cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optically Sectioning Ocular Fluorometer Microscope: Applications To The Cornea

An optically sectioning ocular fluorometer microscope is described with the capability of measuring the emission spectra of molecules in planes along the microscope axis. Its unique feature is that the objective is attached to a piezoelectric driver and scans from the tear film to the aqueous humor. This permits measurements on living animals and adoption for clinical use. The excitation light from a laser (nitrogen, dye, argon or helium cadmium) couples to the microscope via a quartz optical fiber. The light is projected through a 100 PM slit on the excitation side, through one half of the objective. The emitted light is collected by the second half of the objective and passes a second 100 pm slit in the conjugate plane of the eyepiece. The depth resolution is 6 um with an 100x objective, and 18 PM with a 50 power objective. The fluorescence is coupled by a quartz fiber to an optical spectrum analyzer. It consists of a monochromator with two microchannel plates attached to a linear diode array. The photocathode of the detector is gated for use with pulsed lasers or it can operate in the continuous mode. The applications include fluorescence measurements on thin layered structures. The present study involves the noninvasive measurement of oxidative metabolism of the component layers of the in vivo cornea. This is based on fluorescence measurements of the reduced pyridine nucleotide in the cornea. The fluorescence signals from the corneal epithelial (30 μm) and endothelial (4 μm) are clearly defined. Other applications to ophthalmology include studies of the fluorescence form the component layers of the ocular lens. Support from N.I.I. EY06958.
The correct solution to Berlekamp's switching game

Abstract We look at Berlekamp's switching game of n × n grids for n ⩾ 10 . We show that the previous result for R 10 was incorrect, and that in fact R 10 = 35 . We also show that R 11 = 43 and R 12 = 54 , and give new lower bounds for R 13 through R 20 .
The Role of Individual Differences in the Study Abroad Context: Cognitive Capacity and Language Development During Short‐Term Intensive Language Exposure

While research suggests that study abroad (SA) benefits second language (L2) oral fluency, its benefits for other domains are less clear, especially for shorterterm programs, which are becoming more common. Additionally, studies investigating the relationship between cognitive capacity and benefits of SA report inconsistent patterns. In light of these gaps, this study investigated whether a 5-week intensive language experience abroad benefits L2 lexical and grammatical development and whether development is related to learners' cognitive capacity. Twenty-six L1 English-advanced L2 Spanish participants in a SA program in Spain completed pre-/post-SA grammaticality judgment (GJT) and lexical decision tasks (LDT). On the GJT, results showed higher accuracy and decreasing reaction times (RTs); specifically, accuracy increased on word order and number agreement items but not on gender agreement. RTs did not decrease for any of the three targets individually. For the LDT, performance on nonwords, but not words, showed improvement while RTs for both words and nonwords decreased. Overall, these gains following short-term experience abroad were independent of variation in cognitive capacity. This study makes a unique contribution toward understanding the roles of L2 proficiency, context, and individual differences in morphosyntactic and lexical development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Light-Induced Electron Transfer from an Anchored Molecular Electron Donor to a Semiconductor Acceptor †

A nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of the photoinduced electron transfer (ET) from a molecular electron donor to the TiO2 acceptor is reported. The system under study is typical of the dye sensitized semiconductor nanomaterials used in solar cell, photocatalysis, and photoelectrolysis applications. The electronic structure of the dye−semiconductor system and the adiabatic dynamics are simulated by ab initio MD, whereas the nonadiabatic effects are incorporated by the quantum-classical mean-field approach. A novel procedure separating the nonadiabatic and adiabatic ET pathways is proposed. The simulation provides a detailed picture of the ET process. For the specific system under study, ET occurs on a 30 fs time scale, in agreement with the ultrafast experimental data. Both adiabatic and nonadiabatic pathways for the ET are observed. The nonadiabatic transfer entirely dominates at short times and can occur due to strong localized avoided crossing as well as extended regions of weaker nonadia...
Cesium Bis(fluorosulfato)bromate(I), A Salt Containing the Br(SO3F)2(-) Ion.

Abstract : The compound CsBr(SO3F)2 is formed by the reaction of CsBr with an equimolar amount of S2O6F2 in the presence of bromine. Bromine may then be evaporated leaving the salt. (Author)
Robust, common path, phase shifting interferometer and optical profilometer

We describe an improved implementation of our previously reported common-path, phase shifting, and shearing interferometer. Using a time-multiplexed phase shifting scheme, we demonstrate higher sampling resolution, better light sensitivity, and use of arbitrary phase shifting algorithms. We describe microscopic imaging of the surface profile of a copper-plated silicon wafer and demonstrate that the system is vibration insensitive with ~λ/100 repeatability. In a more general discussion of our method, we describe the different functional elements and suggest alternative designs and improvements. Possible uses include full-field coherent imaging and high dynamic range wavefront sensing, which we briefly discuss.
Frederick L. Hoffman, LLD (Hon), 1865-1946.

