cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancing the Cube

The cubic grids in R 3 (just as the square grids in R 2 ) are ubiquitous in image processing. In fact, the percentage of publications which use grids other than these is very small. Even in mathematics, one can develop a full-fledged theory of topology (see Chapter 4) based only on these grids; see, e.g., [33]. Therefore it is reasonable to ask why we should bother to develop a theory more general than the one based on the cubic grids in R 3 and on the square grids in R 2 . In this chapter we respond to this question. The current section compares the cubic grids with the so-called fee grids and shows that the latter have several advantages. In the next section we discuss a host of different spaces and adjacencies which have arisen for various reasons in the literature.
Linear algebra: Modules over principal domains and similarity

This chapter treats further properties of modules over rings which are not fields. We have a discussion of the order of module elements not unlike the order of an element of a group or the characteristic of a ring. We resolve elements into sums of elements of elements of relatively prime orders. We introduce determinant divisors invariant under matrix equivalence. Using the theory developed for modules over principal ideal domains we find the invariant factor matrix: a canonical form for the equivalence of matrices over a principal domain. We solve linear equations with coefficients in a principal domain. We give a direct sum resolution of a finitely generated module over a principal domain. We consider the relation of similarity of matrices with entries in a field and apply the theorems of this chapter to yield several canonical forms. The technique is to construct, from a given vector space and endomorphism, a new module, resolve this module into a direct sum of cyclic submodules, and use this resolution to produce a basis for the vector space which yields for the endomorphism an especially simple matrix: the canonical form. We close with a study of the characteristic equation and characteristic values.
Peacemaking in the Culture War Between Gay Rights and Religious Liberty

This Article takes seriously two important legal claims. The first claim, increasingly sounded by opponents of marriage rights for same-sex couples, warns that when private or governmental institutions create rights for gay and lesbian people, those institutions simultaneously and inevitably threaten opponents’ rights of religious liberty. The second claim, articulated - surprisingly enough - by at least two federal district-court judges, is that legal disputes involving these potentially conflicting interests can and should be resolved through mediation. The thesis of this Article is that these judges are correct: mediation holds tremendous potential in legal disputes that pit “gay rights” against “religious liberty.” The argument for mediation proceeds in three steps. First, the article presents cases that illustrate the supposed conflict between gay rights and religious liberty: Peterson v. Hewlett-Packard (a dispute between an employer who posted gay-affirming posters and an employee who posted Bible verses, some condemning homosexuality, in response), Parker v. Hurley (a dispute between a public school and parents over discussions and materials depicting same-sex couples and their families), and Startzell v. City of Philadelphia (a dispute over a city’s arrest of some street preachers who were protesting at a gay-pride festival). Next, the article describes mediation and four of its comparative advantages over unassisted negotiation or litigation in our paradigmatic cases: (1) it addresses psychological barriers to agreement; (2) it allows each disputant to develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the other; (3) it focuses on the parties’ ongoing relationship; and (4) it dovetails the parties’ different but often complementary interests. Finally, the article imagines how mediation might have dealt with the conditions that prevented negotiated resolution in each of the paradigmatic cases. In this effort, I am aided by interviews I conducted with participants in these cases. Conversations with some of the individuals involved reveal interests and perspectives that the pleadings and court opinions do not capture.
Theories of programming languages

This textbook is a broad but rigorous survey of the theoretical basis for the design, definition, and implementation of programming languages, and of systems for specifying and proving program behavior. It encompasses imperative and functional programming, as well as the ways of integrating these aspects into more general languages. Basic concepts and their properties are described with mathematical rigor, but the mathematical development is balanced by numerous examples of applications, particularly of program specification and proof, concurrent programming, functional programming (including the use of continuations and lazy evaluation), and type systems (including subtyping, polymorphism, and modularization). Assuming only knowledge of elementary programming, this text is perfect for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in programming language theory, and will also appeal to researchers and professionals in designing or implementing computer languages.
Vaccine for human contraception targeting sperm Izumo protein and YLP12 dodecamer peptide

There is an urgent need to develop a better method of contraception which is non-steroidal and reversible to control world population explosion and unintended pregnancies. Contraceptive vaccines (CV), especially targeting sperm-specific proteins, can provide an ideal contraceptive modality. Sperm-specific proteins can induce an immune response in women as well as men, thus can be used for CV development in both sexes. In this article, we will review two sperm-specific proteins, namely Izumo protein and YLP12 dodecamer peptide. Gene-knockout studies indicate that Izumo protein is essential for sperm–egg membrane fusion. Vaccination with Izumo protein or its cDNA causes a significant reduction in fertility of female mice. The antibodies to human Izumo inhibit human sperm penetration assay. Recently, our laboratory found that a significant percentage of infertile women have antibodies to Izumo protein. The second sperm-specific protein is YLP12, a peptide mimetic sequence present on human sperm involved in recognition and binding to the human oocyte zona pellucida. Vaccination with YLP12 or its cDNA causes long-term, reversible contraception, without side effects, in female mice. Infertile, but not fertile, men and women have antibodies to YLP12 peptide. Our laboratory has isolated, cloned, and sequenced cDNA encoding human single chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody from infertile men which reacts with YLP12 peptide. The human YLP12 scFv antibody may provide a novel passive immunocontraceptive, the first of its kind. In conclusion, sperm-specific Izumo protein and YLP12 peptide can provide exciting candidates for antisperm CV development.
Chondrodermatitis nodularis chronica helicis.

