cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on p40, the leucine zipper motif-containing protein encoded by the first open reading frame of an active human LINE-1 transposable element

Full-length human LINE-1 retrotransposons encode p40 proteins with varying electrophoretic mobilities under denaturing conditions. The p40 expressed from the first open reading frame in the LINE-1 copy designated L1.2A co-electrophoreses with the endogenous p40 in human teratocarcinoma cells. This finding is consistent with previous data indicating that L1.2A is an active element. The amino acid sequence in the central region of the L1.2A p40 accounts, at least in part, for its characteristic mobility. This region includes sequences which can, in principle, form a leucine zipper.
The impact of waterfowl foraging on the decomposition of rice straw: mutual benefits for rice growers and waterfowl

1. Recent legislation in California, USA, has restricted traditional open-field burning of rice straw residues, leading farmers to adopt alternative methods of straw disposal such as post-harvest flooding of rice fields. These changes may benefit wildlife because winter-flooded fallow rice fields provide foraging habitat to migratory waterfowl. In turn, the foraging activity of waterfowl may help to increase rice straw decomposition, providing a reciprocal benefit to farmers. We examined the effects of waterfowl foraging activity on straw decomposition and nitrogen mineralization following rice harvest in a fallow flooded soil. 2. Experimental plots (25 m2) were established on a silty clay soil and were subjected to two post-harvest treatments: wet-rolled or untilled. Mallard ducks Anas platyrhynchos were placed in one-half of the experimental plots, following a split-plot design, for a 3-week period, at a density equivalent to 33 birds ha−1 over a season of 180 days to approximate regional abundance data. 3. Waterfowl foraging activity increased residual surface straw decomposition by 78% in untilled plots and 18% in wet-rolled plots compared with the respective unforaged plots. Average straw diameter in foraged plots was reduced to one-third that of unforaged plots. 4. Waterfowl foraging and field tillage reduced nitrogen (N) concentrations in the surface straw residue remaining at the end of the winter fallow period. Below-ground organic residue was not affected by waterfowl foraging, indicating that ducks did not incorporate the straw. There were no apparent additions of carbon (C) or N to the soil as a result of waterfowl activity. 5. We conclude that waterfowl foraging can substantially increase straw decomposition in flooded, fallow, rice fields. Accordingly, rice producers should consider agronomic practices that attract waterfowl, such as winter flooding, to maximize the decomposition of rice straw residue. At the upper end of regionally observed waterfowl densities (at or near 33 birds ha−1 season−1) waterfowl foraging activity may alleviate the need for autumn tillage. Shallow flooded rice fields will also provide important winter habitat to migratory waterfowl, aiding wetland management and conservation efforts in the Central Valley of California. 6. These results provide an example of how a mutually beneficial solution can be achieved that provides needed waterbird habitat while concomitantly alleviating an agricultural problem.
Getting to Eureka!: Higher Order Reasoning in Math

(1991). Getting to Eureka!: Higher Order Reasoning in Math. College Teaching: Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 3-6.
Low-Power Circuit Analysis and Design Based on Heterojunction Tunneling Transistors (HETTs)

The theoretical lower limit of subthreshold swing in mosfets (60 mV/decade) significantly restricts low-voltage operation since it results in a low ON -to- OFF current ratio at low supply voltages. This paper investigates extremely low-power circuits based on new Si/SiGe heterojunction tunneling transistors (HETTs) that have a subthreshold swing of . Device characteristics, as determined through technology computer aided design tools, are used to develop a Verilog-A device model to simulate and evaluate a range of HETT-based circuits. We show that an HETT-based ring oscillator (RO) shows a 9-19 times reduction in dynamic power compared to a CMOS RO. We also explore two key differences between HETTs and traditional mosfets, namely, asymmetric current flow and increased Miller capacitance, analyze their effect on circuit behavior, and propose methods to address them. HETT characteristics have the most dramatic impact on static random access memory (SRAM) operation and we propose a novel seven-transistor HETT-based SRAM cell topology to overcome, and take advantage of, the asymmetric current flow. This new HETT SRAM design achieves 7-37 times reduction in leakage power compared to CMOS.
Thickness-Two Graphs Part Two: More New Nine-Critical Graphs, Independence Ratio, Cloned Planar Graphs, and Singly and Doubly Outerplanar Graphs

There are numerous means for measuring the closeness to planarity of a graph such as crossing number, splitting number, and a variety of thickness parameters. We focus on the classical concept of the thickness of a graph, and we add to earlier work in [4]. In particular, we offer new 9-critical thickness-two graphs on 17, 25, and 33 vertices, all of which provide counterexamples to a conjecture on independence ratio of Albertson; we investigate three classes of graphs, namely singly and doubly outerplanar graphs, and cloned planar graphs. We give a sharp upper bound for the largest chromatic number of the cloned planar graphs, and we give upper and lower bounds for the largest chromatic number of the former two classes.
AN AUTO-IRRIGATOR FOR GROWING PLANTS IN THE LABORATORY.

