cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Designing Consumer Product Displays for the Disabled

In this portion of an on-going effort to develop human factors guidelines for designing consumer products for the disabled a series of interviews and surveys concerning information displays was conducted in the homes of noninstitutionalized disabled people. The study covered a variety of disabilities, and where possible, individuals with several different levels of a given disability were included.A detailed set of recommendations of specific displays for use on products to be used by disabled people proved impractical because interfaces which are found desirable by one disabled person are often a bad choice for another. It was found that good human factors design is especially appreciated by the disabled who, in general, are very smart consumers.The most significant display usability problem for the sensory disabled subject is the mix of displays often found on top-of-the-line products. There is a ‘space-age/jet cockpit' look which seems to be popular in display design; it is not popular with the disable...
Show us the evidence: a reply to Bartleson's article.

We are grateful for the chance to respond to Dr. Bartleson's review on the use of opioid analgesics for nonmalignant low back pain. He concludes that opioid analgesics have a place in the treatment of persons with low back pain while also highlighting the shortcomings in the literature and lack of properly controlled clinical trials. Our comments are intended to further identify what we know now and where the research needs to go. Anyone involved in the treatment of persons with chronic pain over the past two decades will have recognized the dramatic change in the clinical use of opioids for chronic noncancer back pain. In the early 1980s few advocated prescribing opioids for chronic nonmalignant pain because of the fear that everyone started on this type of therapy would become addicted. A dramatic change in opioid prescribing practices came, in part, by the championing literature of Joranson [1], Portenoy [2], and others who argued, based on their experience with cancer pain patients, that opioids can be effectively and safely managed. At that time, there was little empirical support for this practice, but there was much encouragement to help stop the “needless tragedy of pain”[3]. Unfortunately, the empirical support for chronic opioid therapy remains limited today. The results of our study [4] and others demonstrated that opioid therapy for chronic back pain can be used without significant risk of abuse, and individuals can be compliant …
Unprocessed real-time imaging of vitreoretinal surgical maneuvers using a microscope-integrated spectral-domain optical coherence tomography system

Background We have recently developed a microscope-integrated spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (MIOCT) device towards intrasurgical cross-sectional imaging of surgical maneuvers. In this report, we explore the capability of MIOCT to acquire real-time video imaging of vitreoretinal surgical maneuvers without post-processing modifications.
Assembly of gold nanoclusters on silicon surfaces

The electrostatic association between mercaptosuccinic acid-coated gold clusters, about 2 nm in diameter, and amine silane derivatized silicon was examined. Relatively good coverage takes place in the pH range between 5 and 6 that coincides with the dissociation of the acid coating on the gold clusters. The latter was established by IR spectroscopy taking advantage of the typical carboxylate vibrations that differ from the protonated species. The pKa value of the gold-bound acid was estimated to be 1.3 units higher than that on the free acid. Such displacements are anticipated for monolayers of bases or acids, but it is smaller in the spherical cluster than on flat surfaces. The microstructure of the films may be manipulated through control of pH, contact time, and the nature of the crystalline substrate.
Pattern uncertainty and the discrimination of visual patterns

Sixty Ss individually sorted eight decks of 50 cards each. A deck contained 25 cards each of two stimulus patterns. The patterns were drawn from different sets of five-dot patterns judged to be equivalent. The eight decks represented pairs of patterns drawn (a) from the same equivalence set, (b) from different equivalence sets of the same size, and (c) from different equivalence sets of different sizes. Sorting times were shown to increase with increasing size of equivalence set, and were shown to be greater for patterns drawn from within the same equivalence set than for patterns drawn from different equivalence sets. Ratings of pattern goodness were found to be useful predictors of sorting time only in their capacity to discriminate between equivalence sets of different sizes. The results were interpreted as supporting the importance of equivalence set membership in a discrimination task where the S logically does not have to consider stimuli other than the given criterion stimuli.
Complete surgical resection combined with aggressive adjuvant chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation prolongs survival in children with advanced neuroblastoma.

Background: A multi-modality approach combining surgery with aggressive chemotherapy and radiation is used to treat advanced neuroblastoma. Despite this treatment, children with advanced disease have a 20% 2-year survival rate. Controversy has developed regarding the efficacy of combining aggressive chemotherapy with repeated surgical intervention aimed at providing a complete surgical resection (CSR) of the primary tumor and metastatic sites. Several prospective and retrospective studies have provided conflicting reports regarding the benefit of this approach on overall survival. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of CSR versus partial surgical resection (PSR) using a strategy combining surgery with aggressive chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for stage IV neuroblastoma.
Marital quality revisited: A replication and extension of the JWEB model

