cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Genus Panax {Ginseng) in Chinese Medicine

Five species ofPanax native of China are used in medicine. Ginseng, the best known, is prepared from the root ofP. ginseng C. A. Meyer. It is a tonic prescribed primarily for the restoration of strength in weak people.San-ch’i, a product prepared from the root ofP. pseudoginseng Wall., is a pain reliever and a hemostatic. It is prescribed for cancer, boils, swellings, bleeding, bruises, internal hemorrhages and irregular menses. Commercial products of these species are prepared from cultivated plants. Other species of Panax — P. bipinnatifidum Seem., P. japonicum C. A. Meyer, and P. major (Burk.) Ting — are used in folk medicine by people living in the mountains. This article deals with botanical descriptions and geographical and ecological notes of the species, the preparation, identification and marketing of the products, and the pharmacological aspects of the drugs. It also contains a list of 22 species of seng-producing plants in 12 genera and seven families of Dicotyledoneae other than Araliaceae.
Automated processing of construction specifications to support inspection and quality control

Construction specifications play an important role in communicating quality requirements on a construction project. However, working with these specifications can be cumbersome and error prone due to the large amount of specifications that need to be considered and the dependencies between those specifications. This paper discusses an approach for automating the processing of construction specifications to support inspection and quality control tasks in construction projects. The reasoning approach leverages information available in different types of product and process models to identify specifications applicable to products existing in a project and to extract the requirements imposed by the specifications applicable to each product. The automated identification of applicable specifications and the automated extraction of requirements imposed by these specifications can support and enable automation of tasks, such as inspection and defect detection, which depend on information from construction specifications. Thus, the herein presented specification reasoning approach can be seen as a stepping stone towards automated defect detection on construction sites.
Zotero: A Product Review

Zotero is a free and open source Firefox extension that exists within the Web browser and allows one to collect, manage, store, and cite resources in a single location. 1 Zotero automatically imports citation information from a number of sources, including nonsubscription, newspaper, and commercial Web sites, and Web-based databases such as PubMed and MedlinePlus. Zotero offers more options for note taking than the better-known citation management system EndNote. Sixteen citation styles are available when Zotero is initially downloaded, with many more freely available. Users can install a plug-in that allows Zotero to integrate with Microsoft Word. Even though Zotero does not have an on-demand customer support service, its Web site offers a wealth of information for users. The authors highly recommend Zotero.
Energy security implications of a national low carbon fuel standard

Abstract This paper discusses the potential energy security implications of a national low carbon fuel standard (NLCFS). A low carbon fuel standard is designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by targeting the fuel portion of the fuel-vehicle system. Specifically, a NLCFS would set national targets for the average carbon intensity (CI) of motor fuels, and establish a market for credits that allows fuel producers and importers to respond in a variety of ways to the signal provided by the credit price. An important method for lowering the CI of transportation is to substitute lower-carbon alternative fuels such as advanced biofuels, electricity, CNG, and H2. Despite the focus on GHGs, so long as transportation fuels remain dominated by petroleum, transportation fuel policies like a NLCFS also will be evaluated in terms of their energy security impacts. We examine the fuel substitutions that are projected to be induced by a NLCFS and consider the energy security implications of displacing higher carbon fuels, such as imported Canadian Oil Sands oil or certain imported crude oils, with lower-carbon domestic oil, biofuels, or lower carbon oil imported from other sources.
Estradiol modulation of plasminogen activator production in organ cultures of human breast carcinomas: correlation with clinical outcome of anti-estrogen therapy.

We have studied the estradiol sensitivity of primary human breast carcinomas in organ culture in a prospective pilot series of 109 tumors. The effect on plasminogen activator (PA) production was used as the end-point of estrogen action. We found that: (i) All tumors secreted detectable levels of urokinase-type PA (uPA); the level of basal uPA production was markedly heterogeneous but showed a weak association with the level of estrogen receptor positivity (p = 0.049). (ii) Only 23.5% of the tumors secreted tissue-type PA (tPA) in addition to uPA; a higher proportion of these tumors had histological characteristics indicative of good prognosis (18% vs. 3% of tumors secreting only uPA). (iii) Estradiol modulated uPA production and this effect was receptor-mediated, (iv) Responsiveness to estradiol was limited to a subset (25 of 60 or 41.7%) of estrogen and progesterone-receptor-positive tumors, (v) Of 20 evaluable patients with lymph-node and receptor-positive breast cancer who received adjuvant anti-estrogen therapy, 11 were identified as estradiol-sensitive by the in vitro PA assay; of these, 10 had no evidence of disease after a median follow-up period of 3+ years. In contrast, of 9 patients with tumors identified as estradiol-insensitive, 4 developed metastases within 3+ years of follow-up. (vi) Consistent with the previously reported inhibitory effect of corticosteroids on uPA production in organ cultures of human tumors, the basal culture level of uPA produced by tumors from patients receiving corticosteroids at the time of surgery was significantly lower than the level of uPA in the remaining tumors (p = 0.029). Also, tumors from patients receiving thyroid hormone, known to stimulate uPA in vitro, showed a slight trend toward increased production of uPA. These results show that hormone effects on tumor PA production are qualitatively similar in organ culture and in the host. This and the emerging individual correlation between sensitivity to estradiol in vitro, as determined by PA, and the clinical effectiveness of anti-estrogen therapy, underscore the potential usefulness of the organ culture approach.
Alaproclate effects on voltage-dependent K+ channels and NMDA receptors: Studies in cultured rat hippocampal neurons and fibroblast cells transformed with Kvl.2 K+ channel cDNA

