cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The dilemma of undocumented immigrants with ESRD

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) 2010 Spring Clinical Meetings will take place April 13-17 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, Fla. These multi-disciplinary meetings will present opportunities for renal healthcare providers to learn new developments related to all aspects of nephrology, and are designed for nephrologists in the private sector and academia, fellows and residents with a special interest in kidney disease, general internists, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses and technicians, social workers, and renal and clinical dietitians. In a session entitled “Special Issues in Minority Populations,” the NKF will provide a forum for discussion of “Dialysis of Undocumented Immigrants,” among other topics. The following article presents the viewpoint of Rudy A. Rodriguez, MD, who will be speaking at that session. Dial.
Low specific activity of rare allozymes of α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase in Drosophila

ELECTROPHORETIC surveys of Drosophila species1 show that many gene–enzyme systems are essentially monomorphic. Very often, however, one or more populations may contain rare alleles, that is, at frequencies less than 5%. Are these alleles selectively neutral and rare because of historical accidents2 or are they deleterious and maintained in populations only through mutation? The dimeric enzyme α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (αGPDH) is a good example of an essentially monomorphic Drosophila gene–enzyme system. Out of the 101 species of Drosophila surveyed thus far for electrophoretic variation of αGPDH (refs 3–5), only D. melanogaster is polymorphic. This polymorphism seems to be maintained by selection with temperature being, or strongly correlated with, the selective agent6–8. Microcomplement fixation experiments indicate that this enzyme is evolving slowly among Drosophila species and has accepted relatively few changes in its structure9. We propose that the rare alleles of the αGPDH locus found in some species (see ref. 5) may be at low frequencies because the products of these alleles (allozymes) are catalytically less efficient than their ‘wild-type’ counterparts.
Low‐field galvanomagnetic properties of nickel

Measurements of the Hall effect, transverse and longitudinal magnetoresistance have been made for Ni in the range 4.2–300 K in applied fields up to 6T. The aim is to improve the understanding of spin‐orbit coupling, particularly the side‐jump and skew components of the Hall effect. The results are described by a two‐band model corresponding to s↑ and s↓ itinerant electrons. Below ∼20 K, where s‐d scattering is precluded, the s↑ and s↓ electrons have unequal relaxation times due to the magnetisation. The transverse magnetoresistance is large. There is no skew scattering. Increasing temperature in the range 20–100 K equalises the s↑ and s↓ lifetimes; the transverse magnetoresistance goes to zero. The Hall effect indicates a field‐dependent relaxation time for s↑, s↓ electrons. Only at the highest temperatures (≳∼150 K) does a side‐jump component appear.
Correlation between microstructure, electrical and optical properties of nanocrystalline NiFe1.925Dy0.075O4thin films

Dysprosium-doped nickel-ferrite (NiFe1.925Dy0.075O4) thin films were fabricated using sputter-deposition using a stoichiometric bulk target prepared by the solid state chemical reaction. The structural, electrical and optical properties of NiFe1.925Dy0.075O4 thin films were studied in detail. The grain-size (L) and lattice-expansion effects are significant on the electrical and optical properties of NiFe1.925Dy0.075O4 films. Air annealing (Ta) at 450–1000 °C results in the formation of nanocrystalline NiFe1.925Dy0.075O4 films, which crystallize in the inverse spinel structure, with L = 5–40 nm. The lattice constant of NiFe1.925Dy0.075O4 increases compared NiFe2O4 due to Dy-doping. Electrical conductivity of NiFe1.925Dy0.075O4 films (at 300 K) decreases from 1.07 Ω−1 m−1 to 3.9 × 10−3 Ω−1 m−1 with increasing Ta (450 to 1000 °C). Conductivity was found to decrease exponentially with decreasing the temperature from 300 K to 120 K indicating the characteristic semiconducting nature of all the films. Band gap increases from 3.17 to 4.08 eV for NiFe1.925Dy0.075O4 films with increasing Ta from 450 to 1000 °C. A correlation between grain-size, electrical conductivity and optical band gap in nanocrystalline NiFe1.925Dy0.075O4 films is established.
Thick and Thin Public Sentiments and the Politics of Immigration in Europe

Abstract“Thick moralities” are those that reflect the values or way of life of a community, while “thin” moralities are those that reflect more basic claims to decency that can be recognized across even the most diverse moral communities. I use the 2008 European Values Study to examine attitudes towards immigration and the politics of left and right in the European Union and in the Schengen Area. I show that thick preferences increase opposition to immigration in Europe and that thin preferences increase openness to immigration. I also demonstrate that thick values lead to support for the right and that thin values lead to support for the left in the majority of the countries studied.
Effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α and PPAR-γ agonists on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Aims/hypothesis The aim of the study was to examine the effects of pioglitazone (PIO), a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonist, and fenofibrate (FENO), a PPAR-α agonist, as monotherapy and in combination on glucose and lipid metabolism.
The Great Merger Movement in American Business, 1895-1904

