cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficiency of Plating on Chick Embryo Cells and Kinetic Neutralization of Herpesvirus hominis Strains

Since it appeared that plaque formation in monolayers of primary chick embryo cells might provide a simple technique for the typing of Herpesvirus hominis strains, 100 isolates were tested for their efficiency of plating (EOP) on chick embryo cells versus plating on human embryonic fibroblasts. EOP values varied from 100 to 10−6: 88% of the strains of genital origin had an EOP equal to or greater than 10−2, and 82% of the oral isolates had an EOP equal to or less than 10−3. Kinetic neutralizations were done with 53 strains, including those 12 with an EOP of 10−2 or 10−3. An estimate of antigenic relatedness (Ra) between strains was calculated from the neutralization results. Although the site of recovery, EOP, and Ra generally correlated, the EOP of some oral strains did not agree with the neutralization results, and some genital strains showed type 1 EOP and Ra values. Selection of variants with increased EOP values did not result in accompanying changes in Ra. Thus, the two markers appeared to vary independently. These data support other findings which suggest that there may be no absolute correlation between biological and antigenic markers in herpesviruses and that a larger number with more diversity of strains should be examined for more markers before a typing system is established.
The 987P fimbrial gene cluster of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli is plasmid encoded.

A clone containing the 987P fimbrial gene cluster was selected from a cosmid library of total DNA of the prototype Escherichia coli strain 987 by using 987P-specific antiserum. A subclone of 12 kilobases containing all of the genes required for fimbrial expression on a nonfimbriated K-12 strain of E. coli and a DNA fragment internal to the fimbrial subunit gene were used to probe the prototype strain and various isolates of 987P-fimbriated enterotoxigenic E. coli. All strains had several plasmids, as shown by agarose gel electrophoresis, and each of five strains which expressed 987P fimbriae showed a plasmid of 35 to 40 megadaltons (MDa) hybridizing to both 987P-specific probes. Hybridization to restricted DNA of strain 987 supported a plasmid origin for the cloned 987P gene cluster. Moreover, an isogenic strain which had lost its 35-MDa plasmid was no longer capable of synthesizing fimbrial subunits, but regained fimbrial expression after reintroduction of the TnphoA (Tn5 IS50L::phoA)-tagged 35-MDa plasmid. Absence of fimbrial subunit synthesis in K-12 strains transformed with the 35-MDa plasmid alone suggested the requirement of regulatory elements existing in strain 987 but missing in K-12 strains. A probe for the heat-stable enterotoxin STIa hybridized in each of the 987P-fimbriated strains to the plasmid containing the 987P genes and in most of these strains to an additional plasmid which contained the gene for the heat-stable enterotoxin STII. Occurrence of the 987P and STIa genes on the same replicon correlates with epidemiological observations, STIa being the most prevalent toxin produced by 987P-fimbriated E. coli. Images
Geology and Structure of the Tip of Baja California, Mexico

The submarine geology of the continental margin at the tip of the peninsula of Baja California, Mexico, has been mapped through the use of continuous reflection profiling. A sequence of folded and faulted sediments, correlated with the Pliocene Salada Formation, unconformably overlies the volcanics and pyroclastics of the Comondu Formation and the granitic rocks of the Baja California pluton. Thirty-five dredge hauls, collected by Shepard from submarine canyons in the region, have substantiated these correlations. The structure of the continental terrace is dominated by normal faulting, trending northeast-southwest, which suggests uplift of the southern part of the peninsula. Cabrillo Seamount, lying to the southeast, is a detached granitic fault block. The fault pattern controls the trends of the submarine canyons, which have supplied up to a kilometer of probable Quaternary sediments to the San Lucas Fan system at the foot of the continental slope. The La Paz fault is a major structural break at the western side of the Cape Region. Uplift of the region with associated normal faulting and strike-slip movement along the La Paz fault are related to formation of the Gulf as the continent overrode the East Pacific Rise since the late Miocene. The northern part of the Gulf appears to have opened in the late Miocene or early Pliocene, while the mouth did not open until late Pliocene.
Minimal coronary stenoses and left ventricular blood flow during CPR

