cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatitis C virus type 1b (II) infection in France and Italy: Nousbaum JB, Pol S, Nalpas B, Landais P, Berthelot P, Brechot C, and the Collaborative Study Group. Ann Intern Med 1995; 122: 161–168

Abstract Objective: To analyze the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes among patients positive for antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) according to age, severity of liver disease, and duration of infection; to investigate the influence of HCV genotypes on response to interferon-α therapy; and to study HCV viremia levels in relation to genotypes and severity of liver disease. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: 3 university hospitals and 2 research units. Patients: 3 groups of French and Italian patients with chronic HCV infection and detectable serum HCV RNA: Group 1 included 35 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma; group 2, 71 patients with cirrhosis who did not have hepatocellular carcinoma; and group 3, 114 patients with chronic active hepatitis. 106 of the patients with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis were treated with interferon-α (3 MU subcutaneously 3 times/wk for ≥6 months). Measurements: Genotyping by polymerase chain reaction with capsid-specific primers; serum HCV RNA by branched DNA (bDNA) signal amplification. Results: Hepatitis C virus genotype 1b (II) was the most prevalent genotype (61.8%). In a univariate analysis, it was associated with older age ( Conclusions: The prevalence of HCV genotypes in French and Italian patients has been changing; the prevalence of HCV type 1b (II) infection has progressively decreased, although it still accounts for most HCV-related cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. High HCV viremia levels and HCV genotype type 1b (II) are independent predictors for poor response to interferon-α therapy and should be considered in the management of patients with HCV infection.
Some Effects of Nitroglycerin upon the Splanchnic, Pulmonary, and Systemic Circulations

Splanchnic, pulmonary, and systemic hemodynamics were studied in 18 patients after the sublingual administration of nitroglycerin. The drug, contrary to expectations, produced an over-all vasoconstrictive effect on the splanchnic circulation rather than vasodilatation. There was no evidence of venous pooling in this bed, and indeed the data may indicate a splanchnic supportive role in augmenting venous return to the heart with disengorgement of its own volume. In contrast, there was vasodilatation and pooling of blood in the pulmonary vascular bed. The systemic circulation probably sustains several effects by nitroglycerin, including arterial vasodilatation. A direct change in large artery distensibility probably explains the modest fall in systolic blood pressure seen. Further decline in arterial pressure may depend on venous pooling of a small or large degree. Probably the fall in systemic and specific organ flows is also linked to decreased venous return and the vascular readjustments provoked thereby. Pulsus alternans was produced by nitroglycerin, a previously unreported effect of the drug, but the mechanism by which it arose could not be defined.
A retropspective study of 100 pelvic fractures in horses

Summary The records of 100 horses with clinical or radiographic diagnosis of a pelvic fracture were reviewed to determine prognostic indicators associated with clinical signs or radiographic fracture characteristics. Degree of lameness, soft tissue swelling, crepitis, muscle atrophy, skeletal external assymetry and palpable assymetry on rectal examination were evaluated. There was no significant relationship between the aforementioned clinical signs and the long-term case outcome. Fracture sites or presence of an acetabular fracture were not related to prognosis. The positive outcome of 77 per cent of horses that were allowed to survive and were available for follow-up in this study warrants the effort of salvage of valuable individuals.
Differentially simple rings

Abstract Let R denote a commutative, associative ring with identity. We prove the theorem: Let R be a Noetherian ring; let R be the integral closure of R (in its total quotient ring); let H ( R ) denote the group of all higher derivations of infinite rank on R . Suppose R is H ( R )-simple. Then (1) R is an integral domain containing a field, (2) the conductor of R in R is (0) or R , (3) R is geometrically unibranched at everyprime ideal p ⊂ R . We also give examples which show that R need not be normal at p .
Intensive Short-Term Research Training for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Medical Students: Early Experience with a New National-Level Approach in Geriatric Mental Health.

Objective: There is an urgent need for research training in psychiatry at early career stages, especially in geriatric psychiatry. The authors describe their first-year experience with the Summer Training in Aging Research Topics—in Mental Health (START-MH), a new federally funded national-level training program intended to offer intensive short-term research training for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. Methods: The funding was used primarily to pay stipends for trainees who spent 10 weeks during the Summer working on research projects under established research mentors. At the end, a workshop brought together all the trainees who presented research posters. Results: Thirty trainees were selected from among 85 applicants. They worked on projects including basic, translational, clinical, or services research. Evaluations from trainees and mentors were uniformly positive. All the trainees reported that the START-MH program enhanced their interest in pursuing a career in geriatric mental health research. Several trainees later submitted their work for presentation or publication. Conclusions: The initial data suggest that the START-MH program can be a potentially useful model for attracting talented early-career trainees into mental health research.
Hydrolytic degradation of poly(d,l-lactide) as a function of end group: Carboxylic acid vs. hydroxyl

