cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A frequency domain method for the measurement of nonlinearity in heterodyne interferometry

This paper presents a method for the measurement of nonlinearity in heterodyne interferometry which utilizes the frequency spectrum of the output of the photodetector for the direct measurement of the magnitudes of the first and second harmonic nonlinearities. The underlying theory and the experimental technique are discussed. Results showing the application of this technique for the determination of the influence of the azimuthal alignments of the polarization beamsplitter, the analyzer and measurement retroreflector are presented. The applicability of the technique to the in situ optimization of an interferometer system is demonstrated. It is shown that using this technique an interferometer system can be optimized to reduce the first-harmonic nonlinearity to below 0.5 nm p-p and the second harmonic nonlinearity to 2 nm p-p. This method is contrasted with other methods and the advantages conferred by the elimination of an external reference and the phase measuring electronics are highlighted.
TH-E-M100J-05: Early Assessment of Radiotherapy Efficacy with FLT-PET Imaging

Purpose: Capability to assess treatment response early could dramatically change the practice of radiation therapy as it is performed today. Our aim was to investigate feasibility of repeat 3′‐Deoxy‐3′‐fluorothymidine ([F‐18]‐FLT) PET/CT imaging as a surrogate for early treatment response. Materials and Methods: Multiple patients with different tumor types — head and neck, lung, esophagus and CNS — underwent either a radical (6 weeks) or palliative (2 weeks) radio‐ or chemoradiotherapy. Each patient was imaged twice with FLT‐PET/CT, a marker of cell proliferation. The baseline FLT‐PET/CT scan was acquired up to a week before the start of radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. The follow‐up FLT‐PET/CT scan was acquired in the first half of therapy, typically after one to two‐weeks of radiotherapy. The FLT‐PET image acquisition was dynamic over 90 minutes after the injection of FLT. The CT data between the imaging sessions was co‐registered and the corresponding PET data compared and analyzed.Results: The FLT uptake has proved to be high compared to the normal background activity for all investigated tumor types. The absolute FLT uptake varied significantly for different tumor types, with standardized uptake values (SUV) ranging from less than 1 in CNS tumors to over 10 in head and neck and lungtumors. Detectable change in proliferative activity (>20%) was observed within a week of the initiation of therapy. Significant inter‐ and intra‐patient, and high tumor heterogeneity was observed. Conclusions: FLT‐PET/CT imaging is an extremely powerful tool for early assessment of treatment response for a variety of tumor types. While the absolute FLT uptake varied significantly between different tumor types, the signal to background ratio was high. Early treatment assessment is possible as early as one week after the start of therapy. High inter‐ and intra‐patient tumor response variability offers unprecedented possibilities for treatment adaptation.
The Ambonese Nationalist Movement in the Netherlands: A Study in Status Deprivation

Nationalist movements are typically total movements characterized by affectively charged values and demands of full commitment. Due to the spread of information they have become patterned reactions to stereotyped situations. They derive their dynamic psychological strength largely from a collective concern about the status of the group. Among the Ambonese mass demonstrations, the merging of religious and nationalistic ideologies and also rivalry and mutual accusations tended to keep attention focussed on the values of the movement. Impracticability of the aim caused its rapid decline. The primary problem: compensation for loss of status has to be solved now by realistic adjustments on a more individual basis, the success of which is to a large extent dependent on the general economic situation in the Netherlands. N ~ _ ATIONALIST movements in the modern world, while differing in specific details, exhibit similar patterns of thought and action. All place paramount importance on the ideology of national freedom; all are organized to achieve the objective of national sovereignty; and all are sustained by a set of myths which emphasize the sins of the enemy and the glories of the promised land. The ideological and organizational superstructures of such movements rest on an underpinning of social unrest whose causes may be legion but which, in general, appears to derive from concern about status insecurity. The Ambonese Nationalist Movement, here considered, has conformed to the patterning processes' distinctive of other nationalist movements. Like them, it has also been expressive of converging dissatisfactions, deriving its "elan" from an appeal to basic values embedded in the primary group. Some of the values revolve around and have continuous association with status imagery, both individual and collective. These values are affectively charged, particularly so because there was a recognized or imagined threat to the status of the group, which also became a threat to the individuals identifying with that collectivity. Reactions to past, present, and future events were manifest as intense preoccupation with status threats, deprivations, and aspirations, as evidenced by the behavior, expressions, and symbols involved in the movement. In this analysis we shall view the Ambonese Nationalist movement through the conceptual frame of reference of status deprivation, examining the proposition that collective concern about this deprivation, whether real or fancied, has provided the movement with a dynamic psychological strength sufficient to carry it along. BACKGROUND: TUE AMBONESE IN TUIE INDONESIAN
Role of back stress in the creep behavior of particle strengthened alloys