Study objective: To assess the effect of a 33% coronary stenosis on myocardial blood flow during normal sinus rhythm and CPR. Design: Prospective, before and after cardiac arrest and CPR; before and after creation of a 33% stenosis. Setting: The University of Arizona Resuscitation Research Laboratory. Subjects: Ten domestic closed-chest swine with patent coronary stenoses. Interventions: A Teflon ® cylinder was placed in the mid-left anterior descending coronary artery to create a 33% stenosis. Myocardial blood flow was measured with colored microspheres both proximal and distal to the stenosis during normal sinus rhythm and during CPR. Measurements and main results: During normal sinus rhythm, the stenosis did not alter the amount of myocardial blood flow distribution or quantity. Proximal to the stenosis the endocardial/epicardial flow ratio was 1.49 ± 0.33, and distal to the stenosis it was 1.50 ± 0.50. Likewise, during normal sinus rhythm, blood flow proximal and distal to the stenosis did not differ for either the epicardium (79 ± 9 versus 66 ± 13 mL/min/100 g) or the endocardium (111 ± 27 versus 83 ± 19 mL/min/100 g). However, the distribution of myocardial blood flow was markedly altered during CPR. The resultant endocardial/epicardial flow ratios were significantly less than during normal sinus rhythm, 0.49 ± 0.11 (three minutes of CPR) and 0.74 ± 0.07 (eight minutes of CPR) proximal to the stenosis and 0.39 ± 0.15 (three minutes of CPR) and 0.49 ± 0.14 (eight minutes of CPR) distal to the stenosis ( P P Conclusion: Minimal coronary lesions that do not diminish myocardial perfusion during normal physiologic conditions appear to significantly decrease subendocardial blood flow during cardiac arrest and CPR.
Assessing combination treatments in acute stroke: preclinical experiences

Abstract Background: Acute ischemic stroke is a complex disease. Treatment success may require combining different therapeutic approaches. An obvious treatment combination in acute ischemic stroke is a thrombolytic therapy, adjuvant with a neuroprotective agent to have better stroke recovery. Summary of review: Complete factorial designs can assess the synergy of combination treatments and distinguish them from supper-additive, additive or sub-additive effects. A factorial design, a two-way analysis of variance and a novel graphic technique can detect and illustrate interactions of two treatments, which were used to evaluate combination treatments to extend the therapeutic window for thrombolytic therapy in an embolic stroke model on rats. We hypothesized synergy or additive effects on stroke recovery when combining thrombolytic therapy with either an antagonist to the integrin CD11b/CD18 (UK-279,276) or a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor. Conclusions: Factorial designs offer an efficient approach to study synergistic effects of two treatments. Our graphical technique provides a powerful, intuitive and quantitative explanation of joint treatment effects. Combining thrombolytic therapy with a neuroprotectant yielded a super-additive or additive treatment effect for two preclinical experiments designed to extend the thrombolytic therapeutic window for stroke.
Partial molar volumes of gases dissolved in liquids. Part I. Selected literature data and some estimation techniques

Abstract Experimental data, of precision better than 3%, available in the literature for the partial molar volumes of gases at infinite dilution in nonaqueous polar and nonpolar solvents are reviewed. Various empirical and semiempirical techniques for estimating this property are summarized and their usefulness is examined. Several graphical correlations provide useful rough estimates (within 10%). Values derived from corresponding-states and scaled-particle treatments vary considerably, and more-accurate experimental results are needed to establish the utility of these approaches.
Velocity Inversion by Coherency Optimization

Abstract : We introduce an approach to velocity and reflectivity estimation based on optimizing the coherence of multiple shot-gathering inversions of reflection seismograms. The resulting algorithm appears to avoid severe convergence difficulties reported for output (nonlinear) least- squares inversion. We describe in detail an algorithm appropriate for plane-layered acoustic models, using the convolutional approximation to the plane-wave (p-tau) seismogram. We give theoretical and numerical evidence that coherency optimization, as defined here, yields stable and reasonably accurate estimates of both velocity trend and reflectivity, by exploiting reflection phase moveout and amplitudes in a computationally efficient way. We demonstrate that the approach may be applied to field data by extracting velocity and reflectivity estimates from a Gulf of Mexico marine data set. Finally we explain briefly how the approach may be modified to determine elastic models and source parameters as well as to determine laterally heterogeneous models.
On super- and subvaluationism: A classicist's reply to Hyde

Dominic Hyde (1997) has presented a new logical system for vague words that employs paraconsistent logic. He called it subvaluationism, in analogy with supervaluationism Fine (1975) and others have made popular. Hyde maintained that subvaluationism is substantially different from supervaluationism, and is at least as good for a logic of vagueness. In this note, I shall argue for the following: First, we may reasonably take Hyde's so-called subtruth not as truth simpliciter, as Hyde does, but just as possible truth in a certain sense of "possible". Second, we also may take supertruth in supervaluationism as the dual of subtruth, a kind of necessary truth; we do not have to take it as truth simpliciter, either. We can regard superand subvaluationism essentially as duals. Finally, if we interpret superand subtruth this way, we can make inference rules for vague words much simpler and in compliance with classical logic. The logic of superand subvaluationism can be regarded not as an alternative to classical logic but as an extension of it. We do not need non-classical logic to understand vagueness. Superand subvaluationism make use of the notion of (admissible) precisification. An admissible precisification of a vague predicate (or singular term) is an admissible interpretation under which a particular precise extension (or denotation) is assigned to the word. Even a vague sentence is either true or false on an admissible precisification. (In what follows I shall drop the adjective "admissible" for the sake of simplicity and just say "precisification" when I mean "admissible precisification". What is admissible and what not has been a matter of controversy, but I set aside that problem.) According to supervaluationism, a sentence is supertrue if and only if it is true on all precisifications, superfalse if and only if it is false on all precisifications, and neither supertrue nor superfalse if and only if it is true on some precisifications and false on the others. According to subvaluationism, a sentence is subtrue if and only if it is true on some precisifications, and subfalse if and only if it is false on some precisifications. If a sentence is true on some precisifications and false on the others, it is considered both subtrue and subfalse. In both theories, all logical truths are superor subtrue because they are true on all (thus, some)
One-dimensional simulation of multi pulse phenomena in dielectric-barrier atmospheric-pressure glow discharges

