cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrothermal alumina-rich clays and boehmite on the Gorda Ridge

Abstract Hydrothermal alteration of basalt on the northern Gorda Ridge produced an alteration crust up to 1mm thick that can be divided into two layers based on mineralogy. An inner layer next to the basalt surface is an Al-rich interlayered smectite/chlorite similar to high temperature Al-rich clays recovered from the East Pacific Rise, 21°N with minor quartz, zeolite (phillipsite ?) and relict plagioclase. An exterior layer of boehmite, AlO(OH) and minor anatase results from severe leaching of the underlying clays. The alteration crust is progressively enriched in Al, Ti, V, and Cr from interior to exterior by residual weathering. The presence of boehmite and absence of a silica-rich phase in the exterior of the crust indicates the hydrothermal fluids were silica undersaturated or silica was maintained in solution by extremely acidic fluids. This constitutes the first reporting of boehmite as a major alteration mineral in a mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal environment.
Acceptability of aversive procedures and medication as treatment alternatives for deviant child behavior.

The present investigation evaluated the acceptability of alternative treatments for deviant child behavior. Clinical cases of children who displayed severe behavioral problems at home and at school were described along with three different treatments. The treatments, time-out from reinforcement, locked seclusion, and medication, were rated by psychiatric inpatient children and parents in a 3 × 3 replicated Latin-square design. The investigation also evaluated whether acceptability ratings were influenced by the clinical effectiveness of treatment in altering behavior. Although children and parents did not differ overall in acceptability ratings, they differed in their ranking of different treatments. Children viewed medication as the most acceptable treatment, whereas parents viewed time out as the most acceptable treatment. For both children and parents, treatments described as producing marked effects were rated as more acceptable than treatments producing weaker effects. The results indicated that disturbed children and their parents can readily distinguish the acceptability of alternative treatments. The implications of treatment acceptability for clinical applications of treatment are discussed.
Factors that affect the demand for potato products in the United States

A demand model was developed to determine the factors that affect the demand for potato products in the United States. The following market components were analyzed: potato chips; dehydrated-foodservice; dehydrated-retail; fresh; frozen-foodservice; and frozen-retail. Equations were estimated for each of the six components via ordinary least squares. Factors found to affect demand were population, consumer price index, consumer income, consumer debt, retail potato product price, females in the labor force, percentage of households with microwave ovens, restaurant meal expenditures, price of substitute potato products, price of complement products, and advertising expenditures. The demand for all of the potato products was found to be inelastic, but fresh demand was the most inelastic.
Specific neurophysiological effects of systemic nicotine on neurons in the nucleus accumbens

Extracellular recordings of single neurons within the nucleus accumbens (NAS) of halothane-anesthetized rats have revealed that systemic nicotine injections (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg, s.c.) inhibit the action potentials of normally inactive NAS neurons, evoked by fimbria stimulation (fimbria-driven responses, n = 18). These nicotine inhibitions of fimbria-driven NAS action potentials appear to be centrally mediated because they were reversed by subsequent systemic injections of the centrally acting nicotinic acetylcholine (nAch) antagonist, mecamylamine (1.0 mg/kg, s.c., n = 6) but not by the peripherally acting nAch antagonist, hexamethonium (2.0 mg/kg, s.c., n = 6). Fimbria-driven NAS neurons were also tested with morphine (2.5 mg/kg, s.c.) in some experiments. Consistent with many past observations (Hakan et al., 1989), morphine did not affect these driven neurons. In other experiments, nicotine-induced inhibition of NAS fimbria-driven units was followed by haloperidol (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.), in attempts to reveal the possible role of dopamine in these effects. Haloperidol was successful at reversing nicotine inhibitions in only some cases (n = 2/6). Thus, the role of dopamine in these NAS responses to nicotine remains unclear. In contrast to the fimbria-driven NAS responses, spontaneously active NAS neurons were not affected by nicotine injections yet were subsequently inhibited with systemic morphine. These results suggest a specific neuropharmacological organization in the region of the nucleus accumbens that may relate to the qualitative and subjective differences in the experimental effects of different psychoactive drugs. Iontophoretic studies designed to localize further the site of these nicotine effects on NAS neurons are in progress.
Side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty for multiple Crohn's strictures.

BACKGROUND: Strictureplasties are being used with increased frequency in the surgical treatment of severe and extensive Crohn's disease of the small bowel; concerns regarding their use have been raised in the presence of long and rigid strictures or when strictures are located in close proximity to each other. METHODS: A new surgical technique, a side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty, has been used in three patients with severe Crohn's disease of the small bowel extending up to three feet in length. RESULTS: Three patients (3 males; mean age, 42 years) had recurrent Crohn's jejunoileitis extending over the length of 22, 37, and 14 inches. This represented 19, 16, and 24 percent, respectively, of the entire length of their small bowel. In the first two patients, resection of 5 and 7 inches, respectively, from the middle third of the diseased segment facilitated performance of the side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty; in the last patient, the procedure was performed after resection of a 57-inch bypassed loop. All patients had an uncomplicated postoperative course and, at a recent follow-up visit between 4 and 24 months, they continue to be asymptomatic and do not require steroid medications. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty is a useful adjunct to the armamentarium of the surgeon dealing with patients affected by inflammatory bowel disease. With this technique, bowel is not resected, blind or bypassed loops are avoided, and stenoses are palliated.
Spiking neuron network Helmholtz machine

