cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solution of the wave equation in Rn + 1 with data on a characteristic cone

Abstract A unified treatment of the problem is presented for both odd and even space dimensions. In contrast to previous results for odd n, when the space dimension is even, there is no general existence although the uniqueness holds. A necessary and sufficient condition for admissible data is given. Of independent interest are several versions of the “Plancherel theorem” of the Radon transform, in the space L21(Rn) of all functions whose gradients are square integrable.
Role of peripheral reflexes in the initiation of the esophageal phase of swallowing.

The aim of this study was to determine the role of peripheral reflexes in initiation of the esophageal phase of swallowing. In 10 decerebrate cats, we recorded electromyographic responses from the pharynx, larynx, and esophagus and manometric data from the esophagus. Water (1–5 ml) was injected into the nasopharynx to stimulate swallowing, and the timing of the pharyngeal and esophageal phases of swallowing was quantified. The effects of transection or stimulation of nerves innervating the esophagus on swallowing and esophageal motility were tested. We found that the percent occurrence of the esophageal phase was significantly related to the bolus size. While the time delays between the pharyngeal and esophageal phases of swallowing were not related to the bolus size, they were significantly more variable than the time delays between activation of muscles within the pharyngeal phase. Transection of the sensory innervation of the proximal cervical esophagus blocked or significantly inhibited activation of the esophageal phase in the proximal cervical esophagus. Peripheral electrical stimulation of the pharyngoesophageal nerve activated the proximal cervical esophagus, peripheral electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve activated the distal cervical esophagus, and peripheral electrical stimulation the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) had no effect on the esophagus. Centripetal electrical stimulation of the SLN activated the cervical component of the esophageal phase of swallowing before initiation of the pharyngeal phase. Therefore, we concluded that initiation of the esophageal phase of swallowing depends on feedback from peripheral reflexes acting through the SLN, rather than a central program.
PIONIC DISINTEGRATION OF THE DEUTERON

Abstract A simple model for π + d → pp in the resonance region based on two-body absorption by pion and ϱ-meson rescattering through the Δ 33 resonance is presented. Without introduction of free parameters or form factors the calculated total cross section is in fair agreement with experiment.
Correlations of norepinephrine release in the paraventricular nucleus with plasma corticosterone and leptin after systemic lipopolysaccharide : blockade by soluble IL-1 receptor

Abstract The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on norepinephrine (NE) release in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and on plasma concentrations of corticosterone and leptin. Soluble IL-1 receptor (sIL-1R) was used to determine the role of interleukin-1 (IL-1) in these effects. Adult male rats were implanted with a push–pull cannula in the PVN and a jugular catheter to facilitate blood sampling. On the day of the experiment, after the collection of a pretreatment blood and perfusate sample, rats were injected (i.p.) with the vehicle for LPS (saline), 2.5 or 10 μg/kg BW LPS. Other groups of animals were treated i.p. with 25 μg of sIL-1R, or a combination of 10 μg/kg BW of LPS and 25 μg of sIL-1R, 5 min before and 90 min after LPS. Blood and perfusate samples were collected at 30-min intervals for 6 h. NE concentrations in the perfusate were measured using HPLC-EC and corticosterone and leptin levels in the plasma were measured using radioimmunoassay. NE release in the PVN was dose dependent and increased significantly within 90 min in response to the high dose of LPS and reached maximum levels around 180 min before declining gradually to pretreatment levels at 330 min. The corticosterone profile in LPS-treated animals was similar to the NE release profile in the PVN. In contrast, the LPS-induced increase in leptin levels reached a maximum at 210 min and remained elevated even at the end of the observation period. Treatment with sIL-1R completely blocked the LPS-induced effects. It is concluded that LPS stimulates NE release in the PVN and increases plasma concentrations of corticosterone and leptin and that these effects are mediated at least in part by IL-1.
YouTube as an information source for pediatric adenotonsillectomy and ear tube surgery.

Abstract Objectives Assess the overall quality of information on adenotonsillectomy and ear tube surgery presented on YouTube ( www.youtube.com ) from the perspective of a parent or patient searching for information on surgery. Methods The YouTube website was systematically searched on select dates with a formal search strategy to identify videos pertaining to pediatric adenotonsillectomy and ear tube surgery. Only videos with at least 5 (ear tube surgery) or 10 (adenotonsillectomy) views per day were included. Each video was viewed and scored by two independent scorers. Videos were categorized by goal and scored for video/audio quality, accuracy, comprehensiveness, and procedure-specific content. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Public domain website. Results Fifty-five videos were scored for adenotonsillectomy and forty-seven for ear tube surgery. The most common category was educational (65.3%) followed by testimonial (28.4%), and news program (9.8%). Testimonials were more common for adenotonsillectomy than ear tube surgery (41.8% vs. 12.8%, p = 0.001). Testimonials had a significantly lower mean accuracy (2.23 vs. 2.62, p = 0.02), comprehensiveness (1.71 vs. 2.22, p = 0.007), and TA specific content (0.64 vs. 1.69, p = 0.001) score than educational type videos. Only six videos (5.9%) received high scores in both video/audio quality and accuracy/comprehensiveness of content. There was no significant association between the accuracy and comprehensive score and views, posted “likes”, posted “dislikes”, and likes/dislikes ratio. There was an association between “likes” and mean video quality (Spearman's rho = 0.262, p = 0.008). Conclusion Parents/patients searching YouTube for information on pediatric adenotonsillectomy and ear tube surgery will generally encounter low quality information with testimonials being common but of significantly lower quality. Viewer perceived quality (“likes”) did not correlate to formally scored content quality.
Mass transport effects during electropolishing of iron in phosphoric-sulfuric acid

