cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional reconstruction of fibrin clot networks from stereoscopic intermediate voltage electron microscope images and analysis of branching

Fibrin polymerizes to produce branching fibers forming a three-dimensional network, which has been difficult to visualize by conventional microscopy. Three-dimensional images of whole clots at high resolution were obtained from stereo-pair intermediate-voltage electron micrographs. Computer software was developed to produce three-dimensional reconstructions of the networks in the form of a pattern of links that connect branching junctions. Network parameters were measured and analyzed to characterize the clots quantitatively. Models in which all links were moved to the origin, while preserving their orientation, allowed visualization of some network parameters and facilitated comparison of networks. Fibrin clots formed in three different conditions were analyzed and compared by these methods. Clots formed in 0.20 M saline buffer consist of fibers of uniform size, and most of the branching junctions consist of three links. Fibrin clots formed in 0.05 M saline buffer are made up of very large diameter fiber bundles with far fewer branching junctions and correspondingly longer links. Clots formed in 0.40 M saline buffer consist of very fine fibers with numerous branching junctions and very short links. In summary, the extent of lateral aggregation is directly related to the distance between branching junctions and inversely related to the total number of branching junctions. These observations must be considered in defining possible mechanisms of fibrin branching.
Sources and fluxes of submarine groundwater discharge delineated by radium isotopes

This paper reports the results derived fromradium isotopes of a submarine groundwaterdischarge (SGD) intercomparison in thenortheast Gulf of Mexico. Radium isotopesamples were collected from seepage meters,piezometers, and surface and deep ocean waters.Samples collected within the near-shore SGDexperimental area were highly enriched in allfour radium isotopes; offshore samples wereselectively enriched. Samples collected fromseepage meters were about a factor of 2–3higher in radium activity compared to theoverlying waters. Samples from piezometers,which sampled 1–4 meters below the sea bed were1–2 orders of magnitude higher in radiumisotopes than surface waters. The twolong-lived Ra isotopes, 228Ra and226Ra, provide convincing evidence thatthere are two sources of SGD to the study area:shallow seepage from the surficial aquifer andinput from a deeper aquifer. A three end-membermixing model can describe the Ra distributionin these samples. The short-lived radium isotopes, 223Ra and224Ra, were used to establish mixing ratesfor the near-shore study area. Mixing wasretarded within 3 km of shore due to a strongsalinity gradient. The product of the mixingrate and the offshore 226Ra gradientestablished the 226Ra flux. This flux mustbe balanced by Ra input from SGD. The flux ofSGD within 200 m of shore based on the226Ra budget was 1.5 m3 min−1.This flux agreed well with other estimatesbased on seepage meters and 222Rn.
Neighborhood Revitalization and Racial Change: The Case of Washington, D.C

Using 1970 and 1980 census block data for Washington, D.C., we test several hypotheses about the racial residential consequences of neighborhood revitalization. Areas located in the revitalizing core of the city have a) become whiter in both absolute and proportional terms, consistent with the displacement hypothesis, and b) experienced substantial though difficult to interpret shifts in segregation. The types of racial changes occurring in the core are not apparent elsewhere in Washington, and tract data for 1940–1980 show the core changes to be temporally as well as spatially specific. Because different racial residential trends have accompanied revitalization in other cities, we treat Washington as an exceptional case that helps specify the conditions under which conventional wisdom about neighborhood change is least applicable.
The biology of the glucocorticoid receptor: New signaling mechanisms in health and disease

Glucocorticoids are primary stress hormones necessary for life that regulate numerous physiologic processes in an effort to maintain homeostasis. Synthetic derivatives of these hormones have been mainstays in the clinic for treating inflammatory diseases, autoimmune disorders, and hematologic cancers. The physiologic and pharmacologic actions of glucocorticoids are mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factors. Ligand-occupied GR induces or represses the transcription of thousands of genes through direct binding to DNA response elements, physically associating with other transcription factors, or both. The traditional view that glucocorticoids act through a single GR protein has changed dramatically with the discovery of a large cohort of receptor isoforms with unique expression, gene-regulatory, and functional profiles. These GR subtypes are derived from a single gene by means of alternative splicing and alternative translation initiation mechanisms. Posttranslational modification of these GR isoforms further expands the diversity of glucocorticoid responses. Here we discuss the origin and molecular properties of the GR isoforms and their contribution to the specificity and sensitivity of glucocorticoid signaling in healthy and diseased tissues.
Expression of different potassium channels in cells isolated from human myometrium and leiomyomas

