cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Equivalence-Based Instruction to Improve Portion-Size Estimation with Different Vessels

Obesity, which increases individuals’ risk for a variety of health problems and is associated with increased health-care expenses, is considered a public health concern due to the rapidly increasing rates of people who are considered obese (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). One potential method for decreasing rates of obesity is to teach people how to more accurately estimate portion sizes to decrease the amount of calories they consume. Previous researchers successfully taught participants to accurately estimate portion sizes through equivalence-based instruction. The purpose of the present study was to teach healthy adults to estimate portion sizes using nonfood items and to assess generalization of the skill across a variety of vessels not associated with training (a small plate, bowl, and plastic bag). All participants demonstrated improved accuracy of portion size estimations following training with both the training vessel and the generalization vessels.
Interactive Large Group Lecture Demonstrations: Dramatization of Medical Neurobiology Concepts to Improve Student Perception of Understanding Fluid Mechanisms of the Central Nervous System.

With the advent of recorded lectures, face-to-face teaching in medical school large classroom settings is increasingly under pressure to incorporate engaging activities that encourage attendance and can translate to greater attainment and long-term retention for learners, especially of “Generation Z” learning styles. This places a greater onus on lecturers to convey key concepts in a manner that holds value beyond their recorded substitute. The present article details several on-stage Medical Gross Anatomy and Neurobiology demonstrations that involve the teaching of an intuitive understanding of brain fluidic mechanics, such as hematoma formation and the protective functions of an intact cerebral spinal fluid system (addressing concussion and lumbar punctures). These demonstrations can be presented relatively quickly on stage and are suitable for engaging large classroom sizes (n > 100), which can be used in conjunction with traditional lecture formats. Ideally, these in-class demonstrations, together with the continued contributions of other quantitatively assessed demonstrations from other institutions, will help to maintain a growing body of large class face-to-face teaching approaches and strategies to help influence decisions regarding what basic medical knowledge may best be taught in class live versus by recorded substitute or other non-traditional lecture methods.
Comparison of Cell and Organoid-Level Analysis of Patient-Derived 3D Organoids to Evaluate Tumor Cell Growth Dynamics and Drug Response:

3D cell culture models have been developed to better mimic the physiological environments that exist in human diseases. As such, these models are advantageous over traditional 2D cultures for screening drug compounds. However, the practicalities of transitioning from 2D to 3D drug treatment studies pose challenges with respect to analysis methods. Patient-derived tumor organoids (PDTOs) possess unique features given their heterogeneity in size, shape, and growth patterns. A detailed assessment of the length scale at which PDTOs should be evaluated (i.e., individual cell or organoid-level analysis) has not been done to our knowledge. Therefore, using dynamic confocal live cell imaging and data analysis methods we examined tumor cell growth rates and drug response behaviors in colorectal cancer (CRC) PDTOs. High-resolution imaging of H2B-GFP-labeled organoids with DRAQ7 vital dye permitted tracking of cellular changes, such as cell birth and death events, in individual organoids. From these same images, we measured morphological features of the 3D objects, including volume, sphericity, and ellipticity. Sphericity and ellipticity were used to evaluate intra- and interpatient tumor organoid heterogeneity. We found a strong correlation between organoid live cell number and volume. Linear growth rate calculations based on volume or live cell counts were used to determine differential responses to therapeutic interventions. We showed that this approach can detect different types of drug effects (cytotoxic vs cytostatic) in PDTO cultures. Overall, our imaging-based quantification workflow results in multiple parameters that can provide patient- and drug-specific information for screening applications.
Evaluation of K18-hACE2 mice as a model of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Abstract/Summary Murine models of SARS-CoV-2 infection are critical for elucidating the biological pathways underlying COVID-19 disease. Because human ACE2 is the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, mice expressing the human ACE2 gene have shown promise as a potential model for COVID-19. Five mice from the transgenic mouse strain K18-hACE2 were intranasally inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 Hong Kong/VM20001061/2020. Mice were followed twice daily for five days and scored for weight loss and clinical symptoms. Infected mice did not exhibit any signs of infection until day four, when weight loss, but no other obvious clinical symptoms were observed. By day five all infected mice had lost around 10% of their original body weight, but exhibited variable clinical symptoms. All infected mice showed high viral titers in the lungs as well as altered lung histology associated with proteinaceous debris in the alveolar space, interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration and alveolar septal thickening. Overall, these results show that symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection can be established in the K18-hACE2 transgenic background and should be a useful mouse model for COVID-19 disease.
Cycles of defence on the Piedras Negras kingdom periphery: landscape patrimony at the fortified hilltop community of El Infiernito, Chiapas

The modification and reuse of defensive features is a form of landscape patrimony, in which the built environment influences practices of warfare over time, redefining or solidifying the peripherie...
Multi-level governance and subnational research: Similarities, differences, and knowledge accumulation in the study of territorial politics

