cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EUV continuum of narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

We study the NLR emission line spectrum of 12 NLS1s to constrain the EUV – soft X-ray continuum SED using accurate photoionization modeling. We find that the NLR emission line ratios, which we measure for several NLS1 galaxies, can be reproduced within ±15% without a strong BBB component in the framework of a two-component model.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html
Metal and Multimetal Complexes with Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons: Formation and Photodissociation of Fex−(Coronene)y Cations

Gas-phase cluster complexes containing coronene and iron are produced in a molecular beam and studied with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Cation complexes are produced in a pulsed nozzle laser v...
Systematic review: Coca-Cola can effectively dissolve gastric phytobezoars as a first-line treatment.

SummaryBackground Gastric phytobezoars represent the most common bezoars in patients with poor gastric motility. A variety of dissolution therapies and endoscopic fragmentation techniques have been evaluated as conservative treatment so as to avoid surgery. Aim To investigate the effectiveness of Coca-Cola for gastric phytobezoars dissolution. Methods We performed a systematic search to identify publications on gastric phytobezoars to assess the efficacy of Coca-Cola as a dissolution therapy. Diospyrobezoars, formed after persimmon ingestion, are a distinct type of phytobezoars characterized by their hard consistency. Thus, these two subgroups of bezoars were compared in terms of successful dissolution. Results Over a 10-year period (2002–2012), 24 papers including 46 patients have been published. In 91.3% of the cases, phytobezoar resolution with Coca-Cola administration was successful, either as a single treatment (50%) or combined with further endoscopic techniques, whereas only 4 patients underwent surgery. Phytobezoars were more likely to dissolve after initial attempt with Coca-Cola compared with diospyrobezoars (60.6% vs. 23%, P = 0.022). Conclusions Coca-Cola alone is effective in gastric phytobezoar dissolution in half of the cases and, combined with additional endoscopic methods, is successful in more than 90% of them.
An accurate solver for forward and inverse transport

This paper presents a robust and accurate way to solve steady-state linear transport (radiative transfer) equations numerically. Our main objective is to address the inverse transport problem, in which the optical parameters of a domain of interest are reconstructed from measurements performed at the domain's boundary. This inverse problem has important applications in medical and geophysical imaging, and more generally in any field involving high frequency waves or particles propagating in scattering environments. Stable solutions of the inverse transport problem require that the singularities of the measurement operator, which maps the optical parameters to the available measurements, be captured with sufficient accuracy. This in turn requires that the free propagation of particles be calculated with care, which is a difficult problem on a Cartesian grid. A standard discrete ordinates method is used for the direction of propagation of the particles. Our methodology to address spatial discretization is based on rotating the computational domain so that each direction of propagation is always aligned with one of the grid axes. Rotations are performed in the Fourier domain to achieve spectral accuracy. The numerical dispersion of the propagating particles is therefore minimal. As a result, the ballistic and single scattering components of the transport solution are calculated robustly and accurately. Physical blurring effects, such as small angular diffusion, are also incorporated into the numerical tool. Forward and inverse calculations performed in a two-dimensional setting exemplify the capabilities of the method. Although the methodology might not be the fastest way to solve transport equations, its physical accuracy provides us with a numerical tool to assess what can and cannot be reconstructed in inverse transport theory.
An overview of respiratory syncytial virus.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a member of the Paramyxoviridae family, is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness (LRI) in infants. From 1993 to 2008, the total RSV hospitalization rate in the United States across all age groups was 55 per 100,000 person-years, slightly lower than the rate of 64 per 100,000 personyears for influenza viruses [1]. In infants, the hospitalization rate was 2,345 per 100,000 person-years for RSV compared to 151 for influenza, consistent with reports that RSV hospitalizes 1–2% of infants in the US each winter, a staggering statistic [1]. RSV disease is not limited to infants. RSV resulted in more hospitalizations in 1– 4-year-olds than influenza [1]. One in 13 children under the age of five in the US required medical attention for RSV each year, and 60% of office visits were for 2–5-year-olds [2]. RSV remains a significant cause of death. Over all age groups, influenza caused three times as many deaths as RSV in the US from 1990 to 1999, mostly in the elderly [3]. RSV caused 137 deaths per year in the US in children less than 4 years old, compared to 38 per year in this age group for influenza [3]. Globally, RSV was estimated to have caused 66,000 to 199,000 pneumonia deaths in children less than 5 years old in 2005, making RSV the third most important cause of deadly childhood pneumonia after Streptococcus pneumonia and Haemophilus influenza [4]. RSV is increasingly recognized as a global health priority. Other than ribavirin, there are no licensed RSV vaccines or therapeutics. The monoclonal antibody (mAb) palivizumab is a neutralizing mAb against a conserved epitope in the viral fusion (F) surface glycoprotein. Palivizumab is administered prophylactically to high-risk infants, such as those with chronic lung disease of prematurity, congenital heart disease, or premature birth at less than 36 weeks gestational age, but it costs $4,500 per patient treatment course [5].
Henry Carey’s Political-Ecological Economics An Introduction

