cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Screening breast magnetic resonance imaging in women with atypia or lobular carcinoma in situ.

Abstract Background Atypical lesions and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) are associated with an increased risk of breast malignancy. The utility of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screening in this cohort of women after excision of a high-risk lesion has not been previously established. The objective of this study was to investigate outcomes of breast MRI surveillance in this subgroup of high-risk patients. Materials and methods We performed a retrospective review of women who required excision of an atypical lesion or LCIS who underwent at least one screening breast MRI from April 2005–December 2011. We collected information on demographics, number of second-look imaging studies recommended, number of biopsies performed and pathologic outcomes. Results A total of 179 patients met the inclusion criteria, including 131 (73%) with atypical lesions and 48 (27%) with LCIS. Second-look imaging was recommended for 31 of 131 (23.7%) patients with atypical lesions and 8 of 48 (16.7%) with LCIS. Ten biopsies were performed in the atypical cohort (7.6%) with two revealing a malignancy (Positive Predictive Value [PPV] of 20%). In the LCIS cohort, five biopsies were performed (10.4%) with one revealing a malignancy (PPV of 20%). Conclusions The benefit of breast MRI surveillance in patients after excision of atypical lesions or LCIS has not been clearly delineated previously. Our data demonstrate that the use of screening breast MRI in this cohort results in additional work-up in one-fifth of patients, but a PPV of only 20%. Large, prospective studies would be needed to determine whether breast cancer outcomes differ between patients undergoing conventional breast screening and those undergoing conventional breast screening plus breast MRI surveillance.
Myocardial force-frequency defect in mitral regurgitation heart failure is reversed by forskolin.

BACKGROUND Postoperative ejection phase parameters and patient survival rates for mitral valve replacement surgery are considerably lower than for similar aortic valve surgery. While chordal transection probably is the major contributor to the lowered values, there is also evidence for decreased preoperative myocardial contractile reserve in mitral regurgitation patients. This study characterizes abnormalities in the force-frequency relation that may underlie impaired function of myocardium isolated from mitral regurgitation patients with New York Heart Association class II-III heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS Left ventricular epicardial myocardium was obtained by surgical biopsy during mitral valve replacement surgery in patients with mitral regurgitation heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction, 0.64 +/- 0.05) and during coronary artery bypass surgery in patients with normal ventricular function. The steady-state twitch tension versus frequency relation was measured in myocardial strip preparations (37 degree C, 12 to 228 min-1) in the absence and presence of forskolin. Relative to normal function, peak isometric twitch tension in mitral regurgitation is depressed by 50% (P < .02) and 74% (P < .003) at contraction frequencies of 60 min-1 and 168 min-1, respectively. The slope of the tension-frequency curve is blunted and its peak is shifted to a lower frequency (mitral regurgitation: 134 min-1; normal function: 173 min-1; P < .02). The myosin heavy chain concentration did not differ between mitral regurgitation and normal function strips (53 +/- 4 versus 54 +/- 4 nmol/g blotted wt). Forskolin (0.5 mumol/L) completely reversed the tension depression, blunting, and the lowered peak frequency in the mitral regurgitation preparations. CONCLUSIONS Preoperatively, myocardial tension generation in mitral regurgitation patients is severely depressed, and the force-frequency curve is blunted and has a negative slope in the exercise range of heart rates. The reversal of these defects by forskolin suggests that abnormal excitation-contraction coupling may underlie the decreased contractile reserve in mitral regurgitation patients.
Looking briefly back, and then forward...

Pradip Bose recalls economic and technical changes in the hardware sector of the computer industry over his four years as Editor in Chief of IEEE Micro. As he took office in 2003, the frequency wars characteristic of single-core processor designs had barely started giving way to a new trend of multicore chips, now firmly established. Bose looks ahead to challenges brought by multicore chips and anticipates the proliferation of a wide variety of ultra-power-efficient, high-performance processor chips that cater to specialized markets: Finally, Bose introduces IEEE Micro's new Editor in Chief, David Albonesi.
The effects of thymus supernatant on the thymus homing ability of aged murine bone marrow cells.

Abstract This study examined the effect of thymus supernatant on the ability of bone marrow cells from senescent mice to home to the thymus. An in vitro and an in vivo assay were employed. The in vitro assay used a blind well migration of aged bone marrow cells to thymus supernatant across a membrane with 5-μm pores. The in vitro assay measured the ability of aged bone marrow to repopulate the thymus of an irradiated host. Our results support previous reports that the bone marrow from old mice has a greatly reduced ability to migrate to thymus supernatant and to repopulate the thymus of an irradiated host. Further found that a brief treatment of the old bone marrow with thymus supernatant significantly improved its thymus homing ability both in vitro and in vivo.
The Earth Is Flat, Almost: Measuring Marketing Standardization and Profit Performance of Japanese and U.S. Firms