Abstract d , l -Lactide was initiated with 1,4-butanediol in the presence of stannous octoate catalyst to provide hydroxyl-terminated poly( d , l -lactide) at 5000 and 20,000 g/mol. Portions of these materials were reacted with succinic anhydride in the presence of 1-methylimidazole to convert the hydroxyl functionality to succinic acid-terminated polymers in relatively high yield. The four materials were placed in a 7.4 pH buffered saline solution at 37 °C and monitored up to 180 days for their relative moisture uptake and weight loss behaviors. Carboxylic acid functionality displayed a dramatic effect on the moisture uptake behaviors for the 5000 and 20,000 g/mol polymers when compared to their respective hydroxyl functional materials. Carboxylic acid functionality significantly increased the hydrolytic degradation rate and mass loss behavior for the 5000 g/mol material, but did not affect the hydrolytic degradation rate for the higher molecular weight sample. These results suggest that moisture uptake is not the rate limiting step for the hydrolytic degradation high molecular weight poly( d , l -lactide).
Nonesterified fatty acids modify inflammatory response and eicosanoid biosynthesis in bovine endothelial cells

Intense lipid mobilization during the transition period in dairy cows is associated with increased disease susceptibility. The potential impact of altered plasma nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations and composition on host inflammatory responses that may contribute to disease incidence and severity are not known. The objective of this study was to evaluate if increased NEFA concentrations could modify vascular inflammatory responses in vitro by changing the expression of important inflammatory mediators that are important in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases of transition cows such as mastitis and metritis. Bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) were cultured with different concentrations of a NEFA mixture that reflected the plasma NEFA composition during different stages of lactation. The expression of cytokines, adhesion molecules, and eicosanoids were measured to assess changes in BAEC inflammatory phenotype. Addition of NEFA mixtures altered the fatty acid profile of BAEC by increasing the concentration of stearic acid (C18:0) and decreasing the content of arachidonic acid (C20:4n6c) and other long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipid fraction. A significant increase also occurred in mRNA expression of cytokine and adhesion molecules that are associated with increased inflammatory responses during the transition period. Expression of cyclooxygenase 2, an important enzyme associated with eicosanoid biosynthesis, was increased in a NEFA concentration-dependent manner. The production of linoleic acid-derived eicosanoids 9- and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids also was increased significantly after treatment with NEFA mixtures. This research described for the first time specific changes in vascular inflammatory response during in vitro exposure to NEFA mixtures that mimic the composition and concentration found in cows during the transition period. These findings could explain, in part, alterations in inflammatory responses observed during intense lipid mobilization stages such as in the transition period of dairy cows. Future studies should analyze specific mechanisms by which high NEFA concentrations induce a vascular proinflammatory phenotype including the effect of 9 and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids and other lipid mediators.
Application of an associatively addressed, distributed memory

Memory techniques which have so far been developed with computer technology all share limitations imposed by the requirement that a memory address be specified uniquely for storage or retrieval of data. In many problems these addresses are merely "dummy variables" with the only meaningful order being one derived from the content of the data points themselves; examples of such operations are sorting, interpolating and catalog look-up. Largely because of the astronomical proportions of the computing task assumed by some real (and reasonable) problems in these and other closely allied areas, there has been an increasing interest in the type of memory in which information is stored (and retrieved) on the basis of content. Storage systems with this modus operandi are generically classified as "associative memories."
Tuberculin Hypersensitivity: Studies with Radioactive Antigen and Mononuclear Cells

In the report "Tuberculin hypersensitivity: studies with radioactive antigen and mononuclear cells" by K. Kay and W. O. Rieke [ Science 139, 487 (8 Feb. 1963)] the last sentence in the next-to-last paragraph (column 3, page 489) should have read: " Thus we have two observations which indicate that there is no obligate specific attraction of sensitive cells to cutaneous test sites." In the published version, Thus read There and no read now.
Quantitative MR assessment of longitudinal parenchymal changes in children treated for medulloblastoma

Our research builds on the hypothesis that white matter damage, in children treated for cancer with cranial spinal irradiation, spans a continuum of severity that can be reliably probed using non-invasive MR technology and results in potentially debilitating neurological and neuropsychological problems. This longitudinal project focuses on 341 quantitative volumetric MR examinations from 58 children treated for medulloblastoma (MB) with cranial irradiation (CRT) of 35-40 Gy. Quadratic mixed effects models were used to fit changes in tissue volumes (white matter, gray matter, CSF, and cerebral) with time since CRT and age at CRT as covariates. We successfully defined algorithms that are useful in the prediction of brain development among children treated for MB.
Folic acid and hexose absorption in sprue

Using an intestinal perfusion technique, folic acid (PGA) and hexose absorption were studied in 9 patients with sprue. Folate malabsorption was only demonstrable during perfusion with glucose or galactose and saline, not with saline alone. Hexose absorption was diminished. The stimulation by sugar of PGA, water, and sodium transport, as seen in controls, was absent. 2 patients with untreated tropical sprue had less severe malabsorption than those with celiac spure. Treatment of tropical spure for two months in one patient resulted in partial improvement, while treatment for six months in the other restored normal absorptive function.
Kinetic analysis of manual lifting activities: Part I—Development of a three-dimensional computer model

