cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Utility of routine screening fetal echocardiogram in pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization

Objective To study the incidence and clinical significance of congenital heart defects (CHDs) detected by fetal echocardiography in pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Design Cohort study comparing a prospectively maintained database of all fetal echocardiograms from 2012 to 2018 and pooled data from the Connecticut Birth Defects Registry and statewide hospital discharge data. Setting Large tertiary care center. Patient(s) A total of 181,749 live births and 9,252 fetal echocardiograms were analyzed. Fetal echocardiograms in patients with a previous child with a CHD, a family history of CHD, medication exposure, diabetes, anomaly in previous pregnancy, cardiac or other abnormality noted on previous ultrasound, or monochorionic twins were excluded from the final analysis. Intervention(s) Treatment with IVF. Main Outcome Measure(s) Incidence of CHD and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Infant outcomes for cases of CHD were evaluated for clinically significant disease, defined a priori as disease requiring any medical or surgical intervention or continued follow-up with pediatric cardiology. Result(s) Fetal echocardiography was performed in 2,230 IVF pregnancies, of which 2,040 were without other known risk factors for CHD. The mean gestational age at the time of fetal echocardiography was 22.2 ± 1.4 weeks. The odds ratio for CHD in the IVF group compared with statewide population rates was 1.4 (95% CI 0.9–2.1). CHD was diagnosed in 26 fetuses, of which 21 were clinically insignificant ventricular septal defects. One fetal echocardiogram was concerning for pulmonary stenosis that was not present at birth. Four defects were clinically significant, indicating that 510 fetal echocardiograms were performed for every diagnosis of one clinically significant CHD in the IVF group. Conclusion(s) The incidence of CHD in IVF pregnancies without other risk factors is not significantly different from baseline population rates, and most CHDs diagnosed by fetal echocardiography in this group are clinically insignificant. Routine screening with fetal echocardiography in all IVF pregnancies provides limited utility beyond routine prenatal care and need not be recommended without the presence of other risk factors.
Ecological Counseling as an Integrative Cognitive Complexity Intervention Framework for Students with COVID-19 Pandemic-Caused Mental Health Challenges

This article aims to present a practical conceptual perspective on ecological counseling as a theoretical framework for counselors' integrative cognitive complexity to work with students who experience mental health challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The transition of educational activities into virtual learning has caused various challenges for students worldwide that risk their mental health. Indonesia is one of the countries implementing virtual learning for more than a year with various social, technical, and environmental obstacles. Besides the benefit of distanced learning, this online learning model has widely caused mild to severe anxiety among students. Although researchers have investigated the impacts of virtual learning on mental health problems, the intervention strategies to help students with mental health issues remain lack attention. Ecological counseling has been known for its principles of seeing individuals' mental health issues involving a broader milieu that allows counselors to understand clients according to their contextual living systems. This framework offers a culturally sensitive perspective to help counselors withdraw appropriate and best available information for intervention purposes. This article also includes an application illustration of the ecological counseling framework in the Indonesian community as a practical guideline. It is expected that this article provides academic supports for academics to work with students dealing with their mental health challenges during this pandemic adhere to the counselors' integrative cognitive complexity functions. Keywords : ecological counseling , cognitive complexity, COVID-19 mental health, counselors, Indonesia
Religion and the obligations of citizenship

Preface and acknowledgement 1. Introduction 2. Participation, full participation and realized citizenship 3. Religion's role in promoting democracy 4. Public argument 5. The principles 6. Robert Audi on secular reasons 7. John Rawls on public reasons Conclusion Select bibliography.
Identification of d-erythro-Dihydroneopterin Triphosphate, the First Product of Pteridine Biosynthesis in Comamonas Sp. (ATCC 11299a)

Abstract GTP cyclohydrolase, purified from extracts of Comamonas sp., was shown to convert GTP to formic acid and a single fluorescent compound. The fluorescent product was identified as a dihydroneopterin triphosphate by its absorption spectra and phosphate analysis. After oxidation and dephosphorylation, the d-erythro configuration of the side chain of this dihydroneopterin triphosphate was established by ECTEOLA (epichlorohydrin triethanolamine)-cellulose chromatography and by bioassay using Crithidia fasciculata. The nature of the product was not altered by the presence of the GTP cyclohydrolase-stimulating protein (Cone, J. E., Plowman, J., and Guroff, G. (1974) J. Biol. Chem. 249, 5551). Neopterin cyclic phosphate, previously thought to be an intermediate in the production of pteridine cofactors in Comamonas sp., was found to be an artifact derived from the triphosphate product during paper chromatography in a basic solvent.
Thought and World: Into the Wild Blue Yonder: Nondesignating Concepts, Vagueness, Semantic Paradox, and Logical Paradox

