cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cloned DNA probes specific for the intracellular Campylobacter-like organism of porcine proliferative enteritis.

Although the etiology of porcine proliferative enteritis is not understood, the consistent presence of intracellular Campylobacter-like organisms (CLOs) in proliferating pig intestinal epithelial cells suggests that the organism is involved in the disease process. In order to obtain information about this organism, we generated and characterized specific DNA probes to the intracellular CLO which was purified without culturing. Intracellular CLOs were isolated from mucosa by homogenization, filtration, and absorption to wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose. The DNA was purified, and a CLO genomic library was constructed. The specificity of recombinant plasmids was confirmed by both dot blot hybridization and Southern analysis of normal and diseased mucosa, as well as of a variety of Campylobacter species. Several of the CLO-specific probes hybridized with porcine mucosa obtained from pigs with proliferative enteritis but not with nondiseased mucosa. The probes hybridized equally with mucosa or DNA obtained from each of the two clinical forms of proliferative enteritis, i.e., proliferative hemorrhagic enteropathy and porcine intestinal adenomatosis. The CLO-specific probes failed to hybridize with any of the commonly isolated porcine Campylobacter species, including Campylobacter hyointestinalis, C. mucosalis, and C. coli. Therefore, the intracellular CLO of porcine proliferative enteritis may be an as yet unidentified or uncultured species. Images
Review article: drug‐induced liver injury – its pathophysiology and evolving diagnostic tools

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 34: 11–20 Summary Background Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality accounting for at least 13% of acute liver failure cases in the US. It is the leading cause of acute liver failure among patients referred for liver transplantation and the most common reason that drugs in development do not obtain FDA approval. The incidence of DILI has been reported to be one in 10 000 to one in 100 000 patients; however, the actual incidence is probably higher due in part to the difficulty of diagnosis. Aim To present a review of the current literature on DILI with a focus on its pathophysiology and evolving diagnostic modalities. Methods A PubMed literature search was conducted using the terms ‘drug induced liver injury’, ‘pathophysiology’, ‘causality’, ‘diagnosis’, ‘toxicogenomics’ and ‘pharmacogenetics’. Results Drug-induced liver injury is an area of ongoing research. From the time it was first recognised, our understanding of the pathophysiology, its classification, diagnosis and reporting by established national networks continues to challenge and evolve. Metabonomics, pharmacogenetics, proteomics and transcriptomics are more recent areas of study that have been applied to further the understanding of DILI. Conclusions Despite recent advances in our understanding of drug-induced liver injury, many aspects of its pathophysiology and clinical impact remain unclear. In addition, genomic-based studies are evolving concepts, which undoubtedly continue to contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of drug-induced liver injury.
Strategies to Recruit and Retain Expert Nurses who Provide Abortion Care

Poster Presentation Objective To describe strategies to recruit and retain expert nurses who provide abortion care. Design Semistructured interviews (25–90 minutes) were conducted and recorded by the lead author between November 2012 and August 2013 and were transcribed and coded using dimensional analysis. Setting Registered nursed (RNs) from 14 sites in the San Francisco Bay Area were recruited using flyers sent to nurses from their managers and posted in staff‐only areas. Given the sensitive nature of the study, volunteers contacted the study team independent of their employers' knowledge. Demographic data were collected to describe the sample, but no identifying information was collected except the signature on the consent form. Sample The purposive sample consisted of 25 nurses who work(ed) in abortion clinics, emergency departments, intensive care units, labor and delivery, operating rooms, and postanesthesia care units. Participants were interviewed between November 2012 and August 2013. A subset of 12 interviews was used for this analysis. Methods Constructivist grounded theory method was used with interviews examining cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes associated with how nurses make decisions to care for women seeking abortions. Results Several themes emerged from the data that contribute to successful staff recruitment, retention, and career development for staff nurses and clinicians in abortion care provision: exposure to abortion through, education, as an employee, or through an employer; flexibility, including, advocating for patients, translating one's skill set, believing that nursing is shared work, and juggling multiple roles; "growing our own," including development of empathy over time; and engagement in activities of legitimacy, namely leadership, development of policies, procedures, or protocols, and professional society membership. Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice Data from this study can inform succession planning for abortion clinics and their affiliated workforce and provide clinicians and administrators with crucial information to determine staffing and workforce profiles for nurses engaged in abortion care provision. The findings from this study can inform the development of job descriptions, interview guides, and training programs for nurses recruited to provide abortion care. Additionally these data provide recommendations for staff retention and career development for nurse experts in abortion care.
Do Changes in Drug Coverage Policy Point to an Increased Role for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in the USA?

