cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantifying Habitus: Future Directions

Bourdieu’s concept of the habitus is the centerpiece of his explanation of social behavior. He uses the term to represent the cognitive map or set of perceptions that routinely guides and evaluates a person’s choices and behavioral options. The habitus consists of enduring dispositions toward action deemed appropriate in particular social situations and settings, including habitual ways of acting when performing routine tasks. The influence of exterior social structures and conditions are incorporated into the habitus, as well as the individual’s own inclinations, preferences, and interpretations. As a subjective construct, the concept of the habitus represents a methodological challenge in quantifying as it seems to involve both dispositions toward action (as reflected in observable behavior) and the influence of the wider society (exterior social structures) on the individual. Bourdieu’s approach, as seen in Distinction, was to utilize correspondence analysis to plot how preferences in music, art, cooking, and the like clustered along class lines to constitute distinctive patterns of taste (social spaces). Although similar to cluster analysis, correspondence analysis identifies relationships between variables more efficiently and reduces the potential for instability in the results. However, correspondence analysis cannot be utilized to test hypotheses, so in this chapter we suggest the use of multilevel modeling techniques like hierarchal linear modeling (HLM) to measure the effects of habitus on social behavior. We argue that HLM simultaneously examines the interaction between variables that describe individuals at one level and structural entities at the next and sequentially higher levels, depending on the variable’s conceptual location in a structural hierarchy. Chapter 16 Quantifying Habitus: Future Directions William C. Cockerham and Brian P. Hinote K. Robson and C. Sanders (eds.), Quantifying Theory: Pierre Bourdieu, 201 © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009 W.C. Cockerham( ) University of Alabama at Birmingham wcocker@uab.edu B.P. Hinote Middle Tennessee State University bhinote@mtsu.edu 202 W.C. Cockerham and B.P. Hinote
Students' Cigarette Smoking and the Perceived Nicotine Content of Their E-cigarettes.

Introduction There is concern that youth e-cigarette use may serve as a gateway to cigarette smoking, and that nicotine exposure may harm brain development. It is therefore important to know how much nonsmoking youth perceive being exposed to nicotine through e-cigarettes. Methods Data on smoking and vaping from the 2016 Monitoring the Future survey of eighth, tenth, and 12th grade students were analyzed in 2017. The weighted percentage distributions of self-reported e-cigarette mist last inhaled were calculated according to ever-smoking status and past 30-day smoking frequency. Chi-square tests of the association between smoking status and use of e-cigarettes perceived to contain nicotine, marijuana or hash oil, or just flavoring were performed. Never smokers and regular smokers were compared regarding the type of e-cigarette mist they believe they last used. Results A significant relationship exists between smoking behavior and reportedly vaping nicotine (p Conclusions Most nonsmoking students perceive limited nicotine exposure from vaping. Future research should evaluate the accuracy of self-reported e-cigarette nicotine content and monitor students who are consciously using nicotine-based e-cigarettes.
Morning impairment in vascular function is unrelated to overnight sleep or the inactivity that accompanies sleep.

Adverse cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death, occur more frequently in the morning. Prior studies have shown that vascular endothelial function (VEF), a mar...
A preclinical study of a PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor in the treatment of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

e15554Background: Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a lethal cancer with limited treatment options. The PI3K/mTOR pathway is upregulated in EAC, and overexpression of p-mTOR is linked to poor prog...
Cardiac autonomic activity during sleep deprivation with and without caffeine administration.

Abstract Caffeine is often consumed to mitigate degraded alertness associated with sleep deprivation. Both caffeine and sleep deprivation have been implicated in cardiovascular disease, but evidence is largely anecdotal. We determined the effects of sleep deprivation and caffeine on markers of cardiac autonomic activity. Twelve healthy young adults completed an 18-day laboratory study. They were exposed to three 48 h sessions of acute total sleep deprivation (TSD), each separated by three recovery days. In randomized, counter-balanced order, subjects received 0 mg (placebo), 200 mg, or 300 mg of caffeine at 12 h intervals during each sleep deprivation session. Every 2 h during scheduled wakefulness, a 15-minute neurobehavioral task battery was administered, during which heart rate (HR) and the high frequency (HF) component of the HR variability power spectrum (HF-HRV) were measured. Caffeine administration decreased HR and increased HF-HRV, indicating elevated parasympathetic activity. The 300 mg caffeine dose did not significantly affect autonomic activity to a greater extent than the 200 mg dose. There was no significant effect of 48 h of TSD on HR, whereas there was a small increase across hours awake in HF-HRV. There was no significant interaction of TSD with caffeine. Circadian rhythmicity in HR and HF-HRV surpassed the magnitude of the effects of caffeine and TSD. Caffeine and acute TSD thus produced only modest changes in cardiac autonomic activity, unlikely to have immediate clinical implications in healthy young adults. However, further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of chronic exposure to sleep loss and/or caffeine on cardiac health, and to determine the generalizability of our findings to non-healthy populations.
The Persian Writings on Vedānta Attributed to Banwālīdās Walī