Recent developments in the interpolation of high-temperature steady-state creep results have introduced the concept that the stress dependence of the creep rate should be in terms of the effective stress referred to as the applied stress minus a back stress. This paper reports on back stresses taken from data on a gamma-prime-strengthened wrought nickel-base superalloy, an oxide dispersion-strengthened ODS nickel-base solid solution alloy, and an ODS nickel-base superalloy. The effect of air versus vacuum environments and the effect of dynamic changes in the strengthening microstructures on the magnitude of the back stress are assessed. The role of modulus normalization and the back stress correction in determining the true creep activation energy are examined. It is shown that the high values of the apparent stress exponent 'n' of the steady-state creep equation can be easily explained through a relationship between n, the true stress exponent of steady-state creep, and the stress which when subtracted from the applied stress results in the effective driving stress acting on the mobile dislocations during creep.
Development of a controlled release low dose class II drug-Glipizide

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop a new monolithic matrix system to completely deliver glipizide, a Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) Class II drug in a zero order manner over an extended time period. Two approaches were examined using drug in formulations that contain swellable hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) or erodible polyethylene oxide (PEO). The matrices were prepared by dry blending selected ratios of polymers and ingredients using direct compression technique. Dissolution was assessed using modified USP apparatus II. Glucotrol XL push-pull osmotic pump (PPOP) was used as the reference. The interrelationship between matrix hydration, erosion and textural properties were determined and analyzed under the dissolution test conditions. Linear and reproducible release similar to that of Glucotrol XL was achieved for optimized matrices (f2 > 50) independent of hydrodynamic conditions. The kinetics of drug delivery was directly related to the synchronization of swelling, erosion and fractional release. HPMC matrices showed a significantly greater degree of hydration and swelling and stronger texture property relative to PEO matrices. Results indicate that in the case of low dose/low soluble drug, total drug release in a zero order manner heavily depends on the synchronization of erosion and swelling fronts during the entire dissolution study.
Appropriate premedication risk reduction during adrenal ablation.

Editor: We read with great interest Atwell et al (1) report in the March issue of JVIR on “Malignant hypertension during cryoablation of an adrenal gland tumor.” We cannot stress enough the importance of effective collaboration between the interventional radiologist and anesthesia team. During manipulation of the adrenal gland by surgery or minimally invasive modalities, a hypertensive crisis due to systemic catecholamine release is a rare although not unheard of complication (1–4). When catecholamine release is thought to be likely (ie, functional adrenal tumor or pheochromocytoma), premedication with alpha adrenergic blockade such as phenoxybenzamine for several days prior to the procedure is critical in preventing hypertensive crisis. In these riskier settings, many patients may also require beta blockade due to the resultant tachycardia associated with alpha blockade, and thus the clinician should ensure that the patient receives beta blockade only after adequate alpha blockade. This is due to the fact that unopposed alpha receptor stimulation can also precipitate a hypertensive crisis (6). Furthermore, α-methyl-para-tyrosine or metyrosine (Demser™; Merck, Sharp & Dohme, West Point, PA) should be considered several weeks before the procedure. Metyrosine is a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor that blocks the conversion of tyrosine to DOPA, the rate-limiting step in the production of catecholamines, and subsequently reduces catecholamine production by 50 to 80% (7). Studies during surgery for pheochromocytoma have shown that a combination regimen of phenoxybenzamine and metyrosine is more effective in controlling blood pressure and results in less need for use of antihypertensive medication or pressors than single-agent α-adrenergic blockade alone (4). Less blood loss and less intraoperative fluid replacement have also been seen with this combination regimen (5). Since these findings have not been confirmed by any prospective study, it should be noted that the addition of metyrosine may not be suitable for every patient and should be considered on a case by case basis since preloading and dose titration of metyrosine may take weeks (7). The report by Atwell et al and other groups (1–3) on malignant hypertension in patients presumed to have nonfunctional tumors suggests that perhaps more patients with these tumors should be premedicated prior to surgery or ablation. While completely eliminating the possibility of a hypertensive crisis is unlikely, proper precautions could significantly decrease such events from occurring.
Expression of the mouse pre-T cell receptor alpha gene is controlled by an upstream region containing a transcriptional enhancer.

The pre-T cell receptor α (pTα) protein is a critical component of the pre-T cell receptor complex in early thymocytes. The expression of the pTα gene is one of the earliest markers of the T cell lineage and occurs exclusively in pre-T cells. To investigate the molecular basis of thymocyte-specific gene expression, we searched for the genomic elements regulating transcription of the mouse pTα gene. We now report that expression of the pTα gene is primarily controlled by an upstream genomic region, which can drive thymocyte-specific expression of a marker gene in transgenic mice. Within this region, we have identified two specific DNase-hypersensitive sites corresponding to a proximal promoter and an upstream transcriptional enhancer. The pTα enhancer appears to function preferentially in pre-T cell lines and binds multiple nuclear factors, including YY1. The enhancer also contains two G-rich stretches homologous to a critical region of the thymocyte-specific lck proximal promoter. Here we show that these sites bind a common nuclear factor and identify it as the zinc finger protein ZBP-89. Our data establish a novel experimental model for thymocyte-specific gene expression and suggest an important role for ZBP-89 in T cell development.
ATPase activity of myosin in hair bundles of the bullfrog's sacculus

