cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Serum Homocysteine levels are independently associated with mortality in Primary and Secondary Prevention patients derived from a high-risk clinic population.

0015 Background: Elevated total homocysteine levels (tHCY) have been implicated as an independent risk factor for mortality in patients with known and no known CAD. Few data are available that compare tHCY as a predictor of mortality in both groups. Objectives: In an ongoing, high-risk cardiovascular Prevention Clinic we sought to determine whether tHCY showed evidence of short-term mortality independently of traditional risk factors in primary and secondary prevention patients. Methods: Short term mortality (mean follow-up 26 ± 15 months) was assessed in 2441 clinic patients (1103 primary and 1338 secondary prevention). Cox models were used to assess the unadjusted relationships between tHCY (quartiles: 14.7 μmol/L) and survival time with hazard ratios (HR) used to estimate mortality risk. Framingham global risk scores were calculated for each patient in order to adjust for traditional risk factors (age, gender, LDL-C, HDL-C, blood pressure, diabetes and smoking). Results: The mean age of the overall group was 56 ± 12 years, 34% were women and 62 patients died during the follow-up (18 for primary and 44 for secondary prevention). Serum tHCY quartile showed a relationship to mortality for primary and secondary prevention patients (HR 3.02 and 1.69 respectively) with and without adjustment for traditional risk factors and creatinine (Table). Conclusions: Serum homocysteine levels are independently associated with mortality in primary and secondary Prevention patients derived from the same high-risk clinic population.
Human embryonic stem cells extracellular vesicles and their effects on immortalized human retinal Müller cells

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by virtually every cell of all organisms are involved in processes of intercellular communication through the delivery of their functional mRNAs, proteins and bioactive lipids. We previously demonstrated that mouse embryonic stem cell-released EVs (mESEVs) are able to transfer their content to different target retinal cells, inducing morphological and biochemical changes in them. The main objective of this paper is to characterize EVs derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESEVs) and investigate the effects that they have on cultured retinal glial, progenitor Muller cells, which are known to give rise to retinal neurons under specific conditions. This would allow us to establish if hESEVs have a pro-regenerative potential not yet described that could be used in the future for treatment of human retinal degenerative diseases. Initially, we showed that hESEVs are heterogeneous in size, contain mRNAs and proteins involved in the induction and maintenance of stem cell pluripotency and can be internalized by cultured Muller cells. After a single exposure to hESEVs these cells display changes in their gene expression profile, and with multiple exposures they de-differentiate and trans-differentiate into retinal neuronal precursors. hESEVs were then fractionated into microvesicles (MVs) and exosomes (EXOs), which were characterized by size, specific surface proteins and biochemical/molecular components. We demonstrate that despite the similar internalization of non-fractionated hESEVs, MVs and EXOs by Muller progenitor cells, in vitro, only the release of MVs' cargo into the cells' cytoplasm induces specific changes in their levels of pluripotency mRNAs and early retinal proteins. EXOs do not produce any detectable effect. Thus, we conclude that MVs and MVs-containing hESEVs are promising agents that possibly could promote the regeneration of diseased or damaged retinas in vivo through inducing glial Muller cells to become replacement neurons.
Buy It Again: Modeling Repeat Purchase Recommendations

Repeat purchasing, i.e., a customer purchasing the same product multiple times, is a common phenomenon in retail. As more customers start purchasing consumable products (e.g., toothpastes, diapers, etc.) online, this phenomenon has also become prevalent in e-commerce. However, in January 2014, when we looked at popular e-commerce websites, we did not find any customer-facing features that recommended products to customers from their purchase history to promote repeat purchasing. Also, we found limited research about repeat purchase recommendations and none that deals with the large scale purchase data that e-commerce websites collect. In this paper, we present the approach we developed for modeling repeat purchase recommendations. This work has demonstrated over 7% increase in the product click through rate on the personalized recommendations page of the Amazon.com website and has resulted in the launch of several customer-facing features on the Amazon.com website, the Amazon mobile app, and other Amazon websites.
A rule-based system for document understanding

A rule-based system to make inferences about document images is introduced. Given a digitized document image, the sys tern controls the analysis of the document, and identifies all the different printed regions in the document image. Logical "blocks" of information on the document image are interpreted and classified by this system which then produces as output an editable description of the entire document. The system uses a goal-directed top down approach, and utilizes a three-level rule hierarchy to implement its control strategy.
Does timing of palliative care consults impact end-of-life health services utilization in pancreatic cancer patients?

