cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Partnering a Compensatory Application with Activity-Aware Prompting to Improve Use in Individuals with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Clinical Trial.

Background Compensatory aids can help mitigate the impact of progressive cognitive impairment on daily living. Objective We evaluate whether the learning and sustained use of an Electronic Memory and Management Aid (EMMA) application can be augmented through a partnership with real-time, activity-aware transition-based prompting delivered by a smart home. Methods Thirty-two adults who met criteria for amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) were randomized to learn to use the EMMA app on its own (N = 17) or when partnered with smart home prompting (N = 15). The four-week, five-session manualized EMMA training was conducted individually in participant homes by trained clinicians. Monthly questionnaires were completed by phone with trained personnel blind to study hypotheses. EMMA data metrics were collected continuously for four months. For the partnered condition, activity-aware prompting was on during training and post-training months 1 and 3, and off during post-training month 2. Results The analyzed aMCI sample included 15 EMMA-only and 14 partnered. Compared to the EMMA-only condition, by week four of training, participants in the partnered condition were engaging with EMMA more times daily and using more basic and advanced features. These advantages were maintained throughout the post-training phase with less loss of EMMA app use over time. There was little differential impact of the intervention on self-report primary (everyday functioning, quality of life) and secondary (coping, satisfaction with life) outcomes. Conclusion Activity-aware prompting technology enhanced acquisition, habit formation and long-term use of a digital device by individuals with aMCI. (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03453554).
Juvenile Offenders: Methods and Measures

Social science research often suffers from serious methodological problems, including limited scope and generalizability of the studies, weak or inadequate research designs from which to make causal inferences, and unreliable measurement of key concepts. Findings from one jurisdiction, even if a sufficient level of internal validity has been established, are not generalizable to another jurisdiction and replication of studies using similar concepts and measures is rare. Although sophisticated statistical techniques are available to deal with nonequivalent comparison group designs, the problems introduced by selective assignment of persons to different programs are immense. Statistical controls may not adjust sufficiently to permit reliable conclusions. Finally, unreliable measurement of key concepts has a devastating effect on statistical analysis. Unreliable measurement of the dependent variable (recidivism, in this study) seriously depresses the amount of variance that can be explained, because error cannot be explained by independent variables. Thus, relationships usually are underestimated and tests of significance are likely to reveal no difference even when one actually exists.
Internet listservers and pediatrics: newly emerging legal and clinical practice issues. II.

Robyn and Stephen Elliott9s recent and prescient commentary on the legal and clinical issues raised by physician communication on the Internet outlines the novel challenges represented by "listserver" dissemination of medical information.1 The Elliotts examined the reliability of such non-peer-reviewed information, its potential evidentiary weight in defense of a particular clinical decision, and the growing tendency of attorneys to request relevant electronic mail messages during pretrial discovery. The fact that messages posted on listservers may form the basis for clinical decisions raises another intriguing question: Does the rendering of a clinical opinion in response to a listserver query represent legal risk?
Van Cittert–Zernike Theorem, Spatial Coherence, and Scattering

This chapter is concerned with the van Cittert–Zernike theorem, including an examination of the assumptions involved in its derivation, the requirement of spatial incoherence of a source, and the interferometer response to a coherent source. Some optical terminology is used, for example, mutual coherence, which includes complex visibility. There is also a brief discussion of some aspects of scattering by irregularities in the propagation medium. Much of the development of the theory of coherence and similar concepts of electromagnetic radiation is to be found in the literature of optics. The terminology is sometimes different from that which has evolved in radio interferometry, but many of the physical situations are similar or identical. However, in spite of the similarity, the literature shows that in the early development of radio astronomy, the optical experience was hardly ever mentioned, an exception being the reference by Bracewell (1958) to Zernike (1938) for the concept of the complex degree of coherence. The van Cittert–Zernike theorem contains a simple formalism that includes the basic principles of correlation in electromagnetic fields.
Prophylactic mastectomy: Who needs it, when and why

Prophylactic mastectomy generally occurs in two different patient populations: (1) high-risk women without breast cancer who undergo bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM) to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer and (2) women with unilateral breast cancer who choose contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) to prevent cancer in the contralateral breast. The purpose of this article is to review the indications, outcomes, and trends in the use of BPM and CPM.
Integrated Reactive Soccer Agents

Robot soccer competition provides an excellent opportunity for robotics research. In particular, robot players in a soccer game must perform realtime visual recognition, navigate in a dynamic field, track moving objects, collaborate with teammates, and hit the ball in the correct direction. All these tasks demand robots that are autonomous (sensing, thinking, and acting as independent creatures), efficient (functioning under time and resource constraints), cooperative (collaborating with each other to accomplish tasks that are beyond individual's capabilities), and intelligent (reasoning and planing actions and perhaps learning from experience). To build such integrated robots, we should use different approaches from those employed in separate research disciplines. In the 1997 RoboCup competition, the USC/ISI robot team, called Dreamteam, fought hard and won the world championship in the middle-sized robot league. These robots all share the same general architecture and basic hardware, but they have integrated abilities to play different roles (goal-keeper, defender or forward) and utilize different strategies in their behavior. Our philosophy in building these robots is to use the least possible sophistication to make them as robust as possible. This paper describes our experiences during the competition as well as our new improvements to the team.
Mobilizing the Imagination in Everyday Play: The Case of Japanese Media Mixes