Anodic dissolution of iron in a mixture of phosphoric and sulfuric acids has been investigated using a rotating disk electrode. Potentiostatic and potentiodynamic anodic polarization studies were performed to determine experimental conditions that lead to electropolishing. Results indicate that the onset of electropolishing corresponds to a mass transport controlled limiting current plateau. An appreciable change in the water content of the electrolyte had little influence on the measured limiting current. On the other hand, addition of small amounts of Fe3+ ions in the electrolyte tremendously reduced the limiting current. These data strongly suggest that electropolishing is due to formation of a salt layer at the anode that involves rate limiting transport of dissolved Fe3+ ions from the anode surface into the bulk electrolyte.
Laparoscopic choledochojejunostomy via PTFE-covered stent successfully achieves internal drainage of common bile duct obstruction.

The purpose of this study was to develop a method of laparoscopic biliary bypass utilizing a PTFE-covered biliary stent. An animal model of common bile duct obstruction was developed. Three days before the planned choledochojejunostomy, the common duct in 10 female pigs was ligated using mini-laparoscopy instrumentation (2 mm) to create an obstruction model. A laparoscopic choledochojejunostomy was then performed using intracorporal suturing (n=5) or stented (n=5) techniques. In the sutured group, a side-to-side two-layer anastamosis was performed. In the stented group, a Seldinger technique was used to deliver the stent into the abdomen through the small bowel and into the anterior wall of the common bile duct for deployment across both the duct and bowel to create an anastomosis (under fluoroscopic guidance). After the surgery, the animals were followed for 7 days, and then sacrificed to examine the anastomosis grossly and histologically. Statistical analysis was used to compare the two groups. Although the difference was not statistically significant, the mean anastomosis time in minutes was shorter for the stented group (37.8; range 15–74 minutes) than in the sutured group (52.8; range 28–70 minutes). All animals survived for 7 days after the procedure with no detectable biliary leaks or biliary obstruction at autopsy. These gross findings were confirmed by pathologic examination of the anastomoses. Laparoscopic choledochojejunostomy using a PTFE-covered metallic biliary stent can be performed to relieve common bile duct obstruction. In addition, the stent method was as safe and effective as sutured laparoscopic choledochojejunostomy.
Covariant canonical superstrings

A covariant canonical formulation of generic superstrings is presented. The (super)geometry emerges dynamically and supergravity transformations are identified with particular canonical transformations. By construction these transformations are off-shell closed, and the necessary auxiliary fields can be identified with canonical momenta.
Numerical modeling of drag for flow through vegetated domains and porous structures

Abstract In this paper, we study flow through vegetated wetlands using high resolution computational models to describe the flow. The goal is to describe drag characteristics of this flow at the large scales as a function of Reynolds number. This work is of importance to scientists and engineers dealing with wetland health and restoration, inland flooding due to tropical storms and hurricanes, and river lining projects. The existence of vegetation affects the flow resistance, which is a major factor in determining velocity and water level distribution in wetlands. For low Reynolds numbers, wetlands behave similarly to porous media, where it is well-known that Stokes flow at the micro-scale can be upscaled through homogenization to Darcy’s Law at the macro-scale. As Reynolds number increases moderately, small-scale drag effects can be captured by adding a quadratic and/or cubic term to the Darcy equation; the so-called Darcy–Forchheimer model. For higher Reynolds numbers, Stokes equation is no longer a valid approximation, and full Navier–Stokes models must be used. We utilize large eddy simulation (LES) to study vegetative drag at high Reynolds numbers. The numerical simulations in this paper are performed using the Proteus Toolkit, which is under development by Kees and Farthing at ERDC.
Essential dimension: a survey

In the paper we survey research on the essential dimension. The highlights of the survey are the computations of the essential dimensions of finite groups, groups of multiplicative type and the spinor groups. We present self-contained proofs of these cases and give applications in the theory of simple algebras and quadratic forms.
Fluorescence properties of the Zimmermann chromogen: paper chromatography of ketosteroids.