The Subnational Research (SNR) and Multilevel Governance (MLG) research programs have tackled some of the crucial questions in comparative politics. Despite their shared principle that actors and i...
Modelling and verification of 5 degree of freedom vehicle longitudinal model

This paper presents the development of a vehicle longitudinal model by studying the dynamics of a ground vehicle dynamic and a powertrain model. The vehicle longitudinal model is an important model to be used in analyzing the performance of a vehicle either in accelerating or braking test in longitudinal direction. In this paper, in order to deal with the variation in the modelling of the vehicle longitudinal model, an important feature in constructing the vehicle longitudinal model was identified. By considering all the important parameters in both the vehicle dynamic and the powertrain model, a complete model to describe the vehicle motion in longitudinal direction was developed using MATLAB SIMULINK and verified using CarSim. The vehicle and wheel speed were observed, including the longitudinal slip of the tyre during the simulation. The results shows the performance of the model in SIMULINK were slightly same as in Carsim model.
Sexual Orientation and the Law

This article is a revision of the previous edition article by M.M. Ertman, volume 21, pp. 13991–13995, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd.
SAT-Based verification methods and applications in hardware verification

Verification methods based on Boolean Satisfiability (SAT) have emerged as a promising alternative to BDD-based symbolic model checking methods. This paper provides a tutorial on various SAT-based verification methods we have developed for verifying large hardware designs. We focus separately on methods for finding bugs and for finding proofs for correctness properties, along with highlighting the many common themes that benefit these methods. We also describe practical experiences with these methods implemented in our verification platform called VeriSol (formerly DiVer), which has been used successfully in industry practice.
Combined amphetamine-barbiturate therapy in gastro-intestinal disease.

Summary 1.Dexamyl, a combination of d-amphetamine sulfate and isoamylethylbarbituric acid, was administered to a group of 79 subjects having a variety of gastrointestinal diseases and disorders associated with anxiety and tension states as well as other emotional disturbances. 2.Improvement in symptoms occurred in about a third of the patients while receiving the above medication. The incidence of improvement was only slightly higher than when an inert placebo was administered.
Delayed Appearance of Lactobacilli in the Intestines of Chicks Reared in a “New” Environment

Male chicks (1 day old; Vantress × Arbor Acre) were fed a basal folic acid-deficient diet, a 5% uric acid-containing diet with and without 5 mg/lb (453.5 g) of bacitracin and 20 mg/lb of sodium penicillin G, the basal diet supplemented with only the antibiotics, and the basal diet plus 500 μg/lb of folic acid. The chicks were reared in a room which had not been used previously for housing chickens (“new” environment). Bacteriological analyses of the contents of the small intestine revealed a decrease in numbers of streptococci and “anaerobic” bacteria in the chicks receiving dietary antibiotics. No persistent changes were seen in the numbers of coliform bacteria. Lactobacilli were not detected in any of the groups until 3 weeks after feeding.
Nonasymptotic Theory of Unseparated Turbulent-Boundary-Layer — Shock-Wave Interactions with Application to Transonic Flows

Shock-turbulent-boundary-layer interactions are important in the aerodynamic design of high-speed aircraft wings, and of turbine and cascade blades in turbomachinery and air-breathing-engine inlets and diffusors. Of particular importance are the features of upstream influence, boundary-layer displacement, skin friction, and incipient separation dominated by the thin interactive shear-stress disturbance layer very close to the surface. Lighthill’s pioneering study [2.1] of this region, however, takes into account only the laminar portion of the incoming turbulent-boundary-layer profile, which is inaccurate for the higher Reynolds numbers pertaining to full-scale aircraft. On the other hand, more recent work on an improved theory either has been confined to the treatment of the transonic regime by asymptotic methods [2.68, 2.69] that entail a severe limiting model of the interactive physics as Re l → ∞, or has involved approximate double-layered models for supersonic flow [2.70–2.72] with insufficient consideration of the basic flow structure in the shear-disturbance sublayer [2.73]. Consequently, there is a need for a more general theory at ordinary practical Reynolds numbers, applicable to both transonic and supersonic flow.
Life Insurance in Fifteenth-Century Barcelona