Compared with other countries, cost-effectiveness analysis has traditionally had a limited role in US health care. Rather, US payers have typically accommodated the introduction of expensive technology by passing an increasing proportion of costs to patients, through raising insurance premiums and/or by increasing copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. However, in what may prove to be a tipping point, the two largest pharmacy benefit managers have chosen to exclude drugs from their formularies that offer uncertain health benefit compared with cheaper alternatives. This paper argues that cost-effectiveness analysis should be used to inform these value-based decisions, and that by using information other than robust cost-effectiveness evidence, payers risk wrongly denying beneficiaries access to important medical technologies. If cost-effectiveness analysis were to be used in this way, it would be another in a growing number of examples of its use across public and private payers. In the absence of a centralized agency conducting cost-effectiveness analysis, the recently inaugurated 2nd Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine has an important role to play in standardizing methods and promoting best practice.
Language and material conduct in legal discourse

Since the groundbreaking works of Atkinson and Drew (1979) and O'Barr (1981) the field of language and law (sometimes called ‘forensic linguistics’) has developed at an accelerating pace to become a major subfield in sociolinguistics as well as neighboring disciplines. A wealth of research has revealed the complex dimensions of power and ideology in both written and verbal modes of legal discourse and how the law is indeed a ‘law of words’ (Tiersma 1999). Rather than being the passive vehicle for the imposition of law, language actively channels our interpretation of evidence, statutes and credibility into distinct strands of legal relevance. But the law is more than ‘just words’ and here I demonstrate in vivid detail how the integration of language and material conduct like artifacts, audio-recordings and transcripts figure in the production of legal reality. Using a lengthy extract from a criminal trial, I illuminate how language and material conduct reflexively animate one another and other visual resources. In so doing, I show how disparate streams of multimodal resources converge in an incremental build-up of suspense and intertextual escalation of evidence that circulate around a key moment of legal discourse.
Efficient relaxation of strained-SiGe layers induced by thermal oxidation

Abstract The new route to fabricate compositionally graded and highly-relaxed Si1-xGex layers using thermal oxidation at high temperatures is investigated. Ge atoms behavior during thermal oxidation of Si1-xGex layers is strongly dependent on the oxidation temperature. For low temperature oxidation processes Ge is incorporated as GeO2 in the grown oxide layer, while for higher temperatures it accumulates below the grown oxide into a layer with a higher concentration than the initial Si1-xGex. However, Si1-xGex layers oxidized at 1000 °C did not show such an accumulation layer because Ge diffusion efficiently occurred, resulting in the formation of a compositionally graded and relaxed Si1-xGex layer. Such layers could be used as virtual substrates for the strained-Si and relaxed-SiGe applications.
Associational resistance, gall-fly preferences, and a stem dimorphism in Solidago altissima

In most populations of Solidago altissima, a small proportion of plants have a growth pattern in which the stem bends early in the season so that the apex is pointing downward (i.e., a ‘‘candy-cane’’ stem) then straightens up again later in the season. The majority of plants, however, do not show this pattern. Instead their stems remain erect from emergence through flowering and senescence. It has recently been shown that the candy-cane stems are a result of a ducking strategy that reduces the risk of attack by apex-attacking herbivores. With such a resistance advantage, it is unclear why the candy-cane morphology is always in the minority, and why the erect morphology persists at all in S. altissima populations. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the advantage of ducking is inversely frequency dependent and thus will not be an effective resistance strategy when ducking plants are in the majority. In a series of trials, we introduced gall flies (Eurosta solidaginis) into enclosures with relatively low (15%) and relatively high (85%) frequencies of candy-cane versus erect stems. Candy-cane stems were more resistant than erect stems regardless of relative frequency; thus, the hypothesis was rejected. Overall, attack rates were lower for both stem types in the high candy-cane frequency groups than in the low candy-cane frequency groups. This frequency-dependent attack rate suggests that erect-stemmed plants gain ‘‘associational resistance’’ by having a majority of candy-cane neighbors, while candy-cane plants suffer from ‘‘associational susceptibility’’ when surrounded by erect-stemmed neighbors.
Optical processing and hybrid neural nets

Four different optical processing and hybrid neural net (NN) algorithms and architectures are described that show different uses for optical processing in NNs for multiclass distortion- invariant pattern recognition. The hybrid associative processor (AP) shows the use of optical feature spaces, feature space neurons, the use for linear algebra algorithms in NN design, and optical matrix-vector processors. For more difficult problems requiring nonlinear piecewise decision surfaces, the AP is replaced by a multilayer NN. The NN used combines pattern recognition and NN techniques and uses a digital/optical NN for hybrid training/classification. A symbolic correlator production system NN is described when multiple objects are present in the field of view. This uses an optical correlator, neurons that represent facts, and a production system NN that can be implemented optically or digitally. A new optimization NN formulation allows an all optical (or hybrid optical/electronic) implementation with a fixed interconnection mask and optical feedback.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
ADDISON′S DISEASE TREATED BY IMPLANTATION OF DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE ACETATE PELLETS

