cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A measure of family eating habits: initial psychometric properties using the profile pattern approach (PPA).

Abstract Although it seems likely that family characteristics and eating habits are a major factor in the development of eating behaviors, there are no self-report measures that examine how individuals view their family's eating habits. Seventy-one women ages 18–22 were recruited from a private university in a large northeastern city and asked to complete a short questionnaire packet consisting of demographic questions, the newly developed Family Eating Habits Questionnaire (FEHQ) and the Eating Inventory (EI). Internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the FEHQ was established. Significant associations were found between the FEHQ and the EI, indicating convergent validity for the FEHQ. Further validation was conducted using a novel statistical technique, the profile pattern approach (PPA). The results of the present study are limited by the restricted sample characteristic of a university setting. However, our findings show that the family eating habits' measure appears psychometrically sound. A future aim will be to continue validating this instrument in other samples, particularly to determine its predictive value.
Performative Writing as Scholarship: An Apology, an Argument, an Anecdote:

The article, divided into three sections, argues for the methodological power of performative writing. Part 1 borrows from the literary tradition by offering an apology on behalf of performative wr...
Descriptions, ambiguity, and representationalist theories of interpretation

Theories of descriptions tend to involve commitments about the ambiguity of descriptions. For example, sentences containing descriptions are widely taken to be ambiguous between de re, de dicto, and intermediate interpretations and are sometimes thought to be ambiguous between the former and directly referential interpretations. I provide arguments to suggest that none of these interpretations are due to ambiguities (or indexicality). On the other hand, I argue that descriptions are ambiguous between the above family of interpretations and what may be called ‘institutional’ as well as generic interpretations. My arguments suggest that an adequate theory of descriptions may require considerable rethinking. Most contemporary theories of descriptions appear to be committed to one or more claims about the ambiguity of descriptions that I reject in this paper. I suggest that my observations provide a reason to renew efforts to develop a theory of descriptions within a representationalist theory of interpretation.
SEXUALITY IN ASCOBOLUS STERCORARIUS. II. PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTS ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE SEXUAL PROCESS

IN A PREVIOUS report on the sexuality of Ascobolus sterocorarius (Bull.) Schr6t. the ontogeny of the ascogonium and plasmogamy were described; and indirect evidence for a hormonal control of certain stages in the sexual process was p)resented (Bistis, 1956). In this report are presented the results of a study of such problems as protoplasmic differentiation in the ascogonium, the directed growth of the trichogyne, sexual activation of oidia, and some aspects of ascocarp maturation. MATERIALS AND METHODS.-Stocks and media used in these investigations have been described previously (Yu, 1954; Bistis, 1956). An experimental group consisted of approximately thirty Petri-dish cultures of the a strain, several of the A isolate, and one or two fresh agar plates. A single agar block was placed in each dish and one or two A oidia were transferred to each block. Controls, run in duplicate, were of three types: (1) an agar block bearing an A oidium placed on a fresh agar plate, (2) an aaar block placed on an a mycelium, (3) an agar block bearing an a oidium placed on an a mycelium. Under the conditions of control (1) the oidium usually germinated and developed a normal colony. In control plates (2) and (3) hyphae grew up onto the agar block surface but no ascogonia were ever found. In controls (3) the oidium never germinated. Protoplasmic differentiation was studied by transferring either the oidium or the ascogonium, at various stages in the sexual process, to a fresh agar plate and noting their subsequent behavior. Experiments will also be described showing that only sexually activated oidia-which become activated in this manner only under certain specific conditions-can immediately assume the function of the fertilizing element in a sexual reaction. These specific conditions were determined by the technique of oidial substitution. That is, at a particular stage in an oidial-ascogonial interaction the oidium was removed and another with a different history substituted for it. It was found that the subsequent behavior of the ascogonium depended upon the past history of the substitute oidium. If this behavior was similar to that observed when no oidium was present the substitute oidium was considered to be sexually inactive; whereas if the sexual reaction proceeded normally the oidium was considered to be in a sexually activated state. When the substitution involved a fresh oidium, i.e., one taken directly from a mycelium and used
Digitally Controlled DC Drive Motors

Computer control methods including finite-settling-time (dead-beat) response and feedforward are applied to speed control of a dc motor with special emphasis on minimizing speed changes caused by load changes. This is presented in a manner to indicate the essential sequence of steps in developing such control systems. This is supported by reference to sources where the theoretical aspects of the design are available. It is intended to serve the broad-based electrical and/or control engineer as a guide in program development. Examples are carried out on a PDP-11 minicomputer controlling an analog computer model of the amplifier-motor combination.
A Numerical Method Based on Leapfrog and a Fourth-Order Implicit Time Filter

