cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TOLERANCE TO THE CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF Δ9-TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL IN THE RAT

1. Daily intraperitoneal injections of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC, 10 mg/kg) resulted in tolerance to the effects of the cannabinoid on body weight and body temperature within 1-2 weeks of treatment. 2. Tolerance failed to develop to the suppression of spontaneous motor activity produced by delta9-THC during 28 days of treatment with the cannabinoid (10 mg/kg, i.p. per day). 3. Following treatment with vehicle for 28 days, intravenous administration of delta9-THC in anaesthetized rats produced a transient pressor response followed by a sustained hypotension and bradycardia. 4. Tolerance to the hypotensive and negative chronotropic responses to intravenous delta9-THC was readily apparent in animals which had received daily intraperitoneal injections of delta9-THC (10 mg/kg) for 28 days. 5. Tolerance failed to develop to the pressor actions of intravenous delta9-THC after 28 days of preptreatment. 6. There was no difference in the pressor response to intravenous noradrenaline in vehicle-treated animals (1.0 ml/kg, i.p., per day for 28 days) and delta9-THC-treated animals (10 mg/kg, i.p., per day for 28 days).
Macrosegregation patterns in multicomponent Ni-base alloys

A mathematical model of the dendritic solidification of multicomponent alloys, that includes thermosolutal convection and macrosegregation, is presented. The model is an extension of one previously developed for binary alloys. Numerical simulations are given for ternary and quaternary Ni-base alloys, and the evolution of macrosegregation during solidification is studied. The results show that the segregation patterns vary greatly with cooling conditions, adopting several shapes and levels of intensity. Calculations of segregation in rectangular molds and in molds with smooth and abrupt variations of the cross sections exhibit significant differences in the distribution of macrosegregation due to the change in geometry. In addition, the segregation patterns are found to be particularly sensitive to the values of the equilibrium partition coefficients of the alloy components.
Health consequences of the world trade center disaster: A 10th anniversary perspective

TEN YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE TERRORIST ATtacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) towers and Pentagon building on September 11, 2001. The attacks—designed to cause rapid, widespread harm— killed thousands of people and acutely exposed hundreds of thousands to horrific events and potentially harmful environmental conditions. In the aftermath, large efforts were mounted to understand and treat the health effects experienced by survivors and responders, but knowledge was limited regarding ramifications of such an acute environmental disaster. Logistic and methodological challenges complicated efforts to establish and sustain clinical services and disentangle WTC attack–attributable conditions from background patterns. Yet despite setbacks, a consistent body of knowledge has emerged that guides current provision of services and informs future disaster preparedness, and a portfolio of dedicated clinical services now receives stable federal funding. On this 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we briefly review what is known regarding the health effects of the attacks, outline important questions that remain unanswered, describe current provisions for care for those affected, and discuss lessons learned for future disasters.
Characterization of the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana.

The small crucifer Arabidopsis thaliana has many useful features as an experimental organism for the study of plant molecular biology. It has a four-week life-cycle, only five chromosomes and a genome size less than half that of Drosophila. To characterize the DNA sequence organization of this plant, we have randomly selected 50 recombinant lambda clones containing inserts with an average length of 12,800 base-pairs and analyzed their content of repetitive and unique DNA by various genome blot, restriction digestion and RNA blot procedures. The following conclusions can be drawn. (1) The DNA represented in this random sample is composed predominantly of single-copy sequences. This presumably reflects the organization of the Arabidopsis genome as a whole and supports prior conclusions reached on the basis of kinetics of DNA reassociation. (2) The DNA that encodes the ribosomal RNAs constitutes the only major class of cloned nuclear repetitive DNA. It consists of approximately 570 tandem copies of a heterogeneous 9900-base-pair repeat unit. (3) There is an average of approximately 660 copies of the chloroplast genome per cell. Therefore, the chloroplast genome constitutes the major component of the repetitive sequences found in A. thaliana DNA made from whole plants. (4) The inner cytosine residue in the sequence C-C-G-G is methylated more often than the outer in the tandem ribosomal DNA units, whereas very few differences in the methylation state of these two cytosine residues are detected in unique sequences.
An empirical analysis of the market for formal venture capital: Evidence from the U.S.

The objective of this paper is to conduct an empirical analysis of the risk-return relationships in the formal venture capital market and compare such relationships with the trade-offs available through comparable investment vehicles. Based on ten years of market data, the performance of the venture capital companies (VCCs) is compared with that of the mutual funds as well as the broad market index. Test results from our study show that on average the VCCs well outperformed the comparable mutual funds as well as the market benchmark. The VCCs had the same level of risk as the high-growth mutual funds but yielded 9.5% more return on an annual basis. When ranked according to their performances, the VCCs occupied the top of the list.
Effective dose for patients undergoing coronary and femoral intravascular radiotherapy involving an HDR 192Ir source.

