cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Typical “soup kid” facies of Albright Hereditary Osteodystrophy in early infancy and natural history of the phenotype through old age

Albright Hereditary Osteodystrophy is characterized by short stature, obesity, rounded facies, shortened metacarpal and/or phalangeal bones, developmental delay/mental retardation and hypocalcemia in some forms which can be symptomatic. In 5 patients, a typical facies was identified with round shape largely due to remarkably full cheeks, flat midface, depressed nasal bridge and upturned nose. During infancy the cheeks and face are reminiscent of a “Campbell Soup Kid,” and the round shape and fullness of the cheeks persist through early childhood. By late childhood, the face remains round and full, but the remarkable fullness of the cheeks subsides and the “soup kid” facies becomes less apparent. Undiagnosed older patients are usually evaluated because of a family member's concern about risks for mental retardation. Older affected individuals are short and obese and have small hands and feet with a round face. Review of photographs during infancy and childhood indicate the characteristic facial appearance and enable confirmation of the diagnosis. Early diagnosis with prompt intervention or accurate diagnosis in later years is desirable and allows for appropriate genetic evaluation and counseling.
Reading and Hearing in Ancient Contexts

This article clarifies a perennial problem relating to the concept of ‘orality’ in Gospels studies and attempts to provide some resolution to that problem. Specifically, Gospels criticism has struggled to conceptualize the relation between the Jesus tradition as it was orally performed and early textual (written) expressions of that tradition. The binary opposition ‘literacy/orality’ has failed to provide any help in this conceptualization, and this failure is rooted especially in the rather nebulous (yet widespread) concept of ‘orality’. New Testament scholarship requires a set of culturally specific models of textuality, including the non-communicative functions of written texts and the non-literate use of written traditions. Before we can develop the necessary models, however, we need to deal with the problems we have created by appealing to ‘orality’.
Understanding the pH-Dependent Behavior of Graphene Oxide Aqueous Solutions: A Comparative Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

Understanding the pH-dependent behavior of graphene oxide (GO) aqueous solutions is important to the production of assembled GO or reduced GO films for electronic, optical, and biological applications. We have carried out a comparative experimental and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study to uncover the mechanisms behind the aggregation and the surface activity of GO at different pH values. At low pH, the carboxyl groups are protonated such that the GO sheets become less hydrophilic and form aggregates. MD simulations further suggest that the aggregates exhibit a GO-water-GO sandwichlike structure and as a result are stable in water instead of precipitating. However, at high pH, the deprotonated carboxyl groups are very hydrophilic such that individual GO sheets prefer to dissolve in bulk water like a regular salt. The GO aggregates formed at low pH are found to be surface-active and do not exhibit characteristic features of surfactant micelles. Our findings suggest that GO does not behave like conventional surfactants in pH 1 and 14 aqueous solutions. The molecular-level understanding of the solution behavior of GO presented here can facilitate and improve the experimental techniques used to synthesize and sort large, uniform GO dispersions in a solution phase.
Cell Membrane Trans-Fatty Acids and the Risk of Primary Cardiac Arrest

Background— The relation of trans-fatty acid intake to life-threatening arrhythmias and primary cardiac arrest is unknown. Methods and Results— We investigated the association of trans-fatty acid intake, assessed through a biomarker, with the risk of primary cardiac arrest in a population-based case-control study. Cases, aged 25 to 74 years, were out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients attended by paramedics in Seattle, Washington from 1988 to 1999 (n=179). Controls, matched to cases by age and sex, were randomly identified from the community (n=285). Participants were free of previous clinically diagnosed heart disease. Blood was obtained at the time of cardiac arrest (cases) or at the time of an interview (controls) to assess trans-fatty acid intake. Higher total trans-fatty acids in red blood cell membranes was associated with a modest increase in the risk of primary cardiac arrest after adjustment for medical and lifestyle risk factors (odds ratio for interquintile range, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.1). How...
Restricted mobility and endocytosis of anionic sites on newborn rat jejunal brush border membranes.

The distribution and mobility of anionic sites on the microvillous surface of newborn rat jejunal absorptive cells were studied using polycationic ferritin (PCF) as a visual probe and were compared with anionic sites previously described for adult jejunum. Segments from 5- to 26-day-old rats were incubated in PCF for 5 minutes either before or after fixation for electron microscopy. From days 5 to 20, anionic sites were distributed diffusely along the lengths of the microvilli and did not show random translational mobility. In contrast, microvilli examined from animals at weaning (21 to 26 days) resembled those from adults in which most binding sites were capable of lateral mobility and were induced by PCF to cluster into discrete patches. The diffuse pattern was altered by cortisone administration, paralleling a premature reduction in the endocytic apparatus of the cell. The difference in mobility of anionic sites with age coincides with differences in absorptive function. Evidence is presented showing that in the neonate binding of PCF to the microvilli was followed with time by endocytosis into an apical system of tubules for intracellular transport, incorporation into coated vesicles, and release through the lateral cell surface. The results suggest that endocytosis is accomplished by a mechanism that includes a directionally controlled movement for the selective internalization of PCF binding sites from the membranes of the microvilli to those of the tubular cytoplasmic channels.
ED-16HFE POLYMORPHISMS AFFECT SURVIVAL OF BRAIN TUMOR PATIENTS