10006Background: Early palliative care consult can influence end of life health care utilization in controlled clinical trials. However, the effect in large scale, real world setting is not known. ...
Sellar Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor Presenting with Subarachnoid and Intraventricular Hemorrhage

Background Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) are uncommon malignancies of the central nervous system and are often difficult to distinguish radiographically and pathologically from other common tumors. We present the first case of sellar ATRT presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Case Description A 62-year-old woman, who had presented with symptoms of headache, diabetes insipidus, hypothyroidism, and seizures, was found to have a sellar tumor with hemorrhagic transformation. Surgical resection was performed. The pathological examination findings were consistent with ATRT. Despite early surgical intervention, she later died before starting craniospinal radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, although known to present with intratumoral hemorrhage, to date, no cases of sellar ATRT have presented with SAH or IVH have been reported. Considering our finding that ATRT can present with SAH and IVH, establishing the correct diagnosis using radiographic imaging, gender, pathological findings, and molecular markers is paramount for speedy treatment and management.
Voltage Sensorless Control of a Three-Phase Standalone Inverter Based on Internal Model Control

Steady operation of a converter as it undergoes a voltage sensing failure requires the development of smarter control algorithms with special qualitative features which can well accommodate the uncertainties. In this work, a backup control scheme based on the internal model principle in the absence of the output voltage sensor for a standalone three-phase inverter has been proposed. This methodology incorporates an estimation of the output voltage which is provided based on current information and the output ac capacitor value which can cancel the dependency of the inverter performance on the information provided by the voltage sensors. The overall approach has been implemented in a scaled-down physical distributed generation (a standalone inverter) based on HiL (hardware-in-the-loop) real-time co-simulation using Xilinx System Generator platform to further verify the accuracy of the system.
Government ownership of banks, political system transparency, and regulatory barriers to new firm entry

Why do governments pursue regulatory reforms fostering entrepreneurship? In this paper, we examine the link between government ownership of banks, political regime transparency, and regulatory barriers to the entry of new industrial firms. We propose a signalling theory for the deregulation of entry. We argue that high levels of government ownership of banks and political system opacity erode the reputation of national economies in the eyes of international investors. To improve international perceptions of their business and investment climate, governments reduce regulatory barriers to new business entry. Deregulation of new firm entry signals an improved investment climate to foreign investors, and thereby substitutes for political system transparency. This signal is credible, valued by international investors, and easier to implement than alternative signals. Evidence drawn from an analysis of 93 developed and developing countries supports our propositions. Countries with high levels of state ownership of banks exhibit higher regulatory barriers to firm entry. However, this relationship attenuates and even reverses in extremely opaque political systems. Consistent with our argument that international perceptions are the key mechanisms underlying this conditional relationship, we also show that the moderating effect of political system opacity weakens among countries with high levels of government ownership of banks and FDI inflows. Our findings have important implications for the literature on state ownership of banks, the political economy of reform, and for our understanding of strategic signalling in international relations.
Abstract 4734: Response of bladder and colon cancer cells to combined treatment with bromodomain and histone deacetylase inhibitors

Since bromodomains of proteins bind acetylated histone lysine side chains while histone deacetylase inhibitors increase the level of histone acetylation, it seemed possible that bromodomain inhibitors might counteract some cellular responses to the action of histone deacetylase inhibitors. We have examined this possibility in bladder and colon cancer cells treated with combinations of bromodomain and histone deacetyalase inhibitors. Actions on growth and on the induction of alkaline phosphatase activity by histone deacetylase inhibitors were investigated. Compounds studied were the bromodomain inhibitors JQ1, I-BET763, olinone and RVX208 and the histone deacetylase inhibitors butyrate, RGFP966 and valproate. The cells studied were ones in which alkaline phosphatase activity is induced by histone deacetylase inhibitors. They were bladder cancer lines 5637, HT1197 and HT1376 and colon cancer lines Caco-2 and HT29. The combination that most clearly showed decreased induction of alkaline phosphatase activity by a bromodomain inhibitor was butyrate plus JQ1. If this action represents blocking combination of bromodomain-containing transcription factors with acetylated histones one might anticipate that inhibitory effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors on growth might be mitigated by combination with bromodomain inhibitors. However, the tendency was for additive effects on growth inhibition in accord with some data in the literature. Of the bromodomain inhibitors that were studied, JQ1 was the most effective as a growth inhibitor and olinone was the least effective. The mechanism for additive effects of bromodomain and histone deacetylase inhibitors on growth remains to be defined but antagonistic effects on cell differentiation appear possible. Citation Format: Michael A. Lea, Niyati Patel, Charles desBordes. Response of bladder and colon cancer cells to combined treatment with bromodomain and histone deacetylase inhibitors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4734.
Broadband leaky Lamb waves excited by optical breakdown in water.