Between 1895 and 1904 a great wave of mergers swept through the manufacturing sector of the United States' economy. This book explores the causes of the mergers, arguing that there was nothing natural or inevitable about turn-of-the-century combinations. Despite this conclusion, the author does not accept the view that they were necessarily a threat to competition. She shows that most of these consolidations were less efficient that the new rivals that appeared almost immediately, and they quickly lost their positions of market dominance. More over, in most of those few cases where consolidations proved to be more efficient, the nation was better off for their formation. Some exceptions occurred, however, and in these instances anti-trust policy should have had a significant role to play. Unfortunately, the peculiar division of power and authority that characterizes the Federal system of government prevented an effective policy from emerging. Ironically, anti-trust policy proved much more effective against small firms in relatively competitive industries than large firms in oligopolistic ones.
Two-level optimization of airframe structures using response surface approximation

In this paper, a two-level optimization approach is developed for the preliminary and conceptual design of airframe structures. The preliminary design, involving a single objective multidisciplinary optimization, constitutes the lower level where ASTROS (Automated STRuctural Optimization System) is employed for multidisciplinary optimization. The conceptual design, which is carried out at the upper level, aims mainly at configuration design. The multiple objectives are incorporated as a single objective function by using the K-S function formulation. The objective function and constraints at the upper level are modelled through response surface approximation. During the upper level optimization process, the branch and bound method is applied for solving the problem with discrete design variables. The proposed strategy is demonstrated by the optimization of an Intermediate Complexity Wing (ICW) model.
The impact of affective information on the professional judgments of more experienced and less experienced auditors

This study examines whether the presence of realistic, yet irrelevant, affective information differentially influences the professional judgments of more experienced and less experienced auditors. In this study, auditors with different experience levels were either provided or not provided with information designed to elicit a negative interpersonal emotional reaction towards a manufacturing client when making an inventory obsolescence risk judgment. The results indicate that the inventory obsolescence risk assessments of less experienced auditors were significantly higher when they were provided with negative affective information on a client than when no such information was provided. No such differences were found for the more experienced auditors. This study suggests that professional experience is one factor that influences individuals' assessments of the informational value of affective reactions. This has implications for developing effective training programs to increase professionals' awareness of the influence that emotional reactions can have on their judgment. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Monitoring Trends in Drug Use: Strategies for the 21st Century

Since the 1970s the United States and other nations have conducted regular statistical monitoring of the prevalence and patterns of drug use in their populations. Given the importance of such surveys for policymaking, their quality is a critical issue, and the biases that may affect their measurements become a major concern. An increasing volume of empirical evidence shows that the mode of administration of a survey can strongly influence the validity of respondents' reports. Compared with interviewer-administered questionnaires, self-administered forms appear to elicit more complete reporting of drug use, but the challenges they pose to the literacy skills of respondents may result in measurement biases. In addition, processes of social change may confound true shifts in drug use with changes in the willingness of respondents to report such use. The authors propose several strategies to improve monitoring of trends in drug use. Those approaches include 1) more frequent use of a survey technology—audio co...
In patients with a first episode of severe alcoholic hepatitis non-responsive to medical therapy, early liver transplant increases 6-month survival.

Commentary on: Mathurin P, Moreno C, Samuel D, et al. Early liver transplantation for severe alcoholic hepatitis. N Engl J Med 2011;365:1790–800.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] In its most severe form, alcoholic hepatitis is associated with jaundice, coagulopathy, leucocytosis and rapid deterioration to death.1 When used in conjunction with abstinence from alcohol, corticosteroids improve 6-month survival for such severely affected patients.2 Treatment failures are identified after 7 days of therapy, using a simple mathematical instrument (http://www.lillemodel.com).3 Patients with alcoholic hepatitis who are unresponsive to medical management have a dire 6-month mortality. Widely-used selection rules exclude patients with alcoholic hepatitis from liver transplantation (LT) unless they demonstrate 6 months of abstinence from alcohol.4 ,5 The study by Mathurin et al used … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DNew%2BEngland%2BJournal%2Bof%2BMedicine%26rft.stitle%253DNEJM%26rft.issn%253D0028-4793%26rft.aulast%253DMathurin%26rft.auinit1%253DP.%26rft.volume%253D365%26rft.issue%253D19%26rft.spage%253D1790%26rft.epage%253D1800%26rft.atitle%253DEarly%2Bliver%2Btransplantation%2Bfor%2Bsevere%2Balcoholic%2Bhepatitis.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1056%252FNEJMoa1105703%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F22070476%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1056/NEJMoa1105703&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=22070476&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F18%2F1%2F21.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000296762800008&link_type=ISI
Inhibition of Respiration in Cats by ELF Electric Fields

