cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plate Tectonic Controls of Hydrocarbon Traps in Carbonate Rocks: ABSTRACT

Recent advances in understanding depositional environments and diagenesis of carbonate rocks provide a wealth of information regarding the nature of carbonate hydrocarbon traps. Projections of such data from control wells to unexplored areas are somewhat limited in scope because of paucity of data. This problem is particularly acute in frontier regions, where observations from only a few wells must be projected into a vast unexplored area. The effects of eustatic sea level fluctuations on the carbonate facies are another focus of recent research. Undoubtedly, sea level fluctuations greatly influence the environmental and diagenetic stratigraphy of carbonate rocks. Additionally, the subsidence mechanisms in various types of basins profoundly control the morphology and distribution of carbonate facies. This paper documents the various influences of synsedimentary tectonics on development of carbonate traps in various plate tectonic settings. Understanding such models allows projection of environmental and diagenetic data from a limited number of control wells into the sparsely explored areas. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1427------------
Discrete, vorticity-preserving, and stable simplicial fluids

Visual accuracy, low computational cost, and numerical stability are foremost goals in computer animation. An important ingredient in achieving these goals is the conservation of fundamental motion invariants. For example, rigid or deformable body simulation have benefited greatly from conservation of linear and angular momenta. In the case of fluids, however, none of the current techniques focuses on conserving invariants, and consequently, they often introduce a visually disturbing numerical diffusion of vorticity. Visually just as important is the resolution of complex simulation domains. Doing so with regular (even if adaptive) grid techniques can be computationally delicate.In this chapter, we propose a novel technique for the simulation of fluid flows. It is designed to respect the defining differential properties, i.e., the conservation of circulation along arbitrary loops as they are transported by the flow. Consequently, our method offers several new and desirable properties: (1) arbitrary simplicial meshes (triangles in 2D, tetrahedra in 3D) can be used to define the fluid domain; (2) the computations are efficient due to discrete operators with small support; (3) the method is stable for arbitrarily large time steps; and (4) it preserves a discrete circulation avoiding numerical diffusion of vorticity. The underlying ideas are easy to incorporate in current approaches to fluid simulation and should thus prove valuable in many applications.
Objective assessment of neurotoxicity while shifting from carbamazepine to oxcarbazepine.

Objectives – Objective assessment of non-overt neurotoxicity of carbamazepine (CBZ) vs oxcarbazepine (OXC) in patients with difficult-to-treat partial epilepsy, who were resistant to CBZ treatment and were converted from CBZ monotherapy to OXC monotherapy. Material and methods – Therapeutically equivalent doses (150 mg OXC for every 100 mg CBZ) were compared in 20 adult patients. Neurological investigation, conventional and spectral EEG analysis, brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAER) were carried out in both treatment conditions. EEG and BAER data of 20 age-matched healthy controls helped interpretation. Primary target variables (electrophysiological parameters) were evaluated blindly. Results – There were no significant differences between treatment conditions concerning the neurological condition, lack of clinically evident neurotoxicity, seizure frequency and EEG spike frequency. OXC treatment was characterized by less delta, theta, and alpha power, more beta power, and significantly greater mean alpha frequency (P = 0.03 and 0.05 for the left and right occipital leads, respectively), than CBZ treatment. Interpeak latencies were prolonged in the CBZ condition as compared with normals (P = 0.01) and OXC (P = 0.02). Conclusion – In this cohort of patients substitution of OXC for CBZ was associated with significant normalization of electrophysiological parameters, indicating decreasing neurotoxicity while shifting from CBZ to OXC monotherapy.
Subunit interactions at the V1-Vo interface in yeast vacuolar ATPase.

Abstract Eukaryotic vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) is regulated by a reversible dissociation mechanism that involves breaking and reforming of protein-protein interactions at the interface of the V1-ATPase and Vo-proton channel domains. We found previously that the head domain of the single copy C subunit (Chead) binds one subunit EG heterodimer with high affinity (Oot, R.A. and Wilkens, S. (2010) J. Biol. Chem. 285, 24654–24664). Here we generated a water-soluble construct of the N-terminal domain of the Vo “a” subunit composed of amino acid residues 104–372 (aNT(104–372)). Analytical gel filtration chromatography and sedimentation velocity analysis revealed that aNT(104–372) undergoes reversible dimerization in a concentration-dependent manner. A low-resolution molecular envelope was calculated for the aNT(104–372) dimer using small angle x-ray scattering data. Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments revealed that aNT(104–372) binds the Cfoot and EG heterodimer with dissociation constants of 22 and 33 μm, respectively. We speculate that the spatial closeness of the aNT, Cfoot, and EG binding sites in the intact V-ATPase results in a high-avidity interaction that is able to resist the torque of rotational catalysis, and that reversible enzyme dissociation is initiated by breaking either the aNT(104–372)-Cfoot or aNT(104–372)-EG interaction by an as-yet unknown signaling mechanism.
Subloops, Barkhausen noise, and disorder induced critical behavior

