cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variations in lipid screening frequency in family medicine patients with cardiovascular risk factors

Rationale, aims and objectives This study was undertaken to assess the frequency of lipid screening in comparison with the United States Preventive Services Task Force guideline in a sample of family medicine patients. In addition, we sought to determine the association between testing frequency and achievement of lipid targets. Methods A random sample was extracted from 271 patients from among all patients cared for in our Department of Family Medicine for whom lipid screening was ordered from March to September 2012 and who had ≥2 well-defined cardiovascular risk factors. Lipid testing frequency was classified in three ways: semi-annual or less often (0–12 tests over 6 years), annual or less often (0–6 tests), or biennial (0–3 tests). Results Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the predictors of lipid screening more often than semi-annually were age ≥60 years [odds ratio (OR) = 3.7] and diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR = 30.6). Predictors of screening more often than annually were DM (OR = 4.3), hypertension (OR = 2.1), family history of premature coronary artery disease (OR = 5.6) and statin treatment (OR = 3.5). Lipid goal attainment was not associated with testing frequency except with regard to low-density lipoprotein levels (P = 0.043, P < 0.001, P = 0.005, by semi-annual, annual and biennial, respectively) and total cholesterol levels (P = 0.015, P = 0.025 by semi-annual and annual, respectively). Conclusions Questionable high frequency of lipid testing was detected even when the more conservative approach of annual monitoring was assumed. Frequency of testing was not associated with goal attainment for most parameters. Physicians should request the lipid testing based on overall risk assessment and person variability in accordance with published guidelines.
Dystonia: Five new things.

Summary There has been considerable progress in our understanding of dystonia over the last century. Growing recognition of dystonia has enhanced awareness of its diverse motor phenomenology and brought attention to the importance that nonmotor features may play in this disorder, once considered to be purely motor. Using the latest technologies in human genetics, new genetic links are being discovered at an ever-quickening pace and expanding our knowledge of the disorder9s complex pathogenesis. Furthermore, as we gain clearer insight into the pathophysiology of dystonia and an appreciation of the involvement of dysfunction outside the basal ganglia, dystonia has been increasingly viewed as a network disorder. Here we briefly discuss some of the recent noteworthy advances.
Experience in the use of computational aerodynamics to predict store release characteristics

Abstract In the early days, store separation tests were conducted in a hit or miss fashion—the stores would be dropped from the aircraft at gradually increasing speeds until the store came close to or sometimes actually hit the aircraft. In some cases, this led to loss of the aircraft, and made some test pilots reluctant to participate in store separation flight test programs. During the 1960's, the Captive Trajectory System (CTS) method for store separation wind tunnel testing was developed. The CTS provided a considerable improvement over the hit or miss method, and became widely used in aircraft/store integration programs prior to flight-testing. However, since fairly small-scale models had to be used in the wind tunnel tests, in many cases the wind tunnel predictions did not match the flight test results. No mechanism was then in place to resolve the wind tunnel/flight test discrepancies. During this same time frame Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) had finally matured to the point of providing a trajectory solution for a store in an aircraft flowfield. However, since the computational tools were necessarily (due to computer resource limitations) limited to linear techniques, and since most store separation problems occur at transonic speeds, these tools had limited application. Recent advances in computer resources have greatly improved the capability of CFD to predict store release characteristics. Instead of using linear or approximate schemes, time dependent Euler and Navier Stokes trajectories could be computed in a reasonable time frame. Three international CFD Challenges, held during the last decade of the 20th century, have shown that CFD can not only match wind tunnel test data, but also predict flight test trajectories for complex stores at transonic speeds. It appears that CFD has matured to the point that it can be usefully integrated into aircraft/store compatibility programs.
Resistance of the rat to development of lead-induced renal functional deficits.

Lead nephropathy, characterized functionally by depression of effective renal plasma flow (ERPF), glomerular filtration rate (CFR), and maximum glucose reabsorption rate, is associated with prolonged occupational exposure to lead. Production of comparable lead‐related renal functional deficits in rats has been difficult to achieve. We have examined in rats some of the factors that might be expected to influence the development of lead‐induced renal functional damage, using CFR (as inulin clearance), ERPF (as para‐aminohippurate clearance), and maximum glucose reabsorption rate as indices of renal functional competence. Although lead produces a significant weight loss, this can be accounted for by reduced food intake and is not associated with reduction in renal function. Even exposure to large amounts of lead in conjunction with other factors, such as controlled diet (NIH‐07 and AIN‐76) and early age of initial exposure, that might have been expected to increase the rats’ susceptibility has not resulted i...
The ethics of antidumping petitions

Abstract Filing an antidumping petition can be ethical or unethical in practice, and this article provides a somewhat unique view for judging the ethicality of a petition. The approach uses the perspective of an ethical society and asks what this type society would expect from business. It is then applied to specific examples of petition filings, and to general classes of filing, to illustrate its use and provide conclusions.
Data caching as a cloud service

