cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The (φ2n)2 quantum field theory: Lorentz covariance

Abstract It is shown that the (φ2n)2 quantum field theory model is Lorentz covariant in the sense that the Poincare transformation φ(x, t) → φ({a, Λ}(x, t)) is locally unitarily implementable in Fock space. It follows that the corresponding theory of local observables satisfies all of the Haag-Kastler axioms. The method of proof generalizes that of Cannon and Jaffe for the (φ4)2 model and relies on higher order estimates for the generator of Lorentz rotations.
Weinhold length in an isentropic ideal and quasi-ideal gas

In this paper, we study thermodynamic length of an isentropic ideal and quasi-ideal gas using Weinhold metric in a two-dimensional state space. We give explicit relation between length at constant entropy and work.
Management of patients with concurrent primary tumors of bladder and prostate

The clinical course of 33 male patients presenting with concurrent primary tumors of the bladder and prostate was reviewed. Twenty-four of 33 patients were treated by radical cystoprostatectomy. The remaining 9 patients were treated by more conservative means. Seventy-four per cent of the patients survived five years. A rationale for management of concurrent primary tumors of the bladder and prostate is presented.
4.2.5 Requirements Management by the Numbers Applying Common Criteria beyond the INFOSEC Arena

The security function has taken on a dramatically increased importance around the world with the events in New York and Washington in September 2001. As we search for ways to address the altered realities of today's society, the tendency is to create “different” or “unique” approaches to current problems. In the information security (or INFOSEC) realm, Common Criteria (CC) (ISO 15408) documents an international approach to formulating information security requirements. The CC structured methodology is discussed to show its potential application to other Systems Engineering applications. This provides a means to develop consistent and coherent requirement sets. The CC has also established a set of domain specific terms. This paper analyzes the CC terminology to show that CC utilizes the same guiding principles and program milestones as other Systems Engineering disciplines. In the process, we provide a mapping of the CC terminology to that commonly used in non-security Systems Engineering domains.
Correlations among parameters that describe low-spin ferric heme complexes

Abstract The g values from low-spin ferric hemes can be related through the t 2 g hole model to rhombic ( V λ ) and tetragonal (Δ/λ) ligand field components and to the lowest Kramer's doublet energy ( E λ ). The latter is also a measure of unpaired electron sharing among the iron 3 d ( t 2 g ) orbitals. For a series of ligands (X), there is a monotonie increase in myoglobin complex (Mb · X) ¦ E λ ¦values with nonheme hexacoordinate metal complex (M · X 6 ) ¦ e g − t 2 g ¦orbital separations. As the aqueous solution p K a values of the sulfurous or nitrogenous ligands in model heme complexes increase, values of V λ and Δ/λ increase linearly, but those of ¦ E λ ¦decrease linearly. The greater the electron-acceptor ability of the ligand, as suggested by its position in the spectrochemical series or its p K a , the more the unpaired electron sharing among the heme t 2 g orbitals increases. The rate of change of ¦ E λ ¦with V λ and the p K a is different with sulfurous and nitrogenous ligands and the magnitude of both rates increases with two sulfurs V λ for cytochrome P -450 is four times less than that for myoglobin, which may explain, in part, the differences in ligand binding between these two hemeproteins. The perturbation of ¦ E λ ¦, V λ and Δ/λ induced by strain of iron-ligand bonds is quantitated for several hemeproteins and heme models. In addition, energy level comparisons suggest that the largest-magnitude g value falls approximately along the iron-chlorin ring normal. This suggestion implies that the electron distribution of the iron at the catalytic sites of cytochrome P -450 and certain chlorin-containing enzymes is in some way similar, but distinct from that at the transport site of myoglobin.
Learning an environment–actor coordination skill: visuomotor transformation and coherency of perceptual structure

The coordination dynamics of learning were examined in a visuomotor tracking task. Participants produced rhythmic elbow flexion–extension motions to learn a visually defined 90° relative phase tracking pattern with an external sinusoidal signal. There were two visuomotor transformation groups, a correct feedback group and a mirrored feedback group with feedback representing the elbow’s motion transformed by 180°. In Experiment 1, the to-be-tracked signal and the participant’s motion signal were superimposed within a single window display. In Experiment 2, the to-be-tracked signal and participant’s signal were presented in separate windows. Before day 1 practice and 24 h after day 2 practice, participants attempted visually defined 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180° relative phase tracking patterns either with or without visual feedback of the arm’s motion. Before practice, only the 0° and 180° tracking patterns were stable. Practice led to a decrease in phase error toward the required 90° relative phase pattern with a corresponding increase in stability in both the experiments. No effect of visual transformation on performance emerged during practice in the single window task, but did emerge in the two window task. The one window training facilitated transfer to the four unpracticed relative phase patterns, whereas the two window training display only facilitated transfer performance to a single unpracticed relative phase pattern. These findings suggest that the perceptual structure determined the degree of learning and transfer and interacted with the visuomotor transformation. The present findings are discussed with reference to how the visual display constrains the coherency of independent signals with regard to learning and transfer and the role of perceptual discrimination processes linked to transfer.
Exploiting the predictability of TCP steady-state to speed up network simulation

