cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical description and epidemiology data

Summary Assessment of both the epidemiology of JDM and of the data obtained from sensitive diagnostic laboratory tools will provide useful and specific information about the pathophysiology of this most interesting disease. Clues to disease activity — the MRI, neopterin, vWF:Ag levels, and percentage of B cells — are still imperfect guides to therapy, 44 but may be of substantial aid in the characterization of the severity of the immunologically mediated inflammatory process. 74 A more comprehensive understanding of the genetic factors that are associated with either the disease onset or the course of JDM may help in forecasting the outcome of this illness.
Competition between tree seedlings and herbaceous vegetation: support for a theory of resource supply and demand

1 We measured competition intensity (CI) between herbaceous vegetation and tree seedlings (Quercus macrocarpa and Q. ellipsoidalis) along an experimental moisture–light gradient. Contrasting theories were tested by comparing variation in competition intensity to changes in neighbour biomass and resource supply and demand. 2 CI based on survival was inversely correlated with net soil water supply (gross supply minus demand by herbaceous vegetation). CI was not positively correlated with either gross resource supply or neighbour biomass, contrary to predictions of Grime's triangular model for plant strategies. 3 Many of the inconsistencies and conflicting results that have characterized the recent literature on plant competition could be eliminated if changes in competition intensity along a resource gradient are compared with changes in net resource supply rather than changes in productivity or neighbour biomass. 4 Tree seedling success in savannas and grasslands may be strongly influenced by the intensity of competition from herbaceous vegetation. Factors that reduce soil water content are likely to increase competition intensity (and reduce seedling success) in these environments, while factors that increase soil water content will favour seedling success through decreased competition for water with herbaceous vegetation.
Condensation energy in strongly coupled superconductors

We consider the condensation energy ${E}_{c}$ in superconductors where the pairing is electronic in origin and is mediated by a collective bosonic mode. We use magnetically mediated superconductivity as an example, and show that for spin-fermion couplings \ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\sim}1, the physics is qualitatively different from the BCS theory as the condensation energy results predominantly from the feedback on spin excitations. The same feedback effect accounts for the gain of the the kinetic energy at strong couplings due to an ``undressing'' feedback on the fermions. We show that ${E}_{c}$ decreases at \ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\geqslant}2 and argue that this implies that coherent superconductivity gradually yields to the pseudogap.
Abbot Ice Shelf, structure of the Amundsen Sea continental margin and the southern boundary of the Bellingshausen Plate seaward of West Antarctica.

Inversion of NASA Operation IceBridge airborne gravity over the Abbot Ice Shelf in West Antarctica for subice bathymetry defines an extensional terrain made up of east-west trending rift basins formed during the early stages of Antarctica/Zealandia rifting. Extension is minor, as rifting jumped north of Thurston Island early in the rifting process. The Amundsen Sea Embayment continental shelf west of the rifted terrain is underlain by a deeper, more extensive sedimentary basin also formed during rifting between Antarctica and Zealandia. A well-defined boundary zone separates the mildly extended Abbot extensional terrain from the deeper Amundsen Embayment shelf basin. The shelf basin has an extension factor, β, of 1.5–1.7 with 80–100 km of extension occurring across an area now 250 km wide. Following this extension, rifting centered north of the present shelf edge and proceeded to continental rupture. Since then, the Amundsen Embayment continental shelf appears to have been tectonically quiescent and shaped by subsidence, sedimentation, and the advance and retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The Bellingshausen Plate was located seaward of the Amundsen Sea margin prior to incorporation into the Antarctic Plate at about 62 Ma. During the latter part of its independent existence, Bellingshausen plate motion had a clockwise rotational component relative to Antarctica producing convergence across the north-south trending Bellingshausen Gravity Anomaly structure at 94°W and compressive deformation on the continental slope between 94°W and 102°W. Farther west, the relative motion was extensional along an east-west trending zone occupied by the Marie Byrd Seamounts. Key Points: Abbot Ice Shelf is underlain by E-W rift basins created at ∼90 Ma Amundsen shelf shaped by subsidence, sedimentation, and passage of the ice sheet Bellingshausen plate boundary is located near the base of continental slope and rise
Stating the Field: Institutions and Outcomes in Computer History

Computers transformed the post-Work War II American state and, as a consequence, influenced the policies that emerged from them. Can we better understand those policies by tracing their relations to the computer systems that might have accompanied their inception and implementation, even if only tangentially? Can following the outcomes of daily computer work really provide valid insights into the intentions or operations of the institutions in which the computers are embedded? Computer historians can trace how institutions like states fundamentally perceive the world differently because of how computers alter their daily operations. The next frontier for computer history lies beyond the (still-crucial) understanding of the origins, development, use, and transformation of hardware and software. We must focus on outcomes, not just as output, technologically delineated data parcels that reflect a particular programming and set of inputs, but outcomes in the form of decisions made from outputted data, formulated policies that reflect institutional imperatives.
Personal and family perfectionism of Taiwanese college students: relationships with depression, self-esteem, achievement motivation, and academic grades.

