cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reactions of adult humans to cries of normal and abnormal infants

Questionnaire responses of adult humans to the cries of normal and abnormal infants were examined. Forty-two college students, male and female, experienced and inexperienced with infants were exposed to the recorded cries of normal and Down's syndrome infants. Subjects rated the cries as to how unpleasant they were and how much the infant producing the cry needed attention. While all cries were rated as unpleasant, cries produced by normal infants were rated more unpleasant than cries produced by Down's syndrome infants. Normal infants were also rated to be in greater need of attention than Down's syndrome infants. Neither sex of subject nor the subjects' experience with infants affected the ratings. The infant cry as an elicitor of care-giving behavior and as a negative reinforcer is discussed.
Heel effect adaptive flat field correction of digital x-ray detectors

Purpose: Anode heel effect renders large-scale background nonuniformities in digital radiographs. Conventional offset/gain calibration is performed at mono source-to-image distance (SID), and disregards the SID-dependent characteristic of heel effect. It results in a residual nonuniform background in the corrected radiographs when the SID settings for calibration and correction differ. In this work, the authors develop a robust and efficient computational method for digital x-ray detector gain correction adapted to SID-variant heel effect, without resorting to physical filters, phantoms, complicated heel effect models, or multiple-SID calibration and interpolation. Methods: The authors present the Duo-SID projection correction method. In our approach, conventional offset/gain calibrations are performed only twice, at the minimum and maximum SIDs of the system in typical clinical use. A fast iterative separation algorithm is devised to extract the detector gain and basis heel patterns from the min/max SID calibrations. The resultant detector gain is independent of SID, while the basis heel patterns are parameterized by the min- and max-SID. The heel pattern at any SID is obtained from the min-SID basis heel pattern via projection imaging principles. The system gain desired at a specific acquisition SID is then constructed using the projected heel pattern and detector gain map. Results: The method was evaluated for flat field and anatomical phantom image corrections. It demonstrated promising improvements over interpolation and conventional gain calibration/correction methods, lowering their correction errors by approximately 70% and 80%, respectively. The separation algorithm was able to extract the detector gain and heel patterns with less than 2% error, and the Duo-SID corrected images showed perceptually appealing uniform background across the detector. Conclusions: The Duo-SID correction method has substantially improved on conventional offset/gain corrections for digital x-ray imaging in an SID-variant environment. The technique is relatively simple, and can be easily incorporated into multiple-point gain calibration/correction techniques. It offers a potentially valuable tool for preprocessing digital x-ray images to boost image quality of mammography, chest and cardiac radiography, as well as automated computer aided diagnostic radiology.
Mechanical aspects of silicone coatings for hard foulant control

Barnacle release mechanisms and the durability of silicone coatings have been studied. Release studies were performed on both transparent, single-layer silicone coatings and duplex silicone coatings. The release forces of pseudobarnacles (epoxied studs) and Chesapeake Bay barnacles (Balanus improvisus) were measured with a pull-off (tension) tester; modes of release were revealed in video recordings of the separation process from transparent coatings on glass. Scratch tests with 0.8 mm spherically-tipped diamond provided a measure of durability (tear resistance). Release forces from both coatings decreased as coating thickness increased. Both pseudobarnacles and barnacles separated by a peeling process, although differences in peeling modes were seen. The durability of coatings increased with increasing coating thickness. Release behavior is discussed in terms of a fracture mechanic's model for pull-off separation, and the differences in adhesion between barnacles and pseudobarnacles are described.
Fungal-bacterial interactions and their relevance to oral health: linking the clinic and the bench

High throughput sequencing has accelerated knowledge on the oral microbiome. While the bacterial component of oral communities has been extensively characterized, the role of the fungal microbiota in the oral cavity is largely unknown. Interactions among fungi and bacteria are likely to influence oral health as exemplified by the synergistic relationship between Candida albicans and oral streptococci. In this perspective, we discuss the current state of the field of fungal-bacterial interactions in the context of the oral cavity. We highlight the need to conduct longitudinal clinical studies to simultaneously characterize the bacterial and fungal components of the human oral microbiome in health and during disease progression. Such studies need to be coupled with investigations using disease-relevant models to mechanistically test the associations observed in humans and eventually identify fungal-bacterial interactions that could serve as preventive or therapeutic targets for oral diseases.
Rapanui: Tradition and Survival on Easter Island

Rapanui: Tradition and Survival on Easter Island. GRANT McCALL. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1994 .205 pp., maps, notes, photographs.
NMR spectroscopy of polymers: Kinetics of radiation damage and materials aspects of teflon

