(OCOCH3)3. The experiments provide evidence for unipositive trinuclear acetato complexes of aluminium whose existence has been obscured by their relatively low stability as compared to the complexes of iron and chromium.
On the performance analysis of cooperative non-regenerative relay systems over generalized fading channels

In this article, we present three novel moment generating function (MGF) based approaches for performance evaluation of multi-hop, multi-relay cooperative amplify-and-forward (CAF) networks over a myriad of stochastic channel models. Method I is based on a recursive expansion of the MGF of effective SNR for a 2-hop CAF relay network developed in [15]. The second method is also similar to Method I except that it requires the exact MGF of the end-to-end SNR for a 2-hop relay network. Method III involves the split of a multi-hop route path into two sections, evaluating the MGF of the “weakest link” in each section, and then finding the MGF of end-to-end SNR using the result in [15] for a 2-hop CAF network. We show that all the above mentioned methods closely approximate the ‘exact’ MGF and yield performance comparable to existing bounds. Unlike the existing methods (which are restrictive to specific fading channels), our proposed solutions is quite general and can be applied to a wide range of fading environments while dramatically reducing the computational complexity of average symbol error rate (ASER) for multi-hop multi-branch CAF relay networks. Moreover, our final solutions for the MGF of end-to-end SNR are expressed in closed-form for first two methods, and in terms of a single integral for Method III. The accuracies of our approximations have been validated with “exact” formulas that are available for specific wireless fading environments and via Monte Carlo computer simulations.
Ion mobility spectrometry as flow-injection detector and continuous flow monitor for aniline in hexane and water

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) was used as a flow-injection detector to quantitatively examine the ionization chemistry of aniline in hexane. A 5-microl sample was vaporized at 15-90-sec intervals in a flowing air stream and analyzed with an IMS equipped with acetone reactant ion chemistry, ambient temperature drift tube and membrane-based inlet. Precision was 3-11% relative standard deviation for 1-100 ppm aniline in hexane with 90-sec injection intervals and detection limits were ca. 0.5 ppm with 5-microl injections. Matrix effects with amine and organic solvent mixtures were observed and corrected for low and medium proton affinity interferences with standard addition methods. Pronounced fouling of the IMS occurred when a continuous water flow was introduced for aqueous flow injection-IMS. Continuous water monitoring without degraded IMS performance was possible by sampling air flow through a Silastic tube immersed in an aqueous sample.
An Investigation on Centralized and Decentralized Supply Chain Scenarios at the Product Design Stage to Increase Performance

Design for supply chain has become an essential consideration while designing a new product. Previous studies have pointed out that early supplier involvement can contribute to the success of the product development and enhance the competitive advantage of the enterprise. However, most of the studies coordinating supplier selection and supply chain configuration make these decisions during the detail design stage, which is the last phase of product design. This research aims to investigate the supply chain scenarios for their relevant performance at the conceptual design stage. The performance of different supply chain scenarios, centralized and decentralized, are compared and discussed. The results show that the decentralized supply chain scenario is advantageous for the time performance of supply chain network whereas the centralized supply chain scenario demonstrates superiority on cost performance.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Using an EEG-Based Brain-Computer Interface for Virtual Cursor Movement with BCI2000

A brain-computer interface (BCI) functions by translating a neural signal, such as the electroencephalogram (EEG), into a signal that can be used to control a computer or other device. The amplitude of the EEG signals in selected frequency bins are measured and translated into a device command, in this case the horizontal and vertical velocity of a computer cursor. First, the EEG electrodes are applied to the user s scalp using a cap to record brain activity. Next, a calibration procedure is used to find the EEG electrodes and features that the user will learn to voluntarily modulate to use the BCI. In humans, the power in the mu (8-12 Hz) and beta (18-28 Hz) frequency bands decrease in amplitude during a real or imagined movement. These changes can be detected in the EEG in real-time, and used to control a BCI ([1],[2]). Therefore, during a screening test, the user is asked to make several different imagined movements with their hands and feet to determine the unique EEG features that change with the imagined movements. The results from this calibration will show the best channels to use, which are configured so that amplitude changes in the mu and beta frequency bands move the cursor either horizontally or vertically. In this experiment, the general purpose BCI system BCI2000 is used to control signal acquisition, signal processing, and feedback to the user [3].
Native American rhetoric: Dancing in the shadows of the ghost dance