At present, the most practical method of controlling soil moisture for the roots of laboratory plants seems to be the method of adding water to the surface soil in order to bring the soil container, its soil, and the plants growing therein to a certain predetermined weight which represents the desired moisture content. The principal difficulty in this procedure lies in attaining the original distribution of moisture in the soil which was quite uniform at first, but soon afterward becomes variable both vertically and horizontally through the soil container. Hendrickson and Veihmeyer (2) found that uniform distribution of moisture in a soil container is unattainable after drying, until the water content again reaches the rather high level marked by the moisture equivalent. At low moisture contents, there are regions in the container with variable water content and the most active roots will be in the region of optimum moisture. The most successful mechanism for moisture control seems to be that devised by Livingston (3) and further developed in a new device, the double walled pot, by Richards (4). Here, the plants in the irrigator must pull against the weight of the column of supply water through a tube reaching to a reservoir at a lower level than the irrigator itself. In the double walled pot, Richards and Loomis (5) have found a decreasing degree of control of the soil moisture the lower one departs from the moisture equivalent. At the lower moisture contents, the water is lost from the container much more rapidly than it can be replaced because of the low rate of water movement in dry soil. The soil in the container may reach the wilting percentage and the plants growing therein remain unwilted if their roots are in contact with the source of supply through the porous clay walls of the container. In the apparatus described in the present paper, a much simpler system of water control was used, although one which has its limitations. At low moisture percentages there is difficulty in supplying moisture at a rate sufficiently high to maintain the certain desired low soil moisture which represents the actual water available to the roots of plants growing in the irrigator. Materials and methods
Managed Competition with Prefunding: The Solution for Long-Term Care?

Managed competition with prefunding could be a useful approach to long-term care. One version, described here, has two main components: First, people would be required to save over their working lives to cover a portion of the expected cost of a minimum required level of long-term-care insurance. Second, people would begin purchasing long-term-care insurance around the time of retirement from one of a number of competing insurers, under a system of managed competition. Potentially large social gains would arise from improving insurance arrangements, distributing long-term-care costs more equitably across and within generations, and eliminating many of the distortions inherent in the current Medicaid program.
Vibrational energy exchange between an oxygen molecule and an adsorbed hydrogen atom

Abstract The dynamics of collision between an oxygen molecule and a hydrogen atom adsorbed on a metal surface has been studied. Time evolution of vibrational energies and bond vibrations has been studied in classical mechanics. The frequency difference between the colliding oscillators has been shown to vary with time during the collision, and the interaction system becomes temporarily a near-resonant case due to the collision-induced distortion. A semiclassical procedure has been developed to calculate VV energy exchange probabilities. We find that this procedure leads to a well-defined oscillatory probability representing an efficient VV energy exchange between the colliding oscillators. In addition, we find the formation of peroxyl radicals when there is a sufficiently strong attractive interaction between the collision partners.
The twistor structure of the biquaternionic projective point

Soucek [1, 2] discovered an intriguing connection between the standard twistor correspondence and the biquaternionic projective line $$\mathbb{B}\mathbb{P}^{1}. $$ The biquaternionic projective point, $$\mathbb{B}\mathbb{P}^{0}, $$ also has twistor structure corresponding to the collection of α- or β-planes passing through the origin in spacetime. The duality between α- or β-planes is shown to correspond to the choice of left vs. right scalar action. Moreover, we find that $$\mathbb{B}\mathbb{P}^{0} $$ is homeomorphic to the scheme $$\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}^{1}. $$
Vasculitis as the basis of cutaneous lesions in Reiter's disease

The cutaneous lesions of Reiter's disease (RD) and pustular psoriasis (PP) are said to be histologically similar and often indistinguishable. We encountered three cases of RD in which biopsy specimens of lesions clinically compatible with keratoderma blenorrhagicum showed a pustular psoriasiform tissue reaction in conjunction with a subjacent superficial leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV). In an attempt to ascertain if these changes were distinctive and unique to cutaneous RD, the incidence of such changes in lesions of PP was examined using light microscopy and immunohistochemistry. The role of chlamydial infection in the pathogenesis of the observed vascular changes also was explored by assessing for the presence or absence of vascular deposition of chlamydial antigen in cutaneous RD compared with that in a control group that included cases of LCV and PP. In addition to conventional light microscopic analysis, immunoperoxidase studies to identify immunoglobulin deposition were performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from two of three patients with RD and on skin biopsy specimens from 11 patients with PP. Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) studies with antibodies to immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgM, IgA, C3, and chlamydial antigens were performed on frozen tissue from one patient with RD, two patients with PP, three patients with LCV, one patient with nonspecific dermatitis, and one patient with Behcet's disease, who had a high antichlamydia antibody titer. All three specimens of RD showed a pustular psoriasiform diathesis in conjunction with a subjacent superficial LCV that was of maximal intensity in the dermal papillae capillaries. Through an immunoperoxidase technique performed on formalin-fixed tissue, the RD cases for which tissue was available for study demonstrated Ig deposition in injured blood vessels; using the same technique one of 11 PP biopsy specimens showed vascular Ig deposition in concert with LCV. This patient's biopsy was from a lesion of drug-induced LCV. None of the other specimens showed either light microscopic or immunohistochemical evidence of vasculitis. In the one specimen of RD studied by DIF, vascular deposition of IgG, IgM, C3, chlamydia heat shock protein 60 (CHSP60), and chlamydia-specific lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was observed. In the two specimens of PP studied, vascular deposition of C3, fibrin, CHSP 60, and chlamydia-specific LPS was not observed. Two specimens of LCV and the one specimen of dermatitis with concomitant nonspecific vascular injury showed vascular Ig and C3 deposition; in contrast, no vascular deposition of CHSP 60 or chlamydia-specific LPS was observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The fundamental, versatile role of diiron enzymes in lipid metabolism

