cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Ohio Medicaid patients: practice patterns and temporal trends.

Purpose There is a paucity of data about the use of procedures and prescription medications in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in actual clinical practice. Methods Outpatient Ohio Medicaid claims from 1994 to 1998 were searched to identify patients with an initial diagnosis of GERD along with associated prescriptions and gastrointestinal procedures. Complications of GERD and comorbid illnesses were also determined. Results A total of 5579 patients were identified. Histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RA') were prescribed in 59%, followed by proton pump inhibitors (PPI's) (30%) and prokinetic drugs (17%). PPI's were more frequently prescribed to patients with GERD-related complications, peptic ulcer disease and major comorbidities, and patients who received PPI's were also more likely to undergo upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The frequencies of upper endoscopy and barium studies were 20% and 11% respectively, with no change over the study period. There was an increased frequency of PPI therapy (17–43%) and decreased frequency of H2RA therapy (72–47%) from 1994 to 1998 which persisted after adjusting for potential differences in case mix. Conclusions In this population-based study, prescription of PPI's increased over time which likely reflected changes in clinician practice rather than patient mix. Despite a greater awareness of GERD complications, use of upper endoscopy did not increase. Although the cohort consists of predominantly low socioeconomic status, female patients, further studies should be conducted in other populations to confirm these findings. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification of compounds causing symbiotic growth of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus in milk

Strains of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus isolated from yoghurt culture were used to study the cause of the synergistic effect on acid production by mixtures of the 2 cultures. The beneficial effect was essentially limited to the gradual accumulation of factors in the L. bulgaricus cultures that promoted more rapid acid production by Str. thermophilus. The active factors were identified as glycine and histidine.
Methodology for Usage of Emerging Disk to Ameliorate Hybrid Storage Clouds

With the dramatic evolution of various greener disk and memory technologies, helped in rapid establishment of Hybrid storage environment comprising of heterogeneous storage units. In order to provide an efficient and optimised storage solution there exists a necessity of adapting smarter changes in the management stack that enables compact sensing, processing, decision making capability based on the importance of data and disk life span predicted on operational workloads. This paper reviews system architecture for two faces of RAS cloud features namely disaster recovery planning, disk breakage prediction independent of disk technology and host aware data tier based on disk life span.
Vesicular profiles in frog perineurial cells preserved by rapid-freezing and freeze-substitution

Vesicular profiles in perineurial cells of frog peripheral nerves were examined in tissues preserved by rapid-freezing or by conventional chemical fixation. Tissues were processed immediately after removal from the animal or after remaining in Ringers for several hours. Vesicular profiles were present in perineurial cells in all experimental groups, demonstrating that they are not an artifact of chemical fixation. However, variations in their morphology correlated with the different preservation techniques.
Hartree-Fock gf values for some transitions of the Be sequence

Radial transition integrals and gf values for excited-state transitions of the Be isoelectronic sequence involving 3l orbitals have been calculated within the context of the Z expansion method and perturbation theory in the LS coupling scheme with the `frozen core' Hartree-Fock approximation. Comparison of transition integrals from the present calculation with those from numerical Hartree-Fock results shows that agreement is satisfactory. gf values are calculated using experimental wavelengths. The results should be more reliable for higher members of the isoelectronic sequence.
Cardiopulmonary effects of short-term nitrogen dioxide exposure in conscious sheep

Abstract We used conscious sheep to (a) evaluate the airway effects of 2-hr exposures to 7.5 and 15 ppm NO2, and (b) to measure pulmonary hemodynamics after a 4-hr exposure to 15 ppm NO2. Bronchial reactivity to aerosolized carbachol (BR), tracheal mucous velocity (TMV), and mechanics of breathing were determined to assess whether NO2 induced airway effects immediately and 24 hr after exposure. The hemodynamic measurements included arterial blood gases, estimates of diffusing capacity, combined capillary blood and tissue volume, cardiac output, and pulmonary vascular pressures. In 10 sheep 7.5 ppm NO2 did not significantly alter mean pulmonary resistance prior to carbachol challenge (Rpul), BR, or TMV. However, in 5 of these 10 animals, enhanced BR was apparent immediately after the exposure. In 10 animals, 15 ppm NO2 did not produce significant changes in mean Rpul or BR, although in 7 animals there was a mean increase of 113% in Rpul immediately after the exposure, while BR was evident in 2 other sheep. TMV was, however, significantly depressed immediately after this exposure. In six sheep, who breathed 15 ppm NO2 for 4 hr, Rpul was significantly elevated immediately after the exposure. In the same animals, there were no changes in arterial blood gases, cardiac output, pulmonary vascular pressures, systemic pressure, diffusing capacity, and combined pulmonary tissue plus capillary blood volume. We conclude that in conscious sheep (a) exposures to 7.5 and 15 ppm NO2 for 2 hr may induce BR or elevations in Rpul, (b) exposure to 15 ppm NO2 for 2 hr depresses TMV, while exposure to 7.5 ppm NO2 for 2 hr has no effect on TMV, and (c) 15 ppm NO2 for 4 hr has no effects on pulmonary hemodynamics.
Faithful cleavage of the P1 packaging site (pac) requires two phage proteins, PacA and PacB, and two Escherichia coli proteins, IHF and HU.

