cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optical imaging in turbid media using early arriving photons

We present theoretical and experimental work on time resolved photon migration using short pulse laser radiation. The significant information about structure of turbid tissue is carried by the early arriving photons that follow almost straight arrival and return paths to the detected object in the tissue. The diffusion approximation to the transport equation in tissue does not provide a satisfactory solution for this regime, because the earliest photons are not sufficiently randomized in media in which the phase function is highly anisotropic. We are using a path integral technique to model this regime. The experiments use a short pulse Ti:sapphire laser and streak camera to obtain time resolved photon migration data from phantom samples. Our results show that a theory based on path integral calculation agrees with experimental data better than does the diffusion approximation. The thoery based on path integral calculation agrees with experimental data better than does the diffusion approximation. The theory can be used to interpret the experimental data and obtain optical imaging through turbid media.
Statistical Procedures for Estimating the Community Probability of Illness in Family Studies: Rhinovirus and Influenza

A statistical method is presented for determining acquisition rates of illness from community sources of infection and for distinguishing among viruses which are associated with different epidemic seasons. The new method consists of a computationally simple procedure for estimating the community transmission parameter and the standard error of the estimator. This method, as well as a previously developed maximum likelihood procedure, is applied to illness data as a means for distinguishing among broad patterns of illness acquisition. The periods evaluated are the rhinovirus, influenza A and influenza B seasons in Tecumseh, Michigan, for the years 1976-1980. Tecumseh households are stratified into exposure groups depending on age-group composition. Estimates are found for the risk differences of illness acquired from the community for households with different age-group distributions. Analysis of the Tecumseh data reveals that members of households with children are more apt than members of households without children to acquire illness associated with rhinovirus, influenza A and influenza B from the community. Members of households with just preschool children (and adults) are more apt than members of households with just school children (and adults) to acquire illness associated with rhinovirus and influenza B from the community. In contrast, members of households with just preschool children (and adults) are just as likely as members of households with just school children (and adults) to acquire illnesses associated with influenza A from the community.
Changes in left ventricular performance related to perioperative myocardial infarction in coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Abstract Strict electrocardiographic, enzymatic, scintigraphic, and hemodynamic criteria for perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) were defined and related to serial assessments of left ventricular performance during rest and exercise in patients seen early and late after coronary artery bypass graft operation. Global left ventricular performance was determined by radionuclide ventriculography from which changes in the pattern of serial postoperative ejection fractions (EF) were obtained. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of perioperative MI, and were matched in pairs on the basis of preoperative EF and extent as well as location of coronary artery obstructions. The results indicate that neither short- nor long-term depression in resting EF occurred subsequent to perioperative MI. However, an exercise-related increase in EF eight months postoperatively was depressed in patients who had perioperative MI compared with those who did not. Patients with new Q waves and abnormal postoperative elevation in serum levels of the myocardial isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) had a greater early decrease in EF compared with patients without evidence of perioperative MI. However, seven days after operation, the EF in both groups returned to preoperative levels. Patients with abnormal technetium 99m-py-rophosphate scintigrams had changes in perioperative EF similar to those in patients without MI. The presence of low cardiac output syndrome immediately after operation was associated with immediate and short-term decreases in EF, which were not seen in any of the other patient subgroups.
New optical design for automated DNA sequencer

A second generation optical design for the ABI PRISMTM 377 DNA sequencer enhances sensitivity and increases sequencing throughput by taking advantage of simultaneous four color detection using a spectrograph and CCD array. On-axis laser illumination using a small turning mirror to excite sample fluorescence replaces the Brewster's angle geometry of the first generation sequencer. The small turning mirror blocks direct reflection of laser light from the collection path. Alignment precision and mechanical stability must be sufficient to avoid image wander on the spectrograph slit which would add noise. The spectrograph slit is underfilled to maximize signal strength and reduce mechanical vibration sensitivity. The primary noise sources have been identified and minimized such that the instrument is shot noise limited. The instrument may be reconfigured through software for use of additional or different fluorescent dye labels as required by new genetic analysis applications. The overall result is a flexible instrument platform with increased throughput, improved sensitivity and longer sequences read.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Polynomial-average-time satisfiability problems

A class of random conjunctive-normal-form (CNF) predicates is characterized by v, the number of variables from which literals may be formed (giving 2v literals); p(v), the probability that a given literal is in a random clause; and t(v), the number of random independently selected clauses in a random predicate. Determining satisfiability on such a class using backtracking takes polynomial average time under the following conditions: (1) limv → ∞ vp(v) = 0 and t(v) ⩾ (ln2 + ϵ)v[−ln((v + l)p(v))]; and (2) lim vp(v) = ∞, lim p(v) = 0, and t(v) ⩾ [(ln2 + ϵ)ep(v)] exp [2vp(v)] for any fixed ϵ > 0. Additional cases are also covered. An analysis by Goldberg showed that problems for which p(v) is constant can be solved in polynomial average time by a simplified Davis-Putnam procedure. We give an algorithm for solving problems with t(v) ⩽ (ln lnv)ln3 in polynomial worst-case time. Thus all problem sets for which p(v) or t(v) grows extremely rapidly or extremely slowly can be solved in polynomial average time. We also show that backtracking requires exponential average time when limvp(v) = 0 and t(v) ⩽ (ln2 − ϵ)v[−ln((v + 1)p(v))], and when limvp(v) = ∞, limv → ∞ vp(v) = 0, and t(v) ⩽ [(ln2 − ge)ep(v)]exp[2vp(v)].
Teaching Marketing Strategy: Using Resource-Advantage Theory as an Integrative Theoretical Foundation.

