cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Circulating visfatin levels in healthy preterm infants are independently associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The adipokine visfatin has been proposed to exert insulin-mimicking effects and to play a role in the development of metabolic syndrome. Preterm infants are at risk for the later development of insulin resistance and, possibly, for other components of metabolic syndrome. Dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) during the perinatal period may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome. The authors' objective was to study the circulating concentrations of visfatin in preterm infants and to examine associations of visfatin with anthropometric measurements, metabolic indices, and dietary LCPUFAs. Serum visfatin concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at mean (SD) 33.8 (11.7) days of life in 60 healthy preterm infants (gestational age, 32.7 [1.9] weeks) randomly assigned to be fed since birth either a formula containing LCPUFA (arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid) (+LCPUFA group) or the same formula without LCPUFA (−LCPUFA group). Associations of visfatin with anthropometric parameters, serum glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment index of insulin resistance, blood lipids, and adiponectin levels were examined. Serum visfatin levels were significantly higher in the +LCPUFA than in the −LCPUFA group (P < .001) and correlated positively with body weight z score (β = 0.31, P = .02), total cholesterol (β = 0.34, P = .01), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (β = 0.47, P < .001), and adiponectin levels (β = 0.29, P = .03), but not with indices of insulin sensitivity. In multiple regression analysis, HDL-C and dietary LCPUFAs correlated independently with serum visfatin levels. Circulating visfatin levels in preterm infants are independently associated with HDL-C levels and dietary LCPUFAs. Whether the higher visfatin levels in the +LCPUFA preterm infant group are beneficial for the later health of these infants remains to be determined.
DIFFERENTIAL EFFECT OF COMPRESSION-ISCHAEMIA BLOCK ON WARM SENSATION AND HEAT-INDUCED PAIN

The effect of compression-ischaemia nerve block on psychophysical thresholds for warm sensation and heat-induced pain was studied on 19 normal human volunteers. Although those two sensory submodalities should be predicted to block simultaneously, based on the fact that both are served by unmyelinated primary afferents, it was actually found that warm sensation was much more vulnerable to compression-ischaemia than heat-induced pain. This is interpreted as resulting from different summation requirements for each of the two sensory modalities; sensation of warmth depends on spatial summation to a larger extent than heat-induced pain. Such differential vulnerability is in line with recent clinical studies reporting deterioration of warm sensation associated with preservation of heat pain in peripheral nerve disorders caused by diabetes, ageing and other neuropathic processes.
Model of Amplified Spontaneous Emission in an Image Mode Laser: Theory and Experimental

The reduction in the output efficiency of an image mode laser due to amplified spontaneous emission is studied both theoretically and experimentally. It was found that in order to maximize efficiency, cavity loss should be minimized while maximizing the aspect ratio of the gain region and the optical pump rate.
‘Their Backs toward the Temple, and Their Faces toward the East:’ The Temple and Toilet Practices in Rabbinic Palestine and Babylonia

Abstract This article treats the cultural meaning of rabbinic toilet rules from their Tannaitic instantiation through to later developments in Palestine and Mesopotamia. It argues that these rules draw their corporeal and mental bearings from the Jerusalem temple, in inverse and opposite directions to prayer deportment. It shows how the juxtaposition of the sacred (temple) and profane (toilet) triggered the temple in unlikely instances under the guise of prohibition. As such, toilet rules are the underside of a rabbinic mapping project, similar to rules of bodily orientation in prayer. This map, effectively drawn by corporeal direction and orientation, with the (absent) temple at its center, traversed Palestine and the Diaspora, and ignored contemporary religious and imperials maps and limes. Thus developing toilet practices can tell us something about how a minority religious and social formation shaped bodily functions not necessarily in the more predictable terms of disgust and expulsion but rather as devices through which to uphold a lost center.
Characterization of hydrocarbon gas within the stratigraphic interval of gas-hydrate stability on the North Slope of Alaska, U.S.A.

Abstract In the Kuparuk River Unit 2D-15 well, on the North Slope of Alaska, a 60 m-thick stratigraphic interval that lies within the theoretical pressure-temperature field of gas-hydrate stability is inferred to contain methane hydrates. This inference is based on interpretations from well logs: (1) release of methane during drilling, as indicated by the mud log, (2) an increase in acoustic velocity on the sonic log, and (3) an increase of electrical resistivity on the electric logs. Our objective was to determine the composition and source of the gas within the shallow gas-hydrate-bearing interval based on analyses of cutting gas. Headspace gas from canned drill cuttings collected from within the gas-hydrate-bearing interval of this well has an average methane to ethane plus propane [C1/(C2+ C 3)] ratio of about 7000 and an average methane δ13C value of −46% (relative to the PDB standard). These compositions are compared with those obtained at one well located to the north of 2D-15 along depositional strike and one down-dip well to the northeast. In the well located on depositional strike (Kuparuk River Unit 3K-9), gas compositions are similar to those found at 2D-15. At the down-dip well (Prudhoe Bay Unit R-1), the C1/(C2 +C3) ratios are lower (700) and the methane δ13C is heavier (−33%). We conclude that the methane within the stratigraphic interval of gas hydrate stability comes from two sources— in situ microbial gas and migrated thermogenic gas. The thermal component is greatest at Prudhoe Bay. Up-dip to the west, the thermogenic component decreases, and microbial gas assumes more importance.
Ontogenetic sensitivity of channel catfish to ascorbic acid deficiency

