cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Skin Biopsy Techniques for the Internist

Objective To review three commonly performed skin biopsy procedures: shave, punch, and excision. Data sources English-language articles identified through a MEDLINE search (1966-1997) using the MeSH headings skin and biopsy, major dermatology and primary care textbooks, and cross-references. Study selection Articles that reviewed the indications, contraindications, choice of procedure, surgical technique, specimen handling, and wound care. Data extraction Information was manually extracted from all selected articles and texts; emphasis was placed on information relevant to internal medicine physicians who want to learn skin biopsy techniques. Data synthesis Shave biopsies require the least experience and time but are limited to superficial, nonpigmented lesions. Punch biopsies are simple to perform, have few complications, and if small, can heal without suturing. Closing the wound with unbraided nylon on a C-17 needle will enhance the cosmetic result but requires more expertise and time. Elliptical excisions are ideal for removing large or deep lesions, provide abundant material for many studies, and can be curative for a number of conditions, but require the greatest amount of time, expertise, and office resources. Elliptical excisions can be closed with unbraided nylon using a CE-3 or FS-3 needle in thick skin or a P-3 needle on the face. All specimens should be submitted in a labeled container with a brief clinical description and working diagnosis. Conclusions Skin biopsies are an essential technique in the management of skin diseases and can enhance the dermatologic care rendered by internists.
Membrane Perturbation by Surfactant Candidates for STD Prevention

We studied surfactant-induced leakage of vesicles, comparing the efficacy of four surfactants with current or potential application in contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases: nonoxynol-9 (N-9); the amphoteric mixture known as C31G; benzalkonium chloride (BZK); sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Several features are generic to the membrane leakage process independent of the surfactant used. The kinetics of the leakage process is well-characterized by a single exponential rate of release, and the rate constant increases with surfactant concentration according to a power-law dependence. Notably, however, the formation of surfactant micelles serves to enhance the rate of vesicle leakage. A method for quickly changing the effective surfactant concentration in situ, and thus the rate of vesicle leakage, is presented. Specifically, methyl-β-cyclodextrin is added to the external aqueous solution and forms inclusion complexes with surfactant, effectively reducing the concentration of soluble...
Reduction in expression of the astrocyte glutamate transporter, GLT1, worsens functional and histological outcomes following traumatic spinal cord injury

The astrocyte glutamate transporter, GLT1, is responsible for the vast majority of glutamate uptake in the adult central nervous system (CNS), thereby regulating extracellular glutamate homeostasis and preventing excitotoxicity. Glutamate dysregulation plays a central role in outcome following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). To determine the role of GLT1 in secondary cell loss following SCI, mice heterozygous for the GLT1 astrocyte glutamate transporter (GLT1+/-) and wild-type mice received thoracic crush SCI. Compared with wild-type controls, GLT1+/- mice had an attenuated recovery in hindlimb motor function, increased lesion size, and decreased tissue sparing. GLT1+/- mice showed a decrease in intraspinal GLT1 protein and functional glutamate uptake compared with wild-type mice, accompanied by increased apoptosis and neuronal loss following crush injury. These results suggest that astrocyte GLT1 plays a role in limiting secondary cell death following SCI, and also show that compromise of key astrocyte functions has significant effects on outcome following traumatic CNS injury. These findings also suggest that increasing intraspinal GLT1 expression may represent a therapeutically relevant target for SCI treatment.
Periodic orbits and chaos around two fixed black holes. II

We study the orbits of particles (time-like geodesics) around two fixed black holes when the energy is elliptic, i. e. it does not allow the motion to extend to infinity. Most orbits are chaotic, but in many cases there are also ordered motions around stable periodic orbits. The orbits that fall into the first or the second black hole are separated by unstable periodic orbits. These are the satellite periodic orbits around the black holes when they exist. But for certain intervals of parameters there are no satellite orbits around the first or the second black hole. Then the limiting orbits are like arcs of hyperbolae, reaching the curve of zero velocity.
Synaptic Drosophila UNC-13 is regulated by antagonistic G-protein pathways via a proteasome-dependent degradation mechanism.

UNC-13 is a highly conserved plasma membrane-associated synaptic protein implicated in the regulation of neurotransmitter release through the direct modulation of the SNARE exocytosis complex. Previously, we characterized the Drosophila homologue (DUNC-13) and showed it to be essential for neurotransmitter release immediately upstream of vesicular fusion (“priming”) at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Here, we show that the abundance of DUNC-13 in NMJ synaptic boutons is regulated downstream of GαS and Gαq pathways, which have inhibitory and facilitatory roles, respectively. Both cAMP modulation and PKA function are required for DUNC-13 synaptic up-regulation, suggesting that the cAMP pathway enhances synaptic efficacy via DUNC-13. Similarly, PLC function and DAG modulation also regulate the synaptic levels of DUNC-13, through a mechanism that appears independent of PKC. Our results suggest that proteasome-mediated protein degradation is the primary mechanism regulating DUNC-13 levels at the synapse. Both PLC- and PKA-mediated pathways appear to regulate synaptic levels of DUNC-13 through controlling the rate of proteasome-dependent DUNC-13 degradation. We conclude that the functional abundance of DUNC-13 at the synapse, a key determinant of synaptic vesicle priming and neurotransmitter release probability, is primarily regulated by the rate of protein degradation, rather than translocation or transport, convergently controlled via both cAMP and DAG signal transduction pathways. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 54: 417–438, 2003
Amorphous Heusler alloys: The effect of annealing on structure and magnetic and transport properties