We discuss the challenges of devising a useful shared data cache service as a part of the cloud platform. Outside the cloud, such a service appeals to developers for two main reasons. Most importantly, data caches reduce the response latency experienced by users. For example, rendering a content page with various personalized boxes as part of a user web session often involves numerous database lookups. Therefore, if the content generation involves cheap memory accesses to a data cache instead of actual database queries, the user experiences will improve. Moreover, data caches are simple to use: they normally expose a simple get/set interface akin to key/value stores and a rudimentary mechanism to expire values [2], thus allowing result-based caching to be seamlessly integrated with existing database-driven code.
The Role of Organ of Corti Mass in Passive Cochlear Tuning

The mechanism for passive cochlear tuning remains unsettled. Early models considered the organ of Corti complex (OCC) as a succession of spring-mass resonators. Later, traveling wave models showed that passive tuning could arise through the interaction of cochlear fluid mass and OCC stiffness without local resonators. However, including enough OCC mass to produce local resonance enhanced the tuning by slowing and thereby growing the traveling wave as it approached its resonant segment. To decide whether the OCC mass plays a role in tuning, the frequency variation of the wavenumber of the cochlear traveling wave was measured (in vivo, passive cochleae) and compared to theoretical predictions. The experimental wavenumber was found by taking the phase difference of basilar membrane motion between two longitudinally spaced locations and dividing by the distance between them. The theoretical wavenumber was a solution of the dispersion relation of a three-dimensional cochlear model with OCC mass and stiffness as the free parameters. The experimental data were only well fit by a model that included OCC mass. However, as the measurement position moved from a best-frequency place of 40 to 12 kHz, the role of mass was diminished. The notion of local resonance seems to only apply in the very high-frequency region of the cochlea.
The molecular weight of Ehrlich tumor cell ribonucleotide reductase and its subunits: Effector-induced changes

Abstract The molecular weights of Ehrlich tumor cell ribonucleotide reductase and its individual components were determined by sedimentation equilibrium in the Beckman Airfuge. The distribution of enzyme after sedimentation equilibrium was determined by measurement of the CDP reductase and ADP reductase activities associated with ribonucleotide reductase. The apparent molecular weight of the intact enzyme was 304,000 when assayed for CDP reductase and 254,000 when assayed for ADP reductase. This difference in apparent molecular weights was statistically significant with a P value of 0.0002. The molecular weights of the individual components of ribonucleotide reductase were determined in a similar fashion by assaying in the presence of an excess of the complementary component. The non-heme iron component had a molecular weight of 81,000 when assayed for either CDP or ADP reductase activity. The effector-binding component had an apparent molecular weight of 127,000 when assayed for CDP reductase and 95,000 when assayed for ADP reductase. This difference in apparent molecular weights was statistically significant with a P value of 0.004. The effectors ATP and dGTP altered the apparent molecular weights of the intact enzyme and individual components. In the presence of ATP the molecular weight of intact CDP reductase was 481,000 while the apparent molecular weight of the effector-binding component of CDP reductase alone was 418,000. In the presence of dGTP, the molecular weight of intact ADP reductase was 293,000 while the apparent molecular weight of the effector-binding component of ADP reductase alone was 154,000. These results indicate that the proportion of the non-heme iron component and the effector-binding component is not equimolar and that the composition of the enzyme is not constant but is altered by the presence of effectors. Our data also suggest that CDP reduction and ADP reduction are catalyzed by different molecular species of the enzyme which apparently have different effector-binding components.
Microfibril-Associate Glycoprotein-2 (MAGP-2) Promotes Angiogenic cell sprouting by Blocking Notch Signaling in Endothelial Cells

Angiogenesis is highly sensitive to the composition of the vascular microenvironment, however, our understanding of the structural and matricellular components of the vascular microenvironment that regulate angiogenesis and the molecular mechanisms by which these molecules function remains incomplete. Our previous results described a novel pro-angiogenic activity for Microfibril-Associated Glycoprotein-2 (MAGP-2), but did not address the molecular mechanism(s) by which this is accomplished. We now demonstrate that MAGP-2 promotes angiogenic cell sprouting by antagonizing Notch signaling pathways in endothelial cells. MAGP-2 decreased basal and Jagged1 induced expression from the Notch sensitive Hes-1 promoter in ECs, and blocked Jagged1 stimulated Notch1 receptor processing in transiently transfected 293T cells. Interestingly, inhibition of Notch signaling by MAGP-2 seems to be restricted to ECs since MAGP-2 increased Hes-1 promoter activity and Notch1 receptor processing in heterologous cell types. Importantly, constitutive activation of the Notch signaling pathway blocked the ability of MAGP-2 to promote angiogenic cell sprouting, as well as morphological changes associated with angiogenesis. Collectively, these observations indicate that MAGP-2 promotes angiogenic cell spouting in vitro by antagonizing Notch signaling pathways in ECs.
Performance of free-space laser communication systems as a function of the sampling rate in the tracking loop