Hysteresis loops are often seen in experiments at first order phase transformations when the system goes out of equilibrium, such as in the supercooling of liquids and in magnets. The nonequilibrium, zero-temperature random-field Ising model has been studied as a model for the hysteretic behavior of these transformations. As disorder is added, one finds a transition where the jump in the saturation hysteresis loop (corresponding to an infinite avalanche) decreases to zero. At this transition the model exhibits power law distributions of noise (avalanches), universal behavior, and a diverging length scale [O. Perkovic, K. Dahmen, and J. P. Sethna, Phys. Rev. B 59, 6106 (1999)]. Interestingly, not only the saturation loops but also subloops reflect this critical point, and at the critical disorder one finds history-induced critical scaling. We present simulation results for histories in systems of almost 14 million spins. Concentric inner subloops are found to resemble rescaled saturation loops at effective...
Billboard advertising: A comparison of vice products across ethnic groups

Abstract The controversy surrounding alcohol and tobacco billboard advertising has caused a continuous decline in outdoor spending in these two categories during the past ten years. Angry minority community groups have forced the outdoor industry to self-regulate alcohol and tobacco advertising. The ongoing debate on the advertising of so-called “vice” products toward ethnic minorities will no doubt continue. A content analysis was carried out to examine the types of products advertised in ethnic minority versus Anglo neighborhoods in Detroit and San Antonio. Results indicate that both neighborhoods appear to be receiving similar amounts of tobacco and alcohol advertising. Furthermore, the amount of tobacco and alcohol billboards appears to be related to income level.
Coupling of surface relaxation and polarization in PbTiO3 from atomistic simulation

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to characterize ferroelectricity on the (001) surfaces of PbTiO3 (PT), one of the most widely studied ferroelectric materials. Two different empirical interatomic shell model potentials are used. Both PbO and TiO2 surface terminations in PT under open circuit electrical boundary conditions are characterized. The results are found to be in good agreement with the results of density functional theory calculations. The atomic relaxations, interlayer spacings and surface rumplings of each of the four possible surface terminations are analyzed. The deviation of the polarization from the bulk value is observed to be larger when the polarization points out of the surface than when it points into the surface. Analysis of the surface energies for free-standing films shows that polarization parallel to the surface is energetically more favorable than the polarization normal to the surfaces.
Translational modulation Invitro of a eukaryotic viral mRNA encoding overlapping genes: Ribosome scanning and potential roles of conformational changes in the PC mRNA of sendai virus

Expression of proteins from three overlapping genes in a single mRNA species of Sendai virus was modulated in a cell-free rabbit reticulocyte translation system. Hybrid-arrested translation by oligodeoxynucleotides complementary to specific regions of the mRNA that specifies the viral P, C, and C' proteins demonstrated that ribosomes scan the RNA from its 5' end to find initiation codons, and suggested that the secondary structure of the mRNA influences the selection of alternative initiation codons. Translational modulation of P, C, and C' proteins by Mg++ and spermidine indicated that RNA folding is involved in this selection process.
Proposed changes to the United States Medical Licensing Examination: impact on curricula and libraries

The NBME has announced that they do not anticipate that these changes will impact test takers for at least four years [11]. It has also been reported that the changes may be gradual with the current tests showing changes in questions and content over time [9]. Planning and implementing curricular changes to support a change in the USMLE structure will take a great deal of time and effort. These changes impact not only the curricula, but also key systems, such as libraries, which provide licensed online and print resources for exam review as well as curriculum support through their resources and services. Changes to the USMLE are inevitable—if not imminent. Librarians must stay abreast of developments that will affect their constituents as well as their delivery of resources and services. Beyond that, they can imagine new opportunities that can arise from this latest shift in the examination process.
Orchestrating voices: autism, identity and the power of discourse

Constructing identities is a highly social, ongoing process. For individuals with disabilities this process can be particularly challenging, given the powerful negative discourses of disability. While there has been some attention given to the issue of identity and disability, there has been little attention paid to the process of identity construction for individuals with autism, in large part because of the assumption that social worlds hold little importance. This ethnographic study, which focuses on the process of identity construction for one young man with autism, was conducted over nine months using participant observation and interviews to construct an in‐depth narrative. Using the works of anthropologists and the literary scholar Bahktin as an interpretive framework, this article illustrates that constructing identities requires creativity and ingenuity. It is hard work, in many ways a struggle to orchestrate conflicting discourses in an attempt to author oneself and construct multiple identities.
FUTURE NEEDS IN INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION

Requirements for continuing progress in Information Systems usability are surveyed and analyzed.
Protein Kinase A Anchoring

Specificity is perhaps the most enigmatic property of hormonemediated signaling pathways, especially when one considers that more than 30 hormones employ the ubiquitous second messengers, Ca, phospholipid, or cAMP, to relay messages from the cell membrane to intracellular effectors. In most cases the net signaling effect is to activate protein kinases or phosphoprotein phosphatases, which, in turn, alter the phosphorylation state of cellular target proteins. Although both enzyme classes have been intensely researched since the late 1950s, it is still unclear how individual hormones activate the correct pool of kinase or phosphatase to trigger specific intracellular events. One explanation that has recently attracted attention is a “targeting hypothesis” proposing that phosphorylation events are controlled in part by where kinases and phosphatases are located in the cell (1). In accordance with this proposal, it has become apparent that intracellular targeting of both enzyme classes is determined by association with “targeting subunits” or “anchoring proteins.” While there have been several general reviews on this subject (1–3), this article will focus on subcellular targeting of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA).
Early effects of Escherichia coli endotoxin infusion on vasopressin-stimulated breakdown and metabolism of inositol lipids in rat hepatocytes.

