cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microfluidic aqueous two phase system for leukocyte concentration from whole blood.

Leukocytes from a whole blood sample were concentrated using a microfluidic aqueous two phase system (μATPS). Whole blood was simultaneously exposed to polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran (Dex) phase streams and cells were partitioned based on their differential affinity for the streams. The laminar flow characteristic of microfluidic devices was used to create zero, one, and two stable interfaces between the polymer streams. Three different patterns of three polymer streams each were evaluated for their effectiveness in concentrating leukocytes: immiscible PEG-PEG-Dex, immiscible Dex-PEG-Dex, and miscible PEG-PBS-Dex. The most effective configuration was the Dex-PEG-Dex stream pattern which on average increased the ratio of leukocytes to erythrocytes by a factor of 9.13 over unconcentrated blood.
Dissociation of frontal N100 from occipital P100 in pattern reversal visual evoked potentials.

Abstract We studied the relationship between occipital P100 and frontal N100 in visual evoked potentials produced by pattern reversal in normal subjects and two groups of patients. Recording derivation was critical for interpretation since both Fz and Oz electrode sites are active. In 9 patients, but no normal subjects, P100 was absent. In these patients, use of a standard Oz-Fz montage resulted in the erroneous impression of a ‘normal’ P100 since a downward deflection was produced by the inverting effect of the amplifier on an intact N100 at Fz. When both P100 and N100 were present (at Oz and Fz respectively), their latencies were usually similar but not identical which contributed to apparent latency shifts or W-shaped wave forms in the Oz-Fz derivation. We conclude that use of a non-cephalic or relatively inactive scalp position (such as the mastoid) should be used as a reference site in addition to Fz to reduce interpretive errors.
Phalloidin-eosin followed by photo-oxidation: a novel method for localizing F-actin at the light and electron microscopic levels.

We describe a novel high-resolution method to detect F-actin at the light and electron microscopic levels through the use of the actin-binding protein phalloidin conjugated to the fluorophore eosin, followed by photo-oxidation of diaminobenzidine. This method possesses several key advantages over antibody-based labeling and structural methods. First, phalloidin binding to F-actin can tolerate relatively high concentrations of glutaraldehyde (up to 1%) in the primary fixative, resulting in good ultrastructural preservation. Second, because both eosin and phalloidin are relatively small molecules, considerable penetration of reagents into aldehyde-fixed tissue was obtained without any perme-abilization steps, allowing 3D reconstructions at the electron microscopic level. By employing a secondary fixation with tannic acid combined with low pH osmication, conditions known to stabilize actin filaments during preparation for electron microscopy, we were able to visualize individual actin filaments in some struc...
Magnetoacoustic density of states resonance

Abstract A magnetoacoustic resonance in antimony is described. It is due to a singularity in density of states. This resonance suggest that the Fermi surface of antimony deviates from an ellipsoid.
Kinetics of natural oxidant demand by permanganate in aquifer solids.

Abstract During in situ chemical oxidation with permanganate, natural organic matter and other reduced species in the subsurface compete with the target compounds for the available oxidant and can exert a significant natural oxidant demand. This competition between target and nontarget compounds can have a significant impact on the permeation, dispersal, and persistence of permanganate in the subsurface. The kinetics of natural oxidant demand by permanganate was investigated using a composite sample made up of aquifer material collected from three different sites. The study found that although the depletion of organic carbon increased with increased permanganate dosage and increased reaction period, the mass ratio of MnO 4 − :OC (wt/wt) was relatively constant over time (11.4 ± 0.9). The reaction order and rate with respect to permanganate were found to decrease with time suggesting a continuum of reactions with the slower reactions becoming more controlling with time. However, the data also suggests that this continuum of reactions can be simplified into short- and long-term kinetic expressions representing fast and slow reactions. An independent first-order kinetic model with separate fast and slow reaction rate constants was used to successfully describe the complete kinetic expression of natural oxidant demand. The kinetic parameters used in the model are easily determined and can be used to better understand the complex kinetics of natural oxidant demand.
Monolithic 3D integration: a path from concept to reality

Monolithic three-dimensional (3D) integration enables revolutionary digital system architectures of computation immersed in memory. Vertically-stacked layers of logic circuits and memories, with nano-scale inter-layer vias (with the same pitch and dimensions as tight-pitched metal layer vias), provide massive connectivity between the layers. The nano-scale inter-layer vias are orders of magnitude denser than conventional through silicon vias (TSVs). Such digital system architectures can achieve significant performance and energy efficiency benefits compared to today's designs. The massive vertical connectivity makes such architectures particularly attractive for abundant-data applications that impose stringent requirements with respect to low-latency data processing, high-bandwidth data transfer, and energy-efficient storage of massive amounts of data. We present an overview of our progress toward realizing monolithic 3D ICs, enabled by recent advances in emerging nanotechnologies such as carbon nanotube field-effect transistors and emerging memory technologies such as Resistive RAMs and Spin-Transfer Torque RAMs.
Studies on the self- and laser-initiated discharge characteristics at dielectric/gas interfaces

