cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behavioral and Autonomic Thermoregulation in the Rat Following Propylthiouracil-induced Hypothyroidism1

Abstract A reduced body temperature is a common symptom of hypothyroidism and may result from a deficiency in metabolic heat production. However, a reduced metabolism does not necessarily imply a failure in thermoregulatory control if other thermoeffectors, in particular behavioral thermoregulation, are operative. To address this issue, selected ambient temperature (T a ) in a temperature gradient, core temperature (T c ), heart rate (HR), and motor activity (MA) were monitored via radiotelemetry in euthyroid rats and rats made hypothyroid by the administration of 0.05 mg/ml propylthiouracil (PTU) in drinking water for approximately 15 days. Core temperature of PTU-treated rats was reduced by 0.3°, whereas selected T a was increased by 2.3°. PTU treatment led to significant reductions in HR, whereas MA was unaffected. Thermoregulatory behavior did not reverse the PTU-induced hypothermia, suggesting that PTU-induced hypothyroidism leads to a regulated reduction in body temperature (i.e., decrease in the set point). A reduced set point seems to be an adaptive response that lowers the metabolic requirements for thermoregulation in the hypothyroid rat.
A Comparison of Traditional Teaching Methods and Problem-Based Learning in an Addiction Studies Class

Abstract Addictions studies in higher education have a long history of meeting the demands of society and ensuring the quality of education for addiction treatment counselors. The purpose of this study was to compare students' achievement gains and attitudes using traditional (lecture-based) teaching methods and problem-based learning (PBL) techniques in an addiction studies class. The study utilized 34 students enrolled in an undergraduate, upper-level addiction studies course. Pretest/posttest achievement scores, a student satisfaction assessment survey, and classroom research were used to compare attitude and achievement gain differences between the two groups. A pretest/posttest was administered to both the experimental (PBL) and control (traditional) groups. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine whether significant differences existed in students' achievement gains between the two groups. The independent variable was group membership (experimental or control group) and the dependent v...
Approximate ab initio simulations of amorphous silicon and glassy chalcogenides

A classic problem of materials theory is to understand the properties of glasses and amorphous materials. Comprehension of disordered systems requires as an initial step atomistic models (coordinates of the atoms) that reproduce the known experimental features of the material. This includes structural (diffraction) information of course, but also higher-order correlations (as from new fluctuation electron microscopy techniques), dynamical information (inelastic neutron scattering, Raman and infrared measurements), electronic and optical information (photoelectron spectroscopy, optical spectra). Models proposed which are jointly in agreement with this array of measurements are likely to enable new insights and we name such models in this paper realistic. With such models available, theoretical analysis of properties beside structure becomes appropriate. The electronic and optical properties are commonly of most interest to applications. Such models also enable studies of localization, electron dynamics and other issues of fundamental appeal.
Direct measurements of skin friction in a scramjet combustor

A direction experimental measurement was made of the skin friction in the turbulent boundary layer of three-dimensional supersonic combustor flows. A floating element configuration was designed to detect two components of the small tangential shear forces due to the flow passing over a nonobtrusive instrument. A cantilevered sensing head extending from a very sensitive piezoresistive displacement transducer simultaneously measured displacement in the axial and transverse directions to the flow. The small overall deflection means that no self-nulling is required. Consistently repeatable output from the gage during testing show the skin friction with supersonic combustion is higher than for a corresponding noncombusting flow. The results are probably accurate to within 10 percent for the mean streamwise component.
Using a Doppler light detection and ranging (lidar) system to characterize an atmospheric thermal providing lift for soaring raptors

Raptors and other large birds in soaring flight take advantage of upward drafts of air called thermals to maintain altitude with minimal flapping. I used a Doppler light detection and ranging (lidar) system to characterize a thermal in which raptors were soaring. Doppler lidar allows imaging of wind fields to reveal the structure of updrafts and downdrafts in a thermal. The thermal I monitored was in the form of a horizontal convective roll created at a transition from clear sky to partly cloudy sky, and gave both lift and lateral motion to the soaring birds. The thermal was 700 m high with a vertical wind speed that peaked at 3 m/s, so raptors could have soared to and maintained that altitude as the horizontal wind moved the thermal. My results suggest that imaging wind fields with Doppler lidar can be a useful tool for studying thermals and how they are used by soaring birds. An effective combination for further study of bird flight interaction with wind phenomena would be to add lidar measurements to an established means of tracking bird flight by radio or GPS transmitters, aircraft tracking, or radar. SINOPSIS Rapaces al igual que otras aves de gran tamano que planean, toman ventaja de corrientes termales que mueven aire hacia arriba, para mantenerse planeando en lo alto sin tener que batir mucho las alas. Se utilizo un sistema de radar Doppler (sistema lidar) para caracterizar las termales en las cuales planeaban rapaces. Este tipo de sistema Doppler, permite tomar imagenes de campos de viento para revelar la estructura de corrientes de aire hacia arriba o hacia abajo. Las termales que se monitorearon fueron en forma de rollos de conveccion horizontal. Las mismas creadas en la transicion de un cielo despejado a uno parcialmente nublado, proveyeron elevacion (lift) y movimiento lateral a las aves que planeaban. La termal se encontro a 700 m de altura con una velocidad del viento con un pico de 3 metros/segundo, de manera que las rapaces pudieran mantener dicha altura mientral los vientos horizontales movian la termal. Los resultados sugieren que las imagenes de radar de campos de vientos, pueden ser utiles para estudiar las termales y la forma en que estas son usadas por aves planeadoras. El anadir medidas de Doppler (tipo lidar) a las que se pueden tomar con aves a las cuales se les han colocado radiotransmisores, transmisores GPS, o monitoreo por avion o radar, pudiera ser una combinacion efectiva, para estudios posteriores de interacciones de vuelos de aves con los patrones de viento.
Scattering characteristics of metal and plastic mines at 16 GHz