The dielectric-barrier configuration is commonly used to generate uniform, highly non-equilibrium atmospheric-pressure glow discharges. Although recent research has improved our understanding of these discharges, several questions relating to the structure and transient characteristics of the discharge remain to be answered. We employ a self-consistent, one-dimensional, model to simulate these discharges in helium. In particular, we address question of pulse formation and multi-pulse phenomena. The model provides excellent predictive capability for all trends concerning multiple pulse behavior. The appearance of multiple pulses with increasing external voltages is predicted accurately for the nominal operating frequency of ∼10 kHz. With decreasing frequencies down to ∼100 Hz, the weakening of the discharge pulse and the increasing number of pulses are also predicted. However, in the low frequency regime the prediction of the discharge phenomena is very sensitive to plasma chemistry model. Impurity effects appear to play an important role in this regime.
The influence of post-nerve injury survival duration on receptive field size: location, location, location.

In the present study, we examined the relationship between post-injury survival duration and receptive field size at multiple levels of the ascending somatosensory neuroaxis. In experimentally naive subjects, receptive fields on the glabrous hand are typically restricted to single digits. Yet, following targeted nerve section, receptive fields often span multiple digits. In these experiments, adult squirrel monkeys were subject to paired transections of the median and ulnar nerves and permitted to survive for varying periods (2-28 months) prior to terminal electrophysiological recording. The frequency of cutaneously activated multiple-digit receptive fields was evaluated in regions of brainstem, thalamus and cortex normally devoted to the (now) partially deafferented hand. We report that for area 3b of primary somatosensory cortex, receptive field size became smaller as a function of survival duration. In contrast, survival duration had no appreciable effect on the frequency of multiple-digit receptive fields in either the cuneate nucleus of the brainstem or the ventroposterior lateral nucleus of the thalamus. These observations suggest that the mechanisms responsible for the refinement of receptive fields are, primarily, resident to the cortex.
Monte Carlo calculations of low energy electron backscatter coefficients

Abstract Experimental values of the electron backscatter coefficient, η, are compared with results obtained from a one-dimensional, multiple scattering Monte Carlo transport code, for normally incident electrons in the 3–100 keV range. For electron energies less than 10 keV the th
Synchronous neurite branchings in single goldfish retinal ganglion cells

We have examined the time course of branch formation in neurites of retinal ganglion cells isolated from adult goldfish (Carassius auratus). These neurites elongate at approximately 13 microns/h, and usually branch by bifurcation of growth cones at their tips. The times elapsed between branchings in different neurites of single cells can be described by a Poisson distribution with a mean interval of approximately 2 h. As predicted by this distribution, a relatively large number of branchings occur simultaneously in different neurites of individual cells. Simultaneous branchings of neurites elongating at a common rate generate branch points that lay equidistant from their soma. Since similar branching patterns can be seen in dendrites of retinal ganglion and amacrine cells in situ, these results are consistent with the possibility that dendrites of individual neurons branch synchronously and grow at common rates during development.
Increased myocardial wall thickening as index of viability assessment: a preliminary report on delayed contrast MRI.

Purpose: Regional wall thickening measurement by delayed contrast MRI may assess myocardial viability and functional recovery of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Materials and methods: Delayed contrast MRI data was used in 40 patients with significant coronary artery disease and severe left ventricular dysfunction. Regional wall thickening on follow-up MRI served as an index of functional recovery in patients receiving revascularization. For comparison, myocardial viability was assessed by MRI and 201Tl SPECT in 10 patients using a 17-segment method. Results: On 480 segments, MRI hyperintensities showed positive correlation with 201Tl reduction (r = 0.71, p < 0.0001) in the inferior wall and apex. Delayed MRI detected myocardial viability better than 201Tl SPECT. Delayed contrast-enhanced MRI showed diagnostic accuracy 65%, sensitivity 95%, specificity 25%, positive predictive value 65% and negative predictive value 75%, whereas 201Tl SPECT showed diagnostic accuracy 54%, sensitivity 72%, specificity 25%, positive predictive value 52% and negative predictive value 54%. Areas under the ROC curves by MRI and 201Tl SPECT were 0.59 ± 0.04, 0.52 ± 0.05, respectively (p = 0.07). The viability concordance was 80% between 201Tl SPECT and MRI. Conclusion: Delayed contrast-enhanced MRI may detect the inferior wall thickening and apex as an index of viable myocardium better than 201Tl SPECT. Myocardial viability may predict functional recovery after revascularization in ischemic cardiomyopathy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oriented molecule beams: pulsed, focused beams of methyl halides in pure JKM rotational states