AbstractA time-stepping scheme is proposed. It is based on the leapfrog method and a fourth-order time filter. The scheme requires only one evaluation per time step and uses an implicit filter, but the effort needed to implement it in an explicit manner is trivial. Comparative tests demonstrate that the proposed scheme produces numerical approximations that are more stable and highly accurate compared to the standard Robert–Asselin (RA) and the Robert–Asselin–Williams (RAW) filtered leapfrog scheme, even though both methods use filter coefficients that are tuned such that the 2Δt modes are damped at the same rate. Formal stability analysis demonstrates that the proposed method generates amplitude errors of O[(Δt)4], implying third-order accuracy. This contrasts with the O[(Δt)2] errors produced by the standard RA and RAW filtered leapfrog. A second scheme that produces amplitude errors of O[(Δt)6] is also presented. The proposed scheme is found to do well at controlling numerical instabilities arising in ...
Obstacle Avoidance Policies for Cluster Space Control of Nonholonomic Multirobot Systems

The cluster space control technique promotes simplified specification and monitoring of the motion of mobile multirobot systems of limited size. In this publication, we summarize the definition of the cluster space framework and introduce a multirobot cluster space controller specific for unicycle-like nonholonomic mobile robots. The controller produces cluster commands that translate into valid robot-level motions. We then study the closed-loop system stability in the Lyapunov sense. Two different obstacle avoidance algorithms are proposed and the stability of the resulting systems is also addressed. Experimental tests with a three-robot system and simulation results with a ten-robot system verify the functionality of the proposed approaches.
Distribution of an enzyme which acetylates α-melanocyte stimulating hormone in rat brain and pituitary gland and effects of arcuate nucleus lesions

Abstract This study describes the distribution of an α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) acetyltransferase (MAT) in rat brain and pituitary gland. Highest activities of MAT were found in the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary gland with the anterior lobe containing slightly less. Within the brain, lowest MAT activities were measured in the hypothalamus, the region which contained the highest concentrations of α-MSH. Relatively high enzyme activities of MAT were measured in the hippocampus, cortex and cerebellum—regions with very low α-MSH concentrations. The fact that MAT activity levels did not parallel α-MSH concentrations indicates that MAT was not solely localized to α-MSH synthesizing neurons or endocrine cells. Furthermore, arcuate nucleus lesions which depleted brain α-MSH failed to deplete MAT activity. Although MAT was not solely localized to α-MSH synthesizing cells, it may have functional significance for α-MSH acetylation due to compartmentalization with α-MSH in α-MSH synthesizing endocrine cells and neurons. Alternatively a second regionally specific MAT may exist.
Mobile robot sonar interpretation algorithm for distinguishing trees from poles

Abstract We describe an algorithm to automatically distinguish trees from round metal poles with a sonar system packaged on a mobile robot. A polynomial interpolation of the square root of the backscattered signal energy versus scan angle is first plotted. Asymmetry and fitting error are then extracted for each sweep across the object, giving a single point in an abstract phase space. Round metal poles are nearer to the origin than are trees, which scatter the sonar more irregularly due to lobulations and/or surface roughness. Results are shown for 20 trees and 10 metal poles scanned on our campus.
Glycine attenuates Fanconi syndrome induced by maleate or ifosfamide in rats

Glycine attenuates Fanconi syndrome induced by maleate or ifosfamide in rats. It has become widely recognized that glycine (Gly) depletion predisposes isolated proximal tubules (PT) to necrotic cell damage induced by diverse insults and that Gly replacement in vitro is highly cytoprotective. However, the effectiveness of supplementation with Gly in vivo , where blood and tissue Gly normally are maintained at high levels, is incompletely defined. Our aim was to assess whether: (a) supplementation of Gly in drinking water of rats would attenuate the proximal tubule damage and the Fanconi syndrome (FS) induced by maleate (Mal), a classical proximal tubule toxin, or ifosfamide (IFO), an antineoplastic drug; and (b) to explore the mechanisms responsible for such effects, since Gly supplementation might be especially beneficial in treating the FS, where the kidney tends to waste amino acids. Rats received daily injection of Mal (2 mmol/kg) for two days without or with oral supplementation of 2% Gly. IFO, 50 mg/kg, was injected daily for five days without or with oral Gly. Control rats were injected with saline, without or with oral Gly. The results demonstrated that both Mal and IFO induced a FS characterized by wasting of amino and organic acids, glucose, and electrolytes, along with elevated plasma creatinine (Crn) and BUN, and decreased Crn clearance rate. Light microscopy revealed a necrotic lesion in the proximal tubules of the Mal group, but no necrosis after IFO. Gly strongly ameliorated the severity of renal necrosis and/or dysfunction induced by Mal or IFO, with significant decreases in total and fractional excretion of Na + , K + , PO 4 3 − and glucose, decreased plasma BUN and Crn, and increased Crn clearance. Analysis of freeze-clamped cortical tissue showed substantial depletion of [Gly], [ATP] and [GSH] along with increased GSSG in Mal or IFO groups and correction of [Gly] and [ATP] with Gly supplementation, but no improvement with Gly of reduced gluthatione [GSH] or the ratio of reduced to oxidized gluthatione (GSH/GSSG). 31 P-NMR analysis of the renal cortex indicated a decrease in Pi and various membrane phospholipids in Mal and IFO rats and prevention of this damage with Gly. These observations demonstrate that oral supplementation of Gly can provide protection against Mal or IFO-induced renal tubular cell dysfunction and structural damage. The lack of effect on glutathione oxidation and depletion suggests an action distal to toxin uptake and intracellular interactions, which is similar to the characteristics of Gly cytoprotection against diverse insults in vitro . The results also suggest modification by Gly of the primary toxicity of the agents and effects on phospholipid synthesis that could contribute to repair.
The development of heart rate responses to weak and strong shock in the preweaning rat.

