cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estrogen supplementation selectively enhances hypothalamo-pituitary sensitivity to ghrelin in postmenopausal women.

Context: Sex-steroid hormones amplify pulsatile GH secretion by unknown mechanisms. Ghrelin is the most potent natural GH secretagogue discovered to date. A plausible unifying postulate is that estradiol (E2) enhances hypothalamo-pituitary sensitivity to ghrelin (a physiological effect). The hypothesis is relevant to understanding the basis of hyposomatotropism in aging and other relatively hypogonadal states. Objective: Our objective was to test the hypothesis that E2 supplementation potentiates ghrelin’s stimulation of pulsatile GH secretion. Setting: The study was conducted at an academic medical center. Subjects: Healthy postmenopausal women (n = 20) were included in the study. Interventions: Separate-day iv infusions of saline vs. five graded doses of ghrelin were performed in volunteers prospectively randomly assigned to receive (n = 8) or not receive (n = 12) transdermal E2 for 21 d were performed. Measures: GH secretion was estimated by deconvolution analysis and abdominal visceral fat mass determined by computerized axial tomography were calculated. Results: E2 supplementation augmented ghrelin’s stimulation of basal (nonpulsatile) GH secretion by 3.6-fold (P = 0.022), increased GH responses to low-dose ghrelin by 2.9-fold (P = 0.035), did not alter ghrelin efficacy, and elicited more regular patterns of acylated ghrelin concentrations during saline infusion (P = 0.033). Abdominal visceral fat negatively determined responses to ghrelin (R = −0.346; P < 0.005). Conclusions: Transdermal E2 supplementation potentiates GH secretion stimulated by physiological but not pharmacological concentrations of acylated ghrelin, and concomitantly regularizes patterns of bioactive ghrelin secretion in postmenopausal women. Accordingly, the estrogen milieu appears to control sensitivity of the hypothalamopituitary unit to acylated ghrelin.
Reporting susceptibility test results—are we really communicating with physicians?

Abstract The laboratory report or lack of a report for susceptibility testing can influence the choice of drugs used to treat patients. In addition to knowing and accurately reporting results for drugs tested, the laboratory must be aware of both appropriate and inappropriate drug/organism reporting based on knowledge of treatment failures and successes. Because results for one drug that is tested can predict or not predict susceptibility to other drugs, laboratories should consider annotating their reports to explain confusing or misleading results. Communication with those prescribing antimicrobial therapy is imperative to understanding the implications and consequences of the reports generated by the laboratory.
Risk reduction activities for future GOES-R instrumentation

This paper discusses activities related to mesoscale product development in preparation for the GOES-R satellite to be launched in 2012. These new image products will feature improved spatial, temporal, spectral, and radiometric resolution compared to current GOES imagery. Emphasis in this paper is on simulations of GOES-R data using observations from existing operational and experimental satellites.
Correlation of Secondary Cytogenetic Abnormalities With Histologic Appearance in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas Bearing t(14;18)(q32;q21)

Successful cytogenetic studies were performed on 69 biopsies from 64 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma bearing a t(14;18)(q32;q21) translocation. This translocation appears to be a primary abnormality associated with the development of certain B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. We correlated the occurrence of secondary abnormalities, in addition to the t(14;18)(q32;q21), with histologic subtype to test the hypothesis that secondary abnormalities correlate with more aggressive histologic appearance. A large number of secondary abnormalities were identified, the most frequent being additional copies of chromosomes 7 (30%), 12 (22%), 18 (22%), 20 (16%), or 21 (14%), deletion of a portion of the long arm of chromosome 6 (17%), and either an additional chromosome 17 or an isochromosome for the long arm of chromosome 17 (13%). An extra chromosome 7 was highly associated with a diffuse histologic pattern; it was present in 52% of patients with a diffuse pattern and in only 15% of those with a follicular pattern (P = .002). A weaker association with a diffuse growth pattern was found for the addition of chromosome 17 or an i(17q); it was found in 24% of patients with a diffuse pattern and only 5% of those with a follicular pattern (P = .05). No other significant correlations between secondary chromosome abnormalities and histologic subtype were identified. Although the explanation for this association is not clear, it appears that patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas bearing the t(14;18)(q32;q21) translocation which also have an additional chromosome 7 are likely to exhibit a diffuse growth pattern.
Invariant manifold tracking for first-order nonlinear Hill's equations

Abstract : An approach to provide nonlinear active control for the first-order nonlinear classical Hill's equations is described. Both the linearized and nonlinear Hill's equations are controlled to remain close to specific invariant manifolds defined through the various system Hamiltonians. It is then shown that trajectories similar to the periodic trajectories of the linearized system can be maintained by the nonlinear equations on invariant manifolds defined by the linearized system of equations. Forcing the nonlinear system trajectories onto an invariant manifold of the linearized system, with an appropriate choice of initial conditions, provides a significant reduction in the along-track drift of the first-order nonlinear Hill's equations as compared to the linearized equations. There is also a small drift reduction in the radial coordinate direction. The cross-track position suffers only a slight increase in the maximum amplitude of its oscillation.
Teacher-Parent Partnerships: Enhancing Communications

(1991). Teacher-Parent Partnerships: Enhancing Communications. Childhood Education: Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 164-167.
Accuracy and reliability of teleophthalmology for diagnosing diabetic retinopathy and macular edema: a review of the literature.