THE TREATMENT of Addison′s disease by implantation of pellets of the synthetic adrenal cortical hormone, desoxycorticosterone acetate, is new. Recently Thorn (i) and associates have reported on 6 cases of Addison′s disease treated by implantation of this synthetic hormone. The subcutaneous implantation of these pellets was followed by striking and continued improvement. The pellets were slowly absorbed and exerted a prolonged effect. The authors suggested that it is desirable to first determine a patient′s daily requirement of hormone in oil, injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly, before the pellets are implanted. Pellet implants of crystalline hormone appear to be, they said, the most efficacious and economical method available for administering adrenal cortical hormone. The implantation method of treating endocrine diseases bids fair to replace the parenteral form of therapy. The advantages are obvious. Since this is a very recent form of treatment, and since Addison′s disease is not a very common ...
Sequence analysis of the mitochondrial DNA control region of ciscoes (genus Coregonus): Taxonomic implications for the Great Lakes species flock

Sequence variation in the control region (D-loop) of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was examined to assess the genetic distinctiveness of the shortjaw cisco (Coregonus zenithicus). Individuals from within the Great Lakes Basin as well as inland lakes outside the basin were sampled. DNA fragments containing the entire D-loop were amplified by PCR from specimens of C. zenithicus and the related species C. artedi, C. hoyi, C. kiyi, and C. clupeaformis. DNA sequence analysis revealed high similarity within and among species and shared polymorphism for length variants. Based on this analysis, the shortjaw cisco is not genetically distinct from other cisco species.
Intraocular Pressure Changes: An Important Determinant of the Biocompatibility of Intravitreous Implants

Background: In recent years, research efforts exploring the possibility of using biomaterial nanoparticles for intravitreous drug delivery has increased significantly. However, little is known about the effect of material properties on intravitreous tissue responses. Principal Findings: To find the answer, nanoparticles made of hyaluronic acid (HA), poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA), polystyrene (PS), and Poly N-isopropyl acrylamide (PNIPAM) were tested using intravitreous rabbit implantation model. Shortly after implantation, we found that most of the implants accumulated in the trabecular meshwork area followed by clearance from the vitreous. Interestingly, substantial reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) was observed in eyes implanted with particles made of PS, PNIPAM and PLLA, but not HA nanoparticles and buffered salt solution control. On the other hand, based on histology, we found that the particle implantation had no influence on cornea, iris and even retina. Surprisingly, substantial CD11b+ inflammatory cells were found to accumulate in the trabecular meshwork area in some animals. In addition, there was a good relationship between recruited CD11b+ cells and IOP reduction. Conclusions: Overall, the results reveal the potential influence of nanoparticle material properties on IOP reduction and inflammatory responses in trabecular meshwork. Such interactions may be critical for the development of future ocular nanodevices with improved safety and perhaps efficacy.
The Development of an Electronic Educational Portfolio: An Outline for Medical Education Professionals

Background: A growing body of literature shows that many universities and colleges are making educational portfolios part of their faculty assessment and student's learning plan for both undergraduate and graduate programs. We provide an outline for the development of a medical educator's portfolio, including an electronic version. Description: Guidelines for the development of an educational portfolio focusing on medical education are provided, including design, format, and content. An electronic version of the portfolio, which combines flexibility and ease of revision, is also described, including formats for publication and distribution. Student reflections on the e-portfolio are presented, and potential applications of the e-portfolio in medical education are described. Conclusion: We believe that portfolio development is a valuable application that provides rich documentation of participants' educational history, accomplishments, and intellectual property as related to their professional learning and...
In Search of the Maternal: Patrick Süskind's Perfume

Patrick Suskind's Perfume chronicles Jean-Baptiste Grenouille's life from its ominous beginnings underneath a fish booth near the Cimetiere des Innocents to its grotesque end in the same location, a haunting locus of infernal stench in eighteenth-century Paris. It is a story of raw brutality, rare intensity, and magic reality in which the protagonist's precarious position between olfactory prowess and lack of body odor motivates a string of despicable murders. The article correlates the protagonist's ontological crisis with the theme of the absent mother and brings to bear the feminist discourse on birthing and the womb in the trajectory of his life. Focusing on Kristeva's concepts of the Symbolic and the Semiotic and her notion of the chora, the article links the circumstances of Grenouille's birth, his seven-year sojourn in the cave, and the climactic closing of the cannibalistic feast, thus presenting new perspectives on the central events in the text.
Transport of Indoleacetic Acid in Intact Roots of Phaseolus coccineus

