cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variability in computed tomography diameter measurements of solid renal masses

Purpose To determine whether the frequency of intra-observer measurement discrepancies ≥5 mm for solid renal masses varies by renal mass characteristics and CT contrast phase.
Rapid method to measure diffusion of paramagnetic species: Mn2+ in poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) ionomers

We present a facile method to measure Fickian diffusion coefficients of paramagnetic species in materials, using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The method requires no postannealing sample preparation, is adaptable to in situ measurement, and requires only that the spectrum of the paramagnetic species change monotonically with its local concentration. We illustrated this method with poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) ionomers, using laminates prepared from the same copolymer neutralized with either paramagnetic Mn2+ or diamagnetic Zn2+. For Mn2+, the exchange interaction between neighboring Mn2+ caused the six-line hyperfine pattern to transform to a single broad signal, providing the measurement of local concentration. Diffusion coefficients of Mn2+ in this ionomer pair measured by ESR were compared with those for Zn2+ measured by conventional electron probe microanalysis and found to be in satisfactory agreement.
The people of Calicut: objects, texts, and images in the Age of Proto-Ethnography

Some early sixteenth-century works by artists from southern Germany (Albrecht Durer, Hans Burgkmair, Albrecht Altdorfer, Jorg Breu) representing the 'people of Calicut' (which was then supposed to be accessible from Europe both in an eastward and westward direction) are explored in terms of their combination of images from South Asia and artifacts from Brazil. This is placed in the context of the methodologies developed during this period for collecting and processing data in the form of texts, images, and collections of material objects, which are considered to have been the antecedents of modern ethnography and anthropology.
‘Whistful’ Thinking: Time, Cards, and Madmen at the Fin-de-siècle (Lermina’s ‘Les Fous’)

AbstractThe attentive focus required to play the game of whist famously led Poe to crown it the best indicator of an analytical, reasoning mind. Yet in Jules Lermina’s 1885 story ‘Les Fous’, the game’s logic takes on a lunatic rhythm, as the protagonist’s tics and trances lead to the tale’s brutal conclusion of murder in an insane asylum. This paper situates ‘Les Fous’ within three contexts: (i) historical and literary representations of card-playing from early nineteenth-century France, when ludic risk was linked to changing political regimes, to the fin-de-siecle, when many writers shifted their gaze from politics to psychopathology; (ii) the fin-de-siecle fantastic fictions of Maupassant and Villiers, which explore the thin edge between scientific rationality and mad solipsism in a positivistic age; and (iii) a broader crisis of perception, articulated in Jonathan Crary’s Suspensions of Perception, in which the sustained attentiveness that allows productive citizens to engage in repetitive, machine-lik...
Preparation and properties of n-vinylpyrrolidone grafted polymers by radiation-induced graft polymerization

Radiation-induced graft polymerization of N-vinylpyrrolidone onto polypropylene and poly(4-methylpentene-1) has been studied. N-Vinylpyrrolidone was easily grafted onto polypropylene and poly(4-methylpentene-1) by the in-source method. In this systern, graft polymerization was found to be largely dependent on reaction parameters such as irradiation dose, monomer concentration, and solvent. p]Some properties of the grafted films have been measured and found to vary as the composition of the grafted films changed; water absorption and solute permeability increased remarkably with increasing poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) content in the grafted films, while tensile strength and elongation at yield decreased.
Design of narrow-band-pass IR filter with a long-wavelength pass band

Narrow-band-pass (NBP) interference filters are commonly used in the infrared (IR) spectral region. It may happen that such a filter is to be used in conjunction with an optical system which must pass thermal radiation in the 8 to 12 m wavelength range. Thus the NBP filter must be designed in such a way that it also transmits from 8 to 12 pm. This paper presents two design techniques for achieving the required performance. In one technique two reflective stacks are used, providing blocking on either side of the NBP region. Additional layers are used to provide the transparency over the region 8 to 12 m. The second approach involves using a multiple-cavity Fabry-Perot filter to achieve the NBP performance. The long-wave--pass region can be achieved by varying the refractive index of selected layers within the multilayer coating. Changing these indices has a minimal effect on the performance in the pass band. The above design techniques are applied to the NBP filter with the following specifications: Pass-band center: 4.0 m Pass-band width: m Pass-band transmittance: 80% Pass-band edge slope: ( 0.05 im (5% to 95%) Long-wave region: 8-12 m Long-wave transmission: T 90% One useful design trick that can be employed takes advantage of the fact that the long-wave transmission region covers a range of wavelengths which are approximately twice the wavelength of the NBP region. Thus layers with a halfwave optical thickness of 4 pm can be added without affecting the NBP performance. These layers will have an optical thickness close to a quarterwave over the 8 to 12 pm range and can be used to reduce the reflectance over this region.
Hair analysis for drugs of abuse : evaluation of analytical methods, environmental issues, and development of reference materials