In discrete-event network simulations, a significant portion of resources are dedicated to the processing of packet events. For large-scale network simulations, the processing of packet events is the most time consuming aspect of the simulation. In this work, we develop a technique that saves on the processing of packet events for TCP flows using the well established results showing that the average behavior of a TCP flow is predictable given a steady-state path condition. We exploit this to predict the average behavior of a TCP flow over a future period of time where steady-state conditions hold, thus allowing for a reduction (or elimination) of the processing required for packet events. We call the flows simulated with our scheme "predicted flows", in contrast to the "packet-based flows" in usual packet level simulations. We design a simulation framework that provides the flexibility to incorporate this method of simulating TCP packet flows. Our goal is (1) to accommodate different network configurations, on/off flow behaviors and interaction between predicted flows and packet-based flows; and (2) to preserve the statistical behavior of every entity in the system so as to maintain the accuracy of the network simulation as a whole. In order to illustrate the promise of this idea, we implement it in the context of the ns2 simulation system. A set of experiments illustrate the speedup and approximation of the simulation framework, and relate the effectiveness of the scheme to the transient behavior of TCP congestion control. We compare two approaches to predicting TCP throughput and show that formula-based prediction suffers inaccuracy under certain scenarios due to the simple assumptions made about inter-loss time, as most fluid models do, but otherwise achieves a good approximation faster than direct measurement prediction.
Biologically Enabled Syntheses of Freestanding Metallic Structures Possessing Subwavelength Pore Arrays for Extraordinary (Surface Plasmon‐Mediated) Infrared Transmission

A scalable wet chemical process has been used to convert the intricate silica microshells (frustules) of diatoms into gold structures that retained the three-dimensional (3-D) frustule shapes and fine patterned features. Combined use of an amine-enriching surface functionalization protocol and electroless deposition yielded thin (<100 nm) conformal nanocrystalline gold coatings that, upon selective silica dissolution, were converted into freestanding gold structures with frustule-derived 3-D morphologies. By selecting a diatom frustule template with a quasi-regular hexagonal pore pattern (Coscinodiscus asteromphalus, CA), gold replica structures possessing such pore patterns were produced that exhibited infrared transmission maxima/reflection minima that were not observed for the starting silica diatom frustules or for flat nonporous gold films; that is, such extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) resulted from the combined effects of the quasi-periodic hexagonal hole structure (inherited from the CA diatom frustules) and the gold chemistry. Calculated and measured IR transmission spectra obtained from planar gold films with quasi-periodic hexagonal CA-derived hole patterns, or with short-range periodic hexagonal hole patterns, indicated that the enhanced IR transmission exhibited by the gold CA frustule replicas was enabled by the generation and transmission of surface plasmons. This scalable bio-enabled process provides a new and attractive capability for fabricating self-supporting, responsive, 3-D metallic structures for use as dispersible/harvestable microparticles tailored for EOT-based applications.
Have We Expanded the Equitable Delivery of Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction in the New Millennium? Evidence from the National Cancer Data Base

Background Studies examining patterns of cancer care before 2000 have shown underuse of postmastectomy breast reconstruction as well as racial and socioeconomic disparities in its delivery. These findings prompted legislation designed to broaden use at the turn of the millennium. However, little is known about trends in these findings over the past decade. Study Design Patients who underwent mastectomy for stage 0 to III breast cancer between 1998 and 2007 (n = 452,903) were studied using the National Cancer Data Base to evaluate trends in the receipt of immediate and early delayed breast reconstruction. Those who underwent mastectomy between 1998 and 2000 (n = 150,177) and between 2005 and 2007 (n = 123,518) were compared using logistic regression to identify factors influencing the use of breast reconstruction and how they changed over time. Results The use of postmastectomy breast reconstruction increased from 13% to 26% from 1998 to 2007. This increase was statistically significant in almost all patient subsets. Independent factors associated with breast reconstruction included age less than 50 years old; higher census-derived household income; private or managed care insurance; non-African American race; and treatment in an academic hospital setting. Treatment in an academic hospital and higher income became stronger predictors of breast reconstruction over the study period, while age became less of a predictor. Conclusions Although the use of breast reconstruction has increased from 1998 to 2007, it is still underused among many patient populations. Furthermore, racial and socioeconomic disparities in its delivery have persisted or widened. Additional effort is necessary to broaden the use of breast reconstruction and to ensure equitable access to it.
Optimal information dissemination in epidemic networks

