cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discourses of War: The Landscape of Congressional Rhetoric

In writing the U.S. Constitution the framers anticipated that the use of American military force should require an extraordinary consensus between Congress and the President. The era of the Vietnam War led many to believe that Congress had become the junior partner to presidents who exercised an increasing degree of constitutional independence in use of force issues. The War Powers Resolution (WPR) of 1973 attempted to address that constitutional imbalance. Our analysis of the constitutional debates surrounding the adoption of the WPR reveals that members of Congress were unable to agree upon a coherent "institutional" vision for Congress; even those who supported the measure were unsure of its meaning. When Congress took up measures related to the commitment of American forces in Kosovo, the same constitutional divisions that existed 25 years previously reemerged and Congress was unable to perform as a full constitutional partner-not because of presidential bullying, but because it lacked its own institu...
Altered Leukocyte Immunophenotypes in Septic Shock: Studies of HLA-DR, CD11b, CD14, and IL-2R Expression

To evaluate the role of cellular activation markers and functional surface molecules in sepsis, specific immunophenotypes on peripheral blood leukocytes were studied in 40 subjects consisting of the following: (1) patients with septic shock; (2) patients with sepsis; (3) critically ill nonseptic patients; and (4) normal control subjects. These assays included phagocyte adhesion molecule CD11b expression, monocyte receptors HLA-DR and CD14, and lymphocyte activation markers IL-2R and HLA-DR. Patients with septic shock and sepsis had significantly increased neutrophil CD11b expression compared with normal subjects. Neutrophil HLA-DR expression did not significantly differ between groups. Monocytes from septic shock patients had significantly less HLA-DR expression than normal subjects and diere was a trend toward a lower proportion of gated monocytes that expressed CD14 in septic shock patients. Septic shock patients had no significant increases in IL-2R or HLA-DR expression on CD3 lymphocytes compared with control subjects, but they had significantly lower numbers of total, CD3, CD4, and CD8 lymphocytes and a higher prevalence of anergy. Septic shock patients manifested an increase in neutrophil CD11b expression that may play a role in organ injury. In contrast, a more specific decrease in monocyte expression of functional antigens is also observed in patients with septic shock that may have implications for immunologic defense mechanisms.
Electrochemical generation of a high-valent state of cytochrome P450.

Abstract Cyclic voltammetry performed at rapid scan rates on cytochrome P450 from Pseudomonas putida (P450CAM) in didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) films on graphite electrodes revealed a couple ( E ) at 830 mV (vs Ag/AgCl). E was not significantly observed at scan rates less than 30 V/s at room temperature, suggesting that the oxidized species is unstable. The lifetime of E could be prolonged at 4 °C, which allowed reversible access to E at scan rates as low as 1 V/s. E was found to be sensitive to imidazole in solution and to variations in pH, suggesting that the redox reaction is occurring at the metal center (i.e., Fe IV/III ). Electrolysis reactions with different P450 substrates revealed that the electrochemically generated high-valent species is able to convert thioanisole to methyl phenyl sulfoxide.
The Influence of Several Histomoniastats on Performance of Large White Turkeys

Abstract HISTOMONIASIS (blackhead disease or infectious enterohepatitis) continues to be one of the major disease problems in turkey production. The prevention and treatment of blackhead disease is obviously of great economic importance to the turkey industry and various drugs have been developed for this purpose. It is desirable that these compounds themselves do not impair performance, especially when administered continuously at prophylactic levels. DeVolt and Holst (1948, 1949) studied the effect of chlorohydroxyquinoline and iodochloroxyquinoline of histomoniasis in turkeys. While these drugs prevented the occurrence of the disease, they depressed growth rate because of decreased food intake. Several reports have indicated that 2-amino-5-nitrothiazole (Enheptin-T) would prevent the occurrence of histomoniasis when fed at 0.05% of the diet, but feed consumption and growth rate were decreased (Jungherr and Winn, 1950; Seeger et al., 1950; McGregor, 1951 a, b; DeVolt et al, 1954; Grumbles et al, 1952 a, b). McGuire and Morehouse (1952)…
Causal reasoning in performance assessment: Effects of cause and effect temporal order and covariation

Abstract The role of information in the process of diagnostic inference required for the evaluation of operational performance was investigated. Assuming the role of a manufacturing division manager, subjects were asked to estimate the likelihoods of four potential causes of a department's weekly labor efficiency variance. Given requested items of evidence, subjects were asked to re-estimate the causal likelihoods. The results generally confirmed a set of hypotheses predicting the effects of cause/effect temporal orders and cause/effect covariations, supporting the notions that temporal order and covariation are cues-to-causality used by individuals when inferring causality and that temporal order is a noncompensatory cue. Additional evidence is presented that supports the notion that although individuals prefer evidence concerned with confirming the cause/effect relation to evidence concerned with disconfirming the relation, preference for evidence concerned with disconfirming the relation increases as additional items of evidence are sought.
Cleft lip and palate

