cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship of low vitamin D status with positive, negative and cognitive symptom domains in people with first-episode schizophrenia

Aim Deficient vitamin D levels are very common among Americans of all ages and ethnicities, but little is known about its prevalence or associated problems among those with schizophrenia. Methods Stored plasma from 20 recent onset schizophrenia subjects and 20 matched healthy comparison subjects were analysed for 25 OH vitamin D, and related to measures of symptom severity and neurocognition. Results There was no significant difference in mean 25 OH vitamin D between the schizophrenia and the healthy comparison subjects (28.2 standard deviation (SD) 12.6 ng mL−1 vs. 29.9 SD 14.3 ng mL−1), and about half the subjects in each group had insufficient levels (<30 ng mL−1). Among psychosis subjects, greater severity of negative symptoms was correlated with lower vitamin D status (r = −0.55, P = 0.012); the correlations of overall symptom severity and positive symptom severity with 25 OH vitamin D levels approached significance (r = −0.42, P = 0.07 and r = −0.36, P = 0.12, respectively). There was no relationship of vitamin D with depressive symptoms. Among the schizophrenia subjects, lower 25 OH vitamin D levels were associated with more severe overall cognitive deficits (r = 0.56, P = 0.019). Conclusion This study found that lower vitamin D levels in schizophrenia subjects were associated with more severe negative symptoms and overall cognitive deficits. However, the cross-sectional design precludes any conclusions about whether low vitamin D status in fact causes more severe negative symptoms and cognitive impairments. No relationship was found between lower vitamin D levels and depressive symptoms.
Note on quantum unique ergodicity

We prove that (near) off-diagonal matrix elements (Aφ i ,φ j ) (i # j) of pseudodifferential operators relative to eigenfunctions of quantum uniquely ergodic Laplacians vanish as the eigenvalues tend to infinity. It follows that QUE systems cannot have quasi-modes with singular limits and a bounded number of essential frequencies, as is believed to occur for the stadium and other examples.
Nonreciprocal and host-dependent interference between two variants of influenza virus☆

Abstract Two variants of the WSN strain of influenza virus, designated F and C because they produce distinct plaque types on bovine kidney (MDBK) cells, have been found to exhibit nonreciprocal and host-dependent interference. The interference is mediated by C particles obtained from either MDBK cells or chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF). It does not operate in CEF, and in MDBK cells the C variant is always the interference-inducer regardless of which virus enters the cell first. Standard virus prepared in CEF contains at least 20 interfering units per plaque-forming unit. Increasing the particle to infectivity ratio of the C preparation increases the number of interfering particles per plaque-forming unit. UV-inactivated C virions retain the capacity to interfere with F synthesis. Strains of virus with limited capacity to grow in MDBK cells also interfere with the synthesis of F but not of C. Preinfection of MDBK cells with F results in enhancement of early yields of C. This is not observed in CEF. Enhancement can be induced by F nonplaque formers but not by UV-inactivated virus or by other strains of influenza virus. The experiments suggest that C virions interfere with an early step in the replication of F by usurping components which are essential for virus replication and which are presented in limiting amounts in infected MDBK cells.
3 Inter-Stakeholder Behavior Analysis and Design Engineering

Systems Engineering encounters situations where stakeholders disagree. Disagreement shows itself both in the form of different claims and through particular human interaction patterns. In situations of strong disagreement, systems engineers can benefit from social science methods. This paper presents such an approach that combines elements of cultural anthroplogy, family systems therapy, and systems engineering. It is intended to be used to document stakeholder behavior in a more rigorous and defensible manner and to point toward additional technical information that can benefit the systems engineering effort. Knowledge of stakeholder interaction patterns can also enable engineers to form better questions during requirements inquiry and can lead to a healther overall team environment.
Independent effects of morphine and apomorphine on stereotyped gnawing in the hamster

Eight experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of apomorphine, a dopaminergic agonist, and of morphine, an opiate, on stereotyped behavior in the hamster. Animals were observed at two minute intervals for one hour and incidents of stereotyped gnawing, licking and sniffing were recorded using a time-sampling method. Both morphine and apomorphine produced dose-related increases in stereotyped gnawing. A low dose of the opiate antagonist, naloxone (0.4 mg/kg), blocked morphine-induced gnawing but neither that dose nor higher doses of naloxone (1, 4 and 10 mg/kg) blocked apomorphine-induced gnawing. A low dose of the dopaminergic antagonist, haloperidol (0.05 mg/kg), blocked apomorphine-induced gnawing but did not block morphine-induced gnawing. Further experiments indicated that morphine administration did not sensitize, or influence in any way, subsequent apomorphine-induced stereotyped behavior.
A powered lift experiment for CFD validation

