cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Force and Position Control System for Freehand Ultrasound

A hand-held force-controlled ultrasound probe has been developed for medical imaging applications. The probe–patient contact force can be held constant to improve image stability, swept through a range, or cycled. The mechanical portion of the device consists of a ball screw linear actuator driven by a servo motor, along with a load cell, accelerometer, and limit switches. The performance of the system was assessed in terms of the frequency response to simulated sonographer hand motion and in hand-held image feature tracking during simulated patient motion. The system was found to attenuate contact force variation by 97% at 0.1 Hz, 83% at 1 Hz, and 33% 10 Hz, a range that spans the typical human hand tremor frequency spectrum. In studies with 15 human operators, the device applied the target contact force with ten times less variation than in conventional ultrasound imaging. An ergonomic, human-in-the-loop, imaging-workflow enhancing control scheme, which combines both force- and position-control, permits smooth making and breaking of probe–patient contact, and helps the operator keep the probe centered within its range of motion. By controlling ultrasound probe contact force and consequently the amount of tissue deformation, the system enhances the repeatability, usability, and diagnostic capabilities of ultrasound imaging.
Yucca Mountain Revisited

Despite hundreds of studies and dozens of workshops and panels, Yucca Mountain remains controversial as a repository for radioactive wastes.
Effect of CO2 concentration on intracellular pH and on glycogen synthesis from glycerol and glucose in isolated perfused rat liver.

The effect of variation of extracellular total CO2 concentration at constant pH on intracellular pH and total intracellular CO2 content and on the conversion of glycerol-1,3-14C and glucose uniformly labeled with 14C to glycogen in perfused rat liver has been studied. The concentration of perfusate CO2 was varied from 8 to 40 m m while pH was maintained between 7.4 and 7.5. At the end of a 60-min perfusion period with perfusate of either CO2 concentration, the intracellular pH remained constant in the range of pH 7.0 to 7.1. Intracellular total CO2 content followed the changes in extracellular total CO2 content but was generally 25% lower than the extracellular concentration. Under similar perfusion conditions, liver glycogen content was increased 30 to 60% and glycerol-1,3-14C conversion to glycogen by 90 to 100% by perfusion with an average total CO2 concentration of 33 m m as compared to 9 m m total CO2 in the presence of 13 m m glycerol and 15 m m glucose as substrate. When the only added substrate was glucose adjusted to 5.6 m m initially, glycogen content was not markedly altered by the CO2 content of the perfusate, but the conversion of glucose uniformly labeled with 14C to glycogen was increased 90% over control values when the liver was perfused the 1st hour with perfusate containing 11 m m CO2 followed by perfusion the 2nd hour with 34 m m CO2. These results suggest that variation in extracellular total CO2 concentration within physiological limits does produce alterations in glycogen metabolism by variation of total intracellular CO2 concentration and not by variation in the average intracellular pH. The results suggest that total intracellular CO2 concentration may be an important physiological regulator of carbohydrate metabolism.
A universal STATCOM with delta-connected cascade multilevel inverter

It is believed that cascade multilevel converter will be the major circuit to be used in static synchronous compensator (STATCOM). Recently, all the researches about STATCOM have been focused on the wye-connected cascade multilevel converters. But STATCOM with this kind of circuit structure can only compensate the reactive power and harmonics. This paper proposes a universal STATCOM based on delta-connected cascade multilevel inverter. Other than reactive power compensation, the proposed STATCOM can also be used to compensate negative sequence current caused by unbalanced loads. The compensation theory is illustrated. The operation principle and control scheme are verified by simulation results.
Cold electron emission process in CVD diamond films

The development of robust cold cathodes would provide improved efficiency, lifetime, and design flexibility for a broad range of devices including RF vacuum electronic devices and flat panel displays. Diamond has been identified as a uniquely promising cold cathode material due to the negative electron affinity (NEA) that is present at hydrogenated diamond surfaces. In this study, we investigate the cold electron emission process in CVD diamond using electron transmission spectroscopy. Specifically, we inject electrons into thin CVD diamond films using a 0-20 keV electron gun, and we then detect and analyze the secondary electrons that are transmitted through the films. In particular, the intensity and energy distribution of the transmitted electrons are measured as a function of the incident beam parameters (E/sub 0/, I/sub 0/) and analyzed using Monte Carlo simulations. Reflected secondary-electron-emission spectroscopy (SEES) measurements are also used to evaluate the surface properties of the films.
HeT-A, a transposable element specifically involved in healing broken chromosome ends in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract Eight terminally deleted Drosophila melanogaster chromosomes have now been found to be "healed." In each case, the healed chromosome end had acquired sequence from the HeT DNA family, a complex family of repeated sequences found only in telomeric and pericentric heterochromatin. The sequences were apparently added by transposition events involving no sequence homology. We now report that the sequences transposed in healing these chromosomes identify a novel transposable element, HeT-A, which makes up a subset of the HeT DNA family. Addition of HeT-A elements to broken chromosome ends appears to be polar. The proximal junction between each element and the broken chromosome end is an oligo(A) tract beginning 54 nucleotides downstream from a conserved AATAAA sequence on the strand running 5' to 3' from the chromosome end. The distal (telomeric) ends of HeT-A elements are variably truncated; however, we have not yet been able to determine the extreme distal sequence of a complete element. Our analysis covers approximately 2,600 nucleotides of the HeT-A element, beginning with the oligo(A) tract at one end. Sequence homology is strong (greater than 75% between all elements studied). Sequence may be conserved for DNA structure rather than for protein coding; even the most recently transposed HeT-A elements lack significant open reading frames in the region studied. Instead, the elements exhibit conserved short-range sequence repeats and periodic long-range variation in base composition. These conserved features suggest that HeT-A elements, although transposable elements, may have a structural role in telomere organization or maintenance.
Item Response Theory: Overview, Applications, and Promise for Institutional Research

