cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Manipulation of glutathione stores in rat hepatic stellate cells does not alter collagen synthesis

Hepatic stellate cells are resistant to the fibrogenic effects of lipid hydroperoxides in primary culture. Recent studies from our laboratory suggest that antioxidants, particularly glutathione, play a role in this resistance. We have observed that glutathione accumulates rapidly in stellate cells during primary culture; in the current study, we investigated whether glutathione modulates stellate cell collagen synthesis. Stellate cells from normal rat liver were plated in primary culture and maintained for 7 days. From day 4 through day 7, the cells were treated with L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) to deplete glutathione stores. BSO profoundly diminished stellate cell glutathione but had no effect on morphology, viability, or basal levels of collagen synthesis and gene expression. When cultured stellate cells were incubated with the putative fibrogenic mediator 4-hydroxynonenal or iron/ascorbate, little or no increase in collagen synthesis occurred regardless of glutathione content. In contrast, iron/ascorbate induced collagen synthesis by cultured fibroblasts. The data indicate that stellate cells strongly resist oxidant- and lipid peroxide-induced collagen synthesis in primary culture. They demonstrate that the mechanism of this resistance does not involve glutathione.
Assessment of risk in research on children

Proposed federal regulations regarding clinical research require that institutional review boards determine whether a research project involving children is justified and, if so, whether the child's assent and parent's permission should be required before the child becomes a research subject. A key factor in the IRB's decision is assessment of the risk to the child from participation in the research. Since data on frequency of risks associated with many pediatric procedures that may be employed in clinical research is lacking, a survey of pediatric department chairmen and pediatric clinical research center directors was conducted to ascertain their opinions of the risks of some procedures at various ages of childhood. Although most of these procedures were thought to be of minimal or less than minimal risk, a few (certain types of venipuncture, arterial puncture, and gastric and intestinal intubation) were thought to pose greater than minimal risk, especially in young children. Respondents were also asked to indicate the criteria used to decide whether a child is capable of giving assent to participate in an experimental procedure. In the majority of institutions (73%), it appears that this decision is left to the clinical judgment of the investigator or a member of the research group.
Delivery system characteristics and their association with quality and costs of care: implications for accountable care organizations.

Background Implementation of accountable care organizations (ACOs) is currently underway, but there is limitedempirical evidence on the merits of the ACO model.Purpose The aim was to study the associations between delivery system characteristics and ACO competencies,including centralization strategies to manage organizations, hospital integration with physicians and outpatientfacilities, health information technology, infrastructure to monitor community health and report quality, andrisk-adjusted 30-day all-cause mortality and case-mixed-adjusted inpatient costs for the Medicare population.MethodologyPaneldata(2006Y2009)wereassembledfromFloridaandmultiplesources:inpatienthospitaldischarge,vital statistics, the American Hospital Association, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society,and other databases. We applied a panel study design, controlling for hospital and market characteristics.PrincipalFindingsHospitalsthatwereincentralizedhealthsystemsorbecamemorecentralizedoverthestudyperiodhad significantly larger reductions in mortality compared with hospitals that remained freestanding. Surprisingly,tightly integrated hospitalYphysician arrangements were associated with increased mortality; as such, hospitals maywish to proceed cautiously when developing specific types of alignment with local physician organizations. Weobservednostatisticallysignificantdifferencesinthegrowthrateofcostsacrosshospitalsinanyofthehealthsystemsstudied relative tofreestanding hospitals.Althoughwe observed quality improvementinsome organizationaltypes,Key words: Accountable care organizations, health care costs, health systems, quality of careAskarChukmaitov, MD, PhD,isAssistant Professor,Departmentof HealthcarePolicyandResearch, VirginiaCommonwealth University, PO Box980430, Richmond, Virginia. E-mail: achukmaitov@vcu.edu.DavidW.Harless,PhD,isProfessor,DepartmentofEconomics,VirginiaCommonwealthUniversityPOBox844000,Richmond,Virginia.E-mail:dwharles@vcu.edu.GloriaJ.Bazzoli,PhD,isBonSecoursProfessorofHealthAdministrationDepartmentofHealthAdministration,VirginiaCommonwealthUniversity,PO Box 980203, Richmond, Virginia. E-mail: gbazzoli@vcu.edu.HenryJ.Carretta,PhD,isAssistantProfessor,DivisionofHealthAffa irs,FloridaStateUniversity,Tallahassee,Fl orida.E-mail:henry.carretta@med.fsu.edu.Umaporn Siangphoe, MS, is Research Associate, Department of Healthcare Policy an d Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 980430,Richmond, Virginia. E-mail: siangphoeu@vcu.edu.The authors have disclosed that they have no significant relationship with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article.DOI: 10.1097/HMR.0000000000000014
Selectivity in generalization to GABAergic drugs in midazolam-trained baboons