Diiron enzymes catalyze many essential O 2 -dependent reactions required for eukaryotic and bacterial metabolism. Both membrane bound and soluble classes are now known. The integral membrane class of diiron enzymes contains desaturases. hydroxylases. and other oxidative enzymes involved in the synthesis of nutritionally or commercially desirable unsaturated fats, steroids. and other hydrophobic molecules. The soluble class of diiron enzymes has essential roles in DNA biosynthesis. desaturation of various acyl-ACPs, and the oxidation of hydrocarbons including toxic environmental pollutants. Biochemical, spectroscopic, and crystallographic studies of these enzymes have provided structures for the active sites and proposals for the mechanism of action. Two key features of the reaction cycles are the flexibility of the diiron coordination environment and the activation of O 2 to generate a series of related but not identical intermediates used for diverse catalytic processes. Most recently, the alpha helical bundle containing the diiron center has proven to be a robust scaffold for mutagenesis studies. allowing the relationship between protein structure and catalytic function to be further refined and adapted.
Tax Incidence Under Oligopoly: A Comparison of Policy Approaches

Abstract This paper presents a methodological approach for the analysis of tax incidence that encompasses familiar forms of taxation in a general and analytically convenient model. In oligopolistic industries, the performance of a tax depends on the sensitivity of the unit tax rate to changes in industry output. Output-elastic tax schedules are less likely to be over-shifted and have superior welfare properties relative to regulatory instruments that are less responsive to the equilibrium market quantity. For revenue neutral tax reforms, the finding of Delipalla and Keen (1992) that ad valorem taxes welfare-dominate specific taxes under oligopoly is derived as a special case of this general result.
A note on the history of the Cantor set and Cantor function

A search through the primary and secondary literature on Cantor yields little about the history of the Cantor set and Cantor function. In this note, we would like to give some of that history, a sketch of the ideas under consideration at the time of their discovery, and a hypothesis regarding how Cantor came upon them. In particular, Cantor was not the first to discover “Cantor sets”. Moreover, although the original discovery of Cantor sets had a decidedly geometric flavor, Cantor's discovery of the Cantor set and Cantor function was neither motivated by geometry nor did it involve geometry, even though this is how these objects are often introduced (see for example [24]). In fact, Cantor may have come upon them through a purely arithmetic program. The systematic study of point set topology on the real line arose during the period 1870–1885 as mathematicians investigated two problems: conditions under which a function could be integrated, uniqueness of trigonometric series. It was within the framework of these investigations that the two apparently independent discoveries of the Cantor set were made; each discovery was linked to one of these problems. Bernhard Riemann (1826–1866) spent considerable time on the first question, and suggested conditions he thought might provide an answer. Although we will not discuss the two forms his conditions took ([16], pp. 17–18), we note that one of these conditions is important as it eventually led to the development of measure-theoretic integration (see [16], p. 28).
Effect of Sintering Temperature on Structural, Electrical and Dielectric Parameters of Mn-Zn Nano Ferrites

Mn-Zn ferrite powders (Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4) were prepared by the chemical co-precipitation method. The effect of sintering temperature on the crystalline phase formation and dielectric properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction and impedance analyzer respectively. The TGA/DTA analysis was carried out to know decomposition mechanism. Ferrites decomposed to Fe3O4 above 873 K sintering temperature. Crystallite size increased with increasing sintering temperature between 7-13 nm. The resistivity decreased with increase in temperature showing semiconducting like behaviour. Activation energy was in the range of 0.70 to 0.77eV for these samples. Dielectric constant decreased with increasing frequency. Relaxation peak occurred for loss tangent versus frequency curves. The ac conductivity explained using small polaron tunnelling (SPT) model.
Preclinical characterization of PF-00868554, a potent nonnucleoside inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