Abstract Two distinct nutritional experiments were conducted sequentially with fry of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Initial weight of fish was 0.030 ± 0.003 g in experiment 1 and 1.36 ± 0.03 g in experiment 2. In both experiments, fry were fed a semipurified, casein–gelatin-based diet containing no ascorbate supplement (AA-free) or a diet supplemented with 640 mg ascorbate/ kg as ascorbyl monophosphate (AP); fry used in experiment 2 had been given the AP-supplemented diet in experiment L Fish fed a diet devoid of vitamin C showed significantly reduced growth after 14 d in experiment 1 and 28 d in experiment 2. In experiment 1, fry fed starter feed lacking vitamin C showed significantly increased mortalities during the sixth through eighth weeks. At the same time, gross clinical signs of deficiency appeared, such as darker skin pigment, scoliosis, lordosis, and eroded fins. In experiment 2, larger fry did not show any mortality or external pathologies during the 54 d of the feeding study. The ascorb...
Detecting sub‐wavelength layers and interfaces in synthetic sediments using seismic wave transmission

The interface between two different homogeneous sediment layers, each composed of uniform grain sizes, is a region of heterogeneity comprising a thin layer with a thickness typically much smaller than a seismic wavelength. Seismic waves propagating parallel to the interface experience a reduction in both their amplitude and frequency content but the effect on group velocity is unresolvable. In the case of a single homogeneous layer bounded on both sides by homogeneous halfspaces, the ability to spatially resolve the layer thickness from amplitude or frequency information is limited by diffraction when the layer thickness is smaller than a seismic wavelength. However, the presence of a subwavelength interface or layer is always marked by a decrease in amplitude and in some cases by a decrease in frequency.
Frequency effect on the sonochemical remediation of alachlor.

Abstract The effect of ultrasonic frequency on the sonodegradation of alachlor is described. The rate observed for the destruction of alachlor is approximately 25 times faster at 300 kHz under argon saturation than at 20 kHz under comparable acoustic input energy. The effect of variation of a number of extrinsic parameters such as dissolved gases, radical scavengers and hydroxyl radical promoters is also explored. Argon-saturated solutions display an enhancement in rate by a factor of two compared to either oxygen- or air-saturated solutions upon sonication at 300 kHz. The principal ultrasonic degradation products have been determined in air, argon, and oxygen. The products result primarily from cleavage of the N-methoxymethyl unit when sonication occurs in argon and air. Oxygen addition has been observed when the saturating gas is oxygen. The nature of the active site for reactivity of alachlor is discussed.
Artifactual presence of beta-nerve growth factor in adult mouse brain.

Abstract Adult male mouse brain extracts were determined to contain 0.7 ng β-nerve growth factor (NGF)/mg total protein in a one-site radioimmunoassay (RIA) and 3.6 ng NGF/mg protein in a competition radioreceptor assay using PC 12 cells. When brain extract were immunoprecipitated with antiserum to NGF prior to use in a radioreceptor assay, no reduction in measured NGF content resulted, whereas immunoprecipitation of submaxillary gland extract reduced the NGF level by 83–100%. The immunoassay and radioreceptor assay were then modified by incubating antisera or PC 12 cells first with brain extract, and then, after washing, with 125 I-labeled authentic mouse NGF. In the modified assays, no NGF was detected in the extracts, indicating that adult mouse brain does not contain NGF itself but does contain an NGF-binding component that causes false positive results in standard one-site RIAs and competition radioreceptor assays.
Building a Market‐Oriented Organizational Environment: An Implementation Framework for Small Organizations

The strong link between a market orientation and performance in small organizations rests on the organization’s ability to use its market‐oriented culture to create a sustainable competitive advantage. To do this requires the firm to build and maintain a strong market orientation. Using an internal customer‐internal supplier perspective, this paper identifies a framework for implementation that an organization can undertake to create a market‐oriented workforce. The foundation for the framework is the development of dyadic relationships between internal customers and suppliers. The implementation structure relies on a performance management system that rewards behaviors appropriate for the establishment of a market‐oriented culture.
Do we have the auxin receptor yet

