cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
IBM/RT Based CAMAC Data Acquisition Station

An IBM/RT based data acquisition station is under development at the Princeton University Cyclotron Laboratory in cooperation with an IBM academic donation program. Our multiparameter data acquisition software ACQUIRE is being implemented on the RT. A Turbo Pascal data-taking code which executes on the AT co-processor was first transferred to the RT system and is being used in experiments. A number of other useful programs, including our kinematics codes, have also been transferred to the RT.
Demonstration of calcium-induced conformational change(s) in C-reactive protein by using monoclonal antibodies

Three out of four anti-C-reactive protein monoclonal antibodies [HB3-2, (micro, k)], EA4-1 (gamma 2a, k) and FB2-1 (gamma 1, k) bind to C-reactive protein in the presence of 2.5 mM Ca2+ but not in the presence of 1.0 mM EDTA, indicating that the conformation of the antigenic determinant(s) recognized by these three antibodies is dependent upon Ca2+. This Ca2+-dependent binding can be inhibited by 1.0 mM phosphocholine, indicating that this antigenic determinant is at or near the phosphocholine-binding site of C-reactive protein. The binding of the fourth monoclonal antibody [HD2-4 (gamma 2-k)] is independent of the presence of Ca2+ and is not inhibited by phosphocholine. HB3-2 (micro, k) recognizes an antigenic determinant on the structurally related proteins, rabbit CRP and serum amyloid P.
Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis in mice. Induction by a single eliciting event and dependence on quantitative parameters of immunization.

Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) in the mouse is a recently developed model of ocular autoimmunity. Dependence of disease induction on qualitative and quantitative parameters of immunization was studied in B10.A mice immunized with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP). It was found that use of Bordetella pertussis adjuvant as well as its mode of preparation was of critical importance for disease induction; no disease was induced if pertussis adjuvant was omitted. The minimal effective protocol for EAU induction when the vaccine form of B. pertussis adjuvant was used consisted of pretreatment with cyclophosphamide, two divided doses of IRBP in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), and two divided doses of B. pertussis vaccine. Any reduction in the immunization schedule resulted in reduced incidence of disease. In contrast, substituting purified B. pertussis toxin (PTX) for the vaccine allowed reduction of the immunization schedule to a single dose of IRBP in CFA and omission of the cyclophosphamide pretreatment. Severity and incidence of disease could be quantitatively controlled by varying the respective doses of IRBP and PTX. In addition, a chronic or an acute clinical course of EAU could be obtained by using either a low-dose or a high-dose immunization, respectively. Establishment of a single dose induction protocol and the quantitation of the immunopathogenic response as a function of the variables of immunization lay the foundation for the further development and utilization of this promising model of ocular autoimmunity.
Cavitation In Acute Histoplasmosis

Cavitary lung lesions in histoplasmosis are usually associated with the chronic form of the disease. This report describes a ten-year-old boy with the clinical and serologic pattern of acute Histoplasma capsulatum infection who had multiple cavitary lesions.
Hyperglycemic levels of glucose inhibit interleukin 1 release from RAW 264.7 murine macrophages by activation of protein kinase C

Diabetic patients with hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) have frequent and persistent bacterial infections linked to significantly diminished bactericidal activity and macrophage function. Interleukin-1 (IL-1), released primarily from activated macrophages, is a key mediator of effective host defense against microorganisms. We observe that hyperglycemic levels of D-glucose (8-20 mM) inhibit the release of IL-1 by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. An inhibitor of glucose transport and metabolism, 2-deoxyglucose, prevents this inhibition of IL-1 release. High levels (8-20 mM) of fructose and mannose (but not galactose or L-glucose) also inhibit the release of IL-1 activity, suggesting that metabolism is required for IL-1 inhibition. Immunoprecipitation and activity measurements demonstrate that high glucose levels block the release of IL-1 but do not inhibit IL-1 production. High glucose levels (20 mM) increase protein kinase C (PKC) activity, and inhibitors of PKC block the inhibitory effects of glucose. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, an agonist of PKC, mimics glucose-induced inhibition of IL-1 release. These results demonstrate that high glucose levels inhibit IL-1 release (but not production) by RAW 264. 7 murine macrophages, and this inhibition is mediated by PKC activation. These studies suggest that persistent infections in hyperglycemic patients may be due to an inhibition of IL-1 release from macrophages.
Mercury levels, reproduction, and hematology in western grebes from three California Lakes, USA