An increasing amount of behavioral and neurophysiological data suggests that the brain performs optimal (or near-optimal) probabilistic inference and learning during perception and other tasks. Although many machine learning algorithms exist that perform inference and learning in an optimal way, the complete description of how one of those algorithms (or a novel algorithm) can be implemented in the brain is currently incomplete. There have been many proposed solutions that address how neurons can perform optimal inference but the question of how synaptic plasticity can implement optimal learning is rarely addressed. This paper aims to unify the two fields of probabilistic inference and synaptic plasticity by using a neuronal network of realistic model spiking neurons to implement a well-studied computational model called the Helmholtz Machine. The Helmholtz Machine is amenable to neural implementation as the algorithm it uses to learn its parameters, called the wake-sleep algorithm, uses a local delta learning rule. Our spiking-neuron network implements both the delta rule and a small example of a Helmholtz machine. This neuronal network can learn an internal model of continuous-valued training data sets without supervision. The network can also perform inference on the learned internal models. We show how various biophysical features of the neural implementation constrain the parameters of the wake-sleep algorithm, such as the duration of the wake and sleep phases of learning and the minimal sample duration. We examine the deviations from optimal performance and tie them to the properties of the synaptic plasticity rule.
TEM analysis of the influence of dose on damage behavior in MeV Au2+-implanted silicon

Extended lattice damage created by implantation of 3.6 MeV Au2+ ions has been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Systematic observations of damage for Au2+ ions implanted with varying doses into silicon are explained in terms of a model. The origin of two distinct bands of extended defects is explained in terms of annealing of the central region of implant-damage, during the course of the implantation. Two distinct bands of Au precipitates are observed in high-dose implanted samples. This observation is explained as being the result, in part, of segregation of gold in front of a recrystallizing front, and in part, of gettering of dopant-atoms to nodes in a dislocation network. The network arises as a result of dynamic annealing of damaged crystalline silicon.
Do hypothermic tissue tolerances limit torpor expression

Abstract 1. Arrest temperatures and Q 10 values for extensor digitorum longus (EDL), soleus, trabecula, and jejunum muscle twitch strength, contraction time, and 0.5 relaxation time were calculated for a deep torpor hibernator, white-tailed prairie dog (WTPD) ( Cynomys leucurus ), a shallow torpor hibernator, black-tailed prairie dog (BTPD) ( Cynomys ludovicianus ), and a non-hibernator, lab rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) to test the hypothesis that tissue temperature tolerances limit the depth of expressed torpor. 2. There were no temperature tolerance differences between the tissues of the two species of hibernators. Both hibernating species had arrest temperatures and Q 10 values more indicative of cold temperature tolerance than the lab rat in all tissues, with the exception of the soleus muscle. 3. These data imply that a limited cold tolerance of contractile tissue does not preclude a shallow torpor hibernator such as the black-tailed prairie dog from expressing deep torpor patterns. Other mechanisms, such as central neural control, are more likely to be important in determining the torpor strategy utilized by hibernating species.
Intra-articular botulinum toxin A for osteoarticular pain

Intra-articular botulinum toxin A injection (IA BoNT/A) is a promising new approach to arthritis joint pain (Mahowald et al., 2006. J. Neurotoxicity Res. 9, 179). 42 patients with refractory arthritis knee pain were randomized to receive 100 U IA-BoNT/A (B) (Allergan, Inc.) or IA-saline (P). 2 P patients dropped out before 1 mo evaluation, 21/40 patients requested 2nd injection at 1 mo and entered open-label phase. At 1–3 mo fu, 4 P and 3 B patients were re-injected. There was a significant decrease in the Short Form McGill Multidimensional Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) pain score 3 mo after IA-BoNT/A (20.1 to 15.9, p =.022) and a non-significant decrease in the IA-P grp. 10x TST improved significantly in IA-BoNT/A grp (37.3 to 33-s, p =.04) at 3 mo and a non-significant decrease in the IA-P grp. In subgroup analysis based on baseline pain severity we found a greater analgesic effect of IA-BoNT/A in those with severe baseline pain (⩾7 on NRS)—SF-MPQ total pain decreased from 23.8 (8.8) to 15.8 (9.1) at 3 mo ( p =.002). 3 mo 10X TST decreased from 37 (10.5) to 31.5 (12.6) s, p =.05. WOMAC Physical Function score improved from 39.8 (8.8) to 32.7 (10.1), p =.013, WOMAC Total score improved from 56.8 (11.4) to 47.6 (13.3), p =.029. There were no significant adverse effects. Results of open-label phase will be discussed. Conclusion : IA-BoNT/A produced clinically and statistically significant decreases in severe OA and RA knee pain, and improvements in function.
Porous media transport descriptions - non-local, linear and non-linear against effective thermal/fluid properties

