cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Orphan Drug Act: The First 7 Years

The 1983 Orphan Drug Act sought to increase market incentives and decrease regulatory barriers for products used to treat rare ("orphan") diseases. Major provisions included market exclusivity, tax credits, and regulatory process clarifications. This analysis compares pre- and post-Act industry and government data to examine changes associated with the law. While industry sponsored 34 marketed and 24 experimental orphan drugs in the 17 years prior to the Act, it has sponsored 39 of 42 marketed orphan products in the 7 years since the Act. An additional 301 experimental products have orphan designation. While 25 of 40 marketed orphan products reportedly had annual sales of less than $1 million, product sales for three conditions are more than $100 million annually. This prompted changes in the law, passed by Congress in 1990, but vetoed. Overall, the law has been associated with an increase in orphan product development. The law's costs and benefits to companies, patients, and the public should be examined if future changes are proposed. (JAMA. 1991;265:893-897)
JEVONS ON UTILITY, EXCHANGE, AND DEMAND THEORY: A REASSESSMENT

The scientific contribution of W. S. Jevons in the area of general demand theory has been a matter of some debate over the past century. Recently published documents and correspondence, together with Jevons's well-known Theory of Political Economy (1871), sketch a new drawing of his achievements in both partial and general equilibrium theories of demand and exchange. This paper employs these materials, along with additional mathematical derivations, to show that Jevons had the tools to develop a Marshallian demand function linking utility with demand and, further, that Jevons stood with Leon Walras in developing a general equilibrium approach to exchange theory. These inventions lead us to conclude that Jevons deserves more respect as one of the most important of a small and select group of theorists who founded the modern science of economics. Copyright 1989 by Blackwell Publishers Ltd and The Victoria University of Manchester
A Proposal for The Diagnosis of Emotional Disturbance

Although emotional disturbance among children has been acknowledged for over 200 years, services for such children have lagged behind those provided other handicapped groups. This is true even in comparison with recently “discovered” handicaps such as learning disabilities. The author explains this phenomenon in terms of the ambiguity and variety of definitions of emotional disturbance. The underlying reasons for muddled definitions, and their resultant befuddled diagnostic processes, are discussed in terms of 4 factors: (a) the impact of theory, (b) societal diversity, (c) benchmarks for decision making, and (d) instrumentation. It is argued that until we attempt to form operational definitions of the major types of emotional disturbance, we have no choice but to continue to descant about conceptual models that cannot be empirically evaluated. The paper then presents a method for diagnosis that is practicable, functional, and verifiable. It involves the collection of data from the environment via screeni...
Factors affecting fetal growth and body composition

Abstract Our purpose was to identify factors affecting fetal growth with birth weight and body composition. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 183 singleton infants had birth weights and estimates of body composition performed within 24 hours of birth. Independent variables included were (1) maternal height, weight, pregravid weight, weight gain, education, and parity, (2) paternal height and weight, and (3) neonatal sex and gestational age. Best-fit stepwise regression analysis was used to correlate the independent variables with birth weight, fat-free mass, and fat mass. RESULTS: Compared with females, males had greater birth weight ( p = 0.009) and fat-free mass ( p = 0.0001) but not fat mass ( p = 0.32). The strongest predictors were gestational age with birth weight ( R 2 = 0.10), neonatal sex with the fat-free mass ( R 2 = 0.08), and parity with fat mass ( R 2 = 0.08). By use of the significant independent variables we explained 29% of the variation in birth weight, 30% in fat-free mass, and 17% in fat mass. CONCLUSION: These data support the concept that various genetic and environmental factors may modify fetal growth by differentially affecting growth of fetal fat fat and fat-free mass.
Vertebrate herbivory in managed coastal wetlands: A manipulative experiment

Abstract Structural marsh management and nutria herbivory are both believed to strongly influence plant production in the brackish, deltaic marshes of coastal Louisiana, USA. Previous studies have tested the effects of structural management on aboveground biomass after implementing management, but very few studies have collected data before and after management. Thus, to test the effects of structural marsh management on Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. and Scirpus americanus Pers., the aboveground biomass of both species was estimated before and after the construction of shallow, leveed impoundments. The water level in each impoundment was managed with a single flap-gated culvert fitted with a variable crest weir. Additionally, the influence of nutria grazing on aboveground biomass was measured by nondestructively sampling fenced (ungrazed) and unfenced (grazed) plots in both managed and unmanaged areas. While there was no significant difference in S. patens production between managed and unmanaged areas, marsh management negatively affected Sc. americanus production. The two species also differed in their responses to grazing. Grazing dramatically reduced the sedge, Sc. americanus , while the grass, S. patens , remained at similar biomass levels in grazed and ungrazed plant stands. These findings support the belief that herbivory has a strong influence on plant production, but do not support the claim that management increases plant production in the deltaic marshes of Louisiana.
Ovarian vein thrombosis