ITALIAN sources have so far furnished the principal materials for the study of medieval business history in the Mediterranean area. Florence, Genoa, Pisa, and Venice, it seems fair to say, were the cradles of important commercial institutions. For their merchant guilds, sea loan contracts, and various forms of business organization, other Mediterranean towns were largely in debt to the Italian cities. In Catalonia, a region that experienced a remarkable expansion of overseas trade during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the borrowing and adaptation of Italian institutions were continuous. But in Barcelona, the presumptive birthplace of the Llibre del consolat de mar, the early development of deposit banking and marine insurance law was a product of Catalan initiative.' It is highly possible that the rich historical archives of Barcelona will also yield important data for the study of early life-insurance and annuity practices. The historical forms of insurance on human life range from the various types of casualty insurance to "pure" life insurance based upon adequate association of risks and dependable mortality tables. An illustration of a casualty type is found in the program of state insurance for the protection of slave owners, which the Generalidad of Catalonia inaugurated early in the fifteenth century. In addition to spreading the losses arising from the desertion of enslaved laborers, the measure proposed to furnish funds for policing the frontiers in order to apprehend runaways. The premiums collected by the Government were insufficient to meet the claims, chiefly because a large number of slaveholders failed to pay their assessments; and the scheme was abandoned in 1432.2 The insurance of persons was probably first a species of marine insurance. "It was," as A. F. Jack has said, "inevitable that the practice of covering maritime risks in the case of ships and cargo should lead man to the idea of entering into similar contracts with human life as the subject matter."3 Well into modern times cargoes of slaves were insured on the same basis as merchandise; that is, the contract covered the usual
Design of artificial neural network and its applications to the analysis of alcoholism data

Artificial neural networks were applied to the alcoholism data to reveal nonlinear relationships between intermediate phenotypes, marker identity-by-descent sharing, and the affection status. A variable number of hidden units were considered to achieve a balance between the minimal mean-squared error and over-fitting of the data. The predictability of the affection status based on intermediate phenotype information (event-related potential 300, monoamine oxidase, and gender) was 65% to 75%, and sensitivity/specificity ranged around 50% to 80%. The IBD approach succeeded in identifying the same marker as previous studies, but also found additional peaks.
Monkey Kings and Mojo: Postmodern Ethnic Humor in Kingston, Reed, and Vizenor

The postmodern would be that which in the modern invokes the unpresentable in presentation itself, that which refuses the consolation of correctforms, refuses the consensus of taste permitting a common experience of nostalgia for the impossible, and inquires into new presentations-not to take pleasure in them, but to better produce thefeeling that there is something unpresentable. The post-modern artist or writer is in the position of a philosopher: the text he writes or the work he creates is not in principle governed by preestablished rules and cannot be judged according to a determinant judgment, by the application of given categories to this text or work. Such rules and categories are what the work or text is investigating. The artist and the writer therefore work without rules and in order to establish the rulesfor what will have been made.
Ferroelastic Domain Switching in Tetragonal Zirconia Single Crystals—Microstructural Aspects

Ferroelastic domain switching is one of the possible toughening mechanisms in ceramic materials. Microstructural evidence of domain reorientation (switching) in polydomain tetragonal zirconia single crystals is observed upon the application of a unidirectional compressive stress at 1000° and 1400°C. Dark-field imaging of the three {112{ tetragonal twin variants in a [111] zone indicates that two sets of twin variants grow at the expense of the third set upon application of uniaxial compression. The diminishing variant is the one with its c axis parallel to the compression axis. Inducing cracks into polydomain tetragonal zirconia single crystals provides further evidence of domain reorientation near the crack surface. It is noted again that two sets of twin variants grow at the expense of the third set. A construction for the orientation relationship of domains and their twin boundaries is presented, and a relation between shear stress and reorientation is proposed.
The Challenges of Developing an API Crystallization Process for a Complex Polymorphic and Highly Solvating System. Part I

Developing a robust crystallization process for an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) molecule with a complex polymorphic profile can present a significant challenge. The presented case illustrates an unusual crystallization development problem where a polymorphically complex API has the additional obstacles of poor solubility in standard crystallization solvents as well as a propensity for forming solvates. After early polymorph screening of this candidate highlighted the potential for a complex solid form profile, a variety of experimental approaches was utilized to determine the low-energy polymorph and characterize the various solvates formed. Characterization of the API crystallization process identified a critical solvent composition range for the transformation from a metastable solvate form to the desired polymorph. During subsequent crystallization process development studies, a new lower-energy polymorph was discovered. Examination of the crystal structures led to a rationale for the formati...
Internal motion in organosiliconnitrogen compounds

Abstract Intramolecular motion in some pure solid organosilazanes and in a number of solid dimethylsilazane and dimethylsilylamine polymers cross-linked by various methods was studied by the technique of broad-line nuclear magnetic resonance. Second moments and line widths are reported as a function of temperature from −196° to 50° and comparisons with corresponding polydimethylsiloxanes are made. The degree of internal motion in the silazane polymers is found to be considerably less than that in siloxanes between the temperatures of −120° to 0°; above and below that there is little difference. The low-temperature mobility is related to C 3 reorientation of methyl groups attached to silicon atoms, and the differences between silazanes and siloxanes are explained by increased d a -p a interaction between silicon and nitrogen atoms in the former. The degree of crystallinity of the silazane polymers had little effect on the low-temperature intramolecular motion, but the kind and degree of cross-linking within the polymers had a marked effect.
Validity of self-reported genetic counseling and genetic testing use among breast cancer survivors