Methods for extraction of cocaine, some of its metabolites, morphine, and codeine from hair and methods for analyzing the extracts have been investigated. Results of these studies have shown that extractions with 0.1N HCl are efficient at removing the target compounds from hair and appear to be as effective as enzymatic digestions that dissolve the hair. GC/MS with either electron ionization or chemical ionization was found to provide accurate and unambiguous determinations of the target compounds. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) also provided accurate results when performed on extracts from hair, but results were ambiguous when MS/MS was performed on hair segments directly. Environmental issues, including the removal of powdered and vapor-deposited cocaine from the hair surface and the effect of various hair treatments on the levels of cocaine entrapped in hair, have also been investigated. Removal of cocaine deposited on hair was incomplete by all approaches tested, making differentiation of hair of cocaine users from hair with environmental exposure of cocaine difficult. Cocaethylene, a cocaine metabolite believed to be formed in the liver, was found in the hair of some cocaine users and may be a good marker for proving drug use. Common hair treatments, such as shampoos, conditioners, and peroxide bleaches, reduced cocaine levels in a fortified hair material by 60 to 80% after 30 treatments. Finally, to assist laboratories in evaluating the accuracy of their methods, two human hair reference materials with recommended concentrations of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, morphine, and codeine determined by GC/MS have been developed.
The transition-edge EBIT microcalorimeter spectrometer

The Transition-edge EBIT Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (TEMS) is a 1000-pixel array instrument to be delivered to the Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in 2015. It will be the first fully operational array of its kind. The TEMS will utilize the unique capabilities of the EBIT to verify and benchmark atomic theory that is critical for the analysis of high-resolution data from microcalorimeter spectrometers aboard the next generation of x-ray observatories. We present spectra from the present instrumentation at EBIT, as well as our latest results with time-division multiplexing using the current iteration of the TEMS focal plane assembly in our test platform at NASA/GSFC.
The Ubik configurator

Ubik is a system within which organizational structure, concepts, and actions are described and organizational applications are executed. Ubik represents an organization not with one global model, but with multiple overlapping models which can be physically distributed within multiple knowledge bases. There is a basic computational object in Ubik called the Ubik Configurator. The Configurator is used to specify organizational concepts, handlers, goals, and constraints. Configurators are linked together in lattices within a model. There are different types of models built using the configurator. Ubik models support the communication between distributed applications and the control of the parallel execution of applications. Development models support the continual evolution necessary in a large organization to cope with the changing external environment. Due process models support the resolving of conflicts between conflicting models. Organizational models describe the end-users organization and applications.
The Role of Identity in Transformational Learning, Teaching, and Leading.

This chapter investigates the role of identity in teaching and learning. The chapter draws connections between the process of transformational education and the practice of leadership.
Hyper-Low Density Lipoproteinemia in United States Air Force Recruits

Six hundred and three selected, lean, healthy United States Air Force recruits, ranging from age 18 to 22, were screened for hyperlipoproteinemia shortly after military induction. There were 307 men and 296 women. Mean plasma lipid levels were lower than generally observed in the population at large: cholesterol = 139 ± 39 (sd) mg%; low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol = 86 ± 40 mg%; high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol = 59 ± 23 mg%; total plasma triglyceride (TG) = 40 ± 17 mg%. The low total plasma cholesterol was largely attributed to the LDL cholesterol fraction. White women had lower total and LDL cholesterol levels (P < 0.01) than men, but no other significant sex or race differences were observed. Twenty-six individuals (4.3%) had values for either one or both total plasma cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations above the limits arbitrarily established for this group and are regarded as having hyper-low density lipoproteinemia. More individuals were identified as abnormal by a det...
The anatomical approach to inguinal orchiopexy.

Purpose: Achieving a scrotally positioned testis with no iatrogenic atrophy is the primary goal of the surgical treatment of cryptorchidism. The success rate is associated with preoperative testicular position and the technique used. Our success rate with inguinal orchiopexy for abdominal testis is higher than those previously published and may be due to our anatomical approach to retroperitoneal dissection. We review the relevant anatomy and discuss the surgical technique of inguinal orchiopexy.Materials and Methods: We researched and reviewed the relevant technical and anatomical literature on inguinal orchiopexy, and describe the anatomical approach to orchiopexy in detail.Results: An understanding of the retroperitoneal fascial layers is the key to understanding surgery of the retroperitoneum. Dividing the internal spermatic fascia is required for the surgeon to separate the processus vaginalis from the vas and vessels.Conclusions: The average age of children undergoing cryptorchid surgery has decreas...
INTERACTION OF CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS (Ct) AND POLYMORPHONUCLEAR LEUKOCYTES (PMNS): A POSSIBLE ROLE IN VIRULENCE

