cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU‐E‐T‐662: Does Optimizing the Placement of Machine Isocenter Affect the Overall Optimized Plan Obtained Using Tomotherapy Treatment Planning System ? A Dosimetric and Analysis Study

Purpose: To study the effect of isocenter placement with respect to DICOM center of patient CT images, on IMRT optimization using TomoTherapy Hi‐ART(TM) Methods: The unique feature of TomoTherapy Hi‐ART(TM) machine is the presence of flattening‐filter‐free(FFF) beam, off‐axis IMRT optimization capability and rotational delivery. To cover all possibilities, we choose seven different treatment sites (3 Head and Neck(HN), 1 Hippocampal avoidance, 1 SBRT and 2 brain cases) previously planned and treated on Tomotherapy for this study. For fair comparison planning parameters, used previously for clinical patient treatment were used and left unchanged throughout the study for each case. Four plans were generated for each patient in which the center of patient CT datasets were shifted incrementally from +5 cm to −10 cm with respect to isocenter in the AP direction. Treatment time as a function of planning target volume (PTV) distances from isocenter was studied. Homogeneity index (HI), Target coverage (TC) for PTVs and the mean and max doses of organs at risk (OARs) as a function of the respective distances from the isocenter was also studied. Results: Up to 13% reduction in treatment time (∼100 sec) for HN cases was obtained with PTV coverage by changing the distance of PTV from isocenter by 1.5 cm. Particularly, for SBRT, 3% reduction (80 sec) in treatment time was obtained with identical PTV coverage while decreasing max cord dose by 2 Gy. Conclusion: Optimization of patient position can thus be accomplished in rotational IMRT delivery by decreasing the distance of PTV from the isocenter while maximizing the distance of OARs from the isocenter thus minimizing treatment time and maximizing organ sparing without compromising tumor coverage. This work can be extended for doing fair comparison of plan quality achieved using various emerging technologies based on FFF modes of delivery.
RVU ready? Preparing emergency medicine resident physicians in documentation for an incentive-based work environment.

Objectives: The emergency medicine (EM) job market is increasingly focused on incentive-based reimbursement, which is largely based on relative value units (RVUs) and is directly related to documentation of patient care. Previous studies have shown a need to improve resident education in documentation. The authors created a focused educational intervention on billing and documentation practices to meet this identified need. The hypothesis of this study was that this educational intervention would result in an increase in RVUs generated by EM resident physicians and the average amount billed per patient. Methods: The authors used a quasi-experimental study design. An educational intervention included a 1-hour lecture on documentation and billing, biweekly newsletters, and case-specific feedback from the billing department for EM resident physicians. RVUs and charges generated per patient were recorded for all second- and third-year resident physicians for a 3-month period prior to the educational intervention and for a 3-month period following the intervention. Pre- and postintervention data were compared using Student’s t-test and repeated-measures analysis of variance, as appropriate. Results: The evaluation and management (E/M) chart levels billed during each phase of the study were significantly different (p < 0.0001). The total number of RVUs generated per hour increased from 3.17 in the first phase to 3.71 in the second phase (p = 0.0001). During the initial 3-month phase, the average amount billed per patient seen by a second- or third-year resident was $282.82, which increased to $301.94 in the second phase (p = 0.0004). Conclusions: The educational intervention positively affected resident documentation resulting in greater RVUs/hour and greater billing performance in the study emergency department (ED).
BiReality: mutually-immersive telepresence

BiReality (a.k.a. Mutually-Immersive Telepresence) uses a teleoperated robotic surrogate to provide an immersive telepresence system for face-to-face interactions. Our goal is to recreate to the greatest extent practical, both for the user and the people at the remote location, the sensory experience relevant for face-to-face interactions of the user actually being in the remote location. Our system provides a 360-degree surround immersive audio and visual experience for both the user and remote participants, and streams eight 704x480 MPEG-2 coded videos totaling 20Mb/s. The system preserves gaze and eye contact, presents local and remote participants to each other at life size, and preserves the head height of the user at the remote location. Initial user experiences are presented.
Spectrums of Love: Examining the Relationship between Romantic Motivations and Sexual Risk among Young Gay and Bisexual Men

We examined the association between HIV/AIDS risk behaviors and romantic feelings among single, young gay and bisexual men (YGBM). Romantic feelings may have positive (romantic ideation) and negative (romantic obsession) connotations. Consequently, we hypothesized that YGBM would report greater risks if they reported having obsessive thoughts about their relationship desires; conversely, we hypothesized that YGBM who envision a romantic relationship would report fewer unprotected partners. Using cross-sectional data from a study examining YGBM's online dating experiences (N = 376; ages 18-24), we found a positive association between romantic obsession and number of partners for unprotected receptive (URAI) and insertive (UIAI) anal intercourse. Conversely, we found a negative association between romantic ideation and number of partners for URAI and UIAI. Is love risky or protective? Our results indicate support for both perspectives. We discuss the implications of our findings, highlighting the importance of addressing romantic pursuits into existing HIV prevention interventions for YGBM.
MOLECULAR HYDROGEN EMISSION FROM THE BOUNDARIES OF THE TAURUS MOLECULAR CLOUD