One of the popular dynamics on complex networks is the SIS epidemic spreading. The SIS epidemic model describes how infections spread throughout a network. The SIS model was extended to Susceptible-Alert-Infected-Susceptible (SAIS) model [1] to incorporate reaction of agents to the spread of the infection. Built upon the SAIS model, we investigate how information dissemination can help boosting the resilience of the agents population against the spreading. The information dissemination is realized through an additional network among agents, which has the same nodes (agents) but different links with respect to the contact network. Each link in the information dissemination network is a directed link which provides the health status of the source agent to the end agent. We introduce an information dissemination metric which is a quadratic form of the adjacency matrix of the information dissemination network and the dominant eigenvector of the adjacency matrix of the contact graph. By tools of perturbation theory, we analytically show that the effect of the information dissemination is explicitly related to the information dissemination metric. It is proven that the spectral centrality of the nodes and edges determines the optimal information dissemination network. Our results suggest that monitoring the health status of a small subgroup of the agents and circulating the information can greatly enhance the resilience of the network, with multiple potential areas of applications, from infectious diseases mitigations to malware impact reduction.
Effects of hormones and injury on RNA synthesis in Saturniid moths

Abstract The present report examines the rate of RNA synthesis during the post-embryonic life of the Cecropia silkworm and other Saturniid moths. Autoradiographic determinations were made of the rate of incorporation of tritiated uridine in various tissues during normal development and in insects subjected to endocrinological and surgical manœuvres. The effects of inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis during various stages of the life cycle were also analysed. The rate of RNA synthesis in many tissues roughly parallelled the rate of respiration during various stages of the life cycle, but there were significant differences in temporal patterns of RNA synthesis not only between tissues but within a tissue. During larval moult cycles chitogenous epithelia such as epidermis, tracheae, and foregut showed temporal patterns of RNA synthesis which correlated directly with the process of moulting. In other tissues the temporal patterns of RNA synthesis did not parallel the events of the moult cycle. The rate of RNA synthesis was higher during larval life than in any other stage. After pupation RNA synthesis decreases in most tissues and is extremely low during diapause at which time only a few tissues such as haemocytes, brain, oenocytes, Malpighian tubules, and perigonadal fat body continue to synthesize RNA at significant rates. During the first half of the pupal-adult transformation, the rate of RNA synthesis increased initially, but thereafter it decreased in many tissues. Integumentary injury to diapausing pupae stimulated RNA synthesis. A local stimulation occurred within 2 hr of injury and was characterized by intense RNA synthesis in tissues near the injury. A systemic stimulation appeared later in all of the tissues examined except the gonads. This systemic stimulation of RNA synthesis roughly paralleled the increased respiration stimulated by injury. A pupal cuticle was synthesized by the regenerating epidermis in the absence of juvenile hormone. When RNA synthesis was blocked in diapausing pupae with actinomycin D, pupae survived and continued to synthesize proteins for 24 days, suggesting that messenger RNAs survive for many days. When protein synthesis was blocked with puromycin, diapausing pupae died within 17 days. During periods of rapid RNA synthesis such as larval life, early stages of adult development and after injury, the insects were promptly killed by low doses of actinomycin. When RNA synthesis was low, such as during diapause, in late states of adult development, and during adult life, they were insensitive to large doses of actinomycin. Experiments on developing adults indicated that the mRNA for many specific developmental events was made many days prior to the event.
Paying the Price of Freedom: Family and Labor Among Lima's Slaves, 1800-1854

This study documents in detail the striving and ingenuity, the hard-won triumphs and bitter defeats of slaves who sought liberation in nineteenth-century urban Peru. Drawing on judicial, ecclesiastical, and notarial records - including the testimony of the slaves themselves - it uncovers the various strategies slaves invented to gain their freedom. The author pays particular attention to marriage relations and family life. Slaves used their family solidarity as a strategy, while slave owners used the conflicts within families to prevent manumission. The text focuses on gender relations between slaveowners and slaves, as well as between slaves.
Structure of the AML1-ETO eTAFH domain-HEB peptide complex and its contribution to AML1-ETO activity.

AML1-ETO is the chimeric protein product of the t(8;21) in acute myeloid leukemia. The ETO portion of the fusion protein includes the eTAFH domain, which is homologous to several TATA binding protein–associated factors (TAFs) and interacts with E proteins (E2A and HEB). It has been proposed that AML1-ETO–mediated silencing of E protein function might be important for t(8;21) leukemogenesis. Here, we determined the solution structure of a complex between the AML1-ETO eTAFH domain and an interacting peptide from HEB. On the basis of the structure, key residues in AML1-ETO for HEB association were mutated. These mutations do not impair the ability of AML1-ETO to enhance the clonogenic capacity of primary mouse bone marrow cells and do not eliminate its ability to repress proliferation or granulocyte differentiation. Therefore, the eTAFH-E protein interaction appears to contribute relatively little to the activity of AML1-ETO.
Distinguishing Binders from False Positives by Free Energy Calculations: Fragment Screening Against the Flap Site of HIV Protease.