The HFE protein plays a key role in the regulation of body iron. HFE polymorphisms (H63D and C282Y) are the common genetic variants in Caucasians. Based on frequency data, both HFE polymorphisms have been associated with increased risk in a number of cancers. The prevalence of the two major HFE polymorphisms in a human brain tumor patient population and the impact of HFE polymorphisms on survival have not been studied. In the present study, male GBM patients with H63D HFE polymorphism (H63D) have poorer overall survival than wild type (WT) male GBM (p = 0.03). In GBM patients with the C282Y HFE polymorphism (C282Y), female patients have shorter survival than male patients (p = 0.05). In addition, female metastatic brain tumor patients with C282Y have shorter survival times post diagnosis than WT patients (p = 0.02) or male metastatic brain tumor patients with C282Y (p = 0.02). There is a tendency toward a lower proportion of H63D genotype in GBM patients than a non-tumor control group (p = 0.09) or other subtypes of brain tumors. In conclusion, our study suggests that HFE genotype impacts survival of brain tumor patients in a gender specific manner. We previously reported that glioma and neuroblastoma cell lines with HFE polymorphisms show greater resistance to chemo and radiotherapy. Taken together, these data suggest HFE genotype is an important consideration for evaluating and planning therapeutic strategies in brain tumor patients. [This project was supported in part by the Tara Leah Witmer Endowment and Pennsylvania Department of Health Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement (CURE) Program.]
Real-time calculation and visualization of spectra in field-cycled dynamic nuclear polarization spectroscopy

Field-cycled dynamic nuclear polarization (FC-DNP), which is based on the Overhauser effect, provides a new way to perform in vivo measurements of free radicals in biological systems. Since it measures the alterations of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal in the presence of paramagnetic molecules, a customized program is usually needed in FC-DNP experiments to extract spectral information from the acquired NMR signals. While this program can be designed to calculate the spectrum after all the NMR signals are collected, the batch-processing mode inevitably causes delay and is not convenient for in vivo applications. In this paper, we report the development of a real-time DNP spectrum calculation and visualization program, called RT_DNP, for FC-DNP experiments. A dynamic data exchange (DDE) client was implemented to enable real-time receipt of the system information and the NMR signals from a commercial NMR console. The received NMR signals and experimental parameters were then used to calculate the DNP spectrum during the data acquisition. The real-time DNP spectrum calculation and visualization program was tested in experiments. A seamless integration of the program into a commercial NMR console has been achieved.
When competent patients make irrational choices.

In recent years, physicians and patients have tended to move toward shared decision making. Although it sounds reasonable on the surface that patients and physicians should collaborate in making decisions about medical care, surprisingly little attention has been given to the complex and troubling issues that can arise. In particular, what does shared decision making imply for a physician's responsibilities when an apparently competent patient's choice appears to be irrational? A discussion of this issue requires a taxonomy of the different sources and forms of irrational decision making. We believe such a taxonomy should include the bias toward the present . . .
Evolutionary Relationships in the Family Emballonuridae (Chiroptera)

Protein electrophoresis and immunology were used to test hypotheses concerning phylogenetic relationships within the family Emballonuridae and the relationship of the family Rhinopomatidae to the Emballonuridae. These data indicate the presence of three major subdivisions within the family. The eight genera from the New World form one monophyletic group, the Old World genera Taphozous and Saccolaimus form the second, and Emballonura and Coleura the third. The Emballonura-Coleura lineage is more closely related to the New World genera than to the other Old World group. The family Rhinopomatidae was found to be distantly related to both the Emballonuridae and the Vespertilionidae.
Explicit definition of the reaction coordinate for the Jackels–Gu–Truhlar projection technique to compute harmonic vibrational frequencies along the intrinsic reaction path

It is shown that the Jackels–Gu–Truhlar projection technique for computing harmonic frequencies along the intrinsic reaction path is equivalent to use of a new, enormously broad family of the so-called hyperplanar-vibrational-surface (HVS) reaction coordinates, namely, for any arbitrarily chosen set of internal variables σ, the appropriate HVS reaction coordinate, sσ, is implicitly defined via the requirement that it remains constant on any so-called orthogonal-to-path hyperplane in the coordinate space spanned by variables σ. It is proven that sσ defined in such a way satisfies the local Hofacker–Marcus conditions and therefore there is no linear term in a Taylor expansion of the potential in terms of vibrational coordinates Qσ. Since the transformation from Qσ and sσ to σ is explicitly defined, one can use a standard technique to account for potential anharmonicities along the reaction path.
An approach to determine optimal policies for production—inventory systems†

