cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DNA methylation profiling of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions using liquid-based cytology specimens: an approach that utilizes receiver-operating characteristic analysis.

BACKGROUND Cervical carcinoma is a common malignancy among women worldwide, and its pathogenesis is related causally to human papillomavirus infection. The progression from precursor squamous intraepithelial lesions to cervical carcinoma requires additional genetic and epigenetic alterations that have not been characterized fully. The authors examined aberrant promoter methylation of multiple tumor suppressor genes in precursor squamous intraepithelial lesions. METHODS A multiplex, nested, methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction approach was used to examine promoter methylation of 15 tumor suppressor genes in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL, n = 11), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL, n = 17), and negative tissues (n = 11) from liquid-based cytology samples. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was determined for individual methylated tumor suppressor genes and for gene combinations to evaluate test performance for the ability of methylation profiles to distinguish HSIL cytology samples from combined LSIL/negative cytology samples. RESULTS Aberrant promoter methylation of DAPK1 and IGSF4 occurred at a high frequency in HSIL samples and was absent in LSIL and negative samples. There was a significant trend toward increased methylation with the increased severity of lesions, and the mean number of methylated genes was significantly higher in HSIL samples compared with LSIL and negative samples. Using the area under the ROC curve as a measure of test performance, the methylation of IGSF4 and DAPK1 had areas that were significantly greater than 0.5; thus, each had the ability to distinguish HSIL samples from combined LSIL/negative samples. The areas under the curve for the best two-gene combination (IGSF4/DAPK1) and the best three-gene combination (IGSF4/DAPK1/HIC1) were not statistically different from the best individual tumor suppressor gene (IGSF4) in distinguishing HSIL samples from combined LSIL/negative samples. CONCLUSIONS Aberrant promoter methylation of tumor suppressor genes is an epigenetic alteration that occurs during neoplastic progression to cervical carcinoma. The methylation status of multiple tumor suppressor genes can be evaluated using ROC analysis to determine methylation profiles that can distinguish HSIL samples from combined LSIL/negative samples. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Analysis of Tacrolimus (FK 506) in Relation to Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

Tacrolimus (FK506) is a macrolide lactone which is used as an immunosuppressant agent for organ transplantation. Patient monitoring during clinical trials initially involved use of extraction/enzyme immunoassays (ELISA) for plasma and whole blood concentrations of FK506. Therapeutic concentrations of FK506 are approximately 0.4-1.2 ng/ml in plasma and 5-20 ng/ml in whole blood. Blood:plasma ratios are variable among patients and range from 11 to 114. A validation and quality assurance program was established to standardize procedures and assure concordance of ELISA analytic results from clinical sites participating in liver/kidney trials. HPLC/ELISA methods have been used for assessing assay specificity. Comparison of the ELISA method with a HPLC-MS procedure (TexMS) shows good correlation, but indicates metabolite inclusion in the ELISA. This method may be of value in conditions of altered FK-506 metabolism. Commercialization of the immunoassay has been made by Incstar with the ELISA and Abbott Laboratories with an IMx procedure; the two methods are generally comparable. Additional methods offering clinical promise are radioreceptor and pentamer complex ELISA assays. There are diverse methods offering sensitive quantitation but with varying specificity for tacrolimus in patient plasma and whole blood.
Codon preference of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus

The codon bias of two Aedes mosquito species was examined using a sign test. In general, there appeared to be some preference for C + G at the third base position, although this was not statistically significant. While amino acids such as phenylalanine and tyrosine clearly displayed biases, others such as valine and serine appeared to have little or no bias for any particular codon. Three homologous genes of Aedes aegypti and Drosophila melanogaster were compared using the chi-square test and the codon bias of the two species compared. Drosophila melanogaster was found to have a much stronger bias for C + G at the third base position compared to Aedes. The implications and usefulness of the codon bias are discussed.
An ada object-based analysis and design approach

Cost and quality are becoming increasingly important for companies developing software for the Federal Government. Since much of the software developed for the Government must he written in Ada, software engineers and managers are searching to improve the process of developing Ada systems.Based on the potential of object-oriented methods-better maintainability, reusability, and intellectual control for large complex systems-we have implemented and are continuing to evolve a real-time object-oriented approach for developing Ada systems. Our process borrows heavily from the work of others and offers unique techniques for expressing object behavior, verifying and validating the object-oriented models, and mapping the object-oriented requirements model to Ada constructs. The approach we present in this paper incorporates object-oriented methods for both requirements analysis and Ada design, and focuses on:•Ada considerations for the object-oriented models•Transitioning from the requirements analysis model to Ada design with a minimum of corner-turning•Real-time behavior specifications for object services•A common method for verifying the requirements analysis model and validating the design model.
Effect of cimetidine on wound healing in rats

