cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anaphase chromosome movement in the unequally dividing grasshopper neuroblast and its relation to anaphases of other cells

The positions of the two sets of chromosome kinetochores, the spindle poles, cell membrane adjacent to the poles, and cleavage furrow of grasshopper neuroblasts in culture at 38°C were determined at short-time intervals during anaphase. The percent of motion due to poleward movement and spindle elongation, which coincide in time, were calculated for each minute, the former falling from 61% in the first minute to 15% in the seventh minute, and increasing to 86% in the final minute, probably as a result of pressure and bending of the spindle. Of the total chromosome movement during anaphase 44.6% is due to poleward movement of the daughter kinetochores and 55.4% to spindle elongation. The maximum velocity of a set of kinetochores is 3.41 μm/min and the mean velocity 1.86 μm/min (one-half the rate of separation). Various studies of anaphase chromosome movement in different cells and different species suggest certain generalizations, some of which are based on very small samples and so must be considered quite tentative: (1) The combination of poleward movement and spindle elongation is much more frequent than either acting alone. (2) These components of movement may coincide in time, overlap, or spindle elongation may follow poleward movement, but spindle elongation never begins before poleward chromosome movement. (3) There is an optimum temperature for the rate of chromosome movement, above and below which the rate gradually decreases. (4) In homoiothermic animals this optimum occurs at normal body temperature. (5) In homoiothermic animals the velocity falls more rapidly with a decrease in temperature than in poikilothermic animals. (6) Animals with large chromosomes (amphibia, grasshoppers) have higher chromosome velocities than those with small chromosomes. (7) Non-meiotic cells and secondary spermatocytes have higher velocities than primary spermatocytes of the same species. (8) Chromosome velocity is lower in malignant than non-malignant cells. (9) Chromosome velocity tends to be positively correlated with the distance the chromosomes travel during anaphase.
A usage-based approach to argument structure: "remember" and "forget" in spoken English

The English verbs remember and forget are typically treated by syntacticians as mental process verbs whose argument structure is characterized by a variety of possible complements. Based on extensive corpus data, Tao (2001) investigates the use of remember in spoken English and proposes that complement-taking is actually a marginal feature of remember, and remember can be seen as undergoing changes toward becoming a discourse particle in spoken English. This paper extends the previous study by bringing in forget for comparison against remember. It is shown that while both remember and forget disprefer complements, forget lacks the placement flexibility seen in remember but allows more tense options; at the same time, forget also has its own pragmatically strengthened patterns in such combinations as ‘forget it’ and ‘don't forget to.’ Overall this study shows that not only can usage-based investigations provide a realistic account of argument structure, a usage-based approach is also instrumental in elucidating the varied local patterns that are often confined to individual linguistic entities or sequences in highly specified contexts, a conclusion which supports the emergent view of argument structure.
Palatability and meal patterns

Investigations of palatability have often been confounded by nutritional, pharmacological or methodological problems. The present experiment examined the free-feeding meal patterns of two differentially preferred yet nutritionally equivalent diets. When the two diets were offered sequentially (Experiment 1), no differences were found in meal frequency, meal size, or meal duration. However, when the diets were offered simultaneously in Experiment 2, the preferred diet was consumed more frequently, in larger meals, and at a faster feeding rate than the less preferred diet. Further, the meal patterns in Experiment 2 of the preferred diet were identical with those found for both diets in Experiment 1. Therefore, the meal patterns of two diets with differing palatability depend upon the method of presentation with differences appearing when the diets are offered simultaneously but not when they are offered sequentially.
Vision multiplexing: An optical engineering concept for low-vision aids

The normal visual system provides a wide field of view apparently at high resolution. The wide field is continuously monitored at low resolution for navigation and detection of objects of interest. These objects are sampled using the high-resolution fovea, applying a temporal multiplexing scheme. Most vision impairments that cause low vision impact upon only one of the components; the peripheral low-resolution wide field or the central high-resolution fovea. The loss of one of these components prevents the interplay of central and peripheral vision needed for normal function and causes disability. Traditional low-vision aids improve the impacted component, but usually at a cost of a significant loss in the surviving component. For example, magnifying devices increase resolution but reduce the field of view, while minifying devices increase the field of view but reduce resolution. A general optical engineering approach - vision multiplexing - is presented. Vision multiplexing seeks to provide both the wide field of view and the high-resolution information in ways that could be accessed and interpreted by the visual system. The use of various optical and electro-optical methods in the development of a number of new visual aids, all of which apply vision multiplexing to restore the interplay of high-resolution and wide-angle vision using eye movements in a natural way, will be described. Vision-multiplexing devices at various stages of development and testing illustrate the successes and difficulties in applying this approach for patients with tunnel vision, hemianopia (half blindness), and visual acuity loss (usually due to central retinal disease).
A Theoretical Analysis of Transient Sound Radiation From a Clamped Circular Plate