Two main issues are discussed: (i) the study of arc initiation and propagation in a compressed nitrogen gas spark-gap, initiated by a low-energy (90 mu J) pulsed N/sub 2/ laser (600 ps FWHM) and (ii) the modification of the discharge characteristics due to the presence of a solid insulating space made of Plexiglas (PMMA). The studies are carried out over a pressure range of 0.1 to 0.4 MPa, and for space diameters of 1, 4 and 6 cm, in a planar uniform field gap with 1-cm spacing. Coordinated measurements of discharge current and luminosity with nanosecond response times provide data on discharge current and luminosity risetimes, delay times to the onset of discharge from the instant of laser initiation, and the threshold (minimum) voltage for the onset of discharge due to laser initiation. The results point to some basic processes involving the interaction of the insular surface with : (a) the electron avalanches in the formative stage, and (b) the streamer in the discharge growth phase leading to full conduction. The results demonstrate that the insulator surface impedes the development of both the avalanche and streamer phases of the discharge development. >
Uniform partitions of frames of exponentials into Riesz sequences

Abstract The Feichtinger conjecture, if true, would have as a corollary that for each set E ⊂ [ 0 , 1 ] and Λ ⊂ Z , there is a partition Λ 1 , … , Λ N of Z such that for each 1 ⩽ i ⩽ N , { exp ( 2 π i x λ ) : λ ∈ Λ i } is a Riesz sequence. In this paper, sufficient conditions on sets E ⊂ [ 0 , 1 ] and Λ ⊂ R are given so that { exp ( 2 π i x λ ) 1 E : λ ∈ Λ } can be uniformly partitioned into Riesz sequences.
Monkeywrenching, Perverse Incentives and Ecodefence

By focusing too narrowly on consequentialist arguments for ecosabotage, environmental philosophers such as Michael Martin (1990) and Thomas Young (2001) have tended to overlook two important facts about monkeywrenching. First, advocates of monkeywrenching see sabotage above all as a technique for counteracting perverse economic incentives. Second, their main argument for monkeywrenching which I will call the ecodefence argument is not consequentialist at all. After calling attention to these two under-appreciated aspects of monkeywrenching, I go on to offer a critique of the ecodefence argument. Finally, I show that there is also a tension between the use of cost/benefit analysis to justify particular acts of ecosabotage and the clandestine nature of those acts.
Measurement of π0 multiplicities in π±p interactions at 10.5 and 15 GeV/c

Abstract Measurements of the differential multiplicity cross sections, σ ( N , n 0 ), where N is the charged multiplicity and n 0 is the π 0 multiplicity, are reported for π − p interactions at 10.5 GeV/ c and for π + p interactions at 10.5 and 15 GeV/ c . These cross sections are determined for N ⩽ 8 and n 0 ⩽ 7. Values for 〈 n 0 〉, f 2 00 ( π 0 π 0 correlation), and f 2 0− ( π 0 π − correlation) are also given.
THE IMPACT OF CORRELATED RESPONSES AND DISPERSION EFFECTS ON OPTIMAL THREE LEVEL FACTORIAL DESIGNS

Many experiments require that the experimental runs at specific design locations be completed in sequence, therefore reducing the randomization of the experimental process. Such experiments can create correlated responses, and the goal of this paper is to analyze the effect that such correlated responses together with heterogeneous variance have on optimal designs. Various dispersion and correlation cases are considered, the D- and I-optimal designs determined in each case, and the results analyzed to examine the worth of a standard equal replicate design that is used under ideal conditions.
Thermal decomposition of Prussian blue: Isotopic labeling with Mössbauer-inactive Fe-56

Abstract The decomposition of various Prussian blue samples heated both in the presence and absence of air was studied by labelling at least one of the iron environments with Mossbauer inactive 56Fe and the other iron position with natural iron containing 2·19 per cent Mossbauer active 57Fe. Prussian blue samples containing various interstitial cations were heated under vacuum for 24 hr periods in the temperature range 25–455°C. Up to 210°C, the C:N:Fe ratios remained essentially 3:3:1 indicating no decomposition. The single peak spectra observed for carbon hole iron at 25°C changed drastically at approximately 200°C giving all the peaks characteristic of both carbon and nigrogen hole iron. This scrambling of iron environments is probably due to a physical exchange of iron positions or to a flipping of the CN ligand. These samples were also heated in air, giving similar results, except that at 220°C all compounds had decomposed to an oxide of iron.
Morphological studies of the ventricular wall in cerebral infarction.

