cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In a 12-year study, sustainability of quality of life benefits after liver transplantation varies with pretransplantation diagnosis.

Background & Aims As life-extending benefits of liver transplantation (LTX) are realized, the focus of improving outcomes after LTX transitioned from merely extending quantity of life to improving quality of life (QOL). Numerous cross-sectional studies have shown that QOL improves within 1 year after LTX; however, the long-term prospective pattern of QOL is not known. We assessed the sustainability of early QOL benefits after LTX. Methods Patients who underwent LTX (n = 381) were followed for 12 years. We collected clinical information, survival data, and data on 5 QOL domains: physical distress (PHY), psychological distress (PSY), social/role function (SRF), personal function (PF), and general health perception (GHP). Mixed model analysis was used to determine whether initial gains in QOL were sustained long term. Outcomes were analyzed according to the primary liver diagnosis. Results After 12 years, liver recipients had marked declines in PHY ( P P = .006), and GHP ( P P = .09) and PF ( P = .09) were sustained. Women had worse outcomes in PHY and PF than men. Patients with autoimmune disease had decreased QOL PHY, SRF, PF, and GHP domains. Patients with alcoholic liver disease and hepatitis C initially had lower QOL in all domains, with the greatest decreases in PHY ( P P = .03). Conclusions Although QOL improves within 1 year after patients receive liver transplants, not all groups of patients achieve or sustain the same level of QOL for 12 years. QOL decreases with time in most areas. Efforts should be made to improve QOL and function in the initial recovery period in liver transplant recipients.
Optimal use of recombinant factor VIIa in the control of bleeding episodes in hemophilic patients

One of the last remaining clinical hurdles in the treatment of people with hemophilia is the development of inhibitors. Alloantibodies or autoantibodies directed at coagulation factors render the infusion of coagulation factor concentrates ineffective, and alternative means must be used to achieve hemostasis. Recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) was developed to control bleeding episodes in hemophilic patients with inhibitors. Clinical efficacy in achieving hemostasis in inhibitor patients was demonstrated by a compassionate-use protocol, as well as in randomized controlled trials. To date, over 1.5 million doses of rFVIIa have been given to inhibitor patients, with an excellent efficacy and safety record. Because of its short half-life, alternative means of dosing and infusing rFVIIa have been explored and are reviewed here.
The fine structure of the neck of mammalian spermatozoa.

The study of the fine structural organization of the various components of the neck of mature spermatozoa of rabbit, monkey and man has demonstrated that the striated columns of the connecting piece implant on the proximal centriole, that the distal centriole does not disappear but persists albeit in a modified form and that the central tubules of the axoneme of the flagellum terminate at the lower vault of the proximal centriole. Of the two centrioles, the most plausible candidate for the role of basal body of the flagellum and center of the sperm motility appears to be the proximal centriole. This hypothesis is supported directly by the apparent continuity of this centriole with all the contractile elements of the flagellum, and indirectly by the consideration that the distal centriole cannot be a basal body in that its lumen is traversed throughout by a central pair of tubules. The orientation of the proximal centriole at an angle to the flagellum, a unique situation since basal bodies are normally oriented on the same axes of cilia and flagella, has been tentatively accounted for by the particular type of motility of the spermatozoon.
Focusing X-Ray Optics for Astronomy

Focusing X-ray telescopes have been the most important factor in X-ray astronomy’s ascent to equality with optical and radio astronomy. They are the prime tool for studying thermal emission from very high temperature regions, non-thermal synchrotron radiation from very high energy particles in magnetic fields and inverse Compton scattering of lower energy photons into the X-ray band. Four missions with focusing grazing incidence X-ray telescopes based upon the Wolter 1 geometry are currently operating in space within the 0.2 to 10 keV band. Two observatory class missions have been operating since 1999 with both imaging capability and high resolution dispersive spectrometers. They are NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has an angular resolution of 0.5 arc seconds and an area of 0.1 m2 and ESA’s XMM-Newton which has 3 co-aligned telescopes with a combined effective area of 0.43 m2 and a resolution of 15 arc seconds. The two others are Japan’s Suzaku with lower spatial resolution and non-dispersive spectroscopy and the XRT of Swift which observes and precisely positions the X-ray afterglows of gamma-ray bursts. New missions include focusing telescopes with much broader bandwidth and telescopes that will perform a new sky survey. NASA, ESA, and Japan’s space agency are collaborating in developing an observatory with very large effective area for very high energy resolution dispersive and non-dispersive spectroscopy. New technologies are required to improve upon the angular resolution of Chandra. Adaptive optics should provide modest improvement. However, orders of magnitude improvement can be achieved only by employing physical optics. Transmitting diffractive-refractive lenses are capable theoretically of achieving sub-milli arc second resolution. X-ray interferometry could in theory achieve 0.1 micro arc second resolution, which is sufficient to image the event horizon of super massive black holes at the center of nearby active galaxies. However, the physical optics systems have focal lengths in the range 103 to 104 km and cannot be realized until the technology for accurately positioned long distance formation flying between optics and detector is developed.
Diet, embodiment, and virtue in the mechanical philosophy.

