cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlation of LET With MRI Changes in Brain and Potential Implications for Normal Tissue Complication Probability for Patients With Meningioma Treated With Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy.

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the correlation between imaging changes in brain normal tissue and the spatial distribution of linear energy transfer (LET) for a cohort of patients with meningioma treated with scanned proton beams. Then, assuming imaging changes are induced by cell lethality, we studied the correlation between normal tissue complication probability and LET. Methods and Materials Magnetic resonance imaging T2/fluid attenuated inversion recovery acquired at different intervals after proton radiation were coregistered with the planning computed tomography (CT) images from 26 patients with meningioma with abnormalities after proton radiation therapy. For this purpose, the T2/fluid attenuated inversion recovery areas not on the original magnetic resonance images were contoured, and the LET values for each voxel in the patient geometry were calculated to investigate the correlation between the position of imaging changes and the LET at those positions. To separate the effect of the dose as the inductor of these changes, we compared the LET in these areas with a sample of voxels matching the dose distributions across the image change areas. Patients with a higher LET in image change areas were grouped to verify whether they shared common characteristics. Results Eleven of the patients showed higher dose-averaged LET (LETd) in imaging change regions than in the group of voxels with the same dose. This group of patients had significantly shallower targets for their treatment than the other 15 and used fewer beams and angles. Conclusions This study points toward the possibility that areas with imaging change are more likely to occur in regions with high dose or in areas with lower dose but increased LETd. The effect of LETd on imaging changes seems to be more relevant when treating superficial lesions with few nonopposed beams. However, most patients did not show a spatial correlation between their image changes and the LETd values, limiting the cases for the possible role of high LET as a toxicity inductor.
Derivatives on TV: A Tale of Two Derivatives Debacles in Prime-Time

This essay discusses two recent episodes in the financial derivatives industry and the television coverage of those episodes. Our discussion focuses on (1) the 1994 bankruptcy of Orange County and the 60 Minutes television program describing that county's derivatives losses and (2) the 1998 near-collapse of Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) and the PBS NOVA program describing that hedge funds' losses. Orange County and LTCM appear at opposite ends of the spectrum of recent derivatives losses. Orange County's Treasury was a one-man show, and its now-infamous treasurer, Robert L. Citron, was a seventy-year-old college dropout. In contrast, LTCM was a slick, sophisticated hedge fund, led by John Meriwether, whose principals included two Nobel laureates and several "rocket scientists" recruited from the investment bank Salomon Brothers. Notwithstanding these differences, Orange County and LTCM had two things in common: each lost more than a billion dollars on derivatives and each shrouded the details of its operations in secrecy. Coverage of LTCM was more accurate than coverage of Orange County. We discuss possible reasons for the difference and make some recommendations about how television programs could depict the derivatives markets more accurately, an important issue given the substantial number of policymakers who learn about derivatives through television. We conclude that television, when done properly, is more than capable of keeping pace with derivatives markets.
Split accumulator with phase modulation for high speed low power direct digital synthesizers

A new split accumulator architecture to be used in direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDS) systems is presented in this paper. This new design takes into consideration that only part of the accumulator output is used to address the sine wave mapping. The most significant bits of the accumulator drive the mapping block and need to be updated on every sampling clock, while the least significant bits are not visible to the rest of the design and can be updated less frequently. Also the phase modulation adder is moved to the front of the accumulator. Benefits of the proposed architecture are fewer constraints in implementation, reduced power consumption of 40% (estimation) compared to standard approaches, and less area with no degradation in terms of spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) performance.
Aesthetic restrictions and the use of solar devices

Legal impediments to the use of solar devices because of restrictions intendedd to promote an aesthetically pleasing environment are discussed. Prohibitions arising by private agreement and a review of existing remedies suggest a need for a legislative solution. The role of zoning regulation and the difficulties encountered in circumventing specific restrictions are also discussed. Recently enacted and proposed state legislation relating to the controversy are presented. (DC)
Biomechanical analysis of cervicothoracic junction osteotomy in cadaveric model of ankylosing spondylitis: effect of rod material and diameter.

