cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An enhanced Fourier law derivable from the Boltzmann transport equation and a sample application in determining the mean-free path of nondiffusive phonon modes

An enhanced Fourier law that we term the unified nondiffusive-diffusive (UND) phonon transport model is proposed in order to account for the effect of low-frequency phonon modes of long mean-free path that propagate concomitantly to the dominant high-frequency modes. The theory is based on spherical harmonic expansions of the phonon distribution functions, wherein the high-frequency mode distribution function is truncated at the first order in the expansion, while the low-frequency mode distribution function, which is farther out of thermal equilibrium, is truncated at the second order. As an illustrative application, the predictions of the proposed model are compared with data from a recent experiment that utilized the transient gratings method to investigate the deviation of thermal transport in a silicon membrane from the predictions of the Fourier law. The good fit of the experimental effective thermal conductivity (ETC) with the analytical solution derived in this work yields quantitative information about the mean-free path of the dominant low-frequency heat-transfer mode in silicon.
On certain classes of matrix norms

Some characterizations of certain classes oi submultiplicative and/or general matrix norms are given.
Semantic plasticity and epistemicism

This paper considers the connections between semantic shiftiness (plasticity), epistemic safety and an epistemic theory of vagueness as presented and defended by Williamson (1996a, b, 1997a, b). Williamson explains ignorance of the precise intension of vague words as rooted in insensitivity to semantic shifts: one’s inability to detect small shifts in intension for a vague word results in a lack of knowledge of the word’s intension. Williamson’s explanation, however, falls short of accounting for ignorance of intension.
Modeling the Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Dilute-Acid Pretreated Douglas Fir

Glucose yield from the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose was investigated as a function of cellulase enzyme loading (7–36 filter paper units [FPU]/g cellulose) and solids concentration (7–18% total solids) for up to 72 h on dilute sulfuric-acid pretreated Douglas Fir. The saccharification was performed on whole hydrolysate with no separation or washing of the solids. Enzyme loading had a significant effect on glucose yield; solids concentration had a much smaller effect even at higher glucose concentrations. The data were used to generate an empirical model for glucose yield, and to fit parameters of a cellulose hydrolysis kinetic model. Both models could be used for economic evaluation of a separate hydrolysis and fermentation process.
HOW HIGH-DIMENSIONAL STADIA LOOK LIKE

We give the affirmative answer to the long-standing question whether or not the mechanism of defocusing can produce a chaotic behavior in high-dimensional Hamiltonian systems. To do this we prove that billiards in a class of regions in R n , n>2, with focusing and flat boundary components have nonvanishing Lyapunov exponents.
FORCED AIR REMOVAL OF SURFACE MOISTURE FROM MAINE WILD BLUEBERRIES FOR THE FRESH PACK MARKET

Field moisture in the form of early-morning or late-evening dew significantly reduces the quality of Maine wild blueberries. Most fresh pack producers are part-time producers, governed by outside employment, and must harvest during times when the dew is the heaviest. A prototype dryer was designed, allowing for continual flow and ambient air blowers in series, to remove excess water from the blueberries. Tests were performed three times during the 1997 growing season (early, mid, and late season) to evaluate the moisture removal capacity of the prototype dryer, while not further increasing processing damage. Weight loss, anthocyanin leakage test and compressive force measurements were used as indicators of satisfactory operation. These indicators proved that the quality of harvestable, ripe Maine wild blueberries decreased as the length of time in field increased. Results indicate adequate moisture removal (about one percent by mass) with no significant increase in processing damage.
Identification of specific nuclear protein kinase C isozymes and accelerated protein kinase C-dependent nuclear protein phosphorylation during myocardial ischemia.

Abstract Protein kinase C (PKC) has been suggested to mediate, at least in part, multiple processes in the pathophysiological sequelae of myocardial ischemia. The present study demonstrates that the ϵ, η and ι isozymes of PKC are translocated to nuclei in response to brief intervals of global ischemia as well as reperfusion of ischemic rat myocardium. Concomitant with the translocation of PKC isozymes to nuclei during ischemia, increased PKC-mediated nuclear protein phosphorylation was observed. Taken together, the present results demonstrate that nuclear signaling mechanisms are activated during myocardial ischemia that include PKC translocation and PKC-mediated nuclear protein phosphorylation.
Detecting and measuring new snow accumulation on ice sheets by satellite remote sensing

Abstract A new technique is described that detects when and where new snow falls on ice sheets and then determines the thickness of new accumulation. Measurements of vertically polarized passive emission at 85 GHz are filtered with the Hilbert–Huang Transform to identify periods where the surface snow has changed significantly. These are shown to be commonly the result of new snow by comparison with both field observations and in situ instrumentation. Temperature, atmospheric emission and clouds all affect the passive microwave signal but each is examined and shown not to prevent the identification of new snow events. The magnitude of the brightness temperature change is not strongly correlated with snowfall amount. To quantify the amount of new snow, the spatial extent and timing of new snowfalls are examined with ICESat/GLAS laser altimetry data. Crossover differences between altimetric profiles taken before, during, and after the snowfall event provide a measure of the thickness of new snow. Specific cases are presented where 11 and 13 cm of new snow were detected over large regions.
Emerging Party Systems in Post-Soviet Societies: Fact or Fiction?

