cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polycrystalline Silicon Thin Film Formed By Multiple Pulsed Rapid Thermal Annealing – Intrinsic a-Si Film Thickness Effect

The polycrystalline n+/intrinsic silicon thin film stacks with various original intrinsic amorphous silicon layer thicknesses were formed using the multiple pulsed rapid thermal annealing process with the Ni-induced crystallization mechanism. The thick polycrystalline silicon stack was prepared by repeated steps of 1) amorphous silicon thin film deposition, 2) solution oxidation, 3) dehydrogenation, 4) pulsed rapid thermal annealing, and 5) oxide stripping. The poly-Si film properties, such as the grain size, orientation, and volume fraction of the crystalline phase, were related to the original intrinsic silicon film thickness and the total thermal budget. This process is effective in preparing the high volume fraction polycrystalline silicon thin film, which is important for low-cost thin-film solar cells, electronic and optoelectronic devices.
Clinical features and endovascular management of iliac artery fibromuscular dysplasia.

Abstract Purpose To identify the spectrum of clinical presentation of iliac artery fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) and to evaluate the outcomes of endovascular management of iliac artery FMD for claudication. Materials and Methods All patients in a single institution with a diagnosis of FMD between January 1980 and December 2010 were identified. Iliac artery FMD was present in 14 patients. Associated risk factors included hypertension (79%), hyperlipidemia (64%), smoking history (36%), coronary artery disease (21%), diabetes (0%), and obesity (36%). Results In eight (57%) patients, iliac artery FMD was incidentally found on imaging. Lifestyle-limiting claudication involving one or both extremities was present in six (43%) patients. All six patients were reported to have mild peripheral arterial disease based on ankle-brachial index measurements (0.7–0.9). These six patients underwent 10 endovascular procedures for claudication, including angioplasty (n = 8) and self-expanding stent placement (n = 2). Mean symptom-free survival was 56.3 months. Conclusions Iliac artery FMD that is amenable to endovascular treatment may be found incidentally or may manifest with disabling claudication.
Generation and Memory for Contextual Detail.

Generation enhances item memory but may not enhance other aspects of memory. In 12 experiments, the author investigated the effect of generation on context memory, motivated in part by the hypothesis that generation produces a trade-off in encoding item and contextual information. Participants generated some study words (e.g., hot-c__) and read others (e.g., hot-cold). Generation consistently enhanced item memory but did not enhance context memory. More specifically, generation disrupted context memory for the color of the target word but did not affect context memory for location, background color, and cue-word color. The specificity of the negative generation effect in context memory argues against a general item-context trade-off. A processing account of generation meets greater success. In addition, the results provide no evidence that generation enhances recollection of contextual details.
Lipid‐associated sialic acid, squamous cell carcinoma antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen, and lactic dehydrogenase levels as tumor markers in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Background. Circulating tumor markers are valuable adjuncts in the management of several malignant lesions, including germ cell tumors and adenocarcinomas of the breast, colon, prostate, and ovary. However (to the authors' knowledge), currently, no serologic markers have been shown to have prognostic value for patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN). Methods. Novel and existing markers were evaluated prospectively in patients with SCCHN. The levels of lipid-associated sialic acids (LASA), squamous cell carcinoma circulating antigen (SCC-Ag), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were evaluated in 52 patients: 42 with active measurable SCCHN and 10 with no clinical evidence of active disease after treatment (NED). Results. In patients with active disease, LASA, SCC-Ag, CEA, and LDH were elevated in 71%, 33%, 27%, and 18%, respectively, and in seven patients with distant metastasis (MI) in 100%, 86%, 57%, and 33%, respectively. None of the markers were elevated in the NED group. The incidence and magnitude of LASA and SCC-Ag elevations correlated with the extent of disease (active disease versus NED, Stage III versus IV, TO-3 versus T4 primary lesions, M0 versus M1). LDH and CEA elevations correlated primarily with the presence of distant metastases. Conclusions. LASA appears to be a promising sensitive marker of SCCHN, followed in decreasing order of sensitivity by SCC-Ag, CEA, and LDH. Additional study to evaluate the specificity of LASA and its correlation with tumor response to therapy is warranted.
Covariant superspace with unconstrained fields

Abstract A variant of the usual superspace formalism is proposed. All superfields depend only on the θ's, not the θ 's, and integrations or differentiations with respect to the θ 's never appear. The fields in the Wess-Zumino model are unconstrained.
On the Negative Effects of E‐Commerce: A Sociocognitive Exploration of Unregulated On‐line Buying

There is mounting anecdotal and survey evidence of unregulated buying on the Internet, including impulsive and compulsive buying that in extreme cases may constitute a behavioral addiction. Learning theory models of unregulated buying were critically reviewed and reconceptualized in terms of the self-regulatory mechanism from Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory. A new explanation of unregulated buying was proposed in which depression weakens effective self-regulation. Features that may have encouraged or discouraged unregulated buying were identified at popular electronic commerce sites. Many features may have disrupted accurate self-observation and fostered advantageous social comparisons with other excessive shoppers. The potential for unregulated consumption to disrupt orderly electronic marketplaces was discussed.
Cheshire charge and magnetic current on Alice strings from continuous solutions to the Yang-Mills equations.