Abstract The PacA and PacB subunits of the bacteriophage P1 DNA packaging enzyme (pacase) are necessary for cleavage of the phage packaging site ( pac ). In the accompanying paper, we show that the PacA subunit of the enzyme specifically binds to pac in the absence of PacB, but requires factors present in an Escherichia coli extract to do so. We show here that either of two E. coli DNA binding proteins, integration host factor (IHF) or HU, can replace this extract and promote the binding of PacA to pac . IHF binds to pac independently of PacA and Dnase footprinting experiments show that IHF protects approximately 40 bp of DNA around an IHF consensus adjacent to the cleavage site. Dnase I footprinting experiments also show that in the presence of either IHF or HU, PacA binds to the hexanucleotide sequences (5′-TGATCA/G) that flank the cleavage site and that have been previously shown to be essential for pac cleavage. The importance of IHF and HU in pac cleavage is further demonstrated by the severe reduction in both the fidelity and efficiency of pac cleavage in vitro with extracts lacking both IHF and HU. Addition of either IHF or HU to the deficient extracts renders them fully proficient for pac cleavage. Finally we show that IHF bends DNA at the IHF site within pac . Based on these results, we propose a model that can account for the role of the various phage and host proteins, and for DNA bending in the pac cleavage reaction.
Late Precambrian Oxygenation; Inception of the Clay Mineral Factory

An enigmatic stepwise increase in oxygen in the late Precambrian is widely considered a prerequisite for the expansion of animal life. Accumulation of oxygen requires organic matter burial in sediments, which is largely controlled by the sheltering or preservational effects of detrital clay minerals in modern marine continental margin depocenters. Here, we show mineralogical and geochemical evidence for an increase in clay mineral deposition in the Neoproterozoic that immediately predated the first metazoans. Today most clay minerals originate in biologically active soils, so initial expansion of a primitive land biota would greatly enhance production of pedogenic clay minerals (the "clay mineral factory"), leading to increased marine burial of organic carbon via mineral surface preservation.
Glucocorticoid receptor expression and sub-cellular localization in dopamine neurons of the rat midbrain.

Abstract Stress plays an important role in the development of addiction. Animals subjected to stress exhibit sensitized responses to psychostimulant drugs, and this sensitized response is associated with functional adaptations of the mesolimbic dopamine system. These adaptations likely arise from direct or indirect effects of glucocorticoids on dopaminergic neurons. Though glucocorticoid receptor expression in midbrain dopaminergic neurons has been examined in previous studies, results have been somewhat equivocal. We sought to clarify this issue by analyzing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) co-localization in the rat midbrain by dual fluorescence immunohistochemistry. We also examined sub-cellular localization of the GR in rat midbrain neurons after acute restraint stress. Adult Long–Evans rats were sacrificed 0, 30, 60 or 120 min after 30 min of restraint stress. A control group did not undergo restraint. Blood samples were collected immediately before and after restraint for measurement of plasma corticosterone by enzyme immunoassay. Glucocorticoid receptors were observed in dopaminergic neurons in both the substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). The degree of co-localization of TH and GR did not differ between the VTA and the SN. All animals subjected to stress exhibited significant increases in plasma corticosterone. Significant translocation of GR signal to cell nuclei was observed after restraint in the SN, but not in the VTA. These results suggest that stress-induced glucocorticoid secretion could trigger functional changes in the mesolimbic dopamine system by direct activation of glucocorticoid receptors in dopaminergic neurons.
Abnormalities of chromosomes 1 and 11 in Wilms' tumor

Cytogenetic studies were performed successfully on 14 cases of Wilms' tumor. Six cases had detectable rearrangements of 11p, and 7 cases had structural abnormalities of chromosome #1. Two cases with advanced stage disease showed multiple translocations, resulting in hypodiploidy with a normal DNA complement.
Facile approaches to control catalytic activity of viral-templated palladium nanocatalysts for dichromate reduction

Abstract We present two facile procedures to control catalytic activity of viral-templated palladium (Pd) nanocatalysts. Specifically, tunable and selective surface assembly of genetically modified Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV1cys) templates is exploited to control the loading of Pd nanocatalysts on solid substrates via preferential electroless deposition. In the first method, the surface density of Pd–TMV complexes is controlled by varying the concentration of TMV solution for surface assembly. Apparent surface density of Pd–TMV complexes from AFM images correlated well with the Pd loading observed via XPS and the catalytic activity in dichromate reduction, an important environmental remediation reaction for detoxification of abundant inorganic wastes. In the second method, the Pd catalyst loading is controlled by varying the gold surface area on patterned silicon chips. The catalytic activity of these chips correlated well with the surface area, further indicating control over the location of active Pd catalysts via selective surface assembly of viral templates. We envision that our approach to control the TMV surface density and specific location of catalysts by exploiting biologically derived template materials can be extended to other biotemplates and/or reaction systems via a wide range of tunable surface patterning/assembly techniques.
Caste, sex and strain of honey bees (Apis mellifera) affect infestation with tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi).

