cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Negative Consequences of the Widespread and Inappropriate Easy Access to Purchasing Prescription Medications on the Internet

Background: The purchase of prescription medications via the Internet is a global phenomenon with significant economic, social, and health-related impacts The growth of online purchasing of prescription medicines is significant and has been amplified by social isolation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many patients unable to obtain medicines as they normally would By contrast, there are licensed, certified, legitimate retail pharmacies that provide significant and vital services to patients Objective: To review the major public health threat from illegal entities that sell any type of prescription medicines to individuals without proper physician oversight Discussion: Rogue and inappropriate online vendors are providing counterfeit and substandard medications fraudulently with untold impacts on morbidity and mortality globally This article presents the differentiation between the types of legal and illegal Internet pharmacies, as well as the actions that are currently in play to affect the illegal online purchase of prescription medicines Much must be done in a collaborative, global effort to address the public health threat of obtaining prescription drugs via the Internet Conclusion: Global, federal, state, health professional, societal, and patient-specific collaborations are necessary to affect the significant threat that is now present via the increasing ease of access to online medication purchases
A Review on Lithium Phosphorus Oxynitride

Lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) has paved the way for thin film solid-state battery technology development and has shown application in a large range of fields since its first reported synthe...
Inefficiencies of Basis Swaps to Hedge Foreign Exchange Risk

We find that a cross currency basis swap between the U.S. and emerging economies should not be interpreted as a currency hedge, as the exchange rate risk associated with these transactions is quite high. These risks are significantly lower for a basis swap between the U.S. Libor and Euro Libor. Overall, the use of a cross-currency basis swap requires an assessment of the expected trajectories of exchange rates and the associated risks. Offshore funding is thus an imperfect substitute for onshore funding of operations in a local currency.
The Control of Membrane Traffic on the Endocytic Pathway

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the mechanisms that control the intracellular traffic of membrane vesicles in the endocytic pathway. The existence of cell-surface receptors greatly enhances the efficiency of endocytosis of specific macromolecules both by dramatically increasing their concentration at the plasma membrane and by targeting their uptake to selected cell types. The basic features of the intracellular pathway taken by receptors and their ligands are briefly discussed. Following the uncoating of coated vesicles, next endocytic pathway is the endosome. They comprise a heterogeneous population of narrow tubules and vesicular elements distributed throughout the peripheral and perinuclear cytoplasm. The structure and function of endosomes are discussed. The chapter presents the role of endosomes as the central sorting station in the endocytic pathway, providing an intracellular site for receptor-ligand dissociation and recycling without requiring transit through the proteolytically perilous lysosomal environment. Acidic intra-endosomal pH is crucial for maintaining the orderly traffic of membrane, receptors, and ligands into and out from the cytosol. The chapter summarizes the basic aspects of receptor-mediated endocytosis and considers the mechanisms that control each step of the pathway.
Isozymes: classification, frequency, and significance.

Publisher Summary Isozymes are defined as multiple forms of enzymes occurring in the same organism and having similar or identical catalytic activities. They are usually demonstrated by the technique of zone electrophoresis followed by in situ histochemical staining for the specific activity. Most isozymes can be classified into primary and secondary types. The primary isozymes are distinctly different molecules, and are produced from different genetic sites. The others result from secondary alteration in structure of a single polypeptide species, and many of these are in vitro artifacts. This chapter focuses on primary isozymes, which are the only ones that can presently be considered to have biological significance. Primary isozymes can usually be found to have differences between or among them, so that they are not biological redundancies. The differences found among isozymes are of three main classes: tissue and cell localization, regulation, and enzyme kinetics.
Post-Javaism [object-oriented languages]

The Java programming language has been a phenomenal success. It's a significant improvement over C and C++, and its libraries for network and GUI programming have introduced large numbers of programmers to previously esoteric disciplines. The recent European Conference for Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP) included the workshop on object-oriented language engineering for the post-Java era at which researchers gathered to examine languages that diverge from this model. The only way to produce a language over which one programmer can have intellectual mastery is to start with a really tiny kernel and add on what 30 years of experience has shown to be absolutely necessary.
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: It’s Time to Cut Back the Grease and Add Some Guidance

Congress enacted the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to combat an epidemic of illicit payments by U.S. businesses and individuals to foreign ofacials. The FCPA prohibits any bribe to a foreign ofacial to inouence any ofacial act, induce unlawful action, or obtain or retain business. The FCPA, however, carves out an exception for facilitating grease payments made to foreign ofacials to expedite or secure performance of routine government actions. This exception allows for modest payments to low-ranking ofacials to expedite non-discretionary clerical activities. The FCPA fails to provide a monetary threshold for what constitutes a permissible grease payment. This Note explains that the carve-out for grease payments impedes the Congressional goal of stamping out corruption. To alleviate the problems associated with grease payments, this Note advocates for Congressional repeal, or amendment of, the statute; DOJ promulgation of guidelines deaning permissible grease payments; corporate activism; and institutional reform.
Placing Age Differences in Cultural Context: A Comparison of the Effects of Age on PTSD After Disasters in the United States, Mexico, and Poland