Abstract Alloys with the Heusler compositions Cu2MnIn, Cu2MnAl and Cu2MnSn have been prepared as amorphous films for the first time. The structural disorder results in as-deposited films which are not ferromagnetic and, in fact, exhibit spin-glass properties due to the distribution of MnMn distances and co-existence of positive and negative exchange interactions. Annealing of the In and Al alloys can restore single phase ordered Heusler structures which are ferromagnets with Curie temperatures typical of bulk alloys. The calculated Mn moments remain lower than the bulk values of 4 μB probably due to disorder at grain boundaries. Films annealed under non-optimum conditions crystallized into several non-magnetic structures as well as the magnetic L21 Heusler phase. Lattice constants of all phases were determined. The temperature dependence of resistivity through the amorphous-crystalline transformation was found to confirm the results of thermal annealing on structure and magnetization.
ON THE TITRATION OF BACTERIOPHAGE AND THE PARTICULATE HYPOTHESIS

1. The theory of the serial dilution method of titration of bacterio-phage has been worked out on the basis of the simple particulate hypothesis. 2. It has been shown that, if the dilution constant is .1, only about 60 per cent of parallel runs on the same solution should give the same end-point, the average being taken over a great number of titrations of each of a great variety of solutions. 3. The discrepancy between this figure, 60 per cent, and Dr. Bronfenbrenner's estimate, 85 per cent, is considerable. 4. Inasmuch as the particulate hypothesis is well founded, no explanation of the discrepancy is suggested.
Layout aware optimization of high speed fixed coefficient FIR filters for FPGAs

We present a method for implementing high speed finite impulse response (FIR) filters on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Our algorithm is a multiplierless technique where fixed coefficient multipliers are replaced with a series of add and shift operations. The first phase of our algorithm uses registered adders and hardwired shifts. Here, a modified common subexpression elimination (CSE) algorithm reduces the number of adders while maintaining performance. The second phase optimizes routing delay using prelayout wire length estimation techniques to improve the final placed and routed design. The optimization target platforms are Xilinx Virtex FPGA devices where we compare the implementation results with those produced by Xilinx Coregen, which is based on distributed arithmetic (DA). We observed up to 50&% reduction in the number of slices and up to 75% reduction in the number of look up tables (LUTs) for fully parallel implementations compared to DA method. Also, there is 50% reduction in the total dynamic power consumption of the filters. Our designs perform up to 27% faster than the multiply accumulate (MAC) filters implemented by Xilinx Coregen tool using DSP blocks. For placement, there is a saving up to 20% in number of routing channels. This results in lower congestion and up to 8% reduction in average wirelength.
Learning a concatenative resynthesis system for noise suppression

This paper introduces a new approach to dictionary-based source separation employing a learned non-linear metric. In contrast to existing parametric source separation systems, this model is able to utilize a rich dictionary of speech signals. In contrast to previous dictionary-based source separation systems, the system can utilize perceptually relevant non-linear features of the noisy and clean audio. This approach utilizes a deep neural network (DNN) to predict whether a noisy chunk of audio contains a given clean chunk. Speaker-dependent experiments on the small-vocabulary CHIME2-GRID corpus show that this model is able to accurately resynthesize clean speech from noisy observations. Preliminary listening tests show that the system's output has much higher audio quality than existing parametric systems trained on the same data, achieving noise suppression levels close to those of the original clean speech.
Grants management: A systems approach

Abstract Grants management is a process in which one agency of government distributes funds to other, lower agencies of government, with a view to achieving public goals. Alternative grants management systems may be designed by assembling alternative versions of the following functional components: 1. Forms of grants and distribution mechanisms 2. Goals and guidelines 3. Resource estimation 4. Dissemination of program materials 5. Retrieval of applications 6. Processing and editing of applications 7. Resource allocation decisions Alternative grants management system designs may be evaluated by rating them on seven criteria: 1. Impact on program goals 2. Managerial burden 3. Candidate burden 4. Program equitability 5. Impact on time and funding cycle 6. Impact on program control 7. Intra-system compatibility
Enhancing physical activity adherence and well-being in multiple sclerosis: a randomised controlled trial

Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more sedentary than the general population, increasing their propensity for reduced functional ability, mobility, and activities of daily living. Self-efficacy has been one of the most consistent determinants of physical activity across populations, including those with MS. However, no studies exist that have attempted to influence self-efficacy in MS patients, in an effort to improve physical activity participation. We conducted a three-month randomised, controlled trial (n = 26), contrasting the effects of an efficacy-enhancement exercise condition and a control exercise condition on exercise adherence, well-being, and affective responses to exercise. Analyses indicated that individuals in the efficacy enhancement condition attended more exercise sessions, reported greater levels of well-being and exertion, and felt better following exercise than individuals in the standard care condition. Regardless of treatment condition, individuals with a stronger sense o...
Left-handed DNA in restriction fragments and a recombinant plasmid

Circular dichroism and 31P-NMR on synthetic oligomers of (dC-dG) inserted within DNA restriction fragments indicate that the right-handed B-structure can exist in close proximity to the left-handed Z-structure. Also, this salt-induced transition to Z-form in a small (dC-dG) segment (1.3%) of a recombinant plasmid markedly influenced the supercoil of the plasmid. These observations have implications for the postulated role of naturally occurring related simple sequences in the regulation of gene activity.
A comparison of race awareness in northern and southern children.

A comparison of northern and southern Negro and white preschool children on race awareness showed racial and regional variations. In both regions Negro subjects preferred and identified with the other race, white subjects with their own race. Such preference and identification were accentuated in southern subjects. These results indicate adjustment problems as racial integration proceeds.
Sedation of Pet Birds

Abstract Sedation of pet birds has become an increasingly popular technique to facilitate common clinical procedures, such as physical examination, blood collection, or radiography. Sedation provides immobilization, reduces vocalization, and attenuates the stress response caused by manual restraint. Midazolam and midazolam-butorphanol are the most commonly used drugs for sedation of pet birds, and they provide dose-dependent sedation with no significant side effects if used at the published dosages. The intranasal route of administration is a noninvasive alternative to intramuscular administration and has been shown to be a safe and effective technique to rapidly induce sedation in pet birds. Reversal with flumazenil should be performed in most cases of midazolam or midazolam-butorphanol induced sedation, in order to achieve rapid and complete recovery.
Surgical palliation in advanced disease: Recent developments

Despite many valuable technical innovations for the relief of suffering in advanced disease over the past few years, only recently have surgical oncologists attempted to more clearly define palliation. Previous definitions have been misleading, creating confusion about the merits of surgery in many situations and difficulty in posing questions for future prospective clinical trials. This report outlines recent progress in identifying and refining a philosophy of palliative surgery that would align it with the consensus of nonsurgical opinion summarized by the 1990 World Health Organization definition of palliative care and the emerging consensus among the medical specialties in the United States concerning principles of care at the end of life. Selected controversies and recent innovations, as well as guidelines for palliative surgery, are discussed.
Nascent yolk platelets of anuran amphibian oocytes.

Electron microscopical studies of developing ovarian oocytes from a variety of anuran amphibians have demonstrated the occurrence of a morphologically distinct subclass in the yolk platelet population, designated as “nascent yolk platelets,” within the peripheral cytoplasm of all vitellogenic oocytes. The presence of a crystalline main body with characteristic 85 A major periodicities serves to identify these formed elements as yolk platelets; however, nascent yolk platelets can be distinguished from the other yolk platelets by the small size of their central crystal, the incomplete envelopment of this crystal by the superficial granular layer, the presence of regions of ruffled contour in the limiting membrane, and by the inclusion of a variety of heterogeneous materials within the organelle. Such additional materials, which are not found within the larger yolk platelets, range from condensed or reticular patches of amorphous substances to small nonmembrane-bound spherical bodies of several types. The peripheral ooplasm contains some single-membrane bound vesicles whose contents appear to be similar to some of the organellar inclusions. Nascent yolk platelets are the only form of these proteid yolk organelles that were observed to be present in oocytes which have just begun vitellogenesis, thus supporting the conclusion that they represent the initial “platelet” stage during the organellar morphogenesis of yolk platelets.
Natural Vibrations Of Shear Deformable Cantilevered Skew Thick Plates

The natural vibrations of thick and thin cantilevered skew plates are analyzed using C0 continuous finite element assemblages of nine-node Lagrangian isoparametric quadrilateral plates based on three shear deformable thick plate theories. Finite elements based on the widely used first order Reissner-Mindlin plate theory are compared to those derived from two higher order shear deformable plate theories. Here, additional nodal displacement degrees of freedom are derived by retaining higher order powers of the thickness coordinate in the in-plane displacement fields. Essential rotary inertia terms are derived and included in the present analysis. An extensive amount of non-dimensional frequencies and mode shapes are calculated for thick and thin skew cantilevered plates having various thickness ratios and arbitrary degrees of skewness. The efficacy of using higher order shear deformable plate finite elements for predicting the in-plane vibration modes of skew plates is found to increase as the thickness ratio decreases and the skew angle increases. The present work shows that higher order shear deformable finite elements essentially eliminate the over-correction of thick skew plate frequencies that is produced when first order shear deformable finite elements are utilized. Results using the present finite element analysis are compared with those obtained using three-dimensional finite element and continuum-based analyses, and experimental methods.
A novel method for growing Arabidopsis thaliana plants hydroponically