Laser technology plays an ever-increasing role in aerospace and communication systems and is often viewed as a technology that has the potential for providing the material base for high-bandwidth applications. Laser provides the most logical connectivity channel for mobile systems requiring high data rates, low power consumption, covert operation, and high resistance to jamming. While advancements in modern opto-electronics have resulted in small size, reliable and power efficient lasers and modulators, successful operation of any communication technology hinges upon the ability to develop an equally advanced beam steering/positioning system. In many aerospace applications, when the transmitting optical platform is placed on board of an airplane, the ability to track the target is affected by the complex high-speed maneuvers performed by the aircraft and the resident vibration of the airframe. The tracking system must assure that in spite of the relative motion of both the transmitting and receiving stations and adverse environments, such as vibration, mutual alignment of two systems will be maintained to minimize communication errors. The work presented in this paper concentrates on the development of agile beam steering systems for laser communication terminals. Acousto-optic Bragg cells are used as deflectors while feedback information is generated by a quadrant detector. The control system is synthesized using a relatively simple constant-gain controller augmented with an adaptive Kalman filter to mitigate the effects of measurement noise in the tracking system. Laboratory experiments are conducted to investigate communication performance as a function of the sampling rate in the beam position feedback.
Long-term myocardial preservation: Thromboxane production and coronary resistance

In a series of 18 experiments on long-term myocardial preservation we evaluated whether vasoactive substances like thromboxane and prostacyclin are associated with the secondary increase in coronary resistance during preservation perfusion of the canine heart. In a control group (n = 12) and in a group treated with a specific thromboxane synthetase inhibitor (OKY 1581) coronary resistance was measured at 10 and 30 min, and at 1, 4, and 24 hr. At the same time intervals thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin (PGI2) production were determined as TXB2 and 6-keto PGF1α, respectively. After OKY 1581 treatment no increase in TXB2 occurred and no secondary increase in coronary resistance was observed, while in the control group both TXB2 levels and resistance increased (P < 0.01); 6-keto PGF1α levels showed the same increase in control and in treated hearts. From this study it is concluded that during 24-hr myocardial preservation the characteristic secondary increase in coronary resistance is related to thromboxane production in the heart and is prevented by inhibition of thromboxane synthetase.
There's an App for That: How Two Elementary Classrooms Used iPads to Enhance Student Learning and Achievement

The purpose of this study was to research how two elementary school classrooms used iPads to enhance student learning and achievement. Participants were two first-year teachers' classrooms in a small one-school school district in Central California that was comprised of 38 students. Each classroom contained a classroom set of iPads used during English Language Arts and Mathematics lessons. The experimental research design study was conducted over a 3-month period beginning in January 2011. Two sets of groups—a control group and an experimental group—were given both iPad and non-iPad lessons. Data was collected for both groups and analysed. Findings included small increases in both classrooms in reading and math when iPads lessons were compared with lessons that were conducted in a traditional non-iPad method. It was concluded that the use of iPads enhanced student learning and achievement and served as another learning modality for elementary school students.
A solar flux density calculation for a solar tower concentrator using a two-dimensional Hermite function expansion

Abstract The calculation of flux density on the central receiver due to a large number of flat polygonal reflectors having various orientations is a basic part of the system simulation problem for the tower concept of solar energy collection. A two-dimensional Hermite function expansion is adapted to the simulation problem, and numerical results are contrasted with an analytic integration of the solar flux density at specific nodes on an image plane. Various measures of error in the flux density calculation are monitored vs distance to the image plane and orientation of the reflector. The flux densities predicted by the statistical method compare favorably with those of the analytic model and require approximately one-tenth the computer time.
10-watt room-temperature Er-fiber-laser-pumped pure CW polycrystalline Cr2+:ZnS laser

We demonstrate, for the first time, room-temperature, 10 W (at 2400 nm), Er-fiber laser pumped, pure CW, thermally diffusion doped, polycrystalline Cr2+:ZnS laser. We also show Littrow-grating, single-knob, wavelength tuning of the laser over 1940-2780 nm with the maximum output power of 7.4 W at 2400 nm and above 2 W over 1970-2760 nm wavelength range. The laser performs with 40% real optical efficiency (with 43% slope) and shows no output power roll-off up to the highest available pump of 26 W.
Organizational interventions to encourage guideline implementation.