Molecular docking is a powerful tool used in drug discovery and structural biology for predicting the structures of ligand–receptor complexes. However, the accuracy of docking calculations can be limited by factors such as the neglect of protein reorganization in the scoring function; as a result, ligand screening can produce a high rate of false positive hits. Although absolute binding free energy methods still have difficulty in accurately rank-ordering binders, we believe that they can be fruitfully employed to distinguish binders from nonbinders and reduce the false positive rate. Here we study a set of ligands that dock favorably to a newly discovered, potentially allosteric site on the flap of HIV-1 protease. Fragment binding to this site stabilizes a closed form of protease, which could be exploited for the design of allosteric inhibitors. Twenty-three top-ranked protein–ligand complexes from AutoDock were subject to the free energy screening using two methods, the recently developed binding energy...
A Treatment for Chronic Deep Venous Insufficiency Utilizing Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Endothelial Cells

Chronic deep venous insufficiency (CDVI) is a disease caused by incompetent venous valves in the deep veins which result in venous reflux and pooling of blood in the lower extremities. Symptoms include edema, skin changes, and ulceration. It is estimated that over six million people in the United States are affected by this disease and symptoms can be recurring, leading to an underestimation of the prevalence. The current treatments of CDVI are management techniques to encourage blood flow and oxygen transport, including compression, elevation, and exercise; strategies to repair or replace the incompetent valves are lacking.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Single Molecule Measurements of the Unfolding Behavior of Diverse DNA Hairpin Assemblies

Kinetic and thermodynamic effects of small structural changes to the DNA duplex can be studied on a single molecule level using optical tweezers. Short DNA hairpins, which can be synthesized to contain any sequence or structure of interest, serve as our model for double stranded DNA duplexes. To facilitate pulling with optical tweezers, the hairpins are attached to long flanking DNA “handles,” which themselves are chemically attached to beads. The forces required to fully unfold the hairpin constructs are directly related to the thermodynamic stability of the hairpin structure, allowing us to quantify the effects of mismatches, lesions, intercalator binding, and other non-canonical structures that disturb the stability of double-stranded DNA. The first step in this project is to synthesize, purify, and characterize hairpin assemblies with specific sequences, utilizing a combination of solid-phase organic synthesis and molecular biology. Then, individual DNA hairpin molecules are stretched with optical tweezers. Changes in distance and force reveal that fully-matched Watson-Crick duplex hairpins unfold and refold neatly in discrete, concerted events, whereas mismatched and bubbled hairpins open and close with lower force and greater force variability. Although the overall stability of the structures is predicted well by mfold calculations, the single molecule studies allow measurement of the barrier to unfolding as well as the distance to the transition state. After validating the method for DNA alone, changes in the transition state and hairpin stability in the presence of DNA binding ligands can then be probed directly.
Evidence-based screening and management of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

In this issue, Kim and colleagues show that population-based screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in men 65 to 74 years of age reduced all-cause mortality—not just AAA-related mortality—an...
Corneal Lymphatics: Role in Ocular Inflammation as Inducer and Responder of Adaptive Immunity

The normal cornea is devoid of lymphatic and blood vessels, thus suppressing both the afferent (lymphatic) and efferent (vascular) arms of the immune response–contributing to its ‘immune privilege’. Inflammation, however, negates this unique ‘immune’ and ‘angiogenic’ privilege of the cornea. Abnormal blood vessel growth from pre-existing limbal vessels into the cornea has been studied for many years, but it is only recently that the significance of new lymphatic vessels (lymphangiogenesis) in ocular inflammatory diseases has been demonstrated. Whereas blood vessels in inflamed ocular surface provide a route of entry for immune effector cells to the cornea, lymphatics facilitate the exit of antigen-presenting cells and antigenic material from the cornea to regional lymph nodes, thus promoting induction of adaptive immune response. This review summarizes the current evidence for lymphangiogenesis in the cornea, and describes its molecular mediators; and discusses the interface between corneal lymphangiogenesis and adaptive immunity. Furthermore, the pathophysiologic implications of corneal lymphangiogenesis in the setting of allo- and autoimmune-mediated corneal inflammation are discussed.
Notationality and the information processing mind

Cognitive science uses the notion of computational information processing to explain cognitive information processing. Some philosophers have argued that anything can be described as doing computational information processing, and if so, it is a vacuous notion for explanatory purposes. An attempt is made to explicate the notions of cognitive information processing and computational information processing and to specify the relationship between them. It is demonstrated that the resulting notion of computational information processing can only be realized in a restrictive class of dynamical systems called physical notational systems (after Goodman's theory of notationality), and that the systems generally appealed to by cognitive science -- physical symbol systems -- are indeed such systems. Furthermore, it turns out that other alternative conceptions of computational information processing, Fodor's (1975) Language of Thought and Cummins' (1989) Interpretational Semantics appeal to substantially the same restrictive class of systems. The necessary connection of computational information processing with notationality saves the enterprise from charges of vacuousness and has some interesting implications for connectionism. But unfortunately, it distorts the subject matter and entails some troubling consequences for a cognitive science which tries to make notationality do the work of genuine mental representations.
Community College Dissertations—2004: A Bounded Qualitative Meta-Study