Heart rate (HR) responses to 2 intensities (.2 and 2.0 mA) of electric shock were studied in preweaning rats at 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21 days. Both weak and strong shock elicited at least some HR acceleration at all ages. Beginning on Day 13, a deceleratory component was added to the response to weak shock. HR acceleration was significantly greater in response to strong shock on Days 5 and 7 and then again from Days 15-21. Strong shock also elicited a relatively long-latency bradycardia beginning with Day 11. Results are discussed in terms of the emergence of 3 response tendencies: (1) the orienting reflex; (2) the defensive reflex; and (3) a change in the state of the organism, and their possible implications for the study of preweaning shock on subsequent behavior.
Renin-angiotensin system blockade and diabetes: moving the adipose organ from the periphery to the center.

Lee et al. report that an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker (ARB) improved glucose intolerance in OLETF rats, an experimental model of type 2 diabetes. ARB treatment resulted in modulation of the adipose tissue, leading to an increased number of small, differentiated adipocytes able to produce more adiponectin and less monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. This supports the relevance of the functional interplay between adipose tissue and the renin–angiotensin system in states of insulin resistance.
Sex dimorphism in the association of cardiometabolic characteristics and osteophytes-defined radiographic knee osteoarthritis among obese and non-obese adults: NHANES III

Summary Objective To examine the relationship of knee osteoarthritis (OA) with cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors by obesity status and gender. Methods Data from 1,066 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III participants (≥60years of age) was used to examine relationships of osteophytes-defined radiographic knee OA and cardiovascular and metabolic measures. Analyses were considered among obese [body mass index (BMI)≥30kg/m 2 ] and non-obese (BMI 2 ) men and women. Results The prevalence of osteophytes-defined radiographic knee OA was 34%. Leptin levels and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a proxy measure of insulin resistance, were significantly associated with knee OA; those with knee OA had 35% higher HOMA-IR values and 52% higher leptin levels compared to those without knee OA. The magnitude of the association between HOMA-IR and knee OA was strongest among men, regardless of obesity status; odds ratios (ORs) for HOMA-IR were 34% greater among non-obese men (OR=1.18) vs obese women (OR=0.88). Among obese women, a 5-μg/L higher leptin was associated with nearly 30% higher odds of having knee OA (OR=1.28). Among men, ORs for the association of leptin and knee OA were in the opposite direction. Conclusions Cardiometabolic dysfunction is related to osteophytes-defined radiographic knee OA prevalence and persists within subgroups defined by obesity status and gender. A sex dimorphism in the direction and magnitude of cardiometabolic risk factors with respect to knee OA was described including HOMA-IR being associated with OA prevalence among men while leptin levels were most important among women.
Effective home laparoscopic simulation training: a preliminary evaluation of an improved training paradigm.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic simulation training has proven to be effective in developing skills but requires expensive equipment, is a challenge to integrate into a work-hour restricted surgical residency, and may use nonoptimal practice schedules. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of laparoscopic skills training at home using inexpensive trainer boxes. METHODS: Residents (n 20, postgraduate years 1‐5) enrolled in an institutional review board‐ approved laparoscopic skills training protocol. An instructional video was reviewed, and baseline testing was performed using the fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) peg transfer and suturing tasks. Participants were randomized to home training with inexpensive, self-contained trainer boxes or to simulation center training using standard video trainers. Discretionary, goal-directed training of at least 1 hour per week was encouraged. A posttest and retention test were performed. Intragroup and intergroup comparisons as well as the relationship between the suture score and the total training sessions, the time in training, and attempts were studied. RESULTS: Intragroup comparisons showed significant improvement from baseline to the posttest and the retention test. No differences were shown between the groups. The home-trained group practiced more, and the number of sessions correlated with suture retention score (r 2 .54, P .039). CONCLUSIONS: Home training results in laparoscopic skill acquisition and retention. Training is performed in a more distributed manner and trends toward improved skill retention. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Vox Populi No. 2: a bilingual text and sound installation

This paper is a technical and conceptual description of the text and sound installation, Vox Populi No. 2 which integrates news feeds about Colombia, testimonies from Colombian citizens and user input.
On the Efficacy of Opportunistic Routing