Abstract This paper considers the relationship between diet, embodiment, nature and virtue in several seventeenth-century natural philosophers, all of whom sought to overcome or to radically reform inherited ideas about the self as a hylomorphic compound of form and matter, but who nonetheless were not entirely ready to discard the notion that the self is intimately united with the body. One implication of this intimate union, for them, is that what one does with the body, including what one puts into it, is directly relevant to the supreme end of achieving a virtuous life. I thus consider food—its preparation and its consumption—as a link between natural and moral philosophy in the early modern period, showing in particular the parallels between the search for the diet that is ‘natural to man’, on the one hand, and the project of establishing rules of virtue on the other. Key to discerning these parallels, I argue, is an understanding of early modern ideas about diet and eating as rooted in the Stoic notion of oikeiosis, which may be translated as ‘assimilation’ or ‘appropriation’, and which, as recent work by Lisa Shapiro has shown, played an important role in early modern ideas about a bodily contribution to the human good. The most general thesis is that dietary questions were far more important in early modern philosophy than has yet been recognized: nearly every prominent natural philosopher was preoccupied with them. A narrower thesis is that this parallelism between natural philosophy and moral philosophy is reflected in the conception of cooking as both a fundamental physiological process (‘coction’) as well as the most basic form of social existence.
Multiple Buyers, Rent-Defending and the Observed Social Costs of Monopoly

This paper uses analytical and experimental methods to assess the effects of fracturing the interests of agents seeking to maintain the competitive status quo in a rent-seeking contest for a monopoly franchise. Theoretically, it is shown that while “rent-defending” can ameliorate the social costs of rent-seeking, these beneficial effects deteriorate quickly as the interests of those seeking to maintain the status quo become fractured. Experimental results indicate that overbidding is persistent when bidders have different sharing rules. In fact, the observed social costs of rent-seeking often increase just when rent-defending has the greatest predicted ameliorative effect.
Cholinergic neurons in the human retina.

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-like immunoreactivity in the human retina can be demonstrated using a polyclonal antiserum to ChAT isolated from chick brain. There is a population of ChAT-like immunoreactive cells along both margins of the inner plexiform layer (IPL). The labeled cells have a morphology and position characteristic of the cholinergic amacrine- and displaced amacrine cells demonstrated by other workers in the mammalian retina. Non-immune rabbit serum or pre-absorbed antiserum, used in place of the primary antiserum, verified the specificity of the method. Human retinas can also be labeled with the fluorescent dye 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), which has been reported to bind selectively to DNA in the nuclei of cholinergic cells. The fluorescent cells are similar in morphology, position, and distribution to the cells which show ChAT-like immunoreactivity. In addition, we have localized the presence of [3H]choline and [3H]choline metabolites in freeze-dried, vapor-fixed tissue using 'dry' autoradiographic techniques. Incubation in [3H]choline was followed by either stimulation or inhibition of calcium-dependent transmitter release during a 1-hr 'chase' period. Using tissue incubated in a chase designed to retain labeled neurotransmitters, silver grains were concentrated over a population of cell bodies at either margin of the IPL (i.e. in the same position as putative ChAT-immunoreactive cells and DAPI-labeled cells). In contrast, tissue incubated in a chase designed to release labeled acetylcholine was labeled uniformly throughout the neural retina, with a heavy band of label over the pigment epithelium. Taken together, the results presented here indicate that three independent markers for cholinergic cells (i.e. ChAT immunoreactivity, DAPI binding, and choline uptake) are present in a population of cells in the human retina. This suggests that acetylcholine may be a neurotransmitter synthesized by amacrine and displaced amacrine cells in the retina.
Synthesis and characterization of an asymmetric, linear, trinuclear manganese(II) complex.

After prolonged heating in acetonitrile, a highly asymmetric, trinuclear manganous complex self-assembles from MnCl2 and bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (bispicen). The central Mn(II) ion is bridged to the terminal metal ions in the molecule by single chloride anions. The organic ligands each bind to a single Mn(II) ion. The central Mn(II) and only one of the terminal Mn(II) ions are six-coordinate and bound to bispicen ligands. The remaining terminal Mn(II) ion is coordinated by a tetrahedral array of chloride anions, endowing the trinuclear cluster with a high degree of asymmetry. Variable temperature magnetic measurements are consistent with an S = 5/2 system, indicating net antiferromagnetic coupling.
High finesse silicon ring resonators for monolithic mode-locked lasers

Low noise mode-locked lasers and stabilized optical frequency combs are receiving considerable attention due to their broad spectrum of applications which ranges from signal processing to communications to metrology. Progress has been made in the realization of ultralow noise pulse trains by using ultralow expansion (ULE) quartz etalons for filtering the axial mode groups. An important step towards miniaturization of these systems is the integration of a high finesse on-chip optical filter that would serve to replace the ULE etalon. In this paper, we report our experimental results towards the realization of such a high finesse cavity based on a silicon microring resonator.
Concordant expression of tissue factor and class II MHC antigens in human placental endothelium

