cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Should we screen for abdominal aortic aneurysms

Ultrasonography can screen for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) safely, cheaply, and accurately. Once detected, an AAA can be monitored and repaired before it is likely to rupture. The US Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended a one-time screening for AAAs by ultrasonography for men age 65 to 75 years who have ever smoked. We should consider expanding the recommendations to include others at risk.
A Rapid Spectrophotometric Method for Measuring Cheese Ripening

Summary A rapid method for estimating the degree of proteolysis in ripening cheese was studied by measuring absorption of ultraviolet light by a clear, sodium citrate-hydrochloric acid extract of cheese at pH 4.4±0.05; these measurements were closely correlated with the per cent of soluble nitrogen in the cheese extract. Measurements of the optical density of the cheese from 40 lots of varying ages revealed peaks of all absorption spectra between 274 and 275 mµ. The coeffieient of correlation between optical density of the cheese extract and percentage of soluble nitrogen measured in the cheese extract by Kjeldahl was 0.958. Concentrations of soluble tyrosine and soluble tryptophane were measured spectrophotometrically at optical densities of 270 and 290 mµ. Equations were developed by Vierordt's method of analysis of two component systems for this pair of wave lengths. Relationships between these compounds and percentage of soluble nitrogen in the cheese were linear and highly significant; the coefficient of correlation between soluble tyrosine and percentage of soluble nitrogen was 0.964; whereas, that between soluble tryptophane and percentage of soluble nitrogen was 0.886. Flavor intensity estimated in the 40 lots of cheese by professional judges showed a linear relationship to soluble tyrosine.
The arena product family: enterprise modeling solutions: the arena product family: enterprise modeling solutions

This paper introduces the Arena suite of products for modeling, simulation, and optimization highlighting product architecture and technology features that are targeted toward successful deployment of simulation and Arena throughout an enterprise.
Experiments for An Undergraduate Automation Laboratory

This paper describes the factory automation expriments that are part of an overall program to upgrade the Electrical Engineeing control laboratories at the University of Missouri-Rolla. The experiments utilize Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and involve sequencing, scheduling, timing, coordination, interfacing of industrial controllers, and factory communications. The experimental setups that are currently implemented include batch control, crane control, and factory communications. A heating and ventilation control experiment has been developed and will be used by the students for the first time in Fall 1993.
Factors Contributing to Patient Nonattendance at Open-access Endoscopy

Patients who miss endoscopy appointments cause inefficient utilization of medical resources. Because national nonattendance rates are as high as 27% and reasons for nonattendance have not been well studied, we sought to quantitate nonattendance at our tertiary care institution. We conducted a retrospective records review of the institutional database to identify patients who did not attend a scheduled endoscopy appointment between January 2000 and December 2003. Nonattendance was defined as either not showing up for an appointment or canceling it on the day it was scheduled. At our institution, patient care assistants contact such patients to document their reasons in the database. Of 36,480 patients scheduled for outpatient endoscopy, 1,490 (4.1%) did not show up because of either facility-related (44.3%; e.g., scheduling errors) or patient-related (55.7%; e.g., noncancellation, illness, or hospitalization) reasons. Our 4.1% nonattendance rate over 4 years is considerably lower than that reported by other endoscopy centers.
Contact angle of water on paper components: Sessile drops versus environmental scanning electron microscope measurements

The wetting properties of paper components and sizing agents were investigated by measuring contact angles of water drops applied by the drop test method on the sample surfaces, and by observing microscopic drops in the environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). The results are comparable, although measurements from the ESEM observations are approximate. The ESEM observations give insight into the wetting at the microscopic level, the formation of drops, and the spreading and absorption of water drops. Absorbent samples engulf all condensing water, resulting in a water- saturated swollen structure with no visible drop formation. On the nonabsorbent samples, water drops form and spread on the sample surfaces.
Enthalpies of ionization for 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid

A commercial titration calorimeter, modified to measure as little as 2 mcal in 2 mL, was used to perform thermometric titrations on 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid with both tetraethylammonium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide. The enthalpies of ionization for each of the five ionizable protons on 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid were derived from calorimetric data to be 0.0±0.3 kcal-mol−1. Similar titrations with HCl on the penta-anion produced results that are consistent with the values derived from the titrations with base.
Precambrian geological history and the origin of the Metazoa

The Hargraves model of the physical world of the Precambrian challenges the traditional view of the geophysical evolution of the Earth. Its implications on the sudden appearance late in the Precambrian of multicellular organisms are discussed.
Conduction electron-exciton complexes in semiconductor single crystals☆

