cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Technical Options and Approaches to Lengthen the Shortened Esophagus.

Failure to recognize a short esophagus during paraesophageal hernia repair can lead to poor functional outcomes and increased recurrence rates. Diagnosis is usually done intraoperatively when less than 2 to 3 cm of esophagus lie in the intraabdominal position. If aggressive esophageal mediastinal mobilization is unable to lengthen the esophagus, the surgeon should perform an esophageal lengthening procedure. A modified Collis gastroplasty is most commonly used and can be performed through a variety of transabdominal or transthoracic approaches. These procedures are safe, durable, and associated with good long-term outcomes. Patient selection and safe surgical technique are key in avoiding complications.
siRNA-mediated de novo silencing of Ac/Ds transposons is initiated by alternative transposition in maize

Abstract Although Transposable Elements (TEs) comprise a major fraction of many higher eukaryotic genomes, most TEs are silenced by host defense mechanisms. The means by which otherwise active TEs are recognized and silenced remains poorly understood. Here we analyzed two independent cases of spontaneous silencing of the active maize Ac/Ds transposon system. This silencing was initiated by Alternative Transposition (AT), a type of aberrant transposition event that engages the termini of two nearby separate TEs. AT during DNA replication can generate Composite Insertions (CIs) that contain inverted duplications of the transposon sequences. We show that the inverted duplications of two CIs are transcribed to produce dsRNAs that trigger the production of two distinct classes of siRNAs: a 24-nt class complementary to the TE terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) and non-coding sub-terminal regions, and a 21-22 nt class corresponding to the TE transcribed regions. Plants containing these siRNA-generating CIs exhibit decreased levels of Ac transcript and heritable repression of Ac/Ds transposition. This study documents the first case of TE silencing attributable to transposon self-initiated AT and may represent a general initiating mechanism for silencing of DNA transposons. Article summary Transposable Elements (TEs) are often silenced by their hosts, but how TEs are initially recognized for silencing remains unclear. Here we describe two independent loci that induce de novo heritable silencing of maize Ac/Ds transposons. Plants containing these loci produce dsRNA and Ac-homologous small interfering RNAs, and exhibit decreased levels of Ac transcript and heritable repression of Ac/Ds transposition. We show that these loci comprise inverted duplications of TE sequences generated by Alternative Transposition coupled with DNA re-replication. This study documents the first case of transposon silencing induced by AT and may represent a general initiating mechanism for TE silencing.
The s-process in globular cluster M22: hints for higher-mass polluters

Every cool globular cluster star that has been studied in sufficient detail reveals the presence of elements heavier than the iron-group. Surely that must be an important clue to understanding how and where these neutron-capture elements are synthesized. The more complex globular clusters like M22 provide a new kind of opportunity to study nucleosynthesis patterns produced by the slow neutron-capture reaction, or s-process. This provides a new constraint on the duration of star formation in M22. This proceeding is a transcript, edited only to capture the essence of images shown on the slides, of the talk I presented on the subject of s-process material in M22.
MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION AFTER HEAVY LIFTING IN A HEALTHY MAN: DO NOT MISS SPONTANEOUS CORONARY ARTERY DISSECTION!

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an uncommon cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in men. 51-year-old male presented with chest pain after sexual activity. He was diagnosed with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. He reported lifting weights (more than 50 pounds
Revisiting cross-shelf transport of Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) megalopae by the internal tide using 16 years of daily abundance data

Abstract Many marine organisms have a biphasic life beginning with a planktonic larva that undergoes development on the continental shelf. These larvae ultimately need to return to the nearshore environment to settle. One proposed mechanism of transport to the nearshore is the internal tide. The Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus (Cancer) magister, is one species that is hypothesized to be transported by the internal tide. In addition to daily cycles in catch of megalopae being correlated with the internal tide, the annual catch of megalopae is correlated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. However, intial studies occurred during a positive phase Pacific Decadal Oscillation. In this study, we analyze an additional 12 years of data (16 years total) to determine if the internal tide continues to be correlated with the transport of Dungeness crab megalopae. We used wavelet analyses and cross-Fourier analysis to relate the catch of megalopae to the daily maximum tidal range, wind speed, and sea surface temperature. We found that over 16 years, the correlation with the daily maximum tidal range continues to be the strongest correlate with the daily catch of megalopae. These results continue to suggest megalopae are transported across the continental shelf by the internal tide. Our use of wavelets allowed us to examine the annual trends in periodicity of returning megalopae. We found that the periodicities at tidal frequencies did not persist throughout the settlement season. We hypothesize this indicates cross-shelf transport is primarily regulated by the internal tide but additional, unknown factors, interact with the internal tide affecting the number of returning larvae. We conclude by discussing why high-frequency sampling is an important component of ecological time series.
Does Pediatric Index of Mortality "Score" in Colombia?