We report five cases of OVT and review the literature on this disease. Among our patients OVT was not suspected clinically and was diagnosed by CT scanning or MRI. Ultrasound imaging, utilized in three cases, failed to detect OVT. Although this disease usually occurs after delivery, in two cases it was diagnosed before delivery. Of the two postpartum cases, one had a typical presentation and the other was asymptomatic. The final case was diagnosed incidentally 5 months after removal of an ovarian carcinoma. Our experience suggests that this disease may be underdiagnosed. More widespread use of CT scanning and MRI may lead to more frequent diagnosis of OVT. The role that clinically silent OVT may play in peripartum pulmonary embolism should be clarified.
Communicating environmental patriotism: a rhetorical history of the American environmental movement

Some pasts bear repeating. The American philosopher George Santayana seems not to have considered this possibility when he admonished “those who cannot remember the past” (1905, p. 82). Many enviro...
VCODE: a retargetable, extensible, very fast dynamic code generation system

Dynamic code generation is the creation of executable code at runtime. Such "on-the-fly" code generation is a powerful technique, enabling applications to use runtime information to improve performance by up to an order of magnitude [4, 8,20, 22, 23].Unfortunately, previous general-purpose dynamic code generation systems have been either inefficient or non-portable. We present VCODE, a retargetable, extensible, very fast dynamic code generation system. An important feature of VCODE is that it generates machine code "in-place" without the use of intermediate data structures. Eliminating the need to construct and consume an intermediate representation at runtime makes VCODE both efficient and extensible. VCODE dynamically generates code at an approximate cost of six to ten instructions per generated instruction, making it over an order of magnitude faster than the most efficient general-purpose code generation system in the literature [10].Dynamic code generation is relatively well known within the compiler community. However, due in large part to the lack of a publicly available dynamic code generation system, it has remained a curiosity rather than a widely used technique. A practical contribution of this work is the free, unrestricted distribution of the VCODE system, which currently runs on the MIPS, SPARC, and Alpha architectures.
Porphyrin metabolism V. The metabolism of purines in experimental porphyria

In order to assess the efficiency of purine catabolism in experimental porphyria, the ability of chick embryos to oxidize and excrete purines was tested by administering preformed adenine, guanine, and xanthine. Both normal and porphyric embryos were found to convert adenine, but not guanine or xanthine, to uric acid, with the porphyric embryos apparently catabolizing exogenous adenine even more efficiently than the controls. Furthermore, adenine supplementation reduced the porphyrin output and improved the growth of Sedormid-treated embryos. Although adenosine was somewhat less effective than adenine, its use with allylisopropylacetamide gave qualitatively similar results. Results of tracer studies using glycine-2-C14 support the hypothesis of impaired purine biosynthesis in experimental porphyria.
Numerical analysis of a model for ferromagnetic shape memory thin films

Abstract We give a model for the deformation and magnetization of a single crystal ferromagnetic shape memory thin film under the influence of an applied magnetic field. The energy is nonconvex since it models multiple phases and symmetry-related variants of the crystal structure. Nonconvexity is also presented by the magnetic saturation condition which requires the magnetization to have a constant magnitude. We propose a class of finite element methods and prove a rate of convergence for the minimum thin film energy. In addition to the challenge of analyzing a nonconvex energy, the analysis overcomes the challenge presented by contributions to the energy that are naturally defined in the reference configuration for the elastic energy and in the spatial frame for the magnetic energy. We present numerical computations for the deformation and magnetization of a Ni2MnGa thin film that exhibit the convergence rate given by analysis.
The Outcome of Physical Symptoms with Treatment of Depression

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the prevalence, impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and outcome of physical symptoms in depressed patients during 9 months of anti-depressant therapy. DESIGN: Open-label, randomized, intention-to-treat trial with enrollment occurring April through November 1999. SETTING: Thirty-seven primary care clinics within a research network. PATIENTS: Five hundred seventy-three depressed patients started on one of three selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) by their primary care physician and who completed a baseline interview. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to receive fluoxetine, paroxetine, or sertraline. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Outcomes assessed included physical symptoms, depression, and multiple domains of HRQoL. Prevalence of physical symptoms was determined at baseline and after 1, 3, 6, and 9 months of treatment. Stepwise linear regression models were used to determine the independent effects of physical symptoms and depression on HRQoL domains. Of the 14 physical symptoms assessed, 13 were present in at least a third to half of the patients at baseline. Each symptom showed the greatest improvement during the initial month of treatment. In contrast, depression continued to show gradual improvement over a 9-month period. Physical symptoms had a predominant effect on pain (explaining 17% to 18% of the variance), physical functioning (13%), and overall health perceptions (13% to 15%). Depression had the greatest impact on mental (26% to 45%), social (14% to 32%), and work functioning (9% to 32%). CONCLUSIONS: Physical symptoms are prevalent in depressed patients and initially improve in the first month of SSRI treatment. Unlike depression, however, improvement in physical symptoms typically plateaus with minimal resolution in subsequent months.
Google's powermeter IET conference, 2 March 2010

Presents a collection of slides covering the following topics: Google powermeter; home energy monitoring; realtime electricity usage information and home energy management.
Depression and health status in patients with advanced heart failure: a prospective study in tertiary care.