Using teleophthalmology for the delivery of routine eye care for patients with diabetes mellitus is becoming an increasingly common practice. Paramount in the consideration of any new diagnostic test is an analysis of its diagnostic accuracy and reliability and how that compares with conventional care. This review summarizes existing data on the diagnostic accuracy and reliability of teleophthalmology and conventional clinic-based eye care for detecting diabetic retinopathy and diabetes mellitus. The sensitivity of ophthalmoscopy for detecting diabetic retinopathy performed by eye care clinicians has varied widely, with point estimates ranging from 0% to 96%. Alternatively, specificity has been universally high. The sensitivity of teleophthalmology for detecting diabetic retinopathy has been shown to be comparable, if not better, than clinic-based examinations. Sensitivity values have ranged from 50% to 93%. The specificity of teleophthalmology, like clinic-based examinations, has been consistently high. ...
Formation of mono- and dinitrate metabolites of nitroglycerin following incubation with human blood

Nitroglycerin (GTN) is rapidly metabolized in humans; reported clearance values are much greater than liver blood flow. Therefore, other body sites, including blood, may be responsible for GTN metabolism. Lee (1) demonstrated the conversion of GTN to 1,2- and 1,3- glyceryldinitrates (1,2-GDN and 1,3-GDN) after incubation with blood, but at GTN concentrations (1 mg/ml) that would not be observed in humans. He was not able to detect the formation of glycerylmononitrates (GMN’s). Armstrong et al. (2) demonstrated the disappearance of physiologically relevant concentrations of GTN following incubation with blood. Even though these workers did not measure the appearance of metabolites, they assumed that the loss of GTN was due to metabolism. More recently, Wu et al. (3,4) attempted to measure the formation of metabolites (GDN’s) following incubation of GTN with human erythrocytes. These investigators noted that even though levels of GTN decreased with time, the metabolites could not be detected. They concluded that the reaction of GTN with blood was not enzymatic but that the loss was physical in nature. The work described here was designed to elucidate the mechanisms by which GTN might be lost (that is, either a physical or metabolic loss) after incubation with blood.
Myocardial oxygen consumption modulates adenosine formation by canine right ventricle in absence of hypoxia.

Abstract Myocardial adenosine formation varies with myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2), but whether concurrent hypoxia is required for adenosine formation is uncertain. Changes in right coronary (RC) perfusion pressure (RCP) produce directionally similar alterations in right ventricular (RV) MVO2and in RC venous P O 2 (Pv O 2), an index of myocardial P O 2. RCP was varied in 10 anesthetized, open chest dogs to determine if, under these conditions, RV formation of adenosine would increase with MVO2in absence of myocardial hypoxia. Dialysis probes were implanted in the mid myocardium of RV free wall for collecting dialysate samples for HPLC analyses to estimate interstitial adenosine and other purines. Coronary venous blood was sampled from a superficial vein draining the RC artery (RCA) perfusion territory. At 115±3 mmHg baseline RCP, RC blood flow (RCBF)=0.51±0.04 ml/min/g, MVO2=4.6±0.5 ml/min/100 g, Pv O 2=34±1.5 mmHg, and dialysate adenosine=0.27±0.03μ M . When RCP was lowered to 61±1 mmHg by adjusting an occluder on the proximal RCA, RCBF decreased to 0.36±0.03 ml/min/g, MVO2fell to 3.7±0.4 ml/min/100 g, lactate uptake remained positive, Pv O 2fell to 30±1.7 mmHg, and dialysate adenosine decreased to 0.20±0.03μ M . Reactive hyperemia of 1.25±0.13 ml/min/g was observed when the RCA constriction was released, although dialysate adenosine had fallen. When RCP was elevated to 164±2 mmHg by inflating a balloon catheter in the descending aorta, RCBF increased to 0.70±0.06 ml/min/g, MVO2increased to 5.8±1.0 ml/min/100 g, Pv O 2rose to 39±2.3 mmHg, and dialysate adenosine increased to 0.33±0.04μ M . These data indicate that (1) RV oxygen demand varies with RCP; (2) if RV ischemia is absent, myocardial adenosine formation is modulated by MVO2, with no requirement for hypoxia; (3) pressure–flow autoregulation is relatively ineffective in the RC circulation, where adenosine does not mediate and may even blunt autoregulation.
Dispersion of Repolarization: Time to Move Beyond QT Dispersion

