cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crossing the barrier: treatment of brain tumors using nanochain particles

Despite advancements in surgery and radiotherapy, the aggressive forms of brain tumors, such as gliomas, are still uniformly lethal with current therapies offering only palliation complicated by significant toxicities. Gliomas are characteristically diffuse with infiltrating edges, resistant to drugs and nearly inaccessible to systemic therapies due to the brain-tumor barrier. Currently, aggressive efforts are underway to further understand brain-tumor's microenvironment and identify brain tumor cell-specific regulators amenable to pharmacologic interventions. While new potent agents are continuously becoming available, efficient drug delivery to brain tumors remains a limiting factor. To tackle the drug delivery issues, a multicomponent chain-like nanoparticle has been developed. These nanochains are comprised of iron oxide nanospheres and a drug-loaded liposome chemically linked into a 100-nm linear, chain-like assembly with high precision. The nanochain possesses a unique ability to scavenge the tumor endothelium. By utilizing effective vascular targeting, the nanochains achieve rapid deposition on the vascular bed of glioma sites establishing well-distributed drug reservoirs on the endothelium of brain tumors. After reaching the target sites, an on-command, external low-power radiofrequency field can remotely trigger rapid drug release, due to mechanical disruption of the liposome, facilitating widespread and effective drug delivery into regions harboring brain tumor cells. Integration of the nanochain delivery system with the appropriate combination of complementary drugs has the potential to unfold the field and allow significant expansion of therapies for the disease where success is currently very limited. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2016, 8:678-695. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1387 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Diet, dispersal and social differentiation during the Copper Age in eastern Hungary

Why did the early farming societies of south-east Europe �collapse� and become apparently less complex at the end of the Neolithic? Stable isotope analysis of human bone collagen from Late Neolithic and Copper Age cemeteries in eastern Hungary provides new insights into this question by exploring dietary changes during this key transitional period. Results show that diet did not change significantly over time, and there was no evidence that individuals of different sex or social status were consuming privileged diets. The changes of this period appear to indicate a reorganisation of society, perhaps based around extended families, with greater dispersal across the landscape, but without reliance on dairying or the emergence of powerful leaders.
Robert Hooke's Water Current Meter, Circa 1663

A water current meter is shown to have been built in 1663 by Robert Hooke (1635 - 1703), the author of Hooke’s Law of Elasticity, and the first Curator of Experiments at the Royal Society of London. No drawing of that meter is known to exist, but the type of rotor and the revolution-counting facilities that Hooke had used thereon were the same as he had shown in a drawing of one of his deep sea sounding devices. A reproduction of that drawing is presented in the article. This is the earliest current meter to have been found so far in which use has been made (as in modern current meters) of a freely-rotating sensor with facilities for observing the number of turns the sensor made within a measured period of time. Features of the current meter built by Reinhard Woltman in about 1790, are so similar to those of Hooke’s meter, that it is suggested that Woltman had duplicated Hooke’s meter. Several other velocity-measuring devices conceived between the times of Hooke (1663) and Woltman (1790) are described briefly.
The Gorbachev regime after two years

Gorbachev's policy of openness to the West is sincere but it is secondary to his effort to cope with the economic and social crisis in the Soviet Union. That task is driving him toward genuine reform.
Scalable, network-assisted congestion control for the MobilityFirst future internet architecture

MobilityFirst (MF), as a realization of Information Centric Network architecture, places intelligent functionality, such as storage and reliability, inside the network to assist with data delivery. The MF architecture requires effective congestion and flow control to efficiently support data delivery at scale. Traditional end-to-end, window-based congestion control like that used by TCP is unsuitable as it is unable to take advantage of such in-network functionality. We design network-layer assisted congestion control schemes tailored to MF. One approach that works well for hop-by-hop reliable networks is using per-flow queueing and backpressure to alleviate congestion. However, it could become impractical in the presence of a large number of flows, which leads to substantial memory consumption and computational complexity. Building on a more scalable per-interface queueing model, we design congestion control mechanism that embodies traffic source rate control and explicit congestion notification from routers. Sample results show that the proposed scheme is able to achieve similar link utilization and better fairness compared with a per-flow queueing scheme.
A New System of Classifying Out-of-School Time Job Responsibilities

Out-of-school time (OST) is a burgeoning field with both research and policy implications. Efforts to improve professional development for OST staff members are of particular interest, as funding streams increasingly target interventions which promote positive changes in student outcomes. Professional development evaluation in particular is hindered by a lack of consistency among job titles and responsibilities across OST organizations. This mixed-method study utilizes original data to explore underlying patterns of job responsibilities within the field and offers a new classification system based on exploratory factor analyses. The classification includes five categories, each with a unique combination of common job responsibilities to assist survey respondents in choosing the appropriate category: upper-level administration, mid-level administration, direct-service, capacity-building, and “other.” Results suggest this new system is user-friendly to both respondents and researchers, and will garner more accurate and comparative information for future OST research and application.
Synthesis and properties of magnetic-optical core–shell nanoparticles