The Mughal court was the main sponsor of Persian works on Vedānta, broadly conceived, from the late sixteenth until the mid-seventeenth century. Thereafter, the audience for such works shifted outside the court. Several Hindus literate in Persian composed or circulated Vedāntic writings. This article surveys three hitherto neglected Persian texts treating Vedānta that appear to have been composed independently from court sponsorship. All three are attributed to Banwālīdās Walī (d. 1674). They comprise the Gulzār-i ḥāl [Rose-garden of ecstatic states], which is itself a translation of the Prabodhacandrodaya; a translation of the Rāma Gītā, which is a dialogue between Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa from the Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa; and the Om-nāma [Book of Oṃ], a poem loosely based on the Yogavāsiṣṭha that incorporates Vedāntic themes. In general, Indo-Persian authors such as Walī associated Vedānta with a non-dualist doctrine, even when they did not specifically refer to Advaita Vedānta. The article discusses the approaches to translation that these texts take. It also reflects on the functions of these Persian translations in a context where conveying the meaning of the source texts was not the only motive.
Thermal and magnetic evolution of a crystallizing basal magma ocean in Earth's mantle

Abstract We present the thermochemical evolution of a downward crystallizing basal magma ocean (BMO) overlying the liquid outer core and probe its capability to dissipate enough power to generate and sustain an early dynamo. A total of 61 out of 112 scenarios for a BMO with imposed, present-day heat flux, Q B M O , values of 15, 18, and 21 TW and radiogenic heat, Q r , values of 4, 8, and 12 TW fully crystallized during the age of the Earth. Most of these models are energetically capable of inducing magnetic activity for the first 1.5 Gyrs, at least, with durations extending to 2.5 Gyrs; with final core-mantle boundary (CMB) temperatures of 4400 ± 500 K -well within current best estimates for inferred temperatures. None of the models with Q B M O = 12 TW achieved a fully crystallized state, which may reflect a lower bound on the present-day heat flux across the CMB. BMO-powered dynamos exhibit strong dependence on the partition coefficient of iron into the liquid layer and its associated melting-point depression for a lower mantle composition at near-CMB conditions -parameters which are poorly constrained to date. Nonetheless, we show that a crystallizing BMO is a plausible mechanism to sustain an early magnetic field.
Quantitative analysis of transcription factor binding and expression using Calling Cards Reporter Arrays

We report a tool, Calling Cards Reporter Arrays (CCRA), that measures transcription factor (TF) binding and the consequences on gene expression for hundreds of synthetic promoters in yeast. Using Cbf1p and MAX, we demonstrate that the CCRA method is able to detect small changes in binding free energy with a sensitivity comparable to in vitro methods, enabling the measurement of energy landscapes in vivo. We then demonstrate the quantitative analysis of cooperative interactions by measuring Cbf1p binding at synthetic promoters with multiple sites. We find that the cooperativity between Cbf1p dimers varies sinusoidally with a period of 10.65 bp and energetic cost of 1.37 KBT for sites that are positioned 'out of phase'. Finally, we characterize the binding and expression of a group of TFs, Tye7p, Gcr1p and Gcr2p, that act together as a 'TF collective', an important but poorly characterized model of TF cooperativity. We demonstrate that Tye7p often binds promoters without its recognition site because it is recruited by other collective members, whereas these other members require their recognition sites, suggesting a hierarchy where these factors recruit Tye7p but not vice versa. Our experiments establish CCRA as a useful tool for quantitative investigations into TF binding and function.
Cytotoxic Therapy–Induced Effects on Both Hematopoietic and Marrow Stromal Cells Promotes Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasms

Therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MNs) following treatment with alkylating agents are characterized by a del(5q), complex karyotypes, alterations of TP53, and a dismal prognosis. To decipher the molecular pathway(s) leading to the pathogenesis of del(5q) t-MN and the effect(s) of cytotoxic therapy on the marrow microenvironment, we developed a mouse model with loss of two key del(5q) genes, EGR1 and APC, in hematopoietic cells. We used the well-characterized drug, N-ethyl-N-nitrosurea (ENU) to demonstrate that alkylating agent exposure of stromal cells in the microenvironment increases the incidence of myeloid disease. In addition, loss of Trp53 with Egr1 and Apc was required to drive the development of a transplantable leukemia, and accompanied by the acquisition of somatic mutations in DNA damage response genes. ENU treatment of mesenchymal stromal cells induced cellular senescence, and led to the acquisition of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype, which may be a critical microenvironmental alteration in the pathogenesis of myeloid neoplasms.
Functional reorganization of visual processing following long-term adaptation to optical defects