There are a number of problems concerning our semantic concepts that a theory of truth must eventually face. I have discussed some of these problems in the foregoing pages, but nothing has been said thus far about two members of this category that are widely regarded as particularly important. I am unable to do justice to either of these problems in the present work, but it would be inappropriate to ignore them altogether. I must say what they are, explain how they interact with the main themes of the present work, and specify the obligations that they entail for someone who is concerned to develop those themes. The first of these problems is the problem of bivalence . It arises from the fact that we have conflicting intuitions concerning the law of bivalence – that is, concerning the principle that every proposition is either true or false. Some of our intuitions appear to endorse this law. But we also have intuitions that appear to conflict with it. For example, where P is any logically simple proposition containing a nondesignating singular concept, such as the proposition that Achilles was exactly six feet tall, we have a fairly strong inclination to deny that P is true and also a fairly strong inclination to deny that P is false. And the same applies to the members of several other categories of propositions.
The Importance of Domain-Specific Expertise in Creativity.

Although creativity and expertise are related, they are nonetheless very different things. Expertise does not usually require creativity, but creativity generally does require a certain level of expertise. There are similarities in the relationships of both expertise and creativity to domains, however. Research has shown that just as expertise in one domain does not predict expertise in other, unrelated domains, creativity in one domain does not predict creativity in other, unrelated domains. People may be expert, and people may be creative, in many domains, or they may be expert, or creative, in few domains or none at all, and one cannot simply transfer expertise, or creativity, from one domain to another, unrelated domain. The domain specificity of creativity matters crucially for creativity training, creativity assessment, creativity research, and creativity theory. The domain specificity of creativity also means that interdisciplinary thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and interdisciplinary cr...
Characterization of the ‘In Vivo’ Nitrate Reductase Activity in the Roots and Leaves of Eichhornia crassipes

Etude du pH optimum et des conditions de determination de l'activite nitrate reductase «in vivo» chez Eichhornia crossipes
Computing maximum tracking error due to payload dynamics

The determination of maximum endpoint tracking error due to uncompensated inertial payload dynamics is investigated. The problem is formulated on the basis of well-known kinetic and kinematic relationships with constraints on maximum joint positions and velocities as well as the generalized force/speed constraint relationship for each actuator. An endpoint tracking error objective function is formed, and numerical optimization is used to determine the maximum. An example computation is presented to show the tracking error under progressively increasing payload using a PUMA 560 manipulator with its first three joints in motion. >
The “LEARn” (Latent Early-Life Associated Regulation) Model: An Epigenetic Pathway Linking Metabolic and Cognitive Disorders

Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and other disorders have been unified within the metabolic syndrome. Recently, it has been proposed that Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other degenerative, age-related neurological disorders may also be etiologically linked to the metabolic syndrome in a metabolic-cognitive syndrome. We review current evidence in the field for this unification. In addition, we describe how the latent early-life associated regulation (LEARn) model provides specific mechanisms to predict genetic targets for both metabolic disorders, e.g., diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders, e.g., AD. The LEARn model is based on environmental induction of latent epigenetic misregulation, which develops into disease upon suffering additional environmental insults. We review structural differences between gene sequences that are and are not susceptible to LEARn misregulation. In addition to suggesting research targets such as the IDE and SORCS1 genes, which are implicated in both AD and diabetes, LEARn suggests specific mechanisms for pre-disease remediation, based on nutritional adjustment of aberrant DNA methylation and oxidation. The possibility of a single metabolic-cognitive disorder opens up the possibility of unified preventative treatments that reduce monetary and social costs of disease. LEARn suggests specific, testable pathways within the large theory.
Using real-valued genetic algorithms to evolve rule sets for classification

In this paper, we use a genetic algorithm to evolve a set of classification rules with real-valued attributes. We show how real-valued attribute ranges could be encoded with real-valued genes and present a new uniform method for representing don't cares in the rules. We view supervised classification as an optimization problem, and evolve rule sets that maximize the number of correct classifications of input instances. We use a variant of the Pitt approach to genetic-based machine learning system with a novel conflict resolution mechanism between competing rules within the same rule set. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach on a benchmark wine classifier system. >
ON THE ANTIGENS OF RED BLOOD CORPUSCLES : THE QUESTION OF LIPOID ANTIGENS.

Erythrocytes contain more than one substance responsible for the production of lysins and agglutinins. By injections of alcoholic extracts of horse erythrocytes mixed with a foreign serum, hemolysins and agglutinins can be more readily obtained than by the same quantities of extract alone. The immune sera reacted on horse and donkey blood but not on the blood of other species. The antibodies obtained differ from those prepared in the usual way with unchanged red blood corpuscles. The differences involve the ratio lysin: agglutinin, the specificity, the inhibition of hemolysis by alcoholic extracts, and the flocculation of these extracts. Ordinary anti-horse sera give flocculation reactions with emulsions of alcoholic extracts of corpuscles but to a lesser degree and not so regularly as those produced by means of extracts. The specific substances present in alcoholic blood extracts are probably not proteins. According to this view, species specificity in animals depends not alone on proteins but also on another group of substances.
Membrane effects of tumor promoters: stimulation of sugar uptake in mammalian cell cultures.