The turnover of vasopressin-stimulated 32 P-phosphoinositides and 32 P-phosphatidic acid and accumulation of [2- 3 H]-inositol phosphates were examined in hepatocytes from rats infused i.v. with saline and E. coli endotoxin for 3 hrs. Within 60s of VP stimulation the decrease in phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate labeling as well as the increased uptake of 32 P into phosphatidic acid were similar in both groups. However, at a later time (300s) the 32 P-phosphatidylinositol turnover was greatly decreased concomitantly with a higher labeling of phosphatidic acid. The accumulation of [2- 3 H]-inositol phosphates in ET-cells was significantly decreased both at 30s and 600s after VP addition. The distribution of [2- 3 H]-inositol labeling accumulated in the different inositol phosphate fractions over the first 30s of VP stimulation showed a tendency to lower accumulation of inositol trisphosphate, and a signifi- cantly lower accumulation of inositol bisphosphate simultaneously with a higher labeling of the inositol tetrakisphosphate fraction. These observations reflect an early effect of ET-infusion on VP-stimulated inositol lipid turnover and on the subsequent metabolism of the released inositol phosphates.
BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN FATTY LIVER INDUCED BY CHOLINE OR THREONINE DEFICIENCY. PART I. LEVELS OF INDIVIDUAL PYRIDINE NUCLEOTIDES.

Abstract The amounts of DPN, DPNH, TPN, and TPNH expressed as mμmoles per milligram of liver nitrogen or mμmoles per liver of choline- or threonine-deficient rats were not significantly different from amounts observed in control rats receiving adequate dietary choline or threonine. In accord with results previously reported by others, mμmoles of total pyridine nucleotidcs per gram of fresh liver were decreased by either choline or threonine deficiency. A 24-hour period of fasting resulted in a significant decrease in the mμmoles of DPN and TPNH per milligram of liver nitrogen.
Transcutaneous DNA immunization following waxing-based hair depilation

Transcutaneous DNA immunization is an attractive immunization approach. Previously, we reported that transcutaneous immunization by applying plasmid DNA onto a skin area wherein the hair follicles had been induced into growth stage by ‘cold’ waxing-based hair plucking significantly enhanced the resultant immune responses. In the present study, using a plasmid that encodes the Bacillus anthracis protective antigen (PA63) gene fragment, it was shown that the anti-PA63 antibody responses induced by applying the plasmid onto a skin area where the hair was plucked by ‘warm’ waxing were significantly stronger than by ‘cold’ waxing, very likely because the ‘warm’ waxing-based hair depilation significantly i) enhanced the uptake (or retention) of the plasmid in the application area and ii) enhanced the expression of the transfected gene in the follicular and interfollicular epidermis in the skin. The antibody response induced by transcutaneous DNA immunization was hair cycle dependent, because the plasmid needed to be applied within 5 days after the hair plucking to induce a strong antibody response. The antibody responses were not affected by whether the expressed PA63 protein, as an antigen, was secreted or cell surface bound. Finally, this strategy of enhancing the immune responses induced by transcutaneous DNA immunization following ‘warm’ waxing-based hair depilation was not limited to the PA63 as an antigen, because immunization with a plasmid that encodes the HIV-1 env gp160 gene induced a strong anti-gp160 response as well. Transcutaneous DNA immunization by modifying the hair follicle cycle may hold a great promise in inducing strong and functional immune responses.
CLEARANCE ZONES IN THE DISTAL LUNG

This study postulates two mechanisms for clearance of particles from the distal lung - (1) resident macrophages in the alveolar duct clear particles into the lymphatics and blood, and (2) distal bronchioles sieve mononuclear and polymorphonuclear blood cells, which clear particles via ciliary transport. Where these two overlap there are sumps for lymph for exit of fluid or foreign matter or for entry of mononuclear cells. As clearance after 24 hours is not dependent on particle size, cellular metabolism associated with various particle solubilities is a likely slow clearance mechanism. This theory is further supported by a predominant urine excretion. Fecal excretion would suggest particles are cleared by ciliary escalator and swallowed.
In-Flight Reconfigurable Autopilot for Unmanned Aircraft: Hardware Development and Flight Test Results

