cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimization of Sample Absorbance for Quantitative Analysis in the Presence of Pathlength Error in the IR and NIR Regions

Optimal absorbance levels for quantitative analysis in the presence of photometric error have been described in the past. In newer instrumentation, such as FT-IR and NIRA spectrometers, the photometric error is no longer limiting. In these instruments, pathlength error due to cell or sampling irreproducibility is often a major concern. One can derive optimal absorbance by taking both pathlength and photometric errors into account. This paper analyzes the cases of pathlength error ≫ photometric error (trivial) and various cases in which the pathlength errors and the photometric error are of the same order: adjustable concentration (trivial until dilution errors are considered), constant relative pathlength error(trivial), and constant absolute pathlength error. The latter, in particular, is analyzed in detail to give the behavior of the error, the behavior of the optimal absorbance in its presence, and the total error levels attainable.
MRI and MRS predictors of mild cognitive impairment in a population-based sample

Objective: To investigate MRI and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) predictors of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in cognitively normal older adults. Methods: Subjects were cognitively normal older adults (n = 1,156) who participated in the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging MRI/MRS study from August 2005 to December 2010 and had at least one annual clinical follow-up. Single-voxel MRS was performed from the posterior cingulate gyri, and hippocampal volumes and white matter hyperintensity volumes were quantified using automated methods. Brain infarcts were assessed on MRI. Cox proportional hazards regression, with age as the time scale, was used to assess the effect of MRI and MRS markers on the risk of progression from cognitively normal to MCI. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the effect of MRI and MRS markers on cognitive decline. Results: After a median follow-up of 2.8 years, 214 participants had progressed to MCI or dementia (estimated incidence rate = 6.1% per year; 95% confidence interval = 5.3%–7.0%). In univariable modeling, hippocampal volume, white matter hyperintensity volume, and N -acetylaspartate/ myo -inositol were significant predictors of MCI in cognitively normal older adults. In multivariable modeling, only decreased hippocampal volume and N -acetylaspartate/ myo -inositol were independent predictors of MCI. These MRI/MRS predictors of MCI as well as infarcts were associated with cognitive decline ( p Conclusion: Quantitative MRI and MRS markers predict progression to MCI and cognitive decline in cognitively normal older adults. MRS may contribute to the assessment of preclinical dementia pathologies by capturing neurodegenerative changes that are not detected by hippocampal volumetry.
Functional role of the C-terminus of voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.8

Sodium channel Nav1.8 requires stronger depolarization than other sodium channels for activation and inactivation. The contribution of Nav1.8 C-terminus to this property was investigated by producing Nav1.8 and Nav1.4 chimeras and expressing them in ND7/23 cells. Current densities of the chimeras were significantly different than in parental channels, and the voltage-dependence of activation was depolarized in Nav1.4/1.8C compared to Nav1.4. Analysis of steady-state inactivation showed that only Nav1.8 and Nav1.4/1.8C currents demonstrate a non-inactivated fraction. Thus, the C-terminus of Nav1.8 contributes to regulation of channel density at the cell surface, modulates channel gating, and regulates the generation of sustained current.
Optimization problems involving collections of dependent objects

We describe a class of problems motivated by numerous real-world applications where there is a collection of objects that have both a cost and a value, but where some of those objects depend upon other objects to obtain their full value. Applications include finding an optimal order for transferring files under threat of system failure, ordering sequences of actions by a heterogeneous team of agents or robots, picking an optimal set of products to store in a warehouse, selecting courses to take at a university, or picking what products to cut from production. We formalize the problem of representing objects and their dependence relationships as a directed acyclic graph (DAG). We define simple formulae for calculating the utility of both sets and sequences of graph vertices. We motivate, using real-world examples, a taxonomy of problems associated with the model we present. We also prove that two variants of problems associated with our formalism are NP-hard, and present an efficient algorithm for solving a restricted version of a third problem.
Molecular aspects of HTLV-I: relationship to neurological diseases.

(1996). Molecular aspects of HTLV-I: Relationship to neurological diseases. Journal of Neurovirology: Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. 307-322.
Poly-L-ornithine-mediated transfection of human keratinocytes

Human keratinocytes are notoriously difficult to transfect. We have optimized a method for introducing plasmid DNA into keratinocytes that pairs the polycation poly-L-ornithine with a dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) shock. The optimum poly-L-ornithine conditions for keratinocyte transfection entailed incubating the cells with 12 μg.ml poly-L-ornithine and 10 μg DNA for 6 h, followed by a 4-min 25% DMSO shock. Based on kinetic studies, 1 h is enough time to produce 10% positive cells in transient transfections, which increases up to an average of 20% after 6 h. Transfected cells survive passaging, and marker plasmids and selection can be used to yield stable transfectants at a rate twofold higher than in cells transfected with polybrene and DMSO. Transient transfection rates were significantly higher using poly-L-ornithine/DMSO than with the polybrene/DMSO or polybrete/glycerol methods previously reported. Overall, transfection mediated by poly-L-ornithine provides an efficient and inexpensive means of transiently or stably introducing DNA into keratinocytes.
Organizational Impacts on the Secondary Traumatic Stress of Social Workers Assisting Family Violence or Sexual Assault Survivors