This biographical sketch on Frederick L. Hoffman corresponds to the historic text, The Classic: A Plan for a More Effective Federal and State Health Administration, available at DOI 10.1007/s11999-009-1000-x. The article can also be accessed on the American Journal of Public Health web site at http://www.ajph.org/cgi/reprint/9/3/161-a.
Impact of patient-controlled compression on the mammography experience

The authors tested the hypothesis that giving women control over the compression portion of the mammography examination results in a less painful experience, greater overall patient satisfaction, and a radiographic image as good as that produced by means of technologist-controlled compression. One hundred nine women undergoing screening mammography at a hospital-based outpatient clinic were studied. Each underwent two-view, screen-film mammography performed in routine fashion except that, by random assignment, one breast was compressed by the technologist and the other breast, by the patient. Patient-controlled compression was significantly (P = .003) less painful than technologist-controlled compression. Overall patient satisfaction (96% [105 of 109]) and willingness to repeat the experience were extremely high. The majority of images (93.5% [202 of 216]) were rated as having good to excellent compression. With minimal patient education, self-compression resulted in an image at least as good as that prod...
The nature of data center traffic: measurements & analysis

We explore the nature of traffic in data centers, designed to support the mining of massive data sets. We instrument the servers to collect socket-level logs, with negligible performance impact. In a 1500 server operational cluster, we thus amass roughly a petabyte of measurements over two months, from which we obtain and report detailed views of traffic and congestion conditions and patterns. We further consider whether traffic matrices in the cluster might be obtained instead via tomographic inference from coarser-grained counter data.
Effects of synthetic and enhanced vision technologies for lunar landings

Eight pilots participated as test subjects in a fixed-based simulation experiment to evaluate advanced vision display technologies such as Enhanced Vision (EV) and Synthetic Vision (SV) for providing terrain imagery on flight displays in a Lunar Lander Vehicle. Subjects were asked to fly 20 approaches to the Apollo 15 lunar landing site with four different display concepts — Baseline (symbology only with no terrain imagery), EV only (terrain imagery from Forward Looking InfraRed, or FLIR, and LIght Detection and Ranging, or LIDAR, sensors), SV only (terrain imagery from onboard database), and Fused EV and SV concepts. As expected, manual landing performance was excellent (within a meter of landing site center) and not affected by the inclusion of EV or SV terrain imagery on the Lunar Lander flight displays. Subjective ratings revealed significant situation awareness improvements with the concepts employing EV and/or SV terrain imagery compared to the Baseline condition that had no terrain imagery. In addition, display concepts employing EV imagery (compared to the SV and Baseline concepts which had none) were significantly better for pilot detection of intentional but unannounced navigation failures since this imagery provided an intuitive and obvious visual methodology to monitor the validity of the navigation solution.
Recombinant interleukin 2 therapy in severe combined immunodeficiency disease.

Abstract Severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) is a congenital disorder of severe B- and T-lymphocyte dysfunction in which several pathogenic mechanisms have been identified. The present study describes a female child with SCID who had a primary defect in the ability of T cells to secrete interleukin 2 (IL-2). B- and T-cell numbers were normal, but their functions were severely deficient. Mitogen and antigen-driven lymphoproliferative responses were diminished but were correctable in vitro with recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2). The patient's phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes expressed IL-2 receptors normally. Despite the presence of the gene for IL-2, the patient's cells were grossly deficient in messenger RNA for IL-2 and endogenous IL-2 production. Pokeweed mitogen-driven B-cell differentiation was decreased and was not corrected by the addition of normal T cells to the B cells. Two attempts at immune reconstitution by haploidentical bone marrow transplantation failed. Therapy with rIL-2 (30,000 units/kg, given daily i.v.) resulted in marked clinical improvement as well in improved T-cell functions. The child, now 3 yr old, has been on rIL-2 therapy for 2 yr and receives rIL-2 (30,000 units/kg) three times weekly at home. This case study points to a new direction in the treatment of such disorders with rIL-2.
Sex-biased dispersal and the speed of two-sex invasions.

AbstractPopulation models that combine demography and dispersal are important tools for forecasting the spatial spread of biological invasions. Current models describe the dynamics of only one sex (typically females). Such models cannot account for the sex-related biases in dispersal and mating behavior that are typical of many animal species. In this article, we construct a two-sex integrodifference equation model that overcomes these limitations. We derive an explicit formula for the invasion speed from the model and use it to show that sex-biased dispersal may significantly increase or decrease the invasion speed by skewing the operational sex ratio at the invasion’s low-density leading edge. Which of these possible outcomes occurs depends sensitively on complex interactions among the direction of dispersal bias, the magnitude of bias, and the relative contributions of females and males to local population growth.
Determination of 2-acetylaminofluorene and its metabolites in urine by high pressure liquid chromatography.

