cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduced bone length, growth plate thickness, bone content, and IGF-I as a model for poor growth in the CFTR-deficient rat.

Background Reduced growth and osteopenia are common in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). Additionally, improved weight and height are associated with better lung function and overall health in the disease. Mechanisms for this reduction in growth are not understood. We utilized a new CFTR knockout rat to evaluate growth in young CF animals, via femur length, microarchitecture of bone and growth plate, as well as serum IGF-I concentrations. Methods Femur length was measured in wild-type (WT) and SD-CFTRtm1sage (Cftr-/-) rats, as a surrogate marker for growth. Quantitative bone parameters in Cftr-/- and WT rats were measured by micro computed tomography (micro-CT). Bone histomorphometry and cartilaginous growth plates were analyzed. Serum IGF-I concentrations were also compared. Results Femur length was reduced in both Cftr-/- male and female rats compared to WT. Multiple parameters of bone microarchitecture (of both trabecular and cortical bone) were adversely affected in Cftr-/- rats. There was a reduction in overall growth plate thichkness in both male and female Cftr-/- rats, as well as hypertrophic zone thickness and mean hypertrophic cell volume in male rats, indicating abnormal growth characteristics at the plate. Serum IGF-I concentrations were severely reduced in Cftr-/- rats compared to WT littermates. Conclusions Despite absence of overt lung or pancreatic disease, reduced growth and bone content were readily detected in young Cftr-/- rats. Reduced size of the growth plate and decreased IGF-I concentrations suggest the mechanistic basis for this phenotype. These findings appear to be intrinsic to the CFTR deficient state and independent of significant clinical confounders, providing substantive evidence for the importance of CFTR on maintinaing normal bone growth.
Surviving a rare event: left main coronary artery occlusion.

A 50-year-old man with a history of mitral valve replacement because of rheumatic heart disease presented with a 2-hour history of severe mid-sternal chest discomfort, diaphoresis, and vomiting. The patient had stopped taking warfarin 1 month earlier. He had a pulse rate of 140 beats/min, blood pressure of 105/65 mmHg, and an irregularly irregular heart beat on auscultation. Electrocardiography revealed atrial fibrillation and acute anterolateral ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (Fig. 1). Results of diagnostic cardiac catheterization (Figs. 2–4) led us to refer the patient for emergent on-pump removal of a thrombus from the left main coronary ostium (Fig. 5). Despite a left ventricular ejection fraction of 0.15, the patient was well enough to be discharged to a rehabilitation center on postoperative day 39. Fig. 1 A 12-lead electrocardiogram reveals atrial fibrillation with ST-segment elevation in leads I, aVL, and V1 through V6, consistent with an acute anterolateral ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Fig. 2 Selective right coronary artery angiogram shows a normal coronary artery with no collateral vessels to the left coronary arteries. Fig. 3 Selective left coronary artery angiogram (30° left anterior oblique view) shows occlusion of the left main coronary artery (arrow) and the tilting-disc metallic prosthetic mitral valve. Fig. 4 Aortogram shows occlusion of the left main coronary artery and a mobile thrombus protruding from that artery into the aorta (white arrow), and the patent right coronary artery (black arrow). Fig. 5 A 2.8 × 0.6-cm brown tissue fragment with pathologic diagnosis of thrombus was retrieved from the left main coronary ostium.
Degradation Processes in Corona-Charged Electret Filter-Media with Exposure to Ethyl Benzene:

The degradation of filtration performance for coronacharged electret filter media exposed to ethyl benzene was assessed. Nonwoven corona-charged polypropylene fiber mats were exposed to ethyl-benzene using a custom made apparatus. Evaluated scenarios included ethyl-benzene vapor and liquid exposures. The filtration performance was evaluated using DOP as a test aerosol to measure filtration performance. It was observed that significant filtration degradation occurred only when liquid ethyl benzene came into direct contact with the filter media. No significant changes in the pressure drop or filtration efficiency was observed for any of the exposure scenarios in which the fibers were only exposed to ethyl benzene in the vapor phase.
Who is Jesus? Reflections on S. Endo's "A Life of Jesus"