Traditional routing schemes select the best path for each destination and forward a packet to the corresponding next hop. While such best-path routing schemes are considered well-suited for networks with reliable point-to-point links, they are not necessarily ideal for wireless networks with lossy broadcast links. Consequently, opportunistic routing schemes that exploit the broadcast nature of wireless transmissions and dynamically select a next-hop per-packet based on loss conditions at that instant are being actively explored. It is generally accepted that opportunistic routing performs substantially better than best-path routing for wireless mesh networks. In this paper, we analyze the efficacy of opportunistic routing. We define a new metric EAX that captures the expected number of any-path transmissions needed to successfully deliver a packet between two nodes under opportunistic routing. Based on EAX, we develop a candidate selection and prioritization method corresponding to an ideal opportunistic routing scheme. We then conduct an off-line comparison of best-path routing and opportunistic routing using our EAX metric and MIT Roofnet trace. We observe that while opportunistic routing offers better performance than best- path routing, the gain is not as high as commonly believed.
Modern Russian Criminal Procedure: the Adversarial Principle and Guilty Plea

The 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation, Article 123(3), declares: "Judicial proceedings shall be conducted based on the principle of adversariness and equality of the parties". This very general, if vague, constitutional language should be read in the political context of the early 1990s, a period when the Soviet system of criminal justice was subject to devastating criticism by liberal, reform minded politicians and lawyers. Usage of the terms "inquisitorial" and "adversarial" criminal proceedings was then-and still remains-politically charged. With the passage of time, the general language of Article 123(3) gradually acquired more specific meaning, first via authoritative jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court and later by the 2001 Code. This chapter provides a brief overview of this process. It focuses on the procedure of guilty pleas, which epitomizes the adversarial principle and represents the most radical break with the indigenous tradition of Russian law. Keywords: adversarial principle; constitutional court; criminal procedure; guilty pleas; Russian law; Soviet system
Love waves excited by discontinuous propagation of a rupture front

Summary. Analytical results are presented for Love waves generated by sudden changes of the rate of advance of a curved rupture front in an inclined fault plane that is embedded in an elastic half-space. The boundary condition at the surface of the half-space approximates the presence of an overlying layer. The calculation consists of two parts. First, ray theory is used to calculate far-field approximations to the horizontally polarized wavefields which are emitted when the speed of the rupture front suddenly changes. These fields can be expressed as products of emission coefficients (which govern the angular dependence) and propagation terms. Secondly, a representation integral for the Love wave over a surface enclosing the rupture front is constructed, using the emitted signal and an appropriate Green's function. This integral is evaluated asymptotically. The resulting approximate Love-wave spectrum shows an explicit dependence on the nature of the rupture process, on the rupture-front and fault-plane geometry, and on the magnitude of a sudden change in the rate of advance of the rupture front.
Azoxystrobin Rate and Timing Effects on Rice Head Blast Incidence and Rice Grain and Milling Yields

ABSTRACT Growing blast susceptible rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars often requires farmers to use fungicides to prevent significant reductions in rice grain and milling yields. Studies were conducted ...
Molecular cloning of replication and incompatibility regions from the R-plasmid R6K.

Abstract The construction of a physical map of R6K DNA on the basis of specific cleavage of R6K DNA by HindIII and EcoRI restriction endonucleases allowed us to determine the location of the R6K replication and drug resistance regions. Molecular cloning techniques were used to dissect the replication and incompatibility functions of R6K. This R-plasmid possesses two origins of replication, α and β, separated by a stretch of 3900 nucleotides. A region close to ori α. controls the copy number of the composite replicon. Inverted duplications which are 100 to 200 nucleotides long are found at the positions of ori α and ori β, respectively. A 1400-nucleotide long sequence within the region bounded by the inverted duplications and separate from the origins and the control region is involved in the R6K self-replication and replication under conditions of polymerase I deprivation. This region also contains some of the incompatibility genes of R6K. The sequentially asymmetrically bidirectional mode of R6K replication is due to the existence of a replication termination site. This terminator is located outside the sequences bounded by the inverted duplications and is not essential for plasmid DNA replication.
Regulation of vertebrate left-right asymmetries by extracellular matrix

THE vertebrate body is organized along three geometric axes: anterior–posterior, dorsal–ventral and left–right. Left–right axis formation, displayed in heart and gut development, is the least understood, even though it has been studied for many years1–4. In Xenopus laevis gastrulae, a fibronectin-rich extracellular matrix is deposited on the basal surface of ectoderm cells5,6 over which cardiac and visceral primordia move during development. Here I report experiments in which localized perturbation of a small patch of extracellular matrix by microsurgery was correlated with localized randomization of left–right asymmetries. Global perturbation of the extracellular matrix by microinjection of Arg-Gly-Asp peptides or heparinase into the blastocoel resulted in global randomization of left-right asymmetries. From these observations, I suggest that left–right axial information is contained in the extracellular matrix early in development and is independently transmitted to cardiac and visceral primordia.
Energy exchange in thermal energy atom—surface scattering: impulsive models

Abstract Energy exchange in thermal energy atom surface collisions is studied using impulsive (“hard cube” and “hard sphere”) models. Both models reproduce the observed nearby linear relation between outgoing and incoming energies. In addition, the hard-sphere model accounts for the widths of the outcoming energy distributions.
Class III direct-gold restoration for adolescents