Chondrodermatitis nodularis chronica helicis is a painful, persistent, or recurrent inflammatory lesion involving the cartilage and skin of the external ear. These lesions are resistant to many therapautic modalities and often recur even after surgical excision. The CO2 laser was used to vaporize the cutaneous nodules and involved cartilage. The wounds were allowed to heal with only minimal care using hydrogen peroxide cleansing and applications of topical antibiotic ointment. Twelve lesions have been treated with no recurrences after 2 to 15 months. There have been no complications or infections following laser surgery. The pain from these lesions is gone immediately following laser surgery. Healing with excellent cosmetic results is complete usually within 3 to 4 weeks
The Ethics of the Negative: Overcoming the Frustrations of Thinking Dialectically in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit

The scholarship on Hegel in educational philosophy is concentrated heavily in three broad areas. First, writers have emphasized a basic understanding of dialectical thinking and its application to various educational problematics. Second, there has been a great deal of interest in reading Hegel’s phenomenology as a representation of developmental psychology. And third, Hegel has been referenced in relation to individual educational philosophers such as John Dewey and Paulo Freire. In this essay, I wish to take a closer look at a very important dimension of Hegel’s philosophy that has remained largely unexplored within the context of education: the ethic of “the strenuous effort of the Notion.” One of the most surprising and perhaps emotionally stimulating aspects of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit is his honest, if not brutally honest, depiction of intellectual labor as a strenuous task that demands an ethical commitment to thinking as such. Here I will argue that this ethical practice involves overcoming self-righteousness, stubbornness, and vanity. As long as educational philosophy does not address the ethics of the negative then any discussion of dialectical thinking (detached from the affective component of thinking) and developmental psychology (interested in necessary stages without reference to the contingent toil of intellectual labor) are simply abstractions not equipped to address the hurtles and pitfalls on the path towards self-determining learning. Such an analysis will therefore further support and refine Nigel Tubes’s emphasis on the centrality of the experience of dialectical thinking in Hegel’s phenomenology. After a brief review of Hegelian scholarship in educational philosophy, I will outline Hegel’s ethics of learning with specific reference to the Preface and Introduction of Phenomenology of Spirit.
Military and Veterans Law in Specialized Legal Research

This chapter in Specialized Legal Research, ed. Penny Hazelton, covers military law as it is described in the Preamble (Part I) of the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States. Paragraph 2 of the Preamble describes military law as "that which regulates its military establishment." The chapter focuses primarily on military justice and other laws that regulate the conduct of members of the military and their separation from the armed forces. Military justice and other types of discharges, in turn, may affect the benefits for which veterans qualify hence the chapter also covers veterans’ law.
Techniques Used in Studying the Fracture Mechanics of Rock

PARTIALLY BROKEN MATERIAL WAS OBTAINED TO STUDY THE GROWTH OF CRACKS DURING BRITTLE FRACTURE. IN UNIAXIAL COMPRESSION THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY PLACING A SIMPLY SUPPORTED BEAM IN PARALLEL WITH THE ROCK SPECIMEN TO LIMIT THE ADVANCE OF THE RAM WHEN THE LOAD-CARRYING ABILITY OF THE SPECIMEN DECREASED. UNCERTAINTIES ASSOCIATED WITH STRAIGHT CYLINDRICAL SPECIMENS WERE AVOIDED BY USING CYLINDERS WITH A REDUCED CENTRAL SECTION. VOLUMETRIC STRAIN WAS COMPUTED FROM TWO PERPENDICULAR STRAIN GAGES. THE ONSET OF CRACK GROWTH AND THE WORK EXPENDED AGAINST CONFINING PRESSURE WERE FOUND WITH THE AID OF PLOTS OF VOLUMETRIC STRAIN VERSUS STRESS. MEASUREMENTS OF LINEAR COMPRESSIBILITY INDICATED THE PREDOMINANT DIRECTION OF CRACK GROWTH AND THE INCREASE IN POROSITY. /AUTHOR/
Effects of Water Temperature on Breeding Phenology, Growth, and Metamorphosis of Foothill Yellow‐Legged Frogs (Rana boylii): A Case Study of the Regulated Mainstem and Unregulated Tributaries of California's Trinity River