The transitional flight characteristics of a geometrically simplified STOVL aircraft configuration were measured in the NASA Ames 7- by 10-Foot Wind Tunnel. The experiment is the first in a sequence of tests designed to provide detailed data for evaluating the capability of computational fluid dynamics methods to predict the important flow parameters for powered lift. The model consists of a 60-deg delta wing planform with two circular high-pressure air jets located in a blended fuselage. The measured flows have a maximum freestream Mach number of 0.2. The flow is sonic and at ambient temperature in both jets. The data presented include forces and moments measured using an internal balance, pressures measured at the 281 surface pressure ports, and jet pressures and temperatures. Measurements of the flow are also made in the tunnel test section upstream and downstream of the model and at the jet exists to provide boundary conditions for the planned computations.
Application of a segmented cell setup to detect pinhole and catalyst loading defects in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Changes in the physical, compositional, and chemical properties of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) are usually considered as defects and have the potential to negatively affect fuel cell performance and durability and promote failures. Thus, studies of the defects’ impacts and evaluations of the tolerance limits for properties of MEA components are important for the mass production of fuel cells. In the present paper, a segmented cell system was shown to be an appropriate method for the localization and identification of defects, such as pinholes and catalyst loading variations. The pinhole and anode loading defects were intentionally created at one of the inlet segments (segment 4), and the resulting impact was studied. The pinhole caused an increase in the H2-crossover at the defected segment as well as downstream of the segment; it also caused a decrease in the open-circuit voltage (OCV). The pinhole was detected and localized by the application of spatial linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) for the H2-crossover measurement and also by the application of open-circuit (OC) experiments. The decrease in the anode catalyst loading led to a local performance drop that was attributed to increased ohmic and mass transfer overpotentials. This defect caused an increase of high frequency resistance mainly due to a reduced thickness of the defected electrode area and the lack of an appropriate contact between the electrode and the gas diffusion layer. Consequently, spatial cyclic voltammetry (CV) has been shown to be capable of detecting loading defects in a segment's electrochemically active area.
Protein structure and interactions in the solid state studied by small-angle neutron scattering

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is uniquely qualified to study the structure of proteins in liquid and solid phases that are relevant to food science and biotechnological applications. We have used SANS to study a model protein, lysozyme, in both the liquid and water ice phases to determine its gross-structure, interparticle interactions and other properties. These properties have been examined under a variety of solution conditions before, during, and after freezing. Results for lysozyme at concentrations of 50 mg mL−1 and 100 mg mL−1, with NaCl concentrations of 0.4 M and 0 M, respectively, both in the liquid and frozen states, are presented and implications for food science are discussed.
Waves of ionization in a nitrogen discharge

Abstract Artificially excited waves of ionization in a low pressure nitrogen discharge are identified as anode-directed forward waves.
Effects of ethanol on alcohol dehydrogenase and microsomal ethanol oxidative system activities in fetal mice

In an attempt to better understand the mechanism of the fetal damage caused by ethanol, we studied the effects of its administration on the activity of some ethanol metabolizing enzymes in mice fetuses. Animals were given a single ethanol injection (0.01 ml of a 25% solution in 0.9% sodium chloride per gram of body weight) on day 12 of pregnancy and were divided into groups that were killed 24, 48, and 72 hours later. The fetal and maternal livers were isolated, homogenized, and divided into subcellular fractions. Alcohol dehydrogenase, NADH-cytochrome C reductase, NADPH-cytochrome C reductase, and cytochrome P-450 activities were measured and compared with those of control animals injected with saline solution. We found that ethanol caused (1) a significant but transient increase in fetal alcohol dehydrogenase activity, (2) a significant and persistent increase in fetal cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome C reductase activities, and (3) no change in fetal NADH-cytochrome C reductase activity. These effects were similar although quantitatively smaller than those observed in the maternal liver and disappeared after pretreatment with metyrapone. This work demonstrates that ethanol has a similar effect upon both maternal and fetal ethanol metabolizing enzymes and gives experimental support to the possibility that a reactive product of the interaction between ethanol and the cytochrome P-450 system may be responsible for the embryotoxic effects of this compound.
Limited records and reputation bubbles

Abstract This paper offers a tractable and fully rational model to study the economics of reputation in a dynamic market with limited record-keeping, i.e., a market in which new entrants observe only the last few periods of play of the long-run player instead of the full history of the market. We show that trust is gradually granted to the opportunistic long-run player despite the fact that his type is perfectly observed by the short-run opponents, and the perfectly informed short-run players ride and drive up “reputation bubbles” at the expense of their uninformed successors. We characterize equilibrium payoffs uniformly over time, which is useful for analyzing ongoing repeated relationships where the starting moments have passed.
’When You Drink Water, Think of Its Source”: Morality, Status, and Reinvention in Ryral Chinese Funerals

"In the old society, people could not afford to complete a burial, so they left their relatives' urns in the ancestral temple. Then during the Cultural Revolution, when things were really chaotic (luan), some kids moved the urns down to the river .... My landlady, Songling, and her neighbor, Aihua, a long-time local cadre and party member, sat in Songling's living room drinking tea. We were discussing death ritual in the old society, during Maoist times, and in the present. In southern Chinese death ritual, the bones of the deceased are exhumed and reburied in large ceramic urns several years after the initial burial.1 Songling and Aihua were trying to explain why one could find many such urns by the banks of the river that ran through their village, Moonshadow Pond.
Videodensitometric analysis of human coronary stenoses: validation in vivo by intraoperative high-frequency epicardial echocardiography.