Despite the value of genetic counseling (GC) and genetic testing (GT) for high-risk breast cancer survivors, little is known about their uptake and validity of self-report data. This study evaluated the accuracy of self-reported genetic counseling and testing rates among breast cancer survivors. The current analysis focused on Stage 0-III female breast cancer survivors who were identified from an academic medical center’s cancer registry and responded to a mailed survey (N = 452). Self-reported rates of GC and GT were validated using information from the electronic medical record. Overall, 30.8 % of survivors reported having seen a genetic counselor in the time period after their breast cancer diagnosis and 33.6 % noted having a genetic test. Concordance and specificity were good for both genetic questions; concordance agreements ranged from 86–88 %, while specificity was 83–86 %. Sensitivity (97–98 %) and negative predictive values (99 %) were excellent, while the positive predictive values for both GC and GT were poor (59–63 %). Among breast cancer survivors, self-reports of GC and GT were generally accurate, although a subset of respondents overestimated genetic service utilization. Future work should focus on validating GC and GT self-reports in medically underserved populations. Genetic counseling and testing are valuable aspects of survivorship care for high-risk breast cancer survivors; accurate understanding of their use is important for survivors, clinicians, and researchers.
IL-17 and Its Receptor System: a New Target for Psoriatic Arthritis

Th17 cells are one subset of T cells, which produce IL-17, a pro-inflammatory cytokine. A regulatory role of Th17 cells has been proposed in several autoimmune diseases including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis. Psoriatic disease is an autoimmune disease which mainly involves skin and joints. Until recently, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis were thought to be Th1-mediated disease, but after the discovery of IL-17 and IL-17, knockout animal studies as well as human experimental data indicate the crucial role of the Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of psoriatic disease. Human studies have shown the presence of Th17 cells in the psoriatic plaques in excess. Moreover, our research group not only have found abundance of CD4+IL-17+ T cells, mainly the memory phenotype (CD4RO+CD45RA−CD11a+) in the synovial fluid, but also have shown the existence of functional IL-17 receptor in synovial fibroblast of psoriatic arthritis patients. In this review article, we have discussed the contributing role of the IL-23/IL-17 axis in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and the prospective of IL-17 targeted therapies in PsA.
Dimensions of the social group role in pleasure vacations

Abstract Interviewees were asked about their patterns of interpersonal association in pleasure vacations. In an individual's selection of a destination, social groups exerted four kinds of influence. First, some respondents were directly persuaded to accompany another member of their social group on a vacation. Second, social groups exerted a normative influence both on choice of destinations and choice of attractions at selected destinations. Third, long term socialization appeared to have some influence on the predisposition to vacation and the predisposition to go to a particular destination. Fourth, the distant physical location of some social group members was found to influence destination decisions.
Why Japanese Workers Remain in the Labor Force So Long: Lessons for the United States?

As part of the search for ways to increase labor force participation rates among older workers in the United States, it makes sense to take a close look at evidence from Japan, one of the few industrial countries with a substantially higher labor force participation rate among older workers, particularly men, than the United States. Based mainly on prior studies and original interview data, we first discuss five potential factors which help explain why Japanese workers remain in the labor force as long as they do: (1) perceived economic necessity; (2) the large fraction of workers who are self-employed; (3) a culture that puts a high value on remaining in the labor force throughout the life course; (4) the long healthy life expectancy; and (5) the government’s role in facilitating the labor force participation of older workers. We suggest that the Japanese national cultural value on remaining economically productive well into old age clearly underlies the development of the government’s legislative initiatives aiming to extend the working lives of older workers. We then outline three policy suggestions for those seeking to increase labor force participation rates among older U.S. workers: (1) increase the financial incentive to workers who remain in the labor force; (2) improve public programs designed to foster efforts by older workers to become self-employed; and (3) increase the extent of government efforts to link older workers to prospective employers.
Risk Factors for Trading Sex among Homeless Young Adults

Although numerous homeless youth report trading sex, few studies have examined risk factors associated with trading sex and even fewer have employed multivariate analyses to examine this relationship, even though trading sex is associated with many negative health outcomes. Based on a sample of 151 homeless young adults in the midwestern United States, logistic regression analyses revealed that for each additional year of age, youth were 37% more likely to have traded sex (AOR = 1.37; 95% CI = .99-1.90). White youth were 84% less likely to have traded sex than non-white youth (AOR = .16; 95% CI = .03-.77). Furthermore, youth who had been employed full time were 80% less likely to have traded sex (AOR = .20; 95% CI = .05-.85). For every one unit increase in depressive symptoms, there was an 11% increase in the likelihood of ever having traded sex (AOR = 1.11; 95% CI = .99-1.24). Additionally, those who had friends who traded sex were approximately five times more likely to have ever traded sex themselves compared to those with no friends who had traded sex (AOR = 5.17; 95% CI = .95-28.12). Finally, youth who were propositioned to trade sex were almost five and one-half times more likely to have ever done so compared to youth who had not been propositioned (AOR = 5.45; 95% CI = 1.02-29.17). Overall, the results have important implications for the health and well-being of this high-risk population.
CrystalDock: a novel approach to fragment-based drug design.