Abstract The momentum and scalar transport equations obtained using volume-averaging theory (VAT) involve additional terms which quantify the influence of the medium morphology. There are many mathematical models currently in use which are actually competing without comparison or analysis. The few most common and the VAT-based models are analyzed along with effective coefficients conventional equations. The random morphology fluctuations are incorporated into the VAT-based transport equations by means of randomly varying morpho-convective and morpho-diffusive terms. Methods for closure of the morpho-fluctuation terms in the governing transport equations are outlined. Statistical and numerical techniques were applied to classical irregular morphologies to treat the morpho-diffusive and morpho-convective terms along with integral terms. At present there are few well-developed closure expressions for the VAT-based transport equations in porous media. Some of them exploit the properties of available solutions to transport problems for individual morphological elements (F. Zanotti, R.G. Carbonell, Chem. Eng. Sci. 39 (1984) 263; C.T. Hsu, P. Cheng, Int. Comm. Heat Mass Transfer 15 (1988) 689; M. Quintard, S. Whitaker, Advances in Heat Transfer, vol. 23, Academic Press, 1993) and others are based on the natural morphological data of porous media (V.S. Travkin, I. Catton, Proceedings of the 28th National Heat Transfer Conference, San Diego, CA, August 1992, ASME HTD, vol. 193, 1992; L. Gratton, V.S. Travkin, I. Catton, Heat Transfer in Porous Media, ASME HTD, vol. 240, 1993; H. Ma, D.W. Ruth, Trans. Porous Media 13 (1993) 139). The challenging problem in irregular and random morphologies is to produce an analytical or numerical evaluation of the deviations in scalar or vector fields. In previous work, the authors have presented a few exact closures for predetermined regular and random porous medium morphologies. The questions related to effective coefficient dependencies, boundary conditions and porous media experiment analysis are discussed. A few issues particularly related to mass transport in different scale adsorbing media analysed with VAT techniques.
Subspace selection for subpixel detection of 3D objects in hyperspectral imagery

Object detection in hyperspectral imagery benefits from the large amount of spectral information. The effective use of this information is crucial for a detection algorithm to achieve high accuracy under challenging conditions. In this paper, we establish subspace representations for 3D objects and backgrounds to improve discriminability for 3D detection invariant to unknown illumination and atmospheric conditions. Residual variance information is utilized to generate background and mixed residual statistics which improve the separation of target and background for detection. A new detection algorithm that uses these statistics in conjunction with a likelihood ratio test is proposed for the subpixel detection of complex 3D objects in cluttered backgrounds. Other existing algorithms, e.g. the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT), can be derived from this algorithm by introducing the appropriate assumptions. The new detection algorithm is evaluated for a number of images simulated using DIRSIG and also compared with other detection algorithms. The experimental results demonstrate accurate performance on these data sets.
Expression of Glucose Transporter-1 in Cervical Cancer and Its Precursors

Abstract Objective. Increased glucose uptake and utilization is a known phenomenon exhibited by malignant cells. Overexpression of the glucose transporter protein family is thought to be the principal mechanism by which these cells achieve up-regulation. Our purpose is to determine glucose transporter-1 (GLUT 1) expression in squamous carcinoma of the cervix and precursor lesions. Methods. Archival histologic sections were obtained from 31 cases of invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix, 15 cases of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, 5 cases of low-grade, and 9 normal cervices. Immunohistochemistry for GLUT 1 protein was performed using polyclonal GLUT 1 antibody (Dako, Carpinteria, CA) and the labeled streptavidin–biotin procedure. Results. Compared to the internal control, the pattern of staining varied from weak (1+) to strong (3+) reactions. In normal cervix, 1+ GLUT 1 staining was seen in the basal cells of the squamous epithelium. All 31 (100%) cases of SCC were positive for GLUT 1. Positive reactions seemed more intense in tumor cells that were farther away from the stromal blood supply. There was a correlation between intensity of reaction for GLUT 1 and histologic grade of tumor ( P = 0.0027) and with progression from normal or dysplastic lesions to invasive cancer ( P = 0.0001). Intensity was a predictor of the presence of poorly differentiated tumor type. Low-grade CIN staining was seen in less than one-third of the epithelium, while in high-grade lesions the reaction was present in over one-half of the epithelium. Conclusions. GLUT 1 is overexpressed in cervical carcinoma. The process appears to be related to grade of tumor but not to the progression from preneoplastic lesions. The results suggest that GLUT 1 overexpression is a late phenomenon in cellular transformation. Furthermore, the possible relation of expression to tumor blood supply suggests that the malignant cells may have an adaptive environmental ability to compensate for a compromised microenvironment.
High pressure phase stability of U6X(X = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) compounds