ABSTRACT Globalization has fostered greater interest in all aspects of standardization theory, including the four Ps (product, price, place [distribution], and promotion) of the marketing mix. The study researches the firm's strategy of marketing standardization as it correlates to the firm's profit. Multinational firms from Japan and the United States operating in a global environment were studied in order to correlate marketing standardization to profit performance. The results indicate there is increasing support for a strategy of standardizing marketing mix components and contributing to a firm's profit performance.
Novel recognition motif on fibroblast growth factor receptor mediates direct association and activation of SNT adapter proteins.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of a membrane-anchored adapter protein, FRS2/SNT-1, promoting its association with Shp-2 tyrosine phosphatase and upstream activators of Ras. Using the yeast two-hybrid protein-protein interaction assay, we show that FRS2/SNT-1 and a newly isolated SNT-2 protein directly bind to FGF receptor-1 (FGFR-1). A juxtamembrane segment of FGFR-1 and the phosphotyrosine-binding domain of SNTs are both necessary and sufficient for interaction in yeast andin vitro, and FGFR-mediated SNT tyrosine phosphorylationin vivo requires these segments of receptor and SNT. Our findings establish SNTs as direct protein links between FGFR-1 and multiple downstream pathways. The SNT binding motif of FGFR-1 is distinct from previously described phosphotyrosine-binding domain recognition motifs, lacking both tyrosine and asparagine residues.
A Simple Inexpensive Ultracentrifuge

IN designing quantitative ultracentrifuges costing only a few pounds and available for measurements of sedimentation velocity and of sedimentation equilibrium, it is clearly best to adopt the simple modification of the air-driven spinning top of Henriot and Hugenard, in which the essential part of the system is immobilized by mechanical baffles1. This dispenses entirely with an optical system and depends upon direct analysis of the liquid after ultracentrifuging, using any suitable chemical, physical or biological method. Such opaque ultracentrifuges possess the further advantage over any transparent ultracentrifuge that the whole of the column of liquid from its upper surface outwards and from the very beginning of the sedimentation is available, without distortion, for exact measurement.
On stability of some solutions for equations of locked lasing of optically coupled lasers with periodic pumping

Based on a numerical-analytic scheme of investigation of periodic solutions, we propose a method for the construction of a matrix-valued Lyapunov function for the linear approximation of a system of equations of locked lasing of two optically coupled lasers with periodic pumping.
Breeding roles and pairing patterns within communal groups of groove-billed anis

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine how the breeding roles of males and females in communal groups of groove-billed anis (Crotophaga sulcirostris) are related to mating patterns. We found that, in the majority of groups (68%), the nocturnal incubator male was mated to the last-laying female, which tossed out some of the eggs of other females and usually obtained the largest number of incubated eggs in the communal clutch. However, in the remaining groups (32%), the nocturnal incubator male was mated to the first-laying female (reversed pairing pattern). Many of the first layers that were mated to nocturnal incubators attempted unusual counter-strategies to obtain more incubated eggs, such as laying many extra eggs and/or abandoning the nest to force renesting with a high probability of changing the laying order. Reversed groups in which the first layer did not achieve the greatest relative clutch size always disbanded. We conclude that these interactions are a normal part of female strategies to obtain the most eggs in the nest, and find that age and certain physical traits are better predictors of relative female fitness than laying order. Dominant males who assume the risky nocturnal incubation duties apparently use these latter cues to choose the most fecund female. In cases of incorrect assessment, the first layer and her nocturnal-incubator mate often emigrate out of the group.
Effect of cross-linking on the pyrolysis of diphenylalkanes

Abstract In the early stages of the thermal depolymerization of biopolymers, geopolymers, and synthetic polymers, their cross-linked macromolecular structure may restrict the diffusion of reactive intermediates and alter reaction pathways. In an effort to model the effects of restricted mass transport on the thermally induced free radical decomposition of polymethylene units bridging aromatic clusters in coal, 1,3-diphenylpropane (DPP) and 1,4-diphenylbutane (DPB) have been cross-linked to an inert silica surface by the condensation of the corresponding diphenol, p -HOC 6 H 4 (CH 2 ) n C 6 H 4 OH- p . Pyrolysis of a cross-linked DPP at 375°C yielded a 100-fold increase in secondary products as a consequence of cross-linking. Pyrolysis of a cross-linked DPB at 400°C afforded an altered product selectivity favoring products from the thermodynamically less stable aliphatic radical. The surface-attached compounds were also used as solid state probes to study the reactions of hydrogen donor solvents in a heterogeneous environment.
The influence of the adrenocorticotropic hormone of the pituitary gland on certain aspects of lipid, carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism in dogs

Examination of the fat-carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism in the blood and urine of dogs demonstrated that the initial condition of the adrenal cortex may determine the character of response of adrenal cortex to the administration of ACTH. The effect of ACTH on the function of adrenal cortex, probably consists not only in its stimulation but also in normalization (in definite conditions and with certain doses of ACTH).
In vitro elution characteristics of antibiotic laden BoneSource™, hydroxyapatite bone cement