Summary Villitis of unestablished etiology is a placental lesion frequently associated with high risk pregnancies: it is also found in placentae from normal term pregnancies. The etiology of the lesion is unknown. Vasculitis and thrombosis have been described in villitis areas of placentae from normal and high risk pregnancies. We asked if fetal stem vessel endothelium in villitis lesions expresses MHC class II antigens, and if this is associated with a thrombogenic activity of these vessels. We found that endothelium of fetal stem vessels in villitis areas was usually MHC class II (HLA-DR, DP and DQ) reactive. Reactivity of fetal stem vessel endothelium for MHC class II antigens was associated with the presence of tissue factor reactivity and the absence of thrombomodulin reactivity. These changes on endothelial plasma membranes can promote intravascular coagulation, ischemic necrosis, vasculitis and other histological changes characteristic of villitis.
My Auto/Ethnographic Dilemma: Who Owns the Story?

This article explores ethical issues of co-mingled data, demarcating the field and informed consent in a study researching the consequences of Christian fundamentalist ideology on the lives of “Bible Belt gays”. When what constitutes informed consent is ambiguous, how does the qualitative researcher justify her decision either to include or exclude meaningful data? To illustrate these ethical issues, I analyze four instances of co-mingled data, two featuring Christian fundamentalists and two Bible Belt gays, in which I gain theoretical insights under conditions of blurry consent, and weigh potential harm to subjects against the liberatory goals of the project.
Early stage I adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix: Treatment results in patients with tumors ≤4 cm in diameter

Between 1965 and 1985, 160 patients had initial treatment at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for Stage I adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix less than or equal to 4 cm in diameter. Of these patients, 84 were treated with radiation therapy (RT) alone, 20 were treated with external and intracavitary radiation followed by total hysterectomy (R + S), and 56 were treated with radical hysterectomy (RH). Survival rate was strongly correlated with tumor volume (P = 0.0008), lymphangiogram findings (P = 0.01), and tumor grade (P = 0.0018). Patients with a normal-appearing cervix or a small visible or palpable tumor that did not expand the cervix more than 3 cm had survival and pelvic-control rates of more than 90% after treatment with RH or RT. However, after 5 years, 45% of patients treated with RH for tumors 3-4 cm in diameter had disease recurrence in the pelvis, compared with 11% of patients treated with either RT or R + S (P = 0.025). For patients treated with RH, recurrence was also strongly correlated with findings of lymph/vascular space invasion (P = 0.0004) and poorly differentiated tumor (P = 0.018). Major complication rates were comparable for the three treatment groups. The high rate of pelvic recurrence following treatment with radical hysterectomy alone for patients with tumors greater than 3 cm in diameter, particularly in the presence of lymph/vascular space invasion, poorly differentiated features, and/or positive nodes, should be considered in planning the primary management of patients with Stage I adenocarcinoma of the cervix.
Genetic Studies of the Drosophila Eye Link Energy Metabolism with Cell-Cycle Progression

Genetic studies of Drosophila eye imaginal disc development have provided a classic approach to dissect the coordination of cell proliferation and differentiation. This paper describes the characterization of a mutation in the tenured gene, which was recovered from a large-scale genetic screen based on its glossy eye phenotype. The authors show that this phenotype arises from a specific block in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, with no apparent effects on cell viability or differentiation. The remarkable part of this paper lies in the discovery that tenured encodes a subunit of cytochrome c oxidase, a key component in the electron transport chain. The authors show that the reduced ATP levels in tenured mutant cells leads to activation of the energy sensor AMPK that, in turn, acts through a p53 signaling pathway to reduce levels of the cell-cycle regulator Cyclin E. This paper provides, for the first time, a link between cellular energy levels and cell-cycle progression, giving us a framework to understand how metabolism and proliferation are coordinated during development. This PaperPick refers to "Mitochondrial Regulation of Cell Cycle Progression during Development as Revealed by the tenured Mutation in Drosophila ," by S. Mandal, P. Guptan, E. Owusu-Ansah, and U. Banerjee, published in December 2005. Video Abstract Utpal Banerjee discusses the findings of his group's 2005 study and the progress that has been made since.
Age-associated alteration of oocyte-specific gene expression in polar bodies: potential markers of oocyte competence

