cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of regulatory T cells in allergy.

Atopic diseases are characterized by Th2 and IgE responses to common environmental and food antigens. In vivo, IgE production depends on interactions between allergen-specific B lymphocytes and Th2 lymphocytes. IgE levels are extremely low in normal individuals, suggesting that IgE production is under strong regulation. One of the reasons behind the lack of atopy in healthy individuals is the activity of regulatory T cells, which prevent naive T helper cell precursors from acquiring a differentiated Th2 phenotype. In addition to naturally occurring regulatory T cells, atopy can be prevented by allergen-specific tolerant/regulatory cells induced through mucosal stimulation, and by mechanisms that directly suppress Ie sterile transcript production on activated B lymphocytes. This article reviews the recent progress on thymic-derived as well as peripherally induced regulatory T cells as they relate to atopy. The latter discussion also includes regulatory T cells that arise through immunotherapy.
Decision Making in Cancer-Related Topic Avoidance

In this article, the authors use the Disclose Decision-Making Model to explore cancer-related topic avoidance among cancer patients and their partners. Participants include 95 dyads in which 1 partner had been diagnosed and/or treated for cancer. Variables of interest include death-, future-, sexuality-, and burden-related topic avoidance and dimensions of the Disclosure Decision-Making Model including information assessment, receiver assessment, relational quality, and discloser efficacy. Data were analyzed using linear regressions. Findings suggest that lack of reciprocity and efficacy are predictors of topic avoidance. The authors discuss implications of findings and suggests direction for future research.
Peptides: An analytical method for their resolution by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis applicable to a wide range of sizes and solubilities

Abstract Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of Fluorescamine-modified peptides is a rapid (90 min), sensitive ( Fluorescamine-modified peptides, ranging in size from 3 to 215 amino acids, have been examined in a variety of buffer systems between pH 2.3 and 9.8 and gel concentrations varying between 4% and 16% acrylamide. Similar peptides were examined by high-voltage paper electrophoresis and detected by Fluorescamine. Peptides of low solubility have been examined in the presence of urea. The method reported here was used to resolve small peptides differing in size by a single amino acid, as well as peptides of the same size differing only by a sinle charge. It was successfully employed as a criterion for homogeneity of peptides in the course of purification for amino acid sequence analysis.
Reducing informational costs in endowment mechanisms

We consider the problem of designing an economic mechanism for reallocation of endowments. In this class of economic environments, an additional restriction can be imposed which prevents agents from overstating their endowments. We explore the extent to which the additional information gained from no overstatement can be used to reduce the informational cost of an endowment mechanism. The ideas are also extended to production environments.
Experimental studies of heterogeneous nucleation in the turbulent mixing condensation nuclei counter

A method for varying the supersaturation in a turbulent mixing CNC has been used to examine heterogeneous nucleation of different compounds (working fluid) on various nuclei's compositions. Supersaturation was controlled by changing the vapor pressure of working fluid in nozzle flow, which was accomplished by saturating only a predetermined fraction of the flow while the keeping the total flow and temperature constant. This approach allows the partial pressure of the working fluid to be varied while maintaining a constant flow structure and temperature field. Experimental results characterizing the initial stages of heterogeneous nucleation are presented for NaCl, KCl, AgCl, and Ag particles. Heterogeneous nucleation was examined at various pressures of dibutylphthalate, octadecane, octadecanol, and octadecanoic acid. For octadecanoic acid as the working fluid, the size distribution of the grown particles is unimodal with the size increasing with increasing pressure of the working fluid. For the other wor...
Do androgens directly regulate gonadotropin secretion in the polycystic ovary syndrome

This study was designed to investigate whether androgens directly, independent of their aromatization to estrogens, disrupt gonadotropin secretion in hyperandrogenic women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO). Pulsatile gonadotropin release and gonadotroph sensitivity to GnRH were determined on consecutive study days basally and during a primed continuous infusion of testosterone (T; n = 4; 100 micrograms/h; twice the mean production rate of T in PCO) or dihydrotestosterone (DHT; n = 5; 50 micrograms/h). To determine if the gonadotropin secretory changes during T infusion were secondary to spontaneous variation, four patients had two consecutive basal studies, and all patients received DHT on the third study day. T infusion that increased mean plasma T levels from 76 +/- 12 (+/- SE) to 315 +/- 28 ng/dl produced no significant changes in the amount or pattern of LH release or in LH sensitivity to GnRH. Mean plasma FSH levels decreased slightly but significantly during T infusion (basal, 242 +/- 29 vs. T 226 +/- 30 ng/ml LER-907; P less than 0.05 by two-tailed paired t test), but the pulsatile pattern of FSH release and FSH sensitivity to GnRH did not change. DHT infusion increased plasma DHT levels from 17 +/- 3 to 244 +/- 31 ng/dl, but did not alter the mean levels, pulsatile patterns, or sensitivity to GnRH of LH or FSH. These data suggest that androgens do not directly alter gonadotropin release in PCO. Thus, regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in women with PCO is different from that in men despite chronic exposure to hyperandrogenemia.
Antigen-presenting OKM5+ melanophages appear in human epidermis after ultraviolet radiation