We report Spitzer Space Telescope observations of the four lowest rotational transitions of H2 in three portions of the boundary of the Taurus molecular cloud. Emission in the two lowest transitions, S(0) and S(1), was detected in almost all pointing directions, while the S(2) and S(3) lines were marginally detected only after further averaging of data. The widespread detection of lines coming from levels 510 K and 1016 K above the molecular ground state is indicative of gas at a temperature of at least 200 K containing column densities (1-5) × 1018 cm–2 of H2. For the region with the simplest geometry, we have used the Meudon PDR code to model the chemistry, radiative transfer, and excitation of molecular hydrogen. We conclude that models with acceptable values of the UV interstellar radiation field can reproduce the amount of H2 in the lowest excited state, but cannot account for the degree of excitation of the H2. The unexpectedly high degree of excitation of the H2 in the boundary layer of a molecular cloud, which cannot be explained by the presence of stellar sources, points to an enhanced heating rate which may be the result of, e.g., dissipation of turbulence. We have in one boundary region been able to obtain the ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) for H2, which by modeling and possible detection of the S(2) and S(3) lines has a range 1.0 ≥ OPR ≥ 0.15, although this result must be treated with caution. The fact that the ortho-to-para ratio is lower than that expected for equilibrium at the gas kinetic temperature may be indicative of circulation of material from cold, purely molecular regions into the boundary layer, possibly due to turbulent diffusion. The explanation of these data may thus be suggestive of processes that are having a significant effect on the structure and evolution of molecular clouds and the star formation that takes place within them.
A clinical study on pseudomyxoma peritonei

To elucidate the clinical entity of pseudomyxoma peritonei, nine patients (male: female = 6:3) who had been treated in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in the past 13 years were reviewed. The male patients with original appendiceal tumour were older than the male patients with original colon cancer or indefinite tumour (70, 67 and 67 years vs 42, 27 and 50 years). In addition, the former group survived in a disease-free status for 28 months on average, while the latter group died within 2 years. Echogenic ascites and diffuse low-attenuation intra-abdominal masses with scalloping on the surface of liver detected by ultrasonography and by computerized tomography, respectively, were found in most of the patients. Elevation of the serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) during recurrence of the disease was also noted. This series suggested that: (i) the pre-operative diagnosis could be made with careful physical examination in conjunction with sonography or computerized tomography; (ii) the prognosis was better in patients with tumour of appendiceal origin; and (iii) serum CEA might be valuable for early detection of recurrence.
Major histocompatibility complex class II DOA sequences from three Antarctic seal species verify stabilizing selection on the DO locus.

: To provide additional support for the sequence conservation and hence the regulatory role of the MHC class II DOA locus, we obtained the nucleotide sequences of exon 2 and exon 3, along with the intervening intron, of the Ross seal, and sequences from the exon 2 region from the Weddell and leopard seals. These are the first reports of the sequences of this locus from a carnivore species. The results demonstrate strong conservation among mammals for the exon sequence and produce a gene genealogy that is consistent in topology with a species tree.
Beryllium-7 as a tracer of short-term sediment deposition and resuspension in the Fox River, Wisconsin

Short-term (approximately monthly) sediment deposition and resuspension rates of surficial bed sediments in two PCB-laden impoundments on the Fox River, WI, were determined in the summer and fall of 1998 using 7Be, a naturally occurring radioisotope produced in the atmosphere. Decay-corrected activities and inventories of 7Be were measured in bed sediment and in suspended particles. Beryllium-7 activities generally decreased with depth in the top 5-10 cm of sediments and ranged from undetectable to approximately 0.9 pCi cm(-3). Inventories of 7Be, calculated from the sum of activities from all depths, ranged from 0.87 to 3.74 pCi cm(-2), and the values covaried between sites likely reflecting a common atmospheric input signal. Activities of 7Be did not correlate directly with rainfall. Partitioning the 7Be flux into "new" and "residual" components indicated that net deposition was occurring most of the time during the summer. Net erosion, however, was observed at the upstream site from the final collection in the fall. This erosion event was estimated to have removed 0.10 g (cm of sediment)(-2), corresponding to approximately 0.5 cm of sediment depth, and approximately 6-10 kg of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) over the whole deposit. Short-term accumulation rates were up to approximately 130 times higher than the long-term rates calculated from 137Cs profiles, suggesting an extremely dynamic sediment transport environment, even within an impounded river system.
High-Speed Laser Imaging, Heat Flux and Temperature Measurements of Explosions

This presentation reports results of optical temperature, emission and heat flux measurements of fireballs produced by conventional and
Type 2 Diabetes and Fetal Origins: The Promise of Prevention Programs Focusing on Prenatal Health in High Prevalence Native American Communities