Abstract The Class III direct-gold restoration for adolescents has proved to be the finest restoration for young people, a rewarding experience for the dentist, and a financially sound procedure.
Development and ordering of mounds during metal(100) homoepitaxy

Scanning-tunneling microscopy studies combined with atomistic modeling for Ag/Ag(100) homoepitaxy reveal complex growth behavior at 300 K: initial smooth growth up to \ensuremath{\sim}25 ML, where three-dimensional (3D) mounds develop from 2D islands; then an extended regime of mound steepening for \ensuremath{\sim}1000 ML producing unexpected rough growth; and finally an asymptotic regime with cooperative mound ordering and coalescence dynamics quite distinct from that in systems with up-down symmetry. The steepening regime is compressed upon lowering temperature, so while initial growth is rougher, asymptotic growth is actually smoother.
Exponential gap law for atom—diatom inelastic scattering

Abstract A very simple (semiclassical) treatment of nonreactive atom—diatom collisions permits the analytic approximation of inelastic state to state scattering cross sections. The derived energy dependence of these cross sections is found to be reasonably independent of the form of the effective (model) scattering potential indicating some generality of applicability. These results provide a generalization of the familiar (empirical) linear surprisal (exponential gap) relationship encountered in vibrationally or rotationally inelastic scattering. Explicit expressions are given for the surprisal parameters of Levine and Bernstein et al. These are evaluated for several rotationally inelastic processes. The theory is seen to predict correctly the observed surprisal slopes and their energy and mass dependence. It also predicts deviations from the linear surprisal from when states having high internal energies are involved. For the more complex case of both vibrationally and rotationally inelastic scattering certain simple behavior of the surprisals (inelastic cross sections) is expected in limiting energy regions. We suggest that linear surprisals will not be general for systems which do not conform to the model assumptions. We conclude that linear surprisals are manifestations of scattering processes which are dominated by the translational dynamics. The surprisal slope measures the range of the effective scattering potential. The details of the potential surface therefore are relatively unimportant.
Reproducibility of volume and densitometric measures of emphysema on repeat computed tomography with an interval of 1 week

Objectives The reproducibilities of CT lung volume and densitometric measures of emphysema were assessed over 1 week. The influence of breathhold on reproducibility was assessed.
BladeCAD: An Interactive Geometric Design Tool for Turbomachinery Blades

A new metthodology for interactive design of turbomachinery blades is presented. Software implementation of the meth- ods provides a user interface that is intuitive to aero-designers while operating with standardized geometric forms. The primary contribution is that blade sections may be defined with respect to general surfaces of revolution which may be defined to represent the path of fluid flow through the turbomachine. The completed blade design is represented as a non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) surface and is written to a standard IGES file which is portable to most design, analysis, and manufacturing applications.
Prediction of Individual Loudness Exponents from Cross-Modality Matching

An investigation of the relation among individual power-function exponents for 51 adults with normal hearing was undertaken. Three different psychophysical procedures were employed: absolute magnit...
Obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal anomaly (OHVIRA) syndrome: management and follow-up.

Objective To review the experience at two large referral centers with the syndrome of obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal anomaly (OHVIRA), and to review the risks, benefits, and complications of surgical management options. Design Retrospective case series. Setting Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Patient(s) Twenty-seven cases of obstructed hemivagina over a 12-year period. Main Outcome Measure(s) For each patient who presented symptoms, diagnostic studies, anatomic findings, surgical management, outcomes, and complications were reviewed. Result(s) The mean age of diagnosis was 14 years. Twenty-three patients had ipsilateral renal anomalies, including 20 patients who had renal agenesis. Two had dysplastic ipsilateral kidneys requiring nephrectomy in infancy. Twenty-six patients underwent vaginal reconstruction, and eight of those additionally underwent laparoscopy for clarification of diagnosis. Six required a two-stage vaginoplasty because of incomplete previous resection (n = 1), infection or anatomic distortion (n = 4), or restenosis (n = 2). Vaginal septum adenosis was seen in eight patients. Conclusion(s) Most patients with OHVIRA syndrome can be treated solely with single-stage vaginoplasty. Routine laparoscopy is not essential to management. Vaginal stenosis is a postoperative possibility, and may be associated with vaginal adenosis.
Permeability to ions of bovine retinal disk membrane vesicles in the bleached state.

Abstract The permeability of the bleached disk membrane of retinal rod outer segments to univalent and divalent ions is studied by light scattering. The membranes are isolated from frozen dark-adapted bovine retinae, swollen into spherical vesicles in a hypotonic medium and bleached in dilute suspension and their size is determined by elastic and quasi-elastic light scatterings. Various electrolytes are then added to the suspending medium in order to examine their osmotic activity relative to the vesicles deformation characteristics. By following the deformation behavior of the membrane vesicles by elastic light scattering in terms of the oblate ellipsoidal shell model, the osmotic activity of a given electrolyte is qualitatively deduced and thereby the permeability of the membrane to the electrolyte is ranked in reference to a chosen standard, i.e., sucrose. By this method, we show that the permeabilities to Na + , K + , Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ are all alike, and those to halides (F − , Cl − , Br − , I − ), nitrate and phosphates (HPO 4 2− /H 2 PO 4 − ) are similar. Acetate, however, is about 3-times more permeative, while sulfate is less permeative than the other anions by about the same factor. The viability of our method is checked with use of an ionophore, lasolocid (X-537A), by establishing partial recovery from the osmotic deformation through the suppression of the cation osmotic effect. Ion-induced aggregation and pH-dependent size and shape changes are both found to be insignificant.
Drained and Undrained Strength Interpretation for Low-Plasticity Silts

