cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Secretin-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography in the Evaluation of Patients Following Pancreatojejunostomy

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the role of secretin-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (S-MRCP) in the evaluation of patients following pancreatico-jejunal anatomosis. Materials and Methods: S-MRCP studies ( n = 83) performed at Brigham and Women's Hospital between 1/2005 and 7/2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Among these, there were 13 patients (10 females, 3 males; mean age = 45 years, range = 18-74 years) who were evaluated with S-MRCP following pancreatojejunal anatomosis. Single-shot fast spin-echo T2-weighted thick slab dynamic MRCP images obtained before and every minute (for 10 min) after IV injection of secretin (2 mcg/kg body weight of SecreFloTM IV over 1 min) were reviewed retrospectively and independently by 3 readers. Image analysis included measurement of the main pancreatic duct (MPD) diameter and subjective assessment of the grade of visualization of the MPD remnant. The amount of jejunal fluid and visualization of the pancreatico-jejunal anatomosis pre-and post-secretin were also documented. Direct correlation with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) finding was available in six of the 13 cases. Results: The MPD diameter and MPD remnant visualization improved post-secretin for 1/3 readers. The number of pancreatico-jejunal anastomoses and the amount of jejunal fillings pre-and post-secretin was seen to improve significantly for 1 of the 3 readers. For Reader 1, the mean MPD diameter in the body of the pancreas, on the pre-and post-secretin image, was 3.2 ± 1.3 mm and 3.8 ± 1.9 mm, respectively. There was no statistical difference in the values pre- and post-secretin in the MPD diameter ( P = 0.07), MPD visualization ( P = 0.16) and the number of pancreatico-jejunal anastomoses seen ( P = 0.125 5/13 pre- and 9/13 post-secretin). Statistical significance was seen in the amount of jejunal filling ( P = 0.01) after secretin. For Reader 2, the MPD diameter pre-and post-secretin was 4 ± 2 and 3.9 ± 2.1 mm, respectively ( P = 0.89). The MPD visualization ( P = 0.19) and degree of jejunal filling ( P = 0.7) did not improve significantly. There were 3/13 pancreatico-jejunostomy anastomoses seen pre- and 8/13 seen post-secretin ( P = 0.06). The values for Reader 3 reached a statistical significance for the measurement of MPD ( P = 0.032). In addition, MPD visualization ( P = 0.038), the number of anastomoses seen ( P = 0.016) and jejunal filling ( P = 0.006) were also significantly improved. Conclusion: The addition of intravenous secretin to an MRCP study in the evaluation of patients following pancreatojejunal anastomosis does not significantly impact the visualization of the pancreatic duct. However, secretin may improve the assessment of the pancreatico-jejunal anastomosis.
Lessons from the Nunn‐Lugar cooperative threat reduction program

The authors highlight the Nunn‐Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program's strengths and weaknesses over the past few years and make suggestions to further improve this essential program in the face of growing domestic political opposition in both the US and newly independent states (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. Dr. William C. Potter is a professor and director of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), and John M. Shields is a Senior Analyst for the same center. A revised version of this article appears in Dismantling the Cold Vim, forthcoming in 1997 from MIT Press.
Comparison of Blood Cell Counts from Major Vessels in the Dog.

SummaryBlood cell counts were compared in samples drawn simultaneously from the aorta, right ventricle, superior vena cava, caudal vena cava, hepatic vein, and/or peripheral veins in dogs. The study was done on normal and splenectomized dogs, either un-anesthetized or anesthetized with pentobarbital. No differences in erythrocyte or leukocyte distributions were demonstrated as a result of anesthetization or splenectomy. The erythrocyte and leukocyte counts were the same in arterial and venous blood samples and in venous samples from different major vessels. Some factors are discussed which may be responsible for apparently contradictory reports concerning cell count distribution in circulating blood.
Cross-sectional echocardiography: Physical principles, anatomic planes, limitations and pitfalls

Although M mode echocardiography has achieved a prominent role in the diagnosis and management of patients with cardiovascular disease, the limited area of view afforded by M mode techniques has restricted the application of ultrasound in many areas. The development of two dimensional echocardiography has obviated many of the limitations inherent in the narrow view of the M mode technique. It has enabled imaging of the heart from additional transducer locations, permitted determination of shape and anatomy and provided the ability to determine motion along two axes. Several types of two dimensional echocardiographs have been developed, and each type offers both advantages and disadvantages. Although two dimensional echocardiography has provided a larger area of view with ultrasound, it has also introduced new limitations including a larger and bulkier transducer, a much reduced sampling rate and a difficult display medium (videotape). In addition, new considerations regarding ultrasonic resolution have been raised. Two dimensional techniques have resulted in new pitfalls in ultrasonic diagnosis related to instrument artifacts as well as to performance and interpretation of the examination. The spurious appearance of cardiac masses because of these ultrasonic artifacts represents a particularly prominent diagnostic pitfall that must be avoided in daily practice. It is anticipated that the new wider field of view provided by two dimensional echocardiography combined with a standard high resolution capability of ultrasound (2 to 4 mm) will result in an increasingly large role for echocardiography in the management of patients with heart disease.
Similarities and differences between human–human and human–automation trust: an integrative review