We present a novel algorithm called CrystalDock that analyzes a molecular pocket of interest and identifies potential binding fragments. The program first identifies groups of pocket-lining recepto...
The Disruption of the Solid South

In less than twenty years Republicans have created a viable opposition to the Democratic party in the South for the first time since the heyday of the Whigs in the 1840s. The turn in Republican fortunes below the Potomac, writes George Brown Tindall in this important new study, owes less to new strategies than to new conditions, for the Southern Strategy was not born yesterday. It was invented-or at least first pursued-in the 1870s by Rutherford B. Hayes, who called it his Southern Policy. Subsequent changes have been only variations on a theme by Hayes.
563 Role of Milk Borne Factors in Intestinal Development

In recent years, milk from both humans and experimental animals has been shown to contain a variety of hormones and growth factors. The aim of this study was to determine whether these appear in the milk at a particular stage of lactation and cause developmental changes in the intestine. The approach was to take litters of rat pups born one week apart and exchange their dams when the older pups were at postnatal day 13 and the younger ones were at day 6. Thus, 13 day-old pups were given to dams that were 6 days postpartum (13→6) and vice versa (6→13). The rationale was that if a factor appears in the milk at the end of the second week postpartum and acts as a cue for the enzymic changes in the small intestine that are known to occur in the third postnatal week, then such changes should be delayed in “13→6” pups and accelerated in “6→13” pups. Using jejunal sucrase as a marker enzyme there was no difference between the two experimental groups at ages 17 and 19 days. However, by 21 days of age, sucrase activities of “6→13” pups were significantly higher than those of “13→6” pups. Analysis of stomach contents showed that weaning was complete by day 21 in the “6→13” pups but not in the “13→6” pups. It is concluded that the lactational stage of the dam plays no role in the initiation of sucrase development and affects the later activity of the enzyme only as a result of changes in the timing of weaning. Thus, the possibility that milk-borne factors cue ontogenic changes in the intestine has not been substantiated. (This work was supported by NIH grant number HD 14094.)
A Simple Purge System for Determination of Sulfur Using the Direct-Current Plasma

A significant limitation to the use of the direct-current plasma (DCP), for sulfur analysis is the inability of the echelle spectrometer system to operate effectively at wavelengths below 190 nm. This difficulty arises because the spectrometer is not calibrated below 190 nm, and because the intensities of these short wavelengths are severely attenuated by the echelle's prism. For these reasons, the determination of sulfur, which has strong emission in the 180–183 nm region, is not routinely performed by DCP emission spectrometry.
Vascular abnormalities in mice lacking the endothelial gap junction proteins connexin37 and connexin40.

Abstract Cells within the vascular wall are coupled by gap junctions, allowing for direct intercellular transfer of low molecular weight molecules. Although gap junctions are believed to be important for vascular development and function, their precise roles are not well understood. Mice lacking either connexin37 (Cx37) or connexin40 (Cx40), the predominant gap junction proteins present in vascular endothelium, are viable and exhibit phenotypes that are largely non-blood vessel related. Since Cx37 and Cx40 are coexpressed in endothelial cells and could overlap functionally, some roles of junctional communication may only be revealed by the elimination of both connexins. In this study, we interbreed Cx37 and Cx40 knockout mice to generate Cx37−/−Cx40−/− animals and show that they display severe vascular abnormalities and die perinatally. Cx37−/−Cx40−/− animals exhibit localized hemorrhages in skin, testis, gastrointestinal tissues, and lungs, with pronounced blood vessel dilatation and congestion occurring in some areas. Vascular anomalies were particularly striking in testis and intestine. In testis, abnormal vascular channels were present, with these channels coalescing into a cavernous, endothelium-lined blood pool resembling a hemangioma. These results provide evidence of a critical role for endothelial gap junction-mediated communication in the development and/or functional maintenance of segments of the mouse vasculature.
Effect of genetic cross on the detection of quantitative trait loci and a novel approach to mapping QTLs.