Abstract The dependence of the superconducting transition temperature Tc on pressure P has been measured for samples of U6Fe and U6Co with residual resistivity ratios RR = 10 and 4, respectively, for 0⩽P⩽2.0 GPa. Respective initial increases d T c d P = 0.64 and 0.15 K⧸GPa are found for the two materials, the value for U6Fe being considerably enhanced with respect to those of less pure samples [L.E. De Long et al., Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 22 (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1983) p. 47]. A pronounced kink in Tc(P) for U6Fe is observed at P ≈ 0.4 GPa, indicating a second-order phase transition, above which d T c d P = −0.24 K⧸ GPa . The anomalous form of Tc(P) and its marked sensitivity to sample purity for both U6Fe and U6Co suggest that these materials have Fermi surface anisotropies and/or undergo transitions to charge- or spin-density wave states.
Little guys make a big splash: PDA projects at Virginia Commonwealth University

PDAs are no longer just cute little gizmos to keep track of appointments and to-do lists. As these small computers become more powerful with every generation, the possibly of their being really useful in a meaningful way is also increasing. The medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University has had a keen interest in handheld technology for a number of years, and there have been numerous projects developed that involve PDAs. The number of commercial and shareware health related applications available for PDAs has skyrocketed, which has added to the already growing interest on the medical campus. This paper will describe some of the innovative health- related PDA projects under way at VCU which include a project involving medical students who were given PDAs loaded with various medical reference software to use in their work with patients, a Nurse Anesthesia project that uses video clips of procedures downloaded to PDAs for quick reference by students in the field and a creative use of PDAs and scanners to record attendance during grand rounds in the Department of Surgery. In addition, this paper will describe efforts to stimulate interest in PDA technology on the academic campus of VCU by developing channels on the AvantGo web site to communicate content to students and faculty via their PDAs and by developing a suite of classroom management applications for the Palm OS. VCU is also implementing infrared kiosks around campus so that mobile PDA users can easily HotSync to the network to use email and download web clipping content. Other projects are under discussion such as the possibility of hosting a higher education PDA conference at which presentations can be made and ideas shared.
Alveolar Soft-Part Sarcoma: A Review of the Pathology and Histogenesis

The descriptive designation, alveolar soft-part sarcoma, continues to be used for this uncommon soft-tissue malignancy because an acceptable hypothesis for its histogenesis has not been advanced, despite studies with electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. These techniques have, nevertheless, provided significant information that is useful in the differential diagnosis of the tumor and pertinent in speculation concerning its nature. The most intriguing ultrastructural feature is the secretory process that culminates in the formation of the distinctive cytoplasmic crystals. Myogenic differentiation has been favored in a number of recent reports on the basis of immunohistochemical findings and the presence of the crystals does not rule out the possibility, but accounts of immunoreactivity for the myogenic regulatory protein MyoD1 have not been confirmed in subsequent studies or in the authors' own staining of six cases.
A Classifier-Based Parser with Linear Run-Time Complexity

We present a classifier-based parser that produces constituent trees in linear time. The parser uses a basic bottom-up shift-reduce algorithm, but employs a classifier to determine parser actions instead of a grammar. This can be seen as an extension of the deterministic dependency parser of Nivre and Scholz (2004) to full constituent parsing. We show that, with an appropriate feature set used in classification, a very simple one-path greedy parser can perform at the same level of accuracy as more complex parsers. We evaluate our parser on section 23 of the WSJ section of the Penn Treebank, and obtain precision and recall of 87.54% and 87.61%, respectively.
The long-term impact of subtractive schooling in the educational experiences of secondary English language learners

Abstract This study examines a lesser-known population of students, called ‘long-term English language learners’ (LTELLs) in the USA, who now comprise one-third of all English language learners in New York City secondary schools. A major finding from our research, which explores the characteristics and educational needs of this student population, is that the students' prior schooling has been subtractive, posing significant challenges for their academic literacy acquisition. Having attended school in the USA for seven years or more, LTELLs have experienced programming that has not provided sufficient opportunities to fully develop their native language literacy skills, in spite of research which states that such opportunities are correlated with school success. LTELLs thus arrive in high school with limited academic literacy in English or their native languages, in spite of their oral bilingualism, posing difficulties for them in all subject areas. As part of a three-year research project, we conducted q...
Analysis of Brillouin Precursor Propagation Through Foliage for Digital Sequences of Pulses

In this letter, we investigate the propagation of Brillouin precursors through dispersive foliage media, using leafy vegetation dielectric models proposed by Fung-Ulaby, El Rayes-Ulaby, Brown-Curry-Ding, Maetzler, and Pearce. A fast-Fourier-transform-based formulation is used to analyze the peak amplitude decay and pulse broadening effect (or effective oscillation frequency) related to the precursor formation for both single pulse and sequence of pulses traveling through the leafy vegetation. The influence of the Brillouin precursor on the receiver structure is also investigated. Simulations have been carried out in frequency bands between 100 MHz and 6 GHz allocated for remote sensing applications and digital satellite communications.
Approximate Half-Intensity Widths of a Number of Atomic Spectral Lines Used in Atomic-Emission and Atomic-Absorption Flame Spectrometry:

FORTRAN program for calculation of approximate total half-intensity line widths of several spectral lines for atoms in common analytical flames
Vitamin E Isoforms Differentially Regulate Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 Activation of PKCα in Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells

Aims: ICAM-1-dependent leukocyte recruitment in vivo is inhibited by the vitamin E isoform d-a-tocopherol and elevated by d-c-tocopherol. ICAM-1 is reported to activate endothelial cell signals including protein kinase C (PKC), but the PKC isoform and the mechanism for ICAM-1 activation of PKC are not known. It is also not known whether ICAM-1 signaling in endothelial cells is regulated by tocopherol isoforms. We hypothesized that d-a-tocopherol and d-c-tocopherol differentially regulate ICAM-1 activation of endothelial cell PKC. Results: ICAM-1 crosslinking activated the PKC isoform PKCa but not PKCb in TNFa-pretreated human microvascular endothelial cells. ICAM-1 activation of PKCa was blocked by the PLC inhibitor U73122, ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059, and xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol. ERK1/2 activation was blocked by inhibition of XO and PLC but not by inhibition of PKCa, indicating that ERK1/2 is downstream of XO and upstream of PKCa during ICAM-1 signaling. During ICAM-1 activation of PKCa, the XO-generated ROS did not oxidize PKCa. Interestingly, d-a-tocopherol inhibited ICAM-1 activation of PKCa but not the upstream signal ERK1/2. The d-a-tocopherol inhibition of PKCa was ablated by the addition of d-c-tocopherol. Conclusions: Crosslinking ICAM-1 stimulated XO/ROS which activated ERK1/2 that then activated PKCa. ICAM-1 activation of PKCa was inhibited by d-a-tocopherol and this inhibition was ablated by the addition of d-c-tocopherol. These tocopherols regulated ICAM-1 activation of PKCa without altering the upstream signal ERK1/2. Thus, we identified a mechanism for ICAM-1 activation of PKC and determined that d-a-tocopherol and d-c-tocopherol have opposing regulatory functions for ICAM-1-activated PKCa in endothelial cells.
Modeling Cultural Context for Aspiring Women Educational Leaders.

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to discuss and examine the development of frameworks and models to guide future research into studies of women's paths to educational leadership worldwide.Design/methodology/approach – A grounded theory approach to the development of a model of the factors and their interaction that determine the path to educational leadership for women is adopted, drawing on existing research for world‐wide studies.Findings – Past studies in this field have focused on identifying barriers and opportunities that are gender sensitive. With an increasing interest in developing educational preparation programs that are context and gender specific, there is a need to provide research frameworks to allow for meaningful comparisons between contexts to identify commonalities and differences, and for models to predict the likely outcomes of interventions in current procedures for drawing women into educational leadership. The model presented in the paper allows for the identification of those...
Toward a Political Economy of Regime Values, Ethics, and Institutions in a Context of Globalization and Hypermodernity

In this article, we discuss the recent ascendancy of the market state and its consequences for regime values, ethics, and institutions. Three types of market states—entrepreneurial, managerial, and mercantile—are outlined, along with their primary ethical basis and associated public values. We then turn to a discussion of globalization and hypermodernity, which we argue characterize the current global cultural context. Difficult as it may be to imagine, we suggest that a global response is likely the only way to address worldwide governance challenges and offer three trajectories that—even if vigorously pursued—seem likely only to ameliorate our global challenges at best.
Benzene transport through landfill liners containing organophilic bentonite

The mineral surface of Wyoming bentonite was modified by replacing inorganic ions by different quaternary ammonium compounds of known molecular structure by an ion‐exchange process. The resulting organically modified bentonites (organobentonites) were evaluated for their suitability as components of compacted earthen liners for waste‐disposal sites. Varying weight percentages of an Ottawa sand, either of five types of organobentonites, untreated bentonite, and water were mixed uniformly and compacted to simulate sand‐and‐bentonite liners for waste‐disposal facilities. The hydraulic conductivities of the compacted soil specimens were measured in triplicate. The hydraulic conductivities of compacted specimens composed of 88% (by mass) Ottawa sand, 8% untreated bentonite, and 4% organobentonite were on the order of 10−8 cm/s. Benzene sorption from water to Ottawa sand, bentonite, and two of the organobentonites was measured experimentally. Benzene sorption to each organobentonite was significantly greater th...
The interaction of bovine serum albumin and lysozyme and its effect on foam composition

Abstract The composition of foams formed from mixtures of bovine serum albumin and lysozyme has been analysed by a spectroscopic method. The assay is based on differences in the UV absorption spectra of the proteins and the results compare favourably with quantitative electrophoresis. The incorporation of lysozyme in the foam is maximal at an ionic strength of 0.025. At higher ionic strength the interaction between the proteins is reduced and this may explain the reduction in lysozyme present in the foam. At ionic strengths lower than 0.025 the level of incorporation of lysozyme is also reduced. It is possible that the large protein aggregates present under these conditions are not incorporated in the foam or alternatively destabilize the foam. Dilution studies reveal that the aggregates are more stable at an ionic strength of
Recent development of therapeutics for chronic HCV infection