This paper, the first of a series of two papers, presents the development of a three-dimensional dynamic biomechanical model for analyzing spinal stresses generated in individuals while lifting materials manually. A comparison between model predicted and actual measured ground reaction forces indicates that the proposed model represents significant improvements over existing biomechanical models developed to date for this purpose.
Relationships Between Language Usage and Fluency: A Case Study:

The relationship between oral language usage and the degree of speech fluency was explored in a six year old stutterer with a severe language disorder. Receptive and expressive measures were used to evaluate language performance prior to, and following, speech therapy directed at fluency enhancement. Results indicated a consistent trend in the direction of improved oral language accompanying increased speech ffuence.
Mechanisms Contributing to the Anemia Associated with a Localized Solid Tumor

The anemia associated with a localized solid tumor is a chronic hypoproliferative process referred to as the anemia of chronic disease. Several mechanisms responsible for this anemia have been proposed. A defect in iron reutilization was well accepted until challenged by a report in 1977. Evidence also exists to support bone marrow failure as a contributing factor. Using Wistar rats made anemic by implantation of Walker-256 carcinosarcoma cells, both possibilities were investigated. By injecting heat-damaged and nonviable 59Fe-labeled red cells, a mild but definite defect in the reutilization of iron was established. Bone marrow function was studied in a separate group of tumor-bearing rats by measuring erythron iron turnover. No difference was found between normal and tumor-bearing rats, suggesting relative bone marrow failure in the latter group.
The Role of Glucocorticoids in Endotoxin-Mediated Otitis Media With Effusion

Objective: To understand the actions of glucocorticoids on the development and progression of endotoxin-mediated otitis media with effusion. Methods and Design: The middle ears of 20 Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 35 μL of either 300-mOsm Krebs-Ringer solution (control; n=5) or lipopolysaccharide, 1 mg/mL, dissolved in Krebs-Ringer solution (n=15). Among the group that received lipopolysaccharide, 10 rats were randomly selected to receive dexamethasone (1 mg/kg intramuscularly), either 2 hours (n=5) or 24 hours (n=5) before the introduction of lipopolysaccharide. Middle ear fluid was sampled after 2, 4, and 6 hours of exposure. Outcome Measures: Middle ear fluid volume and albumin content were determined as measures of vascular extravasation. Histological sections of the middle ear mucosa were used to quantify the degree of leukocyte exudation. Data were analyzed by 1- or 2-way analysis of variance with the significance level set atP Results: Lipopolysaccharide exposure caused a significant increase in the mean±SEM middle ear fluid volume from 29.9±0.99 to 45.8±1.4 μLbetween the 2- and 6-hour samplings. Lipopolysaccharide exposure caused a significant increase in the albumin content of middle ear fluid from 70.1±19.2 to 271.0±93.1 μg between the 2- and 6-hour samplings. Both increases were significant compared with controls. Lipopolysaccharide also caused a significant increase in leukocytes localized to the middle ear mucosa. Pretreatment of animals with dexamethasone for either 2 or 24 hours inhibited the lipopolysaccharide-induced changes. There were no differences between 2- and 24-hour pretreatment with dexamethasone. Conclusions: Dexamethasone inhibits the development of endotoxin-induced otitis media with effusion. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1997;123:41-46
Game theoretic anti-jamming dynamic frequency hopping and rate adaptation in wireless systems

Wireless transmissions are inherently broadcast and are vulnerable to jamming attacks. Frequency hopping (FH) and transmission rate adaptation (RA) have been used to mitigate jamming. However, recent works have shown that using either FH or RA (but not both) is inefficient against smart jamming. In this paper, we propose mitigating jamming by jointly optimizing the FH and RA techniques. We consider a power constrained “reactive-sweep” jammer who aims at degrading the goodput of a wireless link. We model the interaction between the legitimate transmitter and jammer as a zero-sum Markov game, and derive the optimal defense strategy. Numerical investigations show that the new scheme improves the average goodput and provides better jamming resiliency.
Pharmacokinetics of cysteamine bitartrate following gastrointestinal infusion.