Ultraviolet radiation of murine skin in vivo or epidermal cells (EC) in vitro dramatically inhibits the antigen-presenting capacity of EC in vitro and results in the inhibition of immune responses to antigen challenge. In humans, UV exposure in vivo markedly inhibits alloantigen presentation by EC in the EC-lymphocyte reaction (ELR) when EC are harvested immediately after the administration of 4 times the minimal erythema dose (4 MED), whereas EC harvested 72 h after 4 MED (UV-EC) exhibit enhanced allostimulatory capacity in the ELR. This enhanced ELR reactivity is due to the appearance, in the epidermis, of bone marrow-derived OKT6- DR+ cells which are distinct from Langerhans cells (LC) in their lack of surface OKT6 and in their ultrastructural morphology. This report focuses on the phenotype and function of T6- Dr+ UV-EC and on their relationship to known human antigen presenting cell (APC) subsets. Approximately 60% of T6- Dr+ UV-EC bore the monocyte marker defined by monoclonal antibody OKM5, but lacked determinants recognized by OKM1, Leu M1, Leu M3, Leu M4, Leu M5, and Mac1. All T6- Dr+ UV-EC bore the class II MHC antigen HLA-DQ (DC/DS), which is associated with a specialized subset of antigen-presenting monocytes capable of stimulation in the autologous mixed leukocyte reaction (AMLR). Panning of OKM5+ UV-EC resulted in a population of cells which was markedly enriched in melanophages and which exhibited potent alloantigen-presenting capacity in the ELR. Since OKM5+ T6- Dr+ UV-EC were similar to the specialized APC minor subset of OKM1- OKM5+ blood monocytes both in phenotype and in apparent phagocytic function, we examined other APC functions of UV-EC to assess the extent of this analogy. Relative to control EC (containing only LC as APC), UV-EC (containing functionally inactivated LC but many T6- Dr+ APC) induced significantly greater degrees of T-cell proliferation in the presence of either tetanus toxoid antigen or the mitogen concanavalin A. UV-EC, as well as panning-purified OKM5+ UV-EC, were also able to induce autologous T-cell proliferation in the absence of added antigen (autologous ELR), in contrast to control EC which were poor stimulators of an autologous ELR. Thus, although human EC 72 h after UV exposure are numerically and functionally depleted of LC, at least 2 additional subsets of T6- Dr+ APC appear in the epidermis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Dynamic Instability of a Cantilever Column Subjected to a Follower Force Including Thermomechanical Coupling Effect

Cantilever column critical dynamic instability load under nonconservative follower force including thermomechanical coupling effect from boundary value problem formulation
Adolescent suicide: risk factors and prevention strategies.

Suicide represents a major concern for pediatricians and other health professionals dedicated to ensuring the medical and psychological health and well-being of youth. Suicide remains the third leading cause of death for adolescents and is associated with a multitude of other significant mental health conditions and high-risk behaviors. Suicide and these comorbid factors contribute not only to mortality but to morbidities that affect the lives of adolescents and their families. There are many factors that increase an adolescent’s risk for suicide. These risk factors are categorized into individual, familial, sociodemographic, and life stressors. Each risk factor potentially increases the likelihood that an adolescent may attempt or commit suicide. Strategies to reduce the likelihood that an adolescent will attempt suicide can be seen in the context of a public health approach of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Prevention strategies have been implemented to increase the recognition and referral of suicidal youth. Primary prevention strategies provide education and awareness to identify the risk factors associated with adolescent suicide. Secondary prevention strategies screen adolescents at risk and provide tools for adolescents, schools, and health providers to address these risk factors. Finally, tertiary prevention consists of treatment for those who attempt suicide to provide the necessary health, social service, and mental health services to assist the youth, the family, and the community in its healing and recovery. It is estimated that each day about 18 adolescents in the United States will succeed in taking their own lives. 1 This statistic highlights the present gap in the identification of adolescents at risk and the difficulty in implementing effective prevention strategies. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among 15 to 19 year olds. 2,3 According to Beautrais, there has been a
Preventing wireless network configuration errors in patient monitoring using device fingerprints

Configuration errors are the most significant cause of failure in networks. Little research has been devoted to preventing network configuration errors using device fingerprints. We demonstrate how they can be used to prevent information from being incorrectly routed in an IEEE 802.15.4 beacon-enabled wireless sensor network with multiple coordinators. To determine if they are appropriate for this application, we investigate the number of unique fingerprints that clock skew and radio frequency characteristics provide.
Eyewitnesses are misled by human but not robot interviewers

