cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Histologic Assessment of Non–Small Cell Lung Carcinoma after Neoadjuvant Therapy

Chemotherapy or chemoradiation is often used in Stage IIIA non-small cell lung carcinoma before surgical resection (neoadjuvant therapy). In reviewing the histopathology of such tumors after resection, the recognition that the pathologic changes are related to prior therapy and the assessment of tumor regression are both of importance. To refine histologic parameters for tumor regression and describe patterns of tumor reaction to therapy, we identified 30 lobectomy or pneumonectomy specimens from 1996-2000 in which neoadjuvant therapy was received before surgical resection. Histologic patterns of treatment-induced tumor regression were analyzed semiquantitatively and included necrosis, fibrosis, mixed inflammatory infiltrate, foamy macrophages, and giant cells. To identify clinical and histologic parameters that correlate with treatment response, the 30 specimens were graded for tumor regression. No correlation was found between tumor regression and age, gender, or type of therapy (chemoradiation versus chemotherapy alone). Squamous cell carcinoma showed a significantly higher rate of response than adenocarcinoma (P =.04), with a significant number of adenocarcinomas in the nonresponder subgroup (P =.05). Tumor size reduction by radiologic assessment, when compared with histologic regression, did not reveal a statistically significant association. However, a positive correlation was found between extent of fibrosis and radiologic estimate of size reduction.
The effect of TiO2 or Au coatings on the wetting of an Mo-based alloy by a Ga alloy

Abstract Ga alloys with low melting temperatures are attractive candidates for use as lubricants. The low temperature wetting properties of these liquid alloys are important for lubrication applications. In this work the wetting of the well known Mo alloy TZM (99.4% Mo) by a Ga-In-Sn alloy which is liquid at room temperature is studied at ambient temperature. Quantitative wetting measurements are performed using a wetting balance. Only non-wetting angles were obtained despite various precautions taken to minimize the presence of interfacial oxides, although a definite improvement in wetting is detectable by oxide removal and the use of an inert ambient; the results are substantially the same for samples coated with TiO 2 or Au, and even for Pt which is perfectly wettable by water.
Marital Status and the Decision to File for Personal Bankruptcy: A Duration Model Approach

This paper examines how changes in marital status and the length of time in current marital status affect the probability of filing for personal bankruptcy. The results show that the probability of filing differs significantly by marital status. Divorced households are more likely to file in the first two years after divorce while married households and single households file later in their tenure. A further contribution of this paper is that it represents the first use of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to examine whether there is duration dependence in personal bankruptcy.
Effects of methylcholanthrene and benzanthracene on blastogenesis and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase induction in splenic lymphocytes from three inbred strains of mice.

The effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) such as benzanthracene (BA) and methylcholanthrene (MCA) on 3H-thymidine incorporation and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) induction were assayed in mitogen-activated and non-activated splenic lymphocyte cultures derived from three strains of mice (C57BL, C3H and DBA/2). Results of three separate experiments on blastogenesis and the substrate induction of AHH were statistically significant. In mitogen-activated and non-activated lymphocytes from C57BL and C3H mice (AHH responsive strains) the percentage of blastogenesis induced by BA or MCA was higher than in lymphocytes from the non-responsive strain (DBA/2). On the basis of the PAH concentrations used MCA and BA were similar as inducers of blastogenesis and of AHH activity. AHH induction was measureable only in mitogen-activated lymphocytes and showed a non-linear relation to blastogenesis. In responsive strains, 10 μM of BA or 1.5 μM of MCA induced AHH 2–5 fold, while in non-responsive mice induced AHH was very close to the basal level. This difference between the level of induction of lymphoblast formation and AHH in responsive and non-responsive strains of mice may be related to different subpopulations of lymphocytes in spleen or other lymphatic organs.
Temperature-dependent spectroscopy of Ho 3+ :YVO 4 relevant to 2-μm laser operation