The last issue of the Clinics in Plastic Surgery that Simultaneous correction of the coexisting nasal was devoted to the management of patients with clefts of the lip and palate was published over 10 years ago (October 1993). Since then, several advances, modifications, and refinements of surgical techniques and treatment protocols have been described and some studies with long-term results were published. Some surgical techniques were abandoned because of suboptimal long-term results, and some promising ideas (e.g., fetal correction of cleft lip) were not further pursued because of complex ethical implications and the potential high risk for the mother and the fetus. Preoperative orthopedic techniques with mostly passive but also active devices are currently widely used in preparation for unilateral and bilateral cleft lip repair. Thus skeletal relationships are improved preoperatively and the surgeon is given the opportunity to repair the lip under less tension and more optional conditions. Preoperative manipulations of nasal cartilages with naso-alveolar molding and other devices also gained some popularity and have been incorporated in some treatment protocols. Advocates of this technique have demonstrated that with these appliances the alar cartilages are slowly ‘‘molded’’ in a more favorable position facilitating the surgical correction of the nasal deformity. Drawbacks include additional expenses, multiple visits for adjustment, and the possibility of overstretching the nostril during treatment.
Slow dynamics by molecular dynamics

We learned early in the computer study of the H-function with particle dynamics that the velocity distribution reaches a local equilibrium (Maxwellian) distribution fast, within a few mean collision times, but that the subsequent structural rearrangement of the particles can be quite slow, particularly if a highly correlated event of many degrees of freedom is involved. During that process potential energy is slowly converted into kinetic energy to reach overall equilibrium. To study processes that are so unlikely that they do not occur within long computer runs (typically less than 10−8s of real time) we developed a rare event algorithm. In that calculation the particles are brought adiabatically, that is so slowly that the system is at equilibrium in the presence of the external force at every step, to the rare event configuration (the activated state) and the work to do that is determined. The probability of the event is then calculated by standard reaction rate theory by also determining the transmission coefficient through releasing the constraint near the activated state and observing how often the system goes to the new state relative to how often it falls back to the initial state. The problem with that calculation besides the assumption of adiabaticity is that one needs a model for the activated state, which is often hard to guess. Simulated annealing might aid in the search for an activated state. The other possibility is to speed up particle dynamics and that can be done by direct simulation Monte Carlo, a stochastic particle solution of the Boltzmann equation for a perfect gas. That approach can be extended to higher densities, but the stochastic approach cannot account for the structural features of the medium. However, systems can be followed up to 10−5s. We have been able to follow, for example, droplet formation and coalescence by this method. To study even larger systems we have embedded this particle algorithm into a continuum Navier–Stokes algorithm to study the onset of hydrodynamic instabilities. However, the approach cannot deal with the protein folding problem, because the structural aspects dominate the process. One would have to embed molecular dynamics into a continuum, a much more computer intensive problem, in order to even treat water, for example, as a continuum beyond a few molecular layers around a biological molecule.
Measurements and modeling of explosive vapor diffusion in snow

The detection of buried mines is important to both for humanitarian and military strategic de-mining both at home and abroad, and recent efforts in chemical detection show promise for definitive identification of buried miens. The impact of weather has a large effect on the fate and transport of the explosives vapor that these systems sense. In many areas of military conflict, and at Army military training grounds in cold regions, winter weather affects military operations for many months of the year. In cold regions, the presence of freezing ground or a snow cover may provide increased temporary storage of the explosive, potentially leading to opportunities for more optimal sensing conditions later. This paper discusses the result of a controlled laboratory experiment to investigate explosives diffusion through snow, quantitative microscopy measurements of snow microstructure including specific surface, and verifications of our transport model using this data. In experiments measuring 1,3-DNB, 2,4-DNT and 2,4,6-TNT we determined an effective diffusion coefficient of 1.5 X 10 -6 cm 2 /s from measurements through isothermal sieved snow with equivalent sphere radius of 0.11 mm. Adsorption is a major factor in diffusive transport of these explosives through snow. The data was used to verify our finite element mole of explosives transport. Measurements and model results show close agreement.
Engineering demands placed on littoral radar due to non-standard propagation revealed by mesoscale numerical weather prediction technology

Rapid improvements in skill and spatio-temporal resolution of mesoscale numerical weather prediction models have recently created the ability to simulate notional radar design performance in four dimensional non-standard refractivity environments. This paper quantifies the engineering demands, relative to a standard atmosphere, placed on notional ship borne S band, C band and X band radars during a strong sub-refractive event in the Chesapeake Bay. The Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPStrade) provided the refractivity field and the Advanced Refractivity Effects Prediction System (AREPS) was employed to model the radars. Engineering demands are wavelength, spatially, and temporally dependent and often exceed 50 dB.
Human-robot cooperation in space: SM/sup 2/ for new space station structure