Henry Carey was the most important American economist of the middle part of the 19th century. Although he lacked an academic following in the United States, he was influential in Europe. In the course of denouncing British trade policy and British political economy, Carey developed an ecological-economic analysis that prefigures much modern thought. Carey began with the dangers of soil depletion and developed a dynamic theory of value based on the cost of reproduction. He called for a development strategy based on the complete, local recycling of all goods, including even waste products from both animate and inanimate sources. This article details the strengths and shortcomings of Carey’s work. Although Carey was quite conservative and trusted in markets, his theories point in the direction of a radical ecological-economic program.
Tweeting about the tsunami?: mining twitter for information on the tohoku earthquake and tsunami

On 11th March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude megathrust earthquake occurred in the ocean near Japan. This was the first large-scale natural disaster in Japan since the broad adoption of social media tools (such as Facebook and Twitter). In particular, Twitter is suitable for broadcasting information, naturally making it the most frequently used social medias when disasters strike. This paper presents a topical analysis using text mining tools and shows the tools' effectiveness for the analysis of social media data analysis after a disaster. Though an ad hoc system without prepared resources was useful, an improved system with some syntactic pattern dictionaries showed better results.
A simplified separatory funnel for use in liquid amalgam reductions

Abstract A new design of separatory funnel has been described which is used for the preparation of standard volumetric reductants and applies to the use of liquid metal amalgams. The new device may be employed in the reduction of individual samples of solutions for analysis but is to be employed primarily for the preparation and storage of small volumes of standard solutions. A description of operations illustrative in its usage have been given and its advantages described.
New Horizons for Imaging Lymphatic Function

In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of noninvasive imaging modalities used clinically for the diagnosis of lymphatic diseases, new imaging agents for assessing lymphatic architecture and cancer status of lymph nodes, and emerging near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent optical imaging technologies and agents for functional lymphatic imaging. Given the promise of NIR optical imaging, we provide example results of functional lymphatic imaging in mice, swine, and humans, showing the ability of this technology to quantify lymph velocity and frequencies of propulsion resulting from the contractility of lymphatic structures.
Crystal-field spectra of fassaite from the Angra dos Reis meteorite

Fassaitic pyroxene from the Angra dos Reis meteorite has striking spectral properties. The57Fe Mossbauer spectra show no Fe3&+;, and thus the absorption is thought to originate from a complex charge-transfer process. Intense absorption at 480 nm dominates the spectrum of the meteorite and may be important in the interpretation of telescope spectra of objects in space.
Transection of the chorda tympani and insertion of ear pins for stereotaxic surgery: equivalent effects on taste sensitivity.

Abstract NaCl and sucrose absolute detection thresholds were determined in rats with bilateral transection of the chorda tympani nerve (group CT) and those treated by having stereotaxic ear pins inserted into the auditory canal and through the tympani membrane (group EP). Relative to controls, each experimental group had deficits in acquisition of the NaCl detection tasks and higher NaCl thresholds, but had no significant deficits in the sucrose detection tasks. There were no differences between the CT and EP groups on any measure of performance. The performance of rats with unilateral CT or EP treatment was identical to that of controls for high concentrations of NaCl, but somewhat poorer on near threshold concentrations. These results (A) confirm prior reports for a specific role of the CT in NaCl detection and (B) indicate that the use of ear pins in stereotaxic surgery may disrupt CT function with a resultant decrease in NaCl sensitivity.
Reggeization, Massless Particles, and Vanishing Renormalization Constants

This paper has three purposes: to generalize earlier work on Reggeization in field theories to allow treatment of massless particles; to show that Reggeization occurs in other processes than just vector-spinor scattering; and to recover the one-to-one correspondence between certain poles in the partial-wave amplitudes and dynamical states which was called into question by recent work. In problems involving massless spin-1 and spin-2 mesons, we make use of a modified amplitude defined by Eriksson which contains no infrared divergences and directly yields physical cross sections. We show that if the proper experimental procedure is defined, infrared-divergent diagrams do not alter the positions of Regge poles in this amplitude and these diagrams change the residues only to higher orders in the coupling constant. The dilemma about factorization of amplitudes when some of the helicity amplitudes are missing is resolved. These results are then applied to the scattering of photons by spin-\textonehalf{} and spin-0 electrons; in each case, it is found that a dynamical trajectory is formed but that the electron is not Reggeized (does not lie on the trajectory). Then we calculate the Compton scattering of gravitons (massless spin-2 particles) by spinor or scalar electrons. In each case, it is shown that no trajectory is generated near the highest nonsense value available, and that near the electron there is generated only one trajectory. In each case the electron is Reggeized. A theory involving massive spin-2 particles is formulated but not used for calculations. Finally, the dynamical criterion furnished by vanishing renormalization constants is applied to Reggeized particles. This test is found to correctly identify a Reggeized particle as elementary; thus the contribution of a Reggeized particle to the scattering amplitude is essentially different from the contribution of a true dynamical state. This allows us once again to associate certain moving poles directly with dynamical particles, without regard for amplitudes in other channels.
The Behavior Intervention Rating Scale: Development and Validation of a Pretreatment Acceptability and Effectiveness Measure