An in-flight reconfigurable autopilot control system test bed is designed, developed and tested. The need for such a test bed arises in control system research and development to verify performance and operability of the design. The test vehicle model, electronic hardware, and basic control algorithms are developed. The test vehicle is a 1/10 th scaled Decathlon fixed-wing airplane. The airplane is chosen based on parts availability, ease of component replacement, available cargo space and its empty weight fraction that is representative of a full scale UAV. A mathematical model of the airplane is first developed for the design of flight control systems and for computer simulation. Longitudinal and lateral equations of motion are obtained to capture the motion associated with the vehicle. The numerical values are found using specialized computer programs developed for such tasks. Both Linear Quadratic Regulator and Multi-Loop controllers are designed and compared for longitudinal and lateral control of the airplane. The hardware required to fly the test vehicle includes sensors, a microprocessor, and various support circuits. The hardware and support circuits are designed to measure angular rates, linear accelerations, pressure differences, and relative altitude. The measurements are gathered, analyzed, and acted upon by the processor to fulfill the requirements of the control algorithm. Finally, the longitudinal motion control system is tested in an in-house test bed. A hardware testing mechanism is provided to confirm algorithm simulation in a realistic scaled environment. Nomenclature u,v,w components of velocity : forward, right wing, down positive p,q,r components of angular velocity along x, y, z directions θ Angle between the flat earth and u vector. β Angle between initial u vector and current u vector. φ Angle between the flat earth and v vector α Angle-of-Attack. c Mean wing chord length. g Gravitational acceleration Q Aerodynamic pressure. S Wing reference area. s Laplace variable z e Ts , where T is the sampling interval x, State-space state vector and its derivatives (· above variable represents time derivative)
Cocaine-Induced Cerebral Vasoconstriction Detected in Humans With Magnetic Resonance Angiography

Context.—Clinical observations and case reports suggest that there are important cerebrovascular complications of cocaine use, but no studies have documented a direct link.Objective.—To determine whether low-dose cocaine administration induces cerebral vasoconstriction in healthy cocaine users.Design.—Randomized controlled trial.Subjects.—Twenty-four healthy and neurologically normal men (mean age, 29 years) reporting median cocaine use of 8 lifetime exposures (range, 3 to >40).Intervention.—Double-blind intravenous administration of cocaine (0.4 or 0.2 mg/kg) or placebo, with cerebral magnetic resonance angiography performed at baseline and 20 minutes following infusion.Main Outcome Measure.—Cocaine-induced angiographic change indicative of vasoconstriction, as independently and concordantly rated by 2 reviewers blind to treatment condition.Results.—Cocaine-induced cerebral vasoconstriction in a dose-related fashion (P=.03), with angiograms indicative of vasoconstriction found in 5 of 8 and 3 of 9 subjects receiving 0.4- and 0.2-mg/kg cocaine, respectively, compared with 1 of 7 subjects administered placebo. Outcome stratification by frequency of self-reported lifetime cocaine use (3-10 times, 11-40 times, or >40 times) revealed a statistically stronger dose-related effect (P<.001), suggesting that greater lifetime cocaine use was associated with a greater likelihood of vasoconstriction.Conclusions.—Cocaine administration induced dose-related cerebral vasoconstriction on magnetic resonance angiograms. These changes occurred at low cocaine doses and in the absence of other risk factors, including polydrug abuse, hypertension, or cerebrovascular disease. Outcome stratification by prior cocaine use statistically strengthened the relationship between cocaine administration and vasoconstriction, suggesting that cocaine may have a cumulative residual effect in promoting cerebrovascular dysfunction.
Non-stoichiometric non-bridging oxygens and five-coordinated aluminum in alkaline earth aluminosilicate glasses: Effect of modifier cation size

Both non-bridging oxygen (NBO) and high-coordinated aluminum (commonly VAl at atmospheric pressure) are believed to play important roles in the thermodynamic and transport properties of aluminosilicate melts but their changes with composition are not well understood, particularly in compositions that are charge-balanced or contain excess alumina. Here we present high-resolution 27Al and 17O MAS NMR data on barium aluminosilicate glasses, similar to previously studied calcium and potassium aluminosilicate glasses, allowing us to separate the effect of cation size versus cation charge. The NBO content decreases with increasing Al content but shows no significant difference compared to similar calcium aluminosilicate glasses. As there is a significant difference between similar potassium and calcium aluminosilicate glasses, this indicates that cation charge may be the important parameter in determining the amount of NBO present on the charge-balanced join. The VAl content increases with increasing Al content but is significantly lower than similar calcium aluminosilicate glasses. This data, together with the data from potassium and calcium aluminosilicate glasses, agrees with the well-known effect of increasing high coordinated aluminum with higher cation field. In contrast, the lack of changes observed in the “non-stoichiometric” NBO content despite the changes in the VAl content provides additional evidence to suggest that the formation of NBO and VAl is not linked.
Predicting Initial Use of Marijuana from Correlates of Marijuana Use: Assessment of Panel and Cross-Sectional Data 1969-1976

Data from two college-student samples, collected through a panel design from 1969 to 1973 and a cross-sectional design in 1976, were analyzed to address three questions regarding initial marijuana use: (1) Which variables, believed associated with marijuana use, are most salient to predicting initial use of the drug? (2) Are variables salient to predicting initial use of marijuana consistent in predicting initial use over time? (3) Do any salient variables operate in combination to predict initial marijuana use? Results indicated that salience of the variables to predicting initial marijuana use changed over time. Implications for drug-use prediction are offered based on the findings.
Results of surgical management of acute thromboembolic lower extremity ischemia.