Although Ct is an obligate intracellular parasite, it is classified as a bacterium. However, little is known about its interaction with human PMNS. Factors playing a role in the opsonization of Ct were investigated using luminol dependent PMN chemiluminescence (LDCL). We tested 2 strains of Ct: a genital isolate and an LGV (L2). The Ct were grown in cell culture and purified by differential centrifugation and passage through 35% renograffin. Ct alone failed to induce a significant degree of LDCL compared to serum activated zymosan (< 90%) Ct mixed with human sera generated significant LDCL. This effect of the serum was independent of the presence or absence of specific anti-chlamydial antibody or complement. Primate serum had 77% of the activity of human serum, non-primate species (sheep, horse, cow, rabbit) demonstrated substantially less activity (<90%). The magnitude of LDCL was also related to the Ct: PMN ratio with greatest activity at 10:1. Human sera with IgG <100 mg/dl did not stimulate LDCL more than Ct alone. These results suggest that human IgG, or other components of human serum interact with Ct independent of specific antibody binding sites. This factor in human serum also does not appear to be a natural or cross reacting antibody. The interaction of Ct with human IgG could serve to increase the virulence of the organism in a manner analogous to that propsed for staphylococcal protein A.
SUSTAINED HYPERLIPEMIA INDUCED IN RABBITS BY MEANS OF INTRAVENOUSLY INJECTED SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENTS

The intravenous injection of the surface-active agents Tween 80 and Triton A20 into rabbits fed a normal diet resulted in marked and sustained elevations of the cholesterol, phospholipid, and total lipid content of their blood. The increase in phospholipid in general paralleled that of the blood cholesterol. The implications of the findings are briefly discussed.
Erythrocyte membrane ATPase and calcium pumping activities in porcine malignant hyperthermia

To investigate possible abnormalities in erythrocyte membrane enzyme activities in the pharmacogenetic disorder MH, membrane ATPase activities have been examined in erythrocyte ghosts prepared from red blood cells of MHS and normal swine. While no differences were noted in Mg2+-ATPase activities, the (Na+, K+)-ATPase activity of MHS erythrocyte ghosts was less than that of normal ghosts. Ca2+-ATPase activity exhibited low- and high-affinity Ca2+-binding sites in both types of erythrocyte ghost. While the Km for Ca2+ was greater for normal than for MHS erythrocyte ghosts at the high-affinity Ca2+-binding site, the reverse was true at the low-affinity Ca2+-binding site. Irrespective of the type of calcium binding site occupied, the Vmax for normal erythrocyte ghost Ca2+-ATPase activity was greater than that for MHS ghosts. In the presence of calmodulin, there was now no difference between MHS and normal erythrocyte ghosts in either the Km for Ca2+ or the Vmax of the Ca2+-ATPase activity. To determine if the calcium pumping activity of intact MHS and normal pig erythrocytes differed, calcium efflux from the 45Ca-loaded erythrocytes was determined; this activity was significantly greater for MHS than for normal erythrocytes. Thus, the present study confirms that there are abnormalities in the membranes of MHS pig red blood cells. However, we conclude that these abnormalities are unlikely to result in an impaired ability of MHS erythrocytes to regulate their cytosolic Ca2+ concentration.
Teacher and child variables as predictors of academic engagement among low‐income African American children

A causal model for understanding the complex interplay between student-reported teacher behaviors, student self-systems, and student engagement was tested. One hundred seventeen African American students in grades 1 through 12 completed a comprehensive questionnaire regarding teacher context, self, and engagement variables. A series of hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized mediation models and to construct a path model. Most hypotheses were supported. Student self-system variables (perceived competency and autonomy) mediated relations between teacher context (structure and autonomy support), and engagement. Contrary to predictions, however, teacher involvement exerted a strong and direct effect on student engagement even when controlling for grade level and self-system variables. Given existing research showing that African American students are at risk for low teacher involvement and that engagement is critical for academic success, research and intervention strategies are urgently needed to promote teacher involvement with these students. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Osmosis-Based Pressure Generation: Dynamics and Application

This paper describes osmotically-driven pressure generation in a membrane-bound compartment while taking into account volume expansion, solute dilution, surface area to volume ratio, membrane hydraulic permeability, and changes in osmotic gradient, bulk modulus, and degree of membrane fouling. The emphasis lies on the dynamics of pressure generation; these dynamics have not previously been described in detail. Experimental results are compared to and supported by numerical simulations, which we make accessible as an open source tool. This approach reveals unintuitive results about the quantitative dependence of the speed of pressure generation on the relevant and interdependent parameters that will be encountered in most osmotically-driven pressure generators. For instance, restricting the volume expansion of a compartment allows it to generate its first 5 kPa of pressure seven times faster than without a restraint. In addition, this dynamics study shows that plants are near-ideal osmotic pressure generators, as they are composed of many small compartments with large surface area to volume ratios and strong cell wall reinforcements. Finally, we demonstrate two applications of an osmosis-based pressure generator: actuation of a soft robot and continuous volume delivery over long periods of time. Both applications do not need an external power source but rather take advantage of the energy released upon watering the pressure generators.
Is the use of classical diffusion-reaction theory strictly correct with immobilized enzymes?