Many riverine organisms are well adapted to seasonally dynamic environments, but extreme changes in flow and thermal regimes can threaten sustainability of their populations in regulated rivers. Altered thermal regimes may limit recruitment to populations by shifting the timing of breeding activities and affecting the growth and development of early life stages. Stream-dwelling anurans such as the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) in the Trinity River of northern California are model subjects for examining associations between water temperature and the timing of oviposition, hatching, and metamorphosis, and body condition and size of tadpoles and metamorphs. Breeding activity, hatching success, and metamorphosis occurred later, and metamorphs were smaller and leaner along the regulated and colder mainstem relative to six unregulated tributaries of the Trinity River. Persistently depressed summer water temperatures appear to play a seminal role in inhibited tadpole growth on the regulated mainstem and may be a causative factor in the pronounced decline of this population. Environmental flow assessments should account for the influence of the thermal regime on the development of vulnerable embryonic and larval life stages to improve outcomes for declining amphibian populations. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Uniform bounds on symbolic powers

Abstract We study the question of obtaining uniform bounds for the growth of symbolic powers of ideals in Noetherian rings. First we use a generalized version of Artinʼs strong approximation theorem to obtain uniform bounds for prime ideals in the integral closure of a finite Galois field extension of the fraction field of an excellent Henselian regular local ring. As a corollary, we obtain a similar result for a complete Noetherian local domains. We also obtain linear uniform bounds for the growth of symbolic powers in certain normal subrings of equicharacteristic regular rings under mild conditions.
Posterior Sagittal Anorectoplasty for Congenital Rectovaginal Malformations in the Adult

Purpose Posterior sagittal anorectoplasty is a well accepted procedure utilized for repair of congenital imperforate anus. This procedure allows acceptable function and quality of life in these unfortunate children. However, for obvious reasons it is seldom performed in the adult patient.
Electron-transfer reactions involving simple free radicals

D. Introduction 155 Experimental 156 (i) Reagents 156 (ii) Analyses 157 (iii) Kinetic measurements 157 Results 157 (i) Stoichiometry 157 (ii) Kinetics 162 Discussion 166 (i) S,O,Z 166 (ii) Iand SCN 168 (iii) N; 170 (iv) CN 172 (v) NO;. 172 (vi) so; 175 (vii) General considerations 177 Acknowledgements 177 References 178
Nuclear fragmentation and sequential decay

Abstract The effect of the sequential decay of excited primary fragments on final distributions in nuclear fragmentation reactions is studied. Particle decays of primary fragments, which are emitted with equilibrium populations of known states, can account for characteristic structures in the measured mass distributions. They also alter the relative populations of excited states, as implied by recent measurements.
How Parents Communicate Right and Wrong: A Study of Memorable Moral Messages Recalled by Emerging Adults

The family communication process through which emerging adults form their moral outlook is examined through the lenses of Negotiated Morality Theory and Vygotskian Developmental Theory. Analyses were performed on the context, content, and type of 470 memorable messages reported by 303 emerging adults. Results indicated that messages were spontaneously delivered rather than planned, communicated at home, and received at around 16 years of age. Messages most often concerned relational ethics, self-honoring, honesty/fraudulence, careless/harmful acts, and personal qualities. Eleven distinct forms of communication were used by parents, including forecasting the future, empathy-enhancing, virtue-prioritizing, commanding, and identity-making. As expected, the nature of the messages varied by the gender of the parent and the age of the child at the time of the message. Parental messages appear to be influential as young adults negotiate cultural, religious, and peer sources of morality. Implications for parents ...
Antibody Assays for the Detection of Patients Sensitized to Halothane

Sera from patients with a clinical diagnosis of halothane hepatitis have been shown to contain antibodies that react with liver microsomal proteins (100, 76, 59, 57, and 54 kDa) covalently altered by the trifluoroacetyl (TFA) halide metabolite of halothane. In the present study, rapid and sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the detection of these antibodies have been evaluated. A recently described method that utilizes TFA-rabbit serum albumin as test antigen was studied employing a large population of halothane hepatitis and control patients. Several problems were discovered with the assay that were not previously recognized. The assay was then compared directly with methods that utilize as test antigens either liver microsomes or purified TFA proteins from halothane-treated rats. Sixty-seven percent of patients with a clinical diagnosis of halothane hepatitis tested positive for antibodies when the test antigens were either TFA-rabbit serum albumin or liver microsomes. This value was increased to 79% when the purified TFA-57 kDa, TFA-76 kDa, and TFA-100 kDa proteins were used as test antigens. These results indicate that the specificity and sensitivity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods for the detection of patients' antibodies may be increased significantly by utilizing the purified TFA microsomal proteins as test antigens.
Inhibition of Prolactin Receptor Gene Expression by 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract Treatment of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells with 10 n M 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD) did not decrease prolactin receptor (PRLR) binding. In contrast, PRLR mRNA levels were significantly decreased within 12 h after treatment with TCDD and persisted for up to 48 h. The effects of TCDD on PRLR mRNA levels were inhibited by the aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor antagonist α-naphthoflavone and were not observed in Ah nonresponsive benzo[ a ]pyrene-resistant MCF-7 cells. These results suggest that the effects of TCDD were mediated through the Ah receptor. After treatment of MCF-7 cells with 10 n M 17β-estradiol (E2), there was a 2.3-fold increase in PRLR mRNA levels, and in cells cotreated with E2 plus TCDD, there was a 72% decrease in E2-induced PRLR mRNA levels. Previous studies have showed that TCDD also effects estrogen receptor (ER) binding and mRNA levels through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway; however, the effects of TCDD on PRLR levels and binding in MCF-7 cells were different from those previously observed for ER.
Laundry pack exposures in children 0-5 years evaluated at a single pediatric institution.