Abstract We consider the possibility of a bound state being formed from the pairing of an excited electron in the conduction band with an exciton in a semiconductor at low temperatures. The model consists of two levels (the valence and conduction bands) for a simple cubic lattice with periodic boundary conditions and the exciton is intermediate between the Wannier and Frenkel type excitons. The exciton which is discussed consistst of a tightly bound electron from the conduction band and a hole from the valence band on the same lattice site. Electrons and holes are, however, allowed to hop independently between nearest-neighbour lattice sites. The dispersion relations which determine the exciton and the electron-exciton modes are solved numerically. It is found that there are two branches for the coupled mode frequencies. This physical picture is analogous to that for polaritons and magnon-phonon modes in crystals.
Development of a type I Chebyshev polynomial nodal model for the multigroup diffusion equation in 1-D

Abstract A type I Chebyshev polynomial nodal model has been developed for the multigroup diffusion equation in 1-D. The least-squares technique was used to minimize the residuals of the approximate functions over the node. The partial currents were used at the nodal interfaces, and diffusion theory boundary conditions were applied at the external boundaries. Analytical expressions were then obtained for the polynomial coefficients. Sample problems were developed to test the model for accuracy of solutions.
Paths on polymatroids

This paper establishes bounds on the length of certain strictly monotone paths, relative to a given linear objective function, on a polymatroid or on the base of a polymatroid. Specialized bounds are given for a strict polymatroid and for a matroid polyhedron. Bounds on the diameter are included.
The effects of breathing-related sleep disorders on mood disturbances in the general population.

Background Results of clinical studies suggest that there may be a relationship between breathing-related sleep disorders and depressive disorders. This study aims to assess the impact of breathing-related sleep disorder on major depressive disorder in the general population. Method A cross-sectional telephone survey was carried out between 1994 and 1999 in the general population of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. A total of 18,980 randomly selected subjects aged 15 to 100 years and representative of the general population of their respective countries participated in the study. The questionnaire included a series of questions about sleep quality, breathing-related sleep disorder symptoms, mental disorders, and medical conditions. Data are presented using point prevalence. Results 2.1% of the subjects were found with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome at the time of the interview, and 2.5% had some other type of DSM-IV breathing-related sleep disorder diagnosis. The association of DSM-IV breathing-related sleep disorder diagnosis and major depressive disorder diagnosis was found in 0.8% of the sample. As many as 18% of individuals with a major depressive disorder diagnosis also have a DSM-IV breathing-related sleep disorders diagnosis, and 17.6% of subjects with a DSM-IV breathing-related sleep disorders diagnosis have a major depressive disorder diagnosis. Multivariate models showed that even after controlling for obesity and hypertension, the odds of having a DSM-IV breathing-related sleep disorders diagnosis was 5.26 for individuals with a major depressive disorder diagnosis. Conclusion About 800 of 100,000 individuals have both a breathing-related sleep disorder and a major depressive disorder. The identification of 1 of these 2 disorders should prompt the investigation of the other disorder since nearly a fifth of them have the other disorder.
Challenges of designing electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection in modern and emerging CMOS technologies

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) induced failures continue to be a major reliability concern in the semiconductor industry. Such a concern will in fact be intensified as the CMOS technology is scaling toward the 22-nm and beyond. This paper covers the issues and challenges pertinent to the design of electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection solutions of modern and future CMOS integrated circuits, including the highvoltage, low-voltage, and emerging nanowire technologies.
Extramarital Sex: Impact on Depression and Commitment in Couples Seeking Marital Therapy

Abstract The effects of extramarital sex on depression and commitment were examined in couples seeking marital therapy. One hundred and twenty couples completed a standard assessment battery which assessed level of depression, level of commitment and demographic variables. Couples presenting extramarital sex as an issue reported higher rates of depression and lower levels of commitment to their marriages. In fact, all couples presenting extramarital sex indicated either lowered commitment, elevated depression, or both. Interestingly, it was the spouse engaging in extramarital sex who was most likely to show higher levels of depression and/or lower levels of commitment than other same sex spouses presenting for marital therapy. The need for individual sessions with the spouse engaging in extramarital sex as a preliminary step in marital therapy is discussed.
Stereotyping as a Negative Factor in Substance Abuse Treatment

Sixty addicts, health professionals, and counseling students were administered the Internal-External Locus of Control Test and the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List to determine if stereotypes exist between the subject groups, the nature of the stereotypes, and if educational level alters the stereotypes. The findings demonstrated gross misperception of addict clients by the health professionals and students, particularly toward psychotic and hostile dimensions. Educational level was found to improve the accuracy of the nonaddict perceptions. The study concludes with a discussion of the findings as they pertain to development of the counselor-client relationship, recidivism, and treatment of substance abuse clients.
Cross-Phase Optimization in MapReduce

