cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced durable silver mirrors with ion beam assisted deposition

Protective and enhanced Silver coatings enable broadband high reflectance and durability. Energetic deposition provides densified layers to protect Silver mirrors and enhance optical reflectance in desired spectral bands. We employed variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry to analysis ion beam assisted SiO2 and Nb2O5 films for optimizing enhanced silver performance in the near UV. We generated a visualized field guide for coating process development based on spectral reflectance measurement. Adjusted ion beam assisted deposition parameters included ion energies, ion currents, gas flow rates and deposition rates. Appropriate ion interaction with the deposited materials led to an increase of both film homogeneity and densification. Accelerated UV ozone exposure tests confirmed that the optimized ion beam assisted deposition yielded stable optical performance.
Transcriptional expression changes during compensatory plasticity in the terminal ganglion of the adult cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

Background Damage to the adult central nervous system often leads to long-term disruptions in function due to the limited capacity for neurological recovery. The central nervous system of the Mediterranean field cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus, shows an unusual capacity for compensatory plasticity, most obviously in the auditory system and the cercal escape system. In both systems, unilateral sensory disruption leads the central circuitry to compensate by forming and/or strengthening connections with the contralateral sensory organ. While this compensatory plasticity in the auditory system relies on robust dendritic sprouting and novel synapse formation, the compensatory plasticity in the cercal escape circuitry shows little obvious dendritic sprouting and instead may rely on shifts in excitatory and inhibitory synaptic strength. Results In order to better understand what types of molecular pathways might underlie this compensatory shift in the cercal system, we used a multiple k-mer approach to assemble a terminal ganglion transcriptome that included ganglia collected one, three, and 7 days after unilateral cercal ablation in adult, male animals. We performed differential expression analysis using EdgeR and DESeq2 and examined Gene Ontologies to identify candidates potentially involved in this plasticity. Enriched GO terms included those related to the ubiquitin-proteosome protein degradation system, chromatin-mediated transcriptional pathways, and the GTPase-related signaling system. Conclusion Further exploration of these GO terms will provide a clearer picture of the processes involved in compensatory recovery of the cercal escape system in the cricket and can be compared and contrasted with the distinct pathways that have been identified upon deafferentation of the auditory system in this same animal.
A Practical Approach to Testing a Natural Language System: Tools and Procedures

Most software development projects follow some type of clearly defined process, refined over many years of practical experience. Different phases of development are carefully tracked and documented according to strict guidelines. Until now the majority of natural language systems have been developed as research projects, that is they have been developed without such rigid conditions. However, now that the market for natural language systems is beginning to open up, there is a growing number of commercially available products. It therefore seems timely to start to discuss how the more traditional approaches to software development can be applied to such technologies. This paper concentrates on one vital stage in any development process, namely the test phase. We will show how current approaches need to be adapted to suit the needs of this type of software and, conversely, how much can be gained by looking at the experiences of testers of more conventional software systems.
A computing scientist’s approach to a once-deep theorem of Sylvester’s

Well, actually it wasn’t Sylvester’s theorem, it was only his conjecture — dating from the year 1893 -, and it remained so for more than 40 years until T. Gallai (alias Grunwald) “finally succeeded, using a rather complicated argument” [Coxeter]. We shall derive (essentially) the simple argument of L.M. Kelly (1948).
Foveal cone involvement in retinitis pigmentosa progression assessed through psychophysical impulse response parameters

PURPOSE: To compare psychophysical impulse response parameters in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients and healthy controls using a temporal contrast sensitivity threshold paradigm, and to measure changes in these parameters with RP progression. METHODS: Sixty-six RP patients and 10 healthy control subjects were tested, and the amplitude and timing parameters of the psychophysical impulse response function were computed through time-domain transformation under assumption of minimum-phase properties. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The initial rise time of the impulse response, ta, was significantly lengthened in RP patients compared to controls, as was the fall time from peak to trough, tp-->t. The log peak-to-trough amplitude, log R, was significantly reduced. With disease progression, all impulse response parameters continued to move away from the normal range. Only minor distinctions according to RP pathophysiologic subtype or mode of inheritance were found, supporting the hypothesis of a common course of the secondary retinal degeneration across different RP subcategories.
Why Not a Principal Teacher