Effective dose equivalent (EDE), and effective dose (ED) for coronary and femoral Intravascular brachytherapy (IVBT) procedures involving a 370 GBq (10 Ci) HDR 1 9 2 Ir gamma source are tabulated. MIRD stylised models andthe MCNP Monte Carlo code were used for the calculations. For coronary irradiation, the normalised EDE is 0.18 mSv (GBq min) - 1 and the ED is 0.056 mSv (GBq min) - 1 . For femoral IVBT, the normalised EDE is 0.01629 mSv (GBq min) - 1 and the ED is 0.01195 mSv (GBq min) - 1 . Although the medical benefits to a patient undergoing IVBT are often significant and justified, patient doses are high compared with dose limits for radiation protection purposes. As IVBT is becoming a routine procedure, data in this paper could be useful to manage the procedures efficiently.
SE 2 model to support software evolution

The paper proposes an integrated approach, namely SE2, to support three core software maintenance and evolution tasks: feature location, software change impact analysis, and expert developer recommendation. The approach is centered on the combinations of the conceptual and evolutionary relationships latent in structured and unstructured software artifacts. Information Retrieval (IR) and Mining Software Repositories (MSR) based techniques are used for analyzing and deriving these relationships. All the three tasks are supported under a single, common framework by providing systematic combinations of MSR and IR analyses on single and multiple versions of a software system. This combining ability of SE2 sets it apart from previously reported relevant solutions in the literature. The outlined empirical assessment is aimed at identifying the exclusive and synergistic improvements offered by such combinations for each of the addressed tasks. Preliminary evaluation on a number of open source systems suggests that such combinations do offer improvements over individual approaches.
Aprotinin inhibits urokinase but not tissue-type plasminogen activator.

Abstract The protease inhibitor, aprotinin, has been examined for its ability to inhibit urokinase and tissue-type plasminogen activators at pH 7.4 in assays utilizing pyroGlu-Gly-Arg-p-nitroanilide and H-D-Ile-Pro-Arg-p-nitroanilide as substrates, respectively. Aprotinin inhibited both two-chain low molecular weight urokinase and the high molecular weight form of the enzyme in a competitive manner with a similar Ki (27 μM). There was no observable inhibition of tissue-type plasminogen activators at aprotinin concentrations up to 500 uM. These findings suggest that sensitivity to inhibition by aprotinin could be used to distinguish tissue-type and urokinase-type plasminogen activators.
Resolution of renal sulfhydryl oxidase from γ-glutamyltransferase by covalent chromatography on cysteinylsuccinamidopropyl-glass☆

Abstract Sulfhydryl oxidase from bovine kidney cortex was purified 2500-fold by covalent chromatography using cysteinylsuccinamidopropyl-glass. GSH oxidation catalyzed by the resulting preparation was found to be totally enzymatic, as judged by the inability of the preparation to reduce nitro blue tetrazolium, and H2O2 was found to be a product, as had been previously observed with milk sulfhydryl oxidase. No GSH peroxidase activity could be detected, using either H2O2 or t-butylhydroperoxide. The chromatographically purified renal sulfhydryl oxidase was resolved from γ-glutamyltransferase as evidenced by a 12,000-fold increase in ratio of the two enzymatic activities over that exhibited by crude kidney homogenates, and antibodies raised against purified milk sulfhydryl oxidase cross-reacted with the kidney oxidase, but not the kidney transferase.
The use of graded concentrations in studying skin sensitizers: experimental contact sensitization in man.

Abstract Human subjects were used to evaluate the skin sensitization potential of several substances used in marketed drugs and cosmetics, as well as other chemical agents. The results show that a modified Draize test is a useful, predictive patch-test procedure. Potentially strong sensitizers show a dose-response relationship when a range of concentrations of test material are used (at induction), whereas weak sensitizers may not; thus a range of concentrations of test materials may be used as a means of disclosing the potential of these compounds to produce delayed skin hypersensitivity.
Lung carcinoma symptoms—An independent predictor of survival and an important mediator of African-American disparity in survival