The spread of digital media and communications in the lives of children and youth have raised new questions about the role of media in learning, development and cultural participation. In post-industrial societies, young people are growing up in what (2006) has dubbed “convergence culture”—an increasingly interactive and participatory media ecology where Internet communication ties together both old and new media forms. A growing recognition of this role of digital media in everyday life has been accompanied by debate as to the outcomes of participation in convergence culture. Many parents and educators worry about immersion in video gaming worlds or their children’s social lives unfolding on the Internet and through mobile communication. More optimistic voices suggest that new media enable young people to more actively participate in interpreting, personalizing, reshaping, and creating media content. Although concerns about representation are persistent, particularly of video game violence, many of the current hopes and fears of new media relate to new forms of social networking and participation. As young people’s online activity changes the scope of their social agency and styles of media engagement, they also encounter new challenges in cultural worlds separated from traditional structures of adult oversight and guidance. Issues of representation will continue to be salient in media old and new, but issues of participation are undergoing a fundamental set of shifts that are still only partially understood and recognized.
Dysphoria and the perception of incongruent communications

Dysphoric, other-psychological-problems control subjects, and normal controls were presented a videotaped counseling vignette that portrayed a counselor behaving in either a genuine (congruent) or a nongenuine (incongruent) manner. Ratings of genuineness by dysphoric subjects did not discriminate between the counselor portrayals, whereas the ratings by control subjects did. In addition, in the congruent counselor condition, dysphoric subjects saw less genuineness than did normal subjects. In the incongruent condition, dysphoric subjects perceived the counselor as more genuine than did normal subjects. The results are discussed in relation to interpersonal and cognitive models of depression.
Patient self-efficacy and spouse perception of spousal support are associated with lower patient weight: baseline results from a spousal support behavioral intervention.

Obesity and related chronic illnesses are leading causes of death and excessive health care costs, necessitating identification of factors that can help patients achieve and maintain healthy weight. Greater self-efficacy and perceived spousal support in patients have been associated with successful weight management. The current study also assesses self-efficacy and perceived support in spouses and whether these factors are related to patient weight. At baseline of a spousal support trial, patients and spouses (N = 255 couples) each completed measures of self-efficacy and spousal support for their own exercise and healthy eating behaviors. We fit a multivariable regression model to examine the relationship between these factors and patient weight. Patients were 95% males and 65% Whites, with average age of 61 years (SD = 12) and weight of 212 lbs (SD = 42). Spouses were 64% Whites, with average age of 59 years (SD = 12). Factors associated with lower patient weight were older patient age (estimate = −0.8 ...
Regulation of phase 2 enzyme induction by oltipraz and other dithiolethiones

4-Methyl-5-pyrazinyl-3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (oltipraz) and several other dithiolethiones protect against the acute toxicities of many xenobiotics and are effective inhibitors of experimental carcinogenesis. These protective effects are mediated, in part, through elevation of glutathione S-transferase, NAD(P)H: quinone reductase and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activities in the liver and other target tissues. The induction of these phase 2 enzymes by oltiprax results from enhanced transcription. In the present study, the molecular mechanisms of these inductions were analyzed utilizing a construct containing a 41 bp enhancer element derived from the 5'-upstream region of the mouse liver glutathione S-transferase Ya subunit gene ligated to the 5' end of the isolated promoter region of this gene, and inserted into a plasmid containing a human growth hormone reporter gene. When this construct was transfected into murine Hepa 1c1c7 hepatoma cells, the concentrations of 25 dithiolethiones and related analogs required to double growth hormone production were determined and spanned a range nearly three orders of magnitude. Concentrations of dithiolethiones required to double the specific activity of NAD(P)H: quinone reductase were also determined in Hepa 1c1c7 cells. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.78) between the potencies of the 21 active compounds as inducers of both NAD(P)H: quinone reductase activity and growth hormone production. Moreover, no dithiolethiones were inactive in only one system. It is probable, therefore, that the induction of NAD(P)H: quinone reductase and other phase 2 enzymes by oltipraz and other dithiolethiones is mediated entirely through the 41 bp enhancer element.
Immunologic phenomena in herpes gestationis.