Criterion symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were measured 6–12 months after Hurricane Andrew in the United States (non-Hispanic n = 270), Hurricane Paulina in Mexico (n = 200), and the 1997 flood in Poland (n = 285), using English, Spanish, and Polish versions of the Revised Civilian Mississippi Scale. The samples ranged in age from 18 to 88. Linear and quadratic effects of age were tested by using hierarchical multiple regression, with the effects of gender, trauma, and education controlled. Among Americans, age had a curvilinear relation with PTSD such that middle-aged respondents were most distressed. Among Mexicans, age had a linear and negative relation with PTSD such that younger people were most distressed. Among Poles, age had a linear and positive relation with PTSD such that older people were most distressed. Thus, there was no one consistent effect of age; rather, it depended upon the social, economic, cultural, and historical context of the disaster-stricken setting.
Network architectures for supporting survivable WDM rings

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) based networks consist of a logical topology, defined by a set of nodes and lightpath connections and a physical topology, defined by the set of nodes and the fiber connecting them. Although both the logical and physical topologies may be independently tolerant to single link failures, once the logical topology is embedded on the physical topology, the logical topology may no longer be survivable to single physical link failures. Each physical fiber link may carry multiple lightpaths. Hence, the failure of a single physical link, can lead to the failure of multiple links in the logical topology which may subsequently leave the logical topology disconnected. Our focus is on the design of physical topologies capable of supporting ring logical topologies in a survivable manner. While there has been a great deal of work in the area of optical layer protection, this survivable routing formulation is a new approach to network protection that has significant implications on the design of future WDM-based networks.
Functional and Behavioral Application

Simulation techniques have been recommended in the recent literature as vehicles for improving the analysis of the corporate capital budgeting decision. Such techniques are alleged to provide more helpful measures of both return and risk than do single-point discounted cash flow estimates of project worth. This contention is challenged here. The conclusion is reached that the information provided by simulation is, at best, no better than is generated by the traditional single-point present value approach and, in one very important respect, is markedly inferior.
Sexual Desire is Also a Many Splendored Thing

There's a memorable scene in Woody Allen's classic comedy, Annie Hall (Rollins & Allen, 1977), in which the two romantically involved characters, played by Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, are shown o...
The significance of the door in nursing homes: a symbol of control in the domestic sphere

ABSTRACTThis article explores how public/private contradictions can be enacted in the space of the nursing home through the use of architectural features that signal transition and passage, most specifically the door. To explore these relationships, two alternative forms of the institutionalized skilled care setting will be described. The first represents the state of the most common form of nursing home, an institution that has been patterned after a hospital; the second represents an emerging place type in long-term care called “a household,” patterned after the domestic home. The divergent spatial experiences of these settings will be expressed through the role of the doors and the supporting transitional features that are architecturally determined and will compare and contrast the dramatic changes that can occur in the ideological communication of these domains. Their use, their language, and therefore their meaning within the spaces are suggested through the patterns of behaviors they support.
The role of the emergency physician in the prevention of domestic violence

In the United States, every 7.4 seconds a woman is battered by her husband. Of women who present to emergency departments with traumatic injuries, 16% to 30% report that their injuries were secondary to domestic violence. Not infrequently, battered women's medical and surgical problems are treated by ED staff and the women are released without any intervention directed toward the prevention of future battering and/or injury. Protocols are presented that require only minimal reorganization of staffing in EDs to provide essential services directed toward battered women's most serious health problem, chronic victimization.
Dynamical short-range correlations in low-energy pion double charge exchange on the calcium isotopes

Abstract We consider the influence of correlations on pion double charge exchange (DCX) from the Ca isotopes at low energy. Our study includes shell-model correlations and various short-range correlations, including repulsive correlations and ϱ-meson exchange between nucleon-nucleon (NN) and delta-nucleon (ΔN) pairs. Although the relative DCX cross sections vary by as much as a factor of two with and without dynamical short-range correlations, experiment cannot yet distinguish between the models.
Expression of epidermal growth factor receptor in esophageal and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinomas: association with poor outcome.