Due to their high integrity, facile surface chemistry, excellent stability, and dual properties from the core and shell materials, magnetic–plasmonic core–shell nanoparticles are of great interest across a number of science, engineering and biomedical disciplines. They are promising for applications in a broad range of areas including catalysis, energy conversion, biological separation, medical imaging, disease detection and treatment. The technological applications have driven the need for high quality nanoparticles with well controlled magnetic and optical properties. Tremendous progress has been made during past few decades in synthesizing and characterizing magnetic–plasmonic core–shell nanoparticles, mainly iron oxide–gold core–shell nanoparticles. This review introduces various approaches for the synthesis of spherical and anisotropic magnetic–plasmonic core–shell nanoparticles focusing on iron oxide–gold core–shell nanoparticles. Growth mechanisms are discussed to provide understanding of the key factors controlling shape-controlled synthesis. Magnetic and optical properties are summarized from both computational and experimental studies.
Peers, Parents, and Proactive Criminal Thinking: Comparing Additive and Interactive Effects in Mid- to Late-Adolescents

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was two-fold: 1. determine whether friend delinquency but not parental criminality predicted proactive criminal thinking; 2. ascertain whether the effect of friend delinquency and parental knowledge of their child’s friends on proactive criminal thinking was additive or interactive. Participants were 885 (421 males, 464 females) juvenile members of the Offending, Crime, and Justice Survey. Consistent with the first hypothesis, friend delinquency but not parental criminality predicted proactive criminal thinking whereas neither variable predicted reactive criminal thinking. Partially congruent with the second hypothesis, friend delinquency and parental knowledge but not their interaction predicted proactive criminal thinking.
Septic Episodes in a Premature Infant After In Utero Exposure to Rituximab

Rituximab is an increasingly used immunotherapeutic agent for women of reproductive age for treatment of autoimmune diseases, leukemias, and lymphomas. Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that targets B-cell surface antigen CD20 and can cross the placenta. Current evidence of the impact of this medication on the developing fetus is limited, but there is little to suggest that fetal exposure to this medication places an infant at increased risk of immunosuppression and subsequent infection. Here we report a case of in utero rituximab exposure that was associated with 2 severe septic episodes with Enterococcus faecalis, in a premature infant of 29 weeks’ gestational age with a birth weight of 820 g. The patient had a critically depressed B-lymphocyte subset of 10% and undetectable immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgM, and IgA levels at 37 weeks’ postmenstrual age. Interestingly, both episodes of sepsis coincided with transition from donor human milk to formula feeds. She was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, antibiotics, and donor human milk. We postulate that placental transfer of rituximab, prematurity, and the low levels of protective maternal antibodies increased the susceptibility of this patient to sepsis by E faecalis, a resident of the normal gut flora, whereas the secretory IgA in donor human milk may have played a protective role.
Effects of Charge State, Charge Distribution, and Structure on the Ion Mobility of Protein Ions in Helium Gas: Results from Trajectory Method Calculations.

Collision cross section (Ω) values of gas-phase ions of proteins and protein complexes are used to probe the structures of the corresponding species in solution. Ions of many proteins exhibit increasing Ω-values with increasing charge state but most Ω-values calculated for protein ions have used simple collision models that do not explicitly account for charge. Here we use a combination of ion mobility mass spectrometry experiments with helium gas and trajectory method calculations to characterize the extents to which increases in experimental Ω-values with increasing charge state may be attributed to increased momentum transfer concomitant with enhanced long-range interactions between the protein ion and helium atoms. Ubiquitin and C-to-N terminally linked diubiquitin ions generated from different solution conditions exhibit more than a 2-fold increase in Ω with increasing charge state. For native and energy-relaxed models of the proteins and most methods for distributing charge, Ω-values calculated usin...
Light-Induced Photochemical Changes in Copper(I) Thiocyanate Complexes Decorated with Halopyridines: Optical Memory Manifestation

We report on the photoluminescence of {CuSCN(3-XPy)2}n crystals (X = Br, Cl; Py = pyridine). Laser excitation at 266 nm for CuSCN(3-BrPy)2 at 78 K results in a decrease in the luminescence intensity with increasing irradiation time. Heating the sample to 298 K and recooling to 78 K results in recovery of the original luminescence intensity, hence manifesting an optical memory effect. Laser irradiation at longer or shorter wavelengths fails to produce a reduction in emission intensity. Interestingly, CuSCN(3-ClPy)2, despite being isomorphic, does not undergo emission intensity changes regardless of laser irradiation wavelength variation. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations were performed on an adjacent chain model to explore the photochemical change that occurs upon laser irradiation. The observed reduction in luminescence intensity is attributed to photoinduced electron transfer quenching in which Cu(I) is oxidized to a nonluminescent Cu(II) with capture of the halogen by a...
Effects of thermal stress and nitrate enrichment on the larval performance of two Caribbean reef corals