Aims Although cysteamine was first used in the treatment of cystinosis in 1976 and approved by the FDA as cysteamine bitartrate (Cystagon™) in 1994, surprisingly little pharmacological data are available for this compound. Cysteamine and its related drugs are currently being evaluated for the treatment of Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease. The aim of te study was to understand the pharmacokinetics of cysteamine bitartrate following gastrointestinal infusion. Method Cysteamine bitartrate was delivered through a naso-enteric catheter into the stomach (n = 8), small intestine (n = 8) and caecum (n = 4) of normal subjects. Plasma cysteamine concentrations were determined using LC-MS/MS. Results The rate and extent of drug absorption were assessed by comparing AUC(0, ∞), Cmax and tmax, among the gastrointestinal infusion sites. Total cysteamine exposure, expressed as area under the curve (AUC(0, ∞)) was greatest when the drug was infused into the small intestine (4331.3 ± 1907.6 min × µm) followed by stomach (3901.9 ± 1591.9 min × µm) and caecum (3141.4 ± 1627.6 min × µm). Cysteamine infusion into the small intestine resulted in the most rapid rise to maximal plasma concentrations (tmax = 21 ± 0.56 min); tmax was delayed to 50 ± 26 min and 64 ± 26 min after gastric and caecal infusion, respectively. The maximum cysteamine plasma concentration (Cmax) was reached after infusion of the drug into the small intestine (51 ± 21 µm), which was higher than plasma Cmax concentrations after gastric (39 ± 16 µm) and caecal infusion (23 ± 15 µm). Conclusions The pharmacokinetic data generated help extend our understanding of cysteamine.
Determination of metal-metal distances in E. coli glutamine synthetase by EPR.

Abstract This paper reports the first determination of the distance between the two metal ions (per subunit) of E. coli glutamine synthetase. When Mn(II) is bound at the n1 metal ion site its EPR spectrum is diminished in intensity but not broadened as Cr(III)-ATP or Cr(III)-ADP is bound to the enzyme. A paramagnetic spin-spin interaction is responsible for this phenomenon and a metal-metal distance of ∼7 A is calculated for enzyme - Mn(II) - Cr(III)-ATP and ∼6A for enzyme - Mn(II) - Cr(III)-ADP. The metal-metal distance changes slightly when substrates or inhibitors are also bound to the enzyme demonstrating induced conformational changes in the protein at the metal ion sites.
Protective immunity against herpes simplex virus generated by DNA vaccination compared to natural infection.

Abstract To evaluate the utility of plasmid DNA vaccination against disease caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV), we compared the strength of protection against lethal challenge following natural virus infection with that following vaccination with a plasmid encoding HSV glycoprotein gD (gD-DNA). We further determined the cellular basis of each type of protection using lymphocyte deficient knockout mice. Establishment of immunity to HSV using live virus immunization required CD8 + T cells and B cells, but not CD4 + or γ/δ + T cells, and was related to specific antibody levels; surprisingly, CD4 knockout mice had large quantities of IgG anti-HSV serum antibodies. Establishment of immunity to HSV using gD-DNA immunization approached the strength of that generated following sublethal infection, but was dependent on α/β + CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, B cells, and even partially on γ/δ + T cells, and not strictly correlated with antibody levels.
A reconfigurable quarter-mode substrate integrated waveguide cavity filter employing liquid-metal capacitive loading

A microfluidically-tunable substrate integrated cavity filter is presented for the first time. Quarter mode cylindrical substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavities are used to design an ultra-compact two-pole filter with a center frequency of ∼1.12 GHz. A corner via is connected to a surface ring gap in order to capacitively load each SIW cavity resonator. Frequency tuning of the filter is achieved using the capacitive loading effect of a liquid metal channel placed on top of the surface gap capacitors. The Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structure including the micro-channel is bonded to the SIW circuit board using a unique fabrication technique. Measured results verify a tuning ratio of 1.72∶1 and an insertion loss of 2.5 and 3.45 dB at 1.12 and 0.65 GHz, respectively.
Challenge of Infrared Kite Aerial Photography: A Digital Update

Kite aerial photography (KAP) is a means to acquire large-scale, highly detailed imagery for various environmental applications. Previous color-infrared KAP was developed for film-based cameras, but is now effectively obsolete. The authors have built a KAP rig and field tested a digital color-infrared camera, the Tetracam ADC, which produces results that are generally comparable with color-infrared film photography. Field testing was conducted at the Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve of The Nature Conservancy in central Kansas. The resulting images are high-contrast photographs that depict emergent vegetation in bright red-pink colors and show water bodies nearly black, as would be expected in color-infrared imagery. Color-visible digital cameras produce better apparent spatial resolution, whereas the Tetracam ADC camera provides an extended spectral range into the near-infrared. For detailed environmental field investigations involving kite aerial photography, a combination of color-visible and color-infrared ca...
Sequential Analysis for Diagnosing Diabetes

The authors use a truncated sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) to diagnose diabetes. It is hypothesized that, for a given oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), the differences between successive observations are more diagnostic than the observations alone. Using such differences in a SPRT, OGTT test data for 950 subjects are analyzed and thresholds for classifying diabetes and normal values are established. This sequential approach provides the same diagnosticity as that obtained by using the National Diabetic Data Group criteria, but it is more efficient. In particular, the procedure significantly reduces the sampling cost and average patient waiting time. Key words: sequential probability ratio test; diabetes; oral glucose tolerance test. (Med Decis Making 7:47-51, 1987)
The Ethics Consultant and Ethics Committees, and their Acronyms: IRBs, HECs, RM, QA, UM, PROs, IPCs, and HREAPs

