cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-dimensional Doppler color flow imaging in adults with L-transposition of the great arteries.

Abnormalities of the left atrioventricular (AV) (tricuspid) valve and pulmonic stenosis are part of the spectrum of manifestations in patients with corrected transposition of the great arteries (L-TGA). However, the utility of Doppler color flow imaging combined with two-dimensional echocardiography in L-TGA has not been established. Thus, we evaluated 14 adults (mean age 33 ± 8 [SD] years) with L-TGA. Two-dimensional echocardiography demonstrated Ebstein's anomaly in five patients. Color flow imaging detected left AV valve regurgitation in 13 (moderate to severe in six); the other patient had a prosthetic valve. Right AV valve regurgitation was detected in two (mild in both). Aortic regurgitation was present in five (moderate in three). Pulmonic regurgitation was present in nine (moderate to severe in three). Pulmonic stenosis was detected in three (subvalvular in two, valvular in one) and two patients had pulmonary atresia. One patient had a bicuspid aortic valve with mild stenosis. Mean right ventricular ejection fraction (apical, area-length) was 44%; only 1 of 9 patients had a value > 55%. Thus, two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography with color flow imaging detects a high incidence of systemic AV valvular regurgitation and reduced right (systemic) ventricular systolic function in adults with L-TGA. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 10, November 1993)
Is Positive Feedback a Forgotten Classroom Practice? Findings and Implications for At-Risk Students

Although using higher rates of positive to negative feedback is one best practice often recommended to teachers, particularly when it comes to students experiencing behavioral problems in classroom settings, research on the use of positive feedback in classroom teaching practice has revealed inconsistent results. Research has documented fluctuations in trends of teachers’ use of positive feedback strategies, justifying further inquiry into the current state of classroom practice. This study aimed to examine the current state of classroom feedback practices among teachers of a district who were asked to rate their students' risk levels for developing emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The researchers found that students identified as high risk and low risk for EBD received teacher feedback at a significantly different rate. Students identified as high risk for EBD received negative feedback at a higher rate than their same-setting peers. Implications for teachers on the use of feedback for students ...
PEDIG Results in Perspective: Concerns

Introduction: The treatment of amblyopia is a large part of the pediatric ophthalmology and orthoptic practice. The Amblyopia Treatment Studies (ATS) have tried to answer questions about which treatments work for different types of amblyopia and which treatments work the best. Methods: Each of the ATS articles were examined for strengths and weaknesses with particular emphasis on the ATS1, patching versus atropine study. Results: Many strengths and weaknesses were found. As indicated by this article’s title, the weaknesses were emphasized. Conclusions: These studies had, as all prospective studies do, strict inclusion criteria that hampered the study by limiting the included patients. However, in some areas the study’s methodology was not strict enough, making the results subject to question.
Responsive buffers—properties in the fluid flow limit

Abstract Responsive buffers are conceived in which the buffer drain rate varies with the buffer backlog. Such buffers offer potential as components of communication, transportation, and manufacturing networks because, unlike in the usual buffer model with fixed drain rate (in which overflow and loss are inevitable with standard input models), responsive buffers may or may not exhibit overflow. A simple condition characterizing losslessness in responsive buffers is given. The stationary buffer backlog distribution of lossless responsive buffers subject to a maximally bursty on–off input process is shown to be related to the beta distribution, and under the same conditions, overflow in lossy responsive buffers is shown generally to be exponentially distributed. An important special case of responsive buffers is considered, a linear filter dubbed the leaky bladder. The linearity of the leaky bladder enables us to determine its mean delay and relative smoothing.
Tricuspid and Pulmonary Valve Atresia with Aortopulmonary Fistula: Survival of a Patient to 21 Years of Age

We report the case of a patient with tricuspid and pulmonic valve atresia, with survival to the age of 21 years. Postmortem examination revealed an anomalous vessel connecting the ascending aorta with the main pulmonary artery. This fistula measured 20 mm by 4 mm, arose independently of the coronary arteries and had the histologic features of an elastic artery. The remarkable longevity was ascribed in part to the maintenance of pulmonary arterial flow by the left-to-right shunt through the anomalous arterial connection.
Response of the beetle, Ips grandicollis, to combinations of host and insect produced attractants

Abstract The influence of terpenes on host selection and mass aggregation of Ips grandicollis was demonstrated by combining host- and insect-produced chemical attractants. Field populations exhibited a greater response to combinations of loblolly pine terpenes and extracts of male beetle frass than to either attractant tested separately. The attractiveness of frass extract to female and, to a lesser extent, male beetles was enhanced by the addition of d,l -camphene, d -limonene, and methyl chavicol. Myrcene in combination with frass extract attracted more female beetles than either substance tested separately. In laboratory bioassays, combinations of frass extract and host terpenes were less attractive than terpenes tested alone, and more attractive than frass extract tested alone. The discrepancies between the field and laboratory data illustrate that conclusions may be misleading if made from studies based primarily on laboratory results. The addition of synthetic population-aggregating pheromones frontalin and trans -verbenol, from Dendroctonus bark beetles, to loblolly pine terpenes depressed the attractiveness of the terpenes and rendered them less attractive to Ips grandicollis .
Complementarity, free riding, and the military expenditures of NATO allies