In over thirty years as a high school English teacher, department chairman, and college English professor, I have found that this shift in role-which, unfortunately, has been fostered over the years by administrators and education professors-has been detrimental to the teaching staff, and to students as well. The school principal is critical in setting the proper educational tone in the school, something that can be accomplished only by a principal teacher, not a principal manager. This may seem like a minor problem in the midst of other educational ills, but it is not. More than fifteen years ago, Ben Harris, in Supervisory Behavior in Education, stated that the primary function of the principal, as the instructional leader of the school, is to provide a learning experience for students. Harris acknowledged, however, that in reality principals do not devote much time to the improvement of instruction. This view was reiterated in a recent edition of the National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, "The Principal as Instructional Leader." The contributors concluded that although principals do provide some instructional leadership, they do it primarily through observations and evaluations, rapport with the staff, and conferences. Harold McNally's earlier findings in the 1974 National Elementary Principals' Chautauqua Series (cited in Palaniuk 1987) were even more negative. He found that principals do not exercise instructional leadership to any significant degree, although it is widely agreed that this is their most important responsibility. Many administrators today have dropped the teacher portion from the original designation of their duties. There can be little doubt that the strong and important instructional leadership role is frequently set aside by the principal because of the immediacy and pressure of
Biological and molecular diagnosis of seedborne viruses in cowpea germplasm of geographically diverse sub-Saharan origins

A total of 983 cowpea accessions obtained from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) Cowpea Repository were analysed for seedborne viruses. A majority of the accessions originated from 11 countries representing different agroclimatic zones in sub-Saharan Africa, and included landraces, local cultivars and breeding lines. Following the initial grow-out tests, 69 cowpea accessions, mostly with symptoms of virus infection, were selected for further evaluation using a combination of host range, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequence analyses. The analyses revealed that samples from 46 (67%) accessions harboured one or more known seedborne viruses of cowpea. These included seed samples of accessions originating from Botswana (13 accessions), Ghana (6), Nigeria (6), Mali (1), Kenya (5), Cameroon (7), Niger (4), Cote d'lvoire (1), Benin (1), India (1) and China (1). Viruses were identified by RT-PCR analysis of total RNAs extracted from suspected virus-infected samples using virus species-specific primers, as well as the cloning and sequencing of RT-PCR products amplified using virus genus- and family-specific degenerate oligonucleotide primers. The viruses identified included Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV). Phylogenetic analysis of the deduced coat protein (CP) amino acid sequences of selected CMV isolates recovered from five agroclimatically distinct locations confirmed their affiliations as new members of CMV subgroup IB. This is the first time that seedborne viruses of cowpea accessions in a major collection (UCR) have been identified using RT-PCR and sequencing approaches.
Poisson Matrix Recovery and Completion

We extend the theory of low-rank matrix recovery and completion to the case when Poisson observations for a linear combination or a subset of the entries of a matrix are available, which arises in various applications with count data. We consider the usual matrix recovery formulation through maximum likelihood with proper constraints on the matrix $M$ of size $d_{1}$ -by- $d_{2}$ , and establish theoretical upper and lower bounds on the recovery error. Our bounds for matrix completion are nearly optimal up to a factor on the order of ${\cal O}(\log(d_{1}d_{2}))$ . These bounds are obtained by combining techniques for recovering sparse vectors with compressed measurements in Poisson noise, those for analyzing low-rank matrices, as well as those for one-bit matrix completion [Davenport , “1-bit Matrix Completion, Information and Inference,” Information and Inference, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 189–223, Sep. 2014] (although these two problems are different in nature). The adaptation requires new techniques exploiting properties of the Poisson likelihood function and tackling the difficulties posed by the locally sub-Gaussian characteristic of the Poisson distribution. Our results highlight a few important distinctions of the Poisson case compared to the prior work including having to impose a minimum signal-to-noise requirement on each observed entry and a gap in the upper and lower bounds. We also develop a set of efficient iterative algorithms and demonstrate their good performance on synthetic examples and real data.
Studies of Tantalum Nitride Thin Film Resistors

Extensive interest in tantalum as a thin film material has been stimulated by its use in the microelectronics industry. Tantalum has a refractory nature which implies that any imperfection frozen in during deposition will not anneal out during the life of the thin film. In addition, tantalum belongs to a class of metals which form tough self-protective oxides either through heat treatment or through anodic oxidation.1 The preferred method of deposition has been sputtering rather than evaporation because of the refractive nature of the tantalum. Sputtered tantalum films have a tendency to become contaminated since it is a reactive material although some degree of contamination is desirable in order to achieve useful properties.2
Histone deacetylase 6 gates the synaptic action of acute stress in prefrontal cortex

The prefrontal cortex (PFC), a region responsible for high-order cognitive functions, such as decision-making, attention and working memory, is highly influenced by stress and corticosteroid stress hormones. Recently it has been shown that acute stress affects PFC functions by potentiating glutamatergic transmission via a mechanism dependent on glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and its downstream target, serum and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase (SGK). To identify the key regulators of stress responses, we examined the role of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), a unique member of the HDAC family that could regulate the GR chaperone protein heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), in the synaptic action of acute stress in PFC. We found that HDAC6 inhibition or knockdown blocked the enhancement of glutamatergic transmission and glutamate receptor trafficking by acute stress in vivo or corticosterone treatment in vitro. In addition, HDAC6 inhibition blocked the up-regulation of SGK in animals exposed to acute stress. HSP90 inhibition or knockdown produced a similar blockade of the acute stress-induced enhancement of glutamatergic signalling. These findings have identified HDAC6 as a key molecule gating the effects of acute stress on synaptic functions in the PFC.
Transcriptional Control of Hepatocyte Differentiation