Abstract The morphological changes in the ependymal lining of the lateral ventricle at the level of the caudate nucleus were studied following periods of ischemia. Ischemia was produced by transorbital occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for periods of one-half, one, two, three, or four hours, respectively. Six animals were studied from each period of occlusion. Two animals per occlusive period were perfused with 3% glutaraldehyde for electron microscopy immediately after the removal of the clip, two were perfused at the end of a three-day period, and two additional animals were perfused one week after occlusion. Changes in the ependymal and subependymal layer were found as early as two hours after occlusion. These changes and those seen in the other groups consisted of intracellular vacuolization of the ependymal layer and edematous involvement within the subependymal (astrocytic) layer. The supraependymal (neural) structures appeared less susceptible to ischemia than the ependymal and subependymal layers.
Effects of acute left anterior descending occlusion on regional myocardial blood flow and wall thickening in the presence of a circumflex stenosis in dogs

Abstract In this study, 2 hypotheses were tested: (1) Myocardium supplied by a stenosed circumflex coronary artery (LC) does not demonstrate compensatory increases in regional blood flow and systolic thickening when the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) is acutely occluded. (2) Blood flow to myocardium in the distribution of an acutely occluded LAD is lower in the presence of a stenosed than in the presence of an unstenosed LC. Fifty-three open-chest, anesthetized dogs were studied. Regional coronary blood flow (8 to 10-μ micro-spheres) and wall thickening (sonomicrometer crystals) were measured before and after LAD occlusion in the presence of an unstenosed LC artery, and a moderate and severe LC stenosis. Acute LAD occlusion in the presence of an unstenosed LAD was not accompanied by a significant increase in regional blood flow to the remote LC bed; posterior myocardial wall thickening, however, increased from 0.22 ± 0.02% to 0.24 ± 0.02% (p = 0.04). In the presence of a moderate LC stenosis (gradient 29 ± 1 mm Hg), LAD occlusion was associated with a 9% (p = 0.02) decrease in endocardial flow and an 11 % decrease in the endocardial/epicardial flow ratio (p = 0.002). Transmural flow was unchanged and there was no compensatory increase in posterior wall thickening. In the presence of a more severe LC stenosis (gradient 49 ± 1 mm Hg), central LC endocardial flow decreased by 32% (p = 0.0008) at the time of LAD occlusion. Similar alterations were noted in the peripheral LC region. Posterior wall thickening did not increase significantly with LAD occlusion (0.27 ± 0.01 to 0.30 ± 0.03%, p = 0.12). Stepwise regression analysis showed that the changes in remote LC blood flow were related to the distal LC pressure at the time of LAD occlusion and to changes in LC pressure and LC stenosis resistance that occurred after the LAD was occluded. Regional blood flow to the bed of the acutely occluded LAD was lower in the presence of a stenosed LC artery than in the presence of an unstenosed LC. This may have been related, in part, to an impairment of collateral flow from the stenosed LC to the distal LAD bed. Thus, acute LAD occlusion in the presence of a stenosed LC is associated with adverse blood flow alterations in the remote LC bed as well as worsening of the flow diminution in the LAD bed compared with blood flow alterations observed when the LAD is occluded in the setting of an unstenosed, fully patent LC vessel. These changes may be clinically relevant to patients with acute myocardial infarction who have underlying multivessel coronary artery disease.
Regional three‐dimensional seismic velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle of northern California

[1] We present a three-dimensional (3D) tomographic model of the P wave velocity (Vp) structure of northern California. We employed a regional-scale double-difference tomography algorithm that incorporates a finite-difference travel time calculator and spatial smoothing constraints. Arrival times from earthquakes and travel times from controlled-source explosions, recorded at network and/or temporary stations, were inverted for Vp on a 3D grid with horizontal node spacing of 10 to 20 km and vertical node spacing of 3 to 8 km. Our model provides an unprecedented, comprehensive view of the regional-scale structure of northern California, putting many previously identified features into a broader regional context and improving the resolution of a number of them and revealing a number of new features, especially in the middle and lower crust, that have never before been reported. Examples of the former include the complex subducting Gorda slab, a steep, deeply penetrating fault beneath the Sacramento River Delta, crustal low-velocity zones beneath Geysers-Clear Lake and Long Valley, and the high-velocity ophiolite body underlying the Great Valley. Examples of the latter include mid-crustal low-velocity zones beneath Mount Shasta and north of Lake Tahoe.
Challenges in Making Access Control Sensitive to the "Right" Contexts

Access control is a fundamental security mechanism that both protects processes from attacks and confines compromised processes that may try to propagate an attack. Nonetheless, we still see an ever increasing number of software vulnerabilities. Researchers have long proposed that improvements in access control could prevent many vulnerabilities, many of which capture contextual information to more accurately detect obviously unsafe operations. However, developers are often hesitant to extend their access control mechanisms to use more sensitive access control policies. My experience leads me to propose that it is imperative that an access control systems be able to extract context accurately and efficiently and be capable of inferring any non-trivial policies. In this talk, I will discuss some recent research that enforces context-sensitive policies by either extracting process context, integrating code to extract context from programs, or extracting user context. We find that context-sensitive mechanisms can prevent some obviously unsafe operations from being authorized efficiently and discuss our experiences in inferring access control policies. Based on this research, we are encouraged that future research may enable context-sensitive access control policies to be produced and enforced to prevent vulnerabilities.
Talker continuity and the use of rate information during phonetic perception