Pediatric index of mortality (PIM)-2 and PIM3 are the most recent versions of severity of illness scoring generated from a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) population in Australia and the United Kingdom. The authors present a single-center evaluation of a performance of these scores in a PICU in Colombia. PIM3 seemed to demonstrate a marginally better performance at predicting mortality, although the discrimination was similar for both scores. Incorporation of this approach to the rest of the units throughout the country would help with benchmarking PICU performance. How to cite this article Rahiman S. Does Pediatric Index of Mortality "Score" in Colombia? Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(11):1018-1019.
Guideline-Discordant Preoperative Gentamicin Dosing and the Risk of Gentamicin Associated Nephrotoxicity in Urologic Surgery.

Abstract Objective To determine the rate of and predictors for guideline-discordant preoperative gentamicin dosing in urologic surgery and to assess the risk of nephrotoxicity in patients who receive the recommended high-dose prophylaxis. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed all adult patients who received preoperative gentamicin for urologic surgery from January 1, 2017 - October 3, 2019. Doses were categorized as guideline-concordant or -discordant using a cutoff of 4.5 mg/kg dosing weight. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors for guideline-discordant dosing. Postoperative kidney injury was assessed using RIFLE criteria. Results Among 2134 patients, 89% received a preoperative dose ≤ 4.5 mg/kg. Older age (70+ years) and endoscopic surgery were significant risk factors for guideline-discordant dosing (OR 2.54, P Conclusion Preoperative gentamicin is commonly administered at lower than recommended doses for urologic surgery. Older age and endoscopic surgery are significant predictors of guideline-discordant dosing. The risk of kidney injury following high-dose preoperative gentamicin for urologic procedures is likely comparable to the risk at lower doses.
A Space-Time Modulated Distributed Antenna Array for Multiple Target Angle Estimation

This paper presents a method to estimate the angle of multiple targets using a millimeter-wave distributed antenna array with a single transmit and three receive elements. The three receive elements are placed on a minimum redundancy layout forming three correlation interferometers with unique baselines. The transmitter emits a linear frequency modulated signal from 36 to 39.5 GHz which generates a space-time modulated radiation pattern. Each interferometer captures the angle information of each target with a simple frequency estimation. The ambiguities of multiple targets are resolved by combining the detections common to each baseline. Experimental results of the detection of multiple targets are presented.
WOMEN EMPOWERED: Fashions from the Frontline

In November 2018, CNN, Teen Vogue, The Hill, and even Fox News reported that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) had loaned her shoes to a fashion exhibit at Cornell University (FIGURE 1). Worn-through ...
Privacy Preserving Defense For Black Box Classifiers Against On-Line Adversarial Attacks

Deep learning models have been shown to be vulnerable to adversarial attacks. Adversarial attacks are imperceptible perturbations added to an image such that the deep learning model misclassifies the image with a high confidence. Existing adversarial defenses validate their performance using only the classification accuracy. However, classification accuracy by itself is not a reliable metric to determine if the resulting image is ‘`adversarial-free’'. This is a foundational problem for online image recognition applications where the ground-truth of the incoming image is not known and hence we cannot compute the accuracy of the classifier or validate if the image is ‘`adversarial-free’' or not. This paper proposes a novel privacy preserving framework for defending Black box classifiers from adversarial attacks using an ensemble of iterative adversarial image purifiers whose performance is continuously validated in a loop using Bayesian uncertainties. The proposed approach can convert a single-step black box adversarial defense into an iterative defense and proposes three novel privacy preserving Knowledge Distillation (KD) approaches that use prior meta-information from various datasets to mimic the performance of the Black box classifier. Additionally, this paper proves the existence of an optimal distribution for the purified images that can reach a theoretical lower bound, beyond which the image can no longer be purified.
Contingency in the Age of Religion: The Hajj and Religion-Making in Colonial and Postcolonial India

In Union of India v. Bhikan(2012), the Indian Supreme Court ruled that government hajj subsidies violated the Indian Constitution’s secular principles. What is notable about this decision is that the Supreme Court based the ruling on its own interpretation of the Qur’an, privileging direct access to scripture over historically established practices surrounding the pilgrimage in discerning what “Islam says” about the state’s proper role in the hajj. Archival and legal research shows that Union of India v. Bhikanis merely the latest moment in over a century of colonial and postcolonial debates about pilgrimage management. This article employs the theoretical and methodological insights of Jonathan Z. Smith and Talal Asad to explore this history and its effects, using the matter of hajj administration to identify the concrete implications of different methods of “religion-making,” or the construction of religion as an object for consideration and regulation, in the public sphere.
Macroscopic Theory of Optical Momentum