The unique gene expression that defines the hepatocyte conforms to a set of general regulatory principles. The genome encodes the programs of mature gene expression and of the preceding developmental stages. Transcription factors execute these programs by binding to specific DNA sequence motifs grouped together as promoters and enhancers. Expression of each gene therefore reflects the synergistic integration of separate regulations via individual factors. Each cell type expresses a distinctive mixture of hundreds of transcription factors. This mixture, superimposed on the epigenetic history of the cell, determines its phenotype.
Study of Electromechanical Activity of the Stomach in Humans and in Dogs With Particular Attention to Tachygastria

The relationship between electric and mechanical activities of the gastric antrum was investigated in both humans and dogs. In 2 patients, in whom platinum monopolar electrodes were implanted on the serosal surface of the antrum and a perfused manometric tube was placed in the stomach, the number of gastric contractions detected by manometry was only less than 50% of the pacesetter potentials accompanied by action potentials or second potentials. No contraction of the stomach was recorded by manometry when pacesetter potentials occurred without action potentials or second potentials. The relationship was further investigated in 11 anesthetized dogs prepared with implanted electrodes and sensitive ministrain gauges implanted on the serosal surface of the stomach and an intragastric manometric tube. In these dogs, phasic contractions were always recorded by the method using ministrain gauges although the electrical activity showed only PSPs without action potentials or second potentials. The manometry, however, could not recognize these phasic contractions. When the stomach was stimulated by bethanechol infusion through the splenic artery, as in the human stomach, the manometry detected less than 50% of gastric contractions detected by the strain gauge recording. The gastric dysrhythmia including tachygastria, tachyarrhythmia, and bradygastria was induced in 10 dogs by epinephrine, 100 micrograms X kg-1 X h-1, infused via the splenic artery. During the period of gastric dysrhythmia, the phasic contractions disappeared and no contraction associated with action potential could be observed. The phasic contractions reappeared as long as the PSPs occurred regularly in a frequency of 4-5 cycles/min during either the control period or during the period of epinephrine infusion. The epinephrine-induced gastric dysrhythmia was blocked or reversed to normal pacesetter potentials by intraarterial infusion of phentolamine. Our study suggests the following: (1) the pacesetter potentials not only pace and direct gastric contraction, but they may also play a role in the genesis of phasic contractions of the stomach, and (2) gastric contractions detected by sensitive strain gauges are not always recorded by the intraluminal manometry and, thus, gastric dysrhythmia may not be detected by the manometry in humans.
Atypical spasmus nutans as an initial sign of thalamic neoplasm

A patient is described who presented with dissociated nystagmus (atypical spasmus nutans) and an underlying pulvinar-tectal lesion. Atypical spasmus nutans is discussed and clinicians are alerted to a spectrum of possible etiologies.
A generalized approximation theory for quadratic forms: Application to randomized spline type Sturm-Liouville problems

An approximation theory for families of quadratic forms is given. We show that if continuity conditions for a family of quadratic forms hold uniformly on an index set for the family, generalized signature approximation results hold. We then apply these results to randomized spline type Sturm-Liouville problems and obtain continuity of thenth eigenvalue for generalized Sturm-Liouville problems under weak hypotheses.
Creating and Capitalizing on the Town/Gown Relationship: An Academic Library and a Public Library Form a Community Partnership

This article highlights the birth and current benefits of a partnership between Keene State College and Keene Public Library. It is a smaller one-on-one partnership that represents a rarer model than that of consortia and joint-use library partnerships. The authors offer additional ideas for partnering with local community groups in order to strengthen the town/gown relationship.
Insulin regulation of hepatic glucose transporter protein is impaired in chronic pancreatitis.

ObjectiveThe effect of chronic pancreatitis and insulin on the expression of the hepatic facilitative glucose transporter protein (GLUT-2) was determined in rats.Summary Background DataChronic pancreatitis is associated with diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance. Suppression of hepatic glu
Medication Adherence and Health Care Utilization in Pediatric Chronic Illness: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Advanced understanding of modifiable predictors of health care use in pediatric chronic illness is critical to reducing health care costs. We examined the relationship between medication non-adherence and health care use in children and adolescents who have a chronic medical condition. METHODS: A systematic review of articles by using PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL was conducted. Additional studies were identified by searching reference sections of relevant manuscripts. Studies that tested the relationship between medication non-adherence and health care use (ie, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, outpatient visits) or cost in children and adolescents (mean age ≤18 years) who have a chronic medical condition were included. Extraction of articles was completed by using predefined data fields. RESULTS: Ten studies met our inclusion criteria. Nine of the 10 studies reviewed (90%) demonstrated a relationship between medication non-adherence and increased health care use. The directionality of this relationship varied depending on the outcome variable of interest. CONCLUSIONS: Medication non-adherence is related to increased health care use in children and adolescents who have a chronic medical condition and should be addressed in clinical care. Future studies should include randomized controlled trials examining the impact of adherence promotion efforts on health care use and costs.
Reaction of NO 2 with NaCl and atmospheric implications of NOCl formation