The global prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and serious health consequences associated with chronic state of the disease have become a significant health problem worldwide. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent the disease and no specific antiviral drug directed against HCV infection. The current standard of care, interferon-based therapies, both alone or in combination with ribavirin, has demonstrated limited success and is associated with undesirable side effects. Thus, the treatment of the chronic HCV infection represents an unmet medical need. With advances in the understanding of HCV replication and the crystal structures of the virally encoded enzymes, the HCV NS3/4A serine protease and the NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase have emerged as ideal targets toward the control of the disease and the development of new anti-HCV agents. In this review, we will summarize the current treatment options, and outline the approaches toward discovery of small molecule antivirals against the virally encoded enzymes. The current clinical studies of promising lead compounds are also reviewed.
Dental Caries and Periodontitis: Contrasting Two Infections That Have Medical Implications

Both dental decay and periodontal disease are diagnosable and treatable bacterial infections. They are distinctly different infections, with dental decay occurring on the supragingival surfaces of the teeth and periodontal infections occurring in the gingival tissue approximating the subgingival plaque. The bacteria involved and the pathophysiology of these infections are distinctly different.
Generalized groove-type chip breaker effects on drilling for different drill diameters and flute shapes

This paper proposes a generalized formulation to place chip-breaker grooves on drills of varying diameters. To verify the effectiveness of this generalization the groove is placed on the drill rake face of 6.35 and 3.18 mm diameter drills of standard and parabolic flute shapes using a fabrication process utilizing electro-discharge machining (EDM). The results indicate that chip size is reduced. The robustness of the placement of the groove is assessed with experiments validating effective distance from the cutting lip and groove depth thereby facilitating drill regrinding. Experiments are also conducted to study chip clogging when the chip-breaker groove is employed on small drill diameters.
New approach for multicriticality in directed and diode percolation

We present a new and very simple model for treating directed and more general diode-percolation problems by allowing neighboring sites to be joined by up to two independent bonds of opposite orientations. A generalized "break-collapse" method is developed to calculate renormalization-group recursion relations. On the square lattice, a very symmetric phase diagram is obtained which displays multicritical percolation phenomena, and a variety of interesting conductivity transitions are predicted.
Tracer release in melting snow: Diurnal and seasonal patterns

Time sequences of tracer release from an alpine snowpack were investigated at Mammoth Mountain, California in 1989. Lysimeter discharge and conductivity were recorded at 30 minute intervals. Three separate applications of chemical tracers were added to the snow surface to provide an ionic signal with known origins in the snowpack. Grab samples of meltwater and snow from snow pits were analysed for chemical composition. There were three distinct discharge periods, each characterized by diurnal fluctuations in discharge and conductivity. An inverse relation between discharge and conductivity was interpreted as the combination of a concentrated signal from regions in the pack less subject to leaching and a relatively dilute signal from near the snow surface where the snow was actively melting Conductivity peaks were highest and diurnal changes greatest immediately following periods of freezing. Grab samples showed little correlation with either 30 minute or daily average conductivity. Relative concentrations of individual ions in meltwater were similar between samples. Non-systematic grab sampling of snowpack meltwater is shown to be potentially misleading because of multiple ionic pulses over the ablation season and strong diurnal fluctuations in chemical concentrations. Continuous measurements of discharge conductivity are a good indicator of diurnal and seasonal changes in the rate of ion release from the snowpack, and should be used to guide sampling. Composite, or time-integrated samples rather than grab samples may be required to estimate daily and weekly rates of ion release in melting snow.
Frontonasal suture expansion in the rabbit using titanium screws

Abstract Purpose: This study investigated the ability to use titanium screws to provide stable skeletal points in the growing craniofacial region of the rabbit for suture expansion. These screws provided sites for direct application of external forces to alter growth and anatomic form. Material and Methods: Twenty-one rabbits (30 days old) were divided into three groups: control (n = 9), experimental (n = 9), and sham (n = 3). Four four-holed AO/ASIF commercially pure titanium craniofacial plates were contoured into an L-shape with a 90° angle at the midpoint. The plates were placed bilaterally in the frontal and nasal bone sites and secured with 2.0-mm diameter, 4-mm long, commercially pure titanium screws in both the sham and experimental groups. After 4 weeks of healing, a spring mechanism with a distraction force of 55 g was activated between ipsilateral plates and across the frontonasal sutures bilaterally in the experimental group for 5 weeks. No force was applied between the plates in the sham group. A preliminary evaluation of the bone-implant interface and the changes in the sutures was done histologically. Morphologic changes were measured using cephalometric radiographs and direct anatomic measurements. Results: The experimental group showed a significant increase in growth across the frontonasal suture in comparison with the sham group (P Conclusion: This study indicates that titanium screws in the developing rabbit skull can provide stable sites for the direct application of external forces, producing secondary changes in skeletal mrophology. This laboratory model provides a useful system for the further study of growth modification using such external mechanical forces.
Colchicine Overdose— The Need for a Specific Antidote

