cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mitotic cell populations obtained from a micro-carrier culturing system☆

Abstract Colcemid treatment of cell culture beads confluent with cells released a mitotic population of cells which was as efficient as that obtained by conventional shake-off procedures. The bead system provides an easy and efficient means for harvesting large quantities of mitotic cells, costs about one-tenth as much as conventional culturing techniques, and is at least 100 times more rapid.
Effects of Stimulus-Response Compatibility on Neural Selection in Frontal Eye Field

We investigated the neural basis of visual and saccade selection in the frontal eye field of macaque monkeys using a singleton search task with prosaccade or antisaccade responses. Two types of neurons were distinguished. The first initially selected the singleton even in antisaccade trials, although most subsequently selected the endpoint of the saccade. The time the singleton was located was not affected by stimulus-response compatibility and did not vary with reaction time across trials. The second type of neuron selected only the endpoint of the saccade. The time of endpoint selection by these neurons accounted for most of the effect of stimulus-response compatibility on reaction time. These results indicate that visual selection and saccade selection are different processes.
Growth rate measurements of hygroscopic aerosols under conditions simulating the respiratory tract

Abstract An experimental system has been developed for measuring the rate of growth of hygroscopic aerosols at high humidity and temperature conditions simulating the trachea of the human respiratory tract. A dry monodisperse aerosol is mixed with water-saturated air at the entrance to a growth tube which is connected to a calibrated optical counter. Time for aerosol growth is controlled at intervals between 0.05 and 1 sec. Sodium chloride is used as a standard aerosol for contrasting the growth rates of medicinal aerosols. The bronchodilator Isuprel® Hydrochloride containing glycerin initially grows slower than sodium chloride and Isuprel® not containing glycerin. Thermal conductivity and surface active properties of glycerin may explain this growth inhibition phenomena. The rate of growth increases as the tubular Reynolds number increases from 1000 to 3000, suggesting that the rate of growth depends on the initial rate of mixing of dry aerosol with humid air.
Combined Use of Amino Terminal-Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels and QRS Duration to Predict Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Patients With Dyspnea

The combination of elevated amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels and wide QRS duration was highly sensitive and specific for the prediction of impaired left ventricular systolic function among a group of patients presenting with dyspnea to the emergency department. This strategy can be used to predict depressed function and target more formal evaluation with echocardiography in patients with dyspnea.
Estimation of deduplication ratios in large data sets

We study the problem of accurately estimating the data reduction ratio achieved by deduplication and compression on a specific data set. This turns out to be a challenging task — It has been shown both empirically and analytically that essentially all of the data at hand needs to be inspected in order to come up with a accurate estimation when deduplication is involved. Moreover, even when permitted to inspect all the data, there are challenges in devising an efficient, yet accurate, method. Efficiency in this case refers to the demanding CPU, memory and disk usage associated with deduplication and compression. Our study focuses on what can be done when scanning the entire data set. We present a novel two-phased framework for such estimations. Our techniques are provably accurate, yet run with very low memory requirements and avoid overheads associated with maintaining large deduplication tables. We give formal proofs of the correctness of our algorithm, compare it to existing techniques from the database and streaming literature and evaluate our technique on a number of real world workloads. For example, we estimate the data reduction ratio of a 7 TB data set with accuracy guarantees of at most a 1% relative error while using as little as 1 MB of RAM (and no additional disk access). In the interesting case of full-file deduplication, our framework readily accepts optimizations that allow estimation on a large data set without reading most of the actual data. For one of the workloads we used in this work we achieved accuracy guarantee of 2% relative error while reading only 27% of the data from disk. Our technique is practical, simple to implement, and useful for multiple scenarios, including estimating the number of disks to buy, choosing a deduplication technique, deciding whether to dedupe or not dedupe and conducting large-scale academic studies related to deduplication ratios.
Dollars and ‘Sense' get a handle on managing service costs.

You need to fully understand service costs for medical equipment to effectively manage your department. Front-line staff can also benefit from understanding what makes up the total service costs, which can be divided into four basic categories: internal labor, time and material, parts, and contracts. Before delving into each category, let’s start with the cost of service ratio (COSR). COSR is basically the total cost of servicing your medical equipment—salaries and benefits, contracts, parts, time and material, plus overhead— divided by the value of the equipment. Purchase price is typically used for equipment value, and you should only include the value of equipment for which you have budget responsibility. An in -house b io medical department w i l l t y p i c a l l y s e e a COSR in the range of 3-7%, depending on the level and scope of coverage for imaging and lab equipment. Vendors typically charge 10-20% of list price for service contracts, third-party vendor typically charge 7-10% of list price, and a typical software contract on information technology (IT ) equipment can run 20-25% of list price. Understanding the COSR has several benefits: You can track year to year how well you’re managing the budget, you can use it to show your chief financial officer how well you’re controlling costs, you can use the COSR to budget for new equipment, and you can set benchmarks, comparing your department to similar ones.
IN VITRO CONTRACTILE EFFECTS OF NEUROKININ RECEPTOR BLOCKADE IN THE HUMAN URETER