The trust placed in diagnostic aids by the human operator is a critical psychological factor that influences operator reliance on automation. Studies examining the nature of human interaction with automation have revealed that users have a propensity to apply norms of human–human inter-personal interaction to their interaction with ‘intelligent machines’. Nevertheless, there exist subtle differences in the manner in which humans perceive and react to automated aids compared to human team-mates. In the present paper, the concept of trust in human–automation dyads is compared and contrasted with that of human–human dyads. A theoretical framework that synthesizes and describes the process of trust development in humans vs automated aids is proposed and implications for the design of decision aids are provided. Potential implications of this research include the improved design of decision support systems by incorporating features into automated aids that elicit operator responses mirroring responses in human...
Monte Carlo simulations yield absolute free energies of binding for guanine—cytosine and adenine—uracil base pairs in chloroform

Abstract Monte Carlo simulations with statistical perturbation theory and the OPLS potential functions were employed to calculate the absolute free energies of binding between 9-methyladenine (A) and 1-methyluracil (U) and between 9-methylguanine (G) and 1-methylcytosine (C). The results for both AU (ca. −3.6 kcal/mol) and GC (ca. −7.9 kcal/mol) compare well with the values from experimentally determined association constants for these systems. Several thermodynamic cycles were also considered that demonstrated the high precision of the methodology. Monte Carlo simulations with statistical perturbation theory and the OPLS potential functions were employed to calculate the absolute free energies of binding between 9-methyladenine (A) and 1-methyluracil (U) and between 9-methylguanine (G) and 1-methylcytosine (C) in chloroform at 25 °C. A + U → A−U ΔG= −3.6 kcal/mol G + C → G−C ΔG= −7.9 kcal/mol
Design and noise analysis of 8Gb/s capacitive low power and high speed 4-PWAM transceiver

In this paper, capacitive 4-PWAM transmitter architectures and circuits are proposed and its bit error rate is estimated by developing noise model considering random jitter, data dependent jitter, and PVT variations. A novel technique is proposed to reduce power and to increase speed by using capacitive driven low swing transceiver. To implement 4-PWAM transmitter new phase controller and adaptive capacitance network are designed. At receiver side, new architectures for PWM and PAM demodulation are proposed and designed. The proposed design saves 1.74∼2.4x power and 4x higher data rate than conventional designs.
Intermediate spin, Schrödinger cat states, and nanomagnets.

Quantum tunneling in nanomagnets finds a natural description in terms of intermediate spin. Periodic magnetic effects correspond to a change of flux by the flux quantum Phi(0). Schrodinger cat states with different superpositions of the applied magnetic field occur. The molecular magnet Fe(8) is discussed and new effects are predicted for Mn(12).
Process chemistry of 241Am

Abstract 241Am, one of the most useful actinide isotopes, is produced as a byproduct of plutonium scrap recovery operations. Rocky Flats has supplied high purity americium oxide to the U.S. Department of Energy's Isotope Pool since 1962. Over the years, the evolving separation and purification processes have included such diverse operations as ion exchange, aqueous precipitation and both molten salt and organic solvent extraction.
Dynamics-aware optimal power flow

The development of open electricity markets has led to a decoupling between the market clearing procedure that defines the power dispatch and the security analysis that enforces predefined stability margins. This gap results in market inefficiencies introduced by corrections to the market solution to accommodate stability requirements. In this paper we present an optimal power flow formulation that aims to close this gap. First, we show that the pseudospectral abscissa can be used as a unifying stability measure to characterize both poorly damped oscillations and voltage stability margins. This leads to two novel optimization problems that can find operation points which minimize oscillations or maximize voltage stability margins, and make apparent the implicit tradeoff between these two stability requirements. Finally, we combine these optimization problems to generate a dynamics-aware optimal power flow formulation that provides voltage as well as small signal stability guarantees.
Life after residency. Setting priorities in pediatric professional life.

I appreciate the opportunity to reflect on an issue that I believe has become critical to professional life, particularly a life in medicine. My plan for this editorial is to share a collection of thoughts on the problem of setting priorities and to examine the way in which conventional approaches to the problem have been driven by a set of tacit (and possibly misleading) assumptions. One's approach to the issue of priority setting is necessarily idiosyncratic and highly personal. Mine is based primarily on the individual experience of Tom Boyce and has little objective validity beyond the criterion of seeming true to me most of the time. Readers are therefore encouraged to view all that is set forth herein through the interpretive lenses of their own worldviews. I am no expert in the field of setting priorities, and I have struggled with these issues as long and hard as anyone
Effects of duration of larval swimming period on early colony development in Bugula stolonifera (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata)