Phorbol esters stimulate 2-deoxy-D-glucose (DG) uptake in rodent and human cell cultures. The potent tumor promoting agent, 12-0-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13 acetate (TPA), induces a 12-fold stimulation in confluent 3T3 cells and a 2.5-fold stimulation in HeLa cells. When a series of macrocyclic diterpenes are assayed, their relative potencies in stimulating DG uptake in 3T3 cells correlate with other known biologic effects of these compounds. On a molar basis, TPA is a much more potent stimulator of DG transport than insulin or epidermal growth factor. In HeLa cells, the ED50 value of the TPA effect is 0.2 nM. The increase in DG uptake occurs immediately after the addition of TPA, reaches a maximum at 90 minutes, persists for at least three hours after removal of TPA from the medium, and is temperature dependent. The stimulation is not inhibited by cycloheximide or actinomycin D. As in control cells, DG uptake in TPA treated cells is inhibited by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, phloridzin, cytochalasin B, and dexamethasone. Although the precise mechanism is not known, evidence is presented that the TPA stimulation of DG uptake is due to enhanced transport of the sugar rather than to effects of intracellular metabolism. The enhanced transport may be secondary to a more generalized change in membrane structure.
Hypofractionation in the era of modulated radiotherapy (RT).

Abstract The use of radiation therapy (RT) as a component of breast-conserving therapy (BCT) has been shown to reduce the risk of local-regional recurrence and improve overall survival. As has been the common practice in the United States and Continental Europe, the majority of studies that demonstrated these benefits utilized daily radiation doses ranging from 1.8 to 2.0 Gray (Gy) per day given for approximately 5 weeks. However, due to geographic limitations, patient preferences, and financial considerations, there have been continued attempts to evaluate the efficacy and safety of abbreviated or hypofractionated courses of whole-breast radiation. Two key factors in these attempts have been: 1) advances in radiobiology allowing for a more precise estimation of equivalent dosing, and 2) advances in the delivery of RT (‘modulation’) that have resulted in substantially improved dose homogeneity in the target volume. Hypofractionated schedules have been compared to conventional radiation courses in several randomized controlled trials, as well as many prospective and retrospective experiences. These studies, now with about 10 years of follow-up, have demonstrated equivalent rates of local-regional recurrence, disease-free survival, and overall survival. The rates of toxicity have generally not been increased with hypofractionated regimens; however, certain toxicities may take decades to manifest. The generalizability of these results is unclear, as the majority of patients in the trials were elderly with early-stage hormone-receptor positive disease. Nevertheless, there is now sufficient evidence to recommend hypofractionated whole breast RT for a substantial percentage of patients.
Effect of excimer laser melting on the near surface chemistry and corrosion properties of aisi 304 stainless steel

Abstract We have investigated the effect of excimer laser surface melting and resolidification on the near surface chemistry and corrosion properties of AISI 304 stainless steel. Auger electron spectroscopy sputter-depth profiles show a 30–60% enhancement of Cr at the surface. Improved passivity and an increased resistance to pitting are observed.
Development of a digital micromirror device (DMD)-based Snapshot Spectral Imaging (DMD-SSI) system

We present a DMD-SSI system which uses a DMD to implement Compressive Sensing (CS) measurement patterns. The spatial/spectral information of an imaging scene can be reconstructed from CS measurements by solving a minimization problem.
Modeling of time-dependent thermal effects in Cr2+-doped zinc selenide thin disks

We used finite element software to model the time dependence of thermal lensing and temperature rise in a Cr 2+ -doped zinc selenide thin disk for pulsed pumping. Two cases, chopped cw and Q-switched pumping, were considered. The model agrees well with experimental results for the chopped pumping case but does not directly agree with Q-switched pumping because the time delay between absorption and heat transfer to the host material is not accounted for in our model.
Characterization and Application of a Grazing Angle Objective for Quantitative Infrared Reflection Microspectroscopy

A grazing angle objective on an infrared microspectrometer is studied for quantitative spectroscopy by considering the angular dependence of the incident intensity within the objective's angular aperture. The assumption that there is no angular dependence is tested by comparing the experimental reflectance of Si and KBr surfaces with the reflectance calculated by integrating the Fresnel reflection coefficient over the angular aperture under this assumption. Good agreement was found, indicating that the specular reflectance of surfaces can straight-forwardly be quantitatively integrated over the angular aperture without considering non-uniform incident intensity. This quantitative approach is applied to the thickness determination of dipcoated Krytox on gold. The infrared optical constants of both materials are known, allowing the integration to be carried out. The thickness obtained is in fair agreement with the value determined by ellipsometry in the visible. Therefore, this paper illustrates a method for more quantitative use of a grazing angle objective for infrared reflectance microspectroscopy.
The Effect of Wanted Posters on Prospective and Retrospective Memory