An increasing number of perfectionism studies have been conducted across different countries outside of the Western framework. Using an international egalitarian approach that adopts indigenous frameworks and concepts from the cultural context of the population studied is imperative. This study examines different groups of perfectionists with a sample of 348 Taiwanese college students, emphasizing the collectivistic culture. In particular, this is a follow-up study to further explore characteristics of a group with low standards/high discrepancy—a feeling that they are not good enough despite having low standards—found in a previous study with Taiwanese students. More specifically, this study investigates whether the source of the high discrepancy scores among this group is related to having higher perfectionistic standards from their family. Perfectionism was examined not only from a personal/individualistic perspective, but also from a familistic dimension to reflect Taiwanese collectivistic cultural va...
Serotonin-induced in vitro long-term facilitation exhibits differential pattern sensitivity in cervical and thoracic inspiratory motor output

Intermittent hypoxia induces 5-HT-dependent, pattern-sensitive long-term facilitation (LTF) of spinal respiratory motor output. We used a split-bath in vitro neonatal rat brainstem-spinal cord preparation to test whether: 1) intermittent spinal 5-HT exposure (without hypoxia) is sufficient to induce LTF in phrenic and intercostal inspiratory motor outputs; 2) LTF magnitude is greater in intercostal versus phrenic activity; and 3) phrenic and intercostal motor output exhibits differential pattern sensitivity to 5-HT application. With a barrier at spinal segment C1, 5-HT (5 muM) was applied episodically (3 min 5-HT, 5 min wash, x3) to the spinal cord (C2-L1) while recording inspiratory bursts in cervical (C4 or C5) and thoracic (T5 or T6) ventral roots. Episodic 5-HT application increased cervical and thoracic burst amplitudes to 136+/-22% and 150+/-22% of baseline, respectively, at 120 min post-drug (P<0.01). Continuous 5-HT application (5 muM, 9 min) had no effect on cervical burst amplitude at 120 min post-drug, but increased thoracic burst amplitude to 142+/-11% of baseline at 120 min post-drug (P<0.001). Methysergide pretreatment abolished both cervical and thoracic 5-HT-induced LTF. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry revealed that 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(7) receptor subtypes (receptors known to influence LTF expression in adult rats) are expressed in ventral cervical and thoracic spinal cord with no differences in expression levels due to spinal segment or age. Thus, 5-HT is sufficient to induce spinal LTF in neonatal rats and differences in pattern sensitivity suggest heterogeneity in underlying mechanisms.
Lipid and water suppression by selective 1H homonuclear polarization transfer.

A pulse sequence is presented which uses Polarization Transfer by a Selective Homo-nuclear Technique (POTSHOT) to retain all resonances, in phase, from a selected coupled spin system while suppressing all other peaks, from both coupled and noncoupled spins. This technique, which is a selective form of Homonuclear Polarization Transfer (HPT), has been used in a 1.5-T whole-body system to generate edited 1H lactate spectra from lactate/oil phantoms and from excised dog hearts. © 1987 Academic Press, Inc.
Pyridine nucleotide changes during thermogenesis in brown fat tissue in vivo.

Abstract Studies have been made on the interscapular brown fat of normal and arousing hamsters in vivo during the altered metabolism induced by hypoxia or infusion of norepinephrine. Ventilation of the lungs with nitrogen caused a prompt fall of the oxygen tension and temperature of the brown fat of normal hamsters. This was followed by an increase of fluorescence, which started when the tissue oxygen tension fell to a critical level. The oxygen tension of brown fat from arousing hamsters was one third that, of normal hamsters, an indication of a more active metabolic state of the tissue during arousal. With arousing hamsters, the fluorescence level increased immediately after N2 inhalation, and the brown-fat temperature decreased. Norepiucphrmc infusion into the external jugular vein produced a prompt decrease of fluoresence and oxygon tension, and an increase of temperature in the brown fat of normal and arousing hamsters. The pyridine nucleotide fluorescence response is considered to reflect redox changes of the mitochondrial NAD+ system. Since enhanced thermogenesis coincided with an increased flow of electrons through the respiratory chain and an oxidation of the pyridine nueleotides, it is deduced that the mitochondria of brown fal in vivo are capable of oxidative phosphorylation. A theory for the chemical mechanism of thermogenesis is developed which suggests that heat production is controlled by the rate of respiration. Hydrolysis of triglyceride, through norepinephrine mediation, provides the respiratory fuel, while other mechanisms sustain the supply of phosphate acceptor to the mitochondria.
High-energy physics: an emptier emptiness?