The political science literature reflects two viewpoints regarding the formation of party systems in post-Soviet societies. Scholars drawing on traditional theories of party formation usually argue that the formation of institutionalized party systems in post-Communist states will be an extended process. However, newer studies reveal that parties, partisan support, and even party systems may form relatively quickly. To illuminate this debate, we offer analysis of both mass and elite cross-temporal data from Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania. These data reveal a rapid rise in partisanship, strong partisan voting in parliamentary elections, a sharp differentiation on issues between members of various party blocs, a high degree of issue cohesion among those who identify with a given party, and a strong correlation between the policy views of elites and ordinary citizens identifying with the same party. In short, the evidence strongly supports the conclusion that party systems are developing in the post-Soviet s...
Quantitative dynamics of left ventricular emptying and filling as a function of heart size and stroke volume in pure aortic regurgitation and in normal subjects.

Abstract Quantitative understanding of the dynamics of left ventricular (LV) emptying and filling as the left ventricle dilates but maintains ejection fraction is limited. One computed tomography was used to quantify peak LV emptying and filling characteristics in 30 patients with normal ejection fraction but variable end-diastolic and stroke volumes. Group I consisted of 15 normal male patients and group II of 15 male patients with chronic, well compensated, isolated aortic regurgitation. For each patient global LV volumes, absolute peak emptying and peak early diastolic filling rates and the timing of these maximal slopes were quantified. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were within the normal range and ejection fraction and ages similar between groups I and II. Between group analyses showed significantly increased end-diastolic and stroke volumes in group II compared with group I but nearly identical end-systolic volumes. Likewise, absolute peak emptying and filling rates were significantly greater in group II than in group I patients. The ratio of peak emptying rate to peak filling rate remained constant between groups. Timing of peak emptying and filling were similar in both groups. Absolute LV peak emptying and filling rates were found to vary linearly with end-diastolic and stroke volumes in all subjects examined. However, referencing peak emptying or peak filling rates to end-diastolic or total stroke volumes eliminated intergroup differences. Thus, in the presence of preserved ejection fraction and normal arterial pressure, the dynamic rates of LV emptying and early diastoiic filling increase in direct proportion to absolute end-diastolic and stroke volumes, but the ratio of peak emptying to peak filling rate remains constant.
Lattice Dynamical Model for Graphite-Bromine Intercalation Compounds

A Born-von Karman lattice dynamical model for the graphite Br2 intercalation compounds is presented. The low frequency bromine branches are calculated using a commensurate (√3 × √13)R(30°, 13.9°) unit cell with two Br2 molecules/unit cell. In-plane zone folding is used to calculate the high frequency graphitic modes at the Brillouin zone center.
The structure of solvent crazes in polystyrene

The structure of crazes grown in polystyrene (PS) immersed inn-heptane and methanol at room temperature has been determined using refractive index measurements, transmission electron microscopy, and fractographic analysis of craze fracture surfaces.n-heptane crazes in thin films exhibit a low number density of thick, load-bearing fibrils whereas methanol crazes consist of a highly interconnected network of fibrils not unlike the craze structure found in crazes grown in air. A row of large voids at the centre line of the craze which is typical of the structure observed in air crazes is not found, however, in either methanol orn-heptane crazes, indicating a different growth mechanism for the solvent crazes. The craze structure found in thin films is in agreement with the void contents determined from refractive index measurements and with the results from scanning electron microscopy of fracture surfaces of bulk crazes grown with methanol andn-heptane. Glass transition temperature measurements of equilibrium swollen PS films giveTg=91° C for methanol andTg=6° C forn-heptane. The results suggest that the structure of crazes grown with slowly diffusing crazing agents (methanol andn-heptane) is strongly dependent on whether the growth temperature is above or belowTg, the glass transition temperature of the plasticized region just ahead of, and in, the craze. IfTg is below the growth temperature, weak crazes are formed with a large void content. During the growth, thin fibrils break by viscous flow leaving only a small number of load-bearing fibrils. The stress in the neighbourhood of the growing craze is strongly relieved favouring propagation of a single craze. IfTg is above the growth te'mperature, strong crazes are formed with the fibrils strain-hardened during the growth process. There is hardly any change in stress next to the craze and therefore multiple crazing (craze bundles) is favoured over the propagation of a single craze.
Performance of Grass Barriers and Filter Strips under Interrill and Concentrated Flow