Knowledge of marketing strategy is essential for marketing majors. To supplement and/or replace the traditional lecture-discussion approach, several pedagogical vehicles have been recommended to teach marketing strategy, including the analytic hierarchy process; career-planning cases; computer-assisted, simulated marketing cases; experiential projects; life-history analysis; product-management projects; scenario planning; shareholder-value analysis; simulation; Web-based cases; and Web-based business-intelligence tools. Each of these approaches incorporates marketing-strategy knowledge content that consists of concepts, theories, and conceptuaal frameworks. Noting that the approaches to teaching marketing strategy lack an overall, integrative theory, this article proposes (1) resource-advantage (R-A) theory as an appropriate, positive, integrative theoretical foundation for teaching marketing strategy, (2) several conceptual frameworks drawn from R-A theory that are useful in teaching marketing strategy, ...
Synovial tissue response to treatment with Campath-1H.

Objective. Therapeutic trials in rheumatoid arthritis with the monoclonal antibody Campath-1H have demonstrated recurrent clinical synovitis in some patients, despite profound depletion of circulating lymphocytes. This study was undertaken to examine the cellular infiltrates in synovial tissue at a time of persistent peripheral lymphopenia. Methods. Immunohistochemical staining of synovial tissue and peripheral blood lymphocyte phenotyping. Results. Synovial tissues from 2 patients with recurrent synovitis after Campath-1H therapy contained significant T lymphocytic infiltrates at a time when circulating T lymphocytes were markedly depleted. Conclusion. These results demonstrate that peripheral blood analysis may not accurately reflect the synovial tissue response to monoclonal antibody therapy.
VOLTAGE-CLAMP STUDIES OF THE NA+/GLUCOSE COTRANSPORTER CLONED FROM RABBIT SMALL INTESTINE

Inward Na+ currents associated with the cloned intestinal Na+/glucose cotransporter expressed in Xenopus oocytes have been studied using the two-microelectrode voltage-clamp method. The steady-state current/voltage relations showed voltage-dependent (Vm from +20 to -75 mV) and relatively voltage-independent (Vm from -75 to -150 mV) regions. The apparent Imax for Na+ and glucose increased with negative membrane potentials, and the apparent K0.5 for glucose (K(Glc)0.5) depended on Vm and [Na]o. Increasing [Na]o from 7 to 110 mmol/l had the same effect in decreasing K(Glc)0.5 from 0.44 to 0.03 mmol/l as increasing the Vm from -40 to -150 mV. The I/V curves under saturating conditions (20 mmol/l external sugars and 110 mmol/l [Na]o) were identical for D-glucose, D-galactose, alpha-methyl D-glucopyranoside and 3-O-methyl D-glucoside. The specificity of the cotransporter for sugars was: D-glucose, D-galactose, alpha-methyl D-glucopyranoside greater than 3-O-methyl D-glucoside much greater than D-xylose greater than D-allose much greater than D-mannose. Ki for phlorizin (approximately 10 mumol/l) was independent of Vm at saturating [Na]o. We conclude that a variety of sugars are transported by the cloned Na+/glucose cotransporter at the same maximal rate and that membrane potential affects both the maximal current and the apparent K0.5 of the cotransporter for Na+ and glucose.
Brain epinephrine systems: detailed comparison of adrenergic and noradrenergic metabolism, receptor number and in vitro regulation, in two inbred rat strains

Epinephrine content and PNMT activity in medulla pons and hypothalamus of F344 inbred rats is from 3- to 8-fold higher than that of Buf inbred rats. These strain-dependent differences in brain adrenergic neurons are reciprocally related to altered alpha 1- adn alpha 2-adrenergic receptor density in PNMT-containing brain regions. Radioligand binding indices related to alpha 2-receptor function reveal that receptors may be 'desensitized' as well as 'down-regulated' in the strain with high PNMT activity (F344), and may be 'supersensitive' as well as 'up-regulated' in the strain with low PNMT activity (Buf). The association between epinephrine-containing neurons and alpha-adrenergic receptor regulation appears specific, since alpha-adrenergic receptor density and regulation in brain regions devoid of PNMT and epinephrine is similar in F344 and Buf rats. While noradrenergic metabolism in F344 rats is greater than that in Buf rats, this difference is generalized throughout the brain and, thus, bears no apparent relationship to the localized alterations in alpha-adrenergic receptor density. Moreover, beta-adrenergic receptor density in the 2 strains is similar in all brain regions. These data suggest that a significant proportion of alpha-adrenergic receptors in medulla-pons and hypothalamus are intimately related to and regulated by epinephrine-containing nerve endings.
Prevention of photocatalytic deterioration of resins using TiO2 pillared fluoromica

Abstract The TiO2 pillared fluoromica powder was kneaded with polylactic acid resin. The composite showed high photocatalytic activity for degradation of acetaldehyde and toluene gas, especially at the range of 1–3 wt.% pillared mica powder, and this photocatalytic activity was higher than that of resins containing even higher amounts of commercial TiO2 (P-25, Degussa). The composite test pieces of pillared mica showed smaller photocatalytic deterioration than the samples with P-25 powder in out-door weathering tests. Thus, the TiO2 pillared clay resin composite shows excellent prevention of photocatalytic deterioration and high photocatalytic activity in comparison with P-25.
Spousal intimate partner violence is associated with HIV and Other STIs among married Rwandan women.

