cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation and outcomes of women with a breast lump and a normal mammogram result.

BACKGROUND: Many women experience a breast lump. Clinical guidelines suggest that a normal mammogram result alone is not adequate to exclude a diagnosis of cancer.
An Analysis of Two In-Place Array Rotation Algorithms

This paper presents a complexity analysis of two STL in-place rotation algorithms. If an array of n elements is rotated to the right Δ positions, the first STL version, which uses forward iterators, uses n - gcd(n, Δ) swaps, while the second version, which uses random access iterators, uses only n+gcd(n, Δ) array element movements. This paper also proves the optimality of the second version. A performance comparison is included.
Maternal scaffolding in the child's zone of proximal development across tasks: Cross-cultural perspectives.

Abstract This study examined cultural differences in the amount and type of maternal scaffolding of children's learning and their effects on children's independent performance across two distinct activities: goal-oriented vs. free play. Twenty Iranian immigrant and 20 Anglo-American mothers with their preschool children participated in this study. Analyses of maternal scaffolding revealed that Iranian immigrant mothers were more directive in their teaching strategies than Anglo-American mothers in the goal-oriented activity. These differences disappeared in the free play, however. Furthermore, maternal sensitivity was examined in relation to task demand and children's level of competence. No cultural differences were observed between the two groups of mothers' sensitivity to their children's level of competence: Both groups altered their teaching strategies to adjust to the task demand, as well as to the child's level of competence. An examination of children's independent performance revealed no cultural...
WE‐G‐134‐02: BEST IN PHYSICS (IMAGING) — Extend the CBCT Volumetric Coverage Using a Pair of Circular Scans with Complementary and Opposite Detector Lateral and Longitudinal Shifts

Purpose: Volumetric coverage of current CBCT system is limited by machine mechanical configurations and detector panel size. To address this problem, we developed a novel CBCT image acquisition method, DSCS (Dual Scan with Complementary Shifts) by using a pair of complementary circular CBCT scans with lateral shifts and opposite longitudinal shifts of the detector panel, combined with complementary longitudinal shifts of the couch table, to provide up to 40 cm longitudinal coverage and a 45 cm field‐of‐view (FOV). Methods: The two source positions are up to 40 cm apart in the longitudinal direction. In the 1st scan, the detector panel is shifted inferiorly and its superior edge is aligned with the 1st source position. In the 2nd scan, the panel is shifted superiorly and its inferior edge is aligned with the 2nd source position. The detector is shifted laterally by 16 cm to obtain a 45 cm FOV. Opposite lateral detector displacements are used to improve image quality by providing complementary information. To support DSCS, we have developed a new filtered‐back‐projection (FBP) CBCT image reconstruction algorithm to create images from the overlapped and shifted projection data of the dual scans together. Results: We have successfully implemented the proposed DSCS CBCT acquisition method on a Varian TrueBeam radiation therapy treatment machine in the research mode. Satisfactory results were obtained for a human body phantom. Conclusion: The complementary pair scans provide a promising solution to the longitudinal coverage and effective use of imaging dose. The efficiency of imaging dose usage is near 100% and there is no imaging dose outside the effective longitudinal coverage. This new CBCT method could be useful to facilitate clinical applications including image guidance and treatment adaptation. Supported by a research agreement with Varian Medical Systems.
Books Worth Reading: Higher Education and Society

The Relevance of Higher Education: Exploring a Contested Notion, Edited by Timothy L. Simpson. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2013. 257 pages. $90.00 Hardback, $89.99 eBook.Ebony & Ivy: Race, Slavery...
Comparison of MOS capacitor and transistor postirradiation response

The postirradiation response of MOS capacitors and transistors fabricated on the same chip is examined as a function of dose and anneal bias. A variety of analysis techniques are used to evaluate the postirradiation response of these structures, including low- and high-frequency capacitance-voltage techniques, subthreshold current-voltage techniques, and charge pumping. Although there are changes in the postirradiation energy spectrum of Delta D/sub it/, no clear evidence of defect transformation is observed on transistors or capacitors under any conditions examined. Postirradiation response at 80 degrees C is found to be similar in the two structures for low levels of damage (100 krad). For both structures, interface-trap densities continue to grow following irradiation under these conditions. In contrast, the postirradiation response of capacitors and transistors can differ qualitatively at higher levels of damage (1 Mrad), with the number of interface traps increasing postirradiation at 80 degrees C for transistors and postannealing for capacitors. These results indicate that capacitor structures may not be suitable for hardness assurance studies that involve elevated temperature irradiations or postirradiation anneals. >
Effect of altering dose of PG600 on reproductive performance responses in prepubertal gilts and weaned sows