Long-term exposure to poor ocular optics chronically alters the retinal input to the brain. Elucidating how this chronic change affects visual processing is vital for understanding the capacity for and limits of sensory plasticity in adults. Using adaptive optics to bypass the eye’s optical defects, we assessed visual processing in neurotypically-developed adults with keratoconus—a corneal disease resulting in severe optical aberrations during adulthood. When tested under similar fully-corrected optical conditions as neurotypical observers, KC patients showed altered contrast sensitivity, with impaired sensitivity for fine spatial details and better sensitivity for coarse details. Both gains and losses in sensitivity were more pronounced in patients with poorer habitual optical quality, and were mediated by changes in signal enhancement mechanisms. The present findings uncover fundamental properties of neural compensation mechanisms in response to long-term exposure to optical defects, with a large-scale functional reorganization favoring sensory information less affected by the eye’s optics.
Evaluation of Hypertension in Living Donor Candidates

Hypertension is a contributing cause of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Careful assessment of blood pressure is warranted in all living kidney donor candidates via multiple office blood pressure readings and ideally also by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guideline lowered the blood pressure threshold used to define hypertension; however, the applicability of this guideline to donor acceptance remains unclear. Risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in donors is impacted by age, race, gender, blood pressure, renal function, and body mass index (BMI) at the time of donation and family history of ESKD. Therefore, thresholds for acceptable blood pressure readings vary based on each donor candidate’s specific risk profile. Young donors, especially African American males and obese individuals, merit a higher level of scrutiny due to their longer anticipated life span and/or their higher risk for kidney failure. Conversely, older non-black individuals with well-controlled hypertension using a single antihypertensive agent, who have preserved kidney function and no evidence of target organ damage, may be acceptable donor candidates. Blood pressure has been reported to increase after live kidney donation although this may be partly due to greater scrutiny and is expected with increasing age. All donors should be encouraged to participate in postdonation follow-up for blood pressure management and adopt healthy lifestyle habits.
Increased Risk of Perioperative Complications in Dialysis Patients Following Rotator Cuff Repairs and Knee Arthroscopy

Purpose To determine the effects of dialysis on postoperative and perioperative complications following rotator cuff repair (RCR) and knee arthroscopy (KA). Methods The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) was queried from 2006 to 2018. Groups were matched for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, preoperative functional status, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status. Chi-squared tests and Fisher’s exact tests were used to analyze the comorbidities. Differences in occurrences of postoperative adverse events (AE), mortality within 30 days, reoperations with 30 days, extended hospital stay (≥2 days), and readmissions within 30 days were analyzed using the Mantel-Haenszel test. Sign tests were used to evaluate differences in operative time, as well as length of hospital stay. Results Dialysis patients in both the RCR and KA groups had greater odds of experiencing any AE (OR: 6.33 and 7.46, P value: .031 and Conclusion This study identified significantly worse short-term complication rates in dialysis patients undergoing RCR and KA. Careful preoperative evaluation and postoperative surveillance are warranted in this high-risk patient group. Patients should be counseled appropriately on the increased complication risks associated with RCR and KA surgeries.
Evaluating Azure Kinect and Structure Mark-II 3D Surface Scanners for Clinical Chest Wall Deformity Assessment

A non-invasive and objective method of capturing upper body surface anatomy, such as 3D optical scanning, would be advantageous for evaluating chest wall deformity. By potentially eliminating the need for computed tomography scanning and superseding manual measurements subject to errors, a system that utilizes optical scanning presents great value to patients and practitioners. This work aimed to quantify the accuracy of two current generation 3D surface scanners, Azure Kinect & StructureIO Mark-II, in assessing the severity of chest wall deformities. 3D surface deviation analysis was conducted on the models created by each scanner, and the findings are reported.
Evidence of an oxidation induced phase transformation for a delta phase plutonium-gallium alloy

Abstract The oxidation of an ~1.5 at% Ga plutonium metal alloy in dry air as a function of time was studied using a combination of FIB-SEM, AES, and XRD. Analysis of SEM images of FIB cross-sections of the oxide allowed for direct measurement of the oxide thickness as well as determination of heterogeneity in the extent of the oxide. AES analysis performed on cross-sections of the oxide allowed for quantitative analysis of the atomic composition and semi-quantitative analysis of the chemical composition. Initial preparation of the sample was found to induce a martensitic transformation to α`-Pu with an average thickness of 233 nm. Electropolishing was found to be sufficient to fully remove the α` layer with creation of only a minimum oxide layer. Growth of the oxide in dry air was found to initially follow parabolic kinetics, with a parabolic rate constant orders of magnitude higher than expected for δ-Pu but in-line with values extrapolated to room temperature for α-Pu. Following complete oxidation of the initial α` layer, further regions of plutonium metal depleted in gallium were observed to form at the oxide / metal interface. However, gallium, as Ga2O3, was found to be enriched at the surface and present in the oxide in an amount comparable to the relative Ga:Pu ratio of the bulk metal alloy. The results presented here serve to bridge a diverse array of previous experimental and theoretical data and provide the first comprehensive view of the fate of the δ-stabilizer during formation of an oxide. Data availability The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time as the data also forms part of an ongoing study.
Privacy and Utility Preserving Data Transformation for Speech Emotion Recognition