Single-polarity, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data collected in spotlight mode is examined as part of an effort to identify surface land mines in high-frequency radar imagery. A measurements program was recently conducted using a Ku-band (16 GHz) radar. In this experiment, metal and plastic mines were placed on smooth dirt lanes and in tall and short grass areas adjacent to these lanes. The collected data set consisted of magnitude-only data for several different passes over a common target area that included various reference reflectors as well as the landmines. The metal and plastic mines on the dirt lanes were clearly visible in the processed radar imager, while the mines in the grass areas were not observable - even after applying multi-look averaging. (Multi-look averaging exploits the circular symmetry of the mines to enhance the contrast between the mines and the background clutter). To investigate these effects, we used rigorous moment method-based electromagnetic solvers to compute the backscatter from the metal and plastic mines in a variety of backgrounds. The model results were shown to be consistent with the measurement data for metal mines on the dirt lanes. The plastic mines were not consistent with the data, however. We believe that the difference is due to uncertainty in the mine dielectric constant. The model results also showed that a significant focusing effect (or “glory wave”) could be seen in the plastic mines at low depression angles. Finally, the model demonstrated the highly absorptive nature of the grass, as shown by the significantly reduced radar cross section of mines placed in a three-layer grass model.
Characterization of the mouse loricrin gene - Linkage with profilaggrin and the flaky tail and soft coat mutant loci on chromosome-3

Loricrin is the major component of a specialized structure, termed the cornified cell envelope, that is formed beneath the plasma membrane of stratified squamous epithelial cells and is coexpressed with profilaggrin in terminally differentiating epidermal keratinocytes. Full-length cDNAs for both mouse and human loricrin have been cloned and characterized, as has the human gene. Here we report the isolation and characterization of the mouse loricrin gene. The gene has a simple structure consisting of a single intron of 1091 bp within the 5' noncoding sequence and an uninterrupted open reading frame. Using PCR analyses of DNAs isolated from mouse x Chinese hamster somatic cell hybrids, we have mapped both the loricrin and the profilaggrin genes to chromosome 3. Genetic linkage analysis has shown that mouse loricrin and profilaggrin lie within 1.5 ± 1.1 centimorgans of each other. We have further shown that both genes map in the vicinity of the flaky tail (ft) and soft coat (soc) loci. These mouse mutants exhibit a number of changes in their integument, suggesting that abnormalities in these genes may contribute to the mutant phenotype.
Segmented phosphors: MEMS-based high quantum efficiency detectors for megavoltage x-ray imaging

Current electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) based on active matrix flat panel imager (AMFPI) technology use a metal plate + phosphor screen combination for x-ray conversion. As a result, these devices face a severe trade-off between x-ray quantum efficiency (QE) and spatial resolution, thus, significantly limiting their imaging performance. In this work, we present a novel detector design for indirect detection-based AMFPI EPIDs that aims to circumvent this trade-off. The detectors were developed using micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based fabrication techniques and consist of a grid of up to ∼ 2 mm tall, optically isolated cells of a photoresist material, SU-8. The cells are dimensionally matched to the pixels of the AMFPI array, and packed with a scintillating phosphor. In this paper, various design considerations for such detectors are examined. An empirical evaluation of three small-area ( ∼ 7 × 7 cm 2 ) prototype detectors is performed in order to study the effects of two design parameters—cell height and phosphor packing density, both of which are important determinants of the imaging performance. Measurements of the x-ray sensitivity, modulation transfer function(MTF) and noise power spectrum (NPS) were performed under radiotherapy conditions ( 6 MV ) , and the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) was determined for each prototype SU-8 detector. In addition, theoretical calculations using Monte Carlo simulations were performed to determine the QE of each detector, as well as the inherent spatial resolution due to the spread of absorbed energy. The results of the present studies were compared with corresponding measurements published in an earlier study using a Lanex Fast-B phosphor screen coupled to an indirect detection array of the same design. The SU-8 detectors exhibit up to 3 times higher QE, while achieving spatial resolution comparable or superior to Lanex Fast-B. However, the DQE performance of these early prototypes is significantly lower than expected due to high levels of optical Swank noise. Consequently, the SU-8 detectors presently exhibit DQE values comparable to Lanex Fast-B at zero spatial frequency and significantly lower than Fast-B at higher frequencies. Finally, strategies for reducing Swank noise are discussed and theoretical calculations, based on the cascaded systems model, are presented in order to estimate the performance improvement that can be achieved through such noise reduction.
Significance of fossiliferous Middle Cambrian rocks of Rhode Island to the history of the Avalonian microcontinent