Cats (Felis domestica) were exposed acutely to electric fields in the frequency range from 0.1 to 50 Hz using contact electrodes. A marked reduction in respiration rate was observed. The maximum sensitivity was of the order of 1 V/m at frequencies of 0.5-2 Hz. Using multiple electrode sites, it was found that the primary locus of action was near the first vertebra. No effects on cardiac frequency were observed at any frequency with fields up to those which caused visible neuromuscular stimulation.
Genetic background influences natural killer cell activation during bacterial peritonitis in mice, and is interleukin 12 and interleukin 18 independent

Some mouse strains produce strong pro-inflammatory, T-helper (Th)1 responses (e.g. C57BL/6), or strong anti-inflammatory, Th2 responses (e.g. BALB/c). The exact mechanisms for development of distinct immune responses to infection are not completely understood, although cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-12, IL-18 and IL-4 are known to play roles. Natural killer T (NKT)/natural killer (NK) cells are important regulators of immune responses in infection and non-infection models, and NKT/NK activation is also regulated by IL-12 and IL-18 in many models. We investigated the role of IL-12/IL-18 in NKT/NK activation in murine bacterial peritonitis, as well as differential NKT and NK cell activation in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. No differences in NKT or NK cell activation or intracellular interferon (IFN)-gamma were determined between mice given control, anti-IL-12 or anti-IL-18 antibodies or in NKT/NK cell activation in STAT4-/- mice (deficient in IL-12 signaling) or wild type controls. However, there were significant differences in the activation of NKT and NK cells between C57BL/6 mice and BALB/c mice, with NKT/NK cytokine production following Th1 or Th2 lines dependent on strain. This suggests a role for NKT and NK cell activation in the development of Th1 and Th2 responses during bacterial infection independently of IL-12 or IL-18.
Synthesis and antibacterial activity of peptide deformylase inhibitors.

Peptide deformylase catalyzes the removal of the N-terminal formyl group from newly synthesized polypeptides in eubacteria. Its essential character in bacterial cells makes it an attractive target for antibacterial drug design. In this work, we have rationally designed and synthesized a series of peptide thiols that act as potent, reversible inhibitors of purified recombinant peptide deformylase from Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. The most potent inhibitor has a KI value of 11 nM toward the B. subtilis enzyme. These inhibitors showed antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) as low as 5 μM (∼2 μg/mL). The PDF inhibitors induce bacterial cell lysis and are bactericidal toward all four bacterial strains that have been tested, B. subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, and E. coli. Resistance evaluation of one of the inhibitors (1b) against B. subtilis showed that no resistant clone could be found f...
Ameloblastoma of the mandible with cervical lymph node metastasis.

Ameloblastoma is an uncommon, slowgrowing, odontogenic epithelial tumor. This lesion is thought to originate from precursor cells of the tooth follicle, and invades the spongy trabecular matrix of the mandible and maxilla. It extends with finger-like projections, making complete resection difficult with curettage or conservative local excision1 Although histologically benign, the tumor may invade local structures; metastases to regional nodes or distant sites such as lung, liver, and skin, although reported, are rare. Because of its invasive characteristics, this tumor is capable of causing significant disfigurement and morbidity. On rare occasions individuals succumb to this disease, more often when it occurs in the maxilla. There have been nine reported cases of ameloblastoma with cervical lymph node metastasis.2*3 This case serves to emphasize the potentially recurrent, aggressive nature of this tumor, despite seemingly adequate resection.
Excitatory and inhibitory consequences of explicitly unpaired and truly random conditioning procedures on heart rate in rats

A comparison was made of heart-rate (HR) responses of restrained rats to CSs that were part of an explicitly unpaired or a truly random control procedure. Subsequent to these procedures, an assessment was made of the relative capacities of these CSs to affect an established HR CR in a combined-cue paradigm and to impede the development of a HR CR in a reversal-conditioning situation. The principal findings were (1) that the explicitly unpaired and truly random CSs generated HR responses of opposite direction, i.e., HR acceleration vs. HR deceleration, respectively, and (2) that conditioning of a decelerative HR CR to the CS that had earlier been employed in the explicitly unpaired procedure was retarded compared to what was obtained to the truly random CS. The two CSs did not have reliably different effects in the combined-cue test. It was suggested that the truly random CS may have produced both associative and nonassociative influences on HR. It was hypothesized further than the explicitly unpaired CS may have acquired the capacity to function as a conditioned inhibiting stimulus.
Diving decompression models and bubble metrics: Modern computer syntheses