Objective Acute lower extremity ischemia secondary to arterial thromboembolism is a common problem. Contemporary data regarding this problem are sparse. This report examines a 10-year single-center experience and describes the surgical management and outcomes observed. Methods Procedural codes were used to identify consecutive patients treated surgically for acute lower extremity embolization from January 2002 to September 2012. Patients presenting >7 days after onset of symptoms, occlusion of grafts/stents, and cases secondary to trauma or iatrogenic injury were excluded. Data collected included demographics, medical comorbidities, presenting clinical characteristics, procedural specifics, and postoperative outcomes. Results were evaluated using descriptive statistics, product-limit survival analysis, and logistic regression multivariable modeling. Results The study sample included 170 patients (47% female). Mean age was 69.1 ± 16.0 years. Of these, 82 patients (49%) had a previous history of atrial fibrillation, and four (2%) were therapeutically anticoagulated (international normalized ratio ≥2.0) at presentation. Presentation for 83% was >6 hours after symptom onset, and 9% presented with a concurrent acute stroke. Femoral artery exploration with embolectomy was the most common procedural management and was used for aortic, iliac, and infrainguinal occlusion. Ten patients (6%) required bypass for limb salvage during the initial operation. Local instillation of thrombolytic agents as an adjunct to embolectomy was used in 16%, fasciotomies were performed in 39%, and unexpected return to the operating room occurred in 24%. Ninety-day amputation above or below the knee was required during the index hospitalization in 26 patients (15%). In-hospital or 30-day mortality was 18%. Median (interquartile range) length of stay was 8 days (4, 16 days), and 36% of patients were discharged to a nursing facility. Recurrent extremity embolization occurred in 23 patients (14%) at a median interval of 1.6 months. The 5-year amputation freedom and survival estimates were 80% and 41%, respectively. Predictors of 90-day amputation included prior vascular surgery, gangrene, and fasciotomy. Predictors of 30-day mortality included age, history of coronary artery disease, prior vascular surgery, and concurrent stroke. Conclusions Despite advances in contemporary medical care, lower extremity arterial embolization remains a condition that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, the condition is resource-intensive to treat and is likely preventable (initially or in recurrence) in a substantial subset of patients.
Effect of Knocking Down the Insulin Receptor on Mouse Rod Responses

Previous experiments have shown that the insulin receptor (IR) is expressed in mammalian rods and contributes to the protection of photoreceptors during bright-light exposure. The role of the insulin receptor in the production of the light response is however unknown. We have used suction-electrode recording to examine the responses of rods after conditionally knocking down the insulin receptor. Our results show that these IR knock-down rods have an accelerated decay of the light response and a small decrease in sensitivity by comparison to littermate WT rods. Our results indicate that the insulin receptor may have some role in controlling the rate of rod response decay, but they exclude a major role of the insulin receptor pathway in phototransduction.
Lead Levels in Small Mammals and Selected Invertebrates Associated with Highways of Different Traffic Densities

Lead levels in small mammals were studied in 6 areas — 3 associated with highways of different traffic densities, and 3 control sites in forested areas. Lead levels were also studied in insects from 2 traffic areas and in earthworms from different distances from 2 traffic areas. Lead levels were low in insects ranging from 3.84 μg/g to 3.35 μg/g. Lead levels in earthworms were highest in those recovered closest to highways and from the area with the higher traffic volume. Lead levels in mammals generally was highest in mammals from areas of higher traffic densities. Higher levels of lead were found in shrews than inPeromyscus andMicrotus.
Mass spectrometry in structural and stereochemical problems—CXCVIII:† A study of the fragmentation processes of some α,β–unsaturated aliphatic ketones

In contrast to the numerous studies of the mass spectrometric fragmentation behavior of saturated aliphatic ketones, that of unsaturated ketones has received only scant attention. The present article is concerned with high resolution measurements and deuterium labeling studies of 17 α, β-unsaturated ketones in order to define their fragmentation modes after electron-impact. Several hitherto undescribed cleavage processes were thus uncovered. For instance α, β-unsaturated methyl ketones (type A) eliminate acetone from their molecular ions through a double hydrogen transfer process. Such a reaction is suppressed in the presence of an α-alkyl group (type B) where it is superseded by the loss of this alkyl substituent through an a prioriunfavorable rupture of a vinylic bond. In those α,β-unsaturated ketones (type C) which can undergo the McLafferty rearrangement, evidence is presented for the occurrence of subsequent methyl loss—a process which seems to be associated with the presence of the conjugated double bond. Whether this is due to prior ketonization of the enol, contrary to the behavior of saturated alicyclic ketones, remains to be determined.
Objective performance evaluation of medical image displays : A preliminary report of the AAPM TG18