Abstract Light possesses energy and momentum within the propagating electromagnetic fields. When electromagnetic waves enter a material, the description of energy and momentum becomes ambiguous. In spite of more than a century of development, significant confusion still exists regarding the appropriate macroscopic theory of electrodynamics required to predict experimental outcomes and develop new applications. This confusion stems from the myriad of electromagnetic force equations and expressions for the momentum density and flux. In this review, the leading formulations of electrodynamics are compared with respect to how media are modeled. This view is applied to illustrate how the combination of electromagnetic fields and material responses contribute to the continuity of energy and momentum. A number of basic conclusions are deduced with the specific aim of modeling experiments where dielectric and magnetic media are submerged in media with a differing electromagnetic response. These conclusions are applied to demonstrate applicability to optical manipulation experiments.
WE-B-207-02: CT Lung Cancer Screening and the Medical Physicist: A Dosimetry Summary of CT Participants in the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST)

The US National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) was a multi-center randomized, controlled trial comparing a low-dose CT (LDCT) to posterior-anterior (PA) chest x-ray (CXR) in screening older, current and former heavy smokers for early detection of lung cancer. Recruitment was launched in September 2002 and ended in April 2004 when 53,454 participants had been randomized at 33 screening sites in equal proportions. Funded by the National Cancer Institute this trial demonstrated that LDCT screening reduced lung cancer mortality. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) cited NLST findings and conclusions in its deliberations and analysis of lung cancer screening. Under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the USPSTF favorable recommendation regarding lung cancer CT screening assisted in obtaining third-party payers coverage for screening. The objective of this session is to provide an introduction to the NLST and the trial findings, in addition to a comprehensive review of the dosimetry investigations and assessments completed using individual NLST participant CT and CXR examinations. Session presentations will review and discuss the findings of two independent assessments, a CXR assessment and the findings of a CT investigation calculating individual organ dosimetry values. The CXR assessment reviewed a total of 73,733 chest x-ray exams that were performed on 92 chest imaging systems of which 66,157 participant examinations were used. The CT organ dosimetry investigation collected scan parameters from 23,773 CT examinations; a subset of the 75,133 CT examinations performed using 97 multi-detector CT scanners. Organ dose conversion coefficients were calculated using a Monte Carlo code. An experimentally-validated CT scanner simulation was coupled with 193 adult hybrid computational phantoms representing the height and weight of the current U.S. population. The dose to selected organs was calculated using the organ dose library and the abstracted scan parameters. This session will review the results and summarize the individualized doses to major organs and the mean effective dose and CTDIvol estimate for 66,157 PA chest and 23,773 CT examinations respectively, using size-dependent computational phantoms coupled with Monte Carlo calculations. Learning Objectives: 1. Review and summarize relevant NLST findings and conclusions. 2. Understand the scope and scale of the NLST specific to participant dosimetry. 3. Provide a comprehensive review of NLST participant dosimetry assessments. 4. Summarize the results of an investigation providing individualized organ dose estimates for NLST participant cohorts.
THE HEARTLESS DOG. A USEFUL PREPARATION FOR EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY.

Summary o 1. An experimental pharmacologic preparation has been described for evaluating the peripheral action of drugs which obviates interfering cardiac activity by substituting mechanical pumps for the hearts in dogs. 2. Two such techniques have been described. The first replaces the pumping action of the heart by two extrathoracic roller pumps. The second utilizes a small, implantable, intrathoracic pump activated from outside the chest. 3. Problems and potentials of this preparation are discussed.
Synthesis, characterization, and electronic structure of few-layer MoSe2 granular films

Few-layer MoSe2 granular films were prepared using rapid thermal processing (RTP) of stacked elemental layers (SELs) deposited using electron beam evaporation in the sequence of Mo/Se/Mo. RTP was carried out at various temperatures ranging from 550 to 750 °C, and durations ranging from 90 to 150 s. Morphology and microstructure of granular thin films were characterized by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Compositional and electronic structure analysis of the films were done by X-ray photoelectron, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. The results confirmed the formation of four-layer MoSe2 granular thin films at 750 °C for 90 s. Density functional theory calculations showed that the direct gap at K is near degenerate with the calculated indirect band gap in the 4L structure. In addition to RTP, Raman laser annealing (RLA) was performed on SELs with various laser powers. Raman spectroscopy results reveal the local formation of MoSe2 with increasing laser energy.
Marangoni-Benard convection in a low-aspect-ratio liquid layer

This paper presents the results of a study on the variation of the critical Marangoni number (Ma(sub c)) for the onset of Benard convection in a finite liquid layer bounded horizontally as well as from below. A direct-numerical-simulation procedure is devised to determine the Ma(sub c) for aspect ratios (Ar) ranging from 0.8 to 10. The results predict a strong increase of Ma(sub c) as Ar decreases to below 2. A dip of Ma(sub c) occurs between Ar = 1.45 and 1.3, which is accompanied by a pattern transition from a two-cell convection to a unicellular flow. For Ar above 4, the calculated Ma(sub c) shows little change and asymptotically approach a value of 116.15, with Biot number (Bi) equal to 1.
Chrome etch for <0.13 μm advanced reticle production