A production—inventory problem is studied in a form amenable to the discrete-time optimal control theory. First, a mathematical model as a first-order approximation of the system is derived and a set of linear difference equations with time-varying coefficients are obtained. A quadratic cost function for the system is optimized with respect to a decision variable using dynamic programming. Then, a more general mathematical model is presented for the production-inventory problem. The discrete-time maximum principle is applied to optimize the system performance. A discussion is also presented on determining the effects of possible errors occurring in the optimal performance of the system, if the optimal continuous-state results must be quantized to integer values. Examples for a production-inventory system are presented. An interpretation of the results is given in a form which can serve as a guideline for decisions by management.
Onset of neural function in the lateral line

The development of the nervous system includes the formation of specific neuronal connections. Some insight into the mechanisms by which these connections are made may be obtained by determining the order in which the elements of a developing system begin to function and examining any changes that may occur in the system shortly after it begins functioning. I have investigated the lateral line of the South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis and I have classified the afferent system into three elements. First, the transduction mechanism, which includes all components that couple the water vibrations to the release of transminer from the hair cell. Second, the afferent synapse, at which there is transmitter release and subsequent postsynaptic conductance changes. And third, the afferent axon. I report here experiments suggesting that these elements become functional in the following order: first, the axon can conduct action potentials; second, transmission is established; third, the transduction mechanism can modulate transmitter release. This same sequence has been reported in a system related to the lateral line, the auditory pathway of mammals1.
Screening statins for possible carcinogenic risk: up to 9 years of follow-up of 361,859 recipients.

Purpose Determine the risk of cancer in statin users. Methods Risk of cancer in up to 9.4 years after first recorded receipt of statins was evaluated in subscribers of an integrated health care program in northern California. Statin use and cancer development were ascertained from the program's pharmacy records and cancer registry from August 1994 to December 2003. Results Most of the 361,859 statin users received lovastatin, simvastatin or both. Results are presented from analyses with 2-year lag and use for over 5 years. Most of the observed associations were likely due to chance or confounding. The few associations that seemed less readily explainable were increased risk of cancers of the thyroid, esophagus and urinary tract and decreased risk of colon cancer in men. Increased risk of lung cancer was the only nominally statistically significant positive association in women and could be partially attributable to their smoking habits. Conclusions Overall this study provided no strong evidence of either causation or prevention of cancer by statins.
Performance analysis of a cooperative symmetric algorithm for real-time local area computer communication networks

Abstract A hybrid algorithm for soft real-time local area networks is analyzed under conditions of no buffering and full buffering capability at nodes, and for synchronous and asynchronous networks. This algorithms is a variation of the Reservation Upon Collision (RUC) technique that does not require a synchronized slotted network, and operates on a broadband broadcast medium. It has the desirable first-in-first-out behavior, avoiding large variance in packet transmission times. Approximations to the upper and lower bounds on the capacity of the channel and the mean waiting time at the nodes are found. The performance figures of this algorithm attest to its suitability for soft real-time environments.
Ionic Equilibrium and Ionic Conductance in the System Tetra-Iso-Pentyl Ammonium Nitrate-p-Azoxyanisole

Abstract The variation of the current with concentration of solute in the system tetra-iso-pentyl ammonium nitrate (TIPAN)—p-azoxyanisole is shown to depend on ionic equilibrium. Variation of the current with temperature depends almost entirely on the fluidity of the solvent; in the nematic range, the fluidity depends on the orientation of the solvent with respect to the current direction. The extent of this orientation depends on solute concentration—an increase in solute concentration causes an increase in fluidity.
The impact of daily exercise on the mobility, balance and urine control of cognitively impaired nursing home residents

The purpose of this intervention study was to examine the impact of a daily exercise regimen on the mobility, balance, and urine control of a sample of cognitively impaired elderly nursing home residents. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used with 15 elderly, cognitively impaired, incontinent nursing home residents. Data were collected regarding walking distance, speed of walking, balance ability, ability to rise from a chair unassisted, ability to walk unassisted, and incidence of urinary incontinence before and after a month of daily assisted walking. Subjects were able to walk significantly greater distances before tiring after the exercise regimen. In addition, the incidence of urinary incontinence was significantly decreased.
Energy analysis of an original steering technology that saves fuel and boosts efficiency