Immunofluorescence findings are of diagnostic significance in herpes gestationis. The studies in two cases demonstrated some complement components (chiefly C3 and C4, but no C1q), without immunoglobulins at the basement membrane zone and with no circulating anti BMZ antibodies. In one case IgG were found at the BM zone in one biopsy specimen, but were not demonstrable in several other biopsies.
Building family functioning scales into the study of at-home income generation

This article describes testing of scales designed to measure the ways family members interact in a personal subsystem. The scales are intended to complement data about the managerial subsystem of a family and are to be used in conjunction with a regional research project focused on home-based work. The article includes conceptual underpinnings, construction of measures, and results of factor analysis of the measures administered. Suggestions for use of a family functioning scale in the context of a household that has a member working at home are explored in the final section.
Moments in Particle-in-Cell Simulations

The moment equations that form the basis of the BEDLAM simulation code can also be used as a check on Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations. Moments can be computed as sums over the macroparticles used in the PIC simulations. These moments should satisfy the moment equations if the simulation is valid. A check has been done to sixth order for two cases: the RFQRZP code, which simulated a radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac, and the BEAMTRACE code, which simulated the final focusing system in a heavy ion fusion facility. We observed how well the moment equations were satisfied for various values of the independent-variable step size and the number of macroparticles. Generally, we found that the PIC codes satisfied the moment equations very well. Because our modified PIC codes were able to compute moments that satisfied the correct moment equations, we were able to use our modified version of RFQRZP, which we called RFQMOM, to work on another problem. Every moment simulation code has to include some truncation approximation. The error of this approximation can be determined by RFQMOM before actually writing the moment code. As an example, we investigated the accuracy of the truncation approximation that is used in the BEDLAM code.
Estimation of transition probabilities and bootstrap in a semiparametric markov renewal model

We consider parameter estimation based an iid sequence of censored observations of a finite state modulated renewal process. Its intensities assume a similar form as in Cox regression except that the baseline intensities are functions of the backwards recurrence time of the process while the covariates may depend on both calendar and duration time clock. Under conditions slightly stronger than in Andersen and gill we show that if the covariates depend on the backwards recurrence time only then the parameter estimates have the same asymptotic distribution as in the classical Cox regression. The choice of time independent covariates corresponds to Markov renewal processes. In this special case we discuss estimation of the renewal and transition probability matrices and show weak consistency of the bootstrap.
Assessing the Effect of Rent Control on Homelessness

Abstract Using 1990 census data, this paper addresses the effect of rent control laws on two groups considered to be the chronic homeless; the shelter population and the street population. The empirical analysis extends previous work by treating a city's rent control as an endogenous variable within the context of a two-stage model. The model controls for factors assumed to influence voters' choice regarding the enactment of rent control as well as factors assumed to determine a city's rate of homelessness. The results indicate that rent control is a positive, although relatively small, determinant of a city's shelter and street populations. The existence of a rent control law is predicted to increase a city's shelter population by .03% and its street population by .008%, ceteris paribus.
Dynamic externalities, multiple equilibria, and growth

Abstract I consider an OLG model with production and a single commodity. I show that in such an environment unbounded growth of income per capita is not possible if the aggregate technology is of the constant returns to scale type. I introduce an external effect in the aggregate production function and derive conditions under which persistent growth is an equilibrium outcome. The introduction of an external effect also creates “poverty traps” and open sets of initial conditions for which there exists an infinite multiplicity of equilibria. When such a multiplicity exists, equilibria with the same initial position will display different asymptotic behaviors. Finally, I show that by introducing appropriate tax schemes a unique equilibrium path can be selected.
Achieving user-oriented documentation

The term "user-oriented" is impossible to define in an absolute sense. At best it can be used as a relative measurement, i.e., "something is more user-oriented than something else." I will by-pass any sort of definition -- much has been said already, check lists have been constructed, etc. -- and attempt to bring this idea into some sort of workable focus. How is "it" attained?
A phonology-free mobile communication app.

AbstractPurpose: Aphasia – loss of comprehension or expression of language – is a devastating functional sequela of stroke. There are as yet no effective methods for rehabilitation of aphasia. An assistive device that allows aphasia patients to communicate and interact at speeds approaching real time is urgently needed. Methods: Behavioral and linguistic studies of aphasia patients show that they retain normal thinking processes and most aspects of language. They lack only phonology: the ability to translate (input) and/or output sounds (or written words) such as “ta-ble” into the image of a four-legged object with a top at which one works or eats. Results: We have made a phonology-free communication mobile app that may be useful for patients with aphasia and other communication disorders. Particular innovations of our app include calling Google Images as a “subroutine” to allow a near-infinite number of choices (e.g. food or clothing items) for patients without having to make countless images, and by the...
Cytokines in cancer therapy

Cytokines, small biological response modifying proteins produced by hematopoietic and other cells, may one day play a significant role in the treatment of human cancer. This article presents an overview of the cytokines, including descriptions of their origins, mechanisms of action, and antitumor activities. Several classes of cytokines are discussed, including the interferons, the interleukins, and tumor necrosis factor. Several of these agents, either alone or in combination, are currently involved in clinical trials for the treatment of specific cancers. Th interaction of cytokines and monoclonal antibodies is also discussed.
Lyotropic and Thermotropic Lrquid Crystals Under Shear Flow