Purpose: We identified the predominance of neurokinin-2 receptors and evaluated the inhibition of spontaneous contraction via the blockade of neurokinin-2 receptors in human ureteral segments.Materials and Methods: Excess ureteral segments from human subjects undergoing donor nephrectomy or reconstructive procedures were suspended in tissue baths containing Krebs buffer. After spontaneous contractions were recorded, tissues were incubated with 1 μM. solutions of phosphoramidon and captopril (to inhibit peptide degradation) and either the neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist CP 99,994, the neurokinin-2 receptor antagonist SR 48,968, the neurokinin-3 receptor antagonist SR 142,801 or dimethyl sulfoxide (control) for 1 hour. Contraction magnitude and frequency were again recorded and compared with spontaneous levels. Concentration-response curves to the tachykinins substance P, and neurokinins A and B were determined in the presence and absence of antagonists.Results: Neurokinin A increased contractility at lowe...
Wetting phenomena during alternating heating in O2 and H2 of supported metal crystallites

Abstract Specimens of Pd crystallites (20 to 200 A in size) supported on thin alumina films have been heated alternately in O 2 and H 2 . The changes in size, shape, and position of each crystallite after each heat treatment have been followed by examining the same areas of the specimens with a transmission electron microscope. During heating in O 2 , most of the crystallites extended by spreading on the alumina surface and became irregular in shape. Pits and cavities developed on many of the crystallites. During heating in H 2 , most of the crystallites which extended during the previous heating in O 2 contracted to a more circular form. Some large crystallites, however, grew in size. Some small crystallites disappeared during heating in O 2 or H 2 . The extension and recontraction are explained in terms of wetting. Pit formation is explained as either a surface tension gradient driven phenomenon enhanced by a spreading-produced stress, and/or as a crack propagation phenomenon induced by the spreading-generated tensile stress and enhanced by the oxidation of the freshly exposed atoms at the tip of the crack.
Differential Cross Sections for Triton-Induced Reactions on N 14

Differential cross sections have been measured as functions of angle and bombarding energy in the region from 1 to 2 MeV for the following reactions: (1) ${\mathrm{N}}^{14}(t, t){\mathrm{N}}^{14}$; (2) ${\mathrm{N}}^{14}(t, \ensuremath{\alpha}){\mathrm{C}}^{13}$ going to the ground state and the 3.09-MeV state in ${\mathrm{C}}^{13}$; (3) ${\mathrm{N}}^{14}(t, d){\mathrm{N}}^{15}$ going to the ground state of ${\mathrm{N}}^{15}$; and (4) ${\mathrm{N}}^{14}(t, p){\mathrm{N}}^{16}$ going to the ground state and the 0.120-, 0.295-, and 0.392-MeV states of ${\mathrm{N}}^{16}$. The total cross sections for the last three of these reactions at 2 MeV are: (2) 11 and 6 mb; (3) 48 mb; and (4) 7, 4, 9, and 8 mb, respectively. The energy and angular behavior of the differential cross sections suggest that most of these reactions proceed predominantly by direct interactions. The large absolute value of the cross section for the ${\mathrm{N}}^{14}(t, {d}_{\mathrm{o}}){\mathrm{N}}^{15}$ reaction, as well as the energy and angular behavior of the differential cross section, suggest that this reaction may proceed by a cluster exchange process. Distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA) calculations provide satisfactory fits to the ($t$, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\mathrm{o}}$) angular distribution, but not the ($t$, ${d}_{\mathrm{o}}$). Plane-wave calculations including exchange stripping give more acceptable fits to the ($t$, ${d}_{\mathrm{o}}$) data.
Bridges to China: Developing Partnerships Between Serials Librarians in the United States and China

Abstract University librarians in China face many of the same challenges related to serials management that confront librarians in the United States. The authors discuss the importance for librarians in the United States, especially those working with serials, to establish and build ties with librarians in other countries, such as China. Benefits of an exchange could include sharing information about best practices, exchange of serial materials, and working together on mutually advantageous projects. Acknowledging the growing interest in international library exchange programs, the authors relate their own institution's efforts to build international ties with Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and Shaanxi Normal University in Xi'an, China. In establishing these ties, the authors have traveled to China and interviewed librarians about serials acquisition, processing, and management.
Conformal invariance and universality in finite-size scaling

The universal relation between critical exponents and the amplitude of the correlation length divergence as a function of finite size at the critical point of two-dimensional systems is shown to be a consequence of conformal invariance. Both periodic and free boundary conditions are considered.
Low energy dislocation structures in interfaces