Abstract The effects of alaproclate on voltage-dependent K+ currents and N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) and ψ -aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor currents were investigated in cultured rat hippocampal neurons using whole-cell voltage clamp recording techniques. Alaproclate produced a concentration-dependent block of the sustained voltage-dependent K+ current activated by depolarization from −60 to +40mV (IC50, 6.9μM). At similar concentrations alaproclate also blocked the sustained voltage-dependent K+ current in fibroblast cells transformed to stably express Kvl.2 K+ channels. Analysis of tail currents and the voltage-dependence of the alaproclate block suggested an open-channel blocking mechanism. Alaproclate also produced a potent block of NMDA receptor currents in hippocampal neurons (IC50, 1.1 μM), but did not affect GABAA receptor currents (concentrations up to 100μM). The alaproclate block of NMDA receptors occurred predominantly by an open-channel mechanism, although the drug was also able to block closed NMDA channels at a much slower rate. The interaction of alaproclate with NMDA receptors (activated by 10 μM NMDA) appeared to be governed by a first order binding reaction with forward and reverse rate constants of 6.7 × 103M−1, and 0.025 sec−1, respectively (at −60 mV). At depolarized potentials the alaproclate-induced block of the NMDA receptor current was strongly reduced, a result opposite to that seen with the voltage-activated K+ currents, suggesting that the K+ channel block may occur at a superficial internal site, whereas the NMDA receptor block occurs at a deep external site. ( + )-Alaproclate was a more potent blocker of K+ currents than (-)-alaproclate, whereas a reversed stereoselectivity was observed for NMDA receptor current, supporting the view that alaproclate block of the two channel types occurs at structurally distinct binding sites.
Direct Proof of the Covariance of Gupta's Indefinite Metric in Quantum Electrodynamics

Gupta's method of the indefinite metric is at this time for many purposes the most satisfactory method of formulating the principles of quantum electrodynamics. Gupta's indefinite metric, however, depends on the number of scalar photons. This number is no invariant. Yet, the covariance of Gupta's indefinite metric has been proved before. This seems at first surprising. In the present paper we show why the lack of invariance of the number of scalar photons does not matter and how a certain covariance of the occupation numbers together with "repolarization operators" insures the covariance of Gupta's method. In particular, if the norms of the eigenfunctions of occupation numbers are chosen in accordance with Gupta's prescription in one Lorentz frame, they are automatically in accordance with this prescription in a different Lorentz frame.
Dose formulation and analysis of diapocynin.

Procedures based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection and liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry (LC−MS) are described for analyzing diapocynin. Diapocynin was synthesized by oxidative coupling of two apocynin monomers, through the in situ generation of sulfate radicals. It was purified by washing 3 times each with boiling water, followed by boiling methanol. HPLC was used to determine the concentration of unreacted apocynin and other impurities and the purity of the diapocynin that had been synthesized. Negative-ion, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) LC−MS was used to determine the molecular weights of impurities. The method using HPLC with UV detection provided a calibration curve that was linear from 0.16 to 24 µg/mL. The LC−MS method was linear from 0.005 to 2 µg/mL. It was found that diapocynin has low solubility in deionized water and corn oil but is soluble in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and alkaline aqueous solutions. Also, diapocynin is 13 t...
Artificial neural networks in chest radiography: application to the differential diagnosis of interstitial lung disease.

Rationale and Objectives. The authors evaluted the usefulness of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in the differential diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. Materials and Methods. The authors used three-layer, feed-forward ANNs with a back-propagation algorithm. The ANNs were designed to distinguish between 11 interstitial lung diseases on the basis of 10 clinical parameters and 16 radiologic findings extracted by chest radiologists. Thus, the ANNs consisted of 26 input units and 11 output units. One hundred fifty actual clinical cases. 110 cases from previously published articles, and 110 hypothetical cases were used for training and testing the ANNs by using a round-robin (or leave-one-out) technique. ANN performance was evaluated wtih receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results. The A z (area under the ROC curve) obtained with actual clinical cases was 0.947, and both the sensitivity and specificity of the ANNs were approximately 90% in terms of indicating the correct diagnosis with the two largest output values among the 11 diseases. Conclusion. ANNs using clinical parameters and radiologic findings may be useful for making the differential diagnosis of interstitial lung disease on chest radiographs.
How Would we Recognize a Martensitic Transformation if it Bumped into us on a Dark & Austy Night ?