Item Response Theory (IRT) is a measurement theory that is ideal for scale and test development in institutional research, but it is not without its drawbacks. This chapter provides an overview of IRT, describes an example of its use, and highlights the pros and cons of using IRT in applied settings.
Thin film interface stresses produced by high amplitude laser generated surface acoustic waves

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) have been explored for nondestructive metrology of thin film elastic properties and thickness due to confinement of their energy within a shallow depth from a material surface. In this paper, we study the dynamic interfacial stresses produced by high amplitude SAWs generated by a strongly ablative source in a thin film-substrate system, with the goal of investigating the possibility of inducing thin film delamination at high loading rates. For modeling purposes, we represent the mechanical loading resulting from the pulsed laser-sample interaction in the ablative regime by an equivalent compressive surface load, and the resulting stresses and particle velocities induced by the generated SAWs are calculated using a linear finite element model. We explore the numerical model to study the dependence of the film-substrate interface tractions on the ratio of the film thickness and SAW wavelength for a soft film on a stiff substrate. Furthermore, by matching the numerical results obtained from the finite element model with experimental results, we are able to predict the dynamic interfacial stresses for a copper film on a fused silica substrate produced by SAWs excited by a high power pulsed laser line source. This study has implications for exploring SAWs in the characterization of interfacial failure in thin-film substrate systems.
Rate constants for D + C2H4 → C2H3D + H at high temperature: implications to the high pressure rate constant for H + C2H4 → C2H5

The reflected shock tube technique with D atom atomic resonance absorption spectrometry (ARAS) detection has been used to study the bimolecular reaction, D + C2H2 → C2HD + H. D atoms were produced from the thermal decomposition of C2D5I above ∼1150 K. The initially formed C2D5 radicals rapidly decompose to give D + C2D4. Rate constant values were obtained from both reactant and product hydrogen atom measurements, and these were found to be identical within experimental error. The title reaction proceeds through a vibrationally excited vinyl radical, and the equivalence of results based on reactant and product measurements suggests that radical stabilization is negligible over the temperature and pressure ranges of the experiments. For 1100 ≤ T ≤ 1630 K, the results can be described by the linear-least-squares Arrhenius expression: k = (2.77 ± 0.45) × 10-10 exp(−3051 ± 210 K/T) in units of cm3 molecule-1 s-1, with the one standard deviation of the values from the equation being ±10.7%. Application of RRKM...
Land-property markets and planning: A special case

Land use policy often intervenes in land-property markets. This raises a question that may have critical implications for land use policy: are these normal markets? This paper addresses that question: are land and property ordinary market goods, or do they lack some of the preconditions necessary for markets to work properly? We find that land-property has limited substitutability, due to the critical factor of location; qualified by location, land is limited and sometimes unique. These attributes make land and property investment assets risking speculation, warranting public intervention to mitigate negative social consequences. Land-property markets need market or administrative support to work, which planning provides through public and private agents. The paper reviews the different forms of planning and development control in land-property markets.
SU-E-T-70: Comparison of Two 3D Gamma Index Calculation Schemes

Purpose: To compare two 3D Gamma Index calculation schemes for VMAT plans. Methods: VMAT (Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy) treatment technique was commissioned for our clinic on an Elekta Synergy machine. We selected to use ScandiDos Delta4TM system for our VMAT patient QAs. Delta4 is a pseudo 3D diode detector array which calculates Gamma index from 3D dose distributions. Delta4 offers two ways to calculate Gamma Index: global Gamma Index and local Gamma Index. The global gamma calculates the dose difference relative to the normalization dose, which can be iso‐center dose, prescribed or maximum dose. The local gamma calculates the dose difference relative to the current measurement point under examination. Thirty two test plans for the treatments of different sites including prostates, HN, lung, abdomen, pancreas node, anus, brain post fossa, medium sternum and liver were selected for this study. Pass rates from the two Gamma Index calculation schemes with 3% and 3mm criterion were compared. Results: The pass rate from global Gamma Index calculation is high than those from the global Gamma Index (p<0.001). Correlation coefficient of the two pass rates is 0.78. The differences of pass rates range from 0% to 9.5%. The most dramatic differences happen for high modulated (more complex) plans and where there are some low dose plateau regions. Conclusions: Global Gamma Index doesn't describe the details of high modulated plans with some low dose regions. Pass rate of local Gamma Index should be examined in addition to global Gamma Index. Pass rates of local Gamma Index for different structures are desired.
Give and Take: Syntactic Priming during Spoken Language Comprehension.