The experiment tested prospective and retrospective memory for a person pictured on a wanted poster. Participants monitored the videotaped activity of a computer lab; one of their duties involved reporting if they saw a computer hacker. Half viewed a wanted poster of the hacker before the monitoring task and half after. For half the participants, the hacker appeared during monitoring and for half not. A diagnosticity ratio comparing the correct prospective memory identifications with false positive identifications showed that a prospective identification was 3.35 times more likely to be accurate than inaccurate. For those viewing the wanted poster after monitoring, the diagnosticity ratio was 1.21. Based on diagnosticity, a prospective identification had more value than a retrospective identification.
Northern European port administration and organization

Abstract Northern European ports are large in number but concentrated in a small geographic area. These ports vary greatly in size, organization and administration. Northern European ports are, therefore, ideal for studying relationships between success and success factors (ownership, administration, port functions, finance, etc.). This paper discusses some of the important differences among Northern European ports and suggests relationships that may exist between the various success factors and success. Additional data and statistical analysis are required to confirm these preliminary observations. Nevertheless, these observations can be helpful in guiding future port studies. Goss (1976) states that the purpose of ports is to be efficient in the economic sense. It is difficult to argue against this view. However, to use efficiency as a measure of success tends to reduce the importance of industrial development activities. It implies that the port's primary function is to move goods. Industrial development is, in fact, a very important function of Northern European ports. Therefore, a more comprehensive success measure would include enhancement of regional employment, capital creation, and the general level of regional economic activity.
CROSS‐COMPARISON OF ANOVA AND SCJM: A NEW APPROACH TO AXIOMATIC CONJOINT MEASUREMENT FOR NOISY DATA*

Stochastic conjoint measurement (SCJM) diagnosis is a new methodology for the identification of descriptive models of subjective judgments of multiattribute alternatives. SCJM implements nonparametric statistical analogues of the Krantz, Luce, Suppes, and Tversky [5] independence and cancellation axioms on which the present theory of conjoint measurement is based. SCJM thus relaxes the assumption that the rank-order data are error free. This paper describes the SCJM approach and applies both SCJM and classical ANOVA to the same factorial designs to obtain cross-comparisons of the effectiveness of these methodologies for detecting interaction effects. The data are five cross-section samples of the largest NYSE industrials drawn from Compustat tapes to explore financial leverage effects on E/P ratios during 1963–1973. Results indicate that the two methodologies usually reach similar conclusions regarding the appropriateness of a main effects additive model, but SCJM can detect interactions which would not be detected by ANOVA. Procedures for analyzing the sensitivity of SCJM conclusions are also illustrated.
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in South Asians residing in the United States.

Abstract Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to define the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its component risk factors among individuals of South Asian origin living in the United States. Methods: We analyzed baseline data from 1,445 participants enrolled in a cohort study investigating risk factors for cardiovascular disease in South Asians. We defined the metabolic syndrome using the International Diabetes Federation criteria for waist circumference (>90 cm for men; >80 cm, women), triglycerides (>150 mg/dL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ( 135/80 mmHg), and fasting glucose (>100 mg/dL). Results: The mean age was 43 ± 10 years, and 30% of participants were women. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 27% (31% men vs. 17% women, P < 0.05). Fifty-nine percent of the cohort had high waist circumference (58% men vs. 62% women, P = not significant [N.S.]), 47% had low HDL-C [46% men vs. 48% women (NS)], 19% had elevated tri...
Fitting of accurate interatomic pair potentials for bulk metallic alloys using unrelaxed LDA energies

We present a general and simple method for obtaining accurate, local density approximation (LDA-) quality interatomic potentials for a large class of bulk metallic alloys. The method is based on our analysis of atomic relaxation, which reveals that the energy released in the relaxation process can be approximated by calculating the epitaxially constrained energies of the constituents {ital A} and {ital B}. Therefore, the pair potential is fitted to the LDA-calculated epitaxial energies of the constituents (to capture the relaxation energies), and to the unrelaxed energies of ordered A{sub n}B{sub m} compounds (to capture the fixed-lattice {open_quotes}chemical{close_quotes} energy). The usefulness of our approach is demonstrated by carrying out this procedure for the Cu{sub 1{minus}x}Au{sub x} alloy system. The resulting pair potential reproduces the relaxed LDA formation energies of ordered compounds rather accurately, even though we used only unrelaxed energies as input. We also predict phonon spectra of the elements and ordered compounds in very good agreement with the LDA results. From the calculations for {approx}10000 atom supercells representing the random alloy, we obtain the bond lengths and relaxation energies of the random phase that are not accessible to direct LDA calculations. We predict that, while in Cu-rich alloys the Cu-Cumore » bond is shorter than the Cu-Au bond, at higher Au compositions this order is switched. Furthermore, we find that Au-rich Cu{sub 1{minus}x}Au{sub x} alloys have ground states that correspond to (001) superlattices of {ital n} monolayers of fcc Au stacked on {ital m} monolayers of the L1{sub 0} CuAu-I structure. The potential developed in this work is available at the site http://www.sst.nrel.gov/data/download.html for interested users. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}« less
Papaverine-sensitive Vasospasm and Arterial Contractility and Compliance after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Dogs