Evidence-based guidelines hold considerable promise for continued improvement of health-care delivery. However, the availability of clinical practice guidelines does not automatically lead to changes in practice patterns. Using a “push-pull-capacity” model, this article describes strategies to improve guideline implementation for three types of organizations: national organizations, insurer and health-care organizations, and health-care purchasers. Push strategies focus on the guideline development process and include rigorous review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed research, and use of multidisciplinary expert teams, subjecting guidelines to peer review and comment and using measurable clinical outcomes to define guidelines. Pull strategies focus on creating a demand for guideline implementation and include professional organization endorsement, quality measures based on guideline-related outcomes, and guideline-based performance objectives in purchaser contracts and physician compensation agreements. Capacity strategies focus on systems that facilitate guideline implementation. Example strategies are providing benefit coverage and reimbursement for guideline-based treatment protocols, and implementing clinical information systems for population-based tracking, outcomes monitoring, and benchmarking feedback.
Simple quadrature-based quantum feedback of a solid-state qubit

We analyze the newly proposed quantum feedback loop for a solid-state qubit, based on monitoring the quadrature components of the current from a weakly coupled detector, which continuously measures the qubit. Similar to the earlier proposal of the "Bayesian" feedback, the feedback loop is used to maintain the coherent (Rabi)oscillations in a qubit for an arbitrarily long time; however, this is done in a significantly simpler way, which requires much smaller bandwidth of the control circuitry. The price for simplicity is a less-than-ideal operation: the fidelity is limited to about 95%. The feedback loop operation can be experimentally verified by appearance of a positive in-phase component of the detector current relative to an external oscillating signal used for synchronization. The quadrature-based quantum feedback seems to be within the reach of the present-day technology.
A receptacle and plug for chronic recording from subcutaneous electrodes

Abstract The fabrication of a receptacle which can be chronically implanted on the back of small animals and from which wires may be led subcutaneously to any part of the body is described. It may be used to monitor electrophysiological processes during running, swimming, and most other forms of activity for periods of a month or more.
An Examination of Public Private Academic Partnerships: Does Program Success Enhance University Performance Outcomes?

In response to a steady decline in State funding, universities have become heavily involved in a variety of public private academic partnerships (PPAPs) in such areas as medical research, business incubation, technological commercialization, continuing professional education, and intercollegiate athletics. Despite this trend, research which examines if such partnerships actually enhance university funding is rare within the public organization literature. Given this, we focus on university intercollegiate athletics programs, which represent one of the largest PPAPs ever undertaken by universities, to examine whether PPAP success can potentially enhance university performance outcomes leading to increased funding levels. Such programs represent a PPAP because public, private, and academic entities all come together to form an organization (division 1 football at the bowl subdivision level) which seeks to benefit all three entities through sharing resources and responsibilities. Study results showed that athletic success positively influenced a variety of university performance outcome variables such as enrollments and endowments. While results indicate that PPAP success can enhance university funding, we also suggest modifications that should enhance the chances that PPAPs will be successful.
Ionization by an intense slowly varying laser field: Gauge-invariant approximations.

A method to calculate amplitudes for ionization in a strong laser field is developed that is constrained in such a way that gauge invariance is necessarily satisfied when approximations are introduced. A variational approximation procedure is adopted here, in the context of a simplified model of a charged particle bound in a short-range potential. The physical situation considered in an illustration of the method is one in which the external field is slowly varying relative to the time required for the particle to penetrate the potential barrier. The approximation derived here represents an extension of results obtained previously for problems of this type in that the effect of the laser field on the propagation of the particle during the ionization process is accounted for, in a manner consistent with the assumed slowly varying nature of the field. This is accomplished, specifically, through the replacement of the unperturbed propagator in the integral equation defining the continuum (momentum-space) wave function of the particle in the potential by a generalized Airy function. The relation between the approximation derived here and some results obtained previously is briefly discussed.
A modified assay for measuring human urinary carcinoembryonic antigenic (CEA) activity.

Abstract Presented here is a new modification of the CEA-Roche plasma assay for the detection of CEA activity in human urine. This test may be valuable in the diagnosis of urinary tract malignancies and for monitoring response to therapy. Our investigation of false CEA activity using the CEA-Roche plasma radioimmunoassay resulted in a modified method for measuring true urinary CEA activity. This modification employs: (a) the use of fresh specimens to avoid changes of urinary CEA activity during storage; (b) standardization by measuring a urine aliquot containing 0.5 mg creatinine to allow proper comparison of the urinary CEA activity among specimens of various concentrations; (c) elimination of the use of perchloric acid treatment and the subsequent centrifugation step in order to save time and to avoid loss of the original CEA activity; and (d) assaying the sample and CEA standard under the same buffer conditions to eliminate variations in salt and protein effects. This new assay can be completed in 1 day with less technician time and labor and provides higher sensitivity and better accuracy than the CEA-Roche plasma assay.
Committees and rent-seeking effort