Abstract Stemmed by ever-increasing demand on fossil fuels and increased environmental awareness to reduce carbon emissions, improving the efficiency of components and systems has been receiving paramount attention in most industries during the past few years. This is especially true in the mobile machinery industry, which produces high power equipment with relatively low energy efficiency for the most part. Mobile machines strictly employ fluid power systems owing to the superlative power density of hydraulic components. Nevertheless, no major breakthrough technologies to significantly boost the efficiency of fluid power systems have emerged, except for the recent development of a throttle-less actuation technology, known as pump displacement control (DC), which has been proven to be an energy efficient alternative and a serious contender to state-of-the-art technologies. This paper deals with analyzing the energy efficiency of a DC steering system versus a more conventional valve controlled counterpart, which conveys how effectively the two systems convert the chemical energy stored in the diesel fuel into useful mechanical energy. Experimental testing on a prototype test vehicle showed that DC steering results in 14.5% fuel savings, 22.6% productivity gain, and a grand total of 43.5% fuel usage efficiency increase.
Cloning, Characterization, and Chromosomal Localization of Human Supervillin (SVIL)

Supervillin is a 205-kDa F-actin binding protein originally isolated from bovine neutrophils. This protein is tightly associated with both actin filaments and plasma membranes, suggesting that it forms a high-affinity link between the actin cytoskeleton and the membrane. Human supervillin cDNAs cloned from normal human kidney and from the cervical carcinoma HeLa S3 predict a bipartite structure with three potential nuclear localization signals in the NH2-terminus and three potential actinbinding sequences in the COOH-terminus. In fact, throughout its length, the COOH-terminal half of supervillin is similar to segments 2‐ 6 plus the COOH-terminal “headpiece” of villin, an actinbinding protein in intestinal microvilli. A comparison of the bovine and human sequences indicates that supervillin is highly conserved at the amino acid level, with 79.2% identity of the NH2-terminus and conservation of three of the four nuclear localization signals found in bovine supervillin. The COOH-terminus is even more highly conserved, with 95.1% amino acid identity overall and 100% conservation of the villin-like headpiece. Supervillin mRNAs are expressed in all human tissues tested, but are most abundant in muscle, bone marrow, thyroid gland, and salivary gland; comparatively little message is found in brain. Human supervillin mRNA is ;7.5 kb; this message is especially abundant in HeLa S3 cervical carcinoma, SW480 adenocarcinoma, and A549 lung carcinoma cell lines. The human supervillin gene (SVIL) is localized to a single chromosomal locus at 10p11.2, a region that is deleted in some prostate tumors. © 1998 Academic Press
SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD: ADAPTATION AND MANAGEMENT

The anthropology of fishing has a history within anthropology that might be termed marginal, just as fishers are often seen as marginal in societies with multiple subsistence strategies. Whether th...
Comparison of two-point discrimination testing devices

In order to provide hand therapists and physicians with information regarding instruments for testing two-point discrimination we evaluated 20 noninjured and 18 nerve-injured patients using the three-prong Aesthesiometer, a paper clip, and a Disk-Criminator. Two-point discrimination was tested by means of a randomized order for the two different discrimination tests and the three different testing devices. The measurement for either moving or static two-point discrimination, when obtained with the three-prong Aesthesiometer, was consistently less sensitive than with the Disk-Criminator, and the correlation coefficient was the least between these two testing devices. The Disk-Criminator measurement had the smallest standard deviation among the three testing devices. In terms of desirability of the testing device tip geometry, translation of interprong distance to numerical rating scale, and facility of alternating between one- and two-prong testing techniques, the paper clip was judged to be the least favorable and the Disk-Criminator to be the most favorable test device.
Nonleptonic Decays of Charmed Mesons and Determination of Weak Interaction Mixing Angles

Abstract By the U -spin property of SU(3), we find one important constraint on the generalized Cabibbo angles by the decay branching ratios of D 0 →K − π + , K − K + , and π − π + . A substantial deviation of Λ( D 0 → K − K + ) Λ ( D 0 →π − π + ) from unity would have a significant implication on the coupling of the charmed quark to heavier quarks of charge −1 3 .
The Manual Muscle Examination for Rotator Cuff Strength An Electromyographic Investigation

The electromyographic activity of eight muscles of the rotator cuff and shoulder girdle (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, pectoralis, latissimus dorsi, and the anterior, middle, and posterior deltoid) was measured from the nondominant shoulders of 11 subjects during a series of 29 isometric contractions. The contractions simulated different positions used for strength testing of the rotator cuff and involved elevation, external rotation, and internal rotation at three degrees of initial humeral rotation (-45 degrees of internal rotation, 0 degree, +45 degrees of external rotation) and scapular elevation (0 degree, 45 degrees, 90 degrees). Isolation of the supraspinatus muscle was best achieved with the test position of elevation at 90 degrees of scapular elevation and +45 degrees (external rotation) of humeral rotation. Isolation of the infraspinatus muscle was best achieved with external rotation at 0 degree of scapular elevation and -45 degrees (internal rotation) of humeral rotation. Isolation of the subscapularis muscle was best achieved with the Gerber push-off test. This study used four criteria for identifying the optimal manual muscle test for each rotator cuff muscle: 1) maximal activation of the cuff muscle, 2) minimal contribution from involved shoulder synergists, 3) minimal provocation of pain, and 4) good test-retest reliability. Based on the results of this study and known painful arcs of motion, an objective identification of the optimal tests for the manual muscle testing of the cuff was elucidated.
Malathion deposition, metabolite clearance, and cholinesterase status of date dusters and harvesters in California.