The effects of multiple stressors on the early life stages of reef-building corals are poorly understood. Elevated temperature is the main physiological driver of mass coral bleaching events, but increasing evidence suggests that other stressors, including elevated dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), may exacerbate the negative effects of thermal stress. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the performance of larvae of Orbicella faveolata and Porites astreoides, two important Caribbean reef coral species with contrasting reproductive and algal transmission modes, under increased temperature and/or elevated DIN. We used a fluorescence-based microplate respirometer to measure the oxygen consumption of coral larvae from both species, and also assessed the effects of these stressors on P. astreoides larval settlement and mortality. Overall, we found that (1) larvae increased their respiration in response to different factors (O. faveolata in response to elevated temperature and P. astreoides in response to elevated nitrate) and (2) P. astreoides larvae showed a significant increase in settlement as a result of elevated nitrate, but higher mortality under elevated temperature. This study shows how microplate respirometry can be successfully used to assess changes in respiration of coral larvae, and our findings suggest that the effects of thermal stress and nitrate enrichment in coral larvae may be species specific and are neither additive nor synergistic for O. faveolata or P. astreoides. These findings may have important consequences for the recruitment and community reassembly of corals to nutrient-polluted reefs that have been impacted by climate change.
Progress in fullerene-based hybrid perovskite solar cells

In this review, we summarize recent advances that have resulted in fullerene-based high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by new processing methods of the perovskite films, by adding fullerenes as interfacial selective electron extraction layers and improving device stability or by incorporating fullerene derivatives to eliminate hysteretic behavior of both regular and inverted PSC structures. Finally, we outline some perspectives for further advancing PSCs for large-scale and commercial applications.
Surgeon, Hospital, and Geographic Variation in Minimally Invasive Colectomy.

Objective:To identify sources of variation in the use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for colectomy.Background:MIS is associated with decreased analgesic use, shorter length of stay, and faster postoperative recovery. This study identified factors explaining variation in MIS use for colectomy.Me
Depth map enhancement using adaptive steering Kernel regression based on distance transform

In this paper, we present a method to enhance noisy depth maps using adaptive steering kernel regression based on distance transform. Data-adaptive kernel regression filters are widely used for image denoising by considering spatial and photometric properties of pixel data. In order to reduce noise in depth maps more efficiently, we adaptively refine the steering kernel regression function according to local region structures, flat and textured areas. In this work, we first generate two distance transform maps from the depth map and its corresponding color image. Then, the steering kernel is modified by a newly-designed weighing function directly related to joint distance transform. The weighting function expands the steering kernel in flat areas and shrinks it in textured areas toward local edges in the depth map. Finally, we filter the noise in the depth map with the refined steering kernel regression function. Experimental results show that our method outperforms the competing methods in objective and subjective comparisons for depth map enhancement.
Dissecting the mode of action of a neuronal growth factor.

The neuronal growth factors nerve growth-factor (NGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) play important roles in the development of both the peripheral and central nervous systems. These agents are survival factors in vivo and in neuronal cell culture. They appear to promote the differentiation of different classes of neurons and may also play some part in the guidance of neuronal process outgrowth. It is apparent that neuronal growth factors, as exemplified by NGF and FGF, encompass an enormous range of actions, making elucidation of the underlying molecular mechanisms a formidable task. However, a multidisciplinary approach has been brought to bear on this task, and studies of neuronal growth factor action have gained from as well as contributed insights to other fields.
Some Final Thoughts

Nearly everyone experiences back pain at sometime in their life and up to 5% have sciatica. Yet how patients are diagnosed and managed varies greatly depending on where they are and what physician they see. Primary care physicians, including family practice and emergency room physicians, have largely become triage officers referring patients with sciatica to specialists for management. If you are referred to a neurologist you will likely be given pain medication and probably a course of physical therapy, if you are referred to an orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon there is a better chance you will have surgery, if you are referred to a spine clinic you likely will receive epidural steroid injections, and if you are referred to a chiropractor you will have a series of manipulations. The referral patterns vary from physician to physician and in different parts of the country. Worldwide the United States has the highest rate of surgery for low back pain and sciatica. Patients in the United States are five times more likely to have surgery than patients in the United Kingdom. If patients have insurance, they will usually have routine x-rays and an MRI of the low back often before being referred to a specialist. These are expensive procedures that often lead to equivocal results (such as the ubiquitous degenerative disc disease). As noted earlier, evidence based guidelines recommend initial conservative management of patients with sciatica unless there are “red flags” on the clinical evaluation. Most patients will get better within 6 weeks. This means no laboratory tests and no treatment other than pain management and encouragement to resume normal activities as much as possible.
Cardiovascular Disease in Gout and the Protective Effect of Treatments Including Urate-Lowering Therapy