Background: Over the last few years, the concept of dispersion of repolarization, evaluated as interlead variability of QT interval duration in surface ECG, emerged as a possible tool to identify patients at high-risk for cardiac arrhythmias. Despite substantial progress in understanding of the electrophysiological basis for dispersion of repolarization, the question remains whether interlead differences in ECG- recorded T-wave duration and morphology (QT dispersion) indicate heterogeneity in ventricular recovery time and pattern. Methods and Results: Several studies investigated the prognostic significance of QT dispersion for predicting all-cause mortality, sudden cardiac, and arrhythmic deaths. Some of those studies indicated significant and independent predictive value of QT dispersion whereas others negated such an association. Despite these controversial results, there is concern that substantial overlap in QT dispersion values between patients with and without cardiac events limits or even precludes clinical usefulness of QT dispersion for predicting future cardiac events. The methodological and conceptual limitations of QT dispersion measurements further discourage the bedside use of this noninvasive ECG parameter. Ionic channel phenomena determine the voltage and time components of the T-wave, the T-loop, and the QT interval duration. Since the ST-T area is more representative of recovery times than QT interval duration, future efforts should be focused on developing and testing new automatically quantified parameters describing abnormalities of the T-wave configuration and/or T-loop morphology. Electrophysiologic meaning and prognostic significance of these ECG parameters remain to be studied. Conclusion: In light of conceptual and methodological limitations of QT dispersion analysis, bedside use of this method should be discouraged and the time has come to move beyond QT dispersion and focus on evaluating clinical usefulness of repolarization morphology in risk-stratification. studies. A.N.E. 2000;5(4):373-381
Genetic vulnerability in patients with psychiatric presentations: a neuroscience perspective.

Today’s psychiatry is progressively entering the realm of science. Significant advances in structural neuroimaging and insight in functional as well as dysfunctional connectivity permit us to see the world from a patient’s perspective and generate hypotheses driven by objective brain-based data (1). In addition to these sophisticated imaging tools, human genetic mapping allows us to address an individual’s genetic vulnerabilities in relation to their brain’s development and processing internal and external information. Increasingly, psychiatric clinicians see genetic mapping as a valid and significantly beneficial tool (2). From a simple cheek swab or saliva sample, commercial enterprises give clinicians quick and easy access to a patient’s genetic vulnerabilities, which can be divided in two domains.
Capital in a Tourism Satellite Account

On the basis that it is important for any measurement programme associated with the economics of tourism to contain a capital formation component, this paper presents a conceptual framework for developing comprehensive measures of Tourism Capital Formation as part of a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA). The paper suggests a method for determining the degree to which the accumulated stock of capital in an economy (or the corresponding flow of new capital expenditures) is, in the words of Tourism Satellite Accounts: A Methodological Framework, ‘driven by the needs of visitors’. In doing this, it examines the issues involved in extending the use of conventional measures of aggregate, industry-specific capital accumulation to provide comprehensive measures of capital usage as part of a TSA. The argument is developed as follows. After an overview of concepts and issues associated with capital measurement, the basic framework is adapted to the specific task of allocating capital assets to the generation of touris...
Regionalism, Cabinet Stability and Canada's Electoral System: The Effect of District Magnitude

Previous literature has assumed that there is a trade-off between cabinet stability, by means of a majority manufactured by a single-seat plurality system, and the alleviation of regional conflict, by means of a more proportional electoral system. This study demonstrates that no such tradeoff exists. The objective of this study is to find an alternative electoral system which satisfies both the criteria of majority government and multiregional representation. In a quasi-experiment, an electoral system with a district magnitude of two (M2) satisfies both of the above criteria. The results of the study show that a district magnitude of two can provide a large diffuse party with a majority of seats for the same amount of voter support as the present plurality system. In addition, M2 rewards this large diffuse party with seats necessary to form a minority government at a much lower level of voter support than does the existing system. Thus, M2 solves the problem of underrepresentation of regions in the government party, and is at the same time even more advantageous to a large diffuse party than is the present electoral system. If the argument of this study is correct, beneficiaries of the existing system should not be averse to implementing it.
Genetic and environmental influences on conduct disorder: symptom, domain and full‐scale analyses

Background: We used variable threshold models which accounted for age and gender differences to investigate the genetic and environmental influences on DSM-IV conduct disorder (CD) at the level of symptoms, aggressive versus non-aggressive domains, and full-scale. Method: A community sample of 1100 twin pairs (age 11–18) was interviewed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children. Results: Behavior genetic model fitting suggested that genetic and environmental influences on individual symptoms varied by symptom. The best-fitting models for aggressive and non-aggressive domains, and full-scale CD included additive genetic effects and unique environmental effects only (AE models). These effects could be constrained across age cohorts and sex. The results suggest that using models that incorporate age- and gender-appropriate thresholds specific to each subject we can account for prevalence differences between cohorts. Heritability estimates were .49, .55 and .53 for the aggressive domain, non-aggressive domain, and full-scales, respectively. These results are in contrast to previous research on antisocial behavior measured with the CBCL reporting higher heritability for aggressive versus non-aggressive domains. Conclusions: Results suggest that individual symptoms of CD may be differentially heritable. Additionally, CD assessed using DSM-IV criteria may show differing patterns of heritability compared with estimates obtained for other measures of antisocial behavior such as the CBCL.
Observation of terrestrial orbital motion using the cosmic-ray Compton–Getting effect