Effectiveness of grass barriers and vegetative filter strips (FS) for reducing transport of sediment and nutrients in runoff may depend on runoff flow conditions. We assessed the performance of (1) switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) barriers (0.7 m) planted above fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) filter strips under interrill (B-FS) and concentrated flow (CF-B-FS), and (2) fescue alone under interrill (FS) and concentrated flow (CF-FS) for reducing runoff, sediment, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) loss from fallow plots on a Mexico silt loam. We compared exclusively the performance of barriers and filter strips separately under interrill and concentrated flow. Runoff and sediment were sampled at 1 m above and at 0.7, 4, and 8 m below the downslope edge of the sediment source area. Filter strips under interrill flow reduced 80% and those under concentrated flow reduced 72% of sediment at 0.7 m (P , 0.01). With the addition of supplemental runoff simulating runoff from a larger sediment source area, FS reduced 80%, but CF-FS reduced only 60% of sediment. The FS reduced organic N and NO3–N by an additional 50% (P , 0.01) more than CF-FS at 0.7 m. Although the effectiveness of both treatments increased with increasing width, CF-FS removed less sediment than FS alone at 8 m (P , 0.04). In contrast, barriers above filter strips under interrill and concentrated flow were equally effective at 8 m; decreasing runoff by 34%, sediment by 99%, and nutrients by 70%. Thus, barriers combined with FS can be an effective alternative to FS alone for sites where concentrated flows may occur.
The development of a laminar wing type turbine bucket

In Analogie zum Gedankengang, der zur Einfuhrung des Laminarflugels fuhrte, wurde eine Leitschaufel fur eine Gleichdruckturbine konstruiert. Die Methode fur die Originalkonstruktion beruhte auf einer Kombination von Singularitaten in der Hodographenebene und einem Netzverfahren in der (x, y)-Ebene. Die Schaufel wurde im Gitterversuch, in einer einstufigen Luftturbine und schliesslich in einer dreistufigen Dampfturbine genau gepruft. Sie ergab einen Gewinn am Wirkungsgrad zwischen einem halben und einem Prozent. Sie wurde daraufhin im Turbinenbau eingefuhrt. Ein vollig automatisches Hodographenverfahren zur Berechnung dieser Schaufeln ist in stetigem Gebrauch. Es wird bald veroffentlicht werden.
Bottom sediment contamination in the Bay of Naples, Italy

Abstract The nearshore sediments in the Bay of Naples show a buildup of organic carbon and increased levels of lead, copper and chromium as a result of discharge of domestic and industrial waste water. Twenty to twenty-five square kilometres of bottom area have been contaminated by the buildup of anoxic muds with elevated heavy metal concentrations.
The Bee Genus Thrinchostoma Saussure in the Southern Asian Region (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

A key is provided for the eleven species of Thrinchostoma Saussure (Halictinae: Halictini) known from Asia. A hitherto unknown male, apparently of Thrinchostoma (Thrinchostoma) afasciatum Michener, from Borneo is described and illustrated.
Plasma cell lesions of the head and neck: Immunofluorescent determination of clonality from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue

An immunofluorescent technique was used on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue to characterize and diagnose plasma cell lesions of the head and neck. Infiltrates were classified as either monoclonal or polyclonal with rhodamine and fluorescein staining of light chains and heavy chains. In the cases in which histopathologic diagnoses were relatively certain, immunofluorescence provided good correlation. In those cases in which histopathologic diagnoses were equivocal, immunofluorescence distinguished between reactive and neoplastic infiltrates through the determination of clonality of the infiltrates.
Moving Boldly Forward: A History of Neuroanesthesia

Today thousands of patients will undergo neurosurgery. The surgery often requires invasive and elaborate monitoring, complex anesthetic delivery devices, challenging airway manipulation, and detailed knowledge of neuroanatomy and physiology. Success in the operating room should inspire anesthesiologists to be appreciative that they have the tools, knowledge, and skills to routinely deliver safe care for the most challenging operations. We are indebted to the pioneers of neuroanesthesia. The oldest form of neurosurgery is trephining. Multiple holes, four or five centimeters in diameter, were cut or drilled into skull. Examples have been discovered all over Europe and parts of Africa and Asia, as well as North and South America. The holes were made by cutting, scraping, or boring with a sharp stone. The cavities were created to allow devils, spirits, or supernatural elements to escape, thereby facilitating the cure for convulsions, developmental delay, insanity, or infection. Hippocrates trephined to treat blindness and headaches. Researchers are unclear how or if anesthesia was employed. In Peru, coca leaves may have been chewed and spit into the wound to be used as a local anesthetic. Possibly pressure on the carotid artery was used to produce a state of unconsciousness. The Greek word for carotid artery means the “artery of sleep.” Significant advances in neurosurgery required safe and adequate anesthesia. Despite the use of narcotics, nitrous oxide, cannabis, alcohol, and herbs no reliable and potent anesthetic available was until 1842 when ether was first-employed by Dr. Crawford Long. Neurosurgery became recognized as a specialty towards the end of the nineteenth century. In 1884 Sir Rickman Godlee was the first surgeon to successfully remove a brain tumor. In 1886 Arthur Barker drained a brain abscess. By the turn of the century progress in neurosurgery was hastened by the discovery of antisepsis, functional anatomy of the central nervous system, and advanced diagnostic techniques. Shortly after the advent of aggressive brain surgery, it became apparent that in no other branch of surgery could inattentive anesthesia hinder the surgeon or jeopardize the patient more easily. The inherent challenges of anesthesia Continued on Page 16 “Ernst von Bergmann Performs a Brain Operation” painted by Franz Skarbina. Reproduced with kind permission of Bildarchiv Preussischur Kulturbesitz, Berlin, Germany.
Comparing the gap excess ratio and the retention index of the stratigraphic character.