Optical breakdown of water is used as a sound source to excite a broadband set of leaky Lamb waves in submerged aluminum plates. The source is shown to simultaneously excite guided modes spanning 0.1–5 MHz in frequency and 0–0.8 mm−1 in wavenumber. The measured response overlaps well with dispersion curves for Lamb waves in the plates, revealing strong coupling to both symmetric and antisymmetric modes. The strongest responses arise when a mode's phase velocity approximately equals the plate's compressional wave velocity. These results are shown to arise from an interplay of the sensing geometry, guided wave speeds, and signal processing. Finally, implications for non-contact sensing are discussed.Optical breakdown of water is used as a sound source to excite a broadband set of leaky Lamb waves in submerged aluminum plates. The source is shown to simultaneously excite guided modes spanning 0.1–5 MHz in frequency and 0–0.8 mm−1 in wavenumber. The measured response overlaps well with dispersion curves for Lamb waves in the plates, revealing strong coupling to both symmetric and antisymmetric modes. The strongest responses arise when a mode's phase velocity approximately equals the plate's compressional wave velocity. These results are shown to arise from an interplay of the sensing geometry, guided wave speeds, and signal processing. Finally, implications for non-contact sensing are discussed.
Conventional versus Flexible Substrates for Dye Sensitized and Perovskite Type Photo Voltaic Solar Cells

In this paper, we have presented brief comparison of properties, advantages, limitations, and applications of different material substrates for dye sensitized solar cells and perovskite solar cells. We have compared pros and cons for glass based, plastic based and metallic based substrates for photovoltaic device applications. Testing methods for their mechanical, bending and environmental stability have also been discussed.
Pilgrimage and prestige: American anime fans and their travels to Japan

The Japanese animation and comics first introduced to the United States were carefully scrubbed of cultural markers, but for hardcore aficionados the ‘Japanese-ness' of such products is part of the...
Identifying and addressing social determinants of health in outpatient practice: Results of a program-wide survey of internal and family medicine residents

Up to 60% of preventable mortality is attributable to social determinants of health (SDOH), yet training on SDOH competencies is not widely implemented in residency. The objective of this study was to assess internal and family medicine residents’ competence at identifying and addressing SDOH. Residents’ perceived competence at identifying, discussing, and addressing SDOH in outpatient settings was assessed using a single questionnaire administered in March 2017. In this cross-sectional analysis, bivariate associations of resident characteristics with the following outcomes were examined: identifying, discussing, and addressing patients’ challenges related to SDOH through referrals. The survey was completed by 129 (84%) residents. Twenty residents (16%) reported an annual income of less than $50,000 during childhood. Overall, 108 residents (84%) reported previous SDOH training. Two-thirds had outpatient practices in Veterans Affairs or safety-net clinics. Thirty-nine (30%) intended to pursue a career in primary care. The following numbers of residents reported high levels of competence for performing these outcomes: identifying patients’ challenges related to SDOH: 37 (29%); discussing them with patients: 18 (14%); and addressing these challenges through referrals to internal and external resources: 13 (10%) and 11 (9%), respectively. Factors associated with higher competence included older age, lower childhood household income, prior education about SDOH, primary practice site and intention to practice primary care. Most residents had previous SDOH training, yet only a small proportion of residents reported being highly competent at identifying or addressing SDOH. Providing opportunities for practical training may be a key component in preparing medical residents to identify and address SDOH effectively in outpatient practice.
Heart Transplant Outcomes for Patients with Cardiac Sarcoidosis

Purpose Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a known etiology of both end-stage dilated and restrictive cardiomyopathy requiring heart transplantation. We sought to evaluate the long-term post-transplant outcomes of patients with CS compared to patients without CS. Methods We evaluated the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry for all heart transplant (HT) recipients from 1987 to 2019. Comparisons between patient characteristics of HT recipients with CS (N=288) and HT recipients without a diagnosis of CS (N=62,854) were reported using standard statistical methods including Cox proportional hazards regression for survival analysis. Results Sarcoid HT recipients were significantly older (52.4 ± 9.0 vs. 46.6 ± 19.2, p Conclusion Cardiac sarcoidosis HT recipients tended to be an older population with less underlying co-morbidities such as diabetes and prior cardiac surgery. They were more likely to receive older donors. Although sarcoid HT recipients have similar organ wait times as non-CS recipients, they ultimately have a lower overall mortality.
The roles of resilience and belonging in mediating the association between positivity and anxiety among underrepresented college students.

Objective: Investigate the association of positivity with generalized anxiety and the mediating roles of resilience and sense of belonging in underrepresented college students. Participants: Colleg...
Predictability and Power in Legislative Bargaining

This paper examines the relationship between the concentration of political power in legislative bargaining and the predictability of the process governing the recognition of legislators. Our main result establishes that, for a broad class of legislative bargaining games, if the recognition procedure permits the legislators to rule out some minimum number of proposers one round in advance, then irrespective of how patient the individual legislators are, Markovian equilibria necessarily deliver all economic surplus to the first proposer. We also examine the extent to which alternative bargaining protocols can limit the concentration of power.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
Can Sentiment Analysis and Option Volume Anticipate Future Returns