A quantitative summary of computer models in diving applications is presented, underscoring dual phase dynamics and quantifying metrics in tissue and blood. Algorithms covered include the multitissue, diffusion, split phase gradient, linear-exponential, asymmetric tissue, thermodynamic, varying permeability, reduced gradient bubble, tissue bubble diffusion, and linear-exponential phase models. Defining relationships are listed, and diver staging regimens are underscored. Implementations, diving sectors, and correlations are indicated for models with a history of widespread acceptance, utilization, and safe application across recreational, scientific, military, research, and technical communities. Presently, all models are incomplete, but many (included above) are useful, having resulted in diving tables, underwater meters, and dive planning software. Those herein employ varying degrees of calibration and data tuning. We discuss bubble metrics in tissue and blood as a backdrop against computer models. The past 15 years, or so, have witnessed changes and additions to diving protocols and table procedures, such as shorter nonstop time limits, slower ascent rates, shallow safety stops, ascending repetitive profiles, deep decompression stops, helium based breathing mixtures, permissible reverse profiles, multilevel techniques, both faster and slower controlling repetitive tissue halftimes, smaller critical tensions, longer flying-after-diving surface intervals, and others. Stimulated by Doppler and imaging technology, table and decompression meter development, theory, statistics, chamber and animal testing, or safer diving consensus, these modifications affect a gamut of activity, spanning bounce to decompression, single to multiday, and air to mixed gas diving. As it turns out, there is growing support for many protocols on operational, experimental, and theoretical grounds, with bubble models addressing many concerns on plausible bases, but with further testing or profile data analyses requisite.
Ventral petrous meningiomas: unique tumors.

Abstract Introduction This study aims to analyze our experience with petrous meningiomas (PM), testing the hypothesis that these tumors have different histologic subtypes and operative outcome depending on the site of origin in reference to the internal auditory canal (IAC). Methods Fifty-eight patients with PM were reviewed retrospectively. Tumors were classified as posterior (PPM; n = 29), superior (SPM; n = 8), and ventral petrous (VPM; n = 19), in reference to the IAC. Two patients had multiple meningiomas arising from different parts of the petrous bone. Petroclival, clival, and jugular tubercle meningiomas were excluded. All patients were operated through a suboccipital retrosigmoid approach. Clinical presentation, tumor size, involvement of IAC, extent of resection, outcome, and tumor histology were analyzed. Results Simpson grade I and II resection was achieved in 84.5%: 96.6% in PPM, 100% in SPM, and 57.9% in VPM. Fibrous histology accounted for 69% in PPM, 62% in SPM, and only 10.5% in VPM, whereas meningothelial histology was seen 27.6%, 25%, and 68.4%, respectively. Postoperative hearing loss was the most frequent operative complication, and was seen in 31.6% of VPM, as compared to none in PPM or SPM. Conclusions Ventral petrous meningiomas are clearly different tumors in their histology and operative outcome. The predominance of meningothelial histology in this location may imply a different tumorigenesis as compared to other PM. Ventral petrous meningiomas should be viewed as a distinct group of tumors.
Dermatitis due to zinc deficiency associated with prolonged malnutrition and total parenteral nutrition

Zinc is an essential element in over 70 metalloenzymes that are involved in a wide variety of biochemical reactions and physiological processes such as synthesis of RNA and DNA, the immune response, wound healing, growth and development, utilization of vitamin A, and maintaining the integrity of membranes of cells and organelles. Zinc deficiencies are rare under normal circumstances because the usual diets throughout the world contain ample zinc to meet normal human daily requirements of about 15 mg. Deficiencies of zinc usually result from unusual diets with high cereal content and little or no animal proteins, and are manifested clinically by such disorders as hypogonadal dwarfism, hepatosplenomegaly, anemia teratogenesis, impaired senses of taste and smell, and dermatologic problems, including acrodermatitis enteropathica. We have added 2 case reports to the recently reported cases of acute dermatoses, with lesions resembling those of acrodermatitis enteropathica, associated with total parenteral nutrition and due to zinc deficiency resulting from inadequate intake of zinc and increased excretion of zinc in patients who already may have been depleted from nutritional disturbances that placed them in a catabolic state. Amino acid solutions for total parenteral nutrition, especially the newer crystalline amino acid solutions, contain amounts of zinc that are inadequate for these patients. The acute dermatoses resemble impetigo caused by bacteria, yeast, or fungi, but do not respond to appropriate treatment for these kinds of lesions. They respond readily to parenteral zinc therapy and probably can be prevented by giving adequate zinc parenterally during total parenteral nutrition.
Excitation and inhibition as a function of posttraining extinction of the excitatory cue used in pavlovian inhibition training

Abstract Water-deprived rats served in a conditioned lick-suppression paradigm designed to assess the associative structure underlying a partially reinforced Pavlovian inhibitor. In all experiments, a Pavlovian conditioned inhibition procedure was used in which Stimulus A was consistently reinforced with footshock, and a simultaneous compound of Stimuli A and X was partially reinforced (25%) with footshock (i.e., A + AX± ). Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that Stimulus X passed an inhibitory summation test and that postraining extinction of Stimulus A decreased this summative effect. Experiment 3 indicated that Stimulus X passed a retardation test for inhibition and that posttraining extinction of Stimulus A decreased the observed retardation. Experiment 4 provided evidence that posttraining extinction of Stimulus A increased responding to Stimulus X on a direct test for excitation. Thus, extinction of Stimulus A was found to decrease Stimulus X's response potential on retardation and summation tests for inhibition and to increase Stimulus X's response potential on a test for excitation. These observations suggest that the associative response potentials of a stimulus are not solely functions of the associative strength of that stimulus. After partially reinforced Pavlovian inhibition training, Stimulus X and Stimulus A appear to have an inverse relationship in influencing associative responding to Stimulus X regardless of whether responding is measured with tests for inhibition or excitation.
Identification of a weak adsorption state of carbon monoxide on highly dispersed, alumina-supported platinum