Using empirical data from the 1987–1988 National Survey of Families of Households, this research replicates and extends the marital quality model developed in 1986 by Johnson, White, Edwards, and Booth (the JWEB model). Both conventional and multiple‐sample confirmatory factor analyses indicate that there is a great consistency of the five‐dimensional, two‐factorial marital quality model among marital unions across numerous subpopulations of gender, race, child‐bearing status, marital history, and marital duration. In addition, as the same marital quality model is extended to cohabitational unions, the results are also consistent across the same diverse subpopulations. Although the findings are highly invariant and congruent with the JWEB model, it is concluded that, regardless of the union formation (marital or cohabitational), the JWEB model is a useful and generalizable research tool for evaluating relationship quality in the United States.
Behavioral effects of neonatal irradiation of the cerebellum. I. Qualitative observations in infant and adolescent rats

The cerebellum of rats was irradiated from birth with daily doses of 200r for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10 days. The animals were killed at fixed periods after irradiation and at various ages for histological evaluation of the cerebellum or they were permitted to survive for a prolonged period for behavioral testing. Gross measurement indicated that anteroposterior growth of the cerebellum was retarded as a function of the number of doses delivered except in animals that received a single dose of of 200 r. A number of pre- and post-weaning qualitative behavioral observations (tremor, ataxia, level of activity) correlated with the retardation of cerebellar development produced by the irradiation schedules, though some behavioral recovery was noted in the older animals.
An oligopurine sequence bias occurs in eukaryotic viruses

Twenty four DNA and RNA viral nucleotide sequences, comprising over 346 kilobases, have been analyzed for the occurrence of strings of contiguous purine or pyrimidine residues. On average strings greater than or equal to 10 contiguous purines or pyrimidines are found three and a half times more frequently than would be expected for a random distribution of bases. Detailed analysis of the 172 kilobase Epstein-Barr viral sequence shows that the bias in favor of contiguous purine residues increases with the length of the purine string. These findings are similar to those seen for genomic DNA from higher eukaryotes. In contrast no overrepresentation of oligopurine or oligopyrimidine strings is observed in 52 kilobases from eight bacteriophage and E. coli DNA sequences.
Institutional Investor Guide to FX: How Corporations are Dealing with FX Risk

Statement No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, was issued in June 1998 and broadly adopted by public U.S. corporations during 2000 and 2001. Adoption of this accounting standard was a watershed event, as it determines to a very large degree, the exposure categories of measurement and risk management including hedge coverage ratios, hedge terms and hedge product trade-offs. This article will discuss the most significant exposure categories and the major accounting and hedge practices of each.
Power Flow through Controlled Piezoelectric Actuators

In this paper we investigate the power requirements of a piezoelectric actuator operating in a damping augmentation loop. When the piezoelectric actuator is driven by a current amplifier, we show that acceleration feedback augments the damping of the structure without changing the stiffness. Using this controller, we determine the real and reactive power flow through the structure and actuator into the amplifier when the structure is excited with a sinusoidal disturbance force. Estimates of the real and reactive power flow in terms of the actuator parameters are given. These estimates are useful for sizing the drive amplifier for the actuator.
Enhanced Excitability Induced by Ionizing Radiation in the Kindled Rat

Evidence derived from both clinical and experimental investigations has suggested an influence of ionizing radiation on focal epileptogenicity. To better characterize this influence we applied focal ionizing radiation to a kindled epileptic focus in the rat amygdala. The right and left basolateral amygdala and right frontal cortex were implanted with concentric bipolar electrodes. Rats were kindled through a minimum of 10 stage 5 seizures by afterdischarge-threshold electrostimulation of the left amygdala, after which generalized seizure thresholds were determined prior to irradiation. The left amygdala was exposed to single-fraction central-axis doses of either 18 or 25 Gy using a beam-collimated (60)Co source (1.25 MeV). Generalized seizure thresholds were then redetermined at weekly intervals for 10 weeks and at monthly intervals for an additional 3 months. We observed no significant changes in seizure threshold during the postirradiation interval; however, we did observe persistent changes in seizure dynamics manifesting within the first week postirradiation. These consisted of an increased tendency for seizure activity to propagate into brain stem circuits during the primary ictus (i.e., "running fits") and an increased tendency for secondary convulsions to emerge postictally. These effects involving seizure dynamics have not been reported previously and appear to represent a radiation-induced disinhibition of one or more neural circuits. The disparity between these effects and earlier reports of seizure-suppressive effects resulting from analogous radiation exposures is discussed in relation to kindling and status epilepticus-induced pathogenesis within the hippocampus.
Genetic regulation of storage protein content in maize endosperm

Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis reveals that zein prepared from normal maize inbred (Zea mays L.) contains six separable components. Z1 and Z2 are the predominant species, with molecular weights of 21,800 and 19,000 daltons. Amino acid analysis of these two components shows that both are rich in glutamic acid, leucine, and proline, but low in lysine. Of the four minor bands, Z3, Z4, Z5, and Z6, the latter two exist only in trace amounts. A mutation at the opaque-2 locus severely suppresses the synthesis of Z1. The nonallelic mutant, opaque-7, strongly suppresses the synthesis of Z3 and Z4, while slightly reducing Z2. On the other hand, the floury-2 mutant appears to reduce the synthesis of these six proteins in the same relative proportion. In the double mutant combinations, opaque-2 apparently is epistatic to opaque-7 and floury-2 in the synthesis of zein components. The glutelin fraction shows a more complex banding pattern; however, qualitative differences are not apparent among the mutant lines examined.
Fundamental Issues of Nanofluid Behavior