HIV is a health problem in Rwanda, where the adult HIV prevalence is 3.1% (WHO 2008 in Online database of HIV/AIDS epidemiological data, found at: http://www.who.int/globalatlas); the majority of those infected are women (UNAIDS 2008 in http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/rwanda_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf). Prior studies indicate that intimate partner violence is frequently associated with increased HIV risk in women, often because men who abuse their wives also exhibit riskier sexual behaviors (Silverman et al. in JAMA 300:703–710 2008. Population—based data from the 2005 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey indicate that women with few, if any, other sexual risk factors who have experienced sexual, physical, or emotional abuse within their marriages are 1.61–3.46 times as likely to test positive for HIV, and 2.14–4.11 times more likely to report another STI. These findings confirm prior clinical studies that indicate that intimate partner violence is a correlate of HIV/STIs in Rwanda. Further research is needed to determine whether Rwandan men that abuse their wives have higher baseline rates of HIV/STI infection.
Nonlinear-fiber-based discrete Raman amplifier with sufficiently suppressed degradation of WDM signal quality

It is demonstrated that discrete Raman amplifiers using highly nonlinear fibers can sufficiently suppress the four-wave-mixing-induced signal degradation by careful optimization of the fiber dispersion, and that they are practically feasible in WDM transmission.
Effects of ingested petroleum on plasma levels of ovarian steroid hormones in photostimulated mallard ducks.

Ovarian maturation was slowed significantly when photostimulated mallard ducks were given petroleum-contaminated food. When they started to lay, oviposition occurred in erratic short sequences interrupted by long anovulatory periods, and eggs were laid during a longer-than-normal interval of the daily light phase. During the ovulatory cycle, mean daily plasma concentrations of estradiol and estrone were significantly lower in contaminated than in uncontaminated birds. Preovulatory variations in plasma estrogen concentration in uncontaminated birds consisted of two maxima separated by a well-defined nadir during mid-phase; no significant cyclical changes occurred in the contaminated birds. Consumption of contaminated food did not affect mean daily plasma progesterone concentrations during the ovulatory cycle. In both groups, preovulatory variations in plasma progesterone consisted of a single peak during the 9-hr period preceding ovulation. During short pauses in egg-laying, mean daily estradiol and estrone concentrations declined significantly in the uncontaminated but not in the contaminated birds. During longer pauses, which occurred only among contaminated birds, plasma concentrations of estradiol and progesterone were both significantly lower than they were during short pauses.
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN CHILDREN WITH ADVANCED SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT

We examined a total of 37 children referred to the Pediatric Endocrine Clinic with either congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) or idiopathic precocious puperty (IPP), utilizing educational history and selected objective testing instruments. Of the 15 patients with CAH, 6 (40%) had special educational needs. 5 of these were functioning below the normal range, and 1 was in an advanced program. Of the 24 patients referred with IPP, 11 (46%) were in remedial placements. 6 of this group had sufficiently severe cognitive deficits that they were felt to represent neurogenic, rather than idiopathic, precocity. The percentage of children in each group requiring special educational consideration is much higher than in the general population (approximately 12%). This data is in contrast to previously published studies which documented elevated mean IQ scores in both CAH and IPP. Data on the educational and socio-economic background of those patients are not described. However, there were no discernable differences in socio-economic class, or level of parental education between the various groupings in our series. While conflicting, both the previous reports and our series argue that all children in whom either CAH or IPP are entertained as a diagnosis should receive full cognitive and educational assessment.
Conjugated polymers for pure UV light emission: Poly(meta-phenylenes)

We report the synthesis of a 3-ethylhexyloxy substituted poly(meta-phenylene), EHO-PMP that shows absorption and solid state photoluminescence exclusively in the UV region of the electromagnetic spectrum with an emission maximum of 345 nm. Computational analysis of model oligomers by DFT methods indicates that EHO-PMP is a wide bandgap polymer with the HOMO being localized on a dimeric (biphenyl) unit and with the LUMO being more delocalized. The energy of the LUMO, however, suggests that inefficient electron injection would occur from currently available cathode materials in standard light-emitting device architectures, and this was observed experimentally. The computational results, coupled with experimental observation, lead us to believe that efficient electroluminescence from organic polymer UV emitters requires advances in electron transport layers and cathode materials.
Long-term clinical follow-up in patients with angiographic restudy after successful angioplasty.