This paper evaluates if sentiment extracted from social media and options volume anticipates future asset return. Using both textual based data and a particular market data derived call-put ratio, between July 2009 and September 2012, this research shows that: 1) features derived from market data and a call-put ratio improve model performance, and 2) sentiment derived from StockTwits, a social media platform for the financial community, further improves model performance.
Assessment of the Accuracy of Spectrophotometric Measurements and Methodologies

Modern day spectrophotometers are used to perform both relative and absolute transmittance or absorbance measurements. In order to discuss these two distinct functions, this paper is divided essentially into two parts. The first part discusses the instrumental parameters that must be verified in order to assure that the measurement is accurate and outlines the several types of National Bureau of Standards (NBS) standard reference materials (SRM) that are currently available, or in process, for performing these verifications. The second part of the paper focuses on analytical method accuracy and describes a number of spectrophotometric procedures that have been widely used at NBS with the belief that they produce accurate results. In instances where sufficient data exist, the accuracy of these procedures is reexamined by comparison of the spectrophotometric values with those obtained by the accepted definitive isotope dilution-mass spectometric method. The paper concludes with some projections on the possible future use of ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrophotometry as a practical, multielement technique.
Strategies For Improving Fetal Neuronal Integration with Adult Brain Following Brain Transplantation

If transplanted fetal cells are to have maximal benefits in the adult brain, the donor and host neurons must fully interact. In this report, we have discussed procedures for the preparation of the fetal cells to insure best survival and methods to identify transplanted neurons whose neurotransmitter content is known. Furthermore, we provide several strategies for reducing the glial scar, enhancing fetal cell survival (co-transplantation), inducing host brain trophic factors (prior lesions or preparation of a soluble extract) and providing adhesive molecules to encourage outgrowth. Many additional strategies need to be developed to produce an optimal integration of fetal and adult cells. Once achieved, brain transplantation can provide a powerful and unparalleled tool to regulate cell function and combat diseases.
Charge transfer in nanoparticles

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the charge transfer processes in colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles. The appeal of these systems to the study of charge transfer processes originates in the simplicity of their preparation and manipulation and in the ability to use commonly utilized techniques, particularly those involving kinetic spectrophotometric tools. The drawback to these systems is the often ill-defined characterization and, at times, broad size distribution that is obtained in their synthesis. Efforts to narrow these impediments continue and increasingly more sophisticated structures are becoming available. This, in turn, is certain to lead to improvement in the understanding of the physical processes of interest. The chapter discusses the present understanding of charge transfer processes, in particular electron transfer (ET), in small particles dispersed in the solution. ET processes are the most basic processes in chemistry. Understanding these processes, the parameters that control their rate, the effect of external factors, and the ability to influence the rate may have profound implications on a broad range of scientific and technological issues.
Universal Instability Associated with the Plasmapause and Its Role in Geomagnetic Micropulsations

A steep plasma density gradient at the plasma-pause is likely to be an origin of the ‘universal’ instability in the magnetosphere, as inferred from the theory and laboratory experiments of a non-homogeneous magnetoplasma. Drift waves excited at the plasmapause may be unstable in the direction of the electron drift and propagate eastwards nearly perpendicular to the magnetic field. The drift waves, however, tend to convert very soon to ion sound or Alfven waves with a much larger phase velocity parallel to the magnetic field. This may be a possible source mechanism for rather regular geomagnetic micropulsations. In a very low 3 plasma (β = plasma pressure/magnetic pressure, β m-/m+) which is likely to exist just below the equatorial plasmapause, the accelerated sound wave tends to couple to the Alfven wave in an oblique direction in the case of nearly zero ion Larmor radius or at very low frequencies. This may be a possible excitation mechanism for long-period micropulsations. For the finite ion Larmor radius or higher frequencies, the drift wave with ω = ω* is unstable for perturbations which shift the wave frequency upwards, and tends to convert very soon to the Alfven wave. The possibility of field-aligned plasma irregularities or ducts near the plasmapause may facilitate the mode coupling between drift waves, slow and fast Alfven waves when the parallel wavelength of these waves is of the order of the scale of irregularities. This may be a possible excitation mechanism for short-period micropulsations (Pc-1,2) and indicates the role of the universal instability originated at the plasmapause in these geomagnetic micropulsations. These arguments are examined on the basis of a theory of the universal instability and experimental results obtained from satellite plasma and ground micropulsation data.
File Systems and Network Attached Storage (NAS)

This chapter contains sections titled: Local File Systems Network File Systems and File Servers Shared Disk File Systems Comparison: Fibre Channel SAN, FCoE SAN, iSCSI SAN and NAS Summary
An automata-theoretic algorithm for counting solutions to Presburger formulas