Recent advances in electronic imaging have led to an increased utilization of soft-copy display for presentation and diagnostic interpretation of medical images in clinical settings. Because of the fundamental importance of display quality in the overall effectiveness of diagnostic imaging, the AAPM has recently formed a Task Group (TG18) to address the acceptance testing and quality control of medical electronic display devices. The purpose of the Task Group is to provide standard guidelines for performing displays evaluation by practicing medical physicists, engineers, and displays investigators, to assure adequate display performance for clinical tasks, and to facilitate inter- and intra-institutional comparisons. The scope of the effort is limited to display devices for monochrome radiological images. The performance characteristics considered include luminance response, luminance uniformity, resolution noise, veiling glare, ambient light response, color uniformity, geometrical distortions, and displays artifacts. For each of the characteristics, three levels of evaluation are considered: visual, quantitative, and advanced. Based on the current standard of practice, suggestions are made for the acceptable ranges of display performance with limited impact on diagnostic efficacy. The purpose of this paper is to provide outline and summary of the TG18 report.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The genetic basis of ophthalmological disease

The genes of a fertilized ova contain all of the information needed to construct an eye, regulate its function, maintain it in working order, decipher its signals and store the vision it gathers. Analyzing genes in informational and physical terms, the author discusses the genetic basis of eye structure and function. Current knowledge and techniques for genetic study are described, as are specific abnormalities which have a familial or genetic basis.
Psoriasis vulgaris: a genetic approach.

Evidence for a genetic contribution in psoriasis comes from direct examination of a large segment of the population in an isolated island environment, epidemiologic and questionnaire studies presented to psoriatic patients, twin studies collected from the literature and from twin registries, and splitsibship analysis. The concordance of psoriasis in monozygotic twins was 65–72%, whereas psoriasis in dizygotic twins was 15–30%. Determination of concordance in older twin pairs from a national twin registry in Denmark revealed nearly 90–100% heritability. In order to link psoriasis with known markers within the human genome, serologic studies have been carried out with a variety of blood group and polymorphic protein antigens. A weak association with the MNS and Lewis Blood Groups Systems (relative risk, 3.5) has been identified. Stronger associations with class I B locus and class II D locus genes (relative risk, 8–12) have also been determined by studies of the human lymphocyte-antigen system. Finally, a strong association with HLA Cw6 has been determined; this marker is thought to be in linkage disequilibrium with B and D locus genes previously associated with psoriasis. The relative risk of developing psoriasis in HLA Cw6 positive individuals is about 24. A few large kindred have been reported in the dermatology literature. These support the hypothesis of autosomal dominant inheritance with penetrance of approximately 60%. In cooperation with The National Psoriasis Foundation, we have now identified over 90 families with psoriasis in three generations. We have begun the process of ascertainment, the construction of family trees, and the collection of leukocyte DNA for linkage analysis with established restriction fragment polymorphisms (RFLP). Our initial assessment is being directed to four RFLP that span approximately 30 centiMorgans of the short arm of human chromosome 6. Although karyotyping is uncommoly done in patients because of psoriasis, we now seek evidence of translocation of chromosome 6 in association with psoriasis.
ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence in epileptogenic tissue

Astrogliotic tissue displays markedly increased levels of ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence, making it useful for fluorescence-guided resection in glioma surgery. In patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and corresponding animal models, there are areas of astrogliosis that often co-localize with the epileptic focus, which can be resected to eliminate seizures in the majority of treated patients. If this epileptogenic tissue can exhibit PpIX fluorescence that is sufficiently localized, it could potentially help identify margins in epilepsy surgery. We tested the hypothesis that ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence could visually accentuate epileptogenic tissue, using an established animal model of chronic TLE. An acute dose of pilocarpine was used to induce chronic seizure activity in a rat. This rat and a normal control were given ALA, euthanized, and brains examined post-mortem for PpIX fluorescence and neuropathology. Preliminary evidence indicates increased PpIX fluorescence in areas associated with chronic epileptic changes and seizure generation in TLE, including the hippocampus and parahippocampal areas. In addition, strong PpIX fluorescence was clearly observed in layer II of the piriform cortex, a region known for epileptic reorganization and involvement in the generation of seizures in animal studies. We are further investigating whether ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence can consistently identify epileptogenic zones, which could warrant the extension of this technique to clinical studies for use as an adjuvant guidance technology in the resection of epileptic tissue.
Excess enthalpies for (propane + methanol) at the pressure 5 MPa and the temperatures (253.15, 258.15, 263.15, and 273.15) K. The effect of water as an impurity on the (liquid + liquid) equilibria in (propane + methanol)