BACKGROUNDRestenosis remains a critical limitation after coronary angioplasty. There is little information comparing long-term prognosis in patients who suffer from restenosis and others who do not. The purpose of this paper is to determine the clinical events in patients with restenosis or continued patency documented by restudy coronary arteriography.METHODS AND RESULTSThe source of data was the clinical data base at Emory University. Patients who had previous coronary surgery and patients who underwent angioplasty in the setting of acute myocardial infarction were excluded. A total of 3,363 patients undergoing angiographic restudy 4 months to 1 year after angioplasty were compared with 3,858 not undergoing restudy. In the restudy population, 1,570 had restenosis and 1,793 had patent arteries at all sites dilated. The restenosis patients were older and had more hypertension, more diabetes, more severe angina, more multivessel coronary artery disease, more severe stenoses, and less satisfactory original ...
Radical Empiricism, Critical Realism, and American Functionalism: James and Sellars

As British and American idealism waned, new realisms displaced them. The common background of these new realisms emphasized the problem of the external world and the mind-body problem, as bequeathed by Reid, Hamilton, and Mill. During this same period, academics on both sides of the Atlantic recognized that the natural sciences were making great strides. Responses varied. In the United States, philosophical response focused particularly on functional psychology and Darwinian adaptedness. This article examines differing versions of that response in William James and Roy Wood Sellars. James viewed the mind as a “fighter for ends.” His neutral monism, by taming the mind-body problem and the problem of the external world, provided a secure metaphysics of mind as functional activity. In contrast, Sellars’s scientific realism endorsed physical reality but was not mechanistic or reductionist. His critical realism and evolutionary naturalism offered novel metaphysical and epistemological positions in comparison w...
UMP-dependent reduction of UDP-galactose 4-epimerase-NAD+ complex by sodium cyanoborohydride

Abstract The reported spontaneous reoxidation of the UDPgalactose 4-epimerase (EC 5.1.3.2)-NADH complex prepared by NaBH 4 reduction of the native enzyme is oxygen dependent. Therefore, the ultimate electron acceptor in autoxidation is molecular oxygen rather than any functional or prosthetic group endogenous to the enzyme. The epimerase-NAD + complex can be reduced by NaBH 3 CN in a reaction that is absolutely dependent upon the presence of UMP under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Therefore, the function of UMP in promoting this reaction is to increase the rate at which NAD + is reduced, rather than to stabilize the epimerase-NADH complex toward autoxidation. The rate at which NaBH 3 CN reacts with the UMP-activated epimerase-NAD + complex is substantially faster under most conditions than the rate at which it reacts with NAD + itself under identical conditions.
Catastrophic Transcatheter Baffle Fenestration for Failing Fontan Physiology

Transcatheter fenestration and balloon dilation of an atrial baffle created from native atrial tissue was attempted in a 15-year-old girl with failing Fontan physiology and protein-losing enteropathy. After transseptal puncture, initial dilations with a 10-mm and 12-mm diameter balloon resulted in an inadequate fenestration, with no significant decrease of right atrial pressure or systemic arterial saturation. Dilation of the fenestration with a 16-mm-diameter balloon produced a tear of the atrial septum and subsequent death. Balloon dilation of native atrial tissue may result in uncontrolled tears of the atrial septum.
Superconvergence of Discontinuous Galerkin and Local Discontinuous Galerkin Schemes for Linear Hyperbolic and Convection-Diffusion Equations in One Space Dimension

In this paper, we study the superconvergence property for the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) and the local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) methods for solving one-dimensional time dependent linear conservation laws and convection-diffusion equations. We prove superconvergence towards a particular projection of the exact solution when the upwind flux is used for conservation laws and when the alternating flux is used for convection-diffusion equations. The order of superconvergence for both cases is proved to be $k+\frac{3}{2}$ when piecewise $P^k$ polynomials with $k\geq1$ are used. The proof is valid for arbitrary nonuniform regular meshes and for piecewise $P^k$ polynomials with arbitrary $k\geq1$, improving upon the results in [Y. Cheng and C.-W. Shu, J. Comput. Phys., 227 (2008), pp. 9612-9627], [Y. Cheng and C.-W. Shu, Computers and Structures, 87 (2009), pp. 630-641] in which the proof based on Fourier analysis was given only for uniform meshes with periodic boundary condition and piecewise $P^1$ polynomials.
Whole explants of peritoneum and endometrium : a novel model of the early endometriosis lesion

Abstract Objective: To determine whether whole fragments of endometrium can adhere to peritoneum with intact mesothelium. Design: Tissue culture and immunohistochemical study. Setting: University medical center. Patient(s): Reproductive-age women undergoing surgery for benign conditions. Intervention(s): Explants of human peritoneum from the anterior abdominal wall and the posterior surface of the uterus were cultured with whole fragments of mechanically dispersed endometrium. Main Outcome Measure(s): Adhesion of endometrial fragments to the surface of the peritoneum was evaluated. Adherent endometrium was identified with the use of the dissecting microscope and by the performance of serial sections of the peritoneum explants. Immunohistochemical staining of the mesothelium with antibodies to cytokeratin was used to ensure an intact layer of mesothelium beneath the endometrial implants. Transmission electron microscopy also was used to evaluate this adhesion process. Result(s): Endometrium was identified attached to the surface of the peritoneum. Most of the implants did not have identifiable mesothelium beneath them, but most had intact mesothelium running up to the point of attachment. Approximately 10% of the endometrial implants had intact mesothelium at the site of attachment. Endometrial stromal cells, and not epithelium, attached to the mesothelium. Conclusion(s): Endometrium can attach to the mesothelial surface of the peritoneum. Endometrial stromal cells are involved in this attachment. Invasion through the mesothelium seems to occur rapidly.
Modeling and synchronizing chaotic systems from time-series data.