In this report we describe the development of a simple system for growing individual Arabidopsis plants hydroponically under environmental conditions which are simple to maintain while maximizing growth and development. The system consists of a Life Raft Float Unit with a 14–20 mm sponge inserted into its center; this unit is placed into a Magenta GA7 vessel containing Arabidopsis nutrient solution. Plants grown in this experimental system do not require aeration, 125 μmol m−2 s−1 supports vigorous plant growth, 1/4 to 1/8 strength Arabidopsis nutrient solution promotes maximal growth while higher or lower levels have adverse effects and temperatures between 18 and 24°C were found to be optimal. Plants grown under these conditions exhibit physiological factors such as time to flowering and overall appearance similar to those grown in potting media. The low maintenance method described in this paper provides an alternative to existing hydroponic methods used to grow Arabidopsis. Adaptation of this system for growing large numbers of plants in 1 container is also discussed.
Information Systems in Teacher Preparation Programs: What Can We Learn from a 5-Year Longitudinal Case Study of an Electronic Portfolio Database?

In 2003, a portfolio system was implemented to manage the data associated with the field experiences in a teacher education program at a research institution in the southeast region of the United States. In this longitudinal study, the implementation trends from usage data extracted from the system are used to discuss the implications for the use of the system in terms of how it “fits” within the organizational structure. This analysis is framed by concepts related to the implementation of Management Information Systems (Markus & Robey, 1988) and diffusion of innovation (Rogers, 2003). Findings suggest that decentralized environments result in higher degrees of reinvention.
ONYX: A System for the Semantic Analysis of Clinical Text

This paper introduces ONYX, a sentence-level text analyzer that implements a number of innovative ideas in syntactic and semantic analysis. ONYX is being developed as part of a project that seeks to translate spoken dental examinations directly into chartable findings. ONYX integrates syntax and semantics to a high degree. It interprets sentences using a combination of probabilistic classifiers, graphical unification, and semantically annotated grammar rules. In this preliminary evaluation, ONYX shows inter-annotator agreement scores with humans of 86% for assigning semantic types to relevant words, 80% for inferring relevant concepts from words, and 76% for identifying relations between concepts.
Probing site-exclusive binding of aqueous QDs and their organelle-dependent dynamics in live cells by single molecule spectroscopy

Understanding the biophysical and chemical interactions of nanoprobes and their fate upon entering live cells is critical for developing fundamental insights related to intracellular diagnostics, drug delivery and targeting. In this article we report herein a single molecule analysis procedure to quantitate site-specific exclusive membrane binding of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC)-capped cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots (QDs) in A-427 lung carcinoma cells (k(eq) = 0.075 ± 0.011 nM(-1)), its relative intracellular distribution and dynamics using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) combined with scanning confocal fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). In particular, we demonstrate that the binding efficacy of QDs to the cell membrane is directly related to their size and the targeting of QDs to specific membrane sites is exclusive. We also show that QDs are efficiently internalized by endocytosis and enclosed within the endosome and organelle-dependent diffusion dynamics can be monitored in live cells.
Sequential changes in serum glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol in aging of normal and alloxan-diabetic rats.

16-week-old Wistar, alloxan diabetic rats exhibited progressive elevations in levels of serum glucose, total triglycerides, cholesterol and creatinine over a period of 8 weeks; hyperglycemia preceeded hyperlipidemia and hypercreatininemia and hypertriglyceridemia preceeded hypercholesteremia. Age-matched control rats failed to develop any signs of hyperglycemia or hypercreatininemia, but did develop both hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia at 24 weeks of age. This suggests that the progressive cardiovascular derangements (e.g., atherosclerosis, hypertension) noted in experimental diabetes mellitus and in the normal aging (and maturation) process may be brought about by distinctly different biochemical processes.
LONG CHAIN POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (LC-PUFA) IN HUMAN MILK ARE NOT AFFECTED BY PASTEURIZATION. 1381

Donor milk has to be pasteurized before feeding to avoid transmission of infectious agents to the recipient infants. Donor milk is often fed to hospitalized premature or sick infants whose mothers are unable to provide sufficient milk. In addition to nutrients, human milk provides numerous bioactive components essential to newborn development. Among the latter are LC-PUFA such as arachidonic acid (AA) essential for growth and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) needed for brain development and visual function. Because of their high degree of unsaturation, LC-PUFA are susceptible to oxidation and might be affected by pasteurization (30 min at 62.5°C). Milk fatty acids were quantified by gas chromatography in 6 milk samples (collected during the first three months of lactation) before and after pasteurization. Data are expressed as% (mean±SEM). Table
Morphology Control of Cadmium Selenide Nanocrystals: Insights into the Roles of Di-n-octylphosphine Oxide (DOPO) and Di-n-octylphosphinic Acid (DOPA)

