cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Good Writing Beats Bad Writing, Most Any Day

Just when some people believe that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, here I am, ready to make a cheerful personal statement: “Scientific writing is improving!” Of course I base this on reading the microbiological literature, but assume that it’s generally true. What makes me say so? Well, more often than not, current research papers and reviews contain a fair share of simple declarative sentences. In my earlier days, typical statements were often in the passive form: “The effect of X on Y has been studied.” The first person form is now accepted, much to everyone’s relief. And titles of articles tend to be informative. Gone is Studies on the Metabolism of Escherichia coli: Part XIV. And, although I couldn’t swear to it, I believe that the language in graduate student papers has also improved. Nowadays, even humor is permissible. It has even permeated this blog, as exemplified by the wicked sense of humor of my co-blogger, Merry Youle, who has come up with titles such as The Bacterium That Doesn’t Know How to Tie Its Own Shoelaces, Coxiella Escapes from Cell, and A Holin One. There isn’t any thought or idea that can’t be expressed in a fairly simple declarative sentence... – E.B. White, Fro-Joy
IL-4 Affects Proliferation, Chemosensitivity-and Rituximab Sensitivity of Germinal Center B-Cell like (GCB) and Activated B-Cell like (ABC) Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Differently.

Abstract Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) represent a diverse group of lymphoid neoplasms with heterogeneous clinical, histological, immunophenotypic, cytogenetic and molecular genetic features. Approximately 50% of DLBCL patients are not cured by the standard combination chemotherapy regimens. DLBCL can be subclassified into GCB-like DLBCL which are characterized by expression of genes normally expressed in germinal center B cells, and having a significantly better overall survival (OS) than the ABC-like DLBCL, which are characterized by expression of genes induced during in vitro activation of normal B cells. At least two markers of the GCB-phenotype - BCL6 and HGAL - are IL-4 target genes, increased expression of which independently predicts better OS. These observations suggest that endogenous or exogenously administered IL-4 may influence behavior of DLBCL. IL-4 mRNA was detected at low levels in 5 of 7 GCB-like and in all 4 ABC-like DLBCL tumor specimens. Two of 7 GCB-like tumors showed high expression levels of IL-4 as determined by real-time RT-PCR. Examination of the effects of IL-4 on proliferation of GCB-like (SUDHL6, SUDHL4 and OCILY19) and ABC-like (OCILY10 and OCILY3) DLBCL cell lines showed that IL-4 mildly increased DNA synthesis, as assessed by thymidine incorporation, in all the GCB-like DLBCL. Conversely, IL-4 markedly decreased proliferation in the ABC-like DLBCL cell lines by inducing G1 arrest. IL-4 also differently affected the sensitivity of GCB-like and ABC-like DLBCL to doxorubicin. IL-4 reduced doxorubicin-induced cell death of ABC-like cell lines (20–50% reduction) while it markedly increased the killing of the GCB-like cells (40–80% induction). IL-4 also prevented serum starvation-induced cell death of the ABC-like DLBCL, but it increased cell death of the GCB-like DLBCL cell lines. Recently, Rituximab was shown to improve survival of DLBCL patients when added to the CHOP regimen. The precise mechanisms of its action are unknown; however present data suggest that it may affect lymphoma cells either by activation of complement lysis or by mediating ADCC. IL-4 reduced the complement mediated Rituximab cell lysis of the ABC-like cell lines, while it increased the complement mediated Rituximab cell lysis of the GCB-like DLBCL cell lines. Expression levels of surface markers that modulate complement cell lysis (CD46, CD55 and CD59) were not affected by IL-4 exposure. In contrast, IL-4 did not affect killing of GCB-like and ABC-like cells by ADCC. These observations suggest that DLBCL subtypes may respond differently to the in vivo cytokine milieu of the tumor. Different responsiveness to IL-4 may modulate tumor sensitivity to the current therapeutic modalities and can potentially be explored to augment response to chemotherapy and Rituximab.
Avoiding Racial Essentialism in Medical Science Curricula.

Medical education must acknowledge the problematic use of race as a biological or epidemiological risk factor in research and the controversy over race.
Hypersomnia in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Hypersomnia is a common complaint in many patients with neurodegenerative diseases and a major cause of decreased quality of life. This article discusses the prevalence and factors associated with hypersomnia in patients with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases affecting the central nervous system, including tauopathies, synucleinopathies, and other conditions. Common nocturnal sleep problems that may result in daytime hypersomnia are delineated. A clinical approach to hypersomnia in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, recommended diagnostic testing, and available treatment options are also discussed.
Development of continuous-energy sensitivity analysis capability in OpenMC

