cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Posterior Subcapsular Cataracts and Raised Intraocular Pressure are Caused by Prolonged Oral Corticosteroid Therapy in Adult Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

We examined 50 randomly-selected patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (ages 21-74 yrs; mean 38.5 yrs; 24 male, 26 female) who were treated with a total dose of 140 to 154,000 mg of oral prednisone for up to 24 years. We assessed their risk for posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) and raised intraocular pressure (IOP). At the time of examination, 17 patients had not received prednisone for at least 6 months. Twenty four of the 50 patients (50%) had PSC. Fourteen patients had grade 1 PSC, 8 patients had grade 2 PSC, and 2 patients had grade 3 PSC in either eye. Four of the 24 patients with PSC had visual acuity between 20/40 and 20/100. One patient with grade 3 PSC complained of blurry vision (VA 20/70). The incidence of PSC correlated (p=0.03) with the number of days patients received high doses of prednisone ( ≥ 25 mg). The average intraocular pressure (IOP) of the treated population was 13.64 ± 3.36 mm Hg. Four of the 50 patients (8%) had raised IOP (IOP ≥ 21 mm Hg in either eye; or difference in IOP of 6 mm Hg between the two eyes); one patient with normal IOP had cup/disk ratio of 0.5, and an additional 6 patients with normal IOP (one with a family history of glaucoma) had asymmetrical cup/disc ratios (0.2/0.4). Based on our study, we advocate careful ophthalmologic monitoring of IBD patients receiving corticosteroid therapy, and development of steroidal agents that will have ocular side effects.
INTENSITY-DEPENDENT AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIAL DEFINES SUBGROUPS OF PATIENTS WITH PTSD: A MULTIMODALITY IMAGING STUDY

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex and heterogeneous psychiatric disorder. Patients with chronic PTSD present with significant psychiatric co-morbidities. Current treatment guidelines recommend the use of selective seroto-nin reuptake inhibitors in PTSD patients, but only 50-60% of these patients respond favorably. To improve the response rate, understanding the underlying pathophysiology is necessary. Serotonergic transmission has been implicated in PTSD and the intensity-dependent auditory evoked potential (IDAEP) is presumed to reflect central serotonergic activity, there-by providing an opportunity to more precisely characterize PTSD patient populations and possibly predict response to treatment. We studied nineteen patients diagnosed with PTSD, matched for age and medications. Based on the stimulus intensity relationship, the patients were divided into two groups: augmenters and reducers. These groups were further evaluated using resting state quantitative EEG and HMPAO-based SPECT brain perfusion acquired simultaneously. The imaging data were correlated with behavioral measures characterizing symptoms of PTSD and measurements of mood state. The augmenters differed from the reducers in the resting state quantitative EEG and SPECT perfusion measures. The differences were primarily localized to the right hemisphere. There were significant differences in measures of PTSD symptoms, but not in overall measures of depression. Item analysis of depression measures showed a significant differ-ence between the augmenters and the reducers in reported sleep difficulties, which correlated with the reported anxiety measures. Objective separation of patients into subgroups based on the IDAEP contributes to the understanding of PTSD biological substrate and can potentially lead to more effective treatment strategies.
Vibration methods to measure changes in bone mineral content

Highly significant positive correlations (p<0.001) were obtained between the apparent wave velocity and resonance frequency parameters and other physical properties of bone. For instance, it is shown that wave velocity area parameter had a highly significant positive correlation with the bone mineral content as measured by dual photon absorptiometry. Similar correlation also existed between the wave velocity and the flexural stiffness and the yield load. Similar highly significant positive correlations also existed between the resonant frequency parameter and the bone mineral content as determined by single and dual photon absorptiometry. The resonance frequency parameter also showed highly significant positive correlations with the flexural stiffness and the yield load. The authors' results suggest that resonance frequency and wave velocity of human tibia could predict its mechanical properties and mineral content; and thus can potentially be used as a diagnostic tool to monitor the degree of osteoporosis.
An ultra-low energy microcontroller for Smart Dust wireless sensor networks

A 12pJ/instruction microcontroller with embedded SPAM designed specifically for use in mm/sup 3/ wireless sensor nodes is described. It features highly independent subsystems for sensor sampling, transmission, and receiving that maximize the datapath sleep time as well as 100nW integrated oscillators with rapid power-cycling. Designed in 0.25/spl mu/m technology, the 0.38mm/sup 2/ core consumes 5.9/spl mu/W from a 1V supply when running at 500kHz.
A Decision Procedure for Unquantified Formulas of Graph Theory

A procedure for deciding the validity of ground formulas in a theory of directed graphs is described. The procedure, which decides equality and containment relations for vertex, edge and graph terms, is based on the method of congruence closure and involves the formation of equivalence classes and their representatives. An interesting aspect of the procedure is its use of maximal, rather than minimal, normal forms as equivalence class representatives. The correctness, efficiency, and limitations of the procedure are discussed.
Propagation of laminar pulverized coal-air flames