The mathematical principles used for describing the simultaneous diffusion and reaction processes in heterogeneous catalysis have been carried over to model similar phenomena with immobilized enzymes. Due to the restricted mobility of the substrate molecule within the enzymes' support matrix and the stereospecificity of enzymatic catalysis it is explained how kinetic data may be both diffusionally masked and rotationally masked. This latter concept is apparently novel, and we qualitatively describe how it affects the substrate mass balance.
Seeing it differently: visual processing in autism

Several recent behavioral and neuroimaging studies have documented an impairment in face processing in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It remains unknown, however, what underlying mechanism gives rise to this face processing difficulty. One theory suggests that the difficulty derives from a pervasive problem in social interaction and/or motivation. An alternative view proposes that the face-processing problem is not entirely social in nature and that a visual perceptual impairment might also contribute. The focus of this review is on this latter, perceptual perspective, documenting the psychological and neural alterations that might account for the face processing impairment. The available evidence suggests that perceptual alterations are present in ASD, independent of social function.
A note on probabilistic input\3-output relations

Paz (1971a, p. 65) poses the following open problem: Given a recursively computable probabilistic input-output relation p , formulate a decision procedure for ascertaining whether p is of finite rank, or prove that the problem is not decidable. In this note, we prove that the problem is not decidable.
Separation and Investigation of a Stable Solid Free Radical of Chlorpromazine

A solid stable free radical of chlorpromazine was prepared and characterized. The free radical nature of this compound was verified by electron spin resonance and ultraviolet spectral studies. The molecular weight and melting point of the free radical were determined.
Successful pregnancy following orthotopic liver transplantation for idiopathic budd-chiari syndrome

Budd-Chiari syndrome is a rare and serious thrombotic event with significant morbidity and mortality. Recommendations regarding future conception and management during pregnancy have not been defined. We present a patient with history of idiopathic Budd-Chiari Syndrome and subsequent orthotopic liver transplantation who was successfully managed during pregnancy. A 24-year-old white female, gravida 1 para 0, status postorthotopic liver transplantation 5 years previously for Budd-Chiari syndrome with post-transplant insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus presented to our clinic at 7 weeks of gestation for initial prenatal evaluation. Maintenance immunosuppressive therapy and prophylactic heparin anticoagulation was administered throughout the pregnancy, which was uneventful until 35 weeks gestation, at which time pre-eclampsia and premature preterm rupture of membranes prompted labor induction. The patient developed no evidence of acute or chronic hepatic rejection and no evidence of recurrent Budd-Chiari syndrome during the pregnancy or post-partum convalescence. Prudent use of prophylactic anticoagulation, close immunosuppressive monitoring, and periodic fetal and maternal surveillance are warranted in patients with previous orthotopic liver transplantation for idiopathic Budd-Chiari syndrome and may reduce risk of recurrence during pregnancy.
Dependence of apparent rate of alternating clicks on azimuthal separation between sources

Ten listeners compared the apparent rate of 10/sec clicks, presented alternately from two comparison sources separated horizontally by 12–168 deg with that of clicks presented alternately from standard sources separated by 180 deg. The apparent rate of comparison clicks increased monotonically with decrease in angular separation. This result is consonant with the hypothesis that repetitive shifts of attention between two sound sources depend importantly on oscillating motor adjustments.
Pump-Probe Chemical Dynamics with High Order Harmonics

High order harmonics of a Ti:Sapphire laser, generated in a rare gas jet, are used either as a pump or probe for femtosecond time-delayed photoelectron spectroscopy of molecules and atoms.
“Long Live the Mensi-Mob”: Communicating Support Online With Regards to Experiencing Menopause in the Workplace

This study uses qualitative methods to examine how menopausal women make sense of their experiences and tensions they may face in dealing with menopause at work as revealed through an online menopause discussion board and also how the women of the discussion board communicatively manage these tensions. Results indicate three dialectical tensions: (a) resistance-conformity; (b) supportive-unsupportive work environment, and (c) embracing-denying menopausal identity. The women manage these tensions in varying ways, which include denying one part of the tension, embracing both sides of the poles, and vacillating between the poles. However, it appears as though one productive way for these women to make sense out of their experiences is to join an online discussion board relating to menopause.
Using pebble lithology and roundness to interpret gravel provenance in piedmont fluvial systems of the Rocky Mountains, USA

