cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison between computed tomography and ultrasound for presurgical evaluation of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma tumor thickness.

Abstract Purpose To compare the accuracy of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) tumor thickness (TT) measured on CT to intraoperative ultrasound (US) and histopathology. Methods and materials Twenty-six patients with OTSCC who underwent tumor resection by a single surgeon with simultaneous intraoperative US between 3/2016 and 4/2019 were prospectively identified, and their data reviewed. TT was independently measured in 19 patients who underwent preoperative CT (cTT) by two neuroradiologists blinded to US and histological results. The confidence level of interpretation of cTT was recorded by each reader using a 5-point Likert scale. The degree of dental artifact on CT was also scored. cTT was compared to TT measured on intraoperative US (uTT) and histopathologic assessment of TT (hTT). Results OTSCC was visualized on CT in 52% (10/19) and 63% (12/19) of cases for readers 1 and 2, respectively. Mean Likert score was 0.42 for reader 1 and 0.73 for reader 2. Mean cTT of OTSCCs was 5.8 mm +/− 1.7 mm (n = 11). In comparison, mean uTT and hTT were 7.6 mm±3.5 mm and 7.1 +/− 4.2 mm, respectively. The Pearson coefficient (95% confidence interval) was 0.10 (−0.53–0.66) between cTT and hTT (n = 11) and 0.93 (0.74–0.98) between uTT and hTT. Conclusions Preoperative CT is not reliable for assessment of TT in OTSCC compared to US and histopathology, particularly for OTSCC under 10 mm. US offers a practical complementary imaging tool with a unique role for primary tumor assessment that can aid in pre-operative planning, especially for small tumors.
Maternal diet affects utilization of endogenous lipids by red drum Sciaenops ocellatus embryos and early larvae.

Abstract Embryonic and early larval development and metabolism of most teleost fishes are fueled entirely by maternally derived nutritional resources (yolk and oil) before the onset of exogenous feeding. The composition of those resources depends, in part, on maternal diet. To examine how diet-induced variations in egg composition affect embryonic and larval utilization of endogenous lipids and fatty acids, we fed red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) broodstock four different diets to produce distinctive fatty acid compositions in eggs but with no significant difference in total lipid content. We sampled embryos and unfed larvae every 12 h from 12 h post-fertilization (hpf) until starvation (96–120 hpf; n = 5 spawns per diet group). Rates of utilization of the oil globule were significantly different among diet groups, resulting in significant differences in mean oil globule size at the first feeding stage (84 hpf). Utilization rates for 15 fatty acids were significantly different among diet groups and were proportional to their initial concentration. As a result, differences in larval fatty acid compositions among maternal diet groups diminished over time but remained different even at later stages. In addition, larval standard length at 84 hpf was positively correlated with egg total lipid content. This study suggests that the fatty acid composition of yolk and oil affects energy metabolism and tissue composition in red drum larvae. These effects could have consequences for the survival and essential physiological functions of fish larvae during the critical period of transition to exogenous feeding.
The Health Sciences and Technology Academy: Re-Imagining Programmatic Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Out-of-school time academic/STEM programs provide educational enrichment to a myriad of student populations with some designed to assist those underrepresented and at-risk who desire to purse post-secondary studies. One such program in West Virginia (WV) is the Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA), which provides hands-on, in person and engaging educational enrichment with the intent to increase the college going rates of Appalachia’s most vulnerable youth. In March 2020, HSTA key personnel encountered the task of redesigning program delivery due to the immediate shutdown of all in person operations resulting from the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. This paper discusses the programmatic changes of program delivery during HSTA’s key program components—the Summer Institute and the Community Based Programming. This paper also utilizes repeated measures one-way multivariate analysis (MANOVA) and paired t-test analysis to examine participants’ perspectives on learning, enjoyment and satisfaction of the aforementioned components prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Statement on CDC’s Patents for PrEP

This statement presents preliminary legal analysis concerning certain patents owned by the U.S. government that concern prevention of infection by HIV and other retroviruses. This statement was prepared as part of my work with the Global Health Justice Partnership and the Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic. The patents analyzed in this statement are U.S. Patent Nos. 9,044,509, 9,579,333, and 9,937,191. Each patent is entitled “Inhibition of HIV Infection through Chemoprophylaxis.” Each patent describes and claims (that is, covers) methods of preventing retroviral infection (e.g., infection by HIV) in an uninfected patient by administering a combination of two drugs: (1) emtricitabine and (2) tenofovir or a chemical derivative of tenofovir. That is, each patent claims methods of pre-exposure prophylaxis (“PrEP”) against HIV or another retrovirus with a combination of emtricitabine and tenofovir or a chemical derivative of tenofovir. These patents appear to be relevant to the use of a prescription drug product, TRUVADA® (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) tablets. TRUVADA® tablets are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for preventing HIV infection. I conducted a preliminary analysis of the current FDA-approved prescribing information for TRUVADA® tablets published by Gilead Sciences, Inc. (“Gilead”), comparing the prescribing information to one of the claims of the patents. Based on my preliminary analysis of U.S. Patent Nos. 9,044,509, 9,579,333, and 9,937,191, I have no reason to believe that the patents would be found invalid or unenforceable, if asserted in court. Based on my analysis of the TRUVADA® prescribing information in comparison to an exemplary claim of these patents, I have no reason to believe that use of TRUVADA® tablets according to its FDA-approved indication for preventing infection by HIV would not be found to infringe at least this exemplary patent claim. Infringement of a patent claim can create liability, including potential money damages owed to the patent owner, which in this case is the U.S. government.
Traffic and vehicle speed prediction with neural network and Hidden Markov model in vehicular networks