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph. "Shusaku Endo was a Japanese author born in Tokyo in 1923. He was raised by his single mother who became a fervent believer in Christianity. With her influence, Endo himself was baptized by the age of twelve. Having grown up in Japan, Endo was obviously very knowledgeable about Japanese religion and customs and most especially Japanese ideals. He claimed that “the Japanese have a traditional saying to the effect that the four most dreadful things on the earth are fire, earthquakes, thunderbolts, and fathers” (4). Obviously, as this quote illustrates, the image of a strict father is not very appealing to the Japanese; instead, according to Endo, the Japanese prefer the image of a maternal figure. This is precisely why, Endo argues, that the Christian religion is such a minority in Japan. Because God has always been depicted as a stern father in western cultures, Christianity has never caught on in Japan. So to help his Japanese audience better understand his beloved religion, Shusaku Endo wrote the novel called A Life of Jesus. To accomplish this purpose, Endo depicted God and Jesus in a very different way from which western readers are used to seeing. Because the Japanese identify more with the maternal side of things and are more “responsive to one who „suffers with [them]‟”, Endo decided to depict God as a caring maternal figure and Jesus as a man who had such great love that he was willing to die even for those who did not yet believe (1). In this way Endo is able to greatly bring out the humanity of Jesus. When A Life of Jesus is read with this perspective in mind, it makes a lot more sense in terms of the arguments made, the type of soft language used, and the tear jerking metaphors presented. Overall, this book serves its purpose, which is to present and in a way to “sell” Christianity to a Japanese based audience who know very little, if anything, about Jesus." This research paper is available in Verbum: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/verbum/vol7/iss2/9
Indirect Communication as an Insight-Oriented Technique with the Resistant and Intellectually Limited

A proactive cognitive–behavioral approach that presents interpretative options indirectly to children is introduced as a method to promote insight in psychotherapy. The treatment of a resistant, intellectually limited Hasidic 10-year-old child, with secondary personality disorder features, is described. By “talking to himself” and musing out loud, the therapist resorted to vocalized “guesswork” when frequent impasses occurred during sessions. As different options were verbalized in interpreting the child's affect, his reactions were monitored by the therapist and elaborated upon. In an approach akin to shaping in the conditioning literature, dynamics of behavior and acting out were uncovered, allowing social adjustment and promoting adaptive behavioral development. The intervention is conceptualized within the framework of cognitive behaviorism, and informed by insight-oriented dynamics as adapted for the resistant and intellectually limited.
Multi-Label Deep Active Learning with Label Correlation

Annotating a data sample in a multi-label learning problem requires a human oracle to consider the presence/absence of every possible label separately, which is extremely labor intensive. Active learning algorithms automatically identify the informative samples from large amounts of unlabeled data and significantly reduce human annotation efforts in inducing a classification model. Further, deep models have gained popularity to automatically learn representative features from a given dataset and have depicted promising empirical performance in a variety of applications. In this paper, we exploit the feature learning capabilities of deep neural networks and propose a novel framework to address the problem of multi-label active learning with label correlation. We integrate an active selection criterion to the objective function and train deep networks to optimize the function. Our extensive empirical studies on five benchmark multi-label datasets show that our methods outperform the state-of-the-art algorithms, corroborating their potential for real-world image classification applications.
Synthesis and Structure–Activity Relationshipsof 1‑Aryl-β-carbolines as Affinity Probes for the 5‑HydroxytryptamineReceptor

Simple β-carbolines have been shown to bind several protein receptors that are important for signaling in the central nervous system. Herein, we expand our previous efforts into the synthesis and b...
Weldability testing of cast corrosion-resistant and heat-resistant steels

A program to establish baseline hot-cracking sensitivities of cast corrosion-resistant and heat-resistant alloys was initiated. The Varestraint Test was used to investigate primarily the metallurgical variables associatedwith hot cracking in autogenous weldments of alloys CF8M and HK-40. Hot cracking in alloy HK is associated with the formation of a carbide-austenite lamellar eutectic. Hot cracking in alloy CF8M is a function of the primary solidification mode. Heats which by virtue of their composition solidify as primary austenite are more hot-crack sensitive than heats which solidify as primary δ-ferrite.
Improvisational Theatre and Occupational Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

As children with autism spectrum disorder become adults, social participation continues to be an area of need. Within creative arts, there is a growing body of literature about the use of theatre a...
Effects of a Drd2 deletion mutation on ethanol-induced locomotor stimulation and sensitization suggest a role for epistasis.

Interpretation of studies using single gene mutants is complicated by possible epistatic interactions with genetic background. Dopamine D2 receptor (Drd2) knockout mice on a C57BL/6 (B6) background show decreased basal locomotion, ethanol preference and ethanol-induced ataxia. Epistatic interactions were studied by examining the effect of this null mutation on several traits on a B6 or 129S6 × 129S2 (129) background. Modification of the null mutant effect on ethanol preference by ethanol-induced locomotor sensitization was also examined in B6 background mice. B6 knockout mice exhibited enhanced ethanol-induced locomotor stimulation and sensitization. The reduced ethanol consumption observed in ethanol-naive B6 Drd2 knockout mice was absent in ethanol-sensitized knockout mice. Ethanol-induced locomotor stimulation was not enhanced in 129 knockout mice, and locomotor sensitization was only modestly increased. However, 129 null mutant mice exhibited reduced basal locomotion and diminished ethanol-induced ataxia, similar to our previous results in B6 mice. The impact of the Drd2 null mutation on a subset of ethanol-related behavioral traits is subject to epistatic influences.
Chronic scrotal pain: A variable symptom of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.