OBJECTIVE: Electrophysiologic characteristics of human myometrial and leiomyomatous cells isolated in culture were investigated. Both types of cell were shown to be smooth muscle cells by immunofluorescence. STUDY DESIGN: Voltage-activated potassium currents were recorded by whole-cell patch-clamp techniques and analyzed for differences in expression, voltage-dependence, kinetics, and inactivation. RESULTS: Depolarizing-voltage steps from −90 mV to +30 mV elicited two types of noninactivating outward currents that differed in their kinetics in 83% (n = 36) of normal cells in culture for 3 to 5 days; 6% responded with fast (3.5 milliseconds) outward inactivating currents; 11% in culture for 1 day responded only with long-lasting inactivating currents (33.2 ± 7.2 milliseconds). Cells isolated from leiomyomas responded preferentially (65%, n = 31) with fast (3.3 ± 0.1 milliseconds) outward inactivating currents; 35% responded with noninactivating outward currents similar to those from normal cells. CONCLUSION: Different potassium channel currents, noninactivating and inactivating, are predominantly expressed in cells isolated from human myometrium and leiomyomas, respectively.
Validation and reproducibility assessment of modality independent elastography in a pre-clinical model of breast cancer

Clinical observations have long suggested that cancer progression is accompanied by extracellular matrix remodeling and concomitant increases in mechanical stiffness. Due to the strong association of mechanics and tumor progression, there has been considerable interest in incorporating methodologies to diagnose cancer through the use of mechanical stiffness imaging biomarkers, resulting in commercially available US and MR elastography products. Extension of this approach towards monitoring longitudinal changes in mechanical properties along a course of cancer therapy may provide means for assessing early response to therapy; therefore a systematic study of the elasticity biomarker in characterizing cancer for therapeutic monitoring is needed. The elastography method we employ, modality independent elastography (MIE), can be described as a model-based inverse image-analysis method that reconstructs elasticity images using two acquired image volumes in a pre/post state of compression. In this work, we present preliminary data towards validation and reproducibility assessment of our elasticity biomarker in a pre-clinical model of breast cancer. The goal of this study is to determine the accuracy and reproducibility of MIE and therefore the magnitude of changes required to determine statistical differences during therapy. Our preliminary results suggest that the MIE method can accurately and robustly assess mechanical properties in a pre-clinical system and provide considerable enthusiasm for the extension of this technique towards monitoring therapy-induced changes to breast cancer tissue architecture.
Sisyphus Cooling of Lithium

Laser cooling to sub-Doppler temperatures by optical molasses is thought to be inhibited in atoms with unresolved, near-degenerate hyperfine structure in the excited state. We demonstrate that such cooling is possible in one to three dimensions, not only near the standard ${D}_{2}$ line for laser cooling, but over a wide range extending to the ${D}_{1}$ line. Via a combination of Sisyphus cooling followed by adiabatic expansion, we reach temperatures as low as 40 $\ensuremath{\mu}$K, which corresponds to atomic velocities a factor of 2.6 above the limit imposed by a single-photon recoil. Our method requires modest laser power at a frequency within reach of standard frequency-locking methods. It is largely insensitive to laser power, polarization and detuning, magnetic fields, and initial hyperfine populations. Our results suggest that optical molasses should be possible with all alkali-metal species.
Clara Cell Protein (CC16), a Marker of Lung Epithelial Injury, Is Decreased in Plasma and Pulmonary Edema Fluid From Patients With Acute Lung Injury

Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) and ARDS are common clinical syndromes that are underdiagnosed. Clara cell secretory protein (CC16) is an antiinflammatory protein secreted by the Clara cells of the distal respiratory epithelium that has been proposed as a biomarker of lung epithelial injury. We tested the diagnostic and prognostic utility of CC16 in patients with non–trauma-related ALI/ARDS compared to a control group of patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE).
Cytochalasin B: effect on phospholipid metabolism and lysosomal enzyme release by leukocytes;.

Abstract The effect of cytochalasin B on phospholipid metabolism and β-glucuronidase extrusion by polymorphonuclear leukocytes from guinea pig peritoneal exudates has been studied. Cytochalasin B inhibited the engulfing of starch granules by leukocytes, but it enhanced the incorporation of 3 2 P i into phosphatidic acid and the phosphoinositides. It also stimulated the release of β-glucuronidase into the incubation medium in the presence or absence of starch granules. Kinetic studies showed that the effects of cytochalasin B on 3 2 P i incorporation into phosphatidic acid and the phosphoinositides, and the release of β-glucuronidase into the extracellular medium were comparable. Pulse-chase experiment revealed that cytochalasin B did not stimulate the isotopic decay of prelabeled lipids, indicating that cytochalasin B increased the radiophosphorus activity of phosphatidic acid and the phosphoinositides by increasing the synthesis of these lipids. The incorporation of myo-[2- 3 H]inositol into the phosphoinositides was also enhanced in the presence of cytochalasin B, but the incorporation of [methyl- 14 C] choline into phosphatidylcholine and sphingogomyelin was unchanged.
(+)-[3H]3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-(1-propyl)-piperidine binding to σ receptors in mouse brain in vivo

Binding of i.v. administered (+)-[3H]3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-(1-propyl)piperidine ([3H]3-PPP) in the brain of intact mice is antagonized dose responsively by σ receptor ligands. The correlation of potencies for inhibition of binding in vivo and in vitro indicates that σ receptors in mouse brain are labeled in vivo by i.v. [3H]3-PPP. 3-PPPP, the N-phenylpropyl derivative of norpropyl-3-PPP exhibits very high affinity for σ receptors in vitro and in vivo.
Characterizing the Morphologies of Mechanically Manipulated Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Films by Small-Angle X-ray Scattering†