Syntactic priming during language production is pervasive and well-studied. Hearing, reading, speaking or writing a sentence with a given structure increases the probability of subsequently producing the same structure, regardless of whether the prime and target share lexical content. In contrast, syntactic priming during comprehension has proven more elusive, fueling claims that comprehension is less dependent on general syntactic representations and more dependent on lexical knowledge. In three experiments we explored syntactic priming during spoken language comprehension. Participants acted out double-object (DO) or prepositional-object (PO) dative sentences while their eye movements were recorded. Prime sentences used different verbs and nouns than the target sentences. In target sentences, the onset of the direct-object noun was consistent with both an animate recipient and an inanimate theme, creating a temporary ambiguity in the argument structure of the verb (DO e.g., Show the horse the book; PO e.g., Show the horn to the dog). We measured the difference in looks to the potential recipient and the potential theme during the ambiguous interval. In all experiments, participants who heard DO primes showed a greater preference for the recipient over the theme than those who heard PO primes, demonstrating across-verb priming during online language comprehension. These results accord with priming found in production studies, indicating a role for abstract structural information during comprehension as well as production.
Finspine morphogenesis in squalid and heterodontid sharks

Modern selachian finspines develop within a single, enlarged dermal papilla much earlier than any other papillary derived structure, and rapidly enlarge beyond the confines of the papilla. Within this, the spine primordium differentiates into two parts (mantle and trunk). Both components elongate basally and become mineralized by odontoblasts, but only the mantle has an enameloid layer. Mantle and trunk are reunited secondarily by dentine. The finspine vascular supply becomes blocked in adults, possibly to avoid loss of body fluids should the finspine (which is not shed) be damaged. Finspines probably have both defensive (perhaps mainly in juveniles) and locomotory (unctions. Odontocytes sometimes occur in the finspine base of Squalus, although the rest of the spine consists of acellular metadentine. The innermost dentine layers are centripetally deposited, resembling lamellar orthodentine of a tooth pulp. Over this is a continuous layer of centrifugally deposited lamellar dentine. Apically there is another centripetal layer (the mantle), which occurs only on certain parts of the spine. Enamelled tubercles can occur in Squalus, as a result of scleroblast disorganization, not as a result of secondary coalescence.
KINETICS OF HYDRATION OF TRICALCIUM ALUMINATE IN THE PRESENCE OF GYPSUM

Abstract Based on a conceptual model for the stages of hydration of tricalcium aluminate in the presence of gypsum, a mathematical model was developed for the kinetics of hydration. The model was solved, illustrated and compared to experimental heat release data. Analytical equations were presented for the first two stages, while the last stages of hydration reduced to a previously developed model for the hydration of tricalcium aluminate in the absence of gypsum. Results suggested that pore diffusion through a thickening ettringite barrier layer controlled the first stage of hydration, while pore diffusion through a thinning ettringite barrier layer controlled the second stage. After the ettringite layer disappeared, the reaction of the remaining tricalcium aluminate proceeded more rapidly, but by a similar mechanism, than in the absence of sulfate containing species.
MICRODISTRIBUTION OF THE BEACH PLANT CAKILE MARITIMA (BRASSICACEAE) AS INFLUENCED BY A RODENT HERBIVORE

The microdistribution of a beach plant, Cakile maritima, was examined relative to patches of an introduced beachgrass, Ammophila arenaria. Sampling was done with belt transects oriented parallel to the beachfront to minimize the influence of physical factors along the land/ sea gradient. No Cakile individuals were found within Ammophila patches, and a 3-4 m wide zone of decreased abundance occurred outside of patch borders. I hypothesized that this microdistribution was due to foraging behavior of deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus, which nest in Ammophila patches and forage outward from them. Manipulative experiments using fruits and seedlings of Cakile confirmed that herbivory was higher inside patches and in border areas. Seedlings protected from herbivory by wire cages survived and grew equally well both inside and outside of Ammophila patches, demonstrating that differences in other habitat factors were not of major importance in determining Cakile microdistribution. Herbivory by mice was concluded to be of primary importance in determining the microdistribution of Cakile relative to Ammophila. Rodent herbivory may influence microdistributions of beach plants along the land/sea gradient, and may also be partly responsible for decreased plant species richness often observed in Ammophila-dominated areas on the West Coast.
The real estate of myoblast cardiac transplantation: negative remodeling is associated with location.