PF-00868554 is a nonnucleoside inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA polymerase, which exerts its inhibitory effect by binding to the thumb base domain of the protein. It is a potent and selective inhibitor, with a mean 50% inhibitory concentration of 0.019 μM against genotype 1 polymerases and a mean 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 0.075 μM against the genotype 1b-Con1 replicon. To determine the in vitro antiviral activity of PF-00868554 against various HCV strains, a panel of chimeric replicons was generated, in which polymerase sequences derived from genotype 1a and 1b clinical isolates were cloned into the 1b-Con1 subgenomic reporter replicon. Our results indicate that PF-00868554 has potent in vitro antiviral activity against a majority (95.8%) of genotype 1a and 1b replicons, with an overall mean EC50 of 0.059 μM. PF-00868554 showed no cytotoxic effect in several human cell lines, up to the highest concentration evaluated (320 μM). Furthermore, the antiviral activity of PF-00868554 was retained in the presence of human serum proteins. An in vitro resistance study of PF-00868554 identified M423T as the predominant resistance mutation, resulting in a 761-fold reduction in susceptibility to PF-00868554 but no change in susceptibility to alpha interferon and a polymerase inhibitor that binds to a different region. PF-00868554 also showed good pharmacokinetic properties in preclinical animal species. Our results demonstrate that PF-00868554 has potent and broad-spectrum antiviral activity against genotype 1 HCV strains, supporting its use as an oral antiviral agent in HCV-infected patients.
Optimization of an HP Scanjet for Quantification of Protein Electrophoresis Gels

Abstract An inexpensive desktop scanner, the Hewlett-Packard Scanjet IIp (HP), has been optimized for analysis of protein electrophoresis gels by comparison with a calibrated laser densitometer (Laser). Images from both densitometers were transferred to a personal computer and analyzed with QGEL software. Without correction the HP response was often in poor agreement with the Laser. However, when the HP response to Coomassie blue stained gels and x-ray films was linearized using a HP software option called Emphasis, the HP results agreed with results from the Laser. For 2D gels scanned with appropriate Emphasis applied, spot integrated density values were a constant multiple of 1.8 ± 0.3 times the corresponding Laser value for x-ray films (CV = 17%) and 2.1 ± 0.5 for Coomassie blue stained gels (CV = 24%). The highest error was observed for density extremes. For proteins quantified relative to standards using sodium dodecyl sulfate-slab gel electrophoresis, the HP values were within 15% of the Laser values. Data is shown concerning linearity and reproducibility of response, optical density range (about 0 to 1.8 OD units), variability of the imaging field, and resolution of the HP.
Partial sequence analysis of the 16S-rRNA of legionellae: taxonomic implications

Summary The Legionellaceae are ubiquitous Gram-negative bacilli, many of which have been associated with human disease. Controversy exists as to the number of genera needed to correctly reflect genetic differences among members of this family. DNA-DNA hybridization, 5s-rRNA sequencing, and 16s-rRNA partial digest analysis have previously been used to address this issue. Our data obtained from the partial sequencing (approximately 350–450 bases) of the 16s-rRNA of 6 legionellae supports the proposed inclusion of these organisms with the “γ-purple bacteria”. The data also indicate that the 16s-rRNA of Legionella pneumophila and Tatlockia (Legionella) micdadei strain are only 90.6 ± 1.4% (88.2–91.7%) similar, compared to 94.4% similarity observed between the 16s-rRNA of Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris. Additional strains must be tested, however, before a conclusion can be reached regarding the taxonomic structure of this family of microorganisms.
Myosin heavy chain profiles and body composition are different in old versus young Standardbred mares.

Abstract There are limited data on age-related changes in body composition or skeletal muscle in the horse. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate any differences in muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) and body composition associated with aging. Twenty-three young (4–8 years) and eight old (20+ years) unfit Standardbred mares were evaluated. Rump fat thickness was measured using B-mode ultrasound and per cent body fat (% fat) was calculated. Needle muscle biopsies were obtained from right gluteus medius muscle. MHC composition was determined via sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Three MHC isoforms were subsequently identified as type I, type IIA, and type IIX and quantified using a scanning and densometric system. There were no significant differences ( p >0.05) between old and young mares in fat (%) (19.0±6.4 vs 20.5±5.4), fat mass (kg) (102.3±39.9 vs 106.9±37.1), or body weight (kg) (529.4±34.9 vs 512.7±57.7). However, the old mares had significantly ( p p
Fluorescent lipids of bovine brain white matter.

Two fluorescent lipids were isolated from a chloroform-methanol (2∶1 v/v) extract of bovine brain white matter by two-step preparative thin layer chromatography on Silica Gel G. The first step was performed with chloroform-diethyl ether-acetic acid (70∶30∶1 v/v) as developing solvent and revealed a single fluorescent band below the solvent front. The band was scraped off, and the lipid was eluted in chloroform and reapplied to Silica Gel G plates. In the second step, benzene-methanol-ethyl acetate (85∶10∶5 v/v) as developing solvent revealed two fluoresent bands (A and B) with Rf values of 0.72 and 0.65. The lipids were eluted and the UV and visible absorption spectra were measured in heptane, as were the excitation and fluorescence spectra. Sulfuric acid absorption spectra (2 and 24 hr treatment at 22 C) as well as the resulting excitation and fluorescence spectra were also determined. The fluorescent lipids reacted positively in a number of nonspecific color tests for steroids, but the chemical nature of these minor components of the neutral lipid fraction remains to be established.
Direct determination of sodium in soybean oil by flame photometry.