This study evaluated the effects of altering dose of PG600 on estrus and ovulation responses in prepubertal gilts and weaned sows. Experiment 1 tested the effects of one (1.0x, 400IU eCG+200IU hCG, n=74), one and a half (1.5x, n=82), or two (2.0x, n=71) doses of PG600 for prepubertal gilts. Estrus (58%) and ovulation (90%) were not affected (P>0.10) by dose. Higher doses increased (P 0.10) the proportion of gilts with cysts (26, 36, and 46% for 1.0x, 1.5x, and 2.0x, respectively). Experiment 2 tested the effects of 0x (n=30), 0.5x (n=32), 1.0x (n=29), or 1.5x (n=30) doses of PG600 in weaned sows. Dose did not influence return to estrus (90%, P>0.10). There was an effect of dose (P 0.10) among treatments. These data suggest that increasing dose of PG600 to 1.5x for gilts increases the number of corpora lutea but does not alter the proportion expressing estrus or ovulating. Reducing dose of PG600 for weaned sows did not alter estrus or ovulation, but the 0.5x dose increased farrowing rate compared to no PG600.
Calmodulin stimulation of calcium uptake and (Ca2+-Mg2+)-ATPase activities in microsomes from canine tracheal smooth muscle.

Abstract The role of calmodulin in the regulation of microsomal 45Ca2+ transport in canine tracheal smooth muscle was studied. Calmodulin stimulated ATP-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake and (Ca2+Mg2+)-ATPase activities in microsomes treated with 0.5 mM EDTA and 0.5 mM EGTA. Oxalate also stimulated ATP-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake and (Ca2+Mg2+)-ATPase activities and the stimulation was additive to the effects of calmodulin. The (Ca2+Mg2+)-ATPase and ATP-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake activities are probably related as they exhibited similar [Ca2+]free- and [calmodulin]-dependencies. These results indicate that calmodulin may play a role in the control of the cytosolic [Ca2+]free in canine tracheal smooth muscle.
Peak creatine kinase as a measure of effectiveness of thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction

As part of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute multicenter Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Trial, the time to peak plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity as a marker of reperfusion in 272 patients with validated acute myocardial infarction was analyzed. Patients were treated with either tissue-type plasminogen activator or streptokinase by intravenous administration. All patients underwent acute coronary angiography. The infarct-related artery was identified and thrombolytic therapy administered. Reperfusion at 90 minutes was documented by angiography. CK was determined before institution of therapy and every 4 hours thereafter for the first 24 hours. Patients were classified into 3 groups for comparative purposes: group 1--occlusion with no reperfusion (n = 119); group 2--occlusion with reperfusion (n = 98); and group 3--subtotal occlusion (n = 55). Early (within 4 hours after treatment) and late (more than 16 hours after treatment) peaking of CK differentiated patients with drug-induced perfusion from those without reperfusion. Although peak CK between 5 and 11 hours after drug treatment did suggest perfusion through the infarct-related artery, it did not differentiate between drug-induced and spontaneous reperfusion. Clinically, early peak CK is a useful noninvasive means of assessing coronary artery patency. However, in clinical trials assessing drug therapy, the use of peak CK may overestimate drug effectiveness by including patients with spontaneous reperfusion.
School reform in Chicago: An overview

This chapter provides an introduction to and describes the background of the Chicago School Reform Act.
Photoelectronic techniques for subnanosecond evaluation of laser-material interactions and dynamic material properties

Photoelectronic techniques provide the highest temporal resolution for dynamic material interaction studies. Optical signals from a velocity interferometer (VISAR) are coupled by fiber optics to the slit plane of an electronic streak camera. Temporal resolution of 30 GPa. Miniature plates are being used to study grain and sub-grain size effects of metals and ceramics. The small size of the experiment permits evaluation of: (1) spall strength at strain rates > 107, (2) local grain size effects, (3) grain boundaries, (4) shock and release all within one grain thickness, (5) small samples of valuable or toxic materials, (6) bond strengths between similar or different materials, (7) Hugoniot elastic limits, and (8) separation of elastic-plastic shock velocities. Dynamic properties of metals at grain and sub-grain size affects are just now being investigated experimentally. This presentation discuses the status of work in progress and the application of photoelectronic techniques for data collection and analysis.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Targeted disruption of the Kvlqt1 gene causes deafness and gastric hyperplasia in mice

The KvLQT1 gene encodes a voltage-gated potassium channel. Mutations in KvLQT1 underlie the dominantly transmitted Ward-Romano long QT syndrome, which causes cardiac arrhythmia, and the recessively transmitted Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome, which causes both cardiac arrhythmia and congenital deafness. KvLQT1 is also disrupted by balanced germline chromosomal rearrangements in patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), which causes prenatal overgrowth and cancer. Because of the diverse human disorders and organ systems affected by this gene, we developed an animal model by inactivating the murine Kvlqt1. No electrocardiographic abnormalities were observed. However, homozygous mice exhibited complete deafness, as well as circular movement and repetitive falling, suggesting imbalance. Histochemical study revealed severe anatomic disruption of the cochlear and vestibular end organs, suggesting that Kvlqt1 is essential for normal development of the inner ear. Surprisingly, homozygous mice also displayed threefold enlargement by weight of the stomach resulting from mucous neck cell hyperplasia. Finally, there were no features of BWS, suggesting that Kvlqt1 is not responsible for BWS.
The Surface Chemistry of 1-Iodopropane Adsorbed on Pt(111)