We present an algorithm for counting the number of integer solutions to selected free variables of a Presburger formula. We represent the Presburger formula as a deterministic finite automaton (DFA) whose accepting paths encode the standard binary representations of satisfying free variable values. We count the number of accepting paths in such a DFA to obtain the number of solutions without enumerating the actual solutions. We demonstrate our algorithm on a suite of eight problems to show that it is universal, robust, fast, and scalable.
Optimization of Data Access for Grid Environment

In the paper the architecture for accessing data in the grid environment, developed for EU CrossGrid Project, is presented. The local optimization problems for efficient data access and estimation of data access time are discussed mainly, while the overall architecture is proposed on the base of collaboration with European Data Grid.
Effects of Strength of Ethnic Identity and Product Presenter Race on Black Consumer Attitudes

ABSTRACTThis study examines the relationship between ethnic identity and same- or different-race sources on blacks’ consumer attitudes. Social identity theory provides a theoretical framework to explain black consumers’ decision-making processes. Using structural equation modeling, the authors show that the race of a character used in an ad transversely moderates the relationship between ethnic identity and consumer attitudes. Specifically, they find that as blacks’ strength of ethnic identity increases, they tend to display more favorable consumer attitudes if the product presenter of an e-commerce website is also black and weaker but negative attitudes if the product presenter is white.
History of breast reconstruction.

The management of women with breast cancer has evolved dramatically from radical resections without reconstruction to more conservation resection with breast reconstruction,while maintaining equivalent disease free survival. Over the years, many procedures have appeared and disappeared, and some re-appeared later with renewed enthusiasm. The purpose of this report is to provide insight into the past, an appreciation for the continuously evolving field of breast reconstruction as we know it today, and a discussion of possible implications for the future.
Modeling of energy transactions and ancillary services for dynamic security assessment

In light of the regulatory changes witnessed by the power industry, there is a need to model power system operations under separate agreements for energy and for transmission and ancillary services. A new modeling method to help the operating authority evaluate the necessary ancillary services for ensuring system security and reliability is proposed. For a given set of energy transactions, this study demonstrates the impact of the type, amount and location of ancillary services on the system's dynamic performance. We focus on services that could impact dynamic security: reactive supply and voltage control from generation sources, frequency response, and regulation. The implications of "dynamic transfers", i.e., provision of regulation services to individual loads across control area boundaries, are also investigated. The models used capture fast generator exciter dynamics as well as slower governor, load, and automatic generation control responses. The proposed method is validated on a three-area, nine-machine, 28-bus system.
Glucose-6-phosphatase activities in normal and in testosterone-treated rats.

Female rats of the Wistar strain have over 40 % less activity of glucose-6-phosphatase in their livers than do male rats of the same strain. Daily treatment of female rats with 10 mg of testosterone propionate for a period of 14 days increases the liver glucose-6-phosphatase activity almost to the level in normal males.
Rhamnolipid biosurfactant-enhanced soil flushing for the removal of arsenic and heavy metals from mine tailings.

Abstract Mine tailings containing high contents of arsenic and heavy metals are potential environmental contamination sources. Column experiments were conducted in this study to evaluate the feasibility of using a rhamnolipid biosurfactant (JBR425) to enhance the removal of arsenic and heavy metals from an oxidized mine tailings sample collected from Bathurst, Canada. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) analyses indicated that arsenate [As(V)] was the only extractable arsenic species in the mine tailings. The addition of rhamnolipids did not change the oxidation state of arsenic. It was found that a 0.1% rhamnolipid solution (initial pH adjusted to 11) could significantly enhance the removal of arsenic and heavy metals (i.e., Cu, Pb and Zn) simultaneously. The accumulative removal of arsenic, Cu, Pb and Zn reached 148, 74, 2379, and 259 mg/kg after a 70-pore-volume flushing, respectively. Moreover, the mobilization of arsenic and heavy metals by rhamnolipids was found to be positively correlated with that of Fe, and the mobilization of arsenic was also positively correlated to that of the heavy metals. The mobilization of co-existing metals, to some extent, might enhance arsenic mobilization in the presence of rhamnolipids by helping incorporate it into aqueous organic complexes or micelles through metal-bridging mechanisms.
S021-04 OA. A large-scale analysis of immunoglobulin sequences derived from plasmablasts/plasma cells in acute HIV-1 infection subjects

Open Access Oral presentation S021-04 OA. A large-scale analysis of immunoglobulin sequences derived from plasmablasts/plasma cells in acute HIV-1 infection subjects S Munshaw*1, H Liao1, A Dixon1, X Chen1, A Nagel1, K Derosa1, R Parks1, J Amos1, JF Whitesides1, DJ Marshalls1, Y Yang1, F Gao1, GD Tomaras1, MA Moody1, GH Kelsoe1, TC Shea2, DM Margolis2, M Markowitz2, P Goepfert3, G Shaw3, BF Haynes1 and TB Kepler1
Evidence for Three Different Systems of Movement of Indoleacetic Acid in Intact Roots of Phaseolus coccineus