Di-n-octylphosphine oxide (DOPO) and di-n-octylphosphinic acid (DOPA), as two of impurities found in commercial tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO), generate significant differences in the outcomes of CdSe-nanocrystal (NC) syntheses. Using n-tetradecylphosphonic acid (TDPA) as the primary acid additive, quantum dots (QDs) are grown with DOPO added, whereas quantum rods (QRs) are grown in the presence of DOPA. While using oleic acid (OA) as the primary acid additive, QDs are generated and the QDs produced with DOPA exhibit larger sizes and size distributions than those produced with DOPO. 31P NMR analyses of the reaction mixtures reveal that the majority of the DOPO has been converted into DOPA and di-n-octylphosphine (DOP) with DOP being removed via evacuation over the course of Cd-precursor preparation. The origin of the puzzling differences in the shape control of CdSe NCs in the presence of DOPO and DOPA is elucidated to be the small quantity of DOPO present, which liberates DOP during NC synthesis. In t...
Ceruloplasmin alters intracellular iron regulated proteins and pathways: Ferritin, transferrin receptor, glutamate and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) is a ferroxidase important to the regulation of both systemic and intracellular iron levels. Cp has a critical role in iron metabolism in the brain and retina as shown in patients with aceruloplasminemia and in Cp-/-hep-/y mice where iron accumulates and neural and retinal degeneration ensue. We have previously shown that cultured lens epithelial cells (LEC) secrete Cp. The purpose of the current study was to determine if cultured retinal pigmented epithelial cells (RPE) also secrete Cp. In addition, the effects of exogenously added Cp on iron regulated proteins and pathways, ferritin, transferrin receptor, glutamate secretion and levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in the nucleus were determined. Like LEC, RPE secrete Cp. Cp was found diffusely distributed within both cultured LEC and RPE, but the cell membranes had more intense staining. Exogenously added Cp caused an increase in ferritin levels in both cell types and increased secretion of glutamate. The Cp-induced increase in glutamate secretion was inhibited by both the aconitase inhibitor oxalomalic acid as well as iron chelators. As predicted by the canonical view of the iron regulatory protein (IRP) as the predominant controller of cellular iron status these results indicate that there is an increase in available iron (called the labile iron pool (LIP)) in the cytoplasm. However, both transferrin receptor (TfR) and nuclear levels of HIF-1α were increased and these results point to a decrease in available iron. Such confounding results have been found in other systems and indicate that there is a much more complex regulation of intracellularly available iron (LIP) and its downstream effects on cell metabolism. Importantly, the Cp increased production and secretion of the neurotransmitter, glutamate, is a substantive finding of clinical relevance because of the neural and retinal degeneration found in aceruloplasminemia patients. This finding and Cp-induced nuclear translocation of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF1) subunit HIF-1α adds novel information to the list of critical pathways impacted by Cp.
Practice and Attitudes towards CYP2D6 Testing for Patients on Tamoxifen among US Oncologists.

Background: CYP2D6 genotype has been associated with breast cancer outcomes for patients on Tamoxifen (TAM) and testing is commercially available. In the context of emerging data regarding the clinical relevance of CYP2D6 testing (CYPT) and uncertainty regarding how test results should be used in practice, we evaluated current practice and attitudes with regard to this novel pharmacogenomic test among U.S. oncologists.Methods: A survey was mailed to all breast cancer oncologists identified at National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCNO) centers and a random sample of community based oncologists (CBO) identified from the American Society of Clinical Oncology directory. The survey evaluated knowledge of the CYP2D test, use of the test, requests for the test by patients and third parties, and response to hypothetical test results. Associations between practice setting and CYP2D6 knowledge, CYPT, and practice patterns were evaluated. All statistical tests were two-sided.Results: 201 of 459 (44%) oncologists responded, including 97/173 (56%) of NCCNO and 104/286 (36%) of CBO. While 90% of all oncologists were aware of CYPT, only 31% had ever ordered CYPT, and only 14% used CYPT for ≥ 10% of patients on TAM. 22% had received a request for CYPT from a 3rd party. While NCCNO were more likely to be aware of CYPT (98% vs. 82%, p Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 1077.
Reflections of a Therapist/Wife of a Therapist/Husband

The author shares some of her experiences of changing from a more traditional role of housewife and mother to a mode of combining career with marriage and motherhood. The emphasis here lies on the subtle changes that took place in her professional and personal relationship with her therapist/husband who entered the family therapy field before she did. The author has talked with more than a dozen therapist/wives and therapist/husbands to learn from the larger community what their experiences have been. This process of growth and development among therapist/wives and therapist/husbands is vital and important and is bound to impact their daily work with clients and organizations.
Mechanisms Underlying Segmentation of Colored Textures