Object. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a genetic condition that frequently results in spinal sagittal plane de­ formity of thoracolumbar or cervicothoracic junctions. Generally, a combination of osteotomy and spinal fixation is used to treat severe cases. Although surgical techniques for traumatic injury across the cervicothoracic junction have been well characterized in clinical and biomechanical literature, the specific model of instrumented opening wedge osteotomy in autofused AS has not been studied biomechanically. This study characterizes the structural stability of various posterior fixation techniques across the cervicothoracic junction in spines with AS, specifically considering the effects of posterior rod diameter and material type. Methods. For each of 10 fresh­frozen human spines (3 male, 7 female; mean age 60 ± 10 years; C3–T6), an open­ ing wedge osteotomy was performed at C7–T1. Lateral mass screws were inserted bilaterally from C-4 to C-6 and pedicle screws from T-1 to T-3. For each specimen, 3.2-mm titanium (Ti), 3.5-mm Ti, and 3.5-mm cobalt chromium (CoCr) posterior spinal fusion rods were tested. To simulate the anterior autofusion and long lever arms characteristic of AS, anterior cervical plates were placed from C-4 to C-7 and T-1 to T-3 using fixed angle screws. Nondestructive flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation tests were conducted to 3.0 Nm in each anatomical direction; 3D motion tracking was used to monitor primary range of motion across the osteotomy (C7–T1). Biomechanical tests used a repeat-measures test design. The order of testing for each rod type was randomized across specimens. Results. Constructs instrumented with 3.5-mm Ti and 3.5-mm CoCr rods were significantly stiffer in flexion-ex­ tension than those with the 3.2-mm Ti rod (25.2% ± 16.4% and 48.1% ± 15.3% greater than 3.2-mm Ti, respectively, p 0.05). The 3.5-mm CoCr rod constructs showed significantly higher rigidity in flexion-extension than the 3.5-mm Ti rod constructs (33.1% ± 15.5%, p 0.05). Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that 3.5-mm CoCr rods are optimal for achieving the most rigid construct in opening wedge osteotomy in the cervicothoracic region of an AS model. Rod diameter and material properties should be considered in construct strategy. Some surgeons have advocated anterior plating in patients with AS after osteotomy for additional stability and bone graft surface. Although this effect was not examined in this study, additional posterior stability achieved with CoCr may decrease the need for additional anterior procedures. (DOI: 10.3171/2010.10.SPINE1059)
Improving the performance of inconsistent knowledge bases via combined optimization method

Abstract One of the important issues when designing effective expert systems is the validation and refinement of the acquired knowledge bases. The validation and refinement problem becomes more important and more difficult when the knowledge bases of expert systems consist of uncertain rules, e.g., probabilistic rules. In this paper, we first describe one type of inconsistency of knowledge bases called sociopathicity and summarize some results. We then develop the Combined Optimization Method to debug inconsistent knowledge bases. This method utilizes the static and dynamic information of the rules. Our experiments show that the debugged knowledge bases by the method significantly improve the system performance on the validation sets as well as on the training sets. The experimental results also empirically verify the manifestation of the sociopathic interactions among the rules and the improbability of locally debugging this type of inconsistent knowledge bases.
Education and Occupational Sex Segregation: The Decision to Major in Engineeringxs

Occupational sex segregation is estimated to account for a substantial portion of the sex gap in pay for full-time, year-round workers (England 1992). Although women's representation in many former...
Conceptual Perspectives and the Formal Curriculum

This chapter is intended to inform the work of educators for the professions and focuses on the formal curriculum and conceptual perspectives, particularly as they relate to those components of professional education that occur in the practice settings of the workplace. The author presents a definition of the concept of curriculum; discusses the rationale for the pervasive attention to learning in the practice settings of the workplace within professions education curricula, typically very early in the preservice curriculum; and discusses the implications for learning in the workplace of three predominant traditions of scholarship and practice in curriculum studies – the systems, deliberative curriculum inquiry, and “reconceptualist” approaches.
Does knowledge of probabilistic pronunciation patterns aid perception

Words which are probable in their morphological paradigms tend to have lengthened affixes (Cohen, 2014; Kuperman et al., 2007). Here, we ask whether listeners use the pattern to aid perception. If so, paradigmatically probable words with lengthened affixes should be perceived more quickly than similarly lengthened improbable words. In two experiments (Experiment 1: phoneme monitoring; Experiment 2: lexical decision), we measured listeners’ reaction time (RT) to 50 English verbs with [-s] suffixes (e.g., looks, breaks). Each suffix was adjusted in duration to either a normalized proportion of stem duration, shortened by 25% of the normalized duration, or lengthened by 25%. In Experiment 2, paradigmatic probability did not affect RT, but short words had slower RTs than normalized or lengthened words, suggesting that generally reduced suffix duration impedes perception. In Experiment 1, RT decreased with increased probability for the long condition, but not for the normalized condition. This suggests that a ...
The clinical and histopathologic spectrums of urticarial vasculitis: Study of forty cases