Indoleacetic acid (IAA)-5-3H (2 × 10−9M) was applied to intact roots of Phaseolus coccineus seedlings, at the apex or 2 cm above the apex, at various pHs and in the presence of Cu2+ and NaCl. The transport of label in the roots was then examined after 6 h by cutting the roots into 1 mm sections above and below the zone of treatment. Basipetal movement from 2 cm above the apex was unafected by pH, Cu2+ or NaCl. Acropetal movement from the same area decreased with increasing pH from 5.4 to 8.0, probably due to an effect of pH on the entry of IAA into the cells. pH had no effect on sucrose transport. Cu2+ also inhibited acropetal movement but NaCl had no effect. Basipetal movement of label from the apex was reduced by Cu2+ and increasing pH, but not as much as with acropetal movement, and increased by the presence of NaCl. These facts are interpreted as showing 3 different systems of IAA movement in intact roots: basipetal from 2 cm up the root in some extracellular physical system; acropetal from 2 cm up the root, and basipetal from the apex, in a metabolically dependent intracellular system, but in different tissues of the root. It is proposed that endogenous IAA not only moves into the root from the stem but is also synthesized in the root apex, and moves basipetally for a short distance to the root growing zone in a separate system from the IAA descending from the stem.
Behavioral processes underlying the intake suppressive effects of melanocortin 3/4 receptor activation in the rat

Rationale: Central application of MTII, a melanocortin 3/4 receptor agonist, reduces food intake. The behavioral mechanisms underlying the anorexia, however, have not been evaluated. Objectives: We examined the ingestive behavioral effects of MTII at the microstructural level using two complementary approaches. Methods: Rats were given daily 2-h sessions during which they drank 12.5% glucose solution; the time of occurrence of each lick event was recorded. We compared rats' glucose intake 30 min after the fourth ICV injection of 0.1, 0.33, and 1.0 nmol MTII or vehicle. The licking patterns were examined to discern effects on parameters related to taste processes and others related to post-ingestive inhibitory feedback. A second experiment directly analyzed the effect of MTII on motor performance by examining whether drug treated rats would, like controls, adjust licking output to maintain meal size when lick volume was shifted from 8 to 4 µl. Results: Meal size was reduced by MTII in a dose-dependent manner (20–50%) in both experiments. Rats treated with MTII compensated for decreased lick volume by substantially increasing the number of licks emitted. Licking parameters associated with taste evaluation were not significantly affected by MTII, whereas parameters associated with post-ingestive inhibition varied as a function of treatment. Conclusions: Results suggest that MTII reduces intake by amplifying post-ingestive feedback inhibition. That MTII-treated rats increase the number of licks emitted in response to the lick volume reduction discounts the suggestion that intake inhibition is secondary to disruption of motor performance.
Cavity formation and the drying transition in the lennard-jones fluid

By simulation and theory, we study the probability of observing N molecular centers within molecular sized volumes for a Lennard-Jones fluid near liquid-vapor coexistence. For large volumes and small N, the probability distribution differs markedly from Gaussian. The free energy per unit surface area to form empty volumes (i.e., cavities) is a rapidly varying function of the radius for small cavities. It becomes constant for large volumes. The source of these behaviors is the occurrence of drying (i.e., solvent depletion) at the cavity surface. The crossover to drying occurs on microscopic length scales, with significant density depletion found for cavities with radii of the order of two or more Lennard-Jones diameters. Reasonable agreement is found between the simulation results and the theory developed by Lum, Chandler, and Weeks [J. Phys. Chem. B 103, 4570 (1999)].
Electrophoresis of avian muscle proteins.

1. The electrophoretic patterns of water‐soluble proteins of avian muscle showed differences due both to species and to muscle type. 2. Each muscle pattern within a species showed a unique protein band which distinguished that species from other species.
Amplified shaped ultrashort pulses in the visible by a double stage non-collinear optical parametric process

Summary form only given. The shaping and control of ultrashort laser pulses is of growing interest and its use has been demonstrated in a wide variety of optical applications, including quantum control, high speed communications, and material characterization. Our interest is to create amplified shaped pulses in the visible regime. Pulse-shaping techniques have matured over the past few years. However the power efficiency of direct shaping of an amplified ultrashort source are typically quite low. Hence, it is desirable to examine methods to compensate for such losses.
Specific binding of the thromboxane A2 antagonist 13-azaprostanoic acid to human platelet membranes