Recent diabetes research is challenging the longstanding emphasis on the primary role genes play in the type 2 diabetes epidemic among Native American and other high prevalence populations. Increasingly, “thrifty genotype” models are being reevaluated and modi?ed in order to accommodate experimental and epidemiological research that highlights the powerful effects of the prenatal environment in the development of the disorder. This body of research suggests that, especially in high-risk populations, diabetes may result initially from prenatal malnutrition followed by calorically adequate diets in adulthood, and then be propagated in subsequent generations via maternal hyperglycemia during pregnancy. The present paper highlights the recent research that is challenging the dominant genetic-predisposition model of diabetes, and then explores the promise of future community-based diabetes intervention strategies informed by this research. It suggests that prevention programs that focus on improved prenatal ca...
Aldosterone Blockade in CKD: Emphasis on Pharmacology

Besides its epithelial effect on sodium retention and potassium excretion in the distal tubule, aldosterone promotes inflammation and fibrosis in the heart, kidneys, and blood vessels. As glomerular filtration rate falls, aldosterone is inappropriately elevated relative to extracellular fluid expansion. In addition, studies in CKD patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and/or direct renin inhibitors have shown that aldosterone levels paradoxically rise in approximately 30% to 40% of patients on these renin-angiotensin system-blocking drugs. Hence, there is interest in using mineralocorticoid receptor blockers that directly target the inflammatory and fibrotic effects of aldosterone in CKD patients. This interest, however, is tempered by a number of unresolved issues, including the safety of using such drugs in advanced CKD and ESRD populations, and the potential for differences in drug efficacy according to race and ethnicity of patient populations. A better understanding of mineralocorticoid receptor blocker pharmacology should help inform future research directions and clinical practice decisions as to how best to use these agents in CKD.
Iontophoretic delivery of peptide drugs

Abstract The utility of iontophoresis, the electrically assisted delivery of drugs across the skin, to overcome some of the obstacles of peptide delivery has been widely reported in the literature. Iontophoresis offers similar advantages to passive transdermal delivery in that it is non-invasive and can deliver drugs in a continuous fashion over a prolonged period of time. However, unlike passive delivery iontophoresis is capable of delivering larger hydrophilic molecules, such as peptides, in a variety of complex dosing scenarios. Human studies have been performed to demonstrate the safe, effective and reproducible delivery of intact peptides to the systemic circulation. Plasma concentration-time profiles from these studies indicate that steady-state plasma levels are achieved rapidly and the decline in plasma levels appears to be absorption limited rather like an intramuscular bolus injection. However, short lag times are observed which are consistent with diffusion across the outermost layers of the skin but shorter than those typically associated with passive transdermal diffusion. In all reported human clinical trials iontophoretic patches appeared to be well tolerated. Iontophoretic drug delivery offers non-invasive, continuous and pulsatile delivery as well as preprogrammed complex dosing regimes. Small battery powered wearable systems for peptide drugs are currently being developed. The non-invasiveness and wide utility of iontophoresis offer a real benefit in convenient drug delivery for the patient.
Topography within circular grabens: Implications for polygon origin, Utopia Planitia, Mars

[1] Very large, fracture-bounded polygons occur in Acidalia and Utopia Planitiae, Mars. Two models for the origin of these large polygons postulate drape folding of a sedimentary cover material over an uneven buried surface, with the strain enhancement needed to explain the large size due to differential compaction. Throughout the polygonal terrain are circular grabens inferred to overlie buried crater rims. Drape folding models predict that (1) these circular grabens will bound topographic lows and (2) the surface relief and percent compaction within circular grabens will be proportional to ring diameters. Relief and compaction within 8 circular grabens have been determined by gridding MOLA data in ArcView. All 8 fulfill the first prediction, and 7 of them fulfill the second prediction. These results support a sedimentary origin for polygonal terrain materials, and thus are consistent with the past existence of an “ocean” in the martian lowland.
MEMS Nanoinjector for Injecting Foreign DNA Into Living Cells

The nanoinjector is a MEMS device that has been successfully used to inject foreign genetic material into fertilized mouse egg cells (zygotes). This scanning electron micrograph shows a nanoinjector grasping a 100 μm diameter latex sphere. The sphere is roughly the size of a mouse zygote, and it can withstand the harsh environment in the electron microscope better than a mouse zygote. The nanoinjector’s two constraining mechanisms (at left and top-right) and lance mechanism (bottom right) are fabricated from two planar layers of polysilicon through MEMSCAP’s polysilicon Multi-User MEMS Processes (polyMUMPs)Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Comments pour in to NSF Commission

The National Science Board Commission on the Future of NSF held its second meeting on October 16. This meeting, and the meetings of NSF's Physics Advisory Committee, present a clearer picture of the commission's upcoming report. The commission has been overwhelmed by mail from the scientific community. Hundreds of letters have been received, and they are still pouring in. Mail is from individuals, governors, NSF staff, industry, and numerous professional organizations. Commission members are reading this mail and reacting favorably to it. They agreed to continue accepting comments past last week's deadline, although they will not necessarily read all late correspondence.
Excitation and photon decay of giant multipole resonances — the role and future of medium-energy heavy ions

