cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pathology of tumors of the peripheral nerve sheath in type 1 neurofibromatosis

The two main peripheral nerve sheath tumors found in patients with neurofibromatosis, type 1 (NF1), are neurofibroma, a benign tumor, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST). The tumors are related in that most MPNSTs are thought to arise by malignant transformation of neurofibromas. Such an event occurs in about 2% of NF1 patients. There are five forms of neurofibroma; three of them-localized cutaneous neurofibroma when multiple, plexiform neurofibroma, and massive soft-tissue neurofibroma-are highly specific for NF1. Only two forms of neurofibroma, plexiform and localized intraneural neurofibroma, are significant precursors of MPNST. Massive soft-tissue neurofibromas are worrisome in that they may mask MPNST arising from one of the mentioned neurofibromas. The vast majority of MPNSTs are high-grade malignant tumors with a high rate of distant metastasis. The overall 5-year survival rate for patients with MPNSTs ranges from 34% to 52%. MPNSTs generally are solitary, deep-seated globoid or fusiform tumors. They are firm, fleshy, tan, and often focally to extensively necrotic, and they invade surrounding soft tissue. On histological examination, MPNSTs are most often hypercellular, hyperchromatic, fasciculated, and mitotically active tumors. Low-grade tumors account for only about 10-15% of cases. Twenty percent of MPNSTs have unusual and potentially misleading histological features, such as epithelioid cells and divergent mesenchymal or glandular differentiation. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Semin. Med. Genet.) 89:23-30, 1999.
Survival and Growth of Newly Transformed Lampsilis cardium and Lampsilis siliquoidea in a Flow-Through, Continuous Feeding Test System

Abstract: A test system was evaluated for assessing chronic toxicity of waterborne chemicals with early life stage mussels. To determine if the test system could result in ≥80% survival in a control (unexposed) group, fat mucket mussels (Lampsilis siliquoidea Barnes, 1823) and plain pocketbook mussels (L. cardium Rafinesque, 1820) 1 day post transformation were stocked into test chambers (250 mL beakers, water volume, 200 mL, 21 °C, 40 mussels of 1 species per chamber) within a test system constructed for conducting chronic, continuous exposure, flow-through toxicity tests. The test system contained 60 chambers containing silica sand, 30 chambers with L. siliquoidea, and 30 with L. cardium. Each chamber in the continuous feeding system received 1 of 6 food types prepared with concentrated algal products. After 28 days, mussels were harvested from chambers to assess survival and growth. For L. siliquoidea, mean survival ranged from 34 to 80% and mean shell length ranged from 464 to 643 µm. For L. cardium, ...
The binding of micellar lipids to chitosan

The lipid binding capacity of chitosan (partially deacetylated chitin) was determinined with respect to micellar solutions of bile salts, dodecyl sulfate, natural ox bile and an artificial mixed microemulsion. The stoichiometry was determined following the separation of the solid phase by filtration or centrifugation. The major variables in the extent of binding were the pH and ionic strength, suggesting that the interactions are mainly of ionic nature. It is noteworthy that under optimal conditions chitosan could bind, i.e., coprecipitate, with 4-5 times of its weight with all the lipid aggregates tested. These results have a bearing on the nutritional and pharmacological applications of chitosan. The analyses of the components from the precipitates with microemulsion and ox bile show a significant selectivily of binding caused by hydrophobic interactions.
Development of a quantitative PCR (TaqMan) assay for relative mitochondrial DNA copy number and the common mitochondrial DNA deletion in the rat

Changes in mitochondrial DNA copy number and increases in mitochondrial DNA mutations, especially deletions, have been associated with exposure to mutagens and with aging. Common deletions that are the result of recombination between direct repeats in human and rat (4,977 and 4,834, bp, respectively) are known to increase in tissues of aged individuals. Previous studies have used long-distance PCR and Southern blot or quantitative PCR to determine the frequency of deleted mitochondrial DNA. A quantitative PCR (TaqMan) assay was developed to detect both mitochondrial DNA copy number and deletion frequency in the rat. This methodology allows not only the determination of changes in the amount of mitochondrial DNA deletion relative to total mitochondrial DNA but also to determine changes in total mitochondrial DNA relative to genomic DNA. As a validation of the assay in rat liver, the frequency of the common 4,834 bp deletion is shown to increase with age, while the relative mitochondrial DNA copy number rises at a young age (3-60 days), then decreases and holds fairly steady to 2 years of age.
Painlevé Property and Integrability

A brief account of this work has appeared in Ref. (1) and an expanded version will follow. 2 These lectures are merely intended to illustrate, in the simplest possible terms, our approach to the Painleve problem. Precise statements of theorems, in the few instances where we have them, as well as nontrivial examples are all reserved for Ref. (2).
Comparison of adjunctive use of rofecoxib versus ibuprofen in the management of postoperative pain after uterine artery embolization