Abstract The construct validity of the Behavior Intervention Rating Scale (BIRS) was investigated to develop an instrument to measure teachers' perceptions of treatment acceptability and percieved effectiveness of classroom interventions. An obligue factor analysis was utilized, and three factors, Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Time of Effect, were determined. Correlational analysis demonstrated moderate to strong relations among the three factors. The BIRS was shown to be a valid measure of two general constructs important to treatment evaluation, acceptability and effectiveness.
Direct numerical simulations of autoignition in stratified dimethyl-ether (DME)/air turbulent mixtures

Abstract In this paper, two- and three-dimensional direct numerical simulations (DNS) of autoignition phenomena in stratified dimethyl-ether (DME)/air turbulent mixtures are performed. A reduced DME oxidation mechanism, which was obtained using rigorous mathematical reduction and stiffness removal procedure from a detailed DME mechanism with 55 species, is used in the present DNS. The reduced DME mechanism consists of 30 chemical species. This study investigates the fundamental aspects of turbulence-mixing-autoignition interaction occurring in homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine environments. A homogeneous isotropic turbulence spectrum is used to initialize the velocity field in the domain. The computational configuration corresponds to a constant volume combustion vessel with inert mass source terms added to the governing equations to mimic the pressure rise due to piston motion, as present in practical engines. DME autoignition is found to be a complex three-staged process; each stage corresponds to a distinct chemical kinetic pathway. The distinct role of turbulence and reaction in generating scalar gradients and hence promoting molecular transport processes are investigated. By applying numerical diagnostic techniques, the different heat release modes present in the igniting mixture are identified. In particular, the contribution of homogeneous autoignition, spontaneous ignition front propagation, and premixed deflagration towards the total heat release are quantified.
Corn Silage Preservation with Anhydrous Ammonia, Live Culture Microbial, or Organic Acid-Based Additives

Abstract Chopped whole corn plants were ensiled with anhydrous ammonia or one of two commercial additives in ten 2.4×6.1m upright concrete silos at the Virginia Forage Research Station at Middleburg. The five treatments were: two silages harvested at full and late maturity with no additives, full maturity silage with Silabac 3 (a live lactobacillus culture) added at .05%, full maturity silage with anhydrous ammonia (Cold-Flo Process) added at approximately .28%, and a late maturity silage with Silosyn II 4 (an organic acid-based additive) at .1%. Additions were based on wet forage weights. Feeding comparisons were obtained from silages as prepared and fed without further supplementation. Digestion of dry matter (yearling steers) was reduced in the microbial-treated silage. Digestibility of fibrous components was reduced in the late harvested silages (more mature corn). Enrichment with ammonia increased apparent digestibility of nitrogen. Mean dry matter intakes were 2.50, 2.45, 2.35, 2.30, and 2.27% of body weight (230 to 270kg crossbred heifers) for ammonia-treated, acid-treated, full maturity, late maturity, and microbial-inoculated silages. Dry matter recoveries ranged from 89 to 92% and were not influenced by additives. Enrichment of corn silage harvested at 36 to 40% dry matter with ammonia increased silage pH, ammoniacal and total nitrogen, and digestion of total nitrogen. Measures of total and lactic acid production and structural plant components of treated silages were not significantly different from controls.
Variational principles and Heisenberg matrix mechanics

Abstract If in Heisenberg's equations of motion for a problem in quantum mechanics (or quantum field theory) one studies matrix elements in the energy representation and by use of completeness conditions expresses the equations solely in terms of matrix elements of the canonical variables, and if one does likewise with the associated kinematical constraints (commutation relations), one arrives at a formulation - largely unexplored hitherto - which can be exploited for both practical and theoretical development. In this contribution, the above theme is developed within the framework of one-dimensional problems. It is shown how this formulation, both dynamics and kinematics, can be derived from a new variational principle, indeed from an entire class of such principles. A powerful method of diagonalizing the Hamiltonian by means of computations utilizing these equations is described. The variational method is shown to be particularly useful for the study of the regime of large quantum numbers. The usual WKB approximation is seen to be contained as well as a basic for the study of systematic corrections to it. Further applications in progress are mentioned.
Ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic contamination in pulverized coal

Abstract Although no significant major-element contamination is introduced by grinding coal in a steel pulverizer, abraded steel particles can conceivably affect the magnetic properties of pulverized coal. Magnetic and scanning-electron-microscope analyses of pulverized coal and coal fragments from the Herrin No. 6 seam in Illinois showed ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic contamination from the grinder. Significant changes in the magnetic properties of the coal were noted, indicating a total steel contamination of approximately 0.02 wt%. When coal samples were vibrated in the magnetic field of the vibrating-sample magnetometer, the superparamagnetic steel particles moved through the pulverized coal, and participated in the formation of multidomain clusters that in turn substantially affected the magnetization of the coal.
Effects of Diazacholesterol, Triparanol, and β-Sitosterol on Egg Cholesterol Deposition in Coturnix Quail