Oxidation of nitrogen dioxide in ambient air is of global interest as a source of O3 in photochemical air pollution1 and of HNO3 in acid rain2 and fogs3. Gas phase oxidation occurs by reaction with the photochemically produced hydroxyl free radical (OH) during the daylight hours2. A second potential mechanism involves reactions of NO3 (ref. 4). IR and mass spectrometric (MS) data are now reported for a third route which occurs both day and night, the reaction of NO2 with sea salt (NaCl): 2NO2(g) + NaCl(s) → NOCl(g) + NaNO3(s) (1) This is the first evidence that reaction (1), suggested previously5,6 proceeds at p.p.m. NO2 concentrations. NOCl formation may be significant in coastal urban areas because it photolyses rapidly to Cl atoms, and hydrolyses to HONO, a major OH source; both Cl and OH initiate atmospheric photochemical oxidations.
The loss of sodium and potassium during the dry ashing of animal tissue.

Summary The maximum temperature at which animal tissue may be dry ashed for a 24-hr ashing period without loss of sodium and potassium is 550°C. for the sample sizes which range from 1 to 5 gm most of the carbon is burned from the ash at 450–500°C in a 24-hr period.
Acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus keratouveitis after penetrating keratoplasty.

Purpose: A case of acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus keratouveitis after penetrating keratoplasty is reported. Methods: Resistance to acyclovir was evident clinically and was confirmed by in vitro susceptibility testing. The susceptibility of the herpes simplex isolates to acyclovir and foscarnet was determined by a dye uptake assay that measured cytopathic effect, and thymidine kinase activity was measured by a plaque autoradiography technique. Results: The viral isolate from postoperative day 22 was susceptible to acyclovir and foscarnet, and showed normal thymidine kinase activity. Isolates from postoperative days 29 and 32 (coinciding with deterioration in clinical appearance) were resistant to acyclovir, susceptible to foscarnet, and deficient in thymidine kinase activity. Conclusion: Practitioners should be aware of the potential for the emergence of resistance in this setting; prophylaxis and rational alternate therapies are discussed.
The action of activated charcoal on poisons in the digestive tract

Abstract Time course blood- or liver-drug analyses were performed to investigate the action of activated charcoal on poisons in the gastrointestinal tract. Blood was obtained from dogs treated orally with aspirin, pentobarbital, barbital, or glutethimide, and liver was obtained from rats treated orally with chloroquine, chlorpheniramine, or chlorpromazine. Test animals were treated with activated charcoal 1 min after drug administration. Control animals were given only the drugs. All the drug concentration curves of test animals were markedly lower than those of corresponding control animals. Semilogarithmic plots of the data suggest that dissociation of charcoal-drug complexes, if it does occur, is inconsequential. Administration of activated charcoal 1 min after poisoning is markedly more effective in reducing gastrointestinal absorption of drugs than the administration of charcoal 30 min after poisoning. Repeated administration of activated charcoal at 1- or 12-hr intervals, after an initial antidotal treatment, appears to exert no additional inhibition of gastrointestinal absorption of poisons. Activated charcoal, in a dose 5 times that of each poison, administered 30 min after poisoning, effectively reduced mortality in dogs given lethal doses of pentobarbital, barbital, or chloroquine. Intoxication developed so rapidly in some dogs that the administration of charcoal, 30 min after poisoning, was ineffective in preventing death. This investigation confirms the effectiveness of activated charcoal in the treatment of poisoning. It also emphasizes the need for immediate treatment with an adequate dose of the absorbent in the management of ingested poisons.
Concerns about methods for determination of estrogens in body fluids