This article utilized a bounded qualitative meta-study framework to examine the 214 dissertations listed by title only in Volume 31 of the Community College Journal of Research and Practice (CCJRP). Complete abstracts for these dissertations from 2004–2005 were obtained via Proquest Digital Database. The following was the overarching research question for this study: What can we learn from the examination of these listed doctoral dissertations that focus on community and junior college issues? This study concludes by providing five major areas of recommendation that bridge the findings to practice and future research. The authors suggest that existing dissertations—as well as future dissertations—continue to be examined utilizing a similar multifocused framework as a way to improve the knowledge base, inform practice, and guide future research agendas for community and junior college key stakeholders.
Off Track: The Railroading of Antebellum Southern Economic History*

Sometimes it is possible to learn a great deal by examining familiar things whether physical objects, social conventions, or received ideas from radically different angles and perspectives. Artists and writers have long known this, and over time have often succeeded in challenging, complicating, and opening up experience, perception, and interpretation by changing focus and refraction. In art, for example, one thinks immediately of Henri Rousseau's landscapes and the intentional distortions associated with the German Expressionists. Similarly, in literature one can point to Jean Rhys' s Wide Sargasso Sea a reworking of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre from the perspective of "the mad woman in the attic" and Tom Stopparďs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead , which reinterprets Hamlet from the point of view of two minor characters, both brilliantly successful cases of creative repositioning. In their article, "Railroad Construction and Antebellum Slave Prices," three economists Mark A. Yanochik, Mark Thornton, and Bradley T. Ewing (Y-T-E) adopt, wittingly or not, much the same strategy. In this case an attempt is made to challenge or at least to complicate the conventional "story" of antebellum Southern economic history by focusing not on cotton the analogue to Jane Eyre or Hamlet among economic historians but on railroad construction, which the authors view as vital to explaining not only high slave prices in the 1850s but also the overall robustness of the Southern economy during that decade. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, this act of repositioning, of changing perspective is far less successful than the efforts mentioned above by Rousseau, the German Expressionists, Rhys, or Stoppard. Indeed, the most that can be said about the article is that it may help some, particularly the uninitiated, to appreciate more fully the degree to which cotton, slavery, transport improvements, and the role of the state were linked in the antebellum South. Most economic historians of the South, of course, have known this for some time. Before going any further, let me summarize the authors' argument, which is fairly straightforward. At the broadest level, Y-T-E argue that railroad construction had a major (and statistically significant) impact on the determination of slave prices in the antebellum South. The authors contend
Intensive chemotherapy and radical resections for primary nonseminomatous mediastinal germ cell tumors

Abstract Background . Primary nonseminomatous germ cell tumors of the mediastinum (PNSGM), unlike malignancies of gonadal origin, have a poor prognosis. We report a single institutional experience over a 5-year period of PNSGM treated with intensive chemotherapy, followed by radical operation in those who responded to this neoadjuvant regimen. Methods . From 1993 to 1998, 20 patients were referred for the management of PNSGM. All were male, with a median age of 30.5 years (range 18 to 48). Eighteen of 20 (90%) presented with symptoms. Most tumors were large, with a median diameter of 10 cm (range 3 to 20 cm). Thirteen patients (65%) had metastatic disease at the time of presentation. Eleven patients had received no prior treatment (initial group) and 9 were referred for salvage therapy after progression of their tumors, following treatment at other facilities (salvage group). All had elevated serum tumor markers (βhCG and α-fetoprotein). Preoperative chemotherapy included alternating cycles of combinations of 3 or more drugs, including cisplatin, bleomycin, etoposide, vincristine, methotrexate, actinomycin, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin. An average of 10 cycles of chemotherapy was given to each patient in the initial group, and six to those in the salvage group. Five patients (25%) developed transient renal insufficiency, and 35% developed pulmonary infiltrates related to bleomycin. There were 3 chemotherapy related deaths. Results . After chemotherapy, 11 patients underwent operation, with 10 complete resections of the residual mediastinal tumors. There were no perioperative deaths. The 2-year survival in the initial group is 72%, and 42% for the salvage group. Conclusions . An aggressive, multidisciplinary approach of alternating cycles of chemotherapy, followed by complete surgical resection of all remaining disease in patients whose markers normalize, can be associated with prolonged survival in patients with PNSGM.
Expressive power of grammatical formalisms

We propose formalisms and concepts which allow to make precise the arguments in controversies over the adequacy of competing models of language, and over their formal equivalence.
In vitro biomechanical comparison of locking compression plate fixation and limited-contact dynamic compression plate fixation of osteotomized equine third metacarpal bones.