The self-mobile space manipulator (SM/sup 2/) is a seven-DOF inspection robot, capable of walking along the pre-integrated I-beam truss structure of Space Station Freedom (SSF). The robot is capable of projecting cameras anywhere interior or exterior of the SSF, and will be an ideal tool for inspecting connectors, structures, and other facilities on the SSF. Using a full-scale model of a small segment of the SSF, experiments have been performed under two gravity compensation systems.
Mining Protein Interactome Networks to Measure Interaction Reliability and Select Hub Proteins

High-throughput techniques involve large-scale detection of protein-protein interactions. This interaction data set from the genome-scale perspective is structured into an interactome network. Since the interaction evidence represents functional linkage, various graph-theoretic computational approaches have been applied to the interactome networks for functional characterization. However, this data is generally unreliable, and the typical genome-wide interactome networks have a complex connectivity. In this paper, the authors explore systematic analysis of protein interactome networks, and propose a $k$-round signal flow simulation algorithm to measure interaction reliability from connection patterns of the interactome networks. This algorithm quantitatively characterizes functional links between proteins by simulating the propagation of information signals through complex connections. In this regard, the algorithm efficiently estimates the strength of alternative paths for each interaction. The authors also present an algorithm for mining the complex interactome network structure. The algorithm restructures the network by hierarchical ordering of nodes, and this structure re-formatting process reveals hub proteins in the interactome networks. This paper demonstrates that two rounds of simulation accurately scores interaction reliability in terms of ontological correlation and functional consistency. Finally, the authors validate that the selected structural hubs represent functional core proteins.
Autoimmunity to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in stiffman syndrome and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Stiff-Man syndrome (SMS) is a disorder of the CNS, characterized by rigidity of the body musculature, which has been hypothesized to result from an impairment of GABAergic neurotransmission. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter of the brain. It is also a putative signal molecule in the pancreas, where it is produced by beta cells (insulin-secreting cells)--the autoimmune target in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Autoantibodies to the GABA-synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) have been found in SMS and in IDDM. This review summarizes evidence suggesting that SMS may be an autoimmune disease and discusses the possible significance of the autoimmune response to GAD in SMS and IDDM.
Teacher-Adviser or Teacher-Counselor—:

In the following article Pilkington and Jarmin outline the distinctions between teacher-adviser and teacher-counselor programs. There are, they note, important differences that must be recognized if the programs are to be successfully implemented.
Sensation Seeking and Antisocial Behavior: Some Laboratory Evidence:

Twenty-six male college students scoring either high or low on Zuckerman, et al.'s (1964) Sensation Seeking Scale participated in a free association task in which they were to respond as quickly as possible to a series of stimulus words by saying the first word that came to mind. The stimulus words varied in their sexual content. It was found that high sensation seekers gave significantly more socially unacceptable sexual responses to the highly sexual stimulus words than did low sensation seekers, while these groups did not differ in their responses to either the moderately sexual or neutral words. These results were discussed in terms of the additional evidence they provide for the existence of a sensation seeking motive underlying socially unacceptable and antisocial behavior.
Three-wavelength pyrometer for measuring flame temperatures.

This paper describes a pyrometer that measures the continuum radiation from particles in a flame or explosion at three wavelengths (0.8 μm, 0.9 μm, and 1.0 μm). The particle temperature is calculated from the radiation data using the Planck equation. Temperatures measured for coal dust explosions in a closed vessel are presented.
Effects of counter-ion, solvent type and loading condition on the material response of ionic polymer transducers

A parametric study of the electromechanical response of ionic polymer transducers is presented. This study is designed to investigate the impacts of loading condition, solvent type and counter-ion on the macroscopic response of the ionic polymer and how this translates to the internal mechanisms that govern the charge-to-strain sensitivity observed in these materials. In this study three separate loading conditions are considered focusing on the material response to imposed bending, elongation and applied pressure. These tests are conducted to illustrate the difference between the mechanisms involved in sensing and actuation. The study is then expanded to include a range of solvents and their influence on the material sensitivity. Solvent types are selected to provide a range of dielectric constants (5.1-78.4) as well as viscosities in an effort to study their impact on ion transport and the actuation response. Each of the measurements is repeated for a number of counter-ion species. Varying the size and valence of the cation, material sensitivity is again measured and related to the known size and concentration of the counter-ion. These results are then compiled and compared in order to draw conclusions about specific material properties and parameters, specifically on the cross coupling terms that relate the sensing and actuation responses of the ionic polymer transducer. A discussion of the impact of these findings is also presented, along with a discussion of how these findings may be used later for empirical and analytical modeling efforts.
Effects of methylmercury on human fetal neurons and astrocytes in vitro: A time-lapse cinematographic, phase and electron microscopic study☆