Using underground observations, we have found a small diurnal amplitude modulation of the cosmic-ray muon intensity which agrees in amplitude and phase with a first-order relativistic effect due to the Earth's motion, as discussed by Compton and Getting more than fifty years ago. The parent particles are sufficiently rigid (∼1.5TeV/c) that solar and geomagnetic effects should be minor. The muon flux deep underground is relatively insensitive to near-surface meteorological effects, and temperature effects at production height would produce intensity variations nearly out of phase with the observed effect. Analysis of the arrival times of 5 × 108 muons during a period of 5.4 yr yields a fractional amplitude variation of 2.5+0.7−0.6× 10−4, with a maximum near dawn, at 08:18 ± 1.0 h local mean solar time (LT). The expected amplitude is 3.40 × 10−4, with the maximum at 06:00 LT.
Concepts of Independence for Proportions with a Generalization of the Dirichlet Distribution

Abstract Concepts of independence for nonnegative continuous random variables, X 1, …, Xk , subject to the constraint ΣXi = 1 are developed. These concepts provide a means of modeling random vectors of proportions which is useful in analyzing certain kinds of data; and which may be of interest in quantifying prior opinions about multinomial parameters. A generalization of the Dirichlet distribution is given, and its relation to the Dirichlet is simply indicated by means of the concepts. The concepts are used to obtain conclusions of biological interest for data on bone composition in rats and scute growth in turtles.
Race, Ethnicity, and Emerging Adulthood Retrospect and Prospects

Despite the tremendous growth in theory and research on emerging adulthood over the past decade, relatively little attention has been paid to the experiences of emerging adults from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. The purpose of this article is to fill this gap by conducting a conceptual review of the literature on race, ethnicity, and emerging adulthood. We begin with a discussion of conceptual issues, clarifying terms such as emerging adults, emerging adulthood, and race and ethnicity. We then review the existing literature pertaining to the five pillars of emerging adulthood: the age of instability, possibilities, self-focus, in-betweenness, and identity explorations. Finally, we close with a discussion of major challenges to conducting research on race, ethnicity, and emerging adulthood. Taken together, this review is intended to provide a broad overview of the state of knowledge and inspire future research.
A Short-term (Accelerated Release) Approach to Evaluate Peptide Release from PLGA Depot Formulations

An accelerated method to evaluate peptide release from poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) depot formulations in short time is described. Peptide-loaded microspheres were made from hydrophilic 50∶50 PLGA by a dispersionsolyent extraction technique, and peptide release was studied at 37°C and at higher temperatures in various media. For all accelerated conditions, release was faster at temperatures above the glass transition, Tg, of the host polymer. Complete release of peptide from 8600 MW PLGA was achieved in 35 hours at 50°C in buffered and nonbuffered media containing 0.5% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Type of release media and concentration of PVA influenced the release profiles. A PVA concentration of 0.1 to 0.5% was found to prevent aggregation of microspheres at higher temperatures, with an increase in release at the higher PVA concentration. Peptide release was associated with a reduction of pH of the releasing media and increased mass loss. Complete peptide release at pH 4 from 8.6 kd and 28 kd PLGA at 50 and 60°C occurred within 30–40 hours and correlated well with the real-time release at 37°C and pH 7.0. At the higher molecular weight, a slightly longer accelerated release time and higher temperature were required to correlate with the real-time release. The data suggest that by optimization of release conditions such as temperature, surfactant concentration, buffer component, and pH, an accelerated study could be employed to evaluate depot formulations for a given polymer type.
An outer bound for distributed compression of linear functions

We consider the problem of distributed compression of a pair of Gaussian sources in which the goal is to reproduce a given linear combination of the pair, subject to an upper bound on the allowable mean-square error. The rate-distortion region for this problem is unknown except in certain cases, and several achievable schemes have been proposed. We provide an outer bound to the rate-distortion region, which strictly improves upon the cut-set bound. For the special case of reproducing the difference of two positively correlated Gaussian random variables, the outer bound determines the rate region to within one bit at all distortion levels.
Radiative Modes of a Weakly Ionized, Collision-Dominated, Turbulent Plasma