Indoleacetic acid (IAA)-5-3H (2×10-9) was applied to intact roots of Phaseolus coccineus seedlings at the apex or 2 cm above the apex, and the movement of IAA-3H and its metabolites traced by sectioning and chromatography. Basipetal movement of label occurred for 2 cm or less, declining exponentially, and the amount increased with time. Acropetal transport from above the apex showed quantitatively less movement of radioactivity. After a 6h treatment period a decline of label occurred in the first 0.5cm, below which there was a long distance movement of small amounts of label, mainly in IAA, towards the apex where the label concentrated by a factor of approximately 2. Short-distance basipetal movement consisted of about equal amounts of IAA and metabolites, and only metabolites were found in areas more basipetal than 2cm. Label from solutions of sucrose-14C and 3H2O followed the same general pattern of movement as label from IAA-3H, except that acropetal movement of water showed a steady decrease in the amount of label as the distance from the area of application increased. The short distance basipetal transport of label with the breakdown of IAA-3H indicates that the extent of basipetal movement was limited by catabolic processes. The acropetal pattern of IAA-3H movement with the concentration of the transported material close to the apex, is possibly the result of transport in the phloem.
Evidence of multiple alleles of the nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA gene in sturgeon (Family: Acipenseridae)

Summary Nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)gene sequences were determined during a phylogenetic study of the evolutionary relationships of the North American sturgeon and paddlefish. In the course of this study, intra-individual variation of the 18S rRNA gene was discovered in all nine species of sturgeon examined, while no variation was detected for this gene in the North American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)or in other non-acipenseriform fish species included in the study (bichirs, reedfish, gar, bowfin and lungfish). The discovery of multiple sequence variants of the 18S rRNA gene in an individual is unexpected; although most eukaryotes possess many copies of the rDNA unit in their genomes, the copies are normally thought to be homogenized within an individual as well as in a species by concerted evolution. The effect of the variation on the determination of species level relationships within the order and of the relationship of the order to other fish groups is examined. The actual cause(s)for the presence of intraindividual variation of the 18S rRNA gene are as yet unknown, however, it is possible that the origin and maintenance of multiple 18S rDNA sequence variants in sturgeon may be related to the polyploid status of the sturgeon genome.
Consumption of Forage by Chickens

Abstract “THE vital 10 percent” from poultry pasture as described by Bird (1948) is frequently not obtained by chickens on range. A number of reasons to account for this could be listed. For example, Simpson (1954) states that “fowls are selective in their grazing and will eat only the leafier more succulent parts.” Certain forage species such as bromegrass and Kentucky bluegrass tend to dry up and become dormant during hot dry summers. Even when young actively growing pasture is provided in abundance, some restriction of feed is considered necessary to encourage chickens to graze (Hoffmann, 1945; Heuser et al., 1945; and Henderson et al., 1953). The literature contains many observations as to the kinds of forage species preferred by chickens, some in disagreement with each other. To cite one example, alfalfa, generally considered excellent poultry forage, was rated poor in palatability by Rice et al. (1952) of the Maryland Station… .
Thrombus formation at the site of radiofrequency catheter ablation.

A 55-year-old woman with a history of resected atrial myxoma with residual patched atrial septal defect (ASD) underwent a successful radiofrequency (RF) ablation of reentry atrial tachycardia. She presented with progressive dyspnea 5 days later. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a 1-cm right atrial mass attached to the intra atrial septum at the ablation site. Repeat study after anticoagulation for 5 weeks showed complete resolution of the thrombus. Thrombus formation at the site of RF ablation is a potential complication that may require aggressive anticoagulation. Patients with patched ASD might be at higher risk.
Decisiveness of contributors’ perceptions in elections

We consider a model of two-candidate elections with a one-dimensional policy space. Spending on campaign advertisements can directly influence voters’ preferences, and contributors give the money for campaign spending in exchange for promised services if the candidate wins. We find that the winner of the election depends crucially on the contributors’ beliefs about who is likely to win and the contribution market tends toward nonsymmetric equilibria in which one of the two candidates has no chance of winning. If the voters are only weakly influenced by advertising or if permissible campaign spending is small, then the candidates choose policies close to the median voter’s ideal point, but the contributors still determine the winner. Uncertainty about the Condorcet winning point (or its nonexistence) can change these results and generate equilibria in which both candidates have substantial probabilities of winning.
Effects of collective behaviour on thermal radiation spectrum

We consider e5-order corrections to the thermodynamic properties of a gas of electrons and photons using the methods of relativistic quantum field theory. It is our aim to examine modifications of the thermal radiation spectrum due to the collective behaviour of electrons in a fully ionized gas. The mechanisms by which the electromagnetic field can be coupled to a plasmon are therefore analysed in detail. The modified Planck distribution predicts a decrease in the expected number of photons with momenta wp2/2c2k2 ≧1, where wp is the plasma frequency.
Studies of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in protonated and non-protonated hexahydropyridinobenzodioxins

The conformational stability of hexahydropyridobenzodioxin and related derivatives in both protonated and non-protonated forms have been investigated by means of ab initio molecular orbital methods as well as semi-empirical AM1 and PM3 methods. One of the cis conformers (cis2e) has been found to be most stable due to the formation of an intramolecular hydrogen bond, other conformers including the trans isomer cannot form this interaction but are of different stability because of the orientation of the polar oxygens and the nitrogen. The effect of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding on the stability of hexahydropyridobenzodioxin and its methylated derivatives has been examined using various basis sets levels. In protonated form, both the semi-empirical and ab initio calculations give excellent agreement in energetic order; however, different orderings of conformer stabilities are observed by different computational methods in non-protonated form. The results provide insight into the intramolecular hydrogen bonding in computational studies of biologically important molecules.
On the intensive aspect of the temperature sense.