Date gardens in the Coachella Valley in California typically receive multiple treatments of malathion to control major insect pests. Variable amounts of malathion dust retention by skin and clothing and individual work behaviors limit the usefulness of clothing as an exposure dosimeter in date dusters and harvesters. To determine malathion absorption in workers, urine clearance of dimethyl phosphates (alkyl phosphates; AP) and malathion mono- (MCA) and di- (DCA) acids were estimated from date dusters (loaders/applicators) and harvesters (both on ground and high in trees). A series of self-administered doses of malathion were either ingested in gelatin capsules or applied to the volar surface of the forearm to guide biomonitoring. Each of the dimethyl phosphates (dimethylthio- > dimethyldithio > dimethyl-) and both malathion mono- and diacids were present in urine as soon as 2–3 h of work. On a micromole basis dimethylthiophosphate and the malathion acids (MCA > DCA) were the most prominent metabolites in urine. Applicator exposures ranged from 95–210 mg equivalents per day (1–3 mg/kg-day). Harvester exposures ranged from 1–270 μg/kg-day. Mid-season Monday morning urine specimens before work contained low or unmeasurable levels of malathion acids, indicating that malathion is rapidly metabolized and cleared from the body in the urine. Saliva was not useful for biomonitoring. No inhibition of cholinesterase activity was measured in any members of two separate crews of harvesters who had previous prolonged dust exposure (1 and 2 months).
X-ray diffraction of the calcified tissues in Polypterus.

Pyrolyzed scales, fin spines, and bone from the ray-finned bony fishPolypterus (Actinopterygii) showed two mineral phases on X-ray diffraction: hydroxyapatite (HA), Ca5(PO4)3OH, and whitlockite, Ca3(PO4)2. The ratio of HA/whitlockite varied with the structure (scale, spine, bone) within each individual fish. The relative proportions of HA to whitlockite in pyrolyzed samples reflected the Ca/P ratio of the sample. Whitlockite appears after pyrolysis when the Ca/P is lower than 1.67. Among the five fish investigated, for each structure a general trend was noted. The proportion of HA relative to whitlockite increased with size (age) of the fish. Thus the smallest fish, a juvenile, exhibited a low Ca/P mineral in its calcified tissues, whereas the larger fish had progressively more HA and less whitlockite.
Promoter Sequences of Varicella-Zoster Virus Glycoprotein I Targeted by Cellular Transactivating Factors Sp1 and USF Determine Virulence in Skin and T Cells in SCIDhu Mice In Vivo

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) glycoprotein I is dispensable in cell culture but necessary for infection of human skin and T cells in SCIDhu mice in vivo. The gI promoter contains an activating upstream sequence that binds the cellular transactivators specificity factor 1 (Sp1) and upstream stimulatory factor (USF) and an open reading frame 29 (ORF29)-responsive element (29RE), which mediates enhancement by ORF29 DNA binding protein of immediate-early 62 (IE62)-induced transcription. Recombinants, rOKAgI-Sp1 and rOKAgI-USF, with two base pair substitutions in Sp1 or USF sites, replicated like rOKA in vitro, but infectivity of rOKAgI-Sp1 was significantly impaired in skin and T cells in vivo. A double mutant, rOKAgI-Sp1/USF, did not replicate in skin but yielded low titers of infectious virus in T cells. The repaired protein, rOKAgI:rep-Sp1/USF, was as infectious as rOKA. Thus, disrupting gI promoter sites for cellular transactivators altered VZV virulence in vivo, with variable consequences related to the cellular factor and the host cell type. Mutations in the 29RE of the gI promoter were made by substituting each of four 10-bp blocks in this region with a 10-bp sequence, GATAACTACA, that was predicted to interfere with enhancer effects of the ORF29 protein. One of these mutants, which was designated rOKAgI-29RE-3, had diminished replication in skin and T cells, indicating that ORF29 protein-mediated enhancement of gI expression contributes to VZV virulence. Mutations within promoters of viral genes that are nonessential in vitro should allow construction of recombinant herpesviruses that have altered virulence in specific host cells in vivo and may be useful for designing herpesviral gene therapy vectors and attenuated viral vaccines.
Preparing Early Childhood Special Educators to Serve Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children and Families: Can a Multicultural Education Course Make a Difference?