Abstract Background Depression impairs health status among patients with coronary disease. The effect of depression on patients with heart failure has been studied to date only in hospitalized patients. Methods and results Prospective cohort study of 113 outpatients with advanced heart failure. At baseline, 19% (n = 21) had major depression or dysthymia, 9% (n = 10) had minor depression, and 72% (n = 82) had no current depression diagnosis. Repeated measures analyses of covariance adjusting for demographic and clinical differences demonstrated that the depression groups differed on observed function (6-minute walk distance [F = 4.8, P = .01]), and self-reported generic (SF-36) and disease-specific (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire) health status. Depression groups also differed in severity of self-reported breathlessness, chest pain, and fatigue. Subject- and spouse-reported role function also differed between the groups. Partial correlation (controlling for the same covariates) between baseline Hamilton Depression Scale scores and these outcomes was highly significant at baseline and follow-up. Conclusions Depression is prospectively associated with poorer health status in patients with advanced heart failure. Physical and role function, symptom severity, and quality of life are all significantly affected.
Le rapport entre la valeur et le prix

The notion of “value” developed over the ages to connote the variability of price. It was spontaneously assumed that if price varies, there must be an underlying, more constant essence of which price is a phenomenal manifestation. Both seminal and representative of various attempts at establishing the foundations of the concept of value, Adam Smith hesitated between the “additive theory of value” and the embedded work-time interpretation. In the latter, expanded by Ricardo and Marx, value expresses quantities of work-time embedded in a commodity. Smith's attempt aborts when he fails to find the means for comparing the various qualities of various work-times. To succeed, Smith's embedded work-time interpretation of value needs to be complemented by Aristotle's theory of price, where the quality of a piece of work-time equates with the quality of its performer in the social order. Price in Aristotle expresses the relative status of purchaser and seller as the rate at which their respective work-times are traded. In so doing, and long before Marx, Aristotle identifies the economy with the political system. Le concept de «valeur» est apparu historiquement comme l'envers objectif du prix. La nature changeante de celui-ci etant alors envisa-gee comme l'expression phenomenale d'une essence plus permanente appelee «valeur». Pionnier de la reflexion sur la valeur, et represen-tatif des tentatives ulterieures pour la fonder, Adam Smith propose deux theories entres lesquelles il hesite: l'interpretation dite additive et l'interpretation en termes de temps de travail incorpore. Cette derniere, reprise ensuite par Ricardo et Marx, suppose que la valeur reflete les temps de travail incorpores a la marchandise. Smith echoue dans sa tentative en raison de l'impossibilite de fixer des criteres permettant de comparer la qualite de differents temps de travail. Pour reussir, la theorie de la valeur d'Adam Smith doit etre completee par la theorie du prix d'Aristote. Pour lui, la qualite d'un temps de travail reflete la qualite dans l'ordre social de celui qui l'effectue. Le prix pour Aristote exprime le statut reciproque de l'acheteur et du vendeur, dont le rapport du prix marchand de leur temps de travail fournit la mesure. Ainsi, et longtemps avant Marx, Aristote assimile l'ordre economique a l'ordre politique.
Antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection and quantification of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in the tick, Hyalomma truncatum

Abstract A viral antigen-capture ELISA was compared to a viral plaque-assay on human cell monolayers for detection and quantification of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in triturated experimentally infected Hyalomma truncatum ticks. In suspensions of ticks exposed as larvae to viremic mice, the ELISA detected 13% positive as compared to 3% ( n = 721) positive by plaque-assay. Adult ticks inoculated with virus and sampled up to 102 days later were 84% positive by ELISA compared to 36% ( n = 273) positive by plaque-assay. The two tests detected similar proportions of positive ticks in the two weeks immediately after viral inoculation; however, the ELISA was positive in 100% of inoculated adult ticks from 18–102 days post-inoculation while the plaque-assay was positive in 33% ( n = 135) of the same specimens. CCHF viral antigen was detected in 10% ( n = 101) of first-generation progeny tested as unfed larva pools by ELISA, yet no virus was detected by plaque-assay, indicating that either non-infective viral fragments or very low levels of live virus were detected by ELISA in these tick progeny. As detected by plaque assay, virus inoculated unfed adult ticks were virtually all infected by day 8 post-inoculation; by day 21 post-inoculation only 33% were detected as positive. A cohort of these ticks were allowed to blood feed from day 21–31 post-inoculation. When assayed after feeding all female ticks and nearly 50% of male ticks were detected as virus-positive. This indicates that the virus likely persisted in the unfed ticks below the level of detectability of the plaque-assay and increased in the blood fed ticks up to a detectable level. The ELISA however, detected 100% of ticks as virus-positive from day 14 post-inoculation throughout the remainder of the study, regardless of feeding status (day 102 post-inoculation). These results indicate that antigen-detection ELISA is more sensitive in detecting CCHF virus in ticks than plaque-assay. Since an infected tick remains antigen-positive by ELISA for possibly the remainder of its life, this assay will be a major improvement in field surveys and vector competency studies of ticks for CCHF virus.
Abductive inference in Bayesian networks using distributed overlapping swarm intelligence