Map Reduce has been designed to accommodate large-scale data-intensive workloads running on large single-site homogeneous clusters. Researchers have begun to explore the extent to which the original Map Reduce assumptions can be relaxed including skewed workloads, iterative applications, and heterogeneous computing environments. Our work continues this exploration by applying Map Reduce across widely distributed data over distributed computation resources. This problem arises when datasets are generated at multiple sites as is common in many scientific domains and increasingly e-commerce applications. It also occurs when multi-site resources such as geographically separated data centers are applied to the same Map Reduce job. Using Hadoop, we show that the absence of network and node homogeneity and locality of data lead to poor performance. The problem is that interaction of Map Reduce phases becomes pronounced in the presence of heterogeneous network behavior. In this paper, we propose new cross-phase optimization techniques that enable independent Map Reduce phases to influence one another. We propose techniques that optimize the push and map phases to enable push-map overlap and to allow map behavior to feed back into push dynamics. Similarly, we propose techniques that optimize the map and reduce phases to enable shuffle cost to feed back and affect map scheduling decisions. We evaluate the benefits of our techniques in both Amazon EC2 and Planet Lab. The experimental results show the potential of these techniques as performance is improved from 7%-18% depending on the execution environment and application.
Multiplicity distribution in the central region

Abstract Multiplicity distributions in a finite section of momentum space of the central region are discussed. It is pointed out that experiments which concentrate on such finite regions are more likely to discriminate between the independent emission model and the fragmentation model.
RELATIVISTIC QUANTUM MECHANICS OF CHARGED SCALAR PARTICLES

Abstract A many-amplitude formalism is proposed for the relativistic quantum mechanics of several charged particles interacting with a dynamical electromagnetic field. This theory allows for pair creation and annihilation, and describes systems such as scalar positronium.
Fluid waves in renal tubules

Autoregulation of renal blood flow is ineffective when arterial pressure perturbations occur at frequencies above 0.05 Hz. To determine whether wave propagation velocity to the macula densa is rate limiting, we estimated compliances of the proximal tubule and the loop of Henle, and used these values in a model of pressure and flow as functions of time and distance in the nephron. Compliances were estimated from measurements of pressures and flows in early proximal, late proximal, and early distal tubules in rats under normal and Ringer-loaded conditions. A model of steady pressure and flow in a compliant, reabsorbing tubule was fitted to these results. The transient model was a set of nonlinear, hyperbolic partial differential equations with split, nonlinear boundary conditions, and was solved with finite difference methods. The loop of Henle compliance was larger than the proximal tubule compliance, and impulses in glomerular filtration rate were attenuated in magnitude and delayed in time in the loop of Henle. Simulated step forcings revealed a similar pattern. Periodic variations of GFR were attenuated at frequencies greater than 0.05 Hz, and there was a delay of 5 s between variations in GFR and macula densa flow rate. The high compliance of the loop slows wave propagation to the macular densa and reduces the amplitude of high frequency waves originating in the glomerulus, but other parts of the signal chain also contribute to the slow response of macula densa feedback.
Aided and unaided decisions with imprecise probabilities in the domain of losses

We report results of a series of experiments on decision-making in the presence of irreducibly imprecise probabilities of negative and undesirable outcomes. Subjects faced decisions among actions where the payoffs depend on the probability of drawing balls from an urn whose composition was not fully known. Consistent with the vagueness avoidance hypothesis, Decision Makers (DMs) displayed systematic preferences for safe actions even at a high premium. This tendency grew with increased vagueness, characterized by the width of the interval of plausible probabilities. We compared two decision aids that portray these imprecise probabilities in different ways: one aid calculates the expected value of alternative actions contingent on probability distributions provided by the DMs, and the other displays graphically the distribution of the conditional expected value of the actions over the entire range of plausible probabilities. Access to either decision aid reduced vagueness avoidance and the type of aid used systematically influenced the way DMs approached the problem. We compared the DMs’ choices with predictions of decision models for decision under ignorance and under risk. We found support for the conservative maxi–min criterion, but a subjective expected value model with probabilities inferred from the partial information available also performed well, especially for low levels of vagueness and in the presence of decision aids. These findings suggest some initial implications for the debate over how to best characterize imprecise probabilistic information for policy-makers when decisions involve irreducible uncertainties, such as climate change.
Narcissism and Intimacy: Treating the Wounded Couple:

Couples whose early wounds cause narcissistic and borderline defenses may benefit from treatment with a psychodynamically oriented couples therapist. This article presents a treatment method that helps partners become attuned to each other's underlying injuries and vulnerabilities. The goal is to rebuild damaged structures of the self and to repair the wounded relationship. Language: en
Germany and Central Europe: Hegemony re-examined

This paper re-examines post-cold war predictions of German hegemony in Central Europe. Focusing on the four ‘Visegrad’ states, it examines each of the three pillars of prospective German hegemony. It concludes that only in the economic pillar can Germany be perceived as dominant. German dominance in the political realm is limited by historical factors and by the supranational structures of the EU. German cultural influence or ‘soft power’ is undermined by domestic economic and political problems, as well as the availability of alternative models. Thus, while Germany is clearly a powerful country, it is difficult to argue that it exercises even a limited ‘soft hegemony’ in Central Europe today.
Reconstructing reality: interpreting the aeroplane disaster news story