Objective To confirm that oocyte-specific messenger RNAs are detectable in the polar body (PB) of metaphase II (MII) oocytes and determine the effect of age on oocyte-specific transcript levels. Design Prospective study. Setting Hospital-based academic research laboratory. Animal(s) CD1 female mice. Intervention(s) Aged (40–50 weeks) and young (7–9 weeks) mice were administered pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and hCG. Oocytes were fertilized in vitro to assess fertilization and developmental competence. The MII oocytes were obtained and first PBs were removed. Messenger RNAs from each PB and its sibling oocyte were reverse transcribed and analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Main Outcome Measure(s) Fertilization and developmental rates and expression of six oocyte-specific genes ( Bmp15, Gdf9, H1foo, Nlrp5, Tcl1, and Zp3 ) in PBs and sibling oocytes from young versus aged mice. Result(s) Oocytes from aged mice had lower developmental competence. Four genes ( H1foo, Nlrp5, Tcl1, and Zp3 ) were differentially expressed in aged versus young oocytes. All six transcripts were present in PBs from aged and young mice at lower levels than in the sibling oocytes; transcript levels were lower in aged PBs compared with young PBs. Conclusion(s) There is a significant difference in the transcript levels of oocyte-specific genes in aged versus young PB that correlates with age-related decreases in oocyte competence. Differences in gene expression in PB may be potential biomarkers of MII oocyte competence.
Chloroplast structure and starch grain production as phylogenetic indicators in the lower Rhodophyceae

The position of starch grain production, the shape of the starch grains and the depth to which the pyrenoid is embedded in the chloroplast are used as indicators of evolution in the lower Rhodophyceae. A cell with cytoplasmic allantoid starch grains encasing the pyrenoid and no thylakoids between the chloroplast envelope and the pyrenoid is considered to be evolutionarily primitive. A cell with oval starch grains not associated with the pyrenoid and with a pyrenoid deeply embedded in the chloroplast is thought to be evolutionarily advanced. A polyphyletic origin of the Porphyridiales is discussed.
Modular poly(ethylene glycol) ligands for biocompatible semiconductor and gold nanocrystals with extended pH and ionic stability

We describe the design of new ligands made by coupling commercially available poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (mPEG, HO-PEG-OCH3) and thioctic acid (TA) via a stable amide bond to form TA-PEG-OCH3 molecules. The ligands were obtained by a simple transformation of the hydroxyl group on the mPEG into an amine group, followed by attachment of TA viaN,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) coupling. Following ring opening of the 1,2-dithiolane on the TA-PEG-OCH3 to form a dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) group, DHLA-PEG-OCH3 was obtained. Cap exchange of nanoparticles with DHLA-PEG-OCH3 provided dispersions in buffer solutions that were stable over a broad pH range (from 3 to 13 for CdSe-ZnS QDs and 2–13 for Au nanoparticles). Using DHLA-PEG-OCH3 either neat or mixed with amine- or carboxyl-terminated ligands (DHLA-PEG-NH2 or DHLA-PEG-COOH) allowed tuning of the surface functionalities of these nanoparticles. Microinjection of the ligand-exchanged QDs into live cells indicated that the newly capped QDs were stable and well dispersed in the cell cytosol for up to 32 h following delivery. The fluorescence distribution and its evolution over time of these DHLA-PEG-OCH3-QDs indicate improved intracellular stability and reduced non-specific interactions compared to nanocrystals capped with DHLA-PEG-OH.
The Shetland Islands: The effects of social and ecological change on mental health

The authors review the literature concerning the mental health and social effects of industrialization, urbanization and the transition from a rural to an industrial society. They point out the need for prospective and longitudinal studies. To illustrate a working model of the type of research needed, the authors describe a long-term study now underway in the Shetland Islands. This research investigates the effects that rapid social and ecological change (from the North Sea oil developments) will have on the islanders. To test the hypothesis that the changes, associated with the construction of Europe's largest oil port in these previously isolated rural islands, will have a deleterious effect on the Shetlanders' health and way of life, a prospective study has been initiated that contains two sub-studies. The General Survey involves monitoring reported data on ecological, epidemiological and sociological change and is intended to provide an overview of the general impact of the oil developments. The Individual Survey involves interviewing two populations (total N = 533) and is designed to examine individuals' reactions to change and variables associated with those reactions. The target population live in a conservation region where they are not likely to be directly affected by the oil developments. Baseline findings are presented from the General Survey concerning psychiatric morbidity, crime, divorce and suicide and from the Individual Survey that focus on the prevalence of medical and psychiatric symptoms and illnesses.
Signs of central nervous system dysfunction in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been linked to altered neurological function following head trauma, encephalitis, abnormal birth events, and Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome. Abnormalities in computed tomographic scans, electroencephalograms, positron emission tomographic scans, and evoked potentials have been described in this disorder, but are neither consistent nor pathognomonic of OCD. Neurological soft signs are nonlocalizing signs of deviant performance on a motor or sensory test where no other sign of a neurological lesion is present. We studied 41 medication-free patients with OCD who met DSM-III-R criteria, as well as 20 normal controls, matched for age, sex, and handedness, on 20 individual tasks that involved fine motor coordination, involuntary movements, and sensory and visuospatial function. There were significantly more signs of central nervous system dysfunction in the OCD group, as shown by abnormalities in fine motor coordination, involuntary and mirror movements, and visuospatial function. An excess of findings on the left side of the body and abnormalities of cube drawing may suggest right hemispheric dysfunction in a subgroup of patients with OCD. Soft signs correlated with a severity of obsessions. There was also a correlation between abnormalities in visual memory and recognition on neuropsychological testing and total soft signs. These findings provided additional evidence for a neurological deficit in some patients with OCD. However, further comparisons with other psychiatric populations are needed to determine whether these findings are unique to OCD or are a property of other psychiatric disorders as well.
Ribozyme-catalyzed excision of targeted sequences from within RNAs.