Abstract This paper examines the major influences of an ally's demand for military expenditures. Demand equations are estimated for a sample of NATO nations using the iterative, seemingly unrelated regressions technique. Evidence is presented indicating that structural changes occured in these equations in the early 1970s. This instability is the predicted effect of the doctrine of flexible response, adopted by NATO during this time period. The statistical tests show that the medium- sized nuclear powers' military expenditures responded identically to income and defense spillins; the same held true for the lowland allies.
Single-Molecule Investigation of the Flagellar Membrane Signaling Protein Entry Mechanism

The composition of the flagellar membrane differs from that of the plasma membranes--it is enriched with a unique set of membrane signaling proteins. How these flagellar membrane proteins, which are synthesized in the cytoplasm, enter the flagella across diffusion barriers at the flagellar base has become a significant point of inquiry. Using single-molecule fluorescence imaging methods, we have investigated the intraflagellar transport (IFT) processes of Pkd2-GFP, an important flagellar signaling protein responsible for polycystic kidney disease, and tested two proposed models. In Model I, vesicles carry the proteins to the flagellar base and fuse with the membrane before or after the diffusion barrier to allow the flagellar membrane proteins to enter by lateral diffusion; and, in Model II, the flagellar membrane proteins are bound to the BBSome-IFT-particle machinery (kinesin or dynein motors carry IFT particles, which, in turn, carry BBSomes) at the flagellar base and are carried through the basal body transition fibers into flagella. We have observed Brownian diffusion of Pkd2 at the Chlamydomonas flagellar entry region, suggesting that Model I more accurately describes the entry mechanism. We have further studied the turnaround mechanisms of the IFT machinery at the flagellar tip. Our preliminary results indicate that the IFT machinery does not dissociate, diffuse, and re-associate at the flagellar tip for the return trip to the cell body.
Rhetorical resemblance: Paradoxes of a practical art

This essay uncovers in the classical tradition an underlying paradox that helps to explain contemporary confusions about rhetoric's mimetic status. Aristotle situated rhetoric in a conflicted relationship—between rhetoric as an ethical‐political practice and poetic. The aesthetic possibility of rhetoric is thus liberated and limited by constraints imposed by Aristotle's most perfected poetic form, tragedy.
Organization and reflex control of vagal cardiomotor neurons

The anatomical and functional organization of cardiac vagal preganglionic somata and the organization of ascending spinal pathways regulating the cell bodies were studies in the dog and cat. Horseradish peroxidase was injected subepicardially in cats after left or right cervical vagotomy to retrogradely label cardiomotor neurons. Somata were ipsilateral to the intact vagus in the dorsal motor nucleus (DMN) of the vagus, the nucleus ambiguus (NA) and an intermediate zone (IZ) between the DMN and NA. The NA contained the maximum number of cell bodies (72%) while successively fewer somata were located in the DMN (19%) and IZ (9%). NA somata were heterogeneously distributed along the longitudinal neuroaxis while DMN and IA somata were homogeneously distributed. Cell bodies of the NA were larger than those of the DMN and IZ. To investigate the possibility that the NA and DMN regulate different cardiac functions, ventricular contractility (LV dP/dt) and heart rate (HR) were recorded in beta-blocked cats during NA and DMN stimulation with and without cardiac pacing. DMN stimulation produced decreases in LV dP/dt but no HR changes, while NA stimulation produced decreases in HR and increases in LV dP/dt. Since cardiac pacing eliminated the LV dP/dt increase, the contractility response was secondary to the bradycardia. Thus, cardiac vagal somata are organized for differential cardiac control. Ascending spinal pathways affecting vagal control of the heart were identified in beta-blocked cats by comparing cardiac responses to nerve stimulation before and after making spinal lesions. The carotid sinus nerve was stimulated to elevate cardiac vagal activity. Somatic afferent stimulation inhibited the negative chronotropic and inotropic responses produced by carotid sinus stimulation. Bilateral lesions placed in the dorsolateral sulcus area abolished the effects of somatic afferent stimulation. Thus, an ascending pathway regulating somata of the DMN and NA is located bilaterally in the dorsolateral sulcus. Similar studies in the dog suggested the pathway extends into the dorsolateral funiculus as well.
Temporal representation of clinical algorithms using expert-system and database tools