Several auxin-binding proteins (ABP) have now been identified using a variety of techniques. A 43-kDa glycoprotein thought to be a dimer of 22-kDa subunits has been identified as a strong candidate for the auxin receptor that mediates cell elongation in etiolated maize shoots. The primary sequence has been deduced and several interesting structural features have been discerned. There is indirect evidence that this 22-kDa ABP has a receptor function, the most compelling being that antibodies directed against the ABP can block an auxin-induced response. There is evidence that changes in auxin-induced growth capacity in shoots correlates with changes in the abundance of the 22-kDa ABP suggesting that in some cases the 22-kDa ABP may be limiting growth. Confirmation of receptor function for one of these newly-identified ABP's should open the way for genetic manipulation of crop growth.
E-Human Resources Management: Managing Knowledge People (Torres-Coronas, T. and Arias-Oliva, M., Eds.; 2005) [Book review]

The book's purpose is to present the evolution, innovations, and best practices of electronic human resources management (e-HRM) to human resources management researchers, faculty, practitioners, and consultants. Ten chapters are catalogued into one of four sections: "The Cutting-Edge in HRM," "Redesigning HR Administrative Processes," "E-Learning Strategies," and "Managing IT and Organizational Changes." Chapters are essentially scholarly articles, containing an abstract, introduction, a study, conclusions, and references. The text is easy to navigate because it displays effective visual design and uses visuals, such as graphs and charts. It is easy to read because the authors of each article clearly state, support, and delineate how technology and HRM are used in their work. The authors present compelling case studies and examples to support their claims. This book can serve as a reference for managers, researchers, and other HRM practitioners who are preparing for the future and trying to learn from the successes and challenges of other HRM organizations.
Cord Blood CD16+56−Cells with Low Lytic Activity Are Possible Precursors of Mature Natural Killer Cells

Human natural killer (NK) cells are defined as being membrane CD3-, CD16+, and/or CD56+ lymphocytes; however, little is known about the ontogenic development and maturational pathways of human NK cells. The functional, phenotypic, and maturational characteristics of human umbilical cord blood (CB) NK cell subsets were studied to gain insight into the ontogenic and maturational pathways of human NK cells. We have previously shown that there is a novel subset of CD16+ CD56- NK cells present in CB. Here we further demonstrate differences in the expression of the NK-associated molecules CD2, CD7, CD8, and CD25 between CB and peripheral blood (PB) NK cells and between CB NK cell subsets. Although CB NK cell subsets were deficient in or had less lytic activity against K562 cells compared to PB NK cells, CB NK cells did possess the lytic molecules perforin and granzyme B and when artificially stimulated to secrete their granules during lytic assays, were capable of lytic activity equivalent to that of PB NK cells. Regardless of differences in phenotype and function of CB NK cell subsets, short-term and long-term incubation with cytokines induced functional (adult-like NK activity) and phenotypic (adult-like CD16+56+ or CD16-56+ surface antigen phenotype) maturation, respectively. Interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-12, and IL-15, but not IL-7, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) nor tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) induced functional and phenotypic maturation of CB NK cell subsets. Interestingly, culture of CB NK cell subsets with IL-2 or IL-15 led to acquisition of predominantly a CD16+56+ phenotype, while culture with IL-12 led to acquisition of both CD16+56+ and CD16-56+ phenotypes. Both functional and phenotypic maturation were not dependent upon proliferation. Studies using neutralizing anti-IFN-gamma and anti-TNF-alpha antibodies showed that survival and phenotypic maturation upon cytokine stimulation is influenced by endogenous production of TNF-alpha but not IFN-gamma. These results demonstrate that CB NK cell subsets are functionally and phenotypically immature but are capable of maturation. Additionally, CD16+56- NK cells are implicated as possible precursors of mature CD16+56+ and CD16-56+ NK cells.
Evaluation of Conoscopic Holography for Estimating Tumor Resection Cavities in Model-Based Image-Guided Neurosurgery

Surgical navigation relies on accurately mapping the intraoperative state of the patient to models derived from preoperative images. In image-guided neurosurgery, soft tissue deformations are common and have been shown to compromise the accuracy of guidance systems. In lieu of whole-brain intraoperative imaging, some advocate the use of intraoperatively acquired sparse data from laser-range scans, ultrasound imaging, or stereo reconstruction coupled with a computational model to drive subsurface deformations. Some authors have reported on compensating for brain sag, swelling, retraction, and the application of pharmaceuticals such as mannitol with these models. To date, strategies for modeling tissue resection have been limited. In this paper, we report our experiences with a novel digitization approach, called a conoprobe, to document tissue resection cavities and assess the impact of resection on model-based guidance systems. Specifically, the conoprobe was used to digitize the interior of the resection cavity during eight brain tumor resection surgeries and then compared against model prediction results of tumor locations. We should note that no effort was made to incorporate resection into the model but rather the objective was to determine if measurement was possible to study the impact on modeling tissue resection. In addition, the digitized resection cavity was compared with early postoperative MRI scans to determine whether these scans can further inform tissue resection. The results demonstrate benefit in model correction despite not having resection explicitly modeled. However, results also indicate the challenge that resection provides for model-correction approaches. With respect to the digitization technology, it is clear that the conoprobe provides important real-time data regarding resection and adds another dimension to our noncontact instrumentation framework for soft-tissue deformation compensation in guidance systems.
The impact of sociocultural background and assessment data upon school psychologists' decisions ☆