Much has been written about the role of hospital ethics committees. Ethics committees may have begun in Seattle in the early 1960s, but they were reified in. New Jersey by the Quinlan Court in the 1970s and thrived in the national bioethics movement of the 1980s.In this flurry of ethics activity, several new forms of ethics committees have evolved. New forms of ethics committees include patient care-oriented ethics committees (RM, QM, & QA). Many ethicists are familiar with mission-oriented ethics committees (IRBs & HECs). Such committees have taken on new roles, and Include PROs, IPCs, and HREAPs. In general, these committees are regulatory in nature and may often rely on rules and regulations to assess patient cases, research protocols, and health professional practices.
Morphine withdrawal sensitizes mice to lipopolysaccharide: Elevated TNF-α and nitric oxide with decreased IL-12

Mice made dependent on morphine using slow-release morphine pellets for 96 h were withdrawn by removal of pellets, followed by a sublethal dose of LPS 24 h later. These animals exhibited 100% lethality. Animals withdrawn from placebo pellets receiving LPS all survived, as did morphine-withdrawn mice receiving saline. Morphine-withdrawn LPS-treated animals had elevated serum TNF-alpha and nitric oxide levels, and depressed IL-12 levels compared to controls. Anti-TNF-alpha antibody given prior to LPS challenge afforded significant protection to morphine-withdrawn animals. These studies show that morphine withdrawal sensitizes to LPS lethality via increased production of TNF-alpha.
PINdb: a database of nuclear protein complexes from human and yeast

Summary: Proteins Interacting in the Nucleus database (PINdb) is a database of protein complexes purified from the nucleus of human and yeast cells. It is compiled from the published literature and existing databases. Currently, PINdb contains mostly protein complexes that may be involved in gene transcription. To facilitate comparative analyses and identification of protein complexes, the compositional information is integrated with standardized gene nomenclature, annotation and protein sequences from public databases. The PINdb web interface provides a number of tools for (1) comparison of protein complexes, (2) search for a protein complex by its published name or by a partial list of its components and (3) browsing specific subsets or a functional classification of the complexes. Availablity: http://pin.mskcc.org
Intergovernmental roles in local energy conservation: a research frontier

This article examines a frontier research area: local energy conservation and intergovernmental relations. The vast potential for financial and energy savings by local governments through energy conservation is contrasted to a significant lack of meaningful programs by reviewing current local programs through examination of research efforts, intergovernmental trends in assistance, and the legal foundation for local energy roles. Several items for the energy conservation research agenda are offered, especially a call for more research on the relationship between rising energy prices and development of energy programs. Other research foci are the impacts of intergovernmental technical assistance, organizational structures for incorporating energy conservation concerns into local government, state-local program coordination, citizen demand for conservation programs, and the information dissemination networks in energy policy. 65 references.
International comparison GT-RF 75-B3: reflection coefficient at 300 MHz, 600 MHz and 1000 MHz in 75 /spl Omega/ coaxial line

The international comparison described in the above title was organized at the 1975 meeting of the Groupe de Travail pour les Grandeurs aux Radiofrequences. Eight national standards laboratories agreed to participate in the intercomparison, representing Canada, Slovakia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The traveling standards to be circulated among the participants were three coaxial terminations fitted with GR900 75 ohm connectors having nominal reflection coefficient magnitudes of 0.00, 0.03, and 0.10.
Towards building a disease-phenotype knowledge base: extracting disease-manifestation relationship from literature

Motivation: Systems approaches to studying phenotypic relationships among diseases are emerging as an active area of research for both novel disease gene discovery and drug repurposing. Currently, systematic study of disease phenotypic relationships on a phenome-wide scale is limited because large-scale machine-understandable disease–phenotype relationship knowledge bases are often unavailable. Here, we present an automatic approach to extract disease–manifestation (D-M) pairs (one specific type of disease–phenotype relationship) from the wide body of published biomedical literature. Data and Methods: Our method leverages external knowledge and limits the amount of human effort required. For the text corpus, we used 119 085 682 MEDLINE sentences (21 354 075 citations). First, we used D-M pairs from existing biomedical ontologies as prior knowledge to automatically discover D-M–specific syntactic patterns. We then extracted additional pairs from MEDLINE using the learned patterns. Finally, we analysed correlations between disease manifestations and disease-associated genes and drugs to demonstrate the potential of this newly created knowledge base in disease gene discovery and drug repurposing. Results: In total, we extracted 121 359 unique D-M pairs with a high precision of 0.924. Among the extracted pairs, 120 419 (99.2%) have not been captured in existing structured knowledge sources. We have shown that disease manifestations correlate positively with both disease-associated genes and drug treatments. Conclusions: The main contribution of our study is the creation of a large-scale and accurate D-M phenotype relationship knowledge base. This unique knowledge base, when combined with existing phenotypic, genetic and proteomic datasets, can have profound implications in our deeper understanding of disease etiology and in rapid drug repurposing. Availability: http://nlp.case.edu/public/data/DMPatternUMLS/ Contact: ude.esac@xxr
Interspecific competition affects temperature stability in Daisyworld