This study examined the relationship between papaverine-sensitive and -insensitive components of vasospasm, arterial contractility and compliance, and time after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in dogs. Eighteen dogs underwent angiography and then two intracisternal injections of blood. Angiography was repeated 4 (n = 5), 7 (n = 4), 10 (n = 4), or 14 (n = 5) days later. Papaverine, 100 to 200 mg, was infused into the basilar artery, and angiography was repeated. Four additional dogs had cerebral angiography only and served as controls. The basilar arteries were removed and studied pharmacologically. Significant vasospasm of the basilar artery was observed each time after SAH. Papaverine significantly reversed vasospasm at 4 and 7 days (88 +/- 6% and 63 +/- 11% of vasospasm reversed; analysis of variance, P < 0.05). The papaverine-insensitive component of vasospasm increased significantly with increasing time after SAH and with increasing severity of vasospasm. Arterial contractility and compliance decreased significantly with increasing time after SAH and were significantly related to the degree of papaverine-insensitive vasospasm but not to the severity of vasospasm. In conclusion, the majority of vasospasm early after SAH in dogs was caused by reversible vasoconstriction. The ability of papaverine to reverse vasospasm depended on the time after SAH and on the severity of vasospasm, a finding that may be important to the use of papaverine in humans. The pathological and biochemical basis for the association between papaverine-insensitive vasospasm and reduced arterial wall contractility and compliance remains to be determined.
Predictors of HIV disclosure to secondary partners and sexual risk behavior among a high-risk sample of HIV-positive MSM: results from six epicenters in the US

This study sought to identify predictors of HIV disclosure and serodiscordant unprotected anal intercourse (SDUAI) among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). Between January 2005 and April 2006, 675 HIV-positive MSM were recruited into the Positive Connections intervention trial held in six US cities with intentional over-sampling of HIV-positive MSM of Color (74%) and men engaging in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) in the previous year. Baseline survey data showed 30 and 31%, respectively, of participants disclosed to none or some of their secondary sex partners in the last 90 days. Greater disclosure to secondary partners was associated with having fewer sexual partners, being extremely out as MSM, longer HIV diagnosis, knowledge of CD4 count, detectable viral load and being white. Disclosure to all secondary partners was associated with lower SDUAI. Recommendations for prevention for HIV-positive MSM include the promotion of serodisclosure to all secondary partners and increasing comfort with, and outness about, one's sexuality.
A Shortest Path Model for the Optimal Timing of Forest Harvest Decisions

The management of National Forests is a complex problem in which resources are scarce and multiple uses often conflict. A key aspect of forest policy is the determination of how to manage the timber resources of the forest, as many of the nontimber resources are conditioned by timber levels and harvest activities. In this paper, we present a 0–1 integer programming model which is used to determine an optimal timber harvesting sequence for a single stand, or group of stands, over a particular planning horizon. The harvesting model is developed around the classic shortest path network-flow model and, as such, exhibits the unique solution characteristics of the shortest path problem. The integer programming model performs extremely well computationally, always solving exactly in all 0–1 variables in its relaxed linear programming form.
Electron rich complexes: rates of halide ion solvolysis in RuX(L)2(η-C5H5 as a function of ligand

When dissolved in DMSO-d6, RuCl(L)2(η-C5H5 complexes (L = PMe3, PPhMe2, PPh2Me, PPh2OMe, PMe(OMe)2 and L2 = dppe)* undergo slow solvolysis of chloride ion. Rates for these solvolysis reactions were measured at 67°C, by monitoring intensities of the cyclopentadienyl proton resonances in starting material and product, [Ru(DMSO-d6)(L)2-(η-C5H5]+. The reactions follow pseudo first order kinetics. The rates of solvolysis vary enormously with L, the fastest reaction occurring with L = PMe3 (τ12 = 1.3 h) and the slowest with PMe(OMe)2 (τ12 = ∼420 h). In general, the rate seems most largely dependent on the donor ability of L with steric effets playing almost no role.
Managing uncertainty: A grounded theory of stigma in transgender health care encounters