The propagation of laminar, coal-air flames has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Measurements of flame velocity have been made for coal-air mixtures in a downward flowing, 4 in. diameter, flatflame burner at atmospheric pressure. Flame velocities of 14–22 cm/sec and 16–33 cm/sec were obtained with 33 micron and 10 micron Pittsburgh coal respectively, depending upon coal concentration. Probe temperature profiles and concentration samples on each side of the flame about 1 cm thick suggest a rapid devolatilization process, while photomicrographs show softening, slight swelling and increased proosity of the coal during reaction. A generalized model for a flame propagating in laminar, premixed particle-gas mixtures was formulated, assuming particle-gas dynamic equilibrium and uniform pressure. Effects of gaseous diffusion, coal pyrolysis, char oxidation, and gaseous reaction were considered. The unsteady state equations were solved numerically using finite-difference techniques. Flame velocity predictions, neglecting radiation, were generally within 25% of measured coal values. The theory suggests that in a laminar coal-dust flame, gas phase diffusion and conduction, gas-particle conduction, and coal pyrolysis are importnat rate-determining steps, while hydrocarbon oxidation and char oxidation may not be rate-limiting. The importance of gas-phase diffusional processes in such flames is suggested.
Local elastodynamic stresses in the unit cell of a woven fabric composite

A theoretical study of the local elastodynamic stresses of woven fabric composites under dynamic loadings is presented in this article. The analysis focuses on the unit cell of an orthogonal woven fabric composite, which is composed of two sets of mutually orthogonal yarns of either the same fiber (nonhybrid fabric) or different fibers (hybrid fabric) in a matrix material. Using the mosaic model for simplifying woven fabric composites and a shear lag approach to account for the inter-yarn deformation, a one-dimensional analysis has been developed to predict the local elastodynamic and elastostatic behavior. The initial and boundary value problems are formulated and then solved using Laplace transforms. Closed form solutions of the dynamic displacements and stresses in each yarn and the bond shearing stresses at the interfaces between adjacent yarns are obtained in the time domain for any type of in-plane impact loadings. When time tends to infinity, the dynamic solutions approach to their corresponding static solutions, which are also developed in this article. Solutions of certain special cases are identical to those reported in the literature. Lastly, the dynamic stresses and bond shearing stresses of plain weave composites subjected to step uniform impacts are presented and discussed as an example of the general analytical model.
Alterations in the Young’s modulus and volumetric properties of chondrocytes isolated from normal and osteoarthritic human cartilage

The mechanical environment of the chondrocyte is an important factor that influences the maintenance of the articular cartilage extracellular matrix. Previous studies have utilized theoretical models of chondrocytes within articular cartilage to predict the stress-strain and fluid flow environments around the cell, but little is currently known regarding the cellular properties which are required for implementation of these models. The objectives of this study were to characterize the mechanical behavior of primary human chondrocytes and to determine the Young's modulus of chondrocytes from non-osteoarthritic ('normal') and osteoarthritic cartilage. A second goal was to quantify changes in the volume of isolated chondrocytes in response to mechanical deformation. The micropipette aspiration technique was used to measure the deformation of a single chondrocyte into a glass micropipette in response to a prescribed pressure. The results of this study indicate that the human chondrocyte behaves as a viscoelastic solid. No differences were found between the Young's moduli of normal (0.65+/-0.63 kPa, n = 44) and osteoarthritic chondrocytes (0.67+/-0.86 kPa, n = 69, p = 0.93). A significant difference in cell volume was observed immediately and 600 s after complete aspiration of the cell into the pipette (p < 0.001), and the magnitude of this volume change between normal (11+/-11%, n = 40) and osteoarthritic (20+/-11%, n = 41) chondroctyes was significantly different at both time points (p < 0.002). This finding suggests that chondrocytes from osteoarthritic cartilage may have altered volume regulation capabilities in response to mechanical deformation. The mechanical and volumetric properties determined in this study will be of use in analytical and finite element models of chondrocyte-matrix interactions in order to better predict the mechanical environment of the cell in vivo.
Metabolic fate of glucose in vascular smooth muscle during contraction induced by norepinephrine.

Abstract The metabolism of glucose in porcine carotid artery was tracked by isotopic methods during sustained isometric contraction induced by 100μmnorepinephrine (NE). In resting muscles, 74 and 18% of glucose taken up was accounted for by glycolysis and glycogen synthesis, respectively. Lactate production accounted for 69%, pyruvate production for 12%, and glucose oxidation accounted for 14% of glycolytic flux. The oxidation of glucose accounted for 57% of the consumption of O2and thus constituted the primary oxidative substrate. During contraction by NE, glucose-uptake declined modestly below the resting basal rate. Glycolysis of external glucose and lactate production decreased and then increased with sustained contraction. Norepinephrine stimulated simultaneous glycogenolysis and glycogen synthesis, with net glycogen synthesis prevailing over 90 min of isometric contraction. Furthermore, NE modified the distribution of glucosyl units throughout the glycogen pool. The steady state rate of oxidation of glucose did not increase during NE contraction, even though O2-consumption increased. In contrast, increased glucose oxidation was demonstrable during contraction induced by 80 m m KCl. Furthermore, oxidation of exogenous fatty acid could be demonstrated during NE-induced contraction. Thus, NE exerts multiple effects on glucose and glycogen metabolism in smooth muscle, but it does not stimulate glucose oxidation.
Locus of Control and Judgments about Another's Accident:

Female Ss scoring internal and external on Rotter's scale rated the personal characteristics and responsibility of a stimulus person who experienced a chemical laboratory accident which varied in s...
High critical currents in polycrystalline Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O films

Abstract We present transport critical current (Jct) data for polycrystalline films in the Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O system. Comparable results are obtained for unoriented films of Tl2CaBa2Cu2Ox and unoriented and epitaxial films of Tl2Ca2Ba2Cu3Ox: namely, Jcts over 105 A cm−2 (109 A m−2) at 77 K with weak sensitivity to magnetic field in the film plane. Jct falls more rapidly in fields normal to the film plane. The zero field Jct is quadratic in 1 − T/Tc from 4 K to 95 K. The hysteresis in magnetization field loops collapses above 1 T at 76 K but not at 5 K. All of these results are consistent with strongly coupled grains and weak flux pinning at grain boundaries. Flux creep does not appear to be significant; if it were, the Jct data would give a lower bound on the potential Jct of these films. Finally, we discuss current-voltage data in terms of spatial non-uniformity in the critical current.
Improvement in comfort and function after cuff repair without acromioplasty

The repair of full thickness rotator cuff tears traditionally has included acromioplasty and coracoacromial ligament section. Acromioplasty can be complicated by deltoid detachment, compromise of the deltoid lever arm, anterosuperior instability, and adhesions of the rotator cuff tendons under the bleeding cancellous bone of the osteotomized acromion. This report concerns the improvement in shoulder function at a minimum of 2 years after 27 full thickness rotator cuff repairs were done without deltoid detachment, acromioplasty, or section of the coracoacromial ligament. The mean number of Simple Shoulder Test functions that the patients could do increased from six of 12 before surgery to 10 of 12 at an average followup of 4 years after surgery. Eight of 12 individual Simple Shoulder Test functions were significantly improved after the procedure. There also was a significant improvement in the Short Form-36 comfort, physical role function, and mental health scores. When done without acromioplasty, cuff repair avoids the possibility of deltoid detachment, altered deltoid mechanics, anterosuperior instability, and tendon scarring to the cancellous undersurface of the acromion.
Experimental work on cyclotron resonance in semiconductors

Synopsis The experimental details of the cyclotron resonance experiments by which the effective masses of charge carriers in semiconductors have been determined are discussed. The semiconductors are measured at low temperatures to allow largest possible mean free path for the charge carriers. 1 cm microwave equipment is used. Charge carriers can be produced in some cases by radio frequency ionization in the semiconductor samples. Circularly polarized microwaves resonating in a circular cylindrical cavity are used in the determination of the sign of the charge carriers. The microwave equivalent of a quarter wave plate is used in the production of the circularly polarized microwaves.
Finite elastic and plastic deformations of pulse loaded structures by an extended mode technique

Abstract A scheme for estimating maximum transient and permanent deflections of a pulse-loaded structure is outlined and applied to fully clamped beams of mild steel, titanium alloy 6Al-4V, and aluminum alloys 7075-T6 and 6061-T651. The method makes use of concepts of the mode approximation technique[1] and extends previously proposed schemes[2, 3]. Comparisons are made with deflections measured in tests[4–6] as well as with predictions from rigid-plastic mode analyses and from numerical solutions.
Performance of a light flasher system for a prototype CsI calorimeter and the design for CLEO II

Abstract A study of the light calibration system installed in a prototype CsI shower counter is reported. The system is able to observe a change of less than 0.5% in the sensitivity of the detector.
Dynamic Programming and Inventory Control

An expository account is given of the Dynamic Programming approach to inventory analysis in terms of the problem of the optimal storage policy for repair parts. The demand distribution is assumed to be Poisson or some modification thereof; the delivery time is assumed to be fixed or Gamma distributed while preserving the sequence of the orders. No demand is lost. It is shown that the demand distribution for the delivery period is negative binomial. Formulae are derived for the re-ordering point and the order quantity and these are solved for the geometric demand distribution. An example is calculated which is based on the stocking of repair parts by a can manufacturer in Chicago.
Lessons from the RAMPART study--and which is the best route of administration of benzodiazepines in status epilepticus.

Early treatment of prolonged seizures with benzodiazepines given intravenously by paramedics in the prehospital setting had been shown to be associated with improved outcomes, but the comparative efficacy and safety of an intramuscular (IM) route, which is faster and consistently achievable, was previously unknown. RAMPART (Rapid Anticonvulsant Medication Prior to Arrival Trial) was a double-blind randomized clinical trial to determine if the efficacy of IM midazolam is noninferior by a margin of 10% to that of intravenous (IV) lorazepam in patients treated by paramedics for status epilepticus (SE). In children and adults with >5 min of convulsions and who are still seizing at paramedic arrival, midazolam administered by IM autoinjector was non-inferior to IV lorazepam on the primary efficacy outcome with comparable safety. Patients treated with IM midazolam were more likely to have stopped seizing at emergency department (ED) arrival, without EMS rescue therapy, and were less likely to require any hospitalization or admission to an intensive care unit. Lessons from the RAMPART study’s findings and potential implications on clinical practice, on the potential role of other routes of administration, on the effect of timing of interventions, and on future clinical trials are discussed.
Trophotylenchulus and Trophonema, Two New Genera of Tylenchulidae N. Fam. (Nematoda)