Abstract Characterization of interface structure involves describing and determining the manner in which misfit is distributed. Theories based on crystallography and elasticity are used to discover both minimum misfit lattice misorientations and interface planes. With the crystallographic variables defined the Frankvan der Merwe analysis seeks to determine how the misfit is distributed. Computer modelling embodies an explicitly atomistic approach and has provided a bridge between experiment and other analytical methods. Observations validate many of the theoretical concepts. The facetted TiMn parent martensite interface can be understood in terms of Burger's vector density minimization as can the orientation relationships found between b.c.c. deposits and single-crystal f.c.c. substrates. High resolution transmission electron microscopy confirms the extension of the dislocation wall model for low angle boundaries to rotation angles as high as 26°, which had been suggested by computer modelling. We know that the dislocation structure of an interface does not necessarily lead to a complete understanding of the interface core structure because of complications resulting from relative lattice translations and other sources of multiplicity of structure which are evidenced through observations of imperfect interface dislocations and directly through measurement of not necessarily crystallographically equivalent lattice translations. In simple cases high resolution transmission microscopy, ion channelling and UV photoelectron spectroscopy sometimes in combination have permitted a full determination of the atomic structure of interfaces and revealed the physical nature and reality of low energy dislocation structures.
Quantitative aspects of all-trans-retinol singlet and triplet quenching by oxygen

Abstract In benzene and methanol, the oxygen quenching of all-trans-retinol singlet results in intersystem crossing (enhanced) and energy transfer (to form 1 O 2 * , 1 Δ g ), both with quantum efficiencies considerably less than unity (0.3–0.5). 1 O 2 * formation from retinol triplet quenching by 3 O 2 is closer to quantitative (≈ 0.8).
Proteolytic Activity of the ATP-dependent Protease HslVU Can Be Uncoupled from ATP Hydrolysis

HslVU is a new Escherichia coliATP-dependent protease composed of two multimeric complexes: the HslU ATPase and the HslV peptidase. Prior studies indicated that HslVU requires ATP hydrolysis for the cleavage of peptides and proteins. We show here that ATP concentrations that activate hydrolysis of benzyloxycarbonyl-Gly-Gly-Leu-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin are 50–100 fold lower than those necessary for degradation of proteins (e.g. casein). Also, the nonhydrolyzable analogs of ATP, 5′-adenylyl β,γ-imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP) and adenosine 5′-(α,β-methylene)triphosphate, can support peptide hydrolysis, but only after an initial time lag not seen with ATP. This delay decreased at higher temperatures and with higher HslU or HslV concentrations and was eliminated by preincubation of HslU and HslV together. Thus, ATP hydrolysis accelerates the association of HslU and HslV, which occurs slowly with the nonhydrolyzable analog. The addition of KCl stimulated 4–6-fold the peptidase activity with AMP-PNP present and eliminated the time lag, but KCl had no stimulatory effect with ATP. NH4+ and Cs+ had similar effects as K+, but Na+ and Li+ were ineffective. AMP-PNP by itself supported hydrolysis of casein and other polypeptides only 20% as well as ATP, but in the presence of K+, Cs+, or NH4+, AMP-PNP activated casein degradation even better than ATP, although it was not hydrolyzed. In addition, MgCl2, MnCl2, and CaCl2 allowed some peptidase and caseinase activity in the absence of any nucleotide. However, Mn2+ and Ca2+, unlike Mg2+, abolished ATP hydrolysis and prevented further activation by ATP or AMP-PNP. These findings indicate that ATP binding to a high affinity site triggers the formation of an active state capable of peptide cleavage, although ATP hydrolysis facilitates this process. Rapid degradation of proteins requires a distinct state of the enzyme, which is normally reached through ATP hydrolysis at low affinity sites. However, AMP-PNP binding together with K+can induce a form of HslVU that degrades proteins without energy consumption.
Reading the Body: Dissection and the ‘Murder’ of Sarah Stout, Hertfordshire, 1699

This article is concerned with forensic medical evidence and the several forms in which it was supplied to courts in early modern England. A specific trial is described and interpreted in detail, with particular attention being given to the kinds of information derived from the decomposed body of a young Quaker woman, believed either to have drowned or been murdered. The role of medical and lay evidence is evaluated and attention directed towards the ways in which the proceedings were recounted and recycled in post-trial publications. Major themes include popular attitudes towards dissection, the roles of lay and professional witnesses and the role of women as traditional sources of knowledge about the body.
Cloning and characterization of debittering peptidases, PepE, PepO, PepO2, PepO3, and PepN, of Lactobacillus helveticus WSU19