Research has shown that speaking rate provides an important context for the perception of certain acoustic properties of speech. For example, syllable duration, which varies as a function of speaking rate, has been shown to influence the perception of voice onset time (VOT) for syllableinitial stop consonants. The purpose of the present experiments was to examine the influence of syllable duration when the initial portion of the syllable was produced by one talker and the remainder of the syllable was produced by a different talker. A short-duration and a long-duration /bi/-/pi/ continuum were synthesized with pitch and formant values appropriate to a female talker. When presented to listeners for identification, these stimuli demonstrated the typical effect of syllable duration on the voicing boundary: a shorter VOT boundary for the short stimuli than for the long stimuli. An /i/ vowel, synthesized with pitch and formant values appropriate to a male talker, was added to the end of each of the short tokens, producing a new hybrid continuum. Although the overall syllable duration of the hybrid stimuli equaled the original long stimuli, they produced a VOT boundary similar to that for the short stimuli. In a second experiment, two new /i/ vowels were synthesized. One had a pitch appropriate to a female talker with formant values appropriate to a male talker; the other had a pitch appropriate to a male talker and formants appropriate to a female talker. These vowels were used to create two new hybrid continua. In a third experiment, new hybrid continua were created by using more extreme male formant values. The results of both experiments demonstrated that the hybrid tokens with a change in pitch acted like the short stimuli, whereas the tokens with a change in formants acted like the long stimuli. A fourth experiment demonstrated that listeners could hear a change in talker with both sets of hybrid tokens. These results indicate that continuity of pitch but not formant structure appears to be the critical factor in the calculation of speaking rate within a syllable.
Catastrophic chemical events in the history of the ocean

Catastrophic chemical events are characterised by sharp rises in δ34S in the surface of the whole world ocean, and by greater overshoots locally. Three events are recognised and named for the formation in which they are most sharply displayed. The sharpness of the rise in δ34S suggests that the sulphide deposition necessary to explain it must have been accumulating residual high-δ34S seawater for some tens of millions of years out of contact with the surface ocean. A modified geological model is presented: brine generated by evaporite deposition is stored in deeps of a mediterranean basin; underneath the brine, pyrite precipitation builds a store of brine heavy in , whose corresponding buildup of may balance the decrease of from evaporite deposition. Catastrophic mixing of the brine and the surface ocean, initiated by destruction of the storing basin, is the source of the sharp rise in the sulphur isotope age curve detected world-wide in evaporites. These events have important implications not only for modelling of the chemical history of the ocean, atmosphere, and sediments, but also for the explanation of faunal crises, and the many aspects of geology that depend on the composition and circulation of the oceans and their peripheral basins.
Butadiene production process overview

Over 95% of butadiene is produced as a by-product of ethylene production from steam crackers. The crude C4 stream isolated from the steam cracking process is fed to butadiene extraction units, where butadiene is separated from the other C4s by extractive distillation. The amount of crude C4s produced in steam cracking is dependent on the composition of the feed to the cracking unit. Heavier feeds, such as naphtha, yield higher amounts of C4s and butadiene than do lighter feeds. Crackers using light feeds typically produce low quantities of C4s and do not have butadiene extraction units. Overall butadiene capacity is determined by ethylene cracker operating rates, the type of feed being cracked, and availability of butadiene extraction capacity. Global butadiene capacity is approximately 10.5 million metric tons, and global production is approximately 9 million metric tons [Chemical Marketing Associates, Inc. (CMAI), 2005 World Butadiene Analysis, Chemical Marketing Associates, Inc. (CMAI), 2005]. Crude C4s are traded globally, with the United States being the only significant net importer. Finished butadiene is also traded globally, with the largest exporters being Canada, Western Europe, Saudi Arabia and Korea. The largest net importers are Mexico, the United States and China. The global demand for butadiene is approximately 9 million metric tons [Chemical Marketing Associates, Inc. (CMAI), 2005 World Butadiene Analysis, Chemical Marketing Associates, Inc. (CMAI), 2005]. Production of styrene-butadiene rubber and polybutadiene rubber accounts for about 54% of global butadiene demand, with tire production being the single most important end use of butadiene synthetic rubbers. Other major butadiene derivatives are acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and styrene butadiene latex (about 24% of demand combined).
The gas exchange of hydrogen-adapted algae as followed by mass spectrometry.

A mass spectrometer inlet and an oxygen electrode in the same vessel allowed the continuous recording of the gases exchanged (H2, CO2, O2) by hydrogenase-containing anaerobically adapted Scenedesmus obliquus strain D3 (Gaffron) and Chlorella fusca Shihira et Krauss (= pyrenoidosa) 211-15. A light intensity which produces more photosynthetic oxygen than the cells can re-reduce to water leads to de-adaptation and the substitution of normal photosynthesis for photoreduction. The sequence of these metabolic events was recorded in a matter of a few minutes. Upon exposure of these adapted algae to light, an evolution of hydrogen lasting up to 60 seconds preceded any other light-dependent gas exchange. In the presence of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea, this initial hydrogen production was inhibited approximately 50%, pointing to a contribution of electrons by photosystem II. At very low hydrogen tensions (0.1 microliter per milliliter), a balance between light-induced production and absorption of hydrogen was observed in normal, unpoisoned algae. Addition of either glucose or inhibitors of phosphorylation increased the release of hydrogen in the light very considerably. When the light was turned off the algae consumed the remaining amount of hydrogen, only to release it again upon illumination. This reversible hydrogen exchange persisted even when any concomitant carbon dioxide exchange had been abolished.
An Extension of the Chi-Square Procedure for Non-NORMAL Statistics, with Application to Solar Neutrino Data