The engineering behavior of low-plasticity silts is more difficult to characterize than is the behavior of clay or sand. Due to their tendency to dilate during shear, establishing a consistent and practically useful failure criterion for low-plasticity silts can be very difficult. Consideration of how the undrained shear strength of silt is related to changes in pore pressure provides a more useful and practical framework for understanding the undrained strengths of these materials and for characterizing undrained strengths for practical purposes. Using a value of Skempton’s A¯ as a failure criterion has been found to result in very reasonable values of undrained strength and to reduce scatter in the results as compared to using other criteria. Using a failure criterion based on an appropriate value of A¯ results in consistent values of Su ∕p , and tolerably small values of strain at failure. For low-plasticity, dilative silts that pose the greatest problems with respect to definition of “failure,” using ...
Demonstration of inverse scattering in optical coherence tomography

An object structure can be better resolved in optical coherence tomography by using inverse scattering theory, which takes into account the finite beam width and focusing. Specifically, we show experiments where scatterers are resolved outside of the confocal region such that resolution is uniform to the focused region. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique. When the algorithm is applied to experimentally-acquired OCT data, the transverse resolution outside of the confocal parameter is improved, extending the apparent confocal parameter range. The experimental results validate improvement for capabilities of OCT to perform high-resolution cross-sectional imaging.
Notes on the Reproductive Biology of Female Salmon Sharks in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean

AbstractLittle is known about the reproductive biology of the Salmon Shark Lamna ditropis from the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Female Salmon Shark specimens were collected from Alaskan waters in the summer, autumn, and winter to examine reproductive seasonality, the reproductive interval, fecundity, and embryonic development. Female Salmon Sharks were found to ovulate during the autumn months of September and October, and those captured in July were either in a resting or postpartum state, indicating a short gestation time of 9–10 months. The presence of two mature reproductive states in both the summer and autumn months indicates a biennial reproductive cycle and a resting period of at least 14 months between parturition and ovulation. This study found mean fecundity was 3.88 pups per litter (n = 8; SE = 0.13), with the majority of pregnant Salmon Sharks having a fecundity of four sharks per litter. These results provide new information on the reproductive biology of Salmon Sharks and will aid in the de...
Radiography and visual pathology of the osteoarthritic scaphotrapezio-trapezoidal joint, and its relationship to trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis.

Abstract Purpose: To determine and quantify the relationship of osteoarthritis (OA) in the trapeziometacarpal, scaphotrapezial, and scaphotrapezoidal joints; to ascertain the dependability of radiographic assessment of trapeziometacarpal, scaphotrapezial, and scaphotrapezoidal OA; to determine the articular topography of the scaphotrapezio-trapezoidal (STT) joint (composed of the scaphotrapezial and scaphotrapezoidal articulations) using stereophotogrammetry; and to characterize the articular wear patterns of STT OA. Methods: Sixty-nine fresh-frozen human cadaveric hands were staged radiographically and by gross visual examination for the presence of OA in the trapeziometacarpal and STT joints. Twenty randomly selected joints also were evaluated to determine the topography of the STT joint using stereophotogrammetry. Results: Concomitant severe osteoarthritic degeneration was found in the trapeziometacarpal and STT joint in 60% of our specimens. A correlation was found in the severity of OA in the trapeziometacarpal and STT joints. Radiographic and gross visual evaluation of STT OA concurred in 39% of our specimens. Conclusions: The prevalence of concomitant trapeziometacarpal and STT OA, and the uncertainty of radiographic evaluation of STT OA, indicate the need to visualize the STT joint intraoperatively to determine the true degree of degenerative changes present.
Oxidant stress in the vasculature

Vascular disease and vasomotor responses are largely influenced by oxidant stress. Superoxide is generated via the cellular oxidase systems, xanthine oxidase, and NADH/NADPH oxidases. Once formed, superoxides participate in a number of reactions, yielding various free radicals such as hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite, oxidized low-density lipoprotein, or hypochlorous acid. Numerous cellular antioxidant systems exist to defend against oxidant stress; glutathione and the enzymes superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase are critical for maintaining the redox balance of the cell. However, the redox state is disrupted by certain vascular diseases. It appears that oxidant stress both promotes and is induced by diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and restenosis as well as by certain risk factors for coronary artery disease including hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and cigarette smoking. Once oxidant stress is invoked, characteristic pathophysiologic features ensue, namely adverse vessel reactivity, vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, macrophage adhesion, platelet activation, and lipid peroxidation.
Distinguishing high-Tc theories