The problem of obtaining ordinary differential equations (ODE's) from chaotic time-series data is addressed. The vector fields for the ODE's are polynomials constructed from a basis set that is orthonormal on the data. The method for constructing the model is similar to the integration of ODE's using Adams predictor-corrector integration. The method is compared to the usual Euler model and is shown to be accurate for much larger sampling intervals. In addition, the method used to construct the model is capable of determining the optimal polynomial vector field for the given data. Finally, we demonstrate that it is possible to synchronize (in the sense of Fujisaka and Yamada [Prog. Theor. Phys. 69, 32 (1983)] as well as Pecora and Carroll [Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 821 (1990); Phys. Rev. A 44, 2374 (1991)]) the model to a time series. Synchronization is used as a nontrivial test to determine how close the model vector field is to the true vector field. Implications and possible applications of synchronization are discussed.
Diagnosis of depression in former injection drug users with chronic hepatitis C.

Goals: This study seeks to define the performance characteristics of 2 common depression screening tests and how psychiatric diagnoses affect adherence to treatment. Background: Hepatitis C virus is common in former injection drug users (IDU). Many former IDUs have depression, which may complicate treatment, and are often denied therapy. Study: Ninety patients with chronic hepatitis C virus and reported IDU were recruited from a Hepatology Clinic in Seattle. Subjects completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) before antiviral therapy. A psychiatrist administered the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview as the "gold standard." Adherence was measured by self-report of missed doses. Results: The BDI and PHQ-9 were highly correlated (r=0.75). Using a BDI score of ≥ 20 and a PHQ-9 score of > 10, 39% and 52%, respectively, were misclassified as being depressed, as compared with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Maximal sensitivity (85.7%) and specificity (82.6%) was achieved using a BDI score cutoff of 31, with an area under the curve of 0.82. For the PHQ-9. a cutoff of 14 yielded the best sensitivity (85.7%) and specificity (73.9%) with an area under the curve of 0.84. Adherence to at least 80% of medications was achieved by the majority. Conclusions: Subjects reported good adherence and outcomes despite a high level of psychiatric comorbidity. The BDI and PHQ-9 were highly correlated but both tended to overdiagnose depression. A high score on BDI or PHQ-9 should not be the sole basis for withholding treatment. These patients should be evaluated by a psychiatrist to make an informed decision.
Direct and Indirect Approaches to Neuroprotective Therapy of Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy

Retinal ganglion cell death is the final common pathway of virtually all diseases of the optic nerve, including glaucomatous optic neuropathy. In recent years it has been shown that retinal ganglion cells die after axonal injury via a programmed cell death process called apoptosis. The dynamics of retinal ganglion cell death reflect the timing and degree of the axonal injury, rather than its nature. For example, whether mediated by ischemia (corresponding to abnormalities of peripapillary circulation) or compression (e.g., changes in retrograde transport caused by increased intraocular pressure), the end result is a series of changes at the level of the axon, which subsequently affect the retinal ganglion cell body. Our studies on neuroprotection of retinal ganglion cells have focused on general mechanisms applicable to axonal injuries. By dissecting the pathways by which retinal ganglion cells die in these situations, strategies for protection may become manifest. We and others have found that production of certain reactive oxygen species is a necessary step for neuronal death after neurotrophin deprivation. In response, cells invoke compensatory mechanisms to maintain survival in the face of this attack. We have studied the transcriptional regulation of one candidate compensatory gene and discuss it as a model for gene-based approaches to neuroprotective therapy for glaucomatous optic neuropathy. By approaching the problem of therapy from this point of view, it may become possible to prevent irreversible glaucomatous optic nerve changes by inducing endogenous cell-rescue mechanisms and, thus, with the retinal ganglion cells' own defense mechanisms, to prevent its death.
Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding New Direction for America in the Middle East, Dennis Ross and David Makovsky (3rd Edition)

Dennis Ross and David Makovsky (3rd edn), New York: Viking, 2009, 366 pp. (including index) Myths, Illusions, and Peace is a significant book not because it provides a good contextual analysis of t...
Reversal of cognitive impairment in an elderly parkinsonian patient by transcranial application of picotesla electromagnetic fields.