This investigation was prompted by the observation that formation of the Zimmermann chromogen of 17-ketosteroids on paper chromatograms using the Epstein and Zak method, gave products which were not only colored but also fluorescent. The Zimmermann chromogen of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) was prepared. It showed no observable fluorescence in solution, weak fluorescence in the solid state and on thin layers of silica gel, but strong fluorescence in the dry state on filter paper. Other 17-ketosteroids behaved similarly on chromotograms, as did 3,20-diketopregnanes. Saturated and unsaturated 3-ketosteroids gave no fluorescence. These experiments lend support to the theory that fluorescence is sometimes induced by occlusion of potential fluorophors in the “dry” matrix of cellulose.
Sporadic Distribution of Prion-Forming Ability of Sup35p from Yeasts and Fungi

Sup35p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae can form the [PSI+] prion, an infectious amyloid in which the protein is largely inactive. The part of Sup35p that forms the amyloid is the region normally involved in control of mRNA turnover. The formation of [PSI+] by Sup35p’s from other yeasts has been interpreted to imply that the prion-forming ability of Sup35p is conserved in evolution, and thus of survival/fitness/evolutionary value to these organisms. We surveyed a larger number of yeast and fungal species by the same criteria as used previously and find that the Sup35p from many species cannot form prions. [PSI+] could be formed by the Sup35p from Candida albicans, Candida maltosa, Debaromyces hansenii, and Kluyveromyces lactis, but orders of magnitude less often than the S. cerevisiae Sup35p converts to the prion form. The Sup35s from Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Ashbya gossypii clearly do not form [PSI+]. We were also unable to detect [PSI+] formation by the Sup35ps from Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Magnaporthe grisea, Ustilago maydis, or Cryptococcus neoformans. Each of two C. albicans SUP35 alleles can form [PSI+], but transmission from one to the other is partially blocked. These results suggest that the prion-forming ability of Sup35p is not a conserved trait, but is an occasional deleterious side effect of a protein domain conserved for another function.
En face stripping of vascular endothelium.

Abstract A technique for removing the endothelium from the intimal surface of a major vessel as a flat sheet is presented. The method is particularly suitable for autoradiography of endothelium.
Lactic acidosis in pediatric patients with cancer receiving total parenteral nutrition

IN A ONE-YEAR PERIOD, we observed lactic acidosis in five oncology patients in association with the use of total parenteral nutrition. There are multiple previous reports of lactic acidosis in patients with cancer, usually leukemia or lymphoma. 1,2 The association with TPN has been noted in two adult patients and has been described in one pediatric patient receiving 10% glucose infusion. :~ ~ The relatively high risk for lactic acidosis in pediatric patients with advanced cancer when receiving TPN has not been previously stressed.
Size assessment via a visual signal in snapping shrimp

Snapping shrimp are highly aggressive decapod crustaceans, with large, asymmetric chelae. Body size determines the outcome of both inter- and intrasexual interactions. Both the body and chela sizes of mated pairs are correlated, but the body size correlation is significantly stronger. In competitive interactions between individuals of the same sex, larger individuals usually win. Because the size of the major chela is a function of body size in both males and females, chela size could be used to assess body size early in interactions, before engaging in more high risk behaviors. To determine whether the major chela is used in size assessment, I presented shrimp with isolated chelae. Male snapping shrimp responded aggressively to isolated chelae when they were fixed open in a display posture, and the degree of aggressive response depended on the relative size of the chela. These data provide direct experimental evidence for the use of a visual signal in size assessment. Females, in contrast, responded aggressively to both the open and closed chela, and their responses did not depend on relative size. This sex difference in response may be due to differences in the value of certain resources, such as shelters, to males and females: females may be more willing to respond aggressively regardless of the apparent size of their opponent, in order to acquire more reliable information regarding size, motivation or fighting ability.
Reliability surveying-segmenting for comparability

This paper deals with utility reliability benchmarking and the various factors that affect IEEE reliability indices as calculated by the various utilities and the need to understand and segment on the basis of those factors.
A Model for Phosphorus Transformation and Runoff Loss for Surface-Applied Manures

Agricultural P transport in runoff is an environmental concern. An important source of P runoff is surface-applied, unincorporated manures, but computer models used to assess P transport do not adequately simulate P release and transport from surface manures. We developed a model to address this limitation. The model operates on a daily basis and simulates manure application to the soil surface, letting 60% of manure P infiltrate into soil if manure slurry with less than 15% solids is applied. The model divides manure P into four pools, water-extractable inorganic and organic P, and stable inorganic and organic P. The model simulates manure dry matter decomposition, and manure stable P transformation to water-extractable P. Manure dry matter and P are assimilated into soil to simulate bioturbation. Waterextractable P is leached from manure when it rains, and a portion of leached P can be transferred to surface runoff. Eighty percent of manure P leached into soil by rain remains in the top 2 cm, while 20% leaches deeper. This 2-cm soil layer contributes P to runoff via desorption. We used data from field studies in Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arkansas to build and validate the model. Validation results show the model accurately predicted cumulative P loads in runoff, reflecting successful simulation of the dynamics of manure dry matter, manure and soil P pools, and storm-event runoff P concentrations. Predicted runoff P concentrations were significantly related to (r 2 5 0.57) but slightly less than measured concentrations. Our model thus represents an important modification for field or watershed scale models that assess P loss from manured soils.
Large increase in spectral continuum generation efficiency of silver and gold semicontinuous films near the percolation threshold

