cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dural Ectasia in Neurofibromatosis 1: Case Series, Management, and Review.

BACKGROUND The natural history and management of dural ectasia in Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is still largely unknown. Dural ectasias are one of the common clinical manifestations of NF1; however, the treatment options for dural ectasias remain unstudied. OBJECTIVE To investigate the natural history, diagnosis, management, and outcome of the largest case series of patients with NF1-associated dural ectasia to date. METHODS Records from our NF1 clinic were reviewed to identify NF1 patients with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging evidence of dural ectasia(s) to determine their clinical course. Demographics, symptoms, radiographic and histopathologic findings, treatment, and clinical course were assessed. RESULTS Thirty-four of 37 patients were managed without surgery. Of the 18 initially asymptomatic patients, 5 (27.8%) progressed to symptoms attributable to a dural ectasia (onset of 2.7% per patient-year). Three patients required surgical intervention because of extraspinal mass effect. All 3 initially improved but had symptom recurrence within 2 yr. Reoperation involved shunt placement for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion. On imaging review, 26 (76.5%) of the nonsurgical patients harbored an associated nearby plexiform neurofibroma. Pathology of one surgical case revealed dural infiltration by diffuse neurofibroma. CONCLUSION Using the largest NF1-associated dural ectasia group to date, we report the first symptom-onset rate for nonsurgical patients. In the few cases requiring surgery for decompression, primary resection, and patching of ectasias failed, subsequently requiring CSF shunting. We demonstrate imaging evidence of nearby plexiform neurofibroma in a majority of cases, which, when combined with histopathology, provides a novel explanation for the formation of dural ectasias.
Small-Signal Stability Analysis of Type-4 Wind in Series-Compensated Networks

Type-4 wind is claimed to be immune from subsynchronous resonances (SSRs) that have been experienced by Type-3 wind with radial connection to series compensated lines. In this paper, we examine this claim through simplified analytical model building, analysis based on linearized models, and validation against electromagnetic transient (EMT) testbeds with full details. Two analytical models of Type-4 wind farm with radial connection to a series compensated line are built in $dq$ -frames. The main difference of the two models is in grid-side converter (GSC)'s control mode, with one model assuming real power control and the other assuming dc-link voltage control. Relying on the analytical models, an efficient approach is demonstrated to obtain frequency-domain impedance models. Small-signal analysis is carried out using eigenvalue analysis and frequency-domain impedance model-based analysis. Potential stability risk is demonstrated, which is due to interaction of a mode associated to voltage source converter (VSC) in weak grid (termed as “weak grid mode”) and a mode associated to network LC resonance. The weak grid mode is influenced by grid strength and VSC control parameters, including phase-locked-loop (PLL) parameters. The small-signal analysis results are validated against two EMT testbeds with full details in MATLAB/SimPowerSystems and PSCAD/EMTDC, respectively.
Dynamics of Deformation-to-Fracture Transition Based on Wave Theory

This paper discusses fracture from the viewpoint of wave dynamics derived from a recent field theory. Based on a fundamental physical principle, the field theory describes deformation and fracture on the same basis. It characterizes deformation as a wave phenomenon where the spatiotemporal oscillatory behavior of the displacement field initiated by an external load is transferred through the material as a sinusoidal wave carrying the stress energy. Fracture is characterized as the final stage of deformation where the wave becomes solitary representing strain concentration and stops carrying the stress energy. Fracture always occurs along the strain concentration. The transitional behavior of the wave dynamics can be visualized as a change in the optical interferometric fringe pattern generated by the optical technique known as the Electronic Speckle-Pattern interferometry. Finite element analysis has been conducted to explain the experimentally observed behaviors and explore the mechanism of transition from to fracture.
Using generalizability theory to evaluate the comparative reliability of developmental measures in neurogenetic syndrome and low-risk populations

The lack of available measures that can reliably characterize early developmental skills in children with neurogenetic syndromes (NGS) poses a significant challenge for research on early development in these populations. Although syndrome-specific measures may sometimes be necessary, a more cost- and time-efficient solution would be to identify existing measures that are appropriate for use in special populations or optimize existing measures to be used in these groups. Reliability is an important metric of psychometric rigor to consider when auditing and optimizing assessment tools for NGS. In this study, we use Generalizability Theory, an extension of classical test theory, as a novel approach for more comprehensively characterizing the reliability of existing measures and making decisions about their use in the field of NGS research. We conducted generalizability analyses on a popular early social communication screener, the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales—Infant-Toddler Checklist (CSBS-ITC), collected on 172 children (41 Angelman syndrome, 30 Prader-Willi syndrome, 42 Williams syndrome, 59 low-risk controls). Overall, the CSBS-ITC demonstrated at least adequate reliability in the NGS groups included in this study, particularly for the Prader-Willi and Williams syndrome groups. However, the sources of systematic error variance in the CSBS-ITC varied greatly between the low-risk control and NGS groups. Moreover, as unassessed in previous research, the CSBS-ITC demonstrated substantial differences in variance sources among the NGS groups. Reliability of CSBS-ITC scores was highest when averaging across all measurement points for a given child and was generally similar or better in the NGS groups compared to the low-risk control group. Our findings suggest that the CSBS-ITC communicates different information about the reliability of stability versus change, in low-risk control and NGS samples, respectively, and that psychometric approaches like Generalizability Theory can provide more complete information about the reliability of existing measures and inform decisions about how measures are used in research on early development in NGS.
Coherence objectivity and measurement: the example of democracy