We obtain, and discuss, the roots of the dispersion relation describing normal mode propagation in a weakly ionized, collision dominated turbulent plasma with an isotropically distributed turbulent magnetic field. We demonstrate that, depending on the level of the turbulent field relative to the collision frequency, there may, or may not, be propagating, but decaying, modes present in the system. The structure and properties of the modes depend on both the precise level of the turbulent magnetic field and its spatial and temporal correlation. For simple correlation functions we estimate the decay rate of the radiative modes. Using galactic parameters as an illustration we show that only the long-wavelength (low-frequency) modes last for a significant length of time (≳ a collision time). We have done this calculation to demonstrate that the response of turbulent plasma systems is more complicated than simple order of magnitude calculations indicate; and to illustrate a method which may, perhaps, be gainfully employed in more complex turbulent astrophysical plasma situations than considered here.
Major extinctions of land-dwelling vertebrates at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, eastern Montana

A large database recording species of terrestrial vertebrates present in formations above and below the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary in eastern Montana was assembled by J. D. Archibald and L. J. Bryant. Division of the species in this database into freshwater and land-dwelling vertebrate assemblages reveals that the K-T vertebrate extinction was concentrated in land- dwelling forms. In data corrected for the effects of rare taxa, 90% of the species in the freshwater assemblage survived into the Tertiary, but only 12% of the land-dwelling forms survived. The pattern of differential extinction of terrestrial vertebrates in eastern Montana may be in large part the result of the dependence of land-based communities on primary productivity. This is in contrast to the riverine communities, which may derive much of their organic carbon from detritus. The pattern of extinction and survival is compatible with the hypothesis of an asteroid impact after which there was a temporary cessation of primary, photosynthetic productivity.
Electronic structure calculations of 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions using density functional and Hartree–Fock methods

Local spin density (LSD) methods were used to study the concerted 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions for fulminic acid plus acetylene, fulminic acid plus ethylene, and nitrone plus ethylene. Cartesian Gaussian double-zeta split-valence basis sets augmented with one set of polarization functions (DZVP) were used for the LSD calculations. The LSD calculations were performed with the LSD exchange functional (Dirac) and with the Vosko, Wilk, and Nusair correlation energy functional (VWN). Nonlocal spin-density corrections (NLSD) were estimated with the exchange functional of Becke and the correlation energy functional of Perdew (VWN + BP) and Becke, and the correlation energy functional of Lee, Yang, and Parr (B-LYP). Vibrational frequencies were computed at the VWN and B-LYP levels by numerical differentiation of the analytical first derivatives of the energy. Each of these reactions was examined using Hartree–Fock and Moller–Plesset perturbation theory for comparison. Geometry optimizations were carried out at the Hartree–Fock level with the 6-311G(d,p) basis set, and correlation energies were computed up to the MP4SDTQ/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. For the reactions of fulminic acid plus acetylene, fulminic acid plus ethylene, and nitrone plus ethylene, our best estimated density functional barrier heights are 7.8 ± 1.5, 8.9 ± 0.3, and 11.05 ± 1.9 kcal/mol, respectively. These results are in reasonable agreement with the correlated wave-function calculations and experimental estimates. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Permanent seismic deformation analysis of a landslide

A failed slope may not necessarily require a remedial treatment if it can be shown with confidence that the maximum movement of the slide mass will be within tolerable limits, i.e., not cause loss of life or property. A permanent displacement analysis of a landslide for static and seismic conditions is presented using a continuum mechanics approach. Computed values of displacement for static conditions compare favorably with field measurements and computed values of seismic displacements for a postulated earthquake motion appear reasonable. Also, the seismic displacements using the continuum mechanics approach compare favorably with those obtained using the Newmark sliding block procedure for assessing seismically-induced slope deformations.
The SHORT-ROOT protein acts as a mobile, dose-dependent signal in patterning the ground tissue

A key question in developmental biology is how cellular patterns are created and maintained. During the formation of the Arabidopsis root, the endodermis, middle cortex (MC), and cortex are produced by periclinal cell divisions that occur at different positions and at different times in root development. The endodermis and cortex arise continuously from the periclinal divisions of cells that surround the quiescent center (QC) at the tip of the root. The MC arises between days 7 and 14 from periclinal divisions of the endodermis. The divisions that produce the middle cortex begin in the basal region of the root meristem away from the QC and then spread apically and circumferentially around the root. Although the transcription factor SHORT-ROOT (SHR) is required for both of these divisions, the mechanism that determines where and when SHR acts to promote cell division along the longitudinal axis of the root is unknown; SHR is present along the entire length of the root tip, but only promotes periclinal divisions at specific sites. Here we show that the abundance of the SHR protein changes dynamically as the root develops, and that the pattern of cell division within the endodermis is sensitive to the dose of this protein: high levels of SHR prevent the formation of the MC, whereas intermediate levels of SHR promote MC formation. These results provide a mechanism for the longitudinal patterning of the endodermis, and represent the first example in plants of a mobile transcription factor whose function (activator or repressor) depends upon concentration.
Low-energy dynamics in ultradegenerate QCD matter.