Worker honey bees from genetic strains selected for being resistant (R) or susceptible (S) to tracheal mites typically show large differences in infestation in field colonies and in bioassays that involve controlled exposure to infested bees. We used bioassays exposing newly emerged individuals to infested workers to compare the propensity for tracheal mites to infest queens, drones and workers from R and S colonies. In tests with queens, newly emerged R and S queens were either simultaneously confined in infested colonies (n = 95 and 87 respectively), or individually caged with groups of 5–20 infested workers (n = 119 and 115 respectively). Mite prevalence (percentage of individuals infested) and abundance (foundress mites per individual) after 4–6 days did not differ between R and S queens. In another test, five newly emerged drones and workers from both an R and an S colony, and a queen of one of the two strains, were caged in each of 38 cages with 20 g of workers infested at 60–96% prevalence. Infestations of the R queens (n = 17) and S queens (n = 19) did not differ significantly, but R workers had half the mite abundance of S workers, while R drones received about a third more migrating mites than S drones. In tests to evaluate possible mechanisms, removal of one mesothoracic leg from R and S workers resulted in 2- to 10-fold increase in mite abundance on the treated side, but excising legs did not affect infestation of the corresponding tracheae in drones. This suggests that differences in infestation between R and S workers, but not drones, are largely determined by their ability to remove mites through autogrooming. If autogrooming is the primary mechanism of colony resistance to tracheal mites, selection for resistance to tracheal mites using infestation of hemizygous drones may be inefficient.
In brief: Tomorrow's leaders? Gifted students' opinions of leadership and service activities

A survey of gifted high school sophomores and juniors revealed that less than challenging school and community leadership activities often limit student interest and involvement. The authors suggest that gifted students’ willingness to participate in leadership activities will be increased by providing them opportunities for input, choice, responsibility, and meaningful influence. Specific recommendations for improving both student council and community service programs are offered.
Research Spotlight: Groundwater is being depleted rapidly in California's Central Valley

[1] Groundwater is being depleted in California's Central Valley at a rapid rate, according to data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite. Famiglietti et al. analyzed 78 months of GRACE data covering October 2003 to March 2010 to estimate water storage changes in California's Sacramento and San Joaquin river basins. They found that the basins are losing water at a rate of about 30 millimeters per year equivalent water height, or a total of about 30 cubic kilometers over the 78-month period. Furthermore, they found that two thirds of this loss, or a total of 20 cubic kilometers for the study period, came from groundwater depletion in the Central Valley. Quantifying groundwater depletion can be challenging in many areas because of a lack of monitoring infrastructure and reporting requirements; the study shows that satellite-based monitoring can be a useful way to track groundwater volumes. The authors warn that the current rate of groundwater depletion in the Central Valley may be unsustainable and could have “potentially dire consequences for the economic and food security of the United States.” (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2010GL046442, 2011)
Phenomenal data mining: from data to phenomena

Phenomenal data mining finds relations between the data and the phenomena that give rise to data rather than just relations among the data.For example, suppose supermarket cash register data does not identify cash customers. Nevertheless, there really are customers, and these customers are characterized by sex, age, ethnicity, tastes, income distribution, and sensitivity to price changes. A data mining program might be able to identify which baskets of purchases are likely to have been made by the same customers. In this example, the receipts are the data, and the customers are phenomena not directly represented in the data. Once the "baskets" of purchases are grouped by customer, the way is open to infer further phenomena about the customers, e.g. their sex, age, etc.This article concerns what can be inferred by programs about phenomena from data and what facts are relevant to doing this. We work mainly with the supermarket example, but the idea is general.In order to infer phenomena from data, facts about their relations must be supplied. Sometimes these facts can be implicit in the programs that look for the phenomena, but more generality is achieved if the facts are represented as sentences of logic in a knowledge base used by the programs. The result of phenomenal data-mining might include an extended database with additional fields on existing relations and new relations. Thus the relations describing supermarket baskets might be extended with a customer field, and new relations about customers and their properties might be introduced.
Size effects on the hydrogen storage properties of nanostructured metal hydrides: A review