Cimetidine, an H-2 antagonist, is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs and is used in the management of peptic ulcer disease and prevention of stress ulcerations following major trauma or operations. It has been shown that histamine has a stimulatory effect on wound healing which is believed to be mediated through H-2 receptors. We hypothesized that cimetidine would have an inhibitory effect on wound healing. Fifty-two adult rats were divided into two groups: Group A was placed on a standard chow and Group B was given chow supplemented with cimetidine (300 mg/Kg diet), a dose equivalent to that clinically used in man and effective in inhibiting gastric hypersecretion in the rat. Ten days later, all rats underwent a dorsal skin incision under pentobarbital anesthesia and implantation of a polyvinyl alcohol sponge subcutaneously. Animals were maintained on their respective diets. Rats were killed with ether five and ten days postoperatively, the wounds were excised and breaking strength measured. Sponge hydroxyproline content was measured. No significant difference in breaking strength or sponge hydroxyproline content was found between the two groups. We thus conclude that cimetidine has no effect on wound healing in rats when used in doses equivalent to the clinical dose in man.
Using Thermal‐Infrared Imagery to Delineate Ground‐Water Discharged

On March 8 and 9, 1992, a thermal-infrared-multispectral scanner (TIMS) was flown over two military ordnance disposal facilities at the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The data, collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in cooperation with the U.S. Army and the U.S. Geological Survey, were used to locate ground-water discharge zones in surface water. The images from the flight show areas where ground-water discharge is concentrated, as well as areas of diffuse discharge. Concentrated discharge is predominant in isolated or nearly isolated ponds and creeks in the study area. Diffuse discharge is found near parts of the shoreline where the study area meets the surrounding estuaries of the Chesapeake Bay and the Gunpowder River. The average temperature for surface water, measured directly in the field, and the average temperature, calculated from atmospherically corrected TIMS images, was 10.6° C (Celsius) at the first of two sites. Potentiometric surface maps of both field sites show discharge toward the nontidal marshes, the estuaries which surround the field sites, and creeks which drain into the estuaries. The average measured temperature of ground water at both sites was 10.7° C. The calculated temperature from the TIMS imagery at both sites where ground-water discharge is concentrated within a surface-water body is 10.4° C. In the estuaries which surround the field sites, field measurements of temperature were made resulting in an average temperature of 9.0° C. The average calculated TIMS temperature from the estuaries was 9.3° C. Along the shoreline at the first site and within 40 to 80 meters of the western and southern shores of the second site, water was 1° to 2° C warmer than water more than 80 meters away. This pattern of warmer water grading to cooler water in an offshore direction could result from diffuse ground-water discharge. Tonal differences in the TIMS imagery could indicate changes in surface-water temperatures. These tonal differences can be interpreted to delineate the location and extent of ground-water discharge to bodies of surface water.
IR laser-induced perturbations of the voltage-dependent solute carrier protein SLC26a5.

Alterations in membrane capacitance can arise from linear and nonlinear sources. For example, changes in membrane surface area or dielectric properties can modify capacitance linearly, whereas sensor residues of voltage-dependent proteins can modify capacitance nonlinearly. Here, we examined the effects of fast temperature jumps induced by an infrared (IR) laser in control and prestin (SLC26a5)-transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells under whole-cell voltage clamp. Prestin’s voltage sensor imparts a characteristic bell-shaped, voltage-dependent nonlinear capacitance (NLC). Temperature jumps in control HEK cells cause a monophasic increase in membrane capacitance (Cm) regardless of holding voltage due to double-layer effects. Prestin-transfected HEK cells, however, additionally show a biphasic increase/decrease in Cm with a reversal potential corresponding to the voltage at peak NLC of prestin (Vh), attributable to a rapid temperature-following shift in Vh, with shift rates up to 14 V/s over the course of a 5 ms IR pulse. Treatment with salicylate, a known inhibitor of NLC, reestablishes control cell behavior. A simple kinetic model recapitulates our biophysical observations. These results verify a voltage-dependent protein’s ability to respond to fast temperature perturbations on a par with double-layer susceptibility. This likely arises from prestin’s unique ability to move sensor charge at kilohertz rates, which is required for the outer hair cells’ role as a cochlear amplifier.
Effects of Furosemide and Verapamil on the NaCl Dependency of Macula Densa–Mediated Renin Secretion