Abstract Temperature-programmed desorption of CO from 0.1 wt% Pt Al 2 O 3 was measured as a thin wafer of the material was heated in vacuum. At a Pt dispersion of 100% ( CO Pt = 0.92 ), a relatively tall, narrow CO desorption peak was obtained at low temperatures (355 K at 0.93 K s −1 ) followed by a low, broad desorption band extending to 750 K. As the Pt dispersion decreased to 80% ( CO Pt = 0.70 ) and then 70% ( CO Pt = 0.64 ) as a result of pretreatment in O 2 and H 2 , the fraction of CO that desorbed in the low-temperature peak decreased and the fraction of CO that desorbed in the broad desorption band increased. At Pt dispersions below 40%, only a broad desorption band was obtained, a result which is in agreement with data reported by others. The low-temperature peak is interpreted as desorption of CO from very small Pt particles ( 2 O 3 . The broad desorption band is interpreted as CO desorption from larger Pt particles. Results from experiments performed at different heating rates indicate that the enthalpy of CO adsorption in the state that corresponds to the low-temperature peak is 74 ± 4 kJ mol −1 , an adsorption energy which is lower than energies obtained from measurements of CO desorption from Pt single crystal surfaces.
Multiresolution time-domain analysis of plane-wave scattering from general three-dimensional surface and subsurface dielectric targets

The multiresolution time domain (MRTD) is used to analyze wide-band plane-wave scattering from general dielectric targets embedded in a lossy half-space, with free-space scattering as a special case. A Haar wavelet expansion is used for simplicity, this constituting a generalization of the widely used finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. In addition to developing the mathematical formulation, example results are presented for several targets, with the MRTD results validated through comparison with an independent frequency-domain method-of-moments solution and an FDTD model.
Angiogenesis and apoptosis.

This review assembles the laboratory and clinical evidence that cytotoxic chemotherapy and antiangiogenic therapy are each dependent on endothelial cell apoptosis. During cytotoxic chemotherapy, apoptosis of endothelial cells in the vascular bed of tumors precedes apoptosis of tumor cells, even when the tumor has been made drug resistant. Administration of an angiogenesis inhibitor which is not directly cytotoxic to tumor cells can increase tumor cell apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth by inhibiting endothelial proliferation and migration and/or by inducing endothelial apoptosis. Furthermore, oncogene expression and loss of tumor suppressor gene activity can at once protect tumor cells against apoptosis and increase their angiogenic output. Both of these survival advantages conferred on the tumor can be overcome by antiangiogenic therapy. They can also be overcome by cytotoxic chemotherapy administered on a low dose 'antiangiogenic schedule' which continuously exposes endothelial cells in the tumor bed to the drug. As a result, endothelial apoptosis can be demonstrated to precede tumor cell apoptosis, and tumors regress or are inhibited, whether or not the tumor cells are resistant to the drug, and with little or no host toxicity. In contrast, cytotoxic chemotherapy administered on a 'conventional schedule' of maximal tolerated dose followed by an off-therapy interval, becomes ineffective after drug resistance is acquired. On the basis of these experimental findings, chemotherapy of cancer may possibly be improved-i.e. decreased drug resistance and decreased toxic side-effects-by changing dose and schedule to maximize apoptosis of endothelial cells in the vascular bed of tumors. Further improvement may be achieved by combining angiogenesis inhibitors with 'antiangiogenic chemotherapy'.
Optical coherence tomography: technology and applications

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has recently emerged as a powerful optical imaging instrument and technology. OCT performs high resolution, cross-sectional tomographic imaging of the internal structure in 3D materials including biological tissues. Advantages of OCT vs. other imaging systems are: 1) High resolution: enables greater visualization of defects. (OCT: 5-10 microns, ultrasound: 150 microns. High resolution CT: 300 microns. MRI: 1,000 microns). 2) Noninvasive, non-contact: increase ease of use. 3) Fiber-optics delivery: allows OCT to be used in catheters and endoscopes. (Fiber diameter is normally 125 microns). 4) High speed: enables high-resolution 3D imaging. 5) Potential for additional information: polarization contrast and spectroscopic information can be obtained concurrently yielding new information of the testing tissues. 6) Use of non-harmful radiation. In this paper, we shortly review the technologies of OCT and present our works in design and implementation of fiber based OCT systems and full-field OCT systems, including high performance swept source, fibre probe, hardware, software design as well as system configurations. The applications of OCT involving in medical imaging, industrial inspection, information storage and retrieval, as well as biometrics and document security are also briefly introduced and demonstrated.
Genital sex pheromones of ixodid ticks: Evidence for the role of fatty acids from the anterior reproductive tract in mating of Dermacentor variabilis and Dermacentor andersoni