Abstract The iterated fission probability (IFP) method and the Contributon-Linked eigenvalue sensitivity/Uncertainty estimation via Track length importance CHaracterization (CLUTCH) method have been implemented in several Monte Carlo codes to perform sensitivity calculations. In this work the unified adjoint and generalized adjoint calculation framework combining the IFP method and the CLUTCH method is proposed, and corresponding capabilities for calculating nuclear data sensitivity to the effective multipilication factor and reaction rate ratios are implemented in OpenMC. Results are presented on Godiva, Jezebel and a PWR fuel pin system which demonstrate that OpenMC results agree well with reference direct perturbation sensitivity coefficients. In addition, two main problems of the IFP method related to the number of latent generations, namely convergence and statistical fluctuations are investigated theoretically and numerically. This paper further demonstrates that the fission matrix approach is better suited to generate the adjoint and generalized adjoint source distribution in the CLUTCH method to overcome the drawbacks of the IFP method.
One shape does not fit all: A nonparametric instrumental variable approach to estimating the income-pollution relationship at the global Level

Abstract We examine the relationships among water pollution, income, and political institutions using country-level global water quality data over the period 1980 to 2012. In order to address concerns about the highly nonlinear relationship between pollution and income, the endogeneity of income, and the discrete nature of political variables, we use a nonparametric instrumental variable approach that allows for the inclusion of continuous and discrete variables to identify these relationships. Results indicate an inverted-U shaped relationship between pollution and income consistent with an environmental Kuznets curve for one pollutant (lead), a cubic shape for three pollutants (nickel, mercury, and fecal coliform), and more highly nonlinear relationships for many of the other pollutants. For several stock pollutants (nickel, mercury, and arsenic), we find that pollution levels may continue to increase at higher levels of income, suggesting that stock pollutants may continue to accumulate in productive high-income countries even when marginal emissions have been reduced. We also find suggestive evidence that levels of pollutants resulting from industrial activity (e.g., chemical oxygen demand) may increase with income while those that are more driven by residential activity and population levels (e.g., fecal coliform) do not. By estimating a nonparametric relationship between pollution and political institutions and by accounting for the categorical nature of the political variables, we are able to detect a nonlinear relationship between pollution and political institutions as well, which for some pollutants is an inverted-U shaped curve.
Loving Yourself as Your Neighbor: a Critique and Some Friendly Suggestions for Eleonore Stump’s Neo-Thomistic Account of Love

Many Christian theorists notice that love should contain, in additional to benevolence, some kind of interpersonal or unitive component. The difficulty comes in trying to provide an account of this unitive component that is sufficiently interpersonal in other-love and yet is also compatible with self-love. Eleonore Stump is one of the few Christian theorists who directly addresses this issue. Building upon the work of Thomas Aquinas, Stump argues that love is constituted by two desires: the desire for an individual’s good and the desire to be united to that individual. Stump further develops the desire for union within this Thomistic understanding of love, and she maintains that her developed account not only captures the robustly interpersonal nature of one’s love of another but is also compatible with the love of oneself. Unfortunately, Stump’s way of making sense of this latter claim introduces a significant inconsistency in her analyses of the desire for union in self-love and other-love. Nevertheless, the most important features of Stump’s Neo-Thomistic account are salvageable. For there is a way of understanding love’s desire for union that emerges out of Thomas’s views on love and is compatible with the desiderata suggested by Stump, only does not have the same difficulties that beset Stump’s account. What is offered, then, is a modification of Stump’s account that might better serve her purposes. The resulting view of love, however, is one not only relevant to Stump. Rather, the view that emerges is a broadly Thomistic conception of love that is plausible in its own right and captures a certain biblical emphasis on the relational or interpersonal nature of love.
Chemokines and primary brain tumors

Normal development of the central nervous system (CNS) is critically dependent upon the coordinated expression of chemokines and their receptors in a spatially and temporally regulated fashion (reviewed in Klein and Rubin 2004; Li and Ransohoff 2008). During development, chemokines control progenitor cell migration (Bagri et al. 2002; Klein et al. 2001; Lu et al. 2002; Lu et al. 2001), proliferation (Klein et al. 2001), and survival (Chalasani et al. 2003a) as well as modulate differentiated cell functions such as axon pathfinding and fasciculation (Chalasani et al. 2003b; Chalasani et al. 2007). Thus, it should not be surprising to discover that chemokines and their receptors also contribute to the biology of CNS neoplasms. In this chapter we will primarily review studies that have defined the role that one chemokine, CXCL12, and its receptor, CXCR4, play in brain tumor biology and how this pathway is being targeted for brain tumor therapy. In addition, we will touch on the role that brain tumor-derived chemokines play in the recruitment of inflammatory cells to sites of brain tumor growth.
Assessing psychological inflexibility in hoarding: The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for Hoarding (AAQH)

Abstract Psychological inflexibility is a psychopathological process referring to the tendency for behavior to be overly controlled by internal experiences to an extent that interferes with quality of life. Some studies indicate that psychological inflexibility is linked to hoarding, but findings have been mixed. This inconsistency may be due to reliance on general measures of psychological inflexibility in prior research as there was previously no validated measure to assess psychological inflexibility as it relates to hoarding. The present study developed and validated a measure of hoarding-related psychological inflexibility, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for Hoarding (AAQH) in a college student sample with elevated hoarding symptoms (n = 201). The AAQH demonstrated a two-factor structure and good internal consistency, construct validity, and incremental validity over a general measure of psychological inflexibility, the AAQ-II. The potential research and clinical utility of the AAQH as well as limitations of this preliminary validation study are discussed.
Hypogonadism and effects on quality of life in previously treated germ cell tumor survivors: A single-centre, non-randomized, prospective observational study.