A 74 year old retired building inspector with a 15 year history of Parkinson's disease (PD) presented with severe resting tremor in the right hand, generalized bradykinesia, difficulties with the initiation of gait with freezing, mental depression and generalized cognitive impairment despite being fully medicated. Testing of constructional abilities employing various drawing tasks demonstrated drawing impairment compatible with severe left hemispheric dysfunction. After receiving two successive transcranial applications, each of 20 minutes duration, with AC pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of 7.5 picotesla flux density and frequencies of 5Hz and 7Hz respectively, his tremor remitted and there was dramatic improvement in his drawing performance. Additional striking improvements in his drawing performance occurred over the following two days after he continued to receive daily treatments with EMFs. The patient's drawings were subjected to a Reliability Test in which 10 raters reported 100% correct asses...
A note on smooth Banach spaces

Let B be a real Banach space and B* its dual. Let the norms on B and B* be denoted by /) .I] and I/ . //*, respectively. If B is a smooth Banach space then the map u: B--f B*, defined by U(X) = ]I x 11 G3c,,,za if x # 0, and o(O) = 0, G, denoting the GIteaux gradient of the norm at x, is known as the extended spherical image map. It is known that the extended spherical image map is a homeomorphism if and only if jj . /I and 11 . I/* are FrCchet differentiable away from the origin [2]. It is also known that if the norms of B and B* are twice FrCchet differentiable away from the origin (in particular if the extended spherical image map is a Cl diffeomorphism) then B is isomorphic to a Hilbert space [5, Theorem 53. The purpose of the present note is to obtain a complete characterization of inner-product spaces in terms of smoothness and to show that the theorem in [5] cited above is the best possible in the sense that the isomorphism cannot be replaced by an isometric isomorphism. This also solves the following problem posed by Phelps in the affirmative: Are there Banach spaces B not isometric with inner-product spaces such that the norms of B and B* are twice FrCchet differentiable away from the origin? Before proceeding to the main results of the paper, a few definitions and known facts are stated. B denotes a real Banach space and B *, B** are the first and second duals of B. g(B) A?(B, B*) denote, respectively, the Banach space of bounded bilinear functionals on B and the Banach space of bounded linear operators on B into B* with the usual supremum norms. The norms of B and B* are denoted respectively by Ij . II and 11 . II*, while the norms of &Y(B) and 3(B, B*) will be denoted by II . 11 itself as there will be no occasion for confusion. Since the mapping m: 9(B, B*) --f W(B) defined by m(T) (x, y) = T(x) (y) for x, y E B is a linear isometry we identify these spaces. U( U*), S(S*) denote, respectively, the unit ball and unit sphere of B(B*).
Studies on the hydroxylation and metabolism of Δ4-androstene-3,17-dione-7H3 in the human corpus luteum tissue☆

Abstract Surviving slices of human corpus luteum, obtained from a patient on the 26th day of the menstrual cycle, were studied in vitro . The experimental data, based on partition column chromatography and isotope dilution analysis, demonstrate a conversion of Δ4-androstene-3, 17-dione-3,17-7H3 to radioactive 6β-hydroxy-Δ4-androstene-3,17-dione and testosterone as well as estrone and 17 β-estradiol.
Atomistic simulation study of misfit strain relaxation mechanisms in heteroepitaxial islands

The mechanisms of the misfit strain relaxation in heteroepitaxial islands are investigated in twodimensional molecular dynamics simulations. Stress distributions are analyzed for coherent and dislocated islands. Thermally-activated nucleation of misfit dislocations upon annealing at an elevated temperature and their motion from the edges of the islands towards the positions corresponding to the maximum strain relief is observed and related to the corresponding decrease of the total strain energy of the system. Differences between the predictions of the energy balance and force balance criteria for the appearance of misfit dislocations is discussed. Simulations of an island located at different distances form the edge of a mesa indicate that the energy of the system decreases sharply as the island position shifts toward the edge. These results suggest that there may be a region near the edge of a mesa where nucleation and growth of ordered arrays of islands is favored.
Dihydroxylation of alkenes using a Tp-osmium complex

Abstract The reaction of TpOsVI(N)(OH)2 (1) [Tp = hydrotris(1-pyrazolyl)borate], m-chloroperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA), and trans-stilbene in C6H6 at room temperature gives the diolate complex TpOsVI(N)(trans-O2C2H2Ph2) (2) and m-chlorobenzoic acid (m-CBA). The trans configuration of the stilbene is retained in the diolate complex as shown in the crystal structure of 2. Complex 2 is hydrolyzed by 2 equivalents of aqueous HCl in CD2Cl2 to give rac-hydrobenzoin, the product of cis-dihydroxylation, and TpOsVI(N)Cl2. cis-Stilbene, styrene, cyclohexene, trans-dimethyl fumarate, trans-methyl cinnamate, and trans-4-dimethylamino-4′-nitrostilbene are also converted to their corresponding free diol products by reaction with 1 and m-CPBA in CD2Cl2, and then aqueous HCl. In aqueous HBF4, oxidation of the water-soluble olefin, 4-styrenesulfonic acid, by 1 is modestly catalytic (15 turnovers in 3 h) with excess PbO2 as the oxidant. Under non-acidic conditions, the diolate complexes are inert and catalysis is precluded. Mechanistic experiments implicate an oxidizing osmium complex as an intermediate in these reactions.
Three-element phased-array approach to improve the spatial resolution in diffuse optical imaging (Invited Paper)

A three-element phased array approach based on post processing of continuous wave data for enhancing the spatial resolution of highly scattering media is presented. The method is based on the scanning of a three sources -one detector array along the system under investigation. The sources are turned on and offin a sequential mode in order to avoid cross talk among them. At each position of the sources-detector system along the medium intensity data are collected from the sources, multiplied by amplitude and phase factors, and combined in a phased-array algorithm. Optimal choices of the amplitude and phase factors are discussed. Experimental and theoretical evidence of the improved spatial resolution obtained with this method is provided.
Physical and chemical characterization of microporous zirconia

Small (< 10 μm) microporous zirconia has been prepared and evaluated as an alkaline stable high-performance liquid chromatographic support. Zirconia is an amphoteric metal oxide which exhibits both anion- and cation-exchange properties depending on the solution pH and the nature of the buffer. The affinity of zirconia for polyoxy anions, particularly the effect of phosphate on the properties of the zirconia, is examined. Most significantly, the exceptional stability of zirconia, even under extreme conditions, is demonstrated and compared to the stability of alumina.
When potential does not matter: what developments in cellular biology tell us about the concept of legal personhood.