Laboratory experiments with larvae of the cheilostome bryozoan Bugula stolonifera Ryland, 1960 assessed the time to settlement in the presence of a constantly available polystryrene substrate, the development of competence for metamorphosis, and the effects of the duration of swimming period on early colony development. Sexually mature colonies of B. stolonifera were collected on 11 and 18 September 1987; 2 and 18 August, 1988; and 6, 12, 19, and 26 September 1988, from Eel Pond (Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA) and were maintained at 20°C. In the presence of a constantly available substrate, cumulative percent settlement curves were sigmoid, with 75% of larvae settled in 3.2±0.5 h. Typically, 50% of the larvae settled in less than 3 h and 95% settled in 6.1±1.2 h. The number of settled individuals that developed feeding ancestrulae by 3 d and the number that developed first-feeding autozooids by 6 d was assessed as a function of duration of larval swimming. Individuals which were kept swimming for 8 and 10 h after hatching developed significantly more slowly to the ancestrula and autozooid stages in 13 out of 14 experiments than did larvae that swam 2 or 6 h. This is the first report for any bryozoan that prolongation of the larval free-swimming period affects the rate of colony development.
Carotenoid Degradation in Bleached Paprika

SUMMARY —Commercial samples of bleached and normal paprika were extracted with acetone, separated by countercurrent distribution fractionation, purified by column chromatography and identified by spectral and chemical methods. The bleaching treatment of the paprika samples resulted in a loss of nearly 96% in total extractable pigment expressed as beta-carotene. The fractionation of the cartenoid extracts revealed a great variation in the distribution patterns of the pigments. Most grades of paprika showed a predominace of diolpolyol carotenoids, but one grade had a far greater amount of hydrocarbons. There were 54 and 37 pigments isolated from bleached and unbleached Domestic paprikas, respectively. Of the 54 and 37 pigments, only 33 and 21, respectively, were completely or tentatively identified. Sixteen of the known pigments in unbleached paprika were also observed in the bleached sample. It is evident that the bleached paprika gave more isomers and oxicative products than did the unbleached sample. Most of the compounds appearing with the capsanthin and capsourbin fractions seemed to be isomers of more fully oxygenated derivatives of these two major pigments. Most of the more oxygenated products appeared to possess ketonic group(s).
Oxygen-Induced Pulmonary Injury in g-Glutamyl Transpeptidase-Deficient Mice

We used mice with a targeted disruption in g-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT-deficient mice) to study the role of glutathione (GSH) in protection against oxygen-induced lung injury. These mice had reduced levels of lung GSH and restricted ability to synthesize GSH because of low levels of cysteine. When GGT-deficient mice were exposed to 80% oxygen, they developed diffuse pulmonary injury and died within eight days. Ten of 12 wild-type mice were alive after 18 days. Administration of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to GGT-deficient mice corrected GSH values and prevented the development of severe pulmonary injury and death. Oxygen exposure induced an increase in lung GSH levels in both wild-type and GGT-deficient mice, but induced levels in the mutant mice were <50% of those in wild-type mice. Cysteine levels were approximately 50-fold lower than GSH levels the lungs of both wild-type and GGT-deficient mice. Levels of lung RNA coding for the heavy subunit of g-glutamyl cysteine synthetase rose three- to fourfold after oxygen exposure in both wild-type and GGT-deficient mice. In contrast, oxygen exposure failed to provoke increases in glutathione synthetase, glutathione peroxidase, glutaredoxin, or thioredoxin.
Steric interaction model of roughening and vacancy reorganization on halogen-terminated Si(100)-2×1 surfaces

We present a steric interaction (SI) model that describes roughening and reorganization on halogen-terminated $\mathrm{Si}(100)\ensuremath{-}2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1$ surfaces. This model is based on parameters derived from density-functional theory total-energy calculations. Using these parameters together with the requirements for rebonding and atom conservation, it is possible to explain the types of reorganization events that can occur and the different steady-state morphologies observed in the presence of different halogen terminations. Using scanning-tunneling microscopy we show that dimer vacancy (DV) string elongation can occur by a process called primary roughening, i.e., the removal of pairs of dimers from the terrace and the formation/elongation of terrace islands. We show that experimentally and within the confines of the SI model end-on coalescence of DV strings is unfavorable but side-on coalescence can result in the formation of wider vacancy pits. In this manner the SI model explains why elongated vacancy pits are formed in the case of Br termination, whereas short, wider structures are observed with Cl. The model is also used to explain the nucleation of terrace islands and the attachment of dimers at islands and surface steps. The model predicts larger numbers of islands and enhanced roughness at ${S}_{B}$-type steps on the Br surface, in excellent agreement with experiment.
Confirmation of the Connectivity of 4,8,12,16,20-Pentamethylpentacosylphoshoryl β-d-Mannopyranoside, an Unusual β-Mannosyl Phosphoisoprenoid from Mycobacterium avium, through Synthesis

The synthesis of the title glycolipid is reported. Comparison of the electrospray and high-energy collision-induced dissociation mass spectra of the synthetic material with those reported for the isolate confirm the structure of this unusual antigenic substance with its modified isoprenoid chain.
Wavelengths and Energy Levels of the Second Spectrum of Cerium (Ce ii).