This paper presents research results from a study to determine whether eyewitness memory was impacted by a human interviewer versus a robot interviewer when presented misleading post-event information. The study was conducted with 101 participants who viewed a slideshow depicting the events of a crime. All of the participants interacted with the humanoid robot, NAO, by playing a trivia game. Participants were then interviewed by either a human or a robot interviewer that presented either control or misleading information about the events depicted in the slideshow. This was followed by another filler interval task of trivia with the robot. Following the interview and robot interactions, participants completed a paperpencil post-event memory test to determine their recall of the events of the slideshow. The results indicated that eyewitnesses were misled by a human interviewer (t(46) = 2.79, p 0.05). The results of this research could have strong implications for the gathering of sensitive information from an eyewitness about the events of a crime.
Incipient and Subclinical Tuberculosis: Defining Early Disease States in the Context of Host Immune Response

Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and active tuberculosis (TB) are 2 ends of a spectrum of states ranging from asymptomatic infection to overt disease. While progressing from LTBI to TB, patients often undergo asymptomatic states with detectable manifestations indicative of disease. Such asymptomatic disease states frequently remain undiagnosed, and their manifestations and duration are mostly dependent on host immune response. Various terms referring to such states are used in the literature, often interchangeably and without explicit definitions. Defining these intermediate states in concrete terms is important for pragmatic reasons, as they might impact upon the diagnostic performance of TB biomarkers and could also present targets for therapeutic interventions. We here propose definitions for 2 commonly used terms, “incipient” and “subclinical” TB, to describe asymptomatic disease states occurring at opposite ends of the host response spectrum. We propose using the term “incipient TB” when referring to early, contained disease in asymptomatic, relatively immunocompetent persons. In contrast, we propose using the term “subclinical TB” to refer to disease in asymptomatic, immunocompromised individuals in whom it is largely associated with loss of effective containment. The rationale for this article is to facilitate the discussion of such early disease states, especially in relation to their impact on TB biomarker discovery and assessment of new diagnostics, and with regard to treatment decisions and ultimately outcome.
QUALEA AMAPAENSIS (VOCHYSIACEAE), A NEW AND PHYTOGEOGRAPHICALLY INTERESTING SPECIES FROM BRAZIL

Qualea amapaEnsis, the second species of sect. Polytrias Stafleu is described. It differs from its close relative, Q. cymulosa, principally in its entirely glabrous leaves and more profusely branched cymes. The two species add a new pair to the growing list of taxa disjunct between eastern Panama/Colombia and the Guianas.
A method for calculating frontal motion I. One dimensional tests

A method is developed for treating the motion of a cold front in a simplified model having a single space dimension. With this method it is not necessary to follow the “particles” at the front, hence the programming of the numerical scheme is simpler than in previous methods. Calculations of “equilibrium” state and motion of the front due to inflow of cold air at the north proved numerically stable through prolonged periods both for a single layer model and for a two layer model. The “equilibrium” solutions for both models are similar. The time dependent solutions for these models show qualitative agreement in the motion of the front and in the velocity distribution. However, the solutions for the two models differ quantitatively.
Four models for determining environmental quality effects on recreational demand and regional economics

Abstract Underestimation of regional economic effects associated with the improvement of recreation facilities or environmental quality at a recreation site is likely to result unless all four recreation choice decisions are included in estimates of the first round or direct changes in final demand. These four related recreation choices are: (1) decision to participate in a given recreation activity: (2) decision about which of the available sites to visit; (3) decision about the frequency of trips to take to a given site; and (4) decision about length of stay at the recreation site. Recent advances in statistical techniques for modeling each one of these four recreation choice decisions is presented. We emphasize how recreation facilities and site environmental quality can be incorporated into such models. Lastly, an empirical example of using a related multinomial logit site selection model and trip frequency model for deer hunting allows us to illustrate how linking two of the four recreation choices yields more complete estimates of the change in number of trips, income and employment.
MULTIDOSE MATERNAL CORTICOSTEROIDS IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH NEONATAL ADRENAL SUPPRESSION. † 1472

MULTIDOSE MATERNAL CORTICOSTEROIDS IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH NEONATAL ADRENAL SUPPRESSION. † 1472
Decomposition of separable and symmetric convex templates

Convolutions are a fundamental tool in image processing. Classical examples of 2-dimensional linear convolutions include image correlation the mean filter the discrete Fourier transform and a multitude of edge mask filers. Nonlinear convolutions are used in such operations as the median filter the medial axis transform and erosions and dilations as defined in mathematical morphology. For large convolution mask the computation cost resulting from implementation can be prohibitive. However in many instances this cost can be significantly reduced by decomposing the masks or templates into a sequence of smaller templates. In addition such decompositions can often be made architecture specific and thus resulting in optimal transform performance. In this paper the issues of template decomposition are discussed in the context of the image algebra. Necessary and sufficient conditions as well as some efficient methods for decomposing rectangular symmetric convex and spherical templates are presented.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
COARSE BIFURCATION DIAGRAMS VIA MICROSCOPIC SIMULATORS: A STATE-FEEDBACK CONTROL-BASED APPROACH