The spectroscopic properties of Ho 3+ -doped YVO4 were studied at cryogenic and room temperatures in the 2 μm spectral region to clarify recent observations of efficient dual-wavelength laser operation in this material. Polarized absorption cross sections were measured, and stimulated emission cross sections were determined using the reciprocity method coupled with Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg calculations. The observed laser emission wavelengths were at 2041.7 nm, 2054.2 nm, and 2068.5 nm; the first two corresponding to pi transitions and the third to a sigma transition. Gain cross section calculations were used to predict which of the three wavelengths would lase for a given output coupler reflectivity. In depth analysis of the gain cross section in the region between 80 K and 100 K showed that the laser output wavelength is very susceptible to minor changes in temperature.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Line Shapes Resulting from the Combined Effects of Nuclear Quadrupole and Anisotropic Shift Interactions

The effects on the nuclear magnetic resonance line shape of a polycrystalline sample resulting from combined axially symmetric electric quadrupole and anisotropic shift interactions have been calculated through the second order. The line shape of the central transition of the resonance has been shown to change smoothly from that characteristic of quadrupole effects (inverse field dependence) to that characteristic of anisotropic shift effects (direct field dependence) as the magnetic field strength is increased. Methods are given for determining the magnetic shift parameters---both isotropic and anisotropic (axial)---and the electric quadrupole coupling from line shape and shift measurements. An illustration of these methods is given, based on experimental measurements of the ${\mathrm{Al}}^{27}$ spectrum in polycrystalline Pr${\mathrm{Al}}_{2}$.
Early Assessment of Sensorimotor and Cognitive Development in High-Risk Infants

Assessed 88 infants at risk for mental retardation on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and a measure of visual recognition memory at 3 months corrected age. Bayley scales were administered again when the infants were 1-year-old. At 3 months of age the Bayley scales and the measure of visual recognition memory were not significantly correlated. Both measures, however, showed significant correlation to the Bayley scales administered at 1 year of age. Results from regression analyses indicated that each measure at 3 months of age was related to a different source of variance in the 1-year measure. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that at 3 months of age the visual recognition memory measure is a better early window into later cognitive development than the Bayley scales.
Higher order rule characterization of heuristics for compass and straight edge constructions in geometry

Abstract A quasi-systematic method for specifying heuristics in problem solving was proposed and illustrated with compass and straight edge constructions in geometry. Higher order rules (operator combination methods) were constructed for the two loci, similar figures, and auxillary figures problems identified by Polya [12] . The higher order rules specified were precise, compatible with the heuristics identified by Polya, and seemed to reflect the kinds of relevant knowledge that successful problem solvers might have. Overall, the analyses demonstrated the viability of the analytic method, and provide further evidence in support of the competence theory [16] on which the analyses were based. Implications of this research for work in simulation and artificial intelligence, and in education were discussed, and future directions indicated.
Stable nuclear RNA returns to post-division nuclei following release to the cytoplasm during mitosis.

Abstract When nuclei from 3H-RNA-containing amebae (A. proteus), chased for as many as 8 cell generations, are implanted into unlabeled enucleate cells, the nuclei retain 30% or more of the cellular 3H-RNA (or at least 15 times the cytoplasmic concentration of 3H-RNA). After such cells divide, the daughter nuclei retain approximately the same proportion of total cellular 3H-RNA—although all (or almost all) of the nuclear RNA is liberated to the cytoplasm during mitosis. Thus, we conclude that RNA stably associated with the interphase nucleus has a particular affinity for the nucleus despite the fact it is in the cytoplasm when the chromosomes are condensed and the nuclear envelope is not intact.
Relative effects of asbestos and wollastonite on alveolar macrophages.

Rabbit alveolar macrophages were exposed in culture to chrysotile asbestos, wollastonite, or latex, and the effects on various biochemical and physiological parameters related to cellular viability and fibrogenicity were determined. Exposure of alveolar macrophages to asbestos, wollastonite, or latex for 3 d has no effect on oxygen consumption or cellular volume. However, treatment of alveolar macrophages with as little as 25 micrograms asbestos/ml for 1 d increases lysosomal enzyme release and decreases membrane integrity, i.e., decreases trypan blue exclusion and increases leakage of cytosolic enzymes. In contrast, exposure of alveolar macrophages to wollastonite or latex at 250 micrograms/ml does not induce lysosomal enzyme release or alter membrane integrity even after 3 d of exposure in culture. These data suggest that chrysotile asbestos damages rabbit alveolar macrophages, while wollastonite, a potential substitute for asbestos, is far less cytotoxic.
A constitutive model for active–passive transition of muscle fibers