10079Background: Prior studies have shown that around 12% to 16% Germ Cell Tumour (GCT) survivors can have subnormal serum testosterone level as well as up to 15% reported decreased health related ...
Class B Results and Analysis

Class B simulations describe situations in which one user submits an intermittent workload while another user or other users submits a steady workload. In simulation 2, two users submit workloads that are steady and equal in the number of tasks, while one user submits an intermittent workload. As the number of users increases—to 6 in simulation 7, 11 in simulation 11, and 21 in simulation 15—one user’s workload remains constant at an intermittent rate of 200 tasks for every two PCs up to 5000 tasks.
Ventilators for Noninvasive Ventilation in Adult Acute Care.

The use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is common in adult acute care. As evidence to support the use of NIV has developed, there has been a concurrent proliferation of NIV technology. Efforts have been made to improve patient–ventilator synchrony, monitoring capabilities, and portability of devices used to deliver NIV. The technological enhancements provide clinicians with myriad modes, settings, and capabilities designed to improve patient adherence with NIV. Although this technology is generally superior to that of the past, a great deal of variation exists between devices. Clinicians need to be accustomed to the devices available to them to maximize the potential for clinical improvement and patient tolerance. The purpose of this paper is to review current technology, current literature comparing devices, and various clinical considerations associated with NIV use in adult acute care.
Joint decision-making of production and maintenance in mixed model assembly systems with delayed differentiation configurations

Mixed model assembly systems (MMASs) can simultaneously manufacture multiple product variants and are developed to satisfy customers’ increasing desire for products with a high variety. This paper ...
Sperm competitive advantage of a rare mitochondrial haplogroup linked to differential expression of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation genes

Maternal inheritance of mitochondria creates a sex-specific selective sieve through which mitochondrial mutations harmful to males but not females accumulate and contribute to sexual differences in longevity and disease susceptibility. Because eggs and sperm are under disruptive selection, sperm are predicted to be particularly vulnerable to the genetic load generated by maternal inheritance, yet evidence for mitochondrial involvement in male fertility is limited and controversial. Here, we exploit the coexistence of two divergent mitochondrial haplogroups (A and B2) in a Neotropical arachnid to investigate the role of mitochondria in sperm competition. DNA profiling demonstrated that B2-carrying males sired more than three times as many offspring in sperm competition experiments than A males, and this B2 competitive advantage cannot be explained by female mitochondrial haplogroup or male nuclear genetic background. RNA-Seq of testicular tissues implicates differential expression of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes in the B2 competitive advantage, including a 22-fold upregulation of atp8 in B2 males. Previous comparative genomic analyses have revealed functionally significant amino acid substitutions in differentially expressed genes, indicating that the mitochondrial haplogroups differ not only in expression but also in DNA sequence and protein functioning. However, mitochondrial haplogroup had no effect on sperm number or sperm viability, and, when females were mated to a single male, neither male haplogroup, female haplogroup nor the interaction between male/female haplogroup significantly affected female reproductive success. Our findings therefore suggest that mitochondrial effects on male reproduction may often go undetected in noncompetitive contexts and may prove more important in nature than is currently appreciated.
Dexmedetomidine in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocols for Postoperative Pain

Effective acute pain management has evolved considerably in recent years and is a primary area of focus in attempts to defend against the opioid epidemic. Persistent postsurgical pain (PPP) has an incidence of up to 30–50% and has negative outcome of quality of life and negative burden on individuals, family, and society. The 2016 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) guidelines states that enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) forms an integral part of Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) and is now recommended to use a multimodal opioid-sparing approach for management of postoperative pain. As such, dexmedetomidine is now being used as part of ERAS protocols along with regional nerve blocks and other medications, to create a satisfactory postoperative outcome with reduced opioid consumption in the Post anesthesia care unit (PACU). Dexmedetomidine, a selective alpha2 agonist, possesses analgesic effects and has a different mechanism of action when compared with opioids. When dexmedetomidine is initiated at the end of a procedure, it has a better hemodynamic stability and pain response than ropivacaine. Dexmedetomidine can be used as an adjuvant in epidurals with local anesthetic sparing effects. Its use during nerve blocks results in reduced postoperative pain. Also, local infiltration of IV dexmedetomidine is associated with earlier discharge from PACU. Perioperative use of dexmedetomidine has significantly improved postoperative outcomes when used as part of ERAS protocols. An in-depth review of the use of dexmedetomidine in ERAS protocols is presented for clinical anesthesiologists.
6 – Phase Equilibrium