The continuous shrinking of design rules results in tighter specifications for advanced chrome dry etch. Specifically, the increasing number of OPC and phase shift layers in mask set for sub 0.13 micrometers technology drives research and development in this area. Chrome layers were traditionally dry etched using a Cl2O2He plasma. While this chemistry has proven to meet the chrome etch requirements in the past its limitations are becoming more and more obvious. In particular, critical dimension control in terms of uniformity and etch bias shows opposing trend lines with the standard chemistry which makes optimization difficult and minimizes the available process space. The Applied Materials Centura photomask etch chamber has been used along with new gas chemistries to provide improved critical dimension control in chrome for binary photomasks. Oxygen and chlorine are responsible for etching chrome. However, these gases alone do not provide the sidewall protection necessary for the excellent critical dimension control required for advanced mask making for 0.13 micrometers and below. In this systematic investigation, experiments show a factor of two improvement in etch bias over the standard chemistry (He/O2Cl2). Excellent CD uniformity is also demonstrated.
29 Genetic Tools for Studying Myxococcus xanthus Biology

Myxococcus xanthus has a remarkable repertoire of complex multicellular behaviors, including social gliding motility, predation, rippling, and fruiting body formation. There are a few genetic tools such as an autonomously replicating plasmid and a defined library of M. xanthus mutant strains that have yet to be developed to study these complex behaviors. This chapter contains a description of M. xanthus genetic tools and their practical applications. Generalized transducing particles form when by mistake a bacteriophage head or capsid assembles around a fragment of a donor bacterium’s chromosomal DNA or around a plasmid instead of the phage genome. When these particles infect a recipient host, the donor bacterium’s DNA is inserted into the recipient host and is free to undergo homologous recombination with the host cell chromosome. In M. xanthus, generalized transducing phages are typically used for genetic mapping and for strain constructions. The plasmids are introduced into M. xanthus cells, strains that carry the plasmid integrated into phage attachment sites in the chromosome are identified, and the appropriate assays are performed. Gene fusions have been used to assay the transcriptional/translational regulation of genes/proteins and to examine protein localization in bacterial cells. Fusions belong to one of two classes: transcriptional fusions or translational fusions. In the case of a transcriptional fusion, the reporter gene lacks a promoter, but it possesses a functional ribosome-binding site. In the case of a translational fusion, the reporter gene lacks a promoter and a functional ribosome-binding site.
Electron Guns and Focusing for High-Density Electron Beams

Publisher Summary The incorporation of a high-density electron beam in an electron tube poses two problems: the design of an electron gun capable of providing a sufficient number of electrons, and the selection of an efficient method of holding the resulting electron beam together in the face of space-charge forces and other effects leading to divergence. This chapter describes the principal methods by which these two problems can be solved and provides a critical review of the various suggestions that have been made to improve these methods or to replace them by new techniques. It describes the Pierce method and evaluates several methods of arriving at a Pierce gun by alternate design procedures, which are thought to be more systematic than that proposed originally. Other interesting configurations that differ from Pierce's are evaluated in the chapter. To describe the methods of counteracting beam spreading three schemes are presented in the chapter: (1).the magnetic field surrounds the entire tube, so that the cathode is immersed in the field; (2). the magnetic field is excluded from the cathode by a ferromagnetic shield; and (3). the magnetic focusing field is periodic in nature, being produced by a series of magnetic lenses of alternating polarities.
Derivatives of N-Benzyl-2-phenylpyridinium Bromide, Minimalist Models for Face-to-Face, Center-to-Edge π-Stacking in Water

The substitution pattern of the benzyl ring was varied in preparations of derivatives of N-benzyl-2-phenylpyridinium bromide (1−8). The salts showed monomeric behavior at NMR concentrations in D2O....
Magnetic and electrical properties of benzene

Ab initio calculations have been carried out to obtain an extensive set of electromagnetic response properties of benzene so as to provide a more complete picture of the responses to external fields by this prototype aromatic molecule. Permanent electrical moments and polarizabilities were obtained, and two moment representations of benzene's charge field are compared with the charge field obtained from the ab initio wavefunction. Chemical shielding tensors and the shielding polarizabilities have been calculated to provide a base of information for assessing electrical influence on chemical shifts. Magnetic susceptibilities and susceptibility polarizabilities are also among the properties discussed.
Studies on iron(III) nitrilo triacetates

Abstract Nitrilotriacetic acid chelates of iron(III) with metal to ligand ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 have been synthesized and characterized by analyses, potentiometry, i.r. spectra, thermograms, and magnetic moments. All of these chelates appear to be polymeric in nature.
Glycohemoglobin as a screening test for gestational diabetes