A calcium phosphate – hydroxyapatite (HA) bone cement was loaded with varying concentrations of tobramycin and vancomycin and the elution properties of these antibiotics were evaluated. Nine groups of antibiotic loaded cement cylinders (N = 6 in each group) were prepared and placed in saline for 28 days. Elution rates of tobramycin and vancomycin from the HA cement were evaluated at high, medium, and low doses of incorporated antibiotic. Tobramycin elution rates did not vary according to dose (0.36, 0.18, and 0.09g). Vancomycin elution rates were also not significantly affected by dose (0.1 , 0.05 , and 0.025 g). The combination of tobramycin and vancomycin increased the elution rate of vancomycin for the medium and low dose of tobramycin. The dose of tobramycin did not affect its elution rate from the cement in the combined groups. Importantly, the concentration of antibiotic eluent stayed above the minimum inhibitory concentration for the entire 28 days for all groups except the medium and low dose of v...
A close-packed phase with a seven-layer repeat unit prepared by rapid solidification: mNb (Rh0.60Pd0.40)3

Abstract The pseudobinary system Nb(Rh1−xPdx)3 contains a series of polytypic phases with related, close-packed structures. Rapid quenching from the melt often changes the stacking sequence of these phases. We report here a phase mNb(Rh0.60Pd0.40)3 with a new seven-layer stacking sequence that has been prepared by rapid solidification and is probably metastable. Its structure represents a subtle transition between two adjacent phases and its occurrence can be rationalized in terms of the fraction of h-like packing in it.
A VUV 4 m normal incidence monochromator

Abstract A 4 m normal incidence monochromator for use at the Tantalus storage ring is described. A general description of the instrument is given, together with a brief discussion of the optics required to match the angular acceptance of the monochromator to the angular spread of the source. With a 3600 lines mm −1 grating the estimated flux at the blaze wavelength of 304 A with a bandwidth of 0.01 eV and 100 mA of circulating current, is 6 × 10 9 photons s −1 .
IR-Assisted Ionization of He by Attosecond XUV Radiation

In this work we characterize the underlying processes behind the IR-assisted ionization of helium by extreme ultra violet (XUV) attosecond radiation. We show that, if used in the form of an attosecond pulse train, the XUV radiation can have a good spectral resolution as well as good temporal resolution. Our experimental data and associated theoretical calculations show how to use the properties of attosecond XUV radiation to induce a desired excited state of helium, and how to tune the IR laser electric field to control the ionization pathways.
Sphyrion Tag Loss from the American Lobster Homarus americanus

Abstract Through use of a secondary mark, it was estimated that sphyrion tag loss from American lobsters Homarus americanus recaptured 1 year after tagging amounted to 36% for lobsters that had molted and 24% for those that had not. Much of the substantial tag loss from nonmolting animals may be due to substrate entanglement and removal by other lobsters.
Effectiveness and side effects of anti-CD20 therapy for autoantibody-mediated blistering skin diseases: A comprehensive survey of 71 consecutive patients from the Initial use to 2007

In order to examine the efficacy and side effects of the monoclonal antibody anti-CD20 (rituximab) on autoimmune blistering skin diseases, we performed a comprehensive survey of 71 consecutive patients from initial use up to 2007, using the PubMed database. A heterogeneous group of patients, including 51 patients with pemphigus vulgaris, one with pemphigus vegetans, nine with pemphigus foliaceus, five with paraneoplastic pemphigus, four with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita, and one with both bullous pemphigoid and graft vs host disease was included in this survey. Overall the monoclonal antibody seems to be effective in that 69% of patients showed complete response, 25% of patients showed partial response, whereas 6% of patients showed progressive disease. Six deaths occurred in association with the treatment, with four of these deaths in patients with paraneoplastic pemphigus, a disease characteristically resistant to conventional medication and with a high mortality rate. Of note, 11 patients who received combined rituximab and intravenous immune globulin treatments had the best outcome: complete response without any serious side effects. Therefore further investigation on rituximab with controlled clinical trial is a worthy pursuit.
“You Have to Give Them a Place Where They Feel Protected and Safe and Loved”: The Views of Parents Who Have Gender-Variant Children and Adolescents

This study focused on the experiences of parents of gender-variant children and teens. The goal was to document issues faced by parents of kids with childhood gender-variant behaviors and/or gender-variant identity and to compile their wisdom. Telephone interviews were conducted with 43 parents of 31 youth (all who met the DSM criteria for Gender Identity Disorder) from across the United States. Parents were asked for a history of their child's gender, focusing on their experiences and their thoughts about how to parent gender-variant youth. Parents spoke about their gender beliefs, how they came to accept their child, and the main challenges they faced. The implications of these findings for gender-variant teens are discussed.
Choosing the Student Body: Masculinity, Culture, and the Crisis of Medical School Admissions, 1920–1950

“Is it possible to select medical students scientifically?” asked Mary D. Salter in a 1942 journal article that examined the Medical College Aptitude Test (MCAT). Salter, a Lecturer in Psychology at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto answered affirmatively, pointing out that “scientific selection of students would greatly reduce the wastage of time, money, and effort involved when students fail.”
Partial chromosome 4 trisomy.