Committees are widely used by nearly all social organizations as a means of developing and implementing policies that often have clear distributive implications. Applications range from academic committees responsible for conferring minor student awards to corporate, congressional, and party committees responsible for decisions that have substantial effects upon the allocation of national resources. Such a state of affairs must be more than a little puzzling to those familiar with the modern literature on committee deliberations. Committee deliberations fall prey to all the problems of majority rule decision-making: the obvious diseconomies of multi-person decision-making, the possible absence of unique equilibria, the potential for intransitive rankings of alternatives and the implied arbitrariness of decisions noted by Arrow (1951), Black (1958) Buchanan and Tullock (1962), and Usher (1981). These weaknesses would seem to suggest that allocative decisions would be better made by single individuals than by committees.
Electronic energy transfer and trapping in quinizarin-doped aluminosilicate sol—gel glasses

Abstract Time-resolved fluorescence lifetime and depolarization measurements are used to investigate electronic excitation energy transfer and trapping in quinizarin-doped aluminosilicate sol—gel glasses. At low quinizarin concentration donor—donor electronic energy transfer is dominant, however, at higher concentrations energy trapping is significant. The concentration-dependent dynamics suggest a dimer-like trap species and a nearly isotropic distribution of chromophores within the porous xerogel matrix. A comparison of wet gels versus porous xerogel glasses indicates that energy traps exist in the gel and that the number of traps does not significantly increase during formation of the (20 times) higher concentration xerogel glass.
Differential expression of chicken CYP26 in anterior versus posterior limb bud in response to retinoic acid.

Multiple studies indicate that quantitative control of the levels of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) in the vertebrate embryo is necessary for correct development. The function of RA in cells is regulated by a number of coordinated mechanisms. One of those mechanisms involves controls on the rate of RA catabolism. Recently, enzymes capable of catabolizing RA were found to constitute a new family, called CYP26, within the cytochrome P450 superfamily. CYP26 homologues have been isolated from human, mouse, zebra fish, and recently from the chick. In this study, we examined the regulation of chicken CYP26 (cCYP26) expression by RA during the early phase of chick limb outgrowth. In the anterior limb mesenchyme and apical ectodermal ridge (AER), cCYP26 expression was induced in a concentration dependent manner by implanting beads soaked in 0.1, 1, and 5 mg/ml RA. The RA-induced expression of cCYP26 in anterior limb mesenchyme and the AER was detected as early as 1 hr after treatment and was not affected by the presence of cycloheximide. In contrast to the anterior limb, the induction of cCYP26 was dramatically reduced (or absent) when RA beads were implanted in the posterior limb mesenchyme. Furthermore, induction of cCYP26 expression in the anterior mesenchyme was inhibited by transplantations of the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA) and by Shh-soaked beads. Our data suggest that different mechanisms regulate retinoid homeostasis in the AER and mesenchyme during limb bud outgrowth. J. Exp. Zool. 290:136-147, 2001.
The applicability of the concept of recruitment to the communications study of a nursing home: an ethnographic case study

A perspective for studying institutional procedures for assigning incoming patients to available wards, and for transferring patients between and among wards, is developed. Ethnographic data collected in one extended-care facility are presented. Staff-patient and patient-patient interactions surrounding ward assignments and transfers are discussed.
Deterministic Optical Waveform Control on the Nanoscale

We demonstrate the simultaneous and independent nanometer-femtosecond spatiotemporal control of optical fields through the intrinsic adiabatic surface plasmon polariton nanofocusing ability of tapered Au tips combined with femtosecond pulse shaping.
In‐Store Shopping Strategies: Time and Money Costs in the Supermarket