Abstract Clast populations in piedmont fluvial systems are products of complex histories that complicate provenance interpretation. Although pebble counts of lithology are widely used, the information provided by a pebble count has been filtered by a potentially large number of processes and circumstances. Counts of pebble lithology and roundness together offer more power than lithology alone for the interpretation of provenance. In this study we analyze pebble counts of lithology and roundness in two contrasting fluvial systems of Pleistocene age to see how provenance varies with drainage size. The two systems are 1) a group of small high-gradient incised streams that formed alluvial fans and terraces and 2) a piedmont river that formed terraces in response to climate-driven cycles of aggradation and incision. We first analyze the data from these systems within their geographic and geologic context. After this is done, we employ contingency table analysis to complete the interpretation of pebble provenance. Small tributary streams that drain rugged mountains on both sides of the Santa Cruz River, southeast Arizona, deposited gravel in fan and terrace deposits of Pleistocene age. Volcanic, plutonic and, to a lesser extent, sedimentary rocks are the predominant pebble lithologies. Large contrasts in gravel lithology are evident among adjacent fans. Subangular to subrounded pebbles predominate. Contingency table analysis shows that hard volcanic rocks tend to remain angular and, even though transport distances have been short, soft tuff and sedimentary rocks tend to become rounded. The Wind River, a major piedmont stream in Wyoming, drains rugged mountains surrounding the northwest part of the Wind River basin. Under the influence of climate change and glaciation during the Pleistocene, the river deposited an extensive series of terrace gravels. In contrast to Santa Cruz tributary gravel, most of the Wind River gravel is relatively homogenous in lithology and is rounded to well-rounded. Detailed analysis reveals a multitude of sources in the headwaters and the basin itself, but lithologies from these sources are combined downstream. Well-rounded volcanic and recycled quartzite clasts were derived from the headwaters. Precambrian igneous and metamorphic clasts were brought down tributary valleys to the Wind River by glaciers, and sandstone was added where the river enters the Wind River structural basin.
Downstream variations in the width of bedrock channels

Field surveys of channel width w and drainage area A in bedrock channel reaches reveal relationships where w 5 cA b , similar to the classic hydraulic geometry of alluvial channels. Data from five mountain channel networks support the assumption used in many landscape evolution models that an alluvial hydraulic geometry relationship where b 5 0.3-0.5 holds for bedrock channel systems. Although there is substantial local variability in channel width in bedrock channel systems, there is no systematic difference in width versus drainage area relations for the surveyed bedrock and alluvial reaches in sedimentary lithologies in coastal Oregon and Washington. In contrast, bedrock channels were narrower, and therefore had deeper flow, than alluvial channels with equal drainage areas in the granite and limestone terrain of the Yuba River, California. In addition, data from the Mokelumne River show that bedrock channel width decreases substantially downstream at the contact between relatively weak limestone and more erosion-resistant granite, but that channel slope does not change appreciably across contacts between these two lithologies. Data from coastal Oregon drainage basins further show systematic channel widening after flood flows and debris flow impacts. We conclude that downstream variations in the width of bedrock channels generally follow traditional hydraulic geometry relations but also reflect the local influence of longitudinal patterns of bedrock erosivity and disturbance history.
Write Yourself: Creative Writing and Personal Development

Write Yourself: Creative Writing and Personal Development. By Gillie Bolton. London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2011, 287 pp., US$29.95 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-84905-110-1 In Wr...
Television news as rhetoric

(1977). Television news as rhetoric. Western Journal of Speech Communication: Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 147-159.
Hormonal treatment of endometrial cancer: past, present and future.

The concept that hormonal therapy may be useful in the treatment of endometrial cancer antedated the pharmaceutical availability of progestational compounds. By 1959, initial studies demonstrated the ability of progestins to reverse endometrial hyperplasias. Thereafter, progestins and other hormonal agents have been used in various roles as treatment for endometrial cancers. This chapter reviews the use of hormonal agents for the treatment of primary and metastatic/recurrent endometrial cancer, as well as such treatment in an adjuvant setting. Major problems in enhancing the efficacy of endocrine therapy of cancers arising from hormonally responsive tissues are also considered. The regulations of steroid-hormone receptor expression in endometrial and breast cancers continues to be an active area of research interest.
Infant clothing: Sex labeling for strangers

Labeling an infant as a boy or girl affects behavior toward the infant. While intimates know a baby's sex label and behave consistently to the baby, strangers cannot unless given a cue. Forty-eight infants and their caretakers were observed in suburban malls to see if clothing normally provides such cues; 90% of the infants were dressed in sex-typed clothes. Girls wore or carried pink (75%), yellow, ruffles, puffed sleeves, and/or dresses. Boys wore blue (79%) and/or red. Observers were able to correctly guess the sex of “labeled” infants only. Surprisingly, simultaneous caretaker interviews revealed that parents do not spontaneously mention sex as a factor in clothing choice, nor do they feel they would be very bothered by strangers' mistaking the infant's sex.
Rewire: digital cosmopolitans in the age of connection; Reissued in 2014 as: Digital cosmopolitans: why we think the Internet connects us, why it doesn't, and how to rewire it

Recently, while driving with a friend, we listened to news on AM radio. Topics we encountered spanned market reporting with correspondents from the UK, world events in Iraq and Israel and eventuall...
High Side-Mode-Suppression-Ratio Sapphire-Bonded Photonic Crystal Laser under Continuous-Wave Operation

Sapphire-bonded photonic crystal lasers were fabricated and characterized under room temperature continuous wave operation, and a side-mode-suppression-ratio of 28 dB was observed. Lasing modes and spectra agree with theoretical prediction from three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method.
Membrane control of cardiac contractility.