We used small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to quantitatively characterize the morphological characteristics of pristine and mechanically manipulated multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) films. We determined that CNT diameters measured near the edges of a film were smaller compared to those measured in the interior. Uniaxially compressed MWCNT films exhibited a buckling deformation that was observable both in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and SAXS. CNT films were also converted into cellular foams of CNTs through capillarity-induced densification. By examining spatially- and time-resolved SAXS data for the cellular foams, we identified low angle features in the scattering curves that correspond to the average spacing between CNTs, demonstrating that SAXS is a useful method for monitoring the packing density of CNTs in a film. For all of the morphologies that were examined (aligned, disordered, compressed, and densified), SAXS data showed good correspondence with SEM images.
Ray Tracing Of X-Ray Optical Systems: Source Models.

We describe the implementation of the source models used by SHADOW, our X-ray optics ray tracing code. The statistical nature of the models is discussed in detail and some relevant examples presented. The program can now model all the types of sources encountered in synchrotron radiation, that is bending magnets, wigglers bnd undulators with full inclusion of emittance effects.
Characterization of a Novel Spirochete Associated with the Hydrothermal Vent Polychaete Annelid, Alvinella pompejana

A highly integrated, morphologically diverse bacterial community is associated with the dorsal surface of Alvinella pompejana, a polychaetous annelid that inhabits active high-temperature deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites along the East Pacific Rise (EPR). Analysis of a previously prepared bacterial 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) library identified a spirochete most closely related to an endosymbiont of the oligochete Olavius loisae. This spirochete phylotype (spirochete A) comprised only 2.2% of the 16S rDNA clone library but appeared to be much more dominant when the same sample was analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism procedure (12 to 18%). PCR amplification of the community with spirochete-specific primers used in conjunction with DGGE analysis identified two spirochete phylotypes. The first spirochete was identical to spirochete A but was present in only one A. pompejana specimen. The second spirochete (spirochete B) was 84.5% similar to spirochete A and, more interestingly, was present in the epibiont communities of all of the A. pompejana specimens sampled throughout the geographic range of the worm (13°N to 32°S along the EPR). The sequence variation of the spirochete B phylotype was less than 3% for the range of A. pompejana specimens tested, suggesting that a single spirochete species was present in the A. pompejana epibiotic community. Additional analysis of the environments surrounding the worm revealed that spirochetes are a ubiquitous component of high-temperature vents and may play an important role in this unique ecosystem.
Natural Resource Endowments, Governance, and the Domestic Revenue Effort: Evidence from a Panel of Countries

The recent development literature stresses that countries that receive large revenues from natural resource endowments typically raise less revenue from domestic taxation, and that this creates governance problems because the lower domestic tax effort reduces the incentive for the public scrutiny of government. Our results from a panel of 30 hydrocarbon producing countries indicate that the offset between hydrocarbon revenues and revenues from other domestic sources is about 20 percent but that it is invariant to governance indicators.
Three-Field Model and Higher Symmetry Group W-3 with Parity Interchange

A theory of hadrons (strongly interacting particles) based on the higher symmetry group ${W}_{3}={U}_{3}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{U}_{3}$ (or $S{W}_{3}=S{U}_{3}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}S{U}_{3}$) with parity interchange between the two ${U}_{3}$ (or $S{U}_{3}$) groups has been developed. The four-fermion vector model with three massless Dirac fields has been used to guide the construction of the meson and baryon particles. A parity doublet structure in the ${W}_{3}$ (or $S{W}_{3}$) limit is found for the mesons but not for the baryons. Mass relations between scalar (axial vector) and pseudoscalar (vector) octets or nonets of mesons are derived under various assumptions concerning the underlying group, the tensorial behavior of the symmetry-breaking terms, and the particle representations. Some experimental tests of these mass relations are noted. The possibility of incorporating the leptons into the theory is discussed.
Accurate classification of sentinel lymph node metastases in patients with lobular breast carcinoma

Among pathologists there is low reproducibility in classifying small volume metastases in sentinel lymph node particularly in cases of invasive lobular carcinoma. We postulate that strict adherence to American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) 2003 criteria may result in inaccurate staging of lobular carcinoma patients. We reviewed cases of metastatic lobular carcinoma in sentinel lymph node biopsies between 1998 and 2008. All sentinel lymph nodes were reassessed using strict adherence to AJCC 2003 criteria. Subsequent axillary lymph node dissection and clinical follow-up were reviewed. Fifty-one patients met our inclusion criteria and were originally classified by the primary pathologist as follows: 10 isolated tumor cells, 8 micrometastases, 27 macrometastases, and 6 ‘positive’ cases without further classification. Cases were re-classified using strict adherence to AJCC 2003 criteria as follows: 21 isolated tumor cells, 2 micrometastases, and 28 macrometastases. Twelve isolated tumor cells cases underwent full axillary dissection, and 3 (25%) had additional macrometastases. All micrometastatic cases underwent axillary dissection; all were negative. Twenty-two macrometastatic cases underwent full axillary dissection and 16 (73%) had additional macrometastases. Diffuse single cells or small clusters should not be interpreted as isolated tumor cells in invasive lobular carcinoma sentinel lymph nodes. The criteria for assessing small volume metastases in the sentinel lymph node of patients with invasive lobular carcinoma need to be more clearly defined.
A Case Study of Embarrassment