This study evaluated the feasibility of utilizing hemoglobin A1c as a screening test for gestational diabetes. We compared this test in 82 women in the third trimester of pregnancy to a glucose tolerance test in which a glucose load of 100 gm was used. At its best index of correlation, hemoglobin A1c at 7% is concordant with the glucose tolerance test in 69% of the cases, false positive in 41%, and false negative in 26%. Though the two procedures correlate very well, the high incidence of false negative and positive for hemoglobin A1c make this test inadequate as a screening procedure for gestational diabetes.
Assessment of Presence Conditions of Pavement Markings with Image Processing

This paper presents a systematic approach that can automatically determine the presence conditions of pavement markings from marking images developed with digital image processing techniques. These techniques are used to correct geometric deformity, detect colors of pavement markings, segment images, enhance images, detect edge lines of pavement markings, and recognize the features of pavement markings appearing in the photographs. The performance of this system was investigated with the photograph data sets provided by the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program Mississippi test deck. The empirical results (when compared with those from the manual method and expert observations) show that this method produced accurate and reliable results. The techniques in this study can be used to develop an automated system for accurate and speedy assessments of pavement marking conditions and might help agencies make a better decision in the maintenance of pavement markings.
Strong axioms of infinity and elementary embeddings

This is the expository paper on strong axioms of infinity and elementary embeddings origi;,ally to have been authored by Reinhardt and Solovay. It has been owed for some time and already cited with some frequency in the most recent set theoretical literature. However, for various reasons the paper did not appear in print far several years. The impetus for actual publication came from a series of lectures on the subject by t(anamori (Cambridge, 1975) and a set of notes circulated thereafter. Thus, although this present exposition it a detailed reworking of these notes, the basic conceptual framework was first developed by Reinhardt and 5;91ovay some years ago. One factor which turns this delay in publication to advantage is that a more comprehensive view of the concepts discussed is now possible wit1" the experience of the last few years, particularly in view of recent consistency results and also consequences in the presence of the axiom of detenninacy, A projected sequel by Solovay to this paper will deal further with these considerations. One of the most notable characteristics of the axiom of infinity is that its V~uth implies its independence of the other axioms. This, of course, is because the (infinite) set of hereditarily finite sets forms a model of the other axioms, in which there is no infinite set. Clearly, accepting an assertion whose truth implies its independence of given axioms requires the acceptance of new axioms. It is not surprising that the axiom of infinity should have this character (one would expect to have to adopt it as an axiom anyway), and moreover one would expect the existence of laIger and larger cardinalities to have such character, as indeed it has. The procedures for generating cardinals studied by Mahlo [29] provided a notable example. It is remarkable that the new consequences of the corresponding (generalized) axioms of infinity also include arithmetic statements: this application of G6del's second theorem is by now quite familiar. It is also remarkable that
Lengthening the Second Stalk of F1F0 ATP Synthase in Escherichia coli

Abstract In Escherichia coliF1F0 ATP synthase, the two bsubunits dimerize forming the peripheral second stalk linking the membrane F0 sector to F1. Previously, we have demonstrated that the enzyme could accommodate relatively large deletions in the b subunits while retaining function (Sorgen, P. L., Caviston, T. L., Perry, R. C., and Cain, B. D. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 27873–27878). The manipulations of b subunit length have been extended by construction of insertion mutations into the uncF(b) gene adding amino acids to the second stalk. Mutants with insertions of seven amino acids were essentially identical to wild type strains, and mutants with insertions of up to 14 amino acids retained biologically significant levels of activity. Membranes prepared from these strains had readily detectable levels of F1F0-ATPase activity and proton pumping activity. However, the larger insertions resulted in decreasing levels of activity, and immunoblot analysis indicated that these reductions in activity correlated with reduced levels of b subunit in the membranes. Addition of 18 amino acids was sufficient to result in the loss of F1F0 ATP synthase function. Assuming the predicted α-helical structure for this area of the bsubunit, the 14-amino acid insertion would result in the addition of enough material to lengthen the b subunit by as much as 20 A. The results of both insertion and deletion experiments support a model in which the second stalk is a flexible feature of the enzyme rather than a rigid rod-like structure.
The immunopharmacology of head and neck cancer: an update.