Abstract Studies were undertaken to determine the effect of inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis on deposition of cholesterol in eggs of Japanese quail. Results indicate that this bird responds similarly to the laying hen, making it a useful screening device for these types of compounds. Administration of either triparanol or 20,25 diazacholesterol resulted in a decreased cholesterol content of the yolk. Concomitant with this decrease was an increase in desmosterol deposition. Beta sitosterol (2%) fed either alone or with lecithin (2%) did not result in a decrease in egg yolk cholesterol. No β-sitosterol was found in the egg yolk. Diazacholesterol fed either with sitosterol, or sitosterol plus lecithin, was not effective in reducing the total sterol content of egg.
Spin relaxation in isolated molecules and clusters: The interpretation of Stern-Gerlach experiments

Intramolecular spin relaxation may occur in isolated molecules or clusters provided that the density of rovibrational eigenstates is sufficiently high to serve as an energy bath and angular momentum is conserved. In the coupled, zero-field limit, total angular momentum (J) is the sum of spin (S) and rotational (N) momenta such that J and MJ are good angular momentum quantum numbers. In the coupled limit, transitions between Zeeman levels (ΔMJ≠0) cannot occur in the absence of an external torque. However, in the high-field limit, J and MJ are no longer good quantum numbers, as N and S are decoupled and only their projections on the z axis defined by the external field are invariant. In this case MN and MS remain as good quantum numbers so that angular momentum conserving transitions can occur subject to the selection rule ΔMN=−ΔMS. Determination of the magnetic moments of isolated molecules and clusters via a thermodynamics-based analysis requires that their magnetizations are measured at sufficiently large fields that spin-rotation effects become negligible and the Zeeman level structure approaches the free-spin case.
MONTE CARLO CALCULATION OF NEUTRON EVAPORATION EXCITATION ENERGY DEPENDENCE OF NUCLEAR LEVEL DENSITY

Abstract Experimental excitation function data in the heavy element region have been analyzed by a Monte Carlo technique to investigate the dependence of the nuclear level density on excitation energy. The analysis supports the prediction of the completely degenerate Fermi gas model that the nuclear temperature varies as the square root of the excitation energy. The value of the level density parameter a deduced from the experimental data is changed significantly when shell and pairing effects are taken into account by displacement of the characteristic energy surface from which the excitation energy is measured.
Psychrophilic spoilage bacteria of poultry.

SUMMARY The organisms most commonly found growing on poultry carcases stored at 1° are pigmented and nonpigmented strains of Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas putrefaciens and strains of Acinetobacter. A comparison of total viable counts at 20 and 30° using stored turkeys, showed that certain strains could not be recovered at the higher temperature. When inoculated into minced breast and leg muscle, it was found that the pigmented and nonpigmented strains of Pseudomonas grew well in both muscle tissues. Strains of Acinetobacter groups B and C failed to grow in the breast muscle but grew in the leg muscle, Acinetobacter C growing much more rapidly than Acinetobacter B. The growth of Ps. putrefaciens was much faster in the leg muscle than in the breast muscle. These differences could partially be explained by differences in pH, the breast muscle having a pH value 5.7—5.9 compared with a pH value 6.4—6.7 for the leg muscle. The possible significance of these results in relation to the distribution and growth of these organisms on the chicken or turkey carcase is discussed.
Long Term Therapy with Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone in Isolated Gonadotropin Deficiency: Failure of Therapeutic Response

We have evaluated the therapeutic response to exogenous LRH (1 mg, sc, either twice daily or three times daily) in six subjects with isolated gonadotropin deficiency. Four males were treated for 6 months, of whom two showed a transient rise in serum testosterone. However, testosterone levels subsequently remained at pretreatment levels in each of the four subjects during LRH therapy. One of the two female subjects displayed a transient rise in 17 beta-estradiol levels. All four males showed a notable rise in testosterone after hCG, and the one female tested responded to menotropins, while receiving LRH. We propose that the number of quanta of gonadotropins released per day with our therapeutic regimen was inadequate to generate a normal gonadal response.
Failure of the Hasse principle for Enriques surfaces

Abstract We construct an Enriques surface X over Q with empty etale-Brauer set (and hence no rational points) for which there is no algebraic Brauer–Manin obstruction to the Hasse principle. In addition, if there is a transcendental obstruction on X, then we obtain a K3 surface that has a transcendental obstruction to the Hasse principle.
Instrumentation for electrical measurements in snowstorms