Abstract This paper examines the nature of the post-receptoral chromatic and achromatic mechanisms involved in a texture segmentation task. Observers viewed a 64 × 64 square-element texture in which the chromaticity and brightness of each element was drawn from a one-dimensional Gaussian distribution of values centered at a white point in color space. The orientation in color space and variance of this distribution defined the noise in the stimulus. The mean chromaticity and/or brightness of a central 32 × 32 element area (the target) was shifted away from the white point along the same direction as the noise or along a different direction. We measured target thresholds as a function of noise amplitude. The steepness of this relationship defined the effectiveness of the noise. Within planes spanned by the achromatic axis and one of the two cardinal chromatic axes, we found selective effects of noise along each of the two cardinal axes. Within the purely chromatic (isoluminant) plane, we found selective effects of noise along four lines—the two cardinal chromatic axes and two intermediate ones. We describe a simple model to account for our results. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.
Large deformation analysis of laminated shells by ftnife element method

Abstract A finite element formulation is presented for conducting large deformation analysis of laminated anisotropic shells. The element adopted herein is a “degenerated” three-dimensional isoparametric element. Derivations of the nonlinear geometric element stiffness matrices were made on the basis of updated Lagrangian description. The numerical formulations of the shell element were implemented into a nonlinear finite program. Numerical characteristics of the element with respect to the mesh size and the use of integration orders were studied for a plate with simply supports and clamped supports. In addition, several examples are included to demonstrate the utility of the element
Characterization of copper layers grown by electrochemical mechanical deposition technique

Electrochemical mechanical deposition (ECMD) is a new method that has the ability to deposit planar copper films on nonplanar substrate surfaces. The technique involves electrochemical deposition (ECD) and simultaneous sweeping of the substrate surface with a planarization pad. In this study, we investigated if there were any fundamental differences in the crystallization mechanisms of copper layers grown by the ECD and ECMD techniques. Comparing the variation of the electrical resistivity values over time for films deposited by ECD and ECMD methods and stored at around 18 °C, we found that there were only slight differences in the incubation periods of self-annealing. The activation energies for recrystallization were found to be 0.71 and 0.61 eV for layers grown by the ECD and the ECMD techniques, respectively. The major difference between the ECD and ECMD films was found in the crystalline texture, with ECD layers having a higher degree of (111) preferred orientation compared to the ECMD layers in their as-deposited form. After annealing, the situation reversed, and the ECMD layers displayed a higher (111)/(200) ratio compared to the ECD layers. Differences in texture are believed to result from the mechanical action of the pad on the ECMD copper layers which interfere with and alter the orientation of the growing grains. After high-temperature annealing, ECMD Cu layer microstructure was found to display larger grain size and more fully developed twins indicative of more complete recrystallization.
Brief exposure to light initiates screening pigment migration in retinula cells of the crayfish,Procambarus

Exposure of eyes excised from dark-adapted crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) to white light for 30s (Fig. 1) or 5s (Fig. 3) elicits migration of screening pigment in retinula cells; migration continues in the dark without requiring further exposure to light, and reaches completion within 5 to 10 min. For a 5-s exposure to light, the threshold illuminance is about 200 lx and the saturating illuminance is about 20,000 lx (Fig. 2). Between these limits, the extent of migration increases with illuminance, but the rate of migration remains relatively constant (Fig. 3). The calculated velocity of pigment granule transport is about 0.7 μm/s, which is comparable to the velocities reported for much smaller migration distances in some insect eyes. Since migration continues long after depolarization has ended, transport cannot be by electrophoresis, as Stavenga (1975) proposes. Control of migration by calcium ions is proposed as a likely hypothesis; calcium could act by activating a transport system or by causing the disassembly of microtubules.
A safety counterculture challenge to a “safety climate”

This case study is about a small group of workmen caught in a common dilemma regarding work safety. They must work safely and maintain production within a pathological organization that does not meaningfully reward participation or communication. They do so as a group and socially construct danger, injury and safety for themselves. They constitute a functioning counterculture and challenge the safety climate contrived by managers. Although limited in scope, the study suggests that we can learn from the details of their interactions with their work environment, with one another, and with their managers.
The molecular genetics of chemotaxis: sensing and responding to chemoattractant gradients.

Chemotaxis plays a central role in various biological processes, such as the movement of neutrophils and macrophage during wound healing and in the aggregation of Dictyostelium cells. During the past few years, new understanding of the mechanisms controlling chemotaxis has been obtained through molecular genetic and biochemical studies of Dictyostelium and other experimental systems. This review outlines our present understanding of the signaling pathways that allow a cell to sense and respond to a chemoattractant gradient. In response to chemoattractants, cells either become polarized in the direction of the chemoattractant source, which results in the formation of a leading edge, or they reorient their polarity in the direction of the chemoattractant gradient and move with a stronger persistence up the gradient. Models are presented here to explain such directional responses. They include a localized activation of pathways at the leading edge and an “inhibition” of these pathways along the lateral edges of the cell. One of the primary pathways that may be responsible for such localized responses is the activation of phosphatidyl inositol-3 kinase (PI3K). Evidence suggests that a localized formation of binding sites for PH (pleckstrin homology) domain-containing proteins produced by PI3K leads to the formation of “activation domains” at the leading edge, producing a localized response. BioEssays 22:603–615, 2000. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Citizenship Debates in the New Germany