We study the low-energy behavior of QCD Green functions in the limit that the baryon chemical potential is much larger than the QCD scale parameter {lambda}{sub QCD}. We show that there is a systematic low-energy expansion in powers of ({omega}/m){sup 1/3}, where {omega} is the energy and m is the screening scale. This expansion is valid even if the effective quark-gluon coupling g is not small. The expansion is purely perturbative in the magnetic regime vertical bar k(vector sign) vertical bar >>k{sub 0}. If the external momenta and energies satisfy vertical bar k(vector sign) vertical bar ={approx}k{sub 0}, planar, Abelian ladder diagrams involving the full quark propagator have to be resummed but the corresponding Dyson-Schwinger equations are closed.
Antiviral treatment in chickenpox and herpes zoster

Intravenous acyclovir is effective for varicella in adults and immunocompromised children, causing more rapid resolution of the illness and fewer complications. Intravenous acyclovir in immunocompromised patients with herpes zoster decreases new lesion formation, decreases acute pain, halts dissemination of the virus, and lessens visceral complications. Intravenous acyclovir may also be effective in zoster encephalitis. Intravenous vidarabine also has a favorable affect on chickenpox and herpes zoster. Topical acyclovir may benefit herpes zoster in immunosuppressed patients by accelerating cutaneous healing. Oral acyclovir appears to be effective in varicella and zoster in immunocompromised patients. It is also effective in otherwise normal patients, but its effect seems less dramatic and the drug must be given early. Neither acyclovir nor vidarabine has been proven clearly to prevent postherpetic neuralgia. Because varicella zoster virus is less sensitive to acyclovir than is herpes simplex, intravenous doses of 500 mg/m' or 10 mg/kg every 8 hours or oral doses of 800 mg five times a day are recommended. At these doses adequate hydration and urine flow must be maintained, the mental status of the patient must be monitored, and impaired renal function requires regulation of dosage downward.
DEVELOPMENTS IN LABOR MARKET RESEARCH: RECENT THEORY AND RECENT DATA

At the outset, the sociology of economic life was a subfield that depended as much, if not more, on insight than on careful empirical documentation. As recently as the 1950s, major works consisted of largely theoretical pieces like Parsons' and Smelser's Economy and Society. The integration of theory with rigorous data was a burden that economists, rather than sociologists, were more likely to shoulder. This changed, of course, with the advent of the "new structuralism" in sociological labor market research. Almost overnight, economic sociology was awash in a flood of regression coefficients, factor loadings, and logit parameters. But as their methods converged, sociologists' and economists' ideas about markets, and especially labor markets, seemed to spin apart. Although it once seemed possible that economic sociology might be a complement to economics per se, more lines were drawn than bridges built between the two fields. The articles included in this collection were hardly written with the aim of closing this gap, and good research is more likely motivated by a desire to solve empirical puzzles than by a desire to establish coherence between disparate disciplines. At the same time when examining samples of empirical work, including these, a neutral observor might find that there is often interdisciplinary agreement in practice, if not in principle, about identifying important variables. Competition and the extent of competition are exactly these sorts of variables. In the first article, Neil Fligstein and Roberto Fernandez focus explicitly on the role of differential competition as a force that structures the shape and dynamics of the labor market. Drawing not only on segmented market and Marxian approaches, but also on the basic themes of neoclassical economic analysis, their article critiques most extant work for paying too much attention to firms; and not enough attention to workers, competitive positions. In their view, the problem with most recent sociological work on "segmented" labor markets is that having rediscovered institutional
Analytical model for low finesse, external cavity, fiber Fabry–Perot interferometers including multiple reflections and angular misalignment

We present an analytical model for single mode, multiply reflected, external cavity, optical fiber Fabry–Perot interferometers in the low finesse regime using simple geometry and the Gaussian beam approximation. The multiple reflection model predicts attenuation of the peak-to-peak interference as the fiber to mirror distance approaches zero, as well as fringe asymmetry in the presence of nonabsorbing mirrors. A series of experiments are conducted in which a series of fiber Fabry–Perot cavities are constructed using uncoated, single mode glass fibers, and mirrors of varying reflectivity. The cavity length is swept, and the predictions of the model are found to be in good agreement with the experimental interferograms.
Three-dimensional ray acoustics: new expressions for the amplitude, eikonal, and phase functions

New three-dimensional ray-acoustics expressions for the amplitude, eikonal, and phase along a ray path are derived. These expressions clearly indicate the numerical calculations that must be performed in order to evaluate these functions. The ocean medium is characterized by a three-dimensional random index of refraction which is decomposed into deterministic random components. >
Effect of SiO2 and Y2O3 additives on the anisotropic grain growth of dense mullite