The HyperLipid Advisory System combines a rule-based implementation of a clinical algorithm (the NIH Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel recommendations) with a temporal representation that facilitates reasoning over time while maintaining efficient storage in a standard database. The temporal representation consists of objects that model point events such as visits and interval events such as specific therapies. These objects are combined into abstractions called phases, which correspond to higher level clinical concepts such as a diet or drug treatment. The time-oriented data objects are referenced in the rules using a custom-tailored operator query language. Between user sessions relevant clinical data are stored in external files. When the advisory system is reconsulted, this information is retrieved and mapped back into an object-oriented format. Use of a commercially available expert-system shell for such tasks allows algorithm implementation in standard personal computing environments.
Steroid receptor coactivator AIB1 in endometrial carcinoma, hyperplasia and normal endometrium: correlation with clinicopathologic parameters and biomarkers

Members of the p160 steroid receptor cofactor family, including AIB1 (Amplified in Breast Cancer 1) (also known as SRC-3/RAC3/ACTR/pCIP/TRAM-1), are of interest in endometrial carcinoma as they affect the function of estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR). Since it is feasible that alterations in the expression levels of coregulators can either augment ER activity or reduce the ability of PR to oppose ER action in endometrial cancers, our primary aim was to analyze expression of the AIB1 protein in endometrial carcinoma, carcinoma-associated complex atypical hyperplasia, and carcinoma-associated normal endometrium using immunohistochemistry and tissue microarrays. Expression of AIB1 was compared with other biomarkers and clinicopathologic parameters. We also tested AIB1 expression in non-carcinoma associated hyperplastic, normal secretory and proliferative endometrium to determine baseline AIB1 levels. In endometrial carcinoma, there is a higher expression of AIB1 compared to carcinoma-associated complex atypical hyperplasia (0.007) or carcinoma-associated normal endometrium (<0.001). AIB1 expression correlates with older age (P = 0.003), peri- or postmenopausal status (P = 0.002) and a higher grade of carcinomas (P = 0.04). There were no differences in the expression of additional steroid hormone receptor co-activators (SRC-1 and p300/CBP) and the co-repressor SMRT between histologic categories. AIB1 expression correlated with ER (r = 0.30, P = 0.006). The strongest correlation was between ER and PR-B isoform nuclear expression (r = 0.52, P < 0.0001). AIB1 levels were higher in non-carcinoma associated normal and hyperplastic endometrium compared to carcinoma-associated complex atypical hyperplasia and carcinoma-associated normal endometrium, and were the highest in normal secretory endometrium. In conclusion, high AIB1 expression in endometrial carcinoma is associated with parameters of poor prognosis. We propose that when AIB1 is overexpressed in endometrial carcinoma, ER action is augmented, leading to endometrial hyperplasia and progression to malignancy. Future studies correlating expression with response to hormonal therapy may be beneficial.
The perception of prestige differences among medical subspecialities.

Abstract Modern occupations and professions are increasingly becoming internally differentiated into specialities on the basis of skills, education, roles, and behavior. This is probably most apparent in the field of medicine. Specializations are also an important basis for intra-occupational prestige rankings. This paper provides examination of the differential prestige accorded various medical specialities by practicing physicians in a metropolitan medical community. A comparison with an earlier study of prestige is also made, and the implications of prestige differences for intra-occupational interaction and organizational change are explored.
Widespread after-effects of nuclear war

Radioactive fallout and depletion of the ozone layer, once believed catastrophic consequences of nuclear war, are now proved unimportant in comparison to immediate war damage. Today, “nuclear winter” is claimed to have apocalyptic effects. Uncertainties in massive smoke production and in meteorological phenomena give reason to doubt this conclusion.
A Riccati Based Interior Point Algorithm for the Computation in Constrained Stochastic MPC

We propose a fast algorithm for the linear-quadratic control problem with probabilistic constraints that is repeatedly solved in stochastic model predictive control. Under the assumption of affine state feedback and Gaussian noise, the finite horizon control problem is converted to an equivalent deterministic problem using the mean and covariance matrix as the state. A line search interior point method is proposed to solve this optimization problem, where the step direction can be quickly computed via a Riccati difference equation. Numerical examples show that this algorithm has linear complexity in the horizon length.
Melanoma inhibition by cyclooxygenase inhibitors: role of interleukin-6 suppression, a putative mechanism of action, and clinical implications.

Melanoma progression is often associated with supranormal levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6). Il-6 is an important growth factor for many cases of melanoma. A recent case report by Lejeune et al. [Melanoma Res 2006;16:263–265] of remission of an advanced melanoma during treatment with the cyclooxygenase, (COX) inhibitor rofecoxib can be explained by rofcoxib-mediated lowering of tumor-produced Il-6. Several examples of rofecoxib’s ability to lower Il-6 in humans have been published recently in other settings, and many reports indicate that other commonly used COX inhibitors like aspirin, diclofenac, etodolac, indomethacin, naproxen, and many others, also lower Il-6 in humans. These studies are reviewed. The likely mechanism of COX inhibition leading to Il-6 lowering is due to the tendency for Il-6 levels to be controlled by intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Adenylate cyclase is the rate-limiting enzyme in cAMP synthesis. Because adenylate cyclase activity is allosterically enhanced when it binds prostaglandin E, the latter increases Il-6. COX inhibition lowers prostaglandin E levels. This lowers intracellular cAMP levels. Lower cAMP results in lower Il-6 synthesis, lower levels of a required growth factor. Controlled studies are needed to define the role of COX inhibitors in melanoma treatment.
The physiology analysis system: An integrated approach for warehousing, management and analysis of time-series physiology data