The second spectrum of cerium (Ce ii) has been compiled in the wavelength region between 2500 A and 24 000 A. Of the 11 000 lines in the list, about 7500 are now classified as transitions between 192 odd levels and 288 even levels. The odd levels arise from 5 configurations (4f5d2, 4f5d6s, 4f6s2, 4f26p, and 4f3) and the even levels from 7 configurations (4f26s, 4f25d, 4f5d6p, 4f6s6p, 5d3, 5d26s, and 5d6s2). The known levels extend up to only 52 000 cm-1 although the ionization potential is known to be 35 000 cm-1 higher.
The Economics of Sports Facilities and Their Communities

Since the 1950s, taxpayers have been the primary investors in stadia built for the use of privately-owned professional sports teams. Team owners have argued that sports facilities boost local economic activity; however, economic reasoning and empirical evidence suggest the opposite. Public support for stadia is also driven by demand for community image, and owners of sports teams supply a scarce input into image enhancement--participation in the major league--for which they have been able to extract monopoly rents from dispersed taxpayers. We suggest reforms to dissipate the monopoly sports leagues exercise when negotiating with host communities for their teams.
Kinematics of media with continuously changing topology

The fundamental postulate of continuum mechanics states that a body is a three-dimensional differentiable manifold and its motions are diffeomorphisms. Simple thought experiments with cyclic motions of dislocations show that they do not preserve topology (set of neighborhoods). The same is valid for chaotic and turbulent motions with coarse-graining. To describe such motions, kinematics of a generalized continuum mechanics is suggested. Observables are defined operationally in the laboratory system which is not anymore equivalent to the Lagrangian picture. The body is a submanifold of a higher-dimensional space and generalized motions are its diffeomorphisms. In a gauge-theoretic interpretation, the motion is a translational connection with the curvature identified as a “dislocation” density-flux.
Mitigating By-Catch of Diamondback Terrapins in Crab Pots

Chronic by-catch of diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) in blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) pots is a concern for terrapin conservation along the United States Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Despite the availability of by-catch reduction devices (BRDs) for crab pots, adoption of BRDs has not been mandated and by-catch of terrapins continues. We conducted experimental fishing studies in North Carolina's year-round blue crab fishery from 2000 to 2004 to evaluate the ability of various BRDs to reduce terrapin by-catch without a concomitant reduction in the catch of blue crabs. In 4,822 crab pot days fished, we recorded only 21 terrapin captures. Estimated capture rates were 0.003 terrapins/pot per day in hard crab experimental fishing and 0.008 terrapins/pot per day in peeler experimental fishing. All terrapin captures occurred from April to mid-May within 321.4 m of the shoreline. Longer soak times produced more dead terrapins, with 4 live and 4 dead during hard crab experimental fishing and 11 live and 2 dead during peeler experimental fishing. The 4.0-cm BRDs in fall and 4.5-cm and 5.0-cm BRDs in spring reduced the catch of legal-sized male hard crabs by 26.6%, 21.2%, and 5.7%, respectively. Only the 5.0-cm BRDs did not significantly affect the catch of legal-sized hard male crabs. However, BRDs had no measurable effect on catch of target crabs in the peeler crab fishery. Our results identify 3 complementary and economically feasible tools for blue crab fishery managers to exclude terrapins from commercially fished crab pots in North Carolina: 1) gear modifications (e.g., BRDs); 2) distance-to-shore restrictions; and 3) time-of-year regulations. These measures combined could provide a reduction in terrapin by-catch of up to 95% without a significant reduction in target crab catch.
Interrogating the Violent God of Hosea: A Conversation with Walter Brueggemann, Alice Keefe, and Ehud Ben Zvi

This essay responds to Brueggemann, Keefe, and Ben Zvi. Commending Brueggemann's discernment of multivocality in Hosea, this response considers his idea of a recovering God in light of rhetorical disjuncture between the brutal God of most of Hosea and the nurturing deity of Hosea 14. Keefe's welcome focus on class-based economic motivations for Hosea's polemics raises a question about the "urban elite male warrior class" that she identifies as responsible for regional economic exploitation; postcolonial notions of hybridity and mimicry are invoked to extend Keefe's analysis. Ben Zvi's argument that Persian-period literati would have been empowered by Hosea's utopian rhetoric is considered; the male rereadership would have been shamed, too, by Hosea's metaphorization of Israel as adulterous woman, and Yehud readers might not have seen the monarchical-era implied audience as discontinuous with themselves. The question is posed as to what role(s) the prophet Hosea might play in the hermeneutical models of Brueggemann, Keefe, and Ben Zvi.
Synthesis, intracellular transport, and release of secretory protein in the seminal vesicle of the rat, as studied by electron microscope radioautography