BACKGROUND: Case reports and poison center series have highlighted increased safety concerns with laundry packs, especially when compared to traditional laundry detergents. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical experience with laundry pack exposures at a single institution. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed for exposures to laundry packs seen at a single tertiary care children's hospital medical center. Cases were identified by searching the poison center database for exposures to laundry products from March 2012 to October 2013 in children RESULTS: Forty cases were included. Thirty-two were ingestions and eight were ocular exposures. Nine children were admitted, two of which were admitted to a critical care unit. Seven other children were discharged after 1-night admissions; none received any treatments after initial ED treatment. Of these, four children were admitted for the possibility of central nervous system (CNS) depression, but none showed any progression. Twenty-nine children with ingestions were discharged directly from the ED. No children had progression of CNS symptoms. Children discharged from the ED were observed a mean of 189 min. CONCLUSIONS: Cases of laundry pack exposures seen at our institution were similar to cases described by US poison centers. No child had progression of CNS depression suggesting that prolonged observation is not necessary if the child does not have CNS depression at presentation. Language: en
Natural History of Congenital Heart Disease: Problems in Its Assessment with Special Reference to Ventricular Septal Defects

It is difficult to make prognoses and decisions on therapy of individuals with congenital heart disease (CHD) and plan efficiently for medical services and training programs because studies on the incidence and relative frequency of different types of CHD at birth, mortality rates, times of death, and prevalence rates in children and adults are incomplete or unrepresentative. The present study assesses the merits of previous surveys and attempts to indicate the best information about these rates. Specific attention has been directed to data on ventricular septal defect (VSD), with an estimated incidence of at least 20/10,000 live births; about 10% of these children died before 15 years of age. There should thus be about 18/10,000 surviving school children with VSD, yet the most intensive school surveys show only about half this number. This supports the suggestion that there is a high incidence (perhaps 50%) of spontaneous closure of VSD during childhood. Spontaneous closure may also occur frequently afte...
The stability of capillary-gravity waves on flow over a wavy bottom

Abstract The stability of free surface waves on a fluid flowing over a wavy bottom is considered. The mechanism for instability is the three-wave resonance conditions of Phillips. Previous studies not including surface tension have shown that there are two sets of disturbance waves which exist. It has now been found that with the inclusion of surface tension, two types of disturbances still exist, but may be multiply-valued, resulting in as many as four disturbance wave sets. The regions in parameter space with different numbers of solutions are identified. The zero surface tension case can be proven to be always unstable, but not the nonzero case. Numerical evaluation of the growth rates shows that the nonzero case is always unstable, and the instability may be a result of either type of disturbance wave. Increasing the value of surface tension from a non-zero value has been found to lead to a stronger instability. Increasing the surface tension from zero, however, may weaken the instability.
Distribution of actin and myosin in mouse trophoblast: correlation with changes in invasiveness during development in vitro.

Abstract Mouse trophoblast is an invasive tissue that undergoes conversion to a noninvasive state during normal development. We examined the distribution of actin and myosin during trophoblast development in vitro with double label fluorescence microscopy using fluoresceinated subfragment-1 of myosin to identify actin and indirect immunofluorescence with rhodamine-conjugated antibody to detect myosin. During the outgrowth stage trophoblast spread as a sheet by active movement of the marginal cells. These cells exhibited different patterns of actin and myosin distribution in connection with lamellar extension and fiber formation. Marginal and submarginal cells were packed with overlapping layers of actin fibers, some of which were organized into a lattice that extended throughout the trophoblast. The cytoskeletal function of the fibers appeared to involve maintenance of the cells in a coherent sheet. Cessation of trophoblast spreading was associated with conversion of the cell sheet into a cell network. Cells stained more densely for actin and myosin and contained distinctive actomyosin condensations in the cortex and the cytoplasm. At the same time there was disorganization and then loss of the actin fiber system. These changes in actin and myosin distribution may be associated with mechanisms that control invasiveness by limiting trophoblast expansion.
The supermarket revolution in developing countries: Policies to address emerging tensions among supermarkets, suppliers and traditional retailers