We describe x-ray scattering studies of the nematic and smectic-A phases of the thermotropic liquid crystal 8CB and the Lα, and L3 (lamellar and sponge) phases of the lyotropic liquid crystal system: SDS, dodecane, pentanol and water. In the thermotropic system a series of orientational states of the nematic director is observed before entering the smectic-A phase where the smectic density wave and nematic director are oriented normal to the shear plane at high shear rates. In the lyotropic system lamellar fluctuations in the sponge phase (L3) become oriented by shear and in the lamellar phase (Lα) at high shear the layers orient preferentially along the velocity-gradient direction, in highly anisotropic cylindrical multilamellar liposome-like structures.
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor-induced signaling in Schwann cells.

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a known survival factor for neurons, has recently been shown to stimulate the migration of Schwann cells (SCs) and to enhance myelination. GDNF exerts its biological effects by activating the Ret tyrosine kinase in the presence of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked receptor, GDNF family receptor (GFR) α1. In Ret-negative cells, the alternative transmembrane coreceptor is the 140-kDa isoform of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) associated with a non-receptor tyrosine kinase Fyn. We confirmed that GDNF, GFRα1 and NCAM are expressed in neonatal rat SCs. We found that GDNF induces an increase in the partitioning of NCAM and heparan sulfate proteoglycan agrin into lipid rafts and that heparinase inhibits GDNF-signaling in SCs. In addition to activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases, and phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein, we found that cAMP-dependent protein kinase A and protein kinase C are involved in GDNF-mediated signaling in SCs. Although GDNF did not promote the differentiation of purified SCs into the myelinating phenotype, it enhanced myelination in neuron–SC cocultures. We conclude that GDNF utilizes NCAM signaling pathways to regulate SC function prior to myelination and at early stages of myelin formation.
Quantitative oxidations by potassium ferricyanide

Abstract Titrimetric methods using potassium ferricyanide as an oxidant for the estimation of various inorganic and organic substances are reviewed. An attempt has been made to evaluate the importance of these methods. Although the emphasis is on the literature that appeared in the past five years, some older procedures are included because of their significance.
A bilinear Bäcklund transformation of a (3+1) -dimensional generalized KP equation

Abstract A bilinear Backlund transformation is presented for a (3+1)-dimensional generalized KP equation, which consists of six bilinear equations and involves nine arbitrary parameters. Two classes of exponential and rational traveling wave solutions with arbitrary wave numbers are computed, based on the proposed bilinear Backlund transformation.
Purification of C1 inhibitor A new approach for the isolation of this biologically important plasma protease inhibitor

C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) acts to inhibit active enzymes of both the classical complement and Hageman factor-dependent pathways. Previously reported C1-INH purification procedures were multistep and most have been associated with significant loss in specific functional activity. We have developed a simple chromatographic procedure which yields a pure C1-INH protein from normal human plasma with a specific activity equal to or greater than the starting sample. Briefly, protease inhibitor-treated, pooled human citrated plasma was fractionated with polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000); the supernatant fraction that remained soluble at 16% was obtained. The inhibitor was precipitated with 45% PEG. The resulting precipitate was solubilized and chromatographed on DEAE Sephacel using a linear salt gradient. The eluted fractions containing the C1-INH and other contaminants were pooled and dialyzed against the starting buffer of the next chromatographic step. A unique separation procedure using zinc ion chelate-coupled agarose was employed as the second chromatographic step. The eluted C1-INH, after zinc ion chromatography, displayed a significant enhancement in purity and maintained a specific functional activity twice that of plasma. The final procedure utilized immunoadsorption chromatography using an anti-contaminant column. Under reducing conditions on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the purified C1-INH migrated as a single band with an apparent molecular weight of 90,000-105,000, but under non-reducing conditions, a doublet with apparent molecular weights of 94,000-100,000 and 85,000-93,000 was seen. C1-INH antigenic concentrations were measured and shown to be correlated in serum, citrate plasma, and EDTA plasma from 16 normal subjects.
Russia's nuclear drawdown: Justice delayed or denied?

(1997). Russia's nuclear drawdown: Justice delayed or denied? European Security: Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 66-84.
Hearing loss with stapedotomy and treated otitis media.