Twenty-three healthy adult western and Clark's grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis and Aechmophorous clarkii) were collected at three study sites in California, USA, in 1992: Clear Lake, Lake County; Eagle Lake, Lassen County; and Tule Lake, Siskiyou County. Liver, kidney, breast muscle. and brain were analyzed for total mercury (Hg) concentration (ppm wet weight). and blood was analyzed for various blood parameters. Clear Lake birds (n = 13) had greater Hg concentrations in kidney, breast muscle, and brain than birds from the other two lakes (p 0.05). Average concentrations for Clear Lake birds were 2.74 ppm for liver, 2.06 ppm for kidney. 1.06 ppm for breast muscle, and 0.28 ppm for brain. The tissue levels of kidney, breast muscle, and brain at the other two study sites were one half the levels found at Clear Lake. These mean tissue levels were near, but below, those known to cause adverse effects. When data from all sites were merged, kidney, breast muscle, and brain concentrations are positively correlated to each other (p < 0.05). Liver concentrations were not correlated to any other value. Brain Hg concentrations were also negatively correlated to blood potassium and blood phosphorus levels (n = 11. p < 0.05). Kidney Hg levels were positively correlated to percent blood heterophils and negatively correlated to percent eosinophils (n = 13, p < 0.05). suggesting that mercury levels might be affecting immune function. These biomarkers could not be related to any obvious ecological effects.
A comparison of grouped and paired associates in verbal learning.

(1963). A Comparison of Grouped and Paired Associates in Verbal Learning. The Journal of General Psychology: Vol. 69, No. 1, pp. 163-168.
Resting and field metabolic rates of adult male yellow-bellied marmots, Marmota flaviventris

Resting metabolic rate (RMR) and field metabolic rate (FMR) of wild-caught males were estimated from oxygen consumption and the doubly-labeled water method, respectively. The average FMR:RMR ratio of 6.9 was much greater than ratios reported for other mammals. Total FMR (kJ/day) increased and specific RMR (kJ/kg/day) decreased with time. Neither total RMR nor specific FMR were significantly related to time. The decrease in specific RMR may result from a circannual decrease in maintenance expenditure and a seasonal increase in body mass. Total FMR may increase through the season as conditions for male activity become more favorable.
Antibiotics in Pediatric Cataract Surgery: Subconjunctival Versus Intracameral

Endophthalmitis is an uncommon but potentially devastating intraocular infection that can occur after routine cataract surgery. Prevention is of great importance because of potentially severe consequences of endophthalmitis. Various routes of administration of antibiotics have evolved, including preoperative topical, intraoperative (infusion, intracameral), and postoperative subconjunctival and topical routes. There is growing evidence that intracameral injection of antibiotics at the conclusion of surgery is an effective method of endophthalmitis prophylaxis. The intracameral route of administration is supported by randomized controlled trial data. The evidence supporting subconjunctival antibiotic prophylaxis is retrospective and less conclusive.
Genetic segregation of the deformed flower gene in trisomics of Solanum chacoense

The gene df (deformed flower), which is expressed as short anther in sensitive cytoplasm, has been incorporated into the trisomic series of S. chacoenseBitt. The cytoplasmic sensitivity and genotypes for the gene df were tested in the original trisomics and their parents. Two diploid parents were found to be homozygous dominant for Df, while one was homozygous recessive. All the parents and trisomics tested had resistant cytoplasm. Six trisomics were heterozygous for df, segregating with a 1:1 ratio when they were crossed to the homozygous testers ([dfs]dfdf). When the F1 trisomics (trisomics x [Dfr]dfdf) were crossed to the homozygous testers, nine of the 13 trisomics segregated with a 1:1 ratio, three with a 0:1 ratio (all deformed) and one trisomic (V1682.3) with a 2:1 ratio. All the parents of the trisomic V1682.3 were homozygous dominant for Df. This clone is believed to be trisomic for the gene df.
Wavelet-based wavefront control

The objective of Adaptive Optics is to achieve dynamic correction of severely abberated systems. This effort will develop a novel adaptive optics approach based on wavelets. Distortions are imprinted on the wavefront in the form of a spatially varying phase field. A wavelet-based method is being developed to subtract out distortions to yield a fully corrected image. This method will be initially developed for laser systems but aims eventually to be used for adaptive optical systems for ground-based telescopes.
Large eddy simulation of multi-phase turbulent flows in realistic combustors

An overview is provided of the recent advances in performing LES in complex combustor geometries using a non-dissipative, massively parallel, unstructured grid solver (CDP). A new numerical algorithm that is discretely energy conserving on hybrid unstructured grids is developed. This allows simulations at high Reynolds numbers without the use of numerical dissipation. This LES methodology has been extended to include advanced turbulent combustion models and a Lagrangian particle tracking methodology for simulating turbulent multiphase flows. Results for single and multi-phase flow simulations in realistic Pratt & Whitney (P&W) combustor geometries are discussed.
You are what you eat, or are you? The challenges of translating high-fat-fed rodents to human obesity and diabetes

Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are rapidly growing worldwide epidemics with major health consequences. Various human-based studies have confirmed that both genetic and environmental factors (particularly high-caloric diets and sedentary lifestyle) greatly contribute to human T2DM. Interactions between obesity, insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction result in human T2DM, but the mechanisms regulating the interplay among these impairments remain unclear. Rodent models of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity have been used widely to study human obesity and T2DM. With >9000 publications on PubMed over the past decade alone, many aspects of rodent T2DM have been elucidated; however, correlation to human obesity/diabetes remains poor. This review investigates the reasons for this translational discrepancy by critically evaluating rodent HFD models. Dietary modification in rodents appears to have limited translatable benefit for understanding and treating human obesity and diabetes due—at least in part—to divergent dietary compositions, species/strain and gender variability, inconsistent disease penetrance, severity and duration and lack of resemblance to human obesogenic pathophysiology. Therefore future research efforts dedicated to acquiring translationally relevant data—specifically human data, rather than findings based on rodent studies—would accelerate our understanding of disease mechanisms and development of therapeutics for human obesity/T2DM.
Natural sources of arsenic in Southeastern Michigan groundwater

In Southeastern Michigan, arsenic concentrations in well waters range from 1 to 1310 μg/l, with most common levels being 5-50 μg/L. Arsenopyrite is common in Marshall Sandstone, the primary aquifer in the study area, and is the only known arsenic-containing mineral in the region. While it is hypothesized that oxidation of arsenic-rich pyrite in the till fragments is the primary mechanism for arsenic release into the groundwater, the underlying geochemical processes are still unclear. Four mechanisms for arsenic release into the environment have been hypothesized. These include pyrite oxidation, carbonation of arsenic sulfide minerals, reduction of arsenic-containing iron-oxyhydroxides, and reduction of arsenic sorbed to the aquifer. Each of these theories is discussed.
Lower extremity applications of functional neuromuscular stimulation.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) applications in the lower extremity are common in research laboratories, but clinical applications are minimal. This review summarizes current knowledge with respect to clinical application. When electrical stimulation is used in clinical applications for functional movement such as standing and walking, it is typically applied in an open-loop manner; a predetermined stimulus pattern is delivered regardless of the consequences of the actual movement. Few clinical applications of FES involve closed-loop control because of the numerous difficulties involved in its application. As with any volitional muscle contraction, electrically stimulated muscle contractions will exhibit fatigue. Although the dynamics of fatigue may differ, electrically stimulated muscle contractions cannot be continuously sustained, and if the duty cycle is too severe, even alternating periods of rest and contraction cannot be sustained at a constant force level. The exact nature of fatigue is hi...
Using health information technology to improve drug monitoring: a systematic review

Purpose To conduct a systematic review of current evidence regarding the use of health information technology (HIT) interventions to improve drug monitoring in ambulatory care. Methods We searched PubMed, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, and other computerized databases from 1 January 1998 to 30 June 2008 using the key words “drug monitoring,” “medical records systems, computerized,” “ambulatory care,” and “outpatients.” We manually reviewed reference lists of articles identified through computer searches and asked experts in the field to review our search strategy and results for completeness. Results Seven relevant studies were identified. Four of these studies assessed real-time interventions that used alerts to physicians at the time of medication ordering to ensure adequate monitoring, only one of which showed an improvement in monitoring. Of three studies using HIT outside the physician encounter, two suggested some improvement in monitoring rates. Methodological limitations were apparent in all studies identified. Conclusions Few studies have assessed the effectiveness of HIT interventions to improve drug monitoring, and among them, there is no clear consensus regarding the most consistently effective approaches to reducing drug monitoring errors. There is a clear need for well designed randomized trials to evaluate possible interventions to reduce drug monitoring errors. Such studies should incorporate health outcomes and detailed cost analyses to further characterize the feasibility of successful interventions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inducement of Nonexistent Order by the Analytic Hierarchy Process

An apparently unreported problem facing decision makers who use AHP is described. It is demonstrated that conventional AHP and some of its variants (the ideal mode, and the pairwise aggregated approach, PAHAP) can induce ordering even when no order exists. It is also shown that all three approaches can induce different orderings and that the orderings are sensitive to innocuous changes. Thus, even absent addition or deletion of alternatives, the decision maker relying on AHP or these variants can be seriously misled.
Amplitude filter transform and pulse compression of an induced phase modulated weak signal

La modulation de la phase de l'impulsion induite par la pompe est a l'origine d'une modulation lineaire de frequence (chirp) permettant la compression de l'impulsion par un filtre
Human Nevi: No Longer Precursors of Melanomas?