Abstract The present studies in perfused specimens of the juxtaglomerular apparatus microdissected from rabbit kidneys were performed to quantitatively evaluate the relation between macula densa NaCl concentration and renin secretion and to study the effect of furosemide and verapamil on NaCl dependency of renin release. Renin secretion was found to decrease exponentially when macula densa NaCl concentration was increased from 26/7 mmol/L (Na/Cl) to 46/27, 66/47, and 86/67 mmol/L. Increasing Na/Cl concentrations from 86/67 to 106/87 mmol/L had no further effect on renin secretion. [Cl] 1/2 , the chloride concentration producing the half-maximal effect, was 30 mmol/L. Addition of 50 μmol/L furosemide to the luminal fluid caused renin secretion to become essentially independent of macula densa NaCl concentration. This effect was due to both an increase of renin secretion at high NaCl concentrations and a decrease of renin release at low NaCl concentrations. Verapamil added to the superfusate at a concentration of 1 μmol/L also abolished NaCl dependency of renin secretion; most of this effect was due to an increase of renin release at high luminal NaCl. These results suggest that Na-2Cl-K cotransport and calcium flux through voltage-gated channels are two mechanisms required for the expression of NaCl-dependent renin release. Identification of the cellular localizations of these two critical membrane proteins in the renin control pathway requires further study.
Effects of continuous, low levels of ethylene on growth and flowering of Easter lily

Abstract Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum Thunb. cultivar ‘Nellie White’) were continually exposed to 0, 0.01, 0.05 or 0.1 μl l−1 ethylene in air during growth and flowering. Shoot length was drastically reduced with 0.05 or 0.1 μl l−1 ethylene, but was increased by 0.01 μl l−1. Plants grown at 0.05 and 0.1 μl l−1 ethylene were unmarketable, while 0.01 μl l−1 treated plants were commercially acceptable. All ethylene levels caused reduction in total shoot and flower dry weights. Leaf unfolding rate was similar in all treatments, indicating that height differences were due to ethylene effects on internodal length rather than rate of leaf development. Flower numbers were reduced and buds abnormally curved on plants grown at 0.05 and 0.1 μl l−1 ethylene.
L-AMINO ACID OXIDASE. II. DEUTERIUM ISOTOPE EFFECTS AND THE ACTION MECHANISM FOR THE REDUCTION OF L-AMINO ACID OXIDASE BY L-LEUCINE.

Abstract A study was made of the effect of p2H and p2H upon the rate of reduction of l -amino acid oxidase ( l -amino acid: O2 oxidoreductase (deaminating), EC 1.4.3.2) by l -leucine and by dl -[α-2H]leucine. The reduction process was studied with the system in turnover using a Clark oxygen electrode and also with the anaerobic combination of enzyme and substrate using stopped-flow techniques. A striking pH-dependent deuterium kinetic isotope effect is observed which is consistent with a change in rate determining step as the pH is changed over the range 6 to 9. A deuterium solvent isotope effect is also observed and is shown to be the result both of an upward shift of 0.6 unit in the p K a of an active site group and of additional effects on the specific rates of the component steps of the reduction process. The experimental results are consistent with the interpretation that a proton transfer step is mediated by a basic group on the enzyme during the reduction reaction. The basic group is tentatively identified as a histidyl residue. The reduction process is seen to involve the very rapid formation of a transient, spectrophotometrically distinct intermediate followed by the rapid decay of this intermediate with the fully reduced enzyme, consistent with earlier reports. In addition to the rapid decay, a much slower decay is noted which may be due to the dissociation of an imidazolium ion in the hindered environment of the active site to form the catalytically active charge form of the enzyme-substrate complex, or to the presence of isoenzymes possessing different catalytic specificities. An action mechanism is presented which is consistent with the experimental data for the reduction reaction.
Modification of instinctive herding dog behavior using reinforcement and punishment

Abstract“Instinctive” behavior may be modified using operant techniques. We report here on a field study of training herding dogs in which reinforcers and punishers were used by owners, who were themselves being trained to control their dogs. Access to sheep was assumed to be a primary reinforcer for herding dogs. While blocking their access was aversive to them. Over several months, the number of blocking and access actions by the human were scored during the training of seven naive herding dogs. We found that rates of punishment by blocking the dog's access to sheep or by stopping the dog occurred at higher levels than positive reinforcement from access or verbal praise. While positive reinforcement can be used exclusively for the training of certain behaviors, it is suggested that in the context of instinctive motor patterns, negative reinforcement and punishment may be desirable and necessary additions to positive reinforcement techniques.
"We kept our promises": an oral history of Harry Shwachman, M.D

Harry Shwachman, M.D., was Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition at Children's Hospital, Boston, which eventually became the largest Cystic Fibrosis (CF) center in the world. For over four decades he pioneered understanding of the disease and developed a program of diagnosis and treatment that dramatically extended the lives of children affected with CF. During his own childhood, he developed bilateral pneumonia and nearly died. He received a BS from M.I.T in 1932, and an MD from Johns Hopkins in 1936. He completed his internship and residency at Johns Hopkins and Children's Hospital, Boston (1937–1941). In 1947 he returned from Army service to Boston where he resumed his medical practice and research. Dr. Shwachman discovered a less invasive screening procedure for CF than the intubation technique used previously. In the late 1940s he and his colleagues identified pulmonary involvement to be the primary manifestation of CF. He was instrumental in establishing the autosomal recessive genetic pattern of CF [Allen et al., 1956]. He introduced new treatment methods that changed the management of CF, including the use of antibiotics in 1948, a new pancreatic enzyme replacement, and chest physical therapy. In 1954 Shwachman developed the first reproducible sweat test at Children's Hospital, Boston, and in 1955 he helped establish the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He authored over 250 publications, trained generations of researchers, and was a dedicated clinician, legendary for his devotion to his patients and their families. In addition, he was an accomplished violinist and founding member of the Newton Symphony Orchestra. He and Irene, his wife of 42 years, had three children: Elizabeth, Joan, and Alan, and at the time of interview, three grandchildren. This autobiographical vignette is based on excerpts from an interview I conducted of Dr. Shwachman and his wife in their home in Boston in 1984, 2 years prior to his death. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
New constraint on a strongly interacting Higgs sector