Publisher Summary The fundamental fact of phase equilibrium is that at equilibrium the chemical potential of any substance has the same value in all phases in which it occurs. The laws of thermodynamics determine equilibrium behavior in multiphase systems. The Gibbs phase rule gives the number of independent intensive variables in a multicomponent multiphase system at equilibrium: f =c-p+2, where f is the number of independent intensive variables, c is the number of components, and p is the number of phases. The Gibbs phase rule allows phase diagrams to be understood. The Clausius and Clausius-Clapeyron equations govern the curves in phase diagrams. Thermodynamics allows analysis of the stability of phases in systems. Surface effects must be included in a complete thermodynamic treatment, but are usually negligible.
Many player asymptotics for large network formation problems

Abstract This chapter presents a limiting theory for models of network formation that assumes that the number of nodes (agents) grows large. We illustrate how asymptotic representations of large but finite networks are useful for identification analysis, estimation, and approximate inference on structural parameters of the economic model.
Estimating Consumers at Risk from Drinking Elevated Lead Concentrations: An Iowa Case Study

The Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) addresses lead in drinking water through utility-centric monitoring in high risk homes, corrosion control, and public education. These utility-centric activities, how...
Vaccinating Children against Covid-19 - The Lessons of Measles.

Vaccinating Children against Covid-19 As we consider vaccinating children against Covid-19, measles and measles vaccination campaigns may offer relevant insights about parents’ decisions; trust, ac...
Estimating HIV incidence, prevalence, and percent of undiagnosed infections in Taiwan using CD4 data.

Background/purpose Estimation of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic trend and percent of undiagnosed infections is an important measure for the assessment of HIV control programs. In this study, we aimed to investigate and estimate the HIV incidence, HIV prevalence, and percent of undiagnosed HIV infections in Taiwan using the CD4 depletion model. Methods Data on newly reported HIV diagnoses during 2012–2019 were obtained from the National HIV/AIDS reporting and case management system. We used an Asian-adjusted CD4 depletion model to determine diagnosis delays and then used this distribution and HIV case surveillance data to estimate the incidence, prevalence and percent of undiagnosed infections. Results The estimated HIV incidence rate decreased after 2012, from 9.4 per 100,000 people (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.7 to 10.2) to 7.1 per 100,000 people (95% CI: 5.7 to 8.5) in 2019. The prevalence rate increased from 111 per 100,000 people (95% CI: 107 to 116) in 2012 to 158 per 100,000 people (95% CI: 146 to 169) in 2019, whereas the undiagnosed rate decreased from 21.5% (95% CI: 18.2%–24.8%) in 2012 to 12.1% (95% CI: 8.9%–15.2%) in 2019. In addition, the undiagnosed percentage in the population of men who have sex with men (MSM) also decreased from 28.8% to 13.6% during this period. Conclusion We found decreases in the HIV incidence and undiagnosed percentage from 2012 to 2019 in Taiwan. These findings highlight the importance of intensified HIV testing efforts to achieve the global 95-95-95 goals by 2030.
Aiding Emergency Evacuations Using Obstacle-Aware Path Clearing

We seek to develop robots capable of helping people evacuate. Some evacuation environments, however, may have obstacles blocking the person's path to the closest exit. This paper therefore explores the possibility of creating robots that detect and move obstacles in order to open evacuation pathways. Experiments were conducted using a simulated autonomous robot in photorealistic indoor environments. The system uses computer vision algorithms to gather information from the environment. We show that the gathered information can be used to decide whether an obstacle can or needs to be moved in order to open a new evacuation pathway. We then use simple push manipulations to successfully remove obstacles from a path. We show that the system decreases evacuation time for evacuees in simulations of indoor environments.
Resonant Transfer and Excitation in Ion Channeling : Work at Argonne National Laboratory

Dielectronic recombination1 (DR) and the analogous process resonant transfer and excitation2,3 (RTE) have been the subjects of many experiments over the past decade. Most of these experiments have struggled with the fact that the electron velocity distributions or Compton profiles were so broad that details of individual resonances could not be measured. Other than the one case of an RTE measurement4 of U90+ on H2 it has only been in the last couple of years with the development of EBITs and storage rings and electron coolers that isolated resonances could be measured. Therefore, this experiment was designed to exploit the fact that when an ion travels down a crystal axis it has been shown that the ion loses little energy because it interacts very weakly with the atoms in the crystal and in fact the primary collisions involve only valence electrons of the atoms lining a channel. Datz, et a1.5 have reported a large probability that ions travelling down a crystal axis will maintain the initial charge state even though the crystal is many times thicker than the equilibrium thickness in amorphous targets. It has been shown by Datz et al.6 that channeled ions can be used to measure resonant coherent excitation by observing the stripping of the excited ions in the beam because of the increased size of the excited ion compared to the size of the crystal channel. Also Andriamonje et al.7 and Datz et al.8 have measured radiative electron capture9 (REC) from channeled ions and in the former case have shown a strong dependence of the REC width on the crystal orientation.
Formation of Mineral Deposits