In this paper we propose several approximation algorithms for the problems of full and partial abductive inference in Bayesian belief networks. Full abductive inference is the problem of finding the $$k$$ k most probable state assignments to all non-evidence variables in the network while partial abductive inference is the problem of finding the $$k$$ k most probable state assignments for a subset of the non-evidence variables in the network, called the explanation set. We developed several multi-swarm algorithms based on the overlapping swarm intelligence framework to find approximate solutions to these problems. For full abductive inference a swarm is associated with each node in the network. For partial abductive inference, a swarm is associated with each node in the explanation set and each node in the Markov blankets of the explanation set variables. Each swarm learns the value assignments for the variables in the Markov blanket associated with that swarm's node. Swarms learning state assignments for the same variable compete for inclusion in the final solution.
Article Review: Nursing Specialization Provides Optimal Patient Outcomes in MR Procedures

Abstract Nursing certification is now the gold standard in nursing practice. Certification demonstrates the specialized care nurses deliver in a respective area. The American Radiology Nurses Association provides certification in the area of Radiology nursing. The importance of certification in this field is substantiated in this review of a research study by Bluemke and Breiter (2000) discussing the nurse's role in safety, effectiveness, and cost containment in magnetic resonance examinations.
Theory of the size effects in magnetoresistance and Hall voltage of thin metallic films

Abstract The magnetoresistance and Hall voltage, caused by the size effect in thin metallic films, have been calculated for the magnetic field in an arbitrary direction relative to the surface of the film and the direction of the current. The method used was the kinetic integral formulation, and diffuse surface scattering at the boundaries was assumed. The results for the magnetic field in special directions are in agreement with previous works: the magnetic field perpendicular to the surface of the film, the magnetic field parallel to the direction of the current, and the magnetic field perpendicular to the direction of the current and in the plane of the film. The magnetoresistance of thin films for a magnetic field perpendicular to the surface of the film is smaller than in other orientations at low field for β
Classical-classical transfer: Effects of prior appetitive conditioning upon aversive conditioning in rabbits

An appetitive-ayersive transfer experiment with rabbits determined that prior paired and unpaired tone CS and water US presentations, given in jaw-movement (JM) conditioning, respectively facilitated and retarded the acquisition of the nictitating membrane (NM) CR when the tone was subsequently paired with a shock US. In addition, the unpaired tone and water deliveries reduced the level of JM conditioning that was undertaken following the completion of NM CR acquisition. Finally, the reacquisition of the NM CR was accompanied by a large savings effect in contrast to the failure of the JM CR to display reacquisition savings. When the present findings are compared to the results of previous work addressing the influence of prior NM conditioning procedures upon subsequent JM CR acquisition, an asymmetry in appetitive-aversive interactions is indicated. This asymmetry encourages a reinterpretation of the opponent-process explanation of appetitive-aversive interactions. Moreover, the observed effects of the unpaired CS suggest the operation of a salience factor.
Fine-structural observations on the formation and enzymatic activity of keratinosomes in mouse tongue filiform papillae.

The study reports on the formation and enzymatic activity of keratinosomes and the intercellular material derived from them in the keratinizing epithelium of mouse tongue filiform papillae. In the cells of the upper stratum spinosum and the stratum granulosum, membrane-bounded keratinosomes have been observed in close proximity to the Golgi system. Acid phosphatase has been demonstrated within keratinosomes as well as within the lamellar intercellular material derived from them. In addition, the enzyme reaction product was observed in the Golgi region as well as within vesicles closely associated with the Golgi. These data provide information that keratinosomes arise from the Golgi membrane system and that they carry acid phosphatase in their path of “secretion” from the Golgi into the extracellular space. It is speculated that the hydrolytic enzymes secreted by keratinosomes are involved in the desquamation of cells of the stratum corneum.
A paraelectric system with two electric dipole moments: KI: OH -