Consumers may adopt in-store shopping strategies to reduce time and/or money expenditures. Seven shopping strategies were identified and used to simulate the purchase of 19 specified products at three supermarkets at which price and size data were collected. Expenditures ranged from $13.88 to $23.70 for the various strategies, requiring up to 272 price comparisons. The monetary savings (from the average) resulting from use of the strategies were used to determine the break-even times for three hypothetical wage rates. Break-even time was defined as the amount of time one could spend such that the value of the time expended equals the monetary savings realized. The efficiency of a strategy was found to vary by store and by the value placed on shopping time. The implications of the findings for consumer educators are noted and discussed.
Comparison of image-guided intratumoral versus intravenous delivery of therapeutic nanoparticles for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Purpose In pre-clinical studies, super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs) have shown promise as drug delivery vehicles for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A major limitation of conventional intravenous (IV) administration of SPIOs is deposition in the reticuloendothelial system instead of the target tumor. Local image-guided delivery might be one approach to overcome this limitation and potentially increase efficacy. We aimed to test the hypothesis that ultrasound-guided intratumoral (IT) injection of SPIOs increases uptake and offers more uniform distribution within target tumors compared to IV injection. Materials and Methods We induced HCC tumors using the MCA-RH7777 cell line in 12 Sprague-Dawley rats. After 2 weeks, 7T MRI scans (ClinScan, Bruker) were acquired to verify tumor growth and measure baseline R2*. Rats were randomly assigned to two groups to receive doxorubicin-loaded SPIOs (6 mg/mL) either IV (n=6) or IT (n=6). IT injection was performed percutaneously under ultrasound guidance via a single 30-G needle into multiple regions of the tumor. In all rats, we acquired post-treatment MRI scans 4 hr after injections to measure post-treatment R2* values. ΔR2* was measured as an imaging surrogate for nanoparticle concentration. We compared IV and IT delivery using two separate outcome measures: a) SPIO uptake using a 2-sample T-test and b) SPIO distribution on a pixel-by-pixel basis using Levene's Test, with alpha = 0.05. Results ΔR2* for the IV injected group was 18.9 ± 21.4 s-1 (mean ± SD). ΔR2* for the IT injected group was 46.9 ± 20.4 s-1. SPIO uptake after IT injections was significantly higher than after IV injections (p Conclusion Image-guided IT injection significantly improves uptake of therapeutic nanoparticles into liver tumors, although with more variable uptake distribution, compared to standard IV delivery. Direct IT injections may thus offer less systemic exposure than IV delivery and serve as a successful local method to deliver nanotherapies. Future studies should explore IT methods that can reduce variability of SPIO distribution.
Flow Cytometric Analysis and Sorting of Live Male Rat Anterior Pituitary Cell Types by Forward Angle and Perpendicular Light Scatter

Light scatter patterns produced by living cells in the flow cytometer are known to provide useful information with regard to their size and internal structure. The purpose of this study was to determine if light scatter signals produced by live male rat anterior pituitary cells could be used as markers to aid in the identification and separation of different hormonecontaining cell types. The typical light scatter pattern (4 × 105 cells/sample·15 min) had three ridges in the forward angle light scatter (FALS) perpendicular light scatter (PLS) bivariate cell distribution. FALS signals could be correlated with the size of different cell types and PLS signals with their content of cytoplasmic secretory granules. Agranular cells dominated the low PLS ridge while moderately granulated PRL cells and heavily granulated GH cells dominated the medium and high PLS ridges, respectively. These light scatter patterns were reproducible both within and between different cell suspensions. Inclusion of dopamine in the pitu...
The Effects of Age on Second Language Grammar and Speech Production

The current study examined the age of learning effect on second language (L2) acquisition. The research goals of the study were twofold: to test whether there is an independent age effect controlling for other potentially confounding variables, and to clarify the age effect across L2 grammar and speech production domains. The study included 118 Mandarin-speaking immigrants and 24 native English speakers. Grammar knowledge was assessed by a grammaticality judgment task, and speech production was measured by native English speaking raters’ ratings of participants’ foreign accents. Results from the study revealed that the age of learning effect was robust for both L2 domains even after controlling for the influences of other variables, such as length of residence and years of education in the United States. However, the age of learning variable had a stronger impact on speech production than on grammar. The current results support the framework of multiple critical/sensitive periods (Long in Int Rev Appl Linguist 43(4):287–317, 2005; Newport et al. in Language, brain and cognitive development: Essays in honor of Jacques Mehler. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2001; Werker and Tees in Dev Psychobiol 46(3):233–251, 2005).
Structural and functional attributes of the vegetation of northern mixed prairie of North America

This paper reviews and interprets the structural and functional attributes of the vegetation of northern mixed prairie and examines the productivity of the northern sites in the perspective of other related grasslands in North America. The northern mixed prairie is dominated primarily by cool-season species (C3), although the existence of two temporal guilds, one of coolseason and the other of warm-season (C4) species, is a characteristic feature. Because of the different amounts of cool-and warm-season components, the period of peak growth varies among sites. The differential seasonal expression of these species causes plant diversity to vary with time, with a maximum value during the midseason. Further, topography, climate, soil and grazing modify the balance between the two guilds, and consequently there may be a considerable amount of dissimilarity among the communities developed on different sites. Aboveground net production for the majority of sites is in the range of 100 to 300 g-m−2.y−1; however, the communities transitional to true prairie may yield ≥500 g.m−2.y−1.
Iron-catalyzed CO2 hydrogenation as a mechanism for coalbed gas formation