Supermarkets (short for all modern retail) are spreading quickly in developing countries. The ‘take-off’ occurred as recently as the early to mid-1990s, driven by an avalanche of foreign direct investment (FDI) sparked by retail FDI liberalisation. A decade on, the power and dominance of supermarkets is already felt in the food markets of many developing countries, and tensions between supermarkets and traditional retailers, and supermarkets and their suppliers, are emerging as key policy and political debates. This paper analyses those tensions. It then reviews the US and Western European history and current experience in designing policies (regulations and support programmes) to address those tensions. It ends with an analysis of emerging policy approaches to the supermarket sector and the tensions its growth is creating in developing countries, and recommendations. Les supermarches (terme adopte pour tous les modes de distribution modernes) s'etendent rapidement dans les pays en developpement. Le « dec...
E-Business Education in Transition

ABSTRACT The present study built on previous research to explore the development of e-business education in North America. Data was collected from college and university web sites on master's and bachelor's e-business programs. Findings suggest that the number of both types of e-business programs is increasing. The proportion of technical e-business courses in such programs also appears to be growing. This may reflect a move toward balanced treatment of technical and nontechnical e-business course content.
Consequences of the Privatized Funding of Medical Care and of the Privatized Electoral Process

In the article the author reflects on the U.S. health care system. 47 million Americans are without health insurance coverage and insurance is primarily acquired through employment benefits. He opines that health care problems are caused by the privatization of campaign funding and the organization of medical care. Funding for political candidates comes from private sources such as insurance, pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies. He discusses mistakes U.S. President Barack Obama has made concerning his strategy for implementing national health insurance.
Gas chromatographic-mass spectral characteristics of aporphine and tetrahydroprotoberberine alkaloids

Abstract The gas chromatographic (GC) and mass spectrometric (MS) properties of the silyl derivatives of aporphine and tetrahydroprotoberberine alkaloids are described. Selected representatives of these chemical classes of pharmacologically active bases were chromatographed on polar (OV-17) and nonpolar (OV-1) columns as their trimethylsilyl derivatives. The aporphines were eluted before the tetrahydroprotoberberines on both the polar and nonpolar columns. Simultaneous resolution of mixtures of aporphines and tetrahydroprotoberberines was readily achieved on the OV-1 column. An SE-30 column, used for combined GC-MS analysis, gave a similar resolution of these alkaloids. The mass spectra observed for the silylated 1,2,9,10-substituted aporphines were similar to those of underivatized aporphines, while the mass spectra of the silylated 1,2,10,11-substituted aporphines differed markedly from the spectra of the underivatized alkaloids. Although the mass spectra of the silylated derivatives of the 2,3,9,10- and 2,3,10,11-substituted tetrahydroprotoberberines were identical, these isomeric derivatives were separated by gas chromatography.
Modeling of Noise Reduction for Turbulent Jets with Ind uced Asymmetry

We present an acoustic analogy model for the noise reduction of dual-stream jets with induced asymmetry in the plume flow field, with emphasis on the direction of peak emission. The asymmetry redistributes the mean velocity and turbulent kinetic energy so that the underside of the jet becomes quiet. The goal of the model is to predict the change in acoustics, relative to a known baseline, due to the redistribution of the mean flow as computed by a Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) solver. It is assumed that the changes in the flow field are moderate enough that the non-dimensional parameters governing the source space-time correlation are the same in the baseline (symmetric) and deformed (asymmetric) jets. Those parameters are determined by minimizing the difference between modeled and experimental far-field spectra of the baseline jet using the conjugate gradient method. A generalized form of the space-time correlation allows shapes beyond the traditional exponential forms. This flexibility enables a very good match between the modeled and experimental spectra. The resulting non-dimensional parameters are then used to compute the spectra of the asymmetric jets. Included in the formulation of the acoustic analogy model is an azimuthal directivity based on the wavepacket model of large-scale-structure noise. The predicted noise reduction is in reasonable agreement with the experiments. The study underscores the importance of a properly defined convective Mach number, based on the RANS solution, for modeling large-scale-structure noise.
Development of an iterative boundary-layer-type solver for axisymmetric separated flows

On presente un schema de couplage totalement implicite. Comparaison de la vitesse de convergence de ce schema avec d'autres methodes de couplage. Resultats numeriques pour des ecoulements laminaires incompressibles decolles sur differentes geometries
Modified finish line in distal extension maxillary removable partial dentures.