Videodensitometry is a nongeometric method of coronary angiographic analysis that can be used to provide an index of coronary luminal area. However, there are few direct studies in vivo of the relationship of videodensitometric data to independent measures of luminal area in humans. Although videodensitometry is theoretically independent of angiographic projection and luminal shape, validation of these assumptions in vivo is also limited. We therefore used intraoperative high-frequency epicardial echocardiography, a technique that can directly determine human coronary luminal area and shape in vivo, to further validate videodensitometry. A total of 36 arterial segments in the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries were studied by videodensitometry and high-frequency echocardiography. Videodensitometry was performed on angiograms in which the arterial segment of interest was not markedly foreshortened and was uniformly filled with contrast. In 22 discrete lesions (13 with circular lumens and nine with oval or complex lumens), videodensitometric and echocardiographic measures of luminal area correlated well (r = .86). In 33 coronary arterial segments, the effect of angiographic projection on videodensitometry was determined by comparison of the results of videodensitometry performed on left anterior oblique vs right anterior oblique angiograms of the segments. Here too, the correlation was good (r = .94, y = 1.04x + 0.002). The good correlation of left anterior oblique with right anterior oblique videodensitometric results held true for lesions with circular and oval or complex lumens. This study further validates the ability of videodensitometry to provide an index of coronary luminal area and confirms in vivo previous assumptions that the results of videodensitometric analysis are independent of angiographic projection and luminal shape.
Blood Pressure Reduction and Tolerability of Felodipine ER in Older and Younger Hypertensive Patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare blood pressure reduction and tolerability of felodipine ER (extended-release), in younger and older patients. DESIGN: A multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study. SETTING: Nineteen study sites; approximately half of the sites were at academic medical centers and half were in private primary care practices. Patients were non-hospitalized and free-living. PATIENTS: There were 243 younger (≤61 years) and older (≥64 years) patients, age range 26 to 83, with sitting diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) of 95–115 mm Hg (higher stage 1 to lower stage 3) on placebo. Patients volunteered for the study. INTERVENTIONS: After a 2 to 4 week, single-blind, placebo baseline period, patients with SDBP of 95–115 mm Hg were randomized to treatment with felodipine ER 2.5 mg qd or placebo at a ratio of 3:1, felodipine:placebo. The dose of felodipine ER was increased to 5 mg qd after 3 weeks and to 10 mg qd after 6 weeks if the SDBP was greater than 90 mm Hg. MEASUREMENTS: The main outcome measure was change in SDBP. Secondary Outcome measures were change in sitting systolic blood pressure (SSBP) and percent of responders, defined as SDBP less than 90 mm Hg or a ≥ 10 mm Hg reduction. Other measurements included heart rate, weight, routine laboratory values, and self-reported adverse events. RESULTS: By Week 9, felodipine ER reduced blood pressure in the older subjects (n = 77) by 13/12 mm Hg; in the younger patients, (n = 102), the reduction was 12/8 mm Hg. All reductions were significantly different from placebo (P ≤ .003). The reduction in diastolic, but not systolic, blood pressure was significantly greater in the older than in the younger patients (P = .004 and P = .188, respectively). The percentage of patients reporting a clinical adverse experience was similar for felodipine ER and placebo treatment groups. The incidence of side effects was similar between old and young patients. Discontinuation occurred in 9% of the felodipine-treated patients and 19% of the placebo-treated patients. Older patients required lower doses of felodipine ER to achieve equivalent blood pressure control. CONCLUSIONS: Felodipine ER is effective in lowering blood pressure and is well tolerated in both young and old people.
University scientists as entrepreneurs: a special case of technology transfer and high-tech venturing

Abstract We trace the commercialization of new technologies when enacted specifically under the stewardship of the founding university scientist. Our primary evidence comes from an intensive study of 22 such enterprises in North America. The implications for all parties involved, including the business partners and university employers, are addressed. The clash of business and scientific cultures often leads to difficulties in the partners working together and sometimes to outright failure of the venture. Likewise, tension in the scientist's relationship with the university produces unfortunate losses for both sides. The lack of a common venture culture, as well as difficulties in the relationship with the university, might be labelled as ‘obvious’ by students of organizing and organizations. Equally, many venturing scientists recognize their lack of management skills as a potential barrier to success. Yet, it is striking how little preventive action is taken to avoid or remedy such problems. They appear to be consistently overlooked. For instance, creative resolutions of the academic's new status occurred only in a minority of our cases: the majority of the scientists severed their ties with their universities. The patterns exposed in this study offer helpful insights to budding scientist-entrepreneurs contemplating a foray into the commercial marketplace, to business partners interested in enhancing the probability of making the right career move, and to universities seeking a stake in the success of these ventures.
18F-FDG PET of the hands with a dedicated high-resolution PEM system (arthro-PET): correlation with PET/CT, radiography and clinical parameters

Purpose The aim of this study was to prospectively determine the feasibility and compare the novel use of a positron emission mammography (PEM) scanner with standard PET/CT for evaluating hand osteoarthritis (OA) with 18F-FDG.
THE SOLUBILITY OF TYROSINE IN ACID AND IN ALKALI.