On Pt(111) at 110 K, 1-iodopropane, C3H7I, adsorbs molecularly, but for doses below 1.7 × 1014 molecules cm−2, only H2 and I appear in thermal desorption. C–I bond cleavage occurs between 160 and 220 K, forming adsorbed n-propyl, C(a)H2CH2CH3, and atomic iodine, based on temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). n-Propyl undergoes β-hydride elimination forming propylene, with desorption peaks at 185 and 240 K. At 240 K, hydrogenation to propane also occurs. Some di-σ bonded propylene, C(a)H2C(a)HCH3, remains at 240 K and it rearranges to propylidyne near 300 K. Atomic H, bound to Pt, recombines and desorbs at ca. 260 K. Further desorption of H2 is limited by C–H bond breaking and occurs over a broad temperature range with local maxima at ca. 280, 320, and 420 K, typical of propylidyne fragments on Pt. Atomic iodine desorbs in a broad feature at 825 K.
Cenozoic Chronostratigraphy, Planktonic Foraminiferal Zonation and the Radiometric Time Scale

The relationships proposed earlier between these factors are revised as a result of new dates from Pacific Coast Miocene marine stages.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Utilizing Traditional Birth Attendants for Maternal and Child Health/Family Planning Programs in the Rural Philippines

A pilot program was designed to measure the effectiveness of utilizing traditional birth attendants (hilots) as family planning motivators in the Philippines. 492 hilots took part in a 1-week maternal and child health and family planning training program. At the end of the program the following were studied using a quasi-expermintal design methodology: the effects of training alone training plus supervision and the combination of training supervision and a monetary incentive on family planning activities. The type of training method was also assessed to determine its relation to posttraining knowledge scores and field performance. Analysis of the 1-year program statistics indicates that a combination of training methods (lectures audiovisual demonstrations and role playing) significantly increased both test and field performance. The importance of supervision was one of the most significant findings of the study. Adding role-playing techniques to the family planning training curriculum greatly enhanced knowledge level. Hilots receiving supervision or supervision plus incentives were able to recruit twice as many acceptors/month as hilots who received only the training input. No significant difference was found between training supervision and incentive and training and supervision. Contraception continuation rates appear to vary according to program output. The data suggest that a traditional birth attendant family planning approach can be as much or more effective in terms of cost per new family planning acceptor compared to the national program approach of salaried field-workers. The most efficient scheme employs training plus supervision.
A semiautomatic procedure for measuring changes in position

Abstract A technique is described which permits the tracking of an organism or a body part as it moves through a spatial field. The successive spatial positions of the object under consideration are first recorded by motion-picture photography. The image of the developed film-frame is then projected onto a large screen. A grid of wires stands in front of the projection screen. The scorer touches a metal probe to the vertical and horizontal wires nearest the point on the projected image which he wishes to measure. Through diode and relay circuitry, Cartesian coordinates of the point under consideration are recorded on IBM cards.
Chemosis, proptosis and amaurosis in a 19-year-old male

Abstract An ectopic pinealoma was excised in 1966 and the patient received radiotherapy postoperatively. The patient developed diabetes insipidus, hypopituitarism, chemosis, proptosis, and loss of vision in the left eye. The left eye was enucleated in 1974 and a large orbital mass was found to contain malignant cells consistent with the diagnosis of germinoma. The orbital mass was in all likelihood a metastasis from the original focus of the tumor.
Dietary factors alter hepatic innate immune system in mice with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Dietary factors promote obesity and obesity-related disorders, such as fatty liver disease. Natural killer T (NKT) cells are components of the innate immune system that regulate proinflammatory (Th-1) and anti-inflammatory (Th-2) immune responses. Previously, we noted that NKT cells are selectively reduced in the fatty livers of obese, leptin-deficient ob/ob mice and demonstrated that this promotes proinflammatory polarization of hepatic cytokine production, exacerbating lipopolysaccharide (LPS) liver injury in these animals. In the current study, we show that hepatic NKT cells are also depleted by diets that induce obesity and fatty livers in wild-type mice, promoting Th-1 polarization of hepatic cytokine production and sensitization to LPS liver injury despite persistent leptin. Adult male C57BL6 mice fed diets containing high amounts of either fat or sucrose, or combined high-fat, high-sucrose, develop increased hepatic NKT cell apoptosis and reduced liver NKT cells. The hepatic lymphocytes are more Th-1 polarized with increased intracellular interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Mice fed high-fat diets also exhibit more liver injury, reflected by 2-fold greater serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) than control animals after receiving LPS. In conclusion, when otherwise normal mice are fed with high-fat or sucrose diet, they become obese, develop fatty livers, and acquire hepatic innate immune system abnormalities, including increased NKT cell apoptosis. The latter reduces liver NKT cell populations and promotes excessive hepatic production of Th-1 cytokines that promote hepatic inflammation. These diet-induced alterations in the hepatic innate immune system may contribute to obesity-related liver disease.
Some similarities and differences in collisional electron loss of H - , H + 2 , and He +