In their excellent article “The Argument from Potentiality in the Embryo Protection Debate: Finally ‘Depotentialized’?” Marco Stier and Bettina Schoene-Seifert (2013) make use of developments in ce...
Autonomous and nonautonomous roles of Hedgehog signaling in regulating limb muscle formation

Muscle progenitor cells migrate from the lateral somites into the developing vertebrate limb, where they undergo patterning and differentiation in response to local signals. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a secreted molecule made in the posterior limb bud that affects patterning and development of multiple tissues, including skeletal muscles. However, the cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous functions of Shh during limb muscle formation have remained unclear. We found that Shh affects the pattern of limb musculature non-cell-autonomously, acting through adjacent nonmuscle mesenchyme. However, Shh plays a cell-autonomous role in maintaining cell survival in the dermomyotome and initiating early activation of the myogenic program in the ventral limb. At later stages, Shh promotes slow muscle differentiation cell-autonomously. In addition, Shh signaling is required cell-autonomously to regulate directional muscle cell migration in the distal limb. We identify neuroepithelial cell transforming gene 1 (Net1) as a downstream target and effector of Shh signaling in that context.
NEONATAL HYPOTHYROIDISM DETECTED BY THE OREGON REGIONAL SCREENING PROGRAM

During the period from 5/75 to 12/76, 74,050 newborns were screened in the States of Oregon, Montana, and Alaska for neonatal hypothyroldism. Filter paper blood specimens were analyzed for T4 in the newborn period and in a follow-up sample at 6 weeks of age. The lowest 3% of dally T4 assays (<6.5 ug/dl) were then analyzed for TSH. The screening program detected 18 infants with neonatal hypothyroidism for an incidence of 1:4, 100. Each T4 screen cost $0.50. In the 18 infants detected, the mean T4 declined from 3.4 ug/dl in the newborn sample to 2.8 ug/dl in the 6 week sample. Maternal history, maternal thyroid function, and pregnancy were unremarkable; neonatal symptoms were generally absent, and only 1 infant was clinically suspected of being hypothyroid prior to detection. On exam at diagnosis, hypotonia (40%), mottling (33%), umbilical hernia (33%), macroglossia (27%), and large fontanelles and wide sutures (25%) were the most prominent findings; no goiters were seen. Tc99m pertechnetate scans performed in 10 Infants showed no gland in 4, an ectopic gland in 3, decreased uptake in 2 and a normal gland in 1. Thyroid antibodies were demonstrated in 3 of 7 infants tested; 2 of these 3 had no uptake on scan and none of their mothers had antibodies. With treatment with L-thyroxine 0.050 mg a day, follow-up TSH measurements in 9 patients showed that TSH tended to reach normal 14-28 days after treatment was started, although one infants still had an elevated TSH at 28 days.
Does Hispanic‐targeted advertising work for services?

Purpose – The study seeks to examine two variables of interest to marketers in the area of services advertising, ethnicity and service involvement. The goal of this study is to investigate the relative effectiveness of ethnic‐targeting in services advertising, specifically, Hispanic‐targeted advertising. The purpose of this research is to understand what types of services can benefit from Hispanic‐targeted service advertising and develop practical implications for practitioners trying to spend advertising dollars more efficiently.Design/methodology/approach – The impact of the advertising model's ethnicity on post‐exposure attitude toward high and low involvement service brands was explored.Findings – The results of this quasi‐experimental study suggest that appealing to strong Hispanic identifiers may be highly desirable in terms of creating favorable attitudes toward service brands when advertising low involvement services, where, by definition, the consumer does not engage in intensive decision making ...
3-Nitropropanoyl-d-glucopyranoses of Corynocarpus laevigatus

Abstract A new nitropropanoyl glucopyranose, 1,4,6-tri-(3-nitropropanoyl)-β- d -glucopyranose (corynocarpin), and three known compounds, 1,6-di-(3-nitropropanoyl)-β- d -glucopyranose (cibarian), 2,6-di-(3-nitropropanoyl)-α- d -glucopyranose (coronarian) and 2,3,6-tri-(3-nitropropanoyl)-α- d -glucopyranose (corollin), were isolated from seeds and plants of Corynocarpus laevigatus. Structural assignments were made on the basis of 220 MHz PMR spectra.
Sensitivity of skin and bronchial mucosa to green algae