Objective— To compare monotonic biomechanical properties and fatigue life of a broad locking compression plate (LCP) fixation with a broad limited contact dynamic compression plate (LC-DCP) fixation to repair osteotomized equine third metacarpal (MC3) bones. Study Design— In vitro biomechanical testing of paired cadaveric equine MC3 with a mid-diaphyseal osteotomy, stabilized by 1 of 2 methods for fracture fixation. Animal Population— Cadaveric adult equine MC3 bones (n=12 pairs). Methods— MC3 were divided into 3 groups (4 pairs each) for: (1) 4-point bending single cycle to failure testing; (2) 4-point bending cyclic fatigue testing; and (3) torsional single cycle to failure testing. The 8-hole, 4.5 mm LCP was applied to the dorsal surface of 1 randomly selected bone from each pair. One 8-hole, 4.5 mm LC-DCP) was applied dorsally to the contralateral bone from each pair. All plates and screws were applied using standard ASIF techniques. All MC3 bones had mid-diaphyseal osteotomies. Mean test variable values for each method were compared using a paired t-test within each group. Significance was set at P<.05. Results— Mean yield load, yield bending moment, composite rigidity, failure load and failure bending moment, under 4-point bending, single cycle to failure, of the LCP fixation were significantly greater than those of the LC-DCP fixation. Mean cycles to failure for 4-point bending was significantly greater for the LCP fixation compared with LC-DCP fixation. Mean yield load, mean composite rigidity, and mean failure load under torsional testing, single cycle to failure was significantly greater for the broad LCP fixation compared with the LC-DCP fixation. Conclusion— The 4.5 mm LCP was superior to the 4.5 mm LC-DCP in resisting the static overload forces (palmarodorsal 4-point bending and torsional) and in resisting cyclic fatigue under palmarodorsal 4-point bending. Clinical Relevance— The results of this in vitro study may provide information to aid in the selection of a biological plate for the repair of equine long bone fractures.
Octopus evenomation through a plastic bag via a salivary proboscis

Abstract A method of extracting saliva through a plastic bag is described for Octopus apollyon Berry. The presence of a salivary proboscis is noted. The saliva from 15 specimens of octopus (51 g average weight) was discharged an average of 12 cm. The saliva from 14 octopuses (41 g average weight) averaged 8·43 mg in weight. More than 6 mg of collected saliva must be injected into an 8 g Pachygrapsus crassipes Randall to be lethal. It cannot be absorbed through the gills or leg wound sealed after autotomy. It is apparently not absorbed through mammalian conjunctiva. The site of attack by an octopus on a crab can be visualized by forcing Bengal Rose solution into the anterior visceral area of the crab.
Ultrastructure of the pars intermedia of pigmented rats: Observations of melanin‐like granules within secretory cells

The pars intermedia of non-obese pigmented rats of the Zucker strain is described using transmission electron microscopy. Secretory cells appear similar to those described elsewhere in albino rodent hypophyses. Cells which may be equivalent to ACTH cells of non-pigmented mice and rats are observed near theborder of the pars distalis. Melanocytes are observed to surround lobules of the pars intermedia and to penetrate among secretory cells. In addition, large granules which appear to be melanin are present within some pars intermedia cells. Portions of some cells near melanin or melanin-like granules exhibit expanded rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi zones containing dense granules. Observations are discussed in relation to origin of the melanin, and its possible significance near cells known to produce melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH).
The finite horizon nonstationary stochastic inventory problem: near-myopic bounds, heuristics, testing

Nonstationary stochastic periodic review inventory problems with proportional costs occur in a number of industrial settings with seasonal patterns, trends, business cycles, and limited life items. Myopic policies for such problems order as if the salvage value in the current period for ending inventory were the full purchase price, so that information about the future would not be needed. They have been shown in the literature to be optimal when demand "is increasing over time," and to provide upper bounds for the stationary finite horizon problem and in some other situations. Some results are also known, given special salvaging assumptions, about lower bounds on the optimal policy which are near-myopic. Here analogous but stronger bounds are derived for the general finite horizon problem, without such special assumptions. The best upper bound is an extension of the heuristic used by industry for some years for end of season EOS problems; the lower bound is an extension of earlier analytic methods. Four heuristics were tested against the optimal obtained by stochastic dynamic programming for 969 problems. The simplest heuristic is the myopic heuristic itself: it is good especially for moderately varying problems without heavy end of season salvage costs and averages only 2.75% in cost over the optimal. However, the best of the heuristics exceeds the optimal in cost by an average of only 0.02%, at about 0.5% of the computational cost of dynamic programming.
Role of Sr Dopants in the Inhomogeneous Ground State of La2-xSrxCuO4

Our experiments in La2-xSrxCuO4 provide evidence for a spatial correlation between the doped holes and the Sr dopants, in addition to the presence of a large hole-lattice coupling only in the vicinity of the Sr dopants. The local structure deviates from the macroscopic, average, structure at x≥0.15, indicating the appearance of structural disorder. This disorder is in the form of nanodomains, within which the local tilts are ordered, but tilts become disordered relative to each other in going from one domain to the other. These results indicate that Sr dopants might have a much more significant role in determining normal and superconducting properties of La2-xSrxCuO4 than is typically assumed.
Regulation of glucose uptake and metabolism by working muscle : an in vivo analysis