The correlation of sodium content of alkalirefined soybean oil with the soap content of the oil has been widely accepted by oil processors. We have found that this sodium content can be determined by aspiration of an oil solvent solution directly into a flame emission spectrophotometer. The intensity of the sodium flame emission produced from the oil solution was compared with that from oil standards containing known amounts of sodium soaps. To prepare standards, sodium oleate was dissolved in ethylene glycol followed by the addition of a solvent and soybean oil containing low sodium of known amount; this solution aspirated at a rapid, constant rate. The method is capable of determining sodium at a lower limit of 0.1 ppm with accuracy comparable to that of neutron activation analysis.
Defenders of the Motherland: The Tsarist Elite in Revolutionary Russia

Matthew Rendle, Defenders of the Motherland: The Tsarist Elite in Revolutionary Russia, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Pp. XII + 274; glossary; maps; bibliography; index. £55 (hardback). IS...
Blaming Me, Blaming You: Assessing Service Learning and Participants' Tendency to Blame the Victim

This study uses a comparative case study to explore the effect of service learning on the political socialization of participants and, in particular, on participants' patterns of blame attribution. Although numerous scholars have acclaimed the benefits of service learning, others have suggested that involving students in service learning may actually reinforce their tendency to blame victims of social problems for their own conditions. Little research has considered the role of service learning in the political social-ization of America's youth and how it might relate to the political intolerance that characterizes the current era. The study suggests that two different approaches to service learning have very different impacts on students' attitudes toward the poor and how they explain the associated conditions and stresses the need for structure in service learning activities. The author discusses the possible implications of these findings for contemporary research on adolescent political socialization.
VLSI-are smaller devices and more complex chips mutually exclusive?

It is suggested that the exploitation of complex silicon chips incorporating submicrometre devices will require the use of highly structured architecture, such as systolic arrays, with maximum exphasis on ‘nearest-neighbour’ interconnections.
Measurement of fluxes through the pentose phosphate pathway in erythrocytes from individuals with sickle cell anemia by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Abstract Erythrocytes from individuals with sickle cell anemia have previously been shown to have increased levels of intracellular oxidants and increased oxidative damage. Oxidative damage has been implicated in the events leading to the painful crises and hemolytic anemia found in sickle cell anemia. Since the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is an important source of reducing capacity in erythrocytes, we have investigated the fluxes through the PPP in normal and sickle cell erythrocytes using [2- 13 C] D -glucose and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Our results indicate that sickle cell erythrocytes have a flux through the PPP of 0.13±0.02 μmol/h per ml erythrocytes that is comparable to that in normal erythrocytes, 0.21±0.02 μmol/h per ml erythrocytes. However, when stimulated with methylene blue, sickle cell erythrocytes show a decreased response, 0.59±0.10 μmol/h per ml erythrocytes, compared to normal erythrocytes, 1.64±0.10 μmol/h per ml erythrocytes. When homogeneous populations of sickle cell erythrocytes are isolated by density gradient centrifugation, the rate of flux through the PPP in methylene blue-stimulated sickle cell erythrocytes, 1.16±0.16 μmol/h per ml erythrocytes, approaches that in methylene blue-stimulated normal erythrocytes. In addition, by analyzing the dose response to methylene blue, we have found that the decreased stimulation of the PPP by methylene blue in heterogeneous populations of sickle cell erythrocytes is a failure of methylene blue to simulate the PPP rather than a deficiency in the PPP in sickle cell erythrocytes.
Seismic analysis and response of multistory semirigid frames

Abstract The responses of multistory flexibly connected frames subjected to earthquake excitations are studied using a computer model. The model incorporates connection flexibility as well as geometrical and material nonlinearities in the analyses. Connections are modeled as rotational springs with bilinear hysteretic moment–rotation relationships. Geometrical nonlinearities in the form of member and frame P-delta effects are considered by the use of stability functions in a stiffness formulation. Material nonlinearity in the form of column inelasticity is accounted for by the use of the tangent modulus concept. Response characteristics of two multistory frames with three connection types (rigid, semirigid and flexible) subjected to two earthquakes are studied with reference to their modal response attributes. The study indicates that connection flexibility tends to increase upper stories' interstory drifts but reduce base shears and base overturning moments for multistory frames. Connection flexibility also causes the frame periods to spread over a wider spectrum and increases the importance of higher mode contributions to structural response. When the Complete Quadratic Combination (CQC) rule of spectral analysis is applied to flexibly connected frames, it is found that noticeable errors may be produced.
Surgical Management of Fecal Incontinence