Abstract Peptidases of Lactobacillus helveticus WSU19 are important for debittering aged Cheddar–type cheese. Our objective was to determine specificities of aminopeptidase N (PepN) and endopeptidases E, O, O2, and O3 (PepE, PepO, PepO2, and PepO3) of Lb. helveticus WSU19 on the bitter peptide, β–CN f193–209. Aminopeptidase and endopeptidase genes of Lb. helveticus WSU19 were cloned in Escherichia coli DH5α. The β–CN f193–209 peptide was digested by cell–free extracts from peptidase–positive clones under cheese ripening conditions. The degradation pattern was analyzed qualitatively using matrix–assisted laser desorption/ionization time–of–flight mass spectrometry. Proline residues precluded PepN activity on β–CN f193–209. Complete degradation of β–CN f193–209 by PepN required post–proline endopeptidases, particularly PepO and PepO3. PepO–like endopeptidase activities on Pro206–Ile207 prevented formation of bitter peptides from the C–terminus of β–CN f193–209. PepE cleaved β–CN f193–209 only when combined with PepN or PepO–like endopeptidases. Aminopeptidase and post–proline endopeptidase activities contributed to the initial degradation of β–CN f193–209.
Reduced respiratory and skeletal muscle strength in survivors of sibling or unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

We performed a retrospective analysis of muscle strength testing obtained following sibling or unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2003 in a cohort of 44 subjects at Tufts-New England Medical Center. Maximal inspiratory pressure (PI(max)) was <or=80% predicted in 52% of subjects and <or=60% predicted in 20% of subjects; maximal expiratory pressure (PE(max)) was <or=80% predicted in 88% of subjects and <or=60% predicted in 74% of subjects. Patients with a PI(max) <or=60% predicted spent significantly longer time in hospital following HSCT compared with subjects with PI(max) 60% predicted. Grip strength (n=32) was reduced to <or=80% predicted in 75% of subjects and <or=60% predicted in 47% of subjects following HSCT. Analysis of paired measurements obtained before and after HSCT in 20 of the 44 subjects (45%) showed significant reduction in both PI(max) and PE(max) between the two measures. Respiratory and skeletal muscle weakness is present in a significant percentage of subjects undergoing pulmonary function testing in the post-HSCT period, and may contribute to pulmonary morbidity in subjects with pulmonary complications of HSCT.
Existential inquiry: Psychotherapy for crises of demoralization

Background and Objectives: Existential inquiry is a focal psychotherapy tailored to address crises of demoralization. Demoralization refers to the helplessness, despair, and subjective incompetence that people feel when perceiving themselves to be failing their own or others� expectations for coping with adversity. Methods: Existential inquiry revives a demoralized person�s capacity for coping by eliciting accounts for how the person has sustained hope, communion with others, purpose, agency, commitment, courage, and gratitude when threatened by losses, traumas, or insecurities. Existential questions reveal emotional postures of vulnerability and resilience. They ask both how a person has been impacted by adversities and how he or she has prevailed against them. Existential inquiry rebuilds morale by mobilizing emotional postures of resilience that are grounded in core identities: What are my deep desires and commitments? To whom am I accountable? Who do I know myself to be, or wish to be? Results: Clinical vignettes illustrate how these questions can open conversations that rebuild morale. Conclusions: Existential inquiry can serve as an effective brief psychotherapy for countering demoralization.
Formation of a protected sub-band for conduction in quantum point contacts under extreme biasing

Strong electron–phonon scattering in a quantum point contact that is driven into extreme non-equilibrium can lead to the formation of a protected subband for electrical conduction.
“Do I Really Have to Talk About Sex?” Encouraging Beginning Therapists to Integrate Sexuality into Couples Therapy

Unfortunately, sexuality continues to be a neglected topic in therapy with couples. This is problematic because sexuality is an integral part of a marital relationship. Not talking about it sends a message that it is taboo and ignores valuable clinical information about how the couple negotiates an important form of intimacy. One of the biggest barriers to productive, therapeutic conversations about sexuality is a lack of training; many mental health professionals simply are not adequately trained to engage couples in conversations about their sexual relationship. Using the PLISSIT (Permission, Limited Information, Specific Suggestions, Intensive Therapy) Model as a foundation, this article encourages beginning therapists to integrate conversations about sexuality into their clinical work with couples. This article includes suggestions that will increase their comfort level with the topic of sexuality, as well as specific questions for use during intake and ongoing treatment.
GRADED EFFECTS OF SARALASIN ON PROSTAGLANDIN E, PLASMA RENIN ACTIVITY AND RENAL BLOOD FLOW IN ANAESTHETIZED DOGS

SUMMARY 1. The objective of this study was to examine in anaesthetized dogs the graded effect of saralasin on renal prostaglandin E (PGE) release and to attempt to associate this change with its effects on plasma renin activity and renal blood flow. 2. Blood pressure and renal blood flow were monitored. Renal PGE concentration and plasma renin activity were measured by radioimmunoassay. Saralasin or saline vehicle was infused into the renal artery for 20 min. 3. Infusion of saralasin at the lowest dose of 0.25 mg/kg per min or saline vehicle did not alter either renal blood flow or plasma renin activity. Saralasin increased renal blood flow and caused a complete blockade of the renal vasoconstrictor response to exogenous angiotensin II at the two higher doses used (0.5 and 1 mg/kg per, min). Only the highest dose of saralasin increased plasma renin activity significantly. 4. Renal venous PGE concentration at the 5, 10 and 20 min periods of infusion was not changed significantly by any of these three doses of saralasin. We conclude therefore that the increases in renal blood flow and plasma renin activity caused by saralasin in the anaesthetized dog occur by mechanisms independent of changes in renal PGE.
Achieving uniform distribution and dispersion of a high percentage of nanoparticles in metal matrix nanocomposites by solidification processing