We demonstrate that a group I intron-derived ribozyme from the opportunistic pathogen Pneumocystis carinii can bind an RNA in trans and excise from within it an internal segment, resulting in the s...
Controversies in the multimodality management of locally advanced esophageal cancer: evidence-based review of surgery alone and combined-modality therapy.

Most patients with esophageal cancer present with locoregional disease, and the optimal initial management is controversial. The current National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) practice guidelines support diverse treatment options for locoregional disease, including surgical resection alone, definitive chemoradiation therapy, and preoperative combined-modality (neoadjuvant/trimodality) therapy. Many cancer centers worldwide favor a neoadjuvant approach, although the evidence supporting this practice is inconsistent. A concise review of the literature is presented. The topics discussed do not necessarily reflect each author’s opinions or clinical practices.
Amphotericin B: a biological response modifier in targeting against the salvage pathways.

Abstract Dipyridamole, a nucleoside transport inhibitor which blocks the rescue effect of exogenous nucleosides, is a compound of interest for use in combination with antimetabolites of de novo purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis. This study has provided evidence that the dipyridamole inhibitory effect on nucleoside incorporation varied markedly during the course of cell growth in culture. Human colon cancer HT-29 cells in lag and log phases were highly sensitive to the blocking action of dipyridamole on thymidine incorporation with ic 50 values of 0.06 and 0.07 μM respectively. In contrast, stationary phase cells were comparatively insensitive to dipyridamole with an ic 50 of 46 μM. Amphotericin B restored the sensitivity of stationary phase cells to dipyridamole, lowering the ic 50 value for thymidine incorporation to 0.03 μM. A similar pattern was observed for cytidine incorporation. Amphotericin B also enhanced the growth inhibitory action of dipyridamole in stationary phase cells. The combination of amphotericin B and dipyridamole should be potentially useful in cancer chemotherapy.
Determination of Limiting Amino Acids of Rumen-Isolated Microbial Proteins Fed to Rat

Abstract The limiting amino acids of rumen microbial proteins were determined with rats using the plasma amino acid score method. Results showed that for rumen protozoal protein, histidine was the first limiting amino acid; cystine was the first limiting amino acid for rumen bacterial protein.
Mode selectivity in ion–molecule reactions of NH3+

Ammonia ions (NH3+) are prepared in two internal states of nearly the same energy, a state with five quanta in the umbrella bending mode (Eint=0.60 eV) and another state with one quantum in the all-symmetric stretch and two quanta in the umbrella bending mode (Eint=0.63 eV). These ions are allowed to react with different neutral reagents, and the product ions are mass analyzed and detected. For each reaction, the product branching ratios are measured as a function of center-of-mass collision energy. Whereas reactions with D2O, D2, and CD4 are found to be uninfluenced by the state preparation of the NH3+ reagent, reactions with ND3, partially deuterated methylamine (CD3NH2), and tetrahydrofuran (c-(CH2)4O)show varying degrees of mode selectivity, the reaction with tetrahydrofuran to the least extent. We suggest that mode selectivity in these ion–molecule reactions should be a general feature when the charge transfer channel is energetically open, the geometry of the reagent ion differs markedly from the corresponding neutral, and different reaction pathways compete for product production.
The Equation of Motion of a Dislocation

The elastic field surrounding an arbitrarily moving screw dislocation is found, and a useful analogy with two-dimensional electromagnetic fields is pointed out. These results are applied to a screw dislocation accelerating from rest and approaching the velocity of sound asymptotically. The applied stress needed to maintain this motion is found on the assumption that the Peierls condition is satisfied near the center of the dislocation. A general integral equation of motion is derived for a simplified dislocation model, and the kind of behavior it predicts is illustrated.
Isolation of a suppressor of lymphocyte functions from human malignant melanoma

Abstract The spent media from human malignant melanoma cell culture suppress mitogenic stimulation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes measured by inhibition of [ 3 H]thymidine uptake. The suppressor was isolated from 1.0 M perchloric acid by sequential chromatography on Sepharose 6B-100, Sephadex G-200 and Bio-Gel-P150. The suppressor from spent media of human malignant melanoma cell cultures or serum from patients with malignant melanoma inhibited mitogenic stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal volunteers to a much greater extent than from patients with malignant melanoma or mammary carcinoma.
Ethics and Religion