Abstract Time-lapse cinematography of organotypic cultures of human fetal cerebrum demon-strated cessation of neuronal migration following the addition of 0.02 m m methylmercuric chloride (MMC) to the culture medium. This was due to rapid cytotoxic effects of MMC characterized by cessation of filopodial activity, focal swelling, and partial fragmentation of neurites. Separation of the membrane from neurites associated with marked swelling of the matrix was prominent, especially at growth cones. Soon total fragmentation occurred at these sites resulting in separation of degenerated neurites from neuronal cell bodies in 1 to 4 hr. Addition of 0.1 m m MMC caused fragmentation and separation of neurites from most neuronal cell bodies in approximately 40 min while exposures to 0.2 m m MMC caused a similar phenomenon in approximately 20 min. The cytotoxic effect of MMC was stopped immediately and further degeneration did not occur when cultures exposed to MMC were washed and replaced with normal complete culture medium. When mercury was given in a highly polar sulfonic acid form ( p -chloromercuriphenyl sulfonic acid) the membrane of neurites and astrocytes remained intact, indicating that penetration of the membrane by mercury is necessary to initiate the toxic effects of MMC. At the ultrastructural level damage to plasma membranes and neurotubular injury are conspicuous early features of methylmercury toxicity, taking place more rapidly in neurons than astrocytes, and eventuating in irreversible degeneration of both cell types.
Clinical significance of a dizziness history in medical patients with syncope.

To determine the implications of dizziness as a symptom in patients with syncope, we analyzed responses to a standardized battery of questions about dizziness in 121 consecutive patients referred for evaluation of syncope. Associations were sought between final diagnosis (dependent variable) and clinical predictor variables. Dizziness was found in 70% of the patients with syncope. Dizzy patients were younger (mean ages, 47 vs 56 years, respectively), more often female (75% vs 42%), and more likely to be assigned a psychiatric diagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified young age and rotatory dizziness (vertigo) to be associated with a psychiatric diagnosis. Dizziness and syncope frequently coexist and in many cases may represent the same pathophysiologic process. A careful dizziness history may guide the initial evaluation of syncope patients in clinical practice. (Arch Intern Med. 1991;151:1625-1628)
Enhancing the mechanical properties of engineered tissue through matrix remodeling via the signaling phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid

Knee meniscus fibrocartilage is frequently injured, resulting in approximately 1 million procedures annually in the US and Europe. Its near-avascularity contributes heavily to its inability to heal, and places it as a prime candidate for replacement through regenerative medicine. Here, we describe a novel approach to increase extracellular matrix organization, rather than content, in order to augment the mechanical properties of engineered tissue. To synthesize fibrocartilage, we employ a self-assembling process, which is free of exogenous scaffolds and relies on cell-to-cell interactions to form all-biologic constructs. When treated with the signaling phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), tissue constructs displayed increased tensile properties and collagen organization, while total collagen content remained unchanged. LPA-treated constructs exhibited greater DNA content, indicative that the molecule exerted a signaling effect. Furthermore, LPA-treated cells displayed significant cytoskeletal reorganization. We conclude that LPA induced cytoskeletal reorganization and cell-matrix traction, which resulted in matrix reorganization and increased tensile properties. This study emphasizes the potential of non-traditional stimuli, such as signaling phospholipids, for use in tissue development studies. The extension of these results to other collagen-rich tissues represents a promising avenue for future exploration.
Increased number of coagulation products in relationship to red blood cell products transfused improves mortality in trauma patients

BACKGROUND: Recent data from military and civilian centers suggest that mortality is decreased in massive transfusion patients by increasing the transfusion ratio of plasma and platelet (PLT) products, and fibrinogen in relationship to red blood cell (RBC) products during damage control resuscitation and surgery. This study investigates the relationship of plasma:RBC, PLT:RBC, and cryoprecipitate:RBC transfusion ratios to mortality in massively transfused patients at a civilian Level 1 trauma center. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Demographic, laboratory, transfusion, and outcome data were collected prospectively from February 1, 2007, to January 31, 2009, and retrospectively from February 1, 2005, to January 31, 2007, on all injured patients who underwent massive transfusion (defined as ≥10 RBC products within 24 hr). Mortality was analyzed in relation to the plasma:RBC, PLT:RBC, and cryoprecipitate:RBC transfusion ratios using both univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 214 patients received massive transfusion secondary to traumatic injury. High versus low transfusion ratios were associated with improved 30-day survival: plasma:RBC 59% versus 44%, p = 0.03; PLT:RBC 63% versus 33%, p < 0.01; and cryoprecipitate:RBC 66% versus 41%, p < 0.01. By multivariable stepwise logistic regression analysis, increased plasma:RBC (p = 0.02) and PLT:RBC (p = 0.02), and decreased age (p = 0.02), ISS (p < 0.01) and total RBCs (p = 0.03) were statistically associated with improved 30-day survival. CONCLUSIONS: In the civilian setting, plasma, PLT, and cryoprecipitate products significantly increased 30-day survival in trauma patients. Future prospective randomized clinical trials are required to determine the optimal transfusion ratios.
Seasonal variation in molecular mass and optical properties of chromophoric dissolved organic material in coastal waters of southwest Florida