Abstract In this paper, we examine the transition of striated muscles between active and passive states. New experimental data of a muscle performing such a transition are provided, allowing for a new model to be developed to capture this mechanical behavior. Specifically, a strain energy function is formulated using the theory of transient networks, introducing an intermediate, stress-free configuration for the active muscle fibers. Additionally, energy dissipation occurring during the unloading is accounted for by specifying a pseudo-energy function. The general three-dimensional case is specialized to uniaxial deformation for comparison with test data, from which material parameters are determined. Finally, numerical results are presented, demonstrating the model's ability to capture the mechanical behavior with changing stimulus.
Why Is There Cyanide in my Table Salt? Structural Chemistry of the Anticaking Effect of Yellow Prussiate of Soda (Na4[Fe(CN)6]·10H2O)

Yellow Prussiate of Soda (YPS, Na4[Fe(CN)6]·10H2O) is an approved anticaking agent in table salt. Given that it is a cyanide salt, its use as a food additive is surprising. Recent findings on the mode of action of submonoatomic layers of YPS on NaCl crystals to act as an anticaking agent through nucleation inhibition are presented and its low toxicity is rationalized. The molecular mechanics of the anticaking action are relatively easy to understand for students in general chemistry or sophomore inorganic courses as they involve the archetypal cubic sodium chloride crystal structure and simple steric and electrostatic arguments. The molecular-level explanation reinforces the notion of how structure and charge affect the properties of matter and may also serve as entry toward a classroom dialogue of how ionic lattices are formed. A simple naked eye analytical method of detecting YPS on store-bought table salt in the form of the pigment Prussian Blue (Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3·xH2O) can be utilized as a related demonst...
Public Schools and the Public Good

Criticism of the public schools in recent years has been both broad-based and unrelenting, yet the author argues in this essay that the decline in public education is exaggerated and the accomplishments of public education neglected. Verbal and quantitative achievement levels among school-age youth at present are about where they were in the late fifties through the early sixties, before the purported decline, while disparities across social lines, especially involving minority-majority comparisons, actually are smaller now - much smaller - than they were then. How are we to comprehend these favorable patterns ? He argues that improved conditions outside school are an unlikely candidate, but that conditions of schooling, including expenditures, class size, and curricular patterns, have been changing in ways that should boost achievement. His conclusion : despite many external forces pulling against their successes, not the least being an increasingly hostile political climate, the public schools have been doing a better job than most people realize. His concluding remarks address prospects for further school improvement in light of currently popular reform models, including so-called consumer-choice and the Charter School movement
Influence of solvent washing on interlayer structure of alkylammonium montmorillonites

Abstract Powdered samples of montmorillonite were functionalized with alkylammonium ions of various chain lengths and subjected to two different constant volume washing procedures: water only or sequential ethanol–water. The alkylammonium montmorillonites were analyzed with X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry to obtain insights into the effect of washing procedure. The ethanol–water procedure greatly reduced the amount of surfactant present that was not bound by cation exchange, and in some instances affected the crystallinity of the surfactant. Additionally, contact angle measurements on the compacted alkylammonium montmorillonites were obtained to assess the effect of functionalization and washing on the wettability of two common epoxides used in clay–epoxy nanocomposites. Regardless of surfactant treatment, the alkylammonium montmorillonites with ethanol–water washing exhibited lower contact angles for the epoxides, which is consistent with lower final surfactant content.
Molecular Phylogeny Estimation of the Bamboo Genus Chusquea (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae) and Description of Two New Subgenera

Abstract Chusquea is a diverse genus of American woody bamboos, accounting for almost half of the woody bamboo species in the Neotropics. Previous analyses of molecular data have recovered four major lineages within Chusquea, but morphological synapomorphies have been identified only for subgenus Rettbergia. This study estimates a chloroplast phylogeny of Chusquea with a focus on relationships within the large and intractable Euchusquea clade. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted on 40% of the described species in Chusquea, with data from five chloroplast regions and a preliminary survey of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer complex. Several results from previous studies were corroborated, including the presence of two clades formerly comprising the genus Neurolepis and monophyly of subgenus Rettbergia. The clades formerly in Neurolepis are named as Chusquea subgenus Platonia and Chusquea subgenus Magnifoliae based on molecular support and potential morphological synapomorphies. We recovered two stro...
More “tricks of the trade”: Reparameterizing LISREL models using negative variances