The psychoanalytic references to embarrassment are reviewed. Embarrassment, in the literature, is seen largely as an affect involving exhibitionistic and scopophilic conflicts and defenses against these. A case in which embarrassment was prominent is discussed. Embarrassment in the patient was an ego response which implied an external object for its manifestation. It involved exhibitionistic and scopophilic conflicts and projective defenses, but also operated in ego-gratifying and adaptive ways. Her embarrassment was understood through the analysis of an initial embarrassing dream of nakedness and other dreams and associated material as the defensive out-grouth of repeated exposures to the primal scene. Embarrassment was a resistance to remembering in the analysis, and the primal-scene experiences were partially reconstructed. The analytic situation was, in many ways, a symbolic re-creation of the primal scene, including the patient's response of embarrassment. The development of embarrassment in the patient's childhood was furthered and confirmed by its being an identification with the attitudes of both parents. Finally, some reflections on embarrassment and shame in its various forms are set forth.
Simulated acid rain: Effects on leaf quality and yield of broadleaf tobacco

Simulated acid rains of pH 5.6, 4.0, 3.5, 3.0, 2.5, or 2.0 were applied to leaves of broadleaf tobacco twice per week for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 weeks. Only those plants receiving rain of pH 2.0 were injured and, among those, the plants receiving fewer applications had less severe injury. Foliar symptoms resembled weather fleck (O3 injury) at first, but become distinguishable from them with time.
Optical Identification of Faint X-Ray Sources in the Core of ω Centauri

We present the results of a search for optical counterparts of three faint X-ray sources in the core of NGC 5139 (ω Cen) with the HST Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. Using images taken through the F656N (Hα), F675W, and F336W filters, we have identified two stars with strong Hα and UV excesses, one in each of two of the X-ray error circles, and a possible optical counterpart in the third. The absolute magnitudes, broadband colors, and inferred emission-line strengths of all three stars are typical of cataclysmic variables (CVs). Further comparisons of the disk properties of the two strong candidates to CVs in the field strengthen our conclusion that they are promising CV candidates.
Development of a Consensus Document to Improve Multireader Concordance and Accuracy of Aortic Regurgitation Severity Grading by Echocardiography Versus Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Current guidelines recommend a multiparametric echocardiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation (AR). However, the absence of a hierarchical weighting of discordant parameters could cause interobserver variability. In the present study, we sought to define and improve the interobserver variability of AR assessment. Seventeen level 3 readers graded 20 randomly selected patients with AR. The readers also provided a usefulness score for each parameter, depending on its influence on their decision of the AR severity grade. A consensus strategy was subsequently formulated and validated against cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in a separate group of 80 patients. The readers were updated with the consensus document and recalibrated using the same cases. Agreement was statistically assessed using Randolph's free-marginal multirater kappa. At baseline, no uniform approach was used to combine the individual parameters, contributing to the interobserver variability (overall kappa 0.5). A consensus strategy to categorize AR severity was developed in which the left ventricular volume took precedence over the other parameters and was used to differentiate chronic severe AR from less severe categories. Recalibration of the readers using this consensus strategy improved concordance (kappa increased to 0.7). The new strategy also improved the accuracy relative to cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, as evidenced by full agreement on severe AR between the consensus document-based grading and AR severity defined by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in the separate validation group of 80 patients. In conclusion, grading of chronic AR using a multiparametric approach has suboptimal consistency between readers and a left ventricular volume-based consensus document improved concordance and accuracy.
The Physiological Effect of Sodium Chloride upon Brook Trout

Abstract Feeding sodium chloride in gelatin capsules to brook trout caused a rise in blood salt when amounts of 10, 15, 20, and 25 milligrams were ingested. No effect on the chloride level was found when 5 milligrams were fed. An edema resulted from feeding the two higher levels. This disappeared in the 20 milligram experiment with no loss of fish, but caused a mortality in the 25 milligram level. The absorption curves for salt were similar to those described for carbohydrates. Excretion curves were found to be curvilinear, but showed a break in the two higher levels with the appearance of edema. It was necessary to feed between 0.91 and 1.82 grams of salt per kilogram of body weight to produce a rise in blood salt and between 2.72 and 3.64 grams per kilogram to cause an edema. Salt baths of 3.0 and 5.0 per cent caused an increase in salinity of the blood of trout. A 2.5 bath had no such effect. For the shorter periods of immersion, an increase in blood salt was quickly eliminated upon return of the fish ...
Effects of adsorption of alcohol and water on the electrical transport of carbon nanotube bundles