Middle Cambrian trilobites of Acado-Baltic affinities have been found in southern Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, in phyllites previously mapped as part of the Pennsylvanian stratigraphy of the Narragansett Basin. The trilobite-bearing phyllites form the basal unit of an approximately 1-km-thick sequence that has undergone four episodes of folding and cleavage formation. Three different trilobites are represented. Badulesia tenera (Hartt), which gives a diagnostic medial Middle Cambrian age, is also known from New Brunswick, eastern Newfoundland, southern Germany, northern Spain, and eastern Turkey. This species in northern Spain characterizes a subzone within the Middle Cambrian Badulesia zone correlating approximately with the lower part of the Paradoxides paradoxissimus zone of northern Europe. Nearby in Newport, Rhode Island, a sequence of maroon and green clastic sediments rests unconformably on Precambrian igneous rocks and sediments. If these should be proven to be Lower Cambrian, this succession in southern Narragansett Bay would be the most complete Cambrian succession yet recognized in southern New England and possibly a nearly complete record of sedimentation for this area for the entire Cambrian Period. These well-exposed rocks are part of a distinctive succession of upper Precambrian and lower Paleozoic rocks and are interpreted as a fragment of the Avalonian platform or microcontinent, closely related to rocks of the eastern margin of the northern Appalachians and the western margin of western Europe.
Inhibition by Theophylline of the Stimulatory Effects of Growth Hormone on Amino Acid Transport and Protein Synthesis in Muscle

A study was made of the in vitro effects of DBCAMP, epinephrine and theophylline on amino acid uptake and protein synthesis by the isolated rat diaphragm. In addition, the ability of these substances to alter the in vitro stimulatory effects of pituitary growth hormone on amino acid uptake and protein synthesis by the diaphragm was assessed. Both DBCAMP (1–10 min) and epinephrine (5 µg'ml) failed to have any effect on the uptake of a-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) by diaphragms of hypophysectomized rats, although both agents caused glycogenolysis in these tissues. Theophylline (5–10 mM) had little effect on the uptake of AIB by diaphragms of normal and hypophysectomized rats, although it caused a moderate reduction in the rate of leucine incorporation into diaphragm protein and produced glycogenolysis. Theophylline also completely suppressed the in vitro stimulatory effects of bovine growth hormone on AIB uptake and leucine incorporation into protein by hypophysectomized rat diaphragms. In contrast neither DB...
Pattern-Integrated Interference Exposure System: Capabilities and Optimization

Single-exposure fabrication of photonic-crystal device structures has recently been demonstrated using a Pattern-Integrated Interference Exposure System (PIIES). Capabilities and limitations of PIIES are presented. Performance metrics are improved through lens and mask design.
Software engineering themes for the future

The objective of this tutorial is to provide the participants with opportunities to think differently about future challenges facing software engineering research and practice. Collaborative design, social creativity, and meta-design are identified as themes that will be of great importance in the years to come. The concept of design is used very broadly affecting all aspects of the process of creating, using, and evolving software-intensive systems. Stakeholders coming from different disciplines and engaging in collaborative design can contribute to social creativity by exploring new approaches, new problems, and new visions. Meta-design is a methodology empowering users to act not only as passive consumers but as active contributors and designers, thereby facilitating and supporting social creativity.The themes of the tutorial will be illustrated with specific theoretical frameworks and innovative systems. The relevance of these themes has been demonstrated by their desirability and importance on research, education, and design practices in companies, educational institutions, and research organizations.
Presynaptic modulation by dopamine and GABA opens a potassium channel in rat cortical, striatal and hippocampal synaptosomes via eicosanoids

Abstract Using a K+-sensitive electrode in synaptosomal preparations, the presynaptic modulating effect of dopamine and GABA in opening a K+ channel was investigated. In cortical, striatal and hippocampal synaptosomes dopamine D1 and D2 agonists and a GABAB agonist promoted the efflux of K+ in all three preparations. The effect was blocked by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin suggesting that eicosanoids act as second messengers in these systems. The inference in these studies is that dopamine and GABA hyperpolarize presynaptic terminals thereby reducing Ca2+ influx and thus inhibiting the evoked release of transmitters.
SU‐FF‐T‐396: A Novel Approach for Determining Radiation‐Induced Second Cancer Risks From Selected Prostate Treatments Using Monte Carlo Simulations and An Anatomically‐Realistic Computational Phantom