Accurate on-road vehicle speed prediction is important for many intelligent vehicular and transportation applications. It is also challenging because the individual vehicle speed is affected by many factors, e.g., traffic speed, vehicle type, and driver's behavior, in either deterministic or stochastic ways. This paper proposes a novel vehicle speed prediction method in the context of vehicular networks, where the real-time traffic information is accessible. Traffic speeds of following road segments are first predicted by Neural Networks (NNs) based on historical traffic data. Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are trained by the Baum-Welch algorithm with historical traffic and vehicle data to present the statistical relationship between vehicle speed and traffic speed. The forward-backward algorithm is applied on HMMs to extract vehicle's speed on each road segment along the driving route. Simulation is set up on the SUMO microscopic traffic simulator with the application of a real Luxembourg highway network and traffic count data. The vehicle speed prediction result shows that our proposed method outperforms other ones in terms of prediction accuracy.
Analysis of protein structure by solution optical spectroscopy.

Publisher Summary Experimental observations in recent years that the mechanism by which a protein is converted to amyloid is related intimately to conformational changes have caused an increased interest in the various methodologies for analyzing protein conformation and structure. Thus, research associated with amyloid diseases has truly become an interdisciplinary field, involving scientists from areas as diverse as clinical medicine and biophysical chemistry. The increasing volume of literature on biophysical studies of amyloidogenic peptides and proteins has made it necessary for amyloid researchers to have a basic understanding of, and perhaps apply, some of the common spectroscopic methods available to gain structural information on amyloidogenic proteins. This chapter provides a practical guide to amyloid researchers on the most commonly used spectroscopic techniques to study protein structure, which are ultraviolet visible (UV/Vis) fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The spectroscopic techniques discussed in this chapter can provide complementary information on the structure of proteins. The technique of choice depends on many factors, including instrument availability, protein concentration needed, solvent conditions, protein availability, and the structural information desired.
P-57 is a neural specific calmodulin-binding protein

Abstract P-57 is a novel calmodulin-binding protein which has recently been isolated from bovine cerebral cortex (Andreasen, T. J., Luetje, C. W., Heideman, W., and Storm, D. R. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 4615-4618). In contrast to all other calmodulin-binding proteins characterized thus far, P-57 has equivalent or higher affinity for calmodulin in the absence of free Ca2+ compared to the presence of Ca2+. In this study, the distribution of P-57 in other tissues and within brain was examined using a radioimmune assay and photoaffinity labeling with azido-125I-calmodulin. P-57 was not found in tissues other than brain, retina, and spinal cord. Within brain, P-57 levels varied from 0.1% of the total protein in white matter regions to about 0.5% in cell body-rich fractions. The protein was found in both membrane and soluble fractions. P-57 is the most abundant calmodulin-binding protein in brain and appears to be neural specific. The concentrations of P-57 in brain and its affinity for calmodulin in the absence of Ca2+ are sufficient to complex a significant fraction of the total calmodulin present.
Closing a sediment budget for a reconfigured reach of the Provo River, Utah, United States

[1] We quantified all components of a fluvial sediment budget for a discrete flood on an aggrading gravel bed river. Bed load transport rates were measured at the upstream and downstream ends of a 4 km study area on the Provo River, Utah, during a dam-controlled flood. We also collected high-resolution measurements of channel topography before and after the controlled flood for the entire reach. Topographic uncertainty in the digital elevation models (DEM) was characterized using a spatially variable approach. The net sediment flux provided unambiguous indication of storage. Sediment input to the reach (319 m3) exceeded output (32 m3), producing a net accumulation of approximately 290 m3. The difference between the scour and fill was also positive (470 m3), but uncertainty in the topographic differencing was larger than the observed net storage. Thus, the budget would have been indeterminate if based on morphologic data alone. Although topographic differencing was not sufficiently accurate to indicate net storage, it was able to demonstrate that internal erosion was a larger sediment source than the net sediment flux. The magnitude of total erosion (1454 m3) and deposition (1926 m3) was considerably larger than net change in storage, showing that internal sources and sinks were the dominant driver of channel change. The findings provide guidance for the development of sediment budgets in settings in which one must choose between a morphological approach and the direct measurement of sediment flux.
Acoustic scattering cancellation of irregular objects surrounded by spherical layers in the resonant regime