Abstract For a quantitative elucidation of damage induced by gamma rays in polytetrafluorethylene (Teflon), we studied its kinetics using 19F nuclear magnetic resonance as a probe. An NMR parameter “P” was defined to describe a “constant amount of reaction” in terms of changes in the crystallimty of Teflon during irradiation at different dose rates (γ, photons/sec), irradiation time (t, sec), and temperature (T, °K). The data were fitted to an equation of the form ln(P − 1) = a(γ, T) + b(γ, T)ln t, where the dose rate and temperature dependence of the coefficients are shown in parentheses. The parameter P = A o A , where Ao and A are the amplitudes of the NMR derivative curve for the control (unirradiated) and irradiated samples, respectively. For a given level of “constant damage” (e.g., 33% decrease in P), a characteristic time tc was derived from the equation: l n t c = ( E a RT ) + const., where Ea is an experimental activation energy. A computer-aided analysis was used to separate out (a) the “radiation” and (b) “thermal” contributions to the activated processes. The activation energies for a constant damage level were thus calculated to be about (a) 3.4 and (b) −0.041 kcal/mole, respectively. The physical significance of these parameters deduced on the basis of photochemical kinetics has been interpreted at the macro- and microscopic levels of polymer-radiation interactions.
Expressing tissue culture respiration.

Abstract Experiments on 18 cell strains showed that respiration varied only between 1.1 and 4.8 mm 3 O 2 /10 6 cells/hr when strains were grown in 0.5 per cent lactalbumin hydrolysate in balanced saline plus 20 per cent horse serum. This suggested that there might be still less variation in respiration if quotients were expressed in terms other than cell count. Correlation coefficients were calculated to find the degree of relationship between respiration and cell count, nitrogen content, cell volume or dry weight. There was significant positive correlation between respiration and all four bases for expressing it, but best correlation was with dry weight.
On an initial-boundary value problem for a class of degenerate elliptic operators

Necessary and sufficient conditions are established for the existence of solutions of some boundary value problems which are not well posed in the sense of Hadamard.
Polychlorinated biphenyls and the developing nervous system: cross-species comparisons

Polychlorinated biphenyls are stable, lipophilic industrial compounds that are present in residue levels in human tissue, wildlife, and freshwater sediment. They are toxic, and are known to cross the placenta and intoxicate the fetus. Two large outbreaks of PCB poisoning have occurred in Asia; women pregnant at or after the exposures had children who were developmentally impaired. Laboratory experiments in rhesus monkeys and rodents, designed to assess neural or developmental effects, show altered activity levels, impaired learning, and delayed ontogeny of reflexes. Children exposed transplacentally to levels considered to be background in the U.S. have hypotonia and hyporeflexia at birth, delay in psychomotor development at 6 and 12 months, and poorer visual recognition memory at 7 months. Allowing for differences in testing, effects are roughly similar across species, but current methods used to calculate allowable or reference doses give results up to 4 orders of magnitude apart, with the lowest level based on the neurotoxicology level coming from the human data.
Classical gluon radiation in ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions

The classical Yang-Mills equations are solved perturbatively in covariant gauge for a collision of two ultrarelativistic nuclei. The nuclei are taken as ensembles of classical color charges on eikonal trajectories. The classical gluon field is computed in coordinate space up to cubic order in the coupling constant $g$. We construct the Feynman diagrams corresponding to this field and show the equivalence of the classical and diagrammatic approaches. An argument is given which demonstrates that at higher orders in $g$ the classical description of the process breaks down. As an application, we calculate the energy, number, and multiplicity distributions of produced soft gluons and reproduce earlier results by Gunion and Bertsch and by Kovner, McLerran, and Weigert.
New roles for pyruvate kinase M2: working out the Warburg effect

The origins and role of the Warburg effect have remained uncertain for many years. Two recent studies demonstrate that an embryonic- and cancer-cell-specific isoform of the enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is regulated by binding to phospho-tyrosine motifs and promotes increased cell growth and tumor development. PKM2 enhances the use of glycolytic intermediates for macromolecular biosynthesis and tumor growth. These findings illustrate the distinct advantages of this metabolic phenotype in cancer cell growth.
Analysis of phytochelatin-cadmium complexes from plant tissue culture using nano-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and capillary liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

Phytochelatins (PCs, also known as class III metallothioneins), a family of sulfhydryl-rich peptides with the formula (γ-GluCys)nGly(Pcn, n = 2–11), are induced in plants, yeast and fungi exposed to heavy metals, and are thought to detoxify metals by forming PC– metal complexes. Although PCs have been detected, PC– metal complexes have not been well characterized. In this work, nano-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (nano-ESI-MS/MS) and capillary liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (capillary LC/ESI-MS/MS) methods were used to analyze PC – Cd complexes isolated from Datura innoxia, also known as Jimsonweed, cell culture exposed to Cd. With nano-ESI-MS/MS and capillary LC/ESI-MS/MS we could simultaneously detect the presence of PCs and PC – Cd complexes from plant cell extracts, unambiguously identify these species and elucidate the nature of individual PC – Cd complexes. Phytochelatins with n = 3–6 were detected, as were PC – Cd complexes with PC3, PC4 and PC5. This is the first study to report the size and nature of native PC – Cd complexes from plant tissue samples. These results demonstrate that the direct analysis of plant extracts using nano-ESI-MS/MS and capillary LC/ESI-MS/MS methods is simple and sensitive to the range of PCs and PC – Cd complexes in plants. Hence these methods open up new opportunities for further quantitative analysis of PCs and PC – metal complexes in cell culture and plant systems to understand the relationship between the biosynthesis of these compounds and metal tolerance. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A kinematic examination of wild sockeye salmon jumping up natural waterfalls

Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka jumping natural waterfalls were observed and photographed to obtain insight into factors important to the fish in dealing with obstacles during their upstream spawning migrations. The fish showed preferences for specific sets of conditions related to heights of waterfalls and depths in pools below waterfalls. Successful jumps appeared to result from running starts, not standing fast starts. The proportion of observed jumps that were successful was low (10% at Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska, U.S.A.). Successful jumping behaviour was modelled mathematically and predictions were compared to measured kinematic variables of successful and unsuccessful jumping obtained from analyses of digital video photographs. There were statistically significant differences between the two data sets, but the model identified takeoff velocities and angles, and distances between takeoffs and successful landings as important variables.
A review and preview of a training program in community mental health.

Social change has had a great impact upon the mental health care-giving system and upon professional training programs as well. This paper describes the evolution of the community mental health training program at Harvard Medical School and the ways in which it has attempted to retain its commitment to the principles of relevancy and flexibility. Some of the issues affecting future directions are highlighted.
Distributing a database for parallelism

In this paper we treat the problem of subdividing a database and allocating the fragments to the sites in a distributed database system in order to maximize non-duplicative parallelism. Our goal is to establish a conceptual framework for distributing data without being committed to specific cost models.We introduce the concept of "local sufficiency" as a measure of parallelism, and show how certain classes of queries lead naturally to irredundant partitions of a database that are locally sufficient. For classes of queries for which no irredundant distribution is locally sufficient, we offer ways to introduce redundancy in achieving local sufficiency
Characterization in Pseudomonas putida Cg1 of nahR and its role in bacterial survival in soil

Sequencing, RFLP analyses and experiments utilizing a lacZ transcriptional reporter fused to the promoter regions of nahR and nahG in Pseudomonas putida Cg1 confirmed that regulation of naphthalene degradation in both P. putida Cg1 and the type strain, P. putida NCIB 9816-4, is consistent with that of NAH7 from P. putida G7. Two nahR knockout strains (RK1 and Cg1-NAHR from P. putida NCIB 9816-4 and Cg1, respectively) showed a growth defect in the presence of naphthalene as sole carbon and energy source. We hypothesized that nahR influences ecological fitness of bacteria in naphthalene-contaminated soil and tested this hypothesis using both parent and nahR-knockout strains introduced to soil microcosms with and without added naphthalene. After 21 days, loss of cell viability was pronounced in the presence of added naphthalene crystals for nahR mutants of both test bacteria, relative to the wild types. Diminished viable counts were attributed to toxicity. Thus, our data indicated that NahR in P. putida Cg1 is virtually identical to its homologues in other pseudomonads and that nahR is required for resistance to naphthalene toxicity, hence the persistence of bacterial cells in soil with high concentrations of naphthalene.
Use of Differentiating Adult Stem Cells (Marrow Stromal Cells) to Identify New Downstream Target Genes for Transcription Factors

We developed a strategy for use of microarray data to rapidly identify new downstream targets of transcription factors known to drive differentiation by following the time courses of gene expression as a relatively homogeneous population of stem/progenitor cells are differentiated to multiple phenotypes. Microarray assays were used to follow the differentiation of human marrow stromal cells (MSCs) into chondrocytes or adipocytes in three different experimental conditions. The steps of the analysis were the following: (a) hierarchical clustering was used to define groups of similarly behaving genes in each experiment, (b) candidates for new downstream targets of transcription factors that drive differentiation were then identified as genes that were consistently co-expressed with known downstream target genes of the transcription factors, and (c) the list of candidate new target genes was refined by identifying genes whose signal intensities showed a highly significant linear regression with the signal intensities of the known targets in all the data sets. Analysis of the data identified multiple new candidates for downstream targets for SOX9, SOX5, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)-α, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ. To validate the analysis, we demonstrated that PPAR-γ protein specifically bound to the promoters of four new targets identified in the analyses. The same multistep analysis can be used to identify new downstream targets of transcription factors in other systems. Also, the same analysis should make it possible to use MSCs from bone marrow to define new mutations that alter chondogenesis or adipogenesis in patients with a variety of syndromes.
Subterranean Herbivore-induced Volatiles Released by Citrus Roots upon Feeding by Diaprepes abbreviatus Recruit Entomopathogenic Nematodes