Hydrogen is considered a good energy carrier candidate for future automotive applications that could be part of a carbon-free cycle. Metal hydrides are often preferred over pressurized gas and other hydrogen storage methods because of their gravimetric and volumetric storage capacities and safe operating pressures. In addition to the hydrogen storage capacity, other properties that have often been disregarded must now be addressed before hydrogen storage in metal hydrides becomes feasible. The slow hydriding/dehydriding kinetics, high release temperature, low storage efficiency due to the high enthalpy of formation, and thermal management during the hydriding reaction remain important difficulties in meeting the objectives set by the Department of Energy (DOE) for hydrogen storage systems. Nanotechnology offers new ways of addressing those issues by taking advantage of the distinctive chemical and physical properties observed in nanostructures. Nanostructured materials significantly improve the reaction kinetics, reduce the enthalpy of formation, and lower the hydrogen absorption and release temperatures through destabilization of the metal hydride and multiple catalytic effects in the system. But nanostructures can also lead to poor cyclability, degradation of the sorption properties, and a significant reduction of the thermal conductivity that could make metal hydrides impractical for hydrogen storage. This review summarizes the effects that nanotechnology can have on the main properties of metal hydrides and highlights the main competing behaviours between the system requirements, the necessary trade-offs, and the research priorities necessary to obtain hydride storage materials for practical automotive applications. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Partial transesterification of sunflower oil with ethanol by a silica fiber reinforced aerogel encapsulated lipase

A commercial lyophilized lipase of Burkholderia cepacia, from Amano, was encapsulated in silica aerogels reinforced with silica quartz fiber felt. This biocatalyst was applied in the direct transesterification of sunflower seed oil with ethanol, without any other solvent. When the molar ratio of ethanol to oil was two or three, the oil transformation kinetics was found to be very slow after the formation of 1 mole of fatty ethyl ester per mole of initial triglyceride. For a molar proportion of ethanol to oil ≈1, the recycling activity also decreased gradually in successive tests to reach an activity ≈7% of the initial activity, during the 5th test. Textural and structural analysis of the aerogels before and after catalytic tests showed that this deterioration was associated with a modification of the aerogel, by preferential adsorption of glycerol or possibly other transesterification products such as diglycerides. Besides, it is proposed that one of the cause for the aerogel loss of activity at an initial molar ratio of ethanol:oil of 3:1 was due to a progressive inhibition of the enzyme by excess adsorbed ethanol. The aerogel samples were also compared to a commercial product of lipase immobilized on polymer beads, from Fluka. The silica aerogels somewhat improved, to a limited extent, the activity during recycling.
Beads-on-string phenomena in wormlike micellar fluids

We present experimental results on the dynamics of wormlike micellar filaments surrounded by an immiscible viscous bulk fluid. For certain concentrations, these filaments develop a beads-on-string structure previously observed only in polymer jets and filaments surrounded by air. By taking advantage of the longer time scales present in this experiment, we are able to quantify the evolution of individual beads. We also investigate the stability of these filaments and the robustness of the beads-on-string structure by stretching the filament within a rotating flow.
Influence of Tranquillizing Drugs on Phagocytosis in vivo

PHAGOCYTOSIS of invading micro-organisms has long been known to play a major part in the defence of the mammalian organism against infectious disease. In view of the widespread use and potent pharmacological activity of the tranquillizing drugs, it is not surprising that administration of such compounds has occasionally been associated with alterations in normal resistance to infection1,2, and that such altered clinical responses have been linked to changes in the phagocytic activity of the reticulo-endothelial system3.
Color factorization for fermionic amplitudes

Abstract I present a representation for amplitudes in QCD involving both gluons and massless quarks, in which color factors are separated from gauge-invariant kinematic ones. I also present a diagrammatic set of calculational rules for the kinematic factors.
Erythropoietin Dependent Erythropoiesis during the Erythroblastic Phase of Juvenile Chronic Granulocytic Leukaemia

A child aged 3 1/2 years with typical juvenile chronic granulocytic leukaemia whose course terminated in an erythroblastic phase is described. Both in-vivo transfusion studies and in-vitro bone marrow culture studies indicate that red cell production remains erythropoietin dependent in this situation. The relationship of erythropoietin to the reversion to fetal haematopoiesis which characterizes juvenile chronic granulocytic leukaemia is discussed.
EFFECTS OF FUTURE MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ AFFECTIVE, COGNITIVE AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ON THEIR KNOWLEDGE AT THE END OF THE TEACHER EDUCATION IN GERMANY AND TAIWAN

How individual characteristics affect the acquisition of knowledge in teacher education has been widely unexplored thus far. The “Teacher Education and Development Study—Learning to Teach Mathematics (TEDS-M)” provides a database for examining this research question across countries. Based on the Taiwanese and German sample of TEDS-M, the relationship between future lower secondary mathematics teachers’ knowledge and their affective, cognitive and socio-demographic characteristics was examined using multilevel modelling whilst controlling for the teachers’ opportunities to learn. The results reveal that in Germany, teacher knowledge is more strongly affected by future teachers’ individual characteristics than teacher knowledge in Taiwan. These results are interpreted against the background of cultural differences between “the West” and “the East” or “individualism” and “collectivism”, respectively.
Prognostic significance of immunohistochemical micrometastases in node negative gastric cancer patients.