Abstract 2-Acetylaminofluorene, a well-documented carcinogen, is used extensively as a positive control in the bioassay of numerous suspect carcinogens. Consequently, there is a need for a rapid, sensitive analytical method for determining 2-acetylaminofluorene and its metabolites in urine. Such a method would be useful in monitoring workers for potential exposure as well as for determining the applicability of the test species by metabolism studies. A high pressure liquid chromatography method for the identification and quantitation of 2-acetylaminofluorene and its major metabolites in urine has been developed. The primary obstacle in developing the method was the presence of large amounts of endogenous urinary components in ether extracts of urine having chromatographic properties similar to 2-acetylaminofluorene and its metabolites. This problem was obviated by the use of a combination of Carbowax 400 and C18/Corasil columns. N-Hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene was determined directly from the Carbowax 400 column. Fractions containing 2-acetylaminofluorene and its 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-hydroxy metabolites were then separated from interfering materials and quantitated by fractionation on a C18/Corasil column. The response of the system was linear down to 100 ng of N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene and to 10 ng of 2-acetylaminofluorene and the other metabolites.
Integration of a numerical model and remotely sensed data to study urbansrural land surface climate processes

Abstract Simulation of urban/rural land surface climate processes using boundary layer climate models requires accurate input data with regard to surface thermal and radiative properties. The research reported here resulted in development of a procedure to integrate the satellite-derived surface biophysical parameters with a boundary layer climate model for simulating spatial surface energy exchange. The procedure was tested through spatial surface energy balance simulation of an urban/rural landscape in eastern Nebraska. The modeled surface temperature and net radiation were compared to those derived from the concurrent satellite data. The errors of the modeled surface temperature were small, and were mainly attributed to uncertainties in the estimation of surface moisture availability and satellite-derived surface radiant temperature. Modeled net radiation was also in agreement with the values calculated from satellite data. Modeled turbulent heat fluxes were in general agreement as compared to those reported in the literature, but the model tended to overestimate the latent heat flux for most rural land cover types. It was concluded that by incorporation of satellite-derived surface physical parameters into a boundary layer model, simulation of spatial land surface climate processes was much improved. The method and procedures developed from this study can be utilized in other boundary layer climate models.
Design of a Small Pilot Plant for the Study of Supercritical Processes for the Production of Biodiesel from Waste Chicken Fat

A process to produce biodiesel from chicken fat and other oils using supercritical methanol at 200 bars and 400oC with residence times 6-9 minutes was designed using CHEMCAD. Major process units for the process (pumps, heat exchangers, reactor, and distillation columns) were sized and the heating and cooling requirements for several process variations were evaluated. Methanol to oil ratios or 6/1, 9/1 and 9/1 with recycle were considered. The results were then used to estimate the cost of a small pilot plant to produce 2 gal/day of biodiesel fuel.
Saurokoilophilia kinsellai n. gen., n. sp. (Trematoda: Hemiuridae) in the Lizard Papuascincus stanleyanus (Sauria: Scincidae) from Papua New Guinea

Abstract Saurokoilophilia kinsellai n. gen., n. sp. from the stomach of the skink Papuascincus stanleyanus (Scincidae) from Papua New Guinea is described and illustrated. The presence of an ecsoma, a single compact vitellarium, and the absence of anteriorly united excretory ducts allow the erection of a new subfamily, Saurokoilophiliinae, for the new genus. Saurokoilophilia kinsellai n. sp. is only the second trematode described from lizards collected in Papua New Guinea.
Southeast Asia in the early modern era : trade, power, and belief

The political and religious identities of Southeast Asia were largely formed by the experiences of the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries, when international commerce boomed before eventually falling under the domination of well-armed European powers intent on monopoly. This book is the first to document the full range of responses to the profound changes of this period: urbanization and the burgeoning of commerce; the proliferation of firearms; an increase in the number and strength of states; and the shift from experimental spirit worship to the universalist scriptural religions of Islam, Christianity, and Theravada Buddhism. Bringing together ten essays by an international group of historians, Southeast Asia in the Early Modern Era shows how various states adapted to new pressures and compares economic, religious, and political developments among the major cultures of the area.
Rottlerin: an inappropriate and ineffective inhibitor of PKCδ

Rottlerin has been used as a protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ)-selective inhibitor in hundreds of studies, on the basis of initial substrate phosphorylation studies in vitro . However, in more recent studies, rottlerin did not block PKCδ activity but did block other kinase and non-kinase proteins in vitro and activated multiple Ca 2+ -sensitive K + channels with high potency. Rottlerin uncouples mitochondria, and this uncoupling depolarizes the mitochondrial membrane potential, reduces cellular ATP levels, activates 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and affects mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Classical mitochondrial uncouplers also produce these secondary changes, and reductions in ATP can block PKCδ tyrosine phosphorylation and activation and generate effects resembling those produced by direct inhibition of kinase. Rottlerin also has effects in cells in which PKCδ is downregulated or genetically deleted. These findings indicate that there have been gross misinterpretations in studies using rottlerin as a pharmacological tool to identify PKCδ-dependent cellular events and indicate that rottlerin should not be used to determine the involvement of PKCδ in biological processes.
The Cretaceous-Tertiary transition