The model of Daisyworld showed that nonteleological mechanistic responses of life to thephysical environment can stabilize an exogenously perturbed environment. In the model, 2species of daisies, black and white, stabilize the global temperature of a planet exposed todifferent levels of insolation. In both species, the response of the growth rate to local temperatureis identical, but differences in albedo between the 2 species generate differences in local temperatures.The shifting balance between the daisies keeps the global temperature in a range suitablefor life. Watson and Lovelock made the stronger claim that ‘‘the model always shows greaterstability with daisies than it does without them.’’ We examined this claim by introducing anextra source of competition into the equations that describe the interactions between the daisyspecies. Depending on the parameters of competition, temperatures can vary more widely withincreasing insolation in the presence of daisies than without them. It now seems possible, timelyand perhaps necessary, to include an accurate representation of interspecific competition whentaking account of vegetational influences on climate. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.2000.d01-6.x
Progression of vascular and neural dysfunction in sciatic nerves of Zucker diabetic fatty and Zucker rats

We have examined the progression of vascular and neural deficits in Zucker rats, Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) diabetic rats, and age-matched lean ZDF rats from 8 to 40 wk of age. Both the ZDF diabet...
Rescher's Metaphilosophy

Books reviewed in this article: Nicholas Rescher, Philosophical Standardism Nicholas Rescher, The Strife of Systems Nicholas Rescher, A System of Pragmatic Idealism. Vol. III, Metaphysical Inquiries
Physical therapists' perspectives on practice errors in geriatric, neurologic, or orthopedic clinical settings

While practice errors have been studied extensively in medicine and pharmacy, little research exists in physical therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of physical therapy practice errors in geriatric, adult neurologic, and orthopedic clinical settings. Thirty physical therapists with three or more years of practice experience participated in the study, representing four geographically distinct regions of the United States. Four focus groups were conducted via guided discussion questions in four different states. Collected data were transcribed and analyzed by using constant comparative method. Data analysis yielded five major themes including: 1) taxonomy of error, 2) aversive outcomes, 3) individual and systematic causes, 4) post hoc actions, and 5) prevention of future errors. Because human errors are inevitable in physical therapy practice, understanding of causes and prevention strategies is necessary to minimize harm to patients. In addition, physical therapists must recognize their role and responsibility in creating a culture of error analysis and error prevention.
Wafer-scale fabrication of separated carbon nanotube thin-film transistors for display applications.

Preseparated, semiconductive enriched carbon nanotubes hold great potential for thin-film transistors and display applications due to their high mobility, high percentage of semiconductive nanotubes, and room-temperature processing compatibility. Here in this paper, we report our progress on wafer-scale processing of separated nanotube thin-film transistors (SN-TFTs) for display applications, including key technology components such as wafer-scale assembly of high-density, uniform separated nanotube networks, high-yield fabrication of devices with superior performance, and demonstration of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) switching controlled by a SN-TFT. On the basis of separated nanotubes with 95% semiconductive nanotubes, we have achieved solution-based assembly of separated nanotube thin films on complete 3 in. Si/SiO2 wafers, and further carried out wafer-scale fabrication to produce transistors with high yield (>98%), small sheet resistance (∼25 kΩ/sq), high current density (∼10 μA/μm), and super...
A Self-sealing Fiber-reinforced Composite

We describe a self-sealing plain weave E-glass epoxy composite with the healing components, microencapsulated dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), and paraf- fin wax coated Grubbs' catalyst dispersed throughout the matrix. In this work, sealing is assessed through use of a pressure cell apparatus to detect nitrogen flow through the thickness direction of a damaged composite. A controlled amount of microcracking is introduced through cyclic indentation of opposing surfaces of the sample. The resulting damage zone is proportional to the indentation load. We investigate the effect of DCPD microcapsule size and concentration on the self-sealing ability of plain weave E-glass epoxy composites. For 51mm diameter capsules (6.5wt%), 67% of the self-sealing composite panels fully seal with no leaking, compared to 0% of the control panels with no sealing ability. When the amount of damage is reduced, 100% of the self-sealing samples resealed. Sealing performance decreases with smaller diameter capsules (18mm diameter) and lower capsule concentrations (2.7wt%), indicating that there is a minimum capsule size and concentration to deliver enough healing agent to seal a given damage volume.
A Multifactor Explanation of Post-Earnings Announcement Drift

To explain post-earnings announcement drift, we construct a risk factor related to unexpected earnings surprise, and propose a four-factor model by adding this risk factor to Fama and French's (1993), (1995) three-factor model. This earnings surprise risk factor provides a remarkable improvement in explaining post-earnings announcement drift when included in addition to the three factors of Fama and French. After adjusting raw returns for the four risk factors, the cumulative abnormal returns over the 60 trading days subsequent to quarterly earnings announcements are economically and statistically insignificant. Furthermore, except for the first two days after the earnings announcement, the cumulative abnormal returns and the arbitrage returns from our four-factor model are relatively stable over the testing period and never significant on any day of the testing period. On the other hand, the arbitrage returns from the other models increase over the 60-day testing period. We argue that most of the post-earnings announcement drift observed in prior studies may be a result of using misspecified models and failing to appropriately adjust raw returns for risk.
In-flight kinetic measurements of the aerosol growth of carbon nanotubes by electrical mobility classification.