Urticarial skin lesions may occur in patients as a manifestation of necrotizing vasculitis. We describe a series of forty patients with idiopathic chronic urticaria and histologic features of necrotizing vasculitis. On the basis of clinical evaluation, we have classified urticarial vasculitis into two major groups: (1) hypocomplementemic (sixteen patients, ten of whom had evidence of renal disease) and (2) normocomplementemic (twelve patients with systemic disease and twelve with only cutaneous involvement). Most patients with hypocomplementemic presented with arthritis, and some had abdominal pain or airway compromise. Although patients with normocomplementemia and systemic disease had a less severe clinical course, four exhibited renal disease that was characterized by microhematuria and proteinuria. Direct immunolluorescence microscopy of the skin aids in assessing renal involvement in some cases of hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis, particularly when IgG and IgM are deposited at the basement membrane. There seems to be a spectrum of disease in urticarial vasculitis, ranging from benign cutaneous lesions to systemic disease.
Salinity reduces water use and nitrate-N-use efficiency of citrus

Abstract Five-month-old Cleopatra mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) (CM) and Volkamer lemon (Citrus volkameriana Ten. and Pasq.) (VL) seedlings were grown in a glasshouse in 2·3-1 pots of Candler fine sand. Plants were irrigated with either non-saline (ECe = 0·23 dS m-1) or saline (6·13 dS m-1) water using 3:1 NaCl:CaCl2 solution over a 4-week period. A single application of K15NO3 (19·64 atom % excess 15N) at 212 mg N1-1, was substituted for a normal weekly fertilization after 3 weeks and plants were harvested 7 d later. The transpiration rate, uptake of nitrogen, growth and nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) on a dry weight basis (mg d. wt mg-1 N) of both species was reduced by salinity. Based on growth, water-use and chloride (Cl) accumulation in leaves, VL was more salt-sensitive than CM, but 15N uptake was equally reduced by salinity in both species. Salinity reduced 15N uptake relatively more than shoot growth over the 7-d period, such that the 15NUE (mg d. wt μg-115N) of new shoot growth of both species increased. There was no evidence of Cl antagonism of nitrate (NO3) uptake but total plant 15NO3 uptake was positively correlated with whole plant transpiration in both species. Thus, it appears that reductions in NO3 uptake are more strongly related to reduced water use than to Cl antagonism from salt stress.
Social modulation of pituitary-adrenal responsiveness and individual differences in behavior of young domestic goats

Abstract The effects of three variables known to influence pituitary-adrenal activity were examined in kid goats who were accompanied by adult goats in standard goat-human encounters. Serum corticosteroid concentrations in bold kids who characteristically spent above average amounts of time closely interacting with the person were never significantly different from control values. Corticosteroids in timid kids who spent little time near the person depended on the adult goat's behavior toward the person and the nature of the social relationship between the kid and the adult goat. When timid kids were accompanied by adult goats (familiar pen-mates or strangers) who behaved as if they were fearful of the person, their corticosteroids were signigicantly greater than control values. In contrast, bold pen-mates or bold strangers effectively reduced pituitary-adrenal responsiveness in timid kids. Only mothers unconditionally reduced kid pituitary-adrenal responsiveness and systematically affected kid behavior toward the person. The functioning of behavioral and pituitary-adrenal systems in young goats was influenced by consistent individual differences in responsiveness and the differing capacities of social companions to modulate this responsivity.
Advantages of ultrasound-guided peripherally inserted venous access (PICC and midline catheters) in critically ill patients.

In the critically ill, a reliable peripheral or central venous access is of paramount importance. Nonetheless, access may be difficult or may carry a significant risk of complications (pneumothorax, central line infection, etc.). Peripherally inserted venous catheters – either central (PICC) or peripheral (midline catheters (MC)) – are associated with a low risk of catheter-related bacteremia; also, using the ultrasound guidance and the microintroducer technique (UG + MIT), they can be inserted in any patient, regardless of the availability of superficial veins. We have reviewed our experience of 56 peripherally inserted catheters in 53 patients in different ICUs (surgical ICU, trauma unit, coronary unit, neurosurgical ICU, stroke unit, pediatric ICU, etc.); all catheters were positioned at the mid-arm, in the basilic vein or in the brachial veins, using UG + MIT. We assessed the feasibility of this technique in the acutely ill and the rate of complications.
Nuclear Pharmacy and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)

The challenges and opportunities involved in the emergence and regulation of pharmaceutical specialties are discussed in relationship to the historical and current developments regarding nuclear pharmacy. The issues of the state board of pharmacy v federal regulation of the practice of pharmacy, drug use control in institutions, and education and training of specialists are explored. The interaction of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) with professional nuclear pharmacy groups in addressing these issues is described.This is a US government work. There are no restrictions on its use.
Vitamin E suppresses telomerase activity in ovarian cancer cells.