The fossil sequences from cores across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary show a, range of transition times and transition time intervals depending on the fossil indicators and the location of the site. These variations, together with the pattern of iridium distribution with depth at some sites, differences in total amounts of iridium, variations in noble metal abundances normalized to extraterrestrial concentrations, the depositional effects that might be expected in a reducing environment, and the clay mineralogy of the boundary layer clays, put into question the interpretation that an extraterrestrial event was the cause of the faunal changes and the iridium anomaly in the vicinity of the Cretaceous-Tertiary transition. It seems more likely that an explanation for the changes during the transition will come from continued examination of the great variety of terrestrial events that took place at that time, including extensive volcanism, major regression of the sea from the land, geochemical changes, and paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic changes.
Ballistocardiographic studies on Olympic athletes

E W PRESENT ballistocardiographic evidence pertaining to three physiologic problems of exercise. First, evidence to the effect that a distinct increase of cardiac force accompanies the characteristic diminution in the size of the heart during muscular activity; second, abnormal tracings from three Olympic athletes which raise the question whether the widely held view is justified that normality of cardiac function is invariably a prerequisite for the attainment of outstanding physical efficiency; third, ballistocardiograms which elucidate conclusions drawn by us earlier from other clinical and pathologic data, viz., that first class athletic performances are not irreconcilable with the presence of cardiac disease.’
Exploratory scorekeeping for oil-heated houses

Abstract In this pilot study, a hitherto untapped source of fuel oil delivery data is explored as representative of a potentially powerful data source for analyses of residential oil consumption. The application of PRISM to oil data is studied in two parts: a detailed examination of a small number of houses, followed by an analysis of groups of houses in disparate (urban vs. suburban) regions. Extremely good fits to the data result, with interesting differences between houses with and without oil-fueled water heaters, and with some caveats regarding the interpretability of the results. The regional comparison shows almost no dependence on type of region or subset of houses. The most important finding is that monitoring consumption in oil-heated houses is almost as straightforward as it is in gas-heated houses, provided there are sufficient oil deliveries in the time period of interest.
Short-term recognition memory of tones

Four Os participated in a recognition memory experiment for a period of 5 weeks. The task required O to judge whether two temporally sequenced tones (ISI = 0.5, 2.0, or 8.0 sec) were the “same” or “different ” Latencies and confidence ratings were obtained for each judgment. TSD analyses applied to individual O’s data indicated consistent and rapidly decreasing d’s as a function of ISI. ROC functions generated from the latencies and ratings produced comparable results, indicating the feasibility of using latency measures along with the type of judgments made to obtain sensitivity measures. Response bias, as indicated by the differences in the latencies between “same” and “different” judgments, did not produce consistent trends.
TRANSITION METAL COMPLEXES OF A TRIDENTATE BIQUINONE LIGAND : ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES, CHARGE DISTRIBUTIONS AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES

Abstract The electronic structures of the neutral transition metal (M) complexes mer -M(HDBQI) 2 , where HDBQI is 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-quinone 1-(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)imine, with M = Ti, V, Mn, Ni and Co have been explored with Fenske-Hall molecular orbital calculations. It has been demonstrated that the frontier orbitals of these complexes are, in general, determined by the differences in energy between the d orbitals of the metal center and the π acceptor orbitals of HDBQI, especially the 5b 2 orbital. Most of the theoretical assignments of the formal oxidation states, i.e. Ti as 4+, Mn as 4+, Co as 3+ and Ni as 2+, are consistent with those determined experimentally. The only exception is V, which should be 5+, instead of the previously assumed 4+. This finding has been discussed in conjunction with the spectroscopic features of the V complex. The previously proposed superexchange ferromagnetic coupling mechanism for the Ti complex is strongly supported by the observation that the d π orbitals of Ti contribute significantly to the organic radical orbitals.
A standard crustal aerosol as a reference for elemental enrichment factors

Abstract Elemental composition measurements of > 4μ m aerodynamic diameter aerosol particles have been made with cascade impactors at remote continental locations in Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil during the winter 1976 and summer 1977 seasons. The aerosol samples have been analyzed by proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) for the crustal elements Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, and Fe. Experimental results show that a high degree of homogeneity is exhibited by the crustal elements in the remote continental aerosol. Although the crustal element concentrations in air vary by two orders of magnitude, the data suggest that a standard crustal aerosol (SCA) having the following geometric means of ratios to Fe can be used as the reference material in aerosol enrichment factor calculations: Ti = 0.10(1.2) ; Al = 2.0(1.4) ; Si = 4.5(1.5) ; Ca = 0.41 (1.9) ; K = 0.20 (2.0) , where the numbers in parentheses are standard deviations over 8 locations weighted equally. The elements Al, Si, Ti, and Fe, which show constancy in relative proportions to a factor of 1.5 or better, are shown to be suitable reference elements in the enrichment factor calculations. The SCA is used to examine enrichments from different continental locations. SCA enrichment factor calculations for the South American cities of La Paz, Bolivia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Brasilia and Sao Paulo, Brazil show that the proportions of crustal elements in these cities are similar to those found in remote continental locations, although concentration variations of at least two orders of magnitude are present. The inclusion of additional elements in the SCA obtained by other analytical techniques is suggested.
Transient orthostatic hypotension is common in adolescents