Background The prognosis for patients with esophageal and esophagogastric junction (EGJ) adenocarcinoma remains poor, even after surgical resection. Pathologic assessment of depth of invasion and lymph node status are the primary prognostic factors in these patients. In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, increased epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression has been associated with a worse prognosis. It is not known whether EGFR plays a similar role in esophageal and EGJ adenocarcinomas. Methods To address this issue, the authors studied tumor specimens from 103 patients with surgically resected esophageal and EGJ adenocarcinomas (9 patients with stage I disease, 23 patients with stage II disease, 57 patients with stage III disease, and 14 patients with stage IV disease). The expression of EGFR was assessed by immunohistochemical analysis of tissue microarrays. Tumors were considered positive for EGFR expression when >5% of tumor cells were stained and negative when Results EGFR was expressed in 33 of 103 adenocarcinomas (32%) and was correlated with higher pathologic tumor (T) classification (P = .02), the presence of lymph node metastasis (P = .01), and higher pathologic tumor, lymph node, metastasis classification (P = .02). EGFR expression also was correlated with shorter disease-free and overall survival in univariate analyses (P = .001 and P = .004, respectively), and there was a trend toward a correlation between EGFR expression and shorter disease-free survival in multivariate analyses (P = .07 and P = .08). The results demonstrated that EGFR expression in esophageal adenocarcinomas was correlated with advanced pathologic tumor classification and lymph node metastasis. EGFR expression also was correlated with poor disease-free and overall survival, but that correlation was not independent of T classification. Conclusions The current findings suggested that EGFR expression correlates with poor prognostic factors and may be used to predict patient outcomes.
Trafficking in cell fate

The hyh mutation that underlies a form of congenital hydrocephalus has been traced to the gene encoding αSnap, a membrane trafficking protein. The mutation causes mis-sorting of apical proteins and precocious neurogenesis.
A model-based approach to human identification using ECG

Biometrics, such as fingerprint, iris scan, and face recognition, offer methods for identifying individuals based on a unique physiological measurement. Recent studies indicate that a person's electrocardiogram (ECG) may also provide a unique biometric signature. Current techniques for identification using ECG rely on empirical methods for extracting features from the ECG signal. This paper presents an alternative approach based on a time-domain model of the ECG trace. Because Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models form a rich class of descriptors for representing the structure of periodic time series data, they are well-suited to characterizing the ECG signal. We present a method for modeling the ECG, extracting features from the model representation, and identifying individuals using these features.
Determination of in-plane and out-of-plane shear moduli of composite materials

A general closed-form relationship was derived between torque and angle of twist for a prismatic composite specimen in terms of the geometric parameters and shear properties of the laminae. In the case of unidirectional laminates, relations are expressed in terms of three principal shear moduli, G12, G23 and G13. An experimental method was developed for determining these moduli by measuring surface and edge strains with strain gages. Unidirectional coupons of graphite/epoxy and silicon carbide/glass ceramic were tested in torsion and the three shear moduli were determined in each case.
Sex and hormonal variations in the development of at-level allodynia in a rat chronic spinal cord injury model.

The development of central neuropathic pain varies among patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The factors contributing to the development and perpetuation of segmental pain (at-level allodynia) has been the focus of ongoing experiments in our laboratory. One such factor is hormonal status. We have shown previously, using a male rat model of SCI, that a severe contusion injury is necessary for the development of allodynia in trunk regions at and just above the level of a T8 injury. In this study, we examined at-level sensitivity for SCI ovariectomized (ovx) and cycling female rats as well as for SCI males implanted with either a placebo pellet or one that slowly releases 17β-estradiol. The proportion of ovx SCI female rats and placebo-treated SCI males displaying pain-like behaviors to touch/pressure of at-level dermatomes up to 6 weeks post-injury (67% and 75%, respectively) was similar to our previous studies on SCI males (69%). In contrast, significantly fewer cycling SCI female rats and 17β-estradiol treated SCI male rats showed sensitivity to touch at-level (26% and 30%, respectively). These results implicate 17β-estradiol as a potential target that can readily be modulated to prevent segmental pain following SCI.
Reaction of 2‐acetamido‐3,7‐dihydropyrrolo[2,3‐d]pyrimidin‐4‐one with dimethylamine and formaldehyde. Formation of two isomeric mannich bases

2-Acetamido-3, 7-dihydropyrrolo[2, 3-d)pyrimidin-4-one reacts with dimethylamine and formaldehyde in glacial acetic acid to afford the two isomeric Mannich products, 2-acetamido-3, 7-dihydro-5-dimethylamino-methylpyrrolo[2, 3-d]pyrimidin-4-one, and 2-acetamido-3, 7-dihydro-6-dimethylaminomethylpyrrolo[2, 3-d]-pyrimidin-4-one, in a ratio of 3:1, respectively.
Crossbridge order and orientation in resting single glycerinated muscle fibres studied by linear dichroism of bound rhodamine labels