We describe an on-the-fly kinetic study of gas-phase growth of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The methodology employs electrical mobility classification of the CNT, which enables a direct measure of CNT length distribution in an aerosol reactor. The specific experiment employs two mobility classification steps. In the first step we mobility classify the catalyst particle, in this case Ni, created by pulsed laser ablation, to generate a stream of monodisperse particles. This then determined the diameter of the CNT, when a hydrocarbon/H2 mix is added in a heated aerosol reactor. A second electrical mobility classification step allows us to determine the length distribution of the CNTs. We found that CNT growth from ethylene required the addition of small amounts of water vapor, whereas growth from acetylene did not. We show that acetylene, which always has small amounts of acetone present when purchased, can provide the oxygen source to prevent catalyst coking. By varying the temperature of the growth, we we...
A study of current basis functions for antenna modeling

The method of moments (MoM) remains one of the most popular methods to analyze antennas, or indeed, any perfect-electric-conductor (PEC) scattering problem. Since many antennas can be modeled as infinitely thin PEC surfaces, the electric field integral equation (EFIE) formulation has been used. Initially, the current basis function introduced by Rao, Wilton, and Glisson (1982) for PEC surfaces meshed with triangular patches was used. However it was noticed that for structures with both very small and very large features, the condition number of the resulting matrix was very large. This is unfortunate because many antennas fall into this category and because a large condition number may lead to problems in solving the linear system of equations. If a direct method is used to solve the matrix equation, a large condition number will lead to a large relative error between the exact solution and the calculated one. If an iterative method is used, a large condition number may mean that the iterative method will converge only very slowly. Nevertheless, in an effort to reduce the condition number, the RWG basis function was augmented with a loop basis function to form an alternative basis set. The effect of patch size and choice of basis set on the condition number are examined for a simple plate. The RWG basis function may also be augmented with a solenoidal basis function to create a higher order basis set. The effect of this higher order basis set on the convergence of the input impedance for a blade dipole is also examined.
Studies on the Relationship of Vitamin A Deficiency to the Antibody Response to Tetanus Toxoid in the Rat

Morbidity and mortality due to tetanus constitute a very significant public health problem in much of the developing world. Although vaccination with tetanus toxoid has significantly reduced the incidence of tetanus, still nearly 800,000 children per year are estimated to die from this infection.1 Nutritional deficiencies, including that of vitamin A, are most prevalent in some of the geographic areas where tetanus is also most prevalent. A number of clinical and field-based studies have shown that vitamin A deficiency increases the risk of mortality in young children. In several studies conducted in Indonesia, India, and Nepal, supplementation of preschool children with vitamin A has resulted in a reduction in mortality.2 Effects of vitamin A supplementation on morbidity have been more difficult to demonstrate. Evidence consistent with reduced morbidity from respiratory, diarrheal and measles infections has been reported in some studies3–5 but not in others6.
Simultaneity and Temporal Order Judgments Exhibit Distinct Reaction Times and Training Effects

A considerable body of sensory research has addressed the rules governing simultaneity judgments (SJs) and temporal order judgments (TOJs). In principle, neural events that register stimulus-arrival-time differences at an early sensory stage could set the limit on SJs and TOJs alike. Alternatively, distinct limits on SJs and TOJs could arise from task-specific neural events occurring after the stimulus-driven stage. To distinguish between these possibilities, we developed a novel reaction-time (RT) measure and tested it in a perceptual-learning procedure. The stimuli comprised dual-stream Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) displays. Participants judged either the simultaneity or temporal order of red-letter and black-number targets presented in opposite lateral hemifield streams of black-letter distractors. Despite identical visual stimulation across-tasks, the SJ and TOJ tasks generated distinct RT patterns. SJs exhibited significantly faster RTs to synchronized targets than to subtly asynchronized targets; TOJs exhibited the opposite RT pattern. These task-specific RT patterns cannot be attributed to the early, stimulus-driven stage and instead match what one would predict if the limits on SJs and TOJs arose from task-specific decision spaces. That is, synchronized targets generate strong evidence for simultaneity, which hastens SJ RTs. By contrast, synchronized targets provide no information about temporal order, which slows TOJ RTs. Subtly asynchronizing the targets reverses this information pattern, and the corresponding RT patterns. In addition to investigating RT patterns, we also investigated training-transfer between the tasks. Training to improve SJ precision failed to improve TOJ precision, and vice versa, despite identical visual stimulation across tasks. This, too, argues against early, stimulus-driven limits on SJs and TOJs. Taken together, the present study offers novel evidence that distinct rules set the limits on SJs and TOJs.
Surface-accessible detection units in self-immolative polymers enable translation of selective molecular detection events into amplified responses in macroscopic, solid-state plastics.