Abstract Background : Dietary factors influence tumor formation and progression. Vitamin E is a dietary anti-oxidant capable of eliminating free radical damage, inducing apoptosis and decreasing oncogene expression. Therefore, Vitamin E may be a strong candidate for cancer prevention and/or chemotherapeutic intervention. Since telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein uniquely expressed in over 95% of cancers, plays an important role in cellular immortalization, cell growth and tumor progression, the present study investigated the effects of Vitamin E on telomerase activity in human ovarian cancer. Methods : Normal and malignant ovarian surface epithelial (OSE) cells were cultured with and without d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E). MTS and Western immunoblot assays were used to examine the effect of Vitamin E on cell growth, survival and cytotoxicity. PCR-ELISA, RT-PCR and luciferase reporter assays were performed to determine the effect of Vitamin E on telomerase activity. Results : Vitamin E suppressed endogenous telomerase activity in ovarian cancer cells, but had no similar effects in telomerase-negative normal OSE cells. Vitamin E also reduced hTERT-mRNA transcript levels and reduced hTERT promoter activity maximally targeting the −976 to −578bp promoter regions. In addition, Vitamin E improved cisplatin-mediated cytotoxicity as evidenced by reduced cancer cell growth and increased cleaved caspase 3 activity. In contrast, Vitamin E protected telomerase-negative OSE cells from cisplatin-mediated cytotoxicity as evidenced by decreased cleaved caspase 3 activity. Conclusion : Our data suggest that, by suppressing telomerase activity, Vitamin E may be an important protective agent against ovarian cancer cell growth as well as a potentially effective therapeutic adjuvant.
Characterization of tumor progression in engineered tissue using infrared spectroscopic imaging

Engineered tissues can provide models for imaging and disease progression and the use of such models is becoming increasingly prevalent. While structural characterization of these systems is documented, a combination of biochemical and structural knowledge is often helpful. Here, we apply Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic imaging to examine an engineered tissue model of melanoma. We first characterize the biochemical properties and spectral changes in different layers of growing skin. Second, we introduce malignant melanocytes to simulate tumor formation and growth. Both cellular changes associated with tumor formation and growth can be observed. In particular, chemical changes associated with tumor-stromal interactions are observed during the course of tumor growth and appear to influence a 50–100 μm region. The development of this analytical approach combining engineered tissue with spectroscopy, imaging and computation will allow for quality control and standardization in tissue engineering and novel scientific insight in cancer progression.
Minimum principles in electromagnetic scattering by small aspherical particles

Abstract We consider the question of optimal shapes, e.g., those causing minimal extinction among all shapes of equal volume. Guided by the isoperimetric property of a sphere, relevant in the geometrical optics limit of scattering by large particles, we examine an analogous question in the low frequency approximation, seeking to disentangle electric and geometric contributions. To that end, we survey the literature on shape functionals and focus on ellipsoids, giving a simple discussion of spherical optimality for the coated ellipsoidal particle. Monotonic increase with asphericity in the low frequency regime for orientation-averaged induced dipole moments and scattering cross-sections is also shown. Additional physical insight is obtained from the Rayleigh–Gans (transparent) limit and eccentricity expansions. We propose connecting low and high frequency regimes in a single minimum principle valid for all size parameters, provided that reasonable size distributions of randomly oriented aspherical particles wash out the resonances for intermediate size parameters. This proposal is further supported by the sum rule for integrated extinction.
JAM-boree: An application of observation oriented modelling to judgements of associative memory

Null hypothesis significance testing is criticised for emphatically focusing on using the appropriate statistic for the data and an overwhelming concern with low p-values. Here, we present a new technique, Observation Oriented Modeling (OOM), as an alternative to traditional techniques in the social sciences. Ten experiments on judgements of associative memory (JAM) were analysed with OOM to show data analysis procedures and the consistency of JAM results across several types of experimental manipulations. In a typical JAM task, participants are asked to rate the frequency of word pairings, such as LOST-FOUND, and are then compared to actual normed associative frequencies to measure how accurately participants can judge word pairs. Three types of JAM tasks are outlined (traditional, paired, and instructional manipulations) to demonstrate how modelling complex hypotheses can be applied through OOM to this type of data that would be conventionally analysed with null hypothesis significance testing.
Surface topography changes in aluminum alloy sheet during large plastic straining under cyclic pure bending

Abstract This study consists of the experimental assessment of the surface topography of aluminum alloy AA 6022 sheet during large cyclic tensile and compressive plastic straining such as those present in the flow through drawbeads and small corner radii. Uniaxial and cyclic bending tests were used to measure the effects of such strains on the substrate layers of the sheet. All testing was performed without tool contact to ensure surface roughness changes were exclusively the result of the straining evolution of the free outer layers. The three-dimensional average surface roughness ( S a ) was measured using optical interferometry. Changes in S a were evaluated for two sheet textures: mill finish (MF) and electro discharge texture (EDT), along longitudinal and transverse rolling directions. Texture pattern, test direction, and bending/unbending strain are all shown to be significant contributors to variations in S a . The magnitude of the initial surface roughness was also an important factor of the resultant % S a variation, ranging from 40% Δ S a for EDT, to approximately 350% Δ S a for MF. Unbending the sample to its flat state considerably altered the S a , disturbing any monotonic S a trend. This made it unfeasible to assess the effects of strain history on a formed part based only on S a values. The non-linear relationship between S a and strain was more significant at medium and large strains. Effects on S a due to bending/unbending of the substrate layer presented in this study must be taken into account in the modeling of more complex phenomena involving tool radii contact and friction.
Parent identification and gender schema development