Purpose: There is an important and growing concern about the potential elevated risk of radiation‐induced second cancers associated new forms of radiation treatments. Concurrently with the recently formed AAPM Task Group 158 we have developed a framework to calculate volume‐averaged organdoses to patients using the Monte Carlo method. Using previously calculated organdoses from selected 3D‐CRT and IMRTtreatments of prostate cancer, this study calculates radiation‐induced second cancer risks from these treatments utilizing the BIER VII report methodology. Method and Materials: A detailed model of a Varian Clinac 2100C was combined with the RPI Adult male computational phantom to calculate volume‐averaged organdoses from a 3D‐CRT 4‐field box treatment, a box treatment plus a 6‐field boost treatment, as well as a 7‐field IMRTtreatment. Based on these organdoses, organ‐specific excess relative risks (ERR) and lifetime attributable risks (LAR) were determined using the methodology outlined in the recently published BEIR VII report. The total whole‐body LAR was determined for each treatment using arbitrary but clinically relevant monitor unit (MU) values of 10,000 and 40,000 for the 3D‐CRT and IMRTtreatments.Results: For organs closest to the primary beam the ERR/MU is higher for the IMRTtreatment compared to the 3D‐CRT treatments, resulting from an increase in the number of fields needed for IMRTtreatments. For organs further away from the treatment volume the ERR/MU appears slightly higher for the 3D‐CRT treatments, as a consequence of the added neutron component of the 18‐MV primary beam. The total whole‐body LAR for the IMRTtreatment was 2%, compared to about 0.4% from the box treatment and 0.9% from the box plus boost treatment.Conclusion: The tools presented in this study improve upon previous methodologies by using the most accurate dosimetry methods as well as the most practical second cancer risk models.
Laparoscopic gastrostomy: a safe method for obtaining enteral access.

Laparoscopic gastrostomy is a relatively new procedure which does not require a laparotomy but which allows direct visualization of the gastrostomy tube entering the stomach and the stomach-parietal peritoneum interface. The role of the laparoscopically placed gastrostomy for enteral access has yet to be defined. Our aim was to compare laparoscopic gastrostomy with open surgical gastrostomy to determine the effectiveness and safety of laparoscopic gastrostomy as a method for obtaining long term enteral access. We reviewed the records of 32 patients (December 1992 to April 1994) who had laparoscopic gastrostomy (group I) and 37 patients (January 1987 to December 1993) who had open gastrostomy (group II). The indications, length of operation, and morbidity and mortality rates in both groups were compared. The underlying diseases and indications for gastrostomy placement were similar in both groups. Both groups included primarily patients who were not candidates for upper endoscopy. Operative time was significantly shorter in the laparoscopic gastrostomy group (38 ± 7 min) than in the open gastrostomy group (62 ± 19), P < 0.0001. Major complication for laparoscopic gastrostomy was 6% and for open gastrostomy was 11%. There was no procedure-related mortality in group I and three patients in group II died in the immediate postoperative period. Major morbidity and mortality rates were not significantly different between the two groups. Laparoscopic gastrostomy is a safe and effective alternative to open gastrostomy, particularly in patients unable to undergo upper endoscopy or in patients undergoing a concomitant laparoscopic procedure.
Delivery of a small for gestational age infant and greater maternal risk of ischemic heart disease.

Background Delivery of a small for gestational age (SGA) infant has been associated with increased maternal risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD). It is uncertain whether giving birth to SGA infant is a specific determinant of later IHD, independent of other risk factors, or a marker of general poor health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between delivery of a SGA infant and maternal risk for IHD in relation to traditional IHD risk factors. Methods and findings Risk of maternal IHD was evaluated in a population based cross-sectional study of 6,608 women with a prior live term birth who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2006), a probability sample of the U.S. population. Sequence of events was determined from age at last live birth and at diagnosis of IHD. Delivery of a SGA infant is strongly associated with greater maternal risk for IHD (age adjusted OR; 95% CI: 1.8; 1.2, 2.9; p = 0.012). The association was independent of the family history of IHD, stroke, hypertension and diabetes (family history-adjusted OR; 95% CI: 1.9; 1.2, 3.0; p = 0.011) as well as other risk factors for IHD (risk factor-adjusted OR; 95% CI: 1.7; 1.1, 2.7; p = 0.025). Delivery of a SGA infant was associated with earlier onset of IHD and preceded it by a median of 30 (interquartile range: 20, 36) years. Conclusions Giving birth to a SGA infant is strongly and independently associated with IHD and a potential risk factor that precedes IHD by decades. A pregnancy that produces a SGA infant may induce long-term cardiovascular changes that increase risk for IHD.
An adaptation of the decomposition method for asymptotic solutions