Speech carries rich information not only about an individual’s intent but about demographic traits, physical and psychological state among other things. Notably, continuously worn wearable sensors enable researchers to collect egocentric speech data to study and assess real-life expressed emotions, offering unprecedented opportunities for applications in the field of assistive agents, medical diagnoses, and personalized education. Many existing systems collect and transmit these speech data, either processed or unprocessed, from users’ devices to a central server for post analysis. However, egocentric audio sensing for speech emotion recognition has created concerns and risks to privacy, where unintended/improper inferences of sensitive information and demographic information may occur without user consent. Toward addressing these concerns, in this work, we propose a privacy-preserving data transformation technique to mitigate potential threats associated with sensitive information and demographic inferences. The proposed mechanism combines an autoencoder architecture, called replacement autoencoder, with gradient reversal layer to remove sensitive information inside the data, such as sensitive labels and demographics. We empirically validate our approach for predicting emotions using three commonly used datasets for speech emotion recognition. We show that our method can effectively prevent inferences of sensitive emotions and demographic information. We further show that the improved privacy comes at a cost of a minor utility loss for the target application.
ADAMTS Proteases: Mediators of Physiological and Pathogenic Extracellular Proteolysis

A disintegrin-like and metalloprotease domain with thrombospondin type 1 motif (ADAMTS) proteases constitutes a family of 19 secreted zinc-metalloproteinases with diverse functions. Major roles include maturation of proproteins such as procollagen and von Willebrand factor, and extracellular matrix remodeling during morphogenesis. ADAMTS deficiencies lead to a variety of congenital anomalies, inherited connective tissue disorders, a hemostatic defect (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura), and infertility. Enhanced ADAMTS activity is a primary pathogenic mechanism of cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis. ADAMTS posttranslational modification and the intermolecular interactions of their ancillary (nonproteolytic) domains are major determinants of their secretion, localization, and proteolytic specificity.
Oligotriche and quaking gene mutations. Phenotypic effects on mouse spermatogenesis and testicular steroidogenesis.

: The phenotypic actions of the oligotriche gene mutation on testicular function have not been elucidated, although it is known that male mice homozygous for the mutation are infertile. In the present study, the effect of the oligotriche gene mutation on mouse testicular function was analyzed by comparing normal and mutant mice. Spermatogenesis was analyzed by enumerating germ cells in seminiferous tubules at specific stages of spermatogenesis and by electron microscopy. Steroidogenic potential was estimated by radioimmunometric determination of testosterone secreted by testes perfused in vitro. Parallel studies were completed for male mice homozygous for the quaking gene mutation, a mutation known to cause male mouse sterility by disrupting sperm tail development. The experimental results suggest that the oligotriche and quaking gene mutations interfere with sperm tail formation by different mechanisms. Testicular steroidogenesis was not affected by either gene mutation. The results provide the first evidence that the oligotriche gene mutation induces male mouse sterility by effecting the complete absence of a sperm tail. This phenotypic action is different from that of the quaking gene mutation.
Phase transformations in picosecond laser-irradiated graphite

Pulsed laser irradiation is being used for studying the condensed phases of materials at very high temperatures (3000–10,000 K). Whittaker et al.1 have observed that liquid carbon can be obtained by heating graphite samples above 3800 K by intense CO2 laser radiation. From Rutherford backscattering experiments on graphite samples previously irradiated by nanosecond 0.69-μm laser pulses, Venkatesan et al.2 concluded that the sample surface melts when a temperature of ≈3800 K is reached.
Surface photometry of globular clusters.

Much of what we know about the structure, dynamics, and evolution of globular clusters derives from their observed density profiles, and their interpretations. In this review, I will briefly describe the problems and techniques specific to the surface photometry of globular clusters, show some new results, and offer suggestions for future ground-based work.
Interactions involved in pH protection of the alphavirus fusion protein

The alphavirus membrane protein E1 mediates low pH-triggered fusion of the viral and endosome membranes during virus entry. During virus biogenesis E1 associates as a heterodimer with the transmembrane protein p62. Late in the secretory pathway, cellular furin cleaves p62 to the mature E2 protein and a peripheral protein E3. E3 remains bound to E2 at low pH, stabilizing the heterodimer and thus protecting E1 from the acidic pH of the secretory pathway. Release of E3 at neutral pH then primes the virus for fusion during entry. Here we used site-directed mutagenesis and revertant analysis to define residues important for the interactions at the E3-E2 interface. Our data identified a key residue, E2 W235, which was required for E1 pH protection and alphavirus production. Our data also suggest additional residues on E3 and E2 that affect their interacting surfaces and thus influence the pH protection of E1 during alphavirus exit.
Review of sensorless control methods in switched reluctance motor drives