Considerable data support the idea that oncogene-induced senescence remains a barrier that needs to be overcome for malignant transformation of melanocytes. Human nevi stain positive for the senescence-associated β-galactosidase marker, suggesting that cells have lost their proliferative capacity. Most nevi harbor B-RAF or N-RAS mutations, implying that they are growth arrested via oncogene-induced senescence pathways. It remains intriguing how benign nevus cells can escape oncogene-induced senescence for malignant transformation to melanoma. The report by Tran et al. in this issue shows that current senescence markers do not distinguish nevi from melanomas, challenging the notion that nevi are growth-arrested via senescence.
Streaming data reduction using low-memory factored representations

Many special purpose algorithms exist for extracting information from streaming data. Constraints are imposed on the total memory and on the average processing time per data item. These constraints are usually satisfied by deciding in advance the kind of information one wishes to extract, and then extracting only the data relevant for that goal. Here, we propose a general data representation that can be computed using modest memory requirements with limited processing power per data item, and yet permits the application of an arbitrary data mining algorithm chosen and/or adjusted after the data collection process has begun. The new representation allows for the at-once analysis of a significantly larger number of data items than would be possible using the original representation of the data. The method depends on a rapid computation of a factored form of the original data set. The method is illustrated with two real datasets, one with dense and one with sparse attribute values.
Celiac Disease and the Forgotten 10 %: The “Silent Minority”

We have known for more than a decade that celiac disease (CD) is present in nearly 1% of individuals in the United States (US), but we know less about the prevalence of CD among racial and ethnic minorities in this country. In a landmark multicenter screening study published in 2003, Fasano, et al calculated a US prevalence of 0.75% in average-risk individuals.1 In that study, in addition to an overall population estimate, Fasano, et al reported that the prevalence of CD in non-Caucasians as an aggregate was 1:236 (0.4%), but estimates for each racial and ethnic group were not provided. While precise data were lacking, the impression has long been that CD is less common among non-Caucasian individuals. African-Americans comprised only 1% of the population of CD patients attending a referral center in New York.2 In a recent prevalence study, Rubio-Tapia, et al analyzed CD serologic data collected in 2009-2010 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), reporting an overall prevalence of 0.71%.3 Though the vast majority of patients identified were Caucasian (whose prevalence of CD was calculated as 1.01%), the low number of identified patients with CD precluded prevalence estimates in other groups.
Evaluation outcomes of self-defense training for women: A review

The main goal of women's self-defense training is to strengthen women's capacity to defend themselves against potential attacks. Yet, the effects of women's self-defense training extend considerably beyond this objective, including physical, psychological, and behavioral impacts. Twenty quantitative studies that assess the effects of self-defense training on female participants are reviewed in this article. The evaluation outcomes focused on in this review include: psychological/attitudinal (assertiveness, self-esteem, anxiety, perceived control, fear of sexual assault, and self-efficacy) and behavioral outcomes (physical competence and avoidance behaviors). Limitations of these evaluations will also be highlighted. Finally, suggestions for the development of future self-defense training programs will be presented, along with a discussion of implications for future research evaluating women's self-defense programs.
Public Health Ethics: From Foundations and Frameworks to Justice and Global Public Health:

Ethics dilemmas have been present throughout the history of public health, and bioethics has devoted considerable attention to issues relevant to public health. Only recently, however, has public health ethics emerged as a recognized subfield of bioethics. Public health ethics requires that public health improvement come through just and respectful means. Bioethics in the future not only will take on more issues of public ethics, but will apply it extensive scholarship in distributive justice to questions of global public health.
Backstepping control of a capacitance-less photovoltaic power converter with maximum power point tracking

Solar energy offers great potential as a source of energy. The conversion of solar energy to electricity is performed by solar cells. There exists an operating point associated with solar cells at which the power generated is maximized at any given point in time. A maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is required to track this maximum power operating point (MPOP) for varying atmospheric conditions. Maximizing the power extracted from a single PV cell, utilizing the intrinsic capacitance within the cell is the objective of this work. With this approach, the problematic electrolytic capacitors common to power converters for PV systems can be removed. This solution can serve as a building block which can facilitate a system architecture that has increased system-level flexibility and performance due to control of each cell individually. Such a system could outperform today's when it comes to problems such as shading (with all of its variants), cell to cell mismatch, and cell failure which dramatically reduce the performance of today's PV system. In a different application, a PV cell level conversion system can be used for energy harvesting in miniaturized systems. In this paper, a novel backstepping control scheme is developed. A Lyapunov based stability analysis is presented to verify that the developed control scheme does not create instability in the closed-loop system, and that the primary control objective is achieved. An instantaneous circuit level simulation is competed to verify the results.
Thermal Chemistry of Trimethyl Acetic Acid on TiO2(110)