There is no doubt that today's schools are faced with the challenge of educating an increasingly diverse school population. More teacher education programs address these challenges by adding course...
Demonstration of ipsilateral retinocollicular projections in the tree shrew (Tupaia glis)

Abstract Ipsilateral retinocollicular projections labeled by anterograde transport of wheatgerm agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugate in the tree shrew were examined. For those animals in which this pathway was demonstrated (4 of 14) ipsilateral collicular labeling extended across approximately the anterior two-thrids of the colliculus, with the exception of the extreme rostral pole. Labeling was invariably punctuate and spaced at regular intervals in the lower stratum griseum superficiale. The laminar distribution and patchy terminations of ipsilateral projections are discussed in relation to two apparently independent pathways originating in the temoral retina, the crossed and uncrossed collicular pathways.
Role of Ankle Foot Orthoses in the Outcome of Clinical Tests of Balance

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) on the outcome of balance assessment. Methods: Ten healthy subjects participated in clinical tests of balance with and without bilateral ankle foot orthoses (AFOs). The following clinical tests were performed: the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (MCTSIB), the Limits of Stability (LOS) and the Functional Reach test. Results: A statistically significant effect of AFOs was seen in the outcomes of the MCTSIB test (p = 0.042), LOS test (p = 0.021) and Reach test (p = 0.003). Conclusions: The results indicate that the use of AFOs may impede the performance of clinical tests of balance. This outcome should be taken into consideration while performing balance evaluations with patient populations in the clinic.Implications for RehabilitationAnkle foot orthoses (AFOs) are effective means of improving ambulation in patients.The use of AFOs may influence the outcome of clinical tests of balance.The ...
New insights on the subcortical representation of reward

Reward information is represented by many subcortical areas and neuron types, which constitute a complex network. Its output is usually mediated by the basal ganglia where behaviors leading to rewards are disinhibited and behaviors leading to no reward are suppressed. Midbrain dopamine neurons modulate these basal ganglia neurons differentially using signals related to reward-prediction error. Recent studies suggest that other types of subcortical neurons assist, instruct, or work in parallel with dopamine neurons. Such reward-related neurons are found in the areas which have been associated with stress, pain, mood, emotion, memory, and arousal. These results suggest that reward needs to be understood in a larger framework of animal behavior.
The National Ignition Facility: laser system, beam line design, and construction

The construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) building and laser beampaths at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been completed. This 8-year design/construction effort has successfully erected a 450,000 sq ft building and filled its interior with a complex of large-scale optical benches. These benches support all of the largeaperture optic elements of the NIF and the environmentally controlled enclosures that protect each of the 192 laser beamlines as they propagate from the injection laser system, through large aperture amplification stages, and into the target chamber. Even though this facility is very large, nearly 200 m long, 100 m wide, and 30 m tall, stringent mechanical performance requirements have been achieved throughout including temperature control <0.3°C, laserbeam pointing stability on target <50 μrms, and level 100 surface cleanliness on internal components. This presentation will provide an historical perspective explaining the basis of the design, technical details describing the techniques of construction and a chronological progression of the construction activities from ground breaking to beampath completion.
CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF NICOTINE DURING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND FOLLOWING MEAL CONSUMPTION

SUMMARY 1. In two separate studies using healthy male smokers as subjects, the acute cardiovascular effects of a measured dose of nicotine (15 μg/kg) were examined in conjunction with light physical activity and following consumption of a meal, conditions typical of nicotine intake via smoking. 2. Increases in heart rate and systolic blood pressure attributable to nicotine were similar during rest, physical activity, and following eating, demonstrating additivity with the cardiovascular effects of activity and a caloric load. Diastolic blood pressure was less affected by nicotine. 3. These results indicate that cardiovascular activity is acutely increased following nicotine (smoking) regardless of other influences on the cardiovascular system. Such effects may help explain increased risks of acute cardiac abnormalities due to smoking.
Modeling teamwork of multi-human multi-agent teams

Teamwork is important when humans work together with automated agents to perform tasks requiring monitoring, coordination, and complex decision-making. While human-agent teams can bring many benefits such as higher productivity, adaptability and creativity, they may also fail for various reasons. It is important to understand the tradeoffs in teamwork. The purpose of this research is to investigate the process and outcomes of human-agent teamwork by running experiments and building quantitative simulation models. Preliminary results are discussed as well as future directions. We expect this research to deepen the under-standing of human-agent teamwork and provide recommendations for the design of teams and agents to support teamwork.
TRADE‐OFFS IN FORMULATING A CONSISTENT NATIONAL POLICY ON ADOPTION*

Just as the courts must consider the trade-off between the best interest of the child and parental rights in involuntary termination of parental rights, policy on international adoption must consider the trade-offs between the best interest of the child and the long-term interests of the nation. We argue that countries that suspend international adoptions do not maximize social welfare. A consistent national policy to maximize the well-being of the children and society at large would be to devote resources today to the oversight of international adoption in accord with child protections under the Hague Convention, while at the same time developing a domestic system of care that provides for the physical and developmental needs of orphaned children in the context of permanent families.
Severe defect in proglucagon processing in islet A-cells of prohormone convertase 2 null mice.