Because phylogenetic hypotheses make implicit statements about the temporal ordering of branching events, various metrics have been developed to reliably quantify the t of observed temporal data to inferred phylogenies (Norell and Novacek, 1992; Huelsenbeck, 1994; Wagner, 1995; Clyde and Fisher, 1997; Benton et al., 1999; Wills, 1999). Several of these metrics attempt to quantify t by evaluating the amount of range extension necessary to reconcile the implied branching order of a phylogenetic hypothesis with the observed sequence of appearances in the fossil record. Two of these, the Retention Index (RI; Farris, 1989a,b) calculated for the stratigraphic character (RIstrat; Clyde and Fisher, 1997) and the Gap Excess Ratio (GER; Wills, 1999), normalize the amount of implied range extension to the maximum and minimum possible extensions. Such normalized metrics are useful because they provide a way to quantify the t of hypothesis to observation and to compare the degree of t between hypotheses derived from datasets of various sizes. Although computationally the RIstrat and the GER are essentially identical, the data they use to evaluate hypothesis tness differ. In this study, we reveal the similarity of RIstrat and GER for a set of fossil taxa with an observed stratigraphic distribution, and we compare the behavior of RIstrat and GER under controlled simulations to identify important differences in underlying assumptions of the two methods.
Poly(n-butyl acrylate)/polystyrene interpenetrating polymer networks and related materials I. Dynamic mechanical spectroscopy and morphology

A series of interpenetrating polymer networks, IPN's, and semi-1 IPN's of poly(n-butyl acrylate) and polystyrene were prepared. The glass transition behavior via dynamic mechanical spectroscopy (DMS) and the morphology via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were studied as a function of composition ratio and crosslink density. Transition-broadening was observed at low crosslink concentrations, while a single broad glass transition peak at an intermediate position was attained at high crosslink density levels. A cellular domain structure was the morphological characteristic of those IPN's and semi-1 IPN's possessing a low cross-link density and mid-range composition ratio. At higher levels of crosslink density, irregular shapes of the domain morphology prevailed. Phase connectivity was also observed at high polymer II compositions. Theoretical phase domain sizes of polymer II were calculated using both the theories developed by the present authors and that published earlier by Donatelli, et al., and were found to agree with the experimental domain sizes. While the theory was developed for uniform spheres, some of the domain structures observed experimentally for high polymer II contents had connectivity and/or a cylindrical shape.
Non-linearities, Business Cycles and Exchange Rates

This paper conjoins the disparate empirical literatures on exchange rate models and monetary policy models, with special reference to the importance of output, inflation gaps and exchange rate targets. It focuses in on the dollar/euro exchange rate, and the differential results arising from using alternative measures of the output gap for the US and for the Euro area. A comparison of ‘in-sample’ prediction against alternative models of exchange rates is also conducted. In addition to predictive power, I also assess the various models’ plausibility as economic explanations for exchange rate movements, based on the conformity of coefficient estimates with priors. Taylor rule fundamentals appear to do as well, or better, than other models at the 1-year horizon. (J.E.L.: F31, F47).
Paleostress stratigraphy: A new technique for analyzing tectonic control on sedimentary-basin subsidence

The authors propose a new technique, paleostress stratigraphic analysis, based on the orientation of minor structures, particularly striated fault surfaces, in the strata of sedimentary basins. These structures are interpreted to be the response to local or regional stress field controlling subsidence of tectonically active basins. A method is used that allows multiple stress tensors to be extracted from a fault population. By extracting the stress tensor from the youngest part of a stratigraphic sequence and by imposing that same tensor on the underlying rocks, one can, in principle, isolate the faults associated with the youngest tectonic event. By reiterating this procedure on progressively older units until the fault data are exhausted, a chronologic succession of paleostress tensors during basin subsidence emerges. The authors paleostress stratigraphy to the relatively undeformed Paleogene Central Basin of Spitsbergen and its underlying Cretaceous strata, and define five major paleostress tensors coeval with the earliest stages of the opening of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. A Late Cretaceous dextral transpressive regime was probably responsible for the major pre-Tertiary unconformity and possibly initiated development of the Central Basin. During subsequent sedimentation, movement reversed, yielding well-constrained sinistral shearing during early Danian time. A composite compressional event followed that themore » authors interpret as being coeval with the culmination of folding and thrusting west of the Central Basin. The youngest strata studied record a final extensional event that they correlate with rifting of Spitsbergen from Greenland.« less
Inhibition of coronary artery transplant atherosclerosis in rabbits with angiopeptin, an octapeptide