Abstract Objectives: We hypothesized that transient hypotension associated with the symptom of lightheadedness with standing is a common phenomenon in healthy adolescents but may be mistaken for orthostatic intolerance. Study design: We studied 23 healthy adolescents, combining upright tilt to 70° and to 35° (in 12 patients) with continuous heart rate and blood pressure (BP) measurements. We measured peripheral blood flow and venous pressure in the arms and legs by using venous plethysmography. Results: Healthy subjects with normal vasoconstrictive responses to sustained upright tilt uniformly have a transient fall in BP during 70° upright tilt that varies from almost undetectable to large decreases in BP easily exceeding the 20-mm Hg threshold for orthostatic hypotension. Large decreases are associated with short-lived symptoms of lightheadedness and are most marked in those with the largest calf blood flow. The higher the flow, the lower the BP falls. There is appropriate reflex tachycardia. Conclusions: We conclude that transient orthostatic hypotension is common in many healthy adolescents, especially after prolonged recumbency, and is related to dependent vascular tone. (J Pediatr 2002;140:418-24)
The Medical Covenant: An Ethics of Obligation or Virtue?

A covenantal ethic, above all else, defines the moral life responsively. Moral action (such as selling, refraining, respecting, or giving) ultimately derives from and responds to a primordial receiving.
Conference report on stroke mortality in the southeastern United States.

Abstract —A workshop to describe and then seek possible causes for the increased stroke mortality in the southeastern United States briefly considered 30 suspected correlates and discussed in more detail the 10 thought to be most likely. Recent age-adjusted stroke mortality rates in adults from industrialized countries reveal marked geographic differences. Age-adjusted statewide stroke mortality rates also differ, and they are higher in the Southeast than elsewhere in the United States. For five southeastern coastal states in the heart of the “Stroke Belt,” excess stroke mortality has been present at least since 1930. In a 20-year follow-up of 10 000 veterans, the Stroke Belt had a 25% increase in all-cause mortality and congestive heart failure. A potential cause of increased fatal stroke included hypertension, which was more frequent in the Stroke Belt. No consistent patterns of lifestyle differences or of differences in potassium or calcium intake seemed to explain the higher rates of fatal strokes in the Stroke Belt; however, detailed investigations of smaller populations in localized areas seem warranted. Some data suggest a relationship between socioeconomic status and the Stroke Belt effect. Other differences in the Southeast that could explain, at least partially, the Stroke Belt effect include presence of soft water throughout most of the area, decreased antioxidant intake, and differences in the use of medical care and in the response to antihypertensive drugs. On the basis of available information, the three most likely explanations or partial explanations for the Stroke Belt are increased levels of blood pressure, localized differences in socioeconomic status, and toxic environmental factor(s). Two major recommendations were made: (1) to encourage both patient and caregiver to use all currently available means of decreasing morbidity and mortality by controlling blood pressures at or below normal levels and by reducing other risk factors and (2) to seek precise information about relationships of identified possible causes of increased morbidity and mortality in the Stroke Belt.
Estradiol attenuates hypoxia-induced pulmonary endothelin-1 gene expression.

The ovarian hormone 17β-estradiol (E2β) attenuates chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. We hypothesized that E2β attenuates this response to hypoxia by decreasing pulmonary expression of...
A Compactification of the Space of Expanding Maps on the Circle

We show the space of expanding Blaschke products on S1 is compactified by a sphere of invariant measures, reminiscent of the sphere of geodesic currents for a hyperbolic surface. More generally, we develop a dynamical compactification for the Teichmuller space of all measure preserving topological covering maps of S1.
Parallel algorithms on a mesh with multiple broadcasting

Parallel algorithms on a mesh-connected computer with multiple broadcasting mechanism are presented. The solution times of these algorithms are superior to those obtained on a mesh without broadcasting or a mesh with single global broadcasting. The results show that the time required to solve even simple problems can be reduced by careful analysis and design. It is assumed that a broadcast reaches all processors in a row or a column in constant time, t/sub b/. In practice, broadcasting may take t/sub b/log n time. In this case, the time complexity for the algorithms discussed becomes O(n/sup 1/ /sup 2/log n). Another extension is to allow multiple access to a broadcast bus; for example, all processing elements (PEs) can broadcast a bit simultaneously. Such schemes are physically realizable. Thus the sum of a row of PEs can be found in O(m) steps, where m is the length of the words. Therefore the time required for sorting n elements and selecting the kth largest number on an n*n mesh with such schemes can be further reduced. >
Clarifying who decides.