Die Beschreibung von Trophotylenchulus floridensis n.g. n.sp. aus den Wurzeln von Quercus falcata Michx. bestatigt endgultig die Verwandtschaft von Sphaeronema Raski und Sher, 1952 mit Tylenchulus Cobb, 1913. Es wird vorgeschlagen, fur Sphaeronema arenarium Raski den Namen Trophonema arenarium n. comb. anzunehmen. Die vier Gattungen werden zur neuen Familie der Tylenchulidae gestellt, folgenderweise: Unterfamilie Tylenchulinae Skarbilovich, 1947 (Tylenchulus, Trophotylenchulus) und Unterfamilie Sphaeronematinae Raski and Sher, 1952 (Trophonema, Sphaeronema).
Decision support systems effectiveness: Conceptual framework and empirical evaluation

Abstract Decision Support Systems (DSS) are designed to help human beings in solving problems more efficiently or making better decisions. While an increasing number of DSS have been and are developed, the effectiveness of such systems has not yet been demonstrated. This study proposes a conceptual framework for measuring the effectiveness of DSS and reports the results of a before-and-after study designed to compare two experimental groups of problem solvers assisted by one of two technologies for conflict resolution with a control group without any technology. The two technologies that are examined in this paper consist of a computerized DSS for conflict resolution, Resolve(!), and a videotape on conflict resolution, Video. Various measures of the problem solving episode were recorded, including both process and outcome measures. Overall, the groups with access to the technologies perceived a significantly better resolution of the problem they addressed than their control group counterpart. The two technologies differed essentially on two out of 11 variabales: subjects assigned to the computerized DSS technology generated more alternative solutions to the problem they tried to solve and reported a higher perceived progress in the resolution of the problem, than did subjects who were assigned to the videotape technology.
Uncovering the Past: The Role of Dust Imagery in A ROSE FOR EMILY

Roughly forty years after the townspeople assumed that Homer Barron had deserted Emily Grierson, the townspeople's entrance into a closed-off room in the now-deceased woman's house uncovers a glimp...
S-adenosylmethionine mediates inhibition of inflammatory response and changes in DNA methylation in human macrophages

S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), the unique methyl donor in DNA methylation, has been shown to lower lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α and increase the ex...
Polyelectrolyte‐Clay‐Protein Layer Films on Microfluidic PDMS Bioreactor Surfaces for Primary Murine Bone Marrow Culture

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microbioreactors with computerized perfusion controls would be useful for engineering the bone marrow microenvironment. However, previous efforts to grow primary bone marrow cells on PDMS substrates have not been successful due to the weak attachment of cells to the PDMS surface even with adsorption of cell adhesive proteins such as collagen or fibronectin. In this work, modification of the surface of PDMS with biofunctional multilayer coatings is shown to promote marrow cell attachment and spreading. An automated microfluidic perfusion system is used to create multiple types of polyelectrolyte nanoscale coatings simultaneously in multiple channels based on layer-by-layer deposition of PDDA (poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride)), clay, type IV collagen and fibronectin. Adherent primary bone marrow cells attached and spread best on a surface with composition of (PDDA/clay) 5 (Collagen/Fibronectin)2 with negatively charged fibronectin exposed on the top, remaining well spread and proliferating for at least two weeks. Compared to traditional more macroscopic layer-by-layer methods, this microfluidic nanocomposite process has advantages of greater flow control, automatic processing, multiplexed fabrication, and use of lesser amounts of polymers and protein solutions.
Horseradish Peroxidase-Dependent Oxidation of Deuteroporphyrin IX into Chlorins☆

Abstract Chlorins are cyclic tetrapyrrole derivatives of great interest for use in photodynamic therapy. We have found that horseradish peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) (HRP) can convert deuteroporphyrin IX (Deutero) into chlorins. Some characteristics of this enzymatic transformation were investigated. The formation of chlorins was determined spectrophotometrically by monitoring the change in absorbance in the Q-band region (638 nm). The reaction occurred without addition of H 2 O 2 and had a pH optimum of 7.5. The presence of thiol-containing reductants, with a great preference for reduced glutathione, was required and could not be substituted by adding H 2 O 2 . Ascorbic acid acted as a potent inhibitor of the reaction, while other organic acids (citric and benzoic) had little to no inhibitory effect. The requirement for O 2 was suggested by the inhibitory effect of sodium hydrosulfite and was confirmed by carrying the assay in nitrogen-saturated solutions. Though the reaction occurred without adding H 2 O 2 , low amounts of H 2 O 2 (3–30 μM) were stimulatory to the assay. However, concentrations of 300 μM H 2 O 2 or higher were inhibitory. Similarly, light was not required, but was stimulatory at low levels and inhibitory at high levels. Catalase and deferoxamine were inhibitory, but superoxide dismutase and mannitol had no effects. Kinetic analysis and respiratory studies suggest that HRP may initially react with reduced glutathione in a reaction that does not consume much oxygen. The ensuing steps, probably involving an oxygen free radical and porphyrin radical intermediates, consume a large amount of O 2 to oxidize Deutero into chlorin.
Sociodemographic correlates of psychiatric diseases: accounting for misclassification in survey diagnoses of major depression, alcohol and drug use disorders