A black female infant with multiple congenital anomalies was found to have partial trisomy of chromosome 4, which included all of the short arm and the proximal 20% of the long arm. The chromosomal aberration, to our knowledge, has not been previously reported. Clinically, the infant had a good degree of resemblance to cases of 4p trisomy.
Therapeutic dilemmas in management ofCystine calculi

The appropriate management of patients with cystine calculi necessitates a fundamental understanding of the pathophysiology of cystinuria and a working knowledge of the available therapeutic modalities. The following case reports and review of the literature serve to illustrate that successful treatment involves a multidimensional approach to eradication of calculi with long-term follow-up aimed at prevention.
Encoding and decoding of color information

Color information is recorded on a colorless substrate by having each color separation amplitude modulate a different spatial frequency carrier. This is accomplished in a single exposure using an appropriate color-encoding filter. The reconstruction of the color scene involves a point source projector with a color decoding mask. The light output of the projector, for sources of a given brightness, is shown to be proportional to the total number of lines in the encoding filter. The relatively, high efficiency of an encoded phase transparency is evaluated, and a decoding method is shown.
Plasma clearance and hepatic utilization of stearic, myristic and linoleic acids introduced via chylomicrons in rats

The primary objective of the present study was to compare the rates of plasma clearance and hepatic utilization of stearic (18∶0), myristic (14∶0) and linoleic (18∶2) acids, as introducedvia chylomicrons. Lymph chylomicrons were specifically labeledin vivo with [14C]stearic and (SA), [14C]myristic acid (MA), or [14C]linoleic acid (LA) by infusing donor rats intraduodenally with the labeled fatty acids in a lipid emulsion. Following intravenous injection of recipient rats with the labeled chylomicrons, the rates of plasma clearance and incorporation of the label in triglycerides (TG), phospholipids (PL) and other lipids in the liver were compared at 5, 15 and 30 min. [14C]SA was cleared at a slightly faster rate (t1/2=7.0 min) than [14C]MA (t1/2=8.1 min) and [14C]LA (t1/2=8.0 min) (P<0.05). [14C]SA was accumulated in the liver at a significantly faster rate than [14C]MA and [14C]LA. At the peak (15 min) of hepatic uptake, 30.3% of [14C]SA, 26.2% of [14C]LA and 21.9% of [14C]MA were recovered in the liver. At 30 min, 33.5% of [14C]SA was taken up by the liver, whereas 27.8% of [14C]LA and only 15.2% of [14C]MA were removed. In the liver, the percentage of [14C]SA incorporated into PL steadily increased with time, whereas the percent-age incorporated into TG decreased. [14C]SA was preferentially incorporated into PL at all time intervals, as compared with [14C]MA and [14C]LA. At 30 min, 38.6% of [14C]SA was found in PL, and only 5.2% of [14C]MA and 12.0% of [14C]LA were present in PL. A large proportion of hepatic [14C]MA remained unesterified (free fatty acid) throughout the 30-min period, with a small proportion incorporated into PL and TG. Of the total liver14C radioactivity recovered at 30 min, 63.8% of [14C]MA, 48.8% of [14C]LA and 25.5% of [14C]SA were found unesterified. During 30 min, a significantly greater amount of [14C]MA (76.9%) was oxidized in both the liver and the peripheral tissue combined, compared with [14C]LA (64.7%) and [14C]SA (61.2%). A higher proportion of [14C]LA was incorporated into TG than into PL at all time intervals. No differences were noted in the relative distribution of14C in cholesterol and other lipids among the three fatty acids. Using labeled fatty acids incorporatedin vivo into chylomicrons, the present study demonstrated that SA, MA and LA are distinctly different in their metabolic behavior. During the initial 30 min after their entry into the blood, 92–95% of the fatty acids were cleared. During this early phase of metabolism, [14C]SA was preferentially utilized for liver PL synthesis, whereas [14C]LA was better incorporated into TG. [14C]MA was poorly incorporated into hepatic lipids, but was preferentially oxidized in the liver or utilized by the peripheral tissue.
The structure of early counting competence

This research examined the structure underlying preschoolers’ knowledge of counting. Factor analysis indicated that three first-order factors and one higher order factor accounted for 57% of the variance in performance on a variety of counting tasks. The results are consistent with a model of early number competence that has three basic components: (1) a verbal component involving knowledge of the conventional number-word sequence, (2) an action component involving knowledge of tagging behaviors in object-counting procedures, and (3) a contextual component involving knowledge of the basic goals and uses of counting.
Mechanism and significance of global coherence in scalp EEG.