Abstract Accelerated coronary atherosclerosis of cardiac allograft occurs in 30–40% of cardiac transplant patients and remains an unsolved clinical problem. The etiology is unknown and anti-platelet drugs are used without conspicuous success. The inhibitory effect of the octapeptide, angiopeptin on coronary atherosclerosis was studied in a previously described rabbit heterotopic cardiac transplant model where allograft rejection is prevented by daily administration of cyclosporin A (CsA, 10 mg/kg per day s.c.). Twenty male New Zealand white rabbits (2.6–2.8 kg) received a heterotopic cardiac transplant from rabbits of the same strain. Donors and recipients were fed a 0.5% cholesterol diet 1 week prior to transplantation which was continued for the recipient until death 6 weeks later. The control group (n = 16) received CsA and saline injections twice daily and the treatment group (n = 4) received CsA and angiopeptin (60 μg/rabbit daily s.c.) in 2 divided doses. The treatment began after completion of the transplantation. Coronary artery transplant atherosclerosis was uniformly distributed (tubular) in the entire length of the coronary arteries. Angiopeptin inhibited the intimal hyperplasia in the transplanted heart from 47.5 ± 2.4% (mean ± SE) to 25.0 ± 6.9% and in the native heart from 24.2 ± 1.4% to 15.7 ± 1.5%. The intimal hyperplasia is expressed as area of intimal hyperplasia/total vessel area × 100%. A similar inhibition by angiopeptin was seen in lipid deposition in the donor ascending aorta which is transplanted with the heart. Angiopeptin attenuated significantly the hyperplasia and the lipid deposition of the native coronary arteries and aorta but to a lesser extent. Whether the effect of angiopeptin is due to its properties as a somatostatin analog or whether it represents the properties of a new inhibitory peptide remains to be shown.
Extraretinal light receptors can mediate photoperiodic photoreception in the male lizardAnolis carolinensis

Testicular weight and spermatogenic activity in the green anole,Anolis carolinensis, is maintained under long (14 hr) photoperiods in the summer in both sighted and blinded lizards whereas short days (6 hr) cause testicular regression. In the fall, long photoperiods cause testicular recrudescence and maturation in blinded and blinded-parietalectomized anoles as well as in sighted anoles. In all cases the spermatogenic activity of the testes was similar in blind and sighted anoles but some significant differences between the testis weights of blind and sighted anoles in the fall were noted. This is the first demonstration that extraretinal photoreceptors can mediate gonadal responses to light in reptiles.
Tritiated fucose incorporation in the vitreous body, lens and zonules of the pigmented rabbit.

Abstract Tritiated fucose was injected into the vitreous body of adult pigmented rabbits and the location of radiolabeled residues was studied with autoradiography. The retinal internal limiting membrane region, pars plana epithelium, non-pigmented ciliary epithelium and equatorial lens epithelium were heavily labeled within a few hours. Radiolabel decreased after 24 hr, except over the pars plana and lens epithelium where the grain count remained elevated until 168 hr. Zonular-fiber radiolabel reached a maximum during the first 24 hr, while small branches of the zonules, tracts in the vitreous cortex and the anterior hyaloid membrane had maximal radiolabel at 72 hr. Modifications of these regular patterns were found in eyes that had been subjected to sclerotomy and surgical injury to the anterior vitreous body. Intravitreal injection of [ 3 H]glucosamine in normal eyes resulted in low levels of radiolabel over most ocular structures compared to [ 3 H]fucose. It is concluded that the radiolabeled structures of the vitreous body, lens and zonular apparatus have a continuous renewal of their glycoprotein content and that these structures are not as metabolically static as previously presumed. Fucose may serve as a marker for sites of normal and altered metabolism of glycoproteins of the vitreous body, lens and zonular apparatus.
Disease Management and the Organization of Physician Practice

THERE IS A LARGE GAP BETWEEN WHAT PHYSICIANS DO for patients with chronic diseases and what should be done. Most physicians lack the time, information technology, and financial incentives to develop organized processes to systematically improve the quality of care provided to these patients. During the past decade, 2 main models have emerged to address this “quality chasm” in outpatient care: disease management and the chronic care model. Early in 2005, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin a large disease management initiative that may profoundly impact patient care and the organization of physician practice. But few physicians are aware of this initiative, and in general, neither disease management, nor the chronic care model are easily understood. Neither model appears in the index of a major collection of essays on medical group practice published in 2004. This article will describe the CMS initiative, and describe and compare the disease management and chronic care model models and the effects they may have on physician practice and on patient care.
Introduction of quantitative and qualitative cornea optical coherence tomography findings induced by collagen cross-linking for keratoconus: a novel effect measurement benchmark