The physiology analysis system (PAS) was developed as a resource to support the efficient warehousing, management, and analysis of physiology data, particularly, continuous time-series data that may be extensive, of variable quality, and distributed across many files. The PAS incorporates time-series data collected by many types of data-acquisition devices, and it is designed to free users from data management burdens. This Web-based system allows both discrete (attribute) and time-series (ordered) data to be manipulated, visualized, and analyzed via a client's Web browser. All processes occur on a server, so that the client does not have to download data or any application programs, and the PAS is independent of the client's computer operating system. The PAS contains a library of functions, written in different computer languages that the client can add to and use to perform specific data operations. Functions from the library are sequentially inserted into a function chain-based logical structure to construct sophisticated data operators from simple function building blocks, affording ad hoc query and analysis of time-series data. These features support advanced mining of physiology data.
Generalizations of Gravitational Theory Based on Group Covariance

The mathematical structure, the field equations, and fundamentals of the kinematics of generalizations of general relativity based on semisimple invariance groups are presented. The structure is that of a generalized Kaluza-Klein theory with a subgroup as the gauge group. The group manifold with its Cartan-Killing metric forms the source-free solution. The gauge fields do not vanish even in this case and give rise to additional modes of free motion. The case of the de Sitter groups is presented as an example where the gauge field is tentatively assumed to mediate a spin interaction and give rise to spin motion. Generalization to the conformal group and a theory yielding features of Dirac's large-number hypothesis are discussed. The possibility of further generalizations to include fermions are pointed out. The Kaluza-Klein theory is formulated in terms of principal fibre bundles which need not to be trivial.
Deuterium and helium ion irradiation effects on TiB2 coatings

Abstract The surface damage and erosion of chemically vapor deposited TiB2 coatings and commercial grade titanium, caused by 40, 60 and 120 keV D+ and 4He+ irradiation, have been studied for the as-deposited coatings and for coating surfaces that were mechanically polished prior to irradiation. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of polished TiB2 samples irradiated with D+ and 4He+ to a dose of 3.1 × 1018 ions cm-2 reveals significant surface damage due to blistering and flaking, whereas for identical irradiation conditions the as-deposited TiB2 coatings show very little damage. For similar irradiation conditions the titanium metal samples showed blistering for the 4He+ irradiation case but no significant surface damage for the D+ case. Estimates of the erosion yields due to blister exfoliation in polished TiB2 samples show an increase with increasing projectile energy for the total dose studied.
Research and Simulation on the Kinematics of a Modular Robot

This paper presents a modular robot called RBT-6T/S01SM. This robot composed of 6 basic modules which could composed 5 kinds of robot. Each module owns one rotational degree of freedom. The total combined robot RBT-6T/S01SM features an easy-to-build mechanical structure. A formulation of this robot is educed based on Denevit and Hartenberg in this paper.The kinematics is studied and inverse kinematics is obtained based on algebraic method. The kinematics simulation of RBT-6T/S01SM is presented based on Matlab. The effectiveness of kinematics equations is verified by the simulation results.
An Update on Renovascular Hypertension

Renovascular hypertension (RVH) represents a secondary and potentially remediable form of hypertension. Elevated blood pressure is only one of a broad array of pathophysiologic consequences that are associated with decreased renal perfusion. Our ability to accurately and noninvasively detect stenotic lesions within the renal artery is growing. However, functional assessment of renal parenchyma and hemodynamic significance of renal artery lesions is still limited. Advances in endovascular techniques spurred interest in the concept of ischemic nephropathy and the effect of renal artery revascularization on renal function. Despite the relative frequency of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS), there currently is no consensus on the most appropriate therapy. In this article, we focus on the two most common causes of RVH, ARAS and fibromuscular dysplasia. We discuss the therapeutic strategies, disease mechanisms, clinical findings, evolving trends, and developments.
A Design for an Audio Electronic Repeater