At 9 a.m. on 31 August 1988, Delta Flight 1141 crashed on take‐off, killing 13 people and leaving 94 survivors. Existing research has furthered our insight into media coverage of disasters but it has not broadened our understanding of disaster narrative interpretations and disaster behaviour education. In total, 24 in‐depth interviews explore reader interpretations of print‐mediated disaster reality and the Delta 1141 disaster. Disaster news stories provide the frames people use to interpret aeroplane disaster behaviour. Concludes the media need to recognize that their pedagogical role extends beyond disaster reporting and includes disaster behaviour information.
The structure of a conductive, diamagnetic diquinone radical anion salt

Abstract The diquinone pentacene-5,7,12,14-tetrone (1) was electrochemically reduced (1 F mol−1) in acetonitrile plus 0.1 M Bu4NBF4. Anion radical salts (1·−M+), with M = Li, Na, K or Me4N, were precipitated. X-ray crystallography on 1·−Me4N+ showed that the Me4N+ is held centrally between the four oxygens of two perpendicular anions belonging to two parallel stacks. The planar anions in each stack are tilted at 45° to the stack direction. The average distance between nearest neighbor atoms of two molecules in the stack is 3.33±0.03 A . Pressed pellet conductivities and IR spectra are reported. SQUID magnetometer measurements showed that 1·−Me4N+ is diamagnetic down to 11 K.
Three avenues to ecologic research on parasitic protozoa.

SYNOPSIS Our knowledge of parasitic protozoa can be greatly enhanced by increased use of the following 3 ecological approaches to the study of parasitism. A) Studies of energy flow between parasite and host. B) Systems analysis. C) Studies of nutrition through an analysis of the parasite's environment. Most of the energy in cysts and spores is never returned to the parasite-host system. The more integrated the system the more difficult an analysis of the role of parasites in the host energy budget. A parasite-host system can be understood only through a careful study of each part, and the relationships among these parts. A measure of the nutrient status of a body fluid should take into consideration the nutrient status of any population of parasites that may be residing in that fluid. The above considerations were applied to problems of parasitism in deepsea fishes. Small, delicate midwater fishes do not have much energy for pursuing prey. We need to know details of the effects of great pressures and low temperatures on parasites. Energy flow between parasites and deep marine fishes has never been investigated. It is possible that parasites in these fishes are more efficient in energy transformation than are their hosts. These kinds of studies may be labeled “integrative parasitology.”
When is the range of a normal operator invariant

It is proved that if an operator (or a set of operators) leaves the ranges of the spectral projections corresponding to certain subsets of the spectrum of a normal operator, then the operator (respectively, set of operators) leaves the range of the normal operator invariant. This strengthens a result of Peligrad [4].
A comparison of MPI, SHMEM and cache-coherent shared address space programming models on the SGI Origin2000

We compare the performance of three major programming models— a load-store cache-coherent shared address space (CC-SAS), message passing (MP) and the segmented SHMEM model—on a modern, 64-processor hardware cache-coherent machine, one of the two major types of platforms upon which high-performance computing is converging. We focus on applications that are either r egular and predictable or at least do not require fine-grained dy namic replication of irregularly accessed data. Within this clas s, we use programs with a range of important communication patterns. We examine whether the basic parallel algorithm and communication structuring approaches needed for best performance are sim ilar or different among the models, whether some models have substantial performance advantages over others as problem size and number of processors change, what the sources of these performance differences are, where the programs spend their time, and whether substantial improvements can be obtained by modifying either the application programming interfaces or the implementations of the programming models on this type of platform.
Combining principal component analysis with parameter line-searches to improve the efficacy of Metropolis–Hastings MCMC

When Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms are used with complex mechanistic models, convergence times are often severely compromised by poor mixing rates and a lack of computational power. Methods such as adaptive algorithms have been developed to improve mixing, but these algorithms are typically highly sophisticated, both mathematically and computationally. Here we present a nonadaptive MCMC algorithm, which we term line-search MCMC, that can be used for efficient tuning of proposal distributions in a highly parallel computing environment, but that nevertheless requires minimal skill in parallel computing to implement. We apply this algorithm to make inferences about dynamical models of the growth of a pathogen (baculovirus) population inside a host (gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar). The line-search MCMC appeal rests on its ease of implementation, and its potential for efficiency improvements over classical MCMC in a highly parallel setting, which makes it especially useful for ecological models.
QUANTUM DYNAMICS OF A LASER-COOLED IDEAL GAS

We study a system of bosonic or fermionic atoms in a microscopic trap undergoing laser cooling. We derive a master equation governing the evolution of such a system, and show that the stationary state can be described by Bose-Einstein or Fermi-Dirac distributions. The quantum-statistical character of the atoms exhibits itself in the dynamical behavior of the system and in the statistical properties of fluorescence photons emitted in the stationary state.
Nanocarbon materials: probing the curvature and topology effects using phonon spectra