My interest in the issue of medical decision-making for those incapable or incompetent to control their own health care grew out of the prolonged dying process of my grandfather. The victim of a heart attack and subsequent stroke, my grandfather lay for months in a health care setting he resented, partially paralyzed, depressed and in and out of periods of incompetency. He had communicated his wishes to my grandmother, making it clear he was not to be sustained in a vegetative or inhumane state. He asserted his rights, trying unsuccessfully to remove the intravenous tubes from his arms. Health care personnel responded by binding his arms to the side of the bed.
How China's Holdings of Foreign Reserves Affect the Value of the US Dollar in Europe and Asia

By January 2009, China held almost US$2tn in foreign reserves. The present paper estimates the marginal effect of China changing its holdings of foreign reserves on the value of the US dollar in Europe and Asia. Because using traditional techniques to find this estimate would be inappropriate due to severe problems resulting from omitted variables, the present paper uses a new approach, bidirectional-reiterative truncated projected least squares, that has been proven to minimize problems associated with omitted variables. It is found that if China would sell 1 percent of its foreign reserves, then the value of the US dollar would fall by 0.44 percent. With such a large effect, China has an incentive to either not sell any of its US dollar reserves or sell all of its US dollar reserves.
Obesity, Risk Factors, and Predicting Cardiovascular Events

A PubMed search in March 2005 with the key word “metabolic syndrome” yielded >10 000 references. Past labels for this disorder include “syndrome X,” “deadly quartet,” and “cardiovascular dysmetabolic syndrome.”1–3 What is driving the current increased interest in the metabolic syndrome? Possibly the impetus comes from the dramatic increases in obesity in the United States and other developed countries.4 This pandemic has been blamed variously on fast food, high-fat foods, low-fat foods, overreliance on the automobile, television, the Internet, homes in which both parents work, unsafe streets, the disappearance of physical education from the K–12 school curriculum, neighborhoods unsuitable for walking, and some or all of the above. An extensive and consistent body of evidence predicts that accompanying this increase in obesity will be increases in insulin resistance/diabetes, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and decreased HDL cholesterol, as well as unfavorable changes in endothelial function and a host of inflammatory, thrombotic, and fibrinolytic factors. Thus, there is, indeed, reason for concern. See p 1883 In this issue of Circulation , Tanko and colleagues5 attempt a simplification of the National Cholesterol Education Program–Adult Treatment Panel III definition of metabolic syndrome (MS-NCEP) in postmenopausal women. They report that the combination of an enlarged waist and “elevated” triglycerides (EWET; e nlarged w aist, e levated t riglycerides), as compared with the MS-NCEP, was equally prevalent, somewhat more predictive of cardiovascular disease (CVD) death, and somewhat more predictive of abdominal aortic calcium (AAC) progression. Their argument is carefully researched and presented but may strike the reader as …
Market valuation of employee stock options

This study investigates whether investors incorporate the value of a firm's outstanding employee stock options into its stock price. I estimate the outstanding options' value for a sample of firms for which outstanding fixed options exceed 5% of outstanding common shares in 1988. I find a negative correlation between the value of outstanding options and a firm's share price. The correlation is stronger (i) for the option's intrinsic value than for the option's time value, (ii) for options that are later in their vesting stage than earlier in their vesting stage, and (iii) for large firms than for small firms. In addition, the FASB's method for calculating compensation expense has no explanatory power in the presence of this paper's calculation of the options' value.
Prostacyclin synthetase activity in human diabetic and nondiabetic vascular tissue

Abstract A decrease in the formation of prostacyclin (PGI 2 ), a potent vasodilating and platelet antiaggregatory substance, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic vasculopathy. This defect, as well as others, may contribute to imbalances in the thromboregulatory system resulting in enhanced platelet aggregability, accelerated atherosclerosis, and subsequent vessel injury. Until recently the major thrust of relevant literature has been directed toward abnormalities in PGI 2 quantity or function in vascular tissue from experimentally induced diabetic animal models. For the past 2 years our laboratory has studied prostaglandin metabolism in human diabetic and nondiabetic blood vessels. We determined prostacyclin synthetase (PGI 2 ase) activity in saphenous veins of diabetic and nondiabetic patients (HSV-D and HSV-ND) undergoing coronary artery bypass grafts and in tibial arteries and tibial veins of diabetic patients (HTA-D and HTV-D) and nondiabetic patients (HTA-ND and HTV-ND) undergoing limb amputation for arterial disease of the lower extremity. Carbon 14—labeled prostaglandin endoperoxide (PGH 2 ) was incubated for 2 minutes with vascular microsomal protein. The products were separated via thin-layer chromatography and quantified by radiochromatographic scan. PGI 2 ase activity was determined by the formation of 6-keto-PGF 1α , the stable breakdown product of PGI 2 . Results of this study indicate that (1) the microsomal fractions of all vascular tissues studied contain an active PGI 2 ase capable of forming PGI 2 ; (2) formation is enzymatic, as the amount of product increased with increasing microsomal protein concentration; (3) there is no significant difference in PGI 2 ase activity between HSV-D and HSV-ND; (4) PGI 2 ase activity in HTA-D and HTV-D is less than in HSV-D and HSV-ND; and (5) PGI 2 ase activity appears to be lowest in HTA-ND and HTV-ND. These observations suggest one or more of the following conclusions. (1) A gradient in the pathophysiologic progression of diabetic vasculopathy may exist. (2) Differences in metabolic control of diabetes mellitus may influence PGI 2 ase activity and subsequent vasculopathy. (3) Differences in PGI 2 ase activity may be inherent in the specific type of vessel studied. (4) It cannot be distinguished from these data whether reductions in PGI 2 ase activity are a cause or effect of atheromatous disease. (J VASC SURG 1986;4:63-7.)
Surgical Management of Arteriovenous Malformations of the Spine