What distinguishes animals from robots is the neurodynamics of intention. The mechanism is the action–perception cycle that creates and applies knowledge. Knowledge is the condensed, categorized information brains accumulate over lifetimes of experience. Vertebrate intention emerged in the Ordovician period as a tool to prowl first olfactory environments, then environments of other modalities. Action necessitates remembering space–time trajectories. Hence the sensory, motor, and hippocampal cortices interact intimately. Brains create the contextual richness of relevant knowledge almost instantly by exploiting the capacity of cortical neuropil to transit between a gas-like phase with sparse, random firing and a liquid-liked phase of high-energy, narrow band oscillation synchronized widely. They express remembrances in spatial patterns of amplitude modulation (AM) of beta and gamma waves.
Response of 25 cm3 Ge(Li) detector to neutrons - shielding factors☆

Abstract The response of a large Ge(Li) detector to fast and slow neutrons was investigated. Characteristic gamma-ray pulse height distributions from a few hundred keV to over 1 MeV were obtained and prominent lines were identified. The effectiveness of an anticoincidence plastic scintillator shield, combined with a radiationless neutron absorber and a lead gamma absorber, was evaluated and found to be in good agreement with the calculated response.
Growth mode and CO adsorption properties of Au films on Pd(110)

Abstract We describe a study of Au films, 1 to 7 monolayers thick, grown on Pd(110). The growth mode is elucidated by Auger electron spectroscopy and thermal desorption of carbon monoxide. The experimental data indicate that the films follow Stranski-Krastanov growth with a critical thickness of two monolayers, even at 130 K. CO exhibits desorption states at 225 and 190 K which we associate with adsorption on first and second layers of the Pd-modified Au surface, respectively. Ours is the first observation of CO stably adsorbed on Au(110) in vacuum.
Ultrasonic evaluation of the pancreatic duct

In a prospective ultrasound study of 253 patients, the lumen of the normal pancreatic duct of Wirsung could be demonstrated in 82% of the patients. The mean diameter of the normal pancreatic duct (of Wirsung) was 1.3 mm. The duct of Santorini occasionally could be demonstrated. A duct of Wirsung greater than 2 mm in diameter should be considered dilated. The pancreatic duct is dilated in most patients with acute pancreatitis, in some patients with chronic pancreatitis, and in some patients with pancreatic tumor.
Salivary Gland Gene Therapy

Salivary glands have proven to be unusual but valuable target sites for multiple clinical gene transfer applications. Access to salivary glands for gene transfer is easy. Multiple studies in animal models have yielded proofs of concept for novel treatments for damaged salivary glands following therapeutic irraditation, in Sjogren's syndrome, and for gene therapeutics systemically by way of the blood-stream and locally in the oral cavity and upper gastrointestinal tract.
Gas phase studies of the interactions of Fe2+ with cysteine-containing peptides

Gas-phase complexes of cysteine-containing peptides and Fe2+ were produced by fast atom bombardment and studied by tandem mass spectrometry. Specific and strong interactions of the iron and sulfur from the thiol group of the cysteine side chain are preserved in the gas phase and are the basis for highly specific fragmentation to give abundant [a n − 2H+Fe]+ ions, where n is position of the cysteine residue from the N-terminus of peptide. Metal/peptide complexes containing more than one Cys residue were also investigated; they display similar chemistry upon collisionally activated decompositions, indicating that the Fe2+ ion primarily binds at cysteine sites.
The heparan sulfate of rat brain

Heparan sulfate comprises 14% of the total mucopolysaccharide content of rat brain. Two heparan sulfate fractions (HS-I and HS-II) can be obtained by gradient elution from Dowex I (chloride). HS-I is eluted with i.o. M NaCl and accounts for approximately one third of the total heparan sulfate, while HS-II, accounting for the remaining two thirds of the material, is eluted between 1.1 and 1.5 M NaCl. Both heparan sulfate fractions are of similar molecular size and contain the same proportion of N- and O-sulfate, although the content of total sulfate is 50% greater in HS-II as compared to HS-I. Nitrous acid degradation studies indicate that in contrast to the molecular structure proposed for heparan sulfate from bovine lung, the heparan sulfate from brain contains a relatively smaller proportion of uronosyl-N-sulfohexosamine disaccharide repeating units, and that most of the heparan sulfate of brain consists of large, completely N-acetylated segments containing a relatively high content of ester sulfate.
Flamenco deep song

Style and ideology deep song sociology - an overview traumatic ethnogenesis in Spain missing links in the evolution of flamenco the flamenco attitude wealth, ideology, and the magic other romantique Espagne deep song as psychodrama flamenco's Golden Age how flamenco became art a capricious world culture in the blood beyond ethnicity - the future of the flamenco idiom.
Cell and tissue deformation measurements: Texture correlation with third-order approximation of displacement gradients

Cells remarkably are capable of large deformations during motility and when subjected to mechanical force. Measurement of mechanical deformation (i.e. displacements, strain) is critical to understand functional changes in cells and biological tissues following disease, and to elucidate basic relationships between applied force and cellular biosynthesis. Microscopy-based imaging modalities provide the ability to noninvasively visualize small cell or tissue structures and track their motion over time, often using two-dimensional (2D) digital image (texture) correlation algorithms. For the measurement of complex and nonlinear motion in cells and tissues, implementation of texture correlation algorithms with high order approximations of displacement mapping terms are needed to minimize error. Here, we extend a texture correlation algorithm with up to third-order approximation of displacement mapping terms for the measurement of cell and tissue deformation. We additionally investigate relationships between measurement error and image texture, defined by subset entropy. Displacement measurement error is significantly reduced when the order of displacement mapping terms in the texture correlation algorithm matches or exceeds the order of the deformation observed. Displacement measurement error is also inversely proportional to subset entropy, with well-defined cell and tissue structures leading to high entropy and low error. For cell and tissue studies where complex or nonlinear displacements are expected, texture correlation algorithms with high order terms are required to best characterize the observed deformation.
Flows in polar cap ionosphere could trigger auroral substorms