Background and Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the prognostic significance of immunohistochemical (IHC) evidence of lymph node (LN) metastases in histologic node negative gastric cancer patients. Methods Retrospective review from 1981 to 1998 revealed 25 patients resected for T1-4N0M0 gastric and gastroesophageal (GE) junction adenocarcinoma. All cases were reviewed and histopathologic parameters were defined for each primary tumor. All LNs underwent IHC analysis with the epithelial marker CAM 5.2. Data are reported as median (range). Results The median number of LN resected was 7 (range 1–33). The median follow-up time was 25 months (range 4–195) with an overall 5-year survival rate of 55%. For patients with IHC evidence of LN micrometastasis (n = 9), the 5-year survival rate was significantly decreased (35%) compared to a 66% 5-year survival rate for IHC negative patients (n = 16, P = 0.05). Conclusions The presence of IHC-detected LN micrometastases correlates with worse prognosis for patients with histologic node negative gastric cancer. IHC may be a useful additional staging modality in this subset of patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2000;73:153–157. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Worker Participation in Chinese Factories

Motivating workers and peasants has always commanded a share of center stage in the Chinese leaders' plans for shaping a revolutionary modernized industrial society. In the 1950s, borrowing from the Soviet model, they mainly utilized an extrinsic material and nonmaterial incentive systemmechanisms such as wages, bonuses, work points, payments for inventions and innovations, emulative contests, honorific awards to outstanding individual workers and peasants and work groups which linked performance directly with the amounts of material or nonmaterial recompense. Intrinsic motivation-workers' and peasants' performance sparked by the individual's real or expected gratification from a job well done, the challenge of work tasks, strong identification with the work group and its tasks, the realization of important collective objectives and values, substantial involvement in the processes of decision-making in the work unit-also existed then in inchoate form. Not until the Great Leap Forward, however, did any important elements of an
Similarity versus liking: A clarification'

It had been found in previous research that both attitude similarity and personal evaluations affect attraction. Aronson and Worchel repeated one of these experiments utilizing a face-to-face situation and found Ss responsive only to personal evaluations, not to attitude similarity. Their failure was attributable to their use of a restricted range of attitude similarity-dissimilarity. Replicating their study with greater attitudinal differentiation, the present investigation indicated that even with face-to-face interaction, personal evaluation and attitude similarity each affect attraction. With weighting coefficients derived in a noninteractive situation, attraction in the face-to-face situation was again found to be a linear function of weighted positive reinforcements.
Temperature-dependent superradiant decay of excitons in small aggregates.

We investigate the effect of phonons on the cooperative radiative decay of excitons in small aggregates. Our microscopic analysis establishes the existence of a temperature-dependent coherence size, provided the exciton dephasing time scale is much shorter than the fluorescence lifetime ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}_{\mathrm{fl}}$. We calculate the temperature dependenc of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}_{\mathrm{fl}}$ and use our results to interpret recent photon-echo and fluorescence experiments in strongly coupled J-aggregates of cyanine dye molecules.
OBSERVATIONAL COSMOLOGY 2004: WHAT THE DATA SAY ABOUT DARK ENERGY AND THE CONTENTS OF THE UNIVERSE

The latest cosmological data point to a model of the universe that is self-consistent but deeply weird. It seems that most matter in our universe is non-baryonic and hidden from direct view. Meanwhile, a repulsive "dark energy" causes the expansion of the universe to proceed at an accelerating rate. Sources of current data include studies of the distribution of matter in the universe, the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background radiation, and the Hubble expansion law as probed by distant supernovae. In the near future, we can hope that measurements like these will begin to illuminate the nature of dark energy, starting with the question of whether it behaves like a cosmological constant or shows a more complicated evolution.
Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar for Oceanography

The book originates from a symposium held at the Applied Physics Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University in March 1980. The purpose of the symposium was to review the results to date of investigations related to the SEASAT SAR (synthetic aperture radar) experiment and, to quote from the book's foreword, ‘to explore the potential’ of such satellite-borne imaging radars for oceanography. The book contains 13 papers; these are grouped into chapters according to the various phenomena sensed by the SAR; namely, winds (or surface stress), waves, and circulation patterns. The book is held together by an introduction to SAR principles and the SEASAT mission (by Beal) and concludes with a panel discussion and a collection of SAR imagery obtained over the western North Atlantic during the abbreviated lifetime of the SEASAT mission (June—October 1978). (This imagery, composited from four optically processed 25 km subswaths, comes as a bit of a disappointment after the 40-km square digitally processed images that grace as frontispieces the several chapters of the volume).
Ionospheric effects due to electrostatic thundercloud fields

Abstract Electrostatic thundercloud fields are shown to heat lower ionospheric electrons significantly under night time conditions. The effect is maximized under conditions of higher altitudes of thundercloud charges, larger magnitudes of these charges, and larger scale heights of ambient conductivity profiles. The lower ionospheric conductivity can be modified as a result of the heating by up to one order of magnitude in regions with a characteristic lateral extent of ∼150 to 350 km. The vertical extent of the heated region is ∼10 km, at altitudes of ∼70–80 km, reaching above 85 km in some cases, depending on the ambient night-time conductivity profile. The electron heating may potentially alter the chemical balance in the D-region, modify the ambient levels of optical emissions and the magnitude of electrostatic thundercloud fields which map to higher ionospheric altitudes.
Detection, Diagnosis, and Recovery From Clock-Domain Crossing Failures in Multiclock SoCs