Much has been learned from the use of resonance Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques about the micro-/nanoscopic structure of various nanostructured carbons. However, they still possess some features that are not entirely understood particularly in terms of topological characteristics, which go beyond making a distinction with just the geometrical structure at nanoscale. To effectively utilize the potential of these materials for technological needs, understanding both the geometrical and topological structure and perhaps relating these attributes to physical (optical/electronic, lattice vibrational) properties become indispensable. Here, we make an attempt to describe the differences between various nanostructures and provide geometrical and topological property assessment semiquantitatively by monitoring the phonon spectra using resonance Raman spectroscopy thereby also capturing the electronic spectra. We elucidate the notion of global topology and curvature for a range of technologically important nanoscale carbons including tubular (single-, double- and multiwalled nanotubes, peapod), spherical (hypo- and hyperfullerenes, onion-like carbon) and complex (nanocones, nanohorns, nanodisks and nanorings) geometries. To demonstrate the proof-of-concept, we determined the variation in the prominent Raman bands of the respective materials, represented as D, G and D* (the overtone of D) bands, as a possible topological or curvature trend due to their sensitivity toward structural modification. The latter arises from local topological defects such as pentagons giving rise to curved nanocarbons. In this study, we provide systematics of their variation with respect to their geometric forms and compare with highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and monolayer graphene since the nanocarbons discussed are their derivatives. Once established, this knowledge will provide a powerful machinery to understand newer nanocarbons and indeed point to an unprecedented emergent paradigm of global topology/curvature property functionality relationship. We emphasize that these concepts are applicable to other topologically distinct nanomaterials, which include boron-nitride (BN) nanotubes and nanotori, helical gold nanotubes and Mobius conjugated organics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exciting new insight into the prototype complex oxide heterointerface: LaAlO3 / SrTiO3 (A Perspective on: L. Qiao, T. C. Droubay, T. C. Kaspar, P. V. Sushko, S. A. Chambers, Surf. Sci. (2011) 1381

Abstract This perspective briefly reviews the recent developments in the study of exotic phenomena at complex oxide heterointerfaces – with special attention to results published by L. Qiao, et al. in this edition – on the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerface. The fundamental mechanisms of the observed phenomena are discussed and the results of the current study are placed in context. The importance of rigorous materials characterization and insight into fundamental limitations of modern synthesis techniques are probed.
987-103 Relationship of Mitral Regurgitant Orifice Area to Semiquantitative Indices of Regurgitant Severity: An Intraoperative Transesophageal Investigation

To better understand the relationship between quantitative measurements of mitral regurgitant orifice area (ROA) and traditional semiquantitative assessments based on color Doppler jet area, we studies 65 patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) using intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography. Method MR was graded semiquantitatively on a 4 point scale, integrating information on jet size and morphology and pulmonary venous flow pattern. Blinded to the results of semiquantitative grading, ROA was measured as RSV ∫vdt, where RSV was regurgitant stroke volume, calculated as the difference in forward stroke volume through the mitral annulus and that obtained from thermodilution, and v was the mitral regurgitant velocity obtained by continuous wave Doppler. Results There was a significant difference of mean ROA between 2 + (0.18 ± 0.08 cm2), 3 + (0.30 ± 0.11 cm2) and 4 + MR (0.67 ± 0.36 cm2 p l 0.01), with a significant correlation between ROA and MR grading throughout the patient population (r = 0.79 p l 0.0001). However, significant overlap was noted in patients graded in 2-3+ Download : Download high-res image (70KB) Download : Download full-size image range (Fig.). Jet characteristics predictive of small ROA within a given grade was central directed jets. Optimal group separation was obtained as a ROA of 0.30 cm2. Conclusion 1) While useful as a rapid general classification of MR severity, semiquantitative Doppler methods have significant limitations for precise characterization of mitral incompetence; 2) ROA is readily obtained in the operating room and aids in quantitative assessment of MR.
Angioplasty treatment of portal vein stenosis in children with segmental liver transplants : Mid-term results

Percutaneous venoplasty has showed excellent technical success and excellent early results in treating portal vein stenoses in children with reduced-size liver transplants. We review the mid-term results in 22 children in whom portal venoplasty was attempted.During 27 months, percutaneous transhepatic portal venoplasty was attempted in 22 children with portal vein stenoses. Patients presented with symptoms of portal vein hypertension or were identified by routine surveillance with posttransplantation Doppler sonography. All stenoses were verified with angiography. Venoplasty was performed by direct puncture of an intrahepatic portal vein before balloon angioplasty of the stenotic segment. Patients were followed up with sonographic surveillance, and reintervention was performed as needed. In patients who had suboptimal results after portal venoplasty or who developed recurrent stenoses, intravascular stents were placed across stenoses.In 16 of 22 patients, initial clinical and technical success was achieve...
Transforming growth factor-β1 mediates migration in cultured human control and exstrophy bladder smooth muscle cells.