Photoluminescence continuum generation from semicontinuous silver and gold films was observed between 500 and 1050 nm, with efficiency much higher near the percolation threshold and with similar spectral dependence for the two metals
Electrophoresis in Practice. A Guide to Methods and Application of DNA and Protein Separations, 3rd ed. Reiner Westermeier. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH, 2001, 368 pp., $60.00, hardcover. ISBN 3-527-30300-6.

In collaboration with six coauthors, R. Westermeier presents the third English edition of Electrophoresis in Practice . New in this edition is the inclusion of the latest developments of two-dimensional electrophoresis and an overview on proteome analysis. The book is organized into two parts: the first part deals with the fundamentals of electrophoretic separation and related techniques, whereas the second part gives a description of selected methods. The theoretical part is clear, concise, and in general, easy to read. It contains adequate …
Characterizing visible and invisible cell wall mutant phenotypes

About 10% of a plant's genome is devoted to generating the protein machinery to synthesize, remodel, and deconstruct the cell wall. High-throughput genome sequencing technologies have enabled a reasonably complete inventory of wall-related genes that can be assembled into families of common evolutionary origin. Assigning function to each gene family member has been aided immensely by identification of mutants with visible phenotypes or by chemical and spectroscopic analysis of mutants with 'invisible' phenotypes of modified cell wall composition and architecture that do not otherwise affect plant growth or development. This review connects the inference of gene function on the basis of deviation from the wild type in genetic functional analyses to insights provided by modern analytical techniques that have brought us ever closer to elucidating the sequence structures of the major polysaccharide components of the plant cell wall.
A new approach to increasing sensitivity and resolution of A/Ds

Signal processing in software defined receivers often requires increasing sensitivity and resolution of analog-to-digital converters (A/Ds). Two approaches to this problem are currently used. The first approach is based on oversampling, and the second one is based on a generalized successive-approximations technique. Although these approaches have not completely exhausted their potential, they encounter formidable technological difficulties when it is necessary to maximize the product of the A/D resolution and sampling rate. Therefore, the development and investigation of new approaches and methods that increase sensitivity and resolution of A/Ds are important. A new approach to increasing the A/D sensitivity and resolution is presented and analyzed in this paper. The approach is based on joint processing of M signal samples. It uses the effect of reduction of each sample contribution to the quantization error of algebraic sums of the samples when the individual samples and the sums are quantized by A/Ds with the same quantization steps. To utilize this effect, only the least significant bits of the quantized samples and the corresponding portions of the samples' analog values are summed, and the sums are formed to be components of the Walsh spectrum of these portions of the processed samples. The proposed approach allows increasing sensitivity and resolution of even the fastest A/Ds with high initial resolution. Several new methods and devices illustrating this approach are described in the paper.
Oleoresin tapping of planted slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) adds value and management flexibility to landowners in the southern United States

Abstract Pine chemicals are the oldest and largest renewable chemicals industries, and pine monoterpenes are excellent feedstocks for advanced biofuels. The available supply of pine terpenes constrains expansion of the pine chemicals and biofuel industry, creating a market opportunity for recovery of additional pine terpenes. Tapping live pine trees to recover pine terpenes, oleoresin, is an important economic activity in many parts of the world. In this study, the economic benefits to landowners of borehole oleoresin tapping for different planted slash pine management regimes in the southern U.S. were analyzed. The results show that landowners can diversify outputs and benefit economically from inclusion of oleoresin recovery from live trees without compromising wood for traditional markets. The greatest relative contribution of oleoresin to total returns is from stands with the improved genetic potential to double oleoresin yield. Stands with faster tree growth, due to increased genetic or site potential, produce the second highest present value of oleoresin primarily because these stands can be tapped at earlier ages. The relative contribution of oleoresin benefits to total economic revenues is the same from stands planted with one-third fewer trees per ha, again because borehole tapping can start at earlier ages. Importantly, the additional revenue from oleoresin tapping offset losses in value from timber that occurs when rotations are extended 3–4 years beyond optimal.
Testing LANs optically to the Gigabit Ethernet standard