Linear dichroism of iodoacetyl-rhodamine labels attached to the highly reactive thiol of the myosin heads was measured in order to infer the spatial orientation and the degree of order in myosin crossbridges in single glycerinated rabbit psoas fibres at rest. We have previously shown that in rigor the chromophoric labels are well ordered and that in the presence of MgADP and during isometric contraction a large fraction of probes is also ordered but at an attitude different from that of rigor. Here we show that in relaxed muscle the probe order is dependent on total ionic strength: at and above 0.180m there is little evidence for any preferred probe orientation, implying a high degree of crossbridge disorder. Below 0.160m there is progressively more order with decreasing ionic strength down to 0.100m, below which no measurements could be taken at room temperature (because the fibres would not relax). The dichroism observed under these conditions resembles that of the rigor state in that the dichroism peaks at the same polarization of excitation light, implying that the average probe attitude relative to the fibre axis is larger than 54.7°. Stretching the muscle beyond the point of overlap between actin- and myosin-containing filaments does not affect the ionic strength dependence of the amount of order present in relaxed muscle, suggesting that the observed order is due to ionic interactions of crossbridges with the thick filament surface.
The upper Xingu village is a stage

Thomas Gregor. Mehinaku: The Drama of Daily Life in a Brazilian Indian Village. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1977.
Microstructural modification of 21 4 Cr-1 Mo steel by irradiation with 14 MeV nickel ions

Abstract A ferritic steel ( 21 4 Cr−1 Mo) was heat-treated to produce three distinct microstructural regions; upper bainite, lower bainite and ferrite. The irradiation response of these different microstructures at 500°C to 14 MeV nickel-ion-irradiation was studied under identical conditions. Damage levels ranged from 80 dpa at the 1 μm depth to 350 dpa at the peak damage depth at 2.1 μm. Irradiated samples were studied in cross section using TEM/AEM thin foil techniques supplemented by precipitate extraction methods. The irradiation drastically changed the type of precipitate in the bainite regions from M3C carbides to radiation-enhanced M2C and M7C3 carbides, and the radiation-induced χ phase was also observed. The radiation-induced G phase was the only precipitate type formed in the initial ferrite structure. No voids were observed up to 350 dpa in any of the three microstructures unless preinjected helium was present. An average swelling of 0.2% was measured after a dose of 100 dpa in the sample preimplanted to 100 at.ppm helium.
Beyond Urban Renewal: Chicago's North Loop Redevelopment Project

Chicago's North Loop project is one of the largest downtown redevelopment proposals initiated in the period since the termination of the federal urban renewal program. North Loop planning in advance of substantial project implementation has taken more than a decade, and the political controversies associated with the project reveal important insights in regard to post-urban renewal downtown redevelopment, the momentum of large-scale redevelopment projects, and the new shape of politics in Chicago.
Dynamic wavelength assignment algorithm for wavelength-routed all-optical networks

Dynamic wavelength assignment has been known to provide significant improvement of wavelength utilization in a wavelength routed all-optical network. This paper considers the dynamic wavelength assignment problem and presents a distributed algorithm to solve it. The presented algorithm shows a significant improvement over existing schemes by reducing the blocking probability often by an order of magnitude. The algorithm is based on the assumption of the availability of adequate processing power at the routers and lightpaths are constructed dynamically when two end-nodes need to communicate. The effectiveness of the algorithm is compared to the schemes in terms of blocking probability and set-up time through simulations.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Passive Integrated Optical Anisotropy-based Devices

Abstract A new class of passive integrated optical devices based on dielectric anisotropy (birefringence) is described. In general, the allowed modes in uniaxial materials such as lithium niobate are hybrid. These modes have been calculated rigorously (i.e. without approximations) electromagnetically. Cut-off can occur, starting from either an unconditionally stable mode or a critically stable mode, through a transition to either a leaky guided mode or a leaky unguided wave. Passive cut-off anisotropy-based devices can be constructed simply by changing the direction of the channel waveguide on the anisotropic substrate. Example devices described include: high-pass filters, TE-pass polarizers, TM-pass polarizers, and temperature sensors (performing an absolute rather than a differential measurement). A design procedure for anisotropy-based devices is presented.
Regularizing the Local Similarity Discriminant Analysis Classifier

We investigate parameter-based and distribution-based approaches to regularizing the generative, similarity-based classifier called local similarity discriminant analysis classifier (local SDA). We argue that regularizing distributions rather than parameters can both increase the model flexibility and decrease estimation variance while retaining the conceptual underpinnings of the local SDA classifier. Experiments with four benchmark similarity-based classification datasets show that the proposed regularization significantly improves classification performance compared to the local SDA classifier, and the distribution-based approach improves performance more consistently than the parameter-based approaches. Also, regularized local SDA can perform significantly better than similarity-based SVM classifiers, particularly on sparse and highly nonmetric similarities.
Hydrophobic uptake and voltammetry of ergot alkaloids at lipid‐coated electrodes