A growing body of literature supports stigma and discrimination as fundamental causes of health disparities. Stigma and discrimination experienced by transgender people have been associated with increased risk for depression, suicide, and HIV. Transgender stigma and discrimination experienced in health care influence transgender people's health care access and utilization. Thus, understanding how stigma and discrimination manifest and function in health care encounters is critical to addressing health disparities for transgender people. A qualitative, grounded theory approach was taken to this study of stigma in health care interactions. Between January and July 2011, fifty-five transgender people and twelve medical providers participated in one-time in-depth interviews about stigma, discrimination, and health care interactions between providers and transgender patients. Due to the social and institutional stigma against transgender people, their care is excluded from medical training. Therefore, providers approach medical encounters with transgender patients with ambivalence and uncertainty. Transgender people anticipate that providers will not know how to meet their needs. This uncertainty and ambivalence in the medical encounter upsets the normal balance of power in provider-patient relationships. Interpersonal stigma functions to reinforce the power and authority of the medical provider during these interactions. Functional theories of stigma posit that we hold stigmatizing attitudes because they serve specific psychological functions. However, these theories ignore how hierarchies of power in social relationships serve to maintain and reinforce inequalities. The findings of this study suggest that interpersonal stigma also functions to reinforce medical power and authority in the face of provider uncertainty. Within functional theories of stigma, it is important to acknowledge the role of power and to understand how stigmatizing attitudes function to maintain systems of inequality that contribute to health disparities.
ANOMALOUS ELECTRON THERMAL LOSSES IN TOKAMAKS.

Abstract Anomalous electron heat transport in Tokamaks is investigated by computer simulation considering neoclassical and empirical models. The results from a modification of an empirical model given by Artsimovich are most consistent with experimental data.
STAT1 requirement for PKR-induced cell cycle arrest in vascular smooth muscle cells in response to heparin.

Interferons (IFNs) are a family of cytokines that exhibit antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory properties. PKR (protein kinase, RNA activated) is of central importance in mediating the antiproliferative actions of IFNs. Our research has established that PKR inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation by regulating G1 to S transition. Many cardiovascular diseases result from complications of atherosclerosis, a chronic and progressive inflammatory condition often characterized by excessive proliferation of VSMC. Thus, an effective method for inhibiting VSMC proliferation is likely to arrest atherosclerosis and restenosis at early stages. Our research establishes that PKR activation in VSMC leads to a G1 arrest brought about by an inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) activity by p27kip1. In quiescent VSMC, p27kip1 levels are high and when stimulated by serum/growth factors, p27kip1 levels drop by destabilization of the protein. Under conditions that lead to activation of PKR, there is a marked inhibition of p27kip1 down-regulation due to increased stability of p27kip1 protein. In order to understand the mechanism of heparin-induced stabilization of p27kip1 in VSMC, we examined the involvement of the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription-1 (STAT1), which is an important player in mediating antiproliferative effects of IFNs. Our results demonstrate that PKR overexpression in VSMC leads to an increase in p27kip1 protein levels and this increase requires the catalytic activity of PKR. PKR activation induced by antiproliferative agent heparin leads to phosphorylation of STAT1 on serine 727, which is essential for the cell cycle block. STAT1 null VSMCs are largely defective in heparin-induced cell cycle arrest and in PKR null cells the STAT1 phosphorylation in response to heparin was absent. These results establish that heparin causes STAT1 phosphorylation on serine 727 via activation of PKR and that this event is required for the G1 arrest in VSMC.
Characterization of an L-type Calcium Channel Expressed by Human Retinal Müller (Glial) Cells

The traditional notion that glial cells are permeable only to potassium has been revised. For example, glia from various parts of the nervous system have calcium-permeable ion channels. Since characterization of the calcium channels in glia is limited, the purpose of this study was to determine the molecular identity and examine the functional properties of a voltage-gated calcium channel expressed by Muller cells, the predominant glia of the retina. Whole-cell and perforated-patch recordings of human Muller cells in culture revealed a high threshold voltage-activated calcium current that is blocked by dihydropyridines, but not by ω-conotoxin GVIA or ω-conotoxin MVIIC. RT-PCR of cultured human Muller cells using primers specific for the calcium channel subunits demostrated the expression of an L-type channel composed of the α1D, α2 and β3 subunits. The α2 subunit of the Muller cell calcium channel is a splice variant which is distinct from either the skeletal muscle α2s or the brain α2b. Our electrophysiological experiments indicate that the α1D/α2/β3 calcium channel is functionally linked with the activation of a potassium channel that may serve as one of the pathways for the redistribution by Muller cells of excess retinal potassium.
Consequences of a Mutation in the UNC119 Gene for T Cell Function in Idiopathic CD4 Lymphopenia

The activation of a T cell through T cell receptor (TCR) is fundamental to adaptive immune responses. The lymphocyte specific kinase (LCK) plays a central role in the initiation of signaling from the TCR. TCR activates LCK through the adaptor protein uncoordinated 119 (UNC119). A mutation of human UNC119 impairs LCK activation and is associated with inadequate signaling, diminished T cell responses to TCR stimulation, CD4 lymphopenia, and infections of viral, bacterial, and fungal origin. The above clinical and immunological findings meet the criteria of the idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia (ICL). The discovery of the UNC119 defect provides a molecular mechanism for a subset of patients with this previously unexplained disease. Here we review our recent findings on the UNC119 mutation in ICL.
Application of Independent Component Analysis for Sound Source Separation