In situ studies on the effects of physisorption of various alcohol molecules (CnH2n+1OH; n = 1–4) on the transport properties of thin films of bundled single-walled carbon nanotubes reveal large increases in the thermoelectric power (TEP) S () and four-probe resistance R () at 40 °C. Interestingly, exposure to water causes virtually no change in the TEP, although the electrical resistance shows a change of , typical for the alcohols. We observe a simple exponential response of S(t) and R(t) to a sudden change in the molecular pressure. The characteristic time constants ( min) for S and R are found to be essentially the same for a given molecule, indicating that the changes in these transport properties track each other. In fact, plots of S versus ΔR are linear, the slopes depending on the specific molecule. The transport results are interpreted in terms of a Boltzmann model and the introduction of a new scattering channel for charge carriers in metallic tubes due to weak interactions with physisorbed molecules. The trends in the changes in S and R with adsorption of these polar molecules can be explained on the basis of the interplay between the adsorption energy and the molecular coverage on the nanotube surfaces.
Mortality for Publicly Reported Conditions and Overall Hospital Mortality Rates

Importance Federal efforts about public reporting and quality improvement programs for hospitals have focused primarily on a small number of medical conditions. Whether performance on these conditions accurately predicts the quality of broader hospital care is unknown. Objective To determine whether mortality rates for publicly reported medical conditions are correlated with hospitals’ overall performance. Methods Using national Medicare data, we compared hospital performance at 2322 US acute care hospitals on 30-day risk-adjusted mortality, aggregated across the 3 publicly reported conditions (acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia), with performance on a composite risk-adjusted mortality rate across 9 other common medical conditions, a composite mortality rate across 10 surgical conditions, and both composites combined. We also examined the relationship between alternative surrogates of quality (hospital size and teaching status) and performance on these composite outcomes. Results Our sample included 6 670 859 hospitalizations for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from 2008 through 2009. Hospitals in the top quartile of performance on publicly reported conditions had a 3.6% lower absolute risk-adjusted mortality rate on the combined medical-surgical composite than those in the bottom quartile (9.4% vs 13.0%; P Conclusions and Relevance Hospital performance on publicly reported conditions can potentially be used as a signal of overall hospital mortality rates.
Partial airway occlusion during sleep and waking in the dog

Abstract Airflow was impeded for four consecutive hours in nine adult dogs in order to ascertain whether the sleeping pattern would be altered and whether the respiratory responses would differ according to the stage of sleep or waking. Partial airway occlusion (PAO) was induced by reducing the diameter of a tracheostomy tube by an average of 58% (i.e. to a final airway diameter of ca 3 mm). This had the effect, during sleep, of significantly decreasing the respiratory rate by 21%, decreasing the minute volume by 31% and increasing P a CO2 by 5 Torr (0.67 kPa) as compared to sleep in which respiration was unimpeded. There appeared to be no difference between REM sleep and Non-REM sleep in terms of the respiratory responses to the imposed stress. In the case of the waking state, the PAO did not elicit any statistically significant alteration of the respiratory parameters although there was a suggestion that the direction of change for each parameter was the same as in sleep. While respiration during sleep was unquestionably affected when the dogs were required to breathe through a plug with a very narrow opening, the gross sleep pattern remained unchanged.
COMPLICATIONS INHERENT IN SCALING THE BASAL RATE OF METABOLISM IN MAMMALS

The scaling of the basal rate of metabolism in mammals is reexamined. Both the power and level of the scaling function are sensitive to various factors that interact with body mass and rate of metabolism, including the precision of temperature regulation, food habits, and activity level. This sensitivity implies that the rate of metabolism is a highly plastic character in the course of evolution. Consequently, the singular effect of mass on the rate of metabolism is most effectively analyzed in ecologically and physiologically uniform sets of species, rather than in taxonomically defined groups, which often are ecologically and physiologically diverse. Otherwise, all fitted curves for mammals integrate a variety of competing factors, thereby reflecting the species used and denying unique analytic significance to the power in scaling relations. Kleiber's eutherian curve may represent a relatively uniform set of data because all the species included were domesticated and because selection for high rates of ...
A trend pattern assessment approach to microarray gene expression profiling data analysis

We study the problem of how to assess the reliability of a statistical measurement on data set containing unknown quantity of noises, inconsistencies, and outliers. A practical approach that analyzes the dynamical patterns (trends) of the statistical measurements through a sequential extreme-boundary-points (EBP) weed-out process is explored. We categorize the weed-out trend patterns (WOTP) and examine their relation to the reliability of the measurement. The approach is applied to the processes of extracting genes that are predictive to BCL2 translocations and to clinical survival outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) from DNA Microarray gene expression profiling data sets. Fisher's Discriminate Criterion (FDC) is used as a statistical measurement in the processes. It is found that the weed-out trend analysis (WOTA) approach is effective for qualitatively assessing the statistics-based measurements in the experimentations conducted.
Complexity and uncertainty in financing graduate medical education.