Temperatures similar to those reached an instant after the Big Bang can be created in collisions of gold atoms. The resulting fireballs may allow us a glimpse of a world that is more symmetrical than our own.
Service learning utilizing "live" business partnerships

Numerous organizations and companies can provide students of computer science and computer information systems with high quality applied learning and service learning experiences. At Missouri Western State University (MWSU), students are divided into design and implementation teams directed by faculty members; local and national companies such as Inter-Serv, YWCA, and Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney's Office become project clients. This blends Service / Applied Learning models followed by other universities (Iowa State University and Virginia Tech, Service-Learning Models)[1] to engage students in "live" projects that strengthen problem solving and critical thinking skills while they analyze, design, and develop clients' prospective application systems. Project clients, corporate sponsors and business officers bring industry's needs, expertise, and peer review to projects that blend legacy with new application development using cutting edge tools.
Mapping the Deltex-binding surface on the notch ankyrin domain using analytical ultracentrifugation.

Abstract The Notch signal transduction pathway controls cell fate determination during metazoan development. The Notch gene encodes a transmembrane receptor that is cleaved upon activation, liberating the Notch intracellular domain, which enters the nucleus and assembles transcriptional activation complexes that drive expression of Notch-responsive genes. The most conserved region of the Notch intracellular domain is an ankyrin domain (Nank), which binds directly to the cytosolic effector protein Deltex (Dx), controlling intracellular Notch activity. However, the structural and energetic basis for this interaction remains unknown. Here, we analyze the thermodynamics and hydrodynamics of the Nank:Dx heteroassociation, as well as a weaker Nank self-association, using sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation. By comparing g(s⁎) and c(s) distributions, and by direct fitting of sedimentation boundaries with thermodynamic association models, we were able to characterize the Nank:Dx heterodimer, measure its affinity, and map the interaction on the surface on Nank. N- and C-terminal deletions of whole ankyrin units implicate repeats 3 and 4 as key for mediating heteroassociation. An alanine scan across the interaction loops of Nank identifies a conserved hot spot in repeats 3 and 4, centered at R127, as critical for Dx binding. In addition, we were able to detect weak but reproducible Nank homodimerization (Kd in the millimolar range). This association is disrupted by substitution of a conserved arginine (R107) with alanine, a residue previously implicated in a functionally relevant mode of interaction within dimeric transcription complexes. The distinct binding surfaces on Nank for homotypic versus Dx interaction appear to be compatible with teterameric Notch2:Dx2 assembly.
“Doing the Math”: Maternal Beliefs About Early Mathematics Versus Language Learning

Research Findings: Little is known about how parents approach preschoolers' mathematics learning and how this aligns with early mathematics education research and policy. This study examined these questions by contrasting parents' approaches to early mathematics and language and by exploring key themes in parents' talk about mathematics learning and education. Consistent with current research and policy, parents reported helping preschoolers learn mathematics and attempting to connect this learning to children's interests and everyday experiences. However, parents admitted to lacking goals for and knowledge about early mathematics. In addition, compared to language, parents reported that mathematics was taught less often at home, should be emphasized less in preschools, was less interesting to preschoolers, required more direct instruction, and was less of a personal interest and strength. Practice or Policy: Parent interventions could capitalize on parents' beliefs and practices by providing parents with...
Polymerization of murine macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha inactivates its myelosuppressive effects in vitro: the active form is a monomer.

Abstract Macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP) 1 alpha has myelosuppressive and myeloprotective activity. That MIP-1 alpha polymerizes is known; this phenomenon was evaluated in terms of myelosuppression by assessing the effects of recombinant murine MIP-1 alpha on colony formation of murine and human myeloid progenitor cells in vitro. The following results are reported: (i) Polymerization is diluent- and concentration-dependent. (ii) Monomeric MIP-1 alpha is the active suppressive form for myeloid progenitor cells in vitro. (iii) Polymerized MIP-1 alpha is inactive and does not interfere with suppression by monomeric MIP-1 alpha. (iv) MIP-1 alpha has approximately 1000-fold higher specific activity than has been reported, but its effects are still specific for immature subsets of myeloid progenitors. (v) Suppression is initiated during the DNA-synthesis phase of the cell cycle. We conclude that polymerization of MIP-1 alpha might be a control mechanism that limits the myelosuppressive effects of monomeric MIP-1 alpha.
What happens after a fibre breaks- pull-out or resin cracking ?