The seminal vesicle secretes a variety of substances into semen, ranging from small molecules to enzymes. The formation of protein components of the seminal vesicle secretion was studied in male rats following an injection of leucine-3H. Samples of seminal vesicle were fixed and prepared for light and electron microscope radioautography at intervals ranging between four minutes and two hours after the injection. In specimens prepared four minutes after administration of the precursor, the majority of silver grains overlay the rough endoplasmic reticulum. At subsequent intervals, the proportion of grains over the endoplasmic reticulum declined, and peaks of labeling were observed sequentially over the Golgi apparatus and over secretory vacuoles. The maximal labeling of the Golgi apparatus was attained between 10 and 30 minutes after the injection. Secretory vacuoles acquired their greatest radioactivity 30 minutes following administration of the leucine-3H. Labeled secretions began to appear in the lumen 30 minutes after the injection, and they became heavily labeled by one hour. The results suggest that secretory proteins are synthesized in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and transported rapidly to the Golgi apparatus where secretory vacuoles are formed. The secretory vacuoles migrate to the apical ends of the cells and discharge their contents into the lumen. The transport and release of secretory proteins in the seminal vesicle is unusually rapid and exceeds the rate in many other protein secreting cells, including that of the ventral prostate.
3-(2-Biphenyl)sydnone

The title compound, C{sub 14}H{sub 10}N{sub 2}O{sub 2}, is one of many sydnones which have been synthesized in order to investigate the influence of substituents and sydnone-ring stability. There is medicinal interest in the sydnone if the ring can predictably release NO. Bond lengths and angles of the sydnone ring were compared with those of other published sydnone compounds and were found to fit the average of the published data.
Restructuring the teaching of digital logic design: A progress report

A project to significantly restructure the way the design of digital logic circuits is taught in the Electrical Engineering School at Purdue University is underway. The chief motivation is to take advantage of recent advances in computer and communications technology to enhance the teaching and learning of engineering. Areas of activity have included the use of computers in the classroom to facilitate teaching and learning, creation of homework problems and other learning activities which make use of logic system simulation software, and development of an electronic knowledge-base for digital logic design. >
Focused near-field adaptive nulling: experimental investigation

Focused near-field adaptive nulling has been demonstrated using an experimental linear phased array and a four-channel receiver. The measured adaptive cancellation of one near field interference source was in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The theory assumes that a dipole array without ground plane is the approximate dual of a rectangular waveguide array with ground plane. The results indicate that adaptive antenna performance testing using focused near-field adaptive nulling at approximately one aperture diameter range distance is a viable alternative to conventional far-field testing. >
Review of indications and practices of vena caval filters at a large university hospital.

Background: Vena caval filter (VCF) use has been increasing in recent years. Prophylactic VCF placement has been applied liberally in high-risk patients. Methods: Consecutive patients with VCF plac...
Assessment of Phosphorus-microbe Interactions in Lake Ontario by Multiple Techniques

Conventional and newly-developed techniques to determine the phosphorus (P) status of Lake Ontario phytoplankton were employed in September 2003, immediately after the passage of the storm system associated with Hurricane Isabel. Surface water (1-5 m) was collected at 29 stations, with selected stations sampled throughout the water column. Chemical estimates of total P concentrations were compared with proxies of P bioavailability: P enrichment bioassays of lake water, alkaline phos- phatase activity (APA), and P-dependent bioreporter assays. Average total P (314 nM) and total chloro- phyll-a (2.12 µg/L) concentrations measured in pelagic surface waters from throughout Lake Ontario suggest an oligotrophic status prevailed across much of this lake during the sample period. Autotrophic picoplankton (0.2-2 µm) displayed the highest growth rates and were grazed at the highest rate, whereas P-enrichment bioassays favored the production of autotrophic nanoplankton (2-20 µm) and autotrophic microplankton (> 20 µm) biomass. Average concentrations of bacteria (2.61 × 1010 cells/L) were higher than those measured during summer in a similar lake (Erie), whereas the average viral density (1.38 × 1010 virus particles/L) was similar. Pelagic stations exhibited higher APA than coastal stations; cyanobacterial bioreporter responses did not show high correlation with APA suggesting that proxies of P-demand based on residual effects (e.g., enzyme production) were not indicative of shorter-term biologi- cal responses related to planktonic growth (bioreporter genetic response). The combination of traditional chemical, biochemical (APA), and cutting-edge biological methods (bioreporter) provided information on nutrient concentrations and primary productivity throughout Lake Ontario, while concurrently allowing real-time assessment of P bioavailability.
A new rpproach to the gravitational-waves detection by eploying elastic plates and piezoeletric cells

Abstract A description of the physical properties for a suggested experimental apparatus to be wed for the detection of gravitational waves is given in great details.
Effects of Temperature and Light Levels on Leaf Yield and Cocaine Content in Two Erythroxylum Species