A theoretical analysis of transient sound radiation from a clamped circular plate is given using a pressure impulse response method. The vibration response of the plate to a transient point force is obtained. The modal pressure impulse response functions for the plate are derived from the Rayleigh surface integral and numerically convoluted with the modal acceleration response of the plate. The impulse response functions are closely related to the mode shapes and the geometry of the problem. They relate the spatial domain to the temporal domain of the pressure waves. The pressure impulse response waveforms are given for a number of plate modes and the changes in the waveforms with distance from the plate are shown. Sound radiation due to forced and free vibrations of the plate are discussed.
Effects of long-term therapy with enalapril on severity of functional mitral regurgitation in dogs with moderate heart failure

Objectives. This study examined the effects of early long-term monotherapy with enalapril on the severity of functional mitral regurgitation in dogs with moderate heart failure. Background. Functional mitral regurgitation often develops in patients with heart failure and, depending on its severity, can have a marked adverse impact on the stroke output of the failing left ventricle and contribute to progressive deterioration of the heart failure state. Methods. Left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction 30% to 40%) was produced in 14 dogs by multiple sequential intracoronary microembolizations. Dogs were randomized to 3 months of therapy with enalapril (10 mg twice daily, n = 7) or no therapy at all (control, n = 7). The severity of functional mitral regurgitation was quantified by Doppler color flow mapping in seven control and six enalapril-treated dogs. Mitral annular diameter was assessed by echocardiography and left ventricular volumes and shape by ventriculography. Measurements were made before initiation and after completion of therapy. Results. In control dogs, the severity of mitral regurgitation increased during the follow-up period ([mean ± SEM] 14 ± 4 vs. 23 ± 4%, p Conclusions. In dogs with moderate heart failure, early long term therapy with enalapril prevents progressive worsening of functional mitral regurgitation. This beneficial effect is most likely achieved by prevention of progressive left ventricular dilation.
Dopamine and benzodiazepine-dependent mechanisms regulate the EtOH-enhanced locomotor stimulation in the GABAA α1 subunit null mutant mice

The present study investigated the role of the alpha1-containing GABA(A) receptors in the neurobehavioral actions of alcohol. In Experiment 1, mice lacking the alpha1 subunit (alpha1 (-/-)) were tested for their capacity to initiate operant-lever press responding for alcohol or sucrose. Alcohol intake in the home cage was also measured. In Experiment 2, the alpha1 (-/-) mice were injected with a range of alcohol doses (0.875-4.0 g/kg; i.p.) to evaluate the significance of the alpha1 subunit in alcohol's stimulant actions. In Experiment 3, we determined if the alcohol-induced stimulant effects were regulated via dopaminergic (DA) or benzodiazepine (BDZ)-dependent mechanisms. To accomplish this, we investigated the capacity of DA (eticlopride, SCH 23390) and BDZ (flumazenil, betaCCt) receptor antagonists to attenuate the alcohol-induced stimulant actions. Compared with wild-type mice (alpha1 (+/+)), the null mutants showed marked reductions in both EtOH and sucrose-maintained responding, and home-cage alcohol drinking. The null mutants also showed significant increases in locomotor behaviors after injections of low-moderate alcohol doses (1.75-3.0 g/kg). betaCCt, flumazenil, eticlopride, and SCH 23390 were able to attenuate the alcohol-induced stimulation in mutant mice, in the absence of intrinsic effects. These data suggest the alpha1 receptor plays an important role in alcohol-motivated behaviors; however, it also appears crucial in regulating the reinforcing properties associated with normal ingestive behaviors. Deleting the alpha1 subunit of the GABA(A) receptor appears to unmask alcohol's stimulatory effects; these effects appear to be regulated via an interaction of both DA- and GABA(A) BDZ-dependent mechanisms.
Automated calculation of the centerline of the human colon on CT images.

Rationale and Objectives. This article presents an evaluation of an automated technique for determining the colon centerline with computed tomographic (CT) data sets. Materials and Methods. The technique proceeds as follows. After indication of a voxel in the rectum, voxels corresponding to air were segmented. Points along the colon centerline were estimated on the basis of centers of mass of grown voxels. A second segmentation and centerline calculation was initiated at the cecum. These two centerlines were then averaged. The resulting average was refined by using lumen data obtained perpendicular to the average centerline. The accuracy of the technique was investigated with simulation phantoms. The technique was also evaluated for 40 clinical colon cases. Calculated centerline points were compared with those indicated by radiologists for a randomly selected clinical case. Results. In the simulation studies, the calculated centerline points were, on average, within 2.5 mm of the true centerlines but differed by up to 4 mm in regions of deep folds or sharp turns. In the clinical colon study, 40% of the centerlines were computed with a single seed point and 25% with two seed points. Average centerlines were computed in 1 minute. The root mean square difference between the computed centerline points and those indicated by the radiologists was 4–5 mm (comparable to interobserver variations). Conclusion. Accurate centerlines can be determined from colon CT data with this automated technique.
Regulation of Intestinal Epithelial Cell Cytoskeletal Remodeling by Cellular Immunity Following Gut Infection