Using the chi-square statistic, one may conveniently test whether a series of measurements of a variable are consistent with a constant value. However, that test is predicated on the assumption that the appropriate probability distribution function (pdf) is normal in form. This requirement is usually not satisfied by experimental measurements of the solar neutrino flux. This article presents an extension of the chi-square procedure that is valid for any form of the pdf. This procedure is applied to the GALLEX-GNO dataset, and it is shown that the results are in good agreement with the results of Monte Carlo simulations. Whereas application of the standard chi-square test to symmetrized data yields evidence significant at the 1% level for variability of the solar neutrino flux, application of the extended chi-square test to the unsymmetrized data yields only weak evidence (significant at the 4% level) of variability.
ALLHAT and AFFIRM

Because of the proliferation of clinical trials relevant to preventive cardiology, this new section of the journal is being initiated to review recently published findings from randomized clinical studies with the potential to significantly alter medical practice. Each issue of Preventive Cardiology will address one or more of these trials with commentary by Philip R. Liebson, MD, editor of the section. Dr. Liebson is Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine and Associate Director, Section of Cardiology, Rush Medical College, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL. He is a member of our founding Editorial Board with extensive experience and investigative activity in clinical cardiology and preventive cardiology. It is hoped that this series will promote discussion and comment by our readers on recent publications concerning the prevention of cardiovascular disease and we welcome letters to the editor.
Exchange studies with NF4AsF6

Abstract Isotopic exchange experiments have been conducted with the salt NF4AsF6 and gaseous 76AsF5, As18F5, 18F2, 15NF3 and N18F3. Exchange of the fluorine atoms of AsF5 is believed to occur via the less volatile complex salt NF4As2F11. Evidence for the existence of this salt is presented in the form of pressure composition data.
Selenium inhibition of avian fatty acid synthetase complex.

Abstract Injection of 0.48 or 0.72 mg of selenium/100 g body weight (as Na 2 SeO 3 ) into 3-week-old chicks depressed hepatic activity of fatty acid synthetase compared with saline-injected controls. In in vitro experiments with fatty acid synthetase purified to homogeneity, Na 2 SeO 3 was a competitive inhibitor ( K i = ca. 70 μ M). Dithiothreitol (DTT) at low concentrations increased the inhibition of the enzyme by Na 2 SeO 3 . At higher DTT concentrations the potentiating effect of DTT on selenium inhibition of the enzyme disappeared. At still higher DTT concentrations, selenium inhibition of fatty acid synthetase was partically relieved. If DTT and Na 2 SeO 3 (2 : 1 molar ratio, respectively) in inhibitory concentrations, were reacted together prior to addition to enzyme and substrate, no inhibition was observed. Potentiation of selenium inhibition of fatty acid synthetase was observed with 2-mercaptoethanol but not with ascorbate. Several organic seleno-compounds were not inhibitory. The data suggest that selenium inhibits fatty acid synthetase by reversible bonding to the sulfhydryl (SH) groups (possibly at the active sites for acetyl-CoA and/or malonyl-CoA binding) of the enzyme. Selenotrisulfide formation involving selenium and the SH groups from the enzyme and thiol compounds is advanced as a possible explanation for the interaction among Se, DTT and enzyme observed in these experiments.
Etoposide and mitomycin in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. A phase I-II evaluation.

Sixty-five patients (20 patients who had had prior radiotherapy and 45 patients who had not had prior radiotherapy) were entered into a study evaluating escalating doses of etoposide and mitomycin in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Twenty-two percent of patients who had not received prior radiotherapy responded to the chemotherapy, compared with 5% of patients who had received prior radiotherapy. The best response rate and median survival time was 30% and 31.9 weeks, respectively, seen in three of 10 patients receiving mitomycin 10 mg/M2 i.v. day 1 and etoposide 100 mg/M2 i.v. days 1-3. The major toxicity was hematologic--mainly leukopenia, in 59% of patients who had had no prior radiation therapy and were receiving mitomycin 10 mg/M2 i.v. day 1 and etoposide 150 mg/M2 i.v. days 1-3 (grade 3 and 4 hematologic toxicity). The mitomycin-etoposide drug combination has some activity in patients with NSCLC who have not received prior radiotherapy. The recommended starting dose is mitomycin 10 mg/M2 i.v. day 1 and etoposide 100 mg/M2 i.v. days 1-3, administered every 4 weeks.
Gastric antral diaphragm

Roentgenographic abnormalities in 3 patients with antral diaphragm are presented. Barium studies revealed the diaphragm as a persistent, circumferential defect in the distal antrum, often associated with peptic ulcers or gastric outlet obstruction. At endoscopy the central aperture does not change during peristalsis in contrast to the pylorus, which does. Since the lesion can be excised, its preoperative demonstration by barium studies and endoscopy is emphasized.
Support for chromatin acidic proteins as acceptors for progesterone in the chick oviduct.