This essay argues that understanding the rhetorical efforts of Native Americans to create an ethos capable of transcending cultural differences as a means of overcoming the imposition of a fundamentally mistaken identity and revitalizing tribal cultures has significant implications for our understanding of Native American rhetoric. On a broader scale, such study of Native American rhetoric can enhance our knowledge of how rhetoric functions externally and internally for marginalized people.
Asset Growth, Abandonment Value and the Replacement Decision of Like-For-Like Capital Assets

The rapid advancement of technology leading to quicker obsolescence, shorter life cycles, and more intensive competition has resulted in renewed emphasis on the abandonment and replacement decision in the analysis of investment projects. Once an investment was undertaken, many corporations in the past often abandoned a project only when it either suddenly ceased to function, or else when it became so unprofitable that abandonment was literally forced. Several authors have demonstrated that a project could be abandoned well before any of these terminal conditions existed. Robicheck and Van Home, for instance [14], showed that an asset could be abandoned even though it may be expected to generate positive cash flows in subsequent years. Dyl and Long (DL) [6], in a modification to the Robichek and Van Home (RVH) model regarding the year of abandonment, suggested that rather than abandoning a project at the earliest time–whenever the abandonment value exceeded the present value of all subsequent future flows– all possible cases of abandonment over the life of the asset should be considered. In this manner, the procedure is to select the highest net present value of an asset over all cash flow and abandonment possibilities. This result particularly holds when all projects have the same degree of risk and when there are frictionless markets and no capital rationing.
Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing 1- Versus 7-Day Manipulation Following Collagenase Injection for Dupuytren Contracture

Purpose To compare the efficacy, tolerance, and safety of manual manipulation at day 7 to day 1 following collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) injection for Dupuytren contracture. Methods Eligible patients were randomized to manipulation at day 1 versus day 7 following CCH injection. Preinjection, premanipulation, postmanipulation, and 30-day follow-up metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint contractures were measured. Pain scores were recorded at each time point. Data were stratified per cohort based on primary joint treated (MCP vs PIP). Means were compared using paired and unpaired t -tests. Results Forty-three patients with 46 digits were eligible and were randomized to 1-day (22 digits) and 7-day (24 digits) manipulation. For MCP joints, there were no significant differences in flexion contractures between 1- and 7-day cohorts for initial (47° vs 46°), postmanipulation (0° vs 2°), or 30-day follow-up (1° vs 2°) measurements. Premanipulation, the residual contracture was significantly lower in the 7-day group (23° vs 40°). For PIP joints, there were no significant differences between 1- and 7-day cohorts for initial (63° vs 62°), premanipulation (56° vs 52°), postmanipulation (13° vs 15°), or 30-day (14° vs 16°) measurements. There were no significant differences in pain or skin tears between the 2 groups. No flexor tendon ruptures were observed. Conclusions The effectiveness of CCH in achieving correction of Dupuytren contractures was preserved when manipulation was performed on day 7, with no differences in correction, pain, or skin tears. These data suggest that manipulation can be scheduled at the convenience of the patient and surgeon within the first 7 days after injection. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic I.
The Computer that will be in your Car

Need is indeed, the mother of invention. For decades, in this country, a prime critera of the automobile manufacturers' was large comfortable "muscle" cars. This is what the public wanted and the automotive market was (and still is) a buyers' market. Small gas efficient foreign cars were a rarity until the 1970s. (It should be noted that gasoline in most foreign countries has been relatively very expensive for 20-30 years.) Why did the American public demand the large cars? Several reasons-American gas was among the cheapest in the world, the cars were lightly taxed, they were affortable for most middle class budgets, and a large shiny car was a prestigious status symbol that "one had arrived" at prosperity.
Theoretical analysis of spreading and solidification of molten droplet during thermal spray deposition

Abstract A theoretical model for droplet spreading and solidification has been developed which accounts for simultaneous effects of surface tension, solidification and thermal contact resistance. Based on this model, an analytic solution for splat flattening ratio has been obtained as a function of Reynolds, Weber, Prandtl and Jakob numbers. Two different regimes, in terms of Reynolds and Weber numbers, have been identified where either the viscous dissipation or surface tension dominates. A map for splat flattening ratio has been generated for Reynolds number in the range of 104–106 and Weber number in the range of 5–5000.
A prospective study of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (c-ANCA) and clinical criteria in diagnosing Wegener's granulomatosis