Mechanoelectrical transduction by a hair cell displays adaptation, which is thought to occur as myosin-based molecular motors within the mechanically sensitive hair bundle adjust the tension transmitted to transduction channels. To assess the enzymatic capabilities of the myosin isozymes in hair bundles, we examined the actin-dependent ATPase activity of bundles isolated from the bullfrog's sacculus. Separation of 32P-labeled inorganic phosphate from unreacted [gamma-32P]ATP by thin-layer chromatography enabled us to measure the liberation of as little as 0.1 fmol phosphate. To distinguish the Mg(2+)-ATPase activity of myosin isozymes from that of other hair-bundle enzymes, we inhibited the interaction of hair-bundle myosin with actin and determined the reduction in ATPase activity. N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) decreased neither physiologically measured adaptation nor the nucleotide-hydrolytic activity of a 120-kDa protein thought to be myosin 1 beta. The NEM-insensitive, actin-activated ATPase activity of myosin increased from 1.0 fmol x s-1 in 1 mM EGTA to 2.3 fmol x s-1 in 10 microM Ca2+. This activity was largely inhibited by calmidazolium, but was unaffected by the addition of exogenous calmodulin. These results, which indicate that hair bundles contain enzymatically active, Ca(2+)-sensitive myosin molecules, are consistent with the role of Ca2+ in adaptation and with the hypothesis that myosin forms the hair cell's adaptation motor.
Effect of intratracheal gallium arsenide administration on δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase in rats: Relationship to urinary excretion of aminolevulinic acid

Exposure to gallium arsenide (GaAs) is a potential hazard in the semiconductor industry and there is a need for specific biological indicators of exposure/toxicity for this compound. These studies examined effects of GaAs exposure on the heme biosynthetic pathway enzyme delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD). Male CD rats received GaAs suspensions at doses of 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg via a single intratracheal instillation. Six days after treatment a dose-dependent inhibition of blood ALAD was observed with activity decreasing to 5% of controls at the highest dose, with a concomitant marked increase in the urinary excretion of aminolevulinic acid (ALA). Inhibition of blood ALAD following administration of GaAs was maximal (30% of control) 3 to 6 days postexposure and returned to approximately control values on day 18. Urinary excretion of ALA was maximal 3 to 6 days postexposure and recovered toward control values at 18 days. Inhibition of kidney and liver ALAD following GaAs exposure was also evident. Intratracheal instillation of silica did not alter the activity of ALAD in blood, liver, or kidney. Marked increases in lung wet weight/body weight ratios were evident in lungs of silica- and GaAs-treated rats. Histopathological changes in the lungs were characterized by multifocal granulomas following silica treatment and Type II pneumocyte hyperplasia following GaAs treatment; mild necrosis was evident in both groups. Rats treated with 100 mg/kg GaAs exhibited swelling of kidney proximal tubule mitochondria 6 days following exposure. Silica and GaAs exposure produced marked decreases in cumulative weight gain. The concentration of gallium required to achieve half-maximal inhibition of ALAD in vitro was 200-fold less in blood and 40-fold less in kidney and liver than that required for arsenite and the inhibition was partially prevented by excess zinc. These data suggest that gallium is the primary inhibitor of ALAD following dissolution of GaAs in vivo and that competition for or displacement of zinc from the enzyme active site may be involved in the mechanism of inhibition. The data also demonstrated the utility of including a particulate control group when assessing the chemical-induced toxicity of compounds administered intratracheally as particulate suspensions. Finally, measurement of heme precursors, e.g., ALA, in urine coupled with assay of red blood cell ALAD activity may be of value as an early biological indicator of GaAs exposure and/or toxicity.
Subacute Endocarditis of an Atrial Septal Closure Device in a Patient With a Patent Foramen Ovale

The role of transcatheter closure of a patent foramen ovale for cryptogenic stroke remains controversial. The most common complications include atrial arrhythmia and bleeding. Infectious complications are exceedingly rare. We describe a 37-year-old man with a history of transient ischemic attacks and a patent foramen ovale who underwent transcatheter closure, complicated by subacute endocarditis of the completely endothelialized device 2 years after placement.
Bcl-2 family members make different contributions to cell death in hypoxia and/or hyperoxia in rat cerebral cortex