We have measured the electron-loss peak as a function of angle for the following collisions at 0.5 MeV/amu: H/sub 2/ /sup +/-Ar, H/sub 2/ /sup +/-Ne, H/sub 2/ /sup +/-Kr, He/sup +/-Kr, and H/sup -/-Kr. Electron energy spectra at an angle of 6/sup 0/ and complete angular distributions are shown for the last three systems listed above. The energy at which the electron-loss peak has its maximum and the width at half-maximum of the peak are compared for all five systems in the angular range 1.5< or =theta< or =10/sup 0/. Our results suggest that, as previously indicated, the angular distribution of the electron-loss peak seems to be determined by the target. When the projectile is a positive ion the energy of the electron-loss peak seems to be independent of target or projectile and therefore is a general feature of the process. The width of the electron-loss peak and its dependence on angle seems to depend primarily on the projectile. Electron-scattering-model calculations do not predict features of the electron-loss peaks which are angular dependent.
Screening methods for the identification of organic emissions from indoor air pollution sources

Abstract Development of on-line gas Chromatographic screening procedures is necessary to permit subsequent evaluation of materials in test chamber studies. This screening uses techniques such as static vapor-phase sampling by ‘headspace’ methods, and a dynamic method similar to the ‘purge-and-trap’ procedures used for determination of volatile organic compounds in water samples. These are methods of sampling that simulate the chamber conditions on a small scale, while allowing emissions to be collected and analyzed. The evaluation is done to select gas Chromatographic columns and develop operating conditions that will permit the rapid and reliable separation of chemical compounds generated during testing. The Chromatographic procedure is used in the qualitative identification of chemical compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. After identification of the compounds or, alternatively, their chemical classes, representative members are selected as calibration standards for the actual emission testing program. The standards selected are adequate to allow, in most cases, either quantitative or semi-quantitative calculation of the amount of each material present in the chamber exhaust gas. The use of response curves for the chemical classes allows subsequent recalculation of the amounts for each compound.
Precise gene dosage determination by polymerase chain reaction: theory, methodology, and statistical approach

We developed a general method of quantifying relative copy numbers of specific DNA sequences based on the theoretical accumulation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products when two DNA sequences are amplified together (co-amplified). Our experiments illustrate the development and theory of the technique. The precision of our estimates is demonstrated by statistical confidence intervals. Tests for effects introduced by experimental factors were performed. The precision of the technique was established by examining the relative gene dosage of the X-linked dystrophin gene in human genomic DNAs from a male, a normal female, a 47,XXX female, and a 48,XXXX cell line. The sensitivity was sufficient to distinguish three copies of the gene from four copies; equivalent to detecting loss of heterozygosity in half the cells of a tumour. Confidence intervals allowed us to reject the hypothesis that there was no difference between DNA samples. Four sample pairs would be required to demonstrate relative gene dosage ratios of 2.0 to 1.0; eight sample pairs would be required to demonstrate a relative gene dosage ratio of 1.3 to 1.0. This method should be useful in detecting gene amplification and deletion in a variety of situations.
Acetylcholinesterase in immature thalamic neurons: relation to afferentation, development, regulation and cellular distribution.

Abstract The transient appearance of intense acetylcholinesterase reactivity in some immature, noncholinergic neurons has not been adequately explained. In this study two questions were investigated that relate to several possible roles for acetylcholinesterase. First, what factors influence the onset and maintenance of reactivity? Second, what are the temporal and spatial features of the cellular expression in relation to stages of neuronal development? Using light- and electron-microscopic histochemical methods, the non-cholinergic ventrobasal complex in thalamus of the immature rat was examined. Ultrastructural observations on fetal ventrobasal complex demonstrated that the onset of acetylcholinesterase reactivity precedes ingrowth of most extrinsic afferents. These inputs are, therefore, unlikely to provide the signal for onset. In transplants and expiants, acetylcholinesterase persisted in ventrobasal complex neurons independent of their principal afferents. However, afferentation can affect reactivity. The patterned variation in intensity, characteristic of infant ventrobasal complex, was dramatically altered by unilateral interruption of its afferentation. The changes in intensity patterning could reflect changes in acetylcholinesterase metabolism, since postnatal treatment with an irreversible inhibitor (diisofluorophosphate) in vivo demonstrated resynthesis of acetylcholinesterase. The period of peak intensity of acetylcholinesterase reactivity normally began abruptly at 18 days of gestation ±12 h and continued until 4–6 days postnatally. This period follows neurogenesis and migration, but precedes active synaptogenesis. It coincides with outgrowth and initial contacting of cell processes in the ventrobasal complex. The timing complements the ultrastructural finding that acetylcholinesterase-dependent reaction product most commonly is localized to small patches of surface membrane, where distal processes contact each other, non-synaptically. Together these data suggest three points. First, that the expression of acetylcholinesterase in the immature ventrobasal complex neuron is probably under active metabolic control, responsive to both intrinsic and environmental factors. Second, that acetylcholinesterase expression is unlikely to result from a transient cholinergic input. Third, that the temporal and spatial characteristics of histochemical reactivity enable exclusion of several previously suggested explanations for the occurrence of acetylcholinesterase in the ventrobasal complex. At the same time, these data provide a basis for a first-order hypothesis: acetylcholinesterase plays a role in the formation of early intercellular relationships and/or process outgrowth. Possible mechanisms for these roles are discussed that would be consistent with the present data.
Egoism, Labour, and Possession: A reading of “Interiority and Economy,” Section II of Lévinas' Totality of Infinity