Cardiovascular disease affects more than 90 million Americans. Recent studies support an increased cardiovascular disease risk in inflammatory conditions, such as gout. Increased serum urate levels, or hyperuricemia, are a precursor to gout. Data from meta-analyses have shown hyperuricemia to be linked to hypertension and coronary heart disease. Similarly, gout has been associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accidents, and death from cardiovascular disease in randomized clinical trials. Urate-lowering therapy reduces serum urate and may decrease systemic inflammation, generation of oxidative species, and reverses endothelial dysfunction through hyperuricemia-dependent or hyperuricemia-independent pathways. Cardioprotective benefits of allopurinol, a first-line agent for the treatment of gout, have been demonstrated to potentially prevent myocardial infarction, stroke, atrial fibrillation, and other cardiovascular diseases in observational studies in select populations. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have also examined the role of newer urate-lowering therapies, such as febuxostat and lesinurad, and their risk of cardiovascular-specific mortality in comparison to allopurinol. A large post-marketing study of febuxostat vs. allopurinol showed higher all-cause and cardiovascular-specific mortality in the febuxostat group than in the allopurinol group; a major study limitation was that large numbers of patients were lost to follow-up or discontinued treatment. RCTs are required to assess the comparative effectiveness of urate-lowering therapies, validate findings of observational studies, and to determine which subgroup populations of gout are most likely to benefit from appropriate long-term urate-lowering therapy. This review examines the data for increased cardiovascular disease in gout and potential underlying mechanisms (including hyperuricemia, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress) and the effect of urate-lowering therapy on cardiovascular disease.
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia patients with Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy needing Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation have a poor outcome

Background: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), in its severe form has poor outcome due to associated pulmonary hypertension. ECMO is used for respiratory failure associated with CDH with survival between 55-80%. The presence of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in CDH patients can lead to worse outcomes due to the complications associated with HIE and its treatments. Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) is widely used for the treatment of HIE from 2009 onwards due to improvement in the mortality and long term outcomes in clinical trials. We hypothesized …
Integrating RESs in Power Distribution Systems Considering Multi-MGs and Load Increment

Integration of renewable energy sources (RESs) in power distribution systems can reduce power distribution system operational costs, system losses, and environmental emissions. This research investigates optimal integration of PVs and wind turbines in power distribution systems in two separate cases: 1) without having any micro-grid (MG) and 2) having multi-MG in the system. For this purpose, distribution system's performance in terms of system operational costs, system losses, and environmental emissions is analyzed. The well-known PG&E 69 bus distribution system has been chosen for the simulation and case studies and PVs and wind turbines are integrated separately and collectively. The simulation results show that an efficient integration of PVs and wind turbines largely helps to improve the distribution system operational performances. Moreover, the research shows that although considering multi-MG in the distribution system is beneficial for increasing the systems reliability and resiliency, it could have adverse impacts on system's operational performances, e.g. power losses. Further analysis has been done to observe the load increase impacts on distribution systems operational performances.
Driving and Epilepsy

There is no more emotional issue in the care of the patient with seizures and epilepsy as driving an automobile. Driving is more than a mode of transportation; it also the means by which most individuals live an independent life. However, laws exist in every state and most countries restricting driving privileges in the name of public safety. Most of these laws mandate seizure freedom anytime from 3 months to 1 year depending on geographic location, and six states have mandatory reporting laws of the individual with seizures to their state medical transportation board (Drazkowski et al. Mayo clinic Proc 78:819–825, 2003; Neiman et al. Epilepsy Behav 19:52–54, 2010). Knowing the local state laws, counseling patients about driving safety, and documenting that encounter are essential for optimizing patient quality of life (Neiman et al. Epilepsy Behav 19:52–54, 2010).
Internal Model-Based Capital Regulation and Bank Risk-Taking Incentives

Bank capital requirements set by rigid rules are being replaced by more flexible requirements based on the bank’s internal risk model. But when the government creates a “safety net” for depositors, in the form of a guaranteed payoff on their accounts in the case of bank failure, or an implicit commitment not to allow a bank to fail, it effectively gives the bank a subsidy for taking risk. Since the bank does not have to pay depositors a risk premium for bearing default risk, it can earn a higher return on its risky investments, and will naturally tend to hold riskier assets and less capital. Kupiec sets out the problem explicitly and analyzes it in this article.
Theoryguru: A Mathematic Package to Apply Quantifier Elimination Technology to Economics