Abstract Hypoxic brain injury during fetal or neonatal development leads to damaged immature neurons and can result in cognitive or behavioral dysfunction. Hyperoxia therapy (treatment with oxygen) is commonly applied to infants with signs of perinatal hypoxia–anoxia. Both hypoxia and hyperoxia have been shown to result in apoptosis in the brains of rats in several animal models. One determinant of cellular commitment to cell death is the differential expression of the Bcl-2 family of proteins in response to trauma. Here, we characterize cell death and the expression of Bcl-2 homologous proteins in 7-day-old neonatal rat cerebral cortex after hypoxia (5% O 2 for 40 min) and/or hyperoxia (>95% O 2 for 2 h after hypoxia). The expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-X L , two anti-apoptotic proteins, decreased at 24 h after hypoxia. Bcl-X L increased after either hyperoxia or hypoxia+hyperoxia. We did not detect significant changes in the cytoplasmic levels of pro-apoptotic protein Bax after any of these three treatments. Using cell death ELISA and DNA FragEL © assays, we observed increased cell death at 24 h after hypoxia, hyperoxia or hypoxia+hyperoxia treatments. At 24 h after either hypoxia, hyperoxia or hypoxia+hyperoxia, caspase 3 activity also increased significantly. Our results suggest that both hypoxia and hyperoxia alone can induce cell death. The Bcl-2 → cytochrome c → caspase 3 pathway played a role in hypoxia-induced cell death, while other pathways may be involved in hyperoxia-induced cell death.
Life history and distribution of the small south-western Atlantic octopus, Octopus tehuelchus

Although this species has been reported from shallow waters down to 90 m depth, knowledge is almost entirely based on intertidal samples. In this study both intertidal and subtidal samples were taken during 1982–1987, in northern San Matias Gulf (41° S, 63° 30′ W). This is a large-egged (eggs: 9–12 mm long ×–5 mm wide, stack of 4–6 mm long) and small-sized (up to 150 g) octopus. Egg laying occurs between autumn and winter. Embryonic development takes about four months (water temperature:–19°C). Large hatchlings (DML: 5·64 mm, TL: 14·23 mm, TW: 0·139 g) emerge over spring and early summer, and development is direct. Maximum size is reached after 17–18 months; mating takes place in summer. Females reduce their feeding activity when they reach maturity, and cease eating while brooding. Mean life-span is two years, but some individuals (mostly females) may live up to three years. Females approaching the beginning of the brooding period move to the subtidal zone, where males outnumber females until the end of summer and females (mostly brooders) then outnumber males. In the intertidal zone sex ratio was 1:1 from December to late March, but in April males outnumber females. These life-history traits are compared with those of other large-egged octopuses and are discussed in relation to environmental conditions prevailing in the San Matias Gulf.
Reply to “Comment on upscaling geochemical reaction rates using pore-scale network modeling” by Peter C. Lichtner and Qinjun Kang

Our paper "Upscaling geochemical reaction rates usingpore-scale network modeling" presents a novel application of pore-scalenetwork modeling to upscale mineral dissolution and precipitationreaction rates from the pore scale to the continuum scale, anddemonstrates the methodology by analyzing the scaling behavior ofanorthite and kaolinite reaction kinetics under conditions related to CO2sequestration. We conclude that under highly acidic conditions relevantto CO2 sequestration, the traditional continuum-based methodology may notcapture the spatial variation in concentrations from pore to pore, andscaling tools may be important in correctly modeling reactive transportprocesses in such systems. This work addresses the important butdifficult question of scaling mineral dissolution and precipitationreaction kinetics, which is often ignored in fields such as geochemistry,water resources, and contaminant hydrology. Although scaling of physicalprocesses has been studied for almost three decades, very few studieshave examined the scaling issues related to chemical processes, despitetheir importance in governing the transport and fate of contaminants insubsurface systems.
Detailed mechanistic modeling of polymer degradation : application to polystyrene

The degradation of polystyrene was modeled at the mechanistic level using population balance equations formulated via the method of moments. Five degradation models of varying complexity were developed. For all models, the conversion among the species was described using typical free radical reaction types, including hydrogen abstraction, mid-chain β-scission, end-chain β-scission, 1,5-hydrogen transfer, radical addition, bond fission, radical recombination, and disproportionation. The five models differed in their resolution of the structural characteristics of the “dead” and “live” polymeric species and whether they explicitly tracked low molecular weight species. The most complex model included over 4500 reactions and tracked 93 polymeric and low molecular weight species, both dead and live species. To facilitate model construction, programs were developed using the programming language Perl to assemble population balance equations from specific reaction mechanism input. The intrinsic kinetic parameters (a frequency factor and activation energy for each reaction) were obtained from previous modeling work in which the decomposition of a polystyrene mimic was described at the mechanistic level (Woo, Ph.D. dissertion, Northwestern University, 1999; Woo and Broadbelt, 1998, Catal. Today 40, 121) to link reactivity directly to structure. As the complexity of the models increased to include branching reactions and branched species, the model predictions improved. The separation between Mn and Mw observed experimentally was reproduced well for the three most complex models. The general modeling framework established may be easily extended to other single-component and multicomponent polymeric systems.
Who is the 40-year-old virgin and where did he/she come from? Data from the National Survey of Family Growth.