BACKGROUND The extent of disease in patients with lung carcinoma is reflected morphologically by stage and pathophysiologically by sign/symptoms. This study evaluates the associations between symptoms and stage, the independent impact of symptoms on survival, predictors of symptoms, and the extent to which symptoms mediate survival disparities. METHODS Data from 1154 patients with lung carcinoma were collected from the authors' tumor registry and by abstraction of medical records. Associations were evaluated by logistic and Cox regression analyses. RESULTS Symptomatic diagnoses were associated with advanced disease stage (odds ratio [OR], 4.53; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 3.17–6.48). Hoarseness, hemoptysis, dyspnea, noncardiac chest pain, extrathoracic pain, neurologic symptoms, weight loss, and weakness/fatigue (adverse symptoms) were associated independently with relatively higher/advanced stage and/or reduced survival. Adverse symptoms (≥ 1 vs. 0) predicted reduced survival independently of stage and other prognosticators (hazard ratio [HR], 1.84; 95%CI, 1.52–2.21). Independent predictors of adverse symptoms included gender (ORmale vs. female, 1.50; 95%CI, 1.11–2.01), race/ethnicity (ORblack vs. white, 1.62; 95%CI, 1.18–2.21), and marital status (ORspouseless vs. not, 1.79; 95%CI 1.31–2.45). The hazard ratios (HR; black vs white), univariate, adjusted for stage, and adjusted for stage and adverse symptoms, was 1.206 (95%CI, 1.05–1.38), 1.165 (95%CI, 1.01–1.34), and 1.075 (95%CI, 0.94–1.26), respectively. Adverse symptoms explained 43% of race/ethnic survival disparity beyond stage. CONCLUSIONS Symptoms were associated with disease stage, yet both were important, independent predictors of survival; and symptoms explained an important amount of race/ethnic disparity in the survival of patients with lung carcinoma. Symptomatology needs to be incorporated into cancer clinical trials and into outcomes and disparities research. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Stimulus-response relationships of insect olfaction: Correlations among neurophysiological and behavioral measures of response

Abstract The inter-relationships among parameters of odorant concentration, the responses evoked in single olfactory receptor neurons, the whole-animal behavioral threshold, and the intensity of the behavioral response are examined for insect olfaction from the perspective of a new phenomenological model of the perceived intensity of single odorants. Electrophysiological and behavioral data compiled from diverse insect studies are analyzed in detail to determine the utility of the model for interpreting these studies and for designing new studies. The analysis of electrophysiological data indicates that the response of olfactory receptor neurons can be expressed as a power function of the odorant concentration. The behavioral thresholds to sex pheromone, predicted by the model from direct calculations using phenomenological parameters, are in good agreement with thresholds measured by bioassay. It is also shown that the interpretation of behavioral bioassay data in terms of concepts introduced by the model provides more information about the behavioral response than provided by the currently popular probit analysis. In addition, aspects of the physiological significance of power functions are discussed, and new methods are presented for distinguishing background activity from activity evoked in single olfactory neurons by an odor at threshold levels.
Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate: Function in Photoreceptors

Inactivation of adenylate cyclase in outer segments of retinal photoreceptor cells is proportional to the bleaching of rhodopsin. Membranes of the outer segments also contain a particulate, light-insensitive phosphodiesterase of high specific activity. In electrophysiological experiments, application of cyclic adenosine monophosphate along with a methylxanthine mimics the effects of illumination on the photoreceptor cell of the compound eye of Limulus.
The relationship of local to overall behavioral contrast

Pigeons were presented with a three-component multiple schedule, with components appearing in an unpredictable order. After a baseline period in which all components were associated with reinforcement, a discrimination period followed in which one of the components was associated with extinction. Of the remaining two positive components, one was at times directly preceded by the extinction component, and one was not. Both overall positive contrast and local positive contrast were measured relative to a baseline produced each session, and both types of contrast were found. The association between overall and local contrast decreased as discrimination training progressed. The results agree with a precursor theory of the origin of overall contrast.
Thermodynamic properties of the methane-ethane systen

Abstract Our recently completed wide-ranging correlations for the thermophysical properties of methane and ethane fluids have enabled us to improve the extended corresponding states calculations for the properties of the binary mixtures. The pure fluid equations are based on the analytic Schmidt-Wagner equation of state and give improved results in the general region of the critical point. We use these pure fluid equations (and a reference fluid for which an equivalent equation is known) to calculate properties and compare with experimental PVT data, isochoric heat capacities, and sound speeds of binary mixtures of methane and ethane. We also examine the properties at the vapor-liquid boundary and compare the representation from the classical extended corresponding states calculations with quantities derived from a scaling theory model. The shape of the binary mixture phase boundary is improved with this model, however our new representation of the single phase properties provides only a slight improvement over models based on modified Benedict-Webb-Rubin pure fluid equations of state.
Phylogeography of the jumping spider Habronattus pugillis (araneae: salticidae): recent vicariance of sky island populations?

In island systems with diverging populations, the history of island formation and genealogical estimates of divergence dates can be mutually informative. In the ''sky islands'' of southeastern Arizona, climate-induced contraction of woodlands appears to have fragmented populations of woodland-dwelling species onto disjunct mountain ranges. Montane populations of the jumping spider, Habronattus pugillis, display striking amounts of phenotypic divergence among ranges. Paleoclimatic estimates date woodland fragmentation at approximately 10,000 years ago, suggesting that phenotypic divergence has been extraordinarily rapid in these spiders. This phylogeographic study of populations of H. pugillis attempts to clarify the species' history of isolation and divergence and to address the suitability of available paleoclimatic data for dating divergences among populations of the region's woodland-dwelling organisms. Mitochondrial sequence data of spiders from 13 mountain ranges was used to reconstruct genealogical relationships. Gene trees show that small mountain ranges tend to have populations whose sequences form monophyletic groups, whereas larger ranges do not. Paraphyly among genes from larger ranges could result from either recent migration or incomplete lineage sorting. I use phylogenetic and geographic information to test these alternatives, and conclude that incomplete lineage sorting best explains the observed paraphyly. Gene trees are concordant with some of the predictions of vegetation history generated by examination of topography. Dates estimated for divergence of populations vary from 30,000 years to more than 2 million years ago, suggesting multiple vicariance events that are older than would be inferred from paleoclimatic studies. These findings illustrate that use of any single paleontological dataset to calibrate molecular clocks can potentially greatly underestimate actual divergence times.
Problems and Methods in Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy Henry Norris Russell Lecture, 1967