Gut infections often lead to epithelial cell damage followed by a healing response. We examined changes in the epithelial cell cytoskeleton and the involvement of host adaptive immunity in these events using an in vivo model of parasitic infection. We found that both ezrin and villin, key components of the actin cytoskeleton comprising the brush border (BB) of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), underwent significant post-translational changes following gut infection and during the recovery phase of gut infection. Intriguingly, using mice lacking either CD4(+) or CD8(+) T-cell responses, we demonstrated that the mechanisms by which ezrin and villin are regulated in response to infection are different. Both ezrin and villin undergo proteolysis during the recovery phase of infection. Cleavage of ezrin requires CD4(+) but not CD8(+) T cells, whereas cleavage of villin requires both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses. Both proteins were also regulated by phosphorylation; reduced levels of phosphorylated ezrin and increased levels of villin phosphorylation were observed at the peak of infection and correlated with reduced BB enzyme activity. Finally, we show that infection also leads to enhanced proliferation of IECs in this model. Cytoskeletal remodeling in IECs can have critical roles in the immunopathology and healing responses observed during many infectious and non-infectious intestinal conditions. These data indicate that cellular immune responses can be significant drivers of these processes.
Genomic homogeneity of the AHU/IA-1,2 phenotype of Neisseria gonorrhoeae during its disappearance from an urban population.

BACKGROUND Isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae requiring arginine, hypoxanthine, and uracil (AHU) appeared in Denmark in 1946, were preponderant in Seattle during the 1970s, were associated with disseminated gonococcal infections (DGI), and were primarily of the IA-1,2 serovar. GOALS To investigate the disappearance of the AHU/IA-1,2 phenotype and to examine by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) the genomic homogeneity of this unique phenotype isolated from Seattle-King County during the past decade. STUDY DESIGN This retrospective study used data extracted from previous publications for the period 1971 through 1984, and from existing records at the Neisseria Reference Laboratory, University of Washington for the period 1985 through 1996. Samples (n = 68) of AHU/IA-1,2 isolates from 1984 to 1985 and 1988 to 1993 were analyzed using endonucleases NheI and XbaI. For comparison, 10 AHU/IB isolates were included in the study. RESULTS AHU isolates, predominantly IA-1,2 strains accounted for 52% of the gonococcal isolates for the period 1971 through 1974, 40% for 1974 through 1976, 16% for 1984, and then declined from 7% in 1986 to 0% for each of the last 3 years, 1994 through 1996. Isolates with < or = 1 band difference after digestion with either NheI or XbaI were considered to belong to a single closely related pattern. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) type designation was made from the combination of NheI and XbaI patterns. These criteria yielded 5 NheI and 8 XbaI PFGE patterns, and 11 PFGE types based on the combination of NheI and XbaI pattern. The most frequently occurring NheI and XbaI patterns accounted for 74% and 57% of isolates, respectively. One type persisted throughout the decade and accounted for 54% of the 68 isolates. Analysis of the 10 AHU/IB isolates yielded 7 NheI and 8 XbaI patterns that gave 9 types that were distinct from the types found in the AHU/IA-1,2 strains. CONCLUSION The AHU/IA-1,2 phenotype first documented 50 years ago in Denmark still shows a high degree of genomic homogeneity during the past decade in Seattle. The implementation of screening, decreased rates of sexual exposure in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome era, or other factors may explain its apparent elimination in Seattle-King County.
Chemistry of L-ascorbic acid related to foods

A review of reactions of L-ascorbic acid related to its antioxidant property in foods, preservation of vitamin C activity, removal of oxygen in headspace of containers, browning reaction, formation of combined forms of vitamin C, and anaerobic loss.
Vitellogenin synthesis in blood-fed Aedes aegypti in the absence of the head, thorax and ovaries

Abstract A blood meal initiates oocyte maturation in Aedes aegypti, and we have used rocket immunoelectrophoresis to investigate the function of midgut, ovaries, and head in the onset of vitellogenin synthesis. Non-blood-fed females and those fed blood (by enema) containing soybean trypsin inhibitor never contained vitellogenin. This demonstrates that the pressure of an undigested blood meal on stretch receptors of the midgut plays no role in the induction of vitellogenin synthesis, rather the stimulus is a digestion product of blood. When females were ovariectomized or decapitated and then fed blood, the haemolymph contained newly synthesized vitellogenin 24 h later. This was also demonstrated in isolated ovariectomized abdomens. Apparently, induction of vitellogenin synthesis does not require factors from either the head, thorax, or ovaries. When ovariectomy or decapitation was postponed after a blood meal, the level of vitellogenin in the haemolymph rose. Therefore, interaction of factors from the head and ovaries maintain the synthesis needed for oocyte maturation.
Medical Practice with Nursing Home Residents: Results from the National Physician Professional Activities Census