ABSTRACT Introduction Little is known about young and middle aged adults who have never engaged in sexual intercourse. Individuals who have not engaged in sexual activity may theoretically have diminished overall quality of life, as recent evidence suggests that sexual activity may be related to overall health status in adults. Aim We sought to identify factors related to sexual abstinence in young and middle-aged adults. Methods We analyzed data from the male and female sample of the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth to examine sexual abstinence among unmarried participants aged 25–45 (men: N = 2,469; women: N = 5,120). Main Outcome Measures Multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to test for independent associations between demographic, medical, and anthropometric variables and abstinence while adjusting for confounding and mediating variables. Results A total of 122 (13.9%) men aged 25–45 reported never having had sex, representing approximately 1.1 million American men in this age cohort. Among female participants, a total of 104 (8.9%) women aged 25–45 reported never having sex, representing approximately 800,000 American women in this age cohort. Both men and women who reported that they attend religious services one or more times per week were more likely to be sexually abstinent, independent of their specific religious beliefs. Virgin status was also significantly associated with drinking alcohol within the past year. While a college degree in women predicted virginity, education was not associated with virginity in men. Men showed lower rates of sexual abstinence if they reported having spent time in prison or serving in the military. Conclusions Amongst young adults, sexual abstinence does not appear to be mediated by health status, anthropometric measures, or age. Attending religious services and avoidance of alcohol consumption are associated with virginity in adults. Other factors associated with abstinence differ between genders and merit further study. Eisenberg ML, Shindel AW, Smith JF, Lue TF, and Walsh TJ. Who is the 40 year old virgin and where did he/she come from? Data from the National Survey of Family Growth. J Sex Med 2009;6:2154–2161.
BIOSYSTEMATICS OF THE GENUS HYDROPHYLLUM L. (HYDROPHYLLACEAE)

Hydrophyllum is a group of mesophytic herbs occurring in two disjunct groups in North America. The genus is a natural taxonomic entity with the constituent species showing low levels of variability. Morphological similarities of the disjunct species suggest a close affinity between H. tenuipes and H. virginianum and a lesser, yet distinct, affinity between H. occidentale and H. macrophyllum. Biosystematic studies that included herbarium comparisons, field descriptions, artificial hybridizations, chromatographic studies, and electrophoretic analyses characterize the interrelationships of the various species.
Evidence for massive bulk Dirac fermions in Pb 1− x Sn x Se from Nernst and thermopower experiments

Topological surface states in lead-doped tin selenide are assumed to arise from massive Dirac states in the bulk, but this has not been demonstrated to date. Using thermoelectric transport measurements, Liang et al. now close this gap, and further show a sign anomaly in the Nernst signal due to band inversion.
Methodology for monitoring, control and operation of power systems with wind farms

This paper presents an infrastructure and a monitoring and control approach for systems with wind farms that enables coordination of the operation of wind farms with the bulk power system and maximizes the utilization of the available wind energy at the wind farm locations. A hierarchical optimization scheme is proposed in this work. In particular, a system level optimization defines the optimal operating point for the wind farms, the thermal generating units and other controllable devices in the system. At each wind farm, a lower level optimization procedure is performed which defines the operating condition of each wind turbine at the wind farm. The proposed infrastructure is enabled by a distributed state estimation procedure that evaluates the real time model of the system and the wind farms, used by the hierarchical optimization scheme, continuously with speeds of 60 times per second.
Effects of 2-mercaptoethanol and aging in vitro on 17β -hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase of guinea pig liver microsomes

When microsomes were prepared in 2-mercaptoethanol Vmax for 17beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase (17beta-HSD) was greater, the Km for NAD+ was greater and the Km for testosterone lower than in its absence. During storage at 4 degrees Vmax increased in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol and decreased in its absence; Km values for testosterone and NAD+ increased during storage in both cases. The presence or absence of 2-mercaptoethanol did not affect the extent or time-course of inactivation of 17beta-HSD by trypsin or phospholipase A. Furthermore, no differences were detected in sedimentation properties on sucrose density gradients suggesting that the differences and changes in the kinetic behavior of 17beta-HSD reflect a conformational flexibility at the active site and are not due to extensive changes in the structure of the microsomes. 17beta-HSD exposed to 2-mercaptoethanol was subject to substrate inhibition by testosterone, a type of inhibition not previously reported for this enzyme.
A perioperative practicum

It is increasingly difficult for nurse educators to provide clinical experiences for students in settings that offer excellent educational opportunities. Hospital administrators are phasing out entry-level medical-surgical nursing positions and decreasing the number of inpatient beds, correspondingly decreasing the numbers of patients available to students. Educators need to develop new strategies to meet this challenge. Perioperative practicums are one method to help accomplish this. The author describes a unique perioperative experience that includes an important home care component.
Crystal field theory with covalency

The use of a covalency parameter in Crystal Field Theory calculations has been applied to sixteen octahedral complexes. The variables fitted to experiment have been correlated to theoretical parameters.
Exploring dissociation and oxytocin as pathways between trauma exposure and trauma-related hyperemesis gravidarum: a test-of-concept pilot