We show that an integral S over the spectral function of spin-1 states of the Higgs sector is constrained by precision weak-interaction measurements. Current data exclude large technicolor models; asymmetry measurements at the CERN ${\mathit{e}}^{+}$${\mathit{e}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ collider LEP and the SLAC Linear Collider will soon provide more stringent limits on Higgs-boson strong interactions.
Performance evaluation of small-batch container delivery systems used in lean manufacturing – Part 2: number of Kanban and workstation starvation

In lean manufacturing, milk run (MR) systems represent route-based, cyclic material handling systems that are used widely to enable frequent and consistent deliveries of containerised parts on an as-needed basis from a central storage area (the ‘supermarket’) to multiple line-side deposit points on the factory floor. In the first part of this two-part paper, a basic, single-tugger MR system is described, and stability conditions as well as the probability of exceeding either the physical capacity of the tugger or the prescribed cycle time are derived. Given the stability conditions, and the distribution of the number of containers requested per MR, in the second part of the paper, the number of Kanban required in the MR system is examined, and analytical approximations are derived both for the number of Kanban required and for predicting workstation starvation. The latter is a key concern when designing a MR system that will support workstations in a manufacturing plant. The performance of the analytic ap...
The Effects of Sensation Seeking and Misattribution of Arousal on Attraction toward Similar or Dissimilar Strangers.

Abstract While previous research has indicated that certain situational variables can mediate the typical positive relationship between attitudinal similarity and attraction, investigations focusing on the impact of individual difference variables on this relationship have typically yielded unimpressive results. The present experiment was conducted to test the prediction that individual differences in sensation seeking do moderate this relationship. The major results showed that, as predicted, high sensation seekers were more attracted than low sensation seekers to dissimilar others, whereas low sensation seekers were more attracted than high sensation seekers to people with similar attitudes. The data also indicated that a misattribution of arousal manipulation serves to increase attraction under certain conditions. Specifically, misattribution of aversive arousal increased low sensation seekers' attraction to a dissimilar stranger and increased high sensation seekers' attraction to a similar stranger.
The DSM-5’s proposed new categories of sexual disorder: The problem of false positives in sexual diagnosis.

The proposals that have emerged from the DSM-5 revision process have triggered considerable controversy, especially regarding potential invalid inflation of diagnostic categories. To illustrate the kinds of issues that have emerged, I closely examine the proposed new categories of sexual disorder. The DSM-5 Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group is proposing the addition of three categories of disorder to the DSM-5—hypersexuality, hebephilia (as part of a revised pedophilia category that would become pedohebephilia), and coercive paraphilic disorder (basically a “nonconsent” or rape paraphilia). These proposals are driven by perceived clinical or forensic needs. I argue, however, that their conceptual soundness remains problematic; each could lead to large numbers of false positive diagnoses (i.e., diagnoses that mistakenly label a normal variant of behavior as a mental disorder), with potential for serious forensic abuse in “sexually violent predator” civil commitment proceedings.
Discretely weak P-sets

A discretely weak P-set is a nowhere dense closed set which is disjoint from the closure of any countable discrete subset of its complement. We show that the Stone–Cech remainder N∗ of the discrete space N of natural numbers cannot be covered by discretely weak P-sets when the continuum hypothesis is assumed.
MANET routing scheme for establishing a connection from an isolated LAN to the Internet using HTTP communication

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET), which establishes an autonomous network temporarily through direct communications between mobile terminals without using any fixed infrastructure. There have been studies on using MANET in times of a disaster, or on connecting MANET to the Internet. This paper considers a case where a LAN has lost a connection to the Internet as a result of a wide-area network failure caused by a disaster, etc., and studies the functions needed for re-connecting the isolated LAN to the Internet. Specifically, it proposes to install access points (APs) with MANET connection capability both at the isolated LAN and an interconnection point of the Internet, and to use MAC address routing, MAC/IP address conversion, and inter-flow control. The effectiveness of this proposal has been evaluated by implementing MAC address routing, MAC/IP address conversion, and HTTP communications on the MANET emulator.
Endothelial Dysfunction, Arterial Stiffening, and Intima-Media Thickening in Large Arteries from HIV-1 Transgenic Mice