We consider the use of Quanti fier Elimination (QE) technology for automated reasoning in economics. There is a great body of work considering QE applications in science and engineering but we demonstrate here that it also has use in the social sciences. We explain how many suggested theorems in economics could either be proven, or even have their hypotheses shown to be inconsistent automatically via QE. However, economists who this technology could bene t are usually unfamiliar with QE, and the use of mathematical software generally. This motivated the development of a Mathematica Package TheoryGuru, whose purpose is to lower the costs of applying QE to economics. We describe the package's functionality and give examples of its use.
THE EFFECT OF WELDING CABLES ON PRODUCTION SCHEDULES AND COSTS: A CASE STUDY

A detailed study of present welding cable production and repair operations was performed in an attempt to reduce the costs associated with production downtime due to defective manual arc welding cable resulting from copper inclusions in the cable and connectors. Surveys used to obtain information from 14 commercial and naval shipyards concerning their present methods of manufacturing/repairing and management of manual arc welding cable sections are discussed. While welding cable may seem to be a trivial part of the production process, mismanagement in this area can have a significant impact on production schedules and costs.
Penaeid Shrimp Distributions in Mobile Bay, Alabama, Including Low-Salinity Records

Low-salinity records in the Gulf of Mexico area for taking Penaeus duorarum in water of O.lo/oo and 28OC, and Penaeus aztecus in water of 0.2°/00 and 29.S"C were established in Mobile Bay, Alabama. Catches in Mobile Bay of approximately 20,000 each of P. aztecus and Penaeus setiferus, distributed over a 30-month period, show that P. aztecus taken in the hotter months had a wider salinity preference (5 to 30°/00) than those taken in the cooler months (10 to 15"/00). During the warmer months P. setiferus was most common in waters below So/oo and during the winter months was almost equally distributed in the various salinities. Few P. duorarum were taken during the survey. INTRODUCTION (1974) reported as the lowest salinity in which they had been taken in the northern Gulf. It had not previously been reported that on April 21, 1955, one pink shrimp was taken in Deer River Channel (station 5) in water of 0.7"/00 salinity and 28°C. During that month, when water was unusually Twelve stations in Mobile Bay, Alabama (Figure 1) were sampled monthly for 30 months by a standard 30-minute drag with a 7.7-meter lead line shrimp trawl as described in Loesch (1965). Bottom water samples were collected and titrated with silver nitrate in the laboratory for salinity calculations. Loesch (1965) did not discuss relationships between abundance of shrimp and salinity, nor did that paper establish low-salinity records for any species. The present paper is an analysis of shrimp abundance (19,413 brown, 23,161 white, and 235 pink shrimp) in 325 samples as compared to salinity (Table 1, Figure 2).
General Relativistic Two-Body Problem: Theory and Experiment and the Role of Hidden Momentum

Emphasis will be placed on unusual aspects of our derivation, particularly the use of techniques from the more developed realm of QED (quantum electrodynamics). We obtain explicit results for the precession of the spin (rotation) and orbital effects and we discuss the relatively recent (2008) verification of our spin precession result. Unusual features of our orbital precession analysis is the appearance of hidden momentum effects whose origins may be traced to a special relativistic effect.
Use of dispersed catalysts for fossil fuel upgrading

Abstract Because of dwindling supplies of premium oil reserves, we are striving to findeconomical methods to utilize alternative fossil fuels, such as coal and heavy oils, which are far more abundant. Conventional hydrotreating catalysts are not adequate for these types of feedstocks because of the heavy asphaltenes and metal contaminates. One approach to convert these feedstocks is to use dispersed catalysts. The advantage of dispersed catalysts is that they should not be subject to deactivation as readily as conventional supported catalysts, while at the same time, should provide more catalytic activity with a lower metal loading. We have tested the effect of several preparations of dispersed catlysts include those containing Fe, Mo, and Ni metals or metal sulfides. We found that the dispersed catalysts are more effective than those of conventional catalysts, with the most effective ones being those that are easily activated under the reaction conditions.
The role of dissolved organic matter in arctic surface waters in the photolysis of hexachlorobenzene and lindane

[1] Terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) can impact the fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are transported to the Arctic via global distillation. Interactions between DOM and POPs through hydrophobic binding processes may influence their photofate in arctic surface waters. We examined the DOM-mediated photodegradation of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in arctic surface waters. These two halogenated organic compounds are commonly detected in the Arctic. We examined how different sources of DOM affect the indirect photolysis of these compounds. We conducted our study using DOM from arctic streams and lakes near the Toolik Lake Long-term Ecological Research Site. HCB or lindane was irradiated in the presence and absence of DOM from these sources, both at the surface of an arctic lake and at 10 cm depth, to investigate the indirect phototransformation of these two compounds and the depth dependence of the observed chemistry. In both artificial and natural sunlight, two of four DOM sources studied stimulated the photodegradation of HCB but not of lindane, suggesting that the indirect phototransformation is a selective process depending on the interactions between DOM and POPs. Through solubility studies, we found that HCB readily partitions to isolated Toolik Lake DOM, while lindane shows no affinity for DOM, findings that corroborate results previously reported in the literature. We demonstrate for the first time DOM's role as a sensitizer for photodegradation of some POPs under field conditions, thus confirming that this process may be an important control on the fate of POPs exhibiting a strong affinity for DOM.
Uterine artery ligation in the control of intractable postpartum hemorrhage