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with gastrointestinal and genitourinary comorbidities. These map onto the somatization disorder symptoms in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( American Psychiatric Association, 1994 ) and the dissociative (conversion) disorders symptoms in the International Classification of Diseases taxonomy ( World Health Organization, 2007 ). Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is one of these symptoms and a gastrointestinal comorbidity of PTSD occurring in pregnancy. It is an idiopathic condition defined as severe vomiting with dehydration, metabolic imbalance, wasting, and hospital care seeking. HG is more severe than the normative phenomenon of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. This test-of-concept pilot (N = 25) explored the hypothesis that there is a trauma-related subtype of HG characterized by (a) high levels of dissociative symptoms and (b) altered plasma concentrations of oxytocin. This hypothesis is informed by a theory of posttraumatic oxytocin dysregulation that posits altered oxytocin function as a mechanism of gut smooth muscle peristalsis dysfunction. A 4-group analysis compared controls with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NV only) and cases with HG only, NV and PTSD, or HG and PTSD. Oxytocin was correlated with the nausea and vomiting symptom severity score (r = .464, p = .019) and with the dissociation symptom score (r = .570, p = .003). Women in the group with both PTSD and HG (the trauma-related HG subtype) had the highest levels of dissociation and the highest levels of oxytocin. A linear regression model indicated that the independent association of the trauma-related HG subtype with oxytocin level was mediated by high levels of dissociative symptoms.
The aggregate production profile for U.S. crude oil

We estimate the aggregate production profile for US crude oil for the period 1961 to 1985. Using data on reserves, we find that there is a significant lag between the time that reserves are added and the time production peaks. We attribute this long lag to a system of production controls that existed until about 1970. When we re- estimate over the period from 1970 to 1985, we find that there is a much shorter period between reserve additions and peak production. We consider an alternative approach based on drilling data that gives similar results for the entire sample period but different results for the subperiod 1970-1985. We discuss the factors that are responsible for the general shapes of the profiles we estimate. 14 refs., 22 figs., 4 tabs.
Utility of Electrophysiological Studies in Assessing Peripheral Sensory and Motor Nerve Involvement in the Upper Limb After Traumatic Tetraplegia

Following cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), changes to the central process of the peripheral sensory nerve as well as to the lower motor neuron (LMN) influence the clinical presentation. A review of the anatomy and pathologic changes impacting the peripheral sensory and motor nerves is essential to understanding the clinical presentation. Various electrophysiological methodologies are available to assist us in understanding the location, extent, and severity of the spinal cord lesion with respect to the central process of the sensory nerve and lower motor neuron. An experienced examiner will utilize the clinical examination findings with his or her appreciation of the natural history after traumatic cervical SCI to determine the appropriateness of specific electrophysiological tools in the assessment process or to determine a client’s candidacy for various interventions. The purpose of this article is to describe the electrophysiological testing methods used to assess peripheral sensory and motor nerves ...
Effect of Temperature and Humidity on the Adhesive Strength of Orthodontic Direct Bonding Materials

The effects of temperature and humidity on the adhesive strength of two direct bonding orthodontic materials were investigated. Tensile testing showed that the adhesive bond was much stronger than the polycarbonate brackets. There is a significant increase in tensile and shearlike strength after 15-, 22-, and 30-day incubation at 37 C and 100% humidity, as compared with initial strength (after 30 minutes) at room temperature.
Most tumour necrosis factor inhibitor trials in rheumatology are undeservedly called ‘efficacy and safety’ trials: a survey of power considerations

Objectives: Many randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are labelled efficacy and safety while due consideration for power is provided only for efficacy outcomes. This in turn necessitates a discussion of the inadequacy of sample size (type II error) for identifying harm. This is particularly important in RCTs of TNF inhibitors as harm related to these agents is still a matter of debate. Methods: PubMed was searched for all RCTs published examining TNF inhibitors in RA, PsA and AS. Only original study reports were surveyed for whether: (i) they were labelled as efficacy, safety or both; (ii) the methods sections included safety as a primary or secondary end point; (iii) power calculations were adequately explained; (iv) statistical tests of significance were given for harm; and finally (v) any discussion of type II error for harm was present. Results: Of the 34 articles surveyed, 24 (71%) were labelled as efficacy and safety. Among these, 23 (96%) did not include safety as a formal primary or secondary end point. In only 2/24 (8%) power calculations were given for safety. Finally, in only 3/22 (14%) any discussion about the inadequate sample size (type II error) for detecting harm could be found. Conclusions: Most reports of RCTs of TNF inhibitors in rheumatological diseases are inappropriately labelled as addressing efficacy and safety. Their lack of power in detecting harm is not adequately discussed, either.
On the Role of Myosin-II in Cytokinesis: Division of Dictyostelium Cells under Adhesive and Nonadhesive Conditions