Measurements have been made of the solubility at 25°C. of tyrosine in hydrochloric acid and in sodium hydroxide solutions varying from 0.001 to 0.05 M, and also in distilled water. The pH of the saturated solutions was measured with the hydrogen electrode. The following values for the ionization constants of tyrosine have been obtained from the measurements: kb = 1.57 x 10–12, ka1 = 7.8 x 10–10, ka2 = 8.5 x 10–11. The changes in solubility with pH can be satisfactorily explained by the use of these ionization constants.
Healthy Work Revisited: Do Changes in Time Strain Predict Well-Being?

Building on Karasek and Theorell (R. Karasek & T. Theorell, 1990, Healthy work: Stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life, New York, NY: Basic Books), we theorized and tested the relationship between time strain (work-time demands and control) and seven self-reported health outcomes. We drew on survey data from 550 employees fielded before and 6 months after the implementation of an organizational intervention, the Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) in a white-collar organization. Cross-sectional (Wave 1) models showed psychological time demands and time control measures were related to health outcomes in expected directions. The ROWE intervention did not predict changes in psychological time demands by Wave 2, but did predict increased time control (a sense of time adequacy and schedule control). Statistical models revealed increases in psychological time demands and time adequacy predicted changes in positive (energy, mastery, psychological wellbeing, self-assessed health) and negative (emotional exhaustion, somatic symptoms, psychological distress) outcomes in expected directions, net of job and home demands and covariates. This study demonstrates the value of including time strain in investigations of the health effects of job conditions. Results encourage longitudinal models of change in psychological time demands as well as time control, along with the development and testing of interventions aimed at reducing time strain in different populations of workers.
Early radiometric performance assessment of the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI)

Landsat-8, the latest in the Landsat series of satellites, was launched on February 11, 2013 and carries on board the Operational Land Imager (OLI) as one of its payloads. The satellite’s mission is to continue the long history of moderate resolution imaging of the Landsat program. The OLI follows the highly successful Landsat-5 and Landsat-7 in continuing to populate a global archive of Earth images that dates back to 1972. The design of the Landsat-8 instruments is a significant departure from earlier Landsats. The OLI is a pushbroom instrument; all previous recent Landsat instruments were electromechanical (whiskbroom) instruments. OLI also has two new spectral bands and refined bandpasses; the thermal imaging capability on Landsat-8 is in a separate instrument. The pushbroom design provides significantly better signal to noise performance than historically available, but at the expense of circa 70,000 detectors versus the 100 or so on previous instruments. The large focal plane and large number of detectors makes detector to detector relative calibration more challenging, increasing the propensity for banding and striping in imagery. On-board radiometric calibration devices include a shutter to measure the dark levels, a full aperture solar panel for calibration against the sun, and multiple sets of lamps for short-term stability monitoring. Early results from the on-board calibration devices indicate that the OLI is outperforming the Landsat-7 instrument in signal-to-noise ratio by an order of magnitude, consistent with pre-launch measurements. Over the first five months, the instrument is stable to within 0.7%, as measured by the lamps and solar diffuser. A relative calibration (detector-to-detector) and a linearization parameter update have been performed that reduce visible striping; with this update, the residual striping has been reduced by half in all OLI bands.
Evaluation of a mathematical model for peak interpretation in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry based on free analyte atom redeposition on carbon surfaces

Abstract The suitability of a mathematical model proposed by Musil and Rubeska to the interpretation of the shapes of absorbance vs time plots obtained for several analyte elements using atomisers made of various materials was studied. The contributions of platform and wall surfaces to the shape of the peak were evaluated by combining components made of polycrystalline electrographite, pyrolytic graphite and glassy carbon. In some cases it was possible to match the trailing portions of the plots using the analytical function proposed by Musil and Rubeska, and thus to assign values to the rate constants for redeposition and revaporisation. However, the model is not, in general, adequate. An extended model accounting for both temporal and axial temperature non-uniformity in the tube during atomisation has been developed and tested using simultaneously measured temperature and absorbance data. The results are interpreted in terms of the kinetics and physical constants of the processes involved.
Forty year trends in selecting a psychiatric career.