Purpose: To report the case of a colchicine overdose to highlight current limitations in the treatment of this toxicologic emergency.Summary: A 23-year-old man was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after attempting suicide via polypharmacy ingestion, which included 80 to 100 colchicine 0.6 mg tablets (approximately 0.9 mg/kg of body weight). He was taken to the emergency department where gastric decontamination was initiated. Because attempts to obtain a colchicine-specific antibody fragment (Fab) were unsuccessful, only supportive therapies were provided throughout his hospitalization. Over the course of several days, the patient experienced the 3 separate evolutionary phases of colchicine toxicity ultimately leading to multiple organ failure and hemodynamic collapse, and death.Conclusion: Acute colchicine intoxication is a rare, but potentially lifethreatening event. Although 1 case report demonstrated the successful use of a colchicine-specific Fab fragment in the management of acute colchicine...
Many Emergency Department Visits Could Be Managed At Urgent Care Centers And Retail Clinics

Americans seek a large amount of nonemergency care in emergency departments, where they often encounter long waits to be seen. Urgent care centers and retail clinics have emerged as alternatives to the emergency department for nonemergency care. We estimate that 13.7-27.1 percent of all emergency department visits could take place at one of these alternative sites, with a potential cost savings of approximately $4.4 billion annually. The primary conditions that could be treated at these sites include minor acute illnesses, strains, and fractures. There is some evidence that patients can safely direct themselves to these alternative sites. However, more research is needed to ensure that care of equivalent quality is provided at urgent care centers and retail clinics compared to emergency departments.
The Donor's Dilemma: Recipient's Reactions to Aid from Friend or Foe.

Subjects participating as decision-makers in the Tactical and Negotiations Game experimental simulation encountered a programed emergency and then received an offer of aid from either an ally or an enemy donor. Findings indicate that recipients of aid from an ally donor perceived the donor to be more positively motivated and perceived the aid to reflect greater effort and to be of greater value than recipients of an equal amount of aid from an enemy donor. In addition, aid from an ally precipitated a positive shift in recipient perceptions of the donor and a negative shift in recipient perceptions of the enemy nondonor, while aid from an enemy had essentially no effects. The applied implications of these findings are discussed.
A 220nW neural amplifier for multi-channel neural recording systems

This paper presents a low-power neural amplifier for multi-channel neural recording systems. To achieve low power consumption and small die area, the single-branch amplifier, based on CMOS inverter, is employed along with a capacitive feedback loop. This amplifier has a gain of 28.9dB and operates from ±0.9V. The low-frequency cutoff is able to be varied from less than 100 Hz by adjusting the tuning voltage and the high-frequency cutoff is fixed at 11.2 KHz. The input-referred noise of this amplifier is 14.5µV rms and it consumes a power of 220nW. This low-power neural amplifier is fabricated in 0.35µm CMOS Process with active die areas of 200µ×100µm.
Response Heterogeneity in Adductor Muscle Efferents of the Surf Clam

1. Two populations of neurons in the visceroparietal ganglion of the surf clam have been identified as efferent to the posterior adductor muscle. Both populations are driven by input from the cerebrovisceral connectives and the posterior pallial nerves. The latter pathways originate in tactile receptors on the siphons and posterior mantle. 2. Cells designated as type I respond to input over the four major nerve roots by compound postsynaptic potentials, and to input over the adductor muscle nerves by facilitating strictly excitatory potentials. Type II neurons respond in a purely excitatory manner to input over all pathways tested. It is suggested that pharmacological analysis of the input excitatory synaptic contacts on type I cells would have implications for the structural organization of molluscan neuropile. 3. Neither efferent pathway has yet been identified in terms of functional connexions made at the periphery. It is assumed from behavioural observations that type I cells are motoneurons controlling phasic contraction of the adductor, but electro-physiological confirmation of this is still wanting.
One-year results of intravitreal ranibizumab 0.5 versus 2.0 mg for the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration

Evaluation of: Busbee BG, Ho AC, Brown DM et al.; HARBOR Study Group. Twelve-month efficacy and safety of 0.5 mg or 2.0 mg ranibizumab in patients with subfoveal neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology 120(5), 1046–1056 (2013).Monthly injections of 0.5-mg ranibizumab stabilize and improve vision in most patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The HARBOR trial compared the efficacy of high-dose ranibizumab (2.0 mg) compared to standard dose (0.5 mg) when administered monthly or as-needed (PRN). Visual acuity (VA) with the 2.0-mg dose improved significantly in patients treated monthly (+9.2 letters) and PRN (+8.6 letters) but was not superior to that achieved by patients receiving the 0.5-mg dose (+10.1 and +8.2 letters). Patients receiving the 2.0-mg dose required fewer PRN injections (6.9 vs 7.7). Parallel trials (LAST and SAVE) showed that the 2.0-mg dose often improves macular edema and VA in eyes that respond incompletely to 0.5-mg ranibizumab or bevacizumab....
Comparing traditional and participatory dissemination of a shared decision making intervention (ADAPT-NC): a cluster randomized trial