The surgical approach to treating fecal incontinence is complex. After optimal medical management has failed, surgery remains the best option for restoring function. Patient factors, such as prior surgery, anatomic derangements, and degree of incontinence, help inform the astute surgeon regarding the most appropriate option. Many varied approaches to surgical management are available, ranging from more conservative approaches, such as anal canal bulking agents and neuromodulation, to more aggressive approaches, including sphincter repair, anal cerclage techniques, and muscle transposition. Efficacy and morbidity of these approaches also range widely, and this article presents the data and operative considerations for these approaches.
Single-prism/grating pulse compressor

We introduce an ultrashort-laser-pulse compressor that uses a single prism and a single grating. It is compact and automatically aligned for distortion-free output, and it compensates for significant material dispersion up to third order.
Interleukin‐6 level in serum and ascites as a prognostic factor in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

Background. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine that can be produced by human ovarian cancer cells. Elevated IL-6 levels have been found in the serum and ascites of patients with ovarian cancer, but its role in this disease has not been clearly established. Methods. The authors studied the relationship between IL-6 levels in serum and ascites, various tumor parameters, and survival in 70 patients with newly diagnosed, untreated epithelial ovarian cancer. Ascites and serum specimens were obtained at the time of initial surgery, and IL-6 levels were determined using the B9 bioassay. Results. All patients underwent platinum-based chemotherapy after initial surgery. The median age of the group was 62 years (range, 28–87 years), and the median follow-up time was 13 months (range, 12–59 months). Significantly higher IL-6 levels were detected in patients' ascites (median, 49,612 pg/ml [range, < 1 to 680,330 pg/ml]) compared with serum (median, 10 pg/ml [range, < 1 to 1221 pg/ml]) (P < 0.0001). IL-6 levels in ascites correlated significantly with the volume of ascites (P < 0.0001) and nearly so with the size of tumor found at initial surgery (P = 0.05). Serum and ascites IL-6 levels did not correlate statistically with overall survival time, tumor stage, grade, histologic findings, residual tumor volume after debulking, and serum CA 125 levels. Although not statistically significant, patients who responded to chemotherapy tended to have lower ascites IL-6 levels (median, 21,102 pg/ml) compared with patients who did not respond to chemotherapy (median, 40,200 pg/ml). Conclusions. IL-6 is present in very high amounts in the ascites of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. IL-6 levels in ascites correlated significantly with ascites volume and initial tumor size. IL-6 levels in ascites and serum did not correlate statistically with other tumor parameters or with survival time.
Growth and development of continuous structures

The artificial cell introduced here represents an extendedthree-dimensional linear hexahedral finite element. Each cell can sense two types of quantities which control growth and development of the structure, one refers to mechanical stress and the otherrefers to the morphogen diffusion level. These two qualities have proven to have crucial effects on the growth oforganisms~\cite{Lars2007,dickinson1999}\@. The stresses refer to the point inside the cell with the maximum principal stress. The three principal stresses are normalized by the yield stress of the material, and are identified in the genome with the letters\emph{a}, \emph{b}, \emph{c}\@. Their corresponding principaldirections are identified in the genome with the letters \emph{d},\emph{e}, \emph{f}\@. There are two kinds of morphogens, one is amorphogen corresponding to a point load in space that is to be supported; the other is a morphogen corresponding to the ground. Each morphogen diffuses through space through the cell walls with acorresponding direction and intensity (gradient)\@. These two quantities are identified in the genome with the letters \emph{h}and \emph{i} respectively. Rules (or words) are composed of genes.The model contains three kinds of genes.allThe first areconditional genes \emph{V}, \emph{W} which suppress gene activity.The second and the third are operation or transformation genes. Operation genes correspond to geometrical operations which change the shape of the cell (\emph{C},\emph{B},\emph{S}), and cell-typeoperations which divide or kill cells (\emph{D},\emph{K})\@.Transformation genes change the mechanical properties of the cell(\emph{F})\@.
Temporal uncertainty effects on orientation discrimination and stereoscopic thresholds.

If a pattern requiring orientation discrimination was presented randomly in one of five clearly demarcated time frames 500 ms apart, orientation thresholds were elevated ~20% over their values when the time slot was fixed. For stereoscopic depth discrimination the disparity threshold elevation was ~ 40%.
Plasma production rates of testosterone in normal adult men and women and in patients with the syndrome of feminizing testes.

The daily plasma productionrate of testosterone was measured in normal men and women and in 2 patients with the complete form of the syndrome of feminizing testes from the product of the metabolic clearance rate of testosterone in plasma as determined following a single injection of the tritiated hormone, and the mean plasma nonisotopic concentration of the steroid. The latter values were obtained from the mean of plasma testosterone levels obtained at 9 am, 5 pm and 10 pm. A significant diurnal variation was found in the normal men but not in the normal women. The mean plasma concentration of testosterone in these subjects was 0.52 and 0.06 μg/100 ml, respectively. The metabolic clearance rates in the normal men (1670–2084 I/day) were approximately twice those obtained in normal female subjects (708–759 I/day). The difference appeared to be due primarily to a larger inner pool volume (V,) (Vs where K2 = 0) in the males. The plasma production rates of testosterone were 10.8, 6.8, 10.0 and 6.7 mg/day in ma...
Singular crack-tip response in an anisotropic medium