Levinas is the philosopher of the absolutely Other, the thinker of the primacy of the ethical relation, the poet of the face. Against the formalism of Kantian subjectivity, the totality of the Hegelian system, the monism of Husserlian phenomenology and the instrumentalism of Heideggerian ontology, Levinas develops a phenomenological account of the ethical relation grounded in the idea of infinity, an idea which is concretely produced in the experience with the absolutely other, particularly, in their face. The face of the other, irreducible to any ontological structure of being or any epistemological intentionality of representation, reaches out from on high across the abyss of the isolated ego, commanding respect all the while granting the possibility of murder. This experience overflows the subjective capacity of the separated ego, forcing it “beyond being.” This anarchic relation with the Other is the groundless condition of possibility for ethical life, that is, truly human life. The structure of the ...
Central CRF2 receptor antagonism reduces anxiety states during amphetamine withdrawal

Abstract Increased depressive and anxiety-like behaviors are exhibited by rats and humans during withdrawal from psychostimulants. Anxiety-like behaviors observed during amphetamine withdrawal are mediated by increased expression and activity of corticotropin releasing factor type 2 (CRF 2 ) receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus (dRN). Anxiety-like behavior of rats during withdrawal can be reversed by CRF 2 receptor antagonism in the dRN, but the efficacy of global central CRF 2 receptor antagonism is unknown. Rats were treated with amphetamine (2.5 mg/kg, ip.) or saline daily for 2 weeks, and were tested for anxiety-like behaviors during withdrawal. Rats undergoing withdrawal showed increased anxiety-like behavior, which was reduced by ventricular infusion of the CRF 2 antagonist antisauvagine-30 (ASV 2 μg/2 μl). Surprisingly, ventricular ASV increased anxiety-like behavior in rats pre-treated with saline, but had an anxiolytic effect in un-treated rats. Western blots were performed to determine whether differences in CRF receptor densities could explain ASV-induced behavioral results. Saline pre-treated rats showed reduced CRF 1 receptor expression in the lateral septum compared to amphetamine pre-treated and un-treated rats. Overall, these results suggest that central CRF 2 antagonism reduces anxiety states during amphetamine withdrawal, and that behavioral effects may be dependent upon the balance of CRF 1 and CRF 2 receptor activity in anxiety-related regions.
Evolution of Human Lifespan: Past, Future, and Present

The only satisfactory general theory for understanding the biology of aging is that provided by evolutionary genetics. The central theoretical result of the evolutionary theory of aging is that aging is caused by a fall in the force of natural selection, beginning at the time of the onset of reproduction and continuing until the cessation of reproduction. This formal result has been tested using breeding experiments in which the force of natural selection is altered in replicated laboratory populations. As predicted by the evolutionary theory of aging, such experiments can readily postpone aging. A recent advance has been the discovery of late-life mortality plateaus in human and other populations. These can be predicted theoretically from the late-life plateau in the force of natural selection, when it remains at or near zero. It is virtually certain that human lifespan has substantially increased over its last few million years of evolution. Evolutionary theory can explain this increase in terms of decreased ecological vulnerability resulting from increased brain size. The immediate future of human evolution is unlikely to see extensive genetic increases in lifespan, given the experimental data on rates of change in lifespan with experimental populations. But, evolutionary research suggests that there are few fundamental biological barriers to the extension of human lifespan, only practical barriers. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 10:409-420, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The components of a 'SVAT' scheme and their effects on a GCM's hydrological cycle