Gigabit Ethernet is a third-generation technology that builds on both the original Ethernet, with its 10-Mb/s data rate, and the second-generation, 100-Mb/s Fast Ethernet. Moving data at 1 Gb/s, Gigabit Ethernet meets the demands of emerging applications like desktop videoconferencing, high-resolution graphics, and high-speed networking in general trough the use of optical fibre links. High-speed optical communications opens up a tremendous learning opportunity for many LAN designers, introducing a host of new testing issues and techniques. For those engineers accustomed to working with lower-speed electrical transmission, the different equipment and measurements required for characterizing optical transmission may at first seem intimidating. But examined step by step, they are really not all that difficult to master. A LAN designer needs nothing more than an optical spectrum analyzer and an advanced communications oscilloscope-equipped with an optical-to-electrical converter-to ensure that the light source, the transmitter, and the system comply with the optical portions of the Gigabit Ethernet standard. To be sure, additional instruments and measurements will help refine a LAN design. But with just the optical spectrum analyser, the designer can determine that the light source's spectrum is sufficiently narrow and powerful, and with the oscilloscope, he or she can examine the data signal's potential for error from noise, jitter and attenuation.
Work in progress - creating engineering education opportunities - why and how?

A National Science Foundation funded national symposium was conducted with the primary focus of stimulating a national dialogue on establishing engineering education opportunities in colleges of engineering in the U.S. The symposium highlighted opportunities and challenges of four institutions with engineering education programs and brought in key stakeholders to investigate the past, present, and future of engineering education. The outcomes of the symposium consist of 1) Deans' concerns reflected to starting engineering education academic programs and 2) A list of opportunities and challenges of starting an engineering education academic program.
Long-Term Trends in Allograft Survival

Kidney transplantation has changed dramatically over the past decade. Many advances have occurred that result in shorter hospital stays, decreased acute rejection, less infectious morbidity, and improved long-term allograft survival. Many factors are responsible for the improvement in kidney transplantation, and these factors are discussed in this review. These successes have led to a paradox in the care of the kidney-transplant recipient, however. As the short-term complications are prevented or successfully managed, more patients will develop chronic problems with the function of the allograft.
Human subthalamic neuron spiking exhibits subtle responses to sedatives.

Background: During deep brain stimulation implant surgery, microelectrode recordings are used to map the location of targeted neurons. The effects produced by propofol or remifentanil on discharge activity of subthalamic neurons werestudiedintraoperativelytodeterminewhethertheyalter neuronal activity. Methods: Microelectrode recordings from 11 neurons, each from individual patients, were discriminated and analyzed before and after administration of either propofol or remifentanil. Subthalamic neurons in rat brain slices were recorded in patch-clamp to investigate cellular level effects. Results: Neurons discharged at 42 9 spikes/s (mean SD) and showed a common pattern of inhibition that lasted 4.3 ms. Unique discharge profiles were evident for each neuron, seen using joint-interval analysis. Propofol (intravenous bolus 0.3 mg/kg) produced sedation, with minor effects on discharge activity (less than 2.0% change in frequency). A prolongation of recurrent inhibition was evident from jointinterval analysis, and propofol’s effect peaked within 2 min, with recovery evident at 10 min. Subthalamic neurons recorded in rat brain slices exhibited inhibitory synaptic currents that were prolonged by propofol (155%) but appeared tolacktonicinhibitorycurrents.Propofoldidnotaltermembrane potential, membrane resistance, current-evoked discharge, or holding current during voltage clamp. Remifentanil (0.05 mg/kg) had little effect on overall subthalamic neuron discharge activity and did not prolong recurrent inhibition.
A network layer protocol for UANs to address propagation delay induced performance limitations

This paper provides a description of a novel network layer protocol for underwater acoustic networking (UAN) that provides a mechanism for network control and management enabling the implementation of responsive, self-configuring, adaptable, and scalable networks whose performance are predictable. The protocol draws from the demonstrated efficiencies of multi-protocol labeled switching, dynamic source routing, and multi-constraint based resource allocation schemes. The paper describes the expected benefits of establishing full duplex functionality between network nodes and presents some of the preliminary simulation findings regarding the viability of autonomously determining the network topology utilizing the full duplex node connections.
Pepsin treatment of mammalian plasma generates immunoreactive and biologically active neurotensin-related peptides in micromolar concentrations.

Treatment of mammalian plasmas or sera with pepsin gave rise to extraordinary quantities (1–5 μm) of immunoreactive neurotensin (NT)-related peptide(s). Although immunochemical and chromatographic analyses indicated that the peptides liberated by pepsin differed from authentic neurotensin, one of the major immunoreactive products displayed NT-like biological properties. Partially purified preparations of the immunoreactive peptides increased cutaneous vascular permeability when injected intradermally in rats and released histamine from isolated rat mast cells. The pepsin-generated peptides appeared to share the biologically active C-terminal portion of NT, since they reacted with antisera selective for this region but were not recognized by N-terminal-directed antisera. Gel permeation chromatography demonstrated the presence of two substrates in plasma which liberated iNT upon treatment with pepsin, one in the albumin fraction (mol wt, 65 K) and the other a globulin (mol wt, 350 K). A variety of other pro...
Database support for conflict detection in a computer-supported cooperative work environment

Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) requires the simultaneous consideration of a huge diversity of issues regarding a given object under design. Successful support for CSCW requires a conceptually integrated environment that can address this diversity of issues and assist with the detection and resolution of conflicts among design constraints and decisions. The Automated Constraint Refinement and Assessment Tool (AutoCRAT) is a generic tool for the top down refinement and bottom up validation of design constraints. AutoCRAT supports the diversity of issues that arise in a CSCW environment because constraints can address any aspect of the product under design and because constraints can be expressed in any language, including natural language. The focus of the paper is on the structuring facility of AutoCRAT that supports a user defined organizational structure for constraints. This structure allows constraints to be flagged, annotated, browsed and queried.
Membrane lipid influences on the energetics of the metarhodopsin I and metarhodopsin II conformational states of rhodopsin probed by flash photolysis.

Abstract– We have investigated the relationship between rhodopsin photochemical function and the retinal rod outer segment (ROS) disk membrane lipid composition using flash photolysis techniques. Bovine rhodopsin was combined with various phospholipids to form recombinant membrane vesicles, in which the lipid acyl chain composition was maintained at that of egg phosphatidylcholine (PC), while the nature of the headgroups was varied. The ratio of metarhodopsin II (MII)/metarhodopsin I (MI) in these recombinants produced by an actinic flash was investigated as a function of pH, and compared with the photochemical activity observed for rhodopsin in native ROS membranes and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine recombinants. In recombinants made with lipids derived from egg PC, as well as in native ROS membranes, MI and Mil were found to be present in a pH-dependent, acid-base equilibrium on the millisecond timescale. The recombinants made with phospholipids containing unsaturated acyl chains were capable of full native-like Mil production, but each demonstrated a titration curve with a different pK. In addition, some of the recombinants exhibited apparent deviations from the Henderson-Hasselbalch curve shape. The presence of either phosphatidylethanola-mine (PE) or phosphatidylserine (PS) headgroups appeared to increase the amount of Mil produced. This may result from alteration of the curvature free energy, in the case of PE, and from the influence of the membrane surface potential in the case of PS. An investigation of the effects of temperature on the MI-MII transition in native ROS membranes and the recombinants was also carried out. The results suggest that the thermodynamic parameters characterizing the MI and Mil conformational states of rhodopsin are influenced by the membrane bilayer environment, indicating a possible role of lipids in the visual process.
Assessment of clinical impact of endoscopic ultrasound on esophageal cancer.

Background and Aim: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine needle aspiration (FNA) is the most accurate imaging modality for locoregional staging of esophageal cancer. It remains unclear whether this technology impacts on the outcome of patients with this malignancy. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of EUS FNA by comparing the clinical outcomes of patients with esophageal cancer before and after the introduction of this staging modality in our institution. Methods: Outcomes of patients with de novo non-metastatic esophageal cancer seen in 1998 without EUS FNA evaluation (non-EUS control group) were compared to patients evaluated in 2000 with EUS FNA (EUS group). Results: Outcomes of 60 (non-EUS control group) and 107 (EUS group) patients with non-metastatic esophageal cancer were compared. Preoperative neoadjuvant therapy was administered to 35 patients in the EUS group, all of whom had advanced disease. Cox proportional hazards demonstrated EUS FNA to be associated with reduced recurrence risk (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43–0.87), P = 0.004, and reduced mortality (HR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.47–0.90), P = 0.008. Conclusions: The EUS staging of esophageal cancer leads to appropriate use of preoperative neoadjuvant therapy in patients with advanced disease. Use of EUS is associated with a recurrence-free survival advantage and overall survival advantage in patients, thus supporting its routine use in esophageal cancer staging.
Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor therapy: identifying and exploring what attributes matter more to clinicians and patients in the management of erectile dysfunction.

ABSTRACTBackground: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is increasingly being recognized as a sentinel marker of future subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD). Predicted increases in the prevalence of ED are due to a combination of an aging population and the increasing presence of comorbid conditions (hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes). The dichotomy of the situation is that ED is often associated with these comorbidities, potentially leading to greater CVD risk, and conversely, these comorbidities have also been shown to increase the risk of developing ED. The successful treatment of ED with phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor therapy, therefore, is of paramount importance because it not only plays a critical role in restoring erectile function, but also provides clinicians with the opportunity to mitigate existing cardiovascular comorbidities or prevent the occurrence of CVD in this patient population.Methods: This review is based on an electronic literature search of databases, including MEDLINE/P...
Cumulative variable formulation for transient conductive and radiative transport in participating media