Empirical research on democracy depends upon data. The need for such data has led to the development of measures of democracy. Measurement models are evaluated in terms of their reliability and validity, both of which may be thought of as related to the objectivity of the measure. Using the Varieties of Democracy Project (V-Dem) as an example, I consider how assessing reliability and validity of measurement models is challenging and argue that democracy might be understood as measured objectively when it is subject to theoretical, empirical, and pragmatic constraints. I call this coherence objectivity.
Fractional Laser Resurfacing

Fractional laser resurfacing is rapidly gaining momentum as the treatment of choice for facial and nonfacial skin resurfacing. Traditional ablative laser resurfacing, although effective, is losing popularity due to significant risks such as hypopigmentation, scarring and prolonged erythema and limitation in the treatment of lighter skin types. The basic concept behind fractional laser resurfacing is to employ nonablative and ablative devices with a fractional mode of delivery, leaving a percentage of skin untreated, allowing for more rapid re-epithelialization and recovery. Patient selection and treatment protocols are discussed.
Understanding Immigration as a Social Determinant of Health: Cardiovascular Disease in Hispanics/Latinos and South Asians in the United States

The main purpose of this review is to summarize the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among two of the largest and most diverse immigrant groups in the United States (Hispanics/Latinos and South Asians). While the migration process generates unique challenges for individuals, there is a wide heterogeneity in the characteristics of immigrant populations, both between and within regions of origin. Hispanic/Latino immigrants to the United States have lower levels of cardiovascular risk factors, prevalence, and mortality, but this assessment is limited by issues related to the “salmon bias.” South Asian immigrants to the United States generally have higher levels of risk factors and higher mortality. In both cases, levels of risk factors and mortality generally increase with time of living in the United States (US). While immigration acts as a social determinant of health, associations between immigration and cardiovascular disease and its risk factors are complex and vary across subpopulations.
Regulation of HPV18 Genome Replication, Establishment and Persistence by Sequences in the Viral Upstream Regulatory Region

During persistent human papillomavirus infection, the viral genome replicates as an extrachromosomal plasmid that is efficiently partitioned to daughter cells during cell division. We have previously shown that an element which overlaps the HPV18 transcriptional enhancer promotes stable DNA replication of replicons containing the viral replication origin. Here we perform comprehensive analyses to elucidate the function of this maintenance element. We conclude that no unique element or binding site in this region is absolutely required for persistent replication and partitioning, and instead propose that the overall chromatin architecture of this region is important to promote efficient use of the replication origin. These results have important implications on the genome partitioning mechanism of papillomaviruses. Importance Persistent infection with oncogenic HPVs is responsible for ∼5% human cancers. The viral DNA replicates as an extrachromosomal plasmid and is partitioned to daughter cells in dividing keratinocytes. Using a complementation assay that allows us to separate viral transcription and replication, we provide insight into viral sequences that are required for long term replication and persistence in keratinocytes. Understanding how viral genomes replicate persistently for such long periods of time will guide the development of anti-viral therapies.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on OB/GYN Providers

Abstract Objective To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on OB/GYN providers. Patients and Methods A 49-item survey was distributed to OB/GYN providers through the websites and email listservs of professional OB/GYN organizations. The survey was open from June 22, 2020 through November 22, 2020. Out of 122 initiated surveys, 89 were completed (73.0% completion rate); 72 respondents answered at least one open-ended question and were included for qualitative analysis. Results Providers reported policy changes, limited PPE availability, patient compliance with safety protocols and PPE use, staff shortages, and concerns about COVID-19 exposure as primary stressors related to the pandemic. Providers felt the pandemic had a negative professional impact on their relationships with patients and colleagues. Workplace and pandemic stressors resulted in feelings of anxiety and frustration; physical effects were also reported. Some respondents indicated they were considering early retirement or leaving the profession as a result of the pandemic, which suggests OB/GYN providers may be at increased risk for burnout. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic will have significant long-term effects on OB/GYN provider well-being and workforce retention. Proactive support for providers is needed to combat burnout and counteract workforce attrition. Implementing peer support programs that promote healthy emotional processing following adverse events may mitigate these feelings and reduce provider burnout.
A Successive Shortest Path Algorithm for The Assignment Problem