Abstract An adaptation of the decomposition method (Adomian, 1986) allows asymptotic solutions for differential and partial differential equations.
Payload Integration for Space Erperimentation

Space experimentation requires an increasingly complex planning and systems engineering effort to meet the demand for highest precision and reliability of all easurements and observations. A companion paper discusses the interfaces between the scientific/technical areas of space experimentation and the instruments, subsystems and support systems within the spacecraft. This paper deals with the organization and the procedures which are needed to perform the difficult payload integration process for space experimentation. In the course of this process it is necessary to define the experiments completely, to describe all instruments in terms of engineering specifications, to investigate the commonality of equipment, to group the experiments into mission compatible payloads, to specify acceptable loads on all subsystems and astronauts (when present) and to plan for all contingencies during the flight.
Isolation, electron microscopy and 3D reconstruction of invertebrate muscle myofilaments

Understanding the molecular mechanism of muscle contraction and its regulation has been greatly influenced and aided by studies of myofilament structure in invertebrate muscles. Invertebrates are easily obtained and cover a broad spectrum of species and functional specializations. The thick (myosin-containing) filaments from some invertebrates are especially stable and simple in structure and thus much more amenable to structural analysis than those of vertebrates. Comparative studies of invertebrate filaments by electron microscopy and image processing have provided important generalizations of muscle molecular structure and function. This article reviews methods for preparing thick and thin filaments from invertebrate muscle, for imaging filaments by electron microscopy, and for determining their three dimensional structure by image processing. It also highlights some of the key insights into filament function that have come from these studies.
Nucleon-deuteron zero-energy scattering

Abstract Configuration-space Faddeev-type scattering equations are solved for selected two-body and two-body-plus-three-body potential model hamiltonians to obtain absolute (converged) predictions for the 2 a nd , 4 a nd , 2 a pd , and 4 a pb scattering lengths. Our nd predictions agree well with the measured values. Our pd predictions differ substantially from accepted experimental values.
A 4-year-old with pica, progressive incoordination, and decreased responsiveness.

This article reports a typical case of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). The patient contracted measles as an infant during the 1989 to 1991 United States measles epidemic. At 4 1/2 years of age, he developed behavioral changes and quickly progressed through the typical clinical stages of SSPE. His EEG was characteristic. Serum and CSF measles immunoglobulin G were markedly elevated. He remains alive but is vegetative. To our knowledge, this is the first case of SSPE stemming from the 1989 to 1991 measles epidemic. Because infants—the group at highest risk to develop SSPE—were most severely affected by this measles outbreak, other cases of SSPE stemming from this epidemic may occur.
Capability based mediation in TSIMMIS

Conventional mediators focus their attention on the contents of the sources and their relationship to the integrated views provided to the users. They do not take into account the capabilities of sources to answer queries. This may lead them to generate plans involving source queries that cannot be answered by the sources. In the TSIMMIS system, we have developed a source capability sensitive plan generation module that constructs feasible plans for user queries in the presence of limited source capabilities
Contribution of arginine (HC3) 141α to the Bohr effect of the fourth binding step in the reaction of ligand with human hemoglobin

A few years ago we reported that histidine (HC3) 146 beta plays a major role in the pH-dependent properties of the R-state of human hemoglobin, accounting for close to 50% of the R-state Bohr effect. We have extended these studies by examining the role of arginine 141 alpha, another group known to affect the overall Bohr effect. We have compared the pH dependencies of the rate constants for the dissociation and combination of the fourth carbon monoxide molecule, l4 and l'4, respectively, for native hemoglobin A (HbA) and a control reconstituted HbA, and des-(Arg 141 alpha) HbA, the hemoglobin molecule resulting from the enzymatic removal of the C-terminal arginine of the alpha-chain of human Hb. From these kinetic constants the pH dependence of L4, the affinity constant for the fourth carbon monoxide molecule, has been estimated. We find that the removal of arginine 141 alpha reduces the pH dependence of log L4 by about 80% between pH 6 and 8, where the alkaline Bohr effect normally occurs. The sum of the effects of the removal of His 146 beta and of Arg 141 alpha is greater than 100%. This suggests that at least one of these modifications alters the contributions of other residues of this Bohr effect.
Effect of daily fruit ingestion on angiotensin converting enzyme activity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress in chronic smokers.