The ergot alkaloids, ergotamine tartarate, ergonovine maleate, and ergocristine, are shown to be effectively partitioned into a lipid layer on a glassy carbon electrode. Such hydrophobic accumulation greatly enhances the sensitivity and selectivity of the subsequent voltammetric scan. A high degree of selectivity is achieved as polar electroactive species (present at large excess) are excluded by the hydrophobic layer. Detection limits of 1 × 10−8 M for ergotamie tartarate, 3 × 10−7 M for ergocristine, and 1 × 10−6 M for ergonovine maleate are attained (3 minute accumulation). Numerous variables affecting the response are explored. Differences in the hydrophobicity of ergot alkaloids account for changes in hydrophobic uptake and, hence, sensitivity. Applicability to selective measurements in untreated urine samples is illustrated.
Growth and characterization of epitaxial anatase TiO2(001) on SrTiO3-buffered Si(001) using atomic layer deposition

Abstract Epitaxial anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) films have been grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on Si(001) substrates using a strontium titanate (STO) buffer layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to serve as a surface template. The growth of TiO2 was achieved using titanium isopropoxide and water as the co-reactants at a substrate temperature of 225–250 °C. To preserve the quality of the MBE-grown STO, the samples were transferred in-situ from the MBE chamber to the ALD chamber. After ALD growth, the samples were annealed in-situ at 600 °C in vacuum (10− 7 Pa) for 1–2 h. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction was performed during the MBE growth of STO on Si(001), as well as after deposition of TiO2 by ALD. The ALD films were shown to be highly ordered with the substrate. At least four unit cells of STO must be present to create a stable template on the Si(001) substrate for epitaxial anatase TiO2 growth. X-ray diffraction revealed that the TiO2 films were anatase with only the (004) reflection present at 2θ = 38.2°, indicating that the c-axis is slightly reduced from that of anatase powder (2θ = 37.9°). Anatase TiO2 films up to 100 nm thick have been grown that remain highly ordered in the (001) direction on STO-buffered Si(001) substrates.
Iodate poisoning: early effect on regeneration of rhodopsin and the ERG.

Abstract Sodium iodate was injected systemically into dark adapted rabbits, half of which were then light adapted. Iodate had no effect on the rhodopsin content of dark adapted rabbits nor upon the a - or b -wave of their ERGs during 10 hr in the dark; however, regeneration of rhodopsin and the c -wave of the ERG were abolished within 1 hr of injection. Thus, the observed effects of iodate can be attributed to interference with the functions of the pigment epithelium within an hour of injection.
Decadal responses in soil N dynamics at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, USA

Abstract Atmospheric nitrogen deposition to forested ecosystems is a concern because of both geochemical and biological consequences for ecosystem integrity. High levels of prolonged N deposition can lead to “N saturation” of the ecosystem. The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine is a long-term, paired forested watershed experiment with over a decade of experimental N additions (∼ 34 kg ha −1 per year = ambient + treatment ) to investigate the biogeochemical consequences of N saturation. Both in situ and laboratory studies of N mineralization and nitrification were carried out to evaluate the changes in N cycling brought about by the long-term N additions. Consistent with hypotheses set forth in the literature (sensu [BioScience 39 (1989) 378]), the treated watershed had higher rates of N cycling compared to the reference watershed. In addition, we report important differences in N cycling rates as a function of forest cover type and soil horizon. Higher rates of net N mineralization occurred in hardwood O horizons compared to softwoods, but the opposite was true in the mineral soils suggesting an important link between litter type and N mineralization that varies with depth in the pedon. Nitrification showed the greatest response to N treatments, with the majority of mineralized N subsequently oxidized to nitrate in the mineral soils. By comparing the data herein with that previously reported for the Bear Brook experiment, it appears that the ecosystem response to N treatment continues to evolve on a decadal time scale and inherent differences in forest cover types and their underlying soils alter the fate of depositional N.
Financial, organizational and professional factors affecting health care utilization

This paper explores the effects of specific provider and system features on patients' use of health care, including financial, time and organizational barriers, practice patterns and physician characteristics. The data are from a survey of 3058 family members and their usual providers in Washington, D.C. Findings indicate that a low-income practice clientele and high charges were the most significant deterrents to use, followed by absence of Medicaid, distance, limited hours and patient-sharing by physicians. Charges and distance had a disproportionate impact on the poor. The combined impact of structural barriers in hospital outpatient departments reduced access by roughly 50% compared with private settings. Policy implications are discussed.
Scheduling batches on parallel machines with major and minor set-ups

Abstract This paper presents a job scheduling model of M identical machines in parallel. The model assumes that a significant set-up time is incurred when a machine changes from processing one type of parts to a different type of parts. A problem is examined that determines the quantity and the schedule of each part type to be processed on each machine. The objective of this problem is to minimize the total completion time. A heuristic approach and two lower bounds on the optimal completion time are presented. In addition, the efficiency of this heuristic is tested on several groups of random problems.
Diffusionsgewichtete Magnetresonanztomographie in der Diagnostik der Encephalitis disseminata