ALL myocardial cells contract in every cardiac cycle and the contractility of the heart cannot be modulated as in skeletal muscle by varying the number of active cells, so each cardiac cell must be capable of a broad range of contractile states. Such versatility could result from changes in the action potential, in the amount of Ca2+ released for activation of the contraction, or in the contractile proteins themselves. Phosphorylation of the inhibitory subunit of troponin seems to occur in parallel with the increase in contractility of isolated hearts perfused with catecholamines1,2, and studies using isolated proteins indicate that the phosphorylation may be associated with a change in ATPase activity3,4, but a direct demonstration that the functional properties of contractile proteins themselves can be altered in a manner compatible with a physiologically important regulatory mechanism has not yet been produced. We report here studies of cardiac cells with membranes that have been made hyperpermeable, in which the response of the contractile system to Ca ions, the presumed trigger for activation of contraction, may be altered markedly with respect to both the concentration of calcium required for activation and the maximum generated force by the microenvironment of the contractile proteins and by reactions involving the cell's membranes. Cyclic nucleotides may be involved in some of these regulatory reactions.
Age Differences in Memory for Two Common Objects

An experiment was conducted to see if the laboratory findings of poorer recognition memory performance and more cautious responding by elderly adults could be duplicated in a nonlaboratory setting using common, everyday objects. Thirty old and 30 young adults were asked to sort drawings of the top side of a United States penny and of a pushbutton telephone dial into the following four categories: (1) the one correct drawing, (2) drawings that could be correct if the first were not, (3) possibly correct drawings, and (4) incorrect drawings. Results showed that older adults were more often incorrect but more confident in their responses than young adults.
Classroom note: Ahmes expansions of rational numbers of length two

This note could find classroom use in a first course on number theory. Three algebraic characterizations of the positive rational numbers q for which there exist positive integers m 1 1, can be expressed as 1/m 1 +…+1/mk , for positive integers m1 < … < mk . A partial result for the numbers 4/n is also given. In a probabilistic vein, it is shown, for each k≥1, that as →∞, 0 is the limit of the proportion of positive proper fractions a/n in lowest terms admitting an expansion 1/m 1 +…+1/mk of the above type.
An interacting spin label study of the fluidizing and condensing effects of cholesterol on lecithin bilayers.

Abstract The molecular origin of the fluidizing and condensing effects of cholesterol has been investigated using interacting spin label pairs in multibilayer films of various lecithins. The spin label pair method is a probe of the lateral separation of molecules within the bilayer. The cholestane spin probe separation is found to increase with increasing cholesterol composition in dipalmitoyllecithin bilayers and to decrease with increasing cholesterol composition in both egg and dioleoyllecithin bilayers. These changes in close-packing of the molecules within the lecithin bilayers correspond respectively to the fluidizing and condensing (and rigidifying) effects of cholesterol. The measured decrease in lateral separation corresponding to fluidization of the dipalmitoyllecithin—cholesterol bilayers correlates reasonably well with the latent heat and change in volume at the liquid crystal transition of pure dipalmitoyllecithin. The size of the decrease in lateral separation in egg lecithin bilayers indicates that the condensing effect of cholesterol arises from both molecular interaction with the lecithin chains and the existence of molecular cavities within the lecithin chain region of the bilayer.
Raman spectroscopy for cancer detection: instrument development and tissue diagnosis

Raman spectroscopy can provide quantitative molecular information about the biochemical composition of human tissues exhibiting various stages of disease. Fluorescence interference is ubiquitous in Raman spectra of biological samples excited with visible light. However, it can be avoided by using near-infrared (NIR) or ultraviolet (UV) excitation. We are exploring the potential of these methods for detecting precancerous/cancerous changes in human tissues. The NIR studies use 830 nm excitation from a Ti:sapphire laser. Raman signals are collected by an imaging spectrograph/deep-depletion CCD detection system. High quality tissue spectra can be obtained in a few seconds or less. The UV resonance Raman studies employ wavelengths below 300 nm for selective excitation of nucleic acids, proteins and lipids. Excitation is provided by a frequency tripled/quadrupled mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser, and Raman light is collected by a one meter spectrograph/UV-enhanced CCD detector. The two systems can be coupled to appropriate microscopes for extracting morphological and biochemical information at the cellular level, which is important for understanding the origin of the Raman spectra of bulk tissue. The results of the initial studies for cancer detection in various human tissues are reported here.
The many faces and mimics of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