Since 1950, between three and ten percent of American medical school graduates selected psychiatric careers. Until 1989, the direction of the ratio of medical school applicants to acceptance was the best predictor for medical school graduates entering psychiatry; a declining ratio predicts more students become psychiatrists. The decrease in number of graduates selecting psychiatry for 1989, 1990 and 1991 suggest new factors may be influencing career decisions. Women continue to select psychiatry in a greater proportion than men. In an attempt to understand the historical context of these trends and suggest implications and actions for the next decade, this paper presents data on the psychiatric career choice of U.S. medical school graduates beginning with the medical school graduates of 1950.
Screening of Electrocatalysts for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation on W-Doped BiVO4 Photocatalysts by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst arrays for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation were fabricated on a metal oxide semiconductor photoelectrode, W-doped BiVO4 (BiVW-O). The electrocatalysts (IrOx, Pt, Co3O4) were prepared on a drop cast film of BiVW-O on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) with a picoliter solution dispenser or photodeposition with light irradiation through an optical fiber. The prepared arrays were tested for PEC water oxidation in 0.2 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) using scanning electrochemical microscopy modified with an optical fiber. Pt and Co oxide electrocatalysts showed an enhanced photocurrent for PEC water oxidation, while the other metal oxide catalysts including IrOx, which is known as an excellent water oxidation electrocatalyst on a metal substrate, were not effective. These results were confirmed with bulk film studies. A cobalt phosphate (Co-Pi) electrocatalyst was also tested as a bulk film on BiVW-O and showed improvement for PEC water oxidation. Prel...
AIRS/AMSU/HSB on EOS Aqua: first year post launch assessment

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), and Humidity Sounder from Brazil (HSB) are three instruments onboard the Earth Observing System (EOS) Aqua Spacecraft. Together, they form the Aqua Infrared and Microwave Sounding Suite (AIMSS). This paper discusses the science objectives and the status of the instruments and their data products one year after launch. All instruments went through a successful activation and calibration and have produced exceptional, calibrated, Level 1B data products. The Level 1B Product Generation Executables (PGEs) have been given to NOAA and the GSFC DAAC for production and distribution of data products. After nine months of operations, the HSB instrument experienced an electrical failure of the scanner. Despite the loss of HSB, early validation results have shown the AIRS and AMSU are producing very good temperature profiles.
A novel artificial neural network method for biomedical prediction based on matrix pseudo-inversion

We develop an effective neural network (MPI-ANN) method for biomedical prediction.MPI-ANN directly determines the network weights without lengthy learning iteration.Experiments conducted using simulated SNP and real cancer data by cross validation.Results show MPI-ANN's efficacy and significantly better performance than LASSO.Results also show that MPI-ANN could be used for bio-marker selection. Biomedical prediction based on clinical and genome-wide data has become increasingly important in disease diagnosis and classification. To solve the prediction problem in an effective manner for the improvement of clinical care, we develop a novel Artificial Neural Network (ANN) method based on Matrix Pseudo-Inversion (MPI) for use in biomedical applications. The MPI-ANN is constructed as a three-layer (i.e., input, hidden, and output layers) feed-forward neural network, and the weights connecting the hidden and output layers are directly determined based on MPI without a lengthy learning iteration. The LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator) method is also presented for comparative purposes. Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) simulated data and real breast cancer data are employed to validate the performance of the MPI-ANN method via 5-fold cross validation. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the developed MPI-ANN for disease classification and prediction, in view of the significantly superior accuracy (i.e., the rate of correct predictions), as compared with LASSO. The results based on the real breast cancer data also show that the MPI-ANN has better performance than other machine learning methods (including support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression (LR), and an iterative ANN). In addition, experiments demonstrate that our MPI-ANN could be used for bio-marker selection as well.
Buerger's Disease in the 21st Century: Diagnosis, Clinical Features, and Therapy

Buerger's disease (thromboangiitis obliterans or TAO) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the development of segmental thrombotic occlusions of the medium and small arteries of the extremities. It is clinically and pathologically distinguishable from arteriosclerosis and necrotizing arteritis. Afflicted patients are mostly young, male, inveterate tobacco smokers who present with distal extremity ischemia, ischemic ulcers, or frank gangrene of the toes or fingers. Large arteries are typically spared, as are the coronary, cerebral, and visceral circulations. While mortality is not increased, patients with Buerger's disease often suffer from severe ischemic pain and tissue loss culminating in minor and major limb amputation. Clinical diagnostic criteria generally include the following: (1) history of smoking or tobacco abuse; (2) age of onset less than 45 to 50 years; (3) infrapopliteal, segmental arterial occlusions with sparing of the proximal vasculature; (4) frequent distal upper extremity arterial involvement (Raynaud's syndrome or digital ulceration); (5) superficial phlebitis; and (6) exclusion of arteriosclerosis, diabetes, true arteritis, proximal embolic source, and hypercoagulable states. Typical arteriographic patterns have been described that are suggestive, but not pathognomonic. While the cause of Buerger's disease remains unknown, the disease onset and clinical course are inextricably linked to tobacco abuse. Acute Buerger's disease is characterized histopathologically by intensely cellular vessel wall inflammation, giant cell foci, and hypercellular thrombi, but with preservation of the elastic lamina and the overall vascular wall architecture. Most investigators feel that Buerger's disease is an immune-mediated endarteritis; recent immunocytochemical studies have identified the linear deposition of immunoglobulins and complement factors along the elastic lamina. The inciting antigen has not been discovered. Tobacco abstinence generally results in disease quiescence and remains the mainstay of treatment.
Astrophysical applications of quantum corrections to the equation of state of a plasma.