Objective: Treatment of chronic idiopathic scrotal pain is a dilemma and challenge. Many men with this condition undergo multiple therapies and surgeries with no improvement in their symptoms. Patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) have a variable clinical presentation and initially complain of only one symptom of urinary urgency, frequency, or pain. We report on patients with chronic idiopathic scrotal pain treated with standard therapy for IC/BPS. Patients and Methods: Patients with chronic idiopathic scrotal content pain were evaluated, determined to have chronic idiopathic scrotal content pain, and were treated with either pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS) or bladder instillations of alkalinized lidocaine and heparin. Results: Sixteen males were determined to have chronic idiopathic scrotal pain. Eight males received PPS and eight males received a bladder instillation of alkalinized lidocaine and heparin. All patients had improvement of their scrotal pain to a self-reported acceptable level. Conclusions: Chronic idiopathic scrotal pain may be one of the variable presenting symptoms of IC/BPS. This scrotal pain may actually be referred pain from the bladder. Standard therapies for IC/BPS may be a treatment option for chronic idiopathic scrotal pain.
Kinematic analysis of dance-based exergaming: effect of song pace on center of mass and joint mobility.

[Purpose] To establish a quantitative kinematic assessment method for examining postural stability and physical mobility during dance-based exergaming. [Participants and Methods] Fifteen young adults participated in one session of dance-based exergaming assessment using segments from Kinect ‘Just Dance 3’ consisting of slow-, medium-, and fast-paced songs. A motion capture system was used to record full body kinematics, and a customized MATLAB code was used to compute the variables of interest, such as center of mass sway area, excursion, and peaks, as well as step count and joint excursions. [Results] Total center of mass sway area and excursion were significantly greater for slow-paced (total sway area=1,077.6 ± 209.9 cm2; total excursion=629.8 ± 380.5 cm) and fast-paced (total sway area=314.1 ± 133.6 cm2; total excursion=478.5 ± 149.0 cm) songs than for the medium-paced song (total sway area=212.9 ± 346.0 cm2; total excursion=311.2 ± 119.5 cm). Joint excursion was greater for the knee (ranging from: (slow to fast-paced songs: 55.5°–83.1°) and hip (slow to fast-paced: 40.6°–50.4°) than for the ankle (slow to fast-paced: 32.2°–46.7°) for all three dance paces. Additionally, step count was significantly, positively correlated with song pace (r=0.52). [Conclusion] The current study was able to quantify and provide normative values for postural control and joint mobility among healthy young adults during dance-based exergaming with 3 hip-hop songs of different paces from the Microsoft Kinect ‘Just Dance 3’. The results indicated that different paces (intensities) of dance songs corresponded to distinct movement kinematic trends, particularly with slow-paced song having the maximum center of mass excursion and lowest joint excursion, while fast-paced song exhibits the reverse, along with medium-paced song exhibiting the highest hip and ankle joint angle excursions, while the fast-paced song had increased knee joint angle excursions.
A Jain Ethic for the End of Life

Jainism, which arose in India more than 2500 years ago, states that the soul is eternal: it has never been created nor can it ever be destroyed. The soul becomes cloaked, birth after birth, with karmas that obscure its true nature. The utmost task for the human being entails purifying oneself of karma through untying its many knots that bind the soul, masking its innate energy, consciousness, and bliss. One technique to guarantee a better life in the next birth is to die a conscious death through a systematic process of fasting, entering into a state of dehydration. This highly regulated practice, pursued by monks, nuns, and laypersons who have gone through a rigorous period of internal reflection and external assessment before embarking on this path, provides a peaceful way to embrace death. Known as sallekhana or santara, it has recently been challenged in the courts as a form of suicide, an illegal practice, though for the Jain community it remains an important option through which one can express religious faith.
The utility of adjunctive electroencephalography while performing transcarotid artery revascularization.

Abstract Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) has been used as an alternative to carotid endarterectomy and transfemoral carotid artery stenting. Although TCAR has been associated with a decrease in perioperative strokes compared with transfemoral carotid artery stenting, little is known about the safety of cerebral blood during flow reversal or the value of adjunctive electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring in performing TCAR. We describe two cases of EEG changes in patients undergoing TCAR. These cases highlight the use of adjunctive EEG and provide examples of test clamping to assess for compromised collateral cerebral blood flow in patients undergoing TCAR.
Rescuing Informed Consent: How the new “Key Information” and “Reasonable Person” Provisions in the Revised U.S. Common Rule open the door to long Overdue Informed Consent Disclosure Improvements and why we need to walk Through that door