This paper will elucidate some of the behaviors of nanofluids other than the abnormal conductivity enhancement, which are of importance to the experimental and engineering use of nanofluids. Nanofluid is the common name of any sol colloid involving nanoscale (less than 100nm) sized particles dispersed within a base fluid. It has been shown previously that the dispersion of nano-particulate metallic oxides into water can increase thermal conductivity up to 30–40% over that of the base fluid and anomalously more than the mere weighed average of the colloid. There is a great potential for the use of nanofluids as a way to enhance fluid/thermal energy transfer systems. Due to the recentness of nanofluid science, there are still many issues which have not been fully investigated. This paper should act as a primer for the basic understanding of nanofluid behavior. Particle size and colloid stability are of key importance to the functionality of nanofluids. The pH and concentration/loading of nanofluids can alter the size of the nanoparticles and also the stability of the fluids. It will be shown through experiment and colloid theory the importance of these parameters. Furthermore, most of the existing literature uses volume percentage as the measure of particle loading, which can often be misleading. There will be discussion of this and other misleading ideas in nanofluid science.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Nitrogen content in feces and the diet of Sika deer on the Boso Peninsula, central Japan

Fecal and rumen nitrogen content of Sika deer (Cervus nippon Temminck 1838) on the Boso Peninsula, central Japan, were analyzed concerning their seasonal fluctuations and local differences at four areas on the Boso Peninsula. The mean fecal nitrogen was high in August and low in February in all the areas. The seasonal variation, however, was relatively small. This may be the result of the following reasons: the Boso deer feed on evergreen broad-leaves containing a high and stable nitrogen content in winter; little snow falls there; and the deer consume foods relatively low in nitrogen in summer. The fecal and rumen nitrogen content in both summer and winter depended on deer density.
Combinations of Physiologic Estrogens with Xenoestrogens Alter ERK Phosphorylation Profiles in Rat Pituitary Cells

BackgroundEstrogens are potent nongenomic phospho-activators of extracellular-signal–regulated kinases (ERKs). A major concern about the toxicity of xenoestrogens (XEs) is potential alteration of r...
Evaluating cochlear function and the effects of noise exposure in the B6.CAST + Ahl mouse with distortion product otoacoustic emissions

Cochlear function and susceptibility to noise over-exposure were examined in the congenic mouse strain B6.CAST+Ahl (B6.CAST) and compared to these same features in the CAST/Ei (CAST) and C57BL/6J (C57) parental strains. For both types of comparisons, the primary measure was the distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) at 2f1-2f2. Our assumption was that the B6.CAST mouse was corrected for the early onset age-related hearing loss (AHL) exhibited by one of its parental strains (C57) by the age-resistant properties of its other parental strain (CAST), and thus would exhibit neither AHL nor susceptibility to noise overstimulation effects. With respect to cochlear function, for 2.5-month mice, there was a tendency for DPOAEs to be slightly lower for mid-frequency primary tones for both C57 and B6.CAST mice, while the former mice showed clear AHL effects at the highest test frequency. However, by 5 months of age, the B6.CAST mice, like the CAST mice, displayed robust DPOAE levels that were significantly larger than DPOAE levels for the C57 mice, which were essentially absent for frequencies above about 30 kHz. To investigate the role of the Ahl gene in the susceptibility of the cochlea to the effects of noise over-exposure, two distinct paradigms consisting of temporary (TTS: 1-min, 105-dB SPL, 10-kHz pure tone) and permanent (PTS: 1-h, 105-dB SPL, 10-kHz octave band noise) threshold-shift protocols were used. The brief TTS exposure produced reversible reductions in DPOAEs that for both the B6.CAST and CAST mice recovered to within a few dB of their baseline levels by 3 min post-exposure. In contrast, the C57 mice recovered somewhat slower and, by 5 min post-exposure, emission levels were still 5 dB or more below their corresponding pre-exposure values. At 3 months of age, the TTS mice along with another group of naive subjects representing the same three mouse strains were exposed to the PTS paradigm. By 4 days post-exposure, for B6.CAST and CAST mice, DPOAE levels had recovered to their pre-exposure control levels. However, DPOAEs for the C57 mice at most of the measurable frequencies were at least 10-30 dB lower than their counterpart baseline levels. Together these data suggest that the Ahl allele in the C57 strain contributes to both the early onset AHL exhibited by these mice as well as their susceptibility to both TTS and PTS over-exposures.
Turnover prediction using attitudes towards benefits, pay, and pay satisfaction among employees and entrepreneurs in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the efficacy of predicting turnover for employees and entrepreneurs from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania using attitudes towards benefits, pay satisfaction, pay, gender, and age across a four‐year time frame.Design/methodology/approach – A survey that included information on attitudes towards benefits and pay satisfaction was used to collect data from 153 Estonian, 157 Latvian, and 146 Lithuanian employees and 243 Latvian, 103 Estonian, and 109 Lithuanian entrepreneurs. The turnover of the employees and business owners was then followed over a four‐year time period with assessments done each year allowing for an examination of temporal variations in the relationships over time. Actual salary/income data was also obtained from organizational records.Findings – It was found that for the employee samples the classification rates increased slightly as compared to base rates over time (e.g. did better the longer the time period included), while for the employers the classif...
Structural analysis of apolipoprotein A-I: limited proteolysis of methionine-reduced and -oxidized lipid-free and lipid-bound human apo A-I.