We formulate the theory of Alice strings directly in terms of continuous solutions of the Yang-Mills equations, without introducing an explicitly discontinuous electric charge operator. Cheshire charge arises as the (gauge-noncovariant) charge density in charged gauge-boson fields around the string. In an appropriate gauge this becomes a thin charged sheet, giving the expected discontinuity in the electric field. By a gauge transformation the Cheshire charge of a loop can be replaced by Cheshire magnetic current density.
Propagation of measurement errors in oxygen consumption algorithms.

Oxygen consumption is often determined by combining the results of several different measurements. Because each of these measurements contains an error or uncertainty, the resultant determination of the oxygen consumption will also contain some combination of these measurement errors. We have performed a sensitivity analysis on several algorithms which are used to determine oxygen consumption. The analysis shows how the measurement errors combine in each algorithm and determine the final error in the oxygen consumption value. In one algorithm, 1 per cent measurement errors can produce a 32 per cent error in the determination of oxygen consumption whereas in another algorithm, under the same conditions, the 1 per cent measurement errors can cause an overall error as low as 2 per cent. The analysis shows how small improvements in measurement accuracy can yield large improvements in the accuracy of the oxygen consumption value and circumstances in which large improvements in measurement accuracy will produce only small increases in the accuracy of the oxygen consumption determination.
Using Copula distributions to support more accurate imaging-based diagnostic classifiers for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Abstract Many investigators have tried to apply machine learning techniques to magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of the brain in order to diagnose neuropsychiatric disorders. Usually the number of brain imaging measures (such as measures of cortical thickness and measures of local surface morphology) derived from the MRIs (i.e., their dimensionality) has been large (e.g. > 10) relative to the number of participants who provide the MRI data (
Using protected areas as a tool for biodiversity conservation and ecotourism: a case study of Kakum National Park in Ghana.

Increasingly, conservationists and policymakers are using protected areas as a tool for biodiversity conservation and ecotourism. This article discusses livelihood challenges associated with the use of protected areas as a tool for ecotourism at the Kakum National Park in Ghana. The article reveals that most residents in villages close to the park have not realized the expected benefits of ecotourism despite giving up access to resources inside park boundaries more than a decade ago. However, one of the villages has been innovative in using the creation of the park to improve livelihoods in the community and could therefore serve as a model to others.
Algorithms for time-dependent chromatographic peak areas: II. Resolution of overlapped chromatograms for two- and three-component samples

Abstract This paper introduces a new approach for the quantitative resolution of overlapped chromatographic peaks. In this new approach, sigmoid models are used to resolve area versus time data for overlapped chromatographic responses. The capability of the approach to resolve peak areas was evaluated for artificially overlapped chromatographic peaks and real unresolved multicomponent samples with degrees of resolution from 1.53 to 0.39 and peak-height ratios (leading/trailing) from 0.15 to 5.94. Results demonstrated the feasibility of using area data rather than peak data to resolve components that are not fully resolved in chromatographic processes. The degree of peak overlap has less impact on the sigmoid-based options than on a conventional peak-shaped option using the exponentially modified Gaussian (EMG) model. For small degrees of overlap (Rs>0.7), performance characteristics for the sigmoid-based models are similar to those for the EMG model. However, for larger degrees of overlap (Rs
On plural reference and elementary set theory

The view that plural reference is reference to a set is examined in light of George Boolos's treatment of second-order quantification as plural quantification in English. I argue that monadic second-order logic does not, in Boolos's treatment, reflect the behavior of plural quantifiers under negation and claim that any sentence that properly translates a second-order formula, in accordance with his treatment, has a first-order formulation. Support for this turns on the use of certain partitive constructions to assign values to variables in a way that makes Boolos's reading of second-order variables available for a first-order language and, with it, the possibility of interpreting quantification in an unrestricted domain.
Background sodium current underlying respiratory rhythm regularity.

Rhythm-generating neural circuits underlying diverse behaviors such as locomotion, sleep states, digestion and respiration play critical roles in our lives. Irregularities in these rhythmic behaviors characterize disease states--thus, it is essential that we identify the ionic and/or cellular mechanisms that are necessary for triggering these rhythmic behaviors on a regular basis. Here, we examine which ionic conductances underlie regular or 'stable' respiratory activities, which are proposed to underlie eupnea, or normal quiet breathing. We used a mouse in vitro medullary slice preparation containing the rhythmogenic respiratory neural circuit, called the preBotzinger complex (preBotC), that underlies inspiratory respiratory activity. We varied either [K(+)](o) or [Na(+)](o), or blocked voltage-gated calcium channels, while recording from synaptically isolated respiratory pacemakers, and examined which of these manipulations resulted in their endogenous bursting becoming more irregular. Of these, lowering [Na(+)](o) increased the irregularity of endogenous bursting by synaptically isolated pacemakers. Lowering [Na(+)](o) also decreased the regularity of fictive eupneic activity generated by the ventral respiratory group (VRG) population and hypoglossal motor output. Voltage clamp data indicate that lowering [Na(+)](o), in a range that results in irregular population rhythm generation, decreased persistent sodium currents, but not transient sodium currents underlying action potentials. Our data suggest that background sodium currents play a major role in determining the regularity of the fictive eupneic respiratory rhythm.
Plasma Somatomedin-C as a screening test for growth hormone deficiency in children and adolescents