There is substantial published evidence showing that countless people enroll each year in ethically deficient clinical trials. Many of the trials are problematic because the quality of the science used to justify their launch may not be sufficiently vetted while many other trials may lack requisite social value. This poses the question: why do people volunteer for them? The answer resides in large part in the fact that informed consent practices have historically masked, rather than disclosed, the information that would alert research candidates to the ethically problematic nature of the trials. The "reasonable person" and "key information" provisions in the revised US Common Rule create the opportunity to correct this historical shortcoming. Two sources are employed to shed light on what the "key information" is that should be disclosed to a "reasonable person": the original disclosure aims of the Nuremberg Code, as well as an extensive body of meta-research evidence. Those sources jointly support a range of new disclosures in the informed consent process that would unmask the heretofore undisclosed information. The resulting proposed new disclosures pertain to the overall success prospects of clinical trials, the quality of the prior research that both forms the basis of clinical trials and informs assessment of their risks and benefits, the potential social value of clinical trials, and the commercial purposes of clinical trials.
Analysis of Random Perturbations for Robust Convolutional Neural Networks

Recent work has extensively shown that randomized perturbations of neural networks can improve robustness to adversarial attacks. The literature is, however, lacking a detailed compare-and-contrast of the latest proposals to understand what classes of perturbations work, when they work, and why they work. We contribute a detailed evaluation that elucidates these questions and benchmarks perturbation based defenses consistently. In particular, we show five main results: (1) all input perturbation defenses, whether random or deterministic, are equivalent in their efficacy, (2) attacks transfer between perturbation defenses so the attackers need not know the specific type of defense -- only that it involves perturbations, (3) a tuned sequence of noise layers across a network provides the best empirical robustness, (4) perturbation based defenses offer almost no robustness to adaptive attacks unless these perturbations are observed during training, and (5) adversarial examples in a close neighborhood of original inputs show an elevated sensitivity to perturbations in first and second-order analyses.
The Association of ICH Exclusion Criteria With Mortality and Disability Rates in ICH Patients Receiving 4F-PCC for Anticoagulation Reversal

Background:Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) exclusion criteria in the landmark four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) trial have not been incorporated into clinical practice and incremen...
Grandtotem: Supporting International and Intergenerational Relationships

The grandchild-grandparent relationship faces unique challenges among international students. We developed the Grandtotem, which functions as a focal point for family ritual, a photo frame, and a relationship media album. Research with international student grandchildren helped to identify three dimensions along which their relationships with grandparents must adapt: (1) technology, (2) physical barriers, and (3) changing roles. Initial design feedback suggests that the Grandtotem is a promising tool for strengthening the social fabric during a difficult time of cultural transition.
Asian/American Women Scholars, Gendered Orientalism, and Racialized Violence: Before, During, and After the 2021 Atlanta Massacre:

This article describes how an Asian/American woman leader-scholar (and others un/like her) have processed the Atlanta Massacre of 2021 and other types of racialized violence in and out of the acade...
“How Will You Give Back?”: On Becoming a Compañera as a Feminist Methodology from the Cracks:

Issues of power, inequality, and representation in the production of knowledge have a long history in transnational feminist research. And yet the unequal relationship between ethnographers and par...
Arterial Thrombosis and Marantic Endocarditis

In 1865, Armand Trousseau was the first to systemically describe the connection between thrombosis and cancer through autopsy studies.The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer is far better described in comparison to arterial thrombosis in cancer patients. However, with increased cancer survival and novel vascular targeted cancer therapies, arterial thromboembolic events (ATE) have been increasingly reported. An individual’s ATE risk is a combination of personal risk factors, cancer characteristics, and vascular toxicity of therapy. Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is another mechanism of ATE frequently seen in cancer patients.The occurrence of ATE almost always interrupts cancer treatment and negatively affects outcomes. Clinical cases of ATE, including NBTE, due to cancer characteristics, treatment and personal risk factors are presented.
Social differentiation and exchange among the Kumeyaay Indians during the historic period in California

Long distance exchange between the Kumeyaay Indians and other southern California Indian groups after Spanish colonization is poorly documented and understood. The intensive study of thousands of shell beads from an historic cemetery in the San Diego region indicates that traditional socioeconomic interactions persevered among some California Indians despite missionization, epidemic diseases, and the seizure of California Indian lands. A mortuary analysis of the distribution of beads and other grave associations in the same cemetery further suggests that Kumeyaay sociopolitical organization was more complex than previously noted. It does not appear that this complexity developed as a result of Spanish colonization, but instead continued after at least 80 years of intensive contact. The Kumeyaay example illustrates that often important economic and sociopolitical traditions are maintained despite clear attempts to acculturate colonized societies.
The Implications of Excluding State Crimes from 47 U.S.C. §230’s Immunity

In June 2013, the State Attorneys General signaled their intent to ask Congress to amend 47 U.S.C. 230, the federal law that says websites aren't liable for third party content. The State AGs want to exclude state criminal prosecutions from the immunity. This essay explains the problems such an amendment would create for the Internet user-generated content community.
Emergency Department Use in the US‐Mexico Border Region and Violence in Mexico: Is There a Relationship?