PURPOSE The primary purpose of the present study was to compare the antiinflammatory effectiveness of rofecoxib with that of ibuprofen in the first 5 days after uterine artery embolization (UAE). The secondary aim was to compare pain levels and narcotic use among patients treated with different embolic agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS From July 2003 to June 2004, 68 UAE procedures were performed by one of the authors (D.M.H.). Of this group, 50 women agreed to participate in this study. Exclusion criteria were limited to contraindication to either drug or current steroid or nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use. In a randomized, double-blinded fashion, patients received a numbered pill box that contained one of the two agents and its placebo counterpart. Four times per day for 5 days, patients recorded their level of pain on a visual analog scale and the amount of narcotic analgesic drug needed at that time. Score sheets were returned by mail after completion. During the course of the study, three embolic agents (Gold Embospheres, Contour SE particles, and Embospheres) were used in succession, with similar numbers of patients in each group. RESULTS Four patients were excluded from analysis: two who were readmitted to the hospital for treatment of pain (one treated with each antiinflammatory medication) and two who failed to complete their score sheets. Subject demographics were very similar with respect to antiinflammatory drug treatment and embolic agent, except that the average age of patients in the Embosphere group was 6 years older than in the Embosphere Gold and Contour SE groups ( P = .02). There was no difference in the pain level and narcotic drug intake between the two drug arms, but among embolic agents, the Embosphere Gold group tended to have a higher overall average pain score ( P = .12), and the two patients readmitted were in this group. Patients in the Contour SE group tended to use a lower amount of narcotic drug than those in the other two embolic agent groups ( P = .09). CONCLUSIONS There was no difference between rofecoxib and ibuprofen with respect to postprocedural pain or narcotic use after UAE. Embolic agent appeared to have a greater impact, with patients in the Embosphere Gold group reporting higher pain scores and those in the Contour SE group requiring a lower amount of narcotic drug than those in the Embosphere Gold or Embosphere groups.
EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS OF ALLORECOGNITION IN THE COLONIAL HYDROID HYDRACTINIA SYMBIOLONGICARPUS.

Many sedentary, clonal marine invertebrates compete intensively with conspecifics for habitable space. Allorecognition systems mediate the nature and outcome of these intraspecific competitive interactions, such that the initiation of agonistic behavior and the potential for intergenotypic fusion depend strongly on the relatedness of the contestants. The dependence of these behaviors on relatedness, along with the extraordinary precision with which self can be discriminated from nonself, suggest that allorecognition systems are highly polymorphic genetically. However, allotypic specificity of this sort could be produced by any number of genetic scenarios, ranging from relatively few loci with abundant allelic variation to numerous loci with relatively few alleles per locus. At this point, virtually nothing is known of the formal genetics of allorecognition in marine invertebrates; consequently, the evolutionary dynamics of such systems remain poorly understood. In this paper, we characterize the formal genetics of allorecognition in the marine hydrozoan Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus. Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus colonizes gastropod shells occupied by hermit crabs. When two or more individuals grow into contact, one of three outcomes ensues: fusion (compatibility), transitory fusion (a temporary state of compatibility), and rejection (incompatibility, often accompanied by the production of agonistic structures termed hyperplastic stolons). Observed patterns of compatibility between unrelated, half-sib pairs, and full-sib pairs show that unrelated and half-sib pairs under laboratory culture have a very low probability of being fusible, whereas full sibs have a roughly 30% rate of fusion in experimental pairings. The genetic simulations indicate that roughly five loci, with 5-7 alleles per locus, confer specificity in this species. In ecological terms, the reproductive ecology of H. symbiolongicarpus should promote the cosettlement of kin, some of which should be full sibs, and some half sibs. Thus, there is potential for kin selection to play a major role in the evolution of the H. symbiolongicarpus allorecognition system. In genetic terms, this system conforms to theoretical predictions for a recognition system selected to distinguish among classes of kin, in addition to self from nonself.
Large scale thermal exfoliation and functionalization of boron nitride.