We consider tensile fracture of a specimen consisting of a single rigid fibre embedded in a cylindrical block of a linearly-elastic resin. When the fibre breaks, two possible modes of failure can occur. A circular crack may propagate outwards into the resin, leading to fracture of the specimen. Alternatively, a cylindrical crack can propagate along the fibre-matrix interface, starting from the break in the fibre, leading to fibre pull-out. The question is: which mode of failure will occur in practice? Finite-element analysis is used here to calculate the pull-out force and the force causing growth of a circular crack outwards into the resin, for samples containing fibres of different radius. A general criterion is obtained to predict the mode of failure. Even for samples with perfect adhesion between resin and fibre, pull-out of the fibre is expected when the fibre radius is less than about one-fifth of the sample radius. For fibres of larger radius, either pull-out or resin cracking can take place, depending on the relative levels of interfacial fracture energyGa and resin fracture energyGc.
Acoustic liner performance in the presence of a mean flow and three-dimensional wave motion

Experiments were performed to check the applicability of existing acoustic liner design procedures. The performance of three different liner configurations was tested in a duct containing three-dimensional wave motion and a one-dimensional mean flow past the liner surface. Both the local liner admittance and the overall wave attenuation provided by various liner-nozzle combinations were measured with sonic flow at the nozzle throat. The experimental data are compared with predictions from current theoretical analyses, and the comparison is used to evaluate the theories.
Teacher Education: A Focus on Action

The educational community has, in recent times, abandoned a quantitative approach to research on teaching, characterized by process-product research, for a focus on naturalistic inquiry and the use of qualitative research methods. Major changes in research directions are accompanied in time by an integration process, that is, attempts to assimilate new knowledge with an already existing knowledge base. Attempts to integrate process-product research on teaching with more recent work have been impeded by major assumptions in research paradigms that have made the two directions seeming antagonists in the pursuit of knowledge. This paper explores the potential of integrating the results of earlier research on teaching with recent work stemming from both naturalistic inquiry and theoretical work in cognitive science. Major directions and issues are examined for their compatibility and ability to contribute to a broader perspective of the teaching/leaming process and teacher education.
Protecting citizens in hard times: citizenship and repatriation pressures in the United States and France during the 1930s

Economic crises have historically left immigrants vulnerable due to their insecure positions in the labor market and tenuous social and political ties to host country populations. During the Great Depression, citizenship status also emerged as a key factor determining the rights and protections offered to foreign-born populations in the two main receiving states of the interwar period: the United States and France. This article investigates the ways in which citizenship began to intrude into areas of social and political life where it previously held little relevance. To explain this phenomenon, it draws upon and supplements theories on the relationship between the formation of states and the making of modern national communities, focusing on the expanding powers of nation states within and across international borders after World War I. In both France and the United States, there were notable expansions in their power to control migration and fund social assistance programs. Similarly, sending states were also expanding their power to provide “remote protections” for their citizens abroad through bilateral labor treaties or expanded consular support. As states began to do more things with greater capacity, new and firmer boundaries were forged between citizens and noncitizens as well as between sending and receiving states. A key consequence of this was unprecedented pressure to repatriate. Contrary to much of the previous scholarship on this subject, this article stresses the evolving powers of both sending and receiving states and the corresponding elevation of citizenship status as key enablers of repatriation.
Risk analysis and management decisions for weed biological control agents: Ecological theory and modeling results

Abstract Biologically based control methods offer many advantages for the control of invasive plant species; however, these methods are not without risks to native species. Thus, there is a need for more effective and efficient methods of risk analysis for biological control agents. We show how the process of ecological risk assessment established by the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency may be adapted to improve assessment of the risks of proposed biological control agents. We discuss the risks posed by weed biological control agents, and present a simple individual-based model of herbivorous insect movement and oviposition on two species of host plant, a target invasive plant species and a non-target native species, in simulated landscapes. The model shows that risks of non-target impacts may be influenced by the details of the movement behavior of biological control agents in heterogeneous landscapes. The specific details of insect movement that appear to be relevant are readily measured in field trials and the general modeling approach is readily adapted to real landscapes. Current biological control risk assessments typically emphasize effects analysis at the expense of exposure analysis; the modeling approach presented here provides a simple and feasible way to incorporate exposure analyses. We conclude that models such as ours should be given serious consideration as part of a comprehensive strategy of risk assessment for proposed weed biological control agents.
Clinical outcomes of a novel, family-centered partial hospitalization program for young patients with eating disorders

AIM: Eating disorders (ED) in children and younger adolescents are becoming more evident, but there is a small evidence base for their management in this population. We hypothesized that a new family-centered partial hospital program for young patients would be effective in promoting weight gain, as well as improvement in psychiatric symptoms. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 56 patients treated in the program between August 2008 and November 2009 was performed. Historical data, anthropometric variables and scores from psychological instruments [Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT), Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), and Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS)] were collected on admission and at discharge. After exclusion, 30 patients were available for statistical analysis, using paired t-tests. The primary outcome variables were improvement in weight and change in total ChEAT score. Secondary outcomes included improvements in the CDI and RCMAS scores. Multivariate analysis included linear regression models that controlled for patient-specific fixed effects. RESULTS: The cohort was 87% female with a mean age of 12.8±2 years; 60% were diagnosed with ED not otherwise specified. Two-thirds had a co-morbid depressive and/or anxiety disorder. Change in weight was significant (p<0.0001), as were improvements on total ChEAT (p<0.0001), CDI (p=0.0002), and RCMAS (p<0.0001) scores. No historical factors were correlated with improvement, nor was use of psychotropic medications. Length of stay in weeks significantly predicted greater weight gain (p=0.004, R2=0.26). CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated in a family-centered partial hospital program had significant improvements in weight and psychological parameters. This approach holds significant promise for the management of young ED patients.
PERICARDITIS WITH EFFUSION IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN.