PURPOSE To introduce a novel, noninvasive technique to determine the depth and extent of anterior corneal stroma changes induced by collagen cross-linking (CXL) using quantitative analysis of high-resolution anterior-segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) post-operative images. SETTING Private clinical ophthalmology practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two groups of corneal cross-sectional images obtained with the OptoVue RTVue anterior-segment OCT system were studied: group A (control) consisted of unoperated, healthy corneas, with the exception of possible refractive errors. The second group consisted of keratoconic corneas with CXL that were previously operated on. The two groups were investigated for possible quantitative evidence of changes induced by the CXL, and specifically, the depth, horizontal extent, as well as the cross-sectional area of intrastromal hyper-reflective areas (defined in our study as the area consisting of pixels with luminosity greater than the mean +2 × standard deviation of the entire stromal cross section) within the corneal stroma. RESULTS In all images of the second group (keratoconus patients treated with CXL) there was evidence of intrastromal hyper-reflective areas. The hyper-reflective areas ranged from 0.2% to 8.8% of the cross-sectional area (mean ± standard deviation; 3.46% ± 1.92%). The extent of the horizontal hyper-reflective area ranged from 4.42% to 99.2% (56.2% ± 23.35%) of the cornea image, while the axial extent (the vertical extent in the image) ranged from 40.00% to 86.67% (70.98% ± 7.85%). There was significant statistical difference (P < 0.02) in these values compared to the control group, in which, by application of the same criteria, the same hyper-reflective area (owing to signal noise) ranged from 0.00% to 2.51% (0.74% ± 0.63%). CONCLUSION Herein, we introduce a novel, noninvasive, quantitative technique utilizing anterior segment OCT images to quantitatively assess the depth and cross-sectional area of CXL in the corneal stroma based on digital image analysis. Mean cross-sectional area showing evidence of CXL was 3.46% ± 1.92% of a 6 mm long segment.
Repetitive attack by Aspergillus oryzae alpha amylase

Abstract The action of Aspergillus oryzae alpha amylase on reducing-end, and uniformly radiolabeled maltotriose through maltodecaose has been studied. The enzyme is found to hydrolyze more than a single glycosidic bond during some enzyme-substrate encounters. The extent of this repetitive attack is quantitated.
Miliary, Central Nervous System, and Genitourinary Tuberculosis

patient. 2 While the average number of cases of pulmonary TB cases has declined by 5% yearly from 1963 to 1986, the number of extrapulmonary TB cases declined only by 0.9% yearly. Nevertheless, the rate of miliary TB has remained unchanged. 3 Miliary TB occurs in about 1 to 2% of all cases of TB and 8% of extrapulmonary TB in immunocompetent patients. Among immunosuppressed patients, such as patients with HIV/AIDS or patients receiving chemotherapy, the incidence and the mortality is higher, with as many as 38% of HIV-infected patients with TB developing disseminated disease. 4 Miliary disease is more common in children with peaks seen in adolescence and young adults, and elderly patients. A higher incidence is described in African Americans. The effects of genetic factors, socioeconomic status, nutrition, and comorbid disease in the development of
On the spectral domain moment method solution of electric field integral equations for the analysis of Printed Dipoles in Anisotropic Layers

Simplified electric field integral equations written in a manner suitable for numerical evaluation with the spectral domain moment method are presented here. In particular, these integral equations are written in terms of spectral domain immittance functions for multi-conductor problems and it will be shown that these expressions have an additional benefit, in terms of simplicity, over other methods because a numerical derivative is not required. The numerical computation of these expressions are validated by comparison with published results and commercial software.
Overturning and Equilibrium Speeds and Speed Safety Margin—A Sensitivity Analysis

Two critical speeds viz., the equilibrium speed and the overturning speed, are recognized to play an important role in defining operational and safety characteristics of railroads. An analysis of the sensitivity of the critical speeds to important operating parameters is presented. Two parameters called the "Speed Safety Margin" and the "Speed Factor" are defined to assist in evaluating the severity of a set of operating conditions. It is concluded that degree of curve has the most drastic effect on safety followed, in decreasing order of effect, by height of CG, superelevation, and track gage. Some comments are offered as a possible guide to safe and economical operation of railroads. (Author abstract)
Three-dimensional object recognition on the connection machine

Abstract A scheme for recognition of three-dimensional objects, using the vertex-pair feature, is described. Coarse-to-fine histogramming on an n -dimensional grid is used to compute the best affine transformation between the model and the scene. Transform equations are derived and performance results for an implementation on a fine-grained data parallel machine, the Connection Machine, are presented.
The Ethical Challenge of Infection-Inducing Challenge Experiments

Challenge experiments that induce infections in healthy volunteers are an important method for initial efficacy testing of candidate vaccines and for study of the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Although these studies can be conducted safely for selected infectious diseases that are either fully treatable or self-limiting, they raise significant ethical issues. An ethical framework is offered for evaluating infection-inducing challenge experiments, which focuses on the scientific and public health rationale for conducting these studies, the risks that they pose and the ways in which these risks can be minimized, the symptoms experienced by healthy volunteers that may cause discomfort or distress, the exclusion of vulnerable research subjects, the informed consent process, the payment of volunteers, and the use of isolation of volunteers to prevent infection of others.
Alterations in carrier-mediated glutamine transport after a model of canine jejunal autotransplantation