An unprecedented uniform distribution and dispersion of 6 vol.% SiC nanoparticles (NPs) in Mg–Zn matrix is obtained through a novel solidification processing method that combines semisolid-state mechanical mixing and liquid-state ultrasonic processing. The resulting Mg-based metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) exhibit the highest hardness and the greatest hardness enhancement among all crystalline Mg-based MMNCs reported so far. The results shed light on a potential pathway for the development of ultrahigh-performance metallic materials reinforced by NPs through solidification processing.
Lonf-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus is preferentially induced at theta rhythm periodicity

Abstract In urethane-anesthetized rats, high frequency stimulation was applied to the medial perforant pathway at various time intervals (50, 100, 200, 350 and 500 ms) following stimulation of the same pathway by a single pulase of equal intensity. Recordings of dentate gyrus granule cell evoked responses were made to investigate the range of stimuli that are effective in inducing long-term potentiation (LTP). LTP was induced almost exclusively at the 200 ms interval, corresponding to the periodicity if the theta rhythm. Taken in conjunction with similar findings reported in the CA1 field of the hippocampal slice, these results suggest that the correlation between theta rhythm periodicity and LTP is a general phenomenon within the hippocampal formation and lends further support to the hypothesis that the naturally occuring theta rhythm may play a modulatory role in the induction of LTP.
Inhibition of lysosomal function in red and white skeletal muscles by chloroquine.

Abstract In chickens treated 7 days with chloroquine, morphological observations and chemical analyses were in agreement with our hypothesis that lysosomes degrade some fraction of skeletal muscle mitochondria, plasma membrane, and glycogen but apparently not normal myofibrillar proteins. After chloroquine inhibition of lysosomal digestion, autophagy was apparent in anterior (ALD) and posterior (PLD) latissimus dorsi muscles. Membrane-limited vacuoles (autophagic vacuoles) contained mitochondria, membranes, and glycogen. To help identify the vacuolar constituents, a variety of marker enzyme activities and chemical analyses were monitored for the ALD and PLD muscles. Parallel increases in 5′-nucleotidase and cytochrome oxidase specific activities correlated with the increase in observable inclusions. Autolytic rates were increased in acidic ( p H 4.0) but not in alkaline ( p H 8.5) or neutral ( p H 7.0) conditions when homogenates were prepared from muscles of chloroquine-treated chickens. The removal of chloroquine inhibition in vitro by the preparation of tissue homogenates resulted in increased proteolysis by lysosomal enzymes presumably due to an increase in available substrates derived from mitochondria and plasma membranes.
Determination of electron beam output factors for a 20-MeV linear accelerator

The demands of a busy clinic require that basic machine calculations be performed as accurately, rapidly, and simply as possible. For the electron beam of the Therac 20 Saturne linear accelerator, a method suitable for a programmable calculator is described to predict the dose output from the measurement of selected fields. One-dimensional output factors were measured; these are defined as output factors of rectangular fields where one side is always equal to the side of the square reference field. The output of an arbitrary rectangular field X, Y is given by the product of the output factors OF(X,Y) = OF(X,10) X OF(10,Y), where 10 is the side of the square reference field. The measured data indicate that the output of very large rectangular and square fields is underestimated using this method for the lower energies. A correction factor of the form CF = C X [(X - 10)(Y - 10)/(X - 10)(Y - 10) 1/2] results in agreement with measured data to within 1.5% for all energies.
Spatial patterns of natural hazards mortality in the United States

Studies on natural hazard mortality are most often hazard-specific (e.g. floods, earthquakes, heat), event specific (e.g. Hurricane Katrina), or lack adequate temporal or geographic coverage. This makes it difficult to assess mortality from natural hazards in any systematic way. This paper examines the spatial patterns of natural hazard mortality at the county-level for the U.S. from 1970–2004 using a combination of geographical and epidemiological methods. Chronic everyday hazards such as severe weather (summer and winter) and heat account for the majority of natural hazard fatalities. The regions most prone to deaths from natural hazards are the South and intermountain west, but sub-regional county-level mortality patterns show more variability. There is a distinct urban/rural component to the county patterns as well as a coastal trend. Significant clusters of high mortality are in the lower Mississippi Valley, upper Great Plains, and Mountain West, with additional areas in west Texas, and the panhandle of Florida, Significant clusters of low mortality are in the Midwest and urbanized Northeast. There is no consistent source of hazard mortality data, yet improvements in existing databases can produce quality data that can be incorporated into spatial epidemiological studies as demonstrated in this paper. It is important to view natural hazard mortality through a geographic lens so as to better inform the public living in such hazard prone areas, but more importantly to inform local emergency practitioners who must plan for and respond to disasters in their community.
Effect of Light‐Activated Tooth Whitening on Color Change Relative to Color of Artificially Stained Teeth