Abstract The technique and merits of bilateral uterine artery occlusion for obstetrical hemorrhage have been described. Ten new cases are reported, and the literature reviewed. Some unnecessary emergency hysterectomies may be avoided by the use of this operation. The technique is simple, may be rapidly performed, and will be more effective than hypogastric artery ligation in the control of uterine hemorrhage.
Misreading the African Landscape: Society and Ecology in a Forest‐Savanna Mosaic

Misreading the African Landscape: Society and Ecology in. Forest-Savanna Mosaic. J. Fairhead and M. Leach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 354 pp.
ID: 31: The diverse roles of type I interferon in response to EMCV and SeV infections

Type I interferon (IFN) is one of the body’s first line of defense against invading pathogens. The IFN- α subgroup in the type I IFN family consists of 12 different proteins that are known to have antiviral properties. However, the specific functions, efficacies, and induction patterns of each IFN- α subtype in response to viral pathogens have not been fully assessed. This study examines these properties using two RNA viruses, Sendai virus (SeV) and encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) and two human cell lines. Using the human lung epithelial cell line A549 and monocytoid cell line U937 we show that IFN- α subtypes are unique in their antiviral properties. IFN- α subtype pretreatment of both cell lines challenged with EMCV results in a range of antiviral activities. Subtype pretreatment followed by SeV challenge, however, did not protect either cell type. A549 cells were shown to induce very little type I IFN RNA upon SeV infection, but this induction results in the upregulation of IFN stimulated genes and biologically active IFN protein. Together, our study shows that IFN- α s have cell type and virus specific functions. The inability of type I IFN to protect against SeV infection must be further explored mechanistically to uncover why biologically active type I IFN is unable to induce an antiviral state.
Bivalves and gastropods from the middle Campanian Anacacho Limestone, south central Texas

The Anacacho Limestone was deposited during the Campanian and represents two depositional intervals, one of early Campanian and one of middle Campanian age. These two intervals correspond to periods of major eustatic sea level rise. This study focuses on the molluscan paleontology of the middle Campanian interval in the eastern part of the Anacacho exposure belt in Medina County, Texas. Molluscan assemblages in this area are indicative of inner to mid-shelf environments. No significant reef components are present. These eastern Anacacho deposits are interpreted to represent more offshore, deeper water environments than those to the southwest, where reef and lagoonal deposits have been reported. Analysis of the macrofossil components from these eastern localities has expanded the number of invertebrate species known from the Anacacho Limestone by nearly three-fold. This increase in diversity, based on a small amount of new work, suggests that many more taxa are yet to be identified, particularly in the western part of the exposure belt in Uvalde and Kinney Counties. This paper documents the bivalve and gastropod fauna, discussing and illustrating 24 bivalve taxa and 11 gastropod species. Two new bivalve species are named, Panopea anacachoensis new species and Spondylus siccus new species, and two potentially new gastropod species are identified but not named herein due to inadequate material. This paper expands the distribution of many eastern Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast taxa westward into Texas and shows strong ties between the Anacacho fauna and that of the Campanian Tar Heel and Bladen Formations of the Black Creek Group in North Carolina. The taxonomic ties between these two areas probably reflect the thorough documentation of the North Carolina fauna, which is the best documented Campanian bivalve fauna in the Gulf or Atlantic Coast regions.
Optical analysis of the spinning drop

Abstract The accuracy with which the interfacial tension between two immiscible fluid phases can be determined by the spinning drop method is limited by the accuracy with which the spinning drop diameter can be found. Thus it is important to know the factor by which the cylindrical sample tube and its content magnify the on-axis drop or bubble. By the rigorous ray-tracing method of geometric optics, we have analyzed the image formation and magnification factor of the spinning drop. Our analysis shows that when drop, outer wall, and inner wall of the tube are concentric, the ratio of the diameter of the image, as measured by a traveling microscope, to the diameter of the drop is exactly the refractive index of the denser fluid surrounding the drop. Our analysis also reveals that the image, a virtual one, is formed concentric with the drop. We have also analyzed the effect of eccentricity of the walls of the sample tube on the magnification factor.
Survey Says: Implications of a Public Perception Survey on Stormwater Education Programming