Abstract Intense pulsed, seeded, velocity-selected (Δv/v ≈ 1%) beams of state-selected, oriented methyl halide molecules are produced and characterized in a focusing machine employing a 3 m electrostatic hexapole field with electron impact and laser ionization mass spectrometric detection. Essentially pure rotational state selection has been achieved for five JKM states, with ¦111 > the most intense beam at T r = 1.9 K.
Further study on the flammability of polyurea: the effect of intumescent coating and additive flame retardants

A series of polyurea (PU) samples were prepared and coated with varying thicknesses of commercially available solvent and water-based intumescent paints. Another series of PU composite samples, containing different types of flame retardant additives, were prepared and coated with the intumescent paints. The fire behavior of the samples was investigated by subjecting the samples to the heat flux of the cone calorimeter. The data indicate that the intumescent coat is very effective in imparting flame retardancy to the samples. Combining the flame retardant additives with the coating has no additional effect. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Agricultural Futures and Options: Principles and Strategies

(NOTE:Each chapter concludes with a Summary, Key Points, and Useful References.) 1. The Basics of Commodity Futures. 2. Cash-Futures Basis: The Concept, Uses, Issues. 3. Fundamental Analysis: Supply and Demand. 4. Technical Analysis: The Bar Chart. 5. Technical Analysis: Alternatives to Bar Charts. 6. Psychology of the Markets. 7. Options on Futures Contracts. 8. Currency Markets and Exchange Rate Futures. 9. Interest Rate Futures. 10. Index Futures Contracts. 11. Price Risk Management Strategies. 12. Cash-Futures Relationships: Causes and Criticisms. 13. An Overall Perspective. Glossary. Index.
The under‐recording of crime by police in China: a case study

Studies suggest that official crime statistics are more than a measure of criminal activity. Generated by police, crime figures also reflect the behavior and concerns of police. Our case study renders evidence to this argument. A national survey of the crime recording by police was conducted in China in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The results reveal significant under‐representation of crime in the police‐produced statistics and clearly identify the police as the source of errors. Our study presents the survey and examines the findings. We explore systemic and social factors that affect the underpresentation problem and assess possible impact of the findings on the police’s action in crime recording.
Methanogenic Biodégradation of Creosote Contaminants in Natural and Simulated Ground‐Water Ecosystems

Wastes from a wood preserving plant in Pensacola, Florida have contaminated the near-surface sand-and-gravel aquifer with creosote-derived compounds and pentachlorophenol. Contamination resulted from the discharge of plant waste waters to and subsequent seepage from unlined surface impoundments that were in direct hydraulic contact with the ground water. Two distinct phases resulted when the creosote and water mixed: a denser than water hydrocarbon phase that moved vertically downward, and an organic-rich aqueous phase that moved laterally with the ground-water flow. The aqueous phase is enriched in organic acids, phenolic compounds, single- and double-ring nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen containing compounds, and single- and double-ring aromatic hydrocarbons. The ground water is devoid of dissolved O2, is 60–70% saturated with CH4 and contains H2S. Field analyses document a greater decrease in concentration of organic fatty acids, benzoic acid, phenol, 2-, 3-, 4-methylphenol, quinoline, isoquinoline, l(2H)-quinolinone, and 2(lH)-isoquinolinone during downgradient movement in the aquifer than could be explained by dilution and/or dispersion. Laboratory microcosm studies have shown that within the study region, this effect can be attributed to rnicrobial degradation to CH4 and CO2. A small but active methanogenic population was found on sediment materials taken from highly contaminated parts of the aquifer.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in Weak Fields

The nuclear magnetic resonance for protons in water was observed in magnetic fields of 6 and 12 gauss corresponding to Larmor frequencies of 25 and 50 kc, respectively. The line width was found to be determined by the frequency of modulation and here was approximately 3 milligausses. The ratio of magnetic fields for resonance was found to agree with the ratio of Larmor frequencies within the experimental error, estimated at 0.01 percent.
Parameter Tuning with User Models: Influencing Aggregate User Behavior in Cluster Based Retrieval Systems

Can we effectively influence aggregate user behavior in a cluster based retrieval (CBR) system by tuning its parameters? This question combines parameter tuning with models of user behavior. To address this question, we propose an approach based on three components: user model, criterion metric, and sensitivity analysis. We then demonstrate this approach on one of the most frequently asked questions to designers and operators of CBR systems in enterprises: namely, "suggest a value for k." Both the users and the system desire a value that is likely to maximize user satisfaction, and sway them towards a cluster based examination of their retrieved result set (rather than prefer the original ranked retrieved list). Based on observed user behavior in CBR systems, we posit a two-stage user model. We isolate its core element, which is a "query coverage metric." We then perform an empirical sensitivity analysis of this metric. Our analysis reveals that this metric is, surprisingly, robust to changes in k (i.e., insensitive to k) in a wide range around its de-facto value. We conclude that in cases where our model approximates user behavior, the system cannot substantially increase the chances of the user resorting to CBR by tuning k. This has practical implications on the design and day-to-day operation of CBR systems. Similar analyses can be carried out for other parameters.
A novel role for the GTPase-activating protein Bud2 in the spindle position checkpoint.