In this work, acoustic scattering cancellation is expanded to cases of acoustic waves interacting with non-spherical elastic objects and collections of closely packed objects. The proposed method for achieving this is by using spherical fluid layers to represent the objects as effective spherical targets, with multiple fluid layers and an elastic core, for which scattering cancellation is used to determine the necessary layer properties. Three representative objects are considered here to illustrate this approach: a sphere with dimples, a sphere with bumps, and a bicone. Theoretical results are presented for each of the non-spherical objects in water, which indicate a reduction of 30–40 dB in scattering strength when coated with a two-layer fluid cancellation shell. This cancellation is achieved for objects in the resonant scattering regime, which is characterized by constructive and destructive interference patterns that arise from higher scattering modes. The analytical results are verified using three-...
Specification of retinotectal connexions during development of the toad Xenopus laevis.

The specification of central connexions of retinal ganglion cells was studied in Xenopus laevis . In one series of experiments, the right eye primordium was rotated 180° at embryonic stages 24–32. In the other series, the left eye was transplanted into the right orbit, and vice versa, with either 0° or 180° rotation. After metamorphosis the visual projections from the operated eye to the contralateral optic tectum were mapped electrophysiologically and compared with the normal retinotectal map. In all cases the visual projection map was rotated through the same angle as was indicated by the position of the choroidal fissure. The left eye exchanged into the right orbit retained its original axes and projected to the contralateral tectum. These results suggest that retinal ganglion cell connexions are specified before stage 24.
Anomaly free flavor symmetry and neutrino anarchy

We show that one can describe the quark and lepton masses with a single anomaly-free $U(1)$ flavor symmetry provided a single order one parameter is enhanced by roughly 4--5. The flavor symmetry can be seen to arise from inside the ${E}_{6}$ symmetry group in such a way that it commutes with the $\mathrm{SU}(5)$ grand unified gauge group. The scenario does not distinguish between the left-handed lepton doublets and hence is a model of neutrino anarchy. It can therefore account for the large mixing observed in atmospheric neutrino experiments and predicts that the solar neutrino oscillation data are consistent with the large mixing angle solution of matter-enhanced oscillations.
Electroanalytical eavesdropping on single cell communication.

The use of carbon as an electrode material was first popularized by Ralph Adams in the 1950s.1 Since its inception, carbon has been a popular choice for electrochemical applications, as carbon electrodes demonstrate a wide working potential window, stable background currents, low noise, and high sensitivity. The development of carbon electrodes with active surfaces on the scale of several microns introduces several additional advantages. For voltammetry experiments, microelectrodes offer the ability to observe diffusion-limited currents at high scan rates and thus provide very fast time resolution.2 The small surface area of microelectrodes enables the use of high scan rates with relatively low background currents. Because of the small number of molecules that must be detected at the single cell level, however, most electrochemical measurements made with carbon microelectrodes produce currents in the nanoampere or picoampere range, depending on the method used.2 These current levels require electrodes that are both sensitive and exhibit low levels of noise, and carbon microelectrodes meet both of these criteria. Conveniently, using microelectrodes requires only a two-electrode system, as such low currents render the use of an auxiliary electrode unnecessary. Perhaps most importantly, microelectrodes provide much greater spatial resolution, and thus permit electrochemical measurements to be made from single cells.3 Although other forms of carbon can also be used to fabricate microelectrodes, carbon-fiber microelectrodes are often favored because they can be fabricated in large quantities and are relatively inexpensive. R. Mark Wightman and coworkers first demonstrated the utility of carbon-fiber microelectrodes for the detection of exocytosis from single cells in 1990.4 Carbon-fiber microelectrodes of different geometries are used depending on the intended application; for single-cell electrochemical techniques, beveled and polished disc microelectrodes are most widely used. While Wightman's initial demonstration explored exocytosis from chromaffin cells, the cells responsible for the release of electroactive adrenaline, exocytosis is highly conserved across several cell types including neurons, chromaffin cells, platelets, and a variety of immune cells such as mast cells and macrophages. Accordingly, the technique has the capacity to reveal critical mechanistic details about exocytosis in these cell types, providing new insight into the fundamental behavior of normal and dysfunctional secretory cells.
Impairment in T-lymphocyte responses during early infection with the human immunodeficiency virus.