IT is certainly for the first time, and in all probability also for the last time, that important astronomical achievements gain recognition by a Russell Lecture with a delay of some 22 centuries. I consider it, of course, as a great honor to have been chosen to report on the work of our earliest colleagues but I must emphasize from the outset that I am heavily indebted in the study presented here to predecessors and contemporaries. It is, however, not only because of requirements of fairness that I mention in the following some details in the history of our studies but also because some insight into the accidents of exploration will make it clearer what types of problems confront us.
Update on III-V antimonide-based superlattice FPA development and material characterization

Much progress has been made in the past 2 years in developing III-V antimonide-based superlattice infrared detectors and focal plane arrays (FPAs). In the area of detector material growth by molecular beam epitaxy, the wafer foundry group, helped by government-trusted entities and other partnering institutions, has leapfrogged many years of R&D effort to become the premier detector wafer supplier. The wafers produced are of high quality as measured by surface morphology, defect density, photoluminescence property, high-resolution X-ray diffraction, and diode current-voltage characteristics. In the area of detector design and FPA processing, the team-consisting of members from government laboratories, academia, and the FPA industry-has made rapid progress in device structure design, detector array etching, passivation, hybridization, and packaging. The progress is reflected in the steady reduction in FPA median darkcurrent density and improvement in median quantum efficiency, as well as reasonably low median noise-equivalent different temperature under 300 K scene background, when compared with the performance from some of the commercially available HgCdTe FPAs. In parallel with the FPA research and development effort, a small amount of funding has been devoted to measuring minority carrier lifetimes and to understanding life-killing defects and mechanisms of superlattice devices. Results of direct time-resolved photoluminescence measurement on superlattice absorbers indicate relatively short lifetimes (on the order of 30 ns) due to Shockley-Read-Hall mechanism. Modeling and curve fitting with diode current-voltage data indicate longer minority carrier lifetimes, although the best fit lifetime values differ greatly, possibly due to the difference in material quality and device structure. Several models or hypotheses have been proposed to explain experimental data. More data are required to validate these models and hypotheses. Further work is also necessary to reconcile the substantially different results from different groups and to truly understand the physics of minority carrier lifetimes, which is necessary to improve the lifetime and realize the theoretical promise of superlattice materials.
Using a Team Structure for Student-Assisted Facilitation of Laboratories in an Introductory Allied Health Microbiology Course

As many instructors have noted, it is challenging to lead a successful microbiology laboratory, especially for students without sufficient prerequisite training such as in pre-allied health/nursing classes. In the community college setting, this is compounded by the lack of adequate resources, especially teaching assistants or others, to help individual students during a laboratory experience. In addition, there is much transition in the student population of the college so asking students who have completed a class to help in this setting is often impractical. To modify our system to allow students to more easily ask questions and get feedback, we designed a student facilitator system. This system allowed each student to be a leader of the team for a particular laboratory experience. Each student was individually trained to be supportive of the team as a whole. This program is useful in that it can be applied to any class-based laboratory setting to provide better student team interactions than if there were no facilitator.
Light scattering from non-Gaussian surfaces

In the smooth-surface limit, the angular distribution of the intensity of light reflected and scattered from a rough surface depends only on the root-mean-square value of its surface roughness and is independent of the details of the distribution of the surface height fluctuations. In the case of rougher surfaces, the effects of the shape of the height distribution function which do appear are usually evaluated using an assumed Gaussian height distribution, even though real surfaces can be, and frequently are, non-Gaussian. This paper describes the results of an analytic study of the effects of non-Gaussian height distributions on the reflection and scattering properties of moderately-rough surfaces. As an example we compare predictions based on a Gaussian distribution with those of a one-sided exponential distribution. Large differences are found in and near the specular core, which eventually disappear in the scattering tail. Suggestions for follow-on experimental and analytic studies are given.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Transient symptomatic severe mitral regurgitation after electric cardioversion of atrial fibrillation.