Paraelectric resonance in KI: O${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ at 1.5 and 4.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K has been measured from 12 to 150 GHz, using a combination of fixed- and swept-frequency techniques. The data confirm the existence of a low-lying excited multiplet of energy levels 140 GHz above the ground-state multiplet and a simple two-multiplet tunneling model is shown to be in good agreement with the main features of the experimental data. The dipole moment of O${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ in the ground-state multiplet is 1.25 $e$ \AA{}, and 2.15 $e$ \AA{} in the excited multiplet, while the dipole orientation in each is $〈110〉$. The nearest-neighbor tunneling parameters are dominant, having magnitudes of 8.25 and 13.5 GHz in the lower and upper multiplets, respectively, with a small admixture of second-nearest-neighbor tunneling. The observation of a second multiplet has been interpreted as evidence for a coupled dipole system in which the intrinsic dipole moment of O${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and the off-center dipole moment can combine in several ways. The swept-frequency experiments, in addition to providing an accurate measurement of some zero-field splittings, show that the absorption line shape is symmetric in frequency at low electric fields. This result implies that internal-electric-field broadening is not a dominant contribution to the linewidths observed in this system.
Transmission Fringes in Reflection Multiple-Beam Interferometry

Transmission fringes in reflection multiple-beam interferometry are obtained independently of the characteristics of the coating of the reference surface by coupling a two-beam interferometer to the multiple-beam interferometer.The two-beam interferometer is defined by the reference surface of the multiple-beam interferometer and one additional mirror in a Twyman configuration.
The Difference between Piaget and Vygotsky: A Response to Duncan

Abstract In his paper outlining the differences between Vygotsky and Piaget, Duncan (1995) takes the position that there should not be a rush to judgment in merging the two ideas. His major thesis is that the differences create a dialectical opposition between the two, and that the type of creative tension it brings about is worth more to the field than artificially merging two such obviously different theoretical paradigms. This paper responds that there are differences between the two theorists, including those that Duncan outlines in his paper. But that these differences do not suggest the type of absolute opposition implied by Duncan. As discussed in an earlier paper (Glassman, 1994), these differences are the result of a difference in general perspective brought about by the fact that Vygotsky felt it was imperative to posit a material primary cause for human development and Piaget did not. The paper goes on to explore in-depth this important difference, and the way the paradigms of the two theorists are complementary in spite of, or maybe because of, this difference.
Cultivating Wilderness: The Place of Land in the Fiction of Ed Abbey and Wendell Berry

Novelists Wendell Berry and Edward Abbey consider the natural world in a way most or their predecessors did not: the land itself as a complex character which deserves the respect of its human inhabitants. “Cultivating Wilderness” presents an overview or this relationship in Abbey's and Berry's fiction relating not only how the authors contrast characters attuned to the land and its patterns with others who arc “out of sync” with the natural world, but also how both ferry and Abbey deal with the interaction or human and natural communities—especially in a “modern world” which seemingly prefers to control nature and eradicate mystery. While it is not the role of fiction to offer blueprints for economic, environmental, or social policies, the novels and short stories of Wendell Berry and Ed Abbey do address important issues and eloquently call for a new paradigm for human behavior—at individual, community, and national levels—within and toward the natural world. I felt, rather than knew, with a sudden keen taste and appetite, what it was to be a farmer in Islandia. I sensed the absorbing interest of the immediate task that also is integrated with rill the other tasks of one's life into a rounded whole, because one's land und one's farm is larger than oneself, reaching from a past long before one began into a future long after one is dead—but all of it one's own.
The long-term effects of crude oil on microbial processes in subarctic marine sediments☆

Abstract Subarctic marine sediments were exposed to fresh and ‘weathered’ crude oil from Cook Inlet, Alaska. The crude oil was thoroughly mixed with the sediment at various concentrations and some of the oil-sediment mixtures were placed on top of unamended sediments. Both sediments with added oil and those overlain by oiled sediments were investigated. These sediments were placed either in trays or aquaria. The trays were incubated in situ near the site from which the sediments were originally collected. The aquaria were maintained at simulated in situ conditions by maintaining a continuous flow of fresh seawater through them. The sediments were exposed to crude oil for periods up to 1.5 years. Sediments exposed to 50‰ fresh crude oil showed significant decreases in nitrogen fixation and denitrification rates and redox potentials. Also observed were increases in CO2 production rates and methane concentrations. These same changes were observed in sediments exposed to 1‰. When ‘weathered’ crude oil was added to the sediments, the same changes were observed except there was no reduction in nitrogen fixation activity. In most cases, the observed effects were less marked when the sediments were amended with ‘weathered’ crude oil than with the same concentration of fresh crude oil. Untreated sediments that were overlain with treated sediments showed the same changes as those sediments that were thoroughly mixed with crude oil. The presence of fresh crude oil at 50‰ essentially eliminated burrowing activity of the benthic infauna. Under these conditions, there was an accumulation of detritus particles on the oiled sediments that was not present in the untreated controls.
Analysis of a Transient Asymmetrically Heated/Cooled Open Thermosyphon