This paper illustrates how validation data can be used to correct for errors in survey indicators of psychiatric disorders in models where the outcome of interest is the probability of a positive diagnosis. Nonlinear models of the risks associated with a broad range of sociodemographic factors for three disorders (major depression, alcohol and drug use disorders) are estimated with adjustments for classification errors in the survey diagnoses. Estimates show that inferences drawn from the unadjusted models may seriously understate gender and regional differences in the prevalence rates of all three disorders, the effects of education and ethnicity on the development of alcohol use disorders, and the relationship between marital status and the risk of major depression.
Multiple neoplasms in an adolescent child associated with IGA deficiency.

A report is presented of an unusual occurrence of multiple primary malignant neoplasms in a young girl. Beginning at the age of 10 she had multiple adenomatous polyps removed from the colon over a 2-year period. One of the polyps had a malignant transformation. During the ensuing 8 years, she developed malignant thymoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp, adenocarcinoma of the colon, which recurred, and choroid tumor of the eye. She died at the age of 20 with malignant astrocytoma of the cerebrum. A brother died at the age of 16 because of lymphoma, lymphocytic, well differentiated, with invasion of the spinal column and meninges. The girl had a serum IgA less than 20% of normal level and her brother had total absence of IgA.
Deconstructing capitalism as a system

(2000). Deconstructing capitalism as a system. Rethinking Marxism: Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 83-98.
Vortex instability of horizontal and inclined natural convection flows from simultaneous thermal and mass diffusion

An analysis is performed to study the heat/mass transfer and vortex instability characteristics of buoyancy induced flows that result from simultaneous diffusion of heat and mass in laminar boundary layers adjacent to horizontal and inclined surfaces. Numerical results are obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.7 over a range of Schmidt numbers and various angles of inclination from the horizontal, φ. For a given φ, it is found that when the two buoyancy forces from thermal and mass diffusion act in the same direction, both the surface heat and mass transfer rates increase, causing the flow to become more susceptible to the vortex mode of instability. These trends are reversed when the two buoyancy forces act in the opposite directions. On the other hand, as φ is increased, the heat and mass transfer rates are enhanced, but the instability of the flow to the vortex mode of disturbances decreases and eventually vanishes at φ = 90 deg.
Aspergillus sinusitis in neutropenic patients with cancer: a review.

Abstract Aspergillosis typically occurs in patients with reduced host defenses; such patients include renal and marrow recipients as well as patients with chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. Pulmonary structures are most frequently involved; non-pulmonary involvement (including sinus) has not been frequently reported. In the present study, paranasal sinusitis occurred in 52 myelosuppressed cancer patients treated over 5 years at the UMCC with chemotherapy. Twenty-one patients had Aspergillus sinusitis; Aspergillus spp; including flavus and niger , were directly recovered from sinus in 19 of the 21 infections. Two other patients were considered clinically, although not microbiologically, documented. Multiple predisposing factors for Aspergillus sinusitis during the 60 days prior to infection diagnosis appear to exist; these include : 1) granulocyte count 3 (mean duration, 42 days versus 14 days for sinusitis of other etiology; P versus 14 days for patients with non-fungal sinusitis; P versus 9 days; P Aspergillus sinusitis resolved in 18 of 21 patients following treatment with amphotericin B; however, 11 of 18 patients had infection recurrence that always developed when tumor recurred and chemotherapy was reinstituted.
Suspending Belief and Suspending Doubt: The Everyday and the Virtual in Practices of Factuality

From an ethnomethodological perspective, this article describes social actors’ everyday and virtual stances in terms of their practices of provisional doubt and belief for the purpose of fact-establishment. Facts are iterated, reinforced, elaborated, and transformed via phenomenal practices configuring relations of equipment, interpretation, and method organized as “other” than, but relevant to, the everyday. Such practices in scientific research involve forms of suspended belief; in other areas they can instead involve forms of suspended doubt. As an illuminating example of this latter class of virtual fact-establishment practices, I offer an extended analysis of the “yes; and…” principle of information-establishment used in improvisational theatre to progressively develop the content of a performance.
Stereotactic biopsy of brain tumours in the paediatric population

Our objective was to establish the role of stereotactic neurosurgical techniques in the management of brain tumours in children. A retrospective analysis was conducted of all stereotactic procedures performed in a single centre between 1996 and 2001. The success rates of achieving histologic diagnosis and a correlation between radiologic and histologic diagnosis were examined. There were 7 boys and 7 girls with a mean age of 9.1 years (range: 4–15). Under general anaesthetic 15 procedures were performed in 14 patients: 12 diagnostic and 3 therapeutic; 10 with CT and 5 with MRI guidance; 10 lesions were supratentorial and 4 were in the pons. A definitive histologic diagnosis was established in 10 of the 12 cases (diagnostic yield 83%). The pre-operative radiological diagnosis was accurate for tumour type in only 75% of the cases. In 3 patients cyst aspiration was attempted: post-operatively the cyst size was decreased in 2 and unchanged in 1. Seizures and acute confusion following biopsy of a thalamic tumour occurred in 1 patient. Post-operative scans were performed in 7 patients and in 2 we noted small, clinically insignificant, haemorrhages at the biopsy site. There was no mortality and morbidity was 6.6%. This small series confirms that stereotactic procedures in children are safe, well tolerated, with a high diagnostic yield, which could be improved with the use of intraoperative histopathological examination.
The Role of p38 MAP Kinase in TGF-β1-Induced Signal Transduction in Human Neutrophils