Objective To determine if treated Pseudomonas aeruginosa otitis media (PA OM) increases the risk of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) with stapedotomy. Study design and setting PA OM was induced in 28 guinea pigs. Half of the animals underwent unilateral stapedotomy before antibiotic therapy (untreated), and half underwent stapedotomy after treatment (treated). Control animals underwent saline injections followed by stapedotomy. Electrocochleographic thresholds were measured before and after stapedotomy. Temporal bones were analyzed histomorphologically. Results Less SNHL was seen after stapedotomy in treated ears than in untreated ears ( P = 0.0268). SNHL after stapedotomy in treated ears was similar to controls ( P = 0.9370). Severe damage to cochlear outer hair cells was found in untreated ears. Conclusions Ears with PA OM treated previously are not at increased risk of SNHL with stapedotomy. Significance Stapedotomy may be carried out with caution in the setting of inactive, chronic OM.
A practical correction of scatter-related artifacts in SPECT reconstruction

We have observed that an expectation maximization (EM) algorithm applied to SPECT reconstruction may produce hotspot artifacts of varying intensity. Our hypothesis was that scatter caused these artifacts. To test this assumption, we studied the performance of forward- and back-projection procedures in the EM algorithm for simulated and experimental SPECT data. First, synthetic scatter-free projections and projections with only one scattered photon in each view were created for a simulated simple object, and reconstructed with a fully 3D ordered-subsets EM (OSEM) algorithm. Then, Monte Carlo simulated brain SPECT (with no scatter and with scatter present), a mini-Defrise phantom, and patient SPECT were reconstructed. We confirmed our hypothesis: hot-spot artifacts appeared only in the reconstruction from noisy projections but not in the reconstruction from scatter-free projections. We investigated a practical and simple method, critical path-length control (CPLC), for suppression of the hot-spot artifacts. To this end we performed reconstructions with or without CPLC and quantitatively evaluated the results including estimation of accuracy, bias, contrast-to-noise ratio, and uniformity. We found that the OSEM-with-CPLC method significantly reduced hot-spot artifacts, and yielded a similar or improved image quality. We conclude that the CPLC method provides a useful yet simple tool to reduce scatter-related hot-spot artifacts.
Generalizations of two inequalities involving hermitian forms

Let λ1 and λN be, respectively, the greatest and smallest eigenvalues of an N×N hermitian matrix H=(hij), and x=(x1,x2,…,xN) with (x,x)=1. Then, it is known that (1) λ1⩾(x,Hx)⩾λN and (2) if, in addition, H is positive definite, (λ1+λN)24λ1λN⩾(x,Hx)(x,H−1x)⩾1. Assuming that y=(y1,y2,…, yN) and |yi|⩽1, i=1,2,…,N, it is shown in this paper that these inequalities remain true if H and H−1 are, respectively, replaced by the Hadamard products M(y)∗H and M(y)∗H−1, where M(y) is a matrix defined by M(y)=(δij+(1−δij)yiyj. Subsequently, these results are extended to improve the spectral bounds of M(y)∗H.
T cell epitope immunotherapy induces a CD4+ T cell population with regulatory activity.

Background Synthetic peptides, representing CD4(+) T cell epitopes, derived from the primary sequence of allergen molecules have been used to down-regulate allergic inflammation in sensitised individuals. Treatment of allergic diseases with peptides may offer substantial advantages over treatment with native allergen molecules because of the reduced potential for cross-linking IgE bound to the surface of mast cells and basophils. Methods and findings In this study we address the mechanism of action of peptide immunotherapy (PIT) in cat-allergic, asthmatic patients. Cell-division-tracking dyes, cell-mixing experiments, surface phenotyping, and cytokine measurements were used to investigate immunomodulation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after therapy. Proliferative responses of PBMCs to allergen extract were significantly reduced after PIT. This was associated with modified cytokine profiles generally characterised by an increase in interleukin-10 and a decrease in interleukin-5 production. CD4(+) cells isolated after PIT were able to actively suppress allergen-specific proliferative responses of pretreatment CD4(neg) PBMCs in co-culture experiments. PIT was associated with a significant increase in surface expression of CD5 on both CD4(+) and CD8(+) PBMCs. Conclusion This study provides evidence for the induction of a population of CD4(+) T cells with suppressor/regulatory activity following PIT. Furthermore, up-regulation of cell surface levels of CD5 may contribute to reduced reactivity to allergen.
Effect of field tilting on the dynamics of vortices pinned by correlated disorder

Low-temperature dynamics of flux lines in high-temperature type-II superconductors in the presence of correlated disorder in the form of columnar defects is discussed. The effect of tilting the applied magnetic field with respect to the column's directions is considered, using the non-Hermitian quantum mechanics technique used by Hatano and Nelson [N. Hatano and D. R. Nelson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 570 (1996)]. It is shown that the critical current, as well as the vortex transport properties below this current, may be determined by ``surface excitations,'' i.e., by the roughness of the flux line near the edges of the sample, which dominated the bulk jumps. Phase-space considerations determine the critical thickness of the sample, below which the tilt-induced surface transport exceeds the bulk mechanism. This critical length, which depends on the tilt angle as well as the directions of the perpendicular field and the supercurrent, diverge at the delocalization transition.
Herzog's Cave: On Cinema's Unclaimed Pasts and Forgotten Futures