This essay surveys the relations between ethics and religion in a variety of comparative contexts. It suggests replacing the older paradigms of moral theory, for example, deontology/teleology/consequentialism, with a more supple one deploying law, character, and economics. At the same time, it argues for an emphasis on history and ethnography that will ultimately blur both typologies and disciplinary boundaries. This is a good thing if we wish to understand how people actually think about their moral commitments and the worlds they live in.
Plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity: Diagnostic impact of field of view

Purpose: To examine the impact of retinal field of view and magnification on interexpert reliability of plus disease diagnosis in retinopathy of prematurity. Methods: Fifteen wide-angle images from infants with retinopathy of prematurity were cropped and adjusted in magnification to create 2 additional image categories: medium angle (40°–50°) and narrow angle (20°–30°). These 45 images were uploaded to a Web-based system and interpreted independently by 13 experts of retinopathy of prematurity using a 3-level (plus, preplus, neither) and 2-level (plus, not plus) classification. Absolute agreement and kappa statistics were calculated to compare interexpert reliability. Results: In the 3-level classification, ≥70% experts agreed on the same diagnosis in 8 of the 15 wide-angle images (53%), but only in 3 of the 15 medium-angle (20%) and 3 of the 15 narrow-angle (20%) images. In the 2-level classification, ≥80% experts agreed on the same diagnosis in 11 of the 15 wide-angle images (73%), but only in 9 of the 15 medium-angle (60%) and 3 of the 15 narrow-angle (20%) images. Mean kappa of each expert compared with all other experts was 0.40 to 0.59 in 8 of 13 experts (62%) using wide-angle images, was 0 to 0.19 in 7 of 13 experts (54%) using medium-angle images, and was 0.20 to 0.39 in 9 of 13 experts (69%) using narrow-angle images. Conclusion: Interexpert agreement in plus disease diagnosis in wide-angle images is higher than from medium-angle and narrow-angle images. Plus disease is defined using a narrow-angle standard published photograph, yet this study suggests that peripheral findings also contribute to diagnosis.
Annual cycle of temperature and heat storage in the world ocean

Abstract The annual cycle of temperature and heat storage for the world ocean and individual ocean basins is described based on climatological monthly-mean temperature fields. One well-known feature observed in the fields of temperature and heat storage is the large annual cycle at midlatitudes of both hemispheres that lags the maximum of incoming solar radiation by about three months. Another major feature observed in the heat storage of the Northern Hemisphere is a large annual cycle located at about 12°N. The heat storage in this region is approximately three to four months out of phase with the annual cycle at midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere with the maximum at 12°N occurring around May. The annual range of heat storage at 12°N is as large as the annual range at midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. In tropical oceans the 1argest variability in temperature occurs at subsurface levels and appears to be associated with large-scale redistribution of heat and displacements of the thermocline.
Changes in sensitivity of morphine-induced circling behaviour after chronic treatment and persistence after withdrawal in rats

BEHAVIOURAL effects of morphine may be mediated, at least in part, by functional changes in the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system1. Thus, for example, acute administration of morphine increases the rate of dopamine turnover in the striatum (for examples refs 2–4, and nigrostriatal lesions block symptoms of morphine withdrawal5–7. Spontaneous turning in circles after drug treatment in rats has been reported to be an index of an intrinsic asymmetry between left and right nigrostriatal pathways8–12. We now report that both acute morphine administration and cessation of chronic morphine administration induce this rotation, which persists for at least 2 months after withdrawal. The data suggest that morphine induces the synthesis of an endogenous morphine-like substance13–15 which persists long after morphine is eliminated.
Urbanisation from Below: The Growth of Towns in Jiangsu, China

Urbanisation in China during the Maoist period was largely a consequence of centralised planning and Soviet-type industrialisation dominated by the growth of cities. The towns lost their commercial function and stagnated. Since the reforms of 1978, the growth of towns has emerged as a new force of Chinese urbanisation. This case study of the growth of towns in Jiangsu province shows that enterprises in the towns have attracted a large number of daily commuters and some migrants, resulting in a more diversified pattern of population composition in the towns. The population of the towns is growing at a faster rate than the city population. Manufacturing dominates the employment structure of the designated towns, including county capitals, as well as the rural market towns. The central government of China has not played any active role in the growth of towns. If the towns and town enterprises are allowed to grow for an extended period of time, they may lead to the emergence of a more powerful track of 'urban...
VLS: Simulated system management test infrastructure as a service

Operational cost can account up to 70% of the total IT budget of an enterprise. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for an enterprise scale data center is significantly dependent upon type and quality of the system management solutions deployed. Providing an uniform management solution for heterogeneous set of devices interconnected inside and across data centers that are geographically distributed is a major requirement from all large scale enterprises. Given the limited resources of testing infrastructure, verification of proper operation as well as automated validation of system management software poses a significant challenge. In this paper, we propose a simulation framework, namely VLS (Virtual Lab. Service), offered as a service to address this challenge. Our tool provides simulation for a wide variety of data center configurations that are used by system management solution developers and testers. VLS provides simulated IT infrastructure based on declarative input specification while keeping in mind the current paradigm of sharing and reservation mechanism followed by teams to access lab. equipments over Wide Area Network (WAN).We deployed this service in our lab. environment for testing of two popular storage management suites and present one of our case study to demonstrate these capabilities.
Nonlinear response of liquid crystal spatial light modulators