PURPOSE: This study assessed the association between homicide rates in northern Mexico and potentially avoidable use of emergency departments (ED) in the US-Mexico border region. The border region is largely rural and underserved, making the identification and correction of potential barriers to access crucial. METHODS: We used secondary data from state inpatient and ED discharge databases for California and Arizona for 2005-2010. A retrospective observational analysis using generalized linear models was used to determine whether the probability that an ED encounter was potentially avoidable was associated with homicide rates in the nearest Mexican municipality. To conduct the analysis, the location of ED encounters were identified and matched with homicide rates in the nearest Mexican municipality and regional characteristics. The probability that an ED encounter was potentially avoidable was calculated using the Billings ED algorithm. FINDINGS: We found that 77% of ED encounters were potentially avoidable, with a higher percentage in border counties. There was no statistically significant relationship between homicide rates and the probability that an ED encounter was for a potentially avoidable condition for the full analytic sample (n = 24,859,273) and the uninsured and underinsured in the sample (n = 11,700,123). CONCLUSION: A substantial majority of ED encounters in the US-Mexico border region were potentially avoidable. However, there was not a strong relationship between homicide rates in northern Mexico and the distribution of ED discharges in Arizona and California. Given the large percentage of potentially avoidable ED encounters and the ongoing violence in Mexico, continuing to monitor this relationship is important. Language: en
Auxin Production by Plant-Pathogenic Pseudomonads and Xanthomonads

Pathogenic strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. glycines which cause hypertrophy of leaf cells of susceptible soybean cultivars and nonpathogenic strains which do not cause hypertrophy were compared for their ability to produce indole compounds, including the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in liquid media with or without supplementation with l-tryptophan. Several additional strains of plant-pathogenic xanthomonads and pseudomonads were also tested for IAA production to determine whether in vitro production of IAA is related to the ability to induce hypertrophic growth of host tissues. Indoles present in culture filtrates were identified by thin-layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, UV spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and were quantitated by high-performance liquid chromatography. All strains examined produced IAA when liquid media were supplemented with l-tryptophan. The highest levels of IAA were found in culture filtrates from the common bean pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, and this was the only bacterium tested which produced IAA without addition of tryptophan to the medium. Additional indoles identified in culture filtrates of the various strains included indole-3-lactic acid, indole-3-aldehyde, indole-3-acetamide, and N-acetyltryptophan. Pseudomonads and xanthomonads could be distinguished by the presence of N-acetyltryptophan, which was found only in xanthomonad culture filtrates.
Improved Algorithms for the 2-Vertex Disjoint Paths Problem

Given distinct vertices s 1,s 2,t 1, and t 2 the 2-vertex-disjoint paths problem (2-VDPP) consists in determining two vertex-disjoint paths p 1, from s 1 to t 1, and p 2, from s 2 to t 2, if such paths exist. We show that by using some kind of sparsification technique the previously best known time bound of O(n + mα(m,n)) can be reduced to O(m + nα(n,n)), where α denotes the inverse of the Ackermann function. Moreover, we extend the very practical and simple algorithm of Hagerup for solving the 2-VDPP on 3-connected planar graphs to a simple linear time algorithm for the 2-VDPP on general planar graphs thereby avoiding the computation of planar embeddings or triconnected components.
Micromechanical Modeling of Functionally Graded Materials

Thermoelastic response of graded composite material is examined for both uniform changes in temperature and steady-state heat conduction in the gradient direction. Detailed finite element studies of the overall response and local fields in the discrete models were conducted, using large plane-array domains with simulated skeletal and particulate microstructures. Homogenized layered models with the same composition gradient and effective properties, derived from the Mori-Tanaka and/or self-consistent methods, were analyzed under identical boundary conditions. Comparisons of temperature distributions and the overall and local fields predicted by the discrete and homogenized models were made using a C/SiC composite system with very different Young’s moduli of the phases, and relatively steep composition gradients. Close agreement with the discrete model predictions is observed for homogenized models which derive effective properties estimates from several averaging methods: In those parts of the graded microstructure which have a well-defined continuous matrix and discontinuous reinforcement, the effective moduli, expansion coefficients and heat conductivities are approximated by the Mori-Tanaka estimates. In skeletal microstructures that often form transition zones between clearly defined matrix and reinforcement phases, the effective properties are approximated by the self-consistent estimates. Subject to these selection rules, the averaging methods originally developed for statistically homogeneous aggregates under uniform overall fields may be applied to graded material subjected to nonuniform overall loads. A complete description of this investigation was presented by T. Reiter, G. J. Dvorak and V. Tvergaard, J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 45, 1281–1302, and in a forthcoming paper in the same volume. The results do not suggest that nonlocal or new micromechanical theories are needed for modeling functionally graded materials. Such theories appear appropriate only in those limited volumes of the material where the field averages are very small and their gradients very large.
Occupational Control in Education: The Logic and Leverage of Epistemic Communities