Random plasma somatomedin-C levels were measured in 101 children aged 7 months to 18 years with growth at or below the 5th percentile. 87 of 101 had short stature due to constitutional delay or genetic predisposition and 14 were growth hormone deficient. In the short normal group mean somatomedin-C levels were: 0-2 years: 0.22±0.02U/ml; 2-5 years: 0.28±0.06U/ml; 5-12 years: 0.78±0.1U/ml; 12-18 years: 1.22±0.16U/ml; compared with 0.23±0.04U/ml in the growth hormone deficient children. 55 of 101 had somatomedin-C levels of 0.5U/ml, and had one or more growth hormone stimulation tests. All 14 growth hormone deficient patients fell into this group (range: 0.09-0.47U/ml). The 41 normal patients in this group (growth hormone 6ng/ml) were distibuted among the entire 87 normals as follows: 0-2 years: 10/10; 2-5 years: 19/23; 5-12 years: 11/30; 12-18 years: 1/24. There was considerable overlap of values among growth hormone deficient and short normal children under 12 years of age, but a clear separation above 12 years. In 5 of 6 patients in whom 2 measurements were made, there were major differences in these levels. 1) Random somatomedin-C levels lack specificity in screening for growth hormone deficiency under the age of 12 years. 2) The variation of levels in individual patients necessitates further study to identify a possible diurnal or pulsatile secretory pattern. 3) A standardized time of sampling should be considered.
A polypeptide bound by the chaperonin groEL is localized within a central cavity

Abstract Chaperonins are oligomeric protein complexes that play an essential role in the cell, mediating ATP-dependent polypeptide chain folding in a variety of cellular compartments. They appear to bind early folding intermediates, preventing their aggregation; in the presence of MgATP and a cochaperonin, bound polypeptides are released in a stepwise manner, associated with folding to the native state. Chaperonin complexes appear in the electron microscope as cylindrical structures, usually composed of two stacked rings, each containing, by negative staining, an electron dense central "hole" approximately 6.0 nm in diameter. We sought to identify the site on the Escherichia coli chaperonin groEL, where the "molten globule"-like intermediate of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) becomes bound, by examining in the scanning transmission electron microscope complexes formed between groEL and DHFR molecules bearing covalently crosslinked 1.4-nm gold clusters. In top views of the groEL complexes, gold densities were observed in the central region; in side views, the densities were seen at the end portions of the cylinders, corresponding to positions within the individual rings. In some cases, two gold densities were observed in the same groEL complex. We conclude that folding intermediates are bound inside central cavities within individual chaperonin rings. In this potentially sequestered location, folding intermediates with a compact conformation can be bound at multiple sites by surrounding monomeric members of the ring; localization of folding within the cavity could also facilitate rebinding of structures that initially fail to incorporate properly into the folding protein.
Stalin's harem: the spectator's dilemma in late 1930s Soviet film

AbstractThis article analyses the topos of women's community in Stalinist films of the late 1930s. It shows how these films both eroticized the groups of women on screen and asked spectators to feel themselves a part of them through the powerfully affective functions of the cinematic apparatus. Further, by diverting the erotic gaze to Stalin and the Party/State, these films posed a dilemma to the contemporary spectator as to how he or she was supposed to negotiate the fantasies presented on screen. The article argues that groups of women established possibilities for identification and avenues for desire that undermined normative gender roles, asking men to be just as much a member of Stalin's ‘harem’ as women, and potentially opening avenues of lesbian desire for women.
The Fifth Wave: The New Tribalism? 1

This article builds on David Rapoport's Four Waves Theory by identifying several anomalous movements which did not appear to precisely fit with the internationalist model posited in Rapoport's Four Waves. Specifically, groups which I have called Fifth Wave movements have turned inward, becoming localistic rather than international, and manifest intense ethnic, racial, or tribal mysticism. They are millenarian and chiliastic in nature, and seek to create a new society—based on the creation of new men and women—in a single generation. Fifth Wave movements thus focus strongly on women and see children as the vanguard of their movements. Following this logic, rape is their signature tactic and child abduction their normal recruiting practice. This study posits the pre-state Khmer Rouge in Cambodia as the avatar of the current Fifth Wave, but finds that after a nearly generation-long hiatus, the fifth wave in its fully modern form emerged in Africa with the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda as its paradigmatic ...
Angiosarcomas of the Head and Neck: Clinical and Pathologic Characteristics