HIV patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) exhibit elevated incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including a higher risk of myocardial infarction and prevalence of atherosclerotic lesions, as well as increases in markers of subclinical atherosclerosis including increased carotid artery intima-media thickness (c-IMT), increased arterial stiffness, and impaired flow-mediated dilation. Both HAART and HIV-infection are independent risk factors for atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Studies implicate the HIV proteins tat, gp120, vpu, and nef in early on-set atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to quantify the role of expression of HIV-1 proteins on the vascular function, biomechanics, and geometry of common carotid arteries and aortas. This study employed NL4-3Δ gag/pol transgenic mice (HIV-Tg), which contain the genetic sequence for the HIV-1 proteins env, tat, nef, rev, vif, vpr, and vpu but lacks the gag and pol genes and reports that HIV-Tg mice have impaired aortic endothelial function, increased c-IMT, and increased arterial stiffness. Further, HIV-Tg arteries show decreased elastin content, increased cathepsin K and cathepsin S activity, and increased mechanical residual stress. Thus, mice that express HIV proteins exhibit pre-clinical markers of atherosclerosis and these markers correlate with changes in markers of vascular remodeling. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that HIV-proteins, independent of HAART treatment or HIV infection, could play a role in of the development of CVD.
The contribution of immune regulatory and thyroid specific genes to the etiology of Graves' and Hashimoto's diseases.

The autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) are complex diseases which are caused by an interaction between susceptibility genes and environmental triggers. Genetic susceptibility in combination with external factors (e.g. dietary iodine) are believed to initiate the autoimmune response to thyroid antigens. Abundant epidemiological data, including family and twin studies, point to a strong genetic influence on the development of AITD. Various techniques have been employed to identify the genes contributing to the etiology of AITD, including candidate gene analysis and whole genome screening. These studies have enabled the identification of several loci (genetic regions) that are linked with AITD, and in some of these loci putative AITD susceptibility genes have been identified. Some of these genes/loci are unique to Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and some are common to both diseases, indicating that there is a shared genetic susceptibility to GD and HT. The putative GD and HT susceptibility genes include both immune modifying genes (e.g. HLA, CTLA-4) and thyroid specific genes (e.g. TSHR, Tg). Most likely these loci interact and their interactions may influence disease phenotype and severity.
Phase transition in Cd2Ta2O7 and the Cd2Nb2−xTaxO7 series

Abstract A phase transition has been discovered in Cd2Ta2O7 near 200 K which is about the same temperature at which Cd2Nb2O7 is known to become ferroelectric. However, Cd2Ta2O7 does not become ferroelectric below this transition. The nature of this transition was also studied in the Cd2Nb2−xTaxO7 series using low temperature X-ray, SHG, and DSC techniques.
PGRPs kill with an ancient weapon.

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) are a key part of the innate immune system's defense against bacteria. PGRPs are now shown to act through a conserved secretion stress–sensing two-component system, which leads to membrane depolarization and the release of cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals. Thus, PGRPs exploit an ancient bacterial stress response to elicit cell death, and this pathway may be targeted to produce improved antimicrobial drugs (pages 676–683).
Ocean color observations of a surface water transport event: Implications for Pseudo-nitzschia on the Washington coast

Abstract A persistent patch of high biomass water, associated with the Juan de Fuca Eddy, is often observed in surface chlorophyll a images off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. Outbreaks of toxic Pseudo-nitzschia spp. along the Washington, USA, coast are believed to correlate with the transport of waters from Juan de Fuca Eddy southward to Washington beaches. A time series of Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) satellite ocean color images from late May 1999 of coastal waters off Washington and Vancouver Island, processed for surface chlorophyll a concentration and spectral remote sensing reflectance, captured a transport event where water from the Juan de Fuca Eddy was transported onto the Washington shelf. Strong upwelling-favorable winds appeared to deform the patch over an 8-day period and move it southward into Washington coastal waters with surface velocities of approximately 8–16 km d −1 . SeaWiFS and sea surface temperature imagery showed the local phytoplankton response to wind-driven coastal upwelling restricted to a narrow (10–15 km) region along the Washington coast. Although we did not observe transport of high biomass water originating in the Juan de Fuca Eddy to Washington beaches in May 1999, transport of Pseudo-nitzschia cells could occur following a rapid shift to downwelling-favorable conditions. Tracking the trajectory of surface waters from the Juan de Fuca Eddy by remote sensing could be used to trigger conditional sampling for domoic acid along the Washington coast.
Electronically resonant hyper-Raman scattering in solution

The theory and phenomenology of electronically resonant hyper-Raman scattering from organic molecules in solution is reviewed and its relationship to other electronically resonant nonlinear vibrational spectroscopies is discussed.
Long-term evaluation of the use of coralline hydroxyapatite in orthognathic surgery.