The quantum electrodynamic correction to the equation of state of a plasma at finite temperature is applied to the areas of solar physics and cosmology. A previously neglected, purely quantum term in the correction is found to change the equation of state in the solar core by -0.37%, which is roughly estimated to decrease the calculated high energy neutrino flux by about 2.2%. We also show that a previous calculation of the effect of this correction on big bang nucleosynthesis is incomplete, and we estimate the correction to the primordial helium abundance Y to be Delta A= 1.4 x 10(exp -4). A physical explanation for the correction is found in terms of corrections to the dispersion relation of the electron, positron, and photon.
Narrow Pore-Diameter Polypyrrole Nanotubes

Bulk quantities of electrically conducting nanotubes of polypyrrole having narrow pore diameter (6 nm) can be synthesized rapidly by chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of V2O5 nanofibers. The V2O5 nanofibers act as templates for polymerization and yield, as the initial product, polypyrrole nanotubes with pores filled with V2O5. The V2O5 dissolves readily in aq. 1.0 M HCl, yielding hollow polypyrrole nanotubes having conductivity of ∼2 S/cm. As-synthesized polypyrrole nanotubes spontaneously reduce noble metal ions to the corresponding metal nanoparticles at room temperature without any capping or dispersing agents. For example, 3−5 nm size nanoparticles of Ag, Au, and Pd, etc., deposit readily on the surface of the tubes which then migrate spontaneously to the pore, and, in the case of Ag, coalesce in the core, yielding 4−8 nm diameter coaxial cables of Ag surrounded by a 20−30 nm thick polypyrrole fiber sheath.
The Intimacy of Paul to the Thessalonians in 1Thess. 2: 7b-12

In one of the earliest documents of Christianity, in a highly patriarchal society, when addressing Gentile Christians, Paul did not hesitate to liken himself not only to a father, but also to a woman who cares for her own children. In contrast to itinerant phi- losophers, he did not only preach, but by the example of his life showed love for them, even to the point of sacrificing his being. The metaphor of the mother relates among other things with the admonition to avoid prostitution and the koinonia of all during and after the Last Judgment. In the oldest document of Christianity, Paul speaks to Christians of all nations and does not stop, in a upmost Patriarchal society, trying to assimilate himself with the image of a woman in the way she nurtures and cares for her own children. He does not simply preach, but unlike the wandering philosophers, he has such calmness, compassion and love for them in which he gives his soul, his being. Si- multaneously, he is a father, since with his example and sayings, he teaches everyone, individually, to stay away from iniquity and prays unceasingly. The presentation of the sender as a mother and father of the recipients, brothers of the newborn Church of Thessaloniki, relates to the call to stay away from harlotry and that everybody will coexist during and after the Second Coming of our Lord. Translation by: Nikolaos Georgantonis Streszczenie: W jednym z najstarszych dokumentow chrześcijanstwa, w bardzo patriarchalnym spoleczenstwie, apostol Pawel zwra- cając sie do Chrześcijan z pogan, nie waha sie upodobnic nie tylko do ojca, ale takze kobiety, ktora jako niania dba o wlasne dzieci. W przeciwienstwie do wedrownych filozofow, apostol Pawel nie tylko nauczal slowem, lecz i przykladem swojego zycia ukazywal lagodnośc, dobroczynnośc i milośc, ofiarowując swoją dusze i zycie. Metafora matki związana jest miedzy innymi z upomnieniem, aby unikac prostytucji i tworzyc wspolnote wszystkich w trakcie zycia doczesnego i po Sądzie Ostatecznym. W najstarszym dokumencie chrześcijanstwa, Pawel mowi do chrześcijan wszystkich narodow, nie zatrzymuje sie na spoleczenstwie pa- triarchalnym, lecz stara sie zasymilowac z obrazem kobiety - piastunki, i tak jak ona karmic i troszczyc sie o wlasne dzieci. On nie tylko glosil, ale w przeciwienstwie do wedrujących filozofow, mial taki spokoj, wspolczucie i milośc do tych ludzi, dla ktorych oddawal swoją dusze i cale swoje istnienie. Jednocześnie, ukazuje sie w postaci ojca, poniewaz jego przyklad i slowa, uczyly wszystkich, indywidualnie, pozostawania z dala od nieprawości i nieustannej modlitwy. Prezentacja autora listu jako matki i ojca odbiorcow, braci rodzącego sie Kościola w Salonikach, związane jest w związane bylo z wezwaniem do pozostawiania z dala od nierządu, i sklonienia adresatow do zgodnego wspolistnienia we wspolnocie zarowno przed, jaki i po drugim przyjściu naszego Pana.
Robust Multivariate Regression When There is Heteroscedasticity