However, for large-scale applications, such as nanofi llers in polymer composites, exfoliation is a more economically attractive route to single sheet hBN. Previous attempts to produce hBN nano fi llers include the work of who Zhi used the sonication of hBN in N, Ndimethylformamide (DMF) to produce layered hBN with the functionality of the sheets not determined due to diffi culties in obtaining FTIR spectra. [ 5 ]
Scaling behavior in a Fibonacci-sequenced system

The rudiments of dynamical systems theory are employed to analyze the transmission of light through a two-element medium in which the elements are arranged in a Fibonacci sequence. A dynamical map, introduced by previous authors, is extended so that the enlarged map generates direct predictions about the behavior of the transmission coefficient for phases in the neighborhood of certain critical values. These values correspond to unique periodic orbits of the map. Lowest-order calculations are performed analytically to study the properties of scaling near the critical phases. A scale factor is defined to describe this behavior. The study examines three cases in which the map has a fixed point, a 3-cycle, and a 6-cycle. The first two cases have the property that their scale factors are given by exactly the same Fibonacci number. In contrast, the third case has the property that its scale factor depends explicitly on a parameter of the physical system. Speculative remarks are added in conclusion to argue for the occurrence of a type of scaling whose features originate in the abstract structure of the Fibonacci sequence and are independent of the particular choice of physical system.
Population-based molecular prognosis of breast cancer by transcriptional profiling.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to predict breast cancer recurrence and metastases and to identify gene signatures indicative of clinicopathologic characteristics using gene expression patterns derived from cDNA microarray. Experimental Design: Expression profiles of 7,650 genes were investigated on an unselected group of 99 node-negative and node-positive breast cancer patients to identify prognostic gene signature of recurrence and metastases. The identified gene signature was validated on independent 78 patients with primary invasive carcinoma (T 1 /T 2 and N 0 ) and on 58 patients with locally advanced breast cancer (T 3 /T 4 and/or N 2 ). The gene predictors were identified using a combination of random forests and linear discriminant analysis function. Results: This study identified a new 28-gene signature that achieved highly accurate disease-free survival and overall survival (both at P P P neu overexpression in the studied cohorts. We also identified 14-gene predictors of nodal status and 9-gene predictors of tumor grade. Conclusions: This study has established a population-based approach to predicting breast cancer outcomes at the individual level exclusively based on gene expression patterns. The 28-gene recurrence signature has been validated as quantifying the probability of recurrence and metastases in patients with heterogeneous histology and disease stage.
Sexual and Violent Media's Inhibition of Advertisement Memory: Effect or Artifact?

Research (Bushman, 2005; Bushman & Bonacci, 2002) has claimed to demonstrate that sexual and violent content in television programs inhibits viewers' memory for advertisements. However, that research failed to adequately control other aspects of the programs' content, making interpretation problematic. The present paper attempts to correct these flaws. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that if other aspects of show content are held constant, sex and violence alone do not affect memory for advertisements. Study 3 provides evidence that while sex or violence does not affect memory, other aspects of program content (e.g., plot, humor) do have a significant influence on advertisement memory. Implications of this research on the interpretation of previous research are discussed.
Talking phones: a cultural reading of mobile technologies

In June of 2002, Malaysian newsstands carried the latest issue of "Mobile Stuff" - a magazine geared toward Malaysia's growing population of mobile phone subscribers. On the cover, two young Malay men in clothing that suggests more LA hood and less KL suburbs, hold out their mobile phones to the camera beneath the banner headline "Real Men Uses SMS." Six months later, billboards in Shanghai carried the image of a woman" shapely calves and ankles, bound with black patent leather ankle straps; positioned beneath one strap is her mobile phone. Using ethnographic and cultural data from her recent fieldwork in Asia, Bell will explore some of the ways in which mobile technologies are shifting function and form. Beyond their utility as a technology of information exchange, mobile phones specifically and mobile technologies more broadly, appear to have inserted themselves into the cultural fabric of societies across the world. In so doing, while the underlying technologies might not have changed per se, the applications, usage models and indeed, understandings of the objects have undergone radical shifts and re-purposings.
Comparison of plane-strain and tensile work hardening in two sheet steel alloys

Extended tensile tests and newly-devised plane-strain tests have been performed on two commercial sheet steels: an aluminum-killed (A-K) steel and a cold-rolled, dual-phase (D-P) steel. Up to uniform strain in uniaxial tension, the average work-hardening rate of both steels was found to be independent of strain state (isotropic hardening). The planestrain behavior of both steels was in good agreement with predictions of Hill’s old theory of normal anisotropic plasticity. At larger strains, the work-hardening rate in tension is greater than in plane strain. All of the tests were adjusted to reflect constant strain rates and all results were well represented by work hardening of the Hollomon type.
Hypertension and cerebrovascular disease

Abstract Stroke is a common problem in the United States and causes significant morbidity and mortality. In addition both the personal and economic costs of stroke are high. Chronic arterial hypertension is the most significant modifiable risk factor for stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic), both because of it's high relative risk for stroke and also because of it's prevalence in the general population. In addition hypertension remains under-recognized and under-treated. Newer studies have demonstrated that more aggressive treatment of hypertension results in lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including that due to stroke. Consequently, new definitions for hypertension and new recommendations for treatment have recently been published. Furthermore, certain conditions, such as stroke, have been determined to be a “compelling indication” for certain classes of antihypertension therapy. Chronic hypertension is an important cause of the vascular pathology which leads to stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage. Acute stroke and cerebral hemorrhage may also cause an acute rise in blood pressure. Treatment of elevated blood pressure during acute stroke must balance the theoretical risk of worsening the stroke due to reduced cerebral perfusion against the benefits of lowering blood pressure (reduced risk of hemorrhage, cerebral edema, and other end-organ damage). This has been made more challenging since the approval of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Also, severely elevated blood pressure can also cause hypertensive encephalopathy which must be distinguished from stroke so that appropriate treatment can be instituted as quickly as possible.
Muscarinic receptor-dependent activation of phospholipase C in the developing human fetal central nervous system.