Abstract Studies in this laboratory have supported the role of chromosomal protein-DNA complexes as the nuclear acceptor sites for progesterone in the avian oviduct. The protein coacceptor appears to be a low molecular weight acidic protein(s) which when removed from the DNA results in a marked loss of binding by the activated progesterone-receptor complex. When the protein is reannealed back to the pure DNA, the binding capacity is restored. During studies on these nuclear binding sites for progesterone in the hen oviduct, a seasonal variation in the level and function of the progesterone receptor (P-R) was detected. Cytosol preparations obtained from the chick oviducts during the winter/ spring period between January and May display reduced receptor levels as well as a loss of the capacity of the receptor to bind to nuclear “acceptor” sites in vitro. The binding of [3H]-P-R to whole chromatin or purified acceptor proteins reannealed to DNA display the same rhythm. No such rhythm is detected for the binding of P-R to pure DNA. The nuclear binding in vivo, achieved by injecting [3H]-progester-one into the wing vein and analyzing the radioactivity localized in the oviduct nuclei, also displays a similar rhythm. These results indicate that the native nuclear acceptor sites for progesterone in the chick oviduct are protein-DNA complexes and not pure DNA. The failure of P-R to bind the nuclear acceptor sites in vivo and in vitro during this period can be explained by the two subunit hypothesis of Schrader and O'Malley, whereby one of the two subunits is absent or inactive during this period.
The effect of viewing distance upon size preference of frogs for prey

Abstract The preference of frogs for snapping at prey-like stimuli is related to real object size rather than to its subtended visual angle when objects are less than 15 cm distant. For more distant prey, the visual angle cue seems to determine prey choice. Using a second test, involving a discrimination of aperture width, behavior was guided by visual angle alone regardless of the frog to object distance. The so-called size-constancy effect may be related to feeding motivation processes, and not represent the type of perceptual judgement of real size found with human subjects.
Synthetic vaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse.

Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to summarize recently published comparative trials on synthetic vaginal mesh versus traditional native tissue repairs for pelvic organ prolapse. Recent findings Although studies suggest benefit from the use of synthetic vaginal mesh for anterior compartment prolapse, data are limited on the use of mesh for posterior and apical prolapse when compared with native tissue repair. The benefits of a more durable repair must be weighed against risks such as the development of de-novo stress incontinence, visceral injury, dyspareunia, pelvic pain and mesh contraction, exposure and extrusion requiring reoperation. Furthermore, the success rates of native tissue repairs are higher than previously considered using updated validated composite outcomes that incorporate both subjective relief of bulge and objective cure defined as prolapse above the hymenal ring. Summary Surgeons placing synthetic mesh for pelvic organ prolapse should counsel patients regarding the potential benefits, risks, and alternatives including native tissue repairs. Level 1 evidence suggests anterior synthetic mesh may be superior to anterior repair. Expert opinion suggests potential benefit of vaginal mesh for recurrences, hysteropexy, and advanced prolapse in patients with medical co-morbidities precluding invasive open and endoscopic sacrocolpopexies; however, comparative clinical trials with long-term data are needed.
Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and its application to molecular and cellular analysis

In this paper, we review the state-of-the-art in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based optical detection techniques with an application focus on cancer diagnostics. As we describe herein, SERS has several analytical, biological and engineering advantages over other methods including extremely high sensitivity, inherent molecular specificity of unlabeled targets, and narrow spectral bands. We review advances in both in vitro and in vivo applications of SERS and examine how technical issues with the technology are being addressed. A special technology focus is given to emerging optofluidic devices which aim to merge microfluidic and optical detection technologies into simple packages. We conclude with a brief discussion of some of the emerging challenges in the field and some of the approaches that are likely to enhance their application.
Changes in students' educational attitudes: A study of an experimental living-learning program

This study highlights the longitudinal changes in educational attitudes of students during the freshman year of college, with the prime focus on comparisons between students in a living-learning program (N=95) and students in the regular curriculum (N=89) at the University of California, Davis. The Student Orientations Survey was used in a pre-post design, and major results were (1) students who selected the experimental program held somewhat different attitudes from their peers in the regular curriculum prior to the start of the academic year and (2) compared to changes in attitudes of their peers, the experimental-program students, by the end of the academic year, had significantly decreased their desire for lectures and formalized education, expressed greater interest in self-directed independent study, desired a more significant role in educational decision-making, and viewed education more as a way of exploring various academic areas rather than solely preparing for a vocational future. Coupled with findings from student interviews, various implications of the results were discussed.
Rewards, aversions and affect in adolescence: Emerging convergences across laboratory animal and human data