Purpose There is still controversy as to the efficacy of light activation used in tooth whitening. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of light activation on tooth color change relative to the artificial dye color. Materials and Methods Extracted human third molars (160) were randomly distributed into eight groups of 20 specimens each based on artificial staining and use of light activation. All groups received three 45-minute sessions of in-office whitening at 3-day intervals. Color measurements were performed with an intraoral spectrophotometer at baseline prior to staining (T0), after artificial staining (T1), 1-day—(T2), and 1-week—(T3) post-whitening. Color differences were calculated relative to after artificial staining color parameters (L*1, a*1, b*1) with the use of a software analysis program enabling synchronization of two images. Results Within the same staining groups, the light-activated samples exhibited a greater color change than their nonlight-activated counterparts. However, only in the case of the yellow-stained samples at 1-day post-whitening was there a significant difference between the nonlight-activated and light-activated groups (Tukey's post hoc multiple comparison test for pairwise comparisons, p < 0.05). Conclusions Light activation is a valid method for enhancing the efficacy of tooth whitening with respect to overall color change and works best with yellow stains. Clinical Significance Light activation is a valid method for enhancing the efficacy of tooth whitening with respect to overall color change and works best with yellow stains.
When is a Life Too Costly to Save? The Evidence from U.S. Environmental Regulations

Abstract Under certain environmental statutes the EPA is required to balance costs and benefits in setting standards, whereas under others this is prohibited. This paper examines EPA regulatory decisions made under three statues, two of which require balancing and one of which does not. Using discrete choice models, we find that costs and benefits are significant explanatory variables for all three sets of decisions. This suggests that balancing occurred in each case; however, the value (implicit in these decisions) of avoiding a cancer case varies widely. We also find that a 1987 court ruling effectively curtailed whatever balancing occurred under the statute that prohibited it.
Does Alcohol Involvement Increase the Severity of Intimate Partner Violence

Most studies that have examined alcohol use immediately prior to intimate partner violence (IPV) have been limited to male-to-female partner violence (MFPV) and are subject to a number of methodological limitations. We add new information concerning the relationship between alcohol involvement and severity of IPV, MFPV, and female-to-male partner violence (FMPV). Methods: We analyzed data from a 1995 U.S. national population-based survey of couples >/=18 years old. We examined 436 couples who reported IPV and had information on alcohol involvement with IPV. We measured IPV using a revised Conflict Tactics Scale, Form R that asked respondents about 11 violent behaviors in the past year. Respondents were classified into mutually exclusive categories as having experienced mild only or mild + severe ("severe") IPV, MFPV or FMPV. Respondents were also asked if they or their partner were drinking at the time the violent behavior occurred and were classified as exposed to IPV with or without alcohol involvement. We estimated proportions, odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and p-values of the proposed associations, accounting for the complex survey design. Results: Overall, 30.2% of couples who reported IPV reported alcohol involved IPV; 69.8% reported no alcohol involvement. In adjusted analyses, those reporting severe (vs. mild only) IPV were more than twice as likely to report alcohol involvement. In adjusted analyses, those reporting severe (vs. mild) MFPV or FMPV were more likely to report female but not male alcohol involvement. Though estimates were positive and strong, most confidence intervals were compatible with a wide range of estimates including no association. Conclusions: Our findings suggest alcohol involvement of either or both in the couple increases the risk of severe IPV. Our findings also suggest female alcohol use may play an important role in determining the severity of IPV, MFPV or FMPV. Language: en
Linkage of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with frontotemporal dementia to chromosome 9q21-q22

ContextOccasionally, 2 or more major neurodegenerative diseases arise simultaneously. An understanding of the genetic bases of combined disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), will likely provide insight into mechanisms of these and related neurodegenerative diseases.ObjectiveTo identify loci that contain genes whose defects cause ALS.DesignA genome-wide linkage analysis of 2 data sets from an ongoing study begun in the mid-1980s at 4 university research centers.SubjectsAn initial subset of 16 families (549 people) potentially informative for genetic analysis, in which 2 or more individuals were diagnosed as having ALS, identified from a Boston data set of 400 families and 4 families potentially informative (244 people) subsequently identified from a Chicago data set of more than 300 families to test a hypothesis based on findings from the Boston families.Main Outcome MeasuresLinkage calculations assuming autosomal dominant inheritance with age-dependent penetrance (a parametric logarithm-of-odds [lod] score of 1.0 or greater required for further study of a potential locus); crossover analysis involving the ALS-FTD locus.ResultsIn a set of families in which persons develop both ALS and FTD or either ALS or FTD alone, a genetic locus that is linked to ALS with FTD located between markers D9S301 and D9S167 was identified on human chromosome 9q21-q22. Families with ALS alone did not show linkage to this locus. Crossover analysis indicates this region covers approximately 17 cM.ConclusionThese data suggest that a defective gene located in the chromosome 9q21-q22 region may be linked to ALS with FTD.
The role of a clinical pharmacist in a multidisciplinary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis clinic.