Herbivore-induced volatile emissions benefit plant hosts by recruiting natural enemies of herbivorous insects. Such tritrophic interactions have been examined thoroughly in the above-ground terrestrial environment. Recently, similar signals have also been described in the subterranean environment, which may be of equal importance for indirect plant defense. The larvae of the root weevil, Diaprepes abbreviates, are a serious pest of citrus. Infestations can be controlled by the use of entomopathogenic nematodes, yet the interactions between the plant, insect and nematode are poorly understood and remain unpredictable. In bioassays that used a root zone six-arm olfactometer, citrus roots (‘Swingle citrumelo’ rootstock) recruited significantly more entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernema diaprepesi) when infested with root weevil larvae than non-infested roots. Infested plants were more attractive to nematodes than larvae alone. Roots damaged by weevil larvae attracted more nematodes than mechanically damaged roots and sand controls. By dynamic in situ collection and GC-MS analysis of volatiles from soil, we determined that four major terpene compounds were produced by infested plant roots that were not found in samples from non-infested roots or soil that contained only larvae. Solvent extracts of weevil-infested roots attracted more nematodes than extracts of non-infested roots in a two choice sand-column bioassay. These findings suggest that Swingle citrus roots release induced volatiles as an indirect defense in response to herbivore feeding, and that some of these induced volatiles function as attractants for entomopathogenic nematodes.
Role of Quantitative NDE Techniques in Life Management of Gas Turbine Components

A number of earlier publications discussed the benefits of probabilistic analysis and probabilistic lifing in application to critical rotating engine components. One of the important variables in both probabilistic and deterministic lifing analysis is the level of residual stress in the component. Near surface residual stresses directly influence the fatigue life of critical engine rotating components. Depending on sign and magnitude a near surface residual stress gradient can either inhibit or accelerate fatigue initiation and crack propagation. A major barrier to introducing subsurface residual stress information into the life calculation process is the necessity to make accurate and reliable nondestructive measurements on as produced hardware. The paper reviews several NDE technologies that could be candidates for both production and in-service non-destructive residual stress measurements. The importance of having accurate residual stress information and its use in the probabilistic design and life management process is illustrated on several examples. A linkage with several ongoing industry R&D programs is discussed.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
An In-Flight Investigation of Lateral-Directional Dynamics and Roll- Control Power Requirements for the Landing Approach

Abstract : Lateral-directional handling qualities and roll control power requirements for the executive jet class of airplanes in the landing approach flight phase were investigated in the USAF/CAL variable stability T-33 airplane. Particular emphasis was placed on the effects of crosswinds and turbulence. Simulated IFR ILS approaches and VFR offset and crosswind approaches were made. Specifically, two Dutch roll frequencies, three Dutch roll damping ratios, three roll-to-sideslip ratios and three roll mode time constants were investigated. It was found tht for the range of parameters investigated, lateral-directional dynamics do not establish a limiting crosswind value; however, they do determine the ease or difficulty with which a crosswind approach can be accomplished. Roll control power requirements were determined from actual control usage data obtained throughout the evaluation program and were found to be a function of the lateral-directional dynamics. Minimum acceptable levels of roll control power were determined by re-evaluating a number of configurations with limited roll control power. It was found that available roll control power can establish a limiting crosswind component.
Lumenal proteins of the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum are required to complete protein translocation

The role of the lumenal contents (reticuloplasm) of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in protein translocation was determined by in vitro analysis. Depletion of the reticuloplasm from mammalian rough microsomes revealed two distinct stages of the translocation reaction. The first stage, translocation up to and including signal peptide cleavage, was insensitive to the loss of the reticuloplasm, whereas the second stage, net transfer of the nascent chain into the ER lumen, was reticuloplasm dependent. In reticuloplasm-depleted membranes, signal-cleaved and glycosylated translocation intermediates were observed to transit free from the translocation channel to the cis, or cytoplasmic, side of the membrane. This translocation defect was complemented by reconstitution of lumenal proteins into depleted membranes. We propose that lumenal proteins are necessary for unidirectional protein translocation in mammalian ER.
Laser Desorption Mass Spectrometry of Synthetic Multiporphyrin Arrays

Laser desorption mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) have been investigated for the analysis of a set of synthetic compounds containing one, two, five, eight or nine porphyrins. Intact singly ionized molecule ions were observed for each compound and the spectra were readily interpretable. The use of a matrix of 4-hydroxy-α-cyano-cinnamic acid greatly diminished the extent of fragmentation. Examination of the resulting mass spectra provides insight into aspects of the MALDI process. The present results show that high molecular weight photochemically active materials that absorb strongly at the wavelength of laser illumination can be analysed effectively and that MALDI-MS is a powerful analytical tool for synthetic chemistry of porphyrin-based molecules with dimensions ranging to 10 nm. The strong molecule ions observed for the largest compounds investigated (Zn8-octamer, Zn9-nonamer) indicates that this method should be applicable to even larger porphyrin arrays.
Vapor–liquid equilibria of copper using hybrid Monte Carlo Wang—Landau simulations