The domain structures of lipid-free and lipid-bound apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) containing reduced and oxidized methionines were analyzed by limited proteolysis. Lipid-free apo A-I is cleaved prim...
Steady-State Fluorescence-Based Investigation of the Interaction between Protected Thiols and Gold Nanoparticles

The first demonstration of thioester and thiocarbonate binding to gold is provided via steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy of probe molecule adsorption onto a nanoparticle surface. Both thioester 1 and thiocarbonate 2 bind noncovalently to gold from aqueous solution, with 2 possessing a greater affinity for the gold surface relative to 1. The surface-bound molecules assemble into high packing densities comprising molecular footprints of 24.5 ± 1.0 A2 per molecule. Both 1 and 2 deprotect catalytically on the gold surface to yield hydrolysis products and surface-bound thiolate. This process is thermally activated and can be described by an Arrhenius-type expression with activation energies of 14.0 and 16.7 kcal/mol for 1 and 2, respectively. The results presented herein demonstrate the role of gold in catalyzing thioester and thiocarbonate hydrolysis and diversify the synthetic repertoire of organosulfur functional groups that can be used for binding to gold.
Increasing the B/N ratio in boron nitride nanoribbons, a possible approach to dilute magnetic semiconductors

Density functional theory (DFT) employing the local spin density approximation and including correlation functionals is used to show that increasing the boron content relative to the nitrogen content in boron nitride nanoribbons can significantly reduce the band gap making the ribbons semiconducting. Armchair ribbons, but not zigzag ribbons, having excess borons are predicted to have a more stable optimized triplet structure than the optimized singlet structure. The triplet structure is predicted to have a higher density of states at the top of the valence band near Fermi level for the spin down state indicating it could be a ferromagnetic semiconductor. The results suggest a possible new approach to developing ferromagnetic semiconductors.
Preparation and in Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Silver-Bearing Degradable Polymeric Nanoparticles of Polyphosphoester-block-Poly(l-lactide)

The development of well-defined polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) as delivery carriers for antimicrobials targeting human infectious diseases requires rational design of the polymer template, an efficient synthetic approach, and fundamental understanding of the developed NPs, e.g., drug loading/release, particle stability, and other characteristics. Herein, we developed and evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial activity of silver-bearing, fully biodegradable and functional polymeric NPs. A series of degradable polymeric nanoparticles (dNPs), composed of phosphoester and L-lactide and designed specifically for silver loading into the hydrophilic shell and/or the hydrophobic core, were prepared as potential delivery carriers for three different types of silver-based antimicrobials-silver acetate or one of two silver carbene complexes (SCCs). Silver-loading capacities of the dNPs were not influenced by the hydrophilic block chain length, loading site (i.e., core or shell), or type of silver compound, but optimization of the silver feed ratio was crucial to maximize the silver loading capacity of dNPs, up to ca. 12% (w/w). The release kinetics of silver-bearing dNPs revealed 50% release at ca. 2.5-5.5 h depending on the type of silver compound. In addition, we undertook a comprehensive evaluation of the rates of hydrolytic or enzymatic degradability and performed structural characterization of the degradation products. Interestingly, packaging of the SCCs in the dNP-based delivery system improved minimum inhibitory concentrations up to 70%, compared with the SCCs alone, as measured in vitro against 10 contemporary epidemic strains of Staphylococcus aureus and eight uropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli. We conclude that these dNP-based delivery systems may be beneficial for direct epithelial treatment and/or prevention of ubiquitous bacterial infections, including those of the skin and urinary tract.
Redefining the Class of Qualitative States—A Reply to Shoemaker