Auroral substorms, in which aurorae dramatically brighten and become highly dynamic, occur often and seem to be triggered by electric currents in the ionosphere at high latitude. However, scientists do not know the details of how auroral substorms begin and what drives their expansion and controls their duration. Plasma flows within the ionosphere's polar cap region had not generally been considered to be a driver of auroral substorms, but some recent studies have suggested that mesoscale plasma flows from the polar cap could cross the polar cap boundary and contribute to triggering of flows that may bring new plasma earthward and lead to the onset of substorms.
Measurement of Microvascular Transport Parameters of Macromolecules in Tissues and Organs of Intact Animals

A critical analysis is presented of two widely used approaches to measurement of microvascular transport of large molecules in intact animals: (1) measurement of lymph flow and macromolecular solute concentration relative to plasma, and (2) tissue accumulation of tracer macromolecules. To demonstrate the advantages and limitations of each method, experimental results which permit direct comparison of the two methodologies are reviewed and analyzed, and sources of error in each pointed out. It is concluded that both approaches are valid under the appropriate conditions: steady state of lymph, initial transient state for tissue uptake. These conditions are mutually exclusive, but complementary. When the requirements for neither lymph collection or tissue accumulation alone can be satisfied experimentally, a combination of the two approaches can yield valid results.
Digital impedance bridge

An impedance bridge that compares two-terminal standard inductors to characterized AC resistors in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 100 kHz is described. A dual-channel, digitally-synthesized source and sampling digital multimeter are used to generate and measure relevant bridge signals. A linear interpolation algorithm is used to autocalibrate the bridge to a 1 nF gas dielectric capacitor. An intercomparison of the new bridge with existing measurement standards conducted in the low audio frequency range shows agreement of 50 to 200 parts in 10/sup 6/ for inductors for 1 mH to 10 H. >
Timing, Accumulation, and the Black/White Disability Gap in Later Life: A Test of Weathering

Examining the Black/White disability gap among older adults, this study focuses on the role of timing in racial inequality over time. Using the Duke Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE), the author reexamines Black and White disability trajectories with attention to timing of onset. In addition, known mediators are examined for their relative impact on onset and accumulation of disability. The author finds that diverging trajectories of Black and White disability, evidence of a cumulative disadvantage argument, are fueled solely by differences in onset. A more nuanced picture of racial disparities arises when controls are included, lending support to a weathering hypothesis. Access to health care is primary in explaining the Black/White disparity. The author concludes that timing is integral to the study of health trajectories and that research using cumulative disadvantage benefits from supplemental theories with specific assertions as to timing, including weathering.
Role for conserved residues of sindbis virus nonstructural protein 2 methyltransferase-like domain in regulation of minus-strand synthesis and development of cytopathic infection.

The plus-strand RNA genome of Sindbis virus (SINV) encodes four nonstructural proteins (nsP1 to nsP4) that are involved in the replication of the viral RNA. The ∼800-amino-acid nsP2 consists of an N-terminal domain with nucleoside triphosphatase and helicase activities and a C-terminal protease domain. Recently, the structure determined for Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus nsP2 indicated the presence of a previously unrecognized methyltransferase (MTase)-like domain within the C-terminal ∼200 residues and raised a question about its functional importance. To assess the role of this MTase-like region in viral replication, highly conserved arginine and lysine residues were mutated to alanine. The plaque phenotypes of these mutants ranged from large/wild-type to small plaques with selected mutations demonstrating temperature sensitive lethality. The proteolytic polyprotein processing activity of nsP2 was unaffected in most of the mutants. Some of the temperature-sensitive mutants showed reduction in the minus-strand RNA synthesis, a function that has not yet been ascribed to nsP2. Mutation of SINV residue R615 rendered the virus noncytopathic and incapable of inhibiting the host cell translation but with no effects on the transcriptional inhibition. This property differentiated the mutation at R615 from previously described noncytopathic mutations. These results implicate nsP2 in regulation of minus-strand synthesis and suggest that different regions of the nsP2 MTase-like domain differentially modulate host defense mechanisms, independent of its role as the viral protease.
"Pull" and "push" in neurite elongation: observations on the effects of different concentrations of cytochalasin B and taxol.