Abstract ‘Bucket’-type land surface models are being replaced in some general circulation model (GCM) climate studies by ‘SVAT’ (Surface Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer) models, which feature and explicit treatment of vegetation control over the surface energy balance. The evaporation calculations of a typical SVAT model differ from those of a bucket model in at least four fundamental ways: (a) the SVAT model typically allows a greater variety of environmental stresses to limit evapotranspiration; (b) it generally includes a canopy interception reservoir; (c) the control of the land surface over evaporation in a SVAT model is influenced by the atmosphere; and (d) the land surface control in a SVAT model varies on short time scales. Global fields and grid square diurnal cycles illustrate the hydrological cycle produced in a 20-year simulation with an atmospheric GCM coupled to a SVAT model. A sensitivity analysis then examines the relative importance of the SVAT/bucket differences in terms of their effects on the simulated hydrological cycle. The interception reservoir exerts more control over global evaporation than does either the vapor pressure deficit stress or the temperature stress. The effect of the temperature stress is, in fact, insignificant. The time variability of land surface control over the surface energy balance in a SVAT model significantly increases moisture convergence over land.
Combination Medium-Depth Peeling: The Jessner's + TCA Peel

The Jessner's + TCA peel is an enhanced medium-depth peel that is a combination of two acidic compounds. It has been found to be effective as a peeling procedure for moderately photoaging skin, actinic keratoses, and superficial acne scars.
Single myosin cross-bridge orientation in cardiac papillary muscle detects lever-arm shear strain in transduction.

Myosin motors transduce ATP free energy into mechanical work. Transduction models allocate specific functions to motor structural domains beginning with ATP hydrolysis in the active site and ending...
Implications of Self-Similarity for Providing End-to-End QoS Guarantees in High-Speed Networks: A Framework of Application Level Traffic Modeling

This paper is based on two novel research movements in the context of modeling, design, control, and management of future high-speed networks: (i) end-to-end QOS guarantees and (ii) the self-similar (fractal) nature of real-world traffic. The former pertains to building an integrated framework within which end-to-end QOS guarantees are fully supported in an efficient way while taking advantage of the statistical multiplexing. The latter concerns a salient characteristic observed in real-world traffic flow which may have critical impact on the former. However, little attention has yet been paid to determine which aspects of self-similar traffic would indeed affect control and management of future high-speed networks within an integrated framework of QOS provision end-to-end. The key objective of this paper is to address this issue by investigating (i) the distinctive characteristics of self-similar traffic from traditional Markovian traffic models, and (ii) how such characteristics would influence the three frameworks proposed in the literature. We provide evidences that the proposals considered in this paper did not properly take into account the self-similar nature of real-world traffic. As a result, a modeling methodology, called Application Level Traffic Modeling (ALTM), is proposed for more efficient QOS provision, which not only accounts for but also exploits the fractal nature of broadband traffic. An analysis of two high-quality Ethernet traces is presented supporting the ALTM. Several open research problems for further developing the ALTM are also presented.
The second component of the fertilization potential in sea urchin (Pseudocentrotus depressus) eggs involves both Na+ and K+ permeability

Abstract The fertilization potential of the Pseudocentrotus depressus egg involved three transiently depolarizing components which had a different time course and a peak value. Three peaks were at less than 10 sec, 43 ± 4 sec (mean ± SD), and 182 ± 22 sec after the onset of the fertilization potential. Their peak values (mean ± SD) were 37 ± 4, 17 ± 3, and −31 ± 5 mV in standard artificial sea water. The effect of external ions on the membrane potential at the peak of the second component was measured with a conventional voltage-recording microelectrode. The peak value changed 51 mV with a 10-fold change in external Na+ concentration. However, it was about 65 mV more negative than the equilibrium potential of Na+, assuming that the internal Na+ concentration was 13.5 mM. H+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Cl− did not contribute to the peak value. The peak value was sensitive to the external K+ concentration. These data fitted a theoretical line obtained from the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation, using a ratio of PNa:PK:PCl = 1.1:1.0:0. This means that the permeability to both Na+ and K+ is responsible for the second component of the fertilization potential. The fertilization potential was also measured in the artificial sea water containing Li+ or Cs+. The egg at the second component of the fertilization potential was almost equally permeable to Li+ as well as Na+ or K+ and somewhat permeable to Cs+. By contrast, the resting membrane potential before fertilization depended to a large extent upon K+ permeability.
Helix-coil Transmission and Electronic Conductivity of the Amylose–Iodine Complex

THE first linear polymer of biological origin which was shown to exist in a helical configuration was amylose, the linear polymer of glucose. This polymer has long been known to exist in a helical form in its familiar blue complex with iodine1–3. Subsequent discoveries of the helical structure of other biological polymers such as polypeptides4 and polynucleotides5 have created great excitement and stimulated many detailed studies into the properties of these polymers. However, possibly because amylose fulfils a rather mundane biological function and is derived solely from plant origin, equivalent studies on this material have not been carried out.
Numerical simulation of coastal clouds when solar radiation is blocked by smoke