Abstract Inelastic scattering of medium energy heavy ions provides very large cross sections and peak-to-continuum ratios for excitation of giant resonances. For energies above about 50 MeV/nucleon, giant resonances are excited primarily through Coulomb excitation, which is indifferent to isospin, thus providing a good probe for the study of isovector giant resonances. The extremely large cross sections available from heavy ion excitation permit the study of rare decay modes of the giant resonances. In particular, recent measurements have been made of the photon decay of giant resonances following excitation by 22 and 84 MeV/nucleon 17 O projectiles. The singles results at 84 MeV/nucleon yield peak cross sections for the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance and the isovector giant dipole resonance of approximately 0.8 and 3 barns/sr, respectively. Data on the ground state decay of the isoscalar giant quadrupole and isovector giant dipole resonances are presented and compared with calculations. Decays to low-lying excited states are also discussed. Preliminary results from an experiment to isolate the 208 Pb isovector quadrupole resonance using its gamma decay are presented.
Growth of Single-Crystal and Polycrystalline Thin Films of MgAl2O4 and MgFe2O4

Single-crystal and polycrystalline films of Mg-Al2O4 and MgFe2O4 were formed by two methods on cleavage surfaces of MgO single crystals. In one procedure, aluminum was deposited on MgO by vacuum evaporation. Subsequent heating in air at about 510°C formed a polycrystalline γ-Al2O8 film. Above 540°C, the γ-Al2O, and MgO reacted to form a single-crystal MgAl2O4 film with {001} MgAl2O4‖{001} MgO. Above 590°C, an additional layer of MgAl2O4, which is polycrystalline, formed between the γ-Al2O3 and the single-crystal spinel. Polycrystalline Mg-Al2O4 formed only when diffusion of Mg2+ ions proceeded into the polycrystalline γ-Al2O3 region. Corresponding results were obtained for Mg-Fe2O4. MgAl2O4 films were also formed on cleaved MgO single-crystal substrates by direct evaporation, using an Al2O3 crucible as a source. Very slow deposition rates were used with source temperatures of ∼1350°C and substrate temperatures of ∼800°C. Departures from single-crystal character in the films may arise through temperature gradients in the substrate.
Applying game theory to library networks

The application of game theory to library networks consists of four basic subjects: the development of a systematic way to study individual coalitions, the calculation of the costs of a network, the calculation of the gross benefits for the whole network, the stability of the network. This article concentrates on the first and last of these subjects. Coalitions are compared in a systematic way by first defining coalitions and introducing the concept of a division. The latter is defined as a unique combination of coalitions such that every participating library is a member of one and only one coalition and the division exhausts all “n” libraries. The definition of division stability depends on the payoff vector being in the “core.” This happens when members of the coalitions in the division have more to distribute among themselves than they would in any other division. When a division is stable, any variation in the coalition structure will reduce total net benefits to coalition members. In practice, the choices open to the individual library may not be as plentiful as the theoretical analysis suggests. Thinking of networks performing a single function, most members will belong to a single coalition with remaining coalitions in the optimal division having zero members.
Aggregation of pro-leu-gly-NH2 in aqueous solution

Deuterated dimethylsulfoxide [l] and in the crystalline state, Pro-Leu-Gly-NHz, have been proposed to form a P-turn structure [2] , characterized by a IO-membered ring closed by a hydrogen bond between one of the primary carboxamide protons and the carbonyl oxygen of proline. In an X-ray diffraction study this very structure was found for the Pro-Leu-Gly-NH* monomer [3]. Subsequent theoretical [4-61 and an experimental study of spinlattice relaxation time measurements [7] showed Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 to be a flexible molecule with a fair number of conformations, as would be expected for alinear, low molecular weight peptide. We reported evidence suggesting that Pro-Leu-Gly-NH,, but not Pro-Leu-Gly-N(CHa)z, can aggregate in dimethylsulfoxide [7] ~ an observation further expanded upon in [8,9]. The present 13C NMR study shows that Pro-LeuGly-NH2 also aggregates in DzO, albeit slowly, over a period of 3-7 days, and that this process is quickly reversed upon protonation of the secondary amino group of the proline residue.
Comparative characterization of mesenchymal stem cells from eGFP transgenic and non-transgenic mice