Abstract Purpose: This prospective study was designed to evaluate the long-term clinical and radiographic results of porous block hydroxyapatite (PBHA) used as a synthetic bone graft in orthognathic surgery and craniofacial augmentation. Patients and Materials: A total of 245 consecutive patients were treated initially. Inclusion criteria for this study included a minimum clinical and radiographic follow-up of 5 years. In addition, all patients with known implant failures were included regardless of whether they met the study criteria. There were 111 patients that met the criteria for inclusion in this study. All patients had undergone orthognathic surgery with rigid fixation and had had inlay or onlay PBHA implants placed. Ninety-six percent of the implants were placed through an intraoral approach. Long-term postoperative radiographs were visually compared with immediate postoperative radiographs for implant position, stability, resorption, and other significant radiographic changes. The clinical examination evaluated for signs and symptoms of infection, wound dehiscence, implant exposure, implant displacement, changes in the overlying mucosa, and development of oronasal or oroantral fistulae. Results: Four hundred seventy-one implants were placed: 403 in the maxilla, 44 in the mandible, and 24 in the periorbital region. There were 289 implants placed in direct communication with the maxillary sinus. The average follow-up time was 7.2 years (range, 5.0 to 10.3 years). Twenty-three implants (4.9%) were removed during the evaluation period. Lateral maxillary wall grafting had 95.7% success, with nine implants being lost in three patients. One chin implant was removed because of dissatisfaction with the aesthetics. Seven (14%) midpalatal implants used for maxillary expansion were lost, primarily because of exposure of the implant to the oral or nasal cavity at the time of surgery. When PBHA was used for alveolar cleft grafting, there was a 100% failure rate. Conclusion: The use of PBHA as a bone graft substitute in orthognathic surgery and for facial augmentation showed a high percentage of success and efficacy. However, adequate soft tissue coverage in the nasal floor and on the palate are paramount for success of midpalatal implants. PBHA should not be used for alveolar cleft grafting. Rigid fixation for inlay implants in the maxilla is important to provide stress shielding of the material and minimize micromovement during the initial healing phase.
Incidental internal carotid artery calcifications on temporal bone CT in children

Incidental internal carotid artery (ICA) calcifications are occasionally noted on CT images of the brain and temporal bone. In adults, incidental calcifications have been correlated with increased incidence of hypercholesterolemia, cardiac disease, diabetes and carotid stenosis. To determine the incidence of incidental calcifications of the carotid siphon on temporal bone CT in children. We retrospectively reviewed 24 months of consecutive temporal bone CT examinations in children aged 18 years and younger. CT examinations on 663 patients were reviewed and the presence or absence of ICA calcifications was ranked as absent, questionable or definitive. In patients in whom definitive calcifications were identified, hospital charts were reviewed for evidence of diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperlipidemia and chronic renal disease as potential causes of early atherosclerosis. Of the 663 patients, 25% had definitive calcifications within the wall of the ICA: 6% of children younger than 2 years and 28% of children 12–19 years of age. Incidentally noted ICA calcifications are a common finding on temporal bone CT in children, most likely a physiologic response to turbulent flow at natural bends in the artery rather than secondary to underlying disease predisposing to early atherosclerotic calcification.
Syphilis in women.

Infection with the spirochete Treponema pallidum causes syphilis. Transmission of syphilis occurs through sexual contact with persons who have infectious mucocutaneous lesions. Before the advent of penicillin, this infection was responsible for a large portion of the debilitated patients residing in mental institutions. Later during this century, the disease became somewhat uncommon, only to see a resurgence during the early part of this decade. Syphilis progresses through stages defined as primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary. Diagnosis of this infection is by clinical examination, dark-field microscopy, and serology. Penicillin is the treatment of choice for all stages of syphilis. Doxycycline and tetracycline are acceptable alternatives in some penicillin-allergic patients. If patients are pregnant or have central nervous system involvement, alternative regimens should not be used because of lack of efficacy and/or fetal toxicity. Therefore, these patients must be desensitized and treated with penicillin. No effective vaccine for this infection is currently available.
Product lines of theorems

Mechanized proof assistants are powerful verification tools, but proof development can be difficult and time-consuming. When verifying a family of related programs, the effort can be reduced by proof reuse. In this paper, we show how to engineer product lines with theorems and proofs built from feature modules. Each module contains proof fragments which are composed together to build a complete proof of correctness for each product. We consider a product line of programming languages, where each variant includes metatheory proofs verifying the correctness of its semantic definitions. This approach has been realized in the Coq proof assistant, with the proofs of each feature independently certifiable by Coq. These proofs are composed for each language variant, with Coq mechanically verifying that the composite proofs are correct. As validation, we formalize a core calculus for Java in Coq which can be extended with any combination of casts, interfaces, or generics.
Cicero's literal metaphor and propriety