This research examines the influence of organizational characteristics on secondary traumatic stress of social workers who provide direct services to survivors of family violence or sexual assault. The sample (n = 154) was recruited through the National Association of Social Workers' member list. The study found that social workers who received more support from their coworkers, supervisors, and work teams demonstrated lower levels of secondary traumatic stress. Social workers who also had more access to their organizations' strategic information exhibited lower levels of secondary traumatic stress. Several implications for social work administrators are suggested based on the findings.
Signaling with identical tokens: Lower bounds with energy constraints

As system sizes shrink to the nanoscale, the usual macroscopic methods of communication using electromagnetic and acoustic waves become increasingly difficult owing to, essentially, a mismatch between realizable antenna sizes and the propagation characteristics of the medium. Thus, at the scale of microns and below, communication methods which utilize molecular messengers become increasingly attractive, a notion supported by the ubiquity of molecular signaling in biological systems, usually with identical molecules. In a large portion of previous work, time-varying signal molecule/token concentration is used as the observable and various analyses performed. However, from an information-theoretic standpoint, concentration masks the underlying process which consists, fundamentally, of signal token emission, diffusion through some medium, and reception. In this paper we establish a lower bound on identical token signaling with energy constraints and thereby indirectly provide max-min bounds on concentration-based signaling rates.
Hemodynamic Abnormalities in Response to Mild and Intense Upright Exercise following Operative Correction of an Atrial Septal Defect or Tetralogy of Fallot

Patients are often asymptomatic after operative correction of an atrial septal defect (ASD) or tetralogy of Fallot (TF). However, the maximal functional capacity of their hearts relative to that of normal subjects has not been defined. Twelve asymptomatic patients who had ASDs closed and 10 asymptomatic patients who had total correction of tetralogy of Fallot were evaluated by catheterization studies at rest and during mild and intense treadmill exercise. Except for small right ventricular outflow gradients in the tetralogy of Fallot group (2-21 mm Hg), data recorded at rest were normal or nearly so in each subject. However, at a level of upright exercise sufficiently intense to lower pulmonary arterial oxygen saturation to 30%, cardiac output was below that attained by normal subjects (mean, 8.9 ± 0.3 liters/min/m2) in seven of 12 ASD patients (mean, 6.6 ± 0.6 liters/min/m2) and in eight of 10 tetralogy of Fallot patients (mean, 6.1 ± 0.3 liters/min/m2). Right ventricular (RV) outflow gradients, measured...
Saltpetre, tin and gunpowder: Addenda to the correspondence of Lavoisier and Franklin

(1960). Saltpetre, tin and gunpowder: Addenda to the correspondence of Lavoisier and Franklin. Annals of Science: Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 83-94.
Infinite-Range Mean-Field Percolation: Transfer Matrix Study of Longitudinal Correlation Length

Two infinite-range directed percolation models, equivalent also to epidemic models, are considered for a finite population (finite number of sites)N at each “time” (directed axis) step. The general features of the transfer matrix spectrum (evolution operator spectrum for the epidemic) are studied numerically, and compared with analytical predictions in the limitN = ∞. One of the models is devised to allow numerical results to be obtained forN as high as nearly 800 for the largest longitudinal percolation correlation length (relaxation time for epidemic). The finite-N behavior of this correlation length is studied in detail, including scaling near the percolation transition, exponential divergence (withN) above the percolation transition, as well as other noncritical and critical-point properties.
Risk, Trust and ʻThe Beyondʼ of the Environment: A Brief Look at the Recent Case of Mad Cow Disease in the United States

The epistemologically distant nature of many of todayʼs environmental risks greatly problematises conventional risk analyses that emphasise objectivity, materiality, factual specificity and certainty. Such analyses fail to problematise issues of ontology and epistemology, assuming a reality that is readily ʻreadableʼ and a corresponding knowledge of that reality that is asocial, objective and certain. Under the weight of modern, invisible, manufactured environmental risks, however, these assumptions begin to crack, revealing their tenuous nature. As this paper argues, statements of risk are ultimately social products that come to us by way of translation. They are statements not of what is (ontology) but of knowledge (epistemology) expressed in probabilistic terms, and are thus thoroughly social in nature, for it is we – through our actions and social networks – that imbue them with meaning. One way we do this is through our social relations of trust. And it is this relationship – between trust and risk – that this paper seeks to detail both conceptually and empirically (while remaining grounded in a realist philosophy of science). While one could look toward any number of case studies to develop the conceptual details of this project, this paper focuses on the relatively recent (and first) case of mad cow disease to have been reported within the United States. Here, we have an epistemologically distant, and thus hotly contested, ʻobjectʼ (or is it?), which has been the source of much risk debate; a debate that is also, in part, the effect of a deeper erosion of trust, particularly toward those managing our meat supply.
High School Curriculum Track and Adolescent Association with Delinquent Friends