In this paper a new successive shortest path (SSP) algorithm for solving the assignment problem is introduced. A computer implementation of this algorithm has been developed and a discussion of the...
Immunoperoxidase Staining of Leptospires

Leptospires were detectable by light microscopy when Formalin-fixed preparations were reacted by direct and indirect methods with horseradish peroxidase-labeled specific antibody.
High Resolution Three-Dimensional (2563) Spatio-Temporal Measurements of the Conserved Scalar Field in Turbulent Shear Flows

We present results from highly resolved three-dimensional spatio-temporal measurements of the conserved scalar field ζ(x, t) in a turbulent shear flow. Each of these experiments consists of 2563 individual point measurements of the local instantaneous conserved scalar value in the flow. The spatial and temporal resolution of these measurements reach beyond the local Kolmogorov scale and resolve the local strain-limited molecular diffusion scale in the flow. This resolution capability, together with the signal quality achieved, allows spatial derivatives involved in determining the instantaneous local molecular mixing rate field ∇ζ·ζ((x, t) to be accurately obtained at each point in the resulting data volume. These results clearly show molecular mixing occurring in thin strained laminar diffusion layers in a turbulent flow.
The Meson Theory of Nuclear Forces and Nuclear Structure

Nowadays it has become customary in nuclear physics to denote by “tradition” the approach that considers nucleons and mesons as the relevant degrees of freedom. It is the purpose of this chapter to review this “traditional” approach in the area of nuclear forces and their applications to nuclear structure.
Scaling Food Sovereignty: Biopolitics and the Struggle for Local Control of Farm Food in Rural Maine

Recent scholarship highlights the play of biopower in and through policies and practices shaping food systems, but says little about the practices of resistance to such power. Alternative food movements mobilize critique of and resistance to an industrialized food system from many perspectives. This article examines food sovereignty activism in Maine as an illuminating instance of contemporary biopolitics. This article investigates a “food sovereignty ordinance” passed in eleven towns in Maine since 2011 as an important moment in the biopolitical struggle over the nature of food systems. The ordinance exempts direct transactions of farm food from licensure and inspection in an effort to maintain the viability of small, diversified farms in a struggling rural economy. The ordinance effectively carves out a space of food sovereignty in each town that enacts it, thereby protecting conditions of life and livelihood within local food networks. The analysis focuses on the spatiality of the practices that compri...
Normal zone propagation and Thermal Hydraulic Quenchback in a cable-in-conduit superconductor

When a local normal zone appears in a cable-in-conduit superconductor, a slug of hot helium is produced. The pressure rises and the hot helium expands. Thus the normal zone propagation in such a conductor can be governed by the hot helium expansion, rather than the heat conduction along the conductor. The expansion of the hot helium compresses the cold helium outside of the normal zone. This raises the temperature of the cold helium. When the temperature rise reaches the current sharing limit, the superconductor in contact goes normal. Thus a rapid increase in normal zone propagation occurs. This phenomenon is termed Thermal Hydraulic Quenchback (THQ). An experiment was performed to investigate this process. The existence of THQ was verified. Thresholds of THQ were also observed by varying the conductor current, the magnetic field, the temperature, and the initial normal zone length. When THQ occurred, normal zone propagation approaching the velocity of sound was observed. A better picture of THQ is obtained by a careful comparison of the data with analytical studies.
A low-cost personal computer-based radiology diagnostic expert system and image and text database

A program for radiology differential diagnosis (DDX) using Prolog, a programming language for artificial intelligence applications is developed. The program uses a probabilistic model based on Bayes' theorem to arrive at and rank the relative probabilities of possible diagnosis. This model uses the prevalence of diagnoses and conditional probabilities of diagnostic features. It treats nonindependent diagnostic features by defining compound conditional probabilities to describe the interdependence of conditional probabilities. The program has an iterative mouse-controlled menu-driven interface that makes selecting more diagnostic features yield shorter DDX's. This process can be reversed by deselecting features, allowing what-if experimentation. The program ranks the DDX by relative probability and allows reviewing images or text descriptions of each diagnosis in the list. The program creates separate databases that users may alter, using terminology of their choosing for diagnoses and diagnostic features. >
Pain inhibition with pneumatic skin flattening (PSF) in permanent diode laser hair removal.