We present and illustrate a feedback control-based framework that enables microscopic/stochastic simulators to trace their "coarse" bifurcation diagrams, characterizing the dependence of their expected dynamical behavior on parameters. The framework combines the so-called "coarse time stepper" and arc-length continuation ideas from numerical bifurcation theory with linear dynamic feedback control. An augmented dynamical system is formulated, in which the bifurcation parameter evolution is linked with the microscopic simulation dynamics through feedback laws. The augmentation stably steers the system along both stable and unstable portions of the open-loop bifurcation diagram. The framework is illustrated using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of simple surface reaction schemes that exhibit both coarse regular turning points and coarse Hopf bifurcations.
Relation between system optimization and systematic errors in Stokes vector polarimeters

Several recent studies have investigated the optimization of Stokes vector polarimeters with respect to signal to noise ratio (SNR). While SNR is an important consideration, performance of a polarimeter in the presence of errors in the calibration and alignment of the optical components is also important. Here, the relationship between system condition and error performance is investigated, and it is shown that an optimum system from the point of view of SNR is not always an optimum system with respect to error performance. A detailed theory of error performance is presented, and the relationship between system condition and systematic errors is described. For systems that over determine the Stokes vector to improve error performance, the RMS error of a SV polarimeter is shown to fall off as the inverse of the number of measurements taken.
The so called ''Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma'' is actually an Unusual Fibrosarcoma

AbstractThe so-called “malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH)” has become progressively more enigmatic since entering the soft tissue tumor field, based on tissue culture studies performed almost 50 years ago. It inexplicably evolved from an exceedingly common soft tissue diagnosis into a problematic diagnosis. Because of the conundrum, clinicians require that “malignant fibrous histiocytoma”, the name that they are familiar with, appears somewhere in the diagnosis. A recent review of the electron micrographs from 157 MFHs diagnosed over 32 years appears to explain how it was misnamed and its true identity, and as a consequence requires an updating of its clinico-pathologic correlation (CPC). It is an unusual fibroblastic entity that has the capacity to attract, activate, and stimulate fusion of normal macrophages.
Hiding in Plain Sight Community Organization, Naive Trust and Terrorism

Terrorism is behavior that is both initiated and sustained by actors within a social environment. That social environment may vary along a continuum from supporting and enabling the behavior, to ignoring or being unaware of the behavior, to actively opposing the behavior. This article applies social disorganization theory, social capital theory and Black's work on terrorism to predict community characteristics likely to provide the anonymity required for the development of terrorist activity in developed nations. Using the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey and case studies, the article demonstrates how the theory predicts and helps explain why the 9/11 terrorists went undetected even as they lived in the US.
Observed and Modeled Changes in the South Asian Summer Monsoon over the Historical Period

The behavior in the South Asian summer monsoon (SASM) was analyzed in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3) multimodel historical (20c3m) simulations and in modern observational and reanalysis data. The CMIP3 simulations capture the observed trend of weakening of the SASM circulation overthepasthalfcentury,but areunabletoreproducethemagnitudeoftheobservedweakeningtrend.While the observations indicate a slight decrease in SASM-related precipitation, the CMIP3 simulations indicate on average a very slight increase, albeit with very large intermodel and intramodel variabilities. The CMIP3 simulations reproduce the observed negative relationship between the SASM and ENSO. The observed weakening trend in this relationship in recent decades, which has been attributed in some studies to anthropogenic forcing, appears to be well within the variability of the CMIP3 multimodel ensemble. For some models, distinct realizations indicate both strengthening and weakening trends that are larger in magnitude than the observed weakening trend. The South Asian summer monsoon (SASM), a subcomponent of the larger Asian monsoon system (Ding etal.2004),representsakeyfeatureofourcurrentlargescale atmospheric circulation. The SASM is characterized by a monsoon trough along the Indo‐Pakistan plains (Blanford 1886), lower-level westerlies associated with the convergence of surface moisture (Joseph and Raman 1966), and an upper-level easterly jet stream (Koteswaram 1958). The strength of the South Asian summer monsoon is often indicated by monsoon circulation indices [e.g., the Webster and Yang index; Webster and Yang (1992)] and monsoon precipitation [e.g., the All-India monsoonrainfall(AIMR)index;seeParthasarathyetal. (1992,1994)].TheSASMaccountsforalmost70%ofthe
A novel high-performance and robust sense amplifier using independent gate control in sub-50-nm double-gate MOSFET