The so-called qualia-type objections to functionalism seem to imply that some qualitative states are not functionally definable (or identical to some functional state type). In “Functionalism and Qualia,” Sydney Shoemaker concedes that functionalists can allow for some types of mental states to be functionally undefinable without committing themselves to a view that cannot account for the class qualitative states. If qualitative states are construed as a relation of qualitative similarity, Shoemaker argues that qualia are functionally definable, and thus do not pose a serious problem for functionalists. In this paper I argue that (i) Shoemaker’s argument against the possibility of absent qualia is untenable, (ii) if cases of absent-qualia are possible, then Shoemaker’s reconciliation fails, and (iii) even if his reconciliation succeeds in functionally defining the class of qualitative states, it still fails to account for qualitative states being capable of existing independently from functional characterization.
Movement patterns of stream fishes in a Ouachita Highlands stream: an examination of the restricted movement paradigm

Abstract The restricted movement paradigm (RMP), which states adult fish do not move out of a pool or restricted stream reach, does not fully define the movements of stream fishes. Although stream fishes may spend the majority of their time in a home pool, they also make regular exploratory trips away from the home pool. Recapture of Ouachita Highlands stream fish marked with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags showed that the majority of the uniquely marked fish in this study were in the pools of initial collection. The following percentages of marked fish were recaptured outside the pool of initial collection: 12% of creek chub Semotilus atromaculatus; 33% of blackspotted topminnow Fundulus olivaceus; 12% of green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus; and 14% of longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis. Standard lengths and weights did not differ significantly between nonmobile and mobile recaptured fish, and patterns of multiple recaptures indicated exploratory, round-trip movements. Such regular exploratory trips...
1106 Amifostine (A), cisplatin (C), Vinblastine (V): A highly active regimen for non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Monthly cycles of A, 740–910 mg/m2, C, 120 mg/m2 were given on Day 1 & V, 5 mg/m2 weekly to 24 Stage IIIA/B & 23 stage IV NSCLC pts. After 2 cycles ACV, Stage III pts received 60 Gy chest RT. 67% stage III, 65% Stage IV responded to ACV. Median follow-ups for Stage III and IV pts are 31 & 15 mos; 1 year survivals are 53% & 60%, respectively. Median survival for Stage III is 16 mos and for Stage IV is estimated to be 17 mos. The spectrum of toxicities from ACV were similar in Stage III/IV pts. A was given on day 1 to protect from C toxicities. Though transient increases in serum creatinine ≥ 2 mg/m2 were noted, protracted elevations lasting beyond day 28 occurred in only 6% (3/47). 11 stage IV pts received ≥ 4 cycles therapy. None sustained ≥ 40% reduction from baseline creatinine clearance (CrCl). This is in contrast to other trials using ≥ 4 cycles of 100 mg/m2 C in which 30–45% of the pts sustained ≥ 40% decrease in CrCl. Grade 4 neutropenia primarily related to weekly V given without A occurred in 46% of cycles. Toxicities from A were nausea/vomiting & transient hypotension. We conclude that amifostine appears to improve the therapeutic index of CV in NSCLC as evidenced by both high response rates & reduced cumulative renal toxicity. This is being tested in a multicenter randomized trial.
Analyzing Neighborhood Accessibility via Transit in a GIS Environment

Abstract Most existing research on accessibility and spatial mismatch deal with commutes via private automobile. Low-income inner city residents, who tend to have lower rates of car ownership, rely more heavily on public transport for commuting. This paper analyzes the role that public transport plays in providing accessibility to the opportunities provided by various industries in Milwaukee. Based on an integration of place and location accessibility and network analysis technology, the paper develops a new accessibility measurement technique that is better suited for commuting by transit. The analysis indicates that neighborhoods of Milwaukee's inner city north, where there is a high concentration of African-American population, has poor accessibility by transit to urban opportunities in most industries. The results support the spatial mismatch hypothesis that central city residents suffer from poor accessibility to jobs because current public transport facilities were designed to carry workers from sub...
Expression of cholinergic markers in the pons of Flinders rats

Abstract The Flinders sensitive line of rats (FSL rats) have an altered REM sleep pattern which includes a shorter REM sleep latency and an increased percentage of REM sleep [R.M. Benca, D.H. Overstreet, M.A. Gilliland, D. Russell, B.M. Bergmann, W.H. Obermeyer, Increased basal REM sleep but no difference in dark induction or light suppression of REM sleep in Flinders rats with cholinergic supersensitivity, Neuropsychopharmacology 15 (1996) 45–51; P.J. Shiromani, D.H. Overstreet, D. Levy, C.A. Goodrich, S.A. Campbell, J.C. Gillin, Increased REM sleep in rats selectively bred for cholinergic hyperactivity, Neuropsychopharmacology 1 (1988) 127–133]. Cholinergic mechanisms have been implicated in REM sleep generation [reviewed in P.J. Shiromani, J.C. Gillin, S.J. Henriksen, Acetylcholine and the regulation of REM sleep: basic mechanisms and clinical implication for affective illness and narcolepsy, Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 27 (1987) 137–156]. In the present study, specific aspects of the cholinergic system were examined in the pontine region of the FSL rats. The number of cholinergic neurons in the LDT and PPT were not different in FSL and control rats. Analysis of steady state levels of mRNAs encoding the acetylcholine synthesizing protein, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) or the m2, m3 and m5 muscarinic receptor subtypes were also comparable in FSL and control rats. These data raise the possibility that the cellular events underlying the altered REM sleep pattern in FSL rats may include mechanisms that effect the muscarinic or nicotinic receptor in the pons.
An 'incomplete-repair' model for survival after fractionated and continuous irradiations

An incomplete-repair (IR) model of survival after fractionated or continuous irradiation is derived from the concept of ‘dose-equivalent’ of incomplete repair. The model gives reasonably good predi...
IV. Effect of Subtilin on the Course of Experimental Anthrax Infections in Guinea Pigs.