In this paper, experiments on the application of the independent component analysis (ICA) technique to separate unknown source signals are reported. ICA is one of the fastest growing fields in signal processing with applications to speech recognition systems, telecommunications, and biomedical signal processing. It is a data-transformation technique that finds independent sources of activity from linear mixtures of unknown independent sources. The statistical method to measure independence is to find a linear representation of the non-Gaussian data so that the components are as independent as possible and the mutual information between them is minimum. Although extensive simulations have been performed to demonstrate the power of the learning algorithm for the problems of instantaneous mixing and un-mixing of sources, its application to the noise diagnosis and separation in an industrial setting has not been considered. Noise separation in machinery has a strong basis in the “cocktail problem” in which it is difficult to separate/isolate the voice of a person in a room filled with competing voices and noises. The experiments conducted consist of separating several artificially generated sources of noise. Our results demonstrate that ICA can be effectively employed for such kinds of applications. The underdetermined problem in which there are fewer sensors than sources in the ICA formulation is also examined by applying a time-invariant linear transformation of the acquired signals to identify a single source.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Robustness of Location Estimators under Changes of Population Kurtosis

Abstract We investigate the robustness of various estimators of the mean for two families of symmetric distributions (exponential power and t) indexed by the kurtosis γ and Hogg's (1972) measure of tail thickness Q. For fixed γ or Q, the optimal estimator for one family is often inefficient for the other family. Furthermore, over various ranges of γ or Q some common estimators (e.g., the median) are efficient only for one family. However, other estimators (e.g., some trimmed means and Gastwirth's three-percentile estimator (1966)) do maintain good efficiency over a wide range of γ or Q.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Intracellular Legionella pneumophila

Minimum inhibitory concentrations, minimum bactericidal concentrations, and killing curve assays were measured after Legionella pneumophila was grown in human lung fibroblasts. Results of susceptibility testing of organisms grown intracellularly are compared with results for organisms grown by standard tube dilution methods.
The Effect of Serum Protein Concentration on Wear Rates in a Hip Simulator

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene cups, 22 mm in diameter, were aged for 5 years in the normal laboratory environment. Half of the samples had been processed by the standard radiation sterilization techniques, while the remainder had been cross-linked by a technique involving higher radiation doses and controlled temperature at the time of irradiation. The samples had been tested in a hip simulator for 5,000,000 cycles using a lubricant that had been diluted 1:1 with deionized water. Once that testing was completed, further testing was conducted using lubricant with greater and lesser serum protein concentrations, and the results compared with those that had already been recorded. Comparison of the wear rates within the study as well as to published data concerning the effect of serum concentration showed results that were consistent with assumed differences in lubrication ability at different concentrations. The results of other published studies were found to be inconsistent with each other and different from some of the results of this study. There is shown to be a need for carefully controlled and conducted studies to agree, if possible, on the importance of the serum concentration and the appropriate parameters to be used in testing, as well as variations that may be necessary with different bearing material characteristics.
Physiological relevance of thyroid stimulating hormone and thyroid stimulating hormone receptor in tissues other than the thyroid

Decades of research have provided strong evidence for a reciprocal relationship between the immune system and hormones of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), in particular, has been shown to have a variety of immune-regulating cytokine-like activities that can influence the outcome of T cell development in the thymus and intestine, and can affect the magnitude of antibody and cell-mediated responses of peripheral lymphocytes. Production of TSH and the expression of the TSH receptor are widely but selectively distributed across many different types of hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow, as well as among subsets of dendritic cells, monocytes and lymphocytes in the spleen and lymph nodes. In addition to their role in immunity, the involvement of TSH-producing hematopoietic cells in the microregulation of thyroid hormone activity represents a novel and potentially important aspect of the TSH-mediated immune-endocrine circuit.
Systematic Relationships between Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes in Carbonates Deposited by Modern Corals and Algae

Analyses of organic carbonates from Jamaican coral reefs show a positive correlation between the O(18): O(16) ratio and the C(13) C(12) ratio in some taxonomic groups of corals and algae, but essentially no correlation (nearly constant O(18)) in one suborder of reef-building corals. The strontium and magnesium contents apparently are controlled mainly by skeletal mineralogy and show no correlation with carbon or oxygen isotopic composition. The observed positive correlations between C(13) and O(18) content may be due to calcification processes utilizing carbon-oxygen compounds from two isotopically different sources or utilizing selected portions of a wide spectrum of carbon-oxygen compounds in which there is a positive correlation between C(13) C(12) and O(18);O(16) ratios. Coral and algal carbonates from Jamaican waters, with an annual temperature range of only about 4 degrees C, exhibit a total deltaC(13) range of more than 13 per mil and a sigmaO(18) range of more than 4 per mil. The wide isotopic variability resulting from vital effects of calcifying organisms must be taken into account in applying isotopic analysis to the study of sedimentary carbonate rocks which may include reef-derived carbonates.
A continuous time version of random walks in a random potential