Abstract Fifty-six school psychologists participated in an adapted version of Algozzine and Ysseldyke's (1981) diagnostic simulation. The adaptation was designed to investigate the effects of sociocultural background (rural vs. suburban) and assessment data (normal vs. LD) on school psychologists' educational decisions. Knowledge of a student's sociocultural background did not influence these school psychologists' decisions; however, the type of assessment data had a strong impact. In contrast to the findings of Algozzine and Ysseldyke, the subjects did not ignore individual test data in favor of teacher referral statements. The school psychologists who received normal data were less likely to have low expectations for pupils' future academic attainment, to diagnose the child as LD, and to recommend special class placement. The subject school psychologists' perceptions of the importance of various diagnostic factors also agreed with their actual practices, as they reported that standardized test data figured prominently in their decision making. In short, this research suggests that school psychologists utilize multiple sources of information but rely primarily upon the more objective sources of information to make educational decisions.
Monitoring of laser and freezinginduced ablation in the liver with T1‐weighted MR imaging

During both interstitial laser ablation therapy and cryoablation therapy for liver tumors, real-time monitoring is necessary for assessment of ongoing thermal effects in tissue. With single-section images obtained every 30 seconds with a T1-weighted RARE (rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement) sequence, signal intensity changes in both ex vivo and in vivo animal liver were readily seen. The reversible loss of signal intensity that took place during laser irradiation and the increased intensity at the beginning of cooling can be explained mainly by altered T1 due to temperature change. The frozen area was seen as a sudden decrease in signal intensity at 0 degrees C due to a T2 decrease. This preliminary work showed that the protocol provides enough temporal and temperature resolution to accurately depict the extent of thermal damage, as confirmed at histologic examination. Signal intensity decreased linearly with temperature in the range 10 degrees C-50 degrees C, yielding a pixel-to-pixel temperature resolution of 5.37 degrees C.
Vegetable Ingredients of Dusts in Textile and Nontextile Cotton Industries

The objective was to determine if garnetting and raw cotton dusts differed in botanical composition. Estimates of dust composition were based on the contents of gross trash in cotton raw materials and the potential of each gross trash component to be converted into less than 10 mum particulate by a laboratory abrasion test. All types of garnetting dusts are predicted to contain a lower percent content of leaflike material than raw cotton dust. Garnetting dusts arising from linter-polyester blends are estimated to contain only 20 to 25 percent of the concentration of leaflike ingredients predicted to be present in raw cotton dusts. The low prevalence of byssinosis reported in the garnetting industry may be explained, in part, by the relatively low percent content of leaflike particulate in this cotton dust.
A wide-field hybrid X-ray telescope for a lunar-based gamma ray burst observatory

Gamma ray bursts have become as important as supernova in astrophysics and cosmology and they should be studied with the same amount of diligence and continuity. Most of the types of telescopes and detectors needed already exist and in fact have already been in space. The addition of a very wide field, high angular resolution X-ray telescope would open a much larger window to bursts whose spectra are soft, either intrinsically or as a result of high redshift. Sensitivity in the X-ray band also benefits from the large number of photons of the X-ray afterglow. To fill that role we describe a telescope that is a lobster-eye optic in one dimension and a coded aperture in the other. It has larger area and bandwidth than a two-dimensional lobster-eye optic but is subject to more background. A permanent site that can accommodate a complete set of instruments that covers the entire energy range from soft X-ray to gamma ray would be preferable to the current practice of launching new spacecraft periodically with instruments that cover only part of the range. Astronomers generally favor free space, over the Moon as an observatory site. However, the architecture of a gamma ray burst observatory is more compatible with a lunar base than is the typical observatory. The instruments can be delivered gradually and perhaps at lower cost to the astrophysics budget through an Earth-Moon transportation system that is supported by the Exploration program.
Urea synthesis after protein feeding reflects hepatic mass in rats.