Double-gate (DG) transistor has emerged as one of the most promising devices for nano-scale circuit design. In this paper, we propose a high-performance and robust sense-amplifier design using independent gate control in symmetric and asymmetric DG devices for sub-50-nm technologies. The proposed sense amplifier has better performance (30%-35% less sensing delay) and robustness (60%-80% less minimum input bit-differential for correct operation considering 10% worst case silicon thickness mismatch) compared to the connected gate design. Hence, the proposed design successfully demonstrates the benefit of using independent gate control in DG devices for efficient circuit design in sub-50-nm regime.
p33-Independent Activation of a Truncated p92 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase of Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus in Yeast Cell-Free Extract

Plus-stranded RNA viruses replicate in membrane-bound structures containing the viral replicase complex (VRC). A key component of the VRC is the virally encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which should be activated and incorporated into the VRC after its translation. To study the activation of the RdRp of Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), a small tombusvirus of plants, we used N-terminal truncated recombinant RdRp, which supported RNA synthesis in a cell-free yeast extract-based assay. The truncated RdRp required a cis-acting RNA replication element and soluble host factors, while unlike the full-length TBSV RdRp, the truncated RdRp did not need the viral p33 replication cofactor or cellular membranes for RNA synthesis. Interestingly, the truncated RdRp used 3'-terminal extension for initiation and terminated prematurely at an internal cis-acting element. However, the truncated RdRp could perform de novo initiation on a TBSV plus-strand RNA template in the presence of the p33 replication cofactor, cellular membranes, and soluble host proteins. Altogether, the data obtained with the truncated RdRp indicate that this RdRp still requires activation, but with the participation of fewer components than with the full-length RdRp, making it suitable for future studies on dissection of the RdRp activation mechanism.
Suppression of spiking behavior in flashpumped 2-/spl mu/m lasers

Most pulsed solid-state lasers operating in a normal (long-pulse) mode exhibit transient spiking behavior, characteristic of relaxation oscillations. Suppression of this spiking behavior can be achieved using a number of passive techniques. In this paper, we describe the use of intracavity second-harmonic generation to achieve smooth, long-pulse operation of a flashpumped 2 /spl mu/m Cr,Tm:YAG laser. >
Effect of isradipine on the formation and regression of fatty streaks in cholesterol fed rabbits.

Objective: The aim was to determine whether the antiatherogenic effect of the calcium channel blocker isradipine on fatty streak formation was dependent upon a temporal relationship between cholesterol feeding and administration of the drug. Methods: The study was done in New Zealand White rabbits fed a diet supplemented with cholesterol (2.5% w/w) for three weeks. Such a regimen results in loss of endothelium dependent relaxation and accumulation of cholesterol in the aorta four weeks later. The calcium antagonist isradipine was given in a dose of 0.25 mg·kg−1·d−1 at specified periods during the study to seven subgroups of animals: (1) standard diet + 2.5% cholesterol for three weeks; (2) standard diet + 2.5% cholesterol for three weeks followed by standard diet for four weeks; (3) standard diet + 2.5% cholesterol for three weeks followed by standard diet for 12 weeks; (4) standard diet + 2.5% cholesterol + isradipine for three weeks followed by standard diet alone for four weeks; (5) standard diet + 2.5% cholesterol for three weeks followed by standard diet for four weeks with isradipine given throughout the seven weeks; (6) standard diet + 2.5% cholesterol for three weeks followed by standard diet for four weeks with isradipine given during the final four weeks only; (7) standard diet+ 2.5% cholesterol for three weeks followed by standard diet for 12 weeks with isradipine given during the final eight weeks. Aortic tissue was removed for measurement of cholesterol content, endothelium dependent relaxation to acetylcholine and the calcium ionophore A23187, and relaxant responses to sodium nitrite. Serum was collected for measurement of cholesterol and triglyceride concentration. Results: When isradipine was given either during cholesterol feeding and continued for four weeks following it (subgroup 5) or during the four weeks following cholesterol feeding (subgroup 6), loss of endothelium dependent relaxation and the accumulation of cholesterol in the aorta was prevented. However, administration of isradipine during the period of cholesterol feeding alone (subgroup 4) was without effect. Also, administration of isradipine after lesions of fatty acid streak type were established appeared to have a favourable effect on removal of cholesterol from the aorta. Conclusions: Isradipine protects against the development of fatty streaks in rabbits fed a diet supplemented with 2.5% cholesterol. Administration of this drug after fatty streaks are formed also promotes their resolution. Cardiovascular Research 1994; 28: 1089-1095
Immediate improvements in side-to-side weight bearing and iliac crest symmetry after manipulation in patients with low back pain.