We have some concerns about the results presented in a paper by Loud et al. [1]. Although specimens from the 30 subjects in their study without BRCA1/2 mutations could not be measured by their method, subjects with these mutations had an unconjugated estradiol (E2) serum versus nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) concentration correlation of 0.77 and a corresponding correlation of 0.56 for E2 between serum and ductal lavage supernatant (DLS). Our concern is about their ability to measure any of the estrogens based on the method as described in the paper. The authors state in their earlier methods paper by Xu et al. [2], that the limit of quantitation of their method is 400 fg (1.3–1.5 fmol). These are on-column values comparable to those that we have found [3]. Loud et al. [1] also report a limit of detection of 10 fg on column using a capillary HPLC, which is not unreasonable. In the Methods section of the paper, they state that they collected up to 10 ll of NAF, diluted it to 1.0 ml, and split the samples into two aliquots of 0.4 ml each for total and unconjugated estrogens. Each of these was processed, derivatized, and reconstituted to 64 ll. One-eighth (equivalent to 8 ll) of the samples were injected into the HPLC. Thus, only 0.5 ll of the initial NAF sample was injected. With the reported geometric mean concentration of unconjugated estradiol at 4.21 pmol/l (0.00421 fmol/ll) (Table 3), the injected 0.5 ll contained only 0.0021 fmol or 0.6 fg (using MW of *280). Thus, they appear to be measuring 6 % of the LOD on average. It is not possible to quantify such data reliably. Earlier in the paper (p 520), they state that ‘‘For purposes of this study, all BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation positive postmenopausal women with sufficient volumes of serum, NAF and/or DLS specimens (C0.5 ml) were eligible for inclusion.’’ If this was the actual volume of NAF extracted, this would bring the average mass of estradiol injected to 29.4 fg, well within the range of the assay, although values less than 34 % of the mean would still be below the LOD. If this was the volume of NAF obtained, more information is needed to describe subjects that produced this volume of NAF, which in our experience is a very large yield. The data on DLS are also a problem. The stated concentrations are in the same range as the NAF values, but there is a question as to how the volume of breast fluid in the lavage was determined.
Selective Attention in Children with Reading Problems: A Developmental Study of Incidental Learning.

The performance of poor readers and control children at three grade levels, first, third, and fifth grades, was compared on an incidental learning task adapted by Hagen (1967). A significant group by task interaction in a repeated measures ANOVA indicated that reading ability was differentially related to performance on the tasks. Relative to control children at all grade levels, poor readers obtained lower scores on the central task and higher scores on the incidental task. The absence of a grade X task X reading ability interaction indicated that selective attention follows the same developmental course in poor readers as in control children. The data suggest that the development of selective attention as reflected in performance on this task is delayed from 2 to 4 years in poor readers.
Detection of bromacil herbicide in ponderosa pine

Bromacil is a substituted uracil herbicide, 5-bromo-3-sec-butyl-6-methyluracil. Because it is readily absorbed through the root system of plants, bromacil usually is applied to the soil as an aqueous solution or suspension during or just before periods of active plnt growth. Until recently, bromacil was used as part of a vegetation control program along roadways at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The prescribed method of application was to spray a four-foot wide strip of bromacil solution along the edges of roadways with a spray-bar. During the late spring and early summer of 1978, bromacil was determined to be the proximate cause of damage to numerous trees at substantial distances away from roadways at Los Alamos. This paper describes the investigation that was undertaken to determine the cause of the tree mortality.
On simple n -tuples of subspaces of a Hilbert space

This survey is devoted to the structure of “simple” systems $$ S = \left( {\mathcal{H};{\mathcal{H}_1}, \ldots, {\mathcal{H}_n}} \right) $$ of subspaces $$ {\mathcal{H}_i} $$ , i = 1,…, n, of a Hilbert space $$ \mathcal{H} $$ , i.e., n-tuples of subspaces such that, for each pair of subspaces $$ {\mathcal{H}_i} $$ and $$ {\mathcal{H}_j} $$ , the angle 0 < θ ij ≤ π/2 between them is fixed. We give a description of “simple” systems of subspaces in the case where the labeled graphs naturally associated with these systems are trees or unicyclic graphs and also in the case where all subspaces are one-dimensional. If the cyclic range of a graph is greater than or equal to two, then the problem of description of all systems of this type up to unitary equivalence is *-wild.
Comparison of morphology and mechanical properties of surfactant aggregates at water-silica and water-graphite interfaces from molecular dynamics simulations.

Abstract Cationic surfactants are important for a wide range of applications, including controlled drug delivery systems, emulsifiers, and chemical mechanical polishing. It is therefore important to better understand surfactant structure and properties at the solid–liquid interface. Here, classical molecular dynamics simulations with empirical potentials are used to compare the structures and mechanical properties of cationic surfactant micelles at hydrophobic (graphite) and hydrophilic (silica) surface–water interfaces. In particular, the morphology of monolayers and bilayers of C 12 TAB ( n -dodecyltrimethylammoniumbromide) at these interfaces, and their responses to atomic force microscopy indentation, are examined. The simulations predict that surfactant monolayers and bilayers on silica evolve into a spherical micelle structure, in agreement with theoretical models of surfactant morphology. In contrast, surfactant monolayers on graphite evolve into a hemi-cylindrical structure, in agreement with experimental findings. In the simulated indentation of the micelle/silica system, the spherical micelle breaks apart and forms a surfactant monolayer. The indentation force curve has a maximum value of 2.25 nN. On the other hand, the simulated indentation of the micelle/graphite system causes the hemi-cylindrical micelle structure to break apart and the surfactant tails to wrap around the graphite indenter. The indentation force curve has a maximum value of 13 nN.
Inflammatory disease of the liver.