This paper covers an entire range of topics related to sensorless control of switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives including their fundamentals, limitations and current state of research and future trends. This should help the reader to develop a systematic understanding of the sensorless techniques that have been presented in the literature. The conventional methods used for position sensing in SRM drives have the disadvantages of additional cost, additional electrical connections, mechanical alignment problem, less suitability to space restricted applications and the significant disadvantage of being an inherent source of unreliability. This motivated the development of several sensorless techniques, some of which are successfully implemented and are commercially available. Ideally, it is desirable to have a sensorless scheme, which uses only terminal measurements and does not require additional hardware: while maintaining a reliable operation over the entire speed and torque range with high resolution and accuracy. Finally, this paper includes an example of laboratory implementation of sensorless control technique. It is found that reliable sensorless SRM drives are now practical, thus making SRMs, the drives of many future applications.
A thermal stress and failure model for laser cutting and forming operations

A transient, full three-dimensional mathematical model that describes the ablation phenomena, the thermal stress evolution, and the failure process that occur during laser cutting or forming operations on ceramic plates is developed. The model development is based on the finite element simulation of thermal field and stress development during laser cutting or forming operations. To treat the ablation phenomena during laser cutting, a fixed-grid algorithm is applied to handle complex ablation geometries with discontinuities. This algorithm is essential for applications to multiple-laser cutting operations. The thermal and stress evolution model is further integrated with a probabilistic fracture model to assess the failure probability during both laser cutting and forming processes. Numerical results show that the groove shapes as well as the temperature and stress distributions are similar in front of the cutting laser for both single and dual lasers but differ in the region when the lead laser becomes effective in dual-beam machining.
Making Sense of Signal Transduction

Biochemistry of Signal Transduction and Regulation by Gerhard Krauss is a one-volume introduction to the field of cell signaling best suited for undergraduates or beginning graduate students. The coverage of topics is broad and particularly strong regarding the regulation of gene expression in response to signaling.
DEPOLARIZATION OF RAMAN SCATTERING IN LaCl .

The first-order Raman spectrum of La${\mathrm{Cl}}_{3}$ is reexamined. Consideration of depolarization of the Raman scattering from the totally symmetric ${A}_{g}$ vibration has led to a different assignment for the Raman-active lines: 108 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, ${E}_{2g}$; 180 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, ${A}_{g}$; 186 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, ${E}_{1g}$; 212 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, ${A}_{g}$; 219 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, ${E}_{2g}$. The depolarization scattering appears to result from optic axis wandering in the crystal as well as from converging or diverging light beams.
The Degree and Time‐Course Assessment of Radiation‐Induced Trismus Occurring After Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Cancer

Objectives/Hypothesis: The objectives were to measure the degree of trismus induced after radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal cancer and assess its progress over time. Study Design: A prospective, single-armed measurement study with long-term follow-up. Methods: Seventeen patients with nasopharyngeal cancer treated between 1997 and 1999 were studied. Patients were given radiation therapy with bilateral parallel-opposing ports of 45 Gy, 25 fractions, then with a reduced volume to 68.4 to 70.2 Gy. The end point was the degree of trismus, which was measured by serial changes of the maximal interincisal distance (MID) at various specified time points before, during, and after radiation therapy. Results: During the 9 weeks of radiation therapy there was no significant change of MID (normalized MID ranged from 99.8% to 97%). The rate of decrease during this period was 1.3% per month. After radiation therapy there was a rapid decrease of MID between 1 and 9 months (normalized MID values at 1 and 9 mo were 95.5% ± 3.1% and 74.2% ± 5.7%, respectively). The rate of decrease during this period was dramatic (2.4%/mo). One year after radiation therapy, the rate of decrease became slower but was still measurable (0.2%/mo for the period from 12 to 24 mo). For the period from 24 to 48 months. the rate dropped to 0.1% per month. By the end of 48 months, normalized MID was 67.8% ± 7.6%. Conclusion: By means of measurement over a period of time, it was found that patients with nasopharyngeal cancer had a mean decrease in initial interincisal distance of 32% at 4 years after radiotherapy. The trismus process evolved at different rates. It was rapid at 1 to 9 months after radiation therapy, then became slower and protracted over later years.
The influence of various conditions on the time relations of tendon reflexes in the human subject

The following observations constitute a preliminary account of an investigation into the time relations of certain reflexes in the human subject. The knee-jerk was primarily selected for study. The variability of magnitude of the knee-jerk in response to equal stimuli has been commented on by the majority of observers, and, according to Seheven, such a variable response may occur even in the decerebrate animal. Whether variations of the irritability of the spinal reflex centre take place in the intact human subject there is no means of knowing, but study of the human responses has convinced us that by far the greatest factor in determining the variability of the knee-jerk is cortical activivity, and that, by taking suitable precautions, variability may be reduced to a negligible factor. In a previous publication, one of us (F. G.) has shown that these variations of the knee-jerk are secondary to alterations in the tonus of the quadriceps muscle. It was found that any stimulus of a nocuous nature, whether physical or psychical, caused an increase in the quadriceps tonus when the limb was flexed in the position in which the knee-jerk is elicitable, and that the magnitude of the knee-jerk was correspondingly increased. Similarly, pleasurable stimuli leading to an inhibition of effort were responded to by diminished quadriceps tonus and a diminished knee-jerk. It was found in our present experiments that, by using a trained subject and avoidance of all sources of psychical disturbance, it was possible to obtain responses to uniform stimuli which only rarely showed any irregularity. Neglect of the psychical factor has been the cause of the irregularity of response noted by so many observers. Uniformity of the stimulus was secured by the use of electrically released pendulums, which could be weighted to any desired extent. The relatively inefficient slow pushing stroke of the pendulum on the patellar tendon was converted into a more efficient stimulus of briefer duration by interposing a small piece of metal-covered wood, held in position by a stout springy steel rod. This anvil, for the reception and conversion of the pendulum blow, is adjusted in contact with the patellar tendon, and on the pendulum striking it the circuit of a Deprez signal is closed, and the moment of stimulation is photographed on the recording paper. The muscular response was recorded by photographing the excursions of the string of an Einthoven galvanometer, through which the muscle current of the quadriceps was led. For observation of more than one group of muscles simultaneously, a galvanometer with two strings was employed, and the muscle currents were explored by fine needle electrodes pushed into the substance of the muscle.
System mapping of complex healthcare processes using IDEF0: a radiotherapy example