This Communication describes a strategy for incorporating detection units onto each repeating unit of self-immolative CDr polymers. This strategy enables macroscopic plastics to respond quickly to specific applied molecular signals that react with the plastic at the solid–liquid interface between the plastic and surrounding fluid. The response is a signal-induced depolymerization reaction that is continuous and complete from the site of the reacted detection unit to the end of the polymer. Thus, this strategy retains the ability of CDr polymers to provide amplified responses via depolymerization while simultaneously enhancing the rate of response of CDr-based macroscopic plastics to specific applied signals. Depolymerizable poly(benzyl ethers) were used to demonstrate the strategy and now are capable of depolymerizing in the context of rigid, solid-state polymeric materials.
Thucydides and Neorealism

The Peloponnesian War has long been viewed as an early exemplar of realist thinking in international politics. More recently, neorealist authors have claimed that Thucydides' history offers timeless insights into the importance of global anarchy in shaping interstate relations, and that these insights anticipate neorealist arguments on order and change in world politics. This article criticizes the neorealist appropriation of The Peloponnesian War . It presents an alternative reading of Thucydides' history. In this reading, the enduring contribution of The Peloponnesian War lies in the insights into power and hegemony embedded in the speeches and debates that interrupt its narrative. This analysis is then used to criticize neorealist understandings of political power and hegemony.
Controlling Access to Territory: Economic Interdependence, Transnational Terrorism, and Visa Policies

Previous scholarship has largely failed to address the effect of economic interdependence on issue areas other than interstate conflict. This study seeks to redress this lacuna by focusing on states’ visa policies and examining the impact of trade and capital interdependence in the context of transnational terrorism. The article argues that economic ties affect visa policies through a reconfiguration of preferences and the opportunity costs of economic loss and by tempering the impact of terrorism. To support this claim, the study conducts statistical analysis using directed dyad data on the visa policies of 207 states and independent political units. The article shows that the impact of economic interdependence is contingent on whether states are directly targeted in attacks of terrorism or face indirect threats from global terror. The study finds that economic incentives overwhelm security concerns when threats are indirect but have relatively limited influence, given threats against a state’s own citiz...
Let's get hyper! Interactive multimedia in EMS.

What's all this hoopla about interactive multimedia? You may have seen the headlines in the Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek or U.S. News and World Report. Their message: Brace yourself for the future--multimedia is going to change the world! And, while technology is ever-changing, here's an update on the EMS training products currently available, what they do and how they can be a part of your training program.
Identification of Enterobacteriaceae in Microtube Test Panels

Identification of Enterobacteriaceae can be accomplished efficiently and inexpensively by utilizing microtube technology. This report describes the composition of 18 different media developed for use in microdilution test panels. Tests with 453 previously identified stock cultures were performed in microtube trays and with the API-20E system. Only two (0.4%) of the 453 strains were misidentified with the API-20E system, and only three (0.7%) of the strains were misidentified with the microtube system. Both systems were considered to yield inconclusive results if the genus could not be confirmed without additional delay. With the API-20E system, 48 (10.6%) of the 453 strains gave inconclusive results, and the microtube trays yielded inconclusive results with 56 (12.4%) of the strains. We concluded that microdilution test panels can be used efficiently and inexpensively to identify most enteric bacilli with a reasonable degree of accuracy. As with most other identification systems, supplementary procedures are needed to confirm the identification of some strains.
Quantum theory of the laser revisited: an ''exact'' calculation of the off-diagonal elements, P /SUB nm/

In the quantum theory of laser due to Scully and Lamb [1], the calculation of the off-diagonal elements of the reduced density matrix for the field ρnm was based upon the ansatz that pnm, for m−n ≡ K of order 1, could be obtained from the diagonal elements of the density matrix by using the following prescription.
Geographies of Self: Scottish Women Writing Scotland

Characterized by its delineation of home territory through attention to localized setting, Scottish women’s writing in the period from 1880 to 1920 appears to combine commercialism and conservatism. Inspired by Margaret Oliphant’s (1828–1897) example, writers such as Mary (1865–1963) and Jane Findlater (1866–1946) and Annie S. Swan (1859–1943) established wide popularity and, in Swan’s case particularly, considerable financial success through novels that contributed to the period’s flourishing of regional fiction. These writers deployed predominantly rural Scottish settings, often with a retrospective gaze, to explore the boundaries of women’s lives in a period in which relationships to ‘home’ were being reconfigured by a wider political questioning of domesticity and the expansion of a Scottish diaspora. Bringing together novelists rarely read in conjunction and, too often, given cursory attention in literary histories, this chapter considers the interstices of place, self, and print culture in fiction by women who addressed changing constituencies of interest and market.