All the common ore-forming elements are present in magmas and ordinary rocks, in amounts ranging from a few parts per billion to several thousands of parts per million (Table 2.1). The formation of a mineral deposit represents the convergence of a set of favorable circumstances leading to a significantly higher concentration of one or more elements in a limited portion of the Earth’s crust. The required concentration factor, which is defined as the ratio of the average concentration of an element in a mineable mineral deposit to its average crustal abundance, is highly variable and depends not only on the particular element but also on the type of deposit. The concentration factors range from about 5–10 for geochemically abundant elements (e.g., aluminum and iron) to about 100–1,000 for less abundant elements (e.g., copper, zinc, and uranium). It is indeed remarkable that geologic processes, which normally result in further dispersal of trace elements, have been able to produce mineable deposits of geochemically scarce elements, such as gold and mercury, involving concentration factors in the thousands.
Proton Radiation Therapy of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

The rationale for radiation treatment of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization is the relative sensitivity of proliferating vascular cells to low doses of radiation, compared to the cells of the choroid and retina (DeGowin et al. 1974; Tannock and Hayashi 1972). Regression of choroidal neovascularization and stabilization of visual acuity was demonstrated with low-dose, fractionated, external beam photons (Chakravarthy et al. 1989, Chakravarthy et al. 1993). Other studies which followed also demonstrated promising early results with low-dose, fractionated irradiation (Bergink et al. 1994).
Well Trained Users in a Small Theological Library

Abstract Few published studies report on user training in theological libraries, despite the growing complexity in the task of finding theological information. This paper is a case study of the evaluation of user training in one small theological library. Using information literacy as a framework, the researcher describes his qualitative research design, then interprets the results. He found little formal evaluation. Additionally, library staff did not put together various pieces of information about the quality of user training available to them. Based on this case, the researcher proposes five lessons for other small theological libraries.
Rapid Degradation of Extracellular Matrix Proteins by Normal Human Uroepithelial Cells

The degradation of subendothelial and smooth muscle matrices by normal and neoplastic uroepithelial cells grown under serum-free conditions was examined. Normal urothelial cells were compared with neoplastic cells derived from a low grade papillary tumor (RT4) and a more invasive carcinoma (EJ). Low levels of degradation were observed with all cell types in serum-free medium alone. Supplementing the medium with plasminogen increased the degradative activity of each cell type. Logarithmically growing normal urothelial cells degraded extracellular matrix proteins 6 to 14 times faster on a per cell basis than their transformed counterparts. Analysis of the residual matrix constituents revealed that, while the levels of glycoprotein breakdown by the normal and neoplastic cells were similar, the normal cells degraded more of the collagen components than the neoplastic cells. Epidermal growth factor and cell density were examined as possible regulators of degradative activity. The neoplastic cells were not responsive to cell density as a regulatory factor and were only slightly responsive to epidermal growth factor. However, epidermal growth factor increased the degradative activity of logarithmically growing normal urothelial cells in the presence of plasminogen and the activity of confluent cells was increased to an even greater extent. Gelatin substrate gel analysis confirmed that the normal urothelial cells elaborated a more diverse set of gelatinases than the tumorigenic cells. Although normal urothelial cells had higher degradative abilities than their malignant counterparts, it is significant that the neoplastic cells were less responsive to regulatory signals in our model system. Thus, loss of regulatory mechanisms for protease secretion and matrix degradation may be a more important determinant of invasive ability in vivo than protease secretion or matrix degradation in vitro.
GROUND-BASED INTERFEROMETRY

This paper summarizes the limits of ground-based interferometry for differential astrometry as well as ground-based interferometry for direct detection of exo-planets and exo-zodi dust levels. For direct detection, ground-based interferometry at near IR wavelengths using large telescopes with adaptive optics offers a significant advantage over single telescopes with adaptive optics. Ground-based differential astrometry for exo-planet detection is extremely accurate with sufficient accuracy to detect Neptune mass planets around 400 – 600 nearby stars. Ground-based tnterferometry using large (>6m) telescopes is also capable of detecting the 10 μm emission of the zodiacal light around nearby stars with zodi levels similar to our solar system
Is geographic variation within species related to macroevolutionary patterns between species

The relationship between microevolution and macroevolution is a central topic in evolutionary biology. An aspect of this relationship that remains very poorly studied in modern evolutionary biology is the relationship between within-species geographic variation and among-species patterns of trait variation. Here, we tested the relationship between climate and morphology among and within species in the salamander genus Plethodon .W e focus on a discrete colour polymorphism (presence and absence of a red dorsal stripe) that appears to be related to climatic distributions in a common, wide-ranging species (Plethodon cinereus). We find that this trait has been variable among (and possibly within) species for >40 million years. Furthermore, we find a strong relationship among species between climatic variation and within-species morph frequencies. These between-species patterns are similar (but not identical) to those in the broadly distributed Plethodon cinereus. Surprisingly, there are no significant climate–morphology relationships within most other polymorphic species, despite the strong between-species patterns. Overall, our study provides an initial exploration of how within-species geographic variation and large-scale macroevolutionary patterns of trait variation may be related.
Testicular feminization syndrome in male pseudohermaphrodites.