Abstract One of the most important natural sunlight absorbing substances in water is the chromophoric dissolved organic material (CDOM). Its influence on optical properties has been studied for many years, but questions of how its structural and optical characteristics change in the environment still remain. CDOM water samples were collected from coastal waters of southwest Florida during three cruises in the year 2001: one in the dry season (June) and two in the rainy season (September and November). Analyses of molecular mass (MM) distribution and optical characteristics were done using the flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) separation technique with absorbance and fluorescence detectors. On the basis of the results, mixing, source variability, degradation, and excited state quenching processes are important determinants of CDOM composition and optical properties in this region. During the dry season, the MM distribution did not change significantly spatially. In September and November, higher MM compounds and an increase of CDOM fluorescence were observed, found inside the rivers and in near-coastal samples, consistent with the rivers being a significant CDOM source. Results suggest that chromophores were broken down to smaller MM compounds faster than fluorophores, indicating that the fluorescent moieties are more resistant to degrading/removal processes than the non-fluorescing compounds, even though the fluorophores were always centered at lower MM. On the other hand, the fluorescence quantum yield decreased faster than absorbance coefficients, suggesting that fluorophores were quenched by complexing with some metals. For all months, the chromophores' MM for offshore samples remained the same. The carbon concentration ratio between chromophores and fluorophores changed from lower to higher salinities, suggesting that the composition of the waters changed toward offshore. The differences in the optical characteristics, MM distributions, and carbon concentration observed suggest that the CDOM sources, physical, and photochemical degradation processes change seasonally.
Tumor selectivity of Hsp90 inhibitors: the explanation remains elusive.

Two recent papers attempt to solve both the tumor selectivity and the in vivo tumor accumulation profiles seen with some Hsp90 inhibitors. They spotlight the higher affinity of ansamycins’ hydroquinone over the quinone form for Hsp90 and further discuss its possible contribution to ansamycins’ tumor selectivity.
Congenital Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysm in a Child— A Case Presentation

A three-and-a-half-year-old female presented with a pulsatile neck mass. Workup demonstrated an aneurysm of the extracranial internal carotid artery. An aneurysmectomy was performed with uneventful recovery. The pathologic findings as well as potential causative factors are discussed.
Selective pneumothorax: a complication of bronchoscopy.

The occurrence of pneumothorax with mediastinal and, or, subcutanous emphysema is an infrequent complication of bronchoscopic examination.1’ 2, 4#{149} 6 The site of rupture of the trachea or main bronchi has been obvious in some, but in others, no cause for this complication has been determined. The visualization of selective piieumothorax without emphysema as a complication of bronchoscopy has not been previously reported.
Mouse microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4) transcript diversity generated by alternative polyadenylation.

Abstract Mouse microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4) is a protein that co-locates with microtubules in vivo. It is encoded by a single-copy gene that expresses multiple transcripts in most cell types [West et al. J. Biol. Chem. 266 (1991) 21886–21896]. This report describes the identification of two distinct 3′-untranslated regions (UTR) for MAP4 transcripts. The 3′-UTRs of the transcripts are identical up to the site of polyadenylation of the shorter mRNA. The longer transcript contains an additional 775 nucleotides after the first polyadenylation site. Both poly(A) tails follow the canonical polyadenylation site motif, AAUAAA. These data show that two different UTRs arise as a result of alternative polyadenylation site usage. Northern blots of RNA from different tissues probed with coding sequence show hybridization to the common 5.5- and 6.5-kb transcripts, whereas blots probed with sequence unique to the longer 3′-UTR show hybridization only to the 6.5-kb band. Both transcripts are found within the same cell type. In addition, muscle contains additional transcripts of 8 and 9 kb, of which only the 9-kb transcript hybridizes to the longer 3′-UTR probe.
Nontrivial Tuning of the Hydrogen-Binding Energy to Fullerenes with Endohedral Metal Dopants

We report a first-principle study of the tunable hydrogenation of endohedral metallofullerenes M@C60 and M2@C60, where M = Li, Be, Mg, Ca, Al, and Sc. The interaction between the encapsulated metal...
PREPARATION OF PERFLUOROCARBON POLYMERS CONTAINING PHOSPHONIC ACID GROUPS