Abstract Because of the large temperatures and pressures involved, the experimental determination of the vapor–liquid equilibria and of the critical properties of metals is fraught with difficulties. We show in this work how we determine these properties for a metal using hybrid Monte Carlo Wang–Landau simulations in the isothermal–isobaric ensemble on the example of copper. We use a many-body potential, known as the quantum corrected Sutton–Chen embedded atom model, to model the interactions between Cu atoms. We obtain the following estimates for the critical temperature T c = 5696 ± 50 K, the critical density ρ c = 1.80 ± 0.03 g/cm 3 , and the critical pressure P c = 1141 ± 100 bar. Our results lie within the range of values found in experiments for the critical temperature (between 5140 K and 7696 K), for the critical pressure (between 420 bar and 5829 bar) and for the critical density (1.9 g cm −3 ).
Antioxidant enzyme gene delivery to protect from HIV-1 gp120-induced neuronal apoptosis

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection in the central nervous system (CNS) may lead to neuronal loss and progressively deteriorating CNS function: HIV-1 gene products, especially gp120, induce free radical-mediated apoptosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), are among the potential mediators of these effects. Neurons readily form ROS after gp120 exposure, and so might be protected from ROS-mediated injury by antioxidant enzymes such as Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and/or glutathione peroxidase (GPx1). Both enzymes detoxify oxygen free radicals. As they are highly efficient gene delivery vehicles for neurons, recombinant SV40-derived vectors were used for these studies. Cultured mature neurons derived from NT2 cells and primary fetal neurons were transduced with rSV40 vectors carrying human SOD1 and/or GPx1 cDNAs, then exposed to gp120. Apoptosis was measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Transduction efficiency of both neuron populations was >95%, as assayed by immunostaining. Transgene expression was also ascertained by Western blotting and direct assays of enzyme activity. Gp120 induced apoptosis in a high percentage of unprotected NT2-N. Transduction with SV(SOD1) and SV(GPx1) before gp120 challenge reduced neuronal apoptosis by >90%. Even greater protection was seen in cells treated with both vectors in sequence. Given singly or in combination, they protect neuronal cells from HIV-1-gp120 induced apoptosis. We tested whether rSV40 s can deliver antioxidant enzymes to the CNS in vivo: intracerebral injection of SV(SOD1) or SV(GPx1) into the caudate putamen of rat brain yielded excellent transgene expression in neurons. In vivo transduction using SV(SOD1) also protected neurons from subsequent gp120-induced apoptosis after injection of both into the caudate putamen of rat brain. Thus, SOD1 and GPx1 can be delivered by SV40 vectors in vitro or in vivo. This approach may merit consideration for therapies in HIV-1-induced encephalopathy.
Ion Pair Formation in Water. Association Constants of Bolaform, Bisquaternary Ammonium, Electrolytes by Chemical Trapping

The first and second association constants, K1 and K2, for ion pair formation in aqueous 0.02-3.5 M solutions of bis(trimethyl)-alpha,omega-alkanediammonium halides with variable spacer lengths, 1-n-1 2X (n = 2-4, X = Cl, Br) and bolaform salts and for tetramethylammonium halides (TMAX, X = Cl, Br), K(TMAX), were determined by the chemical trapping method. Values for K(TMAX) are small, K(TMABr) = 0.83 M(-1) and K(TMACl) = 0.29 M(-1), in agreement with literature values. For the bolaform salts, K1 depends on spacer length and counterion type, ranges from 0.4 to 17 M(-1), is 2-10 times larger than K2, is larger for Br- than Cl-, and decreases by a factor of approximately 3 for Cl- and approximately 10 for Br- as n increases from 2 to 4. K2, for the formation of bolaform dihalide pair, is essentially the same as that for ion pair formation in TMAX solutions, i.e., K2 approximately K(TMAX). Values of K1 and K(TMABr) obtained from changes in 79Br line widths are in good agreement with those obtained by chemical trapping. The results are consistent with a thermodynamic model in which the ion association depends on the balance of the ion specific hydration free energies of cations and anions and their ion specific and hydration interactions in ion pairs. Spacer length dependent ion pairing by bolaform electrolytes, which are analogues of the headgroups and counterions of gemini amphiphiles, suggests a new model for the spacer length dependent sphere-to-rod transitions of gemini micelles. Neutral, but polar, headgroup-counterion pairs have a lower demand for hydration that free headgroups and counterions, and headgroup-counterion pair formation releases interfacial water into the bulk aqueous phase, permitting tighter amphiphile packing in rodlike micelles.
Sclerotic fibroma: a fossil no longer

We report on a patient with a sclerotic fibroma that recurred 30 months after initial removal. The histologic features were characteristic, and immunoperoxidase stains using primary antibodies directed against cell proliferation markers were positive in a significant proportion of the neoplastic nuclei. A review of the literature identified one other sclerotic fibroma that persisted. These clinical and light microscopic features support the interpretation that sclerotic fibroma is a proliferating neoplasm with an unusual histologic pattern, rather than the end-stage of a process that was formerly more cellular. We advocate use of sclerotic fibroma as the preferred diagnostic term.
D meson production and decay in e+e- annihilation at 4.03 and 4 GeV c.m. energy