This article provides an overview of the 15 histologic variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma listed by the 2004 World Health Organization (WHO) monograph on endocrine tumors. The histologic features, differential diagnosis, and clinical course of each variant are discussed in some detail. The follicular variants (conventional and macrofollicular) constitute a morphologic challenge because the majority of these tumors are encapsulated and, also, because, in many tumors, not all neoplastic cells show the nuclear features considered to be diagnostic of papillary carcinoma. As a result, most of these tumors are missed even by experienced pathologists. Moreover, hyperplastic thyroid lesions, follicular adenomas, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis may contain cells with clear nuclei resembling those of papillary carcinoma. Papillary carcinomas composed entirely of hyperchromatic cells have been overlooked. The WHO monograph defines papillary carcinoma with focal spindle and giant cell carcinoma components but its clinical behavior is unknown. Papillary carcinoma with an insular pattern that does not show the artifactual separation of the cell nests has been misinterpreted as the solid variant of papillary carcinoma. Papillary microcarcinomas include not only the conventional type and the follicular variants but also the tall cell and columnar cell variants.
The Caveman's Conscience: Evolution and Moral Realism

An increasingly popular moral argument has it that the story of human evolution shows that we can explain the human disposition to make moral judgments without relying on a realm of moral facts. Such facts can thus be dispensed with. But this argument is a threat to moral realism only if there is no realist position that can explain, in the context of human evolution, the relationship between our particular moral sense and a realm of moral facts. I sketch a plausible evolutionary story that illuminates this relationship. First, the sorts of adaptive pressures facing early humans would have produced more than just potent prosocial emotions, as evolutionary antirealists like to claim; it would have produced judgments—often situated within emotions—to the effect that others could reasonably disapprove of some bit of conduct, for an early human who cared deeply about how others might respond to her action enjoyed the benefits of more cooperative exchanges than those early humans who did not. Second, according...
Classical Computers Can Not Efficiently Simulate Multimode Linear Optical Interferometers with Arbitrary Fock-State Inputs

We explicitly construct the Hilbert space for the interferometer and show that that its dimension scales exponentially with the physical resources required for building and running it.
Peritoneal Equilibration Test

Peritoneal transfer rates of urea, creatinine, glucose, protein potassium, and sodium as well as drain and residual volumes were measured during 103 equilibration tests performed in 18 diabetic and...
An Examination of Temporal Variables and Relationship Quality on Promotability Ratings

Previous research has shown the positive impact of relationship quality on promotability ratings and inconsistent results for temporal variables and these same ratings. The authors integrated these findings by examining the joint impact of supervisor-subordinate relationship quality and temporal variables (measured with three types of tenure: relationship, job, and organizational) on supervisor promotability ratings. Using a matched set of 180 supervisor-subordinate dyads, the results supported the interactive effects of time as measured by organizational and relational tenure with relationship quality, whereas job tenure had no impact. Furthermore, the findings suggested that relationship tenure had the strongest impact on the relationship quality-promotability relationship. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Dual-Frequency Addressed Infrared Liquid Crystal Phase Modulators with Submillisecond Response Time

Dynamic response of a dual-frequency liquid crystal (DFLC) based near infrared phase modulator is investigated through numerical simulations and experiments. The relationships between the optical response times and various voltage driving conditions are studied. An optical phase retarder operating at 1.55 μm wavelength is demonstrated by using our homemade high figure-of-merit DFLC mixture. To improve the response time, both dual- frequency addressing and high voltage overdrive methods are employed. The obtained optical rising and decay times are reduced to less than 0.5 ms for a 2π phase change. The optical transition curves simulated with finite element method show good agreement with our experimental results.
RoShaQ: High-performance on-chip router with shared queues

On-chip router typically has buffers dedicated to its input or output ports for temporarily storing packets in case contention occurs on output physical channels. Buffers, unfortunately, consume significant portions of router area and power. While running a traffic trace, however, not all input ports of routers have incoming packets needed to be transferred at the same time. As a result, a large number of buffer queues in the network are empty while other queues are mostly busy. This observation motivates us to design RoShaQ, a router architecture that maximizes buffer utilization by allowing to share multiple buffer queues among input ports. Sharing queues, in fact, makes using buffers more efficient hence is able to achieve higher throughput when the network load becomes heavy. On the other side, at light traffic load, our router achieves low latency by allowing packets to effectively bypass these shared queues. Experimental results show that RoShaQ is 21% less latency and 14% higher saturation throughput than a typical virtual-channel (VC) router with 4% higher power and 16% larger area. Due to its higher performance, RoShaQ consumes 7% less energy per a transferred packet than a VC router given the same buffer space capacity.
DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF PROBLEM RESOLUTION CAPABILITIES FOR THE EN ROUTE SECTOR CONTROLLER