ConclusionsSubtilin has been shown to produce a powerful action on the course of experimental anthrax infections in guinea pigs. Animals treated with subtilin 9 hours after being injected with the organism were protected from the infection. The antibiotic exhibited no apparent toxic reaction in the animals.
Surface chemistry and polymer film thickness effects on endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation.

Adherence and growth rates of human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) on plasma polymerized poly(vinylacetic acid) films were measured as functions of the surface density of —COOH groups and plasma deposited film thickness. Pulsed plasma polymerization was employed to produce films containing 3.6 to 9% —COOH groups, expressed as a percent of total carbon content. Endothelial cells exhibited increased cell adherence and proliferation with increasing —COOH surface densities. Additionally, and unexpectedly, cell growth was also dependent on the film thicknesses, which ranged from 25 to 200 nm. The results indicate that optimization of the functional group surface density and film thickness could produce significant enhancements in initial adhesion and subsequent growth of the HAEC cells.
The ductile-brittle transition of some amorphous alloys

Abstract The ductile-brittle transition temperature for a number of amorphous transition metal-metalloid alloys was determined and related to composition. It was found that the embrittlement temperature decreased rapidly with the addition of phosphorus to the alloys. The magnetic moment of the (Fe, Ni) (P, B) alloys was obtained from saturation flux density measurements and related to embrittlement temperature. The results indicate that embrittlement in the alloys with phosphorus is caused by segregation of the phosphorus and is not related to filling of the d-shells of the iron atoms nor to the number of elements in the alloy.
Simple orientational control over cylindrical organic–inorganic block copolymer domains for etch mask applications

Abstract Bottom-up patterning methodologies, predicated on chemical self-assembly, have the potential to transcend limitations associated with more traditional lithographies. By controlling the domain orientation of a cylinder-forming organic–inorganic block copolymer, poly(styrene-block-ferrocenyldimethylsilane), it is possible to straightforwardly fabricate massive arrays of either nanoscale dots or wires out of a film composed of a wide variety of materials. In the work reported here, orientational control is achieved by manipulating the polymer film thickness in concert with the annealing treatment. For films much thinner than the equilibrium periodicity of the microdomains, the cylinders spontaneously orient themselves perpendicular to the substrate. Films with thickness close to the equilibrium periodicity exhibit the more common in-plane orientation following thermal annealing. Solvent annealing leads to an in-plane orientation for the full range of film thicknesses studied. As a demonstration of the effectiveness of this method, semiconductor substrates were patterned with arrays of posts and wires, respectively, using the same starting polymeric material as the etch mask. Compatibility of this polymer with various substrate materials is also demonstrated.
Status and Mobility of Catholics vis‐a‐vis Several Protestant Denominations: More Evidence*

IN RECENT YEARS, several authors have shown that over the past two or three decades the status of Catholics in America has risen more rapidly than that of Protestants (see Greeley, 1963; Bressler and Westoff, 1963; Mack et al., 1956; Vaughn et al., 1966; and Lipset and Bendix, 1959). A recent and well-documented article by Glenn and Hyland (1967) demonstrates beyond reasonable doubt that Catholics are now of higher average status than Protestants as a category. Several other studies in the recent past (Lenski, 1961; Pope, 1955; and Hollingshead and Redlich, 1958) have shown that Catholics were, until recently, of lower average status than Protestants as a category, and lower than most large individual Protestant denominations. If this was in fact the case, then the higher current status of Catholics necessarily means Catholics have been more mobile than Protestants. Among the more commonly-accepted reasons for the apparent "mobility advantage" of Catholics are those expressed by Glenn and Hyland (1967). They say: "The more favorable distribution of Catholics by region and community size could mask a religiously-based handicap, and there are reasons to believe that it does." They argue that since Catholics are more urban and more concentrated in the non-southern regions than are Protestants, and status and mobility in these areas are higher than in the country generally, these facts explain the nationwide Catholic advantage in status. Curiously, Glenn and Hyland claim that their data support Greeley's (1963) finding that Catholics have no mobility disadvantage, but hold that Lenski (1961) and Lipset and Bendix (1959) were right in their conclusions that Protestants were more mobile than Catholics.
Managed care experiences of clinical neuropsychologists