An analysis of Crassus's precepts about metaphor in Book III ofDe Oratore suggests that Cicero's concern is not so much to examine figures of speech as to define standards of propriety, otherwise neglected by Crassus. A stylistic analysis, on the other hand, identifies the concept of a literal metaphor: by serving as metaphors and as facts, terms such as “clothing” illustrates the proper unity of style and content. A series of literal metaphors in the Pro Murena is then shown to advance the value, propriety in politics, which Cicero emphasis in his defense of Murena.
Properties of Rigid Polyurethane Foams Related to Their Use for Corrosion Control Inside Confined Spaces

Abstract Recent studies show that rigid, closed cell polymer foam blocks seawater penetration and provides corrosion protection to the internal surfaces of metal cavities exposed to aqueous salt en...
Sub-diffraction Laser Synthesis of Silicon Nanowires

We demonstrate synthesis of silicon nanowires of tens of nanometers via laser induced chemical vapor deposition. These nanowires with diameters as small as 60 nm are produced by the interference between incident laser radiation and surface scattered radiation within a diffraction limited spot, which causes spatially confined, periodic heating needed for high resolution chemical vapor deposition. By controlling the intensity and polarization direction of the incident radiation, multiple parallel nanowires can be simultaneously synthesized. The nanowires are produced on a dielectric substrate with controlled diameter, length, orientation, and the possibility of in-situ doping, and therefore are ready for device fabrication. Our method offers rapid one-step fabrication of nano-materials and devices unobtainable with previous CVD methods.
Stage of adoption and impact of direct-mail communications with and without phone intervention on Chinese women's cervical smear screening behavior.

Abstract Background. The purposes of the study were to (1) assess the impact of direct-mail communications with and without phone intervention, and (2) examine the characteristics of women who were more likely to respond. Methods. Women were recruited from female family members of inpatients admitted to one of the major teaching hospitals in Taiwan ( n = 424), and were randomly assigned into an intervention group, who received direct-mails and a phone follow-up, or a control group, who received placebo messages. Results. Logistic regression analysis showed that women in the intervention group (OR adj. = 2.31) and contemplation stage (OR adj. = 4.18) were more likely to receive a screening at the end of the program. Among women in the intervention group, contemplators were 5.58 times more likely to receive a screening before the phone intervention (early adopters); and 40% of the screening adopters responded after the phone intervention (late adopters). Late and early adopters were similar in their stage, age, and education. Conclusions. Stage and intervention are both significant predictors of screening adoption. The study provides justification for programs to target women in contemplation stage. It also suggests that the boost of a later phone intervention may be consequential for encouraging more women with similar demographics to take action.
Adsorption of water soluble ionic/hydrophobic diblock copolymer on a hydrophobic surface

We consider the adsorption of aA-B diblock copolymer on a planar hydrophobic surface in aqueous solution. The hydrophobic anchor (A) block is envisioned to avoid water and adsorbs on the solid-liquid interface in a collapsed state. The buoy block (B) is a polyelectrolyte which expands in solution and forms a brush whose structure depends strongly on the ionic strength of the solution. The minimization of the grand canonical free energy of the system gives access to the surface density (σ), the thickness of the collapsed layer (L A ) and the thickness of the external polyelectrolyte layer (L B ). These three parametersL B ,L A and σ are functions of the molecular weight of the anchored block (N A ), the molecular weight of the buoy block (N B ), the charge of the polymer (Z) and the ionic strength of the aqueous solution (∅ s ).
Hydrodynamic Lubrication in Axisymmetric Stretch Forming—Part 2: Experimental Investigation

In order to test the validity of the theoretical model discussed in Part 1, an experimental technique, employing optical interferometry, has been developed to measure lubricant film thickness during axisymmetric stretch forming. Specially fabricated, transparent punches are used for both double and multiple beam interference studies. The choice of workpiece material, lubricant, and forming speed ensures that the punch/sheet conjunction will be hydrodynamically lubricated during most of the process. Interference patterns, due to the variable film of lubricant separating the punch and sheet surfaces, are formed as the sheet wraps around the punch. These patterns provide a contour map of the lubricant film thickness along the punch/sheet conjunction. The measured film thickness, as taken from an interpretation of the patterns, is compared with the theoretical predictions of Part 1.
Entropic Measures of Belief System Constraint

Abstract The notion of the constraint (or degree of organization) of belief systems is a potentially fruitful one in both political science and sociology. Existing attempts to measure constraint, however, have had severe drawbacks, both conceptual and methodological. This paper argues that this constraint is better conceived of as the absence of dispersion in a table of cross-classified beliefs and demonstrates that measures based on this conception are better at discerning the presence of constraint where it is quite likely to exist, namely, in small, ideologically focused groups. The approach to constraint outlined here has a number of other advantages: it is equally appropriate to interval, ordinal, or nominal data; it does not require external criteria of what responses should be associated with others; it is not variance-dependent; it does not assume that constraint is equivalent to either reduced dimensionality or pairwise association; and it is equally appropriate for mass and nonmass belief systems. It is also simple to conduct tests of significance difference across populations. Finally, this paper outlines the proper way to standardize such measures, which applies to other uses of the entropy measure, such as the quantification of income inequality.
Weld line morphology of injection molded polypropylene