Abstract When barbiturates have been tested in animals trained to discriminate the intravenous benzodiazepine (Bz) anesthetic midazolam, squirrel monkeys and pigeons did not reliably generalize to barbiturates but rats did. To explore this unexpected phenomenon in another species and to extend the midazolam generalization profile to GABAergic compounds not previously tested, five baboons were trained to discriminate midazolam maleate (0.32 mg/kg iv) from saline under a two-lever procedure. In tests 10 min after dose delivery, the partial agonist imidazenil, the full agonist chlordiazepoxide, and the receptor-subtype-selective hypnotic zolpidem fully shared discriminative effects with midazolam. The barbiturate pentobarbital did so in only one of five baboons, and the intravenous anesthetic propofol failed to do so in the three baboons tested. Testing 1 min after dose delivery shifted midazolam and zolpidem curves to the left and increased generalization to propofol but not pentobarbital. Taken together with previous published data, partial or full agonism at the Bz binding site appears sufficient for midazolam-like discriminative effects in nonhuman primates, pigeons, and rodents, and modulation through the anesthetic site is sufficient in baboons. However, to date, positive modulation of GABA through the barbiturate site is not generally sufficient for this effect in nonhuman primates and pigeons although it is in rodents.
Political interference in the running of education in post-independence Kenya: a critical retrospection

Abstract This paper analyses the politicization of decision making in the education sector in Kenya since independence in 1963, to 2000. Utilizing a catalogue of major political decisions that have influenced trends and patterns of educational growth and policy formulation in Kenya, I demonstrate how such decisions have interfered in the running of education. I argue that these political decisions have marginalized the role and contribution of professionals and thus impacted negatively on policy formulation and implementation. My contention is that ideas of politicians are privileged even when they are shallow and myopic. I therefore blame politicians for the crises in the education sector in Kenya today.
Differential effects of cycloheximide and other inhibitors of protein synthesis on in vivo ribosomal RNA synthesis in Achlya bisexualis.

Abstract Inhibitors of protein synthesis (cycloheximide, dl -p- fluorophenylalanine , puromycin, and blasticidin-S) were tested for their effect on the in vivo synthesis of both whole cell and ribosomal RNA by the water mold Achlya bisexualis. Whereas none of the drugs affected the uptake of [5-3H]uridine, all resulted in a decrease in the rate of accumulation of this precursor into acidinsoluble polynucleotides. Analysis of uridine incorporation into rRNA showed that, while dl -p- fluorophenylalanine , puromycin and blasticidin-S inhibited synthesis gradually over a period of 30–40 min, cycloheximide resulted in complete cessation of synthesis within 2.5 min. In the presence of each of the inhibitors except cycloheximide the capacity of the cells to synthesize RNA, as measured by incorporation of uridine into either acid-insoluble nucleic acid or into ribosomes, decays rapidly following pseudo-first-order kinetics, with a half-life of between 10 and 23 min. In the presence of cycloheximide, synthetic capacity decays with a half-life of 1.4 min. These results are interpreted to mean that in Achlya (1) there is a rapidly turning over protein requisite to rRNA synthesis, and (2) the effect on rRNA synthesis elicited by cycloheximide is not exclusively the result of inhibition of protein synthesis.
Dopamine receptor functions: lessions from knockout mice

In the past few years, a number of laboratories have used gene targeting via homologous recombination to generate mice deficient for key molecules involved in dopaminergic (DAergic) transmission. This tremendous effort has resulted in the successful generation and characterization of mice deficient for the neurotransmitter DA, the main terminator of DAergic neurotransmission (the DA transporter), and all five subtypes of DA receptors. This review summarizes the results from studies of the various DA receptor knockout mice and of mice deficient in proteins that mediate DA receptor signaling. It focuses on a comparison of the locomotor phenotypes and responses to drugs of abuse (psychostimulants), and reviews the results of anatomic studies examining the morphological and neurochemical differentiation of the striatum in these mutants. Moreover, an overview of recently published results highlighting the physiological relevance of the interaction between different DA receptors and between DA receptors and other neurotransmitter receptors in the modulation of behavioral and molecular responses to DAergic stimulation is presented. Finally, in view of the recently discovered heteroligomeric assemblies of neurotransmitter receptors that involve DA receptor subtypes, the potential value of knockout mice as a tool for testing the in vivo significance of these heteroligomeric receptors is discussed.
Neutron capture cross sections of 194Hg and the decays of 195Hg

Abstract The thermal cross section and resonance integral have been determined for radiative neutron capture by radioactive 194Hg by observing the γ rays emitted in the decay of 195Hg. Captures leading to the low-spin isomer of 195Hg give σ=877 b and I=10,270 b, while captures leading to the high-spin isomer give σ=49 b and I=608 b. Energies and intensities of the γ rays emitted in the decays of 195Hg produced by neutron capture have been obtained with increased precision relative to previous studies with sources produced by other reactions, leading to correspondingly improved values for β-decay branching intensities and energy levels in 195Au. New values for the half-lives of 195gHg and 195mHg are also reported.
DNA Secondary Structure Effects on DNA Synthesis Catalyzed by HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase

Abstract The effect of DNA secondary structure on polymerization catalyzed by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) was studied using a synthetic 66-nucleotide DNA template containing a stable hairpin structure. Four RT pause sites were identified within the first half of the hairpin stem. Additionally, five weak pause sites within the second half of the stem and the loop of the hairpin were identified at low temperatures. These weak pause sites were relocated to the site of the first few stem base pairs of two new hairpins formed due to a change in DNA secondary structure. Each pause site was correlated with a high free energy barrier of melting the stem base pair. Pre-steady state kinetic analysis of single nucleotide incorporation showed that polymerization at each pause site occurred by both a fast phase (10–20 s−1) and a slow phase (0.02–0.07 s−1) during a single binding event. The reaction amplitudes of the fast phase were small (4–10% of enzyme sites), whereas the amplitudes of the slow phase were large (14–40%) at the pause sites. In contrast, only a single phase with a large reaction amplitude (32–50%) and a fast nucleotide incorporation rate (33–87 s−1) was observed at the non-pause sites. DNA substrates at all sites had similar dissociation rates (0.14–0.29 s−1) and overall binding affinity (16–86 nm). These results suggest that the DNA substrates at pause sites were bound in both productive and non-productive states at the polymerase site of RT. The non-productively bound DNA was slowly converted into a productive state upon melting of the next stem base pair without dissociation of the DNA from RT.
Ectopic varices: pathogenesis, diagnosis and management

Learning Objectives To review the prevalence, etiology, pathogenesis, anatomy, presentation, and diagnosis of ectopic varices. The variety of transcatheter approaches, techniques, technical tips, risks, and results of each will be presented. Background Ectopic varices may be best defined as large pressurized portosystemic venous collaterals occurring anywhere in the abdomen except in the gastro-esophageal region. They account for up to 5% of all variceal bleeding; however, hemorrhage can be massive with mortality reaching up to 40%. They can develop in sites of prior surgical adhesions or spontaneously through latent embryologic portosystemic anastomoses. Given their sporadic nature, literature is limited to case reports, small case series and reviews, without guidelines on management. Clinical Findings/Procedure Details This exhibit illustrates the pathways and clinical presentations of duodenal, jejunal, ileal, stomal, colonic, roux, gallbladder, rectal, urinary bladder, umbilical, and retroperitoneal varices, and their respective interventional therapies. The role of diagnostic CT, sonography, angiography, and venography is reviewed. The authors demonstrate in a pictorial fashion, drawing upon extensive experience as well as comprehensive lliterature review. Techniques include antegrade transjugular, transhepatic and transsplenic approaches with or without shunt creation; embolization, and variceal obliteration using coils, plugs, sclerosants, and adhesives; B-RTO approaches (through renal/adrenal/ gonadal approaches, etc); and direct variceal puncture by sonographic guidance. Tabular results from published literature are presented,with an algorithm for choosing therapeutic approaches for individual cases. Conclusion and/or Teaching Points Ectopic varices develop and present in a myriad of locations and fashions, from mild, occult, to massive intra or retro-peritoneal, urinary, or gastrointestinal hemorrhage. In 2012, the interventional radiologist has multiple, new demonstratedly effective means of providing temporizing or definitive therapy, warranting high suspicion, early diagnosis, referral and intervention.
Desaturation and elongation of unsaturated fatty acids in hepatocytes from thermally acclimated rainbow trout.

Abstract Hepatocytes isolated from 5- and 20 °C-acclimated rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) were incubated with [1- 14 C]oleic, -linoleic, or -linolenic acid to investigate the role of desaturation and elongation pathways in cold adaptation. Cells from both acclimation groups demonstrated a substrate preference in the order: 18:3 > 18:2 > 18:1. When assayed at 5 °C, cells from cold-acclimated trout were more efficient at producing derivatives of linolenic acid than cells from warm-acclimated trout. Cold acclimation resulted in degrees of compensation of desaturation and elongation rates that depended on the fatty acid family and specific reaction in the sequence. In the oleic acid family, reaction rates showed no compensation; partial compensation was observed in the linoleic acid family, and perfect (e.g., Δ6 desaturation) to overcompensation (e.g., Δ4 desaturation) in the linolenic acid family. Cells from cold-acclimated trout had higher rates of production of linolenic-derived acids when assayed at 5 than 20 °C. The proportion of the product of a given desaturation or elongation reaction that continued to the next reaction in the sequence was higher when assayed at 5 than 20 °C, increasing the probability of producing polyunsaturates. The results suggest that the substrate preference of the desaturation and elongation enzymes, the compensation of reaction rates, and the possible “link” between certain reactions in the metabolic sequence may ensure the production of poly-unsaturated fatty acids in cold-adapted trout.
Nonclinical populations in research on obsessive-compulsive disorder: a critical review