Abstract Six green algal strains were examined for their possible allergenicity to humans. Of 79 atopic patients tested with algal extracts, 47 gave positive skin tests. Non-atopic individuals showed no skin reactivity. Skin-sensitizing antibodies were passively transferred from 6 of 8 patients tested with Chlorella vulgaris. In the same group of patients, precipitating antibodies were not observed. Bronchial mucosal tests, evaluated by changes in the peak expiratory flow rate and by the appearance of clinical wheezing, were performed on 8 patients in whom cutaneous reactivity had been pronounced. Positive responses to acrosolized extracts of Chlorella vulgaris were obtained in 5 of these patients. These results suggest that positive skin tests to green algae are immunologically significant and that these organisms may be etiological agents in human respiratory allergies.
Amniotic Fluid Cell Culture I. Experimental Design for Evaluating Cell Culture Variables: Determination of Optimal Fetal Calf Serum Concentration

Amniotic Fluid Cell Culture I. Experimental Design for Evaluating Cell Culture Variables: Determination of Optimal Fetal Calf Serum Concentration
Racial Segregation and Voter Turnout in Urban America

This study examines the effect of hypersegregation on turnout in recent elections in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Baltimore, Maryland. A Geographical Information System (GIS) is used to assign to each registered voter in both cities his or her census block group via geocoding The individual-level voting data are then aggregated up to the block group level and merged with a subset of block group-level 1990 census variables A set of statistical analyses are next performed to measure the contextual effect of the racial composition of surrounding areas on voter turnout at the block group level The results show that after controlling for income, racially homogeneous block groups (Black or non-Black) situated in surrounding areas that mirror their own racial composition have significantly higher levels of political participation than corresponding block groups situated in surrounding areas that do not reflect their racial composition
From Bureaucracy to Debureaucratization

More than previous mild recessions, the current global crisis calls into question the merits of a model that held sway for almost three decades. Celebrated in the nineties in a “National Bestseller”, which even President Clinton considered to be a “blueprint” “for all officials to read”, the book—Reinventing Government—preached the reform of government in private sector ways. In stark contrast to Bureaucracy, which they considered “Bankrupt”. Authors Osborne and Gaebler (1993) promoted Debureaucratization, which they summed up as decentralization, deregulation, downsizing and outsourcing. It is time to revisit the assumptions of the Osborne-Gaebler model that has demonstrably failed. More than the model, however, the ways of its promotion in the market of ideas invites a word of caution. It prompted simplistic distortions, which typically followed from superficial analyses of Weber’s seminal opus (Timsit 2008:864–875). This paper reconsiders these two contrasting models, though not in “black” and “white”. Rather, the two are explored in dialectical terms, as outcomes of shifting ideologies, often taken to extremes.
Somatic Mutations Favorable to Patient Survival Are Predominant in Ovarian Carcinomas

Somatic mutation accumulation is a major cause of abnormal cell growth. However, some mutations in cancer cells may be deleterious to the survival and proliferation of the cancer cells, thus offering a protective effect to the patients. We investigated this hypothesis via a unique analysis of the clinical and somatic mutation datasets of ovarian carcinomas published by the Cancer Genome Atlas. We defined and screened 562 macro mutation signatures (MMSs) for their associations with the overall survival of 320 ovarian cancer patients. Each MMS measures the number of mutations present on the member genes (except for TP53) covered by a specific Gene Ontology (GO) term in each tumor. We found that somatic mutations favorable to the patient survival are predominant in ovarian carcinomas compared to those indicating poor clinical outcomes. Specially, we identified 19 (3) predictive MMSs that are, usually by a nonlinear dose-dependent effect, associated with good (poor) patient survival. The false discovery rate for the 19 “positive” predictors is at the level of 0.15. The GO terms corresponding to these MMSs include “lysosomal membrane” and “response to hypoxia”, each of which is relevant to the progression and therapy of cancer. Using these MMSs as features, we established a classification tree model which can effectively partition the training samples into three prognosis groups regarding the survival time. We validated this model on an independent dataset of the same disease (Log-rank p-value <2.3×10-4) and a dataset of breast cancer (Log-rank p-value <9.3×10−3). We compared the GO terms corresponding to these MMSs and those enriched with expression-based predictive genes. The analysis showed that the GO term pairs with large similarity are mainly pertinent to the proteins located on the cell organelles responsible for material transport and waste disposal, suggesting the crucial role of these proteins in cancer mortality.
Freezing Damage to Isolated Tomato Fruit Mitochondria as Modified by Cryoprotective Agents and Storage Temperature

Isolated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var. Kc 146) fruit mitochondria could be stored successfully in the frozen state without a cryoprotective agent if the mitochondria were frozen quickly by immersion in liquid nitrogen and later thawed quickly at 30 C. Criteria of freezing damage were rate of respiration, adenosine diphosphate to oxygen ratio, and respiratory control ratio. Marked reduction in respiration and loss of respiratory control occurred when mitochondria were transferred from liquid nitrogen to −5, −10, or −18 C for 15 minutes prior to thawing at 30 C. Dimethylsulfoxide (5%) prevented freezing damage when mitochondria were incubated at −5 C but did not prevent freezing damage at −10 or −18 C. Isolated tomato mitochondria show promise as a model system for studying the nature of freezing damage and the mode of action of cryo-protective agents.