Clock-domain crossing (CDC) faults require careful post-silicon testing for multiclock circuits. Even when robust design methods based on synchronizers and design verification techniques are used, process variations can introduce subtle timing problems that affect data transfer across clock-domain boundaries for fabricated chips. We integrate solutions for detecting and locating CDC faults, and ensuring post-silicon recovery from CDC failures. In the proposed method, CDC faults are located using a CDC-fault dictionary, and their impact is masked using post-silicon clock-path tuning. To quantify the impact of process variations in the transfer of data at clock domain boundaries of multiclock circuits and to validate the proposed error-recovery method, we conducted a series of HSpice simulations using a 45-nm technology. The results demonstrate high incidence of process variation-induced violation of setup and hold time at the boundary flip-flops, even when synchronizer flip-flops are employed. The results also confirm the effectiveness of the proposed error-recovery scheme in recovering from CDC failures.
Comparison of a supplemental wide field of view versus a single field of view with zoom on performance in minimally invasive surgery

The limited space and high magnification involved in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) can cause surgeons to lose sight of an instrument while performing tasks such as suturing and knot-tying. A current strategy employed to locate the instrument is zooming out and in with the endoscope, which can be a time-intensive and iterative task. This study investigates the use of a supplemental wide field of view (FOV) via a second endoscope for locating an instrument outside the FOV in a MIS setting. Ten surgically naive subjects performed a simple aimed movement task with either hand (dominant or nondominant) under two display conditions: (1) conventional single monitor with zoom, and (2) supplemental wide FOV monitor with no zoom. The task emulated the need to locate an instrument outside the surgeon’s FOV and return it to a home position. The supplemental wide FOV produced significantly faster times [F(3,716) = 173.2, p < 0.001)] compared to a single monitor. The task was accomplished most quickly with the dual monitor with the dominant hand, followed by dual monitor with nondominant hand followed by a single monitor with either hand. There were also significantly fewer errors (t = 3.734, df = 9, p = 0.005) with the supplemental wide FOV. None of the subjects were slower with the dual monitor, and all but one had fewer errors. The variance for both task times and errors were also significantly smaller (p < 0.001 and p = 0.008, respectively) with the supplemental wide FOV indicating that subjects performed with increased reliability. The supplemental wide FOV gave the subjects the ability to see their instrument at all times providing a more efficient display than zooming out and in. This enabled faster times and fewer errors while allowing the user to perform the task with more consistency.
Nitric oxide production by monocytes in children with OSA and endothelial dysfunction

OSA (obstructive sleep apnoea) is associated with a higher risk for alterations in post-occlusive hyperaemia, an eNOS (endothelial NO synthase)-dependent endothelial response. However, since not all children manifest endothelial dysfunction, we hypothesized that differences in circulating monocyte subsets and NO production may underlie the vascular phenotype in paediatric OSA. Matched pre-pubertal children with OSA with abnormal endothelial function (OSAab) and with normal endothelial function (OSAn), and controls (CO) were recruited. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were subtyped into CD14+ and CD16+ cells, and NO production was assessed using flow cytometry. Endothelial dysfunction was defined as Tmax (time to reach maximal reperfusion)>45 s by laser Doppler flowmetry. A total of 11 OSAab, 12 OSAn and 12 CO-matched children completed the study. The OSAab group had increased CD16+ and decreased CD14+ cell numbers. They also had increased CX3CR1 (CX3C chemokine receptor 1) expression in CD16+ monocytes (P<0.01). Furthermore, monocytes from the OSAab group exhibited overall reduced NO production (787±71 compared with 1226±229 and 1089±116 median fluorescence intensity in the OSAn group and CO children respectively; P<0.01). Significant bivariate associations emerged between NO production, monocyte subsets, CX3CR1 in CD16+ monocytes, the CD14+/CD16+ ratio and Tmax. Thus OSA in children is associated with increased numbers of pro-inflammatory monocytes and reduced NO production in circulating monocytes that are closely associated with endothelial function.
Multimodal scenario analysis and visualization tool

Rochester Institute of Technology has developed a prototype environment around a fictional scenario describing a specific intelligence question. This environment ingests data across a wide range of modalities, allows the analyst to interact with the data and perform analysis within the environment. This in addition to the ability to visualize the scenario according to date and time of the data capture in order to make predictions and understand observations as a function of time. We were able to characterize the power output capacity of a power plant, which we assumed to be correlated to activity at the neighboring facility.
Chest Sonography Detects Lung Water Accumulation in Healthy Elite Apnea Divers