Abstract Finish line modifications provide adjustability and facilitate relining in the hamular notch as changes in tissue contour dictate. Time problems and inconvenience of dealing with a metalacrylic resin junction, are eliminated while necessary postinsertion procedures are accomplished. In addition, the acrylic resin denture base is retained securely to the metal framework for the entire length of the external finish line.
Recognition and capture of breast cancer cells using an antibody-based platform in a microelectromechanical systems device

Cancer is one of the most common diseases afflicting humans. The use of biomarkers specific for tumor cells has facilitated their identification. However, technology has not kept pace with the field of molecular biomarkers, leaving their potential unrealized. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of recognizing and capturing cancer cells using an antibody-based, on-chip, microfluidic device. A cancer cell capture biochip consisting of microchannels of size 2.0 cm long and 500 μm wide and deep, was etched onto Polydimethylsiloxane. Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and Epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) were coated on the inner surface of the microchannels. The overall chip measured 2.0 cm × 1.5 cm × 0.5 cm. Normal and tumor breast cells in a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) suspension were flowed through the biochip channels at a rate of 15 μL/min. Breast cancer cells were preferentially captured and identified while most of normal cells passed through. The capture rates for tumor and normal cells were found to be >30% and <5%, respectively. This preliminary cancer cell capture biochip design supports our initial effort of moving a BioMEMS device, from the bench top to the clinic.
A comparison of the effects of the polyunsaturated fatty acids of cuttlefish liver oil and cottonseed oil on cholesterol metabolism.

Rats red ad lib. for 12 weeks either a fat-free diet, a diet containing 15% cottonseed oil, or a diet containing 15% cuttlefish liver oil, with or without exogenous (1%) cholesterol, were studied to evaluate and compare the effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids of cuttlefish liver oil and cottonseed oil on cholesterol metabolism. The results indicate that the longer chain polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in the fish oil cannot substitute for the essential fatty acid, linoleic, either as far as effect on various aspects of cholesterol metabolism are concerned or in the ability to form arachidonic acid. The observed interference of cuttlefish liver oil with the absorption of exogenous cholesterol may be caused by the presence in this oil of the highly unsaturated long chain fatty acids.
Canakinumab for the treatment of adult and pediatric cryopyrin‐associated periodic syndromes (CAPS)

The cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) comprise three rare autoinflammatory disorders: familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome, Muckle–Wells syndrome, and neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disorder. A mutation in the NLRP3 (CIAS1) gene, encoding cryopyrin, leads to inflammation and results in fever, chills, urticarial rash, arthralgias, conjunctivitis, and other difficult-to-control systemic features. Major advances in understanding interleukin-1 (IL-1) have led to better treatment options. This review focuses on a promising new medication, canakinumab, which is a recombinant, human anti-human-IL-1β monoclonal antibody that has been effective in treating adult and pediatric CAPS. Drug Dev Res 72:553–560, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Contribution of Death-Related Experiences to Health Care Providers' Attitudes toward Dying Patients: II. Medical and Nursing Students with No Professional Experience

Beginning medical and nursing students with no professional death-related experience were compared in order to discover the attitudes they bring to their respective careers prior to their professional education and socialization. Hypotheses were derived from psychological models for the effects of professional choice, gender, and non-professional experience on these attitudes. On five of the six attitude measures female nursing students expressed a more positive attitude than cither male or female medical students, as predicted. However, contrary to expectation, the attitudes of the female medical students were not more positive than those of the male medical students on any of these measures. Hours of death-and-dying coursework and general life experience exerted a significant influence on attitudes toward talking to dying patients about death and dying but not on any of the other attitude measures. These data also suggest the existence of an underlying attitude structure, representing these students' Ov...
Medial and Lateral Wall Decompression for Thyroid Ophthalmopathy

A two-wall decompression of the orbit, consisting of removal of the medial and lateral walls, was successful in eight patients with thyroid ophthalmopathy. The lateral wall was by removed by using the standard orbitotomy technique in addition to enlarging the space with a pneumatic burr, and the medial wall was removed through a direct medial canthal incision. Two patients had optic neuropathy, one had intermittent subluxation of the globe, and five had symptoms of exposure or increased pressure in the orbital area. In our eight patients, the two with optic neuropathy improved, the patient with subluxation of the globe became asymptomatic, and the other five had less exposure and were more comfortable. The amount of decompression ranged between 4 and 7 mm. The lacrimal sac was injured in one patient; temporary silicone intubation avoided any permanent sequela.
Generation of silicon nanowires using a new thinning and trimming method

A new thinning and trimming approach has been explored to produce silicon nanowires (SiNWs) from silicon microwires. One-dimensional nanostructures have attracted great attention recently because of their potential applications as excellent components in micro/nanodevices. SiNWs in particular have received much attention since silicon is the most widely used material in integrated-circuit and microfabrication processes and has unique mechanical and electrical properties. However, due to the shortcomings of the existing fabrication approaches, new methods are needed to produce SiNWs that can not only be massively fabricated but also batch integrated to functional devices. The developed thinning and trimming approach is believed to be such a method, and would permit precise control of the structure, size and positions of SiNWs. Furthermore, this method may be used to break through the limitation of lithography in the sense that silicon features fabricated by any lithographic methods can be further miniaturized using this approach. Our progress on developing this new thinning and trimming approach is detailed in this paper.
The Ionization energy of cationic cyanine dyes