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (c-ANCA) has a reported sensitivity and specificity greater than 90% for active Wegener's granulomatosis in selected patients with previously-defined disease. Because of these reports, some clinicians believe that a positive c-ANCA result provides strong circumstantial evidence for the diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis in patients with compatible clinical symptoms. However, this approach has not been examined prospectively. We prospectively studied 346 consecutive patients suspected of having vasculitis; those with previously established Wegener's granulomatosis (n = 29) or receiving immunosuppressives other than corticosteroids (n = 65) at baseline were excluded. Measures included a baseline c-ANCA, blinded chart reviews to record symptoms, physical findings, and corticosteroid use at baseline, and 2 to 8 months later to record final diagnoses and biopsy results. Wegener's granulomatosis was defined using the 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, which does not require a biopsy. Follow-up information was available for 212 (84%) of the 252 patients eligible for this study (no corticosteroids: n = 174; corticosteroids: n = 78). 25 patients with compatible symptoms were classified with Wegener's granulomatosis by ACR criteria; only 6 of the 25 had biopsy-proven disease. 14 of these 212 patients had positive c-ANCA results. The overall sensitivity and specificity of c-ANCA for ACR-defined Wegener's granulomatosis were 28% (95% CI, 10%-46%) and 96% (93%-99%) respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 0.50 and 0.91. The specificity remained greater than 90% regardless of baseline corticosteroid use or disease activity; however, the sensitivity and positive predictive value remained poor. For Wegener's granulomatosis defined by biopsy criteria and compatible clinical symptoms, the sensitivity was 83% (53%-100%); however, the positive predictive value was 36%. These results raise serious questions about the use of positive c-ANCA tests in diagnosing Wegener's granulomatosis in patients with clinical symptoms alone.
Changes in religiosity and spirituality following potentially traumatic events

The purpose of our study was to investigate spiritual and religious changes in the context of life adversities. Specifically, we compared university students (n = 122) who had recently experienced a potentially traumatic event (PTE) and a matched comparison group (n = 122) who had not experienced a recent PTE, in terms of: (1) the amount of actual and self-perceived positive and negative change in religiosity and spirituality; (2) the relations between perceived and actual positive and negative spiritual change; and (3) the relation between change in religiosity and spirituality and change in distress. Although there were small actual and perceived changes in religiosity and spirituality within each group, there were no between-group differences in terms of religious and spiritual change. Thus, changes over time in these life domains are not unique to PTE exposure. As expected, the relations between actual and perceived changes were small, highlighting that perceived and actual change are different constr...
The tubular reabsorption of phosphate in the differential diagnosis of metabolic bone disease.

ABSTRACT The percentage of filtered phosphorus that is reabsorbed by the renal tubules (TRP) was measured in normal subjects and in patients suspected of having metabolic bone disease. When dietary intake of phosphorus before the test was not controlled, the TRP ranged between 77 and 93 per cent in normal subjects and patients without demonstrable disturbances of calcium and phosphorus metabolism. No correlation could be established between the serum phosphorus concentration and the TRP. If the diet contained adequate amounts of phosphorus, the TRP was low in all of the cases of primary hyperparathyroidism that were studied; after phosphorus deprivation, the TRP was often in the normal range. These observations are considered to be consistent with the view that parathyroid hormone lowers the maximal tubular capacity for phosphate reabsorption. The TRP was consistently low in patients with malignant neoplasms complicated by hypercalcemia. The chief usefulness of the TRP test in clinical diagnosis lies in t...
Characteristics of the appearance of meat I. —The luminous absorption, scatter and internal transmittance of the lean of bacon manufactured from normal and pale pork

Pork selected on the basis of its pH 45 minutes post-slaughter (pH1) was manufactured into bacon. The Kubelka and Munk colourant-layer analysis was applied to the luminous reflectance of thin slices and the absorption and scatter coefficients and the internal transmittance were calculated. The dependence of the absorption and scatter coefficients on the rate of post-mortem glycolysis and pigment content was investigated. The scatter coefficient was significantly related to the pH1. The luminous reflectivity of pork was found to be more significantly affected by variations in the scatter coefficient than the absorption coefficient. Pork and bacon from pigs with low values of pH1 (<5.9) were more opaque but the difference in transmittance between high and low pH1 samples was greater in pork than in bacon. The luminous reflectivity, absorption and scatter coefficients, the internal transmittance and the pigment content of the bacon were significantly related to the pork from which it was made.
A synergetic approach to range image understanding