Objective: This study examined whether, daily fruit (blueberries) consumption (250 g) for three weeks or acute fruit ingestion (250 g) would attenuate angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity and reduce oxidative stress in chronic cigarette smokers.Methods: Twenty subjects were recruited and randomized into fruit or control groups. Blood samples and blood pressure were obtained at baseline and then pre and one hour post when subjects returned to the lab three weeks later. To examine acute effects, the fruit group immediately ingested 250 g of blueberries after returning and at least one hour prior to the post blood draw. Plasma samples were analyzed for ACE activity, F2- isoprostanes and lipid hydroperoxides (LH) as measures of oxidative stress, and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as a measure of antioxidant potential. A 2 (treatment) × 3 (time) repeated measures ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. If interaction was significant, then Student's t-tests were used to further examine this r...
Criteria for Floating I

Conditions are determined under which solid bodies will float on a liquid surface in stable equilibrium, under the influence of gravity and of surface tension. These include configurations in which the density of the body exceeds the density of the ambient liquid, so that for an infinitely deep liquid in a downward gravity field there is no absolute energy minimum. Of notable interest are the results (a) that if a smooth body is held rigidly and translated downward into an infinite fluid bath through a family of fluid equilibrium configurations in a downward gravity field, the transition is necessarily discontinuous, and (b) a formal proof that there can be a free-floating locally energy minimizing configuration that does not globally minimize, even if the density of the body exceeds that of the liquid. The present work is limited to the two dimensional case corresponding to a long cylinder that is floating horizontally. The more physical three-dimensional case can be studied in a similar way, although details of behavior can change significantly. That work will appear in an independent study written jointly with T. I. Vogel.
Assessment of n-Octanol/Water Partition Coefficient: When Is the Assessment Reliable?

A model, VLOGP, has been developed for assessment of n-octanol/water partition coefficient, log P, of chemicals from their structures. Unlike group contribution methods, VLOGP is based on linear free energy relationship (LFER) approach and employs information-rich electrotopological structure quantifiers derived solely from molecular topology. VLOGP, a robust and cross-validated model derived from accurately measured experimental log P values of 6675 diverse chemicals, has a coefficient of determination, R2, of 0.986 and a standard error of estimate of 0.20. When applied to the training set, the largest deviation observed between experimental and calculated log P was 0.42. VLOGP is different from other log P predictors in that its application domain, called Optimum Prediction Space (OPS), has been quantitatively defined, i.e., structures to which the model should not be applied for predicting log P can be identified. A computer-assisted implementation of this model within HDi's toxicity assessment softwar...
Endoscopic injection of fibrin sealant in repair of gastrojejunostomy leak after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Abstract Background A leak at the gastrojejunostomy (GL) is a potentially life-threatening complication of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Because operative repair of acute leaks is usually unsuccessful, these patients often require prolonged hospitalization with drainage and parenteral hyperalimentation. Methods A total of 354 consecutive patients underwent primary laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass at a New Jersey hospital. We reviewed the records of all patients who had GLs and were treated using either endoscopic injection of fibrin sealant (EIFS) at the site of the GL or open surgical drainage. Results A GL occurred in 8 patients (2.25%). Of these 8 patients, 3 with unstable vital signs underwent exploratory laparotomy and drainage, and 5 clinically stable patients with GL were treated nonoperatively and subsequently underwent EIFS into the GL. In the operative group, the mean duration of treatment between the identification of the GL and closure was 24 days, with a mean length of stay of 66 days. Of the 5 patients in the EIFS group, 1 required 2 injections within 11 days to achieve successful closure and 4 underwent closure of the GL within 2 days after injection, with a mean length of stay of 13.5 days. No complications or recurrences developed in the EIFS group. Conclusion EIFS was successful in the 5 consecutive patients who developed a GL after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. This technique reduces the morbidity and length of stay associated with open drainage. EIFS should be used as the primary treatment in stable patients with controlled GLs after major gastrointestinal operations.
The basis of autoimmunity: Part I mechanisms of aberrant self-recognition

In this two-part series, Argyrios N. Theofilopoulos summarizes the current state of affairs in the field of autoimmunity. Part I integrates the collective mechanistic theories of autoimmune diseases. The most straightforward explanation to emerge with regard to organ-specific diseases is the concept that these are caused by inappropriate, yet conventional, immunological responses against self-antigens for which tolerance has never been established. A similar mechanism may be operative in systemic autoimmunity, but other abnormalities such as defects in the apoptosis machinery may also be invoked. Part II will address the genetic contributions predisposing to autoimmune syndromes.
Hepatic progenitor cell resistance to TGF-β1’s proliferative and apoptotic effects

Abstract The success of hepatocellular therapies using stem or progenitor cell populations is dependent upon multiple factors including the donor cell, microenvironment, and etiology of the liver injury. The following experiments investigated the impact of TGF-β1 on a previously described population of hepatic progenitor cells (HPC). The majority of the hepatic progenitor cells were resistant to endogenously produced TGF-β1’s proapoptotic and anti-proliferative effects unlike more well-differentiated cellular populations (e.g., mature hepatocytes). Surprisingly, in vitro TGF-β1 supplementation significantly inhibited de novo hepatic progenitor cell colony formation possibly via an indirect mechanism(s). Therefore despite the HPC’s direct resistance to supplemental TGF-β1, this cytokine’s inhibitory effect on colony formation could have a potential negative impact on the use of these cells as a therapy for patients with liver disease.
Global spatiochromatic mechanism accounting for luminance variations in contrast sensitivity functions