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) is the strongest chemoattractant yet described for human neutrophils. It activates neither phospholipase C nor phospholipase D. It does not induce rises in intracellular calcium, degranulation, or superoxide production. The signaling pathways utilized by TGF-beta 1 are largely unknown. This report demonstrates that TGF-beta 1 activates p38 MAP kinase. The kinase inhibitor SB203580 blocks the chemotactic responses as well as actin polymerization induced by TGF-beta 1. Potential cellular targets of the p38 MAP kinase pathway which could mediate these function are discussed.
Human monocyte-lymphocyte interaction: rosette formation between monocytes and lymphoblastoid cell lines.

Abstract A rosette-type assay of the physical association between peripheral blood monocytes and human lymphoblastoid (LB) cell lines is reported. Monocytes formed rosettes with LB B-cell lines at 37°C, but not with T-cell lines. Binding was divalent cation dependent, inhibited by trypsinization, and enhanced by neuraminidase treatment. It was not inhibited by anti-immunoglobulins, heat-aggregated γ-globulin, or corticosteroids. The assay provides a simple means of studying the ability of monocytes to establish cell-to-cell contact with activated lymphocytes.
Practical Ensemble Classification Error Bounds for Different Operating Points

Classification algorithms used to support the decisions of human analysts are often used in settings in which zero-one loss is not the appropriate indication of performance. The zero-one loss corresponds to the operating point with equal costs for false alarms and missed detections, and no option for the classifier to leave uncertain test samples unlabeled. A generalization bound for ensemble classification at the standard operating point has been developed based on two interpretable properties of the ensemble: strength and correlation, using the Chebyshev inequality. Such generalization bounds for other operating points have not been developed previously and are developed in this paper. Significantly, the bounds are empirically shown to have much practical utility in determining optimal parameters for classification with a reject option, classification for ultralow probability of false alarm, and classification for ultralow probability of missed detection. Counter to the usual guideline of large strength and small correlation in the ensemble, different guidelines are recommended by the derived bounds in the ultralow false alarm and missed detection probability regimes.
Reform and Crisis in Romanian Civil-Military Relations 1989-1999

The pattern of institutional reform and crisis in Romania during 1989-1999 highlights several limitations of the liberal democratic model of civil-military relations when applied to transition stat...
Comparison of two culture media for determination of the copper resistance of Xanthomonas strains and their usefulness for prediction of control with copper bactericides

Abstract Two bacteriological culture media were compared for determination of copper resistance among strains of Xanthomonas euvesicatoria and Xanthomonas perforans from pepper and tomato and Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians from lettuce. Of 94 strains tested, 73 grew on glucose-nutrient agar (GNA) amended with 200 μg ml −1 of copper sulfate. None of the 94 strains grew on modified casitone-yeast extract (CYE) agar amended with copper. In vitro population studies supported the preliminary classification of strains as copper resistant. Reduction in populations of strains found to be resistant on GNA+Cu were less than one log unit after 2-h exposure to copper hydroxide suspensions in vitro . Addition of mancozeb to the copper hydroxide resulted in population reductions of 4–8 log units. Therefore, GNA+Cu is more appropriate for screening of Florida Xanthomonas strains for resistance to copper. Copper hydroxide alone, mancozeb alone, or a combination of these two compounds reduced bacterial spot of tomato and pepper significantly under low disease pressure. Reductions in disease ratings were as much as ten-fold in some experiments. Only the combination of copper and mancozeb was effective at higher disease levels.
FTIR measurements of acid‐gas–methyldiethanolamine systems

The standard industrial process for the purification of natural gas is to remove acid gases, mainly hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, by the absorption and reaction of these gases with alkanolamines, but the lack of reliable and accurate vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLB) data impedes the commercial application of more efficient alkanolamine systems. A novel Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) technique was developed to make in-situ VLE measurements of acid-gas-aqueous alkanolamine systems and to improve the accuracy of VLE measurements at low hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide concentrations. VLE measurements of low carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide concentrations in aqueous mixtures of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) are reported using the new FTIR technique.
Ab initio studies of negative ion-molecule(s) clusters present in the atmosphere. III. OH−(CO2)n for n = 1, 2

Ab initio calculations are performed with 6–31G basis set to study the geometry and binding of the H3O, H5O, H7O, and H9O complexes. The H3O complex is also investigated with the 6–31 G* basis set and MP2 (Moller–Plesset perturbation theory of second order).
Zinc Intake and Plasma Zinc Level are Maintained in Men Consuming Cholesterol-Lowering Diets