Most current approaches to improving teaching and learning in American public schools rely on either market pressures or bureaucratic controls to leverage performance. In this article, however, aut...
Exploring parallel X-pinch coupling

Summary form only given, as follows. To investigate the influence of X-pinches, driven by 225 kA each, on each other as a function of their separation distance, several distances between the X-pinches were tested with various wire materials. Pinhole images, interferometry data, and soft x-ray images of interacting X-pinches were collected. Time integrated radiographs of two X-pinches show, when the X-pinches are less than 10 mm apart, the merging of the jet-like plasmas that form between the legs, implying a strong magnetic interaction between the jets sometime during the pulse. Possible explanations of these observations, including the influence of the plasma surrounding the X-pinches on bright spot formation, will be discussed. These results also have implications for x-ray backlighting and for time-dependent x-ray spectroscopy experiments.
Quasi-elastic electron scattering as a probe of three body structure

Quasi-elastic electron scattering potentially provides an interesting probe of nuclear structure. In the simplest approach one can infer the momentum probability n(k) of the target nucleons from measurements of the differential cross-section d2o/d~dE as a function of energy loss w and momentum transfer 5. For pure quasielastic scattering in the non-relatlvistlc approximation these quantities are I related by
Latin hypercube lattice sample selection strategy for correlated random hydraulic conductivity fields

[1] Given an established probabilistic description of hydraulic conductivity, realizations of the hydraulic conductivity field can be generated using a lattice sampling technique, a special case of Latin hypercube sampling, and subsequently input to a groundwater flow and transport model. Realizations of dependent variables such as contaminant concentration are obtained as the output of the model and their corresponding statistics can be calculated. Compared with the other three alternative methods for generating a random hydraulic conductivity field, the suggested method is more efficient in terms of computational effort because it needs fewer samples to achieve the same statistical accuracy.
Sarcoidosis and mononuclear phagocytes

Sarcoidosis is frequently associated with elevations of serum levels of either lysozyme or angiotensin-converting enzyme or both. Elevation of serum lysozyme probably derives from increased monocyte secretion of lysozyme and from increases in the lysozyme activity of the lung macrophage. Human alveolar macrophages from sarcoidosis patients contain more angiotensin-converting enzyme than normal human alveolar macrophages. The pathogenetic, diagnostic and therapeutic significance of these observations are discussed.
Rhinitis in the athlete

Trauma is the most common problem involving the nose in sports and athletic events. Injury may lead to "vasomotor syndrome" and chronic rhinitis. Nasal and sinus obstruction may cause additional discomfort. Exposure to irritants, particularly solvents, cleaning solutions, paints, and varnishes as well as air pollutants exacerbates vasomotor rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is another major problem of atopic athletes. It may be caused by exposure to pollens, molds, dust, or animal danders. Treatment is aimed at reducing the exposure to etiologic factors as well as pharmacologic management. Antihistamines, topical cromolyn, and topical steroids may be used to control rhinitis without violating " antidoping " regulations.
A Critical Evaluation of Cysteamine as a Tool to Deplete Somatostatin in the Rat Central Nervous System

The wide central nervous system (CNS) distribution of somatostatin (SRIF) as well as the well documented reduction in SRIF concentration in the cerebral cortex in patients with Alzheimer’s disease have served as an impetus for studies of this peptide’s neurobiological role in the brain. These studies were designed to evaluate the efficacy of centrally administered cysteamine (CYS) as a tool to deplete SRIF in the hypothalamus (HYP) and extrahypothalamic brain areas. Somatostatin was measured by RIA in the frontal cortex (COR), hippocampus (HIP), and HYP in rats after seven daily infusions of CYS into unilateral cannulae stereotaxically positioned into either the lateral ventricle (LV; 300 μg/2 μl) or the dorsal HIP (100 μg/2 MI), and after single (300 mg/kg) or daily (100 mg/kg) sc injections; rats were killed 4 or 24 h after the last injection. After LV infusions, the SRIF concentration was significantly reduced only in the HYP (35% at 4 h and 27% at 24 h). After HIP infusions, the SRIF concentration was...
Very Fast Electron Migrations within p-Doped Aromatic Cofacial Arrays Leading to Three-Dimensional (Toroidal) π-Delocalization

The charge-resonance phenomenon originally identified by Badger and Brocklehurst lies at the core of the basic understanding of electron movement and delocalization that is possible within p-doped aromatic (face-to-face) arrays. To this end, we now utilize a series of different aryl-donor groups (Ar) around a central platform to precisely evaluate the intramolecular electron movement among these tethered redox centers. As such, the unique charge-resonance (intervalence) absorption bands observed upon the one-electron oxidation or p-doping of various hexaarylbenzenoid arrays (Ar6C6) provide quantitative measures of the reorganization energy (λ) and the electronic coupling element (Hab) that are required for the evaluation of the activation barrier (ΔGET*) for electron-transfer self-exchange according to Marcus−Hush theory. The extensive search for viable redox centers is considerably aided by the application of a voltammetric criterion that has led in this study to Ar = N,N-dialkyl-p-anilinyl, in which exc...
Organic Acids in Selected Foods Inhibit Intestinal Brush Border Pteroylpolyglutamate Hydrolase in Vitro: Potential Mechanism Affecting the Bioavailability of Dietary Polyglutamyl Folate.