and in Yugoslavia.' It is inevitable that some comparisons be made at this time, keeping in mind that the observations on these two countries were based on trips made in 1954 and 1960 respectively. The three countries seem to share a concern for language instruction that is surprising in societies where an emphasis on the practical characterizes the systems of education. Geographical and demographic circumstances explain the wider range of languages spoken and even used as media of instruction in both Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Yugoslavia, on the university level at least, would seem to have an advantage over the other two countries with respect to its insisting that foreign language teachers do graduate work in the country whose language and literature they will be teaching. Czechoslovakia suffers with the Soviet Union from having too many teachers of language who have never been beyond the borders of the Soviet Bloc, and who have been instructed by teachers of whom the same is true. This question was brought up in the Charles University interview, in which it was stated that some language teachers do study abroad, but it seems very likely that these are a small minority. On the whole, the teaching of foreign languages in Czechoslovakia would appear to hold a respected and even important position in the education system. English and German are the popular electives, but travel in Czechoslovakia, as in the U.S.S.R., Hungary and Poland proves continually the importance of German for practical communication. The Czechoslovakian radio broadcasts in Czech, Slovak, Russian, English, French, Italian, German, Greek, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Swedish. So it has its language specialists. In the Republic itself Russian is the supposed ideological unifier, German is the foreign tongue most prevalent among the people, English is being taken up increasingly by the younger generation, and French maintains its position as the "lingua franca" of diplomatic circles.
The different solubility behaviour of the isosteric liquids CO and N2 in liquid ozone

Abstract In spite of the close similarity of CO and N2 in their physical properties, they show an unexpected solubility behaviour in liquid ozone. CO is miscible in all proportions at 77·4°K with liquid O3, while N2 in O3 and vice versa show very limited solubility. A preliminary ternary composition diagram of the system liquid O3N2O2 at 77·4°K is given.
Fairy Tales and Foreign Languages: Ever the Twain Shall Meet

Fairy tales are certainly not new to foreign language instructors, but on occasion they have been considered either exoteric or unworthy of class time. Yet today there is a resurgence of interest in fairy tales and a rebirth of their use in the arts, which may serve foreign language instructors. This article presents historical background to inform instructors of the origin and development of European fairy tales, while also providing them with necessary information to answer students' questions on fairy tales. It further describes how the author weaves fairy tales into classes on several levels and illustrates how well the tales lend themselves to the learning of other languages and cultures. Course details offer instructors some essentials that may prove beneficial in designing their own courses.
Limitations of beta-lactam therapy for infections caused by susceptible Gram-positive bacteria

Summary Penicillin and related beta-lactam agents have been the most widely used and most important antimicrobials in medical history, and remain the recommended therapy for many infectious diseases 85 years after the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming. Yet the efficacy of these agents has been undermined by two factors – the emergence of clinically significant resistance to the antimicrobial activity of these agents, and clinical situations in which these drugs may be suboptimal (even though the bacterial pathogens are not "resistant" to the drugs). Observations in experimental infection models in animals (group A streptococcal myositis, pneumococcal meningitis and pneumonia, group B streptococcal sepsis) and in some cases clinical studies suggest that monotherapy with beta-lactam antibiotics may be inferior to treatment with other types of antibiotics, alone or in combination with beta-lactams – even in situations where the bacterial pathogens remain fully "susceptible" to beta-lactams in vitro .
Depression in hospitalized child psychiatry patients. Approaches to measuring depression.

Abstract Depression in childhood remains a controversial issue in psychiatry. This paper reviews the present heterogeneous approach to defining depression in children and attempts a critical discussion of scales that have been proposed to diagnose depression and measure changes in its course. Scales which have statistically significant agreement with each other, and/or with the clinician's impression of depression are detailed; and those measuring related phenomena are presented. Directions for future research are also provided.
Winter mortality, growth, and behavior of young-of-the-year of four coastal fishes in New Jersey (USA) waters

Winter mortality has been hypothesized to select for large body size in young-of-the-year (YOY) fishes, yet substantiation of winter mortality and its cause(s) are available for few estuarine or marine species. We examined seasonal length distributions of wild populations of four common marine species, black sea bass (Centropristis striata), tautog (Tautoga onitis), cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus), and smallmouth flounder (Etropus microstomus), and mortality (i.e., frequency of death), growth, and behavior of their YOY in the laboratory at ambient winter temperatures (mean 7°C, range 2–13°C) during a 135-day period (December 1992 through mid-April 1993) to establish potential causes of their mortality in the field. Young-of-the-year black sea bass experienced 100% mortality when water temperatures decreased to 2–3°C in February, emphasizing the importance of winter emigration from estuaries in this southern species. The low mortality of two labrid species, YOY tautog (14%) and YOY cunner (3%), was consistent with their northern distribution and year-round occurrence in estuarine and nearshore coastal waters. Laboratory mortality of YOY smallmouth flounder (33%) was higher for small (<35 mm total length) fish, suggesting that this small species may experience high winter mortality in estuaries and nearshore coastal waters. Seasonal differences in fish length result potentially from several mechanisms (e.g., mortality and/or migration) that are difficult to assess, but our laboratory experiments suggest that seasonal temperature changes cause size-specific mortality of YOY smallmouth flounder and offshore migration of YOY black sea bass.
Antenatal physical activity: Investigating the effects on postpartum depression