Published information on the response of Erythroxylum crops to temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) is more descriptive than quantitative. The objective of this study was to quantify the eects of temperature and PPFD on leaf growth and cocaine content in the major cocaine-producing species. Plants of Erythroxylum coca var. coca (Coca) and Erythroxylum noaogranatense var. novogranatense (Novo) were grown in artificially-lighted controlled environment chambers with a 12 h photoperiod and at day}night temperatures of 20}16, 25}21, 30}26 or 35}31 ∞C and at PPFDs of 155, 250 or 400 lmol m’# s’" for 53 d before leaves were harvested for dry weight and cocaine concentration determinations. Subsequently, chamber temperatures were altered to provide constant day}night temperatures of 19, 23 or 27 ∞C. Plants were grown for 180 d under these conditions and harvested a second time. Leaf yields in response to temperature were best expressed as quadratic functions. The optimum average daily temperature for leaf growth was near 27 ∞C in both species. Novo was more vegetatively vigorous than Coca. Leaf mass at the first harvest was lowest in plants grown under 155 lmol m’# s’" for both species. At the second harvest the only change was that there was no dierence in leaf mass between 155 and 250 lmol m’# s’" in Coca. Leaf cocaine concentration was not aected by PPFDs % 400 lmol m’# s’" but was aected by temperature. In Coca, leaf cocaine concentration was maximum at a mean daily temperature of 24 ∞C at the first harvest and at 19 ∞C at the second harvest. In Novo, leaf cocaine concentration was maximum at a mean daily temperature of 25 ∞C at the first harvest but there was no eect of temperature at the second harvest. Coca leaves had higher cocaine concentration than Novo leaves at all temperatures at the first harvest but at the second harvest, there was no significant dierence in leaf cocaine concentration between species except in the lowest temperature treatment when leaf cocaine concentration was higher for Coca. Cocaine production on a per plant basis was largely a function of leaf mass. # 1996 Annals of Botany Company
Stimulating introductory engineering courses with Java

The traditional combination of text, lectures and laboratories that constitutes the learning environment for most introductory engineering courses has inherent restrictions that limit student success. Texts are static, attempts to allow students to reproduce a dynamic lecture experience outside of class (e.g., videotape) are ineffective and time consuming; even laboratories allow students to explore the impact on behavior of only a few sets of inputs. Dynamic supplemental materials such as simulations and animations allow the student to observe and evaluate the behavior of systems under different conditions. This helps students to truly understand concepts and develop a sound basis for more advanced studies. The capabilities of current technologies, such as Java and the World Wide Web, make it attractive to develop such materials. This paper discusses the authors' experiences to date in creating Java-based supplemental courseware for lower division engineering courses, describes the courses and supplemental project involved, and suggests some approaches to structuring a collection of such materials.
Discriminative Stimulus, Reinforcing, Physical Dependence, and Antinociceptive Effects of Oxycodone in Mice, Rats, and Rhesus Monkeys

Despite oxycodone's (4,5-epoxy-14-hydroxy-3-methoxy-17-methylmorphinan-6-one) history of clinical use and the attention it has received as a drug of abuse, few reports have documented its pharmacology's relevance to its abuse or its mechanism of action. The purposes of the present study were to further characterize the analgesic effects of oxycodone, its mechanism of action, and its effects in terms of its relevance to its abuse liability. The results indicate that oxycodone had potent antinociceptive effects in the mouse paraphenylquinone writhing, hot-plate, and tail-flick assays, in which it appeared to be acting as a mu-opioid receptor agonist. It generalized to the heroin discriminative stimulus and served as a positive reinforcer in rats and completely suppressed withdrawal signs in morphine-dependent rhesus monkeys. These results suggest that the analgesic and abuse liability effects of oxycodone are likely mediated through mu-opioid receptors and provide the first laboratory report of its discriminative stimulus, reinforcing, and morphine cross-dependency effects.
Guidelines for design of machining processes to eliminate solvent cleaning

The author presents rules for the design of the machining/assembly process, particularly for vended parts, to eliminate the need for subsequent solvent-cleaning. These include the replacement of oil-base lubricants, coolants, and lapping vehicles with water-soluble counterparts; implementation of soldering processes that involve water-soluble fluxes, or are flux-free; keeping the parts wet so that dried residues do not form on the surface; and providing for rapid and effective drying after cleaning so that aqueous cleaning can replace CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) cleaning. These guidelines are illustrated with examples from production environments. >
Bundling Donations to Charity with Product Purchases: A Business Incentives Model

This paper focuses on developing a business model that explains why certain companies would bundle their products with donations to charity. The model assumes that consumers are individuals that maximize their utility subject to their income and companies are agents that maximize their profits subject to prices and costs. The type of firm that we will focus on will be the monopoly. We will investigate the different situations where a monopoly might choose to engage in charity-linked product bundling and look at several factors that may lead to their decision to do so. These factors include: small vs. large prices, homogeneous vs. heterogeneous populations, and strong vs. weak consumer preferences for charitable donations. In the end, the model shows when a why a firm would choose to market a charity-linked product, even when it is the firm who pays for the entire price of the donation.
Not just vicariance: phylogeography of a Sonoran Desert euphorb indicates a major role of range expansion along the Baja peninsula