Between 1974 and 1992, 32 patients with pathologically diagnosed angiosarcomaofthe head and neck were evaluated at our institution. The primary treatment group consisted of 24 patients who had the initial diagnosis made or confirmed at our institution, and the other 8 patients formed the salvage group. There were 23 men and 9 women. The median age in the primary treatment group was 63 years (range 18 to 91 years). The overall median survival among the primary group patients was 4.8 years, and the 3-year survival was estimated to be 57% (95% confidence interval 39% to 84%). The median follow-up was 2.1 years (range 83 days to 9.7 years). Patients who had tumors less than 7.0 cm in diameter and tumors with invasion only to the subcutaneous tissues had better overall survival and longer time to first adverse event. Diploid DNA content was a significant favorable prognostic factor for time to first adverse event. Mitotic activity was of borderline significance with both end points. Patients who had tumors of less than 1.5 cm were treated successfully with surgery alone. Patients treated with combined surgery and radiotherapy also tended to do better. Because most patients in whom regional recurrences developed had tumors larger than 7.0 cm, we conclude that patients with tumors of this size may benefit from regional neck node dissection at the time of primary excision or from elective neck irradiation.
Structural Characterization and Comparative Phylogenetic Analysis of Escherichia coli HemK, a Protein (N5)-glutamine Methyltransferase

Abstract Protein glutamine methylation at GGQ sites of protein chain release factors plays a pivotal role in the termination of translation. We report here the crystal structure of the Escherichia coli HemK protein (N5)-glutamine methyltransferase (MTase) in a binary complex with the methyl-donor product S -adenosyl- l -homocysteine (AdoHcy). HemK contains two domains: a putative substrate binding domain at the N terminus consisting of a five helix bundle and a seven-stranded catalytic domain at the C terminus that harbors the binding site for AdoHcy. The two domains are linked by a β-hairpin. Structure-guided sequence analysis of the HemK family revealed 11 invariant residues functioning in methyl-donor binding and catalysis of methyl transfer. The putative substrate-binding domains of HemK from E. coli and Thermotoga maritima are structurally similar, despite the fact that they share very little sequence similarity. When the two proteins are aligned structurally, the helical N-terminal domain is subject to approximately 10° of hinge movement relative to the C-terminal domain. The apparent hinge mobility of the two domains may reflect functional importance during the reaction cycle. Comparative phylogenetic analysis of the hemK gene and its frequent neighbor gene, prfA , which encodes a major substrate, provides evidence for several examples of lateral gene transfer.
Digestibility and Lignocellulose Composition of Forage Corn Morphological Components

Hot weather, limited rainfall during the growing season, and low soil fertility limit corn (Zea mays L.) production for silage in south central USA (e.g., Texas). Our objective was to examine the effects of supplemental irrigation, plant density, and N rate on quality of forage maize. Pioneer brand hybrid 3165 was planted at four densities (7 250, 14 500, 29 000, and 58 000 plants/acre) in rows spaced 3-ft apart in 1987, 1988, and 1989. Nitrogen was applied at 0, 160, or 320 lb/acre each year. Plots were either not irrigated or received supplemental irrigation when plants exhibited leaf rolling. Treatments were arranged as split-split plots randomized in four complete blocks. Water treatments were whole plots, N rates subplots, and plant densities were sub-subplots. Plots were harvested at dent stage of grain (33 to 37 % dry matter). Whole plants, leaf blades, and stalks were analyzed for in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), acid detergent fiber (ADF), cellulose, and acid detergent lignin (ADL; except leaf blades) via near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). In 1987, concentrations of ADF, ADL, and cellulose increased by 20 to 40 %, whereas IVTD was reduced by 4 to 6 % in all components with increased plant density when 160 or 320 ld N/acre was applied, whereas under 0 N fiber concentrations and IVTD changed little, if any, with increased plant density. Supplemental irrigation did not affect whole-plant forage quality, whereas IVTD of leaf blades and stalks from irrigated plots was reduced by 3 to 5 %, respectively, with applied N in 1988 but not in 1987 or 1989. Quality of corn forage may have to be considered in plant density recommendations
Rhizosphere physiology of crested wheatgrass and legume seedlings: Root‐shoot carbohydrate interactions

Abstract Energy‐dependent physiological functions in roots depend upon the translocation of respiratory substrates within the plants for metabolic energy. Root H+ efflux and chemical reduction mechanisms can be limited by the allocation of photoassimilates and stored reserves to the roots. The limitation was shown to be particularly significant in germinating seedlings with depleted cotyledonary supplies before new leaves developed into exporter organs. This is a sensitive period in seedling establishment. Environmental stresses that influence carbohydrate availability in soybean (Glycine max L. (Merr.), snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and crested wheatgrass (Agropyron spp. L.) plants altered the rhizosphere physiology. Elevated temperatures which increased respiration rates led to Fe‐chlorosis symptoms in temperature‐intolerant genotypes. Treatments with respirable substrates stimulated Fe‐deficiency stress‐response functions in the plants. Grasses (Strategy II plants) are believed to rely on the prod...
Use of epidemiological data in the diagnosis of physical child abuse: Variations in response to hypothetical cases☆