We have investigated the role of myosin in cytokinesis in Dictyostelium cells by examining cells under both adhesive and nonadhesive conditions. On an adhesive surface, both wild-type and myosin-null cells undergo the normal processes of mitotic rounding, cell elongation, polar ruffling, furrow ingression, and separation of daughter cells. When cells are denied adhesion through culturing in suspension or on a hydrophobic surface, wild-type cells undergo these same processes. However, cells lacking myosin round up and polar ruffle, but fail to elongate, furrow, or divide. These differences show that cell division can be driven by two mechanisms that we term Cytokinesis A, which requires myosin, and Cytokinesis B, which is cell adhesion dependent. We have used these approaches to examine cells expressing a myosin whose two light chain-binding sites were deleted (ΔBLCBS-myosin). Although this myosin is a slower motor than wild-type myosin and has constitutively high activity due to the abolition of regulation by light-chain phosphorylation, cells expressing ΔBLCBS-myosin were previously shown to divide in suspension (Uyeda et al., 1996 ). However, we suspected their behavior during cytokinesis to be different from wild-type cells given the large alteration in their myosin. Surprisingly, ΔBLCBS-myosin undergoes relatively normal spatial and temporal changes in localization during mitosis. Furthermore, the rate of furrow progression in cells expressing a ΔBLCBS-myosin is similar to that in wild-type cells.
A statistical analysis package for DC-DC boost-converter design

This paper presents a software package to perform statistical analysis (SA) on dc-dc boost converters DDBC, Lamar-DDBCSim1 v1.0. It is a valuable-complement for traditional time-domain analysis (TDA). The combined SA and TDA approaches are expected to result in a robust DDBC design. The goal of this SA-tool is to estimate the overall converter's time-invariant statistical performance parameters TI_SPPs. These are expressed in the form of numeric-characteristics. The paper demonstrates the need for the TI_SPPs-estimation prior to the traditional TDA. Conventional real-time simulators, using Multisim for example, display only individual device parameters such as voltages and currents. If anyone is interested in estimating circuit performance parameters such as: overall inverter-efficiency in converting ac-to-dc, the energy sourced and delivered to and from the storage-inductor, and the average power-output etc cannot be obtained through the traditional TDA. As, these TI-SPPs are a function of multiple device parameters. For structured-implementation of the boost converters one needs to perform both types of simulations. First perform SA to determine the range of the critical elements for the desired performance. This is then to be followed by TDA-tools such as PSPICE/Multisim. The analyzer developed is a GUI-application implemented using MS-Visual C++ Visual Studio .NET 2008. To test the validity of the package a test circuit was analyzed in three domains: first by simulating it in time-domain using NI-Multisim-10; second after bread-boarding it; and finally analyzing it using this package. Comparative results from the three domains found to be consistent, validating the package. This paper focuses on about a dozen TI-SPPs, typically sought, in DDBC-designs.
Comparison of Single Versus Multiple Lifestyle Interventions: Are the Antihypertensive Effects of Exercise Training and Diet-Induced Weight Loss Additive?

Abstract Although aerobic exercise training and diet-induced weight loss each have been shown to individually lower elevated blood pressure (BP), it is currently not known whether their combined use produces an additive antihypertensive effect. In this randomized clinical trial we therefore compared the effect on resting BP of exercise training only and dietary modification only with that of exercise training plus dietary modification in 55 sedentary, overweight patients with high normal BP or stage 1 or 2 hypertension. After baseline testing, patients were randomized to 1 of the following 3 interventions for 12 weeks: exercise training only (aerobic exercise; 30 to 45 minutes; 3 to 5 days/week; 60% to 85% of maximal heart rate), dietary modification only (aimed primarily at weight loss via restriction of energy intake and dietary fat), or exercise training plus dietary modification. Forty-eight patients completed the study. In these patients, exercise training plus dietary modification elicited a greater reduction (p ≤0.001) in body weight (−7.1 ± 2.9 vs −1.0 ± 1.8 kg) than exercise training only, and a greater increase (p ≤0.05) in maximal oxygen uptake (4.3 ± 2.6 vs 1.9 ± 2.0 ml/kg/min) versus dietary modification only. However, the reduction in BP with exercise training plus dietary modification (−12.5 ± 6.3/7.9 ± 4.3 mm Hg) did not differ significantly from that with exercise training only (−9.9 ± 6.4/5.9 ± 4.6 mm Hg) or dietary modification only (−11.3 ± 12.1/7.5 ± 4.3 mm Hg). These data indicate that the antihypertensive effects of exercise training and diet-induced weight loss are not additive. This finding has important public health and clinical implications for the millions of overweight persons with high normal BP or stage 1 or 2 hypertension. In patients with high normal blood pressure or stage 1 or 2 hypertension, the antihypertensive effects of aerobic exercise training and diet-induced weight loss are not additive.
Feeding of Lygus hesperus (Hemiptera: Miridae) on a Chemically Defined Diet

The nutritional requirements of phytophagous insects in general were reviewed by Friend (1958). Later, some progress was recorded by Mittler and Dadd (1962) and Auclair and Cartier (1963) on the rearing of aphids on holidic diets, but information on the feeding and rearing of other plant-sucking insects on synthetic diets is very limited. Scheel et al. (1957) reported rearing 2 species of Hemiptera, Oncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas) and Euschistus variolarius (Palisot de Beauvois), on semisolid meridic diets, without the use of a membrane. They concluded that the absence of a membrane relatively impermeable to attractants and feeding stimulants is apparently an important feature toward successful feeding of these insects on synthetic diets. However, Landes and Strong (1965) showed that the hemipteron Lygus hesperus Knight can feed through various membranes and can be maintained alive for 46–113 days on oligidic diets prepared from juice extracted from green beans.
Relationship Power, Control, and Dating Violence Among Latina Girls