: Effective watershed and stormwater education and public involvement programs strive to increase awareness of watersheds and landscape connectivity and also encourage behavior changes that may be contributing to water quality and quantity problems within a targeted basin. According to new guidance from the US Environmental Protection Agency on stormwater permit improvement, regulators are looking for programs to utilize targeted issues relevant to a community to guide the development of a comprehensive outreach program. In an effort to collect information on public perception, knowledge, behaviors and willingness to get involved in improved stormwater management, a telephone survey was implemented. This manuscript presents the results of this survey and offers insight on stakeholders’ attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors related to watershed and stormwater, critical factors in the initial development of effective stormwater education and public involvement programs.
Three Dimensional Models of Extreme Vertices Designs for Four Component Mixtures

McLean and Anderson [1] described extreme vertices designs and an algorithm for determining the extreme vertices. In three component mixtures, conventional triangular graph paper includes the entire factor space and any design can be easily visualized by plotting the vertices and centroids of the design. In four component systems, the entire factor space is included within a pyramid, the base of which is equivalent to triangular graph paper. The following describes the construction, on transparent sheets, of triangles on various horizontal planes within the pyramid, on which the vertices and centroids of any design can be plotted. With proper positioning of these sheets on a frame, any four component design can be visualized. Let the levels of the factors X1, X2 and X3 vary within the horizontal planes of the pyramid and let vertical distances within the pyramid represent X4 . For simplicity of explanation, the procedure will be described starting with the case X4 = 0, (Figure 1), even though this might not be one of the defined
REDESCRIPTION OF HAEMOPROTEUS MESNILI (APICOMPLEXA: PLASMODIIDAE) AND ITS MERONTS, WITH DESCRIPTION OF A SECOND HAEMOSPORIDIAN PARASITE OF AFRICAN COBRAS

Haemoproteus mesnili (Bouet 1909) Wenyon 1926 is redescribed from the spitting cobra, Naja nigricollis nigricollis, of Tanzania. Mature gametocytes in the acute phase of infection averaged 17.7 × 7.3 μm, with LW 128.1 μm2, and L:W ratio 2.52. Nuclei were visible in both sexes. Both sexes were heavily pigmented, with 31–62 black granules dispersed in macrogametocytes; 20–46 granules were often clumped or concentrated near ends of microgametocytes. The halteridial form was present in 28% of active-phase gametocytes, but in only 8% of those in chronic phase. A few large, possibly first generation, meronts were present in cardiac muscle; uninucleate parasites within parasitophorous vacuoles in splenic cells produced small rounded or ovoid meronts, 12.2 × 9.6 μm, with 12–16 deeply basophilic, square-to-rectangular cytomeres. Meronts with 17–32 cytomeres were 16.9 × 11.9 μm. Meronts, 20 × 16 to 26 × 22 μm, contained 51–57 cytomeres. Mature meronts were ovoid, 13.7 × 11.5 μm, with many rounded merozoites. Haemop...
Relating the ac complex resistivity of the pinned vortex lattice to its shear modulus

We propose a way to determine the shear rigidity of the pinned vortex lattice in high-purity crystals from the dependence of its complex resistivity {cflx {rho}} on frequency ({omega}). The lattice is modeled as an elastic medium pinned by a sparse, random distribution of defects. We relate {cflx {rho}} to the velocity of the small subset of pinned vortices via the lattice propagator G({bold R},{omega}). Measuring {cflx {rho}} versus {omega} is equivalent to determining G({bold R},{omega}) versus R. The range of G({bold R},{omega}) depends sensitively on the shear and tilt moduli. We describe the evaluation of G({bold R},{omega}) in two-dimensional (2D) and 3D lattices. The 2D analysis provides a close fit to the frequency dependence of Re{cflx {rho}} measured in an untwinned crystal of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7} at 89 K in a field of 0.5 and 1.0 T. We compare our results with earlier models. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Effects of semi-dilute actin solutions on the mobility of fibrin protofibrils during clot formation.

Abstract Low concentration of actin filaments (F-actin) inhibit the rate and extent of turbidity developed during polymerization of purified fibronogen by thrombin. Actin incorporates into the fibrin clot in a concentration-dependent manner that does not reach saturation, indicating nonspecific trapping of actin filaments in the fibrin network. Actin does not retard activation of fibrinogen by thrombin, but rather the alignment of fibrin protobirils into bundles which constitute the coarse clot. In contrast, equivalent F-actin concentrations have little or no effect on the turbidity of plasma clots. The difference is attributed to the presence of a plama protein, gelsolin, that severs actin filaments. Purified gelsolin greatly reduces the effect of F-actin on the turbidity of a pure fibrin clot and decreased the fraction of actin incorporated by the clot. A calculation of the extent to which the gelsolin concentrations used in these experiments reduce the fraction of actin filaments which are long enough to impede each other's rotational diffusion indicates that it is the overlapping actin filaments which retard the association of fibrin protofibrils. The finidings suggest that one role for the F actin depolymerizing and particularly actin severing activities in blood is to prvent actin filaments released by tissue injury from interpreting with the formation of coarse fibrin clots.
Calibration setup for drift chamber gases