Abstract Large fires ignited in a major nuclear exchange would inject a considerable amount of smoke into the atmosphere. This smoke could block the incident solar radiation from reaching the ground. Without the input of solar radiation on the ground, the temperature over the land surface would drop more rapidly than the temperature over the ocean, leading to formation of a thermal gradient at the continental coastlines. This temperature gradient has been hypothesized to induce a flow field that would initiate precipitation which could rapidly scavenge much of the smoke. This hypothesis is being investigated using an enhanced version of the Colorado State University Mesoscale Model to simulate air flow, clouds and precipitation along continental coastlines. The model has been modified to include the formation of fog and clouds, removal of moisture by precipitation, and the transport and diffusion of smoke. Also, the long wave radiation parameterization has been changed to take into account the effects of clouds. For both east and west coasts, with a moderate westerly synoptic wind and with solar radiation blocked by smoke, continental cooling leads to the formation of fog or low clouds over land. When fog forms, the layer of most rapid cooling moves to the top of the cloud while the potential temperature inside the cloud becomes nearly constant. As higher layers become saturated, the cloud expands vertically, and the liquid water content increases until precipitation falls from the cloud. Over the ocean, the atmosphere cools radiatively while the sea surface remains at constant temperature thus reducing the thermal stability and enhancing the vertical mixing of moisture which is injected into the atmosphere from the sea. Eventually a layer of precipitating cloud forms over the ocean that is very similar to the clouds over land. Once these similar cloud layers have formed, the cooling rates over land and sea become nearly identical, and there is no mechanism to produce the horizontal temperature gradients needed for vertical growth of clouds and precipitation into the upper levels of the atmosphere where they can scavenge the injected smoke.
Long-term impact of worker notification: qualitative assessment of a community-based notification and screening program in Augusta, Georgia.

Background Evaluation of high-risk worker notification programs often focuses on their immediate effectiveness in communicating information to individual workers. This approach leaves unexamined some important social processes that can influence worker notification's impact and public health consequences over time. Methods To explore long-term effects, ethnographic methods were used for qualitative assessment of a community-based program carried out by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Augusta, Georgia, during the early 1980s. More than a decade after the original NIOSH intervention, lengthy taped interviews were conducted with 70 members of the notified cohort (chemical workers exposed to beta-naphthylamine (BNA)) and 32 members of their families. Results The notified workers expressed extremely positive feelings about having received the risk information. However, for non-obvious and unanticipated reasons, most had failed to implement the notification's primary health advice (annual screening for bladder cancer). Both the workers and their family members reported a number of ongoing concerns related to the program. Conclusions The study findings suggest four strategies, all relatively low in cost, that are likely to increase the long-term public health benefits of worker notifications that rely on individually mailed written materials: (1) in designing worker notifications, take into account the information (accurate or not) that the workers already have, and determine what kind of information they most want and need; (2) define the notification audience broadly to include not only the study cohort but also family members and/or other similarly exposed workers; (3) when notifications recommend secondary disease prevention measures over long time periods, follow up the notification health advice with periodic reminders; (4) inform a wide range of community organizations and service providers (non-medical as well as medical) about the notification, and encourage them to provide appropriate support to the notified workers and their families. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:113–123, 2003. Published 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Prostaglandin E1-induced latent epileptogenic foci

Resume L'application sur le cortex visuel du lapin de 125 μl de solution de KCl a 6%, 2–24 h apres quila ait prśente une crise epileptique produite par prostaglandine (PG) E1, provoque la repetition de l'activite critique. La crise initiale est induite par application corticale de PGE1 sur le cortex visuel gauche de lapins pre-traites par PG inhibiteur de transport. De animaux de controle qui n'ont pas ete prðraites par PG inhibiteur de transport (bromcresol green ou probenecide), ou qui ont recu des applications de serum physiologique ou de PGF2α plutot que de PGE1, ne montrent pas d'activite critique initiale. Chez ces animaux, et chez ceux qui ont eu des crises induites par PG, 72 h avant l'administration de KCl, la solution de KCl ne provoque qu'une inhibition des responses evoquees visuelles mais pas d'activite de crise. Ces resultats sont interpretes comme indicateurs du fait que, dans des conditions appropriees, le PGE1 peut creer un foyer epileptogene latent qui peut etre reactive par le KCl. Les auteurs suggeerent que puisque le PGE1 est normalement produit par le cerveau, et en quantities augmentees lorsqu'il y a surstimulation, irritation ou tranumatisme, cette substance puissante peut jouer un role dans le development pement spontane de foyers epileptogenes latents ou dans la repetition de crises epileptiques.
Chiropractic Use in the Medicare Population: Prevalence, Patterns, and Associations With 1-Year Changes in Health and Satisfaction With Care