Nowhere is the fear, guilt, and pain of Germany’s dreadful past more evident that in contemporary debates over immigration policy. This debate has pit successive Christian Democratic Union politicians, who define Germany in ethno-nationalist terms, against the German left, which seeks to replace the volkish national tradition with a post-national multicultural identity. Ethno-nationalists and multicultural post-nationalists speak powerful, but mutually exclusive, moral languages that galvanize large segments of the German public. At the national level, extremists rarely succeed in Germany’s immigration debates, and the legislation that prevails represents a chaotic mix of liberal and nationalist policies.
The Spread of Sleep Loss Influences Drug Use in Adolescent Social Networks

Troubled sleep is a commonly cited consequence of adolescent drug use, but it has rarely been studied as a cause. Nor have there been any studies of the extent to which sleep behavior can spread in social networks from person to person to person. Here we map the social networks of 8,349 adolescents in order to study how sleep behavior spreads, how drug use behavior spreads, and how a friend's sleep behavior influences one's own drug use. We find clusters of poor sleep behavior and drug use that extend up to four degrees of separation (to one's friends' friends' friends' friends) in the social network. Prospective regression models show that being central in the network negatively influences future sleep outcomes, but not vice versa. Moreover, if a friend sleeps ≤7 hours, it increases the likelihood a person sleeps ≤7 hours by 11%. If a friend uses marijuana, it increases the likelihood of marijuana use by 110%. Finally, the likelihood that an individual uses drugs increases by 19% when a friend sleeps ≤7 hours, and a mediation analysis shows that 20% of this effect results from the spread of sleep behavior from one person to another. This is the first study to suggest that the spread of one behavior in social networks influences the spread of another. The results indicate that interventions should focus on healthy sleep to prevent drug use and targeting specific individuals may improve outcomes across the entire social network.
Multidimensional scaling of selected samples from the optical society of America uniform color scales

The Optical Society of America Uniform Color Scales was produced as an attempt to create a color order system in which equal geometric distances correspond to equally perceived color differences. A psychophysical experiment was designed to determine the perceived visual uniformity within two oblique planar subsets of the Uniform Color Scales. A modified interval-scaling procedure using perceived value differences within a portion of the Munsell Value scale was used to assess the perceived magnitudes of dissimilarities between sample pairs of the Uniform Color Scales. Multidimensional-scaling methods were used to analyze the dissimilarity data for the two planar subsets, each of which was judged by five observers. Despite some limited subadditivity for which a number of plausible explanations were provided, each oblique planar subset was shown to demonstrate satisfactory visual uniformity on the basis of the average judgement obtained for five observers. These results also demonstrate that it is possible for human observers to judge dissimilarities within a planar array varying in three attributes of color and to resolve those differences into a true two-dimensional representation.
An Intervention to Decrease Adolescent Indoor Tanning: A Multi-Method Pilot Study

Purpose Indoor tanning usually begins during adolescence, but few strategies exist to discourage adolescent use. We developed and tested a parent–teenager intervention to decrease indoor tanning use.
Key Words and Phrases—The Key to Scholarly Visibility and Efficiency in an Information Explosion

Abstract The statistical literature is growing at an increasing rate and has become diffused among more journals and publishers. Most libraries now have neither the funds nor the space to provide anything approaching complete coverage. As a result, access to the literature by statisticians is increasingly mediated by computer-assisted bibliographic searches. Authors can do much to help bibliographers provide relevant and complete information about their papers, including the selection of appropriate key words and phrases (KW's). Complete bibliographic information can also help prevent duplication of results, and thus wasted time and journal space. Guidelines for the selection of optimal KW's are provided and discussed.
A role for the transcription factor ets-2 in Down's syndrome neuropathology

Down's Syndrome (DS) is the most frequent genetic cause of mental retardation. Most DS patients develop Alzheimer's disease by middle age. A transgenic model of ets-2 that presents pathological features similar to DS suggests a role for ets-2 in DS (Sumarsono et al. 1996; Nature379, 534). We analyzed the expression and activity of ets-2 in normal and DS brain tissue and human cortical neurons (HCN) in culture. Western blot and immunocytochemistry revealed that ets-2 is expressed in the human brain and in HCN during development. The level of ets-2 was significantly increased in DS brain homogenates and DS HCN cultures. Interestingly, DS HCN cultures exhibited reduced bcl-2 and increased bax and p53 protein levels consistent with reduced DS neuronal viability in culture. To determine the role of ets-2 in neuronal degeneration, normal neurons were transfected with an ets-2 expression vector. After 24 h, a significant increase in cell death was observed in ets-2-transfected neurons but not in neurons cotransfected with a dominant-negative ets-2 expression vector (ets-2dn). Neuronal degeneration was dependent on p53 activity since a dominant-negative mutant form of p53 significantly abolished ets-2-induced neuronal degeneration. Moreover, ets-2 overexpression did not increase neuronal death in neuronal cultures derived from p53KO mice. Finally, the expression of ets-2dn significantly reduced degeneration of DS cortical neurons in culture. In DS, ets-2 overexpression may compromise neuronal viability directly by inducing neuronal apoptosis or indirectly by rendering neurons more sensitive to pro-apoptotic stimuli such as Aβ neurotoxicity and oxidative stress.
Extension of depth of field in integral imaging using amplitude and phase modulation of the pupil function