The understanding and visualisation of healthcare processes from a systems perspective are key components of healthcare delivery improvement. As interest in systematic approaches to improving the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare operations grows, so does the need for process mapping tools and languages suitable for this application. The healthcare industry is a demanding environment for such tools due to the complexity of operations, the fact that most healthcare professionals are unfamiliar with systems approaches to process management, and the well-known time constraints confronting the industry. For a tool to be broadly accepted in the healthcare industry it must be easy to learn, logical in its formulation, and supported by readily-available commercial computer programs. This work demonstrates that IDEF0 meets these requirements and that the language can be used by healthcare professionals to model their clinical operations. As an example, several functional areas of a teaching radiation oncology department are modelled.
Improving decision-making with scenario planning

Abstract Decision makers struggle with four important contributors to decision failure, namely, 1) bounded rationality, 2) a tendency to consider only external variables, 3) the stickiness and friction of information and knowledge, and 4) mental models that include decision premises or policies. Whether independent or combined, these decision problems can form the ultimate in decision error—folly. The four problems in decision-making are reviewed in detail and scenario planning is posited as a tool for preventing the impact of each, ultimately with an aim of avoiding folly.
Numerical analysis of infrared laser heating in thermoluminescent material layers: The focused laser case

It may be possible to extract spatially resolved quantitative radiological information from thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) upon infrared laser stimulation. Acceptable spatial resolution for the application of this TLD imaging procedure may be attained by focusing the laser beam. A two‐dimensional, transient model has been derived to determine the presently immeasurable axial and radial temperature profiles in a LiF layer heated with a focused CO2 Gaussian laser beam. It is found that focused laser heating is a strong function of axial position despite the fact that LiF is a relatively weak absorber.
Cellular forms: The tri-axial cell. I

Without assuming a spheroidal shape for the cell, more general approximate deformation equations are derived which allow for non-uniformities in the external diffusion field and within the cell itself. It is found that in the absence of such non-uniformities, however, the only stable shapes are those in which the cell is spheroidal. Moreover, in conformity with previous results derived by somewhat different approximations, it is found that the spherical equilibrium is always stable and the approach monotonic unless, for a sufficiently large volume or a sufficiently high metabolic rate, there exist two non-spherical equilibria, one of prolate type and one of oblate type.
A quadrature coil for the adult human head

Abstract A quadrature head coil suitable for NMR imaging up to 80 MHz is described. Based on the well known design of Alderman and Grant, the four-quadrant coil has the attributes of distributed tuning capacitance and electrostatic guard rings, while maintaining the √2 improvement in sensitivity and. √2 improvement in effective B 1 inherent in the quadrature design. The appropriate phase shifts for transmission and reception are generated with the aid of a coaxial cable ring hybrid, which is simple in design and affords a considerable degree of isolation between transmitter and receiver.
Age-associated increase in salt sensitivity is accompanied by a shift in the atrial natriuretic peptide modulation of the effect of marinobufagenin on renal and vascular sodium pump

Background:Marinobufagenin (MBG) promotes natriuresis via inhibition of renotubular Na/K-ATPase (NKA) and causes vasoconstriction via inhibition of vascular NKA. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), via cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)/protein kinase G (PKG)-dependent mechanism, sensitizes renal N
Muscle capillary basement-membrane thickness and long-term glycemia in type I diabetes mellitus.