Uncertainty has existed as to whether a T-cell deficiency exists in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection different from that inherent in the reduced T-cell numbers characteristic of the disease. Heretofore, methods for measuring T-cell responses in patients have been carried out with systems requiring monocytes as accessory cells. In the presence of high concentrations of interleukin-2, however, highly purified T cells respond in a monocyte-independent fashion to antibody reactive with the CD3 component of the antigen receptor complex Ti/CD3. Highly purified T cells of HIV-infected patients responded subnormally in this anti-CD3/IL-2 system, even in the case of patients who were asymptomatic or had only lymphadenopathy. The defective T-cell responses occurred over a wide range of concentrations of the anti-CD3. Neither poor IL-2 receptor function as reflected by responses to limiting dilutions of IL-2 nor IL-1 receptor function as defined by incremental proliferation when IL-1 is added accounted for this defect, which also correlated poorly with T4 and T8 numbers. These results suggested that the T-cell abnormality was closely related to Ti/CD3 function, was not specifically or restrictively associated with T4 cells, and was not due to defective IL-2- or IL-1-receptor functions. The amount of HIV RNA in 105 T lymphocytes from the patients amounted to less than that found in one cell of a standard HIV infected laboratory cell line (CEM), using slot-blot hybridization. Thus the T-cell deficiency we have observed was not likely to be due directly to cell killing by HIV resident in the T4 cells. Other factors may be important in inducing the immunodeficiency, some of which are discussed.
Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization and Micro-autoradiography Applied to Ecophysiology in Soil

Soil microbial communities perform many important processes, including nutrient cycling, plant-microorganism interactions, and degradation of xenobiotics. The study of microbial communities, however, has been limited by cultural methods, which may greatly underestimate diversity. The advent of nucleic acids technologies allows microbial communities to be quantified and classified without the limitations of cultivation. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and other tools of molecular ecology are now being used to investigate community structure and diversity of soils, aquifers, and other natural habitats. Based on these studies, soil microbial communities are diverse and appear to respond to anthropogenic inputs, such as fertilizer, manure, and pollutants, as well as the more well-known constraints imposed by temperature and moisture. Yet most nucleic-acids-based technologies are unable to directly link phylogeny with processes in a manner similar to cultivation-based approaches, restricting the conclusions that can be drawn from the large data sets they generate. Recently, the combination of FISH with microautoradiography (FISH-MAR) allows cells active in processes to be quantified and simultaneously classified phylogenetically. In this review, we discuss how FISH-MAR can be used to quantify the specific microbial phylotype(s) responsible for a microbially catalyzed process. Examples of the use of FISH and FISH-MAR in soils and sediments are described. The capabilities and limitations of these techniques for linking microbial community structure and function are discussed.
Does Thyroid Hormone Have a Role as Adjunctive Therapy in Depression?1

Depression is associated with abnormalities of the thyroid axis, but the role of thyroid hormone therapy is controversial. In patients presenting with depression, the thyroid status should be carefully evaluated since hypothyroidism can cause depression. Frank hypothyroidism should be treated in the usual fashion with L-thyroxine, which may reverse the depressive state. If subclinical hypothyroidism and/or autoimmune thyroiditis are present, T3 adjuvant administration (25 micrograms/day) should be seriously considered in patients resistant to tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) (and probably also) serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medication. The possible efficacy of adjuvant T4 in reversing the depression of such subjects appears less than T3. In depressed patients with TCA or SSRI resistance and no evidence of hypothyroidism, the data available do not establish the therapeutic role of T3 in this situation. Multicenter controlled studies of T3 adjuvant therapy are required. The possible mechanisms through which T3 adjuvant therapy might be efficacious are discussed.
Maternal/female caregiver influences on adolescent indoor tanning

Abstract Purpose To identify aspects of maternal/female caregiver (MFC) influences on adolescents' indoor tanning, including modeling, cognitions (MFC knowledge and attitudes about indoor tanning), and gatekeeping/monitoring (MFC permissiveness and concern) of indoor tanning. Methods A telephone survey of adolescents aged 14–17 years and their female parent/caregiver in Minnesota and Massachusetts was conducted in 2000–2001 (n = 1284 matched pairs). Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios for relationships between measures of MFC influence and teens' indoor tanning practices, adjusting for demographic and sun sensitivity differences. Results Separately, each of the five MFC influence variables was significantly associated with adolescents' indoor tanning practices. In a multivariate model, significant independent contributors were parents' behavior, parents' concern about their children's indoor tanning practices, and MFC permissiveness of teen indoor tanning. Using a combined summed scale of the 5 influence factors, there was a monotonically increasing likelihood of tanning with each incremental scale increase: (in comparison to none, 1 factor aOR=4.1, 95% CI: 1.3, 12.8; any 2 factors aOR=8.3, 95% CI: 2.8, 24.6; any 3 factors aOR=14.3, 95% CI=4.9, 41.8; any 4 factors aOR=30.5, 95% CI: 10.3, 90.3; all 5 factors aOR=66.0, 95% CI: 20.0, 217.6). Conclusions Mothers/female caregivers may be a powerful influence on their teenagers' indoor tanning use, and are an important target for future health promotion efforts to discourage youth indoor tanning.
Housing Investment Dynamics, Period of Production, and Adjustment Costs