Seventeen cases of pericarditis with effusion in infants and children seen at the Children's Memorial Hospital, University of Oklahoma Medical Center, during a 3 1/2 year period are reviewed. The etiology of the cases was as follows: rheumatic fever, 4; purulent infections, 3; rheumatoid disease, 1; idiopathic origin (presumably viral), 1; metastatic tumor, 1; uremia, 1; fibrocystic disease, 1; and 5 cases of the postpericardiotomy syndrome. In addition to the major clinical findings of pericarditis in infants and children, special diagnostic techniques including pericardiocentesis, roentgenography at cardiac catheterization, serial angiocardiography, image intensifier fluoroscopy, kymography, and radioisotope scanning are reviewed. Four representative cases of the disease are presented.
Technology transfer in the 1990's: evaluating computer-support for cooperative work

The impact of rapidly changing technologies on our profession is clearly multi-dimensional: researchers struggle to keep pace; vendors wrestle with chaotic evolution in the marketplace; and users strive to maximize the benefits they receive from new technology, while minimizing disruption for training and system conversion. Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) promises to provide a timely synergism between group dynamics and state-of-the-art computer technology. The first concern of my report is the use of computer support for group work.
Surface-Skimming Stoneflies: A Possible Intermediate Stage in Insect Flight Evolution

Insect wings appear to have evolved from gills used by aquatic forms for ventilation and swimming, yet the nature of intermediate stages remains a mystery. Here a form of nonflying aerodynamic locomotion used by aquatic insects is described, called surface skimming, in which thrust is provided by wing flapping while continuous contact with the water removes the need for total aerodynamic weight support. Stoneflies surface skim with wing areas and muscle power output severely reduced, which indicates that surface skimming could have been an effective form of locomotion for ancestral aquatic insects with small protowings and low muscle power output.
Do Constructed Explanations Persist? Reframing of the 1994 Republican Takeover of Congress

Immediately after an election, candidates, activists, and journalists work to learn the reasons for voters’ choices in order to advance their careers. The answers are usually in contention. Election results tell us who won but not why the voters made their choices. Even exit polls often provide no more than a range of possible explanations. Yet research shows that soon after Election Day, long before systematic analysis is available, journalists and their sources converge on one or a few widely accepted explanations (or frames) for the election results. If they persist, the substance of these explanations is likely to affect office-holders’, activists’, and journalists’ perceptions and subsequent behavior. Do these frames or constructed explanations in fact persist over time, or are they reinterpreted in response to more recent political stimuli, thus changing their impact? This article uses content analysis of coverage in opinion-leading newspapers to determine whether the explanations constructed for th...
Not for Novices

One of the most distinctive features of the M310 Workstation is the 16‐character blue‐on‐blue liquid crystal display (LCD) panel mounted at a 45‐degree angle on the front of the system unit. One reason it's at that angle—aside from aesthetics—is that it can be read equally well (or poorly) with the system unit mounted in a vertical position. Normally, the LCD panel displays the time of day and the current processor speed setting (8 or 12.5MHz; see DOS‐tips). The last character position is used as a disk drive access indicator, so you will see letters appearing there: C when it accesses the hard disk, A when it accesses a diskette (in drive A), etc. In addition, Wyse has provided a special DOS command, LCDPANEL, which allows you to control the LCD panel. Let's look at some of the options LCDPANEL provides.
Perturbation of egg phosphatidylcholine and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine multilamellar vesicles by n-alkanols. A fluorescent probe study.