Abstract Two cases of testicular feminization syndrome (in sisters) have been presented in detail. Hormonal, psychological, hereditary, and genetic (chromosomal) aspects have been discussed.
AIPO4-supported nickel catalysts: VII. Adsorption of alkylaromatic hydrocarbons by gas chromatography

Abstract The adsorption of alkylaromatic hydrocarbons (normal series: Me, Et,n-Pr, andn-Bu; α-methylated series; Me, Et,i-Pr andt-Bu) has been studied, with 20 wt% nickel supported on AlPO4, SiO2, and Al2O3 catalysts by using a gas-solid chromatographic technique. Isosteric adsorption heats at low (zero) coverage (ΔHadso), determined by measuring the retention volume of the adsorbate at different column temperatures, show that the adsorption process is exothermic (δHadso 0) and that the alkylaromatic hydrocarbons lose vibrational and rotational freedom in their adsorption on the catalyst surface (ΔSadso log [ ( K Γ , p ) i / ( K Γ , p ) 0 ] = ρ * σ * + δ Es .
Issue Ownership, District Partisanship and the Use of Issue Frames

Political scientists have examined campaign rhetoric from the perspective of what issues campaigns place on the agenda. In this paper, I examine how campaigns talk about issue, assessing the frames used for particular issues in television advertisements aired by House and Senate campaigns. I find that campaigns are willing to trespass onto the issue ground owned by the opposing party, but do so by using frames which invoke traditional themes for their party. In addition, I find that the partisanship of voters plays an important role in influencing what frames a campaign uses. I also test the relationship between district demography and the use of issue frames, but find few, if any, patterns. My results show the importance of moving beyond examining just issue use and studying issue content. In addition, they show that in addition to issues, political parties also seem to own particular issue frames.
Ultraslow Motions in Solids

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction 2 Spin–Lattice Relaxation in the Rotating Frame (T1ρ) 3 Dipolar Relaxation in the Laboratory Frame (T1D) 4 Dipolar Relaxation in the Rotating Frame (T1Dρ) 5 Experimental Results using Ultraslow Motion Techniques 6 Conclusions 7 Biographical Sketch Related Articles
Health Behavior in Adolescents

Adolescents appear to be among the healthiest group of Americans by traditional measures, such as mortality rates (OTA, 1991a). Unfortunately, despite their apparent good health status, adolescents are the only age group in the United States that has not experienced an improvement in health status over the past 30 years (Blum, 1987). Estimates show that 1 in 5 adolescents aged 10–18 suffers from at least one serious health problem (OTA, 1991a). The leading causes of death among adolescents differ from those of other age groups in that unlike older and younger Americans, adolescents are more likely to die of unintentional injuries, suicide, and homicide. Consequently, the use of traditional measures of health may not be an adequate reflection of adolescent health.
The Explored Asteroids: Science and Exploration in the Space Age

Interest in asteroids is currently high in view of their scientific importance, the impact hazard, and the in situ resource opportunities they offer. They are also a case study of the intimate relationship between science and exploration. A detailed review of the twelve asteroids that have been visited by eight robotic spacecraft is presented here. While the twelve explored asteroids have many features in common, like their heavily cratered and regolith covered surfaces, they are a remarkably diverse group. Some have low-eccentricity orbits in the main belt, while some are potentially hazardous objects. They range from dwarf planets to primary planetesimals to fragments of larger precursor objects to tiny shards. One has a moon. Their surface compositions range from basaltic to various chondrite-like compositions. Here their properties are reviewed and what was confirmed and what was newly learned is discussed, and additionally the explored asteroids are compared with comets and meteorites. Several topics are developed. These topics are the internal structure of asteroids, water distribution in the inner solar system and its role in shaping surfaces, and the meteoritic links. It is suggested, that asteroid-scale grooves, ridges, and catenas on several explored asteroids argue against these asteroids having rubble pile interiors, i.e. interiors made when impact fragments reaccumulate. The only body for which this is not true is the tiny Itokawa and it is argued that this asteroid is a regolith breccia. The discovery of water on Vesta, fluidization textures on comets and possibly Eros, and the relatively large number of active asteroids inside the purported snowline, suggests that significant subsurface water may be present on asteroids in the inner solar system and may partly account for their low densities. The explored asteroids have also confirmed the linkage of the HED meteorites with Vesta and Itokawa with the ordinary chondrite meteorites, Eros is somewhat problematical. So while diversity, and the range of sizes, histories, and surface compositions, is the hall mark of the explored asteroids, the number of explored asteroids is small compared with the diversity of material expected on the basis of asteroid astronomy and meteorite geochemistry. The exploration of the solar system’s asteroids has only just begun.
Preoperative Radioactive Seed Localization for Nonpalpable Breast Lesions: Technique, Pitfalls, and Solutions