Introduction After electric cardioversion (EC), several cases of cardiac stunning with cardiogenic shock have been reported. Several hypotheses have been proposed, including stunning of the left ventricle (LV) and modifications in the LV conformation that could lead to severe mitral regurgitation (MR). We report 2 cases of cardiogenic shock with severe MR after EC for atrial fibrillation (AF). CASE 1: A 75-year-old man presented with AF. A transesophageal echocardiography before the EC showed moderate MR. Shortly after successful EC, the patient developed a cardiogenic shock. The transthoracic and a transesophageal echocardiography showed severe MR. Four days later, an echocardiography showed recovery of MR to a moderate grade. CASE 2: An 85-year-old woman with a history of percutaneous aortic valve replacement presented with AF. After EC, she developed a cardiogenic shock. The transthoracic echocardiography showed severe MR. After recovery, the echocardiography showed moderate MR. Discussion Cardiac stunning after EC is well known and could explain the development of severe MR due to restrictive movement of leaflets. The transient character of the MR favors a functional origin with an alteration in the geometry of the mitral apparatus. Some cases of so-called "eclipsed MR" are described in the literature, however, independently to electric shocks. Conclusion In some patients, flash pulmonary edema seems to be due to transient severe functional MR, although the exact underlying physiopathologic mechanism remains unclear. An ischemic origin with papillary muscle dysfunction due to transient low perfusion could also be advocated.
Voltage-dependent Ca2+ influx into right-side-out plasma membrane vesicles isolated from wheat roots: characterization of a putative Ca2+ channel.

Abstract We report on the identification of a voltage-dependent Ca2+ transport system that mediates Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane (PM) of wheat (Triticum aestivum) root cells. The experimental approach involved the imposition of transmembrane electrical potentials (via K+ diffusion potentials) in populations of purified, right-side-out PM vesicles isolated from wheat roots. Using 45Ca2+ to quantify Ca2+ influx into the PM vesicles, the voltage-dependent characteristics of Ca2+ transport were found to be similar to those exhibited by L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in animal cells. The putative PM Ca2+ channel opened upon depolarization of the membrane potential, and Ca2+ flux increased to a maximum upon further depolarization and then decreased back to zero upon further successive depolarizations. This channel was found to be selective for Ca2+ over Mg2+, Sr2+, K+, and Na+; was blocked by very low concentrations of La3+; was unaffected by high concentrations of the K+ channel blocker tetraethylammonium; and exhibited Michaelis-Menten-type transport kinetics. Based on these transport properties, we argue that this transport system is a PM Ca2+ channel. We suggest that the use of radiotracer flux analysis of voltage-clamped PM vesicles derived from plant roots is a straightforward approach for the characterization of certain voltage-gated ion channels functioning in cellular membranes of higher plant cells.
Late malignant transformation of dormant ganglioneuroma

M. Moschovi, MD (Pediatric Oncology Registrar) Dr. Moschovi. An extensive search for other sites of disease was undertaken. Dr. Hadjigeorgi, what did you The patient (VG) is a 7-year old boy who presented find? at another institution with pain and swelling in the middle of the right tibia, which had been present for 5 months. Ch. Hadjigeorgi, MD (Pediatric Radiologist) A bone scan revealed increased uptake of 99 m-Tc-diThe 99 m-Tc MDP bone scan showed only increased phosphonate confined to the leg. All other bones were activity in the middle of the right tibia (Fig. 2). Subsequent negative. A biopsy was performed and the histological CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated small picture was that of a neuroblastoma. tumors in both adrenals, 2 cm in diameter on the left and The patient was transferred to our oncology unit shortly 1.5 cm on the right with significant contrast enhancement. thereafter. His family history showed no clustering of A CT of the chest revealed a thoracic paraspinal mass neoplasms. Initial workup revealed a normal-appearing on the right 4.5 3 3.5 3 3.0 cm with central calcification young boy, well developed, and in good health. He had (Fig. 3). There were no pulmonary metastases or lymph no palpable masses nor any other pathological clinical nodes in the mediastinum. sign. There were normal vales for the usual blood and Increased uptake of 123-I MIBG was found in both serum chemistry studies. The urine VMA was normal. adrenals, the site of the thoracic tumour and the middle Bone marrow aspiration was normal. The usual imaging of the right tibia (Fig. 4). There was no other bone studies were performed. involvement. May we now see the histopathology? Dr. Moschovi. The patient started chemotherapy for stage IV neuroblastoma with vincristine, cyclophosphaD. Arvantis, MD (Consultant Pathologist) mide, carboplatinum, etoposide, and dacarbazine (DTIC) The tissue was composed of small, round, or slightly in the usual doses. The response as evaluated by CTs and elongated cells with scant cytoplasm but with formation MIBG was not satisfactory after 5 months of this therapy. of typical neuroblastoma rosettes (Fig. 1). It was not A complete excision of the left adrenal (the bigger mass) difficult to differentiate this lesion from other small, round was performed, and the histology showed it to be a gangliocell tumours [1]. neuroblastoma. He continued chemotherapy for 1 year, at which time the MIBG appeared negative and the child apF. Tzortzatou-Stathopoulou, MD, PhD (Assoc. Prof. peared to be in complete remission. Pediatric Oncology)
NADH Shuttle and Insulin Secretion