Abstract Instrumentation was developed and subsequently used to study electric currents and their characteristics in snowstorms. Conduction current density was calculated from the product of atmospheric conductivity (measured by use of a Gerdien condenser) and electric field (measured by use of two new electric field meter designs of the radioactive potential probe type). Precipitation current was measured directly by two instruments, one averaging currents as a function of time and the other examining individual snowflakes and providing instantaneous precipitation information.
Reggeon cutting rules and s-channel unitarity

It is shown that the cutting rules of Abramovskii, Kancheli and Gribov, for the discontinuties of enhanced Reggeon diagrams follow solely from the requirement that the total discontinuity of a diagram be equal to twice its imaginary part, together with the result that the diffractive discontinuity of the two-Reggeon cut be equal to minus its total discontinuity. This conclusion is already implied by low-order diagrams. That it is consistent to all orders in perturbation theory is proved. (AIP)
The helium ion-induced fission of 203Tl and 205Tl at 31, 42 and 65 MeV

Abstract A radiochemical study has been made of the alpha particle-induced fission of 203 Tl and 205 Tl using 31, 42 and 65 MeV helium ions. The fission fragment mass distribution curves of 203 Tl and 205 Tl are Gaussian-shaped with values of the width at half-maximum of 15 ± 1 amu and 15 ± 1 amu at 31 MeV, 18 ± 1 amu and 17 ± 1 amu at 42 MeV, and 16 ± 1 amu and 19 ± 1 amu at 65 MeV, respectively. The total fission cross sections after being corrected for isotope effects were determined as 10.4 μbarn and 6.5 μbarn at 31 MeV, 429 μbarn and 334 μbarn at 42 MeV, and 37,540 μbarn and 4520 μbarn at 65 MeV, respectively. The outstanding feature of these results is the consistently lower value of σ f for the fission of 205 Tl as compared to 203 Tl. This is especially evident for the values of 65 MeV. This may be due in part to the formation of a magic number of neutrons in the compound nucleus 209 Bi.
Impaired Sleep and Well-Being in Mothers With Low-Birth-Weight Infants

ABSTRACT Objective To explore relationships between impaired sleep and well-being in mothers with low-birth-weight infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. Design Cross-sectional descriptive exploratory design. Setting Neonatal intensive care unit in metropolitan Atlanta, GA. Participants Twenty second-week postpartum, first-time mothers who had a low-birth-weight infant hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit. Methods Self-report data were collected for sleep, fatigue, depression, and well-being. Total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, circadian activity rhythms, and light exposure were measured using a wrist actigraph. Results Mothers reported clinically significant sleep disturbance and fatigue severity. Actigraphy showed the average nighttime total sleep time was less than 7 hours with 19%±2.2% wake after sleep onset, and the total daytime sleep was more than an hour. Mothers also experienced moderate depressive symptoms. Maternal well-being as measured by the Medical Outcomes Short Form-36, version 2 was approximately 1 SD below the mean scores of age-matched women in the general U.S. population. Conclusion Mothers of hospitalized low-birth-weight infants are vulnerable. The presence of sleep disturbances and negative physical and mental health indicators warrants further study. Intervention is needed to promote sleep for new mothers during postpartum recovery, especially mothers who are dealing with a medically ill infant.
Crack growth retardation due to micro-roughness: A mechanism for overload effects in fatigue

Based on the fracture surface features of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy. This note presents new mechanisms for crack growth retardation based on a micro-roughness model. This mode, which does not exclude the role of other factors such as residual stresses or blunting, provides a rational for the occurrence of several unexplained overload effects on crack growth retardation reported in the literature. In addition, further sources of crack growth attenuation arising from fracture surface oxidation are discussed. 22 refs.
Coupling intervals of ventricular extrastimuli causing resetting of sustained ventricular tachycardia secondary to coronary artery disease: relation to subsequent termination.

Abstract Single and double ventricular extrastimuli (VE) delivered during sustained, uniform ventricular tachycardia (VT) are able to reset or terminate the tachycardia. The relation between the coupling intervals of single and double VE resetting VT and those terminating it was examined in 80 uniform, morphologically distinct VT occurring in 52 patients. Of the 80 tachycardias receiving single VE, 41 were reset and 8 terminated. The corrected coupling interval of single VE first causing resetting was 0.81 ± 0.08 compared with 0.66 ± 0.06 for termination (p
Metal-induced cell signaling and gene activation in lung diseases

Chronic environmental and occupational exposures to low levels of metals are associated with increased incidence of pulmonary and cardiopulmonary diseases. The cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of metals in the lung are unresolved and involve complex pleiotrophic effects. These effects are mediated by direct reaction of the metals with cellular macromolecules and indirect effects of reactive oxygen species generated when cells are exposed to metals. This review focuses on cell signaling pathways activated by two metals, chromium and nickel, that are known to promote a variety of lung diseases, including fibrosis, obstructive disease, and cancer. These signaling pathways are discussed in relation to the inclusion or exclusion of reactive oxygen in mediating cellular activation following metal exposures.
Cystathioninuria in patients with neuroblastoma or ganglioneuroblastoma. Its correlation to vanilmandelic acid excretion and its value in diagnosis and therapy