INTRODUCTION: Permanent laser-based hair removal is normally associated with acute pain. Pneumatic skin flattening (PSF) is a new technology which activates tactile and pressure skin receptors to naturally block the transmission of pain to the brain during laser-based aesthetic treatments (gate theory of pain control). OBJECTIVE: Efficacy and pain reduction was evaluated compared with controls for the treatment of hair removal with PSF and a high-energy diode laser (LightSheer, Lumenis). METHODS: Ten patients were treated for hair removal with the LightSheer at energy densities of 26-30 J/cm(2). Each patient was treated with PSF and without PSF (control sites). Pain was evaluated on a 1-10 scale level. Hair growth was compared 1 month following treatment. RESULTS: Pain reduction was achieved with the PSF chamber in 9/10 patients. Hair removal efficacy was preserved. CONCLUSION: The PSF technology considerably reduces pain in hair removal with high-power diode lasers. Treatment efficacy is preserved with identical energy densities. Moreover, energy density may be increased without pain or side effects, resulting in the potential to enhance efficacy. Analgesic creams are no longer required.
The Importance of Measuring Competency-Based Outcomes: Standard Evaluation Measures Are Not Surrogates for Clinical Performance of Internal Medicine Residents

Background: Despite recent emphasis on educational outcomes, program directors still rely on standard evaluation techniques such as tests of knowledge and subjective ratings. Purposes: To assess the correlation of standard internal medicine (IM) residency evaluation scores (attending global evaluations, In-Training examination, and Mini-Clinical Examination Exercise) with documented performance of preventive measures for continuity clinic patients. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 132 IM residents attending an IM teaching clinic, July 2000 to June 2003, comparing standard evaluations with chart audit. Results: Mean resident performance ranged from 53% (SD = 24) through 89% (SD = 20) across the 6 preventive measures abstracted from 1,102 patient charts. We found weak and mostly not significant correlations between standard measures and performance of preventive services. Conclusions: Standard measures are not adequate surrogates for measuring clinical outcomes. This supports the Accreditation Council for ...
Some aspects of alpha activity in relation to a new generalized model for the EEG.

Abstract Further explorations with a new type of EEG pattern simulator consisting of an oscillator the extrema and slopes of the waves of which can be independently modulated provide additional support for the ``extrema-slope'' hypothesis as a generalized model for the generation of EEG activity. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.
Our Master, Our Brother: Lévi‐Strauss's Debt to Rousseau

The fiery romantics saw Rousseau as their patron. The stolid Kant, as Cassirer has noted, knew him for his own (1945:13). Levi-Strauss claims him intellectually through Kant, but it is as solitary dreamers that he sees their souls in common. Rousseau is the only philosopher whom Levi-Strauss eulogizes, the one he calls "the founder of the sciences of man" (1976:33). Contradictory, far-ranging, passionate in his beliefs but abstract in his insights, Rousseau was a complex, conflicted thinker, rejected by his contemporaries and often misunderstood by his successors. Levi-Strauss lives more consciously in chosen exile, an anthropologist self-condemned to walk the boundaries between his different worlds. In Rousseau's work he sees a theoretical foundation upon which to build an epistemology and with this framework declares an anthropologist the only thinker qualified to understand the cultural blinders that humans wear. But it is the passion, the solitude, the lonely mysticism in Rousseau that Levi-Strauss most deeply cherishes and which provide his moral thrust. Levi-Strauss seems at first to argue that his debt to Rousseau is analytic, that it arises from Rousseau's philosophical characterization of human nature and society. He asserts, for instance, that in the Second Discourse Rousseau articulated the core concern in at least Levi-Strauss's vision of 20th-century anthropology. [The Second Discourse] is without doubt the first anthropological treatise in French literature. In almost modern terms, Rousseau poses the central problem of anthropology, viz, the passage from nature to culture. [1963:99] It is remarkable in early 20th-century France that an intellectual should choose Rousseau rather than Marx as muse. Doubtless Levi-Strauss does so in part to rebel, but also in part because the style and tenor of his thought share much with Rousseau's. Yet he shares more, and less, than he overtly seems to admit. This essay will present first the Rousseauian argument about nature and culture to which Levi-Strauss paid such heed, and then Levi-Strauss's similarly structured claims. Then it will turn to Levi-Strauss's failure to use the Rousseauian framework in a Rousseauian way, and discuss the way he does use it-to argue for a unique anthropological epistemology. Levi-Strauss's most powerful affinity with Rousseau is however spiritual and emotional, and the last section of the essay elaborates this theme.
Quantitative proteomics analysis of cell cycle-regulated Golgi disassembly and reassembly.