The spindle position checkpoint (SPC) ensures correct mitotic spindle position before allowing mitotic exit in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In a candidate screen for checkpoint genes, we identified bud2Δ as deficient for the SPC. Bud2 is a GTPase activating protein (GAP), and the only known substrate of Bud2 was Rsr1/Bud1, a Ras-like GTPase and a central component of the bud-site-selection pathway. Mutants lacking Rsr1/Bud1 had no checkpoint defect, as did strains lacking and overexpressing Bud5, a guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rsr1/Bud1. Thus, the checkpoint function of Bud2 is distinct from its role in bud site selection. The catalytic activity of the Bud2 GAP domain was required for the checkpoint, based on the failure of the known catalytic point mutant Bud2R682A to function in the checkpoint. Based on assays of heterozygous diploids, bud2R682A, was dominant for loss of checkpoint but recessive for bud-site-selection failure, further indicating a separation of function. Tem1 is a Ras-like protein and is the critical regulator of mitotic exit, sitting atop the mitotic exit network (MEN). Tem1 is a likely target for Bud2, supported by genetic analyses that exclude other Ras-like proteins.
Decision problems for propositional linear logic

Abstract Linear logic, introduced by Girard, is a refinement of classical logic with a natural, intrinsic accounting of resources. This accounting is made possible by removing the ‘structural’ rules of contraction and weakening, adding a modal operator and adding finer versions of the propositional connectives. Linear logic has fundamental logical interest and applications to computer science, particularly to Petri nets, concurrency, storage allocation, garbage collection and the control structure of logic programs. In addition, there is a direct correspondence between polynomial-time computation and proof normalization in a bounded form of linear logic. In this paper we show that unlike most other propositional (quantifier-free) logics, full propositional linear logic is undecidable. Further, we prove that without the modal storage operator, which indicates unboundedness of resources, the decision problem becomes PSPACE-complete. We also establish membership in NP for the multiplicative fragment, NP-completeness for the multiplicative fragment extended with unrestricted weakening, and undecidability for fragments of noncommutative propositional linear logic.
Open Lung Biopsy in Patients with Diffuse Pulmonary Infiltrates and Acute Respiratory Failure

Patients with diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and acute respiratory failure (ARF) potentially can benefit from diagnostic information provided by open lung biopsy (OLB). To better quantify possible benefits and risks, we reviewed an 11-yr experience with 80 such patients. Although OLB did provide a specific etiologic diagnosis in 53 patients (66%) and did influence therapy in 56 patients (70%), only 24 patients (30%) survived to hospital discharge, and 9 patients (11%) survived for 1 yr or more. Survival rates did not depend on the availability of a specific diagnosis, changes in diagnosis, or changes in therapy. Survival was improved in younger patients and patients not requiring preoperative mechanical ventilation. Fifteen patients (19%) suffered complications possibly related to OLB; the survival rate to discharge was decreased in these patients, although not significantly. We conclude that OLB provides a specific etiologic diagnosis in many patients with diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and ARF, but that its utility in these patients is limited by current shortcomings of therapy.
Posthuman Performance and Cyborg Informatics

The Future ambitions and the key principles of sustained performance of humans are definitely towards structured adaption to post humanism. Showcasing the difference or supremacy as continuous improvement in human performance is always due to competition to other fellow humans, and it is proposed to be achieved by aggressive intelligence invoked by adaptive cyborgs in the generations to come. The improvements are on both physiological corrections trying to normalize the simple human rationale and also enhancements in capability to participate in the higher level of social information interchange. The Post humanism is an inherent phenomenon for any cultural/financial/geographical society for continuous uplift for the dominance/status as perceived by individual social being. Subsequently, this opportunity for improvements in both physiological and social situations is countered by being or others to revolutionize, thus the transformation in the post human process in engaging the humans to exterior services. When the services are systematized through cyborgs, the support or transformation structure is created for information consumption.
Postnatal imaging of neonates with prenatally diagnosed genitourinary abnormalities: a practical approach