Adipose derived- and bone marrow-derived murine mesenchymal stem cells (mMSCs) may be used to study stem cell properties in an in vivo setting for the purposes of evaluating therapeutic strategies that may have clinical applications in the future. If these cells are to be used for transplantation, the question arises of how to track the administered cells. One solution to this problem is to transplant cells with an easily identifiable genetic marker such as enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP). This protein is fluorescent and therefore does not require a chemical substrate for identification and can be visualized in living cells. This study seeks to characterize and compare adipose derived- and bone marrow-derived stem cells from C57Bl/6 mice and eGFP transgenic C57Bl/6 mice. The expression of eGFP does not appear to affect the ability to differentiate along adipogenic or osteogenic lineages; however it appears that the tissue of origin can influence differentiation capabilities. The presence of eGFP had no effect on cell surface marker expression, and mMSCs derived from both bone marrow and adipose tissue had similar surface marker profiles. There were no significant differences between transgenic and non-transgenic mMSCs. Murine adipose derived and bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells from non-transgenic and eGFP transgenic C57Bl/6 mice have very similar characterization profiles. The availability of mesenchymal stem cells stably expressing a genetic reporter has important applications for the advancement of stem cell research.
Mild, orthogonal solid‐phase peptide synthesis: use of Nα‐dithiasuccinoyl (Dts) amino acids and N‐(iso‐propyldithio)carbonylproline, together with p‐alkoxybenzyl ester anchoring linkages*

Several N alpha-dithiasuccinoyl (Dts) amino acids (1) have been esterified without racemization by use of either N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide or 1-(3-dimethylamino-propyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride, each in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine (0.1 equiv.), to 2, 4, 5-trichlorophenyl 4'-hydroxymethylphenoxyacetate (10) or the corresponding propionate (11). The resultant handle derivatives (8,9) were purified and then quantitatively attached onto aminomethyl supports by couplings using as solvent N,N-dimethylformamide containing 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (0.1 M). This methodology facilitates anchoring of Dts-amino acids as p-alkoxybenzyl esters, which can be cleaved in good yields by trifluoroacetic acid-dichloromethane (1:1) at 25 degrees. Model experiments established that quantitative thiolytic removal (greater than 99.8%) of the Dts group occurs with (i) beta-mercaptoethanol (0.5 M)-N,N-diisopropylethylamine (0.5 M) in dichloromethane, 2 X 2 min; (ii) N-methylmercaptoacetamide (0.5 M)-N-methylmorpholine (0.5 M) in dichloromethane, 2 X 2 min; and (iii) N-methylmercaptoacetamide (0.5 M)-1-hydroxybenzotriazole (0.1 M) in N,N-dimethylformamide, 2 X 2 min. The susceptibility of the Dts functionality to nucleophiles was also defined, including demonstration of tertiary amine-catalyzed hydantoin formation from Dts-dipeptidyl units, but side reactions from these processes are entirely avoided under appropriate conditions relevant to peptide synthesis. These observations were exploited to devise efficient, racemization-free solid-phase syntheses of a number of model peptides in high yields and purities, including L-leucyl-L-alanylglycyl-L-valine, H-Gly6-Val-OH, H-Met-Ala-Gly-OH, methionine-enkephalin, and bradykinin.
Combining and Comparing Area Estimates across Studies or Strata

A method for combining and comparing medical tests across studies or strata is presented. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is the parameter of interest to be used fo...
Study of mobile agents active protection in IDC network management

Mobile agent technology is a new paradigm of distributed computing that can replace the conventional client-server model. However, it has not become popular due to some problems such as security. The fact that computers have complete control over all the programs makes it very hard to protect mobile agents from malicious hosts. In this paper we propose a security approach for mobile agents, which protects mobile agents from malicious hosts. Our new approach prevents privacy attacks and integrity attacks to mobile agents from malicious hosts. This paper presents a protection scheme of mobile agent, which combining cryptography and time checking technology to verify the security of node. Cryptography is a hybrid method that mixes a function composition technique and a homomorphic encryption scheme. The protection scheme is tested in actual network management environment, which can effectively identify the malicious host.
Conditions for the production of agrocin 84 by agrobacterium radiobacter k84

A chemically defined medium was developed that supported the growth ofAgrobacterium radiobacter K84 and the production of agrocin 84. Various supplements were investigated for their effect on growth rate and production of agrocin 84 using a well-diffusion assay method. Mannitol was found to be a better substrate for growth ofA. radiobacter K84 compared to the other sugar alcohols and sugars tested. By contrast,d-fructose was the better substrate for the production of agrocin 84. Biotin supplementation stimulated production of agrocin 84 but did not eliminate the diauxic lag seen with the basal medium. The opine, octopine, inhibited growth ofA. radiobacter K84 and production of agrocin 84 as did coenzyme B12. By contrast, the cytokinin, isopentenyl adenosine, was marginally stimulatory to production, as was vitamin B12. Acetosyringone supplementation had a negligible effect on growth rate and production of agrocin 84.
Nonlinear dynamics, rectification, and phase locking for particles on symmetrical two-dimensional periodic substrates with dc and circular ac drives.