Abstract The perturbing effects of n-alkanols (pentanol, decanol and tetradecanol) in egg phosphatidylcholine and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine multilamellar vesicles were studied with five fluorescent probes, 1-(4′-trimethylaminophenyl)- 6-phenylhexa-1,3,5-triene (TMA-DPH), 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene, and 2-, 7-, and 12-(9- anthroxyloxy)stearic acid (2-, 7-, and 12-AS). These probes localize at various depths in the membrane, enabling study of the membrane-order gradient. Phase-modulation fluorescence spectroscopy was used to measure steady-state anisotropies, excited-state lifetimes and differential polarized lifetimes from which the limiting hindered anisotropies (r∞) and the logarithm of the rotational rate (log R) were calculated. The probes that localize at about the same depth in the membrane (TMA-DPH and 2-AS, diphenylhexatriene and 12-AS) generally, but not always, showed similar changes in r∞ and log R with added alkanols. However, the absolute values of r∞ and log R were usually different. The inconsistencies are attributed to differences in the probes' sizes, structures, photophysical properties and perturbing abilities. The perturbation of membranes by alkanols is chain-length-dependent. Pentanol disorders the membrane at all depths but is more effective in the membrane center than nearer to the polar headgroups of the phospholipids, tetradecanol can be accomodated into the membrane without effect or with increased order and the effects of decanol are intermediate between pentanol and tetradecanol. Our results with alkanols indicate that: (1) a single perturber can have different effects on membrane order at different depths in the bilayer; (2) the perturbation is observed at and distant from the perturbers' location in the membrane, and (3) the bilayer center is more susceptible to perturbation by alkanols than the region of the bilayer near the phospholipid headgroups.
Cranial Irradiation as an Additional Risk Factor for Anthracycline Cardiotoxicity in Childhood Cancer Survivors: An Analysis from the Cardiac Risk Factors in Childhood Cancer Survivors Study

Anthracycline-treated childhood cancer survivors experience cardiac damage that results in decreased left ventricular (LV) mass, leading to increased LV wall stress, which underlies their greater risk of cardiomyopathy. Many of these survivors also are at risk of growth hormone (GH) abnormalities from cranial irradiation exposure, although it is unknown whether such exposure is associated with cardiotoxicity. Echocardiograms and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a marker of GH, were measured in 130 anthracycline-treated childhood cancer survivors, 59 of whom had been exposed to cranial irradiation, a mean 10 years after their cancer diagnosis. Echocardiographic parameters and IGF-1 were standardized relative to age or body surface area using data from sibling control subjects and expressed as the percentage difference from normal values. The results showed that after adjustment for other risk factors, survivors exposed to cranial irradiation had an additional 12 % decrease in LV mass compared with unexposed survivors (P < 0.01) and an additional 3.6 % decrease in LV dimension (P = 0.03). Survivors exposed to cranial irradiation also had a 30.8 % decrease in IGF-1 relative to normal values, which was greater than the 10.5 % decrease in unexposed survivors (P < 0.01). The above findings led us to conclude that in anthracycline-treated childhood cancer survivors a mean 10 years after their diagnosis, those with cranial irradiation exposure had significantly greater decreases in LV mass and dimension. Because cranial irradiation also was associated with decreased IGF-1, it is possible that GH deficiencies mediated this effect, suggesting that GH replacement therapy may help to prevent the development of cardiotoxicity.
Water Molecules in the Nucleotide Binding Cleft of Actin: Effects on Subunit Conformation and Implications for ATP Hydrolysis

In the monomeric actin crystal structure, the positions of a highly organized network of waters are clearly visible within the active site. However, the recently proposed models of filamentous actin (F-actin) did not extend to including these waters. Since the water network is important for ATP hydrolysis, information about water position is critical to understanding the increased rate of catalysis upon filament formation. Here, we show that waters in the active site are essential for intersubdomain rotational flexibility and that they organize the active-site structure. Including the crystal structure waters during simulation setup allows us to observe distinct changes in the active-site structure upon the flattening of the actin subunit, as proposed in the Oda model for F-actin. We identify changes in both protein position and water position relative to the phosphate tail that suggest a mechanism for accelerating the rate of nucleotide hydrolysis in F-actin by stabilizing charge on the β-phosphate and by facilitating deprotonation of catalytic water.
Compressed change detection for structural health monitoring

The problem of detection of a sparse number of damages in a structure is considered. The idea relies on the newly developed framework for compressed change detection [1], which leverages the unique covering property of identifying codes to detect statistical changes in stochastic phenomena. Since only a small number of damage scenarios can occur simultaneously, change detection is applied to responses of pairs of sensors that form an identifying code over a learned damage-sensing graph. An asymptotic analysis of the detection delay and the probability of detection of the proposed approach is provided when the number of damage scenarios is large.
Thermal and Photolytic Decomposition of Methotrexate in Aqueous Solutions

The chemical kinetics of thermal and photolytic degradation of methotrexate in aqueous solutions were studied. At above pH 7 and 85 degrees, methotrexate hydrolyzed to yield mainly N10-Methylpteroylglutamic acid. The hydrolysis rate followed first-order kinetics with respect to methotrexate concentration and increases rapidly above pH 9. When methotrexate solutions were kept under laboratory fluorescent light, the major degradation products were 2,4-diamino-6-pteridinecarbaldehyde, 2,4-diamino-6-pteridinecarboxylic acid, and p-aminobenzoylglutamic acid. The photolytic reaction followed zero-order kinetics with respect to methotrexate concentration and was catalyzed by bicarbonate ion. Evidence is presented for a proposed sequential cleavage of methotrexate by a free radical mechanism for the photolysis. Commercial parenteral methotrexate was found to be quite stable as marked when stored in the original vial at room temperature.
Ecology and natural resource management : reflections from a systems perspective