The history of the meaning of martensitic transformation over the past forty years is briefly reviewed, and an area of common agreement is identified centered on the concepts of cooperative atomic motion and shape change. A search is made for the minimum elements required in a definition that will be simple, compact, precise and easily tested. It is argued that cooperative atomic motion implies acoustic emission, and that this could provide an important operational element in the definition. A distillation of past definitions, with this new ingredient added yields, as a proposed irreducible definition : A martensitic transformation involves a cooperative motion of a set of atoms across an interface causing a shape change and sound.
Fibronectin-induced protein carboxy-O-methylation in aortic endothelial cells

Abstract In a previous report (Bowersox, J.C. and Sorgente, N. (1982) Cancer Res. 42, 2547–2551) we demonstrated that the glycoprotein fibronectin is a chemoattractant for vascular endothelial cells. In probing the mechanisms by which fibronectin induces endothelial cell chemotaxis, we have discovered that the carboxy- O -methylation of cellular proteins is stimulated by fibronectin. By measuring the incorporation of l -[ methyl - 3 H]methionine into alkali-labile, [ 3 H]methyl ester linkages, we determined that fibronectin stimulated protein carboxy- O -methylation in aortic endothelial cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner; the greatest stimulation occurred at 100 μg/ml fibronectin (approx. 35% above controls). When inhibitors of carboxymethylation were added, fibronectin-induced stimulation of protein methylation did not occur. Furthermore, inhibitors of methylation prevented the chemotaxis of endothelial cells in response to fibronectin. These data support our hypothesis that fibronectin mediates endothelial cell chemotaxis, such as that occurring during neovascularization. As carboxy- O -methylation of cell proteins is also effected by fibronectin, transmethylation reactions may be an important component of endothelial cell chemotaxis.
The CCD flash gate

Preliminary findings are presented for a new approach that significantly improves the quantum efficiency of the current generation of high-performance, thinned, backside illuminated silicon CCDs. Experiments have shown that the application of a less than 4-micron thick layer of metal with high work function to the backside of the CCD can yield 100-percent internal quantum efficiency in the visible, UV, XUV and soft X-ray regions of the spectrum. Theory and solid state models describing the new technique (the 'CCD flash gate'), and a considerable amount of experimental data, are discussed. Specific recommendations for use of the flash gate in present and future CCDs are also reviewed.
Morphogenesis and clinicopathologic characteristics of recurrent carotid disease.

Abstract The histopathologic characteristics of primary plaques and recurrent carotid disease were studied in 32 patients. These data were related to symptoms, recurrence interval (6 to 176 months), arteriographic anatomy, and in situ operative findings. A striking predilection was noted for recurrent lesions to be located in the internal carotid artery near the origin, but still within the confines, of the original endarterectomy site and suture line. Although recurrence was frequently associated with a long primary arteriotomy, evidence of technical faults or periarterial fibrosis was rare. Early recurrent lesions (recurrence interval 36 months, n=19). As previously reported, features of atherosclerosis (abundant collagen, calcium deposits, and foam cells) were more pronounced in late recurrences (p
Ion formation on the surfaces of electrodes

Abstract The initial phase of the onset of electrical breakdown in a vacuum discharge is characterized by very rapid ionization of surface material which leads to a kind of “explosive” plasma formation on the electrodes. As an increasing electric field is applied between the two electrodes of a vacuum diode the ionization process is initiated by the field emission of electrons from highly localized spots on the cathode surface. Despite the fundamental importance of cathode spots for the breakdown process, the structure of cathode spots and the fast ionization rates of surface layers were not fully understood. Besides the Joule heating of the field emitting spot, the electrons also desorb contaminants and ionize some of the released neutrals. Ions produced a short distance (∼1 μm) from the spot are accelerated back towards the cathode. This ion bombardment leads to surface heating of the spot and calculations of the power deposition show that ion surface heating is initially orders of magnitude larger than Joule heating. Ion bombardment is especially important at low initial current densities since it is efficient in producing desorption and sputtering of neutrals from the surface and hence increases the neutral density which in turn increases the ionization rate. As more ions are produced, a positive space charge layer forms which enhances the electric field and thus strongly enhances the field emitted electron current. Surface heating and the buildup of positive space charge rapidly lead to further enhanced field emission and finally thermionic electron emission. The localized buildup of an ion sheath above the electron emitting spot naturally leads to pressure and electric field distributions which provide such a large electron flow and ion sputtering rates that the spot explodes into a dense plasma within a few nanoseconds.
Vestibular sway: Parameters of the eliciting stimulus

Postural sway was elicited in human Ss using various combinations of low frequency-low amplitude sinusoidal electrical stimulation at the mastoid processes. Amount of sway was a V-shaped function of the stimulus frequency at low amplitude and an inverted V function at the higher amplitude. Amplitude-frequency combinations optimal for eliciting overall sway were different from those most suitable for use in conditioning.
Fast fine-frequency demodulation with wavelets

This paper addresses the issue of extracting fine-frequency modulation laws from narrow-band pulsed signals and provides a fast and efficient wavelet-based scheme for their extraction. Two distinct methods of frequency demodulation are analyzed: first, is standard direct extraction using the arctangent function and second, is estimation via wavelet transform ridges. The first method is predominant in applications because implementation is straightforward and computational complexity is small; however, such direct estimates have leading edge and trailing edge variability and are very sensitive to noise. The second wavelet-based method is shown to be robust to noise and provide crisp estimates of all modulation components in a signal. Both methods are numerically implemented in MATLAB and results are compared on a set of signals of interest. As compared to conventional direct estimation, this approach is shown to provide many benefits including noise robustness, estimate leading and trailing edge consistency, and pulse-to-pulse low variation.
Gene therapy gets the Beauty treatment