We present a numerical study of transient natural convention in a rectangular open thermosyphon having asymmetric thermal boundary conditions. One vertical wall of the thermosyphon is either heated by constant heat flux ([open quotes]warmup[close quotes]) or cooled by convention to the surroundings ([open quotes]cooldown[close quotes]). The top of the thermosyphon is open to a large reservoir of fluid at constant temperature. The vorticity, energy, and stream-function equations are solved by finite differences on graded mesh. The ADI method and iteration with overrelaxation are used. We find that the thermosyphon performs quite differently during cooldown compared with warmup. In cooldown, flows are mainly confined to the thermosyphon with little momentum and heat exchange with the reservoir. For warmup, the circulation resembles that for a symmetrically heated thermosyphon where there is a large exchange with the reservoir. The difference is explained by the temperature distributions. 25 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab.
Dependence of multiple-scattering distributions on the charge states of fast ions exiting from solid targets

Measurements are reported on the multiple-scattering widths for 1--4-MeV N/sup +/ projectiles in thin carbon targets as a function of the charge state of the outgoing ion. Evidence is found for a significant enhancement of the angular widths for K-vacancy--bearing emergent ions. A quantitative model is proposed demonstrating how the ''memory'' of K-vacancy--producing collisions can give rise to such an enhancement despite apparent charge-state equilibration.
Calibration Methods for the Extended Prout-Tompkins Chemical Kinetics Model and Derived Cookoff Parameters for RDX, HMX, LX-10 and PBXN-109

Thermal explosions result when local temperature-dependent heat generation exceeds heat loss via conduction. The temperature dependence of the heat source term is directly related to the material’s chemical kinetics, and hence the chemical kinetics has a direct impact on the thermal explosion times of a material. Much success has been gained in past work to accurately model thermal explosions in various explosives using multi-step Arrhenius chemical kinetics models. However, the generation of these kinetics models is time consuming and complex. Therefore, a methodology has been developed that allows for calibration of a single-reaction global kinetics model using One Dimensional Time to Explosion (ODTX) experimental data, which combines an iterative approach with a steepest descents optimization. This methodology has been applied to calibrate kinetic parameters for the widely-used explosives RDX (1, 3, 5-trinitrohexahydro-striazine), HMX (octahydro-1, 3, 5, 7-tetranitro-1, 3, 5, 7-tetrazocine), LX-10 (95% HMX, 5% Viton binder), and PBXN-109 (64% RDX, 20% Al, 16% binders). The average error between experimental and simulated ODTX and STEX data using this technique is approximately equivalent to that using the traditional multi-step models, and the time required for calibration of the global kinetics model has been reduced from months to hours.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Effects of light and nutrients on seasonal phytoplankton succession in a temperate eutrophic coastal lagoon.

Rodeo Lagoon, a low-salinity coastal lagoon in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, United States, has been identified as an important ecosystem due to the presence of the endangered goby (Eucyclogobius newberri). Despite low anthropogenic impacts, the lagoon exhibits eutrophic conditions and supports annual episodes of very high phytoplankton biomass. Weekly assess- ments (February-December 2007) of phytoplankton indicated diatoms, Nodularia spumigena, Chaetocer- os muelleri var. muelleri, flagellated protozoa, a mixed assemblage, and Microcystis aeruginosa dom- inated the algal community in successive waves. Phytoplankton succession was significantly corre- lated (r 2 = 0.37, p \ 0.001) with averaged daily irradiance (max = 29.7 kW m -2 d -1 ), water column light attenuation (max = 14 m -1 ), and orthophos- phate and dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations (max = 1.5 and 2920 lM, respectively). Negative effects of phytoplankton growth and decay included excessive ammonia concentrations (exceeded EPA guidelines on 77% of sampling days), hypoxia (\ 3m g l -1 dissolved oxygen), and introduction of several microcystins, all in the latter half of the year. Our one-year study suggests that this coastal lagoon is a highly seasonal system with strong feedbacks between phytoplankton and geochemical processes.
Phonons in metallic glasses

The vibrational spectrum of a densely packed metallic glass is discussed in terms of a simple but realistic force constant model. It is concluded that the shape of the spectrum is largely determined by the short range structure and is sensitive to triangles of bonds between near neighbours.
Mobile sensor frame mapping via vision and laser scan matching

Cooperative mobile robots must have knowledge of their positions relative to the group in which they are operating. Common on-board sensors such as laser rangefinders may be used to detect and track other robots with high precision, though limited feature recognition and susceptibility to occlusion reduces the efficacy of this solution alone. Matching multiple robots' laser scans can overcome some of these issues, but requires extensive memory usage and large communication bandwidth. Overhead imaging systems may also be utilized, though sensor nonlinearities, field of view restrictions, and data latency limit such usage. A data fusion method is proposed for dynamically evaluating a mobile robot's position by matching laser scan data to overhead image data.
Ferric stability constants of representative marine siderophores: marinobactins, aquachelins, and petrobactin.