Abstract A previous study suggested that discriminations between constant temperatures are qualitative rather than intensive, depending on relative amounts of activity among the members of a population of neurons, an ‘across-fiber pattern’. The present study was designed to determine whether judgement of thermal sensations might produce evidence of an intensive dimension in addition of the qualitative dimension. The findings show that with rapid temperature changes two dimensions — quality and intensity — are necessary to account for temperature sensations. In distinction to the coding process suggested for temperature quality, the intensive attribute is related to the total amount of neural activity produced.
Predictive Variables of Violent Behavior in Adolescent Males

This study examined the relationship of previously determined predictors of general delinquency to violent behavior of African American and Caucasian males. Independent variables included multiple measures of family and individual variables. With the exception of family structure, results indicated that predictors of violent behavior are similar to predictors of general delinquency. Differences between African American and Caucasians are highlighted. Recommendations for future research and application to prevention and intervention program development are offered.
Friction and wear of sapphire

Abstract Frictional sliding of sapphire on sapphire at 10−6 mm Hg over the temperature range of 25–1550°C was complex and orientation-dependent. Coefficients of friction were highest at ambient temperature with basal planes in sliding contact. Anomalous coefficients of friction at or near 600°C were noted in air and under vacuum. Under certain conditions fracture tracks were produced in (0001) planes. Orientation dependence was observed up to 1300°C. Friction-related basal dislocations were observed down to 600°C. The results suggest that friction and wear of clean sapphire surfaces are influenced by localized adhesive forces at ambient temperatures; by bulk disturbances and plastic deformation, based mainly on the highly active basal slip system, at elevated temperatures; and by an interplay of all these forces at intermediate temperatures.
Letter to the editor: “The role of short QT interval and elevated LV end-diastolic pressure in the genesis of ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation”

to the editor: We read with great interest the article by Pizzuto and associates ([4][1]) in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology , entitled: “Dissociation of hemodynamic and electrocardiographic indexes of myocardial ischemia in pigs with hibernating myocardium and
ON PRECONDITIONING MULTIWAVELET SYSTEMS FOR IMAGE COMPRESSION

This paper presents a study on applications of multiwavelet analysis to image compression. The biorthogonality and perfect reconstruction conditions are applied to multiwavelet filters. As a multiwavelet filter bank has multiple channels of inputs, the data structure of inputs to the multiwavelet system should be taken into consideration in multiwavelet decomposition and reconstruction algorithms. We investigate the data initialization problem by considering prefilters and postfilters that may give more efficient representations of the decomposed data. The interpolation postfilter and prefilter are formulated, which are capable to provide a better approximate image at each coarser resolution level. A design process is given to obtain both filters having compact supports, if exist. Image compression performances of three multiwavelet systems are studied in comparison to those of single wavelet systems.
HEGEMONY, RADICAL DEMOCRACY, POPULISM

This article demonstrates what it means to construe Ernesto Laclau's work as precisely political theory. By analyzing his work in terms of the relations between ‘hegemony’ as a theory of the political, ‘radical democracy’ as a normative theory, and the ever-present but of ten overlooked element of ‘populism’ as a theory of a form of politics, it captures the full-fledged political character of his work (as opposed to simply moral theory). Though the article offers various criticisms of the ways the three elements are elaborated and interlinked, especially through the imprecise notions of ‘the underdogs’ and ‘the underprivileged’, it also highlights the value of attempting to situate the act of political theorizing in the world at hand by explicitly trying to identify an immanent form of politics thought in terms of a theory of the political and a normative theory, an act that will allow one to go beyond value-neutral political analysis, empty moral theory, or blind political strategizing. Only together do...
Measurement of the phase of the electromagnetic wave in a free-electron laser amplifier

The phase change of an electromagnetic wave propagating through a free-electron laser (FEL) amplifier has been measured. The FEL operated at 34.6 GHz, with both a uniform and a tapered wiggler. The results of the experiment show a nearly constant phase derivative with increasing wiggler length through the exponential gain region and are in good agreement with analytical theory. For the tapered-wiggler amplifier, the phase derivative decreases at a point approximately one third of a synchrotron period past saturation; the decrease is in good agreement with numerical simulation. For the untapered-wiggler amplifier, however, numerical simulations predict an increase in phase derivative past saturation, whereas in the experiment the phase derivative abruptly vanishes. Several explanations for the discrepancy are discussed.
Electron microscopy of catalyst particles