We drew on the theory of gender and power and grounded theory methodology to explore how 18 Latina girls conceptualized power and control within their heterosexual dating relationships. Our findings indicate that boys/men used a number of strategies to control girls, including: regulating appearances and behaviors; cheating and threatening to cheat; and physical and sexual violence. Girls used a variety of strategies to resist these attempts to control them, including: lying, flirting, and cheating; reactive violence; breaking up; and maintaining emotional distance. Girls attempted to subvert boys' attempts to control them; however, these attempts were not always successful given the constraints of gender that adolescent females must negotiate.
Optimized second-harmonic generation in asymmetric double quantum wells

We present a theoretical analysis of surface-incidence and waveguide-mode second harmonic generation with detuned intersubband transitions in GaAs-AlGaAs, InGaAs-InAlAs and GaSb-InGaSb-AlGaSb asymmetric double quantum wells. The analysis includes the effects of absorption, saturation, pump depletion, optical carrier heating, mode confinement and competition, and the loss of phase coherence due to waveguide, bulk and resonant intersubband contributions to the refractive index mismatch. Optimal structures have been determined for each material system in both surface-incidence and waveguide-mode geometries. A scheme for maintaining phase matching by incorporation of a separate region with an intersubband transition tuned midway between the first and second harmonic frequencies is analyzed. At 10.6 /spl mu/m, the maximum conversion efficiency for the optimized InGaAs-InAlAs waveguide-mode device is /spl ap/16% at a pump-beam intensity of 40 MW/cm/sup 2/. Furthermore, the same device can be modulated to vanishing second harmonic output power when an electric field of -32 kV/cm is applied.
The spleen as a diabetic organ; Rethinking trauma splenectomy

DOI of original article: 10.1016/j.jss.2012.0 * Corresponding author. Department of Surg Tucson, AZ 85724. Tel.: þ1 520 626 6608; fax E-mail address: tokeeffe@surgery.arizona 0022-4804/$ e see front matter a 2014 Elsev http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2013.02.054 It is clear that the development of type 2 diabetes in the majority of patients is multifactorial. But the increasing worldwide epidemic of this disease is due, at least in part, to the rising tide of the so-called metabolic syndrome and our ever-expanding waistlines [1,2]. Other factors, such as ethnic origin, also play a role [3,4]. Until now, however, little evidence has suggested an association between any surgical procedures (other than pancreatectomy) and the later development of diabetes. In a paper recently published in the Journal of Surgical Research, Eric Ley and colleagues suggest the existence of a link between splenectomies performed for trauma and the longterm development of diabetes [5]. In their study, they matched nine patients who had undergone trauma splenectomy with 12 patients who had undergone a trauma laparotomy and subsequent intestinal surgery. The mean glucose level in the splenectomized group was significantly higher than in the control group (114mg/dL versus 90mg/dL, P1⁄4 0.04). This was at a mean follow-up of more than 6 y following splenectomy in both groups. Additionally, the postsplenectomy group included a single patient with newly diagnosed diabetes.
Electric field-induced birefringence measurements in nuclear detector materials using transmission two-modulator generalized ellipsometry (2-MGE)

It is well-known that internal electric fields can alter the refractive index of certain materials via the Pockels effect. Using the traditional crossed polarizer configuration, this effect has been used to explore internal electric fields in several materials of interest as potential room temperature nuclear detectors. Recently we have shown that the two-modulator generalized ellipsometer (2-MGE) can be configured in the transmission mode, where it measures the retardation, the direction of the principal axis, the diattenuation, and the polarization factor. Therefore, the transmission 2-MGE provides more information and is more accurate than the crossed polarizer configuration. Utilizing various optical schemes, one can sequentially "map" these parameters for a sample. Examples of electric-field-induced birefringence are presented for crystals of LiNbO/sub 3/ and CZT.
Toffee: enabling ad hoc, around-device interaction with acoustic time-of-arrival correlation

The simple fact that human fingers are large and mobile devices are small has led to the perennial issue of limited surface area for touch-based interactive tasks. In response, we have developed Toffee, a sensing approach that extends touch interaction beyond the small confines of a mobile device and onto ad hoc adjacent surfaces, most notably tabletops. This is achieved using a novel application of acoustic time differences of arrival (TDOA) correlation. Previous time-of-arrival based systems have required semi-permanent instrumentation of the surface and were too large for use in mobile devices. Our approach requires only a hard tabletop and gravity -- the latter acoustically couples mobile devices to surfaces. We conducted an evaluation, which shows that Toffee can accurately resolve the bearings of touch events (mean error of 4.3° with a laptop prototype). This enables radial interactions in an area many times larger than a mobile device; for example, virtual buttons that lie above, below and to the left and right.