This study was undertaken to determine whether epidemiological data describing the injuries associated with unintentional trauma could help physicians differentiate intentional from unintentional injury. The authors also wished to determine if case and physician-specific factors altered how epidemiological data were used. Study subjects were 280 physicians who had registered for an advanced course in pediatric life support. Responses were received from 166 (59%); 48% were pediatricians and 37% had trained in emergency medicine. Case vignettes were written describing a child's fall from a highchair. The vignettes systematically varied the type of injury sustained, the presence of a social risk factor, and whether the child was followed by a primary care provider. Vignettes were administered with and without provision of epidemiological data describing injuries associated with highchair falls. Each study participant received one vignette, and was asked to mark, on a 0-100 scale, their confidence in the injury history given. In vignettes where the presenting injury (femur fracture) would not be expected based on the epidemiological data, the availability of data appropriately decreased confidence that the injury was unintentional (average decrease = 14.3, 95% confidence limits = 3.8 to 25.9). When the presenting injury (skull fracture) matched the epidemiological data, its availability did not alter confidence (average change = 0.5, 95% to -13.1 to + 12.1). The impact of a contrast between presenting injury and data varied with specialty: It caused a marked drop in confidence among pediatricians but caused no change among emergency room/intensive care unit (ER/ICU) physicians. Data did, however, lead ER/ICU physicians to respond more strongly to a social risk cue (mean confidence 14.9 vs. 42.4, p less than .05) than they had in the absence of data. We concluded that epidemiological data has the potential for influencing physician decision-making in cases of suspected maltreatment, but that its impact may vary among physicians with differing training.
Characterization of a prostate-specific tyrosine phosphatase by mutagenesis and expression in human prostate cancer cells.

The cellular form of human prostatic acid phosphatase (PAcP) is a neutral protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) and may play a key role in regulating the growth and androgen responsiveness of prostate cancer cells. The functional role of the enzyme is at least due in part to its dephosphorylation of c-ErbB-2, anin vivo substrate of the enzyme. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of phosphotyrosine dephosphorylation by cellular PAcP. We mutated several amino acid residues including one cysteine residue that was proposed to be involved in the PTP activity of the enzyme by serving as the phosphate acceptor. The cDNA constructs of mutant enzymes were transiently transfected into C-81 LNCaP and PC-3 human prostate cancer cells that lack the endogenous PAcP expression. The phosphotyrosine level of ErbB-2 in these transfected cells was subsequently analyzed. Our results demonstrated that the phosphotyrosine level of ErbB-2 in cells expressing H12A or D258A mutant PAcP is similar to that in control cells without PAcP expression, suggesting that these mutants are incapable of dephosphorylating ErbB-2. In contrast, cells expressing C183A, C281A, or wild-type PAcP had a decreased phosphotyrosine level of ErbB-2, compared with the control cells. Similar results were obtained from in vitro dephosphorylation of immunoprecipitated ErbB-2 by these mutant enzymes. Furthermore, transient expression of C183A, C281A, or the wild-type enzyme, but not H12A or D258A, decreased the growth rate of C-81 LNCaP cells. The data collectively indicate that His-12 and Asp-258, but not Cys-183 or Cys-281, are required for the PTP activity of PAcP.
Rapid Induction of Hypothermia by the ThermoSuit System Profoundly Reduces Infarct Size and Anatomic Zone of No Reflow Following Ischemia-Reperfusion in Rabbit and Rat Hearts.

Introduction:Although hypothermia reduces myocardial infarct size, noninvasive and rapid cooling methods are lacking. This study tests the effectiveness of a novel cooling apparatus on myocardial i...
Conversion of ureteral action potential by metal ions.

Abstract 1. 1. Mn2+, Cr3+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Co2+ and Ni2+ (0·3-1·5 mM) converted intracellular action potentials of guinea-pig ureter to plateau-type. Their effects were similar to those of decreasing external Ca2+ level and could be antagonized by elevating it. The fundamental similarity among ureters of guinea-pig, rabbit and rat was shown, though action potential types were different according to the animal species. 2. 2. The magnitudes of resting and action potentials and the durations and conduction velocities of action potentials were determined in rabbit and rat ureters in normal saline and in guinea-pig ureter in the presence of these metal ions. The space constant of guinea-pig ureter was 2·4 ± 0·2 mm.
Clinical experience with a triphasic oral contraceptive in healthy nonsmoking women aged 35 to 45 years: results of a multicenter trial.