During mitosis, the stacked structure of the Golgi undergoes a continuous fragmentation process. The generated mitotic fragments are evenly distributed into the daughter cells and reassembled into new Golgi stacks. This disassembly and reassembly process is critical for Golgi biogenesis during cell division, but the underlying molecular mechanism is poorly understood. In this study, we have recapitulated this process using an in vitro assay and analyzed the proteins associated with interphase and mitotic Golgi membranes using a proteomic approach. Incubation of purified rat liver Golgi membranes with mitotic HeLa cell cytosol led to fragmentation of the membranes; subsequent treatment of these membranes with interphase cytosol allowed the reassembly of the Golgi fragments into new Golgi stacks. These membranes were then used for quantitative proteomics analyses by combining the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification approach with OFFGEL isoelectric focusing separation and liquid chromatography-matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. In three independent experiments, a total of 1,193 Golgi-associated proteins were identified and quantified. These included broad functional categories, such as Golgi structural proteins, Golgi resident enzymes, SNAREs, Rab GTPases, cargo, and cytoskeletal proteins. More importantly, the combination of the quantitative approach with Western blotting allowed us to unveil 84 proteins with significant changes in abundance under the mitotic condition compared with the interphase condition. Among these proteins, several COPI coatomer subunits (α, β, γ, and δ) are of particular interest. Altogether, this systematic quantitative proteomic study revealed candidate proteins of the molecular machinery that control the Golgi disassembly and reassembly processes in the cell cycle.
Silicon sensors as process monitoring devices

Piezoresistive silicon based process monitoring devices (PMDs) employing flexible circuitry and substrates have been developed which are compatible with standard VLSI fabrication processes. These solid state sensors offer cost effective batch fabrication and a high degree of uniformity to produce either single elements or flexible conformable arrays. This is a state of the art report on emerging technology.
Thermal deflection of a deployable and retractable structural mast

Abstract Solar deflection and thermal performance of a deployable structural mast are discussed. The problem is unique because of the triangular geometry and unusual edge locking technique. Mechanical design is described briefly along with thermal analysis and design. Thermal distortion occurs when the temperature distribution around the cross section is unsymmetrical. Preliminary temperatures are calculated by deriving closed form solutions based on radiative heat transfer. Conduction is then evaluated through thermal vacuum testing, and a thermal math model accounting for radiation and conduction is developed for more accurate prediction of deflections. By perforating surfaces of the mast and using appropriate surface coatings, thermal distortion can be maintained within acceptable design limits. Design requirements are defined, and deflection predictions are presented in dimensionless form for a variety of configurations.
Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetectors

We present a study of a series of n-i-n InAs quantum-dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) with unintentionally doped active regions. Different quantum-dot capping layer materials (GaAs, InGaAs, and AlGaAs) are utilized to tune the operating wavelength and modify the QDIP performance. Normal-incidence operation with high detectivity in the mid (3-5 ) and long (8-12 ) wavelength regimes and the potential for multicolor operation is demonstrated.
Mineralocorticoids and cerebral angiotensin may act together to produce sodium appetite.

Abstract The sodium appetite that follows sodium deficiency may be aroused by a synergy of the hormones of sodium deficiency (angiotensin and mineralocorticoid) rather than by the deficiency itself. Recent evidence supporting this idea is discussed with emphasis on the possibility that angiotensin of cerebral origin may be more effective in this synergy than that of renal origin.
Effect of cellulases on spontaneous fusion of maize protoplasts

The effect of protoplast-isolating enzymes on spontaneous fusion of maize protoplasts (Zea mays L. cv. Black Mexican Sweet) was investigated using a convenient ethidium bromide nuclear staining procedure. After 2–2.5 hour digestion in an enzyme solution containing 1% Cellulysin, 0.5% Rhozyme, and 0.02% Pectolyase Y-23, 50–75% of the protoplasts contained multiple nuclei. The cellulase Cellulysin was identified as the factor causing the spontaneous protoplast fusion; when Cellulysin was replaced by CELF cellulase, most protoplasts were uninucleate. Calcium and other components in the enzyme solution did not affect spontaneous fusion. Cellulysin also increased the percentage of multinucleate protoplasts from rice and asparagus suspensions. Presence of multiple nuclei might affect genetic manipulations involving protoplasts.
Implications of chaos, scale-invariance, and fractal statistics in geology

A set of three nonlinear total differential equations (Lorenz equations) exhibiting deterministic chaos is considered, and it is shown that these equations demonstrate that deterministic equations with deterministic initial conditions can yield stocastic solutions with fractal statistics. The logistic map, fractal distributions, and fragmentation are discussed. It is pointed out that well-defined fractal distributions of earthquakes are found both regionally and globally, and that the general applicability of the fractal relation for seismicity can provide the basis for a quantitative seismic hazard assessment. It is suggested that the governing physics of erosional topography is nonlinear and may be related to a fractal distribution of storms and floods that generate and renew erosional feature such as gullies and drainage systems.
Using cross-media relations to identify important communication requests: testing the concept and implementation