The strength of gender schematic development in college students was examined for different patterns of primary parent identification. Gender schema has been defined as a cognitive structure that influences the extent to which a person perceives the world in gender-related terms and how he or she processes gender-relevant information. Salience of the gender schema was greater for both female and male students who identified with their father than for students who identified with their mother. Explanation of these results was based upon the assumption that middle-class women in the United States are less concerned about stereotypic sex role differences and tend not to reinforce these values in their children when they are in a position to do so.
The dynamics of single-substrate continuous cultures: The role of ribosomes

Abstract When a chemostat is perturbed from its steady state, it displays complex dynamics. For instance, if the identity of the growth-limiting substrate is switched abruptly, the substrate concentration and cell density undergo a pronounced excursion from the steady state that can last several days. These dynamics occur because certain physiological variables respond slowly. In the literature, several physiological variables have been postulated as potential sources of the slow response. These include transport enzymes, biosynthetic enzymes, and ribosomes. We have been addressing this problem by systematically exploring the role of these variables. In previous work Shoemaker et al. (J. Theor. Biol., 222 (2003) 307–322), we studied the role of transport enzymes, and we showed that transients starting from low transport enzyme levels could be quantitatively captured by a model taking due account of transport enzyme synthesis. However, there is some experimental data indicating that slow responses occur even if the initial enzyme levels are high. Here, we analyse this data to show that in these cases, the sluggish response is most probably due to slow adjustment of the ribosome levels. To test this hypothesis, we extend our previous model by accounting for the evolution of both the transport enzyme and the ribosomes. Based on a kinetic analysis of the data in the literature, we assume that the specific protein synthesis rate is proportional to the ribosome level, and the specific ribosome synthesis rate is autocatalytic. Simulations of the model show remarkable agreement with experimentally observed steady states and the transients. Specifically, the model predictions are in good agreement with (1) the steady-state profiles of the cell density, substrate concentration, RNA, proteins, and transport enzymes, (2) the instantaneous specific substrate uptake, growth, and respiration rates in response to a continuous-to-batch shift, and (3) the transient profiles of the cell density, substrate concentration, and RNA in response to feed switches and dilution rate shifts. Time-scale analysis of the model reveals that every transient response is a combination of two fundamental (and simpler) dynamics, namely, substrate-sufficient batch dynamics and cell-sufficient fed-batch dynamics. We obtain further insight into the transient response by analysing the equations describing these fundamental dynamics. The analysis reveals that in feed switches or dilution rate shift-ups, the transport enzyme reaches a maximum before RNA achieves its maximum, and in dilution rate shift-downs the cell density reaches a maximum before RNA achieves a minimum.
Lie group integrators for animation and control of vehicles

This article is concerned with the animation and control of vehicles with complex dynamics such as helicopters, boats, and cars. Motivated by recent developments in discrete geometric mechanics, we develop a general framework for integrating the dynamics of holonomic and nonholonomic vehicles by preserving their state-space geometry and motion invariants. We demonstrate that the resulting integration schemes are superior to standard methods in numerical robustness and efficiency, and can be applied to many types of vehicles. In addition, we show how to use this framework in an optimal control setting to automatically compute accurate and realistic motions for arbitrary user-specified constraints.
Angular distributions of fast protons in ionizing collisions with He, D2 and Ne targets

Abstract Angular distributions of fast protons from singly and multiply ionizing collisions with He, D 2 and Ne targets have been measured for scattering angles between 0.1 and 0.9 mrad. For the light targets, the single lonization scatterings are dominated by hard collisions with quasi-free electrons in the target. The double- to single-ionization ratio is nearly bombarding-energy and angle independent, suggesting a shakeoff-like process for double ionization. The experimental ratio is smaller than that found for photoionization at high photoelectron energy. This difference can be partly attributed to the different momentum transfers to the recoil in the two cases. For the Ne target, a simple model suggests that scattering from quasi-free electrons remains important, while multiple ionization is dominated by K shell ionization which masks the shakeoff contribution.
A generalized battery model of a collection of Thermostatically Controlled Loads for providing ancillary service