Background Ultrasound lung comets (ULCs) detected by chest sonography are a simple, noninvasive, semiquantitative sign of increased extravascular lung water. Pulmonary edema may occur in elite apnea divers, possibly triggered by centralization of blood flow from the periphery to pulmonary vessels. We assessed the prevalence of ULCs in top-level breath-hold divers after immersion. Methods We evaluated 31 consecutive healthy, top-level, breath-hold divers (10 female, 21 male; age 31 ± 5 years) participating in a yearly international apnea diving contest in Sharm-el-Sheik, Egypt, November 1 to 3, 2007. We performed chest and cardiac sonography with a transthoracic probe (2.5-3.5 MHz, Esaote Mylab) in all divers, both on the day before and 10 ± 9 minutes after immersion. In a subset of 4 divers, chest scan was also repeated at 24 hours after immersion. ULCs were evaluated on the anterior and posterior chest at 61 predefined scanning sites. An independent sonographer, blind to both patient identity and status (pre- or post-diving), scored ULCs. Results Diving depth ranged from 31 to 112 m. Duration of immersion ranged from 120 to 225 seconds. The ULC score was 0.5 ± 1.5 at baseline and 13 ± 21 after diving ( P = .012). At individual patient analysis, ULCs appeared in 14 athletes (45%) after diving. Of these 14 athletes, 4 were asymptomatic, 6 showed aspecific symptoms with transient loss of motor control ("Samba"), 2 had palpitations with frequent premature ventricular contractions, and 2 had persistent cough with hemoptysis and pulmonary crackles. In a subset of 4 athletes with post-diving ULCs in whom late follow-up study also was available, chest sonography findings fully normalized at 24 hours of follow-up. Conclusion In top-level breath-hold divers, chest sonography frequently reveals an increased number of ULCs after immersion, indicating a relatively high prevalence of (often subclinical) reversible extravascular lung water accumulation.
A cellular model of braided rivers

A BROAD sheet of water flowing over non-cohesive sediment typically breaks up into a network of interconnected channels called a braided stream (Fig. 1). The dynamics of such networks are complex; channels migrate laterally, split, rejoin and develop bars, with the flow shifting unpredictably from one part of the network to another. Many processes are known to operate in a braided river1–3, but it is unclear which of these are essential to explain the observed dynamics. We describe here a simple, deterministic numerical model of water flow over a cohesionless bed that captures the main spatial and temporal features of real braided rivers. The patterns arise from local scour and deposition caused by a nonlinear dependence of bedload sediment flux on water discharge. Although the morphology of the resulting network depends in detail on the sediment-transport rule used in the model, our results suggest that the only factors essential for braiding are bedload sediment transport and laterally unconstrained free-surface flow.
Age‐Specific Differentiations during the Development of the Rat Submandibular Gland

Histological observations indicate that the rodent submanfibular salivary gland does not complete its development until adulthood. Reports in the literature based upon enzyme studies suggest that the gland may pass through several stages of differentiation from birth to adulthood. Considering that proteases appear late in the developmental sequence and could cause apparent changes in enzyme concentrations, a methodology free of possible protease-mediated artefacts has been developed to analyze the patterns of protein accumulations. Analysis of total trichloroacetic acid-precipitable proteins on acrylamide gradient slab gels with sodium dodecyl sulphate and urea indicated that there are stage-specific patterns, and that certain protein species are prominent in early stages, but become unresolvable in later stages where different species have assumed prominence. Direct analysis of stage-specific gene expression as indicated by patterns of short-term protein synthesis also suggest that some of the major synthetic activities change qualitatively as development progresses. These alterations are discussed in the light of the changing cellular populations within the gland and certain correlations are proposed. These studies support the view that the submandibular gland exhibits several distinguishable differentiated states in the course of its development.
Unsteady Crossflow Separation Location Measurements on a Maneuvering 6:1 Prolate Spheroid

The crossflow separation of a 6:1 prolate spheroid undergoing transient maneuvers is studied. The dynamic plunge-pitch-roll model mount provides the unique capability to simulate unsteady maneuvers in a wind tunnel. Hot-film sensors are used with constant-temperature anemometers to measure the time-depcndent wall shear at points over the entire model surface. Minima in wall shear are used to indicate separation locations. Steady and unsteady data are presented for two fast maneuvers: a 0-30-deg, 0.33-s(t' = tU /L = 11) ramp pitchup about the model center (pitchup maneuver) and a 0-13.5-deg, 0.25-s (t' = 8.3) pitchup about the model center that simulates the time-dependent sideslip angle of a submarine entering a turning maneuver (submarine maneuver). Data show that, especially at higher angles of attack, significant lags occur in the flowfield during the maneuvers compared with the steady cases. In particular, separation is delayed at all locations of the model by up to a 10-deg higher angle of attack in the unsteady maneuvers compared with the steady data. Equivalently, the separation structure during the unsteady maneuvers lags the steady data by from 1.5 to 3.5 nondimensional time units t'
Theoretical analysis of band profiles in non-linear ideal countercurrent chromatography

Abstract The analytical solution of the ideal model of chromatography for the band profile of a single component in overloaded elution is extended to the case of the elution of a rectangular pulse in countercurrent moving-bed chromatography. The formation of concentration shocks and diffuse boundaries resulting from the rectangular injection profile of the feed is discussed for compounds moving in the direction of either the liquid phase or the solid phase. Differences between the solutions obtained for the moving-bed and the fixed-bed problems are examined and explained.
Surgical Technique: Aperture Fixation in PCL Reconstruction: Applying Biomechanics to Surgery