Neurite elongation involves two distinct cytoskeletal functions the "push" of anterograde transport of the cytoskeleton and associated organelles to the neurite tip, and the "pull" exerted by protrusion and generation of tensions in the growth cone. We investigated the roles of these two activities in neurite elongation via the drugs taxol and cytochalasin B (CB), which act on the key cytoskeletal components, microtubules and actin filaments, respectively. When neurons are treated with concentrations of CB below 0.2 micrograms/ml, neurite elongation, growth cone protrusion, and neurite tension are all inhibited in a similar concentration dependent manner. Protrusive activity and tensions are absent at CB concentrations above 0.3 micrograms/ml, yet neurite elongation continues at a plateau level. Thus, "pull" does modulate, but it is not required for neurite elongation. Surprisingly, the inhibitory effects of taxol on neurite elongation are removed by the addition of CB at levels that substantially disrupt the actin filaments of neurites. The neurites extended by taxol-CB neurons are unbranched and curiously unattached to the substratum. When CB is added to taxol-treated neurons, neurite extension begins rapidly, even if protein synthesis is severely reduced. We propose that taxol inhibits microtubule transport in neurites, and this inhibition of "push" is reversed by the disruptive effects of CB on the cytoplasmic matrix, allowing taxol-induced microtubule bundles to be transported distally.
An exploratory study to examine intentions to adopt an evidence-based HIV linkage-to-care intervention among state health department AIDS directors in the United States

Widespread dissemination and implementation of evidence-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) linkage-to-care (LTC) interventions is essential for improving HIV-positive patients' health outcomes and reducing transmission to uninfected others. To date, however, little work has focused on identifying factors associated with intentions to adopt LTC interventions among policy makers, including city, state, and territory health department AIDS directors who play a critical role in deciding whether an intervention is endorsed, distributed, and/or funded throughout their region. Between December 2010 and February 2011, we administered an online questionnaire with state, territory, and city health department AIDS directors throughout the United States to identify factors associated with intentions to adopt an LTC intervention. Guided by pertinent theoretical frameworks, including the Diffusion of Innovations and the "push-pull" capacity model, we assessed participants' attitudes towards the intervention, perceived organizational and contextual demand and support for the intervention, likelihood of adoption given endorsement from stakeholder groups (e.g., academic researchers, federal agencies, activist organizations), and likelihood of enabling future dissemination efforts by recommending the intervention to other health departments and community-based organizations. Forty-four participants (67% of the eligible sample) completed the online questionnaire. Approximately one-third (34.9%) reported that they intended to adopt the LTC intervention for use in their city, state, or territory in the future. Consistent with prior, related work, these participants were classified as LTC intervention "adopters" and were compared to "nonadopters" for data analysis. Overall, adopters reported more positive attitudes and greater perceived demand and support for the intervention than did nonadopters. Further, participants varied with their intention to adopt the LTC intervention in the future depending on endorsement from different key stakeholder groups. Most participants indicated that they would support the dissemination of the intervention by recommending it to other health departments and community-based organizations. Findings from this exploratory study provide initial insight into factors associated with public health policy makers' intentions to adopt an LTC intervention. Implications for future research in this area, as well as potential policy-related strategies for enhancing the adoption of LTC interventions, are discussed.
Prenatal and perinatal analgesic exposure and autism: an ecological link.

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are complex neurodevelopmental disorders. Susceptibility is believed to be the interaction of genetic heritability and environmental factors. The synchronous rises in autism/ASD prevalence and paracetamol (acetaminophen) use, as well as biologic plausibility have led to the hypothesis that paracetamol exposure may increase autism/ASD risk. To explore the relationship of antenatal paracetamol exposure to ASD, population weighted average autism prevalence rates and paracetamol usage rates were compared. To explore the relationship of early neonatal paracetamol exposure to autism/ASD, population weighted average male autism prevalence rates for all available countries and U.S. states were compared to male circumcision rates – a procedure for which paracetamol has been widely prescribed since the mid-1990s. Prevalence studies were extracted from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Summary of Autism/ASD Prevalence Studies database. Maternal paracetamol usage and circumcision rates were identified by searches on Pub Med. Using all available country-level data (n = 8) for the period 1984 to 2005, prenatal use of paracetamol was correlated with autism/ASD prevalence (r = 0.80). For studies including boys born after 1995, there was a strong correlation between country-level (n = 9) autism/ASD prevalence in males and a country’s circumcision rate (r = 0.98). A very similar pattern was seen among U.S. states and when comparing the 3 main racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. The country-level correlation between autism/ASD prevalence in males and paracetamol was considerably weaker before 1995 when the drug became widely used during circumcision. This ecological analysis identified country-level correlations between indicators of prenatal and perinatal paracetamol exposure and autism/ASD. State level correlation was also identified for the indicator of perinatal paracetamol exposure and autism/ASD. Like all ecological analyses, these data cannot provide strong evidence of causality. However, biologic plausibility is provided by a growing body of experimental and clinical evidence linking paracetamol metabolism to pathways shown to be important in autism and related developmental abnormalities. Taken together, these ecological findings and mechanistic evidence suggest the need for formal study of the role of paracetamol in autism.
The Child-Study Movement and Public School Music Education:

The child-study movement was a late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century educational I fashion whose impetus came from the influences of Darwin's Origin of Species (1859) and from the advent of ...
Assessing Daily Stress Processes in Social Surveys by Combining Stressor Exposure and Salivary Cortisol