Abstract Several co- and ter-fluoropolymers based on tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and perfluorovinylethers, such as CF2=CFO(CF2)2P(O) (OC2H5)2, CF2=CFO(CF2)3P(O)(OC2H5)2, CF2=CFOCF2CF(CF3)O(CF2)2P(O)(OC2H5)2 and CF2=CFOC3F7, were synthesized via redox-initiated emulsion polymerization. The products were subjected to acid hydrolysis and the corresponding fluorinated polymeric phosphonic acids were obtained. Both the polymeric phosphonates and phosphonic acids can be readily processed into films by compression molding. Perfluorinated phosphonic acid membranes with an ion-exchange capacity (IEC) within the range 2.5–3.5 milliequivalents per gram and a thermal stability of 300–350 °C were prepared. The characteristics of these acid membranes were explored, and these films show promising electrochemical properties, such as proton conductivity.
Block Transform Image Coding In The Presence Of Channel Errorst

The use of two-dimensional (2-D) block transform image coding using the discrete cosine transform (DCT) is considered in the presence of channel errors. This technique has proven an efficient and readily implementable source coding technique in the absence of channel errors. In the presence of channel errors, however, the performance degrades rapidly requiring some form of error-control protection if reasonable quality image reconstruction is to be achieved. Unfortunately, channel coding can be extremely wasteful of channel band-width if not applied judiciously. This paper describes an approach which provides a rationale for combined source-channel coding which results in improved quality image reconstruction without sacrificing transmission bandwidth. This approach is shown to result in a relatively robust design which is reasonably insensitive to channel errors and yet provides performance approaching theoretical performance limits.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Time resolved laser induced fluorescence of the NH radical in low pressure N 2 O flames

Total removal rate constants from the NH(A3Πi) electronic state have been obtained in low pressure (~14-Torr) N2O flames. The fluorescence decay constants and quantum yields Φ depend on the temperature and composition at each position interrogated in the flame. In similar conditions, Φ for NH(A3Πu) is significantly greater than that for other radicals CH(A2Δ and B2Σ−) and OH(A2Σ+). A small decrease (~5%) in the electronic removal is observed with rotational excitation increasing from N′ = 2 to 12 in the A state. Estimates of collisional quenching cross sections at flame temperatures are made for the important combustion species, H2O, C3H8, C2H4, and C2H2.
Anticonvulsant therapy increases fentanyl requirements during anaesthesia for craniotomy

This study was designed to determine whether patients receiving chronic anticonvulsant therapy demonstrate an altered requirement for fentanyl during anaesthesia. Sixty-one patients undergoing craniotomy were studied; 20 controls (MED = 0) who had never received anticonvulsants and 41 epileptics in whom therapeutic plasma concentrations of either one (MED = 1), two (MED = 2), or three (MED = 3) different anticonvulsants were documented. During anaesthesia with 60–70 per cent N2O in O2 and 0.2 per cent isoflurane, a maintenance dose (MD) of fentanyl was administered using a continuous variable-rate IV fentanyl infusion, supplemented by intermittent 50 μg IV boluses. In order to define the minimal dosage of fentanyl required, the MD was titrated according to increases or decreases in the heart rate and/or mean arterial pressure exceeding 15 per cent of baseline ward values. A progressively higher fentanyl MD was required in the epileptic patients (MED = 1 − 4.3 ± 0.5 μg · kg− 1 · hr− 1;MED = 2 − 5.4 ± 0.6; MED = 3 − 7.6 ± 0.6) compared with the control MD (MED = 0 − 2.6 ± 0.5) (P < 0.001). These findings indicate that there appears to be a dose- effect relationship between the number of anticonvulsants received and the maintenance dose of fentanyl required during balanced anaesthesia.
Unilateral streak ovary (Slotnick-Goldfarb syndrome): A case report and review of the literature†

Abstract A case of unilateral streak ovary (Slotnick-Goldfarb syndrome) is reported and documented by hormonal, chromosomal, laparoscopic, and histologic studies. Genetic, viral, congenital, and/or multifactorial etiologies have been proposed for this syndrome.
Developing a Measure of Traffic Calming Associated with Elementary School Students' Active Transport.

The objective of this study is to develop a measure of traffic calming with nationally available GIS data from NAVTEQ and to validate the traffic calming index with the percentage of children reported by school administrators as walking or biking to school, using data from a nationally representative sample of elementary schools in 2006–2010. Specific models, with and without correlated errors, examined associations of objective GIS measures of the built environment, nationally available from NAVTEQ, with the latent construct of traffic calming. The best fit model for the latent traffic calming construct was determined to be a five factor model including objective measures of intersection density, count of medians/dividers, count of low mobility streets, count of roundabouts, and count of on-street parking availability, with no correlated errors among items. This construct also proved to be a good fit for the full measurement model when the outcome measure of percentage of students walking or biking to school was added to the model. The traffic calming measure was strongly, significantly, and positively correlated with the percentage of students reported as walking or biking to school. Applicability of results to public health and transportation policies and practices are discussed.
Deregulated expression of LRBA facilitates cancer cell growth