Abstract This article provides a review of the literature on nonclinical obsessive-compulsives (NCOCs). The main areas of focus include: (a) prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in nonclinical populations, (b) symptom profile, (c) associated psychopathology, (d) personality and psychological characteristics, (e) cognitive dysfunction, and (f) coping styles. For all six areas, findings on NCOCs are compared with research on clinical samples. Results suggest that: (a) lowlevel obsessive compulsive symptoms, as well as OCD, occur frequently in the general population; (b) a comparison of the symptom profile of NCOCs and OCD patients reveals both similarities and differences; (c) levels of associated anxiety, depression, and personality traits are consistent across studies and indicate that the scores of NCOCs fall between those of normal controls and OCD patients; (d) basic research on personality and psychological aspects of NCOCs has identified potential etiological factors in the development of OCD, including inflated responsibility and guilt, obsessive-compulsive personality traits, excessive need for control over the environment, and exaggerated responsiveness to emotional provocation; (e) NCOCs perform significantly worse on measures of executive functioning, memory, and information processing in comparison to control subjects, but unlike their OCD counterparts, their scores lie within the normal range; (f) the most common types of strategies employed by NCOCs and OCD patients in an effort to cope with obsessive-compulsive symptoms are qualitatively similar but less effective for OCD patients. The nature of the relationship between nonclinical obsessive-compulsive symptomatology and OCD is discussed with these findings in mind. In addition, critical commentary regarding methodological issues, as well as unanswered research questions which await empirical research, are addressed.
Fish and chips: cross-cutting issues and actors in a co-managed fishery regime in the Pacific Northwest

The goal of biological resource management regimes is to balance human uses of resources with their inherent regenerative capacities. While accomplishing this goal, managers usually face a multiplicity of stakeholder groups bringing a suite of different, and at times conflicting, interests and values to the management table. In the case of the migratory Pacific salmon, the resource regimes are comprised of a series of hierarchically nested institutional arrangements, engaged in cross-level and cross-scale interactions. Co-management institutions have emerged, at least in part, to address these challenges, encompassing a diversity of stakeholders, providing a forum for the sharing of different beliefs, values and perspectives and, importantly, an institutional response to a suite of cross-scale challenges. This article examines how institutional innovation, specifically the emergence of the Pacific Northwest salmon co-management regime, created new roles and legitimized the participation of new actors. In turn, this has transformed tribal co-managers into “cross-cutting actors”, active in management arenas at multiple jurisdictional and spatial levels in which they represent different interests or constituents. Wearing “different hats”, these tribal actors mobilize a suite of cross-cutting issues, relevant within different policy subsystems, and create bridges among actors who may be opponents in other fora. This has altered the emergence and trajectory of conflict and cooperation as well as problems of institutional interplay and addressed some of the scale-related challenges that exist within the Pacific salmon management regime.
Multiplexed evaluation of capture agent binding kinetics using arrays of silicon photonic microring resonators

High affinity capture agents recognizing biomolecular targets are essential in the performance of many proteomic detection methods. Herein, we report the application of a label-free silicon photonic biomolecular analysis platform for simultaneously determining kinetic association and dissociation constants for two representative protein capture agents: a thrombin-binding DNA aptamer and an anti-thrombin monoclonal antibody. The scalability and inherent multiplexing capability of the technology make it an attractive platform for simultaneously evaluating the binding characteristics of multiple capture agents recognizing the same target antigen, and thus a tool complementary to emerging high-throughput capture agent generation strategies.
Hochschild cohomology and perturbations of Banach algebras

Abstract Let A and B be Banach algebras with identity and let π : A → B be a continuous homomorphism. We obtain conditions on the Hochschild cohomology of A under which perturbations of π are similar to π. We also show that if A is a Banach algebra such that H 2 ( A , A ) = H 3 ( A , A ) = 0, then perturbations of the multiplication of A give algebras isomorphic to A . We use our techniques to partially answer some problems of Kadison and Kastler on perturbations of operator algebras.
Can we have an optical memristor using metamaterials

Using the concepts of epsilon-negative and epsilon-near-zero metamaterials, we theoretically examine the notion of memristors with optical fields. By combining metamaterials with second-order optical nonlinear media, we study optical nanostructures with properties resembling memristors.
The modified midventral scales of Percina (Osteichthyes; Percidae).

The modified midventral scales on Percina males probably function to induce tactile stimulation of the female during spawning. The midbelly row of modified scales presumably evolved as a result of increased selective advantage of larger and more strongly toothed scales on the midventer; primitive and intermediate conditions in the evolution of the modified scales as well as a distinctly modified row are extant, The morphology of the scales varies seasonally and ontogenetically. The scales are permanent rather than deciduous as described in the literature interspecific variation of the modified scales is pronounced intersubgenerically. less so intrasubgenerically.
Monitoring for MACE resistance in the tobacco-adapted form of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the eastern United States