Die Magnetresonanztomograpie ist eine der wichtigsten Untersuchungsmethoden in der Diagnostik der Encephalitis disseminata, insbesondere im Nachweis aktiver Entmarkungsherde. Ziel der Untersuchung war es, diffusionsgewichtete und kontrastverstarkte Untersuchungen bezuglich der Erkennung aktiver Lasionen zu vergleichen. Bei 17 Patienten (11 Frauen, 6 Manner) mit bekannter Encephalitis disseminata wurden sowohl eine kontrastverstarkte T1-gewichtete Sequenz mit Magnetization-Transfer-Sattigung als auch eine diffusionsgewichtete Echoplanar-Sequenz (b=1000 s/mm2) durchgefuhrt. 29 der 239 Lasionen zeigten eine Signalsteigerung in der diffusionsgewichteten Sequenz, 24 eine Kontrastmittelaufnahme, jedoch waren nur 16 Lasionen in beiden Techniken nachweisbar. Bei Patienten mit kurzzeitig bestehender Symptomatik zeigten sich signifikant mehr Entmarkungsherde mit Signalsteigerung in der Diffusionswichtung im Vergleich zu Patienten mit langer bestehender neurologischer Symptomatik, die mehr kontrastmittelaffine Lasionen aufwiesen. Dies lasst darauf schliesen, dass mit beiden Verfahren unterschiedliche histopathologische Veranderungen beobachtet werden. Das sehr fruhe Auftreten der Diffusionsanderung in den Entmarkungsherden wird auf das Odem zuruckgefuhrt, wahrend die Kontrastmittelaufnahme durch eine Blut-Hirnschranken-Storung verursacht wird. Es ist zu erwarten, dass die diffusionsgewichtete Magnetresonanztomographie einen hohen Stellenwert in der Bildgebung der Encephalitis disseminata nicht nur in Therapiestudien, sondern auch in der klinischen Routinediagnostik erlangen wird.
Vaporization and deposition of an intact polyimide precursor by resonant infrared pulsed laser ablation

Poly(amic acid) (PAA), a precursor to polyimide, was successfully deposited on substrates without reaching curing temperature, by resonant infrared pulsed laser ablation. The PAA was prepared by dissolving pyromellitic dianhydride and 4, 4' oxidianiline in the polar solvent N-methyl pyrrolidinone (NMP). RIR-PLD transferred material showed two distinct geometries, droplets and string-like moieties. The unaltered nature of the deposited PAA was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Thermal curing was achieved by heating for one hour on a 250°C hotplate, and the transformation to polyimide was demonstrated from changes in the FTIR spectrum following curing. Plume shadowgraphy showed very clear contrasts in the ablation mechanism between ablation of the solvent alone and the ablation of the PAA, with additional contrast shown between the various resonant frequencies used.
The Depression of Hepatic Drug Conjugation Reactions in Rats After Lipid-Free Total Parenteral Nutrition Administered via the Portal Vein

Background: Total parenteral nutrition provides nutrition support in patients who are unable to eat. Long-term parenteral nutrition is accompanied by alterations in gut and liver function including changes in drug metabolism. This study examined the effects of lipid-free total parenteral nutrition in rats on (1) the overall elimination pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen, (2) changes in sulfation and glucuronidation pathways during acetaminophen elimination, and (3) hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme activities determined in vitro. Methods: Chronic indwelling catheters were implanted in the aorta, inferior vena cava, and portal vein of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Total parenteral nutrition, consisting of 25% dextrose, 5% amino acids, electrolytes, and vitamins, was infused via the portal vein for up to 14 days. Acetaminophen pharmacokinetics were characterized in vivo and selected drug metabolizing enzyme activities were determined in vitro. Results: Parenteral nutrition for 10 days decreased the total cl...
The effect of dissolution on plasma sprayed hydroxylapatite coatings on titanium.

Abstract Plasma sprayed hydroxylapatite (HA) coated titanium specimens were immersed into Ca-free Hank's balanced salt solution for periods of l, 2, 4, and 6 weeks. At each of the respective time intervals the HA coatings were analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy to determine the effect of dissolution on the structure and composition of the coatings. At the 2- and 6-week intervals, additional samples were removed from solution and shear tested to evaluate the effect of dissolution on the coating-to-substrate interfacial bond strength. XRD results revealed that the plasma sprayed coatings retained their basic apatitic structure throughout the 6-week period in solution. There was, however, a trend towards a more definitive baseline, suggesting a loss of amorphous material by dissolution. FTIR and Raman analyses of the as-sprayed and dissolution specimens showed that the phosphate groups were not lost during the time in solution; however, there was a decrease in hydroxyl content as a result of dissolution mechanisms. FTIR also revealed an increase in carbonate content within the coating during immersion in the simulated physiological balanced salt solution. The average shear bond strengths for the as-sprayed, 2-, and 6-week dissolution specimens were 14·82 ± 3·52 MPa, 12·51 ± 3·41 MPa, and 12·54 ± 2·02 MPa, respectively. Duncan's multiple range test confirmed that the shear bond strength was not significantly reduced after 6 weeks in solution, but there was evidence that suggested a decrease in interfacial bond strength as a result of dissolution mechanisms.
Isoaspartyl protein damage and repair in mouse retina.