On the basis of temperature-programmed desorption and isothermal reaction mass spectrometry, the thermal surface chemistry of trimethyl acetic acid, (CH3)3CCOOH, dosed onto a well-characterized single-crystal TiO2(110) surface is described. Deprotonation occurs at or below 300 K to form trimethyl acetate, (CH3)3CCOO-, and hydroxide, OH-. (CH3)3CCOO- is bound to exposed Ti4+ cations, and OH- involves a bridging oxygen atom of the substrate. On the basis of temperature-programmed desorption and isothermal reaction mass spectrometry, the desorbing products include (CH3)3CCOOH, isobutene (i-C4H8), carbon monoxide, and water accompanied by smaller amounts of other products including methyl isopropenyl ketone (CH2C(CH3)C(O)CH3), isobutane (i-C4H10), and di-tert-butyl ketone, (CH3)3CC(O)C(CH3)3. Much of the (CH3)3CCOO- is relatively stable and decomposes to release mainly carbon monoxide and isobutene above 550 K with a maximum rate at 660 K. Thermal desorption to 750 K leaves a carbon-free surface that is indis...
E.F. Schumacher: Changing the Paradigm of Bigger Is Better

In the mid-1970s, the phrase “small is beautiful” became a counterculture slogan against the industrial threat to the environment and the scarcity of resources. Arguing against excessive materialism and meaningless growth, the late Dr. Ernest Friedrich Schumacher—the author of Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, promoted the use of small-scale technology to benefit both humankind and the environment. As an economist trained in a market-oriented discipline, his thinking evolved from believing that large-scale technology could be salvation for industrial civilization to believing that large-scale technology is the root of degrading human beings and the environment.
A Mean-Variance Analysis of United States Long-Term Portfolio Foreign Investment

I. Introduction, 175. — II. The basic model, 177. — III. Empirical specification, 179. — IV. Empirical estimation, 187. — V. Poliep' implications, 193.— Appendix: Symbols, definitions, and data sources, 195.
Sleeping Beauty: does ETP-ALL awaken later?

In the hope of identifying key events that drive malignant transformation, researchers have been aiming to compare tumor cells with the corresponding pretransformed cell population of origin. This approach is attractive because, once established, such key events can then become the focus of new therapies that interfere with the transformation process as it happens, thus preventing it.
New Challenges in Heterogeneous Catalysis for the 21st Century

Heterogeneous catalysis has been around for a long time, but has still much room to grow. The empirical trial-and-error mode used to develop catalysts in early times has progressively made way for a more molecularly driven approach to their design. Modern surface-sensitive techniques have opened the way to a better understanding of the mechanisms of catalytic reactions and the demands imposed on catalytic sites. Computational studies have added insights into the structural and energetic details of surface species and the kinetic driving forces for specific surface reactions. Novel nanotechnology and synthetic advances have provided new methods to manufacture better-defined catalysts, with high concentrations of the active sites identified by fundamental mechanistic studies. All combined, these advances have led to the design of new catalysts by taking advantage of the size and shape of the nanoparticles used as active phases and of specific structures and the nature of the support. New research has also been directed to the development of more sophisticated nanostructures, to add new functionalities to simpler catalysts or to combine two or more primary functions into one single catalyst. Much progress has been made in these directions, but the new tools are yet to be fully exploited to resolve present limitations in a myriad of catalytic systems of industrial importance, for energy production and consumption, environmental remediation, and the synthesis of both commodity and fine chemicals.
A computational investigation of conover's kolmogorov-smirnov test for discrete distributions

The tabled significance values of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit statistic determined for continuous underlying distributions are conservative for applications involving discrete underlying distributions. Conover (1972) proposed an efficient method for computing the exact significance level of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for discrete distributions; however, he warned against its use for large sample sizes because “the calculations become too difficult.” In this work we explore the relationship between sample size and the computational effectiveness of Conover's formulas, where “computational effectiveness” is taken to mean the accuracy attained with a fixed precision of machine arithmetic. The nature of the difficulties in calculations is pointed out. It is indicated that, despite these difficulties, Conover's method of computing the Kolmogorov-Smirnov significance level for discrete distributions can still be a useful tool for a wide range of sample sizes.
Short communication: On the choice of an auxiliary function in the M/G/∞ estimation

The use of auxiliary functions in nonparametric inference for the M/G/~ queueing model is considered. Estimation of the service time distribution G is challenging when only limited information about the busy/idle cycle is available. It is shown, using diagnostic plots of estimators, that a standard auxiliary function aimed at providing numerical stability fails in that regard but that a reliable auxiliary function can be constructed. The improvement made by the alternative auxiliary function is demonstrated.
How parents whose children have been conceived with donor gametes make their disclosure decision: contexts, influences, and couple dynamics.