Abstract Decay modes of the charmed mesons, D 0 and D + , are studied in e + e − annihilation data at 4.03 and 4.41 GeV c.m. energy. The products of cross section times branching ratio are measured for the K − π + , K − π + π + π − , K S π + π − and K − π + π + final states. Upper limits are established for the Cabibbo forbidden decays via π + π − , K + K − , K + K − π + , K + π + π − and π + π − π + . The K − π + π + π − final state is shown to be dominated by K − π + ρ 0 .
Translocation of sugar and tritiated water in squash plants.

When 14C-sugar and THO were simultaneously introduced through a cut side vein or flap of a squash leaf (Cucurbita melopepo, Bailey cv. torticollis) concurrent translocation of 14C-sugars, T-photosynthates and THO with parallel, almost flat, gradients was observed in the petiole for periods of 1 to 3 hr. Parallel translocation gradients were not observed when 14C was introduced as 14CO2 and T by painting a leaf with THO. Autoradiography of frozen sections to locate the tissues in which THO was moving was unsuccessful. Steam-girdling blocked the movement of 14C and T when 14C-glucose and THO were introduced simultaneously by the flap-feeding technique. If THO moved as liquid water in the phloem along with the 14C-sugars, as blockage by steam girdling suggests, then solution flow of sugar cannot be excluded as a mechanism of translocation.
Image diffusion and cross-talk in passive matrix electrochromic displays

Abstract A passive matrix electrochromic display (ECD) working in transparent or reflective mode is described. In this paper, we report the main reasons of image diffusion and cross-talk in passive matrix ECD and initial computer simulation results of the 7×7 matrix display. These suggest that the insulation of electrolyte under each pixel and threshold (nonlinearity) of coloration current can in practice completely eliminate the image diffusion and cross-talk. The matrix addressed ECD based on solid polymer electrolyte and two complementary electrodes, (WO3+0.1TiO2, TiO2–0.25CeO2), in which all pixels were insulated by negative photoresist material was elaborated. An additional protected thin film (0.2Li2O–0.2CeO2–0.6SiO2) deposited on working electrode was used to provide the enhanced threshold effect. The ECD exhibited excellent memory effect and substantially free from image diffusion and cross talk effects.
Patient-reported outcome after carpal tunnel release for advanced disease: a prospective and longitudinal assessment in patients older than age 70.

Abstract Purpose Advanced stages of nerve compression are likely to result in irreversible intraneural changes including intrinsic fibrosis and axon loss, and advanced age is expected to compromise nerve regeneration and recovery. Although satisfactory outcomes have been reported we hypothesized that carpal tunnel release in an elderly population with advanced carpal tunnel disease might not significantly improve symptom severity, functional status, or grip strength compared with before surgery. Our purpose was to evaluate these 3 parameters both before and after surgery to assess the efficacy of surgical intervention. Methods Between October 2000 and January 2002 a total of 13 patients (14 hands) were enrolled into a prospective longitudinal study. Entry criteria included advanced carpal tunnel syndrome based on neurophysiologic studies (absent sensory latencies and positive fibrillation potentials), clinical examination (thenar atrophy), and age over 70 years. Exclusion criteria included cervical disease, prior surgery, concomitant surgery, diabetic neuropathy, and associated cubital tunnel syndrome. There were 7 men and 6 women with an average age of 79 years (range, 72–90 y). With the help of a neutral observer each patient completed the Brigham and Women’s validated carpal tunnel syndrome questionnaire before and 6 and 12 months after surgery to assess symptom severity and functional status. Grip strength was measured before and at 1 year after surgery and each patient also was asked to rate their level of satisfaction with their outcome at 1 year after surgery. Results Before surgery the mean symptom severity score was 29 based on a scale in which a minimum score of 11 reflects no symptoms and a maximum score of 55 reflects severe symptoms. The mean functional status score was 18 on a scale in which a minimum score of 8 reflects no difficulty and a high score of 40 reflects severe impairment. Six months after surgery the mean symptom severity score decreased from 29 to 15 (11 reflects no symptoms) and the average functional status score decreased from 18 to 11 (8 reflects no difficulty). One year after surgery the symptom severity score decreased from 15 to 14 and the functional status score decreased from 11 to 9. Compared with scores before surgery the improvements at 6 months and 1 year were statistically significant. Patient satisfaction was noted for 13 of 14 hands. Average grip strength remained unchanged after surgery. Conclusions Carpal tunnel release is unlikely to result in a total elimination of symptoms and complete restoration of function when performed in elderly patients with advanced disease. Although grip strength did not improve at final follow-up evaluation, symptom severity and functional status did improve from the patient’s perspective. We conclude that carpal tunnel release is efficacious in this subset of patients.
The crystal structure of calcite III