AbstractPatients with ALS have complicated medication regimens and many questions about medications. Our multidisciplinary ALS clinic includes a clinical pharmacist, and the purpose of this study was to assess the types and outcomes of consultative interactions. This was a prospective, data collection study of patients seen by the pharmacist at a single ALS clinic visit. The following data were obtained: 1) current medications; 2) number and types of pharmacy interventions; 3) amount of time spent by the pharmacist with each patient. Thirty-seven patients were included. The average number of prescriptions used per patient was 3.59 (0–10) with 1.75 (0–9) used for ALS related indications. The average number of pharmacist interventions was two per patient, with the majority related to medication monitoring and optimizing drug therapy for ALS symptoms. The pharmacist provided education on an average of 2.5 topics per patient. The pharmacist spent an average of 21 (5–50) min with each patient. In conclusion, a...
Automatic discovery of API-level exploits

We argue that finding vulnerabilities in software components is different from finding exploits against them. Exploits that compromise security often use several low-level details of the component, such as layouts of stack frames. Existing software analysis tools, while effective at identifying vulnerabilities, fail to model low-level details, and are hence unsuitable for exploit-finding. We study the issues involved in exploit-finding by considering application programming interface (API) level exploits. A software component is vulnerable to an API-level exploit if its security can be compromised by invoking a sequence of API operations allowed by the component. We present a framework to model low-level details of APIs, and develop an automatic technique based on bounded, infinite-state model checking to discover API-level exploits. We present two instantiations of this framework. We show that format-string exploits can be modeled as API-level exploits, and demonstrate our technique by finding exploits against vulnerabilities in widely-used software. We also use the framework to model a cryptographic-key management API (the IBM CCA) and demonstrate a tool that identifies a previously known exploit.
The ConcurrenC Model of Computation

Embedded system design, in general, can only be successful if it is based on a suitable Model of Computation (MoC) that can be well represented in an executable System-level Description Language (SLDL) and is supported by a matching set of design tools. While C-based SLDLs, such as SystemC and SpecC, are popular in system-level modeling and validation, current tool flows impose serious restrictions on the synthesizable subset of the supported SLDL.
Parenting and adult mood, anxiety and substance use disorders in female twins: an epidemiological, multi-informant, retrospective study.

Background. Although parenting has long been considered an important risk factor for subsequent psychopathology, most investigations of this question have studied a single informant, clinical populations, one or a few disorders and did not consider relevant covariates. Methods. Three dimensions of parenting (coldness, protectiveness and authoritarianism) were measured by combining the retrospective reports from adult female twins, their co-twins, and their mothers and fathers. We assessed by personal interview, lifetime history in the twins of eight common psychiatric and substance abuse disorders and a range of predictors of parenting. Analyses were performed using logistic regression. Results. Examined individually, high levels of coldness and authoritarianism were modestly but significantly associated with increased risk for nearly all disorders, while the impact of protectiveness was more variable. These associations declined modestly when putative predictors of parenting were added as covariates. Maternal and paternal parenting were equally associated with outcomes in adult daughters. When coldness, protectiveness and authoritarianism were examined together, nearly all significant associations were seen solely with coldness. Few significant interactions were found between maternal and paternal parenting or between coldness, protectiveness and authoritarianism. The shared experience of these three dimensions of parenting predicts a quite small correlation in liability to these disorders in dizygotic twin pairs (e.g. r < 0.04). Conclusion. In women, parenting behaviour, especially levels of coldness, is probably causally related to risk for a broad range of adult psychiatric disorders. The impact of parenting on substance use disorders may be largely mediated through their co-morbidity with major depression, phobias and generalized anxiety disorder. In general population samples, the association of poor parenting with psychiatric illness is modest, largely non-specific and explains little of the observed aggregation of these disorders in families.
Update on the therapy of Behçet disease.