Abstract The coupling of muscarinic-cholinergic receptors (mAChR) to adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C (PLC) second messenger systems has been demonstrated in many animal species. However, little is known about this association in the developing human central nervous system. Because of the proposed role of acetylcholine in the regulation of development and differentiation of neural cells, an understanding of these relationships during human fetal development gains importance. We report, in this communication, the coupling of mAChR with PLC in the human fetal brain. This coupling was determined using two independent approaches that relied upon estimating the accumulation of inositol phosphates (IPs) and cytidine diphosphate diacylglycerol (CDP-DAG). Carbachol treatment of brain slices, in the presence of lithium, resulted in the accumulation of IPs. Analysis of the kinetics of this accumulation showed that IP 3 and IP 2 increased rapidly, reaching a peak or plateau before IP. The results also showed that agonist-stimulated PLC produced two second messengers, IP 3 and DAG. The production of DAG was strongly supported by the carbachol-dependent increase of CDP-DAG. The accumulation of IP and CDP-DAG was dependent on agonist concentration. The obtained EC 50 values were approximately: carbachol 47 μM; acetylcholine 6 μM; and oxotremorine 25 μM. Unexpectedly, all three agonists demonstrated a similar efficacy. The cholinergic stimulation of inositide hydrolysis appears to be the result of activation of the m1 muscarinic receptor.
Radio-to-router interface technology and its applicability on the tactical edge

Tactical wireless and mobile networks are the primary networking infrastructure in the Global Information Grid (GIG) to provide end-to-end connectivity to the warfighters at the tactical edge. The highly dynamic nature of tactical edge networks raise a number of challenging issues related to data transport and service delivery in the tactical environment. To address some of these issues, DoD waveforms have increasingly leveraged layer 2 link information to make smart cross-layer multihop routing decisions. Although there has been some measure of success in providing higher end-to-end data delivery, the lack of standard interfaces between the radio and router have led to interoperability issues in environments with a heterogeneous mix of radio systems. As a result, there has been increased desire to standardize radio-to-router interfaces (R2RIs) as a means to separate radio and router functionality and to allow greater interoperability between systems. In this article, we examine three R2RI protocols currently being vetted through the Internet Engineering Task Force and currently integrated or under consideration in DoD radio systems (RFC 5578, R2CP, and DLEP), and identify their current use and applicability in the tactical edge. Furthermore, we identify some challenges in implementing any R2RI scheme into emerging systems.
The Feasibility of Reducing and Measuring Sedentary Time among Overweight, Non-Exercising Office Workers

This study examined the feasibility of reducing free-living sedentary time (ST) and the convergent validity of various tools to measure ST. Twenty overweight/obese participants wore the activPAL (AP) (criterion measure) and ActiGraph (AG; 100 and 150 count/minute cut-points) for a 7-day baseline period. Next, they received a simple intervention targeting free-living ST reductions (7-day intervention period). ST was measured using two questionnaires following each period. ST significantly decreased from 67% of wear time (baseline period) to 62.7% of wear time (intervention period) according to AP (n = 14, P < 0.01). No other measurement tool detected a reduction in ST. The AG measures were more accurate (lower bias) and more precise (smaller confidence intervals) than the questionnaires. Participants reduced ST by ~5%, which is equivalent to a 48_min reduction over a 16-hour waking day. These data describe ST measurement properties from wearable monitors and self-report tools to inform sample-size estimates for future ST interventions.
Is There a Puzzle About How Authentic Dasein Can Act?: A Critique of Dreyfus and Rubin on Being and Time, Division II

Dreyfus and Rubin's commentary on Division II of Being and Time raises three closely related puzzles about the possibility of authenticity: (i) how could Dasein ever choose to become authentic, (ii) how could authentic Dasein ever choose to take up any particular possibility, and (iii) how could anything matter to authentic Dasein? They argue that Heidegger has a convincing answer to the first two puzzles, but they find his answer to the third “indirect and not totally convincing” (D&R, p. 332). I argue that they should find Heidegger's answer to the third puzzle far worse than “not totally convincing”, given their interpretation of his account of anxiety, and that the answers they claim he has in response to the first two puzzles are not supported by the text. I then show that the puzzles arise from distortions in Dreyfus and Rubin's interpretation of Heidegger's account of anxiety. The puzzles dissolve once the distortions are identified.
Fractionation of Sulfur and Carbon Isotopes in a Meromictic Lake.