Iron-catalyzed CO2 hydrogenation is proposed as a mechanism that occurs during natural gas formation in coalbeds. This reaction was studied in a laboratory batch reactor at temperatures simulating geologic conditions. The percentage of methane in the produced gas was typically greater than 90%, resembling natural gas composition. Fe2O3, the precursor to the active catalyst, was reduced at 200°C under a hydrogen atmosphere. Mossbauer spectroscopy shows that under those conditions ca. 6% of the iron oxide is reduced to the metal, which is believed to be the catalytically active species. Addition of water to the reactor increased the generation of methane. No signs of deactivation were found under either dry or wet conditions. Evidence supporting the possibility that this reaction produces natural gas during coal maturation is provided.
Liquidus Curves and Corrosion of Fe, Ti, Zr, and Cu in Liquid Bi-Pb Alloys

Abstract Liquidus curves were measured of Fe in Pb, Fe in Pb-Bi alloys ranging from 39.3 to 93.5% Bi, Cu in Pb-Bi alloys around the eutectic composition, and Ti and Zr in Pb-Bi alloys of approximat...
Vascular biology: Brain vessels squeezed to death.

A study finds that contractile cells that surround the capillary vessels of the brain control the blood supply to healthy neurons, and that their death may aggravate brain injury by strangling vessels. See Article p.55 Cerebral blood flow dynamics have long been linked to neural activity, and form the basis of BOLD (blood-oxygen-level-dependent) functional imaging. But how such blood flow changes are mediated has remained controversial. Here, David Attwell and colleagues reveal how neuronal activity can hyperpolarize pericytes, leading to their relaxation and capillary dilation. Capillary dilation is responsible for 84% of the blood increase linked to neural activity, so irreversible capillary closure due to pericyte death during ischaemia can injure the blood–brain barrier and exacerbate injury. Pericyte death under pathological conditions can be reduced if glutamate receptor signalling is inhibited. This work suggests that pericytes are major regulators of cerebral blood flow and may initiate BOLD imaging signals.
Postinfarction Ventricular Septal Defect

Despite improved screening and diagnostic capabilities for the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD), with the promise of improved outcomes from earlier therapeutic interventions, postinfarction ventricular septal perforation (VSD) continues to be a very difficult therapeutic challenge. In our experience with VSD, the incidence of this complication per year has decreased, almost certainly related to earlier and more effective medical therapy in patients with CAD. By contrast, the outcomes of surgical repair have not improved, even with an aggressive strategy about bypassing involved coronary arteries. Furthermore, the earliest possible surgical approach and the incorporation of a number of technical advances, especially those relating to myocardial preservation, have not had an apparent effect. Because the number of patients who underwent operation is small, it is not possible from our single-institutional experience to define statistical significance to our continuing observations of this condition, suggesting that the clinical spectrum of postinfarction VSD is still evolving. Important changes appear to be associated with an increase in the number of female patients observed (60%), in contrast to their lesser frequency of uncomplicated coronary bypass (18%) and a change in the anatomic substrate, with posterior infarctions and rupture now accounting for 73% of cases at Cedars-Sinai. For the present, earliest possible surgical intervention to minimize the severity of multi-organ failure and use all of the advanced therapeutic modalities of cardiac support and surgical therapy that are available continues to be indicated. For the long term, continuing advances in the earlier diagnosis and more aggressive management of CAD, especially in females, may hold the best promise for a continued decrease in the occurrence of this very difficult-to-treat postinfarction complication.
Interface effects in superplastic deformation of alumina containing zirconia, titania or hafnia as a second phase☆

Abstract The superplastic properties of alumina can be changed in interesting ways by small additions of transition metals zirconium, hafnium, or titanium. All three introduce a “leaky” threshold stress of 5–20 MPa. Above the threshold the flow rate is linearly related to the applied stress. A similar threshold is observed in sinterforging experiments. The additions also have the effect of enhancing the superplastic ductility and the fracture strength, presumably by increasing interfacial cohesion. This higher interfacial cohesion appears to correlate to the higher activation energy for boundary diffusion and to a lower interfacial energy. The threshold is explained in terms of a roughening transition of interfaces that are faceted. Below the transition the flow rate is interface limited, while above it, it is diffusion limited. The stress for the roughening transition is obtained from a model that describes the transition in terms of a barrier for the nucleation of interface dislocations. The barrier is shown to depend on the change of the interface energy with misorientation. It is estimated that d γ /d θ = 1 mJ m −2 /degree can give rise to a threshold stress of 10 MPa.
Age-related changes in T cell surface markers: a longitudinal analysis in genetically heterogeneous mice