The thermal storage potential of Thermostatically Controlled Loads (TCLs) is a tremendous flexible resource for providing various ancillary services to the grid. In this work, we study aggregate modeling, characterization, and control of TCLs for frequency regulation service provision. We propose a generalized battery model for aggregating flexibility of a collection of TCLs. A theoretical characterization of the aggregate power limits and energy capacity of TCLs is provided. Moreover, we propose a priority-stack-based control strategy to manipulate the power consumption of TCLs for frequency regulation, while preventing short cycling on the units. Numerical experiments are provided to show the accuracy of the proposed model and the efficacy of the developed control method.
Propagation of large concentration changes in reversible protein-binding networks

We study how the dynamic equilibrium of the reversible protein-protein-binding network in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae responds to large changes in abundances of individual proteins. The magnitude of shifts between free and bound concentrations of their immediate and more distant neighbors in the network is influenced by such factors as the network topology, the distribution of protein concentrations among its nodes, and the average binding strength. Our primary conclusion is that, on average, the effects of a perturbation are strongly localized and exponentially decay with the network distance away from the perturbed node, which explains why, despite globally connected topology, individual functional modules in such networks are able to operate fairly independently. We also found that under specific favorable conditions, realized in a significant number of paths in the yeast network, concentration perturbations can selectively propagate over considerable network distances (up to four steps). Such "action-at-a-distance" requires high concentrations of heterodimers along the path as well as low free (unbound) concentration of intermediate proteins.
Gap junctions in the myometrium of hypophysectomized estrogen-treated rats

Gap junctions, which appear in the myometrium at parturition, are believed to permit the flow of ions between smooth muscle-cell interiors thereby facilitating coordinated contractions. Gap junctions are not observed in thin-sectioned myometrium of immature hypophysectomized rats. Following estrogen administration, numerous gap junctions are present suggesting that this hormone is capable of promoting electrotonic coupling in uterine smooth muscle.
Antibody Response of Swine to Repeated Vaccination with Formalin-Inactivated, Purified Swine Influenza Virus.∗

SummaryThe antibody response of swine to second vaccination with formalin-inactivated swine influenza virus was greatly influenced by the period between vaccinations. Second vaccination at intervals of one to four weeks resulted in antibody titers and amounts progressively greater in direct relation to the length of the interval. In parallel higher antibody levels were maintained for longer periods in those animals receiving the second vaccination after the longer intervals. Considering the height of titer after the second vaccination, together with the rapid loss of antibody after the first injection, the interval between vaccinations optimum for maintenance of the highest antibody levels appeared to be about three weeks.
USING FECAL GLUCOCORTICOIDS FOR STRESS ASSESSMENT IN MOURNING DOVES

Abstract Fecal glucocorticoid assays provide a potentially useful, noninvasive means to study physiological responses of wildlife to various stressors. The objective of our study was to validate a method for measuring glucocorticoid metabolites in Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) feces. We validated the assay using standard procedures (e.g., parallelism, recovery of exogenous corticosterone) to demonstrate that the assay accurately and precisely measured glucocorticoid metabolites in Mourning Dove fecal extracts. We conducted adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) challenge experiments to validate the assay's ability to determine biologically important changes in fecal glucocorticoids. Fecal glucocorticoid levels increased significantly approximately 2–3 hr after administration of ACTH at 50 IU per kg body mass to wild Mourning Doves held in captivity. In contrast, fecal glucocorticoid metabolites did not increase in control birds, birds that received saline injections, or a lower dose of ACTH (1 IU per kg body mass)...
The dynamics of phase changes in molecular clusters

The significant advantages offered by systems of molecular clusters in the study of homogeneous nucleation are discussed. Determinations of nucleation rates in clusters can be followed experimentally in supersonic jets or computationally in molecular dynamics simulations. Extraordinarily high rates may be encountered, both in freezing and in solid-state transitions. From such information can be inferred the interfacial free energies, σsl and σSS, mechanisms of solid-state transitions. and an explanation of why certain crystalline phases not found in bulk systems can be seen in large molecular clusters.
Cardiac spouses' help-seeking experiences.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of help seeking by spouses of cardiac rehabilitation patients by eliciting their verbal description of the experience. A phenomenological approach was used to collect data that consisted of individual interviews and focus group interviews. The exhaustive description of the phenomenon of help seeking described how the spouses' views of the illness affected initiation of help seeking. Spouses' stories revealed three time periods when spouses needed help: diagnosis, a time of uncertainty and loss of control, hospitalization, a time of information seeking and vigilance; and homecoming, a time of active help seeking because control is regained. To manage the uncertainty, spouses sought meaningful information to contend with difficulties. Spouses told of the individuals who assisted most, of barriers to seeking help, and availability of resources for support. This study increases health care providers' understanding of spouses' experiences, which may f...
Comparison of UML and text based requirements engineering