This essay discusses Werner Herzog's 2010 3D film Cave of Forgotten Dreams as an effort to read (media) history against the grain so as to bring cinema's historically suppressed potentiality to life again. What the author calls Herzog's Cave Cinema is dedicated to expanding display and moving image culture and thus enables viewers to encounter their present, not as a rapid succession of highly fragmented images but as a meeting ground for contingent meanings and layered durations. As it reframes some of the oldest expressions of humankind, Cave Cinema asks us to rework our bodily relation to the (filmic) world and its temporality, decelerate our perceptual processes, and precisely in this way opens a window to the future as a site of potentiality.
How Affirmative Action Can Pass Consitutional and Social Psychological Muster

The United States Supreme Court has ruled on the constitutionality of a number of affirmative action cases. An analysis of the reasoning used in the most significant cases shows that to formulate its decision, the Court has relied on an implicit theory of the psychology of affirmative action. Based on the judicial principle of “strict scrutiny,” the implicit theory is that use of group membership in a selection procedure causes the “reinforcement of common group stereotypes.” That theory is at odds with the conditions specified for reinforcement of common group stereotypes by formal theory and research on the social psychology of affirmative action procedures. The scientific work indicates that there are procedural conditions that the Court would find social psychologically acceptable and thus constitutionally acceptable.
Potent lipid peroxidation inhibitors from Withania somnifera fruits

Abstract A bioassay-guided purification of the methanolic extract of Withania somnifera fruits yielded novel withanamides A–I ( 1–9 ) and withanolides ( 10–13 ). Among the withanolides, compound 10 is novel. The structures of these compounds were determined by using FABMS, HRFABMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectral and chemical methods. The withanamides possess novel chemical structures and consisted of serotonin, glucose and long-chain hydroxyl fatty acid moieties. The stereochemistry of the hydroxyl group in the long-chain fatty acid moiety in compound 1 was determined by the modified Mosher's ester method. Compounds 1–13 were tested for their ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation in a model system using large unilamellar vesicles. Withanamides 1–5 and 9 inhibited lipid peroxidation by 98, 93, 79, 94, 81 and 86%, respectively, at 1 μg/mL. However, compounds 6–8 inhibited the lipid peroxidation by 85, 82 and 90%, respectively, at 0.5 μg/mL. Withanolides 10–13 were also tested and only compound 12 inhibited the lipid peroxidation by 82% at 10 μg/mL. To evaluate the structure activity relationships of withanamides A–I, compounds 14–16 were purchased and their lipid peroxidation activity determined as in the case of compounds 1–9 . Commercial antioxidants, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), were also tested in this assay at 1 μg/mL and showed 80, 81 and 85% of inhibition, respectively. Our results suggest that the potent antioxidant activity exhibited by novel withanamides is probably due to the hydroxylated long-chain acyl group. This is the first report of withanamides, unique serotonin conjugates, from W. somnifera fruits.
The effect of DTPA on leaf/stem ratios of some trace elements in soybean plants grown with different soil amendments

Abstract DTPA (diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid) (100 μg/g soil) increased the leaf/stem ratio of Ni, Zn, Cu, and Mn in PI54619–5–1 soybeans (Glycine max L.). The greatest increase for Ni was at the lowest soil pH values while that for Zn was at the highest pH values. The results add strength to the concept that under some conditions chelating agents are absorbed by plants and translocated to shoots at least at moderately high levels of DTPA.
Alignment of the H 2 + Molecular Ion by Selective Photodissociation. I

On the basis of experimental results obtained by Linlor et al., Fischer, and in this laboratory, demonstrating photodissociation time constants as short as 0.1 sec and trapping times as long as several seconds as practical for the ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$ molecular ion, the feasibility is discussed theoretically of a novel technique to align trapped molecular ions and also monitor the alignment by selective photodissociation. First the limiting case of no electronic and nuclear spins and very large rotational quantum numbers is treated, based on the concept that the photodissociation rate $R$ is proportional to the average squared component of the electric light vector perpendicular to the axis of molecular rotation. This angular dependence of $R$ when a bunch of ions created by a short electron bombardment pulse is subsequently irradiated causes the ions in certain magnetic sublevels to decay much more slowly than others. Consequently when conditions for the preservation of alignment are favorable, the sample becomes increasingly aligned. Furthermore, since a partially aligned sample photodissociates more slowly than an unaligned one, more molecular ions $\overline{N}$ will remain when alignment is allowed to develop than when it is continuously destroyed, resulting in only $N$ ions. Next the nuclear and electronic spins are taken into account and numerical values for the dissociation rates of the 30 magnetic sublevels for the first three rotational states of the ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$ ion are evaluated for linear light polarization. One sees that on the basis of a sample of ${10}^{9}$ ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$ ions decaying due to photodissociation to 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{7}$ ions, one might expect an optimum signal $\frac{(\overline{N}\ensuremath{-}N)}{N}\ensuremath{\approx}0.25$ compared to a statistical uncertainty of about 0.0003 for two consecutive pulses. The possibilities inherent in the scheme to observe the rf spectrum of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$ are pointed out.
Genetic interpretations of elemental and chemical differences in a soil chronosequence, California