LRBA expression is induced by mitogens in lymphoid and myeloid cells. The Drosophila LRBA orthologue rugose/DAKAP550 is involved in Notch, Ras and EGFR pathways. These findings suggest that LRBA could play a role in cell types that have increased proliferative and survival capacity. Here, we show by microarray and real-time PCR analyses that LRBA is overexpressed in several different cancers relative to their normal tissue controls. We also show that LRBA promoter activity and endogenous LRBA mRNA levels are reduced by p53 and increased by E2F1, indicating that mutations in the tumor suppressors p53 and Rb could contribute to the deregulation of LRBA. Furthermore, inhibition of LRBA expression by RNA interference, or inhibition of its function by a dominant-negative mutant, leads to significant growth inhibition of cancer cells, demonstrating that deregulated expression of LRBA contributes to the altered growth properties of a cancer cell. Finally, we show that the phosphorylation of EGFR is affected by the dominant-negative mutant, suggesting LRBA plays a role in the mammalian EGFR pathway. These findings demonstrate that LRBA facilitates cancer cell growth and thus LRBA may represent a novel molecular target for cancer therapy.
Stereotactic radiosurgical boost following radiotherapy in primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma: impact on local control.

Abstract Purpose: Treatment of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma using external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) alone results in significant local recurrence. Although intracavitary brachytherapy can be used as a component of management, it may be inadequate if there is extension of disease to the skull base. To improve local control, stereotactic radiosurgery was used to boost the primary tumor site following fractionated radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods and Materials: Twenty-three consecutive patients were treated with radiosurgery following radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma from 10/92 to 5/98. All patients had biopsy confirmation of disease prior to radiation therapy; Stage III disease (1 patient), Stage IV disease (22 patients). Fifteen patients received cisplatinum-based chemotherapy in addition to radiotherapy. Radiosurgery was delivered using a frame-based LINAC as a boost (range 7 to 15 Gy, median 12 Gy) following fractionated radiation therapy (range 64.8 to 70 Gy, median 66 Gy). Results: All 23 patients (100%) receiving radiosurgery as a boost following fractionated radiation therapy are locally controlled at a mean follow-up of 21 months (range 2 to 64 months). There have been no complications of treatment caused by radiosurgery. However, eight patients (35%) have subsequently developed regional or distant metastases. Conclusions: Stereotactic radiosurgical boost following fractionated EBRT provides excellent local control in advanced stage nasopharynx cancer and should be considered for all patients with this disease. The treatment is safe and effective and may be combined with cisplatinum-based chemotherapy.
Note on the design of linear systems with piecewise constant feedback gains

The purpose of this correspondence is to report some relations that can be used to extend the scope of a computational algorithm for the suboptimal design of linear regulator systems. This algorithm was presented in [1], and can be used to determine suboptimal piecewise constant feedback gains to be used instead of the optimal continuously time-varying ones [3]. This correspondence deals with the extension to the case where, in addition to the piecewise constant gains, the switching times are also optimized.
Enamine formation from anilines and methyl propiolate. The synthesis of 4(1h)-quinolones†

The addition of substituted anilines to methyl propiolate produces labile cis-trans mixtures of enamines which can be isomerized by acid, solvent variation, and thermal techniques. Thermal cyclization of these enamines provides a synthesis of 4( lH)-quinolones.
The psoriasis drug monomethylfumarate is a potent nicotinic acid receptor agonist

Nicotinic acid has been used for several decades to treat dyslipidemia. In mice, the lipid-lowing effect of nicotinic acid is mediated by the Gi coupled receptor PUMA-G. In humans, high (GPR109A) and low (GPR109B) affinity nicotinic acid receptors have been characterized. Here we identify monomethylfumarate as a GPR109A agonist. Monomethylfumarate is the active metabolite of the psoriasis drug Fumaderm. We show that monomethylfumarate activates GPR109A in a calcium based aequorin assay, cAMP assay and demonstrate competitive binding with nicotinic acid. We show that GPR109A is highly expressed in neutrophils and epidermal keratinocytes, and that its expression is increased in human psoriatic lesions. Our findings provide evidence that GPR109A is a target for the drug Fumaderm and suggest that niacin should be investigated to treat psoriasis in addition to its role in treating lipid disorders.
Newer antifungal therapy for emerging fungal pathogens

As the number of immunocompromised patients increases, there is a concomitant increase in the number and diversity of fungal infections. Fungi that were once considered harmless or contaminants are now pathogenic in the immunocompromised host. Often these emerging pathogens are indistinguishable from the more familiar fungal infections; however, they are generally more recalcitrant to conventional antifungal therapies. With the antifungal armamentarium now expanding, the clinician now has many more options for these difficult-to-treat mycoses. We review many of the newer antifungal agents (second-generation triazoles, echinocandins, etc.) as therapeutic options for the recently emerging fungal pathogens.
The pattern of serum triglyceride fatty acids in Laennec's cirrhosis.