Drawing on ecological perspectives and sociological theories of deviance, this study explored the influence on adolescent delinquency of two potential intersections between high school curriculum a...
Research Note: Carotene and Xanthophyll Changes During Growth and Processing of Turf Bermudagrass

Abstract Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of drying method and grass-clipping length on the concentrations of carotene and xanthophyll in turf type bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon). This lawn grass has potential for use as a xanthophyll source for poultry in the southern US. Oven-drying at 150 C for 40 min, oven-drying at 70 C for 20 h, dark room-drying at approximately 25 C for 120 h, and field-drying in natural sunlight were compared with freeze-drying. The field-drying method resulted in carotene and xanthophyll concentrations of only 15 and 52 mg/kg, whereas freeze-drying yielded the best values: 499 and 886 mg/kg, respectively. Regression analysis of both carotene and xanthophyll content indicated no significant differences that could be attributed to grass-clipping length.
A new hierarchy of hypercube interconnection schemes for parallel computers

This paper introduces a new hierarchy of cube-based interconnection schemes, called the base-b cube (which properly contains the well-known binary cube), for the design of parallel computers. This hierarchy admits a recursive definition and allows many more reconfigurations than are possible with the binary cube. Our analysis addresses the inherent cost-delay trade-off for this hierarchy along with a number of related topological properties such as sparsity, diameter, existence of node disjoint paths, and odd and even cycles. Embeddings of standard interconnection schemes including linear and two-dimensional arrays, rings, and complete binary trees in a base-b cube are illustrated.
RNA‐Aminoglycosid‐Wechselwirkungen: Design und Synthese von „Amino‐aminoglycosiden”︁ und deren Bindung an RNA

Die elektrostatische Wechselwirkung ist entscheidend bei der Bindung von Aminoglycosid-Antibiotica an RNA. Dies ergab der Austausch von OH- gegen NH2-Gruppen, z.B. in Kanamycin A 1. Das Derivat 2 inhibiert ein Hammerhead-Ribozym viel starker als 1. Es wird vorgeschlagen, das die raumliche Anordnung der positiven Ladungen die Bindungsstarke der Aminoglycoside bestimmt.
Release of14C-adenine derivatives from cerebral cortical slices: Effect of phenytoin and phenobarbital

Both ouabain, 0.1 mM, and veratridine, 0.05 mM, increased the release of14C-labeled compounds from rat cortical slices prelabeled with14C-adenine and incubated in vitro. The increment in radioactivity released by both depolarizing agents was almost entirely a result of increases in adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine. However, the distribution of these three compounds in the ouabain-induced efflux (adenosine, 12%; inosine, 51%; hypoxanthine, 36%) contrasted with that evoked by veratridine (adenosine, 42%; inosine, 15%; hypoxanthine, 38%). Phenytoin significantly reduced the efflux of14C-labeled compounds produced by both ouabain and veratridine, but phenobarbital had no effect. The intracortical injection of adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine has been shown to induce epileptiform discharges in rats, and it is suggested that the inhibitory effect of phenytoin on the release of adenine derivatives may play a role in its antiepileptic action.
Tailored Nanoscale Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Two potential molecular imaging vectors are investigated for material properties and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast improvement. Monodisperse magnetite (Fe3 O4 ) nanocrystals ranging in size from 7 to 22 nm are solvothermally synthesized by thermolysis of Fe(III) acetylacetonate (Fe(AcAc)3 ) both with and without the use of heptanoic acid (HA) as a capping ligand. For the resulting Fe3 O4 nanocrystals, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry (SQUID) is used to identify the average particle size, monodispersity, crystal symmetry, and magnetic properties of the ensembles as a function of time. The characterization study indicates that the HA synthesis route at 3 hours produced nanoparticles with the greatest magnetic anisotropy (15.8 × 104 J/m3 ). The feasibility of Fe8 single molecule magnets (SMMs) as a potential MRI contrast agent is also examined. SQUID magnetization measurements are used to determine anisotropy and saturation of the potential agents. The effectiveness of the Fe3 O4 nanocrystals and Fe8 as potential MRI molecular probes is evaluated by MRI contrast improvement using 1.5 mL phantoms dispersed in de-ionized water. Results indicate that the magnetically optimized Fe3 O4 nanocrystals and Fe8 SMMs hold promise for use as contrast agents based on the reported MRI images and solution phase T1 /T2 shortening.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Knowledge Representation Of CT Scans Of The Head

We have been investigating diagnostic knowledge models which assist in the automatic classification of medical images by combining information extracted from each image with knowledge specific to that class of images. In a more general sense we are trying to integrate verbal and pictorial descriptions of disease via representations of knowledge, study automatic hypothesis generation as related to clinical medicine, evolve new mathematical image measures while integrating them into the total diagnostic process, and investigate ways to augment the knowledge of the physician. Specifically, we have constructed an artificial intelligence knowledge model using the technique of a production system blending pictorial and verbal knowledge about the respective CT scan and patient history. It is an attempt to tie together different sources of knowledge representation, picture feature extraction and hypothesis generation. Our knowledge reasoning and representation system (KRRS) works with data at the conscious reasoning level of the practicing physician while at the visual perceptional level we are building another production system, the picture parameter extractor (PPE). This paper describes KRRS and its relationship to PPE.
High-power density pyroelectric energy harvesters incorporating switchable liquid-based thermal interfaces