Engaging in regular moderate-intensity physical activity has been demonstrated as a successful treatment modality for both major and minor depression and as effective as pharmacologic treatments. However, less is known about the use of antenatal physical activity as a preventive modality for depression during the perinatal period. The objective of the present study was to determine if there is an association between antenatal physical activity and PPD. A cross-sectional study using the 2007-2008 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from Colorado and North Carolina (N = 6026) was conducted. PRAMS self-reported data are from a large randomized sample collected by the CDC that assesses maternal demographic, socio-economic, and prepregnancy and perinatal behaviors. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between antenatal sedentary behavior and PPD. Upon adjusting for maternal age, education, race, marital status, parity, stress, smoking, drinking, and prenatal care utilization, women who did not engage in antenatal physical activity were 1.34 times more likely to screen positive for PPD than women who exercised 5 or more days per week [OR 1.34; 95% CI: (1.04, 1.74); p = 0.03]. These findings suggest that not engaging in antenatal exercise may be associated with an increase risk of PPD. Further research is warranted to better understand the effects of antenatal sedentary behavior on PPD and the potential use of physical activity as a preventive modality for PPD.
Error Correction Performance For M-Ary Signaling In Optical Communications

In recent years, a number of techniques have been suggested that combine two or more repetitions of the same message to improve the efficiency and reliability of digital communications systems. This combining is performed so that the combined message can be decoded properly, even though the individual transmissions contain uncorrectable errors. Significant performance gains can be achieved when multiple repetitions of contaminated messages are combined. Although combining techniques previously have been analyzed for binary transmission schemes employing majority vote decision, calculation of the performance in the case of M-ary channels is more complex. This paper describes a methodology called plurality voting, and demonstrates the performance obtained when message combining is used on an M-ary channel with this decision rule.
Mapping recent agricultural developments in China from satellite data

Abstract Landsat data have been employed to study and map agricultural developments in three regions of China: 1) Pearl River delta; 2) Nen River basin; and 3) Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Manual interpretation procedures used in conjunction with multi-date Landsat images and collateral information permitted rice yields to be estimated for the Pearl River delta in 1978. A combination of manual and computer-assisted analyses of Landsat data of Northeast China revealed that more than 15,000 km2 of agricultural land in a 184,500 km2 study area had been reclaimed from rangeland and marshland. These analyses also indicated a shift in cropping practices, with the foodcrops wheat and corn replacing cash crops such as soybeans. In the arid west, Landsat image data provided valuable input to a geographic information system (GIS). It appears the GIS approach will prove useful for evaluating agricultural land potential in the remote areas of China.
Attenuation of the Synthesis of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor Type 1 by Niacin A Potential Link Between Lipid Lowering and Fibrinolysis

Background Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), the primary physiological inhibitor of endogenous plasminogen activators, has been implicated as a potentiating factor in atherogenesis as well as in coronary thrombosis. We and others have observed attenuation of PAI-1 expression by gemfibrozil both in vivo and in vitro. Methods and Results To determine whether other lipid-lowering agents with different mechanisms of action exert similar effects, we exposed Hep G2 cells, a highly differentiated human hepatoma cell line, to selected concentrations of niacin. Accumulation of PAI-1 protein, assayed with an ELISA, decreased in conditioned media by 72% in 48 hours in a specific, concentration-dependent fashion. Metabolic labeling experiments demonstrated a decrease in the rate of PAI-1 synthesis. Northern blot analysis demonstrated a preceding, parallel, and specific decrease in the concentration of PAI-1 mRNA. Niacin attenuated the increased PAI-1 synthesis induced by mediators released from thrombi as well. Thus, with 4.25 ng/mL transforming growth factor-β1, PAI-1 accumulation increased 4.5-fold in conditioned media in 48 hours. However, niacin attenuated the increase by 65%. Again, both the rate of PAI-1 synthesis and PAI-1 mRNA were reduced. The increased plasma PAI-1 activity and PAI-1 mRNA in liver induced by dexamethasone (0.8 mg IP) in vivo in rats were attenuated by 3 weeks of pretreatment with niacin. Conclusions These results suggest that niacin, by decreasing PAI-1 expression, may potentiate fibrinolysis, thereby decreasing the stimulation of atherogenesis by clot-associated mitogens associated with microthrombi. Furthermore, the results imply that a pathogenetic link may exist between intracellular lipid metabolism and regulation of expression of fibrinolytic system components.
MULTIMODAL BIOMETRICS BY FACE AND HAND IMAGES TAKEN BY A CELL PHONE CAMERA

This paper presents a multimodal approach for a biometrics verification system. It is based on face and hand images captured by a cell phone. The algorithm includes all parts that are required for face and hand verification, such as feature extraction, classification and authentication. To find local facial features, such as eyes, mouth and nose, we apply a point distribution model and active shape models. We use the same system to find distinctive points in hand geometry. The face feature vector is constructed by applying a Gabor filter to the image and extracting the key points found by an active shape model. The palm feature vector contains characteristics of the hand geometry features. A support vector machine (SVM) is applied to verify the identity of the user. One SVM machine is built for each person in the database to distinguish that person from others. To test the algorithm we built our own database containing face and hand images taken by a cell phone camera. The database contains 480 frontal face images and 120 hand images of 30 persons (16 face images and 4 hand images per person).
Mediated uptake of folate by a high-affinity binding protein in sublines of L1210 cells adapted to nanomolar concentrations of folate.