Abstract The stress analysis of a cracked fiber-reinforced slab under the state of generalized plane deformation is performed within the framework of linear anisotropic elasticity. The crack is located parallel to the bounding surfaces of the slab. The crack-tip stress intensity factors are defined in terms of the solution of the system of singular integral equations of the first kind. Numerical results are provided, illustrating the singular crack-tip response to in-plane normal, in-plane shear, and anti-plane shear loading conditions. Under each applied loading, the effects of relative crack size, crack location, and fiber volume fraction on the values of stress intensity factors are addressed for a given range of fiber orientations.
Variations in the Agglutinability of Red Blood Cells from Patients with Hematologic Disorders

The agglutinability of red blood cells from patients with various hematologic disorders was compared with that of erythrocytes from normal persons by quantitative hemagglutination in the ABH blood group system. Red blood cells from six patients with hypoplastic anemia or metastatic marrow disease as well as normal reticulocytes (five experiments) were less agglutinable than normal mature cells. Erythrocytes from one patient with lymphoma and an acquired hemolytic anemia showed enhanced agglutinability. Our data suggest that changes in erythrocyte reactivity may be more common than suspected, although usually undetected by less sensitive methods.
Water resources of the Texas Gulf Basin

A geographic information system (GIS) has been integrated with a distributed parameter, continuous time, nonpoint source pollution model SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) for the management of water resources. This integration has proven to be effective and efficient for data collection and to visualize and analyze the input and output of simulation models. The SWAT-GIS system is being used to model the hydrology of eighteen major river systems in the United States (HUMUS). This paper focuses on the integration of SWAT (basin scale hydrologic model) with the Geographical Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS-GIS) and a relational database management system. The system is then applied to the Texas Gulf River basin. Input data layers (soils, land use, and elevation) were collected at a scale of 1:250,000 from various sources. Average monthly simulated and observed stream flow records from 1970-1979 are presented for the hydrologic cataloging units (HCU) defined by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in the Texas Gulf basin. Average annual sediment yields computed from sediment rating curves are compared against simulated sediment yields from seven river basins within the Texas Gulf showing reasonable agreement.
A Tribute to Toilet Paper

In modern use, toilet paper would seem to play an important role as a barrier to the transmission of enteric infection by the fecal-manual-oral route. A historical review reveals a dearth of information on this topic. The remarkable compliance with the hygienic practice of toilet paper use is in contrast to the more limited compliance with hand-washing policies touted universally as a sound infection-control measure.
Fusion laser oscillator and pulse-forming system using integrated optics

In order to demonstrate new technology for the proposed National Ignition Facility (NIF), we are currently building a 5-kilojoule laser called Beamlet. The oscillator and pulse shaping system for Beamlet represents a major technological improvement over previous designs. Using integrated optics, fiber optics, and diode-pumped lasers instead of bulk optics and flashlamp-pumped lasers, this new master oscillator takes advantage of current technology to make a system with numerous advantages. The requirements for a NIF for greater flexibility and reliability necessitate this new approach; the pulse-forming system for the Beamlet demonstrates a subset of the capabilities required for a NIF. For the Beamlet, we must produce a single 1 - 10 ns, shaped- and frequency-modulated pulse. The Beamlet needs only to generate square output pulses for technology demonstration purposes, but the input pulses must be shaped to compensate for gain saturation in the power amplifier. To prevent stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) from damaging the output optics, the output pulse must have some bandwidth, and thus the pulse-forming system phase modulates the input pulse. These requirements are very similar to those for the Nova master oscillator system, but Nova technology is not the best choice for the Beamlet. In developing an oscillator design for a fusion laser system, the system requirements are defined by the oscillator's place in the overall laser architecture. Both Nova and Beamlet use a master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA) architecture. In a MOPA-laser architecture, a low-power oscillator is followed by a high-gain, high-power amplifier. If the output signal is to have a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the oscillator-signal power must be high above the amplifier noise power.
Uterine leiomyosarcoma metastatic to the sphenoid sinus: a case report and review of the literature

Abstract Background . Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) of the uterus is a rare neoplasm with an aggressive growth pattern. Although the majority of uterine LMS is diagnosed with disease confined to the uterus, the rate of recurrent disease is high. The most common sites of recurrent disease are lung, liver, and peritoneal cavity. The rate of lymph node involvement with disease confined to the uterus is less than 3%. Metastases to brain and skull are rare. Case . A 39-year-old woman underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, pelvic and paraaortic lymph node biopsies, omentectomy, and appendectomy for Grade 2 FIGO Stage 1 uterine leiomyosarcoma. She remained disease-free for 2 years until she presented with metastases to the sphenoid sinus. She underwent incomplete resection of the recurrence and was treated postoperatively with adjuvant MAID chemotherapy with poor response. She then underwent a second resection at an outside institution. Five months later, she was treated with radiation therapy to the base of the skull with no response. She expired from the disease 13 months after the diagnosis of the recurrence. Conclusion . The prognosis for patients who recur is dismal. The treatment options are limited. Surgical management should be considered as uterine LMS has a low response to chemotherapy and surgical resection of LMS to sites such as lung and abdomen has been suggested to offer a benefit. Radiation therapy may provide palliative benefit in the setting of metastatic disease.
Nociceptor sensitization in pain pathogenesis