Cystathionine is not normally present in urine and only a few cases of congenital cystathioninuria are known. Cystathioninuria has also been found in patients with sympathetic tumors or with primary hepatic tumors. This study was undertaken in order to assess the significance of cystathioninuria in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with active neuroblastoma or ganglio-neuroblastoma. It was found that 50% of these patients excrete cystathionine. The presence or severity of cystathioninuria does not correlate with the extent of metastases, nor is it combined with an elevated vanilmandelic acid excretion. By contrast, patients successfully treated for neuroblastoma, as well as patients with a variety of other tumors or diseases, do not show cystathioninuria. It is concluded that cystathioninuria is a valid test in the diagnosis of neuroblastoma or ganglioneuroblastoma, although primary liver tumors should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Furthermore, the presence of cystathioninuria in the follow-up course of these patients indicates that the neoplastic disease is still active.
Growth mechanism of diamond by laser ablation of graphite in oxygen atmosphere

In this paper, diamond crystals grown on sapphire (0001) substrate by laser ablation in oxygen atmosphere were reported. The experiments were performed at a substrate temperature of \ensuremath{\sim}550 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C and in oxygen pressure of 0.11--0.15 Torr. Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and micro-Raman spectroscopy were applied to characterize the products. FE-SEM observation revealed that hexagonal- and triangular-shaped crystals were formed on the sapphire substrate, however, the crystal nucleation and growth were nonuniform and discontinuous. XRD and micro-Raman analyses indicated the coexistence of hexagonal and cubic diamond. Moreover, the secondary nucleation of diamond was observed. The diamond growth mechanism in laser ablation, a physical vapor deposition process, was different than that in chemical vapor deposition process. In an optimum region of carbon energy, carbon species implanted into substrate to form a local high-density region in which the formation of diamond phase ${(sp}^{3}$ bond) rather than graphitic phase ${(sp}^{2}$ bond) was favorable. At suitable substrate temperature and oxygen pressure, the diamond crystals nucleated and grew, while the graphitic phases were excluded by oxygen preferential etching. Compared to diamond synthesized in a hydrogen environment, the conditions for diamond growth in oxygen atmosphere are very critical.
A maturing understanding of naive T cells.

In this issue of Blood , Cieri et al and Roberto et al report that recovery of a diverse T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire following haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) using posttransplant cyclophosphamide (pt-Cy) is dependent on T memory stem cells (T SCM ) maturing from naive T cells adoptively transferred in the donor graft. 1,2
Stomatal and nonstomatal limitations of photosynthesis in relation to the drought and shade tolerance of tree species in open and understory environments

Light saturated photosynthesis (A) in field saplings of shade tolerant, intermediate, and intolerant tree species was analyzed for stomatal and nonstomatal limitations to test differences between species and sun and shade phenotypes during drought. Throughout the study, photosynthesis was highest and mesophyll limitations of A (Lm) lowest in the intolerant species in both open and understory habitats. The shade tolerant species exhibited the only drought-related decreased A and increased Lm in the open, and the greatest drought-related decreased A and increased Lm in the understory. Few species exhibited significant habitat or drought-related differences in stomatal conductance to CO2 (gc), but even slight decreases in gc during drought were associated with large increases in stomatal limitations to A (Lg). Combined changes in Lm and Lg resulted in increased relative stomatal limitation to A (l g) in several species during drought. Nevertheless, the overall lack of stomatal closure allowed for nonstomatal limitations to play a major role in reduced A during drought. Higher leaf N was associated with shallower slope of the l g versus gc relationship, an indication of greater A capacity. Photosynthetic capacity tended to be greater in the intolerant species than the tolerant species, and it tended to decrease during drought primarily in the shade tolerant species in the understory. Findings in the literature suggest that carbon reduction reactions may be more susceptible to drought than photosynthetic light reactions. If so, reduced carbon reduction capacity of shade tolerant species or shade phenotypes may predispose them to drought conditions, which suggests a mechanism behind the well-recognized tradeoff between drought tolerance and shade tolerance of temperate tree species.
Four solutions for four puzzles

Barrett et al. (Biol Philos, 2012) present four puzzles for the ZFEL-view of evolution that we present in our 2010 book, Biology’s First Law: The Tendency for Diversity and Complexity to Increase in Evolutionary Systems. Our intent in writing this book was to present a radically different way to think about evolution. To the extent that it really is radical, it will be easy to misunderstand. We think Barrett et al. have misunderstood several crucial points and so we welcome the opportunity to clarify.
Recent advances in discrete power transistors

Recent improvements in power bipolar transistors (BJTs) and power MOSFETs are described. The items discussed include design and process modifications that have led to improved device performance. In the final portion, the important characteristics a relatively new power transistor, called the COMFET, are presented. These items include: the fabrication of both n- and p-channel COMFETs; the low on-resistance of high-voltage COMFETs compared to high-voltage MOSFETs and BJTs; fall times down to 0.1 µs; and the temperature dependencies of these parameters.
Spatial attentional shifts: Implications for the role of polysensory mechanisms