Abstract Background Although there is good evidence that spinal manipulation is an effective treatment to improve pain and function for patients with low back pain (LBP), there is little evidence to support the mechanism by which manipulation works. Objectives To determine if iliac crest (IC) and weight-bearing (WB) symmetry improve after spinal manipulation and to determine if improvements in IC and WB symmetry are associated with improvements in pain and function in patients with low back pain. Design Single group, within-subjects, repeated measures design. Method Thirty consecutive patients (mean age=40±13) who came to a spine specialty center for treatment of acute or chronic LBP and who would be receiving spinal manipulation participated in the study (14 male patients). Patients completed a series of self-report measures of pain and function and received a standardized physical examination, including the assessment of IC and WB symmetry. Patients received a standardized manipulative intervention, and immediate and 3- to 4-day follow-up examinations were performed by a blinded examiner. Paired t tests were performed to determine within-group changes, and Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the relationship between improvements in IC and WB symmetry and improvements in pain and function. To control for the potential that an association between changes in IC and/or WB symmetry and changes in pain and function could be confounded by the baseline outcome measure, simultaneous linear regression was performed on any significant correlation. Partial F tests were used to determine if the additional explained variability was significant. Results Patients with LBP demonstrated significant improvements in IC and WB symmetry after manipulation ( P r =.5, P =.007). Based on the significant association between improvements in WB symmetry and improvements in pain, the final pain score was regressed on the change in WB symmetry, after controlling for the baseline level of pain. The addition of the change in WB symmetry explained a 10% additional increase in variability in the patient's level of pain at the 3- to 4-day follow-up ( P = .01). No relationship was found between improvements in IC and WB symmetry and improvements in function as determined by the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire 3 to 4 days after manipulation. Conclusion IC and WB symmetry improved immediately after spinal manipulation. Improvements in WB symmetry were related to improvements in the patients' self-reported levels of pain, even after controlling for the baseline level of pain. Improvements in IC and WB symmetry were not related to changes in function. The results of this study provide initial data to elucidate how manipulation may work to improve pain and function in patients with LBP.
Emerging mechanisms for secondary cardioprotective effects of statins.

See article by Li et al. [11] (pages 130–135) in this issue. A widely accepted risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease is an elevated level of plasma cholesterol. Early on, it was recognized that inhibition of de novo synthesis of cholesterol could be an effective method to reduce plasma cholesterol, and thereby potentially reduce the incidence of atherosclerosis. The rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis is the reduction of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA to mevalonate, which is catalyzed by HMG-CoA reductase. This enzyme is an obvious target for inhibition in order to bring about a reduction in cholesterol synthesis and a corresponding drop in plasma cholesterol. The first specific inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase to be discovered was a fungal metabolite named compactin [1,2], closely followed by mevinolin [3,4]. Synthetic derivatives of these compounds, along with other naturally occurring compounds, have spawned a wide variety of clinically useful HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors collectively referred to as ‘statins’. The ability of these inhibitors to effectively lower plasma cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with and without cardiovascular disease has been documented in numerous studies [5–7]. However, beneficial effects of statins on vascular function beyond their ability to lower serum cholesterol have been noted, although whether these effects were truly unrelated to their lipid lowering abilities has been unclear [8–10]. These vascular effects include improved endothelial function, decreased coagulation, increased fibrinolysis, decreased inflammation, and increased plaque stability, among other effects. Recent in vitro and in vivo evidence suggests that initial observations noting these secondary statin effects were correct; however, the mechanisms responsible have only recently begun to come to light. In this issue of Cardiovascular Research, Li et al. [11] demonstrate that simvastatin and atorvastatin are able to modulate the effects of oxidized-low density lipoprotein (LDL) on … * Tel.: +1-317-929-1670; fax: +1-317-929-5954
Visual Scanning Strategies of Perceptually Impaired and Normal Children Viewing the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test

Eye movements of perceptually impaired and normal children were recorded as they examined selected cards of the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test. Clear quantitative and qualitative differences in visual scanning strategies were found between the groups and discussed with respect to differences between perceptually impaired and normal childrens' rates of encoding information and reliance upon visual memory. In addition, it was found that the correctness of verbal response on the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test was not a sufficiently sensitive measure of differences in perceptual abilities between the two diagnostic groups studied. The value of the use of eye movement data to supplement the diagnosis of visual perceptual deficiencies is discussed.
THE EXISTENCE, NONEXISTENCE AND UNIQUENESS OF GLOBAL POSITIVE COEXISTENCE OF A NONLINEAR ELLIPTIC BIOLOGICAL INTERACTING MODEL

The purpose of this paper is to give a sucient condi- tion for the existence, nonexistence and uniqueness of coexistence of positive solutions to a rather general type of elliptic competition system of the Dirichlet problem on the bounded domain in R n . The techniques used in this paper are upper-lower solutions, max- imum principles and spectrum estimates. The arguments also rely on some detailed properties for the solution of logistic equations. This result yields an algebraically computable criterion for the pos- itive coexistence of competing species of animals in many biological models.
Thermal separation of the ortho and para forms of H2 and D2