Urea synthesis is an exclusive biosynthetic function of the liver. Since the exact relationship between urea synthesis in vivo and functional liver mass remains unclear, we established an animal model using oral protein loading and measurement of resultant urea synthesis in rats. We studied rats subjected to sham operation, 40% hepatectomy, 66% hepatectomy, portacaval shunt and CCl4-induced cirrhosis. Urea synthesis was calculated as the sum of urinary urea excretion and accumulation of urea in body water during the 6-hr period after oral administration of a casein protein load equivalent to 20 gm per kg body weight. Peak urea synthesis rate in the sham-operated group of rats was 142 +/- 11 mumoles per hr per gm wet liver weight (mean +/- 1 S.D.), 473 +/- 34 mumoles per hr per gm liver protein and 80 +/- 5 mumoles per hr per mg liver DNA. This rate closely matched those of the other groups for each type of liver mass measurement. Marked reduction (p less than 0.01) of urea synthesis on a DNA basis was noted only in the CCl4-cirrhotic livers, related to the significantly higher (p less than 0.01) DNA content of the cirrhotic livers. Similarly, increased (p less than 0.05) liver protein content of the sham-operated rats when compared with the other groups was reflected in slightly lower urea synthesis rates expressed on the basis of liver protein (p less than 0.05) when compared to that of all other groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Reflection on four multisite evaluation case studies

What do the findings of four National Science Foundation evaluation case studies suggest to an evaluation scholar who was not part of the research team that created them? This chapter carefully reviews the cases and summarizes their comparative findings. The four Beyond Use case studies add to the literature on levels of evaluation use, with the findings suggesting a level of involvement not surprising for multisite evaluations like these. Other results indicate that the levels of findings use were greater than the levels of stakeholder involvement reported and that a substantial portion of the use reported in the case studies was process use. Interpreting the reported relationships between stakeholder involvement and use must be done cautiously, but it remains true that showing a causal relationship between stakeholder participation in evaluation activities and the use of evaluation findings is as difficult in these case studies as it has been in most of the research on that relationship over the past 30 years. The chapter raises implications for both practice and research on multisite evaluations. © Wiley Periodicals Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.
Changes in disability following physical therapy intervention for patients with low back pain: dependence on symptom duration

Abstract Badke MB, Boissonnault WG. Changes in disability following physical therapy intervention for patients with low back pain: dependence on symptom duration. Objectives To assess the impact of symptom duration on functional outcome, functional improvement, pain, and patient perception of recovery after a physical therapy (PT) program for low back pain (LBP) and to determine what variables are significantly associated with improved function. Design Retrospective case series. Setting Outpatient setting at a tertiary care facility. Participants Patients (N=130) who were seen for PT between June 2003 and November 2004. Interventions A customized rehabilitation program was developed for each patient based on examination findings and included a combination of the following interventions: mobilization/manipulation, flexibility exercises, strengthening exercises, endurance exercises, massage techniques, and heat and cold modalities. Main Outcome Measures Functional outcome, functional improvement, perceived pain, and perceived improvement scores in the CareConnections Outcomes System (formerly TAOS) database. Results Persons whose symptom duration was greater than 6 months had significantly less functional improvement than persons whose symptom duration was less than 1 month. The median percentage improvement score for perceived recovery was also significantly lower for the chronic group than for the acute group. There was no significant difference in the percentage decrease in pain among the acute, subacute, and chronic groups. In regression analyses, a model with age ( P =.001), symptom duration ( P =.002), and inclusion of strengthening, flexibility, and mobilization and manipulation exercises ( P =.001) fit the data well and explained 55.5% of the variance in functional improvement score for all 3 groups combined. Conclusions Patients showed improvements in function following a rehabilitation program for LBP. The functional improvement score is influenced by age, symptom duration, and inclusion of mobilization/manipulation and strengthening and flexibility exercises.
Thyroid nodule: A potentially malignant lesion; optimal management from a surgical perspective

Thyroid nodules are very common lesions, frequently detected by modern imaging methods (mainly ultrasonography). Despite that most thyroid nodules represent benign lesions, a small but significant percentage of them are malignant. Surgery is indicated when there is underlying malignancy (or suspicion for), pressure symptoms, or for cosmetic reasons. Total/near total thyroidectomy is the most radical procedure, which achieves cure, avoids the possibility of reoperation in the future (completion thyroidectomy), and facilitates postoperative management of the patient with underlying malignancy. Simple observation and thyroid hormone suppressive therapy are acceptable management options for patients with presumably benign thyroid nodules. Radioiodine therapy may be used for the management of patients with hyperfunctioning ("hot") thyroid nodules. Ablation of thyroid nodules (sclerosing therapy [alcohol injection] and laser photocoagulation) have been used for the in situ destruction of thyroid nodules; ablation therapy is currently viewed as experimental therapeutic method. Careful evaluation is required in order to avoid both overtreatment (mainly unnecessary surgery) as well as undertreatment of these potentially malignant, but highly curable lesions.
Coronary artery blood how: Physiologic and pathophysiologic regulation