Purpose. To determine the propensity of retinal proteins for spontaneous damage via formation of isoaspartyl sites, a common type of protein damage that could contribute to retinal disease.
The effect of thymus environment on T cell development and tolerance

During development in the thymus, T cells are deleted if their receptors are able to recognize self major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins. We show that such clonal deletion can occur because of interaction between receptors on T cells and MHC expressed on bone marrow-derived cells. In addition, development in the thymus picks out T cells to mature if their receptors will be restricted for antigen recognition in association with self MHC alleles expressed on thymus epithelial cells. This process is usually thought to involve positive selection of T cells bearing receptors with high and low affinity for MHC on thymus epithelium, and subsequent deletion of high affinity cells by interaction with bone marrow-derived cells. Our data do not fit such a model, but rather suggest that MHC molecules on thymus epithelium and bone marrow-derived cells may not be seen identically by T cell receptors.
Theory of sedimentation in colloidal suspensions

Abstract Theoretical models of sedimentation and creaming in colloidal dispersions and emulsions need to account for effects such as particle interactions as well as sediment consolidation. Traditional theories, such as that of Kynch, are based on continuum pictures of the system but ignore some effects which arise from the particulate nature of the dispersion, e.g. excluded volume effects. We have made a numerical investigation of the continuum model, based on analytic solutions of Burger's equation, which highlights the role of interactions in controlling sedimentation rates and which indicates the range of validity for solitary wave models. As an example of particulate effects we have illustrated the consequences of shaking on the compaction and size segregation of sediments composed of binary disk mixtures in two dimensions.
On the number of edges not covered by monochromatic copies of a fixed graph

For a fixed graph H, let f(n, H) denote the maximum possible number of edges not belonging to a monochromatic copy of H in a 2-edge-coloring of the complete graph of order n. Let ex(n, H) be the Turan number of H, i.e., the maximum number of edges that a graph on n vertices can have without containing a copy of H. An easy lower bound of f(n, H) ≥ ex(n, H) follows from the 2-edge-coloring in which the edges of one color form the largest H-free graph. In this paper we consider the cases when H is an edge-color-critical graph (e.g., a complete graph) or a 4-cycle. We will show then, that for sufficiently large n, the value of f(n, H) is actually equal to ex(n, H).
Preparation and luminescence of some [K2PtCl6] materials

Abstract The preparation of Cs 2 TaOCl 5 and Cs 2 TaSCl 5 , new materials with the [K 2 PtCl 6 ] structure, is described. Luminescence has been measured for these materials and other pure [K 2 PtCl 6 ] materials.
Factors influencing imitative learning in preschool children

Abstract This study attempts experimentally to develop generalized imitation in 37 normal preschool children. It partially replicates procedures of Baer and Sherman (1964) . E performed novel actions while telling stories. Initially she requested S to copy, and she reinforced him for matching. Imitation developed quickly. Then new responses, never prompted or reinforced, were interspersed among reinforced ones. Imitation again developed quickly. Postacquisition conditions were varied for different Ss: Condition I had no request or reinforcement for imitation, but noncontingent reinforcement; Condition II was like I but without noncontingent reinforcement; Conditions I′ and II′ were like I and II, respectively, but with release from instruction to imitate; Condition III had no model performance, but noncontingent reinforcement. Systematic differences in response decrement occurred: Instruction release had a significant effect; likewise model nonperformance. With boys, noncontingent reinforcement tended to prolong imitation. Following relearning, generality of imitation was tested with a new E and in changed activity contexts. Imitation was unchanged with a new E, but decreased when the activity contexts changed. The restricted nature of the generalization raises questions regarding the conceptualization and procedures upon which the demonstration of generalized imitation has been based.
Transmural gradient in high-energy phosphate content in patients with coronary artery disease.