ABSTRACTThe current sources and structure of graduate medical education (GME) financing policies are being challenged. To foster understanding of these challenges, the author explains the current GME financing system and explores the impacts that various policy changes and legislation under consider
Pansies to Parents: Gay Male Images in American Print Advertising

Common and diverse depictions of gay men in American print advertising are recent phenomena, dating from the mid-1990s. However, gay male images have appeared in print advertisements since early in the last century. Using a framework categorizing minority depictions in media over time and adapted for this study, a chronological series of twenty-five print advertisements are analyzed dating from 1917 through 2004. In these ads, gay male images complying with one or more of the ten criteria established for this study are found to change over time. This evolution of imagery is categorized into four stages: (1) targeted recognition, (2) ridicule/scorn, (3) cutting edge, and ultimately, (4) respect. The evolution reflects society’s changing view of homosexuality and the media’s changing role in portraying gay men. It further can be analyzed within the context of the history of the United States’ gay community.
Examining online chat within a domain of uncertainty: the case of Asperger's syndrome.

Objective: To determine whether grounded theory can be applied as a cross-disciplinary evaluative framework for assessing health information, especially within domain-specific peer-to-peer networks. Methods: Using a grounded-theory approach, we seek to identify recurring themes of peer-based interaction, without the ongoing management of clinical experts, as a way to determine stakeholder concerns and interests in a domain of frequent clinical uncertainty and treatment, Asperger's syndrome. Results: We find that users of web-based information in such areas often report reliance on information for medical decision making and disease management, at times to the point where interaction becomes a form of ‘cybertherapy.’ Further, such groups often evolve into disease-specific, ‘virtual support groups’, even where discussions highlight a lack of consensus regarding the role, function and quality of information within this unique domain. Conclusion: A grounded theory approach can successfully be applied in a domain-specific setting to identify themes in unstructured peer-to-peer discussion of ill-defined diseases and treatments.
Perceived Religious Discrimination and its Relationship to Anxiety and Paranoia Among Muslim Americans

Abstract Although the effects of discrimination and hate crimes among various minority member's mental health is documented, no research to date examines the correlates of perceived discrimination among Muslim Americans. Therefore, this study examined perceived discrimination and its association with subclinical paranoia and anxiety among 152 Muslim Americans. A statistically significant relationship was found between perceived religious discrimination and subclinical paranoia, but perceived discrimination and anxiety were not related. There were also significant differences among ethnic groups and between convert, immigrant, second-generation Muslims in the perception of discrimination. Results suggest that perceived discrimination among Muslim Americans is related to the expression of increased vigilance and suspicion and that group differences affect the perception of discrimination.
102. Sex differences in the effects of adolescent stress on adult brain inflammatory responses

Clinical and preclinical research supports the hypothesis that females are more susceptible to stress-related affective disorders than males. Additionally, adolescence may be a critical period in which stress modulates long-term mental health outcomes. For example, previous work in our lab has demonstrated that adolescent stress induces sustained depressive-like behavior in female, but not male rats. Here, we tested the hypothesis that adolescent stress primes the female rat brain for subsequent exacerbated neuroinflammatory responses in adulthood more than in males. We first exposed male and female rats to mixed-modality stress (e.g., restraint, isolation, social defeat) during adolescence (PND 37–49). Three weeks later, rats were injected with lipopolysaccaride (LPS; 250 μg/kg; i.p.) or saline and perfused brains and blood were collected 4 hours later. In contrast to the persistent depressive-like behavior observed previously in female rats following this adolescent stress, hippocampal gene expression of inflammatory markers (IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, NF-kappaB) after LPS (or saline) was not affected by adolescent stress in females. Conversely, adolescent stress exacerbated hippocampal IL-1beta, TNFalpha, NF-kappaB, and CD11b gene expression following LPS in males. These effects on neuroinflammatory markers in males occurred in the absence of an LPS-induced rise in circulating corticosterone, whereas this corticosterone response was present in females. These data suggest that males are more susceptible to long-term neuroinflammatory consequences of adolescent stress, whereas females are more susceptible to affective behavioral consequences.
DNA replication and the division cycle in Escherichia coli

Synchronous division can be obtained in physiologically normal cultures of Escherichia coli, strain B/r with the Helmstetter-Cummings technique. The rate of DNA synthesis has been determined as a function of the age of the cells, and in glucose-minimal medium it doubles about half-way through each division cycle. Between the steps the rate remains constant. Furthermore, the capacity of cells of different ages to synthesize DNA in the presence of chloramphenicol has been determined. These experiments indicate that a new round of replication is initiated at about the time when the over-all rate of DNA synthesis doubles; i.e., some 20 to 25 minutes before cell division. We conclude that at a given site of synthesis the rate of replication is constant under these growth conditions, and that the measured doubling in rate of synthesis reflects a doubling in the number of sites. Similar experiments with cultures in glycerol or succinate medium, and with glucose cultures of three different Hfr strains, indicate that the time elapsing between initiation of replication and cell division is more or less independent of growth rate and of the origin of genetic transfer.
Color separation gratings for diverting the unconverted light away from the NIF target