Gene-deleted adenovirus vectors modified to carry the Sleeping Beauty transposon machinery achieve long-term transgene stabilization and expression.
Syntheses, characterization, and structural studies of half-open zirconocenes

The reaction of Zr(C 5 H 5 )Cl 2 Br with 3 equiv of K(2,4-C 7 H 1 1 ) and 1 equiv of dmpe was found to lead to the 18-electron half-open zirconocene Zr(C 5 H 5 )(2,4-C 7 H 1 1 )(dmpe) (C 7 H 1 1 = dimethylpentadienyl; dmpe = Me 2 PC 2 H 4 PMe 2 ), which has been fully characterized. A structural study has revealed that the Zr-C bond distances for the open dienyl ligand are significantly shorter than those for the C 5 H 5 ligand. Alternatively, through a similar reaction involving the use of only 2 equiv of a more selective (pentadienyl)magnesium reagent, the two dienyl anions serve as one-electron reducing agents, and the Zr(II) complex ZriC 5 H 5 )-(Br)(dmpe) 2 is obtained, which has also been fully characterized. In the absence of dmpe, the reaction between Zr(C 5 H 5 )BrCl 2 and 3 equiv of the magnesium reagent leads to an unusual ZrlC 5 H 5 )(C 1 4 H 2 1 ) complex. The C 1 4 H 2 1 ligand was formed from the coupling of two 2,4-C 7 H 1 1 ligands, followed by the loss of one hydrogen atom, presumably abstracted by the third 2,4-C 7 H 1 1 ligand. The C 1 4 H 2 1 ligand bonds to the zirconium center through both η 5 -dienyl and η 4 -"diene" coordination, leading to an 18-electron complex. The structural parameters indicate that the diene coordination can be more appropriately described as enediyl coordination, leading to a formal Zr(IV) instead of Zr(II) complex. The presence of a high formal metal oxidation state would seem to explain the fact that in this complex, as opposed to Zr(C 5 H 5 )(2,4-C 7 H 1 1 )(dmpe) and many other related complexes, the M-C bond distances for the C 5 H 5 ligand are much shorter than those for the open dienyl ligand.
The Secretion of Oxygen into the Swim-bladder of Fish II. The simultaneous transport of carbon monoxide and oxygen

Toadfish, Opsanus tau, L., were maintained in sea water equilibrated with gas mixtures containing a fixed proportion of oxygen and varying proportions of carbon monoxide. The swim-bladder was emptied by puncture, and, after an interval of 24 or 48 hours, the newly secreted gases were withdrawn and analyzed. Both carbon monoxide and oxygen are accumulated in the swim-bladder at tensions greater than ambient. The ratio of concentrations, carbon monoxide (secreted): carbon monoxide (administered) bears a constant relation to the ratio, oxygen (secreted): oxygen (administered). The value of the partition coefficient describing this relation is (α = 5.44). The two gases are considered to compete for a common intracellular carrier mediating their active transport. The suggestion is advanced that the intracellular oxygen carrier is a hemoglobin. Comparison of the proportions of carboxy- and oxyhemoglobin in the blood with the composition of the secreted gas proves that the secreted gases are not evolved directly from combination with blood hemoglobin. The suggestion is advanced that cellular oxygen secretion occurs in the rete mirabile: the rete may build up large oxygen tensions in the gas gland capillaries. It is suggested that the gas gland acts as a valve impeding back diffusion of gases from the swim-bladder.
Further observations on the ribonucleoproteins of mitotically dividing mammalian cells.

Abstract 1. 1. In addition to the three stages of staining already described for the toluidine blue-molybdate (TBM) procedure, a fourth stage (pre-I) can be revealed by shorter fixation than that required to stain stage I. 2. 2. In stage pre-I, the pars amorpha of the nucleolus, granular parachromatin of the nucleoplasm and the nucleolus (nucleolinus) and a diffuse metachromatic cytoplasmic (Type A) ribonucleoprotein (RNP) are stained in the interphase cell. During mitosis the diffuse cytoplasmic RNP (Type A) disappears and metachromatically staining RNP appears in the chromosomes (chromosomal RNP, Type A). It is suggested that there may be an interchange of Type A RNP between the cytoplasm and the chromosomes during mitosis. The diffuse cytoplasmic RNP (Type B) and the chromosomal RNP (Type B) that have been described previously are not altered during mitosis and have different staining properties from their Type A counterparts. 3. 3. Further analysis of TBM preparations suggests functional differences between the granular and amorphous parachromatin. Both increase during prophase, at the end of which the granular form is released into the entire cytoplasmic area. The amorphous parachromatin diffuses from the prophase nucleus and the anaphase chromosomes into the spindle zone and may constitute an RNA template for the formation of the protein of the spindle fibers which themselves do not contain detectable RNA. 4. 4. The pars amorpha of the nucleolus frequently persists, at first attached to the chromosomes and later, free in the cytoplasm through metaphase, anaphase and telophase in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The same phenomenon is less commonly seen in HeLa, P388D 1 murine lymphoma and monkey kidney cells where the nucleoli disappear more rapidly from the cytoplasm. 5. 5. Minute, metachromatic granules containing RNA are stained by TBM in the vacuolated Golgi zone of HeLa cells grown on glass and appear to represent fragments of cytoplasm between the vacuoles. 6. 6. A total of nine forms of RNP can now be distinguished by virtue of their morphology and staining properties with TBM. Evidence is presented that these forms of RNP are functionally different.
Relationship between plasma concentrations of immunoreactive beta-endorphin and food intake in rats