Abstract This paper develops and estimates an investment model that explicitly outlines the connection between investment starts and completions, a connection that is often left vague in analyzing investment dynamics. The model uses gestation lag technology along with adjustment cost. Consequently, the model is built on dynamic marginal cost pricing considerations. The findings in this paper suggest, using the U.S. quarterly investment in single-family housing units from 1963 to 1991, that gestation lag with adjustment cost technology fits the description of the industry and potentially addresses the well known problem of the positive autocorrelation in residuals discussed in the empirical Q -investment and neoclassical adjustment cost literature.
Turning Financial Markets inside Out: Polanyi, Performativity and Disembeddedness

In light of the spread of markets across the globe and deeper into daily life, this paper argues for a more robust analysis and application of Karl Polanyi's conception of (dis)embedded markets coupled with the performativity thesis authored mainly by Michel Callon. It suggests that while disembeddedness as a concept is necessary for an analysis of contemporary financial markets that are increasingly self-referential, it is not sufficient. Despite the suggestion of a gulf between Polanyian and Callonian economics, there are important similarities in the two frameworks. The similarities are considered along with the considerable difference, all in an attempt to develop a more robust methodological framework for analyzing financial markets. Performativity, it is argued, can help fill the gaps in Polanyi's embeddedness framework, albeit only when that concept's tendency to produce aspatial and apolitical arguments are taken seriously. The paper uses an abbreviated case study of the development of US financia...
Semilinear Control Systems with Symmetry

If a semilinear control system possesses state space symmetry, there exist linear subspaces, which are invariant under every applied control. For the associated control system on projective space this means, that there exist invariant projective subspaces and therefore the system is not local accessible. On the first view this seems to be a disadvantage, because local accessibility is fundamental for the analysis of Lyapunov exponents, which determine the exponential stability properties. But it turns out, that we can restrict ourselves to the restricted control systems on these singular subspaces, because the whole Floquet and Morse spectrum (and therefore the Lyapunov spectrum) is attained on these subspaces.
NF-κB protects lung epithelium against hyperoxia-induced nonapoptotic cell death-oncosis

Prolonged exposure to hyperoxia induces pulmonary epithelial cell death and acute lung injury. Although both apoptotic and nonapoptotic morphologies are observed in hyperoxic animal lungs, nonapoptotic cell death had only been recorded in transformed lung epithelium cultured in hyperoxia. To test whether the nonapoptotic characteristics in hyperoxic animal lungs are direct effects of hyperoxia, the mode of cell death was determined both morphologically and biochemically in human primary lung epithelium exposed to 95% O(2). In contrast to characteristics observed in apoptotic cells, hyperoxia induced swelling of nuclei and an increase in cell size, with no evidence for any augmentation in the levels of either caspase-3 activity or annexin V incorporation. These data suggest that hyperoxia can directly induce nonapoptotic cell death in primary lung epithelium. Although hyperoxia-induced nonapoptotic cell death was associated with NF-kappaB activation, it is unknown whether NF-kappaB activation plays any causal role in nonapoptotic cell death. This study shows that inhibition of NF-kappaB activation can accelerate hyperoxia-induced epithelial cell death in both primary and transformed lung epithelium. Corresponding to the reduced cell survival in hyperoxia, the levels of MnSOD were also low in NF-kappaB-deficient cells. These results demonstrate that NF-kappaB protects lung epithelial cells from hyperoxia-induced nonapoptotic cell death.
Stability of crystalline solids—II: Application to temperature-induced martensitic phase transformations in a bi-atomic crystal

Abstract This paper applies the stability theory of crystalline solids presented in the companion paper (Part I) to the study of martensitic transformations found in shape memory alloys (SMA's). The focus here is on temperature-induced martensitic transformations of bi-atomic crystals under stress-free loading conditions. A set of temperature-dependent atomic potentials and a multilattice description are employed to derive the energy density of a prototypical SMA ( B 2 cubic austenite crystal). The bifurcation and stability behavior are then investigated with respect to two stability criteria (Cauchy–Born (CB) and phonon). Using a 4-lattice description five different equilibrium crystal structures are predicted: B 2 cubic, L 1 0 tetragonal, B 19 orthorhombic, Cmmm orthorhombic, and B 19 ′ monoclinic. For our chosen model only the B 2 and B 19 equilibrium paths have stable segments which satisfy both the CB- and phonon-stability criteria. These stable segments overlap in temperature indicating the possibility of a hysteretic temperature-induced proper martensitic transformation. The B 2 and B 19 crystal structures are common in SMA's and therefore the simulated jump in the deformation gradient at a temperature for which both crystals are stable is compared to experimental values for NiTi, AuCd, and CuAlNi. Good agreement is found for the two SMA's which have cubic to orthorhombic transformations (AuCd and CuAlNi).
Decidual cast in a girl receiving depot medroxyprogesterone acetate--a case report.