Abstract Excess molar enthalpies HEm are reported for {xC3H8 + (1-x)CH3OH} at the pressure 5 MPa and the temperatures (253.15, 258.15 263.15, and 273.15) K. The experimental results are compared with earlier measurements at higher temperatures from which it is shown that HEm and the temperature coefficient CEp. m are much smaller at these lower temperatures. No linear regions in the HEm (x) curves were found at any of these temperatures, indicating that the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) is below 253.15 K. However, addition of mass fraction 5·10-3 of H2O to the methanol resulted in (liquid + liquid) phase separation at T = 253.15 K, suggesting that the much higher UCST reported earlier may have been due to water contamination of the methanol.
Tem/Ebic Investigations of Structural Defects in Polycrystalline Solar Cells

Most solar silicon is grown in the form of cast ingots, e.g. HEM, Silso and UCP or in the form of thin continous ribbons, e.g. FFG, RTR and Web. HEM and EFG will be considered as representative example of each catagory.
Characterization of the A549 Cell Line as a Type II Pulmonary Epithelial Cell Model for Drug Metabolism

Multiple cell types contribute to the pulmonary barrier including Type I and Type II alveolar epithelium. The objective of this research was to establish and characterize anin vitromodel of Type II alveolar epithelium using the A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cell line. A549 cells form confluent monolayers with Type II characteristic morphology and tannic acid staining for typical lamellar bodies. A549 cells possess P450 IA1 and P450 IIB6 as determined by Western blots. Both CYPIA1 and CYPIIB6 P450 isozymes were determined to be functional with the fluorescent resorufin assay. Only the IA1 isozyme was observed to be inducible with selected polycyclic hydrocarbons. Uptake and transport experiments were carried out in cluster plates and in Snapwells. Cationized ferritin, a nonspecific absorbtive marker, was found to be taken up by the cells in a concentration-, time-, and temperature-dependent fashion. Lucifer yellow, a fluid-phase marker, was not internalized by the A549 cells. Transferrin, a representative receptor-mediated endocytic marker, was found to be taken up by the cells in a concentration-dependent and competitive fashion. Transport experiments involving fluorescein–transferrin also showed that A549 monolayers were polarized, with a greater amount of intracellular transferrin being transported out of the basolateral side of the cells. The experimental data agree favorably with literature for primary cultures of Type II pulmonary epithelial cells. These results indicated that the A549 cell line may be useful for the studying the metabolic and macromolecule processing contributions of alveolar Type II cells to mechanisms of drug delivery at the pulmonary epithelium.
Stomatal and non-stomatal fluxes of ozone to a northern mixed hardwood forest

Measurements of ozone, sensible heat, and latent heat fluxes and plant physiological parameters were made at a northern mixed hardwood forest located at the University of Michigan Biological Station in northern Michigan from June 27 to September 28, 2002. These measurements were used to calculate total ozone flux and partitioning between stomatal and non-stomatal sinks. Total ozone flux varied diurnally with maximum values reaching 100 μmol m -2 h -1 at midday and minimums at or near zero at night. Mean daytime canopy conductance was 0.5 mol m -2 s -1 . During daytime, non-stomatal ozone conductance accounted for as much as 66% of canopy conductance, with the non-stomatal sink representing 63% of the ozone flux. Stomatal conductance showed expected patterns of behaviour with respect to photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and vapour pressure defecit (VPD). Non-stomatal conductance for ozone increased monotonically with increasing PPFD, increased with temperature ( T ) before falling off again at high T , and behaved similarly for VPD. Day-time non-stomatal ozone sinks are large and vary with time and environmental drivers, particularly PPFD and T . This information is crucial to deriving mechanistic models that can simulate ozone uptake by different vegetation types. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0889.2007.00269.x
Women's and providers' experiences of breech presentation in Jamaica: a qualitative study.

Abstract Background Most research on breech relates to medical management of the malpresentation. Little is known about women's or providers’ experiences of breech, an obstetrical complication. Objectives This study aims to increase the understanding of women's and providers’ experiences of breech presentation and to understand the effects of context on these experiences. Methods A qualitative descriptive research was conducted in a rural health district of Jamaica. Nine postpartum women who birthed singleton live born breech infants in the past year and five experienced obstetric care providers consented to participate. Content analysis was conducted with data from one-time interviews, observations, and hand searches of maternity ward delivery logs. Member checking was conducted with successive participants and Jamaican health care providers. Results Findings included realizing the baby was breech, interpreting what breech meant, reacting to breech presentation, and identifying the impact of breech. Rates of breech births were less than 1%. Conclusions Symbolic interaction can guide nursing and midwifery education, practice and research of breech presentation. Nurses and midwives can identify and teach women and their significant others about breech and its risks.
Sovereign default risk, the IMF and creditor moral hazard

Abstract The IMF potentially creates moral hazard when it provides bailouts to countries in a financial crisis. We ask whether a creditor moral hazard is observable in the data. We test the hypothesis that recent unprecedented bailouts – starting with the 1994 Mexican crisis – changed international investors’ perception of default risk on international borrowing. Our events-study approach identifies important and unexpected IMF-related events and examines the dynamics of the unexplained component of the risk premia on sovereign bonds surrounding the identified events. In contrast with many policy discussions, we conclude that no change in the moral hazard effect is observed for the last decade.
Differentiability properties of solutions of nondegenerate Isaacs equations