OBJECTIVE: The study describes the prevalence of medical nursing home practice. Further, it examines the extent to which physician characteristics and local county health care resources predict nursing home involvement. This information is relevant to evaluating and devising strategies that address the future provision of medical care in institutionalized long-term care. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A national sample of all licensed practicing physicians was obtained from a special Professional Activities (PPA) survey conducted by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1991. PARTICIPANTS: Respondents were 21,578 physicians involved in direct patient care. MEASURES: The typical number of hours spent weekly caring for nursing home patients was obtained from the PPA survey, and physician demographics were obtained from the AMA Masterfile. County health care resources were obtained from the National Institutes of Health Area Resources File. RESULTS: Most (77%) physicians reported spending no measurable time caring for nursing home patients. In all disciplines, a majority of physicians with a nursing home practice spent less than 2 hours per week with patients. Logistic regressions indicted that family practitioners and internists were most likely to have a nursing home practice, but general practitioners were most likely to spend more time in practice. Only 15% of specialists reported having a nursing home practice. Prevalence of practice was greatest among solo practitioners and physicians in partnerships and least among academic and hospital-based physicians and physicians in group practice or employed by the government. Most county of practice resources were not associated or were modestly associated with nursing home practice, but having a nursing home practice became much more likely as the number of nursing home residents increased and hospital beds decreased. A pattern was found for nursing home practice to be slightly less likely as the county's per capita income and the proportion of proprietary nursing facilities increased. CONCLUSIONS: With increasing numbers of older and frailer residents, nursing homes will continue to be integral components of the future healthcare system. However, physicians currently spend minimal time caring for nursing home patients, with physician characteristics best predicting involvement. Questions remain about the future of nursing home medical practice and how to best recruit, staff, and train future cadres of physicians to provide sufficient quality care for nursing home patients in an evolving health care system.
Rethinking Recruitment: The Comprehensive and Strategic Recruitment of Secondary Science Teachers

The shortage of science teachers has spurred a discussion about their retention and recruitment. While discussion about retaining science teachers has increased dramatically in just the last few years, science teacher educators have not attended to the recruitment of science teachers with the same tenacity. This paper is our effort to initiate this discussion and to focus on secondary science teachers. We begin by suggesting why recruitment is important and explore related research. We then suggest a comprehensive and strategic orientation towards recruitment that serves as a mechanism to examine current practices in the field. In presenting this position paper, we hope that science teacher educators will contemplate their own recruitment practices and begin discussing the recruitment process more openly with one another.
Liquefaction during the 1977 San Juan Province, Argentina earthquake (Ms=7.4)

Liquefaction effects generated by the 1977 San Juan Province, Argentina, earthquake (Ms = 7.4) are described. The larger and more abundant effects were concentrated in the 60-km long band of the lowlands in the Valle del Bermejo and in an equally long band along the Rio San Juan in the Valle de Tulum. Fissures in the Valle del Bermejo were up to several hundred meters long and up to several meters wide. Sand deposits, from boils that erupted through the fissures, covered areas up to tens of square meters. Fissures generally parallelled nearby stream channels. Because the Valle del Bermejo is undeveloped, these large features caused no damage. Liquefaction in the Valle del Tulum caused important or unusual damage at several localities, including the following five sites: (1) At the Barrio Justo P. Castro, a subdivision of Caucete, liquefaction of subsurface sediments decoupled overlying, unliquefied stiff sediments, producing a form of ground failure called “ground oscillation”. The associated differential ground movements pulled apart houses and pavements in extension, while shearing curbs and buckling canal linings in compression at the same locality. (2) At the Escuela Normal, in Caucete, the roof of a 30-m long single-story classroom building shifted westward relative to the foundation. That displacement fractured and tilted columns supporting the roof. The foundation was fractured at several places, leaving open cracks, as wide as 15 mm. The cumulative width of the open cracks was 48 mm, an amount roughly equivalent to the 63 mm of offset between the roof and foundation at the east end of the building. The ground and foundation beneath the building extended (or spread) laterally opening cracks and lengthening the foundation while the roof remained in place. (3) The most spectacular damage to structures at the community of San Martin was the tilting of a 6-m high water tower and the toppling of a nearby pump house into a 1-m deep crater. Similarly, a small crater developed beneath a hand-pump in an open area and a large, 6-m diameter crater formed nearby. The following sequence of events created the craters and toppled the pump structures: During the earthquake, ground shaking generated excess pore pressures which were dissipated by upward flow of groundwater. Free drainage was restricted by an impermeable plastic-silt layer. Water apparently accumulated below the plastic-silt layer and then burst to the surface through several holes and cracks, including holes around well casings. (4) At the San Isidro winery, nine storage tanks tilted 2 to 5°. Five reinforced-concrete tanks were dismantled but four steel tanks were repaired by placing new footings and jacking the structures into an upright position. (5) At Escuela J.J. Pasos, differential settlement beneath building fractured several columns and walls. The largest settlements were about 60 mm and the maximum settlement of footings supporting columns was about 40 mm. In spite of the damage, the buildings were in no danger of collapse.
The perception of rotation with an oscillating trapezoid