Background Skeletal myoblast transplantation has been proposed as a therapy for ischemic cardiomyopathy owing to its possible role in myogenesis. The relative safety and efficacy based on location within scar is not known. We hypothesized that skeletal myoblasts transplanted into peripheral scar (compared with central scar) would more effectively attenuate negative left ventricular (LV) remodeling but at the risk of arrhythmia. Methods New Zealand White rabbits ( n = 34) underwent mid-left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligation to produce a transmural LV infarction. One month after LAD ligation, skeletal myoblasts were injected either in the scar center ( n = 13) or scar periphery ( n = 10) and compared with saline injection ( n = 11). Holter monitoring and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed pre-injection; Holter monitoring was continued until 2 weeks after injection, with follow-up MRI at 1 month. Results The centrally treated animals demonstrated increased LV end-systolic volume, end-diastolic volume, and mass that correlated with the number of injected cells. There was a trend toward attenuation of negative LV remodeling in peripherally treated animals compared with vehicle. Significant late ectopy was seen in several centrally injected animals, with no late ectopy seen in peripherally injected animals. Conclusions We noted untoward effects with respect to negative LV remodeling after central injection, suggesting that transplanted cell location with respect to scar may be a key factor in the safety and efficacy of skeletal myoblast cardiac transplantation. Administration of skeletal myoblasts into peripheral scar appears safe, with a trend toward improved function in comparison with sham injection.
Chemoselective gas sensors based on plasmonic nanohole arrays

We have demonstrated a binary chemoselective gas sensor using a combination of plasmonic nanohole arrays and a voltage-directed assembly of diazonium chemistry. The employment of a voltage-directed functionalization allows for the realization of a multiplexed sensor. The device was read optically and was fabricated using a combination of electron-beam and conventional lithography; it contains several regions each electrically isolated from each other. We used calibrated gas dosage delivery to confirm the selectivity of the sensor and observed reversible spectral shifts of several nm upon gas exposure. The resulting spectral shift indicates the potential for use in chemical arrayed detection for low concentration gas sensing
Radiation necrosis of the brain after radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma.

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to obtain a better understanding of radiation-induced brain necrosis after stereotactic radiation therapy for vestibular schwannomas. Study design We conducted a retrospective case analysis. Setting The study took place at a tertiary referral center. Patients We report on the case of a patient treated with stereotactic radiation who developed radiation-induced necrosis of the ipsilateral temporal lobe. Intervention The various interventions in patients with radiation-induced necrosis include steroid treatment, decompression, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy; these are discussed briefly in this article. Owing to the limited symptoms in our patient, she was observed. Main outcome measure The outcome measure that we evaluated was radiation-induced necrosis of the brain after stereotactic radiation therapy for a vestibular schwannoma. Results Patients who undergo stereotactic radiation therapy for vestibular schwannomas are at risk for radiation-induced brain necrosis. Conclusion We support the development of a national database that would track the long-term complications of stereotactic radiation therapy to help patients make a more informed decision for the treatment of their vestibular schwannomas.
Antigenic Variation in Lyme Disease Borreliae by Promiscuous Recombination of VMP-like Sequence Cassettes

We have identified and characterized an elaborate genetic system in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi that promotes extensive antigenic variation of a surface-exposed lipoprotein, VlsE. A 28 kb linear plasmid of B. burgdorferi B31 (lp28-1) was found to contain a vmp-like sequence (vls) locus that closely resembles the variable major protein (vmp) system for antigenic variation of relapsing fever organisms. Portions of several of the 15 nonexpressed (silent) vls cassette sequences located upstream of vlsE recombined into the central vlsE cassette region during infection of C3H/HeN mice, resulting in antigenic variation of the expressed lipoprotein. This combinatorial variation could potentially produce millions of antigenic variants in the mammalian host.
Endothelial cell hypoxic stress proteins

The vascular endothelium is an important mediator of vascular tone, inflammatory-immune reactions, vascular permeability, angiogenesis, and hemostasis. Endothelial functions may be altered by changes in the local cellular environment, particularly changes in oxygen tension. The mechanisms by which endothelial cells (ECs) respond and adapt to hypoxia are unknown; however, the EC is one of the more hypoxia-tolerant mammalian cell types. Cultured ECs exposed to hypoxia up-regulate a set of stress proteins, termed hypoxia-associated proteins (HAPs), that are distinct from the classically described stress proteins induced by heat shock (heat-shock proteins, HSPs) or glucose deprivation (glucose-regulated proteins, GRPs). Two of these proteins have been identified as the glycolytic enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and non-neuronal enolase (NNE). GAPDH expression during hypoxia is regulated primarily at the level of transcription, while the mechanism of NNE mRNA accumulation remains unclear. GAPDH, NNE, and the other HAPs are up-regulated by transitional metals and deferoxamine; however, unlike the situation with other hypoxia-regulated proteins such as erythropoietin, the up-regulation of GAPDH, NNE, and the other HAPs by hypoxia is not inhibited by carbon monoxide. Subcellular fractionation of hypoxic EC has shown that GAPDH and NNE are up-regulated in the cytoplasmic fraction as would be expected for a glycolytic enzyme; however, a protein corresponding to GAPDH is also up-regulated in the nuclear fraction. This suggests that GAPDH and perhaps NNE have functions aside from their catalytic function in glycolysis. It is unknown whether the up-regulation of GAPDH, NNE, and the other HAPs in ECs is related to the relative ability of ECs to adapt to hypoxia; however, other more-hypoxia-sensitive cells do not up-regulate HAPs.
Retrohoming: cDNA-Mediated Mobility of Group II Introns Requires a Catalytic RNA