In a longitudinal design in which each animal was examined repeatedly throughout its life, we used flow cytometry to determine the numbers or proportions of a variety of T lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of mice aged 8-20 months. Half of the 128 mice were given a low calorie diet which is known to extend lifespan and to reduce the rate of age-associated change in T cell immune function. In these genetically heterogeneous mice, bred as the progeny of CB6F1 females and C3D2F1 males, aging led to statistically significant increases in the number of CD3 cells and the proportions of CD4 memory and CD8 memory cells, and declines in the proportions of CD4 cells and CD4 virgin cells. Older mice also had increased proportions of CD4 and CD8 cells that were able to extrude the fluorochrome R123 through the action of P-glycoprotein. Caloric restriction delayed or prevented most of these age-dependent changes, but had little effect on expression of P-glycoprotein. Correlation analysis showed that those individual mice with high levels of CD4 memory or CD8 memory T cells tended also to have relatively low levels of CD4 virgin cells and low proportions of CD4 T cells, particularly at older ages. In addition, those mice which had the greatest rate of increase in CD4 memory and CD8 memory T cells also tended to show the greatest decline in CD4 virgin and in the proportion of CD4 cells. High numbers of CD4R (and high rates of change in the CD4R subset) were associated with high numbers (and change scores) for the CD8R subset, but there were no strong correlations between the R123-extruding subsets and other age-sensitive markers. Thus some, but not all, age-sensitive T cell subsets show correlated levels and correlated rates of change throughout the middle of the lifespan.
A Clinician's Perspective on Rating the Strength of Evidence in a Systematic Review

Systematic review is a means of reviewing clearly formulated questions by using an explicit methodology to minimize bias in the location, selection, critical evaluation, and synthesis of research evidence from existing studies. It is not enough, however, to simply know that the best evidence available was captured in a systematic review. Rather, health care decision makers also need to understand what the strength of that evidence is. Strong evidence of a therapy's benefits and harms facilitates sound judgment in clinical practice, compared with weak evidence. In the absence of an organized method, different clinicians may review the same data and differ on their impression of the strength of evidence but not understand why they differ. A wide variety of grading systems are available to rate the strength of evidence, but different organizations may weigh features or domains of these systems differently. Also, the published articles written on how to grade the strength of evidence are not likely to penetrate to the clinician's level and are not written so that practicing clinicians can understand them. In this article, we provide a better understanding of the key criteria or domains that should be considered when rating the strength of a body of evidence, why they are important, and the domains included in some of the validated and commonly used scales. This not only will enable clinicians and health care decision makers to personally grade the strength of evidence and be able to extend it to their clinical practices, but also will allow them to understand which domains are and which are not covered, and how different grading scales can provide different results and still be accurate based on the domains they include.
Restricted Mobility of TonB and FepA in E. coli Membranes

Nutrient uptake in Escherichia coli requires transport across the cell's lipopolysaccharide-rich outer membrane, passage through the peptidoglycan layer containing periplasmic space and finally transport across the cell's inner cytoplasmic membrane. In many cases, the first step in this process involves transit through a class of beta-barrel proteins in the outer membrane known as TonB-dependent transporters (TBDTs). This uptake requires interaction between the TBDTs and the cytoplasmic membrane protein, TonB. TonB, in complex with ExbB and ExbD, is thought to derive energy from proton-motive force of the cytoplasmic membrane to be transduced to the outer membrane TBDTs for transport. Here, we have investigated the mobility of TonB in the inner membrane and FepA, a TBDT responsible for transport of the iron chelating siderophore enterobactin (FeEnt), in the outer membrane of E. coli at the single molecule level. We find that FepA is located throughout the outer membrane while TonB is found excluded from the inner membrane's polar regions. Both proteins are observed to undergo free diffusion in the absence of FeEnt within confining domains in their respective membranes (a domain radius of 130 nm for FepA and 240 nm for TonB). Effects of depolarization of the inner membrane, deletion of ExbB/D and presence of FeEnt will be discussed in term of interactions between the proteins.
Surface roughness estimation at three points on the lunar surface using 23‐CM monostatic radar

Differences in quasi-specular scattering by the lunar surface have been observed at 23-cm wavelength by using earth-based radar. By taking advantage of libration, three subradar points were isolated, and distinct scattering laws were identified for terrain near Hipparchus, Sinus Medii, and the crater Schroeter F. Interpretations of lunar radar data should henceforth incorporate a recognition that these variations take place. Unidirectional rms surface slope estimates of 6-8 deg in the Central Highlands and 4-5 deg in old mare are appropriate to horizontal scales of 100 m.
Male Circumcision and HIV Status Among Latino Immigrant MSM in New York City

ABSTRACT This study investigated protective effects of circumcision in a sample of immigrant Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). A survey in Portuguese, Spanish, or English was administered with computer-assisted self-interview technology with audio enhancement (A-CASI) to 482 MSM from Brazil (n= 146), Colombia (n= 169), and the Dominican Republic (n= 167), living in the New York metropolitan area. Logistic regression revealed that after controlling for age, income, education, having had syphilis, having done sex work, and preferring the receptive role in anal intercourse, uncircumcised men were almost twice as likely to be HIV-positive as circumcised men. Follow-up analyses revealed, however, that the protective effects occurred only among the group of Colombian men.