Abstract Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides exert their neurotoxic effects by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE), thereby, prolonging the action of acetylcholine at cholinergic synapses, resulting in neuronal hyperexcitation. Mutations at the AChE target site confer modified acetylcholinesterase (MACE) phenotypes. Target-site insensitivity of AChE was characterized in field-collected, tobacco-adapted forms of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), from nine different states in the eastern United States from 2004 to 2007. The specific activity of the AChE among the 65 aphid colonies screened by Ellman's assay ranged from 0.017–0.259 U/min/mg protein. Eight colonies, with a wide range of specific activities were chosen to study the inhibition of AChE in the presence of two carbamate insecticides, methomyl and pirimicarb. IC50 values for methomyl ranged from 0.35 to 2.4 μM, while six out of eight colonies had lower values that ranged from 0.16 to 0.30 μM for pirimicarb. Two colonies that were inhibited by methomyl had very high IC50 values for pirimicarb, 40.4 and 98.6 μM respectively. The target-site insensitivity in these two colonies that are resistant to pirimicarb could be due to an ace2 gene mutation. This is the first instance where MACE phenotypes in M. persicae from the United States were studied and confirmed. The results indicate that the possible insensitivity due to MACE resistance in some colonies may render selected carbamate insecticides ineffective. Concerns of MACE resistance in managing the tobacco-adapted form of the green peach aphid on tobacco in the United States are discussed.
Polarized optical studies of ordered InGaP2 under pressure

Abstract In this paper, we discuss polarized photomodulated reflectivity (PR) and photoluminescence (PL) studies of MOCVD grown InGaP 2 epilayers lattice-matched to a GaAs substrate. These structures were grown on a (001) face with a misorientation of two degrees along . The PR spectra of the ordered sample show a strong polarization dependence. For the electric field E parallel to [110] two features in the PR spectra are seen; for E∥[110], however, additional features are observed. A comparison with the spectra of disordered samples of the same alloy composition has enabled a determination of the band gap reduction due to ordering. The linewidths of the PR peaks are approximately 5-10 meV which has enabled us to study them in detail as a function of hydrostatic pressure at cryogenic temperatures. The pressure dependence is slightly sublinear with the first order term of 8-9 meV kbar -1 for pressures well below the Γ-X crossover. Also observed is the indirect level crossing which occurs under pressure at about 40-kbar. An analysis of PR lineshapes at 1-bar is also presented at several commonly used experimental temperatures.
Delayed administration of memantine prevents N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated neurotoxicity

Increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that escalating levels of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) are responsible for neuronal cell death in a variety of acute neurological conditions including hypoxia/ischemia, trauma, seizures, and hypoglycemia. EAAs may also contribute to several chronic neurodegenerative diseases including Huntington's disease, parkinsonism, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome dementia. A predominant form of neurotoxicity appears to be mediated by excessive activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptor. This laboratory recently reported that memantine, an antiparkinsonian drug, is a potent N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist capable of preventing the death of central neurons both in vitro and in vivo when given coincident to an EAA insult. In the present study, we found that 12 microM memantine prevented the death of neonatal rat retinal ganglion cells in primary culture when administered up to 4 hours after the initiation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated neurotoxicity.
LPS and IL‐1α increase endogenous morphine production in mollusk Mytilus edulis pedal ganglia

We have found that morphine and its metabolite, morphine-6-glucuronide, are endogenously produced in the ganglionic tissue of the marine mollusk Mytilus edulis. Stress, such as cold and starvation, appears to regulate the production of these opiate alkaloids. In order to determine which signals can trigger the release and possible synthesis of morphine in the mussel, we incubated dissected ganglia with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interleukin one alpha (IL-1α). Using solid phase extraction, HPLC, RIA and mass spectrometry, we have found both compounds are able to increase morphine production at the micromole level. At 24 h post incubation, morphine reaches its highest level for LPS (42.63 ± 3.81 ng/mL) and IL-1α (31.57 ± 6.24 ng/mL) respectly. These results are comparable to the data found in rats.
Donor kidney biopsies: pathology matters, and so does the pathologist

Histologic scoring of pre-implantation biopsies of expanded-criteria donor (ECD) kidneys has proven useful for predicting post-implantation allograft performance and guiding transplant clinicians as to which kidneys to discard. However, there is considerable interobserver variability in scoring these biopsies, as well as disagreements between studies examining the value of different histologic parameters in predicting graft function. Azancot and co-workers demonstrate that these biopsies' prognostic value is highly dependent on their being examined by an experienced renal pathologist.
The surface treatment for prevention of growing defect

This is an experimental result for the inhibition of effects of the growing defect. Up to now, it has been considered and defined that the growing defect is an unexpected and unusual reaction by bonding impure ions existed on the mask each other. This study is not only to suppress the unexpected reaction when making the final mask but also to stabilize the surface of mask by controlling by-product occurred when stripping upper Cr layer and damaged layer from sputtering process. According to the analysis of the surface roughness stemming from each process (from wet etching to cleaning Process) of MoSi layer, the surface still comes to be rough when a mask is done through all process. So, heat treatment was performed and surface roughness was measured to figure out how much the surface condition would be improved and how many remaining SO4, NH4 Ions on the surface after cleaning process reduced. This study shows the major factor causing plasma damage is a dry etcher, a way to control the damaged layer of MoSi at PR strip process, the level of stabilization of mask surface through cleaning process and a clue to be able to prove the stabilization by adding specific process. Analysis tools for this study are as follows. AFM (for checking the roughness of surface), TEM (for checking cross-section) and IC (Ion chromatography)analysis equipment.
A well logging technique for the in situ determination of 90Sr