Purpose: Transforming growth factor-β1 regulates extracellular matrix composition, and impacts function and proliferation in multiple cell types, including bladder smooth muscle cells. In this study we evaluated the response to transforming growth factor-β1 in cultured exstrophy and control bladder smooth muscle cells.Materials and Methods: Primary bladder smooth muscle cell cultures were established from patients with bladder exstrophy or vesicoureteral reflux. Smooth muscle specific α-actin and heavy chain myosin expression was determined using immunohistochemistry. Cell migration, intracellular calcium concentration and proliferation were determined after incubation for 24 to 48 hours in basal media, with or without transforming growth factor-β1 (0.001 to 3 nM) or transforming growth factor-β1 receptor inhibitor SB 431542 (10 μM).Results: Cultured exstrophy and control smooth muscle cells stained positive for α-actin and heavy chain myosin. Exstrophy smooth muscle cells demonstrated increased migration...
Biochemical characterization of independent olfactory receptor sites for 5'-AMP and taurine in the spiny lobster.

To understand the initial events in chemosensory transduction (i.e. binding of odorants to olfactory receptor sites), we have utilized a radioligand-receptor binding assay on a tissue preparation that is enriched in dendritic membrane from olfactory receptor cells in the spiny lobster Panulirus argus. Radioligands used were tritiated adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) and taurine, which are two of the most excitatory compounds for spiny lobsters. Our results indicate the existence of two independent types of binding sites--a taurine binding site and an AMP binding site. For both the taurine and AMP binding sites, odorant binding is rapid, reversible, and saturable. KD values for the taurine and AMP binding sites are 2.3 and 2.0 microM, respectively, and Bmax values are 159 and 3.2 fmol/micrograms protein, respectively. The fact that the specificity, affinity, and independence of these two binding sites as defined in these biochemical studies are in agreement with those from electrophysiological studies suggests that these binding sites are olfactory receptor sites involved in sensory transduction.
Distinguishing Left Ventricular Aneurysm From Pseudoaneurysm: A Review of the Literature

A postmyocardial infarction left ventricular pseudoaneurysm occurs when a rupture of the ventricular free wall is contained by overlying, adherent pericardium. A postinfarction aneurysm, in contrast, is caused by scar formation resulting in thinning of the myocardium. Although the usual treatment for patients with pseudoaneurysm is urgent surgical repair, the imaging characteristics of pseudoaneurysm and aneurysm, for which treatment is more conservative, are quite similar. The literature on the natural history and imaging characteristics of the two entities is reviewed, and an approach to distinguishing between the two entities is proposed.
Protection from Digitalis Toxicity with the Prophylactic Use of Diphenylhydantoin Sodium An Arrhythmic-Inotropic Dissociation

Diphenylhydantoin sodium (Dilantin) given prophylactically increased the dose of digitalis necessary to produce toxicity by 72 to 224%. At constant heart rates, pretreatment with diphenylhydantoin sodium did not alter the elevation of rate of rise of left ventricular pressure produced by the glycoside. Two implications have been drawn from these findings. First, the inotropic and arrhythmic actions of digitalis can be dissociated, since diphenylhydantoin sodium seems specifically to counteract the electrophysiological actions of the glycoside. Second, pretreatment with diphenylhydantoin sodium significantly widened the "toxic-therapeutic" ratio of digitalis. This, therefore, may have important clinical applications.
Surfacing time-critical insights from social media

We propose to demonstrate an end-to-end framework for leveraging time-sensitive and critical social media information for businesses. More specifically, we focus on identifying, structuring, integrating, and exposing timely insights that are essential to marketing services and monitoring reputation over social media. Our system includes components for information extraction from text, entity resolution and integration, analytics, and a user interface.
Dietary Supplementation with S -Adenosyl Methionine Delays the Onset of Motor Neuron Pathology in a Murine Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The full range of causative factors in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains elusive, but oxidative stress is recognized as a contributing factor. Mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD-1), associated with familial ALS, promote widespread oxidative damage. Mice-expressing G93A mutant human SOD-1 mice display multiple pathological changes characteristic of ALS and are therefore useful for therapeutic development. Dietary supplementation with S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) has provided multiple neuroprotective effects in mouse models of age-related cognitive pathology. We examined herein whether SAM supplementation could affect the course of motor neuron pathology in mice-expressing mutant human SOD-1. SAM delayed disease onset by 2-3 weeks. SAM also delayed hallmarks of neurodegeneration in these mice and in ALS, including preventing loss of motor neurons, and reducing gliosis, SOD-1 aggregation, protein carbonylation, and induction of antioxidant activity. SAM did not increase survival time. These preliminary findings, using a single concentration of SAM, suggest that SAM supplementation maybe useful as part of a comprehensive therapeutic approach for ALS.
Hands of Beauty, Hands of Horror: Fear and Egyptian Art at the Fin de Siècle