Iodine 125 ((125)I) radioactive seed localization has emerged as a reliable and safe alternative to wire localization for guidance during the surgical resection of nonpalpable breast lesions. The breast imager has a responsibility to be familiar with the general principles of this evolving technique, including its advantages and disadvantages as well as the technical differences involved in placement of seeds versus traditional wire localization. Although placement of (125)I seeds is conceptually similar to wire placement, there are additional technical considerations and safety measures that need to be addressed and implemented when radioactive seeds are used. We draw from our experience with more than 1000 cases of radioactive seed localization since inception of our program in 2009 to provide illustrative examples of not only the proper technique of radioactive seed localization, but also mishaps that may occur during this procedure, along with practical suggestions to prevent these problems. We examine some of the difficulties that we have encountered during radioactive seed localization at our institution, including bone wax mimicking the seed, the inadvertent deployment of seeds, the need for multiple seeds or supplemental wires, problematic seed locations, and difficulty in surgical retrieval of the seed. Recognizing the potential pitfalls of radioactive seed localization and understanding the appropriate guidelines and precautions for the safe, secure handling and placement of radioactive seeds is essential for a successful radioactive seed localization program.
Reduced Left Ventricular Compliance and Mechanical Efficiency after Prolonged Inhibition of NO Synthesis in Conscious Dogs

Acute inhibition of NO synthesis decreases left ventricular (LV) work and external efficiency, but it is unknown whether compensatory mechanisms can limit the alterations in LV mechanoenergetics after prolonged NO deficiency. Eight chronically instrumented male mongrel dogs received 35 mg kg−1 day−1 of Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester orally for 10 days to inhibit NO synthesis. At spontaneous beating frequency, heart rate, coronary blood flow, peak LV pressure, end-diastolic LV pressure and the maximum derivative of LV pressure (dP/dtmax) were not significantly different vs. baseline, whereas LV end-diastolic diameter (32.5 ± 1.0 vs. 37.6 ± 1.4 mm) and LV stroke work (515 ± 38 vs. 650 ± 44 mmHg mm), were reduced (all P < 0.05). The slope of the LV end-systolic pressure-diameter relationship was increased at 10 days vs. baseline (13.9 ± 1.0 vs. 9.6 ± 0.9 mmHg mm−1, P < 0.05), while the end-diastolic LV diameter was smaller at matched LV end-diastolic pressures. At fixed heart rate (130 beats min−1), cardiac oxygen consumption was increased (12.2 ± 1.5 vs. 9.9 ± 1.0 ml min−1), and the ratio between stroke work and oxygen consumption was decreased by 33 ±7 % (all P < 0.05) after NO inhibition. We conclude that sustained inhibition of NO synthesis in dogs causes a decrease in LV work despite an increased contractility, which is most probably due to reduced diastolic compliance and a decrease in external efficiency. Thus, prolonged NO deficiency is not compensated for on the level of LV mechanoenergetics in vivo.
Luminance contrast and the visual span during visual target localization

A concern for designers of monocular and binocular devices is the ability of users to search for, and localize target items embedded in noisy displays. Twenty-two participants searched (12 under monocular conditions) to localize a target embedded in random gray dot displays. The target was defined by a variation in pattern that did not differ in average contrast from the rest of each display. Displays were presented at .54 and .04 Michelson contrast. Across binocular and monocular viewings, fixation counts increased with decreasing contrast, but the gradient was steeper for monocular viewing. With decreasing contrast, fixations were longer, and the amplitudes of saccades used to localize the target decreased. The findings highlight for monocular vs. binocular target localization, the importance of considering separately, how many fixations are needed to localize the target, and how close to fixation the target must be for it to be noticed.
Optimizing triangular mesh generation from range images

An algorithm for the automatic reconstruction of triangular mesh surface model form range images is presented. The optimal piecewise linear surface approximation problem is defined as: given a set S of points uniformly sampled from a vibrate function f(x,y) on a rectangular grid of dimension W X H, find a minimum triangular mesh approximating the surface with vertices anchored at a subset S' of S, such that the deviation at any sample point is within a given bound of (epsilon) > 0. The algorithm deploys a multi- agent resource planning approach to achieve adaptive, accurate and concise piecewise linear approximation using the L-(infinity) norm. The resulting manifold triangular mesh can be directly used as 3D rendering model for visualization with controllable and guaranteed quality. Due to this dual optimality, the algorithm achieves both storage efficiency and visual quality. The error control scheme further facilitates the construction of models in multiple levels of details, which is desirable in animation and virtual reality moving scenes. Experiments with various benchmark range images form smooth functional surfaces to satellite terrain images yield succinct, accurate and visually pleasant triangular meshes. Furthermore, the independence and multiplicity of agents suggest a natural parallelism for triangulation computation, which provides a promising solution for the real-time exploration of large data sets.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Exploring the role of positive and negative consequences in understanding perceptions and evaluations of individual drinking events