Abstract Chemical analysis and male bioassay responses were used to investigate possible components of the genital sex pheromone of D. variabilis and D. andersoni . Bioassays with D. variabilis indicated greatest responses to myristic, palmitic, stearic, arachidic, and behenic fatty acids as well as myristic and stearic methyl esters. Responses of D. variabilis decreased with changes in chain length, different functional groups and unsaturation. Bioassays with D. andersoni indicated greatest responses to palmitic acid as well as moderate responses to other fatty acids and methyl esters. Chemical analysis revealed the presence of myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids and several unknown compounds in the vaginal lumen and on the external gonopore area. Total free fatty acids in vaginal extracts were 24.8 ng/female equivalent in D. variabilis and 297.2 ng/female equivalent in D. andersoni . Saturated free fatty acids ranging in chain length from C14 to C22 appear to serve as components of the genital sex pheromone of D. variabilis and D. andersoni . Most of these components are present in the lumen of the vestibular vagina and on the external gonopore surface.
AN IMPROVED COMPOUND ESTIMATOR FOR ROBUST REGRESSION

ABSTRACT Advances in statistical computing software have led to a substantial increase in the use of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models in the engineering and applied statistics communities. Empirical evidence suggests that data sets can routinely have 10% or more outliers in many processes. Unfortunately, these outliers typically will render the OLS parameter estimates useless. The OLS diagnostic quantities and graphical plots can reliably identify a few outliers; however, they significantly lose power with increasing dimension and number of outliers. Although there have been recent advances in the methods that detect multiple outliers, improvements are needed in regression estimators that can fit well in the presence of outliers. We introduce a robust regression estimator that performs well regardless of outlier quantity and configuration. Our studies show that the best available estimators are vulnerable when the outliers are extreme in the regressor space (high leverage). Our proposed comp...
A FIRE-y PAGE in the Computational Analysis of Cancer Profiles

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Goodarzi et al. (2009) employ novel computational approaches to demonstrate the power of global systems biology analyses in elucidating cancer biology.
Multicolor display of spectral attributes

Current spectral decomposition techniques typically generate a suite of tightly sampled instantaneous spectral attribute volumes. While there is useful information in these instantaneous spectral attribute volumes, it is not easy for seismic interpreters to individually inspect each one. Typical volumetric analysis will generate between 10 and 100 output volumes of both magnitude and phase, which can easily fill up the limited disk space available on an interpretation workstation. As a partial solution to this challenge, Liu and Marfurt (2005) combined peak frequency and peak amplitude to highlight channel systems.
Accuracy of functional surfaces on comparatively modeled protein structures

Identification and characterization of protein functional surfaces are important for predicting protein function, understanding enzyme mechanism, and docking small compounds to proteins. As the rapid speed of accumulation of protein sequence information far exceeds that of structures, constructing accurate models of protein functional surfaces and identify their key elements become increasingly important. A promising approach is to build comparative models from sequences using known structural templates such as those obtained from structural genome projects. Here we assess how well this approach works in modeling binding surfaces. By systematically building three-dimensional comparative models of proteins using Modeller, we determine how well functional surfaces can be accurately reproduced. We use an alpha shape based pocket algorithm to compute all pockets on the modeled structures, and conduct a large-scale computation of similarity measurements (pocket RMSD and fraction of functional atoms captured) for 26,590 modeled enzyme protein structures. Overall, we find that when the sequence fragment of the binding surfaces has more than 45% identity to that of the template protein, the modeled surfaces have on average an RMSD of 0.5 A, and contain 48% or more of the binding surface atoms, with nearly all of the important atoms in the signatures of binding pockets captured.
Increased uptake of vital dye hoechst 33342 during S phase in synchronized HeLa S3 cells

Uptake of the vital dye Hoechst 33342 (HO342) was studied in HeLa S3 cells synchronized with hydroxyurea or thymidine. Cell monolayers were incubated with 0.05-0.5 micrograms/ml HO342 for 1-10 min at 37 degrees C, and the fluorescence intensity of DNA-bound intracellular dye was then measured in a flow cytometer. Modal fluorescence intensity normalized to DNA content was used as a measure of the dye uptake. No efflux of the dye from vitally stained cells was observed during 2 hr at 37 degrees C in a monolayer or at 20 degrees C in a suspension. HO342 uptake increased within in 1 hr after the renewal of progression (early S phase), achieved a maximum level in 2 hr (mid-S phase) and returned to the initial level in 4 hr (late S-G2 phase). The pattern of increased uptake of HO342 was similar in cells synchronized with either hydroxyurea or with thymidine. To estimate the relationship between fluorescence and dye uptake, the amount of dye released by Triton X-100 after vital staining was measured. The method for this measurement was based on the simultaneous addition of chicken erythrocytes ("indicator cells") with Triton X-100. Fluorescence intensity of chicken erythrocytes was significantly higher in the mixture containing mid-S phase than in the mixture containing asynchronous or late S-G2 cells. Thus the fluorescence after vital staining with HO342 reflected HO342 uptake and, possibly, fluctuations of membrane permeability. The period of maximal HO342 uptake in synchronized cells was also characterized by a a high sensitivity of cytotoxic effects of adriamycin. Uptake of HO342 at nonsaturating concentrations may be used as a marker of cell sensitivity and resistance to a number of cytotoxic compounds.
Fibrous hamartoma of infancy