The existence of a new perceptual illusion, the perception of rotation under conditions of veridical oscilllation, has been demonstrated. This illusion was compared to the Ames phenomenon (the perception of oscillation under conditions of veridical rotation) in terms of the parameters of distance and replication.
Term premia in a simple term structure model

Abstract The present paper is an extension of Stiglitz's (1970) analysis. We use variations of his original model in an attempt to relate his contribution to the more recent literature. Our main purpose is to determine the nature of the term premium implied by various forms of the utility maximization hypothesis. Our focus is primarily on what Cox, Ingersoll, and Ross (CIR) (1981) call the returns to maturity expectation hypothesis , although we also investigate the local expectation hypothesis , which is the central focus of the analysis in CIR (1981). We study the conditions under which this hypothesis holds, and when it does not hold, we attempt to determine the direction of the resulting inequality. We are able to obtain results for the case in which the demand for long bonds is positive and to compare these results to others obtained when long bond demand is zero, the case studied in the recent literature.
GENETIC AND BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON THE SUPPRESSION OF AND A RECOVERY FROM THE TUMOROUS STATE IN HIGHER PLANTS

Four neoplastic diseases of plants: crown gall, which is caused by Ti plasmid DNA; Black's wound tumor disease by an RNA virus; the Kostoff genetic tumors by chromosomal imbalance; and habituation, which results from a spontaneous activation of select biosynthetic systems, have been analyzed and compared. It has been found that both the development of a capacity for autonomous growth and the nature of the heritable cellular change that underlies tumorigenesis are similar in the four instances. All develop a capacity for autonomous growth as a result of the persistent activation of select biosynthetic systems, the products of which are concerned with cell growth and division. That the persistent activation of these biosynthetic systems does not involve heritable changes of an irreversible type is indicated by the finding that a reversal of the neoplastic state occurred in three of the test systems. Since the tumor cells in these instances were found to remain totipotent the results suggest that whether the normal or tumor phenotype is expressed is determined by how the genetic information is regulated in a cell. Regulation appears to be accomplished in part through positive feedback control mechanisms. Foreign genetic information could act either in a regulatory manner to persistently activate normal biosynthetic systems or it could code for one or more essential but normally limiting substance(s) and thus replace a substance(s) that in the case of the Kostoff tumors or habituation is specified by host cell genes, or it could do both. In either case, the foreign genetic information can be regulated in much the same manner as are the host cell genes to give rise to either the normal or tumor phenotype.
Inclusion of organizational factors into probabilistic safety assessments of nuclear power plants

The authors report on progress made at UCLA on including organizational factors in probabilistic safety assessments (PSA) of nuclear power plants (NPP). The overall objective of the project is to amalgamate PSA and organization theory so that the resultant models and instruments will be useful to nuclear power plant personnel. The results of a preliminary study on a measure of the safety culture are presented, and some patterns that these results may suggest are discussed, together with the Work Process Analysis Model (WPAM) and its regulatory applications. The major applications of WPAM is the assessment of the organizational failures that are relevant to plant safety. The measurement of technical knowledge of plant personnel is discussed. >
Water-assisted femtosecond laser machining of electrospray nozzles on glass microfluidic devices

Using water-assisted femtosecond laser machining, we fabricated electrospray nozzles on glass coverslips and on assembled microfluidic devices. Machining the nozzles after device assembly facilitated alignment of the nozzles over the microchannels. The basic nozzle design is a through-hole in the coverslip to pass liquids and a trough machined around the through-hole to confine the electrospray and prevent liquid from wicking across the glass surface. Electrospray from the nozzles was stable with and without pressure-driven flow applied and was evaluated using mass spectra of the peptide bradykinin.
Studies for software optimization for gross counting portal monitors

After investigating several possible source-detection algorithms for gross-counting radiation portal monitors, a program has been developed to locate signals from weak radioactive sources in real time. By using a smoothing method of weighted moving averages and by including corrections for background suppression due to the presence of large vehicles as well as changing background levels, this program was capable of detecting significantly weaker sources than current software during testing. The limitations of this method are discussed.
Celiac disease serology in irritable bowel syndrome and dyspepsia: a population-based case-control study.