Dietary folates exist largely as polyglutamates that require deconjugation prior to absorption. This process is catalyzed by intestinal pteroylpolyglutamate hydrolase (PPH) mainly associated with t...
Mechanism of Free Radical Nitric Oxide-mediated Ras Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation

Ras proteins cycle between GDP-bound and GTP-bound states to modulate a diverse array of cellular growth processes. In this study, we have elucidated a mechanism by which nitric oxide, in the presence of oxygen (NO/O 2 ), regulates Ras activity. We show that treatment of Ras with NO/O 2 causes conversion of Ras-bound GDP into a free 463.3 Da nucleotide-nitration product. Mass and UV/visible spectroscopic analyses suggest that this nitration product is 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole diphosphate (NIm-DP), a degradation product of 5-nitro-GDP. These results indicate that NO/O 2 mediates Ras guanine nucleotide exchange (GNE) by conversion of Ras-bound GDP into an unstable 5-nitro-GDP. 5-Nitro-GDP can be produced by radical-based reaction of the GDP guanine base with nitrogen dioxide ( NO 2 ). We also provide evidence that the Ras Phe 28 side-chain plays a key role in the formation of a NO/O 2 -induced Ras 5-nitro-GDP product. We previously proposed a mechanism of NO/O 2 -mediated Ras GNE, in which NO 2 , formed by the reaction of NO with O 2 , generates a Ras Cys 118 thiyl radical (Ras-S 118 ) intermediate. In the present study, we provide evidence for a radical-based mechanism of NO/O 2 -mediated Ras GNE. According to this mechanism, reaction of NO with O 2 produces NO 2 . NO 2 then reacts with Ras to produce Ras-S 118 , which withdraws an electron from the Ras-bound guanine nucleotide base to produce a guanine nucleotide diphosphate cation radical (G + -DP) via the Phe 28 side-chain. G + -DP is subsequently converted to a neutral radical, and can react with another NO 2 to produce 5-nitro-GDP. This radical-based reaction process disrupts key binding interactions between Ras and the guanine base, resulting in release of GDP from Ras and its conversion to free 5-nitro-GDP. This mechanism is likely to be common to other NKCD motif-containing Ras superfamily GTPases, as NO/O 2 also facilitates GNE on the redox-active Rap1A and Rab3A GTPases.
MAPS: creating socio-technical environments in support of distributed cognition for people with cognitive impairments and their caregivers

Individuals with cognitive disabilities are often unable to live independently due to their inability to perform daily tasks. By providing socio-technical environments to increase their independence, they can have richer, fuller lives. MAPS (Memory Aiding Prompting System), provides a simple effective prompting system with an interface for caregivers designed to affect high rates of integration into daily life. MAPS contributes the base upon which a distributed support system can provide mobile, context-aware error detection and repair. The process of designing and evaluation of the MAPS system utilizes and extends HCI frameworks, such as distributed cognition, situated action and end-user programming.
Triggers, Flashbacks, and Fantasia: Intrusive Death Imagery following Homicide Loss:

Psychological trauma following the murder of a loved one can be tormenting for survivors who involuntarily re-experience their loss in gruesome, sensory-laden images from both witnessed and imagined scenes of the violent death. Intrusive images and cognitions of the event, often experienced in the acute aftermath of homicide, can also be triggered throughout the lifetime of persons suffering traumatic loss. This article differentiates and explores traumagenic re-experiencing phenomena by two types: flashback imagery of the literal event as witnessed by the survivor and non-witnessed imagery that can be abstract, fantastical representations of the violent death scene. Both types are described, compared, and contrasted against the backdrop of the author's own experience of traumata following the murder of her husband. Re-experiencing imagery is discussed as a primary distressor for homicide-loss survivors. Implications for practice point to aiding survivors in developing safety, insight and mastery over dis...
Integrating qualitative and quantitative theoretical perspectives in applied advertising research

Abstract This review synthesizes the qualitative theoretical framework employed in Kennedy and McGarvey (in this issue), and posits a research paradigm to integrate and balance both qualitative and quantitative (“Q–Q”) methods in study design using “parallel perspective analysis” as shown in Table 1 . Integrating both research perspectives enabled Kennedy and McGarvey to construct a phenomenological “story” of human movement in pet-related consumption attitudes and behavior during the last century, while maintaining a high level of empirical rigor. The method for quantifying a Q–Q research study can be used to develop future balanced research by scholars and practitioners concerned with capturing contextual phenomena in empirically rigorous consumer research.
Within-Boll Yield Components of High Yielding Cotton Cultivars