Simple reaction times to lateralized visual (Experiment 1) or auditory (Experiment 2) targets were studied in normal subjects. The targets were preceded by a visual or auditory cue located on the same (valid cue), or opposite (invalid cue) side as the subsequent target, or on both sides (neutral cue), with one of four cue target intervals. The validity of visual and auditory cues influenced the speed of response to the visual target but not to the auditory target. It is hypothesized that cross-modal cueing of spatial position works only with modalities for which a movement (e.g. saccade) leads to improved sensory analysis.
Fossil horses, carbon isotopes and global change

Abstract Between 20 and 10 million years ago, Miocene horses demonstrate rapid dental evolution from low-crowned (brachydont) to high-crowned (hypsodont) teeth. Hypsodonty is classically interpreted as an adaptive shift from browsing to grazing to exploit the spread of savanna grasses. Recent geochemical studies allow the use of carbon Isotopes to test this hypothesis. Isotopic analysis of fossil horse teeth Indicates a predominantly C 3 diet consisting of mixed browse/grass or predominantly C 3 grasses until the latest Miocene. The advent of C 4 grassland ecosystems began about 7–8 million years ago and seems related to declining equid diversity.
Search for the second forbidden β decay ofB8to the ground state ofBe8

A significant decay branch of {sup 8}B to the ground state of {sup 8}Be would extend the solar neutrino spectrum to higher energies than anticipated in the standard solar models. These high-energy neutrinos would affect current neutrino oscillation results and also would be a background to measurements of the hep process. We have measured the delayed {alpha} particles from the decay of {sup 8}B, with the goal of observing the two 46-keV {alpha} particles arising from the ground-state decay. The {sup 8}B was produced using an in-flight radioactive beam technique. It was implanted in a silicon PIN-diode detector that was capable of identifying the {alpha} particles from the {sup 8}Be ground state. From this measurement we find an upper limit (at 90% confidence level) of 7.3x10{sup -5} for the branching ratio to the ground state. In addition to describing this measurement, we present a theoretical calculation for this branching ratio.
Altered copper status in adult men with cystic fibrosis.

Objectives: To measure indices of copper status in adult men with cystic fibrosis (CF). A previous study in children showed changes in copper homeostasis compared to controls. This study was designed to investigate whether this observation persisted into adulthood.Methods: This was a case-control age-matched study using seven men with CF and six healthy men. Blood samples were drawn into metal free tubes and fractionated into plasma, polymorphonuclear cells, mononuclear cells and erythrocytes. Cell fractions were assayed for copper and CuZn-superoxide dismutase; plasma was assayed for ceruloplasmin.Results: The men with cystic fibrosis had significantly greater plasma copper and ceruloplasmin activity, yet had significantly lower copper-zinc superoxide dismutase activity in mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cells. Furthermore, the mononuclear cells of the cystic fibrosis subjects had about 45% percent less copper-zinc superoxide dismutase protein. Cellular copper levels were not statistically different be...
Sensitivity of Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Arthrography in Detection of Panlabral Tears of the Glenohumeral Joint

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting combined lesions of the glenoid labrum involving tears of the anterior, posterior, and superior labrum. Methods Preoperative MRI findings were available in 46 cases of arthroscopic repair of combined tears of the anterior, posterior, and superior labrum (mean age, 31 years), including 23 noncontrast MRI studies and 24 magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography studies (1 patient had both). MRI findings were compared with the status of the labrum at the time of arthroscopy, and the sensitivity of MRI was determined. Results MRI showed evidence of combined lesions of the anterior, posterior, and superior labrum in only 10 of 47 studies (21.3%). Only 2 of 23 (8.7%) tears were detected by noncontrast MRI, compared with 8 of 24 (33.3%) by MR arthrography ( P = .07). Non-contrast MRI showed evidence of labral pathology in more than one direction in 10 of 23 studies (43.5%), compared with 20 of 24 MR arthrography studies (83.3%) ( P = .006). Noncontrast MRI showed no evidence of a labral tear in 3 of 23 patients (13.0%), whereas no MR arthrogram was completely negative for a labral tear (0%) ( P = .11). Conclusions Combined tears of the anterior, posterior, and superior glenoid labrum are infrequent injuries that are typically not completely defined by either noncontrast MRI or MR arthrography. Level of Evidence Level III, diagnostic study.
Generalized Snake-in-the-Box Codes

A snake-in-the-box (SIB) code of order k is defined to be an ordered sequence of binary code words in which adjacent words differ in only one bit, and pairs of code words that are k or more apart in the ordered sequence differ in at least k bit positions. In this paper, constructions for SIB codes of arbitrary order are given, as well as upper bounds on the maximum code sequence length for given order and word size. These codes are potentially useful for binary encoding of analog data. Gray codes are SIB codes of order one, and Kautz has investigated SIB codes of order two. The SIB codes of a given order contain as a subset all SIB codes of higher order.
Studies on the role of plasminogen activator in systemic infection by virulentYersinia pestisstrain C092