Periods of increased food intake in male rats were characterized by significant elevations in the plasma concentrations of immunoreactive beta-endorphin (beta-ep). Administration of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (400 mg/kg) produced rapid and concurrent increases in both food intake and plasma beta-ep. Administration of insulin (10 units/kg) produced large delayed increases in food intake but only modest delayed increases in plasma beta-ep. Spontaneous nocturnal feeding was associated with increased plasma beta-ep. Increases in daytime food intake in rats subjected to 24 hr of food deprivation were also characterized by elevated plasma beta-ep. In all cases examined, those feeding behaviors in male rats which were subject to inhibition by naloxone were characterized by elevated concentration of plasma beta-ep.
Catalytic iron-mediated ene carbocyclizations of trienes: enantioselective syntheses of the iridoid monoterpenes (−)-mitsugashiwalactone and (+)-isoiridomyrmecin

Abstract The iron-catalyzed cycloisomerization of a chiral (2E,7E) 2,7,9-decatriene derivative bearing a methyl substituent adjacent to the 1,3-diene subunit proceeds with high levels of 1,2-stereoinduction relative to the resident methyl-bearing stereocenter. The stereochemistry of the chiral cyclopentane product is proven by conversion to (−)-Mitsugashiwalactone ( 1 ) and to (+)-Isoiridomyrmecin ( 2 ).
Conservative Sanctioning and Correctional Innovations in the United States: An Examination of Recent Trends

Abstract Since the late 1960s sanctioning and correctional policies and practices in the Unites States have increasingly turned punitive for many types of crimes and offenders. This paper examines three of the most prominent policy shifts in sanctioning and correctional policies in the last three decades, and brings together evidence of their broad impacts on incarceration, recidivism rates, specific segments of the offender population, and the court system.
Reactive oxygen species in the killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by human leukocytes

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infects hosts with compromised host defenses. An important defense mechanism is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by white blood cells (WBCs). What roles do ROS play in host defense against PA? Human WBCs killed PA in vitro, and they generated a respiratory burst as measured by the production of H2O2. ROS efficiently killed PA; in acellular assays, less than 10mm of H2O2 or OCl- eliminated all bacteria in 90 min. However, WBCs with suppressed production of ROS (caused by hypoxia) killed PA normally. In addition, none of the antioxidants vitamin C, N-acetylcysteine, superoxide dismutase, or catalase affected PA killing by WBCs. Thus, PA stimulates WBCs to produce ROS, which can kill the bacteria, but disturbances of WBC ROS production do not interfere with the killing of PA. WBCs have robust, redundant mechanisms for PA elimination.
Finding Your Way in the Photoforest: Laser Effects for Clinicians

Progress in laser technology and improved understanding of laser-tissue interactions has spawned a new generation of laser applications for ophthalmic surgery. Unfortunately, the mechanisms and terminology of these new applications can be confusing, and it may seem to the more casual observer that new laser terminology is restricted only by the number of terms to which the prefix "photo" may be attached. In reality, however, there are only a limited number of ways in which laser light is currently known to interact with ocular tissues, and only limited knowledge of these interactions is needed to understand where each new laser application fits into the growing "photoforest" of new surgical techniques. Since a laser beam is directional and has little divergence, it can be focused into a small spot size of high "irradiance" (irradiance is power delivered divided by area exposed, often less properly termed "power density"). Laser applications in surgery generally require high irradiances, whether the lasers are used to produce: (1) thermal effects, such as retinal photocoagulation with an argon laser, (2) ionizing effects, such as photodisruption with a neodymium (Nd):YAG laser, or (3) photochemical effects, such as melanoma photoradiation with an organic dye laser. Current laser applications in ophthalmic surgery may be divided into one of these three categories, as shown in Figure 1. Thermal effects occur when a laser beam is used to heat tissues, such as the trabecular meshwork or the retinal pigment epithelium, to a temperature high enough to produce a therapeutic tissue alteration. In a thermal process, photons in the laser beam are captured by lightabsorbing pigments in the target tissue, and energy from the photons increases the average motion of molecules in the tissue. The increase in microscopic molecular motion is equivalent macroscopically to an increase in the temperature of the target tissue. Since microscopic molecular collisions spread this increased motion to surrounding molecules, temperature also increases in areas
Catastrophes and time preference: Evidence from the Indian Ocean Earthquake