Pyroelectric thermal energy harvesters are intriguing alternatives to thermoelectric devices due to their high thermodynamic efficiency and reduced heat sink requirements. We report a concept for pyroelectric energy harvesters that utilize liquid-based switchable thermal interfaces to achieve thermodynamic cycling frequencies and hence high-power densities. Pyroelectric energy harvesting in thin films of 56/44 P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer is demonstrated at thermodynamic cycle frequencies of the order of 1 Hz and material-level power densities of the order of 100 mW/cm3. The present work demonstrates the viability of high-power density pyroelectric thermal energy harvesters based on liquid-based switchable interfaces and identifies a need for optimized electrode arrays to maximize their potential.
Explanation of Spin−Lattice Relaxation Rates of Spin Labels Obtained with Multifrequency Saturation Recovery EPR

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) pulsed saturation recovery (pSR) measurements of spin−lattice relaxation rates have been made on nitroxide-containing fatty acids embedded in lipid bilayers by Hyde and co-workers. The data have been collected for a number of spin-labeled fatty acids at several microwave spectrometer frequencies (from 2 to 35 GHz). We compare these spin−lattice relaxation rates to those predicted by the Redfield theory incorporating several mechanisms. The dominant relaxation mechanism at low spectrometer frequencies is the electron−nuclear dipolar (END) process, with spin rotation (SR), chemical shift anisotropy (CSA), and a generalized spin diffusion (GSD) mechanism all contributing. The use of a wide range of spectrometer frequencies makes clear that the dynamics cannot be modeled adequately by rigid-body isotropic rotational motion. The dynamics of rigid-body anisotropic rotational motion is sufficient to explain the experimental relaxation rates within the experimental error. Mor...
Atypical kinetics of CYP2B6‐catalyzed reactions: Evidence for separate binding sites within the active site

ATYPICAL KINETICS OF CYP2B6-CATALYZED REACTIONS: EVIDENCE FOR SEPARATE BINDING SITES WITHIN THE ACTIVE SITE. Z. Desta, B. A. Ward, D. A. Flockhart. Div. Clin. Pharmacol., Dept. Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN. Efavirenz hydroxylation to MI and MIII is primarily catalyzed by CYP2B6. To obtain insight in to the catalytic properties of CYP2B6, we analyzed the kinetics of this enzyme in the formation of MI and MIII from efavirenz and the degree of inhibition of MI and MIII by selected drugs in HLMs and recombinant CYP2B6 (rCYP2B6). The formation rate of MIII showed substrate inhibition in HLMs (inhibition constant, Ksi: 911.~M and 2781xM in two HLMs, HL9 and in HL09/14/99 resp.) and rCYP2B6 (~701xM), while that of MI was sigmoidal kinetics in HLMs (Hill coefficient, 1.33 in HL9 and 1.72 in HL09/14/99) and hyperbolic kinetics in rCYP2B6. Upon screening, thioTEPA, paroxefine and ticlopidine were found to be potent inhibitors of CYP2B6 in vitro. We then tested the potency of these drugs to inhibit CYP2B6 by incubating efavirenz (10b~M) in HLMs without (control) and with each test inhibitor (5btM). ThioTEPA, ticlopidine, and paroxetine preferentially reduced MIII formation rate (by 48%, 85%, 70% resp.) relative to that of MI (30%, 37.5% and 5% resp.). Similar data were obtained when efavirenz was incubated with rCYP2B6. Our data indicate the presence of distinct substratebinding domains within the CYP2B6 active site. h~ibitors and genetic polymorphisms of CYP2B6 may differentially affect the rate of metabolism of CYP2B6 substrates depending on the degree of interaction with the specific site involved in the metabolism of a specific drug.
Proteomic analysis (GeLC-MS/MS) of ePFT-collected pancreatic fluid in chronic pancreatitis.

Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, pain, and loss of exocrine function of the pancreas. We aimed to identify differentially expressed proteins in the ePFT-collected pancreatic fluid from individuals with chronic pancreatitis (CP; n = 9) and controls with chronic abdominal pain not associated with the pancreas (NP; n = 9). Using GeLC–MS/MS techniques, we identified a total of 1391 different proteins in 18 pancreatic fluid samples. Of these proteins, 257 and 413 were identified exclusively in the control and chronic pancreatitis cohorts, respectively, and 721 were identified in both cohorts. Spectral counting and statistical analysis thereof revealed an additional 38 and 77 proteins that were up- or down-regulated, respectively, in the pancreatic fluid from individuals with chronic pancreatitis. As expected, gene ontology analysis illustrated that the largest percentage of differentially regulated proteins was secreted/extracellular in origin. In addition, proteins that were do...
Unilateral nephrectomy in the rat: effects on mercury handling and renal cortical subcellular distribution.