The advent of prenatal US and, more recently, fetal MRI has changed our pattern of referrals. In the current clinical algorithms, most neonates evaluated for genitourinary abnormalities are asymptomatic. These infants are referred for multidisciplinary consultation, imaging and surveillance. Evaluation of these children commences following pertinent review of available prenatal studies; this is appropriate, as in certain instances prenatally gathered information of potential prognostic significance can be inferred or can obviate the need for multiple examinations. US remains the first-line imaging modality for diagnosing urinary abnormalities in neonates and young infants, although it offers primarily morphological assessment. However, US coupled with MAG-3 scanning results in a powerful combination that provides anatomical and functional information. Recently, MRI and MR urography have been increasingly regarded as one-stop-shop examinations that can deliver both anatomical and functional information, and play an increasing role in the evaluation of ureteral ectopia and genital anomalies. Fluoroscopic examinations are reserved to exclude vesicoureteral reflux, to delineate urethral obstruction or to provide additional information to support a diagnosis. A practical approach to postnatal imaging of the neonate is discussed and the important genitourinary anomalies in this age group are presented and illustrated.
Petrographic Study of Clay Materials

Some investigntors have used petrographic methods as the sole means of making clay mineral analyses, whereas others have considered petrographie metliods to be useless for materials as fine grained as clays. The value of the method lies between these extremes. It has consideralde value, but it has limitations and must be used with cantion.
Group learning and performance: the role of communication and faultlines

Drawing upon group learning theory, we suggest that communication content and frequency as well as experimentation can be considered aspects of group learning behavior and explore their effect on group performance. We posit that communication content and frequency, as well as experimentation, positively influence group performance. Further, drawing upon the diversity construct of group faultlines, we hypothesize that faultlines moderate these relationships. Results provide mixed support for our hypotheses.
Effect of sediment pH and redox conditions on degradation of benzo(a)pyrene

Abstract A study was conducted using an estuarine sediment maintained under controlled pH and redox potentials to determine the effect of these parameters on the degradation of benzo(a)pyrene. Degradation was strongly influenced by sediment pH and redox potential. Highest degradation rates occurred in sediment maintained at pH 8.0 and the lowest at pH 5.0. At all pH values degradation of benzo(a)pyrene increased with increasing redox potential. Up to a hundredfold difference in degradation rates could be attributed to changes in sediment pH and redox potential.
Interferon-γ and immunoglobulins in latent tuberculosis infection.

Background and Aims The aim of the present study was to investigate the occupational risk of tuberculosis in health care workers (HCW) at a children's hospital in a middle-income country with an intermediate prevalence of tuberculosis and compulsory bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination and to assess the association of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) with the concentration of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM), C-reactive protein and hematological changes. Methods Fifty four HCW were divided into groups according to their exposure to tuberculous patients and interferon (IFN-γ) findings. IFN-γ determination and tuberculin skin test (RT23) were performed in parallel. Results Positive IFN-γ results were recorded in 31% of study HCW. Higher exposure to tuberculous patients did not lead to a statistically significant increase in the rate of positive IFN-γ findings but did increase the number of hyperreactors. HCW with positive IFN-γ findings were 5 years older than IFN-γ negative subjects. The median IgA concentration was 29% higher ( p = 0.0233) in IFN-γ positive subjects (2.44 g/L) as compared with IFN-γ negative subjects (1.89 g/L). Conclusions Study results showed the prevalence of LTBI in HCW at a children's hospital to be comparable to the prevalence recorded in the general population. IFN-γ proved to be a more reliable test to determine LTBI in a population of bacille Calmette-Guerin-vaccinated HCW. The new diagnostic approach will hopefully contribute to more rational use of x-rays and prevent unnecessary administration of chemoprophylaxis. The higher concentration of IgA in IFN-γ-positive HCW pointed to the possible protective role of IgA antibodies in LTBI.
SinoCor: Inter-frame and intra-frame motion correction tool

SinoCor, a body-motion detection and correction tool for nuclear imaging has been developed. It is currently provided as a JAVA-based plug-in for ImageJ for use with data acquired via Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans. SinoCor works only in the sinogram space without going through any back-projection operation. It provides automatic correction for both interframe and intra-frame motion. Inter-frame motion occurs if the subject shifts location in-between two frame acquisitions during the tomographic imaging. The intra-frame motion happens when the shift occurs when a particular frame is being acquired.
Modified Norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Abstract Background . We examined early results in infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome undergoing the Norwood operation with perioperative use of inhaled nitric oxide and application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Methods . Medical records were reviewed retrospectively. Results . Between April 1997 and March 2001, 50 infants underwent a modified Norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Mean age at operation was 7.5 ± 5.7 days, and mean weight was 3.1 ± 0.5 kg. Five infants had a delayed operation because of sepsis. The mean diameter of the ascending aorta by echocardiography was 3.6 ± 1.8 mm. Ductal cannulation was used to establish cardiopulmonary bypass in all patients. Mean circulatory arrest time was 39.4 ± 4.8 minutes. The size of the pulmonary-systemic shunt was 3.0 mm in 6 infants, 3.5 mm in 37, and 4.0 mm in 7. Infants with persistent hypoxia (partial pressure of oxygen Conclusions . Early application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for hemodynamic instability and selective use of nitric oxide for persistent hypoxia in the immediate postoperative period may improve survival of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Renal failure requiring hemofiltration during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ( p p
Evaluating the performance of methods for estimating the abundance of rapidly declining coastal shark populations.