We provide evidence suggesting that exposure to the Indian Ocean Earthquake tsunami increased patience in a sample of Sri Lankan wage workers. We develop a framework to characterize the various channels through which disaster exposure could affect measures of patience. Drawing on this framework, we show that a battery of empirical tests support the argument that the increase in measured patience reflects a change in time preference and not selective exposure to the event, migration related to the tsunami, or other changes in the economic environment which affect experimental patience measures. The results have implications for policies aimed at disaster recovery and for the literature linking life events to economic preferences.
A mechanical harmonic synthesizer-analyzer

Abstract A harmonic synthesizer is described that has thirty harmonic elements (fifteen sine components and fifteen cosine components) that operate simultaneously, and the sum of the thirty sinusoidal movements is recorded by a tracing point (pencil) on a drawing board that is driven uniformly past the pencil point. Analysis is accomplished by setting the amplitudes of the thirty elements to values that are determined from the values of selected ordinates from the curve to be analyzed, and the harmonic components of this curve are determined from selected ordinates of the auxiliary curve that is traced by the machine. Thirty-two equispaced ordinates from the curve to be analyzed furnish sufficient data whereby analysis is accomplished, by a single trace of the machine, that includes fifteen harmonic components (fifteen sine components and fifteen cosine components); or, sixty-four equispaced ordinates may be taken from the curve and the analysis will include thirty-one harmonic components that are obtained from two traces made by the machine (odd harmonics are determined from one auxiliary curve and even harmonics from the other curve); or, one hundred-and-twenty ordinates may be selected from the curve and the analysis is extended to fifty-nine harmonic components by tracing four auxiliary curves with the machine.
Compliance with treatment regimens

Abstract Adolescent noncompliance with medication is a significant problem. Bioassays for the assessment of noncompliance with some drugs used in the treatment of cancer have only recently been introduced. 5 Further research is still needed. Educational, behavioral, and family systems interventions have been found to be successful with adolescents with cancer or other chronic illnesses. Awareness of the potential for noncompliance is essential to the health care and treatment of adolescent oncology patients.
Prohexadione-calcium affects growth and flowering of petunia and impatiens grown under photoselective films

Abstract The response of petunia ( Petunia x hybrida Vilm.-Andr. ‘Countdown Burgundy’) and impatiens ( Impatiens wallerana Hook ‘Accent Orange Tempo’) to Prohexadione-calcium was evaluated under a clear and a far-red light absorbing greenhouse (A FR ) film to investigate the dosage effect of Prohexadione-Ca and to determine if it can overcome the flowering delay under FR deficient greenhouse environments. Prohexadione-Ca reduced stem elongation of petunia and impatiens under A FR and clear films when applied 3 weeks after germination. Late applications were less effective. In both crops, main stem length decreased in a quadratic pattern as the concentration of Prohexadione-Ca increased. Under both films, 50–100 mg l −1 Prohexadione-Ca resulted in ≈30% shorter petunia plants. Greater concentrations (500 and 1000 mg l −1 ) resulted in excessively short plants (over 70%). Prohexadione-Ca at 100 mg l −1 delayed anthesis of petunia by 8 and 3 days under the clear film and the A FR film, respectively during less inductive photoperiods but had no effect during inductive photoperiods. In impatiens, Prohexadione-Ca at 100 mg l −1 delayed anthesis over 10 days under clear or A FR film. Greater concentrations (200 and 300 mg l −1 ) inhibited flowering of impatiens. Prohexadione-Ca treatments significantly affected flower color development. Untreated petunia plants had dark burgundy flowers. Prohexadione-Ca treatment increased L*, a*, and C* values and decreased hue angle indicating that the flowers were faded. Flowers of untreated impatiens plants were bright orange color. Prohexadione-Ca at 100 mg l −1 increased L* value and decreased a*, b*, and C* values indicating that significant petal fading had occurred. Flowers of treated plants were nearly white under both films. Although effective in height control, loss of color would be a major limitation to the use of Prohexadione-Ca on flowering crops.
Modeling cloth at micron resolution

Fabric is one of the most common materials in our everyday lives, and accurately simulating the appearance of cloth is a critical problem in graphics, design, and virtual prototyping. But modeling and rendering fabric is very challenging because fabrics have a very complex structure, and this structure plays an important role in their visual appearance—cloth is made of fibers that are twisted into yarns which are woven into patterns. Light interacting with this complex structure produce the characteristic visual appearance that humans recognize as silk, cotton, or wool. In this paper we present an end-to-end pipeline to model and render fabrics: we introduce a novel modality to create volume models of fabric at micron resolution using CT technology coupled with photographs; a new technique to synthesize models of user-specified designs from such CT scans; and finally, an efficient algorithm to render these complex volumetric models for practical applications. This pipeline produces the most realistic images of virtual cloth to date, and opens the way to bridging the gap between real and virtual fabric appearance.
Treatment of tinea capitis: beyond griseofulvin☆☆☆★

Tinea capitis is a common pediatric scalp infection caused by dermatophytes. Topical therapy alone is ineffective, so oral griseofulvin has traditionally been the standard treatment. The new antimycotic agents itraconazole, terbinafine, and fluconazole represent effective treatment alternatives that have fewer problems with tolerability and adverse effects. More comparative studies are needed to determine the optimal treatment with these agents and adjuvant therapies such as antifungal shampoos, topical antimycotic agents, and corticosteroids.
Cloning of murine CDK9/PITALRE and its tissue-specific expression in development.