Important calls that originate from persons or organizations connected to the callee with weak social ties are often mistakenly labeled as unwanted ("spam", "SPIT") since their contact address is not found in the callee's address book. We have focused on the fact that the weak social ties are usually established through other communication means such as a web transaction for online purchase, travel reservation, or social media. We hypothesize that prior contact is a helpful distinguishing feature between important (or non-spam) calls and unwanted ones, and have proposed two mechanisms using cross-media relations such as web-then-call and email-then-call. One proposed mechanism is to help the callee collect addresses of potential callers in order to determine whether or not to answer a call using a caller ID. Another is to help the callee identify important calls using a proof of prior contact. We introduce an implementation of our proposed mechanisms called CURE (Controlling Unwanted REquests) system as proof of concept. We also conducted an initial survey of email messages as call detail records substitutes in order to help prove our hypothesis. This survey shows that 52% of all incoming email messages are triggered by web-then-email relations, but carried unknown sender IDs. This result demonstrates that using cross-media relations can be potentially effective in identifying important calls and would be useful as an additional component of a spam filtering system.
In vitro plant regeneration of spinach from mature seed-derived callus

A system for the regeneration of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) from mature dry seed explants has been established. The response of two commercial spinach cultivars, ‘Grandstand’ and ‘Baker’, was examined. Callus proliferation was most prominent on MS medium supplemented with 9.3 μM of 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin) and 3.39 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Adventitious shoot formation was observed within 8 wk after callus was transferred onto regeneration medium. Shoot regeneration was best from callus induced on 9.3 μM kinetin and 4.56 μM 2,4-D. The regeneration medium contained 9.3 μM kinetin, 0.045 μM 2,4-D, and 2.89 μM gibberellic acid (GA3). Shoots were rooted on hormone-free medium, and plants grown in a greenhouse showed normal phenotype. This system is beneficial in rapid propagation of spinach plants, particularly when only a limited number of seeds are available.
An educational intervention to increase use of the glasgow coma scale by emergency department personnel

Data from a large series of acutely injured patients revealed the Glasgow Coma Score was acquired in less than one half of those for whom it should have been documented. To improve these statistics, a five-part educational intervention based on an application of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model was developed. The study populations consisted of hospital-based nurse-managers and their emergency department nursing staff. Evaluation of the educational intervention's effectiveness suggested (1) simply conveying benefits of a particular patient care practice is insufficient to bring about immediate and permanent changes and (2) the most significant changes occurred in settings in which a formal policy and formal data collection procedures were established to accompany and reinforce the educational intervention. On-site advocacy and physician support are essential if changes in nursing practice are to occur in hospital emergency departments.
Comparison of percutaneous coronary intervention with bare-metal and drug-eluting stents for cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Objectives We sought to compare percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with bare-metal stents (BMS) and drug-eluting stents (DES) for cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Background Cardiac allograft vasculopathy is a rapidly progressive form of atherosclerosis and is one of the main limitations to long-term survival after orthotopic heart transplantation. Percutaneous coronary intervention has been used as a palliative treatment option for CAV but is associated with worse clinical outcomes and greater rate of restenosis compared with PCI of native coronary arteries. Methods Between 1995 and 2007, data on 82 consecutive heart transplant patients who underwent PCI with BMS and DES at the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 82 lesions were treated with 98 BMS and 76 lesions were treated with 80 DES. Follow-up angiography was performed on 57 of 82 lesions (70%) treated with BMS and 58 of 76 (76%) treated with DES (p = 0.7) at a mean follow-up of 9.5 ± 5.5 months for BMS and 12.6 ± 8.2 months for DES (p = 0.02). Compared with BMS, DES was associated with a lower binary restenosis rate (12% vs. 30%, p = 0.02), lower percent diameter stenosis (24 ± 20 vs. 34 ± 36, p = 0.06), and less late lumen loss (0.24 ± 0.75 mm vs. 0.82 ± 1.03 mm, p = 0.01). No angiographic stent thrombosis was observed with DES. Conclusions When compared with BMS, PCI with DES was safe and reduced the rate of angiographic restenosis in patients with CAV. A randomized clinical trial comparing BMS versus DES with longer follow-up is needed to identify the optimal long-term revascularization strategy in patients with CAV.
Evaluating character education programs and missing the target: A critique of existing research

Abstract The need for character education is apparent in the statistics regarding school violence, absenteeism, drop out rates, and achievement. The directive has been sent out by the government to get the job done. This manuscript examines a number of studies that claim to provide evidence that character education programs work, and others that provide evidence that is less supportive. These mixed conclusions are particularly difficult to synthesize because of conceptual and methodological weaknesses common in this area of research. In this review, rather than make a claim as to the effectiveness of character education programs, we point out that the research regarding character education has not examined evaluation questions with an empirically rigorous eye. We draw particular attention to the lack of behavioral outcomes reported in the existing research.
An Overview of Results from RPI on IMAGE

The Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) on the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) spacecraft was designed as a long-range magnetospheric radio sounder, relaxation sounder, and a passive plasma wave instrument. The RPI is a highly flexible instrument that can be programmed to perform these types of measurements at times when IMAGE is located in key regions of the magnetosphere. RPI is the first radio sounder ever flown to large radial distances into the magnetosphere. The long-range sounder echoes from RPI allow remote sensing of a variety of plasmas structures and boundaries in the magnetosphere. A profile inversion technique for RPI echo traces has been developed and provides a method for determining the density distribution of the plasma from either direct or field-aligned echoes. This technique has enabled the determination of the evolving density structure of the polar cap and the plasmasphere under a variety of geomagnetic conditions. New results from RPI show that the plasmasphere refills in slightly greater than a day at L values of 2.8 and that ion heating is probably playing a major role in the overall density distribution along the field-line. In addition, RPI's plasma resonance observations at large radial distances over the polar cap provided in situ measurements of the plasma density with an accuracy of a few percent. For the first time in the magnetosphere, RPI has also observed the plasma D resonances. RPI's long antennas and its very low noise receivers provide excellent observations in the passive receive-only mode when the instrument measures the thermal plasma noise as well as natural emissions such as the continuum radiation and auroral kilometric radiation (AKR). Recent passive measurements from RPI have been compared extensively with images from the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) imager on IMAGE resulting in a number of new discoveries. For instance, these combined observations show that kilometric continuum can be generated at the plasmapause from sources in or very near the magnetic equator, within a bite-out region of the plasmasphere. The process by which plasmaspheric bite-out structures are produced is not completely understood at this time. Finally, RPI has been used to successfully test the feasibility of magnetospheric tomography. During perigee passages of the Wind spacecraft, RPI radio transmissions at one and two frequencies have been observed by the Waves instrument. The received electric field vector was observed to rotate with time due to the changing density of plasma, and thus Faraday rotation was measured. Many future multi-spacecraft missions propose to use Faraday rotation to obtain global density pictures of the magnetosphere.
Residues 110–126 in the A1 Domain of Factor VIII Contain a Ca2+ Binding Site Required for Cofactor Activity

Generation of factor VIII cofactor activity requires divalent metal ions such as Ca2+ or Mn2+. Evaluation of cofactor reconstitution from isolated factor VIIIa subunits revealed the presence of a functional Ca2+ binding site within the A1 subunit. Isothermal titration calorimetry demonstrated at least two Ca2+ binding sites of similar affinity (K(d) = 0.74 microm) within the A1 subunit. Mutagenesis of an acidic residue-rich region in the A1 domain (residues 110-126) homologous to a putative Ca2+ binding site in factor V (Zeibdawi, A. R., and Pryzdial, E. L. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 19929-19936) and expression of B-domainless factor VIII molecules yielded reagents to probe Ca2+ and Mn2+ binding in a functional assay. Basal activity observed for wild type factor VIII in a metal ion-free buffer was enhanced approximately 2-fold with saturating Ca2+ or Mn2+ and yielded functional K(d) values of 1.2 and 1.40 microm, respectively. Ca2+ binding affinity was greatly reduced (or lost) in several mutants including E110A, E110D, D116A, E122A, D125A, and D126A. Alternatively, E113A, D115A, and E124A showed wild type-like activity with little or no reduction in Ca2+ affinity. However, Mn2+ affinity was minimally altered except for mutant D125A (and D116A). These results are consistent with region 110-126 serving a critical role for Ca2+ coordination with selected residues capable of contributing to a partially overlapping site for Mn2+, and that occupancy of either site is required for maximal cofactor activity.
Plasminogen activators and inhibitors in the neuromuscular system. III, The serpin protease nexin I is synthesized by muscle and localized at neuromuscular synapses

Recent studies suggest that the nature of events leading to the formation, maintenance, and elimination of synapses may be regulated by cascade-type, locally expressed proteases and protease inhibitors acting on adhesive extracellular matrix components. We have identified a molecule in conditioned medium of murine skeletal muscle cells that in molecular weight, target protease inhibition, heparin-binding and cross-reactivity with authenic antisera is similar to the human serine proteinase inhibitor, protease nexin I. Protease nexin I is a 43-50 kDa glycoprotein of the serpin superfamily (arg-serpin class). Purified anti-protease nexin I antibody (anti-47 kDa) stains adult mouse skeletal muscle in discrete foci that precisely superimpose on synaptic neuromuscular junctions. Protease nexin I appears in patches on surfaces of cultured mouse skeletal myotubes, but not on myoblasts. These patches co-localize with acetylcholine receptor clusters and acetylcholinesterase staining during cellular maturation in culture. Evidence that protease nexin I is a synaptic, extracellular antigen is particularly intriguing since it has been shown to be identical, in structure and activity, with a factor released by glial cells, called glia-derived nexin that stimulates mouse neuroblastoma cell neurite outgrowth and inhibits granule cell migration. Protease nexin I inhibits both tumor cell and myoblast plasminogen activator-mediated destruction of extracellular matrix. Thus, such observations as presented in this report provide further evidence for involvement of cascade proteolytic systems, and their post-translational regulation by specific serpins, in the remodeling that occurs in synapse formation and elimination.
On the finite settling time and residual vibration control of flexible structures