Acute myocardial ischemia, which results from a significant imbalance between myocardial oxygen demands and myocardial oxygen supply, occurs in as many as six million persons with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in the United States. Accordingly, a clear understanding of the physiologic and pathophysiologic factors that influence coronary artery blood flow is important to the clinician and provides the basis for the judicious use of medications for the treatment of patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. This review discusses the endothelial, metabolic, myogenic, and neurohumoral mechanisms of coronary blood flow regulation and the interaction of the different mechanisms in the regulation of coronary blood flow. The importance of nitric oxide in coronary blood flow regulation is emphasized. We also discuss the common clinical problems of hyperlipidemia and coronary atherosclerosis, coronary artery spasm, and systemic arterial hypertension that result in coronary artery endothelial dysfunction, the impaired production and increased inactivation of nitric oxide, and impairment in coronary blood flow regulation. This information is important to clinicians because more than forty million people in the United States have atherosclerotic or hypertensive heart disease and therefore are at risk for significant myocardial complications due to impairment of coronary blood flow regulation.
Mg/Ca Ratios in Stressed Foraminifera, Amphistegina gibbosa , from the Florida Keys

Abstract Since 1991, significant proportions of Amphistegina populations in the Florida Keys and elsewhere have exhibited stress symptoms that include loss of symbiont color (‘bleaching’), anomalous shell breakage and reproductive damage. Previous studies of other taxa have reported elevated Mg/Ca ratios in tests from pollution-stressed foraminiferal populations. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that anomalous shell breakage in stressed Amphistegina gibbosa is the result of loss of control of calcification, resulting in elevated concentrations of Mg that weaken the crystal structure of the test. Analysis of Mg and Ca concentrations in A. gibbosa tests, using an Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer, revealed normal Mg/Ca (2–5 mol%) in all specimens analyzed, including normal specimens collected in 1982 (prior to the onset of the stress event), and both normal and broken specimens collected quarterly from afflicted populations in 1996. Analysis of specimens from the high Mg calcite taxon, Archaias angulatus , revealed Mg/Ca of 10–14 mol%. This study, which presents an ICP-MS procedure that can be used to assess Mg/Ca in individual foraminifera, does not support the hypothesis that shell breakage in stressed Amphistegina results from disruption of calcification at the ionic level.
Phase characterization of oscillatory components of the cerebral concentrations of oxy-hemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin

We present a study of the relative phase of oscillations of cerebral oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations in the low-frequency range, namely 0.04-0.12 Hz. We have characterized the potential contributions of noise to the measured phase distributions, and we have performed phase measurements on the brain of a human subject at rest, and on the brain of a human subject during stage I sleep. While phase distributions of pseudo hemodynamic oscillations generated from noise (obtained by applying to two independent sets of random numbers the same linear transformation that converts absorption coefficients at 690 and 830 nm into concentrations of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin) are peaked at 180o, those associated with real hemodynamic changes can be peaked around any value depending on the underlying physiology and hemodynamics. In particular, preliminary results reported here indicate a greater phase lead of deoxy-hemoglobin vs. oxy-hemoglobin low-frequency oscillations during stage I sleep (82o ± 55o) than while the subject is awake (19o ± 58o).
Iodine disinfection of a model bacteriophage, MS2, demonstrating apparent rebound

Abstract MS2 coliphage viruses suspended in buffered distilled water were rapidly inactivated by
Family Support and Family-Centered Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Origins, Advances, Impact

Family-centered care (FCC) has been increasingly emphasized as an important and necessary element of neonatal intensive care. FCC is conceptualized as a philosophy with a set of guiding principles, as well as a cohort of programs, services, and practices that many hospitals have embraced. Several factors drive the pressing need for family-centered care and support of families of infants in NICUs, including the increase in the number of infants in NICUs; growth in diversity of the population and their concurrent needs; identification of parental and familial stress and lack of parenting confidence; and gaps in support for families, as identified by parents and NICU staff. We explore the origins of and advances in FCC in the NICU and identify various delivery methods and aspects of FCC and family support in the NICU. We examine the research and available evidence supporting FCC in the NICU and offer recommendations for increased dissemination and for future study.
Chronotype and the Transition to College Life

Social synchronizers of morningness-eveningness, or chronotype, begin to change during the developmental transition from adolescence to college life. The current study examined how these changes related to the sleep/wake patterns of 220 undergraduates (93 males/122 females) ranging in age from 18 to 29 yrs at a private university. Coping strategies students used to deal with early morning commitments and familial conflict over sleep patterns were also examined. Results revealed that evening chronotypes were more likely to report conflict with parents in junior high school and high school over going to bed and waking, followed by a shift to a later sleep/wake pattern in college. They also reported adjusting their schedules and using more coping strategies to accommodate their evening bias. Morning chronotypes, whose routines easily fit a conventional morning schedule, reported little change in schedules and sleep patterns from junior high school to college, and used fewer coping strategies in response to early morning commitments. The shift in social zeitgebers from junior high school to college are significant, and yet little research has examined the effect these changes can have on students' adjustment to college life and the role that chronotype plays in this process. Because students' ability to cope with these changes will ultimately influence how successful they are in their various endeavors, a greater understanding of how chronotype is related to adaptive functioning across this developmental period is needed.
Hydrogen abstraction by biradicals. Reactions with tri-n-butylstannane and octanethiol