Abstract In the present study we characterized the interaction between the thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 antagonist, trans-13-azaprostanoic acid (13-APA), and isolated human platelet membranes. In these studies, we developed a binding assay using trans [3H] 13-APA as the ligand. It was found that trans [3H] 13-APA specific binding was rapid, reversible, saturable and temperature dependent. Scatchard analysis of the binding data yielded a curvilinear plot which indicated the existence of two classes of binding sites: a high-affinity binding site with an estimated dissociation constant ( K d ) of 100 nM; and a low-affinity binding site with an estimated K d of 3.5 μM. At saturation, approximately 1 pmol/mg protein of [3H] 13-APA was bound to the high affinity site. In order to further characterize the nature of the [3H] 13-APA binding site, we evaluated competitive binding by cis 13-APA, cis 15-APA, prostaglandin F2α, U46619, 6-ketoprostaglandin F1α and thromboxane B2. It was found that the [3H] 13-APA binding site was stereospecific and structurally specific. Thus, the cis isomer of 13-APA exhibited substantially reduced affinity for binding. Furthermore, the prostaglandin derivatives, thromboxane B2 and 6-ketoprostaglandin F1α, which do not possess biological activity, also did not compete for [3H] 13-APA binding. On the other hand, U46619 which acts as a thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 mimetic, and prostaglandin F2α which acts as a thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 antagonist, both effectively competed for [3H] 13-APA binding. These findings indicate that trans 13-APA binds to a specific site on the platelet membrane which presumably represents the thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 receptor.
Flame Retardancy of Laponite- and Montmorillonite-Based Nylon 6 Nanocomposites

The flame retardancy of nylon 6/laponite and nylon 6/montmorillonite nanocomposites was investigated. The pronounced effect of layered silicates on heat release and mass loss rates of nylon 6 was examined. We found that nylon 6/laponite has 46 % and nylon 6/montmorillonite has 52.5 % lower peak heat release rates than that of neat nylon 6. The 6.5 % difference between the peak heat release rates of laponite- and montmorillonite-based nanocomposites was attributed to differences in aspect ratio and surface charge density of the nanoparticles. The barrier properties of nanocomposite chars was evaluated by examining the peak heat release and mass loss rate reductions of stacks of layers, with the bottom layer being neat nylon 6 polymer and the top layers being nanocomposites that formed chars during the experiments. We observed that the peak heat release rate of a 10×10×0.3 cm neat nylon 6 slab was reduced by about 45 % when protected with a char-forming nylon 6/montmorillonite slab of same dimensions. The dramatic reduction of the peak heat release rate of neat nylon 6 when covered with a nanocomposite char was consistent with the notion that the flame retardancy of polymer/clay nanocomposites is affected by the (thermal and/or mass) barrier properties of the char. In order to test the thermal insulation of the char, temperature profiles of the layered samples were measured during cone calorimeter experiments. We observed that the nanocomposite char that brought about a 44.5 % reduction in peak heat release and mass loss rates reduced the heating rate of the same neat nylon 6 by about 31.2 %. The reduction in the heating rate increased with the amount of nanocomposite char formed.
Morocco's invisible Imazighen

This paper asserts that Morocco's Imazighen (Berbers) are often ignored in current academic literature. When they are not ignored Berbers tend to be presented in historical or apolitical terms. This situation is in striking contrast to the French colonial fascination with Berbers, which was often expressly political; it is also at odds with contemporary Amazigh (Berber) activist contentions about the relevance of Berber identity politics. This paper suggests that undervaluing and misrepresenting Morocco's linguistic diversity skews our scholarly conceptualisation of the nation as a whole. This in turn stands to undermine governmental and non‐governmental policy, especially in terms of rural development and education.
Cellular inflammation of fetal exctsional wounds: Effects of amniotic fluid exclusion

The development of an cellular inflammatory response secondary to mechanical wounding has not been observed previously in the fetus. The effect of amniotic fluid exclusion on the inflammatory response in fetal rabbits subjected to full-thickness dorsal excisional wounds on day 25 of gestation (term=31–32) was examined. The fetuses were either returned immediately to the uterus; a silicone cover was sutured over the wound; or a silicone cover with a centrally located hole was sutured over the wound. Seventy-two hours after wounding, uncovered wounds (19 live fetuses) exhibited only occasional inflammatory cells. Covered wounds (14 live fetuses) showed a pronounced cellular inflammatory response. Partially covered wounds (six live fetuses) showed a peripheral, intermediate response. The findings suggest that amniotic fluid contains factors inhibitory to inflammation, which the cover effectively excludes.
Satellite Clusters with Constant Apparent Distribution