Abstract A genome-wide scan was conducted in two F 2 intercrosses, C57BL/6J (B6)×DBA/2J (D2) and BALB/cJ (C)×LP/J (LP), for three different phenotypes: basal locomotor activity, ethanol-induced locomotor activity, and haloperidol-induced catalepsy. For basal activity, significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs, LOD≥4.3) were detected on chromosomes 9 and 19 for the C×LP intercross and chromosome 1 for the B6×D2 intercross. Significant QTLs for ethanol-induced activation were detected on chromosome 6 for the C×LP intercross, and on chromosomes 1 and 2 for the B6×D2 intercross. For haloperidol-induced catalepsy, significant QTLs were detected on chromosome 14 (two different QTLs) in the C×LP intercross, and chromosomes 1 and 9 in the B6×D2 intercross. These data illustrate the importance of the genetic cross for QTL detection. Finally, the data reported here, and elsewhere, are also used to demonstrate a novel approach to QTL detection and localization.
Digital image publication for backscatter sem micrographs

A number of limitations impede visualization and interpretation of backscatter SEM images reproduced photographically in technical journals and proceedings. The size of the image presented is often too small to visualize all of the details discussed by the author. Often the loss of contrast and of detail in the half tone reproduction processes used severely limits the information actually conveyed to the reader. In contrast, digital images can be readily reproduced in any desired size without loss of detail. Such images can be readily obtained, stored and manipulated (if necessary) in computer files, and printed out by standard laser printers. The writer is of the opinion that the publication of such digital images instead of conventional photographic reproductions vastly increases the clarity and effectiveness of the visual information actually transmitted to the reader. Several examples of backscatter SEM images of concrete are provided to illustrate the potentials of this method.
Applications of the stieltjes-tchebycheff procedure for atomic and molecular photoionization calculations in Hilbert space

The Stieltjes-Tchebycheff procedure provides a basis for performing atomic and molecular photoionization calculations entirely in Hilbert space employing appropriately chosen dynamical approximations to the interactions between radiation and matter. Recent applications of the method in the cases of atomic lithium and molecular nitrogen and formaldehyde are described here. The photoionization profiles obtained from the Stieltjes-Tchebycheff procedure employing explicitly correlated basis functions for lithium, Hartree-Fock static-exchange calculations for nitrogen, and configuration-interaction calculations for formaldehyde are in good accord with corresponding cross-sectional measurements.
The effect of phospholipids and fatty acids on tight-junction permeability and bacterial translocation.

The activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is elevated in the intestinal epithelia of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We recently reported that PLA2 mediates hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) to lysophosphatidylcholine (L-PC) when both are applied to the apical surface of cultured EC monolayers, resulting in increased bacterial translocation (BT) and decreased transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Free fatty acids (FFA) are the other products of this reaction, however, their effect on Caco-2 cell permeability has not been reported. In addition to PC, other luminal phospholipids are present at the surface of the enterocyte. PLA2 may also mediate the hydrolysis of luminal phospholipids other than PC. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of phospholipids other than PC and common FFA on intestinal epithelial permeability and BT. Human Caco-2 enterocytes were grown to confluence on porous filters in the apical chamber of a two-chamber cell-culture system. Monolayer integrity and tight-junction permeability were measured as TEER. First, common FFA released by PC hydrolysis were determined using thin-layer chromatography (TLC). In separate experiments, monolayers were treated with phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (L-PE), or palmitoleic acid, oleic acids, linoleic acids, and arachidonic acid solubilized in solution with PC. The magnitude of BT was determined 2 h after treatment by adding Escherichiacoli C25 to the apical chamber followed by quantitatively culturing basal-chamber samples. Statistical analysis was by the Kurosaki-Wallis test. TLC of PC samples incubated with PLA2 on the apical surface of Caco-2 monolayers demonstrated the production of palmitoleic acid, oleic acids, linoleic acids, and arachidonic acid. L-PE significantly decreased TEER compared to controls, but to a lesser degree than L-PC alone. L-PE had no effects on BT. Palmitoleic acid and oleic acid likewise significantly decreased TEER compared to controls, however, less than L-PC. All FFA tested had no effect on BT. Phospholipids applied to the apical surface of enterocytes, such as those found in vivo in mucus, can be hydrolyzed by the enzyme PLA2 resulting in lysophospholipid and FFA species that can alter enterocyte monolayer permeability. However, FFA and L-PL, other than L-PC, appear to have no effect to stimulate BT. This observation may have clinical implications in the pathogenesis and treatment strategies for IBD patients in whom enterocyte PLA2 activity has been shown to be elevated.
Percutaneous Ablation of the Small Renal Mass—Techniques and Outcomes