A new mathematical formulation is proposed for transient conductive and radiative transport in a participating gray, isotropically scattering plane-parallel medium. The methodology can be easily extended to include numerous additional effects. A systematic and unified treatment is presented using cumulative variables that allows for high-order integration using standard initial-value methods in the temporal variable while allowing for an effective orthogonal collocation method to be implemented in the spatial variable. A spectral approach is incorporated in the present context where Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind are used as the basis functions. This article illustrates the methodology and presents some comparisons with previously reported works.
Regulation of Potassium by Glial Cells in the Central Nervous System

V. Parpura and P.G. Haydon (eds.), Astrocytes in (Patho)Physiology of the Nervous System, 151 DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-79492-1_6, © Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009 Rapid changes in extracellular K + concentration ([K + ] o ) in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) are counteracted by simple passive diffusion as well as by cellular mechanisms of K + clearance. Regulation of [K + ] o can occur via glial or neuronal uptake of K + ions through transporters or K + -selective ion channels. The best studied mechanism of [K + ] o regulation in the brain is K + spatial buffering , wherein the glial syncytium disperses local extracellular K + increases by transferring K + from sites of elevated [K + ] o to those with lower [K + ] o . In recent years, K +
The Importance of Commitments: A Case Study of a Broken Promise

The aim of this teaching case is to motivate students to consider the importance of commitments, especially ones made during the recruitment process. The case focuses on a student who has reneged on a previously accepted employment offer from an accounting firm. Most suitable for use in accounting and auditing courses at the undergraduate level, this case would be particularly useful if presented prior to the recruiting season. In analyzing the case, students are expected to first address the importance of commitments and then to narrow the focus to commitments in employment settings. Students must consider the implications of breaking employment commitments to other individuals involved, the firm, and the university. This case can help students achieve a better understanding of the important relationship between accounting firms and universities as well as a better appreciation for the human resource function in accounting firms.
Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues in Sleep Medicine

Very little has been written about ethics pertaining to sleep medicine, as opposed to specific rules and regulations. The ACGME states the need for competence in medical ethics and its application in sleep medicine and some expertise regarding the legal aspects of sleep medicine, all related to professionalism. These topics on ethical, legal, and social issues prove challenging to fellows, faculty, and those practicing in the community.
Inflammatory cytokines and non-small cell lung cancer in a CT-scan screening cohort: Background review of the literature.

Background Inflammatory cytokines are at the intersection of tumor cell biology and host immune response. Peripheral cytokine expression levels may reflect the microscopic tumor milieu, and specific cytokines play an integral role in tumor initiation, growth, and metastasis. High-throughput cytokine analysis may identify panels for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diagnosis and identify individuals at high-risk for lung cancer with indeterminate lung nodules 8-20 mm in size. Methods Thirteen serum cytokines from the NYU Lung Cancer Biomarker Center cohort with early-stage NSCLC were analyzed using bead-based immunoassay technology. Results In the NYU cohort, a one unit increase in interferon-γ increased risk of lung cancer by 3% (OR = 1.03, 95% CI, 1.02-1.05) and a one unit increase in TNF-α decreased the risk of lung cancer by 53% (OR = 0.47, 95% Cl, 0.31-0.71) when both cytokines were included in a logistic regression model with adjustments for age and pack-years of smoking. The resulting AUC for the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.88; the sensitivity and specificity at the optimal cutpoint were 78.9% and 90.3%, respectively. Conclusions Cytokines have limited value in the early diagnosis of early-stage NSCLC. Our review of the literature suggests that although inflammation is important for the development of NSCLC, that cytokines are increased in more advanced lung cancer than when the diagnosis occurs at presentation.
Optical Interconnects for Scale-Out Data Centers

We review the architecture of modern datacenter networks, as well as their scaling challenges; we then present opportunities and needs for emerging optical technologies to support datacenter scaling.
The Prevalence and Diagnostic Validity of Short-Duration Hypomanic Episodes and Major Depressive Episodes

Current diagnostic criteria for a hypomanic episode, as outlined in both the fourth and fifth editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV and DSM-5), require a minimum duration of four consecutive days of symptoms of mood elevation. The 4-day criterion for duration of hypomania has been challenged as arbitrary and lacking empirical support, with many arguing that shorter-duration hypomanic episodes are highly prevalent and that those experiencing these episodes are clinically more similar to patients with bipolar disorder than to those with unipolar major depressive disorder. We review the current evidence regarding the prevalence, diagnostic validity, and longitudinal illness correlates of shorter-duration hypomanic episodes and summarize the arguments for and against broadening the diagnostic criteria for hypomania to include shorter-duration variants. Accumulating findings suggest that patients with major depressive episodes and shorter-duration hypomanic episodes represent a complex clinical phenotype, perhaps best conceptualized as being on the continuum between those with unipolar depressive episodes alone and those with DSM-5-defined bipolar II disorder. Further investigation is warranted, ideally involving large prospective, controlled studies, to elucidate the diagnostic and treatment implications of depression with shorter-duration hypomanic episodes.
David Mitchell in the Labyrinth of Time