Most of the glass laser based inertial confinement fusion systems around the world today employ non-linear frequency conversion for converting the 1.053 pm light at the fundamental frequency (referred to as 1o light) to either its second harmonic (called 2o) at 527 nm or to its third harmonic (called 3w) at 351 nm. Shorter wavelengths are preferred for laser fusion because of the improved coupling of the laser light to the fusion targets due to reduced fast electron production at shorter wavelengths. The frequency conversion process, however, is only about 60-70% efficient and the residual 30-40% of the energy remains at la) and 2w frequencies.
A novel inductive-capacitive pulse forming circuit for pulse power load applications

A number of circuits have been proposed to supply constant current during EMRG (electromagnetic rail-gun) firing as well as recovery of the energy remaining in the inductive storage element after firing. In many ways, a switched inductor based pulsed power supply for EMRGs is an alternative to capacitive-based systems. However, using an inductor as the pulsed power supply has several issues. In this research effort a hybrid inductive-capacitive pulse forming network circuit is proposed to provide solutions to those problems.
Temperature dependence of the soft acoustic shear modes in h.c.p. zirconium

Abstract Neutron measurements of the dispersion curve v(q) for [10·0] phonons polarized in [11·0] are presented for hexagonal close-packed Zr at 300°, 773°, and 1073°K. Given that the crystal transforms to b.c.c. at 1135°K and demonstrates a pronounced softening in the C66 elastic constant, v(q) shows only a uniform lowering of the entire branch, consistent with the behavior of C66(T) but fractionally smaller for large wave vectors. No anomalous phonon linewidths are observed.
Angiotensin AT1 receptor inhibition, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, and combination therapy with developing heart failure: Cellular mechanisms of action

Background: Past studies have shown that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition (ACEI) alone, angiotensin AT1 receptor blockade (AT1 block) alone, and combined treatment have differential effects on left ventricular (LV) function and geometry with developing congestive heart failure (CHF). The purpose of this study was to more carefully examine the cellular basis for these differential effects by using a model of pacing CHF. Methods and Results: Pigs were randomly assigned to five groups: (1) rapid pacing (240 bpm) for 3 weeks (n = 9), (2) concomitant ACEI (benazeprilat, 0.187 mg/kg/day) and pacing (n = 9), (3) concomitant AT1 block (valsartan, 3 mg/kg/day) and pacing (n = 9), (4) concomitant ACEI and AT1 receptor blockade (benazeprilat/valsartan, 0.05/3 mg/kg/day, respectively) and pacing (n = 9), and (5) sham controls (n = 10). The dosage protocol was based on obtaining a 50% reduction in angiotensin I and angiotensin II pressor response with no significant effects on mean basal arterial pressure. In the pacing group, LV fractional shortening (LVFS) fell compared with control group (13.4 ± 1.4 v 39.1 ± 1.0%, P < .05). With AT1 block, LVFS was unchanged from pacing only. ACEI and combined treatment increased LVFS from pacing values (25.2 ± 0.9 v 20.9 ± 1.9%, respectively, P < .05). LV myocyte shortening velocity was reduced with chronic pacing compared with control group (27.2 ± 0.6 v 58.6 ± 1.2 μm/s, P < .05) and remained reduced with AT1 block (28.0 ± 0.5 μm/s, P < .05). Myocyte shortening velocity increased with ACEI or combination treatment (36.9 ± 0.7 ± 0.7 v 42.3 ± 0.8 μm/s, respectively, P < .05). Concomitant treatment with either ACEI or AT1 blockade normalized myocyte action potential duration. In the combined ACEI and AT1 blockade group, all parameters of the myocyte action potential were unchanged from control values. Conclusions: This study showed that combined ACEI and AT1 receptor blockade produced beneficial effects on myocyte contractility and electrophysiology when compared with either monotherapy alone and therefore may provide unique benefits with CHF.
Geochemical and geological evidence bearing on the origin of the Bay of Islands and Coastal Complex ophiolites of western Newfoundland