The effects of small bowel transplantation (SBTx) on absorptive function are unknown. Preliminary experiments showed a decrease in absorption of glutamine. Our aim was to determine mechanisms of decreased ileal transport of glutamine utilizing a model of intestinal autotransplantation. Seven dogs were studied before and after a model of jejunoileal autotransplantation.In vivo absorption experiments were performed before and two and eight weeks postoperatively with an electrolyte solution containing glutamine (20 mM).In vitro glutamine transport was studied using brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) prepared from ileal mucosa obtained from six other dogs and compared to a controls.In vivo net absorptive flux of glutamine decreased at two weeks but returned toward baseline by eight weeks (P=0.06). Transport of glutamine into BBMVs was decreased at two weeks and remained decreased at eight weeks.\(K_{\max }^{Na_ + } \), a measure of carrier affinity was unchanged but\(V_{\max }^{Na_ + } \), a function of the number of transporter was decreased at two and eight weeks. Glucose transport was unchanged. It is concluded that jejunoileal autotransplantation decreases ileal absorption of glutamine by a decrease in carrier-mediated transport of glutamine.
Syntheses of Variations of Stereogenic-at-Metal Imido Alkylidene Complexes of Molybdenum

In this paper we describe the syntheses of several new stereogenic-at-metal imido alkylidene complexes of molybdenum, Mo(NR)(CHR′)(X)(Y), many of which had to be prepared through selective nucleophilic displacement reactions in imido alkylidene complexes. The reported compounds include Mo(NAd)(CHCMe2Ph)(MesPyr)2 (1a; MesPyr = 2-mesitylpyrrolide, Ad = 1-adamantyl), Mo(NAd)(CHCMe2Ph)(2-CNPyr)2 (1b; 2-CNPyr = 2-cyanopyrrolide), Mo(NAd)(CHCMe2Ph)(MesPyr)(OTPP) (2a; OTPP = 2,3,5,6-tetraphenylphenoxide), Mo(NAd)(CHCMe2Ph)(MesPyr)(OBr2Bitet) (2b; OBr2Bitet = (R)-3,3′-dibromo-2′-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)-5,5′,6,6′,7,7′,8,8′-octahydro-1,1′-binaphthyl-2-olate), Mo(NAd)(CHCMe2Ph)(OHIPT)(2-Mespyr) (2c; HIPT = 2,6-(2,4,6-iPr3C6H2)2C6H3), Mo(NAd)(CHCMe2Ph)(OTf)(OHIPT) (3), Mo(NAd)(CHCMe2Ph)(OTf)(OHIPT)(PMe3) (3(PMe3)), Mo(NAd)(CHCMe2Ph)(2-CNPyr)(OHIPT) (4), Mo(NAd)(CHCMe2Ph)(OHIPT)(OCMe3) (5), Mo(NR)(CHCMe2Ph)(ORF6)(OHMT) (ORF6 = OCMe(CF3)2; HMT = 2,6-Mes2C6H3; R = 2,6-iPr2C6H3 (Ar, 6a), 2,6-Me2C6H3 (Ar′, 6b), 2-iPr...
Increased Plasma S-Adenosylhomocysteine–Accelerated Atherosclerosis Is Associated With Epigenetic Regulation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in apoE−/− Mice

Objective S-Adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) is a better predictor of cardiovascular disease than homocysteine is, and it has been implicated in mediating the pathogenicity of hyperhomocysteinemia in atherosclerosis via an epigenetic mechanism. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis whether the effect of SAH on atherosclerosis is involved in epigenetic regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress. Approach and results A total of 48 apolipoprotein E-deficient mice at 8 weeks were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=12 for each group). The control group was fed a conventional diet, the adenosine dialdehyde group was fed a diet that was supplemented with the SAH hydrolase inhibitor adenosine dialdehyde, and the other 2 groups were intravenously injected with a retrovirus that expressed either SAH hydrolase short hairpin RNA or scrambled short hairpin RNA semiweekly for 16 weeks. Plasma SAH levels and atherosclerotic lesion size were significantly increased in adenosine dialdehyde and SAH hydrolase short hairpin RNA groups when compared with control group. Expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress markers glucose-regulated protein-78 and CEBP-homologous protein was significantly increased in the mice with elevated plasma SAH levels. Moreover, plasma SAH was negatively associated with a decrease in the expression of trimethylated histone H3 lysine 9 and histone methyltransferases. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed a significant decrease in trimethylated histone H3 lysine 9 occupancy at the glucose-regulated protein-78 and CEBP-homologous protein promoters in mice treated with adenosine dialdehyde and SAH hydrolase short hairpin RNA when compared with control mice. Conclusions Our results suggest that elevated plasma SAH levels-accelerated atherosclerosis was associated with the activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress via modulation of histone methylation.
Windthrow disturbance, forest composition, and structure in the Bull Run basin, Oregon

This study examined relationships among forest landscape dynamics, environmental factors (climate and landforms), and disturbance history in forests dominated by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis) in the Bull Run basin in northwestern Oregon and evaluated the findings in a broader geographic context. Three sets of analyses were conducted: mapping of historical windthrow disturbance patches in the 265-km2 Bull Run basin over the past century and analysis of their relationships with meteorological conditions, landforms, and vegetation; comparison of forest structure and species composition as a function of mapped windthrow and wildfire disturbance history in 34 1-ha vegetation survey plots in Bull Run; and canonical correspondence analysis of environmental factors and forest overstory species composition in 1637 vegetation plots in the Mount Hood and Willamette National Forests. Nearly 10% of the Bull Run basin has been affected...
The Dialectical Method: Its Application to Social Theory