Abstract I offer some reflections on ecology and natural resource management from a systems perspective. More specifically, I consider what the systems perspective offers to address current problems/opportunities in environmental education, ecological research, and natural resource management, and how systems thinkers in the international societies of ecological modeling, ecological engineering, ecological economics, and ecosystem health can help promote this perspective. Arguably the most critical problem that any of us face is recognizing causal relationships in the complex systems in which we work and live. The systems approach—the process of conceptualizing, quantifying, evaluating, and using a simulation model—allows us to identify causal relationships in complex systems that cannot be identified by other methods of problem solving. Within the context of environmental education, the systems approach facilitates integrative thinking, active versus passive learning, and unambiguous communication. Within the context of ecological research, the systems approach facilitates development of testable predictions through a synthesis of inductive and deductive reasoning. Within the context of natural resource management, the systems approach provides a basis for sustainable, multiple use of natural resources by facilitating multidisciplinary planning and creation of an effective communication interface between scientists and policy makers. Systems thinkers in our four societies need to be more assertive in promoting the systems perspective. I believe the only way to deliver the systems message effectively is through apprenticeships in which participants are involved actively in the process of developing and using system dynamics models under supervision of experienced modelers. Those of us at universities can supervise semester-long systems modeling projects, either within the context of formal courses or as ‘special problems’ courses. But we need to explore additional ways of providing modeling apprenticeships to a wider audience. A format for delivering a useful initial exposure to the systems message beyond our home institution consists of intensive 2–5-day workshops conducted on-site at host institutions. Our experience suggests that workshop participants can include a multidisciplinary, multi-vocational mix of students, teachers, researchers, managers, policy makers, and other professionals. I challenge each of you to teach at least one such systems modeling workshop per year.
Welensali (Croton flavens): Folk uses and properties

Welensali (Croton flavens L.), also called wilde salie, wilisali, or willensalie in Curacao, belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. It is a shrub 2 to 10 ft. high having palegreen, woolly stems and branches and variable leaves 11/2 to 5 inches long, with l-11/2inch petioles; dark-green above, lighter beneath; ovate to lanceolate, tapering to a point at the apex, obtuse or slightly cordate at the base, and with margins entire or, less commonly, serrulate. Midrib and pinnate veins prominent on underside; side-veins united into a scalloped border-vein. Both surfaces may be densely coated with yellowish-white, stellate hairs, or the upper surface may be dotted with stellate hairs or even glabrous. Dense felt on new growth distinctly yellow. Old leaves are often conspicuously rich-yellow or orange. Leaves alternate and also clustered at tips of twigs. Spur-like twigs often set in whorls on main branches. The sweetly fragrant, white, yellow-centered, short-stalked flowers (3A6 inch wide) are borne continuously in erect, compact, terminal spikes (3-5 inches high), the male flowers above, the female below, producing oval fruits (%A6 inch long), each containing 3 buff or black seeds. The plant has a very strong but agreeable balsam odor and an abundance of viscous, yellow, bitter sap. This shrub is distributed more or less throughout the Caribbean islands and southern Mexico and parts of northern South America. Its range cannot be precisely defined for there has been and still exists some confusion between this and other species. Grisebach (1864) distinguished
The effect of irradiation temperature on strength and microstructure of stainless steel

Abstract The effects of irradiation at temperatures between 93 and 454° C upon the room-temperature mechanical properties and electron microstructuros of AISI type 304 stainless steel have been determined. Irradiation at temperatures between 93 and 300° C produced a high density of defect clusters on the order of 100 A in dia. which wore responsible for an increased yield stress. After irradiation at 371°C practically no defect clusters were observed and the yield stress was lower by a factor of two. At irradiation temperatures of 371° C and higher, precipitates formed within the grains. Deformation (10% by rolling) in a specimen containing the defect clusters was concentrated in very narrow slip bands, while in a specimen containing precipitate particles, the deformation was homogeneous.
Comparison of esophageal manometry, provocative testing, and ambulatory monitoring in patients with unexplained chest pain.