Asthma is a common disease that affects people of all ages and has significant morbidity and mortality. Poor outcomes and health disparities related to asthma result in part from the difficulty of disseminating new evidence and care delivery methods such as shared decision making (SDM) into clinical practice. This 3-year study explores the ideal framework for rapid dissemination of an evidence-based SDM toolkit for asthma management. The study leverages a partnership between the North Carolina (NC) statewide Medicaid network and the NC Network Consortium of practice-based research networks (PBRNs). This non-blinded study will randomize 30 primary care clinics in NC stratified by four PBRNs. We will test dissemination across these practices using a facilitator-led participatory approach to dissemination (FLOW), a novel method of participatory dissemination involving key principles of community-based participatory research, and a more typical "lunch and learn" dissemination method. Specifically, we will use cluster randomization to assign each of the 30 practices to one of three arms: (1) control, no dissemination; (2) traditional dissemination, one didactic session a year and distribution of educational material; and (3) FLOW dissemination. We hypothesize that at the unit of randomization, the clinic, patients in the FLOW dissemination arm will be more likely to share in their treatment decisions compared to patients in the traditional dissemination or control arms. All outcomes will be measured at the level of the clinic. Adoption of the SDM approach will be evaluated by 1) asthma exacerbations, 2) level of patient involvement in the decision making process, and 3) qualitative assessments from patients and providers. The research question is: What dissemination strategy most effectively increases practice level adoption of a shared decision making approach to asthma management? This study will provide important data to support best practices in dissemination of an evidence-based toolkit and implementation of shared decision making into primary care practices. The trial was registered on January 27, 2014 through the United States National Institutes of Health's ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02047929 and funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
Mindfulness, Assessment, and Transdiagnostic Processes

One of the most striking features of the rapidly growing literature reviewed by Brown, Ryan, and Creswell (2007, this issue) is the wide range of problems, disorders, and populations for which the ...
A Human Epidermal Model can be Assayed Employing a Multiple Fluorescent Endpoint Assay and the Cytofluor 2300

AbstractA human epidermal model (HEM) was developed that could be rapidly and automatically assayed in the CytoFluor 2300 (Millipore Corporation, Bedford, MA) spectrofluorometer using multiple site-and activity-specific fluorescent probes. The HEM was cultured on the optically translucent Millipore Millicell CM microporous membrane. Application of a variety of fluorescent dyes to this membrane without the HEM revealed negligible nonspecific dye association. The HEM was differentiated on a cross-linked collagen matrix and the latter was also found to retain less dye than the HEM. Feasibility experiments using the site/activity-specific dyes calcein-AM (plasma membrane integrity indicator), sodium fluorescein (epidermal permeability indicator), 5-chloromethylfluorescein diacetateacetoxymethyl ester (CMFDA-AM; intracellular glutathione level indicator), rhodamine 123 (mitochondrial activity indicator), neutral red (lysosomal integrity indicator), Fluo3-AM (intracellular calcium indicator), and a similar huma...
UV Pulsed Laser Desorption from Ag/Al/Sapphire Films: Changes in the Ion Desorption Process for Excitations near the Ag d-Band Threshold

Energetic ion species desorption from Al(200nm)/sapphire, Ag(10nm)/Al(200nm)/sapphire and Al(111) targets has been measured tor 244 and 320 nm laser irradiation. The product kinetic energy distribution (KED) for samples irradiated with 244 nm light, for Ag+ and the impurity species K+ resemble the KED of Al+ desorbed from Al(111) and Al/sapphire ( ≈3–4 eV). However, for resonance excitation (320 nm) of the Ag adlayer, all product KEDs shift to lower energy ( ≤1 eV). These results imply that the excitation which leads to ion KE is not due to a local excitation process.
Simulation of Spaceborne Stereo Radar Imagery: Experimental Results

Computer simulation of radar imagery was used to investigate spaceborne stereo radar. The major conclusions reached are that stereo pairs representing different angles of incidence with the same look-direction appear best and that the angles of incidence and stereo intersection angle be matched to the slope and relief of terrain. A parametric tradeoff analysis was performed for eleven different angles of incidence over three different model areas. The eleven angles spanned the range from small-to large-incidence angles. The three model areas were selected as typical of relatively flat, moderately rough, and mountainous terrain. The stereo pair judged best for each model area are included.
Self-Monitoring and Commitment to Dating Relationships: A Classroom Demonstration

Students are not always aware of the extent to which dispositions are associated with important aspects of social behavior. This classroom demonstration reveals how a certain disposition that students possess (self-monitoring orientation) is meaningfully related to a significant aspect of their lives (commitment in dating relationships). Specifically, this exercise demonstrates that individuals high in self-monitoring tend to adopt an uncommitted orientation to dating relationships, whereas those low in self-monitoring tend to adopt a committed one. The effectiveness of this demonstration and topics for further discussion are highlighted.