Abstract Background The passage of tissue per vaginam in a young girl raises several diagnostic considerations that include aborted pregnancy, benign polyp, rhabdomyosarcoma, and rarely decidual cast. Case A 9-yr-old girl who was receiving depot medroxy-progesterone acetate to suppress menstruation passed tissue per vaginam. Pathological examination of the tissue showed a decidual cast with no chorionic villi, while a serum hCG test was also negative. Conclusions Decidual cast formation is a rare side effect of progestogen use and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of passage of tissue per vaginam.
The shaken-soda syndrome

Two identical soda cans released at the same time on an incline will roll down at the same rate. However, if one of the cans is shaken, it will lose the race. Experimental evidence is presented that points to the presence of bubbles as the cause of the greater energy transfer to the fluid in the case of the shaken can.
Nondestructive determination of the solids content of horticultural products

A high intensity computer controlled spectrophotometer was used to obtain near infrared (700 to 1 100 nm) speciral transmittance data of intact samples of onions, cantaloupes and potatoes. The dry matter was determined by freeze drying and the soluble solids by refractometer. A data reduction program computed the ratio of two second derivatives, opumizing 5 parameters of the computation. Linear correlations were above 0.99 for onions.
Sensing, Acquisition, and Interactive Playback of Data-based Models for Elastic Deformable Objects

In this paper we describe the design and implementation of an automated system to build models of elastic deformable objects and to render these models in an interactive virtual environment. By automating model creation, a greater number of models and models that are more realistic can be included in these interactive simulations. Model geometry is acquired by a novel range sensor. Techniques for contact detection, slip detection on deformable surfaces, and enhanced open-loop force control enable haptic model acquisition through active probing with a haptic device. For model rendering, the force field is approximated from these measured samples.
Combined elemental and stem imaging under computer control

Abstract A computer-controlled analytical electron microscope has been used to combine digitally acquired elemental maps and STEM images. Real time processing of the electron energy loss and energy-dispersive X-ray signals allows an accurate subtraction of the spectral background at each pixel. The resulting images reflect the true elemental distribution rather than mass thickness variations in the sample. Acquisition of several signals one pixel at a time allows elemental distributions and morphology to be correlated.
Ordered water in macromolecular structure

Abstract A comprehensive and realistic knowledge of water-protein interactions contributes to our understanding of protein folding and structure-function relationships. This mini-review summarizes recent progress in experimental and theoretical research on how and why water is ordered at protein surfaces, and discusses issues related to the reliability of experimental results.
Determination of True Dimensional Quality and Build Errors Using Coordinate Measurement Data

For manufacturing personnel there exist two major tasks: determination of the quality of the build, and locating build errors if the quality is inferior. To serve this purpose a coordinate measuring machine is employed to determine the actual locations of designated material points. Depending on the measuring coordinate frame chosen, the initial raw data, unfortunately, do not impartially represent the true deviations of all the measurement points. This paper shows a technique to overcome this inevitable drawback embedded in the CMMs and determine if the build has acceptable quality under specified tolerances, Also presented in this paper is a method to quantify the quality of the measurement points for easy identification of build errors. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the feasibility of the technique.
Optimization and Its Alternative in Media Choice: A Model of Reliance on Social-Influence Processes

In the reconciliation of rational-choice and social-influence approaches to media choice offered here, the choice process is decomposed into two subprocesses. In the first subprocess—that of ration...
Fast track article: Secure data aggregation in wireless sensor networks: A watermark based authentication supportive approach

In-network processing presents a critical challenge for data authentication in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Current schemes relying on Message Authentication Code (MAC) cannot provide natural support for this operation since even a slight modification to the data invalidates the MAC. Although some recent works propose using privacy homomorphism to support in-network processing, they can only work for some specific query-based aggregation functions, e.g. SUM, average, etc. In this paper, based on digital watermarking, we propose an end-to-end, statistical approach for data authentication that provides inherent support for in-network processing. In this scheme, authentication information is modulated as watermark and superposed on the sensory data at the sensor nodes. The watermarked data can be aggregated by the intermediate nodes without incurring any en route checking. Upon reception of the sensory data, the data sink is able to authenticate the data by validating the watermark, thereby detecting whether the data has been illegitimately altered. In this way, the aggregation-survivable authentication information is only added at the sources and checked by the data sink, without any involvement of intermediate nodes. Furthermore, the simple operation of watermark embedding and complex operation of watermark detection provide a natural solution of function partitioning between the resource limited sensor nodes and the resource abundant data sink. In addition, the watermark can be embedded in both spatial and temporal domains to provide the flexibility between the detection time and detection granularity. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme can successfully authenticate the sensory data with high confidence.
X-Ray Crystal Structures of the Silver Complexes of 3-Pyridyldiphenylphosphinite and Its Hydrolysis Product