Abstract We explored the relation between the thickness of the quadriceps-muscle capillary basement membrane and the glycemia level in 102 young patients with Type I diabetes (median age, 17 years; range, 12 to 29). Membrane thickness was measured in serial biopsy specimens obtained after two consecutive 2 1/2-year observation periods, and glycemia was assessed in terms of glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting blood glucose levels determined at eight-week intervals. An association between membrane thickness and glycemia level was apparent in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. Cross-sectional analysis of data on 39 postpubertal patients (growth 7.5 cm) there was a significant negative association of membrane thickness to both g...
An edge version of the matrix-tree theorem and the wiener index

Let T be a tree on n vertices. The Laplacian matrix is L(T)=D(T)−A(T), where D(T) is the diagonal matrix of vertex degrees and A(T) is the adjacency matrix. A special case of the Matrix-Tree Theorem is that the adjugate of L(T) is the n-by-n matrix of l's. The (n−l)-square "edge version" of L(T)is K(T). The main result is a graph-theoretic interpretation of the entries of the adjugate of K(T). As an application, it is shown that the Wiener Index from chemistry is the trace of this adjugate.
Masculinities: Football, Polo, and the Tango in Argentina

Masculinities: Football, Polo, and the Tango in Argentina. Eduardo P. Archetti. Oxford: Berg, 1999. xviii. 212 pp., bibliography, index.
PHOTON LOCALIZATION AND ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ENHANCEMENT IN LASER-IRRADIATED, RANDOM POROUS MEDIA

Abstract By solving Maxwell's equations, we observed photon localization and strong electromagnetic field enhancement in laser-irradiated, one-dimensional random multilayer and two-dimensional random media, with particle size around the laser wavelength. Higher refractive index contrast and degree of randomness result in stronger localization. The probability density and the location of enhanced fields are investigated as functions of refractive index and particle size distribution. For weakly dissipative media, local absorption enhancement is observed, and the expectation intensity distribution is obtained by averaging among many realizations. For comparison, the equation of radiative transfer (ERT) is also solved for random porous media, using the two-flux model. Since no interference effects are allowed, the classical diffusion, rather than localization, is predicted. Consequently, ERT can represent a good statistical average of the intensities only as absorption is dominant over localization. As expec...
Opioid antinociceptive effects of delta-receptor antagonists.

Abstract The antinociceptive effects of delta opioid receptor antagonists (ICI 154129 and ICI 174864) have been studied using the mouse writhing assay. When administered intracerebroventricularly (ICV), ICI 154129 and ICI 174864 produced dose-related inhibition of writhing with respective ED50's of 97 μg/mouse and 1.4 μg/mouse. Inhibition of writhing by ICI 174864 (3 μg, ICV) was antagonized by subcutaneous (SC) naloxone doses of 0.1 mg/kg and greater. Pretreatment of mice with 80 mg/kg (SC) of beta-funaltrexamine (β-FNA), an irreversible mu-receptor antagonist, 28 hr before ICV injection of ICI 174864 shifted the dose-effect curve for ICI 174864 to the right (ED50 of 7.3 μg/mouse). When administered SC, ICI 174864 inhibited writhing with an ED50 of 8.5 mg/kg. Maximal inhibition occurred 30 min after SC administration and decreased 50% by 2 hr. After β-FNA pretreatment, doses of ICI 174864 as high as 80 mg/kg (SC) did not inhibit writhing. There was no antinociceptive effect of ICI 174864 in mice chronically maintained on morphine, i.e., chronic morphine produced cross-tolerance to the delta antagonist. These results show that delta-selective receptor antagonists produced antinociception which was related to the mu-receptor, but was probably not a result of direct agonist action.
SPECT imaging of pulmonary blood flow in a rat

Small animal imaging is experiencing rapid development due to its importance in providing high-throughput phenotypic data for functional genomics studies. We have developed a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system to image the pulmonary perfusion distribution in the rat. A standard gamma camera, equipped with a pinhole collimator, was used to acquire SPECT projection images at 40 sec/view of the rat thorax following injection of Tc99m labeled albumin that accumulated in the rat's lungs. A voxel-driven, ordered-subset expectation maximization reconstruction was implemented. Following SPECT imaging, the rat was imaged using micro-CT with Feldkamp conebeam reconstruction. The two reconstructed image volumes were fused to provide a structure/function image of the rat thorax. Reconstruction accuracy and performance were evaluated using numerical simulations and actual imaging of an experimental phantom consisting of Tc99m filled chambers with known diameters and count rates. Full-width half-maximum diameter measurement errors decreased with increasing chamber diameter, ranging from < 6% down to 0.1%. Errors in the ratio of count rate estimates between tubes were also diameter dependent but still relatively small. This preliminary study suggests that SPECT will be useful for imaging and quantifying the pulmonary blood flow distribution and the distribution of Tc99m labeled ligands in the lungs of small laboratory animals.
α-Methylstyrl-and Styrlphosphazene Monomers and Polymers

Abstract The synthesis of the m and p α-methylstyrl-phosphazenes, N3P3F6-n[C6H4C(CH3)=CH2]n (n=1,2) is reported. At the bis stage of substitution, all isomers are observed with the cis non-geminal species predominating. The mono α-methylstyrl derivatives enter into facile copolymerization reactions wherein both terminal and pennultimate mechanisms are observed. The synthesis and homopolymerization of styrlpentafluorocyclotriphosphazene is also reported.
Metallicity in the solar neighborhood out to 60 pc