Abstract Although the eventual outcomes of what has become known as ‘health care reform’ are still far from clear, it is essential that clinical neuropsychologists begin to evaluate and respond, individually and as a discipline, to the evolving changes in national health care. With timely information regarding the impact of these changes in health care management, neuropsychologists can proactively develop, distribute, and implement expectations regarding appropriate standards of care among policy makers and reimbursement sources. Within this context, the results of a brief national survey of beliefs, experiences, and concerns of 259 clinical neuropsychologists are discussed. In sum, the majority of clinical neuropsychologists believe that health care ‘reform’, will have a negative effect on their practice, and many report serious difficulties already experienced under managed care systems. At least one third of clinical neuropsychologists sampled have experienced reductions in income levels, hourly reimb...
Binding Items and Contexts The Cognitive Neuroscience of Episodic Memory

In order to remember a past event, the brain must not only encode the specific aspects of an event but also bind them in a manner that can later specify the spatiotemporal context in which event occurred. Here, I describe recent research aimed at characterizing the functional organization of two brain regions—the medial temporal lobes and the prefrontal cortex—that allow us to accomplish this task. Converging evidence indicates that different regions of the medial temporal lobes may form representations of items, contexts, and item-context bindings and that areas in the prefrontal cortex may implement working-memory control processes that allow us to build meaningful relationships between items that are encountered over time. The results are compatible with an emerging model that generates novel predictions at both the behavioral and neural levels.
Normalization of Amniotic Fluid Levels After Fetoscopic Laser Surgery for Twin‐Twin Transfusion Syndrome

Objective. The purpose of this study was to describe amniotic fluid (AF) normalization after laser surgery for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Methods. Patients with TTTS (n = 174) who had laser surgery from 2006 through 2009 underwent serial measurements of the AF maximum vertical pockets (MVPs) during postoperative weeks 1 through 10. A normal MVP was defined as greater than 2 cm and less than 8 cm. Postoperative TTTS criteria required an MVP of 2 cm or less in one sac and 8 cm or greater in the other sac. Patients with septostomy, immediate fetal death, or missing MVP values were excluded. Results. Inclusion criteria were met by 115 patients. Normalization of the MVP occurred by week 5 in donors and week 8 in recipients in approximately 95% of the cases. Recipient fetuses with Quintero stage 3 or 4 TTTS (J Perinatol 1999; 19:550-555) were more likely to have an abnormal MVP than those with stage 1 or 2 TTTS during weeks 3 and 4 (P = .0049) and 5 and 6 (P = .0239). The criteria for TTTS were met in 6 cases (6.9%) in week 1: 5 resolved spontaneously, and 1 (1.2%) had persistent TTTS and required a second laser surgery. After week 1, 6 additional patients had abnormal MVP values for both fetuses simultaneously: 1 met TTTS criteria in week 3; 2 had oligohydramnios in week 2; and 3 had polyhydramnios in weeks 2, 4, and 7; none of these patients required further interventions. Conclusions. Although the AF of individual donor and recipient fetuses may take several weeks to normalize after laser surgery for TTTS, it is rare for both fetuses to meet TTTS criteria beyond the first postoperative week. I.
Targeting of vaccinia virus using biotin-avidin viral coating and biotinylated antibodies.

Introduction To test a general method for altering the tropism of viral vectors, we conjugated targeting antibody to the surface of recombinant vaccinia virus with a biotin-avidin-biotin linker and assessed the resulting infectivity in target cells and controls. Materials and methods We biotinylated a vaccinia viral vector and used avidin to crosslink the biotinylated viral surface to a biotinylated antibody specific for a molecule on the surface of a target cell. In an in vitro model system, we coated a recombinant vaccinia construct containing the E. coli β-galactosidase gene with antibody to the murine class I MHC molecule Db. Target cells were B78H1 murine melanoma cells transduced with either the Db gene or, as a control, the Kb gene. Infectivity was assessed by staining target cells with x-gal to demonstrate expression of virally delivered β-galactosidase. This technique was also assessed in a second system with vaccinia/β-gal targeted to the murine B7.2 molecule. The infectivity of the resulting construct was assessed for murine SA1 fibrosarcoma cells transfected with the B7.2 gene and for wild-type, B7.2-negative SA1. Experiments were repeated in each system with similar results. Results This strategy demonstrated antibody-mediated viral targeting in both the B78H1 and the SA1 models. Importantly, addition of the targeting coat diminished the infectivity of the modified vaccinia for control cells but preserved infectivity for targeted cells. In the B78H1 system, Db-targeted vaccinia consistently had 2- to 3-fold greater infectivity for B78H1Db than B78H1Kb. Increasing the number of avidin molecules used per virion in the synthesis of the viral coat led to greater selectivity but decreased overall infectivity. In the SA1 system, B7.2-targeted vaccinia demonstrated completely ablated infectivity for control SA1 cells, but maintained infectivity for target SA1/B7.2 cells. Conclusions Recombinant viral vectors such as vaccinia may be coated with biotin/avidin and linked to biotinylated antibodies to preferentially target specific cell types in vitro. Such an approach may be useful in targeting recombinant lytic viruses to tumors for destruction and in immune up-regulation in vivo. Similarly, this approach may enhance nonlytic viruses for gene therapy applications.
Two Cases of Incontinentia Pigmenti Simulating Child Abuse