Abstract Typical photosensitizing organic dyes are studied by a comparison of their measured and calculated ionization potentials. The ionization potential of the dye, adsorbed on a substrate, is measured by determining the threshold of the external photoelectric effect from the dye. The measured values are corrected for the effect of the substrate and an ionization potential, IPexp, is obtained which is independent of the substrate, and which may be compared to the calculated values. The Hartree-Fock LCAO-MO theory, for open and closed shell systems, is used in the π electron approximation with the assumption of zero-differential overlap. A first approximation to the ionization potential, IPn, is calculated from the difference between the total π electronic energies of the ground and ionized states. A method is described to correct this value, for the assumption of a static σ electron substructure, by computing the work done in the redistribution of the σ electrons upon ionization. The ionization potential calculated for one dye cation was almost twice the measured value, IPexp. It is concluded that the dye anion cannot be neglected and the HF-SCF-LCAO-MO theory is modified to include the Coulomb interaction of the anion. The ionization potential of one neutral dye molecule was more than 2 eV higher than IPexp. Agreement with experiment is obtained by calculating the ionization potential of the dye including the effects of the nearest neighboring molecules.
Developmental biology: Flowers' wings, fruitflies' petals.

The technique of clonal analysis allows dividing cells in a developing organ to be marked and tracked. The aim of such studies, in plants as well as animals, is to understand how tissues acquire their form and size.
GENERATION OF CONSTITUTIVE AND INDUCIBLE TRANS-SIALYLATION DOMINANT-NEGATIVE PHENOTYPES IN TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI AND TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI

Trans-sialylation is a unique enzymatic process that is restricted to some trypanosome species. By expressing developmentally regulated trans-sialidases, these protozoan parasites cleave sialic acids from host glycoconjugates and transfer them to acceptors on their own cell surfaces. The biological function of this process is not understood, but trans-sialylation is expected to be important in the invasion of mammalian cells by Trypanosoma cruzi and the survival of Trypanosoma brucei within its insect vector. Since a conventional gene knockout approach was precluded, we developed a dominant-negative strategy, in which fusion proteins consisting of a bacterial sialidase and trypanosome proteins were expressed in T.brucei and T.cruzi. The strong recombinant sialidase activity shifted the reaction equilibrium from sialic acid transfer to hydrolysis, in this way creating a sialic-acid-negative phenotype. Taking advantage of a recently introduced inducible expression system, we were able to control the expression of sialidase fusion proteins in T.brucei. Reversion of the sialic-acid-negative state to wild-type sialylation was accomplished by selective inhibition of the foreign sialidase, leaving the parasite trans-sialidase unaffected. Both desialylation and resialylation of trypanosomes was rapidly achieved. Our results show that neither T.brucei nor T.cruzi require sialic acids for survival in vitro, ruling out the involvement of sialylation in cell surface integrity. The versatile system introduced here will allow a detailed in vivo study of the role of trans-sialylation during the trypanosome infection cycle. Furthermore, cell-surface sialic acids are implicated in a multitude of (patho-) biochemical processes in other organisms. The quantitative and qualitative manipulation of cell surface sialic acids, by expressing of counteracting enzymes, constitutes a novel approach with potentially broad applications in glycobiology.
Long-term Exposure to Air Pollution and Markers of Inflammation, Coagulation, and Endothelial Activation: A Repeat-measures Analysis in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Background Air pollution is associated with cardiovascular disease, and systemic inflammation may mediate this effect. We assessed associations between long- and short-term concentrations of air pollution and markers of inflammation, coagulation, and endothelial activation.
The Effects of CAD-Like Software on the Spatial Ability of Middle School Students

This study investigated whether the software Virtus WalkThrough Pro could be used to enhance middle school children's spatial ability as measured by the Paper Folding, Mental Rotations, and Eliot-Price Tests. The study also investigated whether the use of this software impacted males differently than females, or users with high spatial ability differently than those with low. A pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design was utilized. The sample group consisted of 116 students, 55 in the experimental group and 61 in the control group. Both groups were given the three measures as pretests and posttests. The investigator worked with the experimental group for 50 minutes a week for 11 weeks. Analysis of covariance determined that there were no significant gains on any measures. No significant differential treatment effects were found with respect to gender or spatial ability levels. However, males significantly outperformed females on the Eliot-Price Test.
Ethics and multinational corporations vis-à-vis developing nations