Abstract Soils developed on fluvial terraces in central California have similar parent materials, climatic settings, vegetation cover and slopes but range in age from 40,000 to 3,000,000 years. The soils have chemical compositions that change systematically with increasing age. Such chemical differentiation is most likely the result of long-term weathering and mineralogical transformations that occurred since deposition of terrace fills and stabilization of the geomorphic surfaces. The changes in composition with time closely mimic other studies on mineral weathering, in which alkali and alkali-earth elements are lost more rapidly than transitional elements. The relative rates of element loss were determined by changes in element ratios over time. Net losses and gains of elements in different size fractions were monitored by their concentrations relative to Zr, the most stable constituent. Both sand and finer size fractions have lost considerable amounts of Ca, Mg, Na and K. Aluminum appears to have been lost from the sand fraction and gained in the fine fraction over a 3-million-year-time-span. Although there is no evidence for losses of Fe and Ti from sands, there is a net influx of Fe and Ti into finer fractions, probably gained from undetectable yet significant weathering of sand grains. Etching of sand grains, clay mineralogy, and microprobe analyses also indicate that the soils have undergone these chemical transformations during their formation. Mineralogical analyses also mimic other studies on mineral weathering, in which the pyroxenes weather more rapidly than hornblende, which weathers more rapidly than sphene or zircon.
Measurement of through silicon via etch profile by dark-field optical microscope

Currently there are no in-line TSV (through silicon via) etch profile metrology tools suitable for use in high volume manufacturing. Cross-section SEM analysis can be utilized for process development, but it is a destructive technique. In our research, a dark-field optical microscope tool is developed to in-line non-destructively measure the via profile. It is capable of measuring images with high contrast between the measuring object and the surrounding background field. As the name implies, the background is dark and the measuring object is relatively bright. Thus, a tiny structure of object can be more clearly resolved compares to the conventional bright-field optical microscope method. Analysis algorithms are developed to analyze the bottom profile and the sidewall profile of the vias separately. In this paper, vias with CDs (critical dimensions) from 30 um to 200 um are measured, and the experimental results are verified by the cross-section SEM results.
Macroscopic hematuria as a presenting manifestation of oliguric acute tubular necrosis

Macroscopic hematuria associated with acute renal failure usually results from glomerulonephritis or structural abnormalities (stones, tumors, or infections). Acute tubular necrosis is rarely associated with macroscopic hematuria in the absence of other genitourinary abnormalities. We describe a patient who presented with macroscopic hematuria, in whom only acute tubular necrosis could be identified as a causative factor.
A Review of: “Grasso, Linda M. The Artistry of Anger: Black and White Women's Literature in America, 1820–1860. Chapel Hill and London: The U of North Carolina P, 2002.”

The Artistry of Anger by Linda M. Grasso develops further the body of work that critically examines anger in American women's literature. Grasso theorizes an aesthetic of anger in which “anger can ...
The proximal mesenteric flap: A method for closing large mesenteric defects in jejunal atresia

In selected patients with jejunal atresia, closure of the associated large mesenteric defect remains a technical problem. A case of jejunal atresia is reported in which a segment of dysfunctional proximal jejunum was resected and its mesentery retained, creating a flap of mesenteric tissue that was used to close a large defect. This technique allowed the closure of the mesenteric defect with a decreased chance of injury or kinking of the tenuous distal mesenteric vessels, improved orientation and stabilization of the distal bowel, and, theoretically, improved blood flow to the distal segment.
DDT-induced tremor in rats: Effects of pharmacological agents

Rats given a tremorigenic dose of DDT (75 mg/kg, PO) were treated with pharmacological agents either 30 min prior to DDT or 1–2 h prior to testing at the time of peak effect (12 h postdosing). The administration of mephenesin (a centrally acting muscle relaxant) or Dilantin (an anticonvulsant) prior to DDT significantly attenuated tremor. Pretreatment with pizotifen (a serotonergic receptor antagonist) had no significant effect on tremor. Administration of the same agents 1–2 h prior to measurement had minimal effects. Trihexyphenidyl (a muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist) exacerbated the tremor produced by DDT. These data suggest that cholinergic neurotransmitter systems may be involved in DDT-induced tremor. That DDT-induced tremor was significantly attenuated by mephenesin and Dilantin is in accord with the conclusion that DDT-induced tremor is a manifestation of repetitive discharge due to interference with ionic conductance.
Determining result quality for vertical result merging

Vertical search engines (VSEs) serves as a good alternative to irrelevant results retrieved by general-purpose search engines. However, a best VSE does not exist for all VSE domains. VSEs can have distributed and disjoint information within a specific domain. We introduce this emerging issue, vertical result merging. We identify issues uniquely related to vertical result merging and present a domain-oriented re-ranking method. We also develop a novel content quality measure to assess the usefulness of our approach as compared to traditional metasearch result merging.
Oxygen delivery, consumption, and conversion to reactive oxygen species in experimental models of diabetic retinopathy.