Accurately surveying shark populations is critical to monitoring precipitous ongoing declines in shark abundance and interpreting the effects that these reductions are having on ecosystems. To evaluate the effectiveness of existing survey tools, we used field trials and computer simulations to critically examine the operation of four common methods for counting coastal sharks: stationary point counts, belt transects, video surveys, and mark and recapture abundance estimators. Empirical and theoretical results suggest that (1) survey method selection has a strong impact on the estimates of shark density that are produced, (2) standardizations by survey duration are needed to properly interpret and compare survey outputs, (3) increasing survey size does not necessarily increase survey precision, and (4) methods that yield the highest density estimates are not always the most accurate. These findings challenge some of the assumptions traditionally associated with surveying mobile marine animals. Of the methods we trialed, 8 × 50 m belt transects and a 20 m radius point count produced the most accurate estimates of shark density. These findings can help to improve the ways we monitor, manage, and understand the ecology of globally imperiled coastal shark populations.
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same? Prior Achievement Fails to Explain Gender Inequality in Entry Into STEM College Majors Over Time

This article investigates the empirical basis for often-repeated arguments that gender differences in entrance into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors are largely explained by disparities in prior achievement. Analyses use data from three national cohorts of college matriculates across three decades to consider differences across several indicators of high school math and science achievement at the mean and also at the top of the test distribution. Analyses also examine the different comparative advantages men and women enjoy in math/science versus English/reading. Regardless of how prior achievement is measured, very little of the strong and persistent gender gap in physical science and engineering majors over time is explained. Findings highlight the limitations of theories focusing on gender differences in skills and suggest directions for future research.
Non-academic internet use in the classroom is negatively related to classroom learning regardless of intellectual ability

Abstract The use of laptops and cell phones in the classroom is increasing but there is little research assessing whether these devices create distraction that diminishes learning. Moreover, the contribution of intellectual ability to the relationship between learning and portable device use has not been thoroughly investigated. To bridge this gap, students in an introductory psychology class were surveyed about the frequency and duration of their use of various portable devices in the classroom. Internet use negatively predicted exam scores and added to the prediction of classroom learning, above a measure of intellectual ability. Furthermore, students discounted the effect of using portable devices on learning over time. Concomitantly, those with higher intellectual ability reported using the internet more in class over time. Thus, higher rates of internet use were associated with lower test grades and students' beliefs about this relationship did not reflect their ability to multi-task effectively.
Petrology of Andesitic, Spilitic, and Keratophyric Flow Rock, North-Central Puerto Rico

Chemical, mineralogical, and petro-graphical variations in a thick accumulation of andesitic, spilitic, and keratophyric flow rock result mainly from compositional differences and crystallization history. Together, the clinopyroxene-rich and plagioclase-rich andesitic rocks (1) range from andesitic basalt to dacite, (2) show a calc-alkalic chemical trend, (3) contain plagioclase and clinopyroxene rich in Ca, (4) generally contain no olivine, and (5) show no Fe enrichment. Their origin is attributed to partial fusion under hydrous conditions: magmas of plagioclase-rich rocks formed at depths where basaltic phases existed; magmas of clinopyroxene-rich rocks where eclogitic phases existed. Plagioclase-rich spilitic rocks generally differ from their andesitic counterparts in having (1) higher Na and K, and lower Ca, Mg, and Al; (2) lower phenocryst content; (3) greater alteration; (4) greater cloudiness of plagioclase; (5) slightly lower inferred Ca content in some clinopyroxenes; and (6) no actinolite. Clinopyroxene-rich rocks show the same differences but are more variable chemically. High-K andesitic rocks otherwise resemble normal andesitic rocks. Spilitic rocks resemble andesitic rocks in matrix textures and in apparent simultaneous crystallization of plagioclase and clinopyroxene. Calcic plagioclase is relict in some spilitic rocks, and Ca-rich secondary minerals occur in both. The spilitic rocks are interpreted as having formed from andesitic rocks during the late-magmatic or deuteric stage, although they may have resulted from postconsolidation metasomatism. Keratophyric rocks occur only in plagioclase-rich associations. Quartz content suggests that most keratophyres are felsic magmatic rocks; other felsic rocks in the map area contain excess quartz and are products of hydrothermal silicification.
Rapid reversal of endothelial dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic apolipoprotein E-null mice by recombinant apolipoprotein A-IMilano-phospholipid complex