Abstract In 16 patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass, transmural biopsies were performed during bypass but before global ischemia. Subendocardial and subepicardial halves were separately assayed in each sampled tissue. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, total adenine nucleotide content (ΣAd), and creatine phosphate (CP) content were significantly higher ( p
A cultural model for the acquisition of language: Implications for the innateness debate

In contrast to other aspects of species-specific development, language development represents both the universal thrust of biologically based capacities and the socially differentiated results of human experience in culturally structured worlds. This article presents a theoretical approach for understanding the ways that children's language development is channeled through the culturally constructed microenvironment, or "developmental niche." The approach is illustrated with examples from research on mother-child speech in a rural Africian community and American parents' discourse about their children's language development. The cultural model proposed here suggests a wider range of environmental input than has been acknowledged by innatist views, and proposes that there are cross-cultural differences in the ways that language functions in representing experience to the self and communicating about it to others.
Factors determining the therapeutic window for stroke

The duration of the window to treat acute cerebral ischemia has become an important question since the first effective drug for stroke victims has become available. Statistical analysis of relevant animal studies suggests that irreversible focal injury begins within a few minutes and is complete within about 6 hours. There will be substantial difficulties in attempting to obtain accurate estimates of the duration of ischemia that causes permanent damage in patients unless technical obstacles are overcome. Empirical estimates of the therapeutic window for stroke can be obtained from properly designed clinical trials, but optimal care will continue to necessitate urgent treatment.
On a satellite scatterometer as an anemometer

The Seasat-A satellite scatterometer (SASS) wind-algorithm was tested against surface wind fields. Three classes of surface wind fields were used; point measurements, an isotach field over an intensively measured triangle with 200 km sides, and synoptic scale winds determined from pressure and temperature fields and a planetary boundary layer model. These comparisons can verify optimal capabilities of SASS at accuracies of + or - 2 m/s and + or - 20 deg. SASS ability to locate fronts accurately is also established. Complications in nonsteady, highly variable fields indicate problems exist in unqualified application of the SASS algorithm to all conditions.
Comparing The Assets Of Uninsured Households To Cost Sharing Under High-Deductible Health Plans

Financial assets are relevant when one is assessing whether high-deductible plans, which require greater up-front cost sharing, are worthwhile for the uninsured. We show that uninsured households have less financial assets compared to the insured; at lower income levels, their net financial assets may even be negative. Although lower premiums may increase the ability of the uninsured to buy some coverage, high out-of-pocket liability may leave families exposed to costs that they cannot meet. Paying premiums for a policy that exposes the uninsured to unaffordable medical bills may be viewed as an uneconomical use of their limited assets.
Realities and enigmas of human viral influenza: pathogenesis, epidemiology and control.

Influenza A is a viral disease of global dimension, presenting with high morbidity and mortality in annual epidemics, and in pandemics which are of infrequent occurrence but which have very high attack rates. Influenza probes reveal a continuing battle for survival between host and parasite in which the host population updates the specificity of its pool of humoral immunity by contact with and response to infection with the most recent viruses which possess altered antigenic specificity in their hemagglutinin (HA) ligand. HA ligand binds the virus to the cell to bring about infection. Viral survival relies on escape from host immunity through antigenic alterations in nature which arise through genetic drift by point mutation principally of the HA gene, or through genetic shift by reassortment exchange of the HA ligand with that of viruses retained in avian species. Partial control of influenza is by use of killed whole, subunit, or possible live virus vaccines, all of which rely on worldwide surveillance to provide early detection of the altered immunologic specificity of the next virus to come. Future global surveillance may be aided by studies of sampled viral isolates in laboratories having capabilities for accelerated genetic sequencing and for automated rapid throughput analyses as well. Influenza vaccines of the future must be directed toward use of conserved group-specific viral antigens, such as are present in transitional proteins which are exposed during the fusion of virus to the host cell. Chemotherapy, though still primordial, must eventually provide the ultimate solution to vaccine failures. Probing the enigma of the severe influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 is an exciting contemporary venture in which genetic reconstruction of the viral genome from surviving archival RNA is being conducted with great success. Present evidence reveals successive recycling in pandemics, of only 3 of the 15 possible avian viral HAs. Pandemics are believed, conventionally, to be derived solely by rare events in which wild viruses of man acquire a new HA ligand of avian origin. There might be an alternative possibility involving a periodicity in selective control by the host population itself, in its receptivity or rejection at a particular time of particular reassortant viruses which might be created more frequently in nature than we are presently aware. This hypothesis, though remote, provides a different way to view and to probe the enigma of pandemic influenza.
Recycling nebulizing system for milliliter volume samples with inductively coupled plasma spectrometry

Abstract A recycling nebulizing system constructed by mounting a concentric nebulizer vertically inside a spray chamber with a streamlined shape is described. Through a closed-cycle nebulizing process, a stable analyte emission signal was extended to 1 h for a volume as small as 1 ml. A comparison was made with a modified Babington nebulizer and a concentric nebulizer with a double-pass spray chamber. The recycling nebulizing system provides good powers of detection, superior signal stability, and low consumption of sample solution.