Abstract Patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer have cell-mediated immune defects and anergy, which progress with disease. T-lymphocytopenia and dysfunction, monocyte dysfunction, prostaglandins, antigen–antibody complexes, serum and cell suppressive factors, radiation therapy and poor nutrition with zinc deficiency all contribute. Nevertheless, cell-mediated immunoreactivity to tumor is manifest in the majority of the patient’s blood and regional nodes, and in the tumor itself by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Lymphocytes from these sources cloned in the presence of interleukin-2± tumor extracts show relatively specific cytotoxicity against squamous cell cancer. Humoral immunity is intact, and increased IgA and IgE levels and antibodies reactive to tumor antigens are common. Tumor-associated antigens detected in serum and tumor include carcinoembryonic antigen, tumor polypeptide antigen, squamous cell cancer antigens, tumor antigen-4 and various mucin antigens. The mucin antigens, in particular, can elicit T-cell responses. Humoral reactivity to such antigens is manifest in circulating immune complexes and immunoglobulin coating of tumor surfaces. Immunotherapeutic efforts in head and neck squamous cell cancer should logically employ T-cell adjuvants, contrasuppression and immunorestoration. Non-specific stimulation with bacille Calmette–Guerin (BCG), levamisole and other agents has not been successful. Encouraging results have been observed in limited trials with indomethacin and plasmapheresis. Early trials with local administration of low dosages of interferon- α , natural interleukin-2 and a natural interleukin mixture have produced partial and complete regressions with no toxicity and with intense leukocyte infiltration indicating cellular immunity. Efforts are needed to define the mechanisms and the antigens involved in these reactions. On the contrary, treatments with high dosages of recombinant interferon- α and interleukin-2 have yielded few responses and considerable toxicity. Combination strategies are discussed which may improve upon these initial immunotherapeutic effects of these low dose trials.
Rigid design of fast scanning probe microscopes using finite element analysis.

To improve the performance of atomic force microscopes regarding speed and noise sensitivity, it is important to consider the mechanical rigidity of the actuator (scanner), and the overall mechanical structure. Using finite element analysis in the design process, it was possible to increase the first resonance frequency from 950 Hz for the whole system to 23.4 kHz for the whole system. This constitutes a factor of similar to25 in resonance frequency and a factor of 625 in stiffness and, hence, noise immunity. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A quantitative study of the determinants of fertility behavior.

Recent literature shows great interest in the quantitative study of the determinants of fertility. In a similar way, this study takes an across-country approach to specify independent variables, to separate economic from social and political variables, to make distinct comparisons of fertility responses in developed and underdeveloped countries, and to examine a wide range of hypotheses. The key is empirical analysis by separate regressions. This permits direct comparisons of countries at different levels of development, increases the probability of obtaining statistically significant regression coefficients, and standardizes the analysis for factors which vary with level of development.
Thrips-fungus association with special reference to the sporophagous Bactrothrips idolomorphus (Karny) (Tubulifera: Thysanoptera)

Aspects of feeding and fungal spore preference in terms of the percentage of gut-spore composition, and the relative preference of sporophagous Tubulifera to Coelomycetes, Ascomycetes, Hyphomycetes are highlighted. A positive correlation between the width of the maxillary stylets and the fungal spore size indicates the relationship between the two in the choice of the spore type for feeding. The incidence of reproductive polymorphism among the majority of large spore feeding thrips and their absence in hyaline spore feeders, the role of abiotic factors such as temperature and relative humidity in determining the type of reproduction and their influence on the post-embryonic development inBactrothrips idolomorphus are discussed. Numerical variation in the pre-vitellogenic, vitellogenic and developing oocytes during oviparity, ovoviviparity and viviparity is also discussed.
Hepatic absorbed radiation dosimetry during I-131 Metaiodobenzylguanadine (MIBG) therapy for refractory neuroblastoma

Purpose To compare the prediction of therapeutic hepatic radiation-absorbed dose rates from tracer imaging plus a linearity assumption to estimation based on intra-therapy imaging in 131I metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) therapy of refractory neuroblastoma.
Prevalence, pharmacotherapy and clinical correlates of diagnosed insomnia among Veterans Health Administration service users nationally.

Abstract Objective There is little information on diagnostic rates or treatment correlates of insomnia in real-world practice. Study objectives were to identify the 1-year prevalence, psychotropic pharmacotherapy and clinical correlates of diagnosed insomnia, nationally in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Method The study used national administrative data on all individuals receiving VHA care in 2010. Receipt of insomnia, in addition to co-morbid diagnoses, was identified using relevant International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 diagnostic codes. The adjusted mean number of psychotropic prescription fills and co-morbid conditions associated with insomnia were identified using bivariate and multivariable regression models. Results Of the 5,531,379 individuals receiving VHA care in 2010, 190,378 (3.4%) received an insomnia diagnosis. Controlling for clinical characteristics, the presence of an insomnia diagnosis was associated with an average of four additional psychotropic prescription fills over the year. Among demographic characteristics, deployment to recent conflicts in Iraq/Afghanistan (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.62) displayed the strongest independent association, while age, unexpectedly, did not display any association with insomnia. Among diagnostic variables, anxiety disorders other than post-traumatic stress (AOR = 2.12) and depressive disorders other than major depression (AOR = 2.05) displayed the strongest independent associations with insomnia. Conclusion The diagnosis of insomnia is associated with the filling of more psychotropic prescriptions, net of the presence of psychiatric co-morbidity in national VHA administrative data, and the prevalence of diagnosed insomnia is lower than that found in systematic surveys of the general population, a potential impediment to optimal treatment.
Behavior of female Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) in a mono-layer of wheat treated with diatomaceous earth