Abstract A technique for determining the 90Sr concentration in soils and sediments by measurement of bremsstrahlung radiation in the energy range 60–236 keV with a large intrinsic germanium diode capable of logging wells as small as 3 in diameter is described. Corrections are made for changing background levels as a function of depth and for interferences from any other radionuclides present. A 90Sr concentration as low as 9 nCi cm−3 can be measured in only 10 s in typical fission product gamma-ray activities of 100 nCi cm−3. If no interfering radionuclides are present, 90Sr concentrations of
PREDICTION OF LONG-DISTANCE DISPERSAL USING GRAVITY MODELS: ZEBRA MUSSEL INVASION OF INLAND LAKES

Gravity models are commonly used by geographers to predict migration and interaction between populations and regions. Even though rarely used by ecologists, gravity models allow estimation of long-distance dispersal between discrete points in heterogeneous landscapes. We developed a production-constrained gravity model to forecast zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) dispersal into inland lakes of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin (USA) based on the site and location of lakes and the number and location of boats within 364 counties. A deterministic form of this model was used to estimate best-fit parameters for distance coefficient, Great Lakes boat-ramp attractiveness, and colonization cutoff threshold. A stochastic model thus developed from these parameters allows for random changes in colonization likelihood. The results of our model are highly correlated with the actual pattern of colonized lakes in southern Michigan and southeastern Wisconsin at the end of 1997. Areas of central Wisconsin and...
Influence of antecedent geology on stratigraphic preservation potential and evolution of Delaware's barrier systems

Abstract Delaware's Atlantic coast is one of the most studied (in three dimensions) in the world. Recently acquired shallow shoreface vibracores have added a new facet to that knowledge, allowing complete profiles from pre-Holocene headland to marsh, lagoon, barrier, and into shoreface environments. The Delaware coast is dominantly transgressive, acting in response to rising local relative sea level. Pre-Holocene geology plays a major role in coastal evolution as it is overridden and intersected by the ongoing transgression. The pre-Holocene surface is an erosional trellis-dendritic drainage system of tributaries to the ancestral Delaware River, cut during a time of lower Pleistocene sea level and increased flow which was enhanced by glacial meltwater. This erosional surface forms the basal unconformity. As Holocene coastal lithosomes migrate over this surface, they fill pre-Holocene valleys first, and then continue to thicken. The shoreface forms a second erosional surface — the ravinement unconformity. Spatial relationships between these two unconformities determine degree of preservation of the Holocene section. Deeper portions of the Holocene stratigraphic column, especially in antecedent valleys, provide the only chance for preservation in the shoreface under prevailing conditions of slow relative sea-level rise and 10 m deep shoreface scour. In nearby Pleistocene sediments of similar origin, the entire column has been preserved, because sea-level peaked, and then fell. Distribution of Holocene sediments in the shoreface is patchy, with little or no Holocene shoreface sediments found off headlands. A second role the antecedent geology plays is through sediment supply to the long-shore drift system. Coarse sediments, which make up a large fraction of the headlands, are transferred to littoral drift. As sea-level rise continues, rather than dominantly off-shore loss there appears to be a loss of sediments alongshore to Cape Henlopen and Hen and Chickens shoal, at the downdrift terminus. Much of the Delaware coast evolves by continuous retreat along a linear shoreline. Positions of baymouth barriers and headland beaches are determined by the antecedent topography. Barriers then are affected by overwash and inlet processes, which are not found on headland beaches.
Relationships between PGBx and isoproterenol in the isolated perfused rat heart.

Abstract 1. Bolus injections of PGBx (20–200 μg) did not alter significantly the mechanical and biochemical activity of isolated rat hearts perfused by a modified Langendorff technique. 2. Isoproternol caused a dose dependent increase in the conversion of phosphorylase b to a and a similar rise in isometric systolic tension, but PGBx (100 ng/ml) did not alter the nature or magnitude of these isoproterenol-induced changes in cardiac performance. 3. PGBx does not appear to release endogenous catecholamines from their storage sites in the heart or to enhance the sensitivity of β-adrenergic receptors in this organ to isoproterenol.
Potential influence of intraluminal thrombus on abdominal aortic aneurysm as assessed by a new non-invasive method