Objectives: In this study, we examined whether a reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (HDL) utilizing recombinant apolipoprotein A-IMilano(apo A-IM)/phospholipid complex (PC) could restore normal...
Identification and quantitation of free neutral carbohydrates in milk products by gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Abstract Free carbohydrates in selected milk products were isolated by dialysis and converted to trimethylsilyl ethers. Gas chromatography of the derived sugars from fluid milk resulted in 7 peaks. Comparisons of gas-liquid chromatographic retention times and mass spectral data revealed that the 7 peaks were isomers of glucose, galactose, and lactose. No other sugars were detected in the other products. Quantitative data were obtained both by weighing the dialysate residue after ion exchange and freeze drying, and by comparing gas-liquid chromatographic peak area to internal standards. The sugar contents in chocolate milk, whole milk, and skimmilk were not altered significantly by processing. The sugar in cultured products varied greatly. Cheddar, Trappist, and Brick cheese contained negligible carbohydrate, whereas sour cream still contained 3.7% milk sugars. The free monosaccharide of whole milk was similar to previously reported values. Free glucose and galactose were 13.8 and 11.7 mg/100 ml.
THE BIOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY OF INVERTED PAPILLOMAS

Inverted papillomas are locally aggressive, have a tendency to recur, and are ocassionally associated with squamous cell carcinomas. Surgical extirpation is accepted as the most effective treatment modality for this tumor. Radical surgery in the form of a medial maxillectomy has resulted in lower recurrence rates. However, the occasional recurrence and malignant transformation in these tumors continues to be a dilemma. The identification of the human papilloma virus explains some of the morphological features and occasional multicentricity seen in these tumors. Study of other clinical predictors has contributed to the understanding of the biologic and histopathologic characteristics of this tumor. This may, in turn, play an important role in tailoring the management protocol of this perplexing disease.
ASSESSING FACILITY-SPECIFIC RISK: A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE

ABSTRACT It's been six years since the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Most facilities and regulatory agencies are just now beginning to reflect upon their initial efforts to develop and review facility response plans. The plan reviews and inspections conducted to date within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region VI area have identified some common deficiencies. The most prominent and common are the facilities’ planning efforts relative to risk. OPA 90 required facilities to assess spill events under adverse weather conditions. Unfortunately, most plans were prepared with the intent to meet a regulatory deadline and not necessarily to properly reflect specific risk. This paper will seek to identify the varying risks posed to each facility within Region VI. The following is a list of adverse weather conditions and phenomena that will be examined throughout the region and applied to specific categories of facilities: fire, lightning, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and severe st...
Planktonic Protozoa in Lakes Huron and Michigan: Seasonal Abundance and Composition of Ciliates and Dinoflagellates

The abundance and biomass of surface (5 m) and deep (30–45 m) ciliate and dinoflagellate protozoa in the offshore waters of Lakes Huron and Michigan were determined from December 1986 to November 1987. Protozoan (ciliates and dinoflagellates) abundance (4 to 15 cells·mL−1) and biomass (13–140 μg·L−1, wet wt.) were comparable between lakes and similar to those reported from other oligotrophic environments. On average, ciliates comprised the majority of protozoan abundance (80%) and biomass (73%). The mean size (ESD) of these communities was small (20.6 μm) due to the numerical dominance of small choreotrichs, oligotrichs, and species of Gymnodinium. Total biomass in both lakes peaked during late June-July and again during the October-November period. These seasonal changes in biomass were accompanied by species replacements: tintinnids, strobilids, oligotrichs, and Gymnodinium species were abundant in the spring isothermal period, shifting to oligotrich dominance during summer stratification (May–July); a more diverse assemblage followed during late stratification (October–November) in which haptorids, prorodontids, and Peridinium species became more important. Deep and surface communities were comparable in terms of abundance and biomass, although deep community biomass decreased as stratification intensified. Because the biomass of ciliates alone represents approximately 30% of crustacean zooplankton biomass, protozoa may be more important grazers than once thought.
An adaptive nonlocal means scheme for medical image denoising

Medical images often consist of low-contrast objects corrupted by random noise arising in the image acquisition process. Thus, image denoising is one of the fundamental tasks required by medical imaging analysis. In this work, we investigate an adaptive denoising scheme based on the nonlocal (NL)-means algorithm for medical imaging applications. In contrast with the traditional NL-means algorithm, the proposed adaptive NL-means (ANL-means) denoising scheme has three unique features. First, it employs the singular value decomposition (SVD) method and the K-means clustering (K-means) technique for robust classification of blocks in noisy images. Second, the local window is adaptively adjusted to match the local property of a block. Finally, a rotated block matching algorithm is adopted for better similarity matching. Experimental results from both additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Rician noise are given to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed ANL denoising technique over various image denoising benchmarks in term of both PSNR and perceptual quality comparison.
Sleep and Memory

Two experiments demonstrated that memory over an interval with relatively high amounts of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep was inferior to memory over an interval with relatively high amounts of stage 4 sleep. The results suggest that, at least for humans, REM sleep does not facilitate memory consolidation and that stage 4 sleep may be beneficial to memory.