This article highlights the clinical and imaging features of a variety of inflammatory liver diseases. The emphasis is on pyogenic liver abscess, although other focal and diffuse inflammatory disorders, including amebic, fungal, mycobacterial, and echinococcal diseases, are addressed. Computed tomography (CT) and sonography are highly sensitive in detecting pyogenic liver abscess; CT may be slightly more sensitive. In Barnes’ series, 5 CT scanning detected 15 of 15 (100%) pyogenic liver abscesses, whereas sonography detected 37 of 39 (94.4%). The imaging features of hepatic abscesses are variable and often nonspecific. Diagnostic needle aspiration is frequently essential to confirm the diagnosis. Computed tomography and sonography can both guide percutaneous catheter drainage of pyogenic hepatic abscesses, the treatment method of choice. Although while MR imaging can detect liver abscesses (Fig. 1), it is much less useful because it cannot guide percutaneous aspiration or drainage in a practical or cost-efficient way. Smaller pyogenic abscesses (2 cm) from enteric organisms have a tendency to aggregate or cluster focally. These clusters of microabscesses may coalesce into a larger cavity.
Lamme medalists for 1958

THE LAMME MEDAL, which is to be awarded to two outstanding members of the AIEE today was established by Benjamin Garver Lamme in his will. The purpose of the award is to give deserved recognition to Institute members who have shown “meritorious achievement in the development of electrical apparatus or machinery.” In considering candidates for the award, the members of the Lamme Medal Committee have exercised the greatest care to insure compliance with the founder's intent in establishing it.
Inhomogeneity correction for in vivo spectroscopy by high-resolution water referencing.

One of the most common sources of distortion in in vivo spectroscopy is the inhomogeneity of the main magnetic field. This effect is particularly problematic when performing spectroscopic imaging, as the shim cannot be simultaneously optimized for all voxels. In this paper we present a technique to measure inhomogeneity rapidly, then show how to use the measurement to improve the analysis of the spectrum. This technique can be applied in conjunction with any spectroscopic localization method and any spectral quantitation algorithm. We present results from spectroscopic imaging of phantoms, then show application to a single-voxel water-suppressed proton brain study. We find that the quantitation of the in vivo spectrum is made immune to inhomogeneous line broadening. © 1992 Academic Press, Inc.
He 3-519 - A peculiar post-LBV, pre-WN star?

We report IUE and ground-based data indicating that the star He 3-519 has a distance of roughly 8 kpc and an absolute bolometric magnitude of about -11, comparable to AG Car. Its luminosity, spectrum, and large, massive circumstellar shell indicate that this may be a post-LBV object which has not yet become a full-fledged WN star. One notable peculiarity of He 3-519 is its prominent Fe III (?) 3008 A emission; the reason why this feature is so bright in this star's dense envelope or wind, but not in other related stars, is not yet clear.
Single-breath counting: A pilot study of a novel technique for measuring pulmonary function in children

Abstract Introduction Although peak expiratory flow rate is the conventional way to measure asthma severity in adults, its use is problematic in children because it is effort dependent. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) and the ratio of FEV 1 to forced vital capacity (FEV 1 /FVC) are more accurate, but generally not available in the emergency department (ED). A better test is needed. Single-breath counting (SBC) is the measurement of how far an individual can count in a normal speaking voice after a maximal effort inhalation. The count is in cadence to a metronome set at 2 beats per second. Previous work has suggested that SBC correlates with standard measures of pulmonary function in adults. However, it has never been tested in children. Objectives The aims of this study are to determine if SBC can be easily performed by children and to assess the correlation between SBC and standard measures of pulmonary function in a pediatric population. Methods This was a prospective observational study of a convenience sample of children presenting to the pulmonary clinic for scheduled pulmonary function testing (PFT). Peak expiratory flow rate, FEV 1 , FVC, forced expiratory flow 25% to 75%, and FEV 1 /FVC were measured and recorded. After PFT, subjects were asked to perform SBC. Three attempts were allowed, and the average was recorded. Correlation was determined by the Pearson coefficient. Results Sixty-seven children (ages 5-18 years, 64% male) were enrolled. All were able to understand and complete the testing. Indications for PFT included asthma and/or allergies (n = 44), cystic fibrosis (n = 9), and other chronic diseases (n = 14). The correlations ( r ) of SBC to peak expiratory flow rate, FEV 1 , FVC, forced expiratory flow 25% to 75%, and FEV 1 /FVC were 0.55, 0.66, 0.71, 0.44, and −0.29, respectively ( P Conclusion Single-breath counting is easy to perform in children, seems to correlate well with standard measures of pulmonary function, and shows promise for measuring asthma severity in children. Further work to define the range of reference SBC values (as a function of age and/or body size) and an evaluation of the utility of SBC in an ED population of acute asthmatics is indicated.
On the use of integer arithmetic to achieve confirmably correct computation