In their report ([1][1]), Eto et al . hypothesize that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is the signal for the coupling of glycolytic and mitochondrial glucose metabolism that triggers insulin secretion. Their conclusions, based on their innovative and meticulous experiments, do not consider
High temperature reflectance spectroscopy: application to thermochromic compounds☆

Abstract The thermochromic behavior of Cu2[HgI4], Ag2[HgI4], Tl2[HgI4], Pb[HgI4], and Hg[HgI4] was investigated by the techniques of HTRS and DRS. The latter techniques are uniquely suitable for this type of atudy due to the dramatic color changes that the compounds exhibit during the thermochromic transitions.
Combination of multipoint maximum likelihood (MML) and regression mapping algorithms to construct a high-density genetic linkage map for loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.)

Genetic maps have been successfully applied to assist in the dissection of complex traits, provide insight on genome structure, and estimate recombination in conjunction with physical maps. Despite an extensive list of genetic maps developed for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) over the past two decades, a high-density consensus map has not yet been constructed. In this study, we used two reference three-generation outbred pedigrees, base and qtl, obtained from the North Carolina State University Cooperative Tree Improvement Program, to obtain a high-density genetic consensus map. Both populations were genotyped with ≈ 7,000 different markers (restriction fragment length polymorphisms, expressed sequence tag polymorphisms, simple sequence repeats, SNPs). The grouping, ordering, and spacing of the markers on each linkage group were performed with JoinMap® 4.1, which implements the multipoint maximum likelihood algorithm for outbred populations. The final consensus map contains 2,466 markers, with a total length of 1,476 centimorgans (cM). The average marker density across the 12 linkage groups was 0.62 cM/marker. This high-density map provides an important resource for breeders and geneticists and will enable comparative studies across species, as well as improve the loblolly pine genome sequence assembly.
Input of Nutritionally Rich Organic Matter from the Mississippi River to the Louisiana Coastal Zone

Isotopes have often been used to discern riverine subsidies to coastal food chains, but there are few direct measurements of nutritional quality of riverine particulates. We tested for nutritionally enriched organic matter in the Mississippi River suspended sediment and evidence for its delivery to Louisiana coastal sediments by measuring enzymatically hydrolysable amino acids (EHAA). Riverine suspended sediments contained EHAA concentrations of up to 5 mg g−1, higher than reported in any coastal sediment. Pigment concentrations indicated that EHAA in some river samples were dominated by phytoplankton, but many samples contained significant non-algal EHAA. Coastal sediments showed EHAA concentrations lower than riverine sediments but still higher than most reported shelf values. Incubation of riverine sediment showed losses of 28–34% of their EHAA over 6 days, similar to differences found between riverine and coastal sediments. EHAA concentrations decreased more rapidly than total nitrogen, indicating the relative lability of this pool of material in the studied region. These EHAA-enriched materials provide fuel for various coastal biota whose composition likely depends on factors such as disturbance regimes.
Spectroscopic and structural signature of the CH-O hydrogen bond.

It has been observed that the vibrational stretching frequency of a C−H covalent bond commonly shifts to the blue and suffers intensity loss, when the CH engages in a hydrogen bond. However, the shift does not always occur in this direction, and there are cases when a CH blue shift may be present even in the absence of a CH···O interaction. Ab initio quantum calculations are used to analyze the structure, and vibrational and NMR spectra of small model systems containing both conventional and CH···O H-bonds, and thereby identify patterns that unambiguously signal the presence of a CH···O interaction.
Microstructure and deformation in the spray deposited Zn–22% Al alloy

Abstract Microstructure and deformation in Zn–22% Al that was prepared by spray atomization and deposition were investigated. The results show that the as-deposited alloy exhibits a non-uniform microstructure composed of coarse and fine lamellar eutectoid domains, and that elongations to failure in tensile samples having such a microstructure are less than 100%. When the lamellar structure is transformed into a fine equiaxed grain structure that is free of porosity as a result of heat treatment and extrusion, the alloy exhibits the characteristics of superplastic flow including: the attainment of elongations to failure in excess of 1600%, the observation of a sigmoidal relationship between stress and strain rate, and the presence of a threshold stress for superplastic flow that is sensitive to the presence of impurities. Microstructure characterization of the samples after creep deformation reveals a limited dislocation activity that is manifested in the presence of dislocation-particle interaction in some of the grains. A comparison in creep behavior between Zn–22% Al and 7 vol.% SiC p –Zn–22% Al composite that, like the alloy, was prepared by spray atomization and deposition shows the presence of a strengthening effect. This effect is explained in terms of the details of a deformation mechanism for superplastic flow that is based on dislocation accommodated boundary sliding.
mRNA-Seq of Single Prostate Cancer Circulating Tumor Cells Reveals Recapitulation of Gene Expression and Pathways Found in Prostate Cancer