The biradicals generated in the Norrish type II reaction abstract hydrogen atoms from mercaptans and Bu/sub 3/SnH with rate constants of 9 x 10/sup 6/ and 1.1 x 10/sup 6/ M/sup -1/ s/sup -1/, respectively (for the biradical from ..gamma..-methylvalerophenone). The data from competitive and time-resolved experiments are in excellent agreement. The results suggest that the reactivity of radical sites in biradicals is identical with that of the same sites in monoradicals.
Titan's surface inventory of organic materials estimated from Cassini RADAR observations

Cassini RADAR observations now permit an initial assessment of the inventory of two classes, presumed to be organic, of Titan surface materials: polar lake liquids and equatorial dune sands. Several hundred lakes or seas have been observed, of which dozens are each estimated to contain more hydrocarbon liquid than the entire known oil and gas reserves on Earth. Dark dunes cover some 20% of Titan's surface, and comprise a volume of material several hundred times larger than Earth's coal reserves. Overall, however, the identified surface inventories (> 3 × 10 4 km 3 of liquid, and >2 × 10 5 km 3 of dune sands) are small compared with estimated photochemical production on Titan over the age of the Solar System. The sand volume is too large to be accounted for simply by erosion in observed river channels or ejecta from observed impact craters. The lakes are adequate in extent to buffer atmospheric methane against photolysis in the short term, but do not contain enough methane to sustain the atmosphere over geologic time. Thus, unless frequent resupply from the interior buffers this greenhouse gas at exactly the right rate, dramatic climate change on Titan is likely in its past, present and future.
Metallothioniens with interdomain hinges expanded by insertion mutagenesis

Specific peptides of varying lengths were inserted between the two metal cluster domains of metallothionein (MT), which normally are spanned by only three amino acids, Lys-Lys-Ser. These interdomain expansions were made to test if such structural alterations would affect MT function. These constructs were engineered by inserting defined oligonucleotides of up to four tandem repeats of dodecanucleotides and hexanucleotides into an Alu-1 endonuclease cleavage site, which separates the two exonic regions of an MT-coding sequence from Chinese hamster ovary cells, MT-2. The native and altered sequences were cloned into a high expression Escherichia coli-yeast shuttle vector and used to transform yeast cells whose endogenous MT genes had been previously deleted. Using metal resistance as a biological marker, all constructs were shown to be functional in rendering the host cells resistant to either copper or cadmium. As the inserts, by nature of their amino acid sequence, could add flexibility to the otherwise compact molecule, the two domains apparently are active independently. The level of activity, however, diminished with the length of the insert. Determinations for copy number of the chimeric plasmids and MT mRNAs in the transformed cells showed that the replicational and transcriptional capacity of the long and short constructs were equivalent.
Driving before constructing: a new paradigm in roadway design

This paper proposes a framework of visualizing roadway plans in driving simulators. Conventionally, roadway plans are demonstrated as electronic sketches when being developed by civil engineers. Several problems exist in this practice. The first is that civil engineers examine the roads in a very abstract and static way. The second is that the public can hardly have access to and understand these professional roadway plans. With the proposed framework, both civil engineers and the public can drive the roads in driving simulators which can be implemented as either professional ones with projector, motion base, real cab, etc., or web-based ones, manipulated using steering wheels for gaming.
False Aneurysm of Thoracic Aorta Secondary To Erosion By Lucite Sphere Prosthesis: Successful Repair

A patient is presented with false aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta caused by erosion through the aortic wall of a Lucite sphere. Successful repair was performed using extracorporeal circulation. This is the first reported instance of such a complication of Lucite sphere prosthesis.
Acoustic Characteristics of a Circulation Control Airfoil

The sound generated by a 2-D, 20% thick elliptical circulation control airfoil with single slot blowing is experimentally investigated in the University of Florida Aeroacoustic Flow Facility. Experiments are conducted at a variety of freestream and slot jet velocities for three different slot heights h. The airfoil’s lift characteristics compare favorably with data from a previous research study in a conventional closed-wall wind tunnel. A large aperture microphone array reveals low noise contamination in the UFAFF test section. Data from farfield microphones indicate both tonal and broadband noise sources. Vortex shedding from the rounded trailing edge occurs when jet momentum levels are insufficient to prevent flow separation. High frequency tonal noise is also identified due to vortex shedding, where fD/Ujet = 0.21, from the D = 0.28 mm thick slot lip. For large jet velocities, high frequency broadband slot jet noise is identified as the dominant noise source for fh/Ujet > 0.1. Jet velocity amplitude and frequency non-dimensionalization collapse the high-frequency portion of the spectra reasonably well when freestream velocity is low or zero. For curvature and slot noise generated by the external boundary layer flow, local mean velocities at the trailing edge and above the slot are not more effective than freestream and jet velocities when nondimensionalizing frequency. Finally, freestream amplitude and Strouhal number scaling show a remarkable collapse of spectra for a variety of freestream velocities, jet velocities, and slot heights for a constant momentum coefficient.
Unrealistic beliefs of clinical couples: Their relationship to expectations, goals and satisfaction