The adolescent transition is associated with increases in reward- and sensation-seeking, peer-directed social interactions, and risk-taking, with exploratory use of alcohol and other drugs often beginning at this time. These age-related behaviors may have biological roots embedded in the evolutionary past, with similar adolescent-typical characteristics evident across a variety of mammalian species. Drawing across human behavioral and fMRI data and studies conducting in laboratory animals, this review examines processing of rewards, aversions, and affect in adolescence. Evidence for both hyper- and hypo-reactivity during adolescence in the processing of rewards is reviewed, along with possible contributors to these differences. Indications of sometimes heightened reward reactivity during adolescence are contrasted with frequent attenuations in adolescent sensitivity to aversive stimuli. At the same time, adolescents appear particularly prone to becoming emotionally aroused, especially in social contexts. Emerging evidence hints that exaggerated adolescent reactivity in reward and affective systems may be promoted in part by unusual strong cross-reactivity between these systems during adolescence. Such age-related propensities may promote adolescent risk taking, especially in social and exciting contexts, and contribute to adolescent-typical propensities to attach greater benefit and less cost to risky behaviors such as alcohol and drug use than individuals at other ages.
Some Properties of Silicon Difluoride

GASEOUS silicon difluoride has been observed in spectral studies1, and polymers of composition (SiF2)n were prepared by Schmeisser2 from magnesium and dibromodifluorsilane. However, a convenient preparation of both silicone difluoride gas and polymer was first described by Pease3 in 1958, in which silicon tetrafluoride was passed at low pressures over silicon at temperatures above 1,050° C. Pease showed that gaseous silicon difluoride would polymerize at low temperatures to form a rubbery polymer, and that it could be reacted with halogens or unsaturated organic molecules to give compounds containing SiF2 groups.
Regulating Danger: The Struggle for Mine Safety in the Rocky Mountain Coal Industry

'A pioneer study in scope, subject, and research' - Duane A. Smith, author of "Rocky Mountain Mining Camps: The Ur-ban Frontier". 'It breaks new ground. Specialists in mining and labor history will be interested, and so will social historians, labor relations people, students of government regulation and of the West in general' - Clark C. Spence, author of "Mining Engineers and the American West: The Lace-Boot Brigade, 1849-1933".From the 1880s to the 1980s more than eight thousand workers died in the coal mines of the Rocky Mountain states. Sometimes they died by the dozens in fiery explosions, but more often they died alone, crushed by collapsing roofs or runaway mine cars. Many old-timers in coal-mining communities and even some historians have blamed the high fatality rate on ruthless coal barons exploiting miners in the single-minded pursuit of profit. The coal industry preferred to blame careless miners. James Whiteside looks beyond those charges in seeking to explain why the western coal mines were (and, to some degree, still are) dangerous and why territorial, state, and federal laws failed for so long to make them safer." Regulating Danger" is the first extended study of the coal-mining industry in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. It exceeds the scope of traditional labor history in focusing on working conditions and the problems of workers instead of unions and strikes. After examining the inherent physical dangers of the work, Whiteside shows how the interplay of economic, social, and technological forces created an environment of death in the western coal mines. He goes on to discuss evolving industrial and political attitudes toward issues of responsibility for mine safety and government regulation and the fundamental changes in the industry that brought about safer working conditions. James Whiteside received his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he teaches in the Department of History and Division of Continuing Education.
Imaging Three Dimensional Two-Particle Correlations for Heavy-Ion Reaction Studies

We report an extension of the source imaging method for analyzing three-dimensional sources from three-dimensional correlations. Our technique consists of expanding the correlation data and the underlying source function in spherical harmonics and inverting the resulting system of one-dimensional integral equations. With this strategy, we can image the source function quickly, even with the finely binned data sets common in three-dimensional analyses.
Apatite, Monazite, and Xenotime in Metamorphic Rocks

This chapter focuses on phosphates that are significant in metamorphic rocks. A quick survey of phosphate mineral descriptions at a commercial mineral web-site revealed over 500 phosphate mineral names. Remarkably, only three are common in metamorphic rocks: apatite, monazite, and xenotime, and this chapter is restricted to discussion of these minerals. Apatite, monazite, and, to a lesser extent, xenotime, have enjoyed intensive study during the previous half-century. Following World War II, considerable study was made of minerals that contain fissionable materials, and the sometimes large concentrations of U and Th in monazite culminated in a number of seminal papers on the occurrence of that mineral (e.g., Overstreet 1967). During the 1970s and early 1980s, the study of apatite and monazite turned towards their role as a sink for REEs and other trace elements in rocks (e.g. Watson 1980, Watson and Capobianco 1981). Throughout this period, monazite (and to some extent xenotime) enjoyed attention as a geochronometer (e.g., Parrish 1990), and through today this attention has continued to grow. Accessory minerals such as monazite, xenotime, and apatite have come to the forefront of research in metamorphic petrology in recent years for two reasons. First, it has recently been recognized that trace elements in metamorphic rocks, and especially trace element zoning in garnet and other major phases, contain considerable detailed information about the reaction history a rock has experienced. Coupled with the fact that diffusion of many trace elements in metamorphic minerals is, in general, considerably slower than diffusion of major elements in those same minerals, the possibility has recently emerged of recovering details of metamorphic petrogenesis that were previously unattainable. Inasmuch as accessory minerals play a dominant role in the mass budget of many trace elements, attention has naturally turned to their paragenesis. It has also recently been discovered that …
Effects of prostacyclin and prostaglandin E1 on cyclic AMP metabolism and calcium efflux in isolated renal cortical tubules.