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) mediate metastatic spread of many solid tumors and enumeration of CTCs is currently used as a prognostic indicator of survival in metastatic prostate cancer patients. Some evidence suggests that it is possible to derive additional information about tumors from expression analysis of CTCs, but the technical difficulty of isolating and analyzing individual CTCs has limited progress in this area. To assess the ability of a new generation of MagSweeper to isolate intact CTCs for downstream analysis, we performed mRNA-Seq on single CTCs isolated from the blood of patients with metastatic prostate cancer and on single prostate cancer cell line LNCaP cells spiked into the blood of healthy donors. We found that the MagSweeper effectively isolated CTCs with a capture efficiency that matched the CellSearch platform. However, unlike CellSearch, the MagSweeper facilitates isolation of individual live CTCs without contaminating leukocytes. Importantly, mRNA-Seq analysis showed that the MagSweeper isolation process did not have a discernible impact on the transcriptional profile of single LNCaPs isolated from spiked human blood, suggesting that any perturbations caused by the MagSweeper process on the transcriptional signature of isolated cells are modest. Although the RNA from patient CTCs showed signs of significant degradation, consistent with reports of short half-lives and apoptosis amongst CTCs, transcriptional signatures of prostate tissue and of cancer were readily detectable with single CTC mRNA-Seq. These results demonstrate that the MagSweeper provides access to intact CTCs and that these CTCs can potentially supply clinically relevant information.
Target Geolocation from a Small Unmanned Aircraft System

Draper Laboratory and AeroVironment, Inc. of Monrovia, CA are implementing a system to demonstrate target geolocation from a Raven-B unmanned aircraft system (UAS) as part of the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center's Small UAS (SUAS) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). The system is based on feature tracking, line-of-sight calculation, and Kalman filtering from Draper's autonomous vision-aided navigation code base. The system reads imagery and telemetry transmitted by the UAS and includes a user interface for specifying targets. Tests on a snapshot of on-going work indicate horizontal targeting accuracy of approximately 10 m, compared with 20-60 m for the current Raven-B targeting software operating on the same flight video/telemetry streams. This accuracy likely will be improved through further mitigation of identified error sources. This paper presents our targeting architecture, the results of tests on simulator and flight data, an analysis of remaining error, and suggestions for reducing that error.
National tourism planning in the Philippines

Abstract Tourism plans tend to focus on physical development and marketing. Government tourism organizations of developing countries, however, must assume broader responsibilities related to social, cultural and environmental concerns. Available tourism planning models may be suitable for the private sector but do not address the planning needs of governments. Dexter Choy of the School of Travel Industry Management, University of Hawaii, analyses the process used in formulating the National Tourism Plan for the Philippines.
Response to Scheuer–Yariv: “A classical key-distribution system based on Johnson (like) noise—how secure?”

Abstract We point out that the claims in the comment-paper of Scheuer and Yariv are either irrelevant or incorrect. The idealized Kirchoff-loop-Johnson-like-noise (KLJN) scheme is totally secure therefore it is more secure than idealized quantum communication schemes which can never be totally secure because of the inherent noise processes in those communication schemes and the statistical nature of eavesdropper detection based on error statistics. On the other hand, with sufficient resources, a practical/non-ideal realization of the KLJN cipher can arbitrarily approach the idealized limit and outperform even the idealized quantum communicator schemes because the non-ideality-effects are determined and controlled by the design. The cable resistance issue analyzed by Scheuer and Yariv is a good example for that because the eavesdropper has insufficient time window to build a sufficient statistics and the actual information leak can be designed. We show that Scheuer's and Yariv's numerical result of 1% voltage drop supports higher security than that of quantum communicators. Moreover, choosing thicker or shorter wires can arbitrarily reduce this voltage drop further; the same conclusion holds even according to the equations of Scheuer and Yariv.
The therapeutic response of urticarial vasculitis to indomethacin

Ten patients with urticarial vasculitis, characterized clinically by persistent painful urticarial lesions, angioedema, recurrent arthralgia, abdominal pain, and low-grade fever, were selected for study. All patients had histologic evidence of leukocytoclastic vasculitis in the urticarial lesions. Results of direct immunofluorescence microscopy of urticarial lesions were positive in all nine of the patients tested. Treatment with indomethacin in dosages from 25 mg three times daily to 50 mg four times daily resulted in complete clearing of all disease manifestations in six of ten patients within 17 days and partial improvement in three. In eight of the ten patients, disease activity recurred within 48 hours after discontinuation of the use of indomethacin. Gastrointestinal irritation was the only side effect noted. Indomethacin is proposed as an effective mode of therapy in a disorder unresponsive to treatment with conventional medications for urticaria, including high-dose corticosteroids.
Comparison of mitral inflow and superior vena cava Doppler velocities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and constrictive pericarditis.