Thermal separation of ortho and para hydrogen and deuterium, discussing kinetic theory of nonspherical molecules in terms of rotational collision numbers
Prostate cancer: radical prostatectomy

Today, more men than ever before are being followed after radical prostatectomy. Prognosis and follow-up should be based on the pathologic specimen. Measurable prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after surgery defines failure, with time to detectable PSA and rate of PSA rise being useful prognostic factors. The natural history of untreated biochemical failure is protracted, a fact to be considered in discussions of adjuvant treatment. Early in disease recurrence, imaging studies to locate residual disease rarely are useful clinically. Both adjuvant and salvage radiation to the prostate bed have benefits and risks, but neither is superior in overall prostate cancer survival. The timing of hormone therapy remains largely empiric. The promise of effective cytotoxic chemotherapy still is greater than its actual benefits, although novel cytostatic agents are being developed. The future management of this disease will improve with better molecular definition of risk and therapeutic response.
Post-Concussion Symptoms: Cognitive, Emotional, and Environmental Aspects

Two head injury patients who experienced the onset and/or exacerbation of post-concussion symptoms (i.e., headache, confusion, and memory difficulty) associated with increased environmental stress are presented. The cases provide insight into the complex interaction between neurological and psychological factors following head injury. Patients should be made aware of cognitive limitations during the recovery period so as to better determine acceptable levels of environmental stress. The development or exacerbation of post-concussion symptoms during convalescence signals the physician that a discrepancy exists between the patient's cognitive capacities and environmental demands. Timely intervention to modify environmental stress would help alleviate problems with post-concussion symptoms.
Blowoff characteristics of bluff-body stabilized conical premixed flames with upstream spatial mixture gradients and velocity oscillations

This experimental study concerns determination of blowoff equivalence ratios for lean premixed conical flames for different mixture approach velocities ranging from 5 to 16 m/s in the presence of spatial mixture gradients and upstream velocity modulation. Conical flames were anchored on a disk-shaped bluff body that was attached to a central rod in the burner nozzle. A combustible propane–air mixture flowed through a converging axisymmetric nozzle with a concentric insert, allowing radial mixture variation by tailoring the composition in the inner and outer parts of the nozzle. The radial mixture profiles were characterized near the location of the flame holder by laser Rayleigh light scattering. Additionally, a loudspeaker at the nozzle base allowed introduction of periodic velocity oscillations with an amplitude of 9% of the mean flow velocity up to a frequency of 350 Hz. The flame blowoff equivalence ratio was experimentally determined by continuously lowering the fuel flow rates and determining the flame detachment point from the flame holder. Flame detachment was detected by a rapid reduction of CH* emission from the flame base imaged by a photomultiplier detector. It was found that the flame blowoff is preceded by progressive narrowing of the flame cone for the case of higher inner jet equivalence ratios. In this case, the fuel-lean outer flow cannot sustain combustion, and clearly this is not a good way of operating a combustor. Nevertheless, the overall blowoff equivalence ratio is reduced by inner stream fuel enrichment. A possible explanation for this behavior is given based on the radial extent of the variable-equivalence-ratio mixture burning near the flame stabilization region. Fuel enrichment in the outer flow was found to have no effect on blowoff as compared to the case of uniform mixture. The results were similar for the whole range of mean flow velocities and upstream excitation frequencies.
Transport and breakdown of fecal pellets: Biological and sedimentological consequences1

Fecal pellets of benthic animals are important in sediment transport processes, yet few quantitative data are available on their salient physical characteristics. We measured, directly and independently, the densities (specific gravities), sizes, and settling velocities of pellets produced by Amphicteis scuphobrunchiata, a deposit-feeding polychaete worm. Pellet density was measured by an isosmotic density gradient technique. Densities ranged from 1.086 to 1.282 gacm-3 and settling velocities from 3.03 to 5.94 cmes-I. Pellets transported as bedload for variable distances; the oldest pellets tested (6 h after production) traveled a median distance of 3.1 m, while freshly egested pellets traveled 9.5 m before disintegrating. Worms would reingest disaggregated pellets, but feeding rates correlated positively with pellet age, consistent with previous findings that this species feeds at a faster rate on energetically more profitable sediment. These results suggest substantial interactions among benthic animals, fecal pellets, and sediment transport processes. Fecal pellets produced by aquatic organisms affect sedimentary processes in two ways. Because fecal pellets are aggregates of particles, pellet sinking rates can be much greater than the rates of their smaller constituents (Haven and Morales-Alamo 1968; McCall 1979). Thus, pellets enhance material fluxes through the water column by increasing sedimentation rates; this can also lead to deposition of particles that, because of hydrodynamic or chemical characteristics, otherwise might not be deposited in a given environment (Haven and MoralesAlamo 1968; Smayda 1969; Small et al. 1979; Robison and Bailey 198 1; Silver and Bruland 198 1). Most interest in such vertical sedimentation processes has focused on pellets of planktonic origin. Fecal pellets also play a role in sediment transport processes operating within the benthic boundary layer. Deposit feeders comprise the dominant trophic group in softbottom environments and ingest and package ambient sediment particles during their feeding activities. Although it has been recognized for some time that pellets can affect sediment transport via both bedload and suspended load transport modes (Rhoads
Comparative electromigration performance of Pb Free flip chip joints with varying board surface condition