This paper describes the design and implementation of INTEGRA which is a range image understanding system that attempts to exploit the synergy between the various stages in the image understanding process i.e. segmentation, feature extraction, recognition and localization. The salient features of INTEGRA are (i) A synergetic combination of edge- and surface-based segmentation processes that results in more accurate segmentation than would have been possible with either of them alone and (ii) the ability to correct errors made during segmentation in the matching and localization stages. INTEGRA at this time, is capable of recognition and localization of polyhedral objects and objects that can be treated as piecewise combinations of curved surfaces of quadratic order such as spherical, ellipsoidal, cylindrical and conical surfaces.
Role of phenformin (DBI) as an adjuvant in oral antidiabetic therapy.

Abstract The use of phenformin in combination with other oral antidiabetic preparations was evaluated in 76 diabetic patients from the author's private practice and from the Diabetes Out-Patient Clinic of a community hospital. The indication for use of this combination was the presence of either primary or secondary failures with the preceding drugs used alone. In 135 clinical trials using either phenformin tablets or phenformin-TD capsules and another antidiabetic agent in varying doses the combination proved more efficacious than either drug alone. The most effective drugs combinations were those employing phenformin-aceto hexamide and phenformin-chlorpropamide. Even though 11 patients in this group taking combinations of phenformin with other oral agents required insulin to control the diabetes, many others were well regulated and the use of insulin thereby was obviated. The incidence of side effects in this series was negligible. However, the effectiveness of these more potent hypoglycemic agents enhances the possiblity of hypoglycemia which occurred in 9 instances. The patients must be thoroughly briefed on the importance of meals and interval feedings under all conditions.
HPLC isolation and mass spectrometric characterization of two isomers of thymine glycols in oligodeoxynucleotides.

Thymine glycol, or 5,6-dihydroxy-5,6-dihydrothymine, is the major oxidation product of thymine. Herein we report the isolation of both the (5S, 6R) and (5R, 6S) isomers of cis thymine glycols from several synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) upon oxidation with osmium tetraoxide. Our results show that tandem mass spectrometry can determine the sites of thymine glycol in ODNs by producing characteristic fragment ions, [a − 143] and its complementary w ions at the modification site. We further demonstrate that the [M + H]+ and [M + Na]+ ions of the two cis stereoisomers of thymine glycol in the dinucleotides, which are extricated from the ODNs by nuclease P1, gave distinctive product-ion spectra.
Distinguishing teaching interactions of physically abusive from nonabusive parent-child dyads.

Abstract Researchers using a variety of behavioral coding instruments have demonstrated differences between the interactions of physically abusive parent-child dyads and those of nonabusive pairs. Despite fair consistency among these findings, there remains controversy regarding the value of observation of parent-child interaction to the clinical evaluation of child abuse. This study was an investigation of the ability of child protective service workers to distinguish videotaped interactions of physically abusive parent-child dyads from interactions of nonabusive dyads. The interactions occurred as part of a teaching task and were nondisciplinary. The child protection workers achieved a 76% rate of accuracy in identifying the abuse status of the dyads based on observation of only three minutes of semistructured videotaped interaction. Of the workers. 40% were accurate in classifying 100% of the dyads observed. Increased protective service experience was not associated with increased accuracy, but subjects with no experience in protective service performed at chance level only. The results of this study show that experienced professionals can detect interactional differences in nondisciplinary parent-child interchanges of abusive as compared to nonabusive dyads. This suggests that clinical observation of parent-child interaction may be one important diagnostic tool within a comprehensive evaluation of families suspected of physical child abuse.
Immunity in adolescents with major depression.