Background Biomechanical studies suggest reducing the effective graft length during transtibial posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction by augmenting the distal tibial fixation with a proximal screw near the tibial tunnel aperture could increase graft stiffness and provide a more stable reconstruction. However, it remains unknown to what extent this mechanical theory influences in vivo graft performance over time.
A mutant human β2-microglobulin can be used to generate diverse multimeric class I peptide complexes as specific probes for T cell receptors

Antigen-specific receptors (TCR) on CD8 T lymphocytes form relatively short-lived complexes with their natural ligands: peptides in association with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, which consist of a polymorphic heavy chain and a conserved light chain, beta2-microglobulin (beta2-M). To produce soluble MHC-peptide complexes in a form that would bind more stably and could be used to identify, count, and isolate CD8 T cells having the appropriate TCR, we prepared multimeric MHC-peptide complexes. Our work builds on the assembly of recombinant MHC class I peptide complexes using a mutant human beta2-M chain (Tyr 67 > Cys) which can form stable heterodimers with diverse MHC heavy chains. With biotin added to the SH group, the assembled MHC-peptide monomers formed multimers with avidin linked to a fluorochrome. The specific reactivity of the multimeric reagents with human and mouse cytotoxic T cells (CTL) is described. The present approach permits the production of class I multimers, without the necessity of genetic engineering each heavy chain, a significant advantage in view of the enormous polymorphism of MHC heavy chains. Because human beta2-M forms stable heterodimers with diverse class I heavy chains from various species (human and non human primates, mouse, etc.), this procedure is a general method for producing multimers of MHC-peptide complexes as T cell receptor-specific probes.
Monte Carlo Studies of the Aqueous Hydration of cis- and trans- N- Methyl-Acetamide: Sensitivity of Results to Convergence and to Choice of Intermolecular Potential Functions

A series of liquid state Monte Carlo computer simulations on the N-methyl acetamide in water (NMA molecule) are described, considering both the cis and trans isomeric forms of NMA. Two independent sets of calculations were performed, one set based on the potential functions developed by Clementi and co-workers (CPF) used in conjunction with the Matsuoka et al. (MCY) water-water potential, and the other set using the OPLS potential of Jorgensen and coworkers for solute-water interactions and the TIP4P potential for the water-water interactions. The relative hydration energies of the cis and trans isomers of NMA and the transfer energies of NMA from free space to water are discussed with respect to the convergence level of the simulations and the sensitivity of results to the choice of the intermolecular potential functions. The structural chemistry of the aqueous hydration for NMA is developed from the simulation result based on Proximity Analysis. The sensitivity of the structural and energetic indices of analysis to choice of potential is described. Preliminary results of the calculation of the hydration contribution to the free energy are also presented.
THE OCCURRENCE OF A SPOROZOAN IN THE MYOCARDIUM OF SHORT-TAILED SHREW (Blarina brevicauda)

A cyst was observed in the cardiac musculature of a short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) during a survey on the helminth fauna of the species in Connecticut. Histologically this organism resembled a species of Sarcocystis.
GNRH interaction with anterior pituitary. I. Determination of the affinity and number of receptors for GNRH in ovine anterior pituitary.

The specificity of the interaction of 152 �11 -GNRH and its receptor in ovine anterior pituitary tissue was evaluated. Hormone and receptor were found to be stable during incubation for at least 4 h at 4#{176}C in the presence of Aprotinin (100 KIU/ml). The association rate constant (k1) was 1.3 X 10' Msecand the dissociation rate (k1 ) was 3 X 10' sec� . Of the substances tested only synthetic GNRH and (D-Leu)6-(des-Gly-NH,)' #{176}-GNRHethylamide were capable of inhibit- ing the binding of 1' 2.511 -GNRH to the anterior pituitary preparation. Vasopressin, melatonin, thyrotropin releasing hormone, LH, FSH, prolactin and inactive analogs of GNRH did not inhibit binding of 1 2 �i) -GNRH to its receptor. Scatchard plot analysis of saturation experiments indi- cated that a single class of high affinity sites (KA = 2.33 ± 0.31 X 10'#{176} M� ) were present. It should be emphasized that the relative affinity of GNRH for receptors in anterior pituitary tissue is only 3% that of 1' 2511 -GNRH. A constant concentration of available sites (4.85 ± 0.27 X 10_I molcs/g fresh anterior pituitary tissue) were present in ewes 10-12 days after superovulation. The number of receptors present in anterior pituitaries of anestrous ewes was not different at 0, 5, 10 or 20 h after injection of 100 �ig estradiol-1713 even though serum levels of LH increased -100- fold 13 h after treatment.
Candida albicans “fungus ball” in bladder

Abstract With the use of antibacterial agents, the incidence of fungal infections has risen. The urinary tract is susceptible to these superinfections. We report, herein, a case of candidiasis of the bladder that demonstrates the classic radiographic findings of “fungus ball” in the bladder.