Intraluminal thrombus may play a role in abdominal aortic aneurysm pathogenesis and rupture. The purpose of this work was to demonstrate the feasibility of a new non-invasive method for the determination of the biomechanical features of the aortic wall and luminal boundary in abdominal aortic aneurysm containing intraluminal thrombus. Automated ultrasonographic measures of infrarenal aortic cross-sectional area (A) were obtained on-line along with non-invasive arterial pressure (p) from eight patients of mean(s.e.m.) age 74(3) years, with abdominal aortic aneurysm (mean dimensions 5.9(0.4) × 5.3(0.5) cm) containing intraluminal thrombus. Luminal boundary and abdominal aortic aneurysm wall were scanned separately. Compliance (C) was computed as C = (Amax − Amin)/[Amax(pmax − pmin)], where ‘max’ and ‘min’ represent maximum and minimum values, respectively. Mean compliance was lower for the abdominal aortic aneurysm wall alone than for the luminal surface enclosed by intraluminal thrombus: 4.0(0.9) × 10−4/mmHg versus 9.8(1.7) × 10−4/mmHg (P < 0.01). Intraluminal thrombus area was nearly constant over the cardiac cycle, indicating that the thrombus is virtually incompressible. This non-invasive method to assess biomechanical features of abdominal aortic aneurysm has potential to further the understanding of the influences of intraluminal thrombus on aneurysm disease. Copyright © 1996 The International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery.
The effect of competence‐based trust between physicians and administrative executives in healthcare on decision outcomes

Purpose – Research on strategic decision making has over‐emphasized the importance of competence‐based trust among the team members. Literature on healthcare is silent on the impact of competence‐based trust between the physicians and administrators on decision outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate whether competence‐based trust between physician executives and administrators is beneficial to the healthcare organizations.Design/methodology/approach – Using a structured instrument, data are collected from top management teams of 109 US hospitals. The participants include both CEOs and administrators and physician executives. The data are analyzed using multiple regression technique to examine the role of competence‐based trust between the physicians and administrative executives in enhancing decision quality, commitment and understanding.Findings – Results show that competence‐based trust is the key to successful strategic decision making while lack of trust may hinder the effec...
Malaria vaccine against sporozoites

Summary Malaria kills over one million people a year. A promising candidate suitable for either a synthetic or a genetically engineered malaria vaccine has been synthesized. The molecule, a string of 4 amino acids repeated 3 times, is modeled on a surface component of sporozoites apparent when they are injected by a mosquito into a human. An immune response to the peptide might neutralize sporozoites before they are sequestered in host liver cells. The peptide reacted with antibodies in serum of randomly selected individuals living where malaria is endemic and with serum from a volunteer protected from infection by immunization with irradiated parasites. It induced antibodies in animals; the antibodies prevented the parasite from entering human cells growing in culture.
Prevalence of Mental Disorders in Newly Admitted Medical Inpatients With AIDS

The authors evaluated 42 newly admitted medical inpatients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) using DSM-III-R criteria and obtained quantitative ratings of psychiatric morbidity using standard instruments. A current Axis I disorder was present in 61.9% of the patients. Organic mental disorders predominated (47.6% of all patients) and were more common in the most severely ill patients. Major depressive syndrome was rarer than expected (9.5%). Recent physical disability was correlated with repeated hospitalizations, and trends were found suggesting correlation of recent physical disability with increased anxiety and cognitive impairment. This study, using actual patient evaluations, suggests predictors of psychiatric morbidity in this setting and argues for routine psychiatric screening of medical inpatients with AIDS.
A vaccination procedure which increases the frequency of regressions of Shope papillomas of rabbits.

PAPILLOMAS of rabbit skin induced by the virus of Shope are known to undergo complete regression in some animals and to persist indefinitely in others. Carcinomatous change is seen in a high proportion at 6–18 months1. The regression process presents two features of broad significance in the field of tumour immunology: (1) It constitutes rejection of an autologous tumour; (2) The rejection mechanism is effective in some animals and inadequate or absent in others.
Decadal coral community reassembly on an African fringing reef

Changes in the cover of the dominant hard coral taxa were studied on seven Kenyan back reefs over 20 yr. All factors of time, taxa, site, and their interactions were statistically significant and the 1998 temperature anomaly caused the greatest community changes. The 1998 disturbance changes reflected a classic coral succession, which included partial or little mortality and persistence of stress tolerant (massive and submassive growth forms) and early colonization by weedy taxa (pocilloporids). Nevertheless, competitive taxa had high and full mortality and the expected dominance of acroporids was inhibited even ~13 yr after the disturbance. So, while total hard coral cover displayed the expected logistic recovery where maximum cover was reached <10 yr after the disturbance, the poor recovery of competitive dominants resulted in less than expected coral cover. A number of stress-resistant and weedy taxa (poritids, agaricidae, faviids, and pocilloporids) are expected to dominate the composition of these reefs in the future. Nevertheless, three submassive faviids and branching Porites began to decline toward the end of the time series, indicating further stress after 1998. Increased algal cover and other unstudied factors, including milder warming, may explain these changes. The patterns of change on this continental fringing reef differ from recovery of more remote, offshore islands. This probably reflects low acroporid dominance and recruitment limitations associated with greater anthropogenic influences of high sea urchin grazing and terrestrial runoff.
National Ignition Facility: 1.8-MJ 750-TW ultraviolet laser