For the past several years, the semiconductor industry has been responding to the RoHS directive to eliminate certain hazardous substances from electronic components. One of the areas where work is still ongoing to comply is in the area of flip chip interconnects. Currently, leaded flip chip interconnects are allowed under an exemption in the RoHS directive due to a perceived lack of a technically viable solution. Recently, a number of Pb-Free flip chip interconnects have been introduced to the industry and have been in high volume production for a few years.
Calvin's legacy for contemporary Reformed natural law

Recent scholarship has done much to uncover a continuous tradition of distinctively Reformed natural law reflection, according to which knowledge of the natural moral law, though not saving knowledge, is universally available to humanity in its fallen state and makes a stable secular order possible. A close look at Calvin's understanding of natural law, and in particular of conscience and natural human instincts, shows that Calvin himself did not expect the natural law to serve as a source of substantive action-guiding moral norms. First, Calvin held that conscience delivers information concerning the moral quality even of individual actions. But he also thought that we often blind ourselves to the deliverances of conscience. Second, he argued that our natural instincts predispose us to civic order and fair dealing insofar as these are necessary for the natural well-being or advantage of creatures such as ourselves. But he also carefully distinguished the good of advantage from the good of justice or virtue. The modern natural lawyers eroded Calvin's careful distinction between conscience as revealing our duty as duty, and instinct as guiding us towards natural advantage. They also turned away from Calvin's insistence on the moral incapacity of unredeemed humanity. The modern natural lawyers saw their task as one of developing an empirical science of human nature to guide legislation and shape international law, bracketing questions of whether this nature was fallen and in need of redemption. When Scottish Presbyterian Reformed thinkers, such as Gershom Carmichael and John Witherspoon, tried in diverse ways to restore eroded Reformed commitments to the science of human nature, about which they were otherwise so enthusiastic, they were not particularly successful. A science which could derive moral norms from an examination of human instincts, and a conscience which could deliver universal moral knowledge, proved too attractive to decline simply because of the transcendence of God or the fallenness of humankind. Those who wished to preserve an account of natural law which remained faithful to a fully robust set of Reformed theological commitments could do so only by refusing to regard the natural law as a positive source of moral knowledge.
Surveying the interest of individuals with upper limb loss in novel prosthetic control techniques

Background Novel techniques for the control of upper limb prostheses may allow users to operate more complex prostheses than those that are currently available. Because many of these techniques are surgically invasive, it is important to understand whether individuals with upper limb loss would accept the associated risks in order to use a prosthesis.
The evolution of steep fronts in non‐fickian polymer‐penetrant systems

We adapt a recently proposed model for non-Fickian diffusion of penetrants into polymers and use it to study a drug-delivery problem. The model modified Fick's diffusion equation by the addition of stress-induced flux. A stress evolution equation incorporating aspects of the Maxwell and Kelvin-Voigt viscoelastic stress models completes the model. The relaxation time in the polymer is taken as a function of the penetrant concentration. The system is studied under the assumption that the diffusivity is large. Singular perturbation techniques are used to show that the concentration and stress evolve diffusively for small time, but exhibit steep fronts in a narrow region within the domain for larger time. These predictions are verified numerically for specified parameter values. Finally, the equations are studied in the steady state and are found to predict the evolution of shocks.
The Nature of Circuit Court Gatekeeping Decisions

This article provides an analysis of the nature of circuit court threshold decisions. Specifically, a model sensitive to the institutional context of the circuits is developed and tested across all threshold decisions in the sample and in more limited samples of proper party and proper forum votes. The results suggest that circuit court gatekeeping is a function of multiple factors, including circuit court law, litigant status, the lower court decision, and, at times, the ideological preferences of the circuit judge or that of his or her circuit.
Magneto-optic spectra of EuS-Gd and EuS-Tb films

Doping EuS films with Tb or Gd increases the Curie point because of strong exchange through the free carriers and increases the coercivity because of strong crystal fields associated with vacant sulfur sites. The two main features of the reflectivity spectra of the doped samples are a strong free carrier contribution below 1.5 eV and a region of low reflectance between 1.5 and 4 eV. The Kerr peak in EuS at 2.4 eV is greatly enhanced in some of the doped compositions, probably as a consequence of low values of the optical functions n( omega ) and k( omega ) in this low-reflectance region. >