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) within-boll yield components have changed throughout the last 30 yr of cultivar development. The question arises, how do within-boll yield components differ in contemporary high yielding cultivars? Nine commercially available cotton cultivars were over-seeded and hand-thinned to 10.8 plants m-2 in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Before machine harvest, plants from 6 m of one row were removed from each plot and hand-harvested by fruiting position. After hand-harvest, seed cotton from each fruiting position was ginned separately. Boll number, lint mass, seed number, seed mass, seed surface area, and fiber properties were determined for each fruiting position. These data were then used for within-boll yield component calculations. One of the top yielding cultivars in this investigation (DPL 33 B), characterized by a smaller seed mass, produced greater total seed surface area per unit of land area, but lower lint mass and fiber number per unit of seed surface area. The other two top yielding cultivars in this investigation (DPL 491 and STV 4892 BR), characterized by a larger seed mass, produced lower total seed surface area per unit of land area, but greater lint mass and fiber number per unit of seed surface area. These data indicate fiber number and lint mass per unit of seed surface area are linked to seed size, which should be considered when selecting for increased lint mass or fiber number per unit of seed surface area.
Characterization of 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane and Carbon Dioxide Binary Mobile Phases with Polymeric Columns Using Linear Solvation Energy Relationships

In this study, the chromatographic properties of binary carbon dioxide/1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) mobile phases on a polymeric stationary phase are examined. Retention of various analytes, as a function of mobile phase composition, is dependent upon the physicochemical properties of the analyte. The specific intermolecular interactions between various solutes and the mobile and stationary phases responsible for the retention behavior are probed using linear solvation energy relationships. Using this methodology, it is apparent that solute hydrogen bond donating ability is the dominant factor dictating retention in these systems. Other solute properties, such as dipolarity/polarizability, hydrogen bond accepting ability, and excess molar refraction, have much smaller effects on retention.
Altered patterns of innervation in frog muscle after denervation.

The pattern of reinnervation of muscle fibres after a nerve crush was examined in the cutaneous pectoris muscle of the frog by microscopy and electrophysiology. Normally, about 16% of the muscle fibres are innervated by more than one motor neuron. Two months after reinnervation, about 50% of the fibres are polyneuronally innervated and this high incidence persists for at least seven months. The total number of neurons reinnervating the muscle, as well as the number of muscle fibres comprising the muscle, are normal. However, nerve fibres sprout branches at the site of the crush, and, therefore, the number of axons entering the muscle is greater than normal. Regenerating axons contact muscle fibres precisely at the original synaptic sites and the terminal branches from different axons that end on the same muscle fibre often run side by side occupying stretches of original postsynaptic membrane normally covered by one terminal. Our findings indicate that the amount of synaptic contact during regeneration is limited by the amount of original postsynaptic membrane and that any number of axons that reach vacant portions of original postsynaptic membrane can make synaptic contact with it.
Risk Factors Associated with Women’s Marital Infidelity

This study used a qualitative approach to explore the complexity of marital infidelity and understand issues within the marriage that could increase the risk of having a marital affair. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore women’s participation in an extramarital affair(s). The information gathered was audio taped, transcribed, and analyzed using the transcendental phenomenological model (Moustakas in Phenomenological research methods, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, 1994). All four of the women described a lack of quality time, inability to resolve conflict, and a lack of attention within the marriage as predisposing factors to the affair(s). Clinical and research implications are discussed.
Effect of Simultaneous Optical Bleaching and Gamma Radiation on the Room-Temperature Colorability of KCl

The effect of simultaneous gamma irradiation and optical bleaching on $F$-center production in high-purity KCl at room temperature has been investigated. It is found that for high gamma-ray intensities (\ensuremath{\sim}4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{3}$R/min) simultaneous irradiation and bleaching decreases the net $F$-center production rate compared with that characteristic of the same samples irradiated in the dark. This suppression of $F$ centers is associated with the later stage of coloration and is a function of bleaching intensity and dose rate. When a sample is given the same total dose and amount of bleaching sequentially, there is a small net decrease in the $F$-center concentration. However, this decrease is much less than the amount of suppression observed in crystals irradiated in light. The effect of simultaneous bleaching and irradiation on the late-stage coloration suggests that the charge state of the radiation-produced vacancies, e.g., whether $F$ centers or $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ centers are formed, is very important in the coloration process. In the case of low dose rates (\ensuremath{\sim}92 R/min) the $F$-center growth curves in dark-irradiated crystals consist of essentially only early-stage centers, whereas in samples simultaneously bleached and irradiated (light-irradiated), $F$-center production was completely suppressed.