Retinal tissue receives its supply of oxygen from two sources – the retinal and choroidal circulations. Decreases in retinal blood flow occur in the early stages of diabetes, with the eventual development of hypoxia thought to contribute to pathological neovascularization. Oxygen consumption in the retina has been found to decrease in diabetes, possibly due to either a reduction in neuronal metabolism or to cell death. Diabetes also enhances the rate of conversion of oxygen to superoxide in the retina, with experimental evidence suggesting that mitochondrial superoxide not only drives the overall production of reactive oxygen species, but also initiates several pathways leading to retinopathy, including the increased activity of the polyol and hexosamine pathways, increased production of advanced glycation end products and expression of their receptors, and activation of protein kinase C.
Dipeptidyl-aminopeptidases and aminopeptidases in Dictyostelium discoideum

Extracts prepared from culminating cells of Dictyostelium discoideum have been found to contain dipeptidyl-aminopeptidases I (EC 3.4.14.1), II(EC 3.4.14.2), III (EC 3.4.14.4), arginineaminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11.6) and valine aminopeptidase. Dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase III was the most active of the dipeptidyl-aminopeptidases; its molecular weight was 158,000, with a pH optimum of 10.2 and gave a single peak of activity on gel-filtration or when fractionated by chromatofocusing. The specific activities of dipeptidyl-aminopeptidases I and III increased during development being highest during the culmination stage before decreasing during sorocarp formation; dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase II and arginine aminopeptidase decreased. progressively throughout development. The presence of these dipeptidyl-aminopeptidases suggests the possibility that processing of peptides may be necessary during the development of Dictyostelium.
Adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy stage i/ii malignant melanoma

Sixty patients with Stage I or Stage II malignant melanoma were treated with wide local excision of the primary and dissection of the regional lymph nodes prior to being randomized to chemoimmunotherapy with DTIC plus intradermal BCG versus methyl-CCNU plus intradermal BCG. For the 32 Stage I patients, there were no differences in survival between the two treatment groups. Survival was similar to a concomitant control group of 45 Stage I patients. For Stage II melanoma both chemoimmunotherapy groups had a significantly better survival than the 11 patients in the untreated control group. These results do not indicate that this form of chemoimmunotherapy is valuable in Stage I malignant melanoma but further trials are needed for patients with Stage II disease.
The chemical fractionation of atmospheric aerosol as a result of snow crystal formation and growth

The relationships between the physical and chemical properties of mixed-phase clouds were investigated at Storm Peak Laboratory (3220m MSL) located near the continental divide in northwestern Colorado. Interstitial aerosol particles, cloud droplets and snow crystals were concurrently collected when the laboratory was enveloped by a precipitating cloud. All samples were analyzed for trace elements, soluble anions, electrical conductivity and acidity. The results show average trace constituent concentration ratios of cloud water to snow water range from 0.4 to 26. All but six of the 32 elements and ions measured had ratios greater than one. This result suggests a chemical species dependency of in-cloud aerosol particle scavenging processes. Evidence of a decrease of in-cloud aerosol particle scavenging efficiency by snow due to increases in aerosol concentration is also presented. Differences between the chemical composition of cloud water and snow water are manifested most strongly when snow crystals grow by vapor deposition. In-cloud scavenging efficiencies by snow crystals for most aerosol particle chemical species are dependent on the growth of the snow crystals by accretion of cloud droplets. This chemical fractionation of the atmospheric aerosol by snow crystal formation and growth should be most active where narrow, continental cloud droplet size distributions and low liquid water contents are prevalent, enhancing the probability of snow crystal growth by diffusion.
MODFLOW-Based Coupled Surface Water Routing and Groundwater-Flow Simulation

In this paper, we present a flexible approach for simulating one- and two-dimensional routing of surface water using a numerical surface water routing (SWR) code implicitly coupled to the groundwater-flow process in MODFLOW. Surface water routing in SWR can be simulated using a diffusive-wave approximation of the Saint-Venant equations and/or a simplified level-pool approach. SWR can account for surface water flow controlled by backwater conditions caused by small water-surface gradients or surface water control structures. A number of typical surface water control structures, such as culverts, weirs, and gates, can be represented, and it is possible to implement operational rules to manage surface water stages and streamflow. The nonlinear system of surface water flow equations formulated in SWR is solved by using Newton methods and direct or iterative solvers. SWR was tested by simulating the (1) Lal axisymmetric overland flow, (2) V-catchment, and (3) modified Pinder-Sauer problems. Simulated results for these problems compare well with other published results and indicate that SWR provides accurate results for surface water-only and coupled surface water/groundwater problems. Results for an application of SWR and MODFLOW to the Snapper Creek area of Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA are also presented and demonstrate the value of coupled surface water and groundwater simulation in managed, low-relief coastal settings.