In the permanently stagnant depths of Green Lake (near Syracuse, N.Y.), sulfide made by bacteria is depleted in heavy sulfur (S(34)), and sulfate is enriched. The fractionation factor, 1.0575, is the greatest yet observed. Isotopic resemblance to salt-dome sulfur deposits is evident, and, like saltdome calcite, the lake's carbon dioxide is depleted in heavy carbon (C(13)).
Increased fat in pancreas not associated with risk of pancreatitis post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

BACKGROUND A preliminary study has shown increased pancreatic fat in patients with idiopathic pancreatitis and sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to determine if an increased quantity of pancreatic fat is an independent risk factor for pancreatitis post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). METHODS In this case control study, we retrospectively reviewed a local radiological and ERCP database to identify patients who had had abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) followed by ERCP no more than 60 days later between September 2003 and January 2011. Percentage of fat was determined by recording signal intensity in the in-phase (Sin) and out-of-phase (Sout) T1-weighted gradient sequences, and calculation of the fat fraction as (Sin - Sout)/(Sin) × 2 by an abdominal radiologist blinded to clinical history. Controls matched for age, gender, and other pancreatobiliary disease were selected from a group with no post-ERCP pancreatitis (before fat content of the pancreas was analyzed). RESULTS Forty-seven patients were enrolled. Compared with controls, subjects with post-ERCP pancreatitis were similar in terms of age (41.4 years versus 41.1 years), gender (21.2% versus 20.2% males), pancreatobiliary disease characteristics, and most ERCP techniques. Measurements of pancreatic head, body, and tail fat and body mass index were similar in patients and controls. CONCLUSION Increased pancreatic fat on MRI criteria is not an independent predictor of post-ERCP pancreatitis.
The cryptic sexual strategies of human fungal pathogens

Although once thought to be clonal, and thus undergo asexual reproduction, accumulating evidence now suggests that many human fungal pathogens retain sexual reproductive machinery and undergo sexual or parasexual reproduction. Iuliana V. Ene and Richard J. Bennett discuss the sexual cycles of three of the most prominent human pathogens — Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus.
A CENTRAL LIMIT THEOREM AND A STRONG MIXING CONDITION.

* The research for this paper was supported by the United States Air Force under Contract No. AF18(600-685) monitored by the Office of Scientific Research. 1 A discussion of the problem along with the necessary references will be found in Harry Pollard, "The Harmonic Analysis of Bounded Functions," Duke Math. / . , 20, 499-512, 1953. 2 See ibid. 3 See S. Bochner, Fouriersche Integrate (Leipzig, 1932), p. 33. 4 The Levitan polynomial. See N.I. Achieser, Approximationstheorie (Berlin, 1953), p. 146.
A comparison study of four texture synthesis algorithms on near-regular textures

Textures are conventionally classified as either regular or stochastic. However, many real-world textures fall somewhere in-between these two extremes. Most textures, along with regular and stochastic textures, form a texture spectrum on which the structural regularity varies continuously towards randomness(Figure 1). Ideally, a good texture synthesis algorithm should be able to handle all types of textures on the spectrum; however, the performance of existing texture synthesis algorithms varies on different types of textures. Moreover, the performance of a synthesis algorithm is usually judged by visually examining the results, which could be subjective and inconsistent among different people. To better evaluate the synthesis results, an objective and consistent criterion in addition to the visual inspection would be very useful.
Heterogeneity in the composition of commercial heparins: comparison of anticoagulant activities and biochemical compositions of anionic density-fractionated heparins.

Abstract In this study the nature of compositional heterogeneity in commercial heparins was investigated. Five hog-mucosal (HM) and one beef-lung (BL) heparin were subjected to partition fraction in a two-phase system of 1-butanol containing hexadecylpyridinium chloride/aqueous NaCl, a system which fractionates heterogeneous heparins larger than 10,000 daltons according to anionic density. The heparins differed markedly in purity as determined by both the galactosamine content of the unfractionated preparations and the amount of uronate extracted at lower NaCl concentrations in the fractionation scheme. All fractions afforded linear plots of the logarithm of clotting time vs heparins concentration in the APTT assay with human plasma, thereby permitting measurement of concentration - independent specific activities. Equivalent fractions from different HM heparins had similar compositions, and with the exception of an unbleached sample, had equivalent specific APTT anticoagulant activities. These latter were linearly related to the square of anionic density. In contrast, the BL heparin behaved quite differently. Its most abundant fractions were extracted at higher NaCl concentrations than was the case for HM heparins, little systematic variation in anionic density was observed, and its fractions had much lower specific activities than equivalent HM fractions.
Flows in Queueing Networks: A Martingale Approach