An example is provided from biostatistics to show that transformation to a unit normal deviate can be inadvisable. This is used to motivate a definition of commensurable units of measurement. An argument is presented to show that a unit cell size can be determined that is termed the ‘least distinguishable difference’. The recommended commensurable unit is obtained by reseating the least distinguishable difference to unity. Thus, the data are transformed to Integer-valued variates. Since the transformed data are integer-valued and optimally ranged for integer accumulation, this is recommended. On most computers integer overflow is detectable, therefore in the absence of overflow one is assured that the intervening computation is correct. A few concluding remarks are appended.
Interstitial fluid flow increases invasion of ductal carcinoma in situ-like cells through PI3K-dependent mechanisms

The expression of ErbB2 in pre-invasive cells is a risk factor for invasion and cancer progression. At the same time, interstitial fluid flow is elevated in solid tumors and can modulate tumor cell invasion. The combined role both factors play on invasion has never been studied, especially in the context of how they influence the transition from ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Using a technique to apply interstitial fluid flow to cells embedded in a matrix and then measure its effects on cell invasion, we found fluid flow increases the invasion of cells overexpressing ErbB2. This increased invasion is due to the activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK). This occurs independently of ErbB2 activation. Identifying the mechanisms involved in the progression from DCIS to IDC will provide potential targets for determining appropriate therapy for DCIS patients. This will help improve the current clinical management, decrease patient over-treatment, and prevent cancer-associated deaths.
Cryosurgery in fibrous dysplasia: good result of a multimodality protocol in 16 patients.

(2002). Cryosurgery in fibrous dysplasia. Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica: Vol. 73, No. 4, pp. 483-486.
Social Welfare Institutions: A Sociological Reader. Edited by Mayer N. Zald. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1965. 671 pp. $8.95 Hardbound

(1967). Social Welfare Institutions: A Sociological Reader. Edited by Mayer N. Zald. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1965. 671 pp. $8.95 Hardbound. Journal of Education for Social Work: Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 106-109.
Adsorption probability of atoms and ions on particle surfaces in submicrometer size range

Abstract The absolute attachment coefficient of neutral and electrically charged Tn decay products on particles in the size range between 0.009-0.03 μm was measured. For these experiments, condensation aerosols of a narrow size range (σg ≈ 1.3) were used. The experimental values agree with those of the diffusion theory of attachment under the assumption that the sticking probability of the decay product is unity.
People Tracking with UWB Radar Using a Multiple-Hypothesis Tracking of Clusters (MHTC) Method

This paper presents a method to track multiple moving humans using Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radar. UWB radar can complement other human tracking technologies, as it works well in poor visibility conditions. Our tracking approach is based on a point process interpretation of the multi-path UWB radar scattering model for moving humans. Based on this model, we present a multiple hypothesis tracking (MHT) framework for tracking the ranges and velocities of a variable number of moving human targets. The multi-target tracking (MTT) problem for UWB radar differs from traditional applications because of the complex multipath scattering observations per target. We develop an MHT framework for UWB radar-based multiple human target tracking, which can simultaneously solve the complex observation clustering and data association problems using Bayesian inference. We present experimental results in which a monostatic UWB radar tracks both individual and multiple human targets to estimate target ranges and velocities, even with changing numbers of targets across radar scans.
On the rate of cholesterol esterification in cord blood serum.

Cholesterol esterification was studied in adult and cord serum by measureing the initial rate of lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT) activity. Cord serum had about one-third as much free and esterified cholesterol and about one-half as much LCAT as adult serum. When the adult LCAT activities are plotted against the individual's serum free cholesterol levels a straight line relationship results (0.101±.005% cholesterol esterified per min). Cord serum LCAT activities (.135±.0407% cholesterol esterified per min) in the main fall above the adult line. Our results show that cord serum can esterify cholesterol at a rate equal to or higher than adult serum when the LCAT activity is related to the amount of serum free cholesterol present.
BETA -ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR REGULATION OF MACROPHAGE-DERIVED TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA PRODUCTION FROM RATS WITH EXPERIMENTAL ARTHRITIS