Abstract Objective. This study was conducted to determine whether Doppler recording of superior vena cava flow velocities can differentiate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from constrictive pericarditis in patients with a respiratory variation of ≥25% in mitral inflow E velocity. Background. Although respiratory variation (≥25%) in mitral E velocity is the main diagnostic criterion for constrictive pericarditis by Doppler echocardiography, it can also be present in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Because the respiratory variation is due to increased change in intrathoracic pressure with respiration in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and to dissociation of intrathoracic-intracardiac pressure changes in constriction, it was hypothesized that the Doppler flow velocity pattern in the superior vena cava (affected by intrathoracic pressure) would be different in these two conditions. Methods. Pulsed-wave Doppler recording of mitral and superior vena cava flow velocities in 20 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who had ≥25% respiratory variation in mitral E-wave velocity were compared with those of 20 patients who had surgically proved constrictive pericarditis. Results. Constrictive pericarditis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had similar respiratory variation in mitral E velocity (41% versus 46%). In the latter, the E/A ratio was lower (inspiration, 0.8 ± 0.3 versus 1.5 ± 0.7 [p Conclusions. Despite a similar respiratory variation in mitral E wave velocities, mitral inflow variables in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are less restrictive compared with those in constrictive pericarditis. More importantly, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease show a marked increase in inspiratory superior vena cava systolic forward flow velocity, which is not seen in patients with constrictive pericarditis.
Evidence-based (informed) macro practice: process and philosophy

Evidence-informed practice and policy at the macro level offers great potential for honoring ethical guidelines to integrate practice and research, to involve clients as informed participants, to respond ethically to problems of scarce resources, to enhance social and economic justice, and to empower clients. The process and philosophy of evidence-informed practice and care as described in original sources suggest a decision-making process designed to help social workers to integrate ethical, evidentiary, and application concerns. As with all innovations, objections will and should be raised. There are many challenges and obstacles to integrating evidentiary, ethical, and application concerns in practice.
Monoparticulate Layer and Langmuir-Blodgett-Type Multiparticulate Layers of Size-Quantized Cadmium Sulfide Clusters: A Colloid-Chemical Approach to Superlattice Construction

Monoparticulate layers of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid-stabilized, 34.0-, 29.4-, and 26.5-A-diameter CdS clusters have been formed at air-water interfaces in a Langmuir film balance. Surface pressure vs surface area isotherms and Brewster angle microscopy demonstrated that increasing surface pressure resulted in transitions from well separated to well-compressed monoparticulate layers and, ultimately, to multiparticulate layers. CdS particles with diameters of 34.0, 29.4, and 26.5 A formed films with critical areas per particle (conceptually analogous to headgroup areas) of 1100, 800, and 650 A 2 , respectively, which corresponded well to the values calculated by assuming hexagonal close packing of hard spheres (887, 749, and 608 A 2 )
Semi-Active Correlation Radar Employing Satellite-Borne Illumination

This paper describes a semi-active radar system in which the transmitter is carried in a satellite. The satellite transmits a randomly modulated signal. On the ground the radar has two antennas and receivers. One antenna points at the satellite, the other at the target. The signal from the satellite-oriented receiver is delayed and correlated with the satellite signal reflected from the target. The delay corresponding to the peak of the correlation function is used to determine range. It is planned to test this system with various communications satellites.
Feel the "fabric": an audio-haptic interface

An objective fabric modeling system should convey not only the visual but also the haptic and audio sensory feedbacks to remote/internet users via an audio-haptic interface. In this paper we develop a fabric surface property modeling system consisting of a stylus based fabric characteristic sound modeling, and an audio-haptic interface. By using a stylus, people can perceive fabrics surface roughness, friction, and softness though not as precisely as with their bare fingers. The audio-haptic interface is intended to simulate the case of "feeling a virtually fixed fabric via a rigid stylus" by using the PHANToM haptic interface. We develop a DFFT based correlation-restoration method to model the surface roughness and friction coefficient of a fabric, and a physically based method to model the sound of a fabric when rubbed by a stylus. The audio-haptic interface, which renders synchronized auditory and haptic stimuli when the virtual stylus rubs on the surface of a virtual fabric, is developed in VC++6.0 by using OpenGL and the PHANToM GHOST SDK. We asked subjects to test our audio-haptic interface and they were able to differentiate the surface properties of virtual fabrics in the correct order. We show that the virtual fabric is a good modeling of the real counterpart.
Varicella-zoster virus hepatitis and a suggested management plan for prevention of VZV infection in adult liver transplant recipients.

Infection with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is common, occurring as primary varicella, usually during childhood, and as zoster, following reactivation of latent virus. Although serious VZV infections are infrequent, they can be life-threatening when they occur in susceptible immunosuppressed patients (1, 2). These patients have a high incidence of visceral involvement, including pneumonitis, meningoencephalitis, and rarely, hepatitis. We report here 3 cases of VZV hepatitis in adult liver transplant recipients that occurred in our institution between 1984 and 1989. We describe their clinical presentations and use these cases to illustrate some aspects in diagnosis and prevention of VZV infection after solid organ Tx.