Vascular malformations of the spine are rare lesions with aggressive natural histories. Patients with spinal arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and spinal arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) generally present with symptoms of venous congestion and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The goals of treatment for these lesions include eliminating arteriovenous shunting and preventing hemorrhage. Although patients with spinal vascular malformations may present with neurological deficits, many improve after treatment, and aggressive and timely treatment of these lesions is indicated. In this chapter, we present a summary of the clinical presentation, natural history, surgical techniques, and outcomes associated with the treatment of spinal vascular malformations.
The Peculiarities of Large Intron Splicing in Animals

In mammals a considerable 92% of genes contain introns, with hundreds and hundreds of these introns reaching the incredible size of over 50,000 nucleotides. These “large introns” must be spliced out of the pre-mRNA in a timely fashion, which involves bringing together distant 5′ and 3′ acceptor and donor splice sites. In invertebrates, especially Drosophila, it has been shown that larger introns can be spliced efficiently through a process known as recursive splicing—a consecutive splicing from the 5′-end at a series of combined donor-acceptor splice sites called RP-sites. Using a computational analysis of the genomic sequences, we show that vertebrates lack the proper enrichment of RP-sites in their large introns, and, therefore, require some other method to aid splicing. We analyzed over 15,000 non-redundant, large introns from six mammals, 1,600 from chicken and zebrafish, and 560 non-redundant large introns from five invertebrates. Our bioinformatic investigation demonstrates that, unlike the studied invertebrates, the studied vertebrate genomes contain consistently abundant amounts of direct and complementary strand interspersed repetitive elements (mainly SINEs and LINEs) that may form stems with each other in large introns. This examination showed that predicted stems are indeed abundant and stable in the large introns of mammals. We hypothesize that such stems with long loops within large introns allow intron splice sites to find each other more quickly by folding the intronic RNA upon itself at smaller intervals and, thus, reducing the distance between donor and acceptor sites.
Suppression and enhancement of impurity scattering in a bose-einstein condensate

Impurity atoms propagating at variable velocities through a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate were produced using a stimulated Raman transition. The redistribution of momentum by collisions between the impurity atoms and the stationary condensate was observed in a time-of-flight analysis. The collisional cross section was dramatically reduced when the impurity velocity was reduced below the condensate speed of sound, in agreement with the Landau criterion for superfluidity. For large numbers of impurity atoms, we observed an enhancement of atomic collisions due to bosonic stimulation. This enhancement is analogous to optical super-radiance.
Pathogen inducible reporting in transgenic tobacco using a GFP construct

Abstract A model sentinel plant (phytosensor) capable of signaling pathogen attack in the field was obtained by transformation with a construct containing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene, driven by the promoter of gn1, a tobacco β-1,3-glucanase gene. This is a first step towards the creation of sentinel plants for early disease diagnostics with an integral real-time, fluorescent-based reporting mechanism. The gn1 promoter is responsive to pathogens and salicylic acid (SA), which is synthesized by the plant during systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Transgenic plants were sprayed with benzo-(1,2,3)-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester (BTH), an SA analogue, at different stages of development. The presence of GFP transcript in transgenic plants after the induction with 5 mM BTH was determined. GFP was detected as early as 48 h after induction using Western blot analysis, but the fluorescence could not be robustly detected spectrally. Plants younger than 8 weeks did not express detectable levels of GFP. We show systemic induction of gn1/mgfp5-er by BTH in non-treated plant tissues. Time course of induction of gn1/mgfp5-er by BTH in transgenic plants showed that induction and GFP accumulation was slow and maximum, GFP accumulation was found between 6 and 12 days after treatment. gn1/mgfp5-er expression was also induced by inoculating plant leaves with the pathogen Plectosporium tabacinum.
Patterns of Macronutrient Collection in the Black Carpenter Ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (De Geer) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The collection of macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, proteins) under natural conditions by the black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (De Geer), was examined. Carbohydrate and crude protein were the primary macronutrients retrieved, with 2.3 times more carbohydrate than crude protein collected per trip. Only negligible amounts of crop lipid were detected. Collection patterns varied with macronutrient. Carbohydrate collection was consistently strong over all months, but varied between years and nests. In contrast, crude protein collection was consistent between years and nests, but exhibited peaks in June and September, when colonies typically contain mature larvae. Retrieved food was transported internally: <1% of returning foragers carried solid matter in the mandibles.
Evaluating use of coronary computed tomography angiography in the emergency department.