Abstract This multicenter, outpatient trial was a six-cycle, open-label study of cycle control and safety associated with the use of triphasic levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol tablets in 218 healthy, nonsmoking volunteer women ranging in age from 35 to 45 years. During the trial, timely withdrawal bleeding with no breakthrough bleeding or spotting occurred in 85.2% of the cycles; 1% were amenorrheic. The incidence of total intermenstrual bleeding was 13.8%; breakthrough bleeding with or without spotting and spotting alone occurred in 4.9% and 8.9% of cycles, respectively. The mean cycle length was 23.4 days for cycle 1 after a day 1 start and 28.3 days for cycles 2 through 6. No pregnancies occurred during treatment. One or more drug-related side effects were reported by 93 subjects. The most frequently reported side effects were headache, dysmenorrhea, and breast pain. The side effects that were reported were typical of those commonly associated with oral contraceptive use. No clinically significant changes in total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, or triglycerides were observed. Seventeen subjects withdrew for medical reasons. The results of this study indicate that this triphasic combination is a reliable, efficacious, and well-tolerated means of contraception in healthy, nonsmoking women aged 35 to 45 years.
Segmental absence of the aortic wall: Magnetic resonance imaging sign of aneurysm

Abstract A thin-walled, posttraumatic false aneurysm of the descending aorta in a 32-year-old man was obvious on chest radiography, computed tomography, and aortography. The wall of the aneurysm was not visualized on a magnetic; resonance imaging study. However, a segmental absence of the lateral wall of the descending aorta indicated the level of the abnormality. This finding was not observed on 100 consecutive normal aortas studied with gated magnetic resonance imaging. It was observed in 2 of 50 normal aortas on nongated thoracic magnetic resonance imaging.
Novel mode of action of angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitors: direct activation of bradykinin B1 receptor.

Angiotensin I converting enzyme (kininase II; ACE) inhibitors are important therapeutic agents widely used for treatment in cardiovascular and renal diseases. They inhibit angiotensin II release and bradykinin inactivation; these actions do not explain completely the clinical benefits. We found that enalaprilat and other ACE inhibitors in nanomolar concentrations activate human bradykinin B1 receptors directly in the absence of ACE and the B1 agonist des-Arg10-Lys1-bradykinin. These inhibitors activate at the Zn2+-binding consensus sequence HEXXH (195–199) in B1, which is present also in ACE but not in the B2 receptor. Activation elevates [Ca2+]i and releases NO from endothelial or transfected cells expressing the B1 receptor but is blocked by Ca-EDTA, a B1 receptor antagonist, the synthetic undecapeptide sequence (192–202) of B1, and the mutagenesis of His195 to Ala195. Except for the B1 antagonist, these agents and manipulations did not block activation by a peptide ligand. Thus, Zn2+ is essential for B1 receptor activation by ACE inhibitors at the zinc-binding consensus sequence. Ischemia or cytokines induce abundant B1 receptor expression. B1 receptor activation by ACE inhibitors, a novel mode of action reported here first, can contribute to their therapeutic effects by releasing NO in the heart and to some side effects.
Scototaxis and shape discrimination in the female cricket Acheta domesticus in an arena and on a compensatory treadmill

ABSTRACT. The scototactic responses of adult female Acheta domesticus L. were tested toward various shaped targets in an orientation arena and on a compensatory treadmill. In an arena, crickets oriented toward dark targets (positive scototaxis) if they had horizontal visual angles ≥30d, and if the vertical dimensions of the target was ≤ its horizontal dimension. Unattractive targets did not result in negative scototaxis but caused crickets to orient randomly with no net directionality. When complex targets were composed of two or more simple rectangular targets which had been previously defined as attractive or unattractive, intermediate responses were obtained. Crickets oriented less toward complex targets than toward simple attractive targets, but oriented more than toward simple unattractive targets. The responses of a female cricket toward an attractive target can be modified by the presence of a chemical signal emitted by previously tested females. When the signal is present females are less likely to orient toward a target that would otherwise be very attractive. This effect was not as great when the females being tested were taken directly from densely populated colonies. When running on a compensatory treadmill, female crickets exhibit scototactic tendencies similar to those displayed in the arena. When tested on the treadmill over long periods, the amount of time spent orienting toward an attractive target increased.
Comparison of glycosylated and deglycosylated vitellins from four species of weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

1. 1. The vitellins or yolk proteins of four species of weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) consist of two size classes with molecular weights of 150–170 and 42–47 kilo daltons (kDa). 2. 2. The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis, has one large vitellin while Smicronyx fulvus, S. sordidus, and Cylindrocopturus adspersus each have two large vitellins. 3. 3. All four weevils have a single small vitellin whose size differs with genera. 4. 4. In all four species both large and small vitellins contain N-linked glycosyl groups. 5. 5. Enzymatic removal of the N-linked glycosyl chains lowers the molecular weight of the vitellins 9–17%.
The Presidential Appointment Process, Task Environment Pressures, and Regional Office Case Processing

This research examines the impact of changes in the presidential appoint ment process on case processing in the regional offices of regulatory boards using the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as a case in point. While controlling for regionally determined factors, this study investigates whether changes in the presidential appointment process influence clien tele strategies and the decision-making routines of regional offices. The results show that changes in the presidential appointment process, group strength, and unemployment differentially influence case-filtering and clientele filing behavior in NLRB regional offices generally, and particularly in those offices where clientele are weak or caseloads are low. Only changes in the presidential appointment process had a significant influ ence on both staff and clientele behavior
Integrating ethics in design through the value-sensitive design approach.

The Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) has declared that to achieve accredited status, “engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.” Many engineering professors struggle to integrate this required ethics instruction in technical classes and projects because of the lack of a formalized ethics-in-design approach. However, one methodology developed in human-computer interaction research, the Value-Sensitive Design approach, can serve as an engineering education tool which bridges the gap between design and ethics for many engineering disciplines. The three major components of Value-Sensitive Design, conceptual, technical, and empirical, exemplified through a case study which focuses on the development of a command and control supervisory interface for a military cruise missile.
Preliminary observations of the aquatic insects of the smoky mountains: altitudinal zonation in the spring

The aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna in seven ‘hypocrenon’ streams, located on the southeast facing slope of a single ridge in the Smoky Mountains, was qualitatively sampled. The samples were collected at seven different altitudes. This design permitted an analysis of faunistic variations along an altitudinal gradient.
Citric acid in tissues of normal and dystrophic animals.

THE exact role of citric acid in the body is not yet fully understood. However, citric acid in body fluids seems to adjust itself to calcium-levels; when calcium is increased, citric acid is increased too1.
Employee job rights: Foundation considerations

Employee job rights have become a controversial issue, with some courts ruling employees have a fundamental right in retaining their job. Employment at will and assigning the worker a property right to his job are examined from three paradigms of social interaction. An alternative model is presented, and is more consistent with each of the three paradigms.
Understanding Reorganizations of Divisionalized Companies

This paper reports the results of a longitudinal study of company-wide reorganizations in divisionalized companies. Characteristics, beliefs, and strategies of top management groups were found to b...
Space and aeronautics: An alternative launching medium: Accelerating payloads by electromagnetic force may one day prove an alternative to conventional rockets

Discusses the possibilities of electromagnetic launchers for space exploration and their advantages over the chemical rockets so far used. Looks at work done in the recent past and some now being done.
Quantum Mechanical Methods and the Interpretation and Prediction of Pericyclic Reaction Mechanisms

The computational study of pericyclic reactions, an important general class of organic reactions, now provides information about the transition structures of these processes with chemical accuracy, as judged by comparisons with experimental data, such as activation energies, substituent effects on rates, and kinetic isotope effects. This article introduces the methods used to study these reactions and describes how computational results have contributed to the understanding of transition states and mechanisms of the electrocyclic ring openings of cyclobutenes, Diels−Alder cycloaddition reactions, and [3,3]-sigmatropic shifts such as the Cope rearrangement.
Two important polymers cross paths

In an intriguing article by Gomez-Garcia and Kornberg in this issue of PNAS (1), two important polymers, inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) and F-actin, cross paths. Poly P, a ubiquitous polymer found in the environment and in all bacterial, fungal, animal, and plant cells, is an obvious energy store with high-energy phospho-anhydride bonds. Poly P is involved in a wide variety of critical cellular functions. It is, for example, essential for bacterial responses to stresses and starvation, as well as for survival (2). As an anion, it chelates Mg2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Fe3+ and affects their roles in the cell, and it also sequesters toxic metals such as Hg+ and Cd2+. As a polyanion, the flexible and relatively stable poly P can be localized in the cell and used in response to a wide variety of metabolic needs (3). The enzymology of poly P has been elucidated primarily in the laboratory of Kornberg at Stanford University (2). The first enzyme activity for poly P synthesis was described in 1956 (4). Now known as PPK1 (poly P kinase 1), the gene for this enzyme was knocked out in Dictyostelium (H. Zhang, personal communication), revealing a second activity, DdPPK2, with remarkably different properties (1). As described below, the enzymatic activity of DdPPK2 is highly unusual in that it depends on and is coincident with assembly of the enzyme into a polymer, a property that it shares with the ubiquitous protein actin. Biochemists have been studying actin since the 1940s. Actin is a highly conserved protein with >90% identity between yeast and human and serves a multitude of cellular functions (5). In its filamentous form (F-actin), it provides tracks along which a variety of myosin motors move carrying diverse cellular components to be …
Better understanding the small business construct to advance research on delivering workplace health and safety

AbstractA critical step toward advancing research for achieving greater impact on occupational safety and health in small businesses is to have a better understanding of what is meant by the term ‘small business’. The term needs to reflect not only the number of people employed and the financial resources of an enterprise, but also the psychosocial experience of the people that are represented in small businesses. In this article we discuss the role of several dimensions in differentially defining the small business construct, including: number of employees, business age, structure, workforce, manager centricity, and culture. As greater consensus on the small business label is reached, more focused frameworks for small business occupational safety and health research, policy and practice may be developed.
Low-Dispersion Spiral Antennas