We investigate the dynamical motion of particles on a two-dimensional symmetric periodic substrate in the presence of both a dc drive along a symmetry direction of the periodic substrate and an additional circular ac drive. For large enough ac drives, the particle orbit encircles one or more potential maxima of the periodic substrate. In this case, when an additional increasing dc drive is applied in the longitudinal direction, the longitudinal velocity increases in a series of discrete steps that are integer multiples of $a\ensuremath{\omega}∕(2\ensuremath{\pi})$, where $a$ is the lattice constant of the substrate. Fractional steps can also occur. These integer and fractional steps correspond to distinct stable dynamical orbits. A number of these phases also show a rectification in the positive or negative transverse direction where a nonzero transverse velocity occurs in the absence of a dc transverse drive. We map out the phase diagrams of the regions of rectification as a function of ac amplitude, and find a series of tongues. Most of the features, including the steps in the longitudinal velocity and the transverse rectification, can be captured with a simple toy model and by arguments from nonlinear maps. We have also investigated the effects of thermal disorder and incommensuration on the rectification phenomena, and find that for increasing disorder, the rectification regions are gradually smeared and the longitudinal velocity steps are no longer flat but show a linearly increasing velocity.
School Health and Safety Standards for Dance Education and Dance in Physical Education.

Abstract Common sports like football and basketball present obvious opportunities for injuries. Less obvious, perhaps, are the hazards inherent in a dance class, which makes guidance in the form of safety standards especially important.
Historicizing Mind Science: Discourse, Practice, Subjectivity

It is no longer necessary to defend current historiography of psychology against the strictures aimed at its early text book incarnations in the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, Robert Young (1966) and others denigrated then standard textbook histories of psychology for their amateurism and their justifications propaganda for specific standpoints in current psychology, disguised as history. Since then, at least some textbooks writers and working historians of psychology have made such criticisms their own (Leahey 1986; Furumoto 1989). The demand for textbook histories continues nonetheless. Psychology, at least in the United States, remains the only discipline that makes historical representations of itself in the form of “history and systems” courses an official part of its pedagogical canon, required, interestingly enough, for the license in clinical practice (see Ash 1983).1 In the meantime, the professionalization of scholarship in history of psychology has proceeded apace. All of the trends visible in historical and social studies of other sciences, as well as in general cultural and intellectual history, are noe present in the historical study of psychology. Yet despite the visibility and social importance of psychology's various applications, and the prominence of certain schools of psychological thought such as behaviorism and psychoanalysis in contemporary cultural and political debate, the historiography of psychology has continued to hold a marginal position in history and social studies of science.
Inhibitors of glucagon inactivation. Effect on glucagon--receptor interactions and glucagon-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in liver cell membranes.

Abstract The specific binding of 125 I-labeled glucagon to liver cell microsomal membranes is accompanied by a rapid loss in the biological activity of the hormone present in the medium. Inhibitors of glucagon inactivation have been identified and the effects of such compounds on hormone-binding and hormone-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity have been examined. 1. 1. Compounds which inhibit inactivation of glucagon by microsomal membranes include: (a) peptide hormones of low molecular weight which have little or no tertiary structure, such as adrenocorticotropic hormone; (b) peptide antibiotics, such as bacitracin; (c) bile salts and synthetic detergents, such as sodium deoxycholate and Triton X-100; (d) polyene antibiotics, such as filipin; and (e) metal-complexing agents, such as 1,10-phenantroline. 2. 2.Under appropriate conditions, inhibitors of glucagon inactivation cause a significant (20–80%) increase in glucagon-binding to liver microsomal membranes when subsaturating concentrations of hormone are used. The ability of the various inhibitors to suppress inactivation correlates well with their ability to enhance hormone binding. The effects of the inhibitors on binding result from an enhanced affinity of the glucagon-membrane interaction, and not from the exposure of new glucagon-binding sites. 3. 3. Adrenocorticotropic hormone and bacitracin increase the apparent affinity of adenylate cyclase of liver membranes for glucagon, but do not affect the maximal activity of the enzyme. Such effects are not apparent with other inhibitors tested, probably because some of these compounds perturb unfavorably the catalytic properties of adenylate cyclase. 4. 4. When inactivation of inhibited the glucagon-membrane interaction obeys kinetics of simple, dissociable processes. In this case the rate constant of glucagon-membrane association (10 6 M −1 · −1 ) and of dissociayion (2 · 10 −4 s −1 ) can be measured independently, and the dissociation constant (2 · 10 −10 M) determined from these rate constants is similar to that (2.5 · 10 −10 M) calculated separately from equilibrium data. 5. 5. Selective inhibition of the glucagon-inactivating components of liver cell membranes allows more meaningful kinetic characterization of the hormone-receptor interaction in these membranes and may also aid in further studies designed to isolate and purify the receptors.
Synthesis and evaluation of debromohymenialdisine-derived Chk2 inhibitors

Natural products have been the subject of interest for drug discovery and as tools for understanding the underlying cellular pathways in various diseases. We present herein the synthesis and evaluation of new analogs of the marine sponge metabolite, debromohymenialdisine, as checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2) inhibitors. We illustrate herein that slight modifications to the natural product scaffold can induce strong selectivity for Chk2 over Chk1. These Chk2 inhibitors can serve as drug templates or molecular tools to gain insight in Chk2 mediated radioprotection.
Spinal cord stimulation, conception, pregnancy, and labor: case study in a complex regional pain syndrome patient.