Rousseeuw et al. (2004) proposed a robust multivariate regression estimator and reported that its small-sample efficiency can compare favorably to ordinary least squares when the error term is homoscedastic. It is found that in terms of efficiency, their estimator performs well under heteroscedasticity, sometimes strikingly so. Several alternative estimators were considered, some of which also performed well under heteroscedasticity.
Minimal-latency human action recognition using reliable-inference

We present a probabilistic reliable-inference framework to address the issue of rapid detection of human actions with low error rates. The approach determines the shortest video exposures needed for low-latency recognition by sequentially evaluating a series of posterior ratios for different action classes. If a subsequence is deemed unreliable or confusing, additional video frames are incorporated until a reliable classification to a particular action can be made. Results are presented for multiple action classes and subsequence durations, and are compared to alternative probabilistic approaches. The framework provides a means to accurately classify human actions using the least amount of temporal information.
AIRWAY PROTECTIVE REFLEXES ELICITED BY LARYNGEAL AMMONIA: ROLE OF C-FIBER AFFERENTS

Intralaryngeal ammonia induces an airway protective reflex in rats characterized by apnea, bradycardia and increased laryngeal resistance. Since ammonia is known to stimulate both the myelinated and the nonmyelinated afferents, the role of nonmyelinated afferents in eliciting the above response is unclear. The present study was designed to investigate this by utilizing two techniques that selectively block C-fiber afferents: intravenous ruthenium red and perineural application of capsaicin. Ammonia vapor was introduced into the functionally isolated larynx of anesthetized rats for 10 sec at a flow rate of 5 ml/sec. Changes in expiratory duration were expressed as the ratio between test and control expiratory time (TEmax/control). Perineural application of capsaicin (n = 8) to SLNs attenuated the responses of both intralaryngeal ammonia (TEmax/control: 12.32 +/- 1.67 to 6.89 +/- 1.62; P < 0.05) and capsaicin (8.86 +/- 2.02 to 3.35 +/- 2.17; P < 0.05). Pretreatment with ruthenium red (1 mg/kg, iv., n = 10) significantly reduced the effects of ammonia (20.43 +/- 4.38 vs. 11.66 +/- 3.21; P < 0.05) and nebulized capsaicin (16.28 +/- 4.58 to 3.90 +/- 0.83; P < 0.05). These results suggest that the C-fiber endings of the SLN play an important role in eliciting the airway protective reflexes by irritants such as ammonia.
Categorical Race versus Individuating Belief as Determinants of Discrimination: A Study of Southern Adolescents in 1966, 1979, and 1993

Abstract As follow-up on data collected in 1966 and 1979 from ninth-grade students in a county school in North Carolina, data were collected in 1993 from the same school system. The 1966 data included responses only from white subjects, but the 1979 and 1993 data also included responses from both white and African-American subjects. As a test of Rokeach, Smith, and Evans' (1960) belief congruence theory [and also of Fiske and Neuberg's (1990) conceptually overlapping temporal-continuum model], subjects in all three periods responded to four questionnaires supposedly completed by other teenagers. The questionnaires differed according to a categorical race (same or opposite) by individuating belief (similar or dissimilar) design. Subjects responded to each of the four other teenagers by making both evaluative judgments and social distance judgments. Belief dissimilar questionnaires were individually constructed according to the belief attributions that each teenager had previously reported for other-race teenagers. The results for white subjects indicated that belief similarity affected all dependent variables, and that these effects did not differ significantly over the three time periods. However, race effects declined over the three periods, as did perceived social disapproval for cross-race contact in the context of various behavioral associations (working together, marriage, and so on). Furthermore, such social disapproval was correlated with the magnitudes of the race effects—in agreement with predictions from belief congruence theory. For African-American subjects the race main effects did not decline significantly from 1979 to 1993, and there were more complex changes over time, indicating that belief similarity had an increasingly larger effect for same- than opposite-race others. Furthermore, unlike in 1979, the race effects for African-American subjects were not correlated with perceived social disapproval.
HIV Nef-M1 Effects on Colorectal Cancer Growth in Tumor-induced Spleens and Hepatic Metastasis