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to examine how chiropractic care compares to medical treatments on 1-year changes in self-reported function, health, and satisfaction with care measures in a representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries. Methods Logistic regression using generalized estimating equations is used to model the effect of chiropractic relative to medical care on decline in 5 functional measures and 2 measures of self-rated health among 12 170 person-year observations. The same method is used to estimate the comparative effect of chiropractic on 6 satisfaction with care measures. Two analytic approaches are used, the first assuming no selection bias and the second using propensity score analyses to adjust for selection effects in the outcome models. Results The unadjusted models show that chiropractic is significantly protective against 1-year decline in activities of daily living, lifting, stooping, walking, self-rated health, and worsening health after 1 year. Persons using chiropractic are more satisfied with their follow-up care and with the information provided to them. In addition to the protective effects of chiropractic in the unadjusted model, the propensity score results indicate a significant protective effect of chiropractic against decline in reaching. Conclusion This study provides evidence of a protective effect of chiropractic care against 1-year declines in functional and self-rated health among Medicare beneficiaries with spine conditions, and indications that chiropractic users have higher satisfaction with follow-up care and information provided about what is wrong with them.
Evolution in Research and Theory: A Study of Prominent Researchers.

The mode of scientific inquiry that was dominant in the 1950s and early 1960s is described, and the work of four prominent sets of researchers of that period is analyzed in an effort to determine t...
Spatial knowledge and geometric representation in a child blind from birth

A series of experiments demonstrated that a congenitally blind 2 1/2-year-old child-as well as sighted but blindfolded children and adults-can determine the appropriate path between two objects after traveling to each of those objects from a third object. This task requires that the child detect the distances and the angular relationship of the familiar paths and that she derive therefrom the angle of the new path. Our research indicates that the locomotion of the young blind child is guided by knowledge of the Euclidean properties of a spatial layout and by principles for making inferences based on those properties.
Ecological dominance, social competition, and coalitionary arms races: Why humans evolved extraordinary intelligence.

Human cognitive abilities are extraordinary. Our large brains are significantly modified from those of our closest relatives, suggesting a history of intense natural selection. The conditions favoring the evolution of human cognitive adaptations, however, remain an enigma. Hypotheses based on traditional ecological demands, such as hunting or climatic variability, have not provided satisfying explanations. Recent models based on social problem solving linked with ecological conditions offer more convincing scenarios. But it has proven difficult to identify a set of selective pressures that would have been sufficiently unique to the hominin lineage. What was so special about the evolutionary environments of our ancestors that caused them, and them alone, to diverge in such astonishing ways from their close relatives and all other life forms? Richard Alexander proposed a comprehensive integrated explanation. He argued that as our hominin ancestors became increasing able to master the traditional bhostile forces of nature,Q selective pressures resulting from competition among conspecifics became increasingly important, particularly in regard to social competencies. Given the precondition of competition among kin- and reciprocity-based coalitions (shared with
Nanoparticle location and material dependent dose enhancement in X-ray radiation therapy

Nanoparticles of high atomic number (Z) materials can act as radiosensitizers to enhance radiation dose delivered to tumors. An analytical approach is used to calculate dose enhancements to tumor endothelial cells and their nuclei for a series of nanoparticles (bismuth, gold and platinum) located at different locations relative to nuclei by considering contributions from both photoelectrons and Auger electrons. The ratio of the dose delivered to cells with and without the nanoparticles is known as the dose enhancement factor (DEF). DEFs depend on material composition, size and location of nanoparticles with respect to the cell and the nucleus. Energy of irradiating X-ray beam affects X-ray absorption by nanoparticles and plays an important role in dose enhancements. For diagnostic X-ray sources, bismuth nanoparticles provide higher dose enhancements than gold and platinum nanoparticles for a given nanoparticle size, concentration and location. The highest DEFs are achieved for nanoparticles located closest to the nucleus where energy depositions from short range Auger electrons are maximum. With nanoparticles ranging in diameter between 2-400 nm, the dose enhancement increases with decrease in particle size. The results are useful in finding optimized conditions for nanoparticle enhanced X-ray radiation therapy of cancer.
Urban Residential Refuse Composition and Generation Rates for the 20th Century

Examination of historical data shows that 3.5 × 108 tonnes (t) of residential refuse was discarded in New York City (NYC) during the 20th century. Maximum and minimum rates of per capita mass discard of residential refuse during this time are reported in 1940 (940 kg per capita yr-1) and 1961, 1963 (320 kg per capita yr-1), respectively. Since 1980, per capita residential refuse discard rates have been steady and comparatively low (430 kg per capita yr-1 ± 2.5%). Fuel ash accounted for approximately 34% of residential refuse in NYC during the century. A decline of refuse bulk density (as collected) from approximately 500 to 200 kg m-3 and an increase in refuse organic matter content from 20% to 80% (by mass) is reported between 1920 and 1990 and is due largely to mass fraction reductions for fuel ash and increases for paper and plastic. Approximately 4.9 × 108 t of refuse was disposed in NYC during the 20th century (including commercial and residential refuse), representing a total pool of about 8.0 × 107...