Fibrous harmartoma of infancy is a benign soft tissue tumor that occurs in the first few years of life. Although the lesion is not distinctive clinically, it has a characteristic microscopic appearance. Only 12 cases of fibrous hamartoma of infancy have been reported in the dermatology literature.
Dye leveling in PET fibers. I: The effect of fiber morphology and carrier

Migration of dye from darker fibers to lighter ones was quantitively studied by placing fibers dyed to equilibrium with undyed ones in a common bath, measuring dye concentrations in the fibers as a function of time. 2X, 4X, and 6X fibers were heat-set and boiled before the experiment. Disperse red 15 was the dye, and 13 g/L benzoic acid was used as a carrier in some of the tests. Structural measurements indicated a glass transition temperature reduction of ca. 20°C in the presence of the carrier, with a large corresponding increase in dye diffusivity and migration rate. At long times (7–22 h) however, the diffusivity decreased because of a 4–5% increase in crystallinity. The rates of leveling corresponded to the diffusivities, confirming that leveling for a given dye is controlled by polymer molecular mobility. It was possible to reverse the carrier effect by boiling the fibers in a bath containing no carrier. Pretreatment of the fibers with carrier was ineffective; it was necessary for carriers to be present in the leveling bath. In the absence of carrier, the Tg was above the dyeing temperature and diffusion and migration were very slow. Voids formed by the previous presence of carrier, observed by small angle X-ray scattering, tended to collapse. This resulted in migration behavior similar to fibers not exposed to benzoic acid.
Applicability of decahydroacridine-1,8-dione derivatives as fluorescent probes for monitoring of polymerization processes

Abstract The behavior in polymerizable media of 3,3,6,6-tetramethyldecahydroacridine-1,8-diones substituted with aromatic rings at the 9- or 10-position has been studied. It has been found that the fluorescence of acridinediones shifts to shorter wavelengths upon polymerization of the medium, and this qualifies them as fluorescent molecular probes for monitoring the progress of polymerization processes. The shift in fluorescence is accompanied by a slow decomposition of the acridinediones to a fluorescent product under photopolymerization conditions. Acridinedione decay was slower than the polymerization of a typical photocurable formulation, thus allowing one to follow the progress of polymerization by fluorescence. The influence of the photoproduct on the monitoring of polymerization has been avoided by optimization of the monitoring parameters. Application of the acridinediones as fluorescent molecular probes for large scale applications in the coating industry is proposed.
Symptomatology and Anatomic Patterns of Peripheral Vascular Disease: Differing Impact of Smoking and Diabetes

We retrospectively examined the impact of smoking and diabetes on the clinical presentation and arteriographic pattern of occlusion in 227 patients evaluated for symptomatic infrainguinal arterial disease. The age at which significant symptomatology developed did not differ for diabetics and nondiabetics. Diabetics had significantly more occlusion in the large arteries of the calf, however, particularly in the peroneal and posterior tibial arteries. Despite this, the extent of occlusive disease in the pedal arch was not influenced by diabetes. Diabetics also tended to present more frequently with gangrene or ulcer (greater than 70%) when compared to nondiabetic smokers (41%, p less than .01). Smokers presented with symptomatic disease earlier than nonsmokers (p less than .0005). Intermittent claudication was strongly associated with smoking; among 33 patients with claudication, 32 were smokers. In contrast to the effect of diabetes, smokers appeared to have less extensive occlusive disease in the large arteries of the calf than nonsmokers. Nondiabetic nonsmokers constituted less than 10% of our study population and presented at a significantly older age. Nevertheless, despite the absence of either risk factor, this group also tended to present with gangrene or ulcer relatively frequently (71%). Although diabetes and smoking are both risk factors for atherosclerotic disease, we conclude that their impact on the angiographic pattern of occlusion and clinical presentation differs substantially.
Coherence-enhanced surface plasmon polariton propagation length

We theoretically demonstrate, an order of magnitude enhancement in propagation length of SPPs (visible wavelength) along a metal-phaseonium interface via quantum coherence. Such coherence effects hold promise for quantum control in the field of nanophotonics.
Deposition and characteristics of chromium nitride thin film coatings on precision balls for tribological applications