To examine the generality of population-level impacts of ancient vicariance identified for numerous arid-adapted animal taxa along the Baja peninsula, we tested phylogeographical hypotheses in a similarly distributed desert plant, Euphorbia lomelii (Euphorbiaceae). In light of fossil data indicating marked changes in the distributions of Baja floristic assemblages throughout the Holocene and earlier, we also examined evidence for range expansion over more recent temporal scales. Two classes of complementary analytical approaches - hypothesis-testing and hypothesis-generating - were used to exploit phylogeographical signal from chloroplast DNA sequence data and genotypic data from six codominant nuclear intron markers. Sequence data are consistent with a scenario of mid-peninsular vicariance originating c. 1 million years ago (Ma). Alternative vicariance scenarios representing earlier splitting events inferred for some animals (e.g. Isthmus of La Paz inundation, c. 3 Ma; Sea of Cortez formation, c. 5 Ma) were rejected. Nested clade phylogeographical analysis corroborated coalescent simulation-based inferences. Nuclear markers broadened the temporal spectrum over which phylogeographical scenarios could be addressed, and provided strong evidence for recent range expansions along the north-south axis of the Baja peninsula. In contrast to previous plant studies in this region, however, the expansions do not appear to have been in a strictly northward direction. These findings contribute to a growing appreciation of the complexity of organismal responses to past climatic and geological changes - even when taxa have evolved in the same landscape context.
Relating periodicity of nucleosome organization and gene regulation

Motivation: The relationship between nucleosome positioning and gene regulation is fundamental yet complex. Previous studies on genomic nucleosome positions have revealed a correlation between nucleosome occupancy on promoters and gene expression levels. Many of these studies focused on individual nucleosomes, especially those proximal to transcription start sites. To study the collective effect of multiple nucleosomes on the gene expression, we developed a mathematical approach based on autocorrelation to relate genomic nucleosome organization to gene regulation. Results: We found that nucleosome organization in gene promoters can be well described by autocorrelation transformation. Some promoters show obvious periods in their nucleosome organization, while others have no clear periodicity. The genes with periodic nucleosome organization in promoters tend to be lower expressed than the genes without periodic nucleosome organization. These suggest that regular organization of nucleosomes plays a critical role in gene regulation. To quantitatively associate nucleosome organization and gene expression, we predicted gene expression solely based on nucleosome status and found that nucleosome status accounts for ~25% of the observed gene expression variability. Furthermore, we explored the underlying forces that maintain the periodicity in nucleosome organization, namely intrinsic (i.e. DNA sequence) and extrinsic forces (i.e. chromatin remodeling factors). We found that the extrinsic factors play a critical role in maintaining the periodic nucleosome organization. Contact: jiang.qian@jhmi.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Antoine de Genssane: Mining, vapors and mineralogy in Eighteenth Century France

In the eighteenth century, as the Industrial Revolution gathered momentum, a new kind of researcher somewhere between scientist and technologist was appearing—the engineer. “Engineer” may be too elegant a word to describe some of these people. Most did not have degrees and belonged to no professional organizations. Yet they took on wide responsibilities. They were not members of guilds, for they stood above that level, and they were not financiers, though they did often invest their own money and searched for funds from the wealthy. In this article I deal with the mining industry, where, as nowhere else, there was a need for technical expertise and a necessity for organization on a relatively large scale.
The Parameters of an Ethnic Group: A Method for Studying the Total Tribe'

The range of variation and rate of transformation within tribal societies require inductive methods of description, but these same features impose difficulties in isolating the subject for measurement. The method described here employs aerial photography and computer technology, together with conventional genealogical inquiry, to enclose a rapidly changing tribe, the Papago Indians, within a kinship network, seven generations in depth. Demographic and sociological data on individuals and on the ecology of communities were also obtained. This method has potential both for longitudinal and retrospective studies of change and for the cross-sectional analysis of group-wide internal variability at a given point in time.
DEPRESSION OF THE PRIMARY IMMUNE RESPONSE BY DL-PENICILLAMINE.

SummaryTreatment of mice with dipenicillamine for 3 weeks before antigen injection resulted in an overall reduction in antibody formation while treatment immediately after antigen injection for 8 consecutive days had no effect. In those groups showing depression of antibody response, the formation of both the 19S and 7S antibody was reduced, the latter type also showing a delay in appearance but subsequently reaching levels comparable to those seen in normal animals. Administration of penicillamine intravenously to animals having only 19S antibody in the serum resulted in an immediate but transient reduction of antibody titer. This observation, along with that showing failure of penicillamine to affect the formation of both 19S and 7S antibody when given after antigen injection, suggests that the depressive effect is primarily at the cellular level of the immunologic process rather than through an intravascular dissociation process.
A multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of GIST liver metastasis

Advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) can metastasize and recur after a long remission period, resulting in serious morbidity, mortality, and complex management issues. A 67-year-old woman presented with epigastric fullness, mild jaundice and weight loss with a history of a bowel resection 7 years prior for a primary GIST of the small bowel. The finding of a heterogeneous mass 15.5 cm in diameter replacing most of the left lobe of the liver by ultrasonography and CT, followed by positive cytological studies revealed a metastatic GIST. Perioperative optimization of the patient's nutritional status along with biliary drainage, and portal vein embolization were performed. Imatinib was successful in reducing the tumor size and facilitating surgical resection. A well-planned multidisciplinary approach should be part of the standard management of advanced or metastatic GIST.
Cultivating Liberal Virtues

This article criticizes a group of contemporary political theories that describe the virtues appropriate to liberal citizens, the ills that result from a waning of these virtues and the kinds of public policies that would renew the traits of character necessary to the healthy functioning of a liberal polity. While enumerations of broadly liberal virtues can seem relatively uncontroversial, these pieties provide insufficient warrant for the concrete policy recommendations made in their name. Theoretical and practical discussions of citizen virtues need to take seriously the diversity of liberal “citizenship stories,” and to consider how legitimately to conciliate these perspectives in particular cases.
The Effect of Footrest on Standing Postural Control.

The use of a footrest while performing activity in standing is frequently associated with improvement of a user’s well-being however no information exists on the role of a footrest in improving postural stability. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of using a footrest in postural control. Twenty healthy young volunteers were tested using three experimental conditions: standing with two feet on the force platform and standing on the force platform when one foot was placed on a 15 cm footrest positioned in front or laterally. The mean and root mean square distance, range and velocity of the center of pressure (COP) were calculated in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions using the force platform data. The COP displacements in AP and ML directions increased in conditions of standing with one foot placed on the footrest regardless of its location. Standing with eyes closed increased COP displacements further. The outcome of the study suggests the importance of using COP m...
Reduction of egg size in natural populations of threespine stickleback infected with a cestode macroparasite.

Manifestations of infectious disease may represent host adaptations to avoid or reduce the effects of infection on host fitness, parasite manipulations that benefit the pathogen's fitness, or nonadaptive side effects of parasitism. Threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Alaska and the cestode macroparasite Schistocephalus solidus provide an excellent system for study of the effects of parasitism on host egg size because females in populations there are capable of producing clutches of eggs in the face of substantial infection, contrary to the inhibition of reproduction that has been observed in other stickleback populations or other species of fish. A side effect resulting in reduction of mean ovum mass among infected females was predicted based on the egg production process in female stickleback, the considerable energy and resource demands of S. solidus, and the chronic and progressive nature of the effects the macroparasite should have on the host fish. In each of 9 populations of G....
Multiple Wide Sense Stationary Random Processes

In Chapters 7 and 12 we defined multiple random variables X and Y as a mapping from the sample space S of the experiment to a point (x, y) in the x-y plane. We now extend that definition to be a mapping from S to a point in the x-y plane that evolves with time, and denote that point as (x[n], y[n]) for –∞ < n < ∞. The mapping, denoted either by (X[n], Y[n]) or equivalently by [X[n] Y[n]T, is called a jointly distributed random process. An example is the mapping from a point at some geographical location, where the possible choices for the location constitute S, to the daily temperature and pressure at that point or (T[n], P[n]). Instead of treating the random processes, which describe temperature and pressure, separately, it makes more sense to analyze them jointly. This is especially true if the random processes are correlated. For example, a drop in barometric pressure usually indicates the onset of a storm, which in turn will cause a drop in the temperature.
CDCP1 cleavage is necessary for homodimerization-induced migration of triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive and metastatic form of breast cancer that lacks the estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors and is resistant to targeted and hormone therapies. TNBCs express high levels of the transmembrane glycoprotein, complement C1r/C1s, Uegf, Bmp1 (CUB)-domain containing protein 1 (CDCP1), which has been correlated with the aggressiveness and poor prognosis of multiple carcinomas. Full-length CDCP1 (flCDCP1) can be proteolytically cleaved, resulting in a cleaved membrane-bound isoform (cCDCP1). CDCP1 is phosphorylated by Src family kinases in its full-length and cleaved states, which is important for its pro-metastatic signaling. We observed that cCDCP1, compared with flCDCP1, induced a dramatic increase in phosphorylation of the migration-associated proteins: PKCδ, ERK1/2 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in HEK 293T. In addition, only cCDCP1 induced migration of HEK 293T cells and rescued migration of the TNBC cell lines expressing short hairpin RNA against CDCP1. Importantly, we found that only cCDCP1 is capable of dimerization, which can be blocked by expression of the extracellular portion of cCDCP1 (ECC), indicating that dimerization occurs through CDCP1's ectodomain. We found that ECC inhibited phosphorylation of PKCδ and migration of TNBC cells in two-dimensional culture. Furthermore, ECC decreased cell invasiveness, inhibited proliferation and stimulated apoptosis of TNBC cells in three-dimensional culture, indicating that the cCDCP1 dimer is an important contributor to TNBC aggressiveness. These studies have important implications for the development of a therapeutic to block CDCP1 activity and TNBC metastasis.