Abstract Mice homozygous for a deletion in the gene encoding prohormone convertase 2 (PC2) are generally healthy but have mild hypoglycemia and flat glucose-tolerance curves. Their islets show marked alpha (A)-cell hyperplasia, suggesting a possible defect in glucagon processing (Furuta, M., Yano, H., Zhou, A., Rouille, Y., Holst, J., Carroll, R., Ravazzola, M., Orci, L., Furuta, H., and Steiner, D. (1997) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 94, 6646–6651). In this report we have examined the biosynthesis and processing of proglucagon in isolated islets from these mice via pulse-chase labeling and find that proglucagon undergoes essentially no processing in chase periods up to 8 h in duration. Only a small percent of cleavage at the sensitive interdomain site (residues 71 and 72) appears to occur. These observations thus conclusively demonstrate the essentiality of PC2 for the production of glucagon in the islet A-cells. Ultrastructural and immunocytochemical studies indicate the presence of large amounts of proglucagon in atypical appearing secretory granules in the hyperplastic and hypertrophic A-cells, along with morphological evidence of high rates of proglucagon secretion in PC2 null islets. These findings provide strong evidence that active glucagon is required to maintain normal blood glucose levels, counterbalancing the action of insulin at all times.
Relative Secondary Ion Yields of Polymers

A method has been developed to measure the relative secondary ion yields of polymers. Parameters affecting secondary ion yield include primary ion current, detector efficiency, mole concentrations of oligomers, and the extent of oligomer fragmentation. All of these factors are considered in the measurement protocol. Two specific homopolymers were investigated: poly(dimethylsiloxane) and poly(methylphenylsiloxane). The relative secondary ion yields measured for PMPhS/PDMS were in the range of 0.29−0.35, depending on the polymer ratio. Transformation probabilities also were measured for the two polymers, and the PMPhS/PDMS ratio was 0.57. The results of the study indicate that the pendant groups on the siloxane side chain have a significant effect on polymer ion yield and that measurement of relative ion yields for polymer mixtures represents a valid yield comparison.
The work ethic of the bishops' pastoral on the economy

This paper describes the prevaling ideology of “acquisitive materialism” and shows that it values work only as a means for acquiring material goods. This is contrasted to the view of work in the traditional “Protestant Ethic” and in Catholic social teaching. The Pastoral argues that work is good in itself when the worker is aware of participating in and contributing to the life of the community. While Catholic social thought in the past has emphasized distribution, the Pastoral points out that active participation in production by all is essential to a just economic order.
Exercise and Aging

Excerpt Health practices that offer the possibility of slowing age-related decline are attractive to an aging society. In the mid-20th century, most medical literature on the health effects of exer...
A stereological metric for plane domains

In this paper we consider the chord length distribution w,(t) for a plane domain S (see Santalo [4 p. 481, Sulanke [5]). Sulanke has shown that when S is convex as(t) is a continuous function of t, the chord length. We generalize this to non-convex S with a restriction on the differentiability of the boundary of S. The main goal of this paper is not, however, to prove continuity in t, but rather in S. Thus we define a metric y( ., a) on plane domains such that y(S,,S) + 0 guarantees that ws converges uniformly to ws. We also consider a function B,(t) equivalent to the associated function of S (see Pohl[3]) and prove the analygous results for B,(t); in this case we show that S + B, is a Lipschutz continuous mapping from a metric space of domains into L’[O, D] where D is the diameter of a large disc containing the domains. The main method of the paper is the analysis of glance functions which describe how a line meets a domain, they relate such quantities as the number of components of the intersection, the sum of the lengths of the components, and the diameter of the intersection. These were studied by the author in [6]. In the conclusion we make some remarks about how these ideas could be generalized to R” for n > 2.
Measurement of Synoptic-Scale Vertical Velocities by Two Nearby VHF Doppler Radars in Very Flat Terrain