Objective To describe parents' disclosure decision-making process. Design In-depth ethnographic interviews. Setting Participants were recruited from 11 medical infertility practices and 1 sperm bank in Northern California. Patient(s) One hundred forty-one married couples who had conceived a child using donor gametes (62 with donor sperm, 79 with donor oocytes). Intervention(s) Husbands and wives were interviewed together and separately. Main Outcome Measure(s) Thematic analysis of interview transcripts. Result(s) Ninety-five percent of couples came to a united disclosure decision, some "intuitively," but most after discussions influenced by the couples' local sociopolitical environment, professional opinion, counseling, religious and cultural background, family relationships, and individual personal, psychological, and ethical beliefs. Couples who were not initially in agreement ultimately came to a decision after one partner deferred to the wishes or opinions of the other. Deferral could reflect the result of a prior agreement, one partner's recognition of the other's experiential or emotional expertise, or direct persuasion. In disclosing couples, men frequently deferred to their wives, whereas, in nondisclosing couples, women always deferred to their husbands. Conclusion(s) Although the majority of couples were in initial agreement about disclosure, for many the disclosure decision was a complex, negotiated process reflecting a wide range of influences and contexts.
Operation for chronic constrictive pericarditis. Do the surgical approach and degree of pericardial resection influence the outcome significantly

Our experience with 27 patients undergoing pericardiectomy at New York University Medical Center over the past 13 years has evolved a radical pericardiectomy operation suggesting that two traditional concepts are erroneous: (1) pericardiectomy limited to the anterior and lateral surfaces of the ventricles is an adequate operation and (2) delayed recovery is due to myocardial "atrophy" and not to inadequate operation. Radical pericardiectomy entails removal of virtually the entire parietal pericardium from all cardiac surfaces including that of both ventricles, the right atrium, and the venae cavae. Performed in 22 patients by dissecting a cleavage plane between the thickened parietal pericardium and underlying epicardium, all procedures were done through a sternotomy. Intraoperative monitoring of arterial pressure, cardiac output, and wedge pressure is essential because of displacement of the left ventricle. The left ventricle can be completely mobilized so that at the end of the operation the entire heart can be lifted upward and the course of the coronary sinus fully visualized. Intraoperative pressure measurements demonstrate that this radical resection immediately corrects hemodynamic abnormalities (elevated right atrial and ventricular end-diastolic pressures), as demonstrated in 10 patients. Most patients undergo massive diuresis (7 to 16 kg) within two weeks, with an uneventful recovery. These findings contrast markedly with early experiences using a conventional limited pericardiectomy.
Effect of processing conditions on the structure development in the welding region of injection‐molded poly(arylene ether ketone). III

Effect of injection-molding process conditions including mold temperature and injection speed on the structure developed at the weld region of poly(arylene ether ketone) was investigated using MMBX (matrixing micro beam X-ray diffraction) and image analysis techniques. The polymer exhibited multilayer structural formations at and near the weld region, and these were found to be alternating highly crystalline and low crystalline regions. With the exception of the converging section of the cavity, no significant orientations were observed through the X-ray diffraction method. However, polarized light microscopy studies revealed that the bands of higher crystallinity possess higher birefringence as compared to the intervening regions. This suggested that these bands are formed under an orientational flow field. The geometrical pattern of these multilayer formations changes depending on the injection-molding condition particularly with injection speed and mold temperature. Tensile test results indicate that the samples with no weld regions generally possess higher tensile strength. This difference between the tensile properties of the samples possessing weld and no weld decreases at high injection speeds. Izod impact strength exhibited an unusual behavior: The welded parts actually possess higher impact strength. This was attributed to the formation of multilayer structures at the weld zone. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The mechanisms of placental viral infection.

The placenta is a dynamic organ whose structure and function change throughout pregnancy. There is compelling evidence that the placenta plays an integral role in the vertical transmission of viruses, such as cytomegalovirus and human immunodeficiency virus, from the mother to the fetus. Although the sequelae of congenital viral infection (i.e., fetal anomalies, intrauterine fetal death, and persistent postnatal infection) may be devastating, very little is known about the passage of viruses across the placenta and the pathologic consequences of placental viral infection. We postulate that the syncytiotrophoblast, which forms a continuous barrier between the maternal and fetal circulation, is relatively resistant to viral infection. In support of this hypothesis, we observed that the susceptibility of trophoblast cells to infection by adenovirus and herpes simplex virus and the expression of viral receptors were reduced as trophoblast cells terminally differentiated into syncytiotrophoblast. Conversely, we observed that undifferentiated, extravillous trophoblast cells, which are susceptible to adenovirus infection, underwent pathologic changes (i.e., apoptosis) when infected by adenovirus in the presence of decidual lymphocytes (which were used to simulate the maternal immune response to viral infection). Based on these findings, we speculate that viral infection of extravillous trophoblast cells may negatively impact the process of placental invasion and predispose the mother and fetus to adverse reproductive outcomes that result from placental dysfunction.
Multiply Methyl‐Branched Fatty Acids and Diacids in the Polar Lipids of a Microaerophilic Subsurface Microbial Community

A previously unreported series of di- and tri-methylated fatty acids, as well as saturated and monounsaturated diacids were identified in polar lipids isolated from environmental subsurface sediment samples. Mechanisms are proposed for their formation, but their origin and role in cell membranes remains unknown.
Safety Evaluation of Diverging Diamond Interchanges in Missouri