Abstract A number of experiments suggest that the gap in the high-temperature superconducting cuprates has dominantly d x 2 − y 2 symmetry. Assuming that this is the case, we discuss what this tells us about the basic pairing mechanism and examine how one might distinguish between different theories which predict a d x 2 − y 2 gap.
Growth and characterization of highly oriented gadolinia-doped ceria (111) thin films on zirconia (111)/sapphire (0001) substrates

Abstract Highly-oriented pure and gadolinia-doped ceria thin films have been grown on pure and zirconia (ZrO 2 ) (111)-buffered sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ) (0001) substrates using oxygen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy to understand the oxygen ionic transport processes in ceria based oxide thin films. Gadolinia-doped ceria films grown on sapphire substrate show polycrystalline features due to structural deformations resulting from the large lattice mismatch between the Al 2 O 3 (0001) substrate and the ceria films. In contrast, the films, grown on a thin layer of ZrO 2 (111) buffered sapphire substrate, appear to be highly oriented in nature with predominant double domain (111) orientation. Oxygen ionic conductivity of these gadolinia-doped ceria films was measured as a function of gadolinium concentration and found to be efficient at relatively lower temperature operation compared to that of bulk polycrystalline, single crystalline yttria stabilized zirconia and gadolinia-doped polycrystalline ceria. Relative improvement in ionic conductivity of highly oriented gadolinia-doped ceria films (in the lower temperature regime) can be ascribed to the increased oxygen vacancies due to presence of Gd as well as high quality of the oriented thin films.
Effects of side-chain modification on poling efficiency of highly polarizable nonlinear optical chromophores in electro-optical polymers

Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the functionalization of bulky side groups on highly efficient nonlinear optical chromophores will improve the poling efficiency of the electro-optic polymers by reducing the intermolecular electrostatic interactions from these large dipole moments (μ) chromophores. However, very little information has been provided from theoretical simulation to describe the optimal functionality of the bulky side group needed on individual chromophore in order to be compatible with its environment, e.g. neighboring chromophores and polymer matrix. To further understand the influence of side-chain modification of chromophore on both chromophore-chromophore and chromophore-polymer matrix interactions, we have synthesized a series of highly polarizable nonlinear optical chromophores with various side-chain modifications in terms of shape, rigidity and functionality. Linear E-O coefficients ( r 33 ) of these functionalized chromophores in amorphous poly(carbonate) were evaluated using the contact poling technique. Several important chromophore and polymer parameters, such as, steric hindrance and free volume were used to explain the overall results from chromophore-chromophore and chromophore-polymer matrix interactions on E-O property.
The presence of ferritin in the duodenal mucosa and liver in hemochromatosis.

ConclusionThe cause of hemochromatosis does not appear to be a defect in the formation of ferritin in the duodenal mucosa or the liver.
INFLUENCE OF ACETYLSALICYCLIC ACID ON THE BODY-TEMPERATURE OF HEAT-STRESSED CHICKENS.

THE oral administration of acetylsalicylic acid or the intra-muscular injections of sodium salicylate were found by me1 to have no influence on the pituitary-adrenal axis of chickens. High levels of acetylsalicylic acid (0.58 per cent) depressed body-weight while low levels (0.07 and 0.15 per cent) did not influence body-weight or pro-thrombin time. A later report by Hutchins et al.2 confirmed that sodium salicylate did not influence the pituitary-adrenal axis in chickens. These workers also reported that immature chicks acclimatized to 105° F and fed sodium salicylate had lower body-temperatures than controls not fed sodium salicylate. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the influence of acetylsalicylic acid on the body-temperature of heat-stressed birds.
Poliovirus Requires a Precise 5′ End for Efficient Positive-Strand RNA Synthesis

Poliovirus infectious RNA can be synthesized in vitro using phage DNA-dependent RNA-polymerases. These synthetic transcripts contain several extra nucleotides at the 5' end, which are deleted during replication to generate authentic viral genomes. We removed those 5'-end extra nucleotides utilizing a hammerhead ribozyme to produce transcripts with accurate 5' ends. These transcripts replicate substantially more rapidly in cell culture, demonstrating no lag before replication; they also replicate more efficiently in Xenopus laevis oocytes and in in vitro translation-replication cell extracts. In both systems, an exact 5' end is necessary for synthesis of positive-strand RNA but not negative-strand RNA.
Characterization of the manganese oxide produced by Pseudomonas putida strain MnB1