Theproblemofcreatingaclusterofsatellitessuchthatthearrangementmaintainsitsapparentrelativeformation as viewed from the planetary surface, without active station keeping, is considered. It is shown that it is possible to create a cluster with nearly constant circular form, but that rotates about its center. The amount of variation from the perfect circle is characterized in terms of the eccentricity of the satellite orbits. Because of the nature of the cluster, it is possible to put a large number of satellites into a cluster, with no danger of satellite collisions. An illustrative example is included. I. Introduction T HE work begun in this paper was motivated by the problem of creating a cluster of satellites that would maintain a constant, or nearly constant, shape and size when viewed from the Earth. Such a cluster might be said to have constant apparent (as opposed to physical) distribution. In such a formation, all satellites would have a clear e eld of view of the surface, and would remain in sufe ciently close formation to share their information. Such formations are of interest for large distributed-aperture sensing, for example. Another possibility is that of forming clusters from many small, inexpensive satellites, each with a particular type of sensor and some computing power. Remaining in a close formation would allow the satellites to share information and computing ability among themselves. Forsuch missions,it mightbe unnecessary tomaintain extremely precise relative positions; rather, it might be sufe cient to know the relative position accurately, and to remain in close enough proximity to allow intercraft communication. In addition, an effect of constant apparent distribution is that the angular dispositions of the satellites relative to their ground targets and each other would be
The effects of ionizing radiation on the breakdown voltage of p-channel power MOSFETs

The effects of ionizing radiation on the breakdown voltage of p-channel power MOSFETs were examined through two-dimension simulation. The breakdown-voltage performance of p-channel power MOSFETs was found to be very different from that of corresponding n-channel power MOSFETs. In p-channel devices, simulation showed breakdown-voltage enhancement for low values of positive oxide-trapped charge, N/sub ot/, whereas for high values of N/sub ot/, the breakdown voltage may or may not continue to increase, and may actually decrease in some topologies. For comparison, in n-channel devices, increases in N/sub ot/ always cause breakdown-voltage degradation. The uncertainties stem from the interaction of the depletion region of the device (which is a function of its termination method) with its isolation technology, making it difficult to predict breakdown voltage for large N/sub ot/. However, insights gained through analysis of depletion-region spreading in p-channel devices suggest a termination/isolation scheme, the VLD-FRR, that will enhance p-channel device reliability in radiation environments. >
The social and economic responsibilities of the engineer

There is a tendency for the specialist such as the engineer to become so absorbed in his responsibilities toward his work that he is apt to neglect his higher responsibility, as a citizen, toward society as a whole. In this article the author warns us of the crisis that is facing civilization today, and charges the “men of trained mind” with the duty of arousing the unaware.
Diffuse Reflectance of Whole Blood: Model for a Diverging Light Beam

Previous theories describing the optical properties of whole blood have assumed a collimated light source in the derivation of reflectance and transmittance equations. However, many practical instruments which measure blood oxygen rely on noncollimated LED's and optical fibers as light sources. In addition, in the case of blood-perfused cuvettes, the light source is not in direct contact with the blood. Thus, many theories have limited applicability to practical instruments. Therefore, we present here an existing photon diffusion theory that we have generalized to account for the effects of a diverging light source and a thickness of transparent material between the light source and the blood. Comparisons to experimental data are made for both the new equation and the previous one. Better results are obtained with the new equation when applied to a cuvette geometry which is more accurately described by the generalized parameters. Limitations of both the new equation and the photon diffusion approximation in general are discussed.
Evaluating the diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis based on clinical guidelines and endoscopy.

Objective To validate the diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) according to recent clinical practice guidelines and determine the added utility of nasal endoscopy. Study Design Prospective diagnostic cohort study. Setting Academic medical center. Subjects and Methods A consecutive series of adult patients presenting for evaluation of CRS were prospectively studied with the use of the rhinosinusitis symptom inventory (RSI), nasal endoscopy, and sinus computed tomography (CT). Symptom scores were tabulated from the RSI. Nasal endoscopy was performed to evaluate for purulence or polyps. Sinus CT scans were scored with the Lund system, with the reviewers blinded to the RSI scores and endoscopic findings. The clinical diagnosis of CRS was determined on the basis of the published adult sinusitis guideline criteria and compared with the diagnostic gold standard, CT. Results A total of 202 patients were studied. The prevalence of CRS was 39.6 percent, as defined by CT (Lund score ≥ 4). For symptom criteria alone, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 88.7, 12.3, 39.9, and 62.5 percent, respectively, for CRS (P = 0.82). The addition of endoscopic findings to symptom criteria significantly improved the specificity, predictive value, and negative predictive value to 84.1, 66.0, and 70.3 percent (P < 0.0001). The odds ratio of a true diagnosis of CRS improved from 1.1 to 4.6 (95% confidence interval, 2.3-9.2). Sensitivity analysis adjusting symptom severity did not significantly alter diagnostic accuracy. Conclusion In patients meeting current guideline symptom criteria for CRS, the addition of nasal endoscopy improves diagnostic accuracy and should be emphasized as an early diagnostic tool. Diagnostic endoscopy may help reduce the use of CT, reducing costs and radiation exposure.
Using the Past to Serve the Present: Historiography and Politics in Contemporary China

An historiographical examination of the political debates of the 1980s over despotism in Chinese history and over Party history. The extent of popular culture and its reinterpretation of history is also assessed, as governmental control of the media has decreased.