Objective To determine whether undiagnosed celiac disease is associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or dyspepsia in the community. Subjects and Methods A self-report bowel disease questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents aged 20 to 50 years. All respondents who reported symptoms of dyspepsia or IBS (cases) and all respondents without notable gastrointestinal symptoms (controls) were invited to participate (260 eligible subjects; 150 [58%] were studied). Each respondent was examined by a physician, and the medical records of each were reviewed (3 subjects did not meet the criteria for dyspepsia or IBS at the time of the physician interview). Serum was obtained to measure antiendomysial antibodies and tissue transglutaminase (TTg) IgA antibodies using validated assays. Results A total of 34 subjects had dyspepsia (20 had ulcerlike dyspepsia), 50 had IBS (19 had diarrhea-predominant IBS), and 15 met criteria for both dyspepsia and IBS; 78 were asymptomatic healthy controls. The overall prevalence of positive TTg serology was 4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5%-8.5%). The number of subjects who were seropositive for TTg was 2 of 34 (5.9%) with dyspepsia (95% CI, 0.7%-19.7%), 2 of 50 (4.0%) with IBS (95% CI, 0.5%-13.7%), and 2 of 78 (2.6%) of asymptomatic controls (95% CI, 0.3%-9.0%) ( P =.64 IBS vs controls; P =.58 dyspepsia vs controls). No subjects had positive antiendomysial antibodies. Conclusion In this community, celiac disease did not explain the presence of either IBS or dyspepsia.
Effect of high temperature reduction on the surface composition of and CO chemisorption on Ni/TiO2

Abstract Surface composition of and CO chemisorption on a partially oxidized titanium foil covered with 120 A of nickel was examined by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) after various amounts of hydrogen reduction at 700 K. AES and sputter-profiling showed the segregation of submonolayer amounts of reduced titanium oxide on the nickel surface after 10–40 min of hydrogen reduction at 700 K. The maximum CO uptake at room temperature was reduced to 30–40% of the pre-reduction value after 30 min of hydrogen reduction. These observations suggest that the commonly reported phenomenon of strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) is a result of partial coverage of the metal catalyst surface by titanium oxide.
Occurrence of soluble pigments in the genus Bacillus.

B. anthracis cultive en bouillon dans certaines conditions precisees dans ce travail, produit un pigment rose sensible aux variations de pH.B. cereus produit de meme, un pigment jaune-brun, fluorescent. Les pigments sont solubles et se retrouvent dans le filtrat. Quatre autres especes deBacillus ne produisent pas de pigments dans les memes conditions. La production de pigments en bouillons de culture pourrait etre employee comme un critere additionnel pour la classification des souchesBacillus.
Mitochondrial reduction of metmyoglobin: dependence on the electron transport chain.

Reduction of ferric myoglobin (metmyoglobin, MetMb) to its ferrous form is important for maintaining fresh meat color because only reduced myoglobin can bind oxygen to form the consumer-preferred cherry red color in fresh meat. The objective of this study was to characterize an apparent mitochondria electron transport chain (ETC)-linked pathway for MetMb reduction in vitro. MetMb was reduced in the presence of mitochondria and succinate (p 0.05). Flushing samples with oxygen greatly decreased MetMb reduction, while flushing with argon increased MetMb reduction when compared with controls (p < 0.05). ETC inhibitors were used to localize the site where electrons became available for MetMb reduction. MetMb reduction was increased by rotenone addition and decreased by malonic acid (p < 0.05); the reduction was completely abolished by additions of antimycin A or myxothiazol when compared with controls (p < 0.05). These results suggest that electrons become available for MetMb reduction at a site(s) between complex III and IV. Mitochondrial ETC-linked MetMb reduction increased with increased mitochondrial density and succinate concentration (p < 0.05); the greatest MetMb reduction was observed at pH 7.2 and 37 degrees C, and ETC-linked MetMb reducing activity decreased with time postmortem (p < 0.05). These results indicate that ETC-linked MetMb reduction exists but would be minimally active in postmortem muscles.
Remodeling of Autologous Saphenous Vein Grafts The Role of Perivascular Myofibroblasts

Background Aortocoronary saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) undergo structural changes that render them susceptible to atherosclerosis. Accordingly, the origin of neointimal hyperplasia was examined in porcine arterialized SVGs to determine the mechanism of vein graft remodeling. Methods and Results At 2 to 4 days after surgery, the percentage of cells lacking differentiation markers characteristic for smooth muscle (SM) cells (ie, α-SM actin, desmin, and SM myosin) increased within the media of SVGs interposed in the carotid arteries (P<.001). At 7 to 14 days, these cells acquired a differentiated phenotype (ie, α-SM-actin positive/variable desmin/SM-myosin negative) and accumulated in the neointima. At 3 months, the neointima was positive for α-SM actin but mostly negative for desmin, which contrasted with medial SMCs that were invariably positive for α-SM actin, desmin, and SM myosin. To determine the role of nonmuscle cells in the above process, perivascular wound fibroblasts were selectively labeled and fo...
Complex material coefficients and energy ratios for lossy piezoelectric materials

This correspondence reviews complex material coefficients of piezoelectric materials and their influence on the energy ratios in coupled systems. In lossless systems, it is shown for the length extensional (LE 33) mode in a Cinfin material that there are at least 4 energy ratios that will produce the same coupling value. In addition, in the (LE 33) mode there are at least 2 different experimental conditions to define an energy ratio that produces the same coupling. With the introduction of loss, these 2 experiments and the 4 energy ratios diverge and no longer produce the same coupling. It is shown that the instantaneous ratio of coupled to input energy or the time average of this ratio, if a numerical value is desired, is the appropriate energy ratio in a dissipating system.
Hepatitis C treatment: an incipient therapeutic revolution