Prolonged ambulatory esophageal pH and pressure monitors are being developed to evaluate noncardiac chest pain. This new technology needs comparison with conventional esophageal tests before determining which studies are most useful in diagnosing and treating esophageal chest pain. Therefore, we studied 45 patients with esophageal manometry, acid perfusion and edrophonium tests, and 24 hr pH and pressure monitoring. Manometry was abnormal in 20 patients (44%) with nutcracker esophagus, the most common motility disorder. Fifteen (33%) had positive acid perfusion test and 24 (55%) positive edrophonium test. During ambulatory monitoring, all patients experienced chest pain with a total of 202 individual events: 32 events (15%) secondary to acid reflux, 15 (7%) secondary to motility abnormalities, 7 (3%) to both pH and pressure changes, and 149 events (74%) occurred in the absence of any abnormal pH or motility changes. Patients with normal manometry were significantly (P<0.01) more likely to have acid reflux chest pain events than did nutcracker patients, who had an equal frequency of pH and motility events. A positive acid perfusion test was significantly associated with abnormal pressure events (P=0.02; odds ratio 5.95), while a positive edrophonium test more likely predicted acid reflux chest pain during 24-hr monitoring (P=0.007; odds ratio 7.25). Therefore, abnormal manometry and positive provocative tests point to the esophagus as the likely source of chest pain. However, ambulatory pH and pressure monitoring are required to accurately define the relationship between chest pain and acid reflux or motility disorders. Acid reflux is the most common identifiable cause of esophageal chest pain, while motility disorders are much less frequent than previously suggested by laboratory tests.
URINE MICROSCOPY AS AN AID TO DETECTION OF BACTERIURIA

Abstract Fresh, uncentrifuged urine specimens obtained from children attending a renal clinic were examined microscopically for leucocytes and bacteria, and the results were compared with quantitative bacterial cultures. Of the 51 specimens giving colony-counts ≥10 5 per ml., 6 (12%) showed no microscopical bacteriuria and 22 (43%) contained
Literacy lives here: Using video and dialogue to promote and celebrate adult and literacy education in the Canadian Western Arctic

Using video and workshops, participants in the study reported here had the opportunity to share their perceptions, thoughts, and hopes for the future of adult education in the North.
Modeling of an industrial microwave furnace for metal casting applications

Microwaves can be used efficiently for casting metals using specially designed industrial microwave ovens. Their designs, however, is a challenging multi-physics problem that would require addressing concurrently electromagnetic, thermal, material and chemical issues. In this paper, a simplified model has been developed to model the operation of an industrial microwave oven. Our EM and thermal results were obtained using FEM modeling and have been experimentally validated via a modular chamber using the thermal and electrical measured material properties at elevated temperatures. Such modeling success is very valuable that would help in further optimizing the microwave metal melting technology.
Measurements of the 14 MeV fission cross-sections for 235 U and 239 Pu

The fission cross-sections of 235U and 239Pu have been measured at a neutron energy of 14.63 MeV. A 150 kV accelerator installed on a “low mass” floor at the center of a large laboratory provided a source of 14 MeV neutrons. Fission fragments passing through a limited solid angle aperture were registered on polyester track-etch films. The angular distribution of fission fragments for 235U and 239Pu were measured in a separate experiment. The masses of the foil deposits were determined by microbalance weighings and confirmed by thermal fission and alpha counting. The neutron flux was measured relative to 56Fe(n,p) 56Mn and 27Al(n,α) 24Na reaction cross-sections. 56Mn and 24Na activities were measured in a 4πβ gas flow proportional counter. Absolute efficiencies of the beta detector for counting these activities were separately measured using a 4πβ-γ coincidence counting technique. The precise neutron energy was directly measured using a silicon surface barrier detector. Values of the fission cross-sections obtained for 235U and 239Pu were 2.070±.046 and 2.44±.092 barns respectively with a corresponding cross-section ratio of 1.179±.028.
Wireless Channel Model Based on RBF Neural Network

According to the actual wireless channel can be considered as a nonlinear transmission system, and radial basis function (RBF) neural network has fitly favorable performance in simulating nonlinear system and prestissimo learning speed without local infinitesimal value, and can approach any arbitrary nonlinear function with any precision. So this paper proposes a wireless communication channel model based on RBF neural network. In this paper, a modeling method is studied, and three kinds of channels are simulated. Simulation results show that the RBF neural network model has a nicer effect on approaching wireless communication channel. It can track the time-varying characteristic of wireless channels better with very small error, can reduce the complicated calculation of wireless channel and directly extract useful channel information.
Intraperitoneal radioimmunotherapy: Auger electron emitters for solid tumors.

Evaluation of: Boudousq V, Ricaud S, Garambois V et al.: Brief intraperitoneal radioimmunotherapy of small peritoneal carcinomatosis using high activities of noninternalizing 125I-labeled monoclonal antibodies. J. Nucl. Med. 51, 1748–1755 (2010). Mesothelioma, pseudomyxoma peritonei, ovarian and colon cancers, and several other malignancies produce peritoneal carcinomatosis in their advanced stages. This condition is typically managed with curative intention by means of a radical cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy. The method has been shown to improve the survival of some patients with peritoneal dissemination. However, the intracavitary instillation of chemotherapy results in a nonuniform drug distribution and allows penetration of the drug only into the outermost layer of the cancer nodule. Authors of the current study demonstrate that 125I-radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, 35A7, which recognizes anti-carcinoembryonic antigen, can be used effectively and safely with low ...