Introduction. Interventional modalities for pain treatment are reserved for patients failing multidisciplinary pain management, including psychological, physical, pharmacological, and anesthetic techniques. Objective. Medications for intractable pain may be unacceptable because the risk of teratogenic effects. The purpose of this study is to find out whether spinal cord stimulation may be safe during conception, pregnancy, and delivery. Materials and Methods. We report a 30-year old, female, neonatal nurse who developed left hand burning pain, swelling, coldness, and weakness following a mild brachial plexus injury in a motor vehicle accident. The patient responded well to a combination of Neurontin, Trazadone, Ultram, and Vicodin. A year later, the patient married and wanted to become pregnant but was afraid of possible teratogenic effects of the medications. Therefore, she requested an interventional modality for control of her symptoms. We recommended spinal cord stimulation (SCS) based on our excellent experience with this modality in the management of complex regional pain syndromes (CRPS). However, we did inform the patient that no data had been published regarding the safety of this modality in pregnancy and labor. Results. Cervical SCS resulted in excellent pain control and discontinuation of the medications. Thirteen months later, she delivered a healthy five pound baby girl. Mother and baby were discharged home in two days. The SCS was not turned off at any time during the labor and delivery. Conclusion. SCS was safe for implantation in our case study of a pregnant woman. This may constitute a new indication for SCS in patients otherwise successfully managed with non-interventional modalities for pain control.
Three new species of Pristimantis (Lissamphibia, Anura) from montane forests of the Cordillera Yanachaga in Central Peru

Describimos tres especies nuevas de Pristimantis provenientes de la Cordillera Yanachaga, en los Andes del centro del Peru. Los analisis de las secuencias de ADN mitocondrial de genes ribosomales muestran que una de las especies esta cercanamente relacionada con P. bipunctatus (Grupo P. conspicillatus), la segunda especie con P. stictogaster (Grupo P. peruvianus) y la tercera con varias especies del Grupo P. unistrigatus. Las primeras dos especies son morfologicamente similares a sus respectivas especies hermanas, pero sin embargo habitan en elevaciones mas bajas. Se conocen 29 especies de ranas del g´nero Phrynopus y Pristimantis en las inmediaciones de la Cordillera Yanachaga. Esta diversidad de especies, particularmente de Pristimantis, es elevada en comparacion con otras localidades de caracteristicas similares en el Peru; sin embargo, es menor a la reportada en la vertiente occidental de los Andes del Ecuador.
Can Beer Taxes Affect Teen Pregnancy? Evidence Based on Teen Abortion Rates and Birth Rates

Economists have investigated the effects of increased alcohol taxes on various alcohol-related phenomena like traffic fatalities, but to my knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the effects of beer taxes on teen pregnancy outcomes, namely abortion and birth rates. The study employs statelevel data for 15-19-year-old women for the years 1985, 1988, 1992, and 1996. The smallness of the panel imposes some constraints on the statistical methods used. Results indicate that higher beer taxes have statistically significant negative effects on teen abortion rates, though the magnitudes of the effects are quite small. Effects on birthrates are statistically insignificant. This suggests that increased beer taxes may help prevent some unwanted pregnancies that would typically be terminated via abortions rather than culminating in live births. However, the small magnitudes of the effects strongly caution against relying on increased beer taxes to noticeably reduce teen pregnancy rates.
Anomalies, topological invariants, and the Gauss-Bonnet theorem in supergravity

The Einstein multiplet ${W}_{a}$ is constructed and extra terms in its transformation laws, due to the index $a$, are found. Application of the tensor calculus to the Einstein, Weyl, and scalar curvature multiplets yields (i) supersymmetric off-shell complete extensions of the multiplet of anomalies, (ii) the super-Gauss-Bonnet theorem, (iii) topological invariants of supergravity. The latter coincide with those of general relativity.
The relationship between circulating CD5+ B lymphocytes and in vitro autoantibody synthesis in normal individuals☆

Abstract Recent observations suggest that a subpopulation of B lymphocytes bearing the phenotype CD5 + may be enriched for cells committed to the synthesis and secretion of autoantibodies. We had previously shown that a subset of normal individuals has an expanded subpopulation of B lymphocytes committed to the synthesis of IgM and IgM-rheumatoid factor (RF), and that this condition was associated with HLA-DR4 (4). In these studies, we performed simultaneous quantitation of the size of the circulating CD5 + B lymphocyte subpopulation in a group of 20 normal donors, and of the pokeweed mitogen-induced in vitro synthesis of a panel of autoantibodies by the same peripheral blood cells depleted of CD8 + suppressor lymphocytes in 18 of the 20 individuals. The culture supernatants were assayed for total IgM and IgG, RF, IgM, and IgG anti-single-stranded DNA, anti-human thyroglobulin, and anti-tetanus toxoid. The mean percentage CD5 + B cells was 13.5 ± 2.5%. There was no significant correlation between total B lymphocytes and CD5 + B cells (R = 0.25, P > 0.20. Positive correlations were found between the proportion of circulating CD5 + B lymphocytes and synthesis of RF (R = 0.73, P P + B cells and secreted IgM or IgG antibodies against the exogenous antigen tetanus toxoid, measured in the same supernatants. The antibodies produced in vitro by T cell-dependent B cell activation appear to have limited or no polyspecificity. These results indicate that the size of the circulating CD5 + B cell subpopulation in any given individual contributes importantly to the magnitude of autoantibody synthesis in cultures where T cell-mediated B lymphocyte activation takes place in the absence of suppressor signals.
Fine structure of neurons and synapses in the feline hippocampus during postnatal ontogenesis