An exciting paradigm shift is occurring in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV). We now have the capacity to specifically target therapy to HCV proteins, and thereby directly interrupt the viral life cycle. The first direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), the NS3–4A serine protease inhibitors boceprevir and telaprevir, improved the rate of sustained virologic response (SVR), but their toxicities combined with PEG-IFN and RBV limited their overall efficacy. Sofosbuvir, a nucleotide HCV polymerase inhibitor, is now available and offers better tolerability and efficacy across all HCV genotypes. The next phase of therapy will be combining several classes of DAAs without IFN in order to make sustained clearance of hepatitis C deliverable to a much larger number of infected individuals.
Spirals in liquid crystals in a rotating magnetic field

Abstract We have discovered spiral formation in nematic liquid crystal solitons under the influence of a rotating magnetic field. The shape of the spirals is well modeled by a rotating spiral of Archimedes, except in the immediate vicinity of the cores. The rotation of the driving magnetic field breaks the symmetry between counter rotating spirals, leading to differing wavelengths and spiral rotation rates. As the magnetic field rotation rate is decreased below a critical value, the wavelength diverges while the spiral rotation rate drops to zero. This divergence is related to a structural transition occurring within the solitons themselves. The spirals can be understood by examining the topology and symmetries of the solitons.
Biomolecular recognition on well-characterized beads packed in microfluidic channels.

We describe a new approach for the analysis of biomolecular recognition in microfluidic channels. The method involves real-time detection of soluble molecules binding to receptor-bearing microspheres, sequestered in affinity column format inside a microfluidic channel. Identification and quantitation of analytes occurs via direct fluorescence measurements or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). We establish a model system that detects the FLAG epitope. The assay can potentially detect subfemtomole quantities of antibody with a high signal-to-noise ratio and a large dynamic range spanning nearly 4 orders of magnitude in analyte concentration in microliter-to-submicroliter volumes of analyte fluid. Kinetic and equilibrium constants for the reaction of this receptor−ligand pair are obtained through modeling of kinetic responses of the affinity microcolumn and are consistent with those obtained by flow cytometry. Because of the correlation between kinetic and equilibrium data obtained for the microc...
Intracardiac Correlate of the Epsilon Wave in a Patient With Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia

A 29-year-old man with no significant past medical history presented to the emergency department of a local hospital with complaints of dyspnea and palpitations. A 12-lead ECG was obtained, revealing a wide complex tachycardia (QRS duration 160 ms) at a rate of 196 beats per minute with a right bundle-branch block morphology and left axis deviation. In the emergency department, the ECG was thought to represent supraventricular tachycardia, and the patient was given adenosine and diltiazem intravenously. This did not terminate or change the rate of the tachycardia. He was then given metoprolol 5 mg intravenously, and the tachycardia slowed and terminated. A 12-lead ECG in normal sinus rhythm is shown (Figure 1). Figure 1. Twelve-lead ECG in normal sinus rhythm. The findings include right atrial abnormality, normal QRS axis, anteroseptal Q waves, and precordial T-wave inversions. The most striking finding is the presence of an epsilon wave (black arrow) in V1 and V2. A …
Surgical site infection in women undergoing surgery for gynecologic cancer.

Objectives The objectives of this study were to describe the rate and predictors of surgical site infection (SSI) after gynecologic cancer surgery and identify any association between SSI and postoperative outcome. Materials and Methods Patients with endometrial, cervical, or ovarian cancers from 2005 to 2011 were identified from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. The extent of surgical intervention was categorized into modified surgical complexity scoring (MSCS) system. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. Odds ratios were adjusted for patient demographics, comorbidities, preoperative laboratory values, and operative factors. Results Of 6854 patients, 369 (5.4%) were diagnosed with SSI. Surgical site infection after laparotomy was 3.5 times higher compared with minimally invasive surgery (7% vs 2%; P Conclusions Seven percent of patients undergoing laparotomy for gynecologic malignancy developed SSI. Surgical site infection is associated with longer hospital stay and more than 5-fold increased risk of reoperation. In this study, we identified several risk factors for developing SSI among gynecologic cancer patients. These findings may contribute toward identification of patients at risk for SSI and the development of strategies to reduce SSI rate and potentially reduce the cost of care in gynecologic cancer surgery.
Threat agents: a necessary component of threat analysis

There have been significant achievements in defining and developing viable approaches to threat modeling and risk assessment techniques for a wide range of IT applications and computing environments. Most of the approaches have been qualitative, due to the difficulties in quantifying all the aspects of the threat analysis. Some quantitative approaches, especially based on the analysis of the cost of security, have been proposed as well, such as "Total Cost of Security" described in [1]. The adjacent field of requirements engineering that provides useful insight into threats and mitigations, has flourished also [2]. In qualitative studies, the focus was on introducing new taxonomies and ontologies [3], applying threat modeling techniques to new areas [4], e.g., ad-hoc networks or improving prioritization and usability of the existing approaches, such as the Common Vulnerability Scoring System [5]. Interest in applying the same models to hardware and software threat analysis is beginning to emerge [6], although the difficulties as well as the benefits of this approach are self-evident.
Forelimb motor performance following cervical spinal cord contusion injury in the rat.