This paper applies the filtering theory for point process observations to the analysis of flows in networks. An abstract model for the study of Markovian queueing systems is developed and used to derive the filtering equations satisfied by the conditional probability distribution of the state given the past of an observed set of flows. These filtering equations are used to obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for that observation to be independent of the value of the state of the system at any time. This approach also yields a probabilistic interpretation of a necessary condition for a given flow in a multi-class Jackson network to be Poisson. These results are combined to give a proof of the “loop criterion” for single-class Jackson network and to show that this criterion does not apply to multi-class networks. Examples of loop-free Jackson networks are given for which some of the flows are not Poisson.
Conniving Women and Superannuated Coquettes: Travestis and Caractères in the Early Modern French Theatre

In the early years of the professional French theatre, older women's roles—the nourrice, the entremetteuse, the mere—were normally played by men en travesti. Beginning in the 1630s, according to Pierre Corneille, the nourrice was replaced by the suivante, which was played by an actress. However, the last of the travesti actors, Hubert, did not retire from the stage until 1685. Moliere used male performers, including Hubert, through much of his career, but beginning in 1670 he wrote as well for a woman, Mlle La Grange, who can be identified as the first actress to play the emploi of caracteres and whose entry into the troupe of the Palais Royal marks the increasing inclusion of older women's roles in French comedy.
Coordinality - A Measure of Man-Machine Coupling

In situations in which the human operator is asked to transmit as much information as he can, it has been observed that the amount of information he transmits varies with the number of variable aspects of the source and the number of physical dimensions used in coding. A simple logarithmic relation is postulated between a measure of these coding properties, called coordinality, and the information transmitted by the human operator. Many problems remain, however.
Endoscopic endonasal study of the maxillary nerve: a new orientation.

BACKGROUND Endoscopic endonasal procedures for advanced lesions involving the pterygopalatine fossa (PPF) and its various communications are increasingly performed. The maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve (V2) passes through the foramen rotundum and crosses the upper part of the PPF, with a risk of partial or complete injury during surgery in this complex region. Despite the available knowledge of the sinonasal anatomy, the endoscopic orientation of the V2 remains unclear and requires further analysis from this unique view. METHODS Using an extended endoscopic approach, the PPF was dissected in 20 sides of 10 adult cadaver heads. The V2 also was followed anteriorly from the trigeminal ganglion, toward the infraorbital canal. The course and the neurovascular relationships of the V2 were studied. High-quality endoscopic images have been produced by coupling the video camera to a digital video recording system. RESULTS The endoscopic course and relations of the V2 were carefully described. Important landmarks to identify and avoid injury of the nerve were discussed in relation to this unique view. CONCLUSION This study updates our understanding of the V2 anatomy from an endoscopic perspective. The medial to lateral inclination and drooping of the V2, as well as different relationships of the V2 with the vascular structures are important findings to be taken into consideration while endoscopically addressing related lesions.
Reflexivity, feminism and difference

This paper addresses the relation of feminist methodology to political commitments. Distinguishing between a “weak” and a “strong” reading of Reflexivity this paper argues that the former contains certain assumptions on the deconstruction of the authority of the author and/or of the power difference in field relations. These assumptions are identified and their often problematic nature analyzed. Based on the impact of the murder of a peace activist in Israel on the field relations between informants from Moroccan Jewish ethnicity and a woman ethnographer of Ashkenazi ethnicity, the paper argues that in cases of conflict regarding basic political orientation, differences between ethnographer and informants become marked. Thus difficulty with the reflexive stand does appear. While in cases of shared commonalities, where the commonality of a shared gender becomes marked, reflexivity is viewed as a method to promote a more ethical approach to social scientific research.
Nitric oxide and carbon monoxide synthesizing enzymes and soluble guanylyl cyclase within neurons of adult human cardiac ganglia

Nitric oxide and carbon monoxide are diffusible gas messengers, synthesized by nitric oxide synthase or heme oxygenase 2, respectively, that can activate soluble guanylyl cyclase in adjacent cells. Nitric oxide and carbon monoxide neuromodulation in cardiac ganglia has been demonstrated. However, identification of nitric oxide or carbon monoxide in human cardiac ganglia needs to be confirmed as suggested from animal model studies. Immunohistochemistry was used to demonstrate neuronal nitric oxide synthase, heme oxygenase 2, and soluble guanylyl cyclase immunoreactivity within neurons of adult human cardiac ganglia. Nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity was present in 37% of neurons within cardiac ganglia, heme oxygenase 2 immunoreactivity in 79%, and soluble guanylyl cyclase in 53%. Our findings support the hypothesis that nitric oxide and carbon monoxide are modulators of neurotransmission in cardiac ganglia and in neural control of the adult human heart.
Cylinders on surfaces