In the U.S. in 2006, a total of 6,392,000 patients were seen in emergency departments (EDs) with acute chest pain ([1][1]). After basic evaluation with a clinical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, and initial blood work for cardiac biomarkers, many such patients have no objective
Tomás Rivera. ... Y no se lo tragó la tierra /... And the Earth did not Devour Him . Trad. Evangelina Vigil-Piñón. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1992

Tomas Rivera nacio en 1935 en Crystal City, Texas, pueblo ubicado en el Sur de Texas, y murio en 1984, en California. Paso los primeros anos de su vida trabajando como obrero migratorio en las fincas del suroeste de los Estados Unidos de Norteamerica. Fue rector de la Universidad de Riverside, en California. En 1970 fue galardonado con el premio de literatura Quinto Sol. De su experiencia laboral procede ...y no se lo trago la tierra, libro de cuentos publicado en 1971.
President Hoover and the National Religion

Lord James Bryce, the astute British observer of American politics, noted the special relationship between church and state in the United States when he wrote, "Christianity is in fact understood to be, though not the legally established religion, yet the national religion."1 He did not say it, but he might have added that every American president must recognize this state of affairs when he conducts church-state relations in behalf of the nation. And paradoxically, when he gives special con sideration to what James Bryce called the national religion, he may violate the spirit of the First Amendment, which says, "Congress [and presumably the President] shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . . In practice, of course, the doctrine of separation of church and state as suggested in the First Amend ment has never been strictly observed, and the Supreme Court has never interpreted these words to mean strict separation. Nevertheless, because the tradition of separation remains strong, the president must attempt to observe the principle while at the same time he dispenses the favors of his office to organized religion. How then are church-state relations handled by the White House? Some answers to this question will be suggested by using the Hoover years as a case study of relations between the church and the presidency. President Herbert Clark Hoover, like other chief executives who preceded him and who would later follow him, tried to develop informal rules to cover the sometimes delicate relation ships between the White House and various religious interests. Representatives of religious organizations could always be ex pected to ask the president for special recognition in the form of MERLIN D. GUSTAPSON (B.S., M.S., Kansas State University; Ph.D., Univer sity of Nebraska) is Associate Professor of Political Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. JCS has previously published two of his articles : "Church, State, and the Cold War, 1945-1952" (Winter I966) and "The Religion of a President" (re Truman) (Autumn 1968). His articles have appeared in The Christian Century and Midwest Journal of Political Science, and his book reviews in JCS. The present article is being published in connection with the centennial of the birth of President Hoover, August 10, 1874. The author gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Kansas State University Bureau of General Research and the assistance of archivists at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, West Branch, Iowa. 1. James Bryce, The American Commonwealth (New York: Macmillan, 1895), p. 702.
Comparison of the Analytical Characteristics and Clinical Usefulness in Tumour Monitoring of Fifteen hCG(-β) Immunoassay Kits:

Fifteen immunoassay kits for serum hCG(-beta) measurements have been compared for their analytical characteristics and clinical usefulness in tumour monitoring. Three out of 13 radioimmunoassays and two sandwich hCG immunoassays represent the 'one-component' techniques for intact hCG detection since they are based on antiserum raised against intact hCG. Within this group, method-comparison slopes ranged between 0 X 149 and 0 X 374. The remaining 10 radioimmunoassays all apply antiserum against hCG-beta and are designated 'two (or more)-component' assays since they detect both intact hCG and the free beta-subunit ('total hCG'). For this reason these assays are of potential value for tumour monitoring. Additional criteria for this are: (1) the expression of assay results in terms of 1st IRP-hCG instead of the unstructured use of the 2nd IS or the 1st IRP-hCG-beta; (2) documentation of cross-reactivities especially for the free beta-subunits of hCG and hLH which are almost completely lacking; (3) establishment of the minimum detectable dose in the presence of normo-to-hypergonadotrophic hLH levels in serum (the 'clinical sensitivity') to allow the follow-up of tumour regression especially in the low-dose region. Method-comparison analysis for these assays revealed regression slopes between 0 X 001 and 0 X 873.
A New Species of Diploperla (Plecoptera: Perlodidae) from Virginia

A new species, Diploperla morgani, is described and figured from specimens collected in southwestern Virginia. A holotype male, allotype, 1 paratype male, and 4 paratype females are designated.