An L1210 cell line (JT-1), which can grow in medium supplemented with 1nm folate, has been isolated. These cells exhibit a slower growth rate than folate-replete parental cells and have a lower ability to transport folate or methotrexate via the reduced folate transport system. Measurements at nanomolar concentrations of folate revealed that the adapted cells have acquired a high-affinity folate-binding protein. Binding to this component at 37°C was rapid and reached a maximum value after 30 min which corresponded in amount to 0.23±0.3 pmol/mg protein, and excess unlabeled folate added 30 min subsequent to the [3H]folate led to a rapid release of the bound substrate. Radioactivity bound to or released from the cells after 30 min at 37°C remained as unmetabolized folic acid. Binding was also rapid at 0°C but uptake at the plateau was only one-half the value obtained at 37°C. Half-maximal saturation of the binding component (KD) occurred at a folate concentration of 0.065nm at pH 7.4, while the affinity for folate decreased 30-fold when the pH was reduced to 6.2 (KD=2.0nm). 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate was also bound by this component (Ki=13nm at pH 7.4) but with a much lower affinity than for folate, while progressively weaker interactions were observed with 5-formyltetrahydrofolate (Ki=45nm) and methotrexate (Ki=325nm). When the same adaptation procedure was performed with limiting amounts of 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, two additional cell lines, JT-2 and JT-3, were isolated which expressed elevated levels of the folate-binding protein. The binding activity of the latter cells was 0.46 and 1.4 pmol/mg protein, respectively. When the level of binding protein was compared in cells grown at different concentrations of folate, an increase in medium folate from 1 to 500nm caused a sevenfold reduction in binding activity in the JT-3 cell line, while these same growth conditions had no effect on binding by the other cells. These results indicate that L1210 cells adapted to low concentrations of folate or 5-formyltetrahydrofolate contain elevated levels of a high-affinity binding protein and that this protein is able to mediate the intracellular accumulation of folate compounds. L1210 cells thus appear to have two potential uptake routes for folate compounds, the previously characterized anion-exchange system and a second route mediated by a high-affinity binding protein. An additional low-affinity, high-capacity transport system for folate that had been proposed previously was not observed under a variety of experimental conditions in either the adapted or parental cells.
Wide-Angle Beam Propagation Modeling of Variable-Angle Photonic Circuits

The finite-difference beam propagation method using the paraxial approximation1 has been applied successfully to photonics integrated circuits with shallow angles. Recent extensions to these techniques based on Pade approximants of the square root operator in the one way wave equation2 have made wide-angle propagation possible with a significant improvement in accuracy. However, in order to effectively apply these new techniques to real-world problems, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of their fundamental limits and how to achieve them. Much of the previous work in this area has focused on implementation and comparison of algorithms using one or two benchmark examples3, rather than considering detailed parametric studies. Here we theoretically examine the Pade-based BPM scheme and derive general expressions for angular and truncation error as a function of various waveguiding and numerical parameters. These results are then validated with numerical experiments. From the general expression for the error, the significance of the choice of reference wavenumber is clearly evident. For waveguiding circuits containing variable angles, the optimal reference wave number, which is normally assumed constant, will change with position, thus we explore the possibility of varying the reference number for efficient solution of variable angle photonic integrated circuits.
1542 COMPLICATIONS OF POSTPONED NEONATAL DEATH IN THE SMALL PREMATURE INFANT

Improved obstetrical and neonatal care has increased survival for many small premature infants. Those who die of complications after 28 days form a distinct group. We reviewed these postponed neonatal deaths from the autopsies performed at LAC-USC Women's Hospital from January, 1976 through December, 1983. We found 18 infants who died after 28 days of continuous hospitalization. The mean birth weight was 1195 g (SD 84) and the mean gestational age was 28.6 wks (SD 2.6). Survival ranged from 4 weeks to 4 months with a mean of 70 days (SD 44). All infants initially required artificial ventilatory support for pulmonary disease, and it was maintained for persistent apnea. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was found at autopsy in all except one case, and was severe in 3. Evidence of myocardial infarction was found in 9 cases. All infants required parenteral nutrition. Cholestasis, fibrosis, Kupffer cell hyperplasia, or cirrhosis were found in the liver in 15 cases. Abnormalities of endochondral ossification consistent with chronic malnutrition were prominent. Diffuse cerebral gliosis was found in 15 cases, and 7 showed cerebral infarction. Retrolental fibroplasia was present in all eyes examined. Nine infants died of bacterial infection, and 5 had disseminated candidiasis. The syndrome of postponed neonatal death is associated with consistent clinical findings and predictable abnormalities at autopsy. Earlier identification of such infants is critical.
Memory reactivation in the second year of life