An increasing number of T1a renal cell carcinomas are being diagnosed in recent years, in part due to incidental detection from the increased use of cross-sectional imaging. Although partial nephrectomy is still considered the primary treatment for these small renal masses, percutaneous ablation is now being performed as a standard therapeutic, nephron-sparing approach in patients who are poor surgical candidates. Clinical studies to date have demonstrated that percutaneous ablation is an effective therapy with acceptable outcomes and low risk in the appropriate clinical settings. This article will review various clinical aspects regarding the percutaneous ablation of small renal masses, including patient selection, preprocedural preparations, and the procedural considerations of commonly employed ablative technologies. Specific techniques such as radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, microwave ablation, irreversible electroporation, and high-intensity focused ultrasound will be addressed in detail. In addition, the technical and oncologic outcomes of percutaneous ablation will be discussed and referenced to that of partial nephrectomy.
Core complementarities of the corporation: organization of an innovating firm

Despite the proliferation of arrangements to outsource or cooperate in Research and Development, the benefits and costs of alternative organizational forms are not very well understood. This paper develops a supermodularity model to highlight the conditions under which internal or external modes of organizing innovation activities are likely to occur. The technological and institutional environment drives firms' decisions to organize innovation and invest in learning, which determine firm performance in terms of innovation and growth. Internal organization is beneficial when complementarities among activities are strong. However, independent governance of complementary activities may become optimal when depreciation of knowledge is rapid due to radical technical change. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spectral emissivity of candidate alloys for very high temperature reactors in high temperature air environment

Abstract Emissivity measurements for candidate alloys for very high temperature reactors were carried out in a custom-built experimental facility, capable of both efficient and reliable measurements of spectral emissivities of multiple samples at high temperatures. The alloys studied include 304 and 316 austenitic stainless steels, Alloy 617, and SA508 ferritic steel. The oxidation of alloys plays an important role in dictating emissivity values. The higher chromium content of 304 and 316 austenitic stainless steels, and Alloy 617 results in an oxide layer only of sub-micron thickness even at 700 °C and consequently the emissivity of these alloys remains low. In contrast, the low alloy SA508 ferritic steel which contains no chromium develops a thicker oxide layer, and consequently exhibits higher emissivity values.
Arterial-wave reflections are increased in heart failure patients with a left-ventricular assist device.

Background Chronic heart failure (HF) is associated with increased central arterial pulse-wave reflections, which may contribute to increased myocardial oxygen demand. Although the treatment of HF via left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement has recently become widespread, the effects of LVAD therapy on central arterial pulse-wave reflections are unknown. Methods Central aortic pulse-wave analysis was performed on patients with end-stage HF awaiting cardiac transplantation and on healthy age-matched controls using the SphygmoCor (Akor Medical, Sydney, Australia) system. Arterial pulse-wave data were compared between patients receiving LVAD support versus those receiving intravenous inotropic drugs and healthy control patients. Results Five patients on LVAD support were compared with 10 patients on inotropic drugs and 10 healthy control patients. Aortic augmented pressure and the aortic augmentation index (AIa) were higher in LVAD patients compared with inotrope and control patients, despite similar brachial and aortic blood pressures between groups. The AIa was significantly higher in LVAD patients than in patients on inotropic drugs (28.2% ± 10% v 7.9% ± 9%, P ≤ .01). Additionally, there was a significantly higher aortic systolic tension time index, an index of left-ventricular myocardial oxygen demand, in the LVAD group compared with the inotrope group (2655 ± 298 mm Hg/sec/min v 1748 ± 303 mm Hg/sec/min, P Conclusions Central arterial pressure-wave reflection is increased in end-stage HF patients on LVAD support compared with those on inotropic drugs, leading to an increase in aortic augmented pressure, AIa, and systolic tension time index. The AIa is also higher in LVAD patients than in healthy controls. This increased central arterial-wave reflection places an additional hemodynamic load on the LVAD device and may have relevance to the medical management of patients after LVAD placement and to the longevity of the LVAD device itself.
Deriving lay models of uncertainty about genes' role in illness causation to guide communication about human genetics

Advances in clinical genetics and biotechnology increase the ability to identify individual genetic makeup through genetic services and testing. As a result, genes have become the focus of an increasing number of health messages associated with medical interaction and public communication. This research explored public perceptions (N= 858) of the role of genes in health using problematic integration (PI) theory as a framework. A Genetic Relativism Instrument (GRI) associated with macroframeworks about illness causation was developed and used to cluster individuals into 4 groups associated with communicating about genes and health. Uncertainty about the role of personal behaviors, social environments, and religious faith on genes' impact for human health varied significantly among the four groups. In this age of increased use of genetic technologies, communication regarding human genetics in counseling and health promotion may contribute to better informed decision making if tailored to these varied belief systems.
Detailed study of the γ-radiolysis of nitrilotriacetic acid in a simulated, mixed nuclear waste