Abstract Since heterogeneous catalysts are usually 10–200A particles supported on oxides, high resolution electron microscopy is uniquely suited to catalyst characterization. Some of the uses of electron microscopy will be illustrated for Pt on graphite, Pt-alloys on SiO 2 , and Ni on SiO 2 , with structures characterized by bright and dark field imaging, and phases by electron diffraction. Uses of weak beam dark field imaging to determine shapes of particles will also be discussed.
Positive and negative ion composition measurements in the D- and E-regions during the 26 February 1979 solar eclipse

Abstract Two rockets bearing quadrupole mass spectrometers capable of measuring both positive and negative ion composition were launched from Red Lake, Canada, during the solar eclipse. Both instruments had liquid helium cryopumps and shock-attaching conical samplers. The payloads also contained two Gerdien condensers to measure total positive and negative ion concentrations and ion mobilities. Attitude control systems aligned the payloads with the velocity vector throughout ascent and descent. The first rocket was launched so that the D -region was in darkness 35 ± 8 s on the upleg and about 150 ± 15 s on the downleg for the study of ionospheric decay processes. The second rocket was fired after totality into 75% solar illumination for the study of ionospheric recovery. The positive ion composition above 105 km exhibited a strongly increasing NO + /O 2 + ratio with time after second contact due to O 2 + charge transfer with NO and a sharply diminished ionization rate. However, in both nights, the ionization below 105 km was created mainly by energetic particle deposition as exemplified by the increased ion concentrations and the composition signatures of a particle event: asignificant enhancement of O 2 + below 105 km and large amounts of H 5 O 2 + ions in the D -region which result from the O 2 + clustering scheme. H 5 O 2 was the major ion in the upper D -region while H 7 O + 3 , H 9 O 4 + and H 5 O 2 + were dominant ions at lower altitudes. Numerous minor species were also detected. The negative ion distributions in both flights exhibited a distinct shelf at 83 ± 2 km, decreasing by more than an order of magnitude by 90 km and with minima near 75 km. In the 75–90 km range, a significant percentage of the negative ions had masses exceeding 160 a.m.u. Comparisons are made with prior negative ion measurements during similar daytime auroral zone absorption (AZA) events. Two striking characteristics of the precipitating particles were apparent from these and past observations in daytime AZA events: there is a near absence of low energy electrons capable of ionizing above about 105 km and there is'a significant spatial and/or temporal variability in the electron flux. This paper is devoted principally to a presentation of the ion composition measurements and associated uncertainties.
Studies on the synthesis of nargenicin A1. An example of anintramolecular diels-alder reaction that proceeds with a boat-likeconformation of the connecting chain

The intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of triene 2 proceeds with excellent stereoselectivity via boat transition state B and provides cycloadduct 4 in 78% yield.
Enforced activation of STAT5A facilitates the generation of embryonic stem-derived hematopoietic stem cells that contribute to hematopoiesis in vivo

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that direct the transition from primitive to definitive hematopoiesis. In this study, we cocultured murine embryonic stem (ES) cells on OP9 stroma to induce hematopoietic differentiation as a model to study factors involved in the generation of adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Overexpression of the constitutively activated mutant signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 5A(1*6) in ES cells facilitated the generation of cells that expressed the endothelial-hemangioblast marker Flk-1 within 5 days of coculture on OP9. The first CD41+/ CD45+/c-Kit+/(Flk-1)- hematopoietic cells arose in our culture conditions between days 5 and 7. Persistent activation of STAT5A greatly enhanced the generation of hematopoietic progenitors compared with controls, as determined by colony assays in methylcellulose. Moreover, whereas controls generated only a short transient wave of hematopoiesis lasting less than 3 weeks, expression of STAT5A(1*6) resulted in the generation of hematopoietic cobblestone area-forming cells (CAFCs) on OP9 that could be serially passaged onto new OP9, giving rise to second and third CAFCs that generated hematopoietic progenitors for > or = 5 weeks, indicating a role for STAT5A in HSC self-renewal in vitro. Several definitive hematopoietic genes were upregulated by STAT5A (1*6), as well as Runx1/AML1, vascular endothelial growth factor, oncostatin M receptor, HoxB4, Wnt5A, Delta-like-1, and Bmi-1. Furthermore, ES-derived hematopoietic cells expressing STAT5A(1*6) contributed to myeloid-lymphoid hematopoiesis in primary and secondary nonobese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficiency recipients, although no donor-derived cells could be detected after 7 weeks in the secondary recipients. These data indicate that a persistent activation of STAT5A allows the generation of ES-derived HSCs that can, at least for an intermediate period, contribute to hematopoiesis in vivo.
Classroom Assessments That Inform Instruction