Abstract Adult female lesser grain borers (Rhyzopertha dominica [F.]) were observed in a mono-layer of wheat sandwiched between two layers of glass to determine if movement patterns and survival rates differed in wheat that was admixed with diatomaceous earth (DE) compared with untreated wheat. Observations were also made to determine if responses to DE differed depending on the commercial formulation of DE tested at the labeled rates. Mortality was higher in the DE treatments than in the untreated controls, and also varied according to the DE formulation. In wheat treated with 1000 ppm Dryacide®, 400 ppm Protect-It®, and 500 ppm Insecto™ (labeled rate for the individual products), mean percentage mortality was 100±0, 71.4±10.1, and 57.1±11.1, respectively. Although total distance traveled and the number of turns taken by the beetles was lower in the Dryacide treatment compared to the untreated controls, the movement patterns were not significantly different among the three DE treatments. Observed differences in mortality are likely related to DE products or amount applied rather than to differences in DE exposure resulting from movement behavior.
An Analysis of Horizontal Dispersion Due to the Drift Current with an Ekman Layer

An analytical method for describing horizontal matter dispersion in shear currents is presented using a tensor expression from the point of view that matter dispersion due to the shear effect should be one of the principal mixing dilution processes. Although the behavior of horizontal dispersion is considerably more complicated than common longitudinal dispersion, the present study elucidates the vertical structure of dispersion and the dispersing process from the initial to the stationary stage, besides the usual depth-averaged dispersion coefficient at the stationary stage. As one of the typical applications of horizontal dispersion, dispersion due to the pure drift current with an Ekman layer is examined theoretically using the present method. This examination reveals that the displacement of the centroid and the major axis of dispersion are twisted in the vertical direction more than the direction of the current vector forming the Ekman spiral; that the variance increases in proportion to the third power of the elapsed time; and that the dispersion coefficient at the stationary stage remains constant, independent of the depth normalized by an Ekman layer thickness. Such dependence of the dispersion coefficient in the steady current is shown to be different from that in the oscillatory current, which is inversely proportional to the depth normalized by a Stokes layer thickness. This is considered to be induced by the difference of the vertical profiles of the first order moment in both currents, that is, the shear region of the first order moment is restricted around the floor by the alternation of the current shear in the oscillatory current while it is diffused in the whole depth in the steady current.
New approaches to voltage monitoring and control

Voltage-related problems evolving in interconnected electric power systems are examined. Reasons for these problems are introduced, and their potential importance for system operation is discussed. This physical phenomenon poses problems covering the entire spectrum from proper modeling to control design and communications. Consequences of novel control designs are discussed in the context of the improvement of system operation and the results benefits. >
Perspectives on Contemporary Mysticism

Contemporary mysticism is in continuity with religious mysticism of all ages. Mysticism, like all religion, has an ideological and an experiential dimension. Traditional Freudian theory is inadequate for understanding either the ideological or the cognitive aspect, because it does not adequately account for either the cognitive process or the self-conscious “I.” Categories of both ego psychology and the social scientific approach to religion illuminate contemporary mysticism in ways unavailable to the traditional Freudian psychoanalytic approach. The epistemological implications of the mystical attitude are considered, in both the religious and the scientific enterprises.
HscA and HscB stimulate [2Fe-2S] cluster transfer from IscU to apoferredoxin in an ATP-dependent reaction

The role of the Azotobacter vinelandii HscA/HscB cochaperone system in ISC-mediated iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis has been investigated in vitro by using CD and EPR spectrometry to monitor the effect of HscA, HscB, MgATP, and MgADP on the time course of cluster transfer from [2Fe-2S]IscU to apo-Isc ferredoxin. CD spectra indicate that both HscB and HscA interact with [2Fe-2S]IscU and the rate of cluster transfer was stimulated more than 20-fold in the presence stoichiometric HscA and HscB and excess MgATP. No stimulation was observed in the absence of either HscB or MgATP, and cluster transfer was found to be an ATP-dependent reaction based on concomitant phosphate production and the enhanced rates of cluster transfer in the presence of KCl which is known to stimulate HscA ATPase activity. The results demonstrate a role of the ISC HscA/HscB cochaperone system in facilitating efficient [2Fe-2S] cluster transfer from the IscU scaffold protein to acceptor proteins and that [2Fe-2S] cluster transfer from IscU is an ATP-dependent process. The data are consistent with the proposed regulation of the HscA ATPase cycle by HscB and IscU [Silberg, J. J., Tapley, T. L., Hoff, K. G., and Vickery, L. E. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 53924-53931], and mechanistic proposals for coupling of the HscA ATPase cycle with cluster transfer from [2Fe-2S]IscU to apo-IscFdx are discussed.
RADIOCARBON DATING WITH A CYCLOTRON

A technique is described for detecting and measuring the high energy 14 C beam from a natural sample ionized in the Berkeley 88″ cyclotron. An intense nitrogen background was removed using its shorter range in a xenon gas cell immediately ahead of the detector. Beams from several samples were compared by rapidly switching the CO 2 gas source feed. The 14 C concentration in an unknown sample was measured relative to that of a sample 465 years old to obtain an age of (5900±800) y.
The role of the association in recognition memory.

MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 *Association (Psychological); Cognitive Processes; College Students; Criteria; Educational Research; *Memory; *Paired Associate Learning; Reading; *Recall (Psychological); *Word Recognition The purpose of the eight experiments was to assess the role which associations between two words played in recognition decisions. The evidence on weak associations established in the laboratory indicated that association was playing a small role, but that the recognition performance on pairs of words was highly predictable from frequency information. However, the use of strongly associated words indicated that the strength of the association per se was not a critical variable in recognition performance. A post hoc expansion of frequency theory was proposed. Some unexpected findings included criterion differences in making frequency judgments as compared with recognition decisions, and criterion differences in recognition tests on homonym pairs as compared with other classes of word pairs. (Author) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY THE ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATION IN RECOGNITION MEMORY
Concerning the nature of intolerance to aspirin

Abstract (1) Intolerance to aspirin is not uncommon in individuals near middle age who, as a rule, do not have a history of atopy. It is characterized by changes in the skin and respiratory mucous membranes—angioedema, perennial rhinitis, formation of nasal polyps, and bronchial asthma—which precede the development of intolerance to aspirin. (2) While reactions induced by aspirin simulate an immunological discase evidence for an allergy to acetylsalicylic acid per se or acetylsalicylic acid as an antigenic determinant is unconvincing. Attempts to demonstrate antibodies to acetylsalicylic acid have been generally unsuccessful. (3) If an immunological etiology can be ruled out, aspirin must induce its effects by a direct action on effector organs. (4) Acetylsalicylic acid can inhibit at least one mediator-induced reflex, i.e., the kinin-induced vasodilatation in the skin of man and the kinin-induced bronchoconstriction of the guinea pig. (5) Patients who have an intolerance to aspirin have a comparable intolerance to other minor analgesics, e.g., pyrazolones and indomethacin. Reactions to these structurally dissimilar compounds occur after first administration. It appears reasonable to assume that they exert their effect on the same receptors. (6) It is proposed that aspirin produces characteristic symptoms in aspirin-sensitive patients by activating peripheral chemoreceptors which have been altered by a pre-existing disease. (7) A possible mechanism by which peripheral chemoreceptors might participate in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma has been outlined and reviewed in the light of what is known about reflexes which control the vascular bed of the skin and the functional state of the respiratory mucous membranes.
An analysis of epipubic bone function in mammals using scaling theory

Linear dimensions of epipubic bones in 61 species of metatherians and monotremes scale to mass differently in groups with or without marsupia, presumably reflecting emphasis on different but non-mutually exclusive functions. Sexual dimorphism of epipubic form exists. However, the allometric relationships of the epipubic bones of taxa that possess marsupia do not conform to the hypothesis that epipubic bones support the marsupium nearly as well as those without a marsupium. This observation renders a new hypothesis relating litter mass to epipubic form in taxa without marsupia. It appears that support of the marsupium is not the primary function or, at least, not the most proximate determinate of epipubic form in taxa with marsupia. The scaling of epipubic bone dimensions is consistent with the hypothesis that predicts epipubic bones serve to assist in locomotion by acting with the hypaxial muscles of the trunk and pectineus to protract the pelvic limbs. Epipubic length is shown to scale to maintain a mechanical advantage between these opposing muscle groups that approximates the rate that inertia of the hind limbs increases with total mass and speed of locomotion. This hypothesis provides an explanation for a skeletal element scaling significantly above geometric similarity. This observation has important theoretical significance as it suggests that skeletal architecture may, within limits, scale independently of mass-related stress.
Step Function Representation of Solid Models and Application to Mesh Free Engineering Analysis

Numerical methods for solving boundary value problems that do not require generation of mesh to approximate the analysis domain have been referred to as mesh-free methods. While many of these are "mesh less" methods that do not have connectivity between nodes, a subset of these methods uses a structured mesh or grid for the analysis that does not conform to the geometry of the domain of analysis. Instead the geometry is represented using implicit equations. In this paper we present a method for constructing step functions of solids whose boundaries are represented using implicit equations. Step functions can be used to compute volume integrals over the solid that are needed for mesh free analysis. The step function of the solid has a unit value within the solid and zero outside. A level set of this step function can then be defined as the boundary of the solid. Boolean operators are defined in this paper that enable step functions of half-spaces and primitives to be combined to construct a single step function for more complex solids. Application of step functions to analysis using nonconforming mesh is illustrated.