In the United States 1.4 million children were maltreated in 1988, resulting in an estimated 2000 to 5000 deaths.1Largely due to the rising awareness and sensitivity to the horrors of child abuse, the number of deaths declined to approximately 1500 in 1993.2 Guidelines have been published to aid in the identification and management of child maltreatment,3 and reporting of all suspicious cases is mandated by law. In our zealous efforts to protect children, some families are investigated because of misdiagnosed abnormalities, often cutaneous,4 leading to the unintentional injury of both patients and their families.5 In this report, we describe two patients with cutaneous and/or visceral manifestations of incontinentia pigmenti (IP) who were initially thought to be victims of child abuse.
Optically-active hybrid nanostructures: Injection of hot plasmonic electrons, exciton-plasmon interaction, chirality and related applications

Summary form only given. Excitons and plasmons in nanocrystals strongly interact via Coulomb and electromagnetic fields and this interaction leads to characteristic interference effects which can be observed in optical spectra [1-6]. An interaction between a discrete state of exciton and a continuum of plasmonic states gives rise to Fano-like asymmetric resonances and anti-resonances [2,4]. These interference effects can strongly enhance visibility of relatively weak exciton signals and can be used for spectroscopy of single nanoparticles and molecules. If a system includes chiral elements (chiral molecules or nanocrystals), the exciton-plasmon interaction is able to alter and enhance circular dichroism (CD) of chiral components [5-8]. In particular, the exciton-plasmon interaction may create new chiral plasmonic lines in CD spectra of biomolecule-nanocrystal complexes [5,7]. Strong CD signals may also appear in purely plasmonic systems with a chiral geometry and a strong particle-particle interaction [6,8]. Recent experiments on molecule-nanocrystal and multi-nanocrystal complexes showed the appearance of strong plasmonic signals in CD spectra [7,8]. Potential applications of dynamic hybrid nanostructures include sensors and new optical and plasmonic materials.
Large aperture phase error measurement and effects

Clinical measurements and computer simulations were conducted to determine the effects of phase errors on image quality in large aperture systems. Using a 3.5-MHz 24.5-mm receive aperture, phase errors were measured across the left breasts of female volunteers at the Duke University Medical Center. These results were compared to results from the authors' previous studies with small aperture systems. Using a beamforming computer program, point spread functions (PSFs) were generated in the presence of the measured phase error profiles. Data from sections of the aperture were used to demonstrate that phase aberration causes more severe degradation as aperture length increases. Highly similar phase error profiles (correlation coefficient=0.98) were found to produce quite different PSFs (correlation coefficient=0.66) for large aperture systems. >
Minimal Realizability of Intuitionistic Arithmetic and Elementary Analysis

A new method of “minimal” readability is proposed and applied to show that the definable functions of Heyting arithmetic (HA)—functions f such that HA ⊢ ∀x∃!yA(x, y) ⇒ for all m, A(m, f(m)) is true, where A(x, y) may be an arbitrary formula of ℒ(HA) with only x,y free—are precisely the provably recursive functions of the classical Peano arithmetic (PA), i.e., the < e0-recursive functions. It is proved that, for prenex sentences provable in HA, Skolem functions may always be chosen to be < e0-recursive. The method is extended to intuitionistic finite-type arithmetic, , and elementary analysis. Generalized forms of Kreisel's characterization of the provably recursive functions of PA and of the no-counterexample-interpretation for PA are consequently derived.
Characterizing the entangling capacity of n-qubit computations

The state space H n of n quantum bits of data is exponentially large, having dimension 2. The (pure) local states which correspond to each individual quantum bit being in an isolated one-qubit state, i.e. those which are tensor products, form a much smaller orbit of ⊗ n 1 U(2).|00...0) of linear dimension within the state space. Hence most states are non-local, or entangled. The concurrence function on quantum data states is one measure of entanglement, intuitively capturing an exponentially small fraction of the phenomenon. This paper reports numerical tests of how concurrence changes as one applies a quantum computation u to a pure n quantum-bit data state |ψ). We make strong use of a mathematical tool for factoring u = k 1 a k 2 into subcomputations, namely the CCD matrix decomposition. The concurrence dynamics of a computation |ψ) → u|ψ) are in a certain sense localized to the a factor, and so our actual numerics concentrate on |ψ) → a|ψ). This is a great simplification, since an arbitrary unitary evolution may vary over 4 n - 1 real degrees of freedom, while the a ∈ A of the appropriate form for the CCD matrix decomposition may vary over 2 n - 1 or 2 n/2 - 1 as n = 2p, 2p - 1.