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and beta-adrenergic agonists can suppress lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) production from elicited macrophages. We assessed the responsiveness of rat peritoneal macrophages to PGE2 and the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol during immunologically-mediated arthritis. We assessed macrophage sensitivity to these mediators from resident macrophages and macrophages elicited with either streptococcal cell wall or complete Freund's adjuvant. Peritoneal macrophages were obtained from female Lewis rats that were (1) injected with complete Freund's adjuvant and non-arthritic (CFA); (2) injected with streptococcal cell wall and arthritic (ART); (3) injected with streptococcal cell wall and non-reactive (NON) and (4) non-elicited resident macrophages (RES). When challenged with graded concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (0.1 to 10,000 ng/ml), macrophages obtained from each group of rats released TNF in a concentration-dependent manner, with macrophages from arthritic rats (ART) producing the greatest amount of TNF (p < 0.001). While PGE2 suppressed lipopolysaccharide (100 ng/ml) stimulated TNF production in a concentration-dependent manner in all groups, the greatest sensitivity to PGE2 was observed with macrophages obtained from rats which received streptococcal cell wall when compared to both complete Freund's adjuvant-elicited and resident macrophages (p < 0.05). The beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol also inhibited lipopolysaccharide-stimulated TNF production from macrophages in all groups. In addition, the specific beta 2-adrenergic antagonist, ICI 118.551, shifted isoproterenol concentration-effect curves to the right (p < 0.01). Minimal responsiveness to isoproterenol was observed with resident peritoneal macrophages. Maximum isoproterenol-induced inhibition of TNF production was observed with complete Freund's adjuvant-elicited macrophages, and significantly less in macrophages of streptococcal cell wall-injected rats. Of particular interest, macrophages obtained from streptococcal cell wall-injected rats, which became arthritic, were significantly less sensitive to isoproterenol than those which did not develop arthritis (p < 0.02). In addition, these changes in sensitivity were not reflected by changes in the sensitivity of both CFA and ART groups to dibutyryl cAMP. The present study demonstrates a shift in the balance between inhibitory mediator responses in rats inoculated with one of two different adjuvants. These investigations support the role of PGE2 and a neurotransmitter as immunomodulating compounds which may effectively maintain an inflammatory lesion such as arthritis.
Magnet-tipped tubes for studies of the stomach and duodenum.

The placement of gastrointestinal tubes into the gastric antrum and duodenum is facilitated by a simple technic which depends upon magnet-tipped tubes. The method is efficient at the bedside and in the examining room, without the need for roentgen confirmation; it is based upon the detection of a magnetic field which appears upon the skin within 6–10 cm of the magnet. Although sensitive electronic equipment may be used for measurement of these magnetic field projections, a small plotting compass serves well for clinical purposes and is more rapid. In 34 of 36 consecutive studies, the magnet-tipped tube was placed correctly into the gastric antrum, and the collection holes were positioned properly for quantitative gastric analysis. In 24 of 28 consecutive duodenal intubation studies, the magnet-tipped tube was placed correctly into a proper position for the collection of duodenal secretions. This simple method can be used to assure proper localization of various tubes in the stomach and duodenum.
Detection of myosin in prefusion G0 lizard myoblasts in vitro.

Abstract The relationships between withdrawal of myoblasts from the cell cycle, myosin synthesis, and myoblast fusion have been examined in cultures of skeletal muscle derived from the regenerating tail of the lizard Anolis carolinensis . Utilizing both immunocytochemistry and transmission electron microscopy, we have demonstrated the presence of myosin in mononucleated lizard myoblasts which have entered a prefusion G 0 period. A model is presented summarizing our current view of lizard myogenesis in vitro .
High Electromechanical Coupling Piezoelectrics - How High Energy Conversion Rate is Possible

A new category of piezoelectric ceramics with very high electromechanical coupling was discovered in a lead zinc niobate:lead titanate solid solution in a single crystal form. The maximum coupling factor k33 reaches 95%, which corresponds to the energy conversion rate twice as high as the conventional lead zirconate titanate ceramics. This paper reviews the previous studies on superior piezoelectricity in relaxor ferroelectric: lead titanate solid solutions and on the possible mechanisms of this high electromechanical coupling.
CHYLOTHORAX FROM SPONTANEOUS AND IATROGENIC ETIOLOGY

This is a description of seven consecutive cases of chylothorax in neonates. Chylothorax is known to occur spontaneously and is a recognized but infrequent cause of respiratory distress in neonates. It is, however, the most frequent cause of pleural effusion in the newborn. In four of the seven cases, the chylothorax was a spontaneously occurring event as has been previously described in the literature. But in three cases, it occurred in close temporal association with hyperalimentation. All three cases of chylothorax which were associated with the hyperalimentation and superior vena cava thrombosis died. In the four spontaneously occurring cases of chylothorax, a medium chain triglyceride diet was utilized to reduce the chylous accumulation and load in all four of these cases. The infants survived intact. It is our report that chylothorax may be added to the list of possible complications of hyperalimentation via the superior vena cava route and that the needs of this form of hyperalimentation in the low-birth-weight infant must be weighed against this and other possible complications. It is further suggested that study is indicated on the use of medium chain triglycerides versus other formulae in cases of chylothorax to ascertain whether there is a significant difference in the amount of chylous accumulation which results.
Radiative transport in a two-dimensional axisymmetric thermal plasma using the S–N discrete ordinates method on a line-by-line basis

Abstract A theoretically rigorous method for handling the transport of radiant energy in a two-dimensional, axisymmetric, thermal plasma is presented. A S–N discrete ordinates method is used to solve the radiative equation of transfer on a line-by-line basis. A line-by-line solution of the radiative equation of transfer is an exact method of handling the spectral characteristics of thermal radiation. Plasmas are highly non-gray emitters and absorbers of radiant energy, making proper handling of the spectral characteristics extremely important. To demonstrate this method a few results are presented for a 200 A, free-burning, argon arc.