This paper provides an overview of problem resolution capabilities being developed to assist en route air traffic controllers. This function is termed Problem Analysis, Resolution and Ranking (PARR). PARR is envisioned as an enhancement to the User Request Evaluation Tool (URET) Free Flight Phase 1 (FFP1) capability, and has been designated as Priority Research for the follow-on Free Flight Phase 2 (FFP2) effort. PARR is being developed as a series of incremental enhancements to URET, with the first step focusing on providing additional support to the Radar Associate (D) controller for the resolution of aircraft-to-a ircraft and aircraft-to-airspace problems. Subsequent enhancements address the avoidance of severe weather areas, the implementation of Traffic Flow Management (TFM) flow initiatives, and the integration into a common en route Sector Team Computer-Human Interface (CHI). This paper provides an overview of the initial PARR capabilities and a summary of results from ongoing evaluations with active field controllers. An overview of the techniques being developed for the PARR functional performance and benefits assessment are given, along with initial results. Finally, concepts are described for the enhancement of URET and PARR to assist in the avoidance of severe weather areas and implementation of TFM flow initiatives.
Novelty, stimulus control, and operant variability.

Although behavior analysis has been criticized for failure to account for response novelty, many common behavior-analytic concepts and processes (e.g., selectionism, the operant, reinforcement, and stimulus control) assume variability both in the environment and in behavior. The importance of the relation between variability and novelty, particularly for verbal behavior, is discussed, and concepts used to account for novel behavior are examined. Experimental findings also are reviewed that suggest that variability in behavior can come under discriminative control, and these findings are applied to describe novel instances of behavior that may arise during problem solving. We conclude that variations provided and selected by the terms of the three-term contingency are powerful means for understanding novel behavior.
In vivo intracortical loading histories calculated from bone strain telemetry

Strain gages have been used by many researchers to measure bone strain in animals during gait (Evans, 1953; Lanyon and Smith, 1969, 1970; Lanyon 1973; Barnes and Pinder, 1974; Cochran, 1974; Turner et al. 1975; Rybicki et al. 1977; Carter et al. 1980). Sumner-Smith et al. (1977) reported the use of a telemetry system to record information from a strain gage rosette attached to the horse metacarpal. The telemetry system allows strain measurements to be taken at various levels of exercise without introducing gait constraints. In this paper, intracortical strain distributions have been calculated for the midshaft canine radius from telemetered and hard-wired in vivo strain gage information.
Autonomic function in hypertension : are there racial differences ?

Previous biochemical assessment of sympathetic nervous system activity including plasma catecholamines, plasma renin activity, and plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase levels has suggested racial differences in the contribution of the sympathetic nervous system to the pathogenesis or maintenance of hypertension. We, therefore, performed physiological and pharmacological studies in white and black subjects with essential hypertension and their age-matched normotensive counterparts to assess autonomic and sympathetic nervous system function. One hundred one male subjects (47 white hypertensive, 17 black hypertensive, 22 white normotensive, and 15 black normotensive subjects) were evaluated for baroreceptor reflex sensitivity to low-pressure (amyl nitrite inhalation) and high-pressure (phenylephrine infusion) stimuli; cold pressor test heart rate and blood pressure responses; and blood pressure response to phentolamine alpha-adrenergic blockade. Hypertensive subjects exhibited an increase in resting heart rate, a decrease in baroreceptor reflex sensitivity, and an exaggerated decline in mean arterial pressure in response to phentolamine. These abnormalities were present to a comparable degree in black and white hypertensive subjects. Cold pressor testing revealed greater increases in heart rate in blacks as compared with whites; however, this racial difference was present regardless of blood pressure status, occurring in black normotensive and black hypertensive subjects to a comparable degree. Cold pressor test blood pressure increments were similar in the four groups. We conclude that both white hypertensive and black hypertensive subjects demonstrate similar abnormalities in autonomic and sympathetic nervous system function including blunting of baroreceptor reflex sensitivity and an increased alpha-adrenergic receptor participation in blood pressure maintenance. The results do not suggest major racial differences in autonomic pathogenetic mechanisms in hypertension.
The role of urban community colleges in educating diverse populations

This chapter uses data from the Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students project to provide evidence of success among racially diverse students in the Los Angeles Community College District. Through interviews with student services personnel, it also describes the specific efforts that may be responsible for this success. In addition, it provides insight into the current and anticipated effects of severe budget cuts on minority student success initiatives.
Fc receptor and trophoblast antigens in seminal plasma: a potential stimulus to prime mothers for implantation

This report summarizes and extends our findings of TLX and FCγRIII antigens in SP and trophoblast