This article presents a research method for assessing stress and mental health in ongoing population-based social surveys that combines self-reports of naturally occurring daily stressors with a pr...
Postprandial Elevation of Activated Factor VII in Young Adults

The Northwick Park Heart Study found that factor VII (FVII) activity was a risk factor for ischemic heart disease, and other studies based on indirect assays of activated factor VII (FVIIa) found an elevation of FVIIa postprandially. We hypothesized that postprandial elevation of FVIIa would produce intermittent activation of factor X to Xa and, subsequently, prothrombin to thrombin. We chose to study postprandial activation of coagulation with a new assay specific for FVIIa that uses soluble tissue factor and with a prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F 1+2 ) assay to detect the activation of prothrombin by factor Xa. We fed a high-fat breakfast (30 g/m 2 ) to 30 healthy volunteer subjects (30.8±9.8 years; range, 20 to 49 years) on no medication. Fasting blood samples were collected for FVIIa, FVII antigen (FVIIag), and F 1+2 as well as triglycerides and total and HDL cholesterol. A significant difference was found between fasting (2.82±1.49 ng/mL, mean±SD) and 6-hour postprandial (3.45±2.08 ng/mL) FVIIa levels ( P 1+2 levels were slightly lower 6 hours postprandially than fasting (median, 0.39 versus 0.44 nmol/L, P P 1+2 levels (at 6 hours) correlated significantly (ρ=0.39, P 1+2 . We found a postprandial increase in FVIIa levels after a dietary fat load but did not find a concomitant postprandial burst of activation of factor X and prothrombin as measured by F 1+2 . Further studies are to test whether postprandial FVIIa generation leads to enhanced activation of coagulation.
The Internal Environment and Appetitive Measures of Taste Function in the Rat

It is the fact that animals are responsive to certain patterns of external environmental stimuli only when specific states of the internal environment prevail that specify certain basic biological motivated behaviors. On the biological side. we specify as a necessary condition the state of the internal environment, for example, in terms of peripheral changes such as the level of sex hormones or the condition of dehydration or salt depletion. In many of these cases, we have learned that these internal environment changes lead to changes in brain states which, in turn, yield the motivated behavior.
Potential Temperature Limitations of Bubble‐Enhanced Heating during HIFU

During high‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatments in the absence of bubbles, tissue is heated by absorption of the incident ultrasound. However, bubbles present at the focus can enhance the rate of heating. One mechanism for such enhanced heating involves inertial bubble collapses that transduce incident ultrasound to higher frequencies that are more readily absorbed. Previously, it has been reported that bubble‐enhanced heating diminishes as treatments progress. The objective of this effort is to quantify how inertial bubble collapses are affected as the focal temperature rises during treatment. A model of a single, spherical bubble has been developed to couple the thermodynamic state of a strongly driven spherical bubble with the temperature of the surrounding liquid. This model allows for the dynamic transport of heat, vapor, and non‐condensable gases to/from the bubble and has been demonstrated to fit experimental data from the collapses and rebounds of millimeter‐sized bubbles over a range of temperature conditions. The responses of micron‐sized, air‐vapor bubbles in water were simulated under exposure to MHz/MPa HIFU excitation at various surrounding liquid temperatures. Each bubble response was characterized by the power spectral density of its radiated pressure in order to emulate a hydrophone measurement. Simulations suggest that bubble collapses are significantly attenuated at temperatures above about 70° C. For instance, the acoustically radiated energy at 80° C is an order of magnitude less than that at 20° C. Simulations that fully include the effect of vapor on bubbles excited during HIFU suggest that the efficacy of bubble‐enhanced heating may be limited to temperatures below 70° C.
A formal approach to reusing more general components

Using formal specifications to represent software components facilitates tire determination of reusability because they more precisely characterize the functionality of the software, and the well-defined syntax makes processing amenable to automation. This paper presents an approach, based on formal methods, to the modification of reusable software components. From a two-tiered hierarchy of reusable software components, the existing components that are more general than the query specification are retrieved from the hierarchy. The specification for a more general retrieved component is compared to the query specification to determine what changes need to be applied to the corresponding program component in order to make it satisfy the query specification. This paper also describes an approach for assisting in the modification of more general components and gives an example to demonstrate its use. >
Testosterone’s Influence on Brain Enzymes in the Developing Chick

Abstract MALE birds that have been exposed to testosterone propionate in the early embryo stage manifest less reproductive efficiency than normal birds (Glick, 1961, 1965, 1966). Evidently a neural mechanism necessary for the expression of the male mating pattern is affected during the period or organization and differentiation of sexual function (Glick, 1966). An avian model was produced by dipping eggs on the third day of incubation in a 2.56% solution of testosterone propionate in alcohol. The chicks or embryos from these eggs will be referred to as T.P. chicks or T.P. embryos. The following study was designed to investigate the possibility that the abnormal mating behavior of male T.P. birds might be related to a modification of brain enzymes during embryonic development. Since alkaline phosphatase (A.P.) activity in the developing embryo is associated with differentiation (Krugelis, 1950; Lovtrup, 1955; Moog, 1944; and Rogers et al., 1960), the activity of this…