Manganese oxides form typically in natural aqueous environments via Mn(II) oxidation catalyzed by microorganisms, primarily bacteria, but little is known about the structure of the incipient solid-phase products. The Mn oxide produced by a Pseudomonas species representative of soils and freshwaters was characterized as to composition, average Mn oxidation number, and N2 specific surface area. Electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy were applied to complement the physicochemical data with morphological and structural information. A series of synthetic Mn oxides also was analyzed by the same methods to gain better comparative understanding of the structure of the biogenic oxide. The latter was found to be a poorly crystalline layer type Mn(IV) oxide with hexagonal symmetry, significant negative structural charge arising from cation vacancies, and a relatively small number of randomly stacked octahedral sheets per particle. Its properties were comparable to those of δ-MnO2 (vernadite) and a poorly crystalline hexagonal birnessite (“acid birnessite”) synthesized by reduction of permanganate with HCl, but they were very different from those of crystalline triclinic birnessite. Overall, the structure and composition of the Mn oxide produced by P. putida were similar to what has been reported for other freshly precipitated Mn oxides in natural weathering environments, yielding further support to the predominance of biological oxidation as the pathway for Mn oxide formation. Despite variations in the degree of sheet stacking and Mn(III) content, all poorly crystalline oxides studied showed hexagonal symmetry. Thus, there is a need to distinguish layer type Mn oxides with structures similar to those of natural birnessites from the synthetic triclinic variety. We propose designating the unit cell symmetry as an addition to the current nomenclature for these minerals.
Regulation of HIV-1 Envelope Protein Synthesis by Tat and Rev in 293 Cells

A plasmid expression vector (B2) with the HIV-1 envelope sequence downstream of the adenovirus type 5 early region 3 promoter could direct the synthesis of envelope protein in the absence of Rev when transfected into 293 cells. We investigated this further using pNL4.3 delta TR, and HIV-1 mutant which lacks the first exon of Tat and Rev and pNL4.3 delta R, an HIV-1 mutant with a premature termination codon in the second coding exon of Rev. In cells transfected with pNL4.3 delta TR and a Tat-expressing vector or with pNL4.3 delta R alone, analysis of RNA revealed the accumulation of cytoplasmic Env mRNA in the absence of Rev. However, envelope protein synthesis was observed in the absence of Rev only in cells transfected with pNL4.3 delta TR and a Tat-expressing vector, not in cells transfected with pNL4.3 delta R. The Env mRNAs synthesized from pNL4.3 delta R can have 536 to 548 nucleotides of 5' non coding sequence, whereas the Env mRNA from pNL4.3 delta TR will have a shortened noncoding sequence of 321 nucleotides. These results indicate that the mRNA sequences 5' to the Env protein initiation codon have a role in Env expression.
The Inhibition of γ-Radiation Induced Apoptosis in Astrocytoma-Derived Cell Lines Is Associated with a Failure of Ceramide Synthesis and Fas-Mediated Apoptosis

The Inhibition of γ-Radiation Induced Apoptosis in Astrocytoma-Derived Cell Lines Is Associated with a Failure of Ceramide Synthesis and Fas-Mediated Apoptosis
Simulation Study to Evaluate Temporal Aggregation and Variability of Stochastic Water Demands on Distribution System Hydraulics and Transport

AbstractAs utilities move toward more detailed hydraulic and water quality network models, the potential for the stochastic nature of consumptive demands having an effect on transport characteristics increases. A nonhomogeneous Poisson rectangular pulse model (PRPsym) was used to generate stochastic water demands aggregated at 1-min, 10-min, and 1-h time steps for a small skeletonized network and a large all-pipe network; results were then linked with EPANET to simulate the impacts of water-demand variability on the underlying transport and water quality. In general, the impacts of temporal aggregation—as represented by flow rate and concentration variability and arrival times—increased as the evaluations moved from the main trunk lines toward dead-end nodes or pipes. More specifically, analysis of a Monte Carlo ensemble of results demonstrated that (1) a 10-min temporal aggregation captured most of the arrival time variability relative to the 1-min aggregation step; (2) hourly demand variability (e.g., f...
Correlation and Accuracy Between Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Thyroid Lesions and Histopathologic Diagnosis -Analysis of 322 Histopathologically Confirmed Cases -

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is the decisive test in the pre-operative diagnostics of thyroid nodules. Here we share our institutional experience about thyroid aspiration and give suggestions for suspicious cytology results. Three hundred twenty-two cases in 270 patients (mean age 47.4 years, 243 women and 27 men) who underwent thyroidectomy were reviewed. Among the 322 cases, the FNA diagnosis of "positive for malignancy" was 87 cases (27.0%), "suggestive of malignancy" 30 cases (9.3%), "suspicious for malignancy" 61 cases (18.9%), "negative for malignancy" 102 cases (31.7%), and "unsatisfactory smear" 42 cases (13.0%). Eighty seven cases (100%) out of "positive for malignancy", 29 cases (96.7%) out of "suggestive of malignancy", and 39 cases (64.0%) out of "suspicious for malignancy" were papillary carcinoma (148 cases, 95.5%), or follicular carcinoma (2 cases, 1.3%), or metastatic carcinoma (1 case, 0.6%). Seventeen patients who had only negative or unsatisfactory cytology underwent thyroidectomy and nine cases (52.9%) were papillary carcinoma. We suggest that: the cytology diagnosis of "suggestive of malignancy" could be regarded as "positive for malignancy", the cytology diagnosis of "suspicious of malignancy" should be carefully correlated with clinico-radiologic manifestation, and even a negative or unsatisfactory smear should be carefully followed up.