Verifying evolutionary scenarios will undoubtedly require more comparative studies between mobile group II introns and other retroelements. Mechanistic studies may also help in this quest and will certainly provide answers to outstanding questions about group II mobility pathways. How is the retrohoming intermediate converted into the homing product (Figure 1Figure 1)? Is the second DNA strand synthesized by mitochondrial DNA polymerase or reverse transcriptase, given the absence of an RNase H domain in group II intron reverse transcriptases? How does the reverse transcriptase–independent homing pathway alluded to by Moran et al. 1995xMoran, J.V, Zimmerly, S, Eskes, R, Kennell, J.C, Lambowitz, A.M, Butow, R.A, and Perlman, P.S. Mol. Cell. Biol. 1995; 15: 2828–2838PubMedSee all ReferencesMoran et al. 1995 relate to retrohoming?One of the most striking features of group II intron retrohoming is the multiplicity of interactions of the aI2 protein: interactions are made with the intron RNA as a component of the endonuclease, with the pre-mRNA as a substrate for maturase activity and template for cDNA synthesis, and with the target DNA as a substrate for cleavage and reverse transcription. Moreover, within the aI2 RNP complex that mediates retrohoming several mechanistically distinct reactions are carried out in separate active sites: splicing of the aI2 intron from the pre-mRNA and reverse splicing into the target DNA, endonucleolytic cleavage of the target DNA, and reverse transcription of the pre-mRNA. A common feature of these RNP-mediated reactions is the involvement of intermediates generated in preceding reactions. The spliced intron lariat catalyzes nonpriming-strand cleavage of the target DNA. Nonpriming-strand cleavage is a prerequisite to priming-strand cleavage. The resulting double-strand break must be generated for cDNA synthesis to be initiated. How does this multicomponent, multifunctional complex perform these integrated reactions in an orderly fashion to mediate the highly specific and efficient process of retrohoming? Can we anticipate the emergence of the retrohomosome?
On optimal broadcasting in faulty hypercubes

Abstract We construct a family of n spanning trees of the n-cube, called Dn, with the following properties: (i) All the trees in Dn are rooted at the same node (e.g. the all-0 node). (ii) Every tree in Dn is of depth n, which is the optimal depth. (iii) Every edge in the n-cube is shared by at most two trees in Dn. One application of this construction is a technique to perform broadcasting in a hypercube with faulty links. Using Dn we obtain an efficient scheme—it takes the same time as in a healthy cube—to broadcast in the presence of up to ⌈ n 2 ⌉−1 edge faults.
Colorectal cancer screening among underserved Korean Americans in Los Angeles County.

Objectives Use of colorectal cancer screening is extremely low among Korean Americans. The objective of this study was to gather information on predictors, facilitators, barriers, and intervention preferences with respect to colorectal cancer screening that may inform the development of future interventions for underserved Korean Americans.
Management of general surgical problems in the pregnant patient.

Abstract Background General surgeons are frequently consulted for nonobstetrical surgical problems in pregnant women, as up to 2% of pregnancies are complicated by such problems. Concerns over the increased morbidity for both the pregnant patient and the fetus are unique to this population. Data sources A review of the English language literature surrounding nonobstetrical surgical issues was collected through a Medline search and review of relevant society and academy papers. Conclusions This manuscript offers a review of current information regarding aspects of surgical care in the pregnant patient. Areas discussed include anesthesiology, radiology, laparoscopy, and specific common and uncommon surgical diseases found in the pregnant patient.
Blockage of LSD binding at its high affinity site on synaptosomal membranes by 1-methyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-N,N-diethyl- carboxamide.