The reaction of 3-pyridyldiphenylphosphinite with AgBF4 in either a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio leads to the formation of two different coordination polymers. The molecular structures of these compounds were obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystallization of 2 and 3 both occurs in the centrosymmetric space group P21/c (No. 14). For 2, a = 25.450(5), b = 9.4517(18), c = 14.803(3) with β = 96.573(7) and Z = 4. For 3, a = 9.8140(17), b = 22.615(4), c = 16.230(3) with β = 106.503(6) and Z = 4. In the presence of trace amounts of water and O2 a decomposition product (4) is isolated which contains the rare ligand diphenylphosphinous anhydride (Ph2POPPh2, POP) as well as diphenylphosphinic acid. Compound 4 crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P21/n (No. 14) with a = 11.9982(4), b = 19.8878(6), c = 15.3845(5) with β = 110.8630(10) and Z = 2. Details of the synthesis and the structural characterization of the title compounds are presented and discussed. The ligand diphenyl-3-hydroxypyridylphosphinite has been reacted with AgBF4 in a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio resulting in two different coordination polymers. An interesting product of hydrolysis of the ligand has been isolated which features a short Ag···F interaction.
Molding of reprocessed thermoplastics with preplastication injection molding

The injection molding of reprocessed plastics with a preplastication plunger injection-molding machine was investigated with a focus on the processing conditions. The process of the filling of the resin into the mold is much better controlled with preplastication than with processing in a conventional injection-molding machine. Reprocessing of the resin leads to a reduction in molecular weight due to drastic changes in the resin morphology, thereby causing a reduction in melt viscosity. Direct experimental evidence for reduced viscosity was obtained from measurements of the filling pressure recorded on the machine and also with a melt-flow indexer. The results of this study provide a practical solution for reducing the resin temperature when reprocessed resin is used in the injection molding of plastics. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 1455–1461, 2001
Heterogeneity in deoxyribonucleic acids. I. Dependence on composition of the configurational stability of deoxyribonucleic acids.

Heterogeneity in Deoxyribonucleic Acids: I. Dependence on Composition of the Configurational Stability of Deoxyribonucleic Acids
Do National and State Assessments Converge for Educational Accountability? A Meta-Analytic Synthesis of Multiple Measures in Maine and Kentucky.

Given the policy imperative of using multiple measures for state education accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), this study examines similarities and discrepancies between the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the states' own math assessment results in Kentucky and Maine, with a focus on 3 major academic performance indicators: proficiency level, achievement gap, and achievement gain. Using meta-analytic techniques, the study synthesizes multiple measures from the two states over the periods of 1992–1996 and 2000–2003. It pinpoints the areas and degrees of the discrepancies and explores contributing factors. It also reports emerging convergence of the NAEP and state assessments under the NCLB.
Digoxin and Propranolol in the Prophylaxis of Supraventricular Tachydysrhythmias after Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Abstract Supraventricular tachydysrhythmia is a bothersome and potentially harmful occurrence after coronary artery bypass graft operation (CABG). Use of digoxin prophylaxis preoperatively has yielded conflicting results in lowering the incidence of supraventricular tachydysrhythmia. In this study, three groups of patients were formed. Group 1 served as the control; no prophylactic medication was given. Group 2 was given digoxin prophylaxis beginning immediately after operation. Group 3 received digoxin postoperatively as did Group 2, plus orally administered propranolol beginning on postoperative day 2. No difference in the incidence of supraventricular tachydysrhythmia was found between Groups 1 and 2 (28.2% versus 28.9%). However, the incidence in Group 3 was 2.2%, and this represented a statistically significant difference ( p
What Makes Us Tick

A mutant Caenorhabditis elegans worm, defective in the gene clk-1, lives an extraordinarily long time. In this issue, Ewbank et al. (p. 980) report the sequence of clk-1 and find that it is homologous to the yeast gene CAT5/COQ7, whose product regulates the transcription of genes that control yeast metabolism. In his Perspective, Guarente describes how these findings fit into a model of aging in which life-span is determined by the accumulation of damage to the organism, perhaps at a rate proportional to metabolism, and the counteracting repair of such damage.
Catalogue of small runs nonregular designs from hadamard matrices with generalized minimum aberration