Abstract We describe an experimental setup allowing precise and simultaneous measurement of the drift velocity and the deflection angle in a magnetic field. Calibration data are presented for argon:methane and argon:ethane to 1.0% absolute accuracy. A systematic study of many gases for detector requirements at future colliders will be carried out based on these techniques.
Constructing rigorous MANET simulation scenarios with realistic mobility

Researchers need to choose an appropriate scenario to study the performance of a Mobile Ad hoc NETwork (MANET) via simulation. For example, routing is not properly evaluated when the shortest path between each pair of nodes in the simulation scenario is two or less. Various standards may be required to construct a credible MANET simulation scenario. In this work, we concentrate upon three standards for evaluating MANET routing protocols. Metrics involved in these standards are: average shortest-path hop count, average network partitioning, and average neighbor count. The main contribution of this work is to provide researchers with models that allow them to easily construct rigorous MANET simulation scenarios. The input to our models is the desired values for the three metrics mentioned; our models then output parameters for a simulation scenario that approximately meet the researcher's target values for the metrics. Our models were designed using a recently published mobility model that was constructed by extracting the statistical features of real human movement. Our models enable researchers to test MANET routing protocols in a more realistic manner, thereby improving the credibility of their MANET simulation studies.
RENAL CELL CARCINOMA: CONSIDERATIONS FOR NEPHRON-SPARING SURGERY

Abstract Objectives The performance of nephron-sparing surgery in patients with a normally functioning contralateral kidney is controversial. To explore the risk factors that may contribute to the success or failure of nephron-sparing surgery, we examined the radiology and pathology reports of 278 patients who underwent radical nephrectomy for the treatment of clinically localized renal cell carcinoma. Methods We collated patient data from the records of 278 patients with Stage III renal cell carcinoma entered into the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group protocol EST 2886 and compared preoperative clinical staging with postoperative pathologic results. Patients were considered potential candidates for nephron-sparing surgery if their preoperative radiographic studies indicated that the carcinoma was a single polar lesion 5 cm or less in diameter. Results Of 278 radical nephrectomy specimens, 36 had primary lesions 5 cm or less in diameter. Preoperative radiographic studies showed 14 of 36 would not have been considered eligible for nephron-sparing surgery. Of the remaining 22 potential candidates, pathologic studies showed multifocal lesions in 11, renal vein disease in 4, and nodal disease in 2. Only 5 of 22 patients might have had specimen-confined disease (T3a lesion). Conclusions Capsular-penetrating (T3a) renal cell carcinoma is not often appreciated preoperatively and is associated frequently with multifocal lesions, renal vein or nodal disease. Frozen section studies to rule out T3a disease at the time of nephron-sparing surgery may help determine which patients need radical surgery.
Estimation of individual intakes of folate in women of childbearing age with and without simulation of folic acid fortification.

Abstract Objectives The objectives of this study were to examine variability of folate intake in order to estimate the number of days needed to accurately estimate intakes in women of childbearing age and to simulate the effect of folic acid fortification of cereals and grains on individual folate intake. Design Observational study of food intake over a 60-day period. Sampling A convenience sample of 21 women completed food records on randomly assigned days within a 60-day period. Outcomes measured Folate intake and variance ratios of folate intake. Statistical analysis Repeated measures analysis of variance. Results Six days of food records were needed to describe folate intake of these women of childbearing age (18 to 45 years) with 20% attenuation of a correlation coefficient between dietary folate intake and another biological variable. Seven days of records were needed with simulated folic acid fortification (assuming fortification of 140μg folic acid per 100g flour) and 5 days were needed with supplements containing 200 to 400μg folic acid in addition to folic acid fortification. Food folate intake was 288±195μg; only 2 of the participants consumed the recommended 400μg. With fortification, folate intake increased to 550±279μg without supplements and 609±327μg with supplements. Applications Individual intakes of folate should be assessed with at least 7 days of dietary records (20% attenuation). In this sample, when folic acid fortification was added to dietary intake, routine supplementation was not necessary to achieve folate intakes of 400 μg in the majority of participants. The practice of routine folic acid supplementation should be considered carefully to ensure that individual intakes of folate do not exceed the upper limits of safety. J Am Diet Assoc. 1998;98:985-988.
The effects of estradiol on food intake and weight in ovariectomized rats with amygdaloid lesions

The effects of estradiol on increased food intake and body weight gain induced by ovariectomy, were examined in rats with lesions of the cortical and medial amygdaloid nuclei. Lesioned animals displayed typical ovariectomy-induced hyperphagia and weight gain. Estradiol injections were effective in maintaining normal food intake and weight gain in ovariectomized lesioned animals.