The accountability movement in education has caused school administrators and teachers to think differently about how they report, interpret, and use student assessment data. For example, legislati...
Fractional Integration in Agricultural Futures Price Volatilities

This article tests whether the volatility of agricultural futures prices exhibits fractional integration. Volatility series were constructed for fourteen agricultural futures price series with over 5,300 observations per series. The volatility series exhibit strong long-term dependence, which is an indicator of fractional integration. A fractional integration model, FIGARCH(1, d, 1), performs significantly better than a traditional volatility model, GARCH(1,1), in modeling agricultural futures price volatility.
On characterization of Euclidean spaces

New properties of convex sets and their inscribed 2n-gons in a two dimensional Euclidean space are presented. As an application, these results solve a question from functional analysis.
Quarkonium wave functions at the origin.

We tabulate values of the radial Schr\"odinger wave function or its first nonvanishing derivative at zero quark-antiquark separation, for cc\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}, cb\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}, and bb\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} levels that lie below, or just above, the flavor threshold. These quantities are essential inputs for evaluating production cross sections for quarkonium states.
Identification of wood from archaeological sites in the American Southwest. I. Keys for gymnosperms

Abstract Keys for the identification of gymnosperm wood remains from archaeological sites in the American Southwest are presented. Wood identification and analysis are briefly discussed.
Effect of carbon on the thermal and electrical transport properties of zirconium diboride

Abstract The thermal and electrical properties were studied for zirconium diboride (ZrB 2 ) containing 0–2 wt% carbon. Thermal conductivity was evaluated from 25 to 2000 °C and electrical resistivity measured from 25 to 800 °C and linearly extrapolated to 2000 °C. Estimated values for the Lorenz number for each composition ranged from 2.04 × 10 −8 to 2.26 × 10 −8 W Ω K −2 and were used to separate the electron (84–95%) and phonon (5–16%) contributions to thermal conductivity. The estimated Lorenz numbers were lower than the theoretical value, which indicated the electron mean free path for thermal conduction in ZrB 2 was less than the mean free path for electrical conduction. Thermal conductivities ranged from 99 to 87 W/m K at 25 °C and 76 to 72 W/m K at 2000 °C. Increasing carbon content, either as a second phase or in solid solution, decreased thermal conductivity across the entire temperature range by decreasing the electron contribution to thermal transport.
The restriction of codon ambiguity on the basis of known variants

The genetic code may be used to formulate the nucleotide sequence of a messenger RNA from the known amino acid sequence of a protein. Unfortunately, the degeneracy of the code means that there will be ambiguity in the nucleotide assignments in a third or more of the positions. A simple procedure is given that utilizes the information of known genetic variants to reduce that ambiguity. Problems associated with silent polymorphism are treated. The human alpha and beta hemoglobins are used to exemplify the technique. A total of 68 nucleotides in the two sequences are thereby made less ambiguous. One reduction leads to a nucleotide inconsistent with the result of the recently published beta hemoglobin sequence.
The response of interpersonal problems to varying doses of psychotherapy.

This investigation reports changes in interpersonal problems over the course of outpatient psychotherapy. Endorsement patterns for distress related to interpersonal problems for patient and non-patient samples were compared. For the patient sample, a 26-item version of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems was administered at intake and at selected sessions of psychotherapy. Three factors were identified: (1) Control (e.g., It is hard to accept another person's authority over me); (2) Detached (e.g., I keep other people at a distance too much), and; (3) Self-effacing (e.g., I worry too much about disappointing other people). Using session 2 as a base, the dose-response curve for the Control scale inflected at session 10 and was followed by a monotonic increase in improvement. For the Detached scale, there was an inflection at session 17 followed by a monotonic increase. The Self-effacing scale did not show any response to treatment.
Effect of ischemia on growth factor enhancement of incisional wound healing

Background. Several growth factors have been shown to enhance incisional wound healing in different models, but the models have been difficult to compare, and the effects under ischemic conditions are unknown. Methods. An ischemic model was developed by selective interruption of the rabbit ear circulation and placement of dorsal incisions. The model was defined during a 28-day period by use of serial blood gas analysis, breaking strength measurement, and histologic analysis. In a separate experiment, incisions were treated with topical growth factors with the contralateral ear serving as paired controls, and the wounds were evaluated similarly. Results. The ischemic ears were more hypoxic than controls through day 14 after wounding (48.5 versus 41 mm Hg, p Conclusions. The rabbit ear incisional model is a reproducible ischemic incisional model allowing comparison of growth factor effects under ischemic and nonischemic conditions. Transforming growth factor-β and Kaposi's fibroblast growth factor are both effective under ischemic conditions, whereas basic fibroblast growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor-BB are not, suggesting that ischemia is an important parameter affecting growth factor actions.
Extratesticular masses in children: taking ultrasound beyond paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma

Extratesticular cystic and solid scrotal masses are commonly encountered in pediatrics. The most common extratesticular malignancy is paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma. The remainder of the common pathologies encountered -- appendage torsion, epididymitis and varicoceles -- are mostly benign. These frequently encountered benign lesions are confidently differentiated from paratesticular rhadbomyosarcoma using high-frequency scrotal sonography in combination with clinical features. Less commonly encountered extratesticular masses may not be as easily classified; however, these also have distinguishing features that can enable differentiation from malignancy. This review discusses the sonographic findings, and relevant clinical and pathological manifestations of the more unusual extratesticular masses encountered in two tertiary pediatric institutions during a 10-year period. While these extratesticular pathologies are encountered relatively infrequently, recognition of their manifestations enables appropriate management.
Interaction of dilute colloidal particles in a mixed solvent.

We have measured the second virial coefficient ${\mathit{B}}_{2}$ of very dilute colloidal dispersions of charge-stabilized polystyrene latex spheres in the one-phase region of the mixed solvent 2,6-lutidine plus water. These measurements were made as a function of temperature for two solvent compositions, both of which are richer in 2,6-lutidine than the binary liquid mixture's critical composition. The temperature ranges started deep in the one-phase region and approached the coexistence curve but did not penetrate the region of reversible aggregation near the coexistence curve. Very large, positive (repulsive-interaction) virial coefficients are observed at temperatures far from the aggregation zone and for calibration samples whose solvent is pure water. These large values of ${\mathit{B}}_{2}$ are impossible to model without invoking long-range repulsive interactions whose origin is difficult to explain. As the temperature is brought nearer to the aggregation zone, the virial coefficient plunges through zero to large negative (attractive-interaction) values. Crude modeling suggests that the observed changes in the interactions are not inconsistent with a temperature-dependent attraction arising from adsorption layer energetics operating at distances of a few solvent-fluctuation correlation lengths from the particle surfaces.
White matter integrity as a link in the association between motivation to abstain and treatment outcome in adolescent substance users

Readiness to change constitutes an important treatment target. This study examined white matter (WM) integrity as a possible link in the pathway between motivation to abstain and treatment outcome. Adolescents (age 14–18, N=32) were recruited from intensive outpatient (IOP) substance use treatment, and reported on motivation to abstain from alcohol and marijuana shortly after treatment admission (i.e., at baseline). Diffusion tensor imaging data were collected approximately seven weeks after starting IOP, and were used to quantify WM integrity (indexed by fractional anisotropy, FA) using a region of interest (ROI) approach. Treatment outcomes were assessed 6-months after baseline. Indirect effects analyses tested FA in prefrontal, orbitofrontal, and temporal ROIs as a linking variable in the pathway from motivation to abstain, to alcohol and marijuana outcomes. Bivariate correlations indicated that greater motivation to abstain from alcohol was associated with lower FA in prefrontal, orbitofrontal and temporal ROIs; and that lower FA in these 3 ROIs was associated with greater 6-month alcohol problem severity. The indirect effect of FA was significant for the prefrontal ROI in the pathway from motivation to outcome for alcohol. FA values were not associated with motivation to abstain from marijuana, or marijuana-related outcomes. Results suggest that lower WM integrity, particularly in the prefrontal brain region, may help to explain greater alcohol problem severity at 6-months, despite higher motivation to abstain from alcohol. Interventions that aim to enhance white matter integrity warrant attention to improve adolescent treatment outcomes.
Friction Stir Processing: A New Grain Refinement Technique to Achieve High Strain Rate Superplasticity in Commercial Alloys

Friction stir processing is a new thermo-mechanical processing technique that leads to a microstructure amenable for high strain rate superplasticity in commercial aluminum alloys. Friction stirring produces a combination of very fine grain size and high grain boundary misorientation angles. Preliminary results on a 7075 Al demonstrate high strain rate superplasticity in the temperature range of 430-510 °C. For example, an elongation of >1000 % was observed at 490 °C and 1 × 10 -2 s -1 . This demonstrates a new possibility to economically obtain a superplastic microstructure in commercial aluminum alloys. Based on these results, a three-step manufacturing process to fabricate complex shaped components can be envisaged: cast sheet or hot-pressed powder metallurgy sheet + friction stir processing + superplastic forging or forming.
The Advanced Information Systems Program (AISP) at the University of Southern California

Abstract The Advanced Information Systems Program (AISP) is an interdisciplinary approach to research and technology transfer between academia and business organizations. A variety of activities are undertaken by AISP including international research symposia, working paper series, continuing education seminars/workshops, affliations with major professional organizations, sponsorship of an international journal on “intelligent” systems. Ph.D. education and cooperative projects with business organizations.