Abstract Thin film hard coatings on rolling element surfaces can enhance the overall wear resistance of rolling element bearings, as demonstrated previously for coated tapered, cylindrical, and spherical roller bearings. Hard coatings in ball bearings are less common because of the difficulty in achieving uniform film thickness on a ball surface. This limitation is overcome by a new process for depositing chromium nitride coatings with uniform thickness on precision balls using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) e-beam evaporation. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the deposited films were smooth and conformal on the ball surfaces with no areas of localized delamination. Auger electron spectroscopy confirmed that Cr2N and CrN bulk film stoichiometry was achievable by modulating the argon to nitrogen process gas ratio during deposition. Transmission electron microscopy revealed dense, polycrystalline film structure. Film hardness and elastic modulus as measured using nanoindentation on the coated balls met expectations for chromium nitride, and tribological testing of the coated balls in angular contact ball bearings under moderate contact stress levels demonstrated adequate film adhesion for practical use of these coatings in bearing applications.
Cocaine and Pavlovian fear conditioning: Dose–effect analysis

Emerging evidence suggests that cocaine and other drugs of abuse can interfere with many aspects of cognitive functioning. The authors examined the effects of 0.1 – 15 mg/kg of cocaine on Pavlovian contextual and cued fear conditioning in mice. As expected, pre-training cocaine dose-dependently produced hyperactivity and disrupted freezing. Surprisingly, when the mice were tested off-drug later, the group pre-treated with a moderate dose of cocaine (15 mg/kg) displayed significantly less contextual and cued memory, compared to saline control animals. Conversely, mice pre-treated with a very low dose of cocaine (0.1 mg/kg) showed significantly enhanced fear memory for both context and tone, compared to controls. These results were not due to cocaine’s anesthetic effects, as shock reactivity was unaffected by cocaine. The data suggest that despite cocaine’s reputation as a performance-enhancing and anxiogenic drug, this effect is seen only at very low doses, whereas a moderate dose disrupts hippocampus and amygdala-dependent fear conditioning.
Site Response and Attenuation in the Puget Lowland, Washington State

Simple spectral ratio (ssr) and horizontal-to-vertical (h/v) site- response estimates at 47 sites in the Puget Lowland of Washington State document significant attenuation of 1.5- to 20-Hz shear waves within sedimentary basins there. Amplitudes of the horizontal components of shear-wave arrivals from three local earthquakes were used to compute ssrs with respect to the average of two bedrock sites and h/v spectral ratios with respect to the vertical component of the shear-wave arrivals at each site. ssr site-response curves at thick basin sites show peak amplifications of 2 to 6 at frequencies of 3 to 6 Hz, and decreasing spectral amplification with increasing frequency above 6 Hz. ssrs at nonbasin sites show a variety of shapes and larger resonance peaks. We attribute the spectral decay at frequencies above the amplification peak at basin sites to attenuation within the basin strata. Computing the frequency-independent, depth-dependent attenuation factor ( Q s ,int ) from the ssr spectral decay between 2 and 20 Hz gives values of 5 to 40 for shallow sedimentary deposits and about 250 for the deepest sedimentary strata (7 km depth). h/v site responses show less spectral decay than the ssr responses but contain many of the same resonance peaks. We hypothesize that the h/v method yields a flatter response across the frequency spectrum than ssrs because the h/v reference signal (vertical component of the shear-wave arrivals) has undergone a degree of attenuation similar to the horizontal component recordings. Correcting the ssr site responses for attenuation within the basins by removing the spectral decay improves agreement between ssr and h/v estimates.
THE EFFECT OF OZONE ON BELOW-GROUND CARBON ALLOCATION IN WHEAT

Short-term 14 CO2 pulse and chase experiments were conducted in order to investigate the eAect of ozone on below-ground carbon allocation in spring wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L. ‘ANZA’). Wheat seedlings were grown in a sand-hydroponic system and exposed to either high ozone (38‐40 ppm-h) or low ozone (23‐31 ppm-h) for 21 days in a series of replicated experiments. Following the ozone exposures, the plants were pulsed with 14 CO2 and allocation of 14 C-labeled photosynthate was measured in the plant and growth media. Soluble root exudates were measured, without disturbing the plant roots, 24 h after the 14 CO2 pulse. Shoot biomass was reduced by 17% for the high ozone and 9% for the low ozone exposures, relative to control treatments. Root biomass was reduced by 9% for the high ozone exposures, but was not significantly diAerent than the controls for the low ozone. The amount of 14 C activity in the shoot and root tissue 24 h after the 14 CO2 pulse, normalized to tissue weight, total 14 CO2 uptake, or the total 14 C retention in each plant, was not aAected by either high or low ozone exposures. The amount of 14 C activity measured in the growth media solution surrounding the roots increased 9% for the high ozone exposures, and after normalizing to root size or root 14 C activity, the growth media solution 14 C activity increased 29 and 40%, respectively. Total respiration of 14 CO2 from the ozonetreated plants decreased, but the decrease was not statistically significant. Our results suggest that soluble root exudation of 14 C activity to the surrounding rhizosphere increases in response to ozone. Increased root exudation to the rhizosphere in response to ozone is contrary to reports of decreased carbon allocation below ground and suggests that rhizosphere microbial activity may be initially stimulated by plant exposure to ozone. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.