The incidence of chronic pain is estimated to be 20–25% worldwide. Few patients with chronic pain obtain complete relief from the drugs that are currently available, and more than half report inadequate relief. Underlying the challenge of developing better drugs to manage chronic pain is incomplete understanding of the heterogeneity of mechanisms that contribute to the transition from acute tissue insult to chronic pain and to pain conditions for which the underlying pathology is not apparent. An intact central nervous system (CNS) is required for the conscious perception of pain, and changes in the CNS are clearly evident in chronic pain states. However, the blockage of nociceptive input into the CNS can effectively relieve or markedly attenuate discomfort and pain, revealing the importance of ongoing peripheral input to the maintenance of chronic pain. Accordingly, we focus here on nociceptors: their excitability, their heterogeneity and their role in initiating and maintaining pain.
Comparison of the effects of extra-column aerosol and liquid-phase volumes on high-performance liquid chromatographic separations with inductively coupled plasma detection

This communication demonstrates that the extra-column, laminar-flow, aerosol volume for HPLC detection methods employing typical aerosol interfaces has a small effect on peak variance compared to extra-column volume in the liquid phase. The higher velocities used with aerosol systems accommodate larger extra-column volumes before band broadening becomes significant. The reported results are limited to situations where a laminar flow profile is established at atmospheric pressure.
STIMULUS STRUCTURE IN VISUAL PERSISTENCE: AN EXAMINATION OF SELECTIVE ADAPTATION EFFECTS ON PHENOMENAL CONTINUITY

Summmy.-The effects of adaptation by stimuli composed of che dimensions of color, orientation and size were measured on the visual persistence of a red vertical 3.5 c/d grating. Adaptation by the stimulus that shared an identical level on each of the three-component dimensions of the test stimulus decreased the visual persistence of the test stimulus. There was no effect of adaptation on visual persistence when the adapting stimulus and test stimulus shared an identical level on zero-, one-, or two-dimensional components. The present results extend the investigation of selective adaptation effects on visual persistence by Meyer, Lawson, Cohen, and Maquire to color, site und orientation. In addition, these results are in excellent agreement with Burns' finding that physically integral stimuli are represented in iconic memory as integral unitary wholes and not as dimensional components. Burns ( 1982) has recently shown that there are differences in the initial perceptual recognition of physically integral and physically separable stimuli (Garner, 1974) using Sperling's partial report task to measure selective readout from iconic store. Physically integral stimuli, e.g., size vs brightness, are integrated into unitary wholes in iconic store whereas physically separable stimuli, e.g., circle size vs angle of radial line, are segregated in iconic store into independent psychological dimensions. The present study examined the perceptual properties of a physically
The logical problem of second language acquisition of argument structure: Recognizing aspectual distinctions in Spanish psych-predicates:

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions:This article explores the issue of second language (L2) acquisition of argument structure as it relates specifically to Spanish psych-verbs. These pre...
Appearance of interleukin lα relates dna interstrand cross‐links and cytotoxicity in cultured human keratinocytes exposed to bis‐(2‐chloroethyl)sulfide

The utility of an increase in the level of interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) as an indicator of cytotoxicity from exposure to bis-(2-chloroethyl) sulfide (BCES) was evaluated in submerged monolayer cultures of human cutaneous keratinocytes. Four-day-old cultures were exposed to 1-100 microM BCES at 37 degrees for 30 min. The amounts of IL-1 alpha in the medium at and in cells 72 h after exposure were measured immunologically with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using monoclonal antibody to human IL-1 alpha. The antibody was conjugated with peroxidase for visualization. Cell viability was measured concomitantly using the trypan blue exclusion technique. The degree of interstrand cross-linking as a measure of damage in the cellular DNA was determined by measuring the fluorescence resulting from the intercalation of ethidium bromide into double-stranded molecules that remained in heat-denatured DNA isolated from cells that had been exposed to BCES. A high correlation was observed between the dose-responsive increase in the level of IL-1 alpha in the medium and in the cells, and the dose-responsive decrease that took place in the fraction of viable cells in exposed cultures. The dose-responsive increase in the interstrand cross-linking found in the DNA of cells immediately after exposure to BCES also correlated with the increase in IL-1 alpha 72 h after exposure. These data suggest that the appearance of IL-1 alpha can be used to quantify the cytotoxicity resulting from BCES-medicated damage to cellular DNA and that degree of cross-linking in the DNA immediately after exposure to BCES is predictive of the level of cytotoxicity in an exposed culture 3 days later.