Mullite powder with a nearly stoichiometric composition was doped with 1.5–5 wt% SiO2 or 0.5–1.0 wt% Y2O3 and hot pressed at 1525–1550 °C to produce almost fully dense materials. The effect of the additives on the grain growth of the dense systems was investigated during subsequent annealing at temperatures above that of the eutectic (∼1590 °C) for the SiO2–Al2O3 system. The average length and width of the grains were measured by image analysis of polished and etched sections. At 1750 °C, anisotropic grain growth was relatively rapid, leading to the formation of rodlike grains. Compared to the undoped mullite, the addition of SiO2 and Y2O3 produced a small reduction in the grain growth kinetics. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the glassy second phase was concentrated at the three-grain junctions or distributed inhomogeneously at the grain boundaries. For the materials annealed at 1750 °C, the indentation fracture toughness at room temperature increased from 2.0 to 2.5 MPa m1/2 for the undoped mullite to values as high as 4.0–4.5 MPa m1/2 for the doped mullite. The implications of the data for enhancing the fracture toughness of mullite by the in situ development of a microstructure of elongated grains are considered.
General direction-of-arrival estimation: a signal subspace approach

A high-resolution algorithm is presented for resolving multiple incoherent and coherent plane waves that are incident on an array of sensors. The incident sources can be a mixture of narrowband and broadband sources, and, the geometry of the array is unrestricted. The algorithm makes use of a fundamental property possessed by those eigenvectors of the array spectral density matrix that are associated with eigenvalues that are larger than the sensor noise level. Specifically, it is shown that these eigenvectors can each be represented as linear combinations of the steering vectors identifying the incident plane waves. This property is then used to solve the important special cases of incoherent sources incident on a general array and coherent sources incident on an equispaced linear array. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the high-resolution performance achieved with this approach relative to that obtained with MUSIC and spatial smoothed MUSIC in which the coherent-signal-subspace focusing method is used. >
Two-phase computational fluid dynamics analysis of a hypervapotron heatsink for ITER first wall applications

Enhanced radial transport in the plasma and the effect of ELMS may increase the ITER first wall heat loads to as much as 4 to 5 MW/m2 over localized areas. One proposed heatsink that can handle these higher loads is a CuCrZr hypervapotron. One concept for a first wall panel consists of 20 hypervapotron channels, 1400 mm long and 48.5 mm wide. The nominal cooling conditions anticipated for each channel are 400 g/s of water at 3 MPa and 100 °C. This will result in boiling over a portion of the total length, and two-phase thermalhydraulic analysis is required to predict accurately the thermal performance. Existing heat transfer correlations used for nucleate boiling are not appropriate here, because the flow does not reach fully developed conditions in the multi-segmented channels. Our design-by-analysis approach used two commercial codes, CFdesign and Fluent, to perform computational fluid dynamics analyses with conjugate heat transfer. The Fluent simulations use the Rensselear (RPI) model for wall heat flux partitioning to model nucleate boiling as implemented in user defined functions. A more computationally expensive volume-of-fluid (VOF) multiphase model encompassing only several hypervapotron teeth provided a check on the results. We present a comparison between the two codes for this Eulerian multi-phase problem that relies on the steam tables for the fluid properties. The analyses optimized the hypervapotron geometry including teeth height and pitch and the depth of the back channel to permit highly effective boiling heat transfer in the grooves between teeth while ensuring that no boiling could occur at the back channel exit. The analysis used a representative heat flux profile with the peak heat flux of 5 MW/m2 limited to a 50-mm-length. The surface temperature of the heatsink is kept well below 350 °C. The baseline design uses 2 mm for the teeth height, a 3 mm width and 6 mm pitch, and a back channel depth of 8 mm. The teeth are detached from the sidewall by a 2-mm-wide slot on both sides that aids in sweep-out and quenching of the vapor bubbles.
Libraries in Second Life: Linking Collections, Clients, and Communities in a Virtual World

The multi-user virtual environment Second Life has drawn attention from many librarians who established virtual libraries and information spaces there. Even as interest in Second Life diminishes, it is worthwhile to look at how libraries in Second Life were established and what models they followed. This study examines the purposes, users, collections, and community integration of Second Life libraries. Researchers identified over 75 libraries in Second Life through the professional literature and search results within Second Life. Using this sample, they identified seven general categories of libraries and discuss examples of each. Some Second Life library spaces help to set a scene and contribute to the ethos of a larger space. Other Second Life libraries connect physical libraries with virtual communities. Still others serve communities that exist only in virtual spaces, supporting common interests or role-playing scenarios. Finally, some Second Life libraries expand understandings of what a virtual li...
A universal SPICE model for signal analysis of a straw tube detector

A universal SPICE model of the MECO straw detector and its readout system was developed. This model is able to reproduce the signals from the anode wires and the induced charge distribution on the cathode strips. Results from model calculations were compared to test results of a short prototype. Based on the successful reproduction of the experimental results, we used the model to help select parameters to optimize the design of the full scale MECO tracker. This model provides complete signal analysis of the current flows for both anode and cathode readout. In addition, a dual straw model was constructed to calculate the crosstalk and noise between adjacent straws. This paper describes the simulation and test results.
Routing framework for all-optical DWDM metro and long-haul transport networks with sparse wavelength conversion capabilities

In this paper, we propose a novel routing framework for all-optical dense wavelength-division-multiplexing transport networks with sparse wavelength conversion capabilities. The routing framework includes an integer linear programming formulation to handle the static lightpath establishment problem and a novel open shortest path first protocol extension that advertises the availability of wavelength usage and wavelength conversion resources. Our routing framework addresses the limitations of the extensions presented in the literature because it also includes: 1) an efficient flooding protocol that is suitable for the dynamic nature of these networks and 2) an efficient route and wavelength computation engine that minimizes connection costs without hindering the blocking probability.
Diffusion tensor tractography of the human brain cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways: a quantitative preliminary study.