We analyze the extension of depth of field using both amplitude and phase modulation of the pupil function. In particular, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each approach and establish the range of applicability of each method based on the range of spatial frequencies of interest in the imaging system. Our result serves as a starting point for choosing the right form of modulation for extension of depth of field.
Hemodynamic and electrocardiographic effects of fluoxetine and its major metabolite, norfluoxetine, in anesthetized dogs.

The cardiovascular effects of the selective serotonin uptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, and its N-desmethyl metabolite, norfluoxetine, were studied in anesthetized dogs during constant iv infusion of supratherapeutic doses (0.1 mg/kg/min for 50 min). Fluoxetine and norfluoxetine did not significantly affect mean blood pressure, pulmonary artery wedge pressure, or heart rate compared to a corresponding vehicle group. Cardiac output fell 15 to 20% during fluoxetine infusion due to nonsignificant decreases in both heart rate (10%) and stroke volume (5 to 10%). In contrast, the tricyclic antidepressant agent, amitriptyline, infused at the same dose, decreased both mean pressure and systemic vascular resistance (20%) and increased heart rate (20%). Pulmonary wedge pressure rose by 35%, and stroke volume fell by 20% suggesting impaired ventricular contractility. Both intramyocardial and infranodal conduction was slowed during amitriptyline infusion as indicated by increases in the QRS duration, and the PQ and HV interval. Fluoxetine and norfluoxetine had no influence on cardiac impulse conduction velocity as assessed by either surface or intracardiac conduction indices. Plasma concentration of fluoxetine, norfluoxetine, and amitriptyline reached during infusion ranged from 1.0 to 2.5 μg/ml. Platelet [3H]serotonin uptake was inhibited by 95% during infusion of fluoxetine and about 75% during infusion of norfluoxetine or amitriptyline. These observations indicate that large iv doses of fluoxetine or norfluoxetine lack prominent cardiodepressant effects in dogs, suggesting a greater margin of safety for fluoxetine compared to tricyclic antidepressant drugs.
Oblique convergence, arc-parallel extension, and the role of strike-slip faulting in the High Himalaya

Arc-parallel extension is an important component of the active deformation of the Himalaya. This extension is accommodated via arc-perpendicular normal faults linked to arc-parallel strike-slip faults. Analysis of ~130 global positioning system geodetic velocities indicates >3 cm yr –1 of arc-parallel extension of the Himalaya. Several models have sought to explain Himalayan arc-parallel extension and strike-slip faulting, including lateral extrusion of Tibet, oroclinal bending of the Himalaya, radial spreading of Tibet and the Himalaya, and variably oblique convergence between India and the Himalaya. Predictions of each model are tested against structural and geodetic observations. These tests indicate that the oblique convergence model best describes Himalayan extensional and strike-slip deformation.
Increased Intraocular Pressure in Severely Burned Patients

Six eyes of three patients with severe body burns had intraocular pressure ranging from 37.2 to 81.7 mm Hg. Because of extreme orbital congestion, lateral canthotomies were performed, which caused abrupt decrease in intraocular pressure (range, 17.6 to 49.0 mm Hg). None of the patients had a history of glaucoma, narrow angles, or any precondition for a pupillary block mechanism. Two patients survived and neither had optic nerve damage or increased intraocular pressure after hospital discharge. Tonometry should be performed in patients with severe burns and orbital congestion, especially in those patients receiving large amounts of intravenous fluids. Lateral canthotomies may be of benefit to relieve potentially damaging high intraocular pressure.
The course portfolio in a library setting

Abstract For several years, Western University Libraries has had a varied instruction program that includes independent credit courses, courses linked to one or more discipline courses, and customized bibliographic instruction sessions. The librarians who deliver instruction are considering different methods of assessment. This article focuses on the use of course portfolios in a medium-sized academic library. Two course portfolios are described: one for a 100-level library course and the other a 300-level library course, both of which were linked with discipline courses and offered for one credit. Library literature thus far has focused on instruction program or teaching portfolios, not on the use of portfolios to assess a specific course. This article discusses the philosophy and format of the course portfolio and the use of the portfolio for self-assessment, and for evaluation and revision of these two courses.