Abstract Comparative effects of prostaglandin E 1 (PGE 2 1 ) and prostacyclin (PGI 2 ) on cyclic AMP (cAMP) metabolism and efflux of 45 Ca in isolated renal cortical tubules from hamsters were investigated. Both (PGE 2 1 ) and renal cortical tubules from hamsters were investigated. Both PGE 2 1 and PGI 2 increased tissue concentrations and production of cAMP in isolated tubules with effects of (PGE 2 1 ) being slightly greater than those o PGI 2 . Both prostaglandins produced dose-related increases in cAMP production over identical concentration ranges (0.01–15 μg/ml). Degradation of cAMP, estimated as the difference in tissue levels of cAMP in the presence and absence of maximal amounts of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (MIX), increased following addition of either prostaglandin with increases paralleling increases in cAMP production. Simultaneous addition of maximal amounts of both prostaglandins resulted in a combined effect on cAMP production which was nonadditive. Both prostaglandins produced dose-related increases in efflux of 45 Ca from Both prostaglandins produced dose-related increases in efflux of 4 Ca frolated tubules. Changes in 45 Ca efflux were closely related to changes in cAMP levels produced by either prostaglandin. Simultaneous addition of chaimal concentrations of (PGE 2 1 ) and PGI 2 produced changes in addition of maximal concentrations of PGE 2 1 and PGI 2 produced changes in 45 Ca efflux which were nonadditive. The results indicate that both prostaglandins increase cAMP production and efflux of calcium in isolated renal prostaglandins increase cAMP production and efflux of calcium in isolated renal coritical tubules and may share a common target cell type in these responses.
The Islamic frontier in the east: Expansion into South Asia

(1974). The Islamic frontier in the east: Expansion into South Asia. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 91-109.
Evaluation of the residual strength degradation in composite laminates under fatigue loading

Residual strength degradation in graphite/epoxy composite laminates is evaluated and a model proposed relating the residual strength to the applied fatigue cycles and the maximum applied stress. Based on this model, the statistical distribution of the residual strength is derived and compared with available experimental data. Good agreement is observed between the proposed model and experimental results.
Recent Developments in Close-Relationships Theory

A selective review of some recent theoretical developments in the field of close relationships is presented. We describe demographic developments reflecting flux in relationships and the family and what may be viewed as a revolution in gender relations and the family over the past three to four decades. Also reviewed are theories on the development, maintenance, and ending of relationships, as well as the “dark side” of close relationships. We conclude that the close-relationships field is likely to continue to develop and prosper as people search for answers to daunting relationship problems.
Pitching Workpieces to Minimize the Cycle Time of Industrial Robots

Pitching workpieces can significantly reduce the cycle time of industrial robots and extend their workspace. A control method for pitching workpieces by cylindrical coordinate type robots is developed and can be readily implemented by a computer program technique which calculates the minimum time that a robot must hold a workpiece before it is pitched to a target. For a given target location, the robot programmer supplies data to the program about the initial position of the arm and the robot's vertical, extension and rotational velocities. The outputs are the release position coordinates and the release velocity components associated with the minimum handling time. This information is used to set the controls on an industrial robot. If the workpiece receptacle location is adjustable, vertical heights of horizontal target planes are entered as input. Plots are then generated of minimum handling times for each selected target plane. This information and a knowledge of workpiece constraints helps a robot programmer select a workpiece receptacle location with the shortest possible minimum handling time.
Proper hereditary shape equivalences preserve property C

Abstract In a recent paper [6], van Mill and Mogilski prove that a proper hereditary shape equivalence preserves property C, if its domain is σ-compact. In this note, the same result is established without the hypothesis of σ-compactness.
Intellectual Disabilities and Neglectful Parenting: Preliminary Findings on the Role of Cognition in Parenting Risk

Parents with intellectual disabilities (PID) are over-represented in the child protective services (CPS) system. This study examined a more nuanced view of the role of cognition in parenting risk. Its goal was to validate a social information processing (SIP) model of child neglect that draws on social cognition research and advances in neuroscience. Mothers who had CPS child neglect cases were compared with mothers with no CPS involvement on a set of SIP factors. Mothers with low IQs were oversampled. As predicted, the Neglect group had significantly greater SIP problems than the Comparison mothers. SIP problems were associated with direct measures of neglect (e.g., cognitive stimulation provided children, home hygiene, belief regarding causes of child injuries). Further, for the direct measures that were most closely linked to CPS Neglect Status, IQ did not add significant predictive capacity beyond SIP factors in preliminary model testing. Implications for intervention with PID discussed.