Purpose To investigate the utility of diffusion tensor tractography at 1mm slice thickness to map and quantify the whole trajectory of different cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways of the healthy adult human brain.
The prevalence of transitional vertebrae in the lumbar spine.

Abstract Background context Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTVs) are a congenital vertebral anomaly of the L5–S1 junction in the spine. This alteration may contribute to incorrect identification of a vertebral segment, leading to wrong-level spine surgery and poor correlation with clinical symptoms. Although several studies describe the occurrence of this anomaly in back pain populations, investigation of the prevalence in the American general population is lacking. Purpose To establish the prevalence rates for LSTVs in the general population. Study design Retrospective review. Patient sample Consecutive kidney-urinary bladder (KUB) radiographs of subjects from the past 2 years (2008–2009). Outcome measures Clinical demographics, number of lumbar vertebrae, L5–S1 transverse process (TP) height, and rib length. Methods Consecutive adult KUB studies of adult subjects were queried with clear visibility of the last rib’s vertebral body articulation, all lumbar TPs, and complete sacral wings. Exclusion criteria consisted of any radiologic evidence of previous lumbosacral surgery that would obstruct our measurements. A total of 1,100 abdominal films were reviewed, and 211 were identified as being adequate for the measurement of the desired parameters. Results Two hundred eleven subjects were identified as eligible for the study, and 75 (35.6%) were classified as positive for a transitional lumbosacral vertebra. The most common anatomical variant was the Castellvi Type IA (14.7%). The average age at the time of the KUB study was 59.8 years (18–95 years). One hundred ninety-seven subjects (93.4%) presented five lumbar (nonribbed) vertebrae, and only 14 (6.6%) had six lumbar vertebrae. Conclusions The significance of lumbosacral transitional level changes to the establishment of pain, degenerative changes, stenosis, and disc disease have been well documented in symptomatic patients. Although LSTV’s role in low back pain remains controversial, our study has shown that, when the same criteria are used for classification, prevalence among the general population and symptomatic patients may be similar.
Culture Sells: Cézanne and Corporate Identity

"Cezanne is made possible in Philadelphia by Advanta," read the tag line on Cezanne posters, postcards, billboards, and buses. Although patronage of the arts by business and the use of art in advertising and marketing are nothing new, the corporate sponsorship of Cezanne at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was widely publicized as a new kind of "partnership": one based upon close cooperation between sponsor and recipient. Regardless of whether this relationship was indeed something unique in the history of corporate arts sponsorship, it raises issues about the cultural processes and logics by which, at a particular historical moment, discourses of identity, consumerism, and art intersect. The "made possible" in the sponsorship acknowledgment points to a rhetoric of endless possibility, imagination, and creativity that links an image of art and artists with that of the consumer to construct an ostensibly unique and authentic identity for a corporation, its workers, and its products.' With over 100 oils, 35 sketches, and 35 watercolors, Cezanne was the first major retrospective of post-Impressionist Paul Cezanne's work in 60 years. The exhibit, which included works gathered from 71 museums and seven private collections, traveled to three museums: the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Cezanne ran in Philadelphia from May 30 to September 1, 1996, drawing nearly 549,000 visitors. It joined a long string of "blockbuster" art exhibitions featuring large collections of the work of canonical artists: Matisse, Monet, Picasso, Homer, and Vermeer, to name a few.2 Despite predictions in the 1980s that museums would begin to lose money on blockbusters as auction prices of major artworks (and, concomitantly, insurance rates) skyrocketed, the blockbuster has survived and become a major source of income for many museums (Csaszar 1996). Although these exhibitions historically have drawn large audiences, they are extraordinarily expensive to mount due to the costs of transporting, securing, and, especially, insuring works of art often valued at millions of dollars (Stapen 1989). For these reasons, combined with an overall decline in government funding
On the importance of listening comprehension

The simple view of reading highlights the importance of two primary components which account for individual differences in reading comprehension across development: word recognition (i.e., decoding) and listening comprehension. While assessments and interventions for decoding have been the focus of pedagogy in the past several decades, the importance of listening comprehension has received less attention. This paper reviews evidence showing that listening comprehension becomes the dominating influence on reading comprehension starting even in the elementary grades. It also highlights a growing number of children who fail to develop adequate reading comprehension skills, primarily due to deficient listening comprehension skills (i.e., poor comprehenders). Finally we discuss key language influences on listening comprehension for consideration during assessment and treatment of reading disabilities.