The coordination of iron(III) to the marine amphiphilic marinobactin and aquachelin siderophores, as well as to petrobactin, an unusual 3,4-dihydroxybenzoyl siderophore is reported. Potentiometric ...
Clarity of request for consultation: Its relationship to psychiatric diagnosis

Abstract Psychiatric consultants’ ratings of the clarity of requests for 203 psychiatric consultations by medical and surgical services were studied prospectively during a three-month period. The subsequent psychiatric diagnoses were grouped depending on whether or not a major mental illness (MMI), mainly in the form of dementia, delirium, affective disorders, and schizophrenic disorders, was present according to DSM-III criteria. An MMI was diagnosed in 61% of cases in which the reason for the consultation request was considered unclear, but in only 32% of cases in which the reason was considered clear. These findings support earlier speculations that patients with serious psychiatric disturbances tend to affect the clarity of communications among members of the treatment team.
Regulation of the adaptive immune system by innate lymphoid cells

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a group of lymphocytes that promote rapid cytokine-dependent innate immunity, inflammation and tissue repair. In addition, a growing body of evidence suggests ILCs can influence adaptive immune cell responses. During fetal development a subset of ILCs orchestrate the generation and maturation of secondary lymphoid tissues. Following birth, ILCs continue to modulate adaptive immune cell responses indirectly through interactions with stromal cells in lymphoid tissues and epithelial cells at barrier surfaces. In this review we summarize the current understanding of how ILCs modulate the magnitude and quality of adaptive immune cell responses, and in particular focus on recent evidence suggesting that ILCs can also directly regulate CD4(+) T cells. Further, we discuss the implications that these pathways may have on human health and disease.
SiO2/HfO2 multilayers: impact of process parameters and stack geometry on the optical and structural properties

Loss, stress and surface roughness in ion-beam deposition of HfO2/SiO2interference coatings are assessed for different growth conditions to understand how to improve the performance of these coatings for high power laser applications.
A critique of evaluation studies of sublingual and intracutaneous provocative tests for food allergy.

Abstract Food allergy and means for testing for it continue to remain “controversial”. Clinical ecology, a specialty area emphasizing allergy to foods and environmental chemicals, has been resisted by conventional medicine, one reason being that its testing methods have been found in evaluation studies to be inadequate. Evaluation studies are examined and a number of problematical aspects of some of them are noted.
Why Would You Decide to Use an Online Dating Site? Factors That Lead to Online Dating

The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of online dating usage. Past studies have examined the concern of trust in relation to inaccurate self-presentation and self-disclosure. Few studies have examined what factors lead to online dating usage and how trust plays a role in the probability of using an online dating site. Using 2005 data from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2 significant predictors were found: Individuals who use the Internet for a greater amount of tasks are more likely to use online dating sites, and individuals who are trusting of others are less likely to use online dating sites. This study has implications for the ongoing research of trust in online dating, as well as examining what other factors may affect online dating usage.
Hepatic fibrosis and gene expression changes induced by praziquantel treatment during immune modulation of Schistosoma japonicum infection

In the present study fibrogenic gene expression was determined in murine Schistosoma japonicum infection during the progression of immune modulation of infection and following chemotherapy during the course of immune modulation. Histomorphometric analysis of granuloma size and collagen deposition revealed peak granuloma size in acute infection (5 weeks) and peak hepatic collagen content at 16 weeks of infection. Peak Type I collagen gene expression was concomitant with TGF-beta 1 gene expression at 8-11 weeks. Chemotherapy during either acute (9 weeks) or chronic (24, 28 weeks) infection resulted in increased collagen deposition and increased gene expression of Type I collagen and TGF-beta 1. However, chemotherapy at 14-16 weeks resulted in decreased levels of TGF-beta 1 gene expression and essentially minimal change in Type I collagen deposition and gene expression. These data indicate that chemotherapy of schistosomiasis japonica does not reverse hepatic fibrogenesis when administered in acute infection-when granuloma size is maximal-or in chronic infection. However, a beneficial effect on hepatic fibrogenesis is seen when chemotherapy is administered at 14-16 weeks post-infection, a time of decreasing granuloma size and maximal hepatic collagen content. Thus the ability to reverse schistosomal-induced hepatic fibrogenesis by chemotherapy may depend on disease stage.
Nephrin Dissociates from Actin, and Its Expression Is Reduced in Early Experimental Membranous Nephropathy