To assess the mechanisms whereby muscular work stimulates glucose uptake and metabolism in vivo, dogs were studied during rest (–40–0 min), moderate exercise (0–90 min), and exercise recovery (90–180 min) with plasma glucose clamped at 5.0, 6.7, 8.3, and 10.0 mM ( n = 5 at 5.0 mM and n = 4 at all other levels) using a variable glucose infusion. Basal insulin was maintained with somatostatin and insulin replacement. Whole-body glucose uptake, limb glucose uptake, and oxidative and nonoxidative glucose plus lactate metabolism, were assessed with tracers ([3H]glucose and [14C]glucose) and arteriovenous differences. The combined effects of glucose and exercise on the increment above resting values for limb glucose uptake, arteriovenous glucose difference, LGO, LGNO, and rate of glucose disappearance were synergistic (∼ 112, 90, 125, 76, and 90% > the additive values, respectively). Neither exercise nor recovery affected the Km for limb glucose uptake (4.7 ± 1.1, 4.8 ± 0.4, and 5.2 ± 0.3 mM during rest, exercise, and recovery, respectively), but both conditions increased the Vmax (44 ± 16, 217 ± 30, and 118 ± 14 mumol/min during rest, exercise, and recovery, respectively). Similarly, the Km for arteriovenous glucose differences were unaffected by exercise recovery (4.9 ± 0.6, 5.0 ± 0.4, and 5.3 ± 0.3 mM during rest, exercise, and recovery, respectively), but the maximum rose (272 ± 50, 650 ± 78, and 822 ± 111 microM during rest, exercise, and recovery, respectively). The LGO was unchanged by glycemia at rest (15 ± 4 mumol/min at 10.0 mM). The Km for LGO during exercise was 5.1 ± 0.3 mM, and the Vmax was 163 ± 15. The capacity for LGO returned to basal during recovery. LGNO increased gradually with increasing glycemia during rest, exercise, and recovery and did not approach saturation (38 ± 13, 105 ± 36, and 132 ± 45 mumol/min during rest, exercise, and recovery, respectively, at 10.0 mM). In general, the LGNO was elevated at every glucose level during exercise (∼ twofold) and recovery (∼ threefold) compared with rest. Arterial free fatty acid and glycerol levels decreased with increasing glycemia within all periods. Free fatty acids were suppressed by a greater amount during exercise compared with rest and recovery. This study shows that 1 ) the combined effects of exercise and increased glucose level act synergistically on glucose uptake and metabolism; 2 ) exercise increases the V max for limb glucose uptake and arteriovenous glucose difference without altering the K m for these variables; 3 ) the capacity for LGNO predominates at rest, whereas the capacity for LGO predominates during exercise; 4 ) during recovery the capacity for LGO returned to basal, whereas that for LGNO remained elevated; and 5 ) glucose-induced suppression of free fatty acid levels was greatest during exercise. In conclusion, an increase in circulating glucose within the physiological range, which has only minor effects at rest, profoundly increases muscle glucose metabolism and decreases free fatty acid availability during exercise.
Long‐Term Internal Cardiac Defibrillation Threshold Stability

The automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator is tested intraoperatively with defibrillation trials to ensure effectiveness. It is unknown if the energy requirement for internal defibrillation remains stable and that once demonstrated effective, if the device will continue to be effective in terminating lethal ventricular arrhythmias. In this study, the defibrillation energy requirement was compared in 56 patients at the time of lead implantation to that obtained at the time of generator replacement. Mean time to generator replacement was 17. +/- 6.6 months. The defibrillation threshold was stable over that time (11.9 +/- 6.7 joules compared to 12.7 +/- 8.4 joules, NS). There was no relation between transmyocardial impedance and defibrillation threshold. In addition, no effect on defibrillation threshold was demonstrated by the use of various cardiac medications, concomitant surgery or the occurrence of clinical shocks during follow-up.
Sphingosine-1-phosphate mediates calcium signaling in guinea pig enteroglial cells.

Abstract The enteric nervous system, which regulates multiple aspects of digestive activity, is composed of two major cell types, neurons and glial cells. Enteric glia, but not enteric neurons, respond to bioactive lipids with calcium signaling. The sphingomyelin metabolite sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) caused dose-dependent calcium (Ca2+) signaling using extracellular and intracellular Ca2+. The signal transduction cascade was pertussis toxin-insensitive and involved an extracellular receptor since repetitive exposure yielded diminished responsiveness. Inhibition of either phospholipase C or the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor abolished S1P effects. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated the presence of S1P-coupled endothelial differentiation gene (EDG) receptor mRNAs (EDG-1, EDG-3, and EDG-5) within the enteric nervous system. Immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated strong expression of both EDG-1 and EDG-3 and weak expression of EDG-5 in enteric glial cells. Other sphingomyelin cycle components, including sphingomyelin, sphingomyelinase, and sphingosine caused Ca2+ transients in enteric glia. Related lipids lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosylphosphorylcholine also induced Ca2+ signaling in enteric glia, suggesting that multiple lipid-activated signaling mechanisms exist in these cells.
Treatment initiation factors and cognitive outcome in youth with perinatally acquired HIV infection.