Abstract While research has established that drinking more alcohol is associated with experiencing more positive and negative alcohol-related consequences, less is known about how college students evaluate their drinking experiences. Evaluations of drinking events may vary with factors such as how much one drinks, which consequences one experiences, and the context (i.e., where and with whom) one drinks on a given occasion. This research used daily data (Level 2: N = 166 students, 61% female; Level 1: N = 848 person drinking days) to explore the relationship between quantity of alcohol consumed and experience of specific domains of positive and negative consequences and to examine how the experience of specific consequences related to overall evaluation of the drinking experience. Drinking on a given day was positively associated with experiencing more negative (social and personal) and more positive (image, fun/social, and relaxation) consequences. With respect to the formation of overall impressions, negative (social and personal) consequences were associated with less favorable evaluations whereas positive (image, fun/social, and relaxation) consequences were associated with more favorable evaluations of the drinking experience. Indirect effects analyses suggested that consequences (negative personal, negative social, positive fun/social, and positive relaxation) significantly mediated the relationship between drinking and overall evaluation at the daily level. These results underscore the importance of considering both positive and negative consequences in understanding students' choices to drink and how they evaluate their experiences.
Independent vs. Integrated Writing Tasks: A Comparison of Task Representation

TESOL Quarterly invites readers to submit short reports and updates on their work. These summaries may address any areas of interest to Quarterly readers.
VLSI sensor/processor circuitry for autonomous robots

A CMOS circuit has been developed which integrates sensors and processing circuitry aimed at implementing autonomous robot perception and control functions. The sensors are an array of photodetectors and the processing circuitry analyzes the array data to extract a basic set of sensory primitives. In addition, the processing circuitry provides a low-resolution determination of the location of any brightness edges which cross the array. Ultimately, this sensor-processor circuitry will be used as part of an overall integrated sensorimotor system for autonomous robots. In the complete system, individual sensorimotor units will produce motion requests for the robot as a whole and an operating system, serving in part as a motion request handler, will arbitrate among suggested motions. The nature of the motion requests will be dependent both on sensor input and on the current goals of the robot. Ideally, the entire set of sensors, the processing circuitry, and the operating system will reside on a single VLSI chip. The current chip achieves many of the objectives of the complete integrated sensorimotor system, namely, it acquires sensory information, manipulates that data, and ultimately provides a digital output signal set which could serve as a motor signal set. Much of the on- chip processing is done by sensory primitive modules which calculate spatial convolutions of the sensor array data. Convolution kernels which were actually implemented were chosen based primarily on their usefulness in solving low-level vision problems. Specific kernels on the current chip include discrete approximations to the x-direction first derivative operator, the y-direction first derivative operator, and the laplacian operator. The spatial convolution function is achieved using current mode analog signal processing techniques. The output of the spatial convolution modules is piped into a higher level module which generates an estimate of the location of brightness edges which cross the array. This location estimate, which takes the form of a set of digital signals, can be readily translated into a (motor system dependent) motion request format, if indeed it cannot be used directly for this purpose. Location estimation, although it is the only higher level function implemented on the current chip, is just one example of a useful sensory primitive-based function. Additional higher level modules could be used to implement alternate functions which estimate other important environmental properties.
Analysis of a continuous crystallizer with agglomeration

Abstract The analysis of a continuously stirred tank crystallizer in which the particles may undergo agglomeration is presented. It is shown that a solution presented previously is in error due to an assumption made in the development of the model, and that a solution in the form of a Taylor series expansion can be derived easily. The accuracy of this revised solution is determined by the number of terms used in the series. A rather large number of terms is required to generate accurate results in some cases. It is shown that physically meaningful solutions do not exist for some values of the agglomeration parameter. For acceptable values of the parameter it is shown that the particle-size distribution is monomodal. For unacceptable values of the parameter, the model solution is unbounded at large sizes, and does not predict a bimodal size distribution.
In vitro RNA synthesis in oocyte nuclei of the newt Notophthalmus

An incubation medium is described which supports RNA synthesis in isolated oocyte nuclei of the newt Notophthalmus, and which permits subsequent autoradiographic examination of the lampbrush chromosomes and nucleoli. By using different concentrations of α-amanitin we distinguish RNA synthesis due to RNA polymerases I, II and III. All RNA synthesis on loops is inhibited by 0.5 μ/ml of α-amanitin and is therefore due to polymerase II. Polymerase III is responsible for RNA synthesis at a small number of discrete sites in condensed chromatm. These include the centromere bars of three of four chromosomes, which probably represent 5S RNA synthesis, as well as 15–20 lesser sites scattered elsewhere. Polymerase I activity is confined to the nucleoli.