CXCR4 receptors have been implicated in tumorigenesis and proliferation, making it a potential target for colorectal cancer therapy. Expression of this chemokine receptor on cellular surfaces appears to promote metastasis by directly stimulating tumor cell migration and invasion. The receptor/ligand, CXCR4/SDF-1alpha, pair are critically important to angiogenesis and vascular remodeling which supports cancer proliferation. Our work has shown that a novel apoptotic peptide of HIV-1, Nef-M1, can act as a CXCR4 antagonist, inducing apoptosis in CXCR4 containing cells. Four colorectal tumor cell lines (HT-29, LS174t, SW480, WiDr), were evaluated for their response to Nef-M1 peptide via in vivo and in vitro. The presence of CXCR4 receptors on tumor cells was determined using immunohistochemical and RT-PCR analyses. Solid xenografts derived from tumor cell lines grown in SCID mice, were evaluated for the persistence of the receptor. Xenografts propagated in SCID mice from each of the four cell lines demonstrated high levels of receptor expression as well. The effects of Nef-M1 in vivo via splenic injected mice and subsequent hepatic metastasis also demonstrated dramatic reduction of primary tumor growth in the spleen and secondary invasion of the liver. We concluded that Nef-M1 peptide, through physical interaction(s) with CXCR4, drives apoptotic reduction in in vivo primary tumor growth and metastasis.
Clinical Aspects of Diabetic Bone Disease: An Update

Older adults with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of fracture but do not have decrements in bone density. The reasons for greater bone fragility in diabetes are still not clearly understood, but progress has been made in identifying potential contributors. With new imaging techniques, increased cortical porosity has been identified as a possible contributing factor to bone fragility. Cortical porosity may be especially detrimental to bone strength in the presence of higher levels of advanced glycation end products. Initial results have reported higher levels of marrow adiposity in diabetic men, suggesting that diabetes may contribute to marrow stem-cell lineage allocation toward adipocytes rather than osteoblasts. Higher levels of sclerostin have also been observed in diabetic patients, indicating that osteocyte function may play a role in diabetic bone. An important clinical question, “How to best predict fracture in diabetic patients?” has been addressed with studies demonstrating that BMD T-score and FRAX score predict fractures but underestimate absolute risk in diabetic patients. For prevention of fractures, there is now evidence from a clinical trial that intensive glycemic control does not increase fracture or fall risk but also does not reduce these outcomes. The pursuit of these new findings promises to provide insights into the reasons for greater fragility of diabetic bone and the best methods for fracture prevention in this population.
Quantifying background magnetic-field inhomogeneity for improved interpretation of free induction decay measurements

ABSTRACTNuclear magnetic resonance measurements provide useful insight into pore-scale properties of porous media. One influence affecting the measurement is inhomogeneity in the static background magnetic field (B0). This inhomogeneity can significantly alter the relaxation signal and potentially obscure pore-scale information. To improve the understanding of this effect on the free-induction decay (FID), a measurement still commonly used in practice, a novel methodology is developed to estimate the statistical distribution of B0. A suite of preparatory pulse sequences is developed to encode information about the B0 field in the initial amplitude and phase of the FID following each sequence and an inversion is employed to predict the statistical distribution of B0. Knowledge of the B0 distribution is then used to correct for the impact of B0 inhomogeneity on the FID measurement; this is essential for improving the usefulness of FID measurements for the estimation of pore-scale properties. Results are pre...
Review: structured physical activity during pregnancy reduces risk of caesarean delivery

Commentary on: Domenjoz I, Kayser B, Boulvain M. Effect of physical activity during pregnancy on mode of delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2014; 211:401.e1–11.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2] Prevalence of C-section deliveries in the USA is approximately 32%.1 This procedure can add to pregnancy complications as well as increase delivery costs. Any intervention with potential to decrease C-section rates are welcomed, particularly if it is low risk … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DAm%2BJ%2BObstet%2BGynecol%26rft.volume%253D211%26rft.spage%253D401.e1%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1016%252Fj.ajog.2014.03.030%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1016/j.ajog.2014.03.030&link_type=DOI
Investigation of the structure of ettringite by time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction techniques

The crystalline structure of ettringite, Ca{sub 6}[Al(OH){sub 6}]{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 3}.{approx}26H{sub 2}O, was investigated using high-resolution time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction techniques. The powder diffraction data were subjected to Rietveld crystal structure refinement. The resultant ettringite crystal structure confirmed the positions of Ca, Al, and S atoms while permitting a more precise determination of the locations of O and H atomic positions than in previous X-ray and neutron diffraction studies. A discussion of the ettringite hydrogen bonding network is presented, illustrating the role of hydrogen bonding in the stabilization of the ettringite structure.
Combination ACE Inhibitor and Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Therapy—Future Considerations

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers are regularly prescribed for the management of hypertension. Each of these drug classes has also been shown to provide survival benefits for patients with heart failure, proteinuric chronic kidney disease, and/or a high cardiac risk profile. The individual gains seen with each of these drug classes have led to speculation that their combination might offer additive if not synergistic outcome benefits. The foundation of this hypothesis, although biologically possible, has thus far not been sufficiently well proven to support the everyday use of these 2 drug classes in combination. Additional outcomes trials, which are currently proceeding to their conclusion, may provide the necessary proof to support an expanded use of these 2 drug classes in combination.