Abstract Forty-seven marital therapy couples completed inventories measuring unrealistic beliefs about self and unrealistic beliefs about marital relationships. In addition, they completed questionnaire measures of their expectations and goals for therapy and their levels of marital satisfaction. As hypothesized, the clients' unrealistic beliefs, particularly those regarding relationships, were negatively associated with their estimated chance for improvement in therapy, desire to improve rather than terminate the relationship, preference for marital versus individually oriented treatment, and overall marital satisfaction. These results are consistent with the theoretical rationale for cognitive therapy with clinical couples and suggest specific targets for intervention in this process. Directions for future research are discussed.
Image-based spectroscopy for environmental monitoring

An image-processing algorithm for use with a nano-featured spectrometer chemical agent detection configuration is presented. The spectrometer chip acquired from Nano-Optic Devices TM can reduce the size of the spectrometer down to a coin. The nanospectrometer chip was aligned with a 635nm laser source, objective lenses, and a CCD camera. The images from a nanospectrometer chip were collected and compared to reference spectra. Random background noise contributions were isolated and removed from the diffraction pattern image analysis via a threshold filter. Results are provided for the image-based detection of the diffraction pattern produced by the nanospectrometer. The featured PCF spectrometer has the potential to measure optical absorption spectra in order to detect trace amounts of contaminants. MATLAB tools allow for implementation of intelligent, automatic detection of the relevant sub-patterns in the diffraction patterns and subsequent extraction of the parameters using region-detection algorithms such as the generalized Hough transform, which detects specific shapes within the image. This transform is a method for detecting curves by exploiting the duality between points on a curve and parameters of that curve. By employing this imageprocessing technique, future sensor systems will benefit from new applications such as unsupervised environmental monitoring of air or water quality.
Stereoscopic Depth Perception in Simulated Displays: What Helps and What Hurts?:

We tested the effect of direction of retinal disparity and stimulus orientation on stereoscopic depth perception to answer three questions. First, are some directions of disparity more efficient than others in providing stereoscopic depth information? Second, does the orientation of an object affect perceived stereoscopic depth? Third, are there any interactions between these parameters? Subjects were tested using a psychophysical, method of constant stimuli procedure with a modified Wheatstone stereoscopic display. Disparity threshold measurements show a significant effect of direction of retinal disparity. Contrary to expectations however, no significant effect of orientation was found if vertical retinal disparities were excluded from the analyses. Stereoacuity thresholds were measurable with obliquely-oriented stimuli and vertical disparity, however, suggesting that vertical disparities can provide useful information. The implications of these results for the graphics, calibration, and design of stere...
U.S. emergency departments visits resulting from poor medication adherence: 2005-07.

Objectives To describe characteristics and trends for emergency department visits related to medication nonadherence and to identify associations between patient characteristics and emergency department visits related to medication nonadherence. Design Retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) from 2005 to 2007. Patients Patients who had an emergency department visit for medication nonadherence. Intervention NHAMCS data were weighted to yield national estimates of emergency department visits related to medication nonadherence. Descriptive frequencies were calculated for visits related and unrelated to medication adherence. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify covariates for nonadherence. Main outcome measures National estimates of emergency department visits related to medication nonadherence. Results An estimated 456,209 ± 68,940 (mean ± SD) nonadherence-related visits occurred. Of visits related to nonadherence, 29% resulted from mental health disorders. Significant covariates of nonadherence-related visits included age, payment source, and primary diagnosis. Visits for patients with mental illness (odds ratio 22.74 [95% CI 14.68–34.20]), type 2 diabetes (15.80 [5.20–48.06]), nondependent abuse of drugs (11.85 [3.83–36.65]), or essential hypertension (11.06 [3.99–30.61]) were significantly associated with the probability that an emergency department visit was related to nonadherence. More than 20% of emergency department visits related to medication nonadherence resulted in hospital admission, whereas only 12.7% of visits unrelated to nonadherence resulted in hospital admission ( P Conclusion Medication nonadherence is an important problem. Targeting patients at high risk for nonadherence, especially patients with mental illness, may improve medication adherence and prevent future emergency department visits.
A projection method for least-squares solutions to overdetermined systems of linear inequalities

Abstract An algorithm previously introduced by the author for finding a feasible point of a system of linear inequalities is further investigated. For inconsistent systems, it is shown to generate a sequence converging at a linear rate to the set of least-squares solutions. The algorithm is a projection-type method, and is a manifestation of the proximal-point algorithm.