Behcet disease is a chronic inflammatory systemic disorder, characterized by a relapsing and remitting course. It manifests with oral and genital ulcerations, skin lesions, uveitis, and vascular, central nervous system and gastrointestinal involvement. The main histopathological finding is a widespread vasculitis of the arteries and veins of any size. The cause of this disease is presumed to be multifactorial involving infectious triggers, genetic predisposition, and dysregulation of the immune system. As the clinical expression of Behcet disease is heterogeneous, pharmacological therapy is variable and depends largely on the severity of the disease and organ involvement. Treatment of Behcet disease continues to be based largely on anecdotal case reports, case series, and a few randomized clinical trials.
When is Encouraging Consumption of Common Property Second Best? Sorting, Congestion and Entry in the Commons

First-best pricing or assignment of property rights for rival and non-excludable goods is often infeasible. In a second-best setting where the social planner cannot limit total use, we show common-property resources can be over or under-consumed. This depends on whether the external benefits of reallocating users to less congested goods outweigh the additional costs imposed by new entrants. Applied to traffic congestion in Los Angeles, we find high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes are under-consumed in the short run and over-consumed in the longer run. Surprisingly, encouraging HOV lane use increases expected congestion costs and decreases welfare on every route we study.
Deterministic test pattern generation techniques for sequential circuits

This paper presents new test generation techniques for improving the average-case performance of the iterative logic array based deterministic sequential circuit test generation algorithms. To be able to assess the effectiveness of the proposed techniques, we have developed a new ATPG system for sequential circuits, called ATOMS, and we have incorporated these techniques into the test generator. ATOMS achieved very high fault coverages in a short amount of time for the ISCAS89 sequential benchmark circuits, demonstrating the effectiveness of these techniques on the test generation performance.
Cystic appearance of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma in the right atrium: case report

A 71-year-old woman presented with a right adnexal solid mass invading the right gonadal vein and inferior vena cava up to the hepatic veins revealed by CT and confirmed by MRI. A thin-walled cyst and a solid mass were unexpectedly found in the right atrium by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the operating room. Using color Doppler and air bubbles as contrast material a circumscribed cyst was confirmed and localized close to the IVC. The cyst was connected to the mass in the inferior vena cava. The tumor, including the cyst, was removed without using cardiopulmonary bypass and described as a low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma, a rare slowly growing tumor. This is the first TEE description of endometrial stromal sarcoma manifesting as a right atrial cyst.
Caribbean sclerosponge radiocarbon measurements re-interpreted in terms of U/Th age models

Previously unpublished AMS radiocarbon measurements of a sclerosponge from tongue of the ocean (TOTO), Bahamas, as well as preliminary data from an investigation of the radiocarbon records of sclerosponges living at different depths in the adjacent Bahamas basin, Exuma Sound, are interpreted in terms of U-series age models. The data are compared to an existing Caribbean sclerosponge radiocarbon bomb curve measured using standard gas proportional beta counting and used to interpret a 210 Pb age model. The D 14 C records from the sclerosponges illustrate a potential for use of radiocarbon both as a tracer of subsurface water masses or as an additional age constraint on recently sampled sclerosponges. By using an independent age model, this study lays the framework for utilizing sclerosponges from different locations in the tropics and subtropics and different depths within their wide depth range (0–250 m) to constrain changes in production of subtropical underwater in the Atlantic Ocean. This framework is significant because the proxy approach is necessary to supplement the short and coarse time series being used to constrain variability in the formation of Caribbean subtropical underwater, the return flow of a shallow circulation cell responsible for nearly 10% of the heat transported poleward in the N. Atlantic. 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Assessment of Failed Arthroscopic Anterior Labral Repairs Findings at Open Surgery

To assess capsulolabral lesions present in patients after unsuccessful arthroscopic procedures, we reviewed the records of 20 patients who had undergone open shoulder procedures after unsuccessful arthroscopic Bankart procedures for chronic shoulder instability. The Bankart lesion had initially been repaired arthroscopically by transglenoid sutures (N = 10), bioabsorbable tacks (N = 7), suture anchors (N = 2), or arthroscopic screws (N = 1). Five of the 20 patients (25%) had reinjuries to the shoulder after the arthroscopic procedure. The average time from the arthroscopic to the open procedure was 17.9 months. Overall, 12 of the 20 patients (60%) had healed Bankart lesions at the time of open surgery. Eight of the 20 patients (40%) were found to have persistent Bankart lesions, and 15 of the 20 patients (75%) were found to have redundant anterior capsules. The presence of a persistent Bankart lesion significantly correlated with postarthroscopic dislocation, and the presence of capsular laxity significantly correlated with postarthroscopic subluxation. We concluded that capsular laxity is difficult to quantify arthroscopically and is present in a significant percentage of patients with chronic traumatic shoulder instability. Failure to successfully treat either the Bankart lesion or capsular laxity at the time of an arthroscopic Bankart procedure may lead to postoperative instability.
FAMILY STRUCTURE AND INCOME INEQUALITY IN FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN, 1976 TO 2000*

Using 24 years of data from the March supplements to the Current Population Survey and detailed categories of family structure, including cohabiting unions, I assess the contribution of changes in family structure to the dramatic rise in family income inequality. Between 1976 and 2000, family structure shifts explain 41% of the increase in inequality, but the influence of family structure change is not uniform within this period or across racial-ethnic groups. In general, the estimated role of family structure change is inversely related to the magnitude of the changes in inequality. Furthermore, by including cohabitation, I find lower levels of total inequality and a weaker role for demographic shifts in family structure for trends in income inequality.