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, ultraviolet laser system together with a 10-meter diameter target chamber with room for nearly 100 experimental diagnostics. NIF will be the world’s largest and most energetic laser experimental system, providing a scientific center to study inertial confinement fusion and matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. NIF's energetic laser beams will compress fusion targets to conditions required for thermonuclear burn, liberating more energy than required to initiate the fusion reactions. Other NIF experiments will study physical processes at temperatures approaching 108 K and 1011 bar, conditions that exist naturally only in the interior of stars, planets and in nuclear weapons. NIF has completed the first phases of its laser commissioning program. The first four beams of NIF have generated 106 kilojoules of infrared light and over 16 kJ at the third harmonic (351 nm). NIF's target experimental systems are being commissioned and experiments have begun. This presentation provides a detailed look the NIF laser systems, laser and optical performance and results from recent laser commissioning shots, and plans for commissioning diagnostics for experiments on NIF.
Traveling salesman heuristics and embedding dimension in the Hopfield model

The author discusses methods for improving performance of the Hopfield-Tank quadratic minimization approach to the traveling salesman problem (TSP). A wide range of geometric (e.g. convex-hull based) topological and cutting-plane heuristics are investigated. The author also investigated performance for non-Euclidean and nonmetrizable TSPs using a new concept of embedding dimension. Implications concerning the nature of the Hopfield energy surface are discussed. It is concluded that the Hopfield-Tank formulation is not so robust as might be hoped; however, it remains well suited to many important applications. >
Nucleotide sequence and cellular distribution of rat chromogranin B (Secretogranin I) mRNA in the neuroendocrine system

The mRNA of rat secretory-vesicle protein chromogranin B is abundant in brain, adrenal medulla, and anterior pituitary. The primary translation product predicted from the cDNA sequence of this 2,337-nucleotide transcript corresponds to a hydrophilic 655-residue protein preceded by a signal peptide. Both termini of the mature 75-kD protein show extensive similarity to other chromogranins; the more variable internal region is characterized by glutamic acid clusters and numerous pairs of basic residues. In rodent brain, mRNA accumulation starts around embryonic days 13–14 and peaks by postnatal day 20. In situ hybridization in brain sections shows that the mRNA is enriched in the hippocampal formation, the endocrine hypothalamus, the olfactory system, and in anatomically distinct structures in the pons-medulla.
Chronic Venous Insufficiency

Chronic venous disease is often overlooked by primary and cardiovascular care providers because of an underappreciation of the magnitude and impact of the problem. The importance of chronic venous disease is related to the number of people with the disease and the socioeconomic impact of its more severe manifestations. Unfortunately, the literature concerning the prevalence and incidence of chronic venous disease has varied greatly because of differences in the methods of evaluation, criteria for definition, and the geographic regions analyzed. The most common manifestations of chronic venous disease are dilated cutaneous veins, such as telangiectases and reticular veins, and varicose veins. The term chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) describes a condition that affects the venous system of the lower extremities with venous hypertension causing various pathologies including pain, swelling, edema, skin changes, and ulcerations. Although the term CVI is often used to exclude uncomplicated varicose veins, varicose veins have incompetent valves with increased venous pressure leading to progressive dilation and tortuosity. We will use the term CVI to represent the full spectrum of manifestations of chronic venous disease. Varicose veins have an estimated prevalence between 5% to 30% in the adult population, with a female to male predominance of 3 to 1, although a more recent study supports a higher male prevalence.1 The Edinburgh Vein Study screened 1566 subjects with duplex ultrasound for reflux finding CVI in 9.4% of men and 6.6% of women, after age adjustment, which rose significantly with age (21.2% in men >50 years old, and 12.0% in women >50 years old).2 The San Valentino Vascular Screening Project found among the 30 000 subjects evaluated by clinical assessment and duplex ultrasound a prevalence of 7% for varicose veins and 0.86% for “symptomatic” CVI.3 As in previous studies, CVI was more common with increasing age, but …
Instructor's Attire As A Biasing Factor In Students' Ratings Of An Instructor

This study examined the influence of instructor's attire on students' evaluation of their teacher. A modified posttest only control group design was used to conduct this research. The sample consis...
Efficient discovery service for a digital library of 3D models

Many geographically distributed experts in different areas such as medical imaging, e-commerce, and digital museums, are in need of 3D models. Although 3D models are becoming widely available due to the recent technological advancement and modeling tools, we lack a digital library system where they can be searched and retrieved efficiently. In this paper, we focus on an efficient discovery service consisting of multilevel hierarchical browsing service that enables users to navigate large sets of 3D models. For this purpose, we use shape based clustering to abstract a large set of 3D models to a small set of representative models (key models). Our service applies clustering recursively to limit the number of key models that a user views at a time. Clustering is derived from metrics that are based on a concept of compression and similarity computation using surface signatures. Signatures are the two-dimensional representations of a 3D model and they can be used to define similarity between 3D models. We integrated the proposed browsing capability with 3DLIB, (a digital library for 3D models that we are building at Old Dominion University), and evaluated the proposed browsing service using the Princeton Shape Benchmark (PSB). Our evaluation shows significant better precision and recall as compared to other approaches.