Abstract As unilateral nephrectomy (UNX) is associated with enhanced mercuric chloride nephrotoxicity, studies were undertaken to characterize the effects of UNX on the tissue content, urinary excretion, and renal cortical subcellular distribution of mercury in the rat. Animals were studied immediately, 2 days or 14 days following UNX, during separate phases of compensatory renal hypertrophy. As compared to sham surgery controls, mercury content in renal cortex was higher in all UNX groups at 24 hr following injection and in the immediate and 2-day groups at 1 or 3 hr. However, UNX was not associated with any alteration in mercury content within outer or inner medulla, liver, plasma, or red blood cells. Subcellular distribution studies demonstrated that cytosolic mercury was uniformly elevated in all UNX groups at 1, 3, and 24 hr following injection while mercury bound to “metallothionein-like” proteins or free in the cytosol was increased only at 1 or 3 hr. Nuclear, mitochondrial, or microsomal mercury content was elevated in the animals studied immediately or 14 days after UNX at 3 or 24 hr following injection, while animals studied 2 days after UNX demonstrated a nearly uniform increase at 1, 3, and 24 hr. Single-kidney urinary mercyry excretion was elevated in all UNX groups while excretion per gram kidney weight was increased only in the animals studied immediately or 2 days after surgery. These studies suggest that all phases of compensatory renal hypertrophy are associated with an enhanced content of mercury within the cell cytoplasm and in critical cellular organelles, which may explain the enhanced nephrotoxicity seen following UNX.
Survival of melanoma patients with brain metastases treated with ipilimumab and stereotactic radiosurgery.

Historically, melanoma with brain metastases has a poor prognosis. In this retrospective medical record review, we report the outcome of patients with stage IV melanoma with brain metastases treated with ipilimumab and brain stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). All patients with metastatic melanoma treated with ipilimumab from June 2010 to September 2012 were identified and stratified by presence (A) or absence (B) of brain metastases at the time of ipilimumab administration. All patients with brain metastases received SRS. Overall survival (OS) was defined as time from the date of stage IV diagnosis and the time of ipilimumab administration to death or last follow-up. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and Cox proportional hazards model was employed to compute the hazard ratios (HR). Results: Five out of 10 patients in Cohort A and 10 out of 21 patients in Cohort B died as of last follow-up. In Cohort A, median number of lesions treated with SRS was 3. Median survivals from date of stage IV for Cohorts A and B were 29.3 and 33.1 months, respectively (HR = 0.93, P = 0.896). Median survival from cycle 1 ipilimumab was 16.5 and 24.5 months for Cohort A and B, respectively (HR = 1.05, P = 0.931). The 3-year survival rates from the date of cycle one of ipilimumab administration for Cohort A and B were 50% (95% CI: 27–93%) and 39% (95% CI: 19–81%), respectively. Eight of 10 patients in Cohort A maintained a good PS. Survival of patients with melanoma brain metastases treated with ipilimumab combined with SRS may be comparable to patients without brain metastases.
Antiviral Therapy for Hepatitis C

Current treatment for hepatitis C virus infection consists of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The most important predictors of response to antiviral therapy for HCV include genotype 2 or 3 infection, baseline viral load less than 2 million copies/mL, and the absence of cirrhosis. Hepatitis C genotype and viral load should be obtained prior to initiating therapy. Liver biopsy can be used to stage the liver disease, to provide prognostic information, and to evaluate for coexisting causes of liver injury. Patients with genotype 1 infection require 48 weeks of therapy and a ribavirin dosage of 1000 to 1200 mg/d to achieve an optimal response. Patients with genotype 2 or 3 infection require only 24 weeks of treatment and a ribavirin dose of 800 mg/d. Treatment may be discontinued in patients who do not have a 100-fold reduction in hepatitis C virus RNA level from baseline at week 12 because they are unlikely to achieve a sustained response with further therapy. Patients with cirrhosis and hepatic decompensation or a small hepatocellular carcinoma should be evaluated for liver transplantation.
A Hoard of Floating Monkeys: Creativity and Inhuman Becomings in Woolf's Nurse Lugton Story

This essay analyses how Virginia Woolf’s critically under-examined children’s story about Nurse Lugton connects the becoming-artistic of writing to animal becomings. Examining the links between creativity and the other-than-human via Gilles Deleuze and Elizabeth Grosz, I claim that the ‘animation’ of the stitched animal figures on Nurse Lugton’s ‘canvas’ reveals that art is the enlivenment of vibratory and affective qualities, as opposed to a monumentalising of symbols or concepts. Moreover, the curtain in Woolf’s story should be read as creative materiality itself, its folds participating in the self-varying dynamism of the virtual and actual. My analysis of the two published versions of the story, and their accompanying illustrations, outlines an affirmative biopoetics at the heart of Woolf’s aesthetic project and suggests that Woolf’s creative sources are embedded in inhuman, biological forces.
Oral lesions caused by an orthodontic retainer: a case report.