Experimental results are presented from spatial light modulators, in the form of a liquid crystal light valve and a ferroelectric liquid crystal. The experiments gave attention to the modulated response of the read beam as a function of the write light intensity. Regions of nonlinear response of the modulated read beam are noted.
Photoelectrochemical Performance of ZnSe / CdSe Thin Film Electrodes in Aqueous Polysulfide Electrolyte

ZnSe/CdSe heterostructure thin film electrodes were produced by ternary elemental vacuum evaporation. These electrodes behaved similarly to MIS type devices when tested photoelectrochemically. Auger depth profiling indicated the formation of an electrochemically generated ZnS interface layer that provided an enhanced V/sub oc/ compared to CdSe alone. Efficiencies as high as 5.4% under simulated AM2 conditions were recorded for these electrodes. This work is pertinent to solar cells. 19 refs.
Wind Stress Drag Coefficient over the Global Ocean

Abstract Interannual and climatological variations of wind stress drag coefficient (CD) are examined over the global ocean from 1998 to 2004. Here CD is calculated using high temporal resolution (3- and 6-hourly) surface atmospheric variables from two datasets: 1) the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) and 2) the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS). The stability-dependent CD algorithm applied to both datasets gives almost identical values over most of the global ocean, confirming the validity of results. Overall, major findings of this paper are as follows: 1) the CD value can change significantly (e.g., >50%) on 12-hourly time scales around the Kuroshio and Gulf Stream current systems; 2) there is strong seasonal variability in CD, but there is not much interannual change in the spatial variability for a given month; 3) a global mean CD ≈ 1.25 × 10−3 is found in all months, while CD ≥ 1.5 × 10−3 is prevalent over the North Pac...
Financial Education With College Students: Comparing Peer-Led and Traditional Classroom Instruction

This project compared the learning gains from teaching financial literacy skills to undergraduate students through two methods: traditional classroom instruction and peer financial counseling. Students at a southeastern university received instruction through either a semester-long course on family economics (N = 78) or a one-hour peer-led session (N = 149). Students in the peer sessions received instruction on either budgeting (n = 94) or credit (n = 55). Students in the course received extended instruction on budgeting, credit, and other topics. Comparisons of posttest learning revealed similar gains between the two methods on shared content and on planned financial behaviors. Results suggest additional investigation to explore peer financial counseling for teaching financial literacy skills may be warranted.
Change and Stability in College Women's Orientations Toward Education, Family and Work.

The orientations of female college students toward education, family, and work were assessed in 1969 and 1973. Questionnaires revealed that in both years, the women were more strongly committed to the principles of sexual equality than they were to incorporating these principles into their own lives. Furthermore, although the women sampled in 1973 were markedly more feminist than those of 1969 in their general attitudes toward sexual equality, they were only slightly more feminist in their own personal plans and expectations. Commitment to marriage and motherhood was strong in both samples, but among those intending to combine marriage, motherhood, and a career, there was, in 1973, an increase in the percentage planning a “double-track” career-homemaking pattern and a reduction in the percentage planning to interrupt their careers for childrearing. The data suggest that these changes occurred both among women just entering college and among those who were on campus during this four year period.
Framework for Success: Overcoming Contemporary Challenges of Western Expatriate Managers in the Chinese Hospitality Industry

Exponential growth in the Chinese hospitality industry has fueled an overabundance of hotel job opportunities. The unintended consequences of an untrained workforce have posed a serious challenge to hospitality managers. Western hotel managers are hired for their special knowledge and expertise, and due to a lack of preparation and cultural training, they experience high assignment failure rates. Using the leveraging leader–member exchange theory, this qualitative study collected data from primary sources and revealed key emergent issues facing Western expatriate hotel managers working in China today. Productive culture-specific tactics for Western expatriate managers were offered to enhance team performance.
Tissue distribution of hepatopoietin-A: a heparin-binding polypeptide growth factor for hepatocytes.