The diverging diamond interchange (DDI) has gained in popularity since its first implementation in the United States in 2009. The operational benefits and lower costs of retrofitting a conventional diamond with a DDI have contributed to increased use of the DDI. Research on DDIs has focused primarily on the assessment of operational benefits. Formal safety evaluations of DDIs are lacking. This study aimed to fill the knowledge gap by conducting a safety evaluation of DDIs using three types of before–after evaluation methods: naive, empirical Bayes, and comparison group. Three evaluation methods were used because each involved different trade-offs, such as data required, complexity, and regression to the mean. All three methods showed that a DDI replacing a conventional diamond decreased crash frequency for all severities. The highest crash reduction (59.3% to 63.2%) was observed for fatal and injury crashes. Crashes involving property damage only were reduced by 33.9% to 44.8%. Total crash frequency also ...
Electromigration Depletions in Pb-Sn Films

This paper describes the electromigration depletions observed at 125° to 175°C in Pb-Sn films subjected to various current stress conditions up to 2×104 A/cm2. The total depleted volume grows linearly with time and current density. This linear growth consists of the individual depletion growth multiplied by the number of depletions at any time. Both size and number of depletions grow parabolically.
Fractal estimation from noisy data via discrete fractional Gaussian noise (DFGN) and the Haar basis

The authors show that the application of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) using the Haar basis to the increments of fractional Brownian motion (fBm), also known as discrete fractional Gaussian noise (DFGN), yields coefficients which are weakly correlated and have a variance that is exponentially related to scale. Similar results were derived by Flandrin (1989), Tewfik, and Kim for a continuous-time fBm going through a continuous wavelet transform (CWT). The new theoretical results justify an improvement to a fractal estimation algorithm recently proposed by Wornell and Oppenheim. The performance of the new algorithm is compared with that of Wornell and Oppenheim's (see IEEE Trans. Signal Processing, vol. 40, p. 611-623, Mar. 1992) algorithm in numerical simulation. >
The possible rôle of phytoalexins in the resistance of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris) to Cercospora beticola

Abstract Leaves of sugarbeet ( Beta vulgaris ) infected with Cercospora beticola yield two compounds, the flavanone betagarin (C 18 H 16 O 6 ) and the isoflavone betavulgarin (C 17 H 12 O 6 ). Highly resistant cultivars appear to produce greater quantities of betavulgarin in the lesions than the more susceptible ones. Betavulgarin possesses strong antifungal activity whereas betagarin does not. It also has many of the properties of a phytoalexin and could play an important role in the resistance of sugarbeets to Cercospora beticola . The significance of betagarin is not so clearly defined. Betavulgarin possesses greater antifungal activity than the well-known active isoflavones such as biochanin A, formononetin and genistein.
Systematics of Grammitid Ferns (Polypodiaceae): Using Morphology and Plastid Sequence Data to Resolve the Circumscriptions of Melpomene and the Polyphyletic Genera Lellingeria and Terpsichore

Recent phylogenetic analyses of grammitid ferns (Polypodiaceae) have demonstrated that some genera recognized within this clade are not monophyletic. We focus on resolving the circumscriptions of some large Neotropical genera by focusing on a clade, identified in previous analyses, that includes the monophyletic genus Melpomene, plus portions of two polyphyletic genera, Lellingeria and Terpsichore. Phylogenetic analyses using chloroplast markers atpB, rbcL, and trnL-F, along with 109 morphological characters, resolve this ingroup as monophyletic and sister to a clade that includes Ceradenia, Enterosora, and Zygophlebia. We use morphological characters included in the analysis to circumscribe clades. Melpomene is clearly monophyletic, but forms a polytomy with Lellingeria s. l. in a strict consensus of MP trees. Ingroup species of Terpsichore form three well supported monophyletic groups that together are paraphyletic with respect to Melpomene plus Lellingeria. Two clades corresponding to species groups of Terpsichore will be recognized as new genera.
Innovative designs of point-of-care comparative effectiveness trials.

One of the provisions of the health care reform legislation in 2010 was for funding pragmatic clinical trials or large observational studies for comparing the effectiveness of different approved medical treatments, involving broadly representative patient populations. After reviewing pragmatic clinical trials and the issues and challenges that have made them just a small fraction of comparative effectiveness research (CER), we focus on a recent development that uses point-of-care (POC) clinical trials to address the issue of “knowledge-action gap” in pragmatic CER trials. We give illustrative examples of POC-CER trials and describe a trial that we are currently planning to compare the effectiveness of newly approved oral anticoagulants. We also develop novel stage-wise designs of information-rich POC-CER trials under competitive budget constraints, by using recent advances in adaptive designs and other statistical methodologies.
Waldo’s Perspectives

Revisiting a classic is a perilous task. The classic is available for all to read; it obtained its "classic" status precisely because it could stand on its own. The added value of revisiting it is, therefore, to see how enduring it is. Did the passage of time reveal structural flaws? Were assumptions that were made by the author later tested by scholars and rejected? Our guides for that visit prove to be seasoned scholars who explain and comment without becoming revisionists. The contribu tors start with the themes contained in Waldo's Adminis
Planning and the invisible hand: Allies or adversaries?