Jetainers are mostly used at the end of the active phase of orthodontic treatment to stabilize the teeth for extended periods of time. Retainers can be either fixed or removable. Removable orthodontic retainers, such as Hawley appliances, are made of an acrylic body and also incorporates stainless steel wires that are used for constructing the labial bow and the retention clasps. The ends of the labial bow are often bent to cross the occlusal table and get embedded in the
Kainic acid lesion of mouse striatum: Effects on energy metabolites

Abstract The neurotoxic effects of intrastriatal injection of kainic acid have been examined in the mouse. An injection of 0.35 ug kainate produced 2.5–2.7 mm diameter lesions in the striatum, with no neuronal degeneration in other structures except the deeper layers of the overlying cortex; at 48 hours, choline acetyltransferase and glutamate decarboxylase activities were both reduced by 50% while tyrosine hydroxylase activity was increased by 145%. Two hours after kainate injection, phosphocreatine, ATP, total adenosines and glucose were significantly decreased while AMP and lactate were elevated when compared to both contralateral and control striata. The results indicate that kainate-induced neurotoxicity results in a loss of high energy phosphates but that the metabolic alterations differ from those associated with anoxia or seizures.
A role for APP in motility and transcription

Recent studies suggest two novel roles for the amyloid precursor protein (APP): APP accelerates wound healing in MDCK cells and acts in a notch-like manner to activate transcription. Both of these putative functions are dependent on the interaction of APP with the APP-binding protein FE65. Future studies are required to understand the full implications of these new findings and to determine whether therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease should take these putative functions into account.
Are findings from studies of obesity and prostate cancer really in conflict

Recent studies on the association between obesity and prostate cancer appear to be in conflict. A recent prospective cohort study reported that the incidence of prostate cancer was lower among obese men under the age of 60 years and among those men with a family history of prostate cancer. Similarly, a case-control study found obesity was inversely associated with prostate cancer risk in men aged 40-64 years. However, several prospective cohort studies found that obese men are more likely to die from prostate cancer than non-obese men. Finally, two recent studies found that among men with prostate cancer, obese men were more likely to have a biochemical progression after surgery. We postulate that by closely examining the comparison groups used in these studies, these findings may, in fact, be in agreement. Specifically, this paradox within the literature may result from the possibility that obesity influences the development of aggressive (i.e., higher stage, higher grade, recurrence, death) and non-aggressive disease differently. We suggest that obesity may reduce the risk of non-aggressive disease but simultaneously increase the risk of aggressive disease. Finally, additional methodological issues are discussed that investigators need to be aware of to be able to draw inferences across studies of obesity and prostate cancer outcomes.
Microfilament organization and distribution in freeze substituted tobacco plant tissues

The organization and distribution of microfilaments in freze substituted leaf tissues and root tips of tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. var. Maryland Mammoth) were investigated in detail. Three categories of microfilaments were recognized in interphase cells of all tissues including those in the root cap: (1) microfilament bundles; (2) single microfilaments; (3) cortical microtubuleassociated microfilaments. While the microfilament bundles appeared to be distributed throughout the cytoplasm, the single microfilaments were mainly confined to the cell periphery. All three categories of microfilaments were associated with various organelles. Our study indicates that the three categories of microfilaments are normal cytoskeletal components in higher plant cells. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Marketing Library and Information Services: An Annotated Guide to Recent Trends and Developments.

In the spring of 1982, I published an article in Reference Services Review on marketing libraries and information services. The article covered available literature on that topic from 1970 through part of 1981, the time period immediately following Kotler and Levy's significant and frequently cited article in the January 1969 issue of the Journal of Marketing, which was first to suggest the idea of marketing nonprofit organizations. The article published here is intended to update the earlier work in RSR and will cover the literature of marketing public, academic, special, and school libraries from 1982 to the present.
Surgical/radiological interventions for cancer pain

Pain is a major morbidity associated with cancer and up to 20% patients require invasive procedures for pain relief. Ablative techniques can be directed towards the spinal cord and brain to palliate pain or modify its perception. Anterolateral cordotomy, myelotomy, DREZotomy and cingulotomy are useful interventions for the management of refractory cancer pain. Advanced imaging modalities, including intraoperative computed tomography (CT) guidance, have increased safety and efficacy of these interventions. In this paper, authors review the recent literature regarding surgical interventions for the management of cancer pain.
A Modified Dual-Output Interleaved PFC Converter Using Single Negative Rail Current Sense for Server Power Systems

The interleaved PFC topologies have been widely used since they allow for smaller components, improved thermal performance, better transients, and reduced current ripple. In this letter, conventional two-phase interleaved universal input PFC topology is modified to obtain dual independent outputs for server applications, which minimizes the transient effects of interleaving legs on each other through two split dc buses. A new digital control method using only one current sensor located on the negative dc rail is proposed to control the dual-output interleaved PFC converter. Double-loop digital control of two interleaving stages is implemented using a single low-cost microcontroller (TMS320F28027-PiccoloA). In the proposed control technique, the control circuitry, input voltage, and current sensing circuits are shared between two PFC power stages, which minimize the size and the cost of the design significantly.
Effect of Dimethyl Disulfide on Offshore Elastomers for Seal Applications

Dimethyl disulfide or DMDS is a sulphur solvent that is finding increasing usage in improving production in sour or high sulphur wells. The solvent power of DMDS coupled with its chemical activity has raised some questions in regard to its compatibility with elastomers and plastics commonly used in oilfield seal assemblies. This study will review the results obtained in both autoclave testing and seal life testing. Autoclave tests are discussed.
Behavior and pathogenicity of Tritrichomonas foetus in chick liver cell cultures.