These studies examined the expression of the podocyte slit diaphragm protein nephrin and its association with actin at the onset of proteinuria in passive Heymann nephritis (PHN), a rat model of human membranous nephropathy. Four days after immunization, 58% of PHN rats had mild proteinuria. At that time, most slit diaphragms were still visible on electron microscopy; however, in those locations where the deposits encroached on the filtration slits, the slit diaphragms were either displaced or absent. On day 7, the PHN rats were severely proteinuric, and most slit diaphragms were either absent, displaced, or replaced by occluding-type junctions. Immunofluorescence microscopy with antibodies to the external and cytoplasmic domains of nephrin showed a progressive loss of staining and a change in the distribution of nephrin from an interrupted linear pattern in normal controls to a more dispersed and clustered pattern in PHN. In contrast, the intensity of staining for ZO-1 and CD2-associated protein (CD2AP), two other proteins that are located on the cytoplasmic face of the slit diaphragm, was undiminished. Immunogold electron microscopy confirmed the progressive disappearance of nephrin from podocyte foot processes and retention of CD2AP. Glomeruli and glomerular cell membranes were extracted sequentially with Triton X-100, followed by DNase I or potassium iodide to depolymerize actin. Western blot analysis of the extracts showed a progressive decline of total nephrin on days 4 and 7 of PHN as well as a reduction in the actin-associated fraction. These findings show that nephrin partly dissociates from actin at the onset of podocyte injury in PHN. This is accompanied by a progressive loss of nephrin from the podocyte foot processes and prominent changes in the morphology of the slit diaphragms. These events may underlie the loss of podocyte barrier function in membranous nephropathy.
CLASSICAL AND MODERN THEORIES FOR THE BASIS OF AMBLYOPIA

The decreased acuity in amblyopic eyes may be the outcome of motor and/or sensory anomalies. Eccentric fixation could be a major contributor. The sensory loss may result from some impairment in the sustained system, possibly caused by inadequate stimulation at a sensitive period for development. Strabismic amblyopia tends to be more of a central retinal problem, the peripheral retina approaching normal activity. As in non-amblyopic eyes, amblyopes have size-selective channels, but perhaps there is insufficient co-operation between these channels.
Gap Regeneration in Some Old-growth Forests of the Eastern United States

Tree replacement in gaps was studied in old-growth mesic forest stands in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the southern Appalachian Mountains. Predictions of future overstory com- position, based on sapling composition in small gaps (average 200 M2), were compared to current canopy composition. Both Markov analyses and simple average sapling composition of gaps support the hypothesis that regeneration in small gaps was sufficient to perpetuate the current canopy species composition of the stands studied. In some cases the saplings most likely to replace a dead canopy tree were of the same species. In other cases, especially low-diversity beech-sugar maple stands, each species seemed to enhance significantly the success of the other species.
The Conservation Status of Phayre's Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus phayrei in Lao PDR

Phayre's leaf monkey Trachypithecus phayrei had fewer confirmed 1990s records in Lao PDR than any other monkey known from the country, suggesting a general rarity there. This review collates records, historical and recent, to evaluate its national conservation status. Although in no area have surveyors regularly and readily seen the species, records come from a wide scatter of areas in and north/west of Nam Kading National Protected Area to the far north and west of the country. There are inconclusive indications of occurrence up to 120 km south of confirmed records, but this part of the country is well enough surveyed that the animal must be very rare there, if it occurs at all. Much of North Lao PDR comprises ragged highlands over 800 m altitude, but only one Phayre's leaf monkey field record is from above this height (at 1,125 m). Whether this apparent altitudinal restriction is a natural pattern or reflects heavy hunting is unclear. Despite their lower-lying locations, records are not associated with gentle terrain. Most records come from forest with a heavily broken canopy and much tall bamboo; none is from deep within extensive closed-canopy forest. This might simply reflect the paucity of such forest within the known Lao geographic and altitudinal range, but a genuine habitat association with broken canopy and tall bamboo is likely. The status of Phayre's leaf monkey in Lao PDR is less grim than was feared a decade ago, and it inhabits three national protected areas, which are benefitting from long-term external collaboration. Nonetheless, its status in Lao PDR cannot yet be considered secure. Lao populations are probably relatively insignificant to the global status of T. phayrei as here taxonomically constituted.
Mammalian bombesin receptors are coupled to multiple signal transduction pathways in pancreatic acini

We investigated the structural requirements for bombesin (BB)-like peptides to stimulate amylase secretion in rat pancreatic acini and examined the responsible intracellular signal transduction pat...
Study of physiological responses to acute carbon monoxide exposure with a human patient simulator.

Human patient simulators are widely used to train health professionals and students in a clinical setting, but they also can be used to enhance physiology education in a laboratory setting. Our cou...
West Nile Virus Antibody Surveillance in Three Sierra Nevada Raptors of Conservation Concern

Abstract. West Nile virus (WNV) infection has caused high levels of mortality in North American hawks and owls. To investigate the extent of infection among raptors of conservation concern in the Sierra Nevada, we tested 62 Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), 209 Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis), and 22 Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) for WNV antibodies during the summers of 2004 to 2007 and compared our results with avian WNV mortalities detected by the California Department of Public Health. We detected no antibodies to WNV among the individuals tested. During the same period WNV RNA was detected in dead birds from 26 species in the Sierra Nevada region. These results suggest that the populations we studied were not exposed, that the level of WNV infection was so low as to be undetectable by our sampling scheme, or that the mortality rate from WNV was high enough to leave no surviving individuals; there is no independent evidence of the last alternative.