Abstract Plasminogen activator is an outer membrane protease of Yersinia pestis encoded by the pla gene on plasmid pPst. Pla of the KIM-10 strain of Y. pestis appears to be required for the virulence from a subcutaneous (sc) but not an intraperitoneal (ip) or intravenous (iv) route of infection in mice. However, other strains of Y. pestis are highly virulent by the sc route yet lack pPst and pla . In this study, the pPst - Pestoides F strain was lethal to mice inoculated sc, with an LD 50 (3 cfu), equal to that of C092, a virulent pPst + strain. To analyse further the role of Pla in invasive infection, isogenic derivatives of C092, including one harboring pla with a frameshift mutation and another cured of pPst, were made. Although the ip LD 50 of pPst - C092 and of the pla mutant were nearly identical to that of the wild type, the subcutaneous LD 50 of the cured and mutant strains were 4 to 6 logs greater than that of wild type. Thus, pPst appears to be required for development of a lethal infection by some strains after sc inoculation but not after direct ip inoculation. Pla-associated virulence did not appear to be mediated by interference with the phagocyte chemoattractant C5a, as shown by the lack of correlation of C5a production with susceptibility to Y. pestis in C5a + and C5a - congenic mice. In a footpad model of the early host response to subcutaneous infection, pPst - C092 proliferated at the subcutaneous injection site to a similar extent as did the wild type parent strain, and elicited a similarly large, local inflammatory response. However, the wild type was present at higher concentrations at more distant sites such as the popliteal lymph node and spleen.
Combinatorial search for advanced luminescence materials.

Phosphors are key materials in fluorescent lighting, displays, x-ray scintillation, etc. The rapid development of modern photonic technologies, e.g., mercury-free lamps, flat panel displays, CT-detector array, etc., demands timely discovery of advanced phosphors. To this end, a combinatorial approach has been developed and applied to accelerated experimental search of advanced phosphors and scintillators. Phosphor libraries can be made in both thin film and powder form, using masking strategies and liquid dispensing systems, respectively. High-density libraries with 100 to 1000 discrete phosphor compositions on a 1-square substrate can be made routinely. Both compositions and synthesis temperatures can be screened in a high-throughput mode. In this article, details on the existing methods of combinatorial synthesis and screening of phosphors will be reported with examples. These methods are generic tools for application of combinatorial chemistry in the discovery of other solid state materials. A few highly efficient phosphors discovered with combinatorial methods have been reproduced in bulk form and their luminescent properties measured.
Nonlinear interaction of energetic electrons with large amplitude chorus

[1] The effect of large amplitude chorus on energetic, radiation-belt electrons is evaluated using a general, relativistic, oblique, test-particle code. Three specific cases are examined: (A) Low-amplitude waves interacting at low-latitudes exhibit the expected, linear scattering which leads to large-scale diffusive behavior. (B) Large-amplitude waves interacting at low-latitudes result in monotonic decreases in pitch-angle and energy due to a resonance dislocation effect, leading to large-scale de-energization and particle loss. (C) Large-amplitude waves interacting obliquely at high latitudes result in a combination of the above behaviors, as well as nonlinear phase-trapping which leads to rapid, dramatic increases in both energy and pitch-angle of a small portion of the test-particles. These results suggest that the intensity of individual, discrete wave elements is critical for quantifying the large-scale dynamics of the radiation-belts.
Quantum Stochastic Walks: A Generalization of Classical Random Walks and Quantum Walks

We introduce the quantum stochastic walk (QSW), which determines the evolution of a generalized quantum-mechanical walk on a graph that obeys a quantum stochastic equation of motion. Using an axiomatic approach, we specify the rules for all possible quantum, classical, and quantum-stochastic transitions from a vertex as defined by its connectivity. We show how the family of possible QSWs encompasses both the classical random walk (CRW) and the quantum walk (QW) as special cases but also includes more general probability distributions. As an example, we study the QSW on a line and the glued tree of depth three to observe the behavior of the QW-to-CRW transition.
Stability properties of a formulation of Einstein’s equations

We study the stability properties of the Kidder-Scheel-Teukolsky (KST) many-parameter formulation of Einstein’s equations for weak gravitational waves on flat space-time from a continuum and numerical point of view. At the continuum, performing a linearized analysis of the equations around flat space-time, it turns out that they have, essentially, no non-principal terms. As a consequence, in the weak field limit the stability properties of this formulation depend only on the level of hyperbolicity of the system. At the discrete level we present some simple one-dimensional simulations using the KST family. The goal is to analyze the type of instabilities that appear as one changes parameter values in the formulation. Lessons learned in this analysis can be applied in other formulations with similar properties.