Memory reactivation has not been systematically studied with infants older than 1 year. Currently, three experiments examined the effects of a reactivation treatment (priming) on retention throughout the second postnatal year. Fifteen- and 18-month-olds learned an operant train task, forgot it, received a 2-min or 10-s prime, and later were tested for retention. Although the longer prime was effective for 15-month-olds, 18-month-olds required the shorter prime (Experiment 1). The memory was reactivated after delays two (18 months) and three (15 months) times longer than infants originally remembered it (Experiment 2). The reactivated memory was forgotten as fast as the original memory after the 2-min prime and twice as fast after the 10-s prime (Experiment 3). The fact that reactivation changes quantitatively but not qualitatively throughout infancy suggests that the same mechanism mediates it at all ages. These findings have major implications for the impact of early experience on cognitive development.
An insect model for assessing oxidative stress related to arsenic toxicity

The potential usefulness of an insect model to evaluate oxidative stress induced by environmental pollutants was examined with trivalent arsenic (As3+, NaAsO2) and pentavalent arsenic (As5+, Na2HAsO4) in adult female house flies, Musca domestica, and fourth-instar cabbage loopers, Trichoplusia ni. M. domestica was highly susceptible to both forms of arsenic following 48 h exposure in the drinking water with LC50s of 0.008 and 0.011% w/v for As3+ and As5+, respectively. T. ni larvae were susceptible to dietary As3+ with an LC50 of 0.032% w/w but seem to tolerate As5+ well with an LC50 of 0.794% concentration after 48 h exposure. The minimally acute LC5 dose of both As3+ and As5+ varied considerably but averaged 0.005% for both insects. The potential of both valencies of arsenic for inducing oxidative stress in the insects exposed ad libitum to approximately LC5 levels was assessed. The parameters examined were the alterations of the antioxidant enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione transferase (GST), the peroxidase activity of glutathione transferase (GSTPX), and glutathione reductase (GR), and increases in lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation. SOD (1.3-fold), GST (1.6-fold), and GR (1.5-fold) were induced by As3+ in M. domestica but CAT and GSTPX were not affected. As5+ had no effect on M. domestica. In T. ni, the antioxidant enzyme activities were not affected by As3+ except for SOD which was suppressed by 29.4% and GST which was induced by 1.4-fold. As5+ had no effect except the suppression of SOD by 41.2%. Lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation, which represent stronger indices of oxidative stress, were elevated in both insects by up to 2.9-fold. However, based on the antioxidant enzyme response to the arsenic anions, the mode of action of arsenic induced oxidative stress may differ between the two insects. Until this aspect is further clarified, evidence at this time favors the prospect of As3+ as a pro-oxidant, especially for M. domestica. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Inelastic-neutron-scattering line shapes in PdD/sub 0. 63/

Previous measurements of the phonon-dispersion curves in a single crystal of PdD/sub 0.63/ have been augmented by detailed inelastic-neutron-scattering measurements of the optical-phonon line shapes at 80 K. The line shapes observed at this temperature show substantial broadening and subsidiary structure. The data have been compared to line shapes calculated from a Born-von Karman type model in which the nonstoichiometric structure of the crystal is explicitly taken into account. Although the model results cannot reproduce all details of the observed line shapes, the observed and calculated linewidths agree reasonably well, which demonstrates that the broadening is primarily an effect of nonstoichiometry and not, for example, due to anharmonicity. The Pd-D force constants derived from the nonstoichiometric model agree closely with those obtained from an earlier analysis of the dispersion curves based on a conventional Born-von Karman approach in which the crystal was treated as stoichiometric PdD. The near-neighbor D-D force constants obtained in the present analysis, however, are some 50% larger than those deduced with a stoichiometric model.
Formation of reactive oxygen species following bioactivation of gentamicin.

The present study investigated the ability of gentamicin to catalyze free radical reactions and probed the underlying mechanisms by hydroethidine imaging, oxygen consumption, and reduction of cytochrome c. In Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cells, a respiratory burst was induced by phorbol ester and detected by hydroethidine, a fluorescent indicator of superoxide radical. The addition of gentamicin increased the fluorescence two-fold while gentamicin did not produce fluorescence in the absence of phorbol ester. In membrane preparations, gentamicin did not enhance NADPH consumption ruling out a direct activation of NADPH oxidase. The formation of reactive oxygen species by gentamicin was additionally supported by experiments that showed gentamicin increased oxygen consumption two-fold in intact cells and a cell-free system. In addition, generation of superoxide was indicated by the gentamicin-stimulated reduction of cytochrome c. The stimulation by gentamicin depended upon the presence of iron (FeII/FeIII) and of arachidonic acid as an electron donor. These results support the hypothesis that an iron-gentamicin complex can increase reactive oxygen species in nonenzymatic and in biological systems. The requirement for a reductive activation in intact cells (e.g., by a respiratory burst) is interpreted as the conversion of an inactive FeIII-gentamicin to a redox-active FeII-gentamicin complex.