Gamma radiolysis of a simulant of an actual mixed waste, composed of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and an inorganic matrix, at γ-doses ranging from 0–7.5·106±10% R in a60Co-source, resulted in total NTA degradation, but 10.8% of the simulant's original organic content remained. Radiolysis yielded 4 chelator fragments and 2 carboxylic acids, all formed at different rates. The chelator fragment N-(Methylamine)iminodiacetic acid (MAIDA) dominated at low γ-doses, while N-[N′-amino(2-iminoethyl)]iminodiacetic acid (AIEIDA) dominated at high γ-doses. Chemical degradation control studies revealed that the harsh chemistry of the inorganic matrix caused only 20.7% NTA degradation and formation of only 2 chelator fragments, while the heat generated by the60Co-source (95°C) had little additional impact.
2.6.3 Understanding Cost Analysis Process in United States Government Systems Acquisition

Cost estimates are one of the most widely known attributes of a program, but from an outsider's perspective, the process of cost estimation and analysis often appears to be a “black art.” The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and use of cost estimates and cost analysis, particularly with respect to United States (U. S.) government systems acquisition, and describe the systems engineers' role in this process. First, we discuss why a systems approach to cost analysis is critical to mission success and needs to begin at the time of program formulation. Second, we describe the cost analysis process. Third, we examine the most common methods used in cost estimation; the estimates' accuracies often depend on which methods are chosen and when these methods are used. Fourth, we describe the evolutionary process of cost estimation throughout the program lifecycle. Since the amount of information available to estimate the cost of a program changes over the lifecycle as the program evolves, so too should the methods used to estimate the program's cost. Finally, we describe the use of cost estimates in cost-risk and cost-benefit analysis.
Prospective study of osseous, articular, and meniscal lesions in recent anterior cruciate ligament tears by magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopy

Fifty-four patients with anterior cruciate ligament tears that were arthroscopically reconstructed within 3 months of initial injury were prospectively evaluated. Patients with grade 3 medial collateral ligament, lateral collateral ligament, or posterior cruciate ligament tears were excluded. Eighty percent of our patients had a bone bruise present on the magnetic resonance image, with 68% in the lateral femoral condyle. Two of the latter findings--an abnormal articular cartilage signal (P = 0.02) and a thin and impacted subchondral bone (P = 0.03)--had a significant relationship with injury to the overlying articular cartilage. Meniscal tears were found in 56% of the lateral menisci and 37% of the medial menisci. A significant association was present between bone bruising on the lateral femoral condyle and the lateral tibial plateau (P = 0.02). Results of our study support the concept that the common mechanism of injury to the anterior cruciate ligament involves severe anterior subluxation with impaction of the posterior tibia on the anterior femur. Determination of the significance of bone bruising, articular cartilage injury, or meniscal tears will require a long-term followup that includes evaluation for arthritis, stability, and function. These 54 patients represent the first cohort evaluated in this ongoing prospective clinical study.
Regional distribution and cellular expression of tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA in postmortem human brainstem and pineal gland.

Abstract: The characterization and cellular localization of tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA in the human brainstem and pineal gland were investigated by using northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization histochemistry. Northern analysis of human pineal gland revealed the presence of two mRNA species that were absent in RNA isolated from human raphe. In situ hybridization experiments revealed very dense hybridization signal corresponding to tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA in cells throughout the pineal gland. In contrast, tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA was heterogeneously distributed in neurons in the dorsal and median raphe nuclei. Within the dorsal raphe, the ventrolateral and interfascicular subnuclei contained the greatest number of tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA-positive neurons. Also, the cellular concentration of tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA varied widely within the dorsal and median raphe. Comparison of the cellular concentration of tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA between the pineal gland and the raphe nuclei revealed an 11- and 46-fold greater average grain density of tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA positive cells in the pineal gland compared with the dorsal and median raphe, respectively. These findings are the first to demonstrate the cellular localization of tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA in the human brain and pineal gland as well as heterogeneity in the cellular concentration within and between these tissues.
Vaginal Douching: Personal Practices and Public Policies

Background: Vaginal douching is associated with adverse reproductive health outcomes, yet both health providers and women are often poorly informed about details of this practice. Methods: We searched the English language articles in the MEDLINE database (1965–March 2004) to describe vaginal douching products, policies of professional organizations, predictors of douching practice, douching methods used, timing of use, and motivation. A key report was obtained from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) via the Freedom of Information Act. Additional product information was obtained from manufacturers. Primary key terms for the literature search included (vagina OR vaginal) and (douche OR douching). Health effects of douching are reviewed briefly; personal practices and public policies are highlighted. Results: From the literature search, we identified 432 papers, of which 150 were reviewed in detail. Contrary to the assumptions of many health professionals, douching products are only loosely regulated by ...
X-Ray Radiographic Techniques in Failure Analysis

High resolution techniques in X-ray analysis are presented. These techniques are non-destructive and use inexpensive film such as Polaroid Type 52 and Type 55, with short exposure time. Examples are given using various common electrical and mechanical components such as semiconductors, variable resistors, fuses, connectors with the aid of a microfiche viewer.