Sometimes planning is designed to counteract market forces, revealing an adversarial relationship between planning and the invisible hand. Other times, planning builds on the spontaneous order of the market and the two will be allies. This article offers two related arguments on the division between top-down planning and the bottom-up planning produced by the spontaneous order of the market. First, planning as a whole has insufficiently appreciated both the effectiveness of the spontaneous order of the market and the difficulty of overriding it. Second, when one recognizes the way in which bottom-up planning creates an orderly outcome, one can see that governments have simultaneously planned too much of the affairs of market participants, but at the same time have insufficiently planned their own activities.
On the use of active coupling networks with electrically small receiving antennas

An analysis of the noise performance of an active receiving antenna system consisting of an antenna, active coupling network, and high-gain preamplifier is described. It is shown how this noise performance can be described by circular loci in the output-impedance plane of the coupling network. These loci are not restricted to the right-half plane. A coupling network having an output impedance in the left-half plane was built using a negative-impedance converter (NIC), and experimental results obtained by using this circuit in conjunction with a short monopole are presented.
Bacterial magnetite produced in water column dominates lake sediment mineral magnetism: Lake Ely, USA

SUMMARY Environmental magnetic studies of annually laminated sediments from Lake Ely, northeastern Pennsylvania, USA indicate that bacterial magnetite is the dominant magnetic mineral in the lake sediment. In previous studies of Lake Ely sediment, the dark, organic-rich layers in the annual laminae were interpreted to have high-intensity saturation isothermal remanent magnetizations (SIRMs) while the light-coloured, silt-rich layers have low-intensity SIRMs. To test the hypothesis that the magnetic grains in the sediments were an authigenic product of magnetotactic bacteria rather than detrital magnetic grains eroded from the watershed, we analysed samples from the water column, the lake sediment, and a sediment trap installed near the lake bottom. Direct microscopic observation of the water column samples showed the presence of magnetotactic bacteria in and below the oxic-anoxic transition zone (OATZ). To characterize the magnetic minerals, rock magnetic parameters were measured for material from the water column, the sediment trap and the dark- and light-coloured lake sediments. Low-temperature magnetic measurements tested for the presence of magnetosomes in separated dark- and light-coloured layer samples. Numeric unmixing of the low-temperature results showed that biogenic magnetites were present in the lake sediment and contributed more significantly to the SIRM in the dark, organic-rich layers than in the light-coloured, inorganic silt-rich layers. Observations under the transmission electron microscope (TEM) of magnetic extracts also show the abundance of magnetosomes in the lake sediment. The presence of live magnetotactic bacteria in the water column and the predominance of bacterial magnetites in filtered particulate matter, sediment traps and recent lake sediment all suggest that bacterial magnetites are the main magnetic minerals in Lake Ely sediment. This finding suggests that changes in environmental factors that control the productivity of magnetic bacteria in the lake likely contribute to the variability of magnetic mineral concentrations observed in the lake sediments.
Urine creatinine-based estimates of fat-free mass in community-dwelling older persons: the Rancho Bernardo study.

Objectives To determine whether a previously developed and externally validated equation using common variables (demographics and weight) that are important determinants of muscle mass to estimate 24-hour urine creatinine excretion rate (eCER) is associated with muscle mass and whether spot urine creatinine (UCr) provides similar estimates of muscle mass. Design Observational cross-sectional cohort study. Setting The Rancho Bernardo Study, San Diego, California. Subjects A total of 1,371 Caucasian, middle class, community-dwelling older adults. Intervention Morning spot UCr and fat-free mass (FFM) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry were measured. eCER was calculated: eCER (mg/day) = 879.89 + 12.51 × weight (kilogram) − 6.19 × age + 34.51 if black − 379.42 if female. Pearson correlation coefficients and linear regression were used to determine strengths of association of eCER and spot UCr with FFM. Results Mean age was 70 years, and 58% were women. eCER was strongly correlated with FFM ( r = 0.95, P r = 0.40, P Conclusions An equation incorporating age, weight, sex, and race to estimate eCER is highly correlated with FFM in community-dwelling older persons and provides a more precise estimate than spot UCr. A simple screening tool for sarcopenia in older persons may allow interventions to maintain or improve muscle mass. Future studies should evaluate whether eCER predicts sarcopenia-related frailty and mortality in older persons.