Par dialyse d'equilibre on a montre que le 1-methyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-N,N-diethylcarboxamide (THPC) empeche le LSD de se lier aux membranes des synaptosomes. Ce resultat correspond a un effet du THPC qui est de reduire la nocivite de LSD.
NVIS synthesis for electrically small aircraft using characteristic modes

Characteristic modes are used to design a multi-antenna NVIS system on-board an electrically small UAV. By analyzing the radiation eigenmodes of the UAV platform, optimal NVIS patterns are constructed, and mounting locations which maximize desirable antenna-platform coupling are identified. The optimal NVIS pattern is then approximated using discrete monopole antennas as feeding elements. The excitation level of each feed can be inferred by relative excitation of each UAV characteristic mode in the NVIS pattern. Discussions on the pattern accuracy, bandwidth, and efficiency of this approach as a function of feeding element number will be presented.
Differences in Home-Range Size between Sexes of Microtus ochrogaster

Les 3 hypotheses de Gaulin et Fitzgerald (1988) sont examinees sur une population de campagnole etudiee de 1973 a 1984 (pas de difference dans la taille de l'etendue du territoire entre les adultes des 2 sexes, entre les mâles reproductifs et non reproductifs, les rapports des tailles des territoires des mâles et femelles comparables pour les individus sexuellement actifs ou non)
Unusual cause of upper GI bleed in a patient with lung cancer

Question: A 60-year-old man presented with anemia and black tarry stools, off and on for the last 2 months. He had metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer with metastasis to the liver and spleen. He underwent a left upper lobectomy followed by recent chemotherapy. Physical examination revealed normal vital signs and splenomegaly. Laboratory results showed a drop in hemoglobin from 9.5 to 7.8 g/dL. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed a 1.5-cm ulcer in the fundus of the stomach (Figure A). There was no sign of recent bleeding at the ulcer site. Biopsy specimen was taken from the ulcer edges (Figure B). Based on the EGD and pathology, a computed tomography (CT) was performed (Figure C). Based on the image findings, what is your diagnosis and how would you manage the condition? Look on page 288 for the answer and see the Gastroenterology web site (www.gastrojournal.org) for more information on submitting your favorite image to Clinical Challenges and Images in GI.
Materials-based hydrogen storage: Attributes for near-term, early market PEM fuel cells

Although hydrogen is widely recognized as a promising energy carrier for the transportation sector, widespread adoption of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies depends critically on the ability to store hydrogen at adequate densities, as well as release hydrogen at sufficient rates (among other requirements) to meet PEM fuel cell power plant requirements. At present, no known material or storage means exists that satisfies all requirements to enable high-volume automotive application, however materials do exist that would satisfy requirements for near-term non-vehicular PEM fuel cell applications. The US DOE recognizes that non-vehicular early market applications are the most likely paths for the successful demonstration and application of material-based hydrogen storage technology. In this review, we provide a practical overview of the most probable near-term PEM fuel cell markets as identified through market reviews with an emphasis on the attributes of the relevant materials-based hydrogen storage for those near-term markets.
Domestic political determinants of inflation

. Political economists have advanced a variety of diverse and competing hypotheses to explain the domestic political dimension of inflation. With few exceptions, however, these hypotheses have been tested individually without regard to competing explanations. This study uses pooled time-series data on fifteen industrial democracies to examine five prominent political hypotheses that purport to explain either political pressures that cause inflation or institutional arrangements that insulate governments from these pressures. The results indicate that: (1) Central Bank independence provides an effective counterweight to inflation by insulating monetary policy making from inflationary (particularly, partisan) impulses; (2) Government spending increases caused by distributive and redistributive politics intensify inflationary pressures even in countries with independent Central Banks and neocorporatist arrangements; (3) Inflation is determined partially by the ideology of the party controlling government. Leftist governments in pursuit of income redistribution produce higher inflation than conservative governments; (4) Elections do not have significant effects on inflation under any structural circumstances; and (5) Neocorporatism does not consistently reduce inflation or contain the inflationary effects of partisan manipulation and fiscal expansion. However, neocorporatism may stop inflation if wage moderation by labour is accompanied by the government's commitment to pursue restrictive monetary policy.
Televised aggression and the interpersonal aggression of preschool children

Abstract Two matched groups of five preschool children each were exposed to either aggressive or nonaggressive television programs for a total of approximately 110 min over a period of 11 days. Interpersonal aggressive behavior immediately following viewing was recorded and compared with the same type of behavior during a prior 10-day baseline period. Ss who viewed aggressive television programs showed significantly greater increases in interpersonal aggression from baseline to treatment than did Ss who viewed nonaggressive programs. Results extended the generality of the previous finding that children's noninterpersonal aggressive behavior increased subsequent to viewing filmed aggression.
Femtosecond laser excitation and spectroscopy of liquid helium

Femtosecond laser pulses focused inside liquid helium initiate an excitation sequence that leads to formation of molecular Rydberg states He2 detected by fluorescence spectroscopy. Unlike in the case of longer laser pulses, the excitations may be created in a controllable way, at light intensities below dielectric breakdown. The initial step is ionization of He atoms, as demonstrate by charge separation in external electric field. A sequence of the subsequent processes is proposed, which accounts for rapid production of He2, in less than 10 ns, observed by nanosecond time- resolved laser induced fluorescence following the excitation pulse. the lowest triplet state excimers He2(3a), probed in the latter experiment, are long-lived and survive in concentrations of the order of 1011-1012 cm-3 on a millisecond time scale. Femtosecond time- resolved spectroscopy was performed on He2* molecules in liquid He, using the pump-probe sequence He2*(3a) + 790 nm yields He2*(3c), He2*(3c) + 790 nm yields He2*(3f). The observed decay of the transient signals with characteristic time 3.5 ps is thought to be due to solvent motion corresponding to the relaxation of the liquid helium 'bubble' around the intermediate He2*(3c) state.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Dimensions of Hyperplane Spaces over Finite Fields