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree, persistence, and nature of forelimb behavioral deficits following cervical spinal cord contusion injury in the rat. Forelimb reaching and pellet retrieval, forehead adhesive sticker removal, and vibrissae-induced forelimb placing were examined for 16 weeks following a weight-drop injury (10.0 g-2.5 cm) at the C4–C5 spinal level. Nine of 13 rats studied were unable to perform the pellet retrieval task due to pronounced forelimb extension hypometria. However, these animals did carry out the forehead sticker removal and vibrissae-induced placing tasks. Therefore, the loss of reaching ability related to pellet retrieval was not due to generalized paralysis. This interpretation was further supported by evaluation of the rostrocaudal extent of relative motoneuron loss from 1-mm divisions through the lesion zone. The extent of motoneuron pathology ranged from 2 to 6 mm but was largely confined to the C4–C5 spinal segments. Morphometric assessments of axonal sparing revealed that pellet retrieval performance during the last month of observation was significantly correlated with fiber sparing in the dorsal columns and ventral white matter, whereas no significant correlation could be demonstrated with regard to dorsolateral white matter. While there were no conspicuous differences in qualitative assessments of damage to interneuron pools (i.e., laminae V to VII) between the nonreaching and retrieval-recovered rats, the possibility of combined white and gray matter pathology contributing to this deficit still exists. These initial findings thus demonstrate that the weight-drop contusion injury model can be adopted to studies of cervical spinal cord trauma in the rat. Such lesions yield permanent deficits in forelimb function lending to future studies of possible therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, performance deficits observed at 1 week postinjury in the placing and forehead sticker removal tasks can be predictive of any potential for long-range spontaneous recovery in pellet retrieval ability.
The effects of wave-induced flow on a reef coral☆

Wave surge has a major influence on coral reef organisms, both in terms of survival of individuals and the structure of the community. The Caribbean stony coral Acropora cervicornis Lamarck is particularly susceptible to wave damage because of its tall thin form. Underwater measurements of mechanical strain were made on this coral to determine the levels of stress induced by the inertial and drag forces of moving water. A healthy coral experiencing momentary water speeds > 0.8 m · s−1 registers stress < 50% of its breaking strength; however, basal erosion by boring sponges is instrumental in inducing widespread damage in storm conditions.
An experimental investigation of the predictive accuracy of induction and regression

Abstract As both research efforts and commercial adoption of Expert Systems (ESs) increase, knowledge acquisition continues to engage the attention of many ES developers. Many view the development of automated knowledge acquisition methods as one of the last remaining barriers to more widespread ES adoption and use. Rule induction has been advanced as a promising method of knowledge acquisition for expert systems, both to understand the weighting and importance of decision criteria and to provide a predictive capability for new examples. One important strand of research has naturally begun to compare the performance of rule induction to those of traditional statistical methods, such as multiple regression. In pursuing this subject, we document a comparison of the predictive capabilities of both induction and multiple regression. The study uses a sample of over 400 MBA students, employing their current GPA as the dependent variable or goal and prior (undergraduate) GPA and GMAT scores as independent or causal variables. An extensive comparison of both methods yields conclusions at variance with many previous studies which assert the superiority of the inductive method. Furthermore, the study identifies conditions under which the inductive method may be more effective as a predictor and develops recommendations for a contingency-based approach to knowledge acquisition for ES.
Interfacial structure and kinetics of ordering in weak ferromagnets.

The kinetics of domain growth in weak ferromagnets is studied by use of an appropriate set of Langevin equations. Because of the coupling between the order parameters, which arises from the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya anisotropic interaction, the time evolution of the various correlation functions is coupled even in the linear theory. An analysis of the late stage of the evolution, following a critical quench, in terms of the motion of the interfaces is shown to lead to a t ½ domain-growth law. We have also studied the growth following an off-critical quench from a very high temperature.
Tracking down sources of carbon contamination in EUVL exposure tools

Optics in EUVL exposure tools are known to suffer reflectivity degradation, mostly from the buildup of carbon. The sources of this carbon have been difficult to identify. The vacuum cleanliness in the preproduction micro-exposure tools is monitored with a residual gas analyzer, but they have not shown carbon-containing species in sufficient concentration to account for the observed carbon buildup seen in these tools. We have developed a technique based on cryo trapping followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis that is more sensitive to less-volatile compounds. We will present sample data on typical vacuum systems as well as a preliminary analysis of the Intel micro-exposure tool.