There appears to be a real dichotomy in the use of the UML vs. text based Use Case development for requirements elicitation and documentation, that is, on those projects where use cases are work products. Not only are there different processes in place for text and graphical use case modeling, but also there are a variety of approaches and philosophies in each camp. This paper will discuss the prose vs. graphical approaches to requirements elicitation, observed advantages and disadvantages of each, and suggest best practices for improving and/or creating effective processes for requirements elicitation.
Stable implementation of the rigorous coupled-wave analysis for surface-relief gratings: enhanced transmittance matrix approach

An enhanced, numerically stable transmittance matrix approach is developed and is applied to the implementation of the rigorous coupled-wave analysis for surface-relief and multilevel gratings. The enhanced approach is shown to produce numerically stable results for excessively deep multilevel surface-relief dielectric gratings. The nature of the numerical instability for the classic transmission matrix approach in the presence of evanescent fields is determined. The finite precision of the numerical representation on digital computers results in insufficient accuracy in numerically representing the elements produced by inverting an ill-conditioned transmission matrix. These inaccuracies will result in numerical instability in the calculations for successive field matching between the layers. The new technique that we present anticipates and preempts these potential numerical problems. In addition to the full-solution approach whereby all the reflected and the transmitted amplitudes are calculated, a simpler, more efficient formulation is proposed for cases in which only the reflected amplitudes (or the transmitted amplitudes) are required. Incorporating this enhanced approach into the implementation of the rigorous coupled-wave analysis, we obtain numerically stable and convergent results for excessively deep (50 wavelengths), 16-level, asymmetric binary gratings. Calculated results are presented for both TE and TM polarization and for conical diffraction.
A Tribal and Generic Revision of the Nearctic Lasiopteridi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Relationships of the Lasiopteridi are discussed and the supertribe is divided into 3 tribes, the Lasiopterini, the Alycaulini, and the Trotteriini. The 2nd tribe is found to be strictly New World in distribution. The 13 Nearctic genera, including Hybolasioptera Rubsaamen , here recorded for the first time from North America, and 5 new genera, ASTICTONEURA, CALAMOMYIA, CHILOPHAGA, EDESTOCHILUS, and EDESTOSPERMA, are described and illustrated, and a key is provided for their identification. New morphological criteria, such as the shape and chaetotaxy of the adult abdominal terga and sterna, are used and greatly facilitate discrimination of genera and elucidate relationships. The Nearctic species of 8 genera are described or redescribed, but those of 5 genera, the larger ones which will require more collecting, are listed only. Two new species, Hybolasioptera elymi and Edestosperma aristidae , are described, new specific synonymy is established, and many new combinations are proposed.
Biotransformation of Resveratrol to Piceid by Bacillus Cereus

Microbial transformation of resveratrol (1), trans-3,4‘,5-trihydroxystilbene, was studied. Preparative scale biotransformation of 1 with whole-cell suspensions of Bacillus cereus UI 1477 resulted in the production of metabolite 2 which was identical in all respects to an authentic sample of piceid, resveratrol 3-O-β-d-glucoside.
Comparative Advantage, Exchange Rates, And Sectoral Trade Balances Of Major Industrial Countries

This paper uses a Ricardian framework to clarify the role of microeconomic and macroeconomic factors governing the time-series and cross-sectional behavior of sectoral trade balances. Unit labor costs and trade balances are calculated for several sectors for the seven major industrial countries. The time-series and cross-sectional variation in sectoral unit labor costs is decomposed into relative productivity, wage differentials, and exchange rate variations. The main findings are that changes over time in sectoral trade balances, especially for the United States and Japan, are quite well explained by the evolution of unit labor cost, suggesting that trade patterns conform to comparative advantage. The cross-sectional results are, however, less conclusive.
From the bench to the ‘crib’‐side: implications of scientific advances to paediatric neurogastroenterology and motility

Paediatric gastrointestinal motility disorders may present in the neonatal period as the result of a congenital insult that occurred during embryonic development or as a manifestation of an abnormal genetic background. Functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders may also be acquired and present during childhood as the first presentation of a condition that can persist or re-occur throughout adolescence and adulthood. These disorders can have a significant psychological and financial impact on the lives of the affected children and their families. Recently, enteric neuroscience research has advanced the understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of uncommon congenital or developmental gastrointestinal motility disorders such as Hirschsprung disease and chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction. In addition, research has contributed to improvements in the understanding of more prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorders in children, such as chronic constipation and functional abdominal pain syndromes. The purpose of this review is to highlight these advances with particular regard to the clinical impact they have in the understanding and management of disorders in the field of paediatric neurogastroenterology and motility.
Uptake and elimination of ionizable organic chemicals at fish gills: I. Model formulation, parameterization, and behavior