In this paper we shall determine the dimensions of certain function spaces associated with the hyperplanes in a vector space over a finite field. (The results obtained are summarized in Table l.) This investigation was motivated by the desire to obtain bounds on the size of certain hyperplane coverings as discussed in [7], and the principal result here will be a proof of the dimension formula asserted at the end of that paper. Although some further applications to hyperplane coverings and convexity over finite fields will be given in a later paper, the results obtained here seem to be of independent interest and the exposition is self-contained. To more precisely describe the problem to be solved here, let V be a d dimensional vector space over a finite field F with q = p e elements (p=charF) . By a hyperplane in V we mean any translate (that is, coset) of any d 1 dimensional subspace of V. The hyperplanes in V fall naturally into two classes: those which contain the zero vector (and hence are linear subspaces) and those which do not. For brevity, a hyperplane not containing 0 will be called a nonzero hyperplane. Now associate with each hyperplane in V its characteristic function. As this function takes only the values 0 and 1, it may be regarded as a function from V into any arbitrary field K. Of course, with the usual pointwise operations, the set K v of all functions from V into the field K is a K-vector space. Thus one may define, for any coefficient field K, the following hyperplane spaces over V:
Using terms of rescheduling as proxy for partial reneging on LDC's debt in a test of willingness-to-pay model

Abstract This paper extends many empirical studies that have examined the debt servicing capacities of LDCs. Many of the earlier studies used binomial logit analysis to examine the debt servicing capacity of LDCs. Here commercial rescheduling cases are separated into subgroups based on the outcome of debt renegotiations. With these subgroups, multinomial logit analyses of a willingness-to-pay model are performed. Results indicate that during the 1978–1985 period, a different set of explanatory variables has influenced the outcomes of debt renegotiations. Furthermore, major borrowers can renegotiate their loans at more favorable terms
Predictions of nucleation theory applied to Ehrenfest thermodynamic transitions

A modified nucleation theory is used to determine a critical nucleus size and a critical activation-energy barrier for second-order Ehrenfest thermodynamic transitions as functions of the degree of undercooling, the interfacial energy, the heat-capacity difference, the specific volume of the transformed phase, and the equilibrium transition temperature. The customary approximations of nucleation theory are avoided by expanding the Gibbs free energy in a Maclaurin series and applying analytical thermodynamic expressions to evaluate the expansion coefficients. Nonlinear correction terms for first-order-transition calculations are derived, and numerical results are presented graphically for water and polystyrene as examples of first-order and quasi-second-order transitions, respectively.
An open trial of olanzapine for the treatment of delirium in hospitalized cancer patients.

We conducted an open, prospective trial of olanzapine for the treatment of delirium in a sample of 79 hospitalized cancer patients. Patients all met DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of delirium and were rated systematically with the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) as a measure of delirium severity, phenomenology, and resolution, over the course of a 7-day treatment period. Sociodemographic and medical variables and measures of physical performance status and drug-related side effects were collected. Fifty-seven patients (76%) had complete resolution of their delirium on olanzapine therapy. No patients experienced extrapyramidal side effects; however, 30% experienced sedation (usually not severe enough to interrupt treatment). Several factors were found to be significantly associated with poorer response to olanzapine treatment for delirium, including age >70 years, history of dementia, central nervous system spread of cancer and hypoxia as delirium etiologies, "hypoactive" delirium, and delirium of "severe" intensity (i.e., MDAS >23). A logistic-regression model suggests that age >70 years is the most powerful predictor of poorer response to olanzapine treatment for delirium (odds ratio, 171.5). Olanzapine appears to be a clinically efficacious and safe drug for the treatment of the symptoms of delirium in the hospitalized medically ill.
First Report of Ramularia carthami, Causal Agent of Ramularia Leaf Spot of Safflower, in California.