Abstract Objective Reduced zinc intake has been reported when cholesterol-lowering diets are adopted. This study examined whether such diets compromise the zinc status of men with hypercholesterolemia. Design Zinc intake on baseline 4-day food records and baseline plasma zinc levels were compared with intake and levels 12 and 24 months after subjects adopted a low-fat, increased-fiber diet. Dietary fiber intake, supplement use, alcohol intake, and exercise were evaluated as possible confounding variables. Subjects Subjects were free-living men (n=365) with baseline cholesterol level above the 75th percentile who were participants in a randomized trial comparing cholesterol-lowering diets with goals of 30%, 26%, 22%, and 18% of energy from fat and 300, 200, 100, and 100 mg cholesterol, respectively. Statistical analyses Data were analyzed using two sample t tests, multiple linear regression, and analysis of variance. Results For all subjects combined, mean fat and cholesterol intakes approached or met the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program step 2 diet, with approximately 30 g fiber per day. Density (mg/1,000 kcal) of zinc intake was unchanged from the baseline value. We found a slightly positive relationship between fiber and zinc intakes; no relationship between fiber intake and plasma zinc level; no effect of supplement use (category included all types of supplements), alcohol use, or level of exercise on plasma zinc levels; and no difference by dietary assignment in zinc intake or plasma zinc levels. Application Zinc status does not appear to be at risk in adult men who adopt cholesterol-lowering diets. These results may not be generalized to higher-risk population groups or situations in which dietary counseling is less comprehensive. J Am Diet Assoc. 1995; 95:1274-1279.
Rheology of ice at the bed of Engabreen, Norway

A three-dimensional finite-element model is used to analyze field data collected as dirty basal ice flowed past an instrumented obstacle at the bed of Engabreen, a temperate glacier in northern Norway. The ice is modeled as an incompressible power-law fluid, with viscosity η = (B/2) Π (1-n)/2n D , where Π D is the second invariant of the stretching tensor, and B and n are two parameters. Using measurements obtained in 1996 and 1997, two values of B are obtained, one using the measured normal stress difference across the obstacle, and the other using the measured bed-parallel force over the instrument. These two values are not equal, probably owing to small frictional forces at the bed unaccounted for in the numerical model. Hence, B ranges between 1.9 × 10 7 and 3.2 × 10 7 Pa s 1/3 in 1996, and between 2.2 × 10 7 and 4.1 × 10 7 Pa s 1/3 in 1997. These values are smaller than measured elsewhere for clean glacier or laboratory ice. Field measurements of water content, fabric and texture of the basal ice suggest that unbound water between thin sediment layers and lamellae of clean ice may act as a lubricant and significantly weaken the ice. Near-isotropic fabrics indicate that preferred fabric orientation does not enhance the deformation.
Translational regulation and deadenylation of a protamine mRNA during spermiogenesis in the mouse

The distribution of the mRNA for one of the two mouse protamines, the cysteine-rich, tyrosine-containing protamine (MP1), was examined in the polysomal and nonpolysomal compartments of total testis and purified populations of round and elongating spermatids using Northern blots. In postmitochondrial supernatants prepared from total testis, about 10-15% of MP1-mRNA sediments with the small polysomes. The nonpolysomal molecules of MP1-mRNA are homogeneous in size, about 580 bases, while the polysomal molecules are heterogeneous with a mode of about 450 bases. Digestion with RNase H and thermal chromatography on poly(U) Sepharose reveals that the difference in size of polysomal and nonpolysomal MP1-mRNA is due to a shortening of the poly(A) from about 160 to 30 bases. In round spermatids, essentially all of MP1-mRNA is 580 bases long and is in the nonpolysomal fraction. Elongating spermatids contain roughly equal proportions of the homogeneous, 580 base form in the nonpolysomal compartment, and the heterogeneous 450 base form solely in the polysomal compartment. These results indicate that mRNA for one of the mouse protamines is stored as an untranslated RNP in round spermatids, and that it is partially deadenylated when it is translated in elongating spermatids.
Geochemistry of dissolved phosphate in the Sepik River and Estuary, Papua, New Guinea

Abstract The natural regulation of phosphate in the Sepik River and Estuary, Papua, New Guinea, was investigated by fitting field measurements to a chemical model. Results indicate that ferric iron and phosphate in the river and salinity to 12 ppt in the estuary are primarily influenced by equilibration with a discrete amorphous solid phase. Dissolved ferric iron is saturated with respect to amorphous ferric hydroxide in the river and most of the estuary. Dissolved phosphorus is equilibrated with amorphous ferric hydroxide-phosphorus solid solution in river waters and the low salinity third of the plume. A modest input of phosphate, believed driven by disequilibrium, was observed at mid-estuary. Input is roughly equivalent to removal and is thought to be limited by a paucity of phosphorus in the solid phase. Oceanic fluxes of phosphorus from major Pacific Islands may not be large despite disproportionately large sediment fluxes, if other watersheds contain reservoirs of solid phosphorus as small as the Sepik River.
Effects of stress management on testosterone levels in women with early-stage breast cancer