The cdc2-family of serine/threonine kinases and their binding partners recently were implicated in developmental roles. We previously cloned a cdc2-related kinase, cdk9/PITALRE, that is able to phosphorylate the retinoblastoma protein in vitro. We describe here the cloning and the characterization of the mouse homolog of cdk9/PITALRE. The murine cDNA is 98% identical with humans and is expressed at high levels in brain and kidney tissues. The kinase activity and protein expression of cdk9/PITALRE were highest in terminally differentiated tissues such as the muscle and brain. In situ immunohistology and immunofluorescence detected cdk9/PITALRE protein not only within terminally differentiated cells such as muscle and neuronal cells, but also in proliferating cells. C2C12 and P19 cells induced to differentiate along muscle and neural lineages peaked in cdk9/PITALRE kinase activity at the end of differentiation. These results suggest that, among other roles, cdk9/PITALRE plays a role not unlike cdk5 in the differentiation of certain cell types. J. Cell. Physiol. 177:206–213, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Copper(II) complexes of novel N-alkylated derivatives of cis,cis-1,3,5-triaminocyclohexane. 2. Metal-promoted phosphate diester hydrolysis.

Aqueous copper(II) N,N‘,N‘ ‘-trimethyl-cis,cis-1,3,5-triaminocyclohexane (Cu(tach-Me3)2+(aq)) promotes the hydrolysis of activated phosphate diesters in aqueous medium at pH 7.2. This complex is selective for cleavage of the phosphate diester sodium bis(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate (BNPP), the rate of hydrolysis of the monoester disodium p-nitrophenyl phosphate being 1000 times slower. The observed rate acceleration of BNPP hydrolysis is slightly greater than that observed for other Cu(II) complexes, such as [Cu([9]aneN3)Cl2] ([9]aneN3 ≡ 1,4,7-triazacyclononane). The rate of hydrolysis is first-order in phosphate ester at low ester concentration and second-order in [Cu(tach-Me3)]2+(aq), suggesting the involvement of two metal complexes in the mechanism of substrate hydrolysis. The reaction exhibits saturation kinetics with respect to BNPP concentration according to a modified Michaelis−Menten mechanism: 2CuL + S ⇌ LCu−S−CuL → 2CuL + products (KM = 12.3 ± 1.8 mM2, kcat = (4.0 ± 0.4) × 10-4 s-1, 50 °C) where C...
Passive transfer of experimental hypersensitivity pneumonitis with lymphoid cells in the rabbit

Abstract Although precipitating antibody is associated with human hypersensitivity pneumonitis, there is evidence that cell-mediated hypersensitivity may be involved in disease pathogenesis. In this study, alveolar, interstitial, and peribronchial lesions were produced by respiratory challenge of rabbits passively sensitized with ovalbumin-sensitive lymph node cells. Ovalbumin sensitivity of donor rabbits and lymph node cells was demonstrated by skin testing, migration inhibition factor (MIF) production using alveolar wash cells as migrating cells, and lymphocyte stimulation. Passive cell transfer was accomplished by intraperitoneal injection with all lymph node cells obtained from one donor transferred to one recipient. Recipients were challenged by aerosol or intratracheal injection of antigen immediately or 24 hr after passive sensitization and were killed 48 hr after challenge. Lesions in rabbits passively sensitized by lymph node cells and challenged with antigen by intratracheal inoculation consisted of focal pneumonitis with intra-alveolar edema and infiltrates of mononuclear cells in alveoli and alveoli septa. Aerosol challenge of passively sensitised animals produced similar changes, but peribronchial lymphoid tissue containing macrophages and germinal centers was prominent in this group. Antiovalbumin serum recipients challenged by intratracheal injection demonstrated only mild peribronchial mononuclear cell infiltrates, without pneumonitis. Control animals receiving lymph node cells only or challenge only demonstrated no changes in lung histology.
BEEF QUALITY AND PALATABILITY AS AFFECTED BY ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND COOLER AGING

Fifty light-weight heifers were slaughtered and selected sides were electrically stimulated with 50 impulses of 1.0 set duration (machine setting = 100 volts, 5 amps, 50–60 cycles per set: producing a 440 volt potential difference between electrodes). Treatment groups consisted of certain combinations of electrical stimulation (ES) and/or paired control (C) sides stored for 7 or 21 days postmortem. In the treatments involving ES vs C, ES had a significant effect on lean maturity and overall maturity (more youthful) and in one group resulted in higher marbling and final USDA quality grade than the C sides. Lean color was significantly improved and incidence of “heat-ring” was reduced by the ES treatment. Significant decreases in shear force were observed for 21 day ES vs 21 day C; 21 day C vs 7 day C and 7 day ES vs 21 day C. These data suggest that electrical stimulation could be utilized to improve certain quality-indicating characteristics and allow carcasses to be graded sooner than normally processed carcasses. In addition, the ES treatment could substantially reduce the time of cooler aging needed to assure optimum tenderness.
Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Organically and Naturally Raised Beef Cattle