To date, David Mitchell’s fiction comprises six adventurously heterogeneous novels. Three are “cosmopolitan”1 in scope and structure, composed of sections that skip freely around in time and space: Ghostwritten (2001), Cloud Atlas (2004), and The Bone Clocks (2014). There are two very different coming-of-age tales of teenage boys: Number9dream (2003), set in Tokyo, reads like a Haruki Murakami novel unfolding inside a video game; and the semi-autobiographical Black Swan Green (2007), narrated by a 13-year old in the English Midlands. The historical novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (2011) faithfully evokes Dutch contact with Japan in Nagasaki Harbor at the turn into the 19th century, before turning into a romance-thriller. Both within each text and across his corpus, Mitchell creates a complex dynamical tension by developing disparate stand-alone storylines and weaving these narrative threads into tapestries by turns intricate and fragile. His narratives combine linear and cyclical structures and temporalities in different ways, including having texts begin and end with sections told by the same narrator (Ghostwritten, Bone Clocks), bearing the same title (Black Swan Green), or returning to the same time period (Cloud Atlas). Mitchell’s narrative time oscillates between discrete succession and cyclic repetition: time may be broken into episodes causally connected in complete story arcs, or bent into concentric circles like the “infinite matryoshka doll of painted moments” (Cloud 393) that Isaac Sachs imagines in Cloud Atlas. Because his plotting is iterative and recursive, Mitchell’s
Electric Monopole Transitions in C 12 and O 16

The matrix elements for the electric monopole (${0}^{+}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${0}^{+}$) transitions between the ground and 7.68-Mev state in ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$ and between the ground and 6.06-Mev state in ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$ may be estimated from inelastic electron scattering and from the pair emission lifetime, respectively. The two are equal to each other within the rather large error of the electron scattering determination, and are given by ${(\ensuremath{\Sigma}{P}^{}{{r}_{P}}^{2})}_{f0}\ensuremath{\cong}3.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}26}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$, where 0 and $f$ represent initial and final states of the nucleus, and ${r}_{P}$ is the radial distance of a proton from the center of the nucleus. Calculations based on the alpha-particle model and on an elastic-fluid model yield three to five times this experimental value. Therefore, a calculation was made in the case of ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$, based on the $\mathrm{jj}$-coupling independent-particle model, according to which two nucleons undergo transitions between the ${p}_{\frac{3}{2}}$ shell and the ${p}_{\frac{1}{2}}$ shell. The matrix element vanishes if there are no internucleon forces. Pair forces are included to first order, and the sum over configurations is performed exactly by means of a Green's function. For simplicity it is assumed that the independent-particle potential is an infinitely deep square well, and that the pair interaction has zero range. Even assuming that the pair interaction has its free-space triplet magnitude, the calculated matrix element is only about one-sixth the experimental value. It is concluded, therefore, that a model that is more collective than the independent-particle model with pair interactions, and less collective than the alpha-particle or elastic-fluid models, is required to account for the experimental results.
Images of Drinking in “Woman Singing,” Ceremony, and House Made of Dawn

the earliest contacts between Europeans and Indians until the present time."1 Already in the seventeenth century, the English explorer Henry Hawkes complained that Indians were "soone drunke," and that "all the wine in Spaine and in France were not sufficient for the West Indies only,"2 so great was the Indian thirst for alcohol. Similar views abound in the reports left by innumerable white explorers, trappers, soldiers, settlers, missionaries, and priests. Almost from the start, Native Americans themselves have also lamented the effects of drinking, viewing this activity not so much as a reflection on Indian character as an attempt by whites to manipulate and destroy native people.3 The reasons for Indian susceptibility to alcohol have never been clear, nor have all tribes shown this susceptibility.4 Most white settlers in North America, however, were quick to see any instance of Indian intemperance as a sign of depravity and barbarism, as yet another manifestation of native inferiority to Europeans. Indeed, through most of the history of American culture, rarely has the Indian been seen except through the distorting lens of white prejudices and fantasies, so that sentimental images of the Indian as noble brave or maiden have vied with the equally unrealistic view of the Indian as a liquor-maddened savage on the one hand, and as a pathetic sot on the other. Alcohol in particular has been central to the white man's idea of the Indian, and its use has developed into an emblem of the Indian's own destruction in the face of white civilization. As Roy Harvey Pearce has observed, in seventeenthand eighteenth-century America, "liquor was seen to be the most effective agent in dissolving savage character" the character that had to be dissolved because, so whites reasoned, it "could not and would not be civilized."5 In the nineteenth century, with the expansion of the western frontier, white stereotypes of Indian intoxication became all the more deeply entrenched, for Indians increasingly "epitomized the larger phenomenon of binge drinking associated with ages of Drinking in "Woman ging," Ceremony, and House Made of Dawn