Abstract An experimental field campaign to measure synoptic-scale vertical velocities was conducted from 5 to 11 January 1991 in the Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, region, which is in very flat terrain far from mountains. Both the Flatland and the Urbana wind-profiling radars, which are separated by 23.1 km, participated in the campaign. Meteorological sounding balloons were also launched from the Flatland Observatory site. In this study, lime averages are compared of the vertical wind velocity measured directly by both radars in order to help verify the capability of wind-profiling radars to measure synoptic-scale vertical velocities. This comparison, of course, also provides an opportunity to evaluate the performance of both radars. The variance of the vertical velocity observed by the Flatland radar has been previously shown to be dominated by short-period fluctuations with most of the variance occurring at periods less than 6 h. Also, since March 1987 when the Flatland radar began operating nearly contin...
Transient ischemic attack: Definition and natural history

The standard definition of a transient ischemic attack—“a cerebral dysfunction of an ischemic nature lasting no longer than 24 hours with a tendency to recur”—was arrived at arbitrarily and is no longer tenable. Experience shows that attacks are much briefer, usually less than an hour, and many are associated with brain infarction. A newer definition, more consonant with the data, is preferred—“transient ischemic attack is a brief episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain or retinal ischemia, with clinical symptoms typically lasting less than an hour, and without evidence of acute infarction.” Patients with transient ischemic attacks require urgent evaluation that includes brain and vascular imaging, blood tests, and often cardiac investigations. Treatment will depend on the nature of the causative cervico-cranial vascular, cardiac, and hematologic abnormalities found on investigation.
Evolution of Enzymatic regulation of prostaglandin action: Novel connections to regulation of human sex and adrenal function, antibiotic synthesis and nitrogen fixation

The recent determination of the amino acid sequences of enzymes that metabolize prostaglandins and steroids has revealed interesting connections between some of these enzymes. Human placental 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the oxidation of the C15 alcohol on prostaglandins E2 and F2 alpha, is homologous to 11 beta-hydroxysteroid, 17 beta-hydroxysteroid, and 3 alpha, 20 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases. That is, these four enzymes are derived from a common ancestor. Moreover, enzymes important in synthesis of antibiotics and proteins synthesized by soil bacteria that form nitrogen-fixing nodules in alfalfa and soybeans are homologous to 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase. These homologies provide important insights into the origins of intercellular communication that is mediated by prostaglandins, steroids, and fatty acids.
Finite element analysis of a SiC mirror receiving synchrotron radiation

Abstract The finite element method is used to answer some fundamental questions regarding maximum temperature, thermal stresses, and thermal distortions of a SiC mirror under thermal load. Absorption of synchrotron radiation, generated from sources such as insertion devices and bending magnets, produces the thermal load. Results of several analyses are presented to show typical behavior of a mirror with simple geometry under different conditions and designs. Both steady state and transient cases with radiation cooling alone and with a combination of radiation and convection cooling are considered.
Single-factor repeated-measures designs: analysis and interpretation.

The analyses discussed in this column are used in a design with one independent variable, two or more levels or conditions, and participants are measured under all conditions. These designs are referred to as within-subjects, dependent-samples, or repeated-measures designs and we use these terms interchangeably here. This means that participants undergo all conditions of the study or participants are matched on some variable(s) assumed to be related to the dependent variable. The types of research approaches used with single-factor, within-subjects/repeated-measures designs are most often randomized experimental or quasi-experimental. The comparative approach can be used with repeated-measures designs if the participants are matched (e.g., students with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are matched on IQ and gender). To facilitate our discussion of within-subjects designs, we provide an example by Compton et al. (2001) from this Journal. These researchers assessed the therapeutic benefits, response pattern, and safety of sertraline in children with social anxiety disorder. Sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is used as a pharmacological treatment of pediatric obsessivecompulsive disorder. In their study, 14 adolescents participated in an open 8-week sertraline drug trial. After an initial fixed dosage level, the dosage during the study was adjusted by the treating psychiatrist with the intent to find an optimal dose for each client. Numerous outcome variables were recorded for this study. All outcome variables were recorded at baseline (pre) and at the end of the 8 weeks (post). Some of the outcome measures also were recorded at the second, fourth, and sixth weeks. For those outcome variables only measured at pre and post, paired-samples t tests were performed. For those outcome variables that included the five measurement periods, singlefactor, repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were performed, accompanied by post hoc comparisons following statistically significant results.
Case Report: High-Dose Intravenous Immunoglobulin As Therapy for Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a clinical syndrome defined by the pentad of thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, fever, and renal and neurologic abnormalities. The pathogenesis of this syndrome remains enigmatic, though appropriate management usually involves plasma administration. The authors report on an alternative therapy, high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin, used in the patient after the failure of plasmapheresis. The implications and potential applications of this therapy are discussed.
4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, a naturally occurring cofactor of indoleacetic acid oxidase

Abstract 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol, a previously unrecognized constituent of plants, has been isolated from muskmelon seedling extracts ( Cucurbita moschata ). The compound acts as a cofactor for indoleacetic acid oxidase both in vitro and in the oat coleoptile section test.