The crystal structure of calcite III has been deduced from existing high pressure powder X-ray diffraction patterns, based on the assumption that it is a displacive modification of the calcite I structure. The structure is monoclinic with space group C2 and a Z of 6. There are two Ca and two C positions, and five O positions, and atom coordinates have been refined by distance-least-squares methods to give reasonable octahedral coordination for Ca and parallel, planar CO_3 groups. Unit cell parameters refined from a published powder diffraction pattern at 4.1 GPa are: a = 8.746(8)A; b = 4.685(5)A; c = 8.275(8)A; and β= 94.4°. The structure has a calculated density of 2.949 Mg/m³ at 4.1 GPa which is less than that of aragonite at this pressure and consistent with early piston cylinder studies. This implies that calcite III is indeed a metastable intermediary between calcite I and aragonite.
Scattering-matrix analysis of linear periodic arrays

A spherical-wave source scattering-matrix description of acoustic radiators, along with reciprocity and power conservation, is applied to analyze infinite and finite linear periodic arrays that support traveling waves. We prove that for a general linear periodic array of small radiators, a traveling wave must be a slow wave with a propagation constant /spl beta/ greater than the propagation constant k of the medium in which the array is located. For an infinite periodic linear array of small isotropic radiators, the scattering-matrix analysis leads to a closed-form expression for the propagation constant of the traveling wave in terms of the normalized separation distance kd and the phase of the effective scattering coefficient of the array elements. These two parameters are the only critical variables in the N/spl times/N matrix equation, for N radiation coefficients, that is derived for a finite linear array of N elements. Resonances in the curves of total power radiated versus kd for a finite array excited with one feed element demonstrate the existence of the traveling wave predicted for the corresponding infinite array. The computed power curves, as well as directivity patterns, illustrate that the finite array becomes a more efficient endfire radiator as /spl beta/ approaches the value of k. The maximum attainable endfire directivity of a finite array with a single feed element is a monotonically increasing function of the phase velocity of the traveling wave, and this function is practically independent of the parameters of the array used to obtain this phase velocity. The basic formulation applies to any array composed of linear, reciprocal, lossless array elements, such as small linear periodic antennas.
Selective Resistance of CD44hi T Cells to p53-Dependent Cell Death Results in Persistence of Immunologic Memory after Total Body Irradiation

Our previous studies showed that treatment of mice with total body irradiation (TBI) or total lymphoid tissue irradiation markedly changes the balance of residual T cell subsets to favor CD4 + CD44 hi NKT cells because of the differential resistance of the latter subset to cell death. The object of the current study was to further elucidate the changed balance and mechanisms of differential radioresistance of T cell subsets after graded doses of TBI. The experimental results showed that CD4 + T cells were markedly more resistant than CD8 + T cells, and CD44 hi T cells, including NKT cells and memory T cells, were markedly more resistant than CD44 lo (naive) T cells. The memory T cells immunized to alloantigens persisted even after myeloablative (1000 cGy) TBI and were able to prevent engraftment of bone marrow transplants. Although T cell death after 1000 cGy was prevented in p53 −/− mice, there was progressive T cell death in p53 −/− mice at higher doses. Although p53-dependent T cell death changed the balance of subsets, p53-independent T cell death did not. In conclusion, resistance of CD44 hi T cells to p53-dependent cell death results in the persistence of immunological memory after TBI and can explain the immune-mediated rejection of marrow transplants in sensitized recipients.
Integrated assessment models of global climate change

▪ Abstract We review recent work in the integrated assessment modeling of global climate change. This field has grown rapidly since 1990. Integrated assessment models seek to combine knowledge from multiple disciplines in formal integrated representations; inform policy-making, structure knowledge, and prioritize key uncertainties; and advance knowledge of broad system linkages and feedbacks, particularly between socioeconomic and biophysical processes. They may combine simplified representations of the socioeconomic determinants of greenhouse gas emissions, the atmosphere and oceans, impacts on human activities and ecosystems, and potential policies and responses. We summarize current projects, grouping them according to whether they emphasize the dynamics of emissions control and optimal policy-making, uncertainty, or spatial detail. We review the few significant insights that have been claimed from work to date and identify important challenges for integrated assessment modeling in its relationships to...
Reading Coach Quality: Findings from Florida Middle Schools.