This essay examines the gothicization of Egyptian manual productions in late-Victorian mummy narratives. These narratives often isolate the mummy's hand as a signifier of craftsmanship, a troubling object for a culture that was mourning the figura- tive loss of its artisans' hands to mechanized production. Focusing on Bram Stoker's 1903 novel, The Jewel of Seven Stars, I contend that the horror of the mummy's hand emanates from its ambiguous position as an artifact that is itself a means of production. It displaces Friedrich Engels's conception of the Western hand as a self-creating appendage into the atavistic domain of a long-lost Egyptian tradition, and in doing so, it forces the English observer to recognize the irrecoverable nature of aesthetic craftsman- ship. Brought into violent contact with the creative potential of the mummy's hand, the characters in Stoker's novel try to disassociate the mummy from manual production but only succeed in confirming their own status as products of a mechanized age.
Adjusting for regression effect in uncontrolled studies.

Summary. When clinical studies require enrolled patients to have abnormal assays, the natural tendency of repeat measurements to regress toward the mean can lead to a false assessment of effectiveness of therapy. We propose a method to more accurately estimate the true effect of therapy by adjusting for a component of improvement that can be attributed to regression effect. The model we use allows for a combination of additive and/or multiplicative effects of the therapy.
On the rodent bioassays currently being conducted on 44 chemicals: a RASH analysis to predict test results from the National Toxicology Program

We use a method of relative potency comparisons to rank the potential strength of 44 compounds being tested in rodent carcinogenicity bioassays. All of our previous hazard evaluations have been for human conditions where great numbers of simultaneous and serial exposures may act in combination to produce a neoplasm comprised of 2(20) to 2(30) cells commonly expected to derive from a single precancerous cell. For human exposures, we have always assumed an initiated target tissue containing at least one transformed but subcarcinogenic cell per organ. Thus, for man we have focused on empirical correspondences that may help to index the monoclonal growth of a particular cell lineage during cancer expansion. In contrast to humans, initiation of target tissues in animals subjected to National Toxicity Program (NTP) bioassays may not be a given condition, because of extensive precautions taken to minimize exposures to contaminates in food, water and cage environments. For this evaluation, we used categorical assignments of 'unlikely', 'possible' and 'probable' carcinogens adapted from NTP tests. Our rank ordering, of compounds according to maximum doses tested in male mice and male rats, is coded accordingly to the three outcomes taken from the NTP tests, but the magnitude of potency depend completely upon our particular method of comparing toxicological data. We have attempted to demonstrate that a relative potency based analysis of a diversity of toxicological data may be useful for rank ordering potentially hazardous compounds to be tested by the NTP and for range-finding of their effective test doses to be administered during chronic test protocols.
Middle and Upper Devonian Stratigraphy in Northwestern West Virginia: ABSTRACT

End_Page 1577------------------------------Regional stratigraphic studies of the Middle and Upper Devonian clastic sequence of West Virginia have been based on gamma-ray-density logs, cores, and sample studies. In northwestern West Virginia, the Upper and Middle Devonian unit is characterized by interbedded gray and black shales, with the darker shales recognized on gamma-ray logs as zones of increased radioactivity. The overall thickness of the section decreases toward the west whereas the proportion of black shale increases toward the west. The proportional increase in black shale occurs in two ways; there is an increased number of black shale beds in the west, and the thickness of the interbedded gray shales decreases. The study area extends across the western boundary of the Rome trough, with the presence of this tectonic feature manifested in two ways in the sediments accumulated over the trough. First, there is a pronounced thickening of the sediments into the trough, and second, the Rhinestreet Shale Member of the West Falls Formation and the Huron Member of the Ohio Shale undergo a facies change from black shale west of the trough to gray shale in the trough area. Further, cross sections and isopach maps provide additional evidence that the Rome trough controlled basin configuration in the region and thus influenced sedimentation during the deposition of the Upper and Middle Devonian clastic sequence in northwestern West Virginia. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1578------------
Structure-activity correlations in the metabolism of drugs

Abstract Substituent constants and regression analysis have been employed in the study of metabolism of organic compounds. Most of the variation in the structure-activity relationship appears to be associated with relative lipophilic character of the derivatives as defined by octanol-water partition coefficients. The ideal lipophilic character for amines undergoing metabolism by crude monoamine oxidase is defined by log P 0 = 2. This same constant also applies to the formation of glucuronides by alcohols and benzoic acids and hippuric acid formation by benzoic acids.
Field treatment in electric shock cases - II