Ramularia leaf spot was identified in several fields of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) near Gridley, CA in June 2005. Numerous circular to irregularly shaped brown lesions, 3 to 10 mm in diameter, on both sides of leaves and flower bracts resulted in stunted plants and reduced seed production. In two of the fields, nearly all plants were affected, yields were severely reduced, and the crops were abandoned. Ramularia carthami Zaprom. was identified on the basis of morphology of reproductive structures on colonized leaves (1). Hyaline, thin-walled, aseptate conidiophores (2.6 to 4.3 × 28.8 to 72.0 μm) were produced in fan-like fascicles borne on hemispherical stromata (21.6 to 31.2 × 24.0 to 36.0 μm). Hyaline, smooth, cylindrical to fusiform conidia (7.2 to 12.0 × 19.2 to 40.8 μm), 1 to 3 septate or rarely aseptate were produced singly or in short chains. The fungus was isolated from symptomatic leaves and bracts surface disinfected for 1 min in 0.5% sodium hypochlorite and incubated at 25°C on acidified ...
The Effects of Cooling Large White Turkey Embryos on Growth and White Blood Cell Development

Abstract In each of two experiments, trays containing 15 developing turkey eggs were cooled for 1 h at 18 C on a specific day of incubation or left within the incubator (controls). Ten embryos from each treatment were bled on Day 23 of incubation, at which time all embryos were killed with CO2 gas, weighed, and sexed. Packed cell volumes and differential white blood cell (WBC) counts were performed on all blood samples. A single, brief cooling episode during incubation did not significantly (P>.05) affect BW or hematocrit values in 23-day-old turkey embryos. Based on a differential classification of WBC in the blood smears of these turkey embryos, there were 82, 10, 8,
Gene–environment interactions and their impact on the development of personality traits

Abstract Although there is good reason to suspect that gene–environment interactions (GxE) contribute to the development of personality, there is relatively little research on this topic to date. This review examines available studies of GxE in personality, focusing specifically on the personality traits of negative emotionality (the propensity to experience aversive mood states) and impulsivity (difficulty inhibiting the expression of affect or impulse). Extant studies of impulsivity yield conflicting results, and thus do not allow for any clear conclusions. However, parenting does appear to hold promise as a moderator of genetic influences on negative emotionality. In particular, genetic influences appear to make important contributions to negative emotionality, but only in the absence of a negative parent–child relationship. By contrast, poor parenting appears to increase negative emotionality in offspring, regardless of the child’s genetic predispositions. Such findings represent an exciting, if somewhat unexpected, advance in the field, and highlight a clear need for additional research on this topic.
How self-efficacy and gender issues affect software adoption and use

Today’s computer software packages have potential to change how business is conducted, but only if organizations recognize their usefulness and ease of use. For an organization to benefit fully from its investments, training initiatives geared toward creating “buy-in” are needed to ensure the successful adoption of software packages [10]. This article presents research findings on how one such initiative, a simple tutorial, affected user confidence in mastering software, and subsequently the likelihood of successful use and adoption of the package. Women and men were found to relate to the tutorial differently, which suggests that gender should be taken into consideration when creating marketing and training strategies [4]. The study participants were eighty MBA students, 52 men and the 28 women, enrolled at a U.S. university. They completed questionnaires measuring their computer experience and their self-efficacy beliefs concerning their ability to use Microsoft’s FrontPage 98 to create and maintain a Web site. The self-efficacy questionnaire is shown in Table 1. Self-efficacy is the measure of one’s confidence in mastering a new challenge. When self-efficacy is high, one believes a high probability exists that one will be successful, while low self-efficacy suggests a limited belief one will accomplish an objective. It can be assessed at a holistic level, where one judges one’s ability to accomplish objectives in general, or at a task level. Bolstering self-efficacy is important because it affects one’s willingness to invest effort into purchasing, learning, and using software. The participants had no previous experience with FrontPage 98. Each completed a hands-on tutorial designed to provide a brief, controlled exposure to the software. The Web sites built by the participants while completing the tutorial were graded to ensure the tutorial had been completed correctly. Afterwards, participants completed another set of questionnaires measuring their perceptions of the software package’s ease of use, usefulness, and their self-efficacy beliefs about their ability to use Microsoft’s FrontPage 98 to build and maintain a Web site after completing the tutorial. Following are highlights of our main findings:
Late-life Depression Modifies the Association Between Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensities and Functional Decline Among Older Adults

Objective Vascular lesions seen through brain imaging as hyperintensities are associated with both depression and functional impairment in older adults. Our objective was to determine if the relationship between the volume of cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) and functional decline differed in the presence of late life depression. Design Secondary analysis of data collected through the Neurocognitive Outcomes of Depression Study. Analysis techniques included general linear mixed models examining trajectories of functional change predicted by lesion volume at baseline. Participants 381 participants (244 patients diagnosed with major depression and 137 never depressed comparison participants) ages 60 years and older followed for up to 16 years. Measurements WMH volume was measured through analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data. Functional limitations included difficulties with basic activities of daily living tasks, instrumental activities of daily living tasks, and mobility. Results Those participants who were both depressed and had a higher volume of WMHs at baseline were most at risk for functional decline across all measures of function. Among the never depressed, those with a higher WMH volume at baseline had a more accelerated rate of functional decline than those with lower WMH volume, and those who were depressed with lower volume of WMH started with more limitations than the never depressed but appeared to progress at a rate similar to those who were never depressed with lower WMH. Conclusion Older patients with both cerebrovascular risk factors and depression are at an increased risk for functional decline, and may benefit from the treatment of both conditions.