The ethical dilemma of large-scale multinational corporations is presented. The list of complaints and issues is summarized. A case is made for the concept of multinationals being inherently beneficial in today's world of high technology and dependence on international trade. The difficulty is extreme power wielded by some groups. It is concluded that a philosophical ideal is for control on size and power as well as international rules to prevent abuses of power. The concern is that today the worthiness of being relatively small is slowly but surely being eroded.
Use of a convertible isocyanide for generation of Ugi reaction derivatives on solid support: Synthesis of α-acylaminoesters and pyrroles

Abstract The Ugi four component condensation employing 1-isocyanocyclohexene as a convertible isocyanide has been adapted to solid supported synthesis. Using Wang or Rink resin and a linker derived from succinic anhydride, Ugi reactions proceeded smoothly. The products were then converted under acidic alcohol conditions to esters, acids, and to pyrroles via 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions to an acetylene. The intermediate in both transformations is a 1,3-oxazolinium-5-one arising from cycloelimination of the cyclohexenamide from the Ugi product.
An incomparable life

Exceptional intellect and creativity made Ernst Mayr the last century's greatest evolutionary biologist.
Expression of bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4), bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7), fibroblast growth factor-8 (FGF-8) and sonic hedgehog (SHH) during branchial arch development in the chick

Expression of Fgf-8, Bmp-4, Bmp-7, and shh in the branchial arches of the chick embryo is examined by in situ hybridization. Fgf-8 expression is initially broad and diffuse, becoming more tightly restricted, particularly in the epithelium of the posterior ectodermal margin (PEM) of the 2nd branchial arch. Bmp-7 transcripts, first seen at stage 12 in discrete regions corresponding to the developing branchial clefts, are later detected in both clefts and arches, including the PEM of the 2nd arch while Bmp-4 transcripts are detected at stage 18 in the distal tips of the arches. Shh expression remains localized, overlapping with both Bmp-7 and Fgf-8 in the PEM of the 2nd arch at stages 16 and 18. Based on these data, a model is proposed for the role of these signalling molecules in branchial arch development.
Inherited pancreatic cancer: improvements in our understanding of genetics and screening

Inherited pancreatic cancers represent approximately 5-10% of all pancreatic cancers. Pancreatic cancer may be inherited as part of a known cancer syndrome or in association with hereditary pancreatitis or cystic fibrosis. However, most inherited pancreatic cancers do not occur in the context of a known syndrome, and these are referred to as familial pancreatic cancers. Growing evidence suggests the presence of a single autosomal dominant gene in familial pancreatic cancer kindreds, and a susceptibility locus on chromosome 4 has recently been identified in one such family. Pancreatic cancer is believed to arise from pancreatic dysplasia, and familial pancreatic cancer kindreds represent a particularly high-risk population for whom effective screening strategies are needed. One promising strategy has used endoscopic ultrasound to detected pancreatic dysplasia in members of familial pancreatic cancer kindreds.
Computerized conferencing and human communication

The Electronic Information Exchange System (EIES) is a computerized conferencing system built by the Computerized Conferencing and Communications Center at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark) under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation. It is designed as a test facility to support information exchange among small groups of research scientists and engineers. The system is first described in terms of the hardware, the functional characteristics, and the user protocols. Then these characteristics are reviewed from the standpoint of human communications.
Oral bleeding in classic hemophilia

Charts of 132 patients with proved classic hemophilia were reviewed. The diagnosis of hemophilia was most often made after 6 months of age but before 2 years. Persistent oral bleeding led to the diagnosis in 13.6 percent of the cases. The oral site most often involved was the frenum of the lip. In the patient with proven hemophilia, oral bleeding accounted for 9 percent of those bleeding episodes requiring infusion therapy.
Generation of surface plasmon excitation of supported metal particles by an external electron beam

Abstract The relative probabilities for excitation of the various surface plasmons have been derived by use of the coherent state approach for two cases of small aluminum particles, coated with a thin oxide layer and half embedded in a supporting film. Previously [Wang and Cowley, Ultramicroscopy 21 (1987) 77] it was shown that if the supporting film is a dielectric, AlF 3 , two surface plasmons (ω 1 =8 eV and ω Lo =4 eV) are predicted. If the supporting film is metal Al, there are four surface plasmons (ω 1 =11.5 eV, ω 2 =10 eV, ω 3 =8 eV and ω 4 =4 eV). Each frequency was shown to be associated mainly with the excitation of a particular interface. In this paper, the calculations show relative probabilities of excitation which confirm these associations with particular interfaces. Results obtained as a function of impact parameter along different radial directions from the center of the particle and for various directions of the incident beam provide a basis for predicting the form of the STEM images expected to be formed with electrons which have lost the corresponding amounts of energy. Observations of energy loss spectra and images obtained with the particular energy losses made with an HB5 STEM instrument are in general agreement with the predictions except that the relative probabilities for excitation are more nearly equal for the various surface plasmons than predicted. It is suggested that these discrepancies arise from differences between the models used for the theoretical calculations and the actual geometry in the experimental situations.