(Note that when ~ = 1 the two inequalities coincide.) The proof will consist of two parts: (i) we show the validity in the universal covering of M, /~7/, of the construction given in Figure 3 in [2] (without the symmetry about the vertical geodesic) and then show, as in [2], that the top lateral geodesic in Figure 3 can intersect at most one of the side geodesics; (ii) will then consist of a comparison argument in the universal covering/(/ .
Extending Firth and Wagner's (1997) Ontological Perspective to L2 Classroom Praxis and Teacher Education

In this article, we extend Firth and Wagner's (1997) call for an ontological perspective that (re)unites the individual and the social by proposing some fundamental implications that this call has for second language (L2) classroom praxis and teacher education. We propose that the (re)unification of language and culture (re)establishes the unity between people and language, and thus reorients the focus of language instruction to feature centrally how meaning is situated in concrete human activity rather than in the language itself. From this stance, the goal of L2 classroom praxis is for learners to develop a conceptual understanding of how meaning gets expressed through the L2 in concrete everyday activity, and to build their capacity to make choices about how to function in and potentially alter that activity to suit their needs and goals. To make our proposal concrete, we draw on two classroom case studies: on verbal aspect in Spanish and learning to read L2 literature, as illustrations of conceptualizing learning and use as dialectically intertwined. We also focus on how foregrounding the meaning that results from the reintegration of language and culture reorients both L2 classroom praxis and how L2 teachers come to think about language, language learning, and language teaching.
The hydrogenation of dietary unsaturated fatty acids by the ruminant

Goats were fed alfalfa meal containing 10% cottonseed or linseed oil. After 11 weeks the fatty acids of rumen, stomach, and caecum contents were compared to those of the feed.
Activation Analysis with 1 MeV/amu Heavy Ion Beams

Heavy ion beams Z ? 3 with energy of 1 MeV/amu have been used for activation analysis. The major advantage of Heavy Ion Activation Analysis (HIAA) lies in the fact that on any given target element a heavy ion beam can induce the greatest number of reactions. Some of these reactions result in radioactive products which can be measured. The increased number of reactions increases the probability of finding a reaction for a given target which is both selective and sensitive. By using low energy heavy ion beams an upper limit for elements that will activate occurs due to the Coulomb barrier between the two nuclei. It was determined experimentally that only elements Z ? 8 activate. This technique is thus an excellent method for trace determination of the lowest Z elements without interferences from the matrix.
Non-gaussian covariance of CMB B modes of polarization and parameter degradation

The B-mode polarization lensing signal is a useful probe of the neutrino mass and to a lesser extent the dark energy equation of state as the signal depends on the integrated mass power spectrum between us and the last scattering surface. This lensing B-mode signal, however, is non-Gaussian and the resulting non-Gaussian covariance to the power spectrum could impact cosmological parameter measurements, as correlations between B-mode bins are at a level of 0.1. On the other hand, for temperature and E-mode polarization power spectra, the non-Gaussian covariance is not significant, where we find correlations at the 10-5 level even for adjacent bins. When the power spectrum is estimated with roughly 5 uniformly spaced bins from l=5 to l=100 and 13 logarithmic uniformly spaced bins from l=100 to l=2000, the resulting degradation on neutrino mass and dark energy equation of state is about a factor of 2 to 3 when compared to the case where statistics are simply considered to be Gaussian. If we increase the total number of bins between l=5 and l=2000 to be about 100, we find that the non-Gaussianities only make a minor difference with less than a few percent correction to uncertainties of most cosmological parameters determined from the data. For Planck, the resulting constraints on the sum of the neutrino masses is sigmaSigmamnu~0.2 eV and on the dark energy equation of state parameter we find that sigmaw~0.5. A post-Planck experiment can improve the neutrino mass measurement by a factor of 3 to 4.
Solutions of minimum time problem and minimum fuel problem for discrete linear admissible control systems

In this paper the minimum time problem and the minimum fuel problem for discrete linear admissible control systems arc formulated (is one linear programming problem with two different objective functions. It is found that the obtained problem is very similar to the dual form of the linear programming problem for the discrete linear L1 approximation problem. An efficient dual simplex algorithm for the latter problem is used with the necessary modification* to obtain the solution of either of the former problems. Numerical results show that the present, method compares favourably with other known methods.
Selective embryo abortion in a perennial tree-legume: a case for maternal advantage of reduced seed number per fruit