Electric shocks of the order of 0.1 ampere can throw the heart into a twitching state of ventricular fibrillation. Several amperes, on the other hand, simply contract the heart and paralyze the breathing which artificial respiration can relieve, Ventricular fibrillation, however, can be ended only by sending sufficient current through the heart by electrodes on the skin of the chest.
Specialization, teamwork, and production efficiency

Abstract The division of labor has been a fundamental principle in the design of production processes since Adam Smith's pin factory. More recently, teams have been employed widely to bring the benefits of cooperation and ownership to production and service processes. The fundamental questions raised here concern the relationships between these two approaches to the design of business processes. For example, under what conditions is it preferable to assign small tasks to isolated individuals, rather than assigning complex sets of tasks to large teams? We model the production process as a serial production line with variable processing times for each task. We develop models for the effect of dividing a complex production process into smaller tasks, and the effect of assigning teams of two or more workers to perform a given set of tasks. We determine the optimal size of teams and the optimal division of labor for a given set of assumptions about the underlying production environment. Our results show that, depending on the underlying parameters, a wide range of solutions to the production design problem can be found, including highly specialized processes with large teams, and unspecialized processes with small teams. These findings are in contrast to the principles enunciated in the literature on Business Process Reengineering, in which the case worker design is recommended as a universal solution. We also determine the regions in parameter space in which particular solutions can be found, and we study the sensitivity of the optimal choices to changes in the fundamental parameters.
Hyperfine-structure investigation of highly excited ^(2)D levels in Rb 87 and Cs 133 using a cw tunable dye laser in a two-step excitation scheme

The hyperfine structure of several highly excited 'D states in "Rb and '"Cs has been measured. The D-state atoms were produced in a two-step — excitation process. In the first step, multiple scattering of the strong alkali-metal D & and D, lines from an rf lamp was used to excite atoms into the first excit- ed 'P levels. The intense tunable radiation from a cw dye laser was used in the second step to trans- fer P-state atoms into highly excited D states. Level-crossing and optical-double-resonance techniques were used for the determination of the absolute values of the hyperfine-interaction constants. The fol- lowing results (in MHz) were obtained for the magnetic dipole and the electric quadrupole interaction constants a and b: For Rb, I a(6 D"2)I = 7.84(5), I b(6 D3,QI = 0.53(6) (bio & 0), a(6'D~, 2)I = 3.6(7), Ia(7' D",)I = 4.53(3), I b(7'D», ) I = 0.26(4) (bia & 0), Ia(7'D",)I = 2.2(5). For '"Cs, Iu(8'Du2) I = 98(8) Iu(8'Dsi2)l = o9(4). Iu(9'D3t2)l = 237(3) In(9'Dsi2)l = 05(2) Iu(10'D3i~)i = 1.52(3), I a(10'D ", ) I = 0.4(2). The a factors generally deviate strongly from the values expected in a one-electron picture of the alkali-metal atom indicating the importance of polarization and correlation effects for these states. For "Rb a comparison with a recent calculation including polarization effects is made. The b factors for "Rb are the first significant values allowing a calculation of an alkali-metal- atom nuclear quadrupole moment from non-P-state data.
Symbiosis in computational vision systems

Abstract While the goal of computational vision systems is the totally automated understanding of images, it is not necessary for this goal to be achieved before practical vision systems can be developed. In particular, systems that require some amount of human intervention can be applied to real problems with beneficial results. In “symbiotic” vision systems the computer brings something to bear on the problem that either replaces or supplements a subtask that would otherwise be done by a human expert. In symbiotic systems there is a large range of possibilities for the type and amount of interaction that the human expert must provide. This can range from minor aid to the computer system, when it reaches an ambiguity that it cannot resolve, to major control of the processing in complicated regions of the image that are of primary interest. Symbiotic vision systems must allow the user to access the system at the point in the range that is suitable. In addition, the system must have facilities to both present information and accept “advice” from the expert in a way that is natural and convenient. Two example vision systems will illustrate different ways in which these problems have been solved. The first, MISSEE, uses a cycle of perception combined with a schema-based system architecture to provide a flexible framework in which the user can select the amount of interaction he wishes to undertake. The second, which carries out the normal moveout phase of seismic data processing, has a more limited focus, but provides a natural means of communication.
Phase-matched second-harmonic generation at 440 nm in a LiNbO3 -Gd3Ga5O12 waveguide with a tunable stimulated Raman source

Abstract Using a tunable stimulated Raman source, we have observed second-harmonic generation in the blue in a sputtered LiNbO 3 film deposited on Gd 3 Ga 5 O 12 . With the choice of Gd 3 Ga 5 O 12 as a substrate, it becomes possible to both phase-match a large range of fundamental wavelengths as well as have an excellent epitaxial quality surface. The SHG efficiency for the TM ω 0 → TM 2ω 2 phase matched conversion process is estimated to be ∼ 10 -4 .