Psychophysical luminance and chromatic spatial contrast sensitivity functions (CSF's) exhibit a number of variations that depend on the average luminance of the stimulus grating. The contrast sensitivity at each spatial frequency and the maximum resolvable spatial frequency decrease with decreasing average luminance. Most prominently, luminance CSF's have peaks that shift toward lower frequencies, broaden, and disappear as luminance decreases. Chromatic CSF's are flat at low frequencies and do not exhibit luminance-related variations in shape. In this paper, we account for the luminance-dependent variations of CSF's by incorporating them into an earlier model that accounts for the basic high-luminance shapes of psychophysical luminance and chromatic spatial CSF's. These variations are modeled by increasing the spatial extent of a global center mechanism while decreasing the inhibitory effect of a global surround on that center. The results support the hypothesis that the global center mechanism changes size as a means of maintaining the dynamic range and controlling the signal-to-noise ratio as luminance varies.
Application of dual-wavelength radiation thermometry to the aluminum industry

Abstract The objectives of this paper are to introduce the basic principles of dual-wavelength radiation thermometry, to show their utility in inferring temperature, and to investigate the influences of time-at-temperature and temperature on the emissivity behavior of selected aluminum alloys in their processing conditions. Thirteen algorithms are mentioned in this paper, and the results from six of them are reported. Experimental procedures and apparatus are described. The emissivity behavior as a function of time correlated fairly well with the results of Cochran and Sleppy. The ISS algorithm is capable of inferring temperature to within ± 1.6 K . Thus, it is recommended that the ISS algorithm be used for measuring the temperature of 5052 aluminum alloy extruded samples.
Unrecognized arteriosclerosis is associated with wound complications after below-knee amputation

Background Guillotine below-knee amputation (BKA) for wet gangrene is an unfortunate complication of poorly controlled diabetes. We examined risk factors associated with wound complications after amputation formalization in this patient population. Methods Retrospective data over a 4-year period were collected for patients undergoing guillotine BKA for wet gangrene followed by staged formalization. Patients with abnormal distal pulses underwent evaluation before formalization to stratify for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Those patients with palpable pulses and no known PAD went to formalization without further investigation. Poor operative candidates underwent delayed formalization to allow for preoperative optimization. Patient history, interval between surgeries, pathology, and preformalization laboratories were tested for significance. Primary outcome was postformalization wound complication. Results Fifty-six amputations in 55 patients met inclusion criteria. Wound complications after formalization occurred in 18 cases, all BKAs (32%). A history of PAD was present in 19 patients (34.5%). On pathology, 23 patients (41%) had small-vessel atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis. There was no association between wound complications and history of PAD ( P = 0.4), preformalization albumin ( P = 0.09), glucose ( P = 0.9), white blood cell count ( P = 0.4), or delayed versus expedited formalization ( P = 0.8). Only the presence of microvascular disease on formal pathology was predictive of wound complications ( P = 0.03). There was no association between microvascular disease on pathology and a history of PAD ( P = 0.07). Conclusions After formalization of lower extremity amputation for wet gangrene, traditional markers of PAD were not predictive of wound complications. Although formalization of guillotine BKA can safely be performed without significant delay, more thorough assessment of microvascular disease in the perioperative period may be useful in identifying patients at risk for wound failure.
Effect of bias and hydrogenation on the elemental concentration and the thermal stability of amorphous thin carbon films, deposited on Si substrate

Abstract Amorphous carbon films have been deposited with various levels of negative substrate bias and hydrogen flow rates using argon and argon + nitrogen as sputtering gas. The effect of hydrogenation and substrate bias on the final concentration of trapped elements is studied using ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques. The elemental concentrations were measured in the films deposited on silicon substrates with a 2.5 MeV H+ beam and 16 MeV O5+ beam. Argon was found trapped in the non-hydrogenated films to a level of up to ~ 4.6 %. The concentration of argon increased for the films deposited under higher negative bias. With the introduction of hydrogen, argon trapping was first minimized and later completely eliminated, even at higher bias conditions. This suggests the softness of the films brought on by hydrogenation. Moreover, the effect of bias on the thermal stability of trapped hydrogen in the films was also studied. As the films were heated in-situ in vacuum using a non-gassy button heater, hydrogen was found to be decreasing around 400 °C.
Long-term, wintertime aerosol, cloud and precipitation measurements in the Northern Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA

Abstract At Storm Peak Laboratory (SPL) in the northern Colorado Rocky Mountains during the winters of 1983/1984 through 2003/2004, significant trends occurred of decreasing cloud droplet concentrations and initially increasing cloud and snow pH values then more recent decreasing values. The decrease in cloud droplet concentrations and a corresponding increase in mean droplet diameters are consistent with liquid water content trends in the long-term record. Decreased condensation nucleus concentrations, and most likely cloud-condensation nucleus concentrations as well, caused the decrease in droplet concentrations. An inverse relationship between cloud pH and condensation nucleus concentrations was identified. However, no relationship between condensation nucleus concentrations and precipitation rates was identified. Thus, the inverse relationship between aerosol concentration and precipitation rate reported by Borys et al. [Borys, R.D., Lowenthal, D.H., Cohn, S.A., Brown, W.O.J., 2003. Mountaintop and radar measurements of anthropogenic aerosol effects on snow growth and snowfall rate. Geophys. Res. Lett. 30, 1538] for SPL was not confirmed. This aerosol effect may be important for only a small subset of winter storms at SPL.
Reflective Random Indexing and indirect inference: A scalable method for discovery of implicit connections

The discovery of implicit connections between terms that do not occur together in any scientific document underlies the model of literature-based knowledge discovery first proposed by Swanson. Corpus-derived statistical models of semantic distance such as Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) have been evaluated previously as methods for the discovery of such implicit connections. However, LSA in particular is dependent on a computationally demanding method of dimension reduction as a means to obtain meaningful indirect inference, limiting its ability to scale to large text corpora. In this paper, we evaluate the ability of Random Indexing (RI), a scalable distributional model of word associations, to draw meaningful implicit relationships between terms in general and biomedical language. Proponents of this method have achieved comparable performance to LSA on several cognitive tasks while using a simpler and less computationally demanding method of dimension reduction than LSA employs. In this paper, we demonstrate that the original implementation of RI is ineffective at inferring meaningful indirect connections, and evaluate Reflective Random Indexing (RRI), an iterative variant of the method that is better able to perform indirect inference. RRI is shown to lead to more clearly related indirect connections and to outperform existing RI implementations in the prediction of future direct co-occurrence in the MEDLINE corpus.
Physical Attractiveness and Expectations of Success

To examine the relationship between physical attractiveness and expectations of success, 60 women rated their expected success at social and nonsocial tasks and their physical attractiveness. Observers also judged the women's overall and facial physical attractiveness. Self and observers' overall ratings of physical attractiveness correlated positively with success expectations in social situations. These ratings of physical attractiveness were particularly predictive of success expectations for affective relationships, but less predictive of success expectations for tasks requiring manipulative, skilled, or intellectual abilities. A lifespan developmental explanation of the forces of reciprocal determinism was offered as an interpretation of these results.
High purity germanium crystal growth at the University of South Dakota

High-purity germanium crystal growth is challenging work, requiring the control of individual crystal properties such as the impurity distribution, the dislocation density, and the crystalline structure. Currently, we grow high-purity germanium crystals by the Czochralski method in our laboratory in order to understand the details of the growing process, especially for large diameter crystals. In this paper, we report the progress of detector-grade germanium crystal growth at the University of South Dakota.
Some properties of the stimulatory effect of thyroid hormones on amino acid transport by embryonic chick bone.

Some characteristics of the stimulation by thyroid hormones of the intracellular accumulation of methionine and cycloleucine by embryonic chick bones are described. The stimulation by triiodothyronine exceeded that of Lthyroxine. 3,3′-Diiodothyronine was as effective as l-thyroxine, which was more active than 3,5-diiodothyronine or d-thyroxine. Diiodotyrosine, thyronine and inorganic iodide were inactive at comparable concentrations. Stimulation of the accumulation of methionine appeared to be immediate. The effect was not accompanied by a stimulation of amino acid incorporation and was not inhibited by puromycin or by actinomycin D prior to the inhibition by these antibiotics of transport per se. Chelation of metals by ethylenediamine tetraacetate did not produce similar effects. Stimulation of the accumulation of free methionine by costal and xiphoid cartilage of mature thyroidectomized rats was also observed. (Endocrinology 81: 1372, 1967)
Reconstructing the Cultural Context of Urban Schools: Listening to the Voices of High School Students

Through listening to the voices of students, educators and community members can begin to reconstruct the culture of urban schools that are often full of stories about student deficits, genetic explanations about achievement, and cultural mismatch theories that may be traced to historical and sociological ideologies. The purpose of this heuristic qualitative investigation was to explore the ways in which student voice can contribute to reculturing high schools in urban settings. Data sources for this study included videotaped interviews and observations in two Midwestern urban high schools to explore the stories of 28 culturally and linguistically diverse students in grades 10 through 12. Findings suggested that the teens in these urban high schools want caring teachers who listen attentively, provide engaging learning opportunities, and who demonstrate high expectations for achievement. They did not want teachers who, in essence, perpetuate hegemonic discourses via pedagogical practices, and school envir...