SYNOPSIS. Clones of Tritrichomonas foetus, referred to as strains KV-1, DK-2, and UT-1, which were judged by subcutaneous mouse assay to differ in pathogenicity, had different effects on trypsin-dispersed liver cell cultures prepared from 3 lines (Light Brown Leghorn, Massachusetts Brown, Massachusetts Low Growth) of chicks. The general pattern of parasite-cell interaction was similar in all cell cultures, but the intensity of certain responses of the cultures to trichomonads, reflected best in the levels of macrophage activity, depended on the line of chicks. The mild UT-1 strain was readily engulfed and digested by the macrophages, caused very little damage to the epithelial cells and fibroblasts, and had a minimal inhibitory effect on the division rate of the latter. Many abnormal changes were seen, however, in the cytoplasm and nucleil of fibroblasts and epithelial cells in cultures exposed to strains of high (KV-1) and intermediate (DK-2) pathogenicity or to cell-free filtrates of rich active cultures (henceforth referred to as filtrates) of these strains. The changes included retraction of cytoplasm which caused cell-free spaces to appear in the sheets of fibroblasts and around the epithelial islands; the islands became detached from the surrounding fibroblast sheets and tended to form multilayered cell mounds. The flagellates and filtrates of KV-1 strain greatly inhibited fibroblast division, and similar, but less pronounced, inhibitory effects were exerted by DK-2 strain and its filtrates. Trichomonads of all 3 strains did not attach themselves to fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Thus the abnormal changes in cultures infected with KV-1 and DK-2 parasites apparently were caused by some toxic substances produced by the trichomonads, which had to be responsible also for the identical changes in cultures exposed to filtrates of these strains. KV-1 and DK-2 strains inhibited the phagocytic activity of the macrophages in the early stages of infection, the former causing stronger and longer lasting inhibition. Trichomonads of KV-1 strain multiplied actively within the phagocytes which developed degenerative changes and ultimately burst, releasing healthy parasites into the medium. DK-2 flagellates, altho incapable of dividing inside the macrophages, usually were not digested and caused degeneration of the cells which contained them.
On the extension of goal-oriented error estimation and hierarchical modeling to discrete lattice models

The Goals algorithm for adaptive modeling is extended to the case of discrete models such as those characterized by lattice structures (or the static behavior molecular systems) by using surrogate models obtained from continuum approximations of the lattice. The result is a technique that could provide for scale-bridging between continuum models and atomistic models, although the present development concerns only simple algebraic systems. An example is provided in which quantities of interest in system with a large number of degrees of freedom are computed to a preset tolerance in relatively few low-order approximations.
A Probability Nomogram to Predict Rectal Temperature in Children

The relationship between rectal and peripheral-site temperature was investigated to achieve two objectives: 1) to evaluate a prevailing practice of intersite adjustment by use of an invariant temperature difference; and 2) to develop a statistical method for intersite temperature predictions in the individual child, especially for fever as defined by rectal measurement. Rectal, oral, axillary, left abdomen skin, and forehead skin temperatures (degrees F) were measured with an electronic thermometer in 257 children. Objective 1 was not achieved because a simple temperature difference between a peripheral site and the rectal site could not be used to predict rectal temperature reliably. For objective 2, intersite differences met three statistical criteria so that normal distribution theory could be used to derive the probabilities for occurrence of each difference. Accordingly, cumulative probability nomograms were constructed to estimate rectal-site fever from measurements at peripheral sites. This nomogram method produces a clinically reliable prediction of rectal-site fever from temperature measurement at peripheral sites, especially the oral and axillary sites. These predictions offer useful assessments of febrile illness severity when rectal temperature is not available.
Exploring advergaming and its online advertising implications

Traditional methods of Internet advertising, such as banners and pop-ups, have lost their support by marketers in recent years. Good businesses recognise the value of ongoing customer relationship management and the potential profits that come from cultivating and strengthening that relationship over time. The end of the Information Technology (IT) boom has brought managers' attention back to the essence of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). When IT companies were no longer able to sustain their billion dollar businesses, they began focusing their attention to the importance of retaining loyal customers. Advergaming is potentially a dramatic way, because advertising online is cheaper than companies can through more traditional media and more effectively than using banners and pop-ups. Advergames may be able to take advantage of the recent trend of online gaming by targeting many different and specific demographic groups of consumers. Many companies that utilise advergaming have seen a great response from consumers. The Diffusion of Innovations Theory may assist in explaining the basic evolution as some companies are adopting the usage of advergaming in their marketing strategies.
Using the Service Encounter Model to Enhance Our Understanding of Business-To-Consumer Transactions in an eEnvironment