Abstract Rapid end-point positioning of a structure with minimal residual vibration under a single bounded control input is considered. The structure between the actuator and the end point is assumed to be flexible, and is the main cause of positioning error from residual vibration. A standard solution to this problem is offered by the well known bang-bang control. Implementation of such a bang-bang control strategy leads to decreased response time but introduces unwanted vibrations from repeated overshooting of the switching contour, caused by errors in the implementation of the discontinuous control law. An appropriately shaped input function based on minimum energy and bounded control for such end-point positioning systems totally eliminates the residual vibration while making the response time small. The proposed forcing input has two discontinuities at most and therefore does not suffer from the undesirable intermediate discontinuities present in the bang-bang control. This novel control force compares favorably with the bang-bang solution with respect to response time. It also compares favorably with the ramped sinusoidal input force proposed by Meckl and Seering [1] with respect to residual vibration. They shaped the input function by eliminating the resonant frequencies where as the resonant frequencies are retained in the function proposed. As an illustration, the newly shaped forcing input is applied to a rotating thin flexible beam to suppress residual vibration.
Optimum design of pumping system for maintaining vacuum in a chamber open to the atmosphere through an aperture

Abstract If a vacuum region must have an aperture to the atmosphere, the total volume pumping requirement due to the leak can be enormously reduced by using a series of apertures with inter-stage pumping between the apertures. An analysis of this system is developed which yields (i) the optimal inter-stage pressures for minimum total volume flow; and (ii) the corresponding volume flows to the pumps. In the special case for which all the apertures have the same volume flow per unit of upstream pressure, the optimal condition is that the pressure ratio be the same for each aperture; the volume flows to the pumps are then nearly identical. An illustrative example, with a pressure of 10 −6 mmHg in the vacuum region, shows that by using two apertures in series rather than one, the total volume flow to the pumps is reduced by a factor of 10 −4 ; with four apertures, the reduction factor is 10 −6 . The reduction from each successive aperture becomes less and less, and practical considerations will dictate a number in the range of about two to six.
Phase modulation in magnetic resonance experiments

Abstract This paper investigates the general relations that exist in resonance experiments between phase modulation of the exciting fields and energy level modulation. When the response of the system to excitation is described so that it is properly phase-reference to the phase of the exciting fields, one obtains directly that there is a complete equivalence between the total time rate of change of the phase of the exciting fields and, in the case of magnetic resonance experiments, the instantaneous magnetic field strength. The role played by line-broadening and relaxation mechanisms is considered, and some of the applications and implications of these results are discussed.
Ballistic transport in II–VI semiconductor compounds and alloys

Realistic band structures are used in calculating the group velocity and scattering rates for electrons with injection energies up to 1 eV in ZnTe, CdTe, and the low-effective-mass alloy Hg(0.7)Cd(0.3)Te. Scattering from longitudinal optical phonons, ionized impurities, and alloy disorder have been included in the full band-structure calculation, which automatically includes both intra- and intervalley scattering. Of the II-VI materials considered, at 77 K HgCdTe is superior for low injection energies (up to 0.25 eV) while CdTe is superior at higher injection energies (1 eV) at room temperature. The attainable mean free paths (equal to or greater than 1000 A) and group velocities (equal to or greater than 10 to the 8th cm/s) for both systems are comparable to values found in III-V systems.
When local isn't best

This paper attempts to explain circumstances under which local may be or may not be best. Natural selection may lead to local adaptation (LA), or it may be constrained by gene flow, founder effects, small population size, genetic drift, and archetype. ‘Specialist’ species display greater LA than ‘generalist’ species. Local genotypes are to a certain extent transient, being a consequence of past historical genetic patterns. Two recent meta-analyses found that while local performance exceeded the performance of a randomly chosen nonlocal population in 71% of comparisons, general adaptation across environments was as frequent as LA. Genotypes for restoration are most likely to be effective if they are adapted to current site conditions. As environmental change accelerates, both globally and locally, exceptions to ‘local is best’ may increase. For these reasons, ‘local is best’ may be better thought of as a testable hypothesis rather than as a general assumption. While either local or nonlocal plant material may be most effective for restoration practice depending on individual circumstances, local material will continue to be the first choice for restoration practitioners whenever this option is feasible and effective.