Drawing on a statewide study of Florida middle-school reading coaches, this article examines what constitutes, contributes to, and is associated with high-quality coaches and coaching. Authors find that coaches generally held many of the qualifications recommended by state and national experts and principals and teachers rated their coaches highly on many indicators of quality. However, several common concerns about recruiting, retaining, and supporting high-quality coaches emerged. Estimates from models indicate that a few indicators of coach experience, knowledge, and skills had significant associations with perceived improvements in teaching and higher student achievement, although the magnitude of the latter relationship was quite small. Findings suggest that although possessing strong reading knowledge and instructional expertise may be important for coaching, it may not be sufficient.
An automated exploration framework for FPGA-based soft multiprocessor systems

FPGA-based soft multiprocessors are viable system solutions for high performance applications. They provide a software abstraction to enable quick implementations on the FPGA. The multiprocessor can be customized for a target application to achieve high performance. Modern FPGAs provide the capacity to build a variety of micro-architectures composed of 20-50 processors, complex memory hierarchies, heterogeneous interconnection schemes and custom co-processors for performance critical operations. However, the diversity in the architectural design space makes it difficult to realize the performance potential of these systems. In this paper we develop an exploration framework to build efficient FPGA multiprocessors for a target application. Our main contribution is a tool based on Integer Linear Programming to explore micro-architectures and allocate application tasks to maximize throughput. Using this tool, we implement a soft multiprocessor for IPv4 packet forwarding that achieves a throughput of 2 Gbps, surpassing the performance of a carefully tuned hand design.
Regulation and Physiological Significance of ClpC and ClpP in Streptococcus mutans.

Tolerance of environmental stress, especially low pH, by Streptococcus mutans is central to the virulence of this organism. The Clp ATPases are implicated in the tolerance of, and regulation of the response to, stresses by virtue of their protein reactivation and remodeling activities and their capacity to target misfolded proteins for degradation by the ClpP peptidase. The purpose of this study was to dissect the role of selected clp genes in the stress responses of S. mutans, with a particular focus on acid tolerance and adaptation. Homologues of the clpB, clpC, clpE, clpL, clpX, and clpP genes were identified in the S. mutans genome. The expression of clpC and clpP, which were chosen as the focus of this study, was induced at low pH and at growth above 40°C. Inactivation of ctsR, the first of two genes in the clpC operon, demonstrated that CtsR acts as a repressor of clp and groES-EL gene expression. Strains lacking ClpP, but not strains lacking ClpC, were impaired in their ability to grow under stress-inducing conditions, formed long chains, aggregated in culture, had reduced genetic transformation efficiencies, and had a reduced capacity to form biofilms. Comparison of two-dimensional protein gels from wild-type cells and the ctsR and clpP mutants revealed many changes in the protein expression patterns. In particular, in the clpP mutant, there was an increased production of GroESL and DnaK, suggesting that cells were stressed, probably due to the accumulation of denatured proteins.
Morbidity and mortality after surgery in patients with disseminated or locally advanced cancer receiving systemic chemotherapy

All postoperative complications and mortality were analyzed in a diverse group of patients operated upon by the authors during a ten-year period. These patients shared only two common factors: 1) known locally advanced or disseminated cancer, and 2) systemic chemotherapy within three weeks (either pre- or postoperatively) of major surgery. One hundred eighty-six operations were performed on 175 patients. The overall mortality in this series was 2.2% (four patients), with a complication rate of 5.9% (11 patients). Despite the known detrimental effects of widespread cancer and cytotoxic agents on wound healing, appropriate surgical intervention can be accomplished with an acceptable mortality and morbidity in patients with locally advanced or disseminated cancer who are receiving systemic chemotherapy.
Selection for Simple Major Surface Protein 2 Variants during Anaplasma marginale Transmission to Immunologically Naïve Animals

Anaplasma marginale, a rickettsial pathogen, evades clearance in the animal host by antigenic variation. Under immune selection, A. marginale expresses complex major surface protein 2 mosaics, derived from multiple donor sequences. However, these mosaics have a selective advantage only in the presence of adaptive immunity and are rapidly replaced by simple variants following transmission.
Rousseau and the Melodious Language of Freedom

Although known primarily as a political thinker, Rousseau was also a musician and a musical theorist In his writings on music and language, Rousseau develops a theory of the natural basis of culture and cultural variability. This theory centers on humans' ability to recognize the passions communicated by members of their community and explains the variability of those passions and of their expression in different communities Underlying both the community and the communication of its members is an affective cultural base of shared passions, customs, and mores For Rousseau, the model of a legitimate political community is a place where the citizens enjoy the immediate and unanimous communication of their common will Rousseau's writings on music and language explain the affective foundations of the community and bring to light the musicolinguistic requirements for the creation and maintenance of a free community.
Confidence interval estimation of NHPP-based software reliability models

Software reliability growth models, such as the non-homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) models, are frequently used in software reliability prediction. The estimation of parameters in these models is often done by point estimation. However, some numerical problems arise with this approach, and make the actual computation hard, especially for automated reliability prediction tools. In this paper, confidence interval computation is studied in the Goel-Okumoto (1979) model and the S-shaped model (S. Yamada et al., 1983). The upper and the lower bounds of the parameters can be obtained. For reliability prediction, we implement a simplified Bayesian approach, which delivers improved results. The bounds on the predicted reliability are also computed. Furthermore, the numerical problems encountered in earlier point estimation methods are removed by this approach. Our results can thus be used as an important part of the assessment of software quality.