Abstract We consider a system of continuous time random walks on Z d in a potential which is random in space and time. In spatial dimensions d > 2, and for sufficiently small random potential, we show that, as time goes to infinity, the behavior is diffusive with probability one. However, the diffusion constant is not equal to one, and is determined by the averaged process. The averaged process is found by averaging over the random potential initially. In the discrete time case the averaged process is the simple random walk; this explains why the diffusion constant is one in the discrete time case.
Chicken skeletal muscle has three Ca2+-dependent proteinases.

Abstract Chicken breast muscle has three Ca 2+ -dependent proteinases, two requiring millimolar Ca 2+ (m-calpain and high m-calpain) and one requiring micromolar Ca 2+ (μ-calpain). High m-calpain co-purifies with μ-calpain through successive DEAE-cellulose (steep gradient), phenyl-Sepharose, octylamine agarose, and Sephacryl S-300 columns, but elutes after μ-calpain when using a shallow KCl gradient to elute a DEAE-cellulose column. The μ- and m-calpains have 80 and 28 kDa polypeptides and are analogous to the μ- and m-calpains that have been purified from bovine, porcine and rabbit skeletal muscle. High m-calpain, which seems to be a new Ca 2+ -dependent proteinase, is still heterogeneous after the DEAE-cellulose column eluted with a shallow KCl gradient. Additional purification through two successive HPLC-DEAE columns and one HPLC-SW-4000 gel permeation column produces a fraction having six major polypeptides and 6–8 minor polypeptides on SDS-PAGE. A 74–76 kDa polypeptide in this fraction reacts in Western blots with monospecific, polyclonal anti-calpain antibodies that react with both the 80 kDa and the 28 kDa polypeptides of μ- or m-calpain. High m-calpain also is related to μ- and m-calpain in that it causes the same limited digestion of skeletal muscle myofibrils, has a similar pH optimum near pH 7.9–8.4, requires Ca 2+ for activity, and reacts with the calpain inhibitor, calpastatin, and a variety of serine and cysteine proteinase inhibitors in a manner identical to μ- and m-calpain. High m-calpain differs from μ- and m-calpain in its elution off DEAE-cellulose columns and its requirement of 3800 μM Ca 2+ for one-half maximal activity compared with 5.35 μM Ca 2+ for μ-calpain and 420 μM Ca 2+ for m-calpain. The physiological significance of high m-calpain in unclear. The presence of μ-calpain in chicken breast muscle suggests that all skeletal muscles contain both μ- and m-calpain, although the relative proportions of these two proteinases may vary in different species.
Melatonin and Reproduction Revisited

This brief review summarizes new findings related to the reported beneficial effects of melatonin on reproductive physiology beyond its now well-known role in determining the sexual status in both long-day and short-day seasonally breeding mammals. Of particular note are those reproductive processes that have been shown to benefit from the ability of melatonin to function in the reduction of oxidative stress. In the few species that have been tested, brightly colored secondary sexual characteristics that serve as a sexual attractant reportedly are enhanced by melatonin administration. This is of potential importance inasmuch as the brightness of ornamental pigmentation is also associated with animals that are of the highest genetic quality. Free radical damage is commonplace during pregnancy and has negative effects on the mother, placenta, and fetus. Because of its ability to readily pass through the placenta, melatonin easily protects the fetus from oxidative damage, as well as the maternal tissues and placenta. Examples of conditions in which oxidative and nitrosative stress can be extensive during pregnancy include preeclampsia and damage resulting from anoxia or hypoxia that is followed by reflow of oxygenated blood into the tissue. Given the uncommonly low toxicity of melatonin, clinical trials are warranted to document the protection by melatonin against pathophysiological states of the reproductive system in which free radical damage is known to occur. Finally, the beneficial effects of melatonin in improving the outcomes of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer should be further tested and exploited. The information in this article has applicability to human and veterinary medicine.
The effect of solvents on high molecular weight, stable acetal resins

High molecular weight polyoxymethylenes are not soluble at room temperature in any of the hundreds of solvents or solvent systems tested. However, solutions can be obtained at elevated temperatures with a wide variety of solvents. Phenolic compounds are the most effective at temperatures of 50–100°C. At the other extreme of solubility, solvents are absorbed by the acetal polymer in varying amounts, depending on the crystallinity of the polymer and the cohesive energy density of the solvent. The absorption is concentrated entirely in the noncrystalline region of the polymer.