Abstract In this expository paper, we examine an open question concerning differentiability properties of viscosity solutions of uniformly elliptic Isaacs equations in a bounded domain in Euclidean space. We look at specific examples of the simplest Isaacs equations.
Effects of aniracetam after LTP induction are suggestive of interactions on the kinetics of the AMPA receptor channel

The modulatory influence of aniracetam, a drug which reversibly modifies the kinetic properties of AMPA-type glutamate receptors, on synaptic responses is reported to be detectably changed by the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). The present study used hippocampal slices to examine three issues arising from this result. First, possible contributions of inhibitory currents and postsynaptic spiking to the aniracetam/LTP interaction were investigated with infusions of GABA receptor antagonists and topical applications of tetrodotoxin. Second, tests were carried out to determine if the altered response to aniracetam is sufficiently persistent to be a plausible substrate for the extremely stable LTP effect. Third, the nature of the change responsible for the aniracetam/LTP interaction was explored with waveform analyses and a kinetic model of the AMPA receptor. The following results were obtained. LTP reduced the effect of aniracetam on the amplitude but increased its effect on the decay time constant of field EPSPs recorded under conditions in which local spiking and inhibitory responses were blocked. The LTP-induced change in the effect of aniracetam was extremely stable in that it was still evident 75 min after induction of potentiation. Finally, the waveform distortions introduced by LTP and aniracetam could be corrected by uniform stretching of the responses, suggesting that the changes introduced by each of the manipulations are unitary in nature. These distortions and the interactions between them could be reproduced in the AMPA receptor model by representing LTP as an acceleration of channel gating kinetics.
“If You Prick Us, Do We Not Bleed?”: An Uncommon Cause of Xanthochromia

A 50-year-old man presented with amoxicillin-induced cholestatic liver injury with resultant dialysis-dependent acute kidney injury. Total bilirubin ranged from 30 to 33 mg/dL, AST/ALT 200 to 400 U/L, and alkaline phosphatase from 3,000 to 4,000 U/L. Because of fever and delirium, lumbar puncture (LP) was performed on hospital day 30 after normal head imaging. Moderate xanthochromia was immediately visualized after a non-traumatic tap. Analysis revealed RBC 1/cu mm, WBC 1/cu mm, minimally elevated protein (50 mg/dL), and normal glucose (82 mg/dL). Xanthochromia, “blond color” in Greek,1 is caused by pigment in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). Xanthochromia is classically associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH): red blood cells lyse within hours and are metabolized from oxyhemoglobin (pink) to bilirubin (yellow). Xanthochromia is present in >90 % of patients with a SAH within 12 h of onset,1–3 but can also occur with increased CSF protein (≥150 mg/dL) due to bilirubin binding, traumatic LP with delayed analysis, and serum hyperbilirubinemia (>10–15 mg/dL), which was the most likely cause in this case.1,2,4 Literature suggests an association between CSF and serum bilirubin levels but not the duration of hyperbilirubinemia.5 Spectrophotometry can be used to identify bilirubin with or without oxyhemoglobin.3,6,7 However, xanthochromia should continue to raise concern for SAH in appropriate clinical scenarios (Fig. 1). Fig. 1 CSF vials after lumbar puncture, with the hallmark blond color of xanthochromia.
Usable computing on open distributed systems

An open distributed system provides a best-effort guarantee on the quality of service provided to applications. This has worked well for throughput-based applications of the kind typically executed in Condor or BOINCstyle environments. For other applications, the absence of timeliness of correctness guarantees limit the utility or appeal of this environment. Computational results that are too late or erroneous are not usable to the application. We present techniques designed to efficiently promote usable computing in open distributed systems.
The fine structure of differentiating interstitial cells in Hydra.

Interstitial cells of hydra are small undifferentiated cells containing an abundance of free ribosomes and few other cytoplasmic organelles. They are capable of differentiating into epitheliomuscular, digestive, glandular, nerve cells, and cnidoblasts. Developing epitheliomuscular and digestive cells acquire bundles of filaments, 50 A in diameter, which later are incorporated into the muscular processes. Early gland cells develop an elaborate rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum and one or more Golgi apparatus. Secretory granules originate in the Golgi region eventually filling the apex of the cell. Neurons are recognized first by the presence of an elaborate Golgi apparatus, absence of a well-developed endoplasmic reticulum, and later the appearance of cytoplasmic processes. The most striking feature of nematocyst formation by cnidoblasts is the presence of a complex distribution system between protein synthesizing rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum and the nematocyst. This system consists of connections between cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum with smooth Golgi vesicles which in turn are connected to minute tubules, 200 A in diameter. The tubules extend from the Golgi region around the nematocyst finally entering the limiting membrane of the nematocyst. It is suggested that the interstitial cells of hydra represent a model system for the investigation of many aspects of cell differentiation.