In this study, I analyzed time-course of embryo abortion, positional bias in seed maturation and maternal costs of seed packaging in Cercis canadensis. While basal embryos experience similar rates of abortion as those in other positions during the first week of development, abortion rates peak during the second week. Head start in resource sequestration by stigmatic embryos may explain high rates of basal embryo abortion. Similar seed packaging costs and seed mass for single and multi-seeded pods suggests that maternal parent regulates pod size in accordance with seed numbers per pod investing equally in the surviving offspring. Competition during early developmental period results in the abortion of less competitive embryos allowing for optimal resource investment.
A current-mode biquadratic amplitude equalizer

A boost biquad transfer function with two symmetrical zeros on the real axis is derived; it provides a technique for amplitude equalization with a second-order continuous-timeg m -C section using current injection. The synthesis procedure yields a differential boost biquad consisting of three double-input OTAs and a single-input high-g m boost OTA. SPICE simulations show that for boost gain up to 20 dB the phase of the biquad is essentially unaffected. The presented technique is found suitable for amplitude equalization of disk-drive read channels operating in the range of 100 MHz.
Early Polycystic Ovary Syndrome as a Possible Etiology of Unexplained Premenarcheal Ovarian Torsion

Abstract Study Objective To study evidence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in premenarcheal adolescents with unexplained ovarian torsion. Design Retrospective observational case series. Setting Tertiary university clinical center Participants Six premenarcheal adolescents and six adults with acute ovarian torsion Intervention A chart review. Main Outcome Measures Contralateral ovarian size, operative findings, ovarian pathology, hormone testing Results Five of the six premenarcheal cases had no pathologic explanation for their ovarian torsion. In four of the cases, size measurements of the contralateral ovary were noted to be larger than the criterion of their respective age group. Three of the four cases had either an ovarian volume (28.5 cm3) or an area (16.0 cm2 and 57.6 cm2) that was above the size criterion for a polycystic ovary (volume >10 cm3 or area > 5.5 cm2). Pathology of a wedge biopsy of one of the contralateral ovaries suggested evidence of polycystic ovary. Finally, hormone testing available in three of the cases revealed elevated testosterone levels in two. Among the adults, half of the cases had a pathologic explanation for ovarian torsion. One out of the five cases had a contralateral ovary that was significantly enlarged and this was noted in a woman with a diagnosis of PCOS. The remaining two cases had extensive necrosis of the torsed ovary and no other diagnosis was made. Conclusion We propose that premenarcheal girls presenting with ovarian torsion, without obvious ovarian pathology, be screened for ultrasound and biochemical evidence of PCOS. In those with evidence of PCOS, treatment with oral contraceptives should be considered taking into account the age and pubertal development, to decrease ovarian volume.
Concern as motivation for protection: an investigation of mothers' concern about daughters' breast cancer risk.

The present study surveyed mothers with daughters (N = 386) to investigate how mothers' concern about their daughters’ breast cancer risk influenced intentions to engage in preventive behaviors. Using protection motivation theory as a framework, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and level of concern were posited to influence protective behavioral intention in distinct ways. Results from regression analyses indicate that self-efficacy, response efficacy, and mothers' concern are significant predictors of intentions to engage in preventive behaviors with daughters. In addition, a content analysis of mothers' open-ended reasons for their concern about their daughters’ breast cancer risk yield a list of specific concerns and trends that vary by concern level and individual comment valence. The authors discuss implications for incorporating mothers’ concerns into breast cancer prevention messages as a novel strategy for campaign designers.
Function and mode of action of nuclear receptors: Estrogen, progesterone, and vitamin D

Estrogens and progestins play important roles in regulating growth and differenti- ation of a wide range of cell types, in both reproductive and nonreproductive tissues. Not sur- prisingly, therefore, endocrine active substances that mimic the actions of these steroid hor- mones have been demonstrated to have untoward effects on the reproductive function of a variety of animals. Although direct links between exposure to endocrine active substances of this class and reproductive abnormalities in humans have been difficult to establish, the po- tential for harm by this class of chemicals warrants further investigation. This chapter sum- marizes our current understanding of the molecular pharmacology of the estrogen and pro- gesterone receptors, ER and PR, beginning with a historical perspective of ER pharmacology and ending with a comparison of these receptors to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a non- steroid hormone nuclear receptor involved in regulating growth and development in non- reproductive tissues. Major topics discussed include receptor subtypes (or isoforms), recep- tor functional domains, ligand-binding characteristics, receptor structure, cofactor binding, effects of phosphorylation, and nonclassical modes of action. This discussion will demon- strate the need for developing novel screens for potential endocrine disruptors that incorpo- rate our current understanding of nuclear receptor pharmacology.
On the separation of demodulation and decoding for communications over multiple-antenna channel

This paper studies the property of space time spreading matrices for communications over multiple-antenna channel. We find necessary and sufficient conditions on space time spreading matrices for the separation of demodulation and decoding at the receiver without loss of optimality.