ABSTRACT Objective The association between major depression (MD) and altered immunity appears to be age-related, with differing immune changes found in prepubertal children, young adults, and older adults. There is limited information concerning immunity in adolescents with MD. Method Thirty-six otherwise healthy medication-free adolescents (aged 14–20; 23 female) from a community sample, meeting Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children DSM-III-R criteria for unipolar MD, were compared with 36 nondepressed adolescents matched by gender, age, and racial background. A battery of quantitative and functional immune measures was obtained. Results MD adolescents had increased ( p + ) cells ( p + ) cells ( p p p + (NK) cells. Conclusions Depressed adolescents showed changes in immune measures that have been found to be altered in other MD groups, although the pattern of effects differs.
On-chip mirrorless-oscillation in nonlinear silicon waveguides using non-degenerate four-wave mixing

Nondegenerate mirrorless four-wave mixing oscillation with frequency tunability is proposed in silicon nonlinear waveguide by using higher spatial mode. As low as ∼2W threshold power is obtained in several centimeters long waveguide.
Chlamydial infections in women.

The role of Chlamydia in nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) has long been known. However, the effect of Chlamydia in females is not well understood and needs to be explored as the incidence of NGU increases. Below is a discussion of Chlamydia-current research, symptomatology in females, and treatment strategies. Nurse clinicians/practitioners need to be more aware of the possibility of Chlamydial infection in their clientele.
Anthropo-generated Climate Change in Europe

In reviewing the results of our analyses of European temperature and precipitation data, we see patterns that are similar to those discovered in our prior studies of the United States and the British Isles: precipitation begins to increase at about the time that Northern Hemispheric SO2 emissions began their rapid ascension, while prior upward trends of surface-air temperature are dramatically truncated.We also find that surface-air temperature trends of different localities over the past three-and-a-half decades are closely tied to the amount of aerosol sulphates in the atmosphere above them. The wide range and thrust of these several observations, along with their theoretical expectation, provides strong support for the premise that anthropo-generated climate change is indeed occurring in Europe, but that it may well be SO2-induced rather than CO2-induced.
Viral Gene Transfer to Developing Mouse Salivary Glands

Branching morphogenesis is essential for the formation of salivary glands, kidneys, lungs, and many other organs during development, but the mechanisms underlying this process are not adequately understood. Microarray and other gene expression methods have been powerful approaches for identifying candidate genes that potentially regulate branching morphogenesis. However, functional validation of the proposed roles for these genes has been severely hampered by the absence of efficient techniques to genetically manipulate cells within embryonic organs. Using ex vivo cultured embryonic mouse submandibular glands (SMGs) as models to study branching morphogenesis, we have identified new vectors for viral gene transfer with high efficiency and cell-type specificity to developing SMGs. We screened adenovirus, lentivirus, and 11 types of adeno-associated viruses (AAV) for their ability to transduce embryonic day 12 or 13 SMGs. We identified two AAV types, AAV2 and bovine AAV (BAAV), that are selective in targeting expression differentially to SMG epithelial and mesenchymal cell populations, respectively. Transduction of SMG epithelia with self-complementary (sc) AAV2 expressing fibroblast growth factor 7 (Fgf7) supported gland survival and enhanced SMG branching morphogenesis. Our findings represent, to our knowledge, the first successful selective gene targeting to epithelial vs. mesenchymal cells in an organ undergoing branching morphogenesis.
Radio-iron and phosphorus uptake by Hydrilla

Abstract The proliferation of aquatic plants has prompted investigation into the nutrient requirements of such plants as Hydrilla ( Hydrilla verticillata Royle). The apparent stimulation of Hydrilla growth by iron compounds led to experiments to determine the relative importance of roots in iron absorption. One and two-compartment experiments with 59 Fe and with 32 PO 4 indicate that phosphorus is actively absorbed and translocated by plant roots, but that iron is not. The substrate may, therefore, not be available to the plant as an iron reservoir. The factors that lead to the availability and immobilization of iron are considered. The implications of these observations to the limitation of Hydrilla growth are considered.
Calcium Absorptive Efficiency Is Positively Related to Body Size

Background: Calcium absorption efficiency is a more important determinant of calcium balance than calcium intake itself. The sources of variability in absorptive performance are only partly elucidated. Purpose: The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between body size and calcium absorption efficiency. Design and Setting: Metabolic studies were performed on an inpatient metabolic unit in an academic health sciences center. Subjects: One hundred seventy-eight women, with an average age of 50.2 yr, were studied from one to five times and yielded an aggregate data set containing 633 individual studies. Methods: Calcium absorption fraction was measured by the dual-tracer method. Observed values were expressed as residuals from predicted values for each woman’s actual calcium intake, using the previously published relationship between intake and absorption. Results: Absorption residuals were significantly positively correlated with height, weight, and surface area, and after adjusting for estrogen...