The pattern of fatty acids in fasting serum triglycerides has been examined in 15 patients with Laennec's cirrhosis. Levels of triglycerides over 170 mg/100 ml were found in 9 of the 15. In each cirrhotic patient, regardless of the triglyceride level, a relative decrease in linoleic acid was found. The data suggest a relative deficiency of this dietary derived fatty acid which may play a role in abnormalities of serum and hepatic triglycerides found in alcoholic cirrhotics.
Interferometric Surface Roughness Measurement

This paper reports a method of measuring surface roughness using coherent optics and interferometry. Included are both the theory of the technique and experimental verification. The range of surface roughness which can be accurately measured by this method is also reported.
Lifting Posture Analysis in Material Handling Using Virtual Humans

Adopting appropriate postures during manual material-handling tasks is the key to reducing human joint injuries. Although much experimentation has been conducted in an effort to model lifting, such an approach is not general enough to consider all potential scenarios in material handling. Thus, in this paper an optimization-based motion prediction method is used to simulate realistic lifting postures and predict joint torques to evaluate the risk level of injury. A kinematically realistic digital human model has been developed such that the complicated musculoskeletal human structure is modeled as a combination of serial chains using the generalized coordinates. Lagrange’s equations of motion and metabolic energy rate are derived for the digital human. The proposed method has been implemented to predict and evaluate the lifting postures based on the metabolic rate and joint torques. Our results show that different amount of external loads and tasks lead to different human postures and joint torque distribution, thus different risk level of injury.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
SAR and temperature: simulations and comparison to regulatory limits for MRI.

Purpose: To present and discuss numerical calculations of the specific absorption rate (SAR) and temperature in comparison to regulatory limits. While it is possible to monitor whole-body or whole-head average SAR and/or core body temperature during MRI in practice, this is not generally true for local SAR values or local temperatures throughout the body. While methods of calculation for SAR and temperature are constantly being refined, methods for interpreting results of these calculations in light of regulatory limits also warrant discussion. Materials and Methods: Numerical calculations of SAR and temperature for the human head in a volume coil for MRI at several different frequencies are presented. Results: Just as the field pattern changes with the frequency, so do the temperature distribution and the ratio of maximum local SAR (in 1-g or 10-g regions) to whole-head average SAR. In all of the cases studied here this ratio is far greater than that in the regulatory limits, indicating that existing limits on local SAR will be exceeded before limits on whole-body or whole-head average SAR are reached. Conclusion: Calculations indicate that both SAR and temperature distributions vary greatly with B1 field frequency, that temperature distributions do not always correlate well with SAR distributions, and that regulatory limits on local temperature may not be exceeded as readily as those on local SAR.
Rapid one-step recombinational cloning

As an increasing number of genes and open reading frames of unknown function are discovered, expression of the encoded proteins is critical toward establishing function. Accordingly, there is an increased need for highly efficient, high-fidelity methods for directional cloning. Among the available methods, site-specific recombination-based cloning techniques, which eliminate the use of restriction endonucleases and ligase, have been widely used for high-throughput (HTP) procedures. We have developed a recombination cloning method, which uses truncated recombination sites to clone PCR products directly into destination/expression vectors, thereby bypassing the requirement for first producing an entry clone. Cloning efficiencies in excess of 80% are obtained providing a highly efficient method for directional HTP cloning.
Adaptive learning, forecast-based instrument rules and monetary policy☆

Abstract This paper argues that recently popular forecast-based instrument rules for monetary policy may fail to stabilize economic fluctuations. In a New Keynesian model of output gap and inflation determination in which private agents face multi-period decision problems, but have non-rational expectations and learn over time, if the monetary authority adopts a forecast-based instrument rule and responds to observed private forecasts then this class of policies frequently induce divergent learning dynamics. A central bank that correctly understands private behavior can mitigate such instability by responding to the determinants of private forecasts. This suggests gathering information on the determinants of expectations to be useful.
Preparation of electrophoric derivatives on N7-(2-hydroxyethyl)guanine, an ethylene oxide DNA adduct

Ethylene oxide, a potential human carcinogen, mainly damages DNA by reacting at guanine sites to form N7-(2-hydroxyethyl)guanine. In order to determine this DNA adduct with high sensitivity by gas chromatography, we have prepared, for comparison purposes, four electrophoric derivatives. The two that are most promising to date are bis- and tris-pentafluorobenzyl products prepared by first chemically transforming the N7-(2-hydroxyethyl)guanine to a corresponding xanthine, and then reacting the latter with pentafluorobenzyl bromide. These two derivatives are obtained in good yields and give molar responses of 0.6 and 0.5, respectively, relative to that of lindane by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection.
Optofluidic integration: Past, present, and future

Optofluidics promises devices and systems in which both optical and fluidic components are integrated on the same chip. We will review progress in this field to date and present an outlook on future opportunities.