This dialectical method is built on the Principles of Expression and Differentiation. The first breaks with both logical and causal analysis, emphasizing relationships within a whole. The second stresses that development is often multilinear and discontinuous. Both principles deny the Aristotelian logic which deals with reality as built on abstract theoretical entities. Dialectics can be traced from Socrates through Hegel to pragmatism and contemporary general systems theory. The method is sensitive to linguistic, social, and cultural issues and is much more sociological than its critics have grasped. When applied to functionalism, the dialectical method demonstrates the inadequacy of ends-means logic. It also shows that functionalism has rested on a limited, social control viewpoint based on an identification of equilibrium with negative feedback models. A dialectical approach can subsume functionalism through a balanced perspective which stresses latent potentials as much as latent fuinctions and treats equilibrium as homeorhesis rather than homeostasis. The past two decades have seen sustained debate over the relevance of the dialectical tradition to sociology. Bendix and Berger have pointed to the theoretical and empirical yield of "paired concepts with dual tendencies," citing Simmel, Tocqueville, Weber, Park, Mead, and Freud, and Gross has followed with a specific appeal for a neodialectical approach which would "consider an indeterminate number of opposite, contradictory, and synthesizing principles." Although Gross' argument has been criticized by Parsons (b), who calls it eclecticism, van den Berghe suggests that functionalism might benefit from the dialectic, and such critics as Friedrichs, Nicolaus, and Schneider tend to agree. All admit, however, to some confusion over the exact nature of the method. Schneider has managed to isolate seven dialectical meaning-clusters of special relevance to sociology, including (1) the distinction between aim and outcome, (2) the issue of displacements, (3) the empirical paradox that particularly effective adaptations are limiting, (4) the idea of development through conflict, (5) the notions of contradiction, opposition, negation, dilemma, and paradox, (6) the contradictory logic of passion, and (7) the concept of the coalescence of opposites. But after a convincing review of the power of this approach, he
Portable near-infrared diffusive light imager for breast cancer detection.

We present a frequency-domain near-infrared optical tomography system designed for breast cancer detection, in conjunction with conventional ultrasound. It features fast optical switching, three-wavelength excitations, and avalanche photodiode as detectors. Laser diodes at 660, 780, and 830 nm are used as light sources and their outputs are distributed sequentially to one of nine source fibers. An equivalent 130-dB isolation between electrical signals from different source channels is achieved with the optical switches of very low crosstalk. Ten detection channels, each of which includes a silicon avalanche photodiode, detect diffusive photon density waves simultaneously. The dynamic range of an avalanche photodiode is about 20 to 30 dB higher than that of a photomultiplier tube, thus eliminating the need for multistep system gain control. The entire system is compact in size (<0.051 m3) and fast in data acquisition (less than 2 sec for a complete scan). Calibration and the clinical experiment results are presented in the paper.
Neurotrophic factors and their receptors: implications of genetic studies

The genes encoding each of the known neurotrophins and their receptors have been targeted in mice. As predicted by earlier studies, each mutation results in loss of specific classes of peripheral neurons. Apoptosis during the period of naturally occurring cell death appears to be responsible for many of these losses. In some cases, deficits may reflect earlier abnormalities in precursor proliferation, commitment or differentiation. Specific examples of abnormal target innervation and neuronal differentiation have been observed in these mutants, which are beginning to be used to address other postulated functions of neurotrophins, such as modulation of synaptic efficacy and plasticity.
The Lis1-Related Nudf Protein of Aspergillus nidulans Interacts with the Coiled-Coil Domain of the Nude/Ro11 Protein

The nudF gene of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans acts in the cytoplasmic dynein/dynactin pathway and is required for distribution of nuclei. NUDF protein, the product of the nudF gene, displays 42% sequence identity with the human protein LIS1 required for neuronal migration. Haploinsufficiency of the LIS1 gene causes a malformation of the human brain known as lissencephaly. We screened for multicopy suppressors of a mutation in the nudF gene. The product of the nudE gene isolated in the screen, NUDE, is a homologue of the nuclear distribution protein RO11 of Neurospora crassa. The highly conserved NH2-terminal coiled-coil domain of the NUDE protein suffices for protein function when overexpressed. A similar coiled-coil domain is present in several putative human proteins and in the mitotic phosphoprotein 43 (MP43) of X. laevis. NUDF protein interacts with the Aspergillus NUDE coiled-coil in a yeast two-hybrid system, while human LIS1 interacts with the human homologue of the NUDE/RO11 coiled-coil and also the Xenopus MP43 coiled-coil. In addition, NUDF coprecipitates with an epitope-tagged NUDE. The fact that NUDF and LIS1 interact with the same protein domain strengthens the notion that these two proteins are functionally related.