The weakness of plastics at weld lines provides serious difficulties for the design and long term durability of injection molded parts. The goal of this work was to identify the cause of weld line weakness in polypropylene (PP) systems. The morphology of weld lines in a high molecular weight PP has been studied. It was found that the PP contains a hindered phenolic antioxidant additive that is not soluble in the polymer at the standard processing conditions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) pictures reveal the additive existing as a dispersed phase in the bulk polymer. Even though very small concentrations of this additive are normally used, (0.1-0.5%) large quantities were found at weld lines in a band approximately 100 nm wide and penetrating about 10 μm into the surface of the part, hindering strength development at the weld line. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results confirm enhanced concentrations of antioxidant on the flow front and mold wall surface of short shot samples. The mechanical properties (Izod impact, tensile strength) are measured for samples molded at various processing conditions, varying amounts of antioxidant additive and with and without weld lines. The results are consistent with the presence of the additive playing a key role in strength development at PP weld lines.
Phase I/II dose finding study of combination cisplatin and gemcitabine in patients with recurrent cervix cancer.

Abstract Objectives. To evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of cisplatin and gemcitabine in women with recurrent cervical cancer. Methods. A multi-institutional phase I/II dose finding study of cisplatin and gemcitabine delivered to women with recurrent previously radiated cervical carcinoma. Results. Twenty eight patients were enrolled. The mean and median age of patients was 51years (age range 35 to 70years). Chemotherapy was given on a 28-day cycle; cisplatin was administered at a fixed dose of 50mg/m 2 , day 1 and gemcitabine, days 1, 8, and 15. Gemcitabine doses started at 600mg/m 2 (dose level 1) and were escalated by 100mg/m 2 /dose level until 1000mg/m 2 (dose level 5). Twenty seven patients were evaluable for toxicity and disease response, and 75 cycles of chemotherapy were administered. Toxicities were predominantly hematological; 18% of patients experienced grade 3 anemia, 37% grade 3 and 11% grade 4 leukopenia, 41% grade 3 neutropenia, and 26% grade 3 thrombocytopenia. The maximally tolerated dose (MTD) was not reached. One patient experienced a dose-limiting toxicity on dose level 2 (febrile neutropenia). One patient had a CR and 3 patients had a PR to therapy (15% response rate), 41% of patients had SD, and 44% had progression of cancer. Median survival was 11.9months. Conclusion. Although this 28-day gemcitabine and cisplatin regimen in recurrent cervix cancer has tolerable toxicity, 21-day regimens are recommended because of improved practicality, higher dose intensity, and higher response rates.
Mechanisms of development of heart failure in the hypertensive patient.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for the development of heart failure. Mechanisms which maintain normal function in the short term in the pressure overloaded heart have longer term deleterious effects. These include left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and chronic activation of the adrenergic and renin-angiotensin systems. β-Blocking agents are capable of blocking the adrenergic system and, to some extent, the renin-angiotensin system. They are therefore attractive in treating hypertension, both for preventing the development of abnormalities and for reversing established LV dysfunction and hypertrophy. Trials in heart failure have shown that these agents prevent progressive myocardial dysfunction, prevent and reverse remodelling and improve intrinsic systolic function. Non-selective β-blocking agents appear to offer greater anti-adrenergic effects than selective ones. However, more research is needed, including direct comparisons of different agents.
Melt pathways in the mantle

OCEANIC ridges are the dominant sites of energy and mass transfer from the Earth's interior to the crust, hydrosphere and atmosphere, but many key processes beneath ridges remain poorly understood. One outstanding problem is how partial melts in the asthenosphere concentrate into channels - initially, melts must leave their source by intergranular percolation, but there is considerable evidence that they are rapidly channelled into larger pathways.
Modeling monomer release from bioerodible polymers

Abstract A theoretical model was developed that describes the erosion of biodegradable polymers and the resulting release of monomers. Erosion is simulated using a Monte Carlo Model that describes the morphological changes during erosion. It allows the calculation of porosity distributions that are needed for modeling drug and monomer release using a modified diffusion equation. This equation takes into account the diffusion of monomers, the concentration dependence of diffusivities, the porosity along the diffusion pathway, as well as the presence of suspended monomers and their pH dependent dissolution. The model was used to describe the release of monomers from polyanhydride copolymers, which show a pH dependent release behavior that cannot be explained by existing models. After the determination of model parameters by fitting the model to release profiles, it was possible to predict other system properties like the amount of accumulated crystallized monomer or the total polymer matrix weight during erosion. With some modifications such models might become useful for predicting drug release from the investigated polymers.