The aim of this paper is to provide an alternative perspective to enhance our understanding of the transactions between customers and service providers in an electronic environment. The service encounter literature is well established in the Marketing field and provides an alternative model to explore online business-to- consumer transactions. The taxonomy of antecedents of satisfaction developed from this model has been tested over time, across respondents (i.e., customers' perspective vs. employees' perspective), and across different settings. This taxonomy, however, has been mostly restricted to the bricks-and-mortar environment. Based on the analysis of a pretest sample of customer-reported online experiences, the taxonomy has the potential to enhance our understanding of business-to-consumer online transactions. The next step is to carry out a complete study in order refine the taxonomy to account for the electronic context.
B#: a battery emulator and power-profiling instrument

B# (B sharp) is a programmable power supply that emulates battery behavior. It measures current load, calls a battery simulation program to compute voltage in real time, and controls a linear regulator to mimic a battery's voltage output. The instrument enables validation of battery-aware power optimization techniques with accurate controllable reproducible results.
Effect of voltage on platinum dissolution : Relevance to polymer electrolyte fuel cells

One of the processes responsible for performance degradation of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) is the loss of the electrochemically active surface area of the platinum-based electrocatalysts, due in part to platinum dissolution. The long-term dissolution behavior of polycrystalline platinum and high-surface-area carbon-supported platinum particles was studied under potentiostatic conditions relevant to PEFC cathode conditions. The equilibrium concentration of dissolved Pt was found to increase monotonically from 0.65 to 1.1 V (vs SHE) and decrease at potentials >1.1 V. Dissolution rates measured at 0.9 V were comparable for the two types of electrodes (1.4 and 1.7 × 10 -14 g/cm 2 s).
Arousal and mood factors in the "Mozart effect".

Some investigators of the "Mozart effect" have not controlled for the influence of differences in arousal or mood induced by treatment conditions. Studies by Rideout and colleagues reported differences in spatial reasoning after listening to a Mozart sonata compared against a relaxation instruction tape. The conditions may have affected subjects’ arousal differentially, with the sonata increasing arousal and the relaxation instructions decreasing arousal, which could have affected spatial reasoning performance. Evidence is cited in support of this suggestion and indicates the importance of analyzing the influence of arousal differences in Mozart effect research.
Assessment of Autonomic Control and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Using Point Process Models of Human Heart Beat Dynamics

Tracking the autonomic control and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) from electrocardiogram and respiratory measurements is an important problem in cardiovascular control. We propose a point process adaptive filter algorithm based on an inverse Gaussian model to track heart beat intervals that incorporates respiratory measurements as a covariate and provides an analytic form for computing a dynamic estimate of RSA gain. We use Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests and autocorrelation function analyses to assess model goodness-of-fit. We illustrate the properties of the new dynamic estimate of RSA in the analysis of simulated heart beat data and actual heart beat data recorded from subjects in a four-state postural study of heart beat dynamics: control, sympathetic blockade, parasympathetic blockade, and combined sympathetic and parasympathetic blockade. In addition to giving an accurate description of the heart beat data, our adaptive filter algorithm confirms established findings pointing at a vagally mediated RSA and provides a new dynamic RSA estimate that can be used to track cardiovascular control between and within a broad range of postural, pharmacological, and age conditions. Our paradigm suggests a possible framework for designing a device for ambulatory monitoring and assessment of autonomic control in both laboratory research and clinical practice.
Probabilistic state mapping as a model for speech production

The model has been successfully applied to bandwidth expansion and speech enhancement. We are in the process of evaluating the performance of the model for automatic speech recognition in noisy environments. This probabilistic model shows great generality and can be applied to other problems such as speech modification and speaker separation.
Synthetic Stratigraphy of Epicontinental Seas: A Carbonate Sedimentation Model and its Applications in Sea Level Studies: ABSTRACT

Carbonates from the central parts of epicontinental seas are ideal strata for detailed study of eustatic sea level change. On the basis of sedimentation model in which carbonate accumulation rate is directly proportional to water depth, we developed synthetic stratigraphies for sea level histories expected for post-glacial transgression and for constant and sinusoidally fluctuating ocean ridge volume increase. These histories give distinctly different trends for water depth as a function of stratigraphic position in the sections' bathymetric curves. In general, water depth is proportional to the rate of sea level rise. Depth-dependent sedimentation leads to a time lag between sea level fluctuation and corresponding depth fluctuation which, as examples show, can approach 1 6 years for depth fluctuations of even a few meters--a fundamental consideration for reconstructing sea level curves, time-correlating sections by bathymetric curves, and relating water depth on continents to ocean ridge volume. Bathymetric curves based on gradient analysis of fossil assemblages (coenocorrelation curves) for American Middle Ordovician sections approximate patterns expected for sinusoidally increasing sea level. The model's predictions are tested in an "artificial experiment" that takes advantage of differential subsidence between the craton's middle and its edge to make a difference in the bathymetric histories of sections that otherwise record the same sea level history. The depth dependence in sedimentation was that above wave base net accumulation per year was very roughly 3 × 10-6 of the water depth. End_of_Article - Last_Page 462------------