We determined the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in organically and naturally raised beef cattle at slaughter and compared antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the isolates to those of isolates from conventionally raised beef cattle. The prevalences of E. coli O157:H7 were 14.8 and 14.2% for organically and naturally raised cattle, respectively. No major difference in antibiotic susceptibility patterns among the isolates was observed.
Toward Strehl-Optimizing Adaptive Optics Controllers

A main objective of adaptive optics is to maximize closed-loop Strehl, or, equivalently, minimize the statistical mean-square wavefront residual. Most currently implemented AO wavefront reconstructors and closed-loop control laws do not take into account either the correlation of the Kolmogorov wavefronts over time or the modified statistics of the residual wavefront in closed loop. There have been a number of attempts in the past to generate "predictive" controllers, which utilize wind speed and Cn2 profiles and incorporate one or two previous time steps. We present here a general framework for a dynamic controller/reconstructor design where the goal is to maximize mean closed-loop Strehl ratio over time using all previous data and exploiting the spatial-temporal statistics of the Kolmogorov turbulence and measurement noise.
Molecular Aspects of Osmotic Stress in Plants

Abstract Plant molecular responses to osmotic stress are complex as evidenced by the isolation of numerous OR (osmotic stress-regulated) genes. Although functions including osmolyte biosynthesis, membrane transport, signal transduction, and cellular protection have been predicted for OR genes, few of them have been established. Current efforts toward isolating and analyzing the expression of individual OR genes should be replaced by systematic approaches to analyze all OR genes simultaneously in selected plant species. Both transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of OR genes have been described. Cis-elements that respond to osmotic stress through abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent as well as ABA-independent pathways have been identified. Functional genetic approaches using yeast and plant model systems are expected to complement current molecular analysis of overexpression of OR genes in transgenic plants. These systems will help to establish functions of OR genes, to dissect osmotic stress-signalin...
The influence of intact-plant and excised-leaf bioassay designs on volicitin- and jasmonic acid-induced sesquiterpene volatile release in Zea mays.

Induced plant responses to insect attack include the release of volatile chemicals. These volatiles are used as host-location signals by foraging parasitoids, which are natural enemies of insect herbivores. A plant's response to herbivory can be influenced by factors present in insect oral secretions. Volicitin (N-(17-hydroxylinolenoyl)-L-glutamine), identified in beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) oral secretions, stimulates volatile release in corn (Zea mays L.) seedlings in a manner similar to beet armyworm herbivory. Volicitin is hypothesized to trigger release of induced volatiles, at least in part, by modulating levels of the wound hormone, jasmonic acid (JA). We compare the sesquiterpene volatile release of damaged leaves treated with aqueous buffer only or with the same buffer containing volicitin or JA. Leaves were damaged by scratching with a razor and test solutions were applied to the scratched area. The leaves were either excised from the plant or left intact shortly after this treatment. Plants were treated at three different times (designated as Evening, Midnight, and Morning) and volatiles were collected in the subsequent photoperiod. JA and volicitin treatments stimulated the release of volatile sesquiterpenes, namely β-caryophyllene, (E)-α-bergamotene, and (E)-β-farnesene. In all cases, JA stimulated significant sesquiterpene release above mechanical damage alone. Volicitin induced an increase in sesquiterpene volatiles for all excised-leaf bioassays and the Midnight intact plants. Volicitin treatments in the Evening and Morning intact plants produced more sesquiterpenes than the untreated controls, while mechanical damage alone produced an intermediate response that did not differ from either treatment group. Excised leaves produced a 2.5- to 8.0-fold greater volatile response than similarly treated intact plants. Excision also altered the ratio of JA-and volicitin-induced sesquiterpene release by preferentially increasing (E)-β-farnesene levels relative to β-caryophyllene. The inducibility of volatile release varied with time of treatment. On average, sesquiterpene release was highest in the Midnight excised leaves and lowest in the Morning intact plants. The duration of induced volatile release also differed between treatments. On average, JA produced a sustained release of sesquiterpenes over time, with over 20% of the combined sesquiterpenes released in the third and final volatile collection period. In contrast, less than 8% of the combined sesquiterpenes induced by volicitin were emitted during this period. The large quantitative differences between intact plants and detached leaves suggest that the results of assays using excised tissues should be cautiously interpreted when considering intact-plant models.
Retinal inhomogeneity. I. Spatiotemporal contrast sensitivity.

Spatiotemporal sine-wave contrast thresholds were measured at four retinal eccentricities: 0°, 3°, 6°, and 12°. Threshold functions of spatial frequency were determined for each eccentricity at two selected temporal frequencies, and functions of temporal frequency at two selected spatial frequencies. Fixation was controlled by stabilizing the retinal image. The stimulus patterns were circular cosine targets confined to annular zones, so that stimulation occurred in all meridians simultaneously. In spite of these unusual conditions, our results were in good agreement with unstabilized, single-meridian data from other laboratories. The spatial-frequency functions obtained at both high and low flicker rates scaled with eccentricity in the same way. For the bandpass functions obtained at 0.5 Hz, the reciprocal of the peak spatial frequency varied linearly with eccentricity. Measured with spatial patterns chosen in accord with this scaling relation, both sets of temporal-frequency functions were essentially independent of eccentricity. Threshold functions at constant velocity were also consistent with the same scaling relation.