Abstract We present an overview and early results on a continuing large-scale project to analyze spectra of solar-types stars in the solar neighborhood out to 60 pc. Physical parameters and initial metallicity estimates for 4043 stars have been derived. We have developed computer programs to help automate the process from synthetic spectrum generation to metallicity determination. Initial metallicity estimates for 3613 stars have been calculated based on low resolution spectra. Results from this project will be useful in answering questions about chemical homogeneity in the solar neighborhood, developing age–metallicity relationships, and in identifying candidate stars for future planet-hunting projects.
Shift, narrow, and chop to improve process capability

When output random variables are a function (known as a transfer function) of input random variables, Monte Carlo simulation has often been used to examine the sensitivity of the outputs to changes to the inputs. An important and commonly used measure of the outputs is their process capability (the probability that an output is within specification limits). In this paper, we show how to efficiently conduct extensive analysis of the sensitivity of the process capability of outputs to changes to inputs. Specifically, we show how a single set of simulation replications can be used to efficiently estimate the process capability as a function of each input random variable's values, its parameters, and truncation of its values at chosen limits. The approach is extremely flexible; the effects of changes to the distributional form of an input variable alone or in combination with the previously mentioned changes are easily evaluated.
Lack of specific γ-retroviral vector long terminal repeat promoter silencing in patients receiving genetically engineered lymphocytes and activation upon lymphocyte restimulation

Retroviral transduction of tumor antigen-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) genes into lymphocytes redirects T cells to lyse tumors. Furthermore, adoptive transfer of these lymphocytes has mediated objective responses in patients with metastatic cancer. From 2004 to 2006, more than 40 patients were treated with autologous gene-modified lymphocytes expressing a melanoma antigen-specific TCR at the National Cancer Institute. Eighteen such patients were analyzed for persistence and gene expression in vivo. In addition, the impact of epigenetic silencing and of lymphocyte restimulation was studied. Although gene-modified lymphocytes persisted in vivo, the shutdown of TCR transgene expression was observed. Bisulfite sequencing analysis and ex vivo DNA methyltransferase inhibition demonstrated that the decrease in gene expression did not result from DNA methylation. Surprisingly, down-regulation of vector-driven transgene transcriptional activity was not vector specific but mimicked that of endogenous genes. The decrease in TCR transgene expression, however, was reversed upon lymphocyte stimulation. These data demonstrate a lack of γ-retroviral promoter-specific gene silencing in adoptively transferred human lymphocytes and support that transgene expression is largely affected by global cellular mechanisms. The use of immunomodulatory adjuvants, eg, vaccination or cytokine therapy, for in vivo T-cell activation may help overcome this metabolic quiescence and thus augment cellular immunotherapy-based cancer therapy.
Evaluation of Metarhizium anisopliae Strain F52 (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) for Control of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae)

Field efficacy of an emulsifiable concentrate formulation of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 for the control of Ixodes scapularis nymphs was evaluated at residential sites in northwestern Connecticut in 2007. Two spray applications with two rates, 3.2 x 10(5) and 1.3 x 10(6) spores/cm2, were made: the first on 8-9 May, 2-3 wk before nymphal activity, and the second on 29 June or 2 July when ticks were active. There was no significant difference in nymphal abundance between the three treatment groups (P = 0.490) after the first application, indicating that preseason or early applications are not effective, despite a bioasaay with yellow mealworms that showed spores in the treated areas was infective for at least 1 mo postapplication. By contrast, there was a significant difference in the number of nymphs collected between the treatments and control 3 wk (F = 16.928, df = 2, P < 0.001) and 5 wk (F = 6.627, df = 2, P = 0.002) after the second application. During the 3 wk after the second application, 87.1 and 96.1% fewer ticks were collected from lower and higher rate-treated sites, respectively, and after 5 wk, tick reductions were 53.2 and 73.8%, respectively. Over one- third (36.4% of 173) of the nymphs collected from the treated sites developed mycosis from M. anisopliae. The application of M. anisopliae strain F52 could provide another tool for the integrated approach to managing ticks in the residential landscape.
Method for the determination of complex shear modulus of viscoelastic adhesives

Viscoelastic adhesives are commonly used as vibration damping treatments for mechanical systems. When using these adhesives, knowledge of the shear modulus and loss factor at a given temperature is essential. The standard method for determining shear modulus and loss factor yields values at only a few frequency points for any given temperature. The method presented in this report offers a continuous curve for the two material properties over a broad frequency range.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Biogenesis of nicotine.

Radioactive nicotine was synthesized by Nicotiana rustica L. which was fed sodium acetate-1-C14, sodium acetate-2-C14, sodium pyruvate-1-C14, or sodium pyruvate-3-C14. Acetate-2-C14 and pyruvate-3-C14 were converted to nicotine with the least dilution of radioisotope, whereas pyruvate-1-C14 was incorporated with a relatively large dilution. When acetate-1-C14 was administered to the plants the nicotine contained C14 only in the pyrrolidine ring. After acetate-2-C14 was fed, C14 was located in both the pyrrolidine and pyridine rings.