We examined the effects of a10-week, group-based cognitive-behavioral stressman-agement (CBSM) intervention on serum testosterone levels in women with Stage 1or 2 breast cancer. At 4 to 8 weeks postsurgery, participants were randomized to CBSM (n = 24) or to a wait-list control group (n = 10). Free and total testosterone was assessed via radioimmunoassay before and after the study period. The participants also completed a questionnaire assessing the degree to which living with breast cancer had led to social and emotional benefits in their life. We observed significant decreases in testosterone levels in the CBSM group and no change in the controls. Decreasesintes-tosterone were related to increases in positive contributions. These findings suggest that a short-term psychological intervention can help modulate androgen functioning, and these changes are related to enhanced benefit finding observed among women with breast cancer participating in CBSM.
A submicrometer glass-membrane pH microelectrode

Abstract The glass-membrane pH microelectrode (GMpHME) described previously ( Anal. Biochem. 73 , 501, 1976) had a limitation in the minimum size (tip diameter) that could be manufactured (about 1 μm). In addition, when made at this small size the electrical resistance was usually high (10 11 Ω) and the response time long (greater than 5 min). The inability to manufacture the GMpHME with tip diameters less than 1 μm was primarily due to the thickness of the pH glass used to form the H + -sensitive membrane. In this report we detail a method for thinning the pH glass in such a way that the manufacture of submicrometer glass-membrane pH microelectrodes is possible. These submicrometer pH electrodes have rapid response times (1 to 3 min) and maintain the desirable characteristics of all GMpHMEs, that is, near theoretic slope and a well-defined sensing surface area.
Temporal accumulation of mannitol and arabitol in Geotrichum candidum

The temporal depletion and accumulation of polyols were investigated in the fungus Geotrichum candidum. The major intracellular polyols were tentatively identified by paper chromatography as mannitol and arabitol. Inositol was also present in small quantities, and trehalose was also detected in appreciable concentrations.
Occurrence and distribution of sulfur in peat-forming environments of southern Florida

Abstract Cores and surface samples of peats from the Everglades—Mangrove region of Southern Florida were analyzed for total sulfur and pyritic sulfur. These values were compared with the petrographic-botanical components of the peats as determined from point-counts of oriented microtome sections. Pyrite occurs as individual euhedral crystals, loosely packed framboids, and lenses or crusts of minute crystals. Framboids and minute crystals are often associated with organic matter and sometimes with bacteria and fungi. Pyrite tends to selectively occur in void spaces in or between peat tissues. In samples containing very small amounts of pyrite, framboidal pyrite is the prevalent form. Marine to brackish peats contain the highest pyrite and total sulfur contents, with brackish peats generally containing more pyrite than marine peats. Pyrite tends to be lower in all peats within 30 cm of the surface, whether marine or brackish. Burial of freshwater peats beneath marine or brackish peats tends to increase the total sulfur and pyritic sulfur in the underlying peats. Burial beneath brackish-water, clay-rich deposits (such as splays) tends to increase total sulfur and pyritic sulfur in the underlying deposits more than burial beneath less clay-rich deposits.
PERFORMANCE INSTABILITY OF LEARNING DISABLED, EMOTIONALLY HANDICAPPED, AND NONHANDICAPPED CHILDREN

The performance instability of learning disabled (LD), emotionally han- dicapped (EH), and nonhandicapped (NH) children was compared. Employing two contrasting strategies of repeated measurement, we administered three third-grade reading passages to 50 LD, 37 EH, and 40 NH children. First, subjects were tested on a different reading passage once a week for 3 consecutive weeks; second, pupils were tested on three passages in one sitting. Analyses of covariance were run on a stability index calculated on the number of words read correctly during each ad- ministration. On both sets of measurements, LD and EH pupils demonstrated similar instability. On the first repeated measures, the NH pupils' performance instability was greater than that of the handicapped students; on the second repeated measures, however, no difference was found between NH and handicapped children's variability. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of LD and other exceptional children are discussed.
Multiple myeloma cells and cells of the human osteoclast lineage share morphological and cell surface markers

This study demonstrates that the multiple myeloma cell (MMC) in its plasma cell form is morphologically indistinguishable from human osteoclast-like cells that form in culture when peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are plated at high density in serum containing medium. MM has been described as a disease of B-cell lineage, monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig) producing cells with unique properties: MM precursor cells lodge in bone, where they proliferate and differentiate into plasma cell tumors. Then, by some mechanism, presumably involving cytokines, these cells mediate an increase in neighboring osteoclast numbers and activity, leading to excessive bone erosion and hypercalcemia. Three days after plating PBMCs, tartrate resistant acid phosphatase- (TRAP-) blasts as well as TRAP+ cells, each with an eccentric nucleus, appear in culture. By day 10, TRAP+, vitronectin+ (VR+) cells, appear to be morphologically indistinguishable from multiple myeloma plasma cells (MMPCs) on cytocentrifuge preparations. These cells are CD19- and CD38++, as are MMCs reported by others. Other surface markers are also shared. Furthermore, Ig mRNA is demonstrated in the cytoplasm of cells at 8 days by in situ hybridization with the IgG FcA3 sequence. This novel finding is not unusual, in light of reports, demonstrating non-B-lineage Ig-producing cells. Thus, this study raises some serious questions about the true nature of MMCs.