Abstract Electron microscope studies were carried out to examine the maturational features of neuronal elements and the general pattern of postnatal synaptogenesis in the kitten hippocampus. Axonic and dendritic elements of the hippocampal neuropil are well developed at birth in the kitten as indicated by the presence of numerous small processes and abundant axodendritic synapses including many dendritic spine synapses. Complex axon terminals resembling typical mossy fiber endings described in adult animals are also well developed in neonatal kittens. Hippocampal neurons exhibit elaborate intracellular organelles suggestive of a high degree of metabolic activity of these neurons in neonatal kittens. Axosomatic synapses are rarely encountered in the immediate neonatal period. Large areas of somaglial and soma-to-soma membrane appositions are commonly observed in neonatal kittens but are less frequently found in older kittens. A marked increase in the number of axosomatic synapses occurs in the late postnatal period (2 to 3-week-old kittens) along with a further increase in the number of axodendritic synapses of various types. It is concluded that virtually all of the synaptic input to hippocampal pyramidal neurons is distributed to dendrites of these cells in the immediate neonatal period and that elaboration of axosomatic synapses is essentially a postnatal event.
The unregularized gradient flow of the symplectic action

The symplectic action can be defined on the space of smooth paths in a symplectic manifold P which join two Lagrangian submanifolds of P. To pursue a new approach to the variational theory of this function, we define on a subset of the path space the flow whose trajectories are given by the solutions of the Cauchy-Riemann equation with respect to a suitable almost complex structure on P. In particular, we prove compactness and transversality results for the set of bounded trajectories.
Estimation of contraceptive continuation functions.

Abstract-Evidence from Puerto Rico supports the hypothesis that the continuation rate has a decay form rather than a reciprocal form. As indicated in the literature, there was evidence that the continuation rate tends to vary not only with time but also with the age of the patient at acceptance. It was found that the fit of the continuation function could be improved substantially by making the effective decay rate an exponential function of age. Theoretical reasoning was presented to justify these empirical results.
Telecardiology and the intensive care unit.

Telemedicine quickly is becoming part and parcel of how clinicians practice medicine. Numerous definitions of telemedicine exist but, in essence, telemedicine consists of information sharing between at least two physically and geographically disparate sites for educational or health purposes. 10 Telemedicine can involve something as simple as a telephone call between two physicians or something as complex as real-time, interactive, multipoint videoconferencing with application sharing. Transmission of data, information, or images by telephone, facsimile, store and forward, e-mail clients, or interactive video all meet the definition. Consultative and direct patient care and continuing medical education can be accomplished using telemedical systems. Essentially, every specialty of medicine has experimented with or presently is using telemedicine in some fashion. In fact, many clinicians have provided telemedical services and long distance education for years through phone communication with fellows, residents, and other health care personnel. Cardiology has been using the telephone to transmit electrocardiograms for more than a decade and has been performing pacemaker checks across telephone lines. Obviously, the ubiquitous Internet is an example of a potential platform for telemedicine. Telemedical applications once were confined to connecting rural or remote areas to centralized centers. Today, telemedicine is already an integral component in the delivery of health care that easily can cross all geographic borders. In the future, telemedicine will become even more integrated into the mainstream of health care. It will provide essential tools for improving the efficiency of health care communication and will add safety for the health care provider by making health care available under less than ideal circumstances such as a terrorist attack with biologic weapons. 12,21 Ultimately, patients will determine whether telemedicine meets their needs. The purpose of this article is to review the history of telemedicine, the literature as it pertains to telecardiology and ICU applications, and to suggest how telemedicine will impact cardiology services in the future.
The Commutative Property in Comorbid Diagnosis: Does A + B = B + A?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition, text revision) assumes an additive model for describing comorbid symptomatology, including the commutativity of disorder descriptions across order of presentation (e.g., A + B = B + A). Given the high prevalence of individuals with comorbid conditions, it is important to investigate if clinicians follow an additive model when conceptualizing disorders. Three studies involving a total of 138 clinicians tested assumptions of commutativity for conceptualizations of three disorders—major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)—by either fixed-choice or free-response descriptions of all possible pairwise comparisons of the disorders. Clinicians demonstrated less-than-perfect commutativity for all disorder combinations, and this finding was replicated across two samples. In addition, MDD and ASPD tended to overshadow the presence of GAD in combinations. These results challeng...