A two-arm power spiral antenna with inherently low dispersion is proposed. Analytical, computational, and experimental steps are taken to demonstrate its superior time domain performance. When compared with conventional Archimedean and equiangular spirals, up to 40% improved fidelity factor and pulse compression are achieved. It is, however also shown that the power spiral's mid and high band axial ratio is compromised. To enhance the power spiral's frequency domain characteristics, a combined Archimedean/power spiral is developed. VSWR below 2:1, clean patterns with wobble on the wave (WoW) and axial ratio <; 3 dB over multi-octave wide bandwidth, all similar to those of well-performed frequency domain spirals, and more than 34% fidelity factor improvement over the wide-field of view are achieved. Herein presented results show that the proposed spiral topology can have simultaneously good frequency and time domain characteristics and no additional hardware or software is needed to enhance either.
Does a Marriage Ideal Exist? Using Q-Sort Methodology to Compare Young Adults’ and Professional Educators’ Views on Healthy Marriages

This study sought to understand whether young adults and family educators share beliefs about the components of a successful relationship. Young adults viewed successful relationships as having partners who agree on most issues. Educators characterized successful partners as exhibiting positive communication patterns and using relationship maintenance strategies. A third prototype included young adults and educators who described successful relationships in terms of agreement and problem solving behaviors. Implications for researchers and practitioners conclude the article.
Gemcitabine combination chemotherapy of ovarian cancer

Abstract Objective Used alone, gemcitabine has shown modest, albeit significant, activity in patients with ovarian cancer. The response rate is usually greater when it is used in combination with other agents, and many combinations of gemcitabine show promise. This review summarizes the results of clinical trials where gemcitabine has been used in combination with other cytotoxic agents for the treatment of ovarian cancer in both newly diagnosed patients and those whose disease recurred despite heavy prior treatment. Methods The results of several clinical trials in which gemcitabine was used in combination with platinum compounds, paclitaxel, or other chemotherapeutic agents as either first-line or salvage therapy of ovarian cancer were reviewed. Results Gemcitabine appears to act synergistically when combined with a platinum compound, producing response rates as high as 71% in previously untreated patients. The addition of paclitaxel to this combination was even more effective for first-line therapy. When used in the salvage setting, combinations of gemcitabine with cisplatin or carboplatin and/or other cytotoxic agents were also effective and well tolerated. Conclusions Combinations of gemcitabine with platinum compounds and/or other chemotherapeutic agents have significant activity with acceptable toxicity in patients with ovarian cancer, whether used as first-line therapy or in the salvage setting. The exact dosing and different mechanism of action of gemcitabine make it attractive for these combinations.
Tissue specific membrane association of α1T, a truncated form of the α1 subunit of the Na pump

We have assessed the Na pump α-subunit isoform content utilizing site directed antibodies in two vascular smooth muscle (VSM) preparations known to contain functional Na pump sites, VSM microsomal fractions (Na+,K+-ATPase) and intact primary confluent cells (ouabain inhibited 86Rb uptake). A comparison of isoform content was made with kidney microsomes. Both VSM and kidney microsomes contained a full length α1 subunit (~100 kDa) as well as a truncated subunit, α1T (~66 kDa). SDS treatment of VSM microsomes effected an increase in Na+,K+-ATPase and a retention of α1T. SDS treated kidney microsomes retained the α1 isoform and Na+,K+-ATPase. Confluent VSM cells showed no detectable α1T, only α1T. In the absence of detectable full length α1, the α1T protein may represent a functional Na pump component in canine VSM.
Subpicosecond formation of the intradimer charge transfer state [BChlLP+BPhMP−] in reaction centers from the HisM200→Leu mutant of Rhodobacter capsulatus

Abstract Transient difference spectra acquired 600 fs after excitation of reaction centers (RCs) from the HisM200→Leu mutant of Rhodobacter capsulatus display a distinct absorption band near 650 nm that is characteristic of a reduced bacteriochlorin pigment. We assign this band to the BPh− component of the [BChlLP+BPhMP−] intradimer charge transfer state, which appears to form within 350 fs of excitation of the BChl/BPh heterodimer (D). This [BChlLP+BPhMP−] intradimer charge transfer state appears to be the immediate precursor to state D+BPhL− in the HisM200→Leu RC. The time-dependent polarization of the 650 nm band supports this assignment.
Oxide overlayers and the superconducting rf properties of yttrium-processed high purity Nb

Abstract Superconducting rf surface resistance measurements were made on oxidized Nb cavities that had been warmed for a few minutes to temperatures between 250 and 300° C. Warmed oxide layers were further studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy and secondary electron emission yield measurements. Warming usually reduced the temperature-dependent (BCS) part of the surface resistance by 10–20% while, for warming temperatures near 300° C, the low-temperature residual surface resistance increased by as much as 70 nΩ. Surface spectroscopy measurements showed that, at temperatures between 200 and 250° C, the oxide layer was chemically altered but remained surface-segregated; between 250 and 300° C, however, surface oxygen dissolved into the Nb bulk. Changes in the BCS resistance were consistent with a model based on a shortening of the electron mean free path by oxygen that had diffused into the Nb metal and based on the theoretical dependence of BCS resistance on electron mean free path. No specific cause for the increased residual resistance could be positively identified, although oxygen-induced surface roughening is a possibility.