Fries and Hunter ( 1980 ) proposed the Minimum Aberration criterion (MA) for selecting regular designs. The regular designs with MA are msot commonly used because they are considered as the best designs. How ever, as pointed out by Chen, Sun and Wu ( 1993 ), there are situations that other designs may better meet the design need. Therefore, they catalogued some two-level and three-level fractional factorial regular designs with small (16,27,32,64) runs. For nonregular designs, such as the ones taken from Hadamard matrices, the MA criterion is not appUcable. Deng and Tang ( 1999 ) introduced Generalized Minimum Aberration Criterion (GMA) as a natural extension to the MA criterion. Similar to the case in the regular designs, other designs may better meet practical need, In this paper, we use the GMA criterion to give a catalogue of nonregular designs with smaU (16,20,24) runs.
Computation and construction universality of reversible cellular automata

An arbitrary d -dimensional cellular automaton can be constructively embedded in areversible one having d +1 dimensions. In particular, there exist computation- and construction-universal reversible cellular automata. Thus, we explicitly show a way of implementing nontrivial irreversible processes in a reversible medium. Finally, we derive new results for the bounding problem for configurations, both in general and for reversible cellular automata.
A computational model of the mechanics of growth of the villous trophoblast bilayer.

We present a computational model of the mechanics of growth of the trophoblast bilayer in a chorionic villous, the basic structure of the placenta. The placental trophoblast is modeled as a collection of elastic neutrally buoyant membranes (mononuclear cytotrophoblasts and multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast) filled with a viscous, incompressible fluid (cytoplasm) with sources of growth located inside cells. We show how this complex, dynamic fluid-based structure can be modeled successfully using the immersed boundary method. The results of our research presented here include simulations of two processes—cell proliferation and cell fusion which both play a crucial role in the growth and development of the trophoblast tissue. We present the computed results of simulations of both processes running independently as well as simultaneously, along with comparisons with clinically obtained results.
Incidence and clinicopathologic correlation of fetal vessel thrombosis in mono- and dichorionic twin placentas

Incidence and clinicopathologic correlation of fetal vessel thrombosis in mono- and dichorionic twin placentas
On the importance of the electrokinetic properties of carbons for their use as catalyst supports

Abstract Equilibrium adsorption of molybdenum on different carbon supports resulted in widely varying catalyst uptakes. The results were rationalized on the basis of varying degrees of electrostatic interaction between the catalyst precursor and the supports. This interaction is known to be dependent on the surface charge of the support (which in turn depends on the pH of the catalyst precursor solution) and the charge of the ionic precursor. The carbon supports were subjected to widely varying thermal and chemical pretreatments. Their surface charge (electrokinetic mobility as a function of pH) was determined by electrophoresis. This study and a critical analysis of the literature illustrate the heretofore mostly neglected fact that, for achieving controlled catalyst uptake and/or a high degree of catalyst dispersion, it is not sufficient to create adsorption (or catalyst anchoring) sites on the carbon support surface; these must also be made accessible to the catalyst precursor. If the isoelectric point of the support is known, the precursor can be chosen and/or the solution pH can be modified to favor catalyst precursor/support interaction (e.g., adsorption), and thus maximize initial catalyst dispersion.
Mass voting behaviour: the factors that influenced the conservative vote during the 1981 Greek general election

Abstract. This paper examines voting preferences of Greeks during the 1981 general election, based on a public opinion survey. The sample (N = 598) includes three heterogeneous target groups (professionals, labourers and rurals) which represent a broad spectrum of the Greek society. It is hypothesized that Greece is undergoing social and political changes. These changes are measured with an empirical model constructed to employ three sets of indicators. The first set measured the degree and direction of influence on the 1981 conservative vote by objective conditions. The second set measured the degree and direction of the influence of subjective conditions on the same vote. The third set measured the degree and direction of influence of values and issues also on the same vote. The results indicate that both objective and subjective conditions were less important than values and issues. Thus, the influence of some objective factors (such as income or sex) on the conservative vote was either low or inverse. Similarly, the conservative influence of subjective factors (such as family and school) was weak. Instead, modern values and issues are becoming influential.
Cyanosis in Uncomplicated Atrial Septal Defect with Normal Right Cardiac and Pulmonary Arterial Pressures

A patient with cyanosis in an uncomplicated ostium secundum atrial septal defect Without pulmonary hypertension is described. There were no anatomic abnormalities in right-sided cardiac valves or venous return and no evidence of right ventricular hypoplasia or hypertrophy; however, the diastolic pressure curve suggested a decreased compliance. We suggest that this unusual finding may be a result of intrinsically abnormal right ventricular compliance.
Review Article: Refighting the First World War

Richard F. Hamilton and Holger H. Herwig. Decisions for War, 1914–1917. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp. xvi, 266. $60.00 (US), cloth; $17.99 (US), paper; Michael S. Neiberg. Fighting the Great War: A Global History. Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press, 2005. Pp. xx, 395. $27.95 (US); Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson. The Somme. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2005. Pp. vi, 358. $35.00 (US); David Stevenson. 1914–1918: The History of the First World War. London: Allen Lane, Penguin Books, 2004. Pp. xxii, 728. £25.00.