Objectives Although cognitive outcomes among perinatally infected youth have improved with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the impact of the age of initiation of treatment and the central nervous system (CNS) penetration effectiveness (CPE) of the regimen on cognitive outcomes is unknown. We aimed to describe the association between initiation age/regimen CPE score and cognitive outcomes in perinatally HIV-infected youth. Methods Linear regression was used to retrospectively assess the association between full-scale IQ score (FSIQ) and age of initiation of HAART, regimen CPE, and the presence/absence of an AIDS diagnosis before initiation of HAART in an urban US cohort. Results A total of 88 of 181 subjects (48.6%) had an AIDS diagnosis. In 69, AIDS preceded the start of HAART. Mean FSIQ (mean age 155.4 months) was 86.3 [standard deviation (SD) 15.6]. Neither age of initiation of HAART (P = 0.45) nor regimen CPE score (P = 0.33) was associated with FSIQ. Mean FSIQ for patients with an AIDS diagnosis before HAART initiation [82 (SD 17.0)] was significantly lower than for patients initiating HAART before an AIDS diagnosis [90 (SD 13)] (P = 0.001). Of the 129 subjects without AIDS by age 5 years, 41 (31.8%) initiated HAART before age 5 years; four of 41 later developed AIDS, compared with 32 of 88 of those who did not initiate HAART before age 5 years. The relative risk of AIDS if HAART was initiated before age 5 years was 0.19 (95% confidence interval 0.05-0.60). Conclusions Earlier age at HAART initiation and higher CPE score of a regimen did not improve cognitive outcomes. However, initiating HAART prior to AIDS protected against AIDS and was associated with a significantly higher FSIQ.
Religion, spirituality, and health status in geriatric outpatients.

BACKGROUND Religion and spirituality remain important social and psychological factors in the lives of older adults, and there is continued interest in examining the effects of religion and spirituality on health status. The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction of religion and spirituality with self-reported health status in a community-dwelling geriatric population. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 277 geriatric outpatients participating in a cohort study in the Kansas City area. Patients underwent a home assessment of multiple health status and functional indicators by trained research assistants. A previously validated 5-item measure of religiosity and 12-item spirituality instrument were embedded during the final data collection. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the relationship between each factor and self-reported health status. RESULTS In univariate analyses, physical functioning (P CONCLUSIONS Geriatric outpatients who report greater spirituality, but not greater religiosity, are more likely to appraise their health as good. Spirituality may be an important explanatory factor of subjective health status in older adults.
The Incubation Period Necessary for Detection of Bacteremia in Immunocompetent Children with Fever Implications for the Clinician

The authors determined the time required for blood cultures to be detected as positive for the common bacterial pathogens in immunocompetent infants and children with fever who had no apparent source of infection. Records of the bacteriology laboratory were reviewed retrospectively from 1981 to 1984 for blood cultures that were positive for Haemophilus influenzae type b, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Salmonella species, and group B streptococcus. Blood culturing by a conventional technique and a radiometric method were compared sequentially. Only four (1.5%) of 268 specimens were detected as positive after the second day of incubation; in each case that detection of bacteremia was delayed there was an identified source of infection. For H. influenzae, but not S. pneumoniae, significantly more bacteremias were detected earlier by the radiometric method. Discontinuation of empiric antibiotic therapy in immunocompetent children with suspected bacteremia and without focal infection appears warranted when blood cultures have been sterile for at least 48 hours.
Application of genetic algorithm to optimize burnable poison placement in pressurized water reactors

An efficient and a practical genetic algorithm tool was developed and applied successfully to Burnable Poisons (BPs) placement optimization problem in the reference Three Mile Island-1 (TMI-1) core. Core BP optimization problem means developing a BP loading map for a given core loading configuration that minimizes the total Gadolinium (Gd) amount in the core without violating any design constraints. The number of UO2/Gd2O3 pins and Gd2O3 concentrations for each fresh fuel location in the core are the decision variables and the total amount of the Gd in the core is in the objective function. The main objective is to develop the BP loading pattern to minimize the total Gd in the core together with the with residual binding at End-of-Cycle (EOC) and to keep the maximum peak pin power and Soluble Boron Concentration (SOB) at the Beginning of Cycle (BOC) both less than their limit values during core depletion. The innovation of this study was to search all of the feasible U/Gd fuel assembly designs with variable number of U/Gd pins and concentration of Gd2O3 in the overall decision space. The use of different fitness functions guides the solution towards desired (good solutions) region in the solution space, which accelerates the GA solution. The main objective of this study was to develop a practical and efficient GA tool and to apply this tool for designing BP patterns of a given core loading.