A mechanistic model for the uptake and elimination of ionizable organic chemicals at fish gills is presented. This model is a modification of a previous model for nonionizable organic chemicals that addressed the transport of chemical to and from gill surfaces in water and blood, diffusion of chemical across epithelial cells, and binding of chemical to components in water and blood. For ionizable chemicals, three additional processes are included. First, excretory products alter the pH at gill surfaces, affecting the relative amounts of neutral and ionized molecules compared with that in the bulk exposure water. Second, ionized molecules support chemical flux to and from epithelial cell membranes and help maintain high diffusion gradients of neutral molecules across these membranes, thereby contributing to uptake and elimination even if the membranes are impermeable to ionized molecules. Third, membrane barriers are not completely impermeable to ionized molecules, and even limited permeability can have appreciable effects on chemical flux. Approaches for model parameterization are discussed. Model-predicted relationships of uptake and elimination rates to exposure water pH, alkalinity, and chemical properties are presented and discussed in terms of model processes. The model is shown to predict important features of reported effects of pH on uptake rates of weak organic acids.
Retrieval of the single scattering albedo in the El Paso-Juarez Airshed using the TUV model and a UV-MFRSR radiometer

Abstract A methodology to retrieve Single Scattering Albedo (SSA) values employing the ratio of Direct to Diffuse Irradiances (DDR) is used and applied to the El Paso-Juarez Airshed, a challenging region where air masses interact. The TUV model was used to obtain the calculated DDR irradiances, and the experimental irradiances were obtained from a UV-MFRSR instrument located in the city of El Paso, Texas. The wavelengths used were 332 nm and 368 nm. The retrieved SSA values at both 332 nm and 368 nm were higher in a lightly polluted day (0.66–0.81 at 332 nm, and 0.61 to 0.80 at 368 nm) than in a heavier polluted day (0.56–0.70 at 332 nm and 0.53–0.66 at 368 nm). A sensitivity study of the ground albedo and the asymmetry parameter was performed, which indicated that the variation of the asymmetry parameter is a secondary effect in the retrievals of SSA. In addition, the variation of SSA values during the day was also analyzed for the El Paso-Juarez Airshed and linked to the flow of air masses into the region using HYSPLIT trajectories. A presence of absorptive aerosols was observed during the late morning and the middle of the day. This methodology can be applied in any area, and is particularly useful for cities that experience episodes of high PM concentrations.
Initial postbuckling behavior of shear deformable symmetrically laminated beams

Abstract Results for the initial postbuckling behavior of laminated beams are presented. Shear deformation effects are incorporated by relaxing certain assumptions of thin beam/plate theory. The analysis used is in the spirit of Koiter [Doctoral thesis, Delft, Amsterdam, English translation AFFDL-TR-70-25, (1970)], who developed asymptotic expressions for the potential energy in the neighborhood of the critical load in terms of a small parameter, which was identified as the amplitude of the buckling mode. The method adopted in the present paper is to use asymptotic expansion considerations to differential equations obtained via the principle of stationary potential energy. The effect of boundary conditions on the initial postbuckling response is studied by considering the two extreme cases of pinned-pinned and fully clamped boundary supports. An extensive parametric study is conducted to study the effects of mechanical properties, emerging as suitable non-dimensional groups from the derivation of the governing equations, on the initial postbuckling response. Finally, the effect of shape imperfections on the response of the beam is studied for certain example configurations that exhibit a limit load type of behavior.
PDF equations for advective-reactive transport in heterogeneous porous media with uncertain properties.

Abstract We consider advective–reactive solute transport in porous media whose hydraulic and transport properties are uncertain. These properties are treated as random fields, which renders nonlinear advection–reaction transport equations stochastic. We derive a deterministic equation for the probability density function (PDF) of the concentration of a solute that undergoes heterogeneous reactions, e.g., precipitation or dissolution. The derivation treats exactly (without linearization) a reactive term in the transport equation which accounts for uncertainty (randomness) in both flow velocity and kinetic rate constants but requires a closure, such as a Large-Eddy-Diffusivity (LED) approximation used in the present analysis. No closure is required when reaction rates are the only source of uncertainty. We use exact concentration PDFs obtained for this setting to analyze the accuracy of our general, LED-based PDF equations.
Poly-L-lactic acid: a perspective from my practice

Lipoatrophic sagging in the periorbital and cheek areas is a characteristic feature of the aging face. Soft tissue regeneration in these areas using a volumizer such as poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) can help reduce the impact of these features. PLLA generates semipermanent correction, lasting for 2 years, and is a resorbable biocompatible device with a history of successful use in many clinical applications. This practice has administered many treatments of PLLA over the past 2 years with excellent results and with minimal complications. Minimization of adverse events and optimal cosmetic results are achieved when PLLA is diluted appropriately, injected in the proper plane and with posttreatment massage. The physician can fine-tune tissue volume correction with PLLA by spacing treatment sessions at least 4 to 6 weeks apart. Although approved for the correction of facial lipoatrophy in patients with human immunodeficiency virus, approval for the use of PLLA for cosmetic indications is currently pending.