Hepatopoietin-A (HPTA) is a heparin-binding polypeptide growth factor which consists of a heavy and a light polypeptide chain with molecular weights of 70,000 and 35,000, respectively. It stimulates DNA synthesis in primary cultures of normal rat hepatocytes in serum-free medium. The complete purification and characterization of HPTA from rabbit serum were reported by us elsewhere. Recently we have determined the amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the rabbit HPTA light chain up to 24 residues and have shown that the sequence is not homologous with other known sequences. [N.B. Human hepatocyte growth factor, recently sequenced by two other groups, is the same molecular species as HPTA.] In the present paper we report the production of a neutralizing polyclonal antiserum raised in chicken against purified rabbit HPTA. This antiserum does not inhibit the mitogenic effect of other potent inducers of hepatocyte DNA synthesis (epidermal growth factor or acidic fibroblast growth factor), nor does it interact with these growth factors in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The antibody recognizes HPTA, as was determined by Western immunoblotting. Since the tissue origin of HPTA is not known, this anti-HPTA antiserum was used to investigate the tissue distribution of HPTA in rabbits by immunohistostaining methods. Acinar cells of the pancreas, neurons of the brain, C cells of the thyroid, ductal cells of the salivary glands, and Brunners glands of the duodenum stained with anti-HPTA antibody. Liver, spleen, thymus, and kidney do not seem to contain appreciable amounts of HPTA. We confirmed these findings by extracting and purifying active HPTA from the stained tissues listed above. The anti-HPTA antibody recognizes HPTA purified from different tissues, as was determined by ELISA, Western immunoblotting, and immunoneutralization experiments.
The application of check-all-that-apply (CATA) consumer profiling to preference mapping of vanilla ice cream and its comparison to classical external preference mapping

This study was conducted to evaluate the use and efficacy of check-all-that-apply (CATA) data for the creation of preference maps, and to compare these maps to classical external maps generated from traditional sensory profiles. Ten commercial vanilla ice cream products were presented to 80 consumers. Consumers answered an overall liking question using the 9-point hedonic scale and a CATA question with 13 attributes which described the sensory characteristics of vanilla ice cream. A trained descriptive panel of 17 individuals developed a profile of 23 attributes for the vanilla ice cream products. Preference maps created by CATA counts were compared to those by descriptive profiles via multiple factor analysis (MFA). The characterization of the products by both sensory methods showed very good agreement between the methods. The MFA of map configurations showed fair agreement between the techniques used to produce the preference maps, indicating that CATA data applied to preference mapping gave similar results to external preference mapping.
Local nonlinearity in S-cones and their estimated light-collecting apertures

When an high frequency grating of high retinal contrast is presented intermittently by modulating its contrast at constant average luminance, observers experience uniform field flicker, even if the grating is too fine to be resolved. For long and middle wavelength cones, this contrast-modulation flicker can be seen for fringe periods as small as the diameter of a cone [MacLeod & He (1993). Nature, 361, 256-258], implying no substantial neural spatial integration prior to the nonlinear site. We now report that the short-wavelength cone system, despite its greater spatial integration than the other cone systems, can generate contrast-modulation flicker at spatial frequencies as high as 50 cycles/deg, a value comparable with that of the other cone systems in the same retinal area. Spatial resolution at the nonlinear site is in all cases apparently limited by the size of the cones. Likewise, little temporal filtering (in the range up to 18 Hz) precedes the S-cone nonlinearity. This suggests that the reduced S-cone system sensitivity for rapid flicker is due to postreceptoral limitations.
A wavelet based methodology for scale-space anisotropic analysis

It is well known that several geophysical fields exhibit characteristic features at different scales. For some such fields scale-space anisotropy is also present, that is, features contributing significant fraction of energy are oriented in different directions at different scales. Examples of such fields include clouds, rainfall, hurricanes etc. A technique based on wavelet transforms (with two-dimensional directionally oriented Morlet wavelet) is developed to analyze such random fields. This methodology has significant advantage over Fourier transform based techniques and is demonstrated using the analysis of a spatial rainfall field.
Closing the loop between evidence-based medicine and care delivery: a possible role for clinical audits in spinal surgery

Abstract Background context Evidence-based medicine (EBM) should be the ultimate force driving change in clinical practice. This process generally occurs through a trickle-down phenomenon by which practice recommendations are revised, modified, and/or changed based on the best published data. Recommendations are subsequently incorporated by individual physicians. The fundamental assumption that drives this paradigm is that adopting evidence-based recommendations and/or treatment guidelines will result in improved outcomes. Unfortunately, to date, the paradigm does not have an effective feedback loop that would then evaluate whether the changes did, in fact, improve outcomes. Purpose To explore the process of clinical audits as a mechanism by which to provide a feedback loop to evaluate the results of spinal surgery on an individual basis and whether those results can be improved. Study design Review article, discussion. Methods A literature review of the current data regarding clinical audits was performed, and a discussion of how they may apply to spinal surgery is offered. Results Clinical audits have been used outside the United States, particularly in the United Kingdom, to fulfill this function. A clinical audit would allow a practicing spinal surgeon to examine his or her individual experience and determine if it is achieving the expected outcome based on published results. In the most important feature of a clinical audit, the reaudit, if an individual's results are found to be inconsistent with published results, it presents an opportunity to identify if there are reconcilable differences from which potential improvements can be made. Effectively, this “closes the loop” between EBM and actual clinical practice. Conclusions Documenting improved outcomes through the audit process can impact spinal care in several ways. Patients would receive a clear message that their doctors are interested in improving care. Hospitals will use the information to optimize treatment algorithms. Finally, insurers might make the audit process more tenable or attractive by indicating a physician's voluntary participation as a criterion to be a preferred provider.