Abstract Suggestions that ophiolitic rocks of the Bay of Islands Complex (BOIC) and Coastal Complex (CC) of southwestern Newfoundland were formed at a seafloor spreading center are supported by: 1. (1) whole-rock trace and major element data from diabases and basalts, 2. (2) spinel mineral chemistry from ultramafic rocks, 3. (3) the internal geology of the ophiolite terranes, and 4. (4) regional geologic and tectonic constraints in the western Newfoundland Appalachians. Diabase and basalt samples from the BOIC and the northern CC massifs are tholeiitic and geochemically indistinguishable from present-day mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs). Many diabases from the Lewis Hills massif (the southernmost part of the CC) are also identical to MORBs, but there is also an unusual suite of diabases from the Lewis Hills that is unlike any other suite yet reported from a variety of tectonic settings including island arcs, ocean islands or spreading centers. This suite is interpreted to have been produced by unusual magma generation processes in the deep structural levels of an oceanic ridge-ridge transform fault. Approximately 90% of spinels from ultramafic rocks in the BOIC and CC have Cr/(Cr + Al) ratios that are less that 0.60, comparable to those values reported from ultramafic rocks of the present-day ocean basins. These geochemical constraints, in combination with previously-described geological relationships within the ophiolite terranes and regional tectonic relationships in the western Newfoundland Appalachians, suggest that the BOIC and CC ophiolites formed within a main ocean basin (i.e., the early Paleozoic Iapetus Ocean) along a seafloor spreading center and ridge-ridge transform fault, respectively. There is little evidence to suggest formation in either an island arc or back-arc basin tectonic setting. As such, the BOIC and CC ophiolites are probably well suited for detailed petrologic, structural and geophysical studies to determine the processes involved in the generation and evolution of contemporary oceanic crust and upper mantle.
Personalization versus Privacy: An Empirical Examination of the Online Consumer's Dilemma

Personalization refers to the tailoring of products and purchase experience to the tastes of individual consumers based upon their personal and preference information. Recent advances in information acquisition and processing technologies have allowed online vendors to offer varieties of web-based personalization that not only increases switching costs, but also serves as important means of acquiring valuable customer information. However, investments in online personalization may be severely undermined if consumers do not use these services due to privacy concerns. In the absence of any empirical evidence that seeks to understand this consumer dilemma, our research develops a parsimonious model to predict consumers' usage of online personalization as a result of the tradeoff between their value for personalization and concern for privacy. In addition to this tradeoff, we find that a consumer's intent to use personalization services is positively influenced by her trust in the vendor. Our findings suggest that: 1. online vendors can improve their abilities to acquire and use customer information through trust building activities; 2. it is of critical importance that vendors understand and evaluate the different values consumers may place in enjoying various types of personalization.
Factors influencing the incidence of habituation for cytokinin of tobacco pith tissue in culture.

Pith tissue of Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. “Havana 425” exhibits a gradient in its tendency to habituate for cytokinin on an auxin-containing medium at 35° C, about 10° C above the standard culture temperature. Explants of pith from below the 8th to 11th internode, counting from the bottom of the plant, rarely habituate for cytokinin; explants from above this threshold habituate rapidly. The explants must also be above a critical size, about 20–30 mg, to habituate. There was a pronounced interaction between size and position effects; the threshold position for cytokinin habituation shifted upward with decreasing explant size.
High temperature performance of recent GaAs transistors

Recent advances in the preparation of GaAs material and in GaAs technology have enabled diffused-base, alloyed emitter GaAs transistors to be constructed which exhibit f T 's in excess of 1 Gc. Because of the greater band-gap (1.38 eV) of GaAs, these transistors should be operable at temperatures exceeding 350°C. The physical method of fabrication, however, limits these experimental transistors to a junction operating temperature of slightly greater than 200°C. In this paper the techniques employed to construct these transistors will be described; the limitations imposed on operating temperature by state-of-the-art technology and means of overcoming these limitations will be discussed. Data will be presented to characterize these GaAs transistors at elevated temperatures and will show that high frequency current gain (h fe ) varies only slightly with temperature. Graphs displaying the variation of the other "h" parameters with temperature will be given, as will plots of the behavior of V CE(SAT) and I co with increasing temperature. The significance of the high temperature stability of these GaAs transistors as it applies to both small signal and high power devices will be indicated.
Evidence-Based Behavioral Interventions for Repetitive Behaviors in Autism

Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a core symptom of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). There has been an increased research emphasis on repetitive behaviors; however, this research primarily has focused on phenomenology and mechanisms. Thus, the knowledge base on interventions is lagging behind other areas of research. The literature suggests there are evidence-based practices to treat “lower order” RRBs in ASD (e.g., stereotypies); yet, there is a lack of a focused program of intervention research for “higher order” behaviors (e.g., insistence on sameness). This paper will (a) discuss barriers to intervention development for RRBs; (b) review evidence-based interventions to treat RRBs in ASD, with a focus on higher order behaviors; and (c) conclude with recommendations for practice and research.
On regions and linear types (extended abstract)

We explore how two different mechanisms for reasoning about state, linear typing and the type, region and effect discipline, complement one another in the design of a strongly typed functional programming language. The basis for our language is a simple lambda calculus containing first-class memory regions, which are explicitly passed as arguments to functions, returned as results and stored in user-defined data structures. In order to ensure appropriate memory safety properties, we draw upon the literature on linear type systems to help control access to and deallocation of regions. In fact, we use two different interpretations of linear types, one in which multiple-use values are freely copied and discarded and one in which multiple-use values are explicitly reference-counted, and show that both interpretations give rise to interesting invariants for manipulating regions. We also explore new programming paradigms that arise by mixing first-class regions and conventional linear data structures.