This paper shows how LISREL may be used to estimate simplex models which impose constraints on the variances of endogenous variables. This technique allows us to estimate both the parameters and the standard errors of the correlated measurement error model proposed by Wiley and Wiley (1974).
A 66-year-old man with prostate-specific antigen recurrence and lung mass after radical prostatectomy.

A67-year-old white male patient with a past medical history of prostate cancer status post nervesparing radical retropubic prostatectomy, malignant fibrohistiocytoma of the left hand, and basal cell carcinoma of the ear status post resection, presented for a follow-up visit to his urologist and was found to have an increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The patient had initially undergone a radical prostatectomy in December 1989 when he was 60 years old. Final pathology revealed a Gleason 6 adenocarcinoma with a focus of prostatic ductal carcinoma, organ confined (pT2) with negative margins (Figs. 1A, 1B). Initial postoperative PSA was undetectable, but in 1991, it became detectable and continued to increase to 0.8 in 1994. Bone scan and imaging of the pelvis were negative for metastatic disease. The patient received radiation therapy to his prostatic bed beginning July 1994 when the patient was 65 years old. His postradiation PSA was 0.8 and initially decreased, but in January 1997, it was 2.1. The patient denied any weight loss, fevers or chills, chest pain or shortness of breath, abdominal pain, bone pain, increased urinary frequency, urgency, or hesitancy, dysuria, or hematuria. He was having regular bowel movements. He was a lifetime nonsmoker. On examination, the patient was afebrile and his vital signs were stable. He was alert and generally appeared well. He had no cervical or axillary adenopathy. Lungs were clear to auscultation bilaterally. His abdomen was soft, nontender, and nondistended. He had a well-healed midline surgical scar. Rectal examination showed no palpable nodularity in the prostatic bed and good sphincter tone. Extremities were warm and well-perfused without edema, clubbing, or cyanosis. His laboratory test
The wildland-urban interface fire problem - current approaches and research needs

Wildfires that spread into wildland–urban interface (WUI) communities present significant challenges on several fronts. In the United States, the WUI accounts for a significant portion of wildland fire suppression and wildland fuel treatment costs. Methods to reduce structure losses are focussed on fuel treatments in either wildland fuels or residential fuels. There is a need for a well-characterised, systematic testing of these approaches across a range of community and structure types and fire conditions. Laboratory experiments, field measurements and fire behaviour models can be used to better determine the exposure conditions faced by communities and structures. The outcome of such an effort would be proven fuel treatment techniques for wildland and residential fuels, risk assessment strategies, economic cost analysis models, and test methods with representative exposure conditions for fire-resistant building designs and materials.
A treatise on Buddhist epistemology and logic attributed to Klong chen rab 'byams pa (1308-1364) and its place in Indo-Tibetan intellectual history

an . av ¯ arttika [hereafter PV] 2 by the great Tibetan scholar and visionary Klong chen Rab ’byams pa of the Rnying ma pa school of Tibetan Buddhism had been sighted. This set the imagination on fire. The prospect of the existence of such a work was all the more intriguing because no treatise of this kind, or any work like it, was listed in the then already published catalogue to his voluminous oeuvre Klong chen pa himself had written towards the end of his relatively short life while in exile in what is now Bhutan. Reproduced by Chos grags bzang po in his biography of his master, this incomplete catalogue registers some two hundred and seventy separate items plus an uncounted number of spiritual songs and an assortment of ephemeral compositions. 3 What is more, none of the early indigenous bibliographies list a work by him on Dharmak¯ orti’s thought, let alone on the PV. But this absence should nor induce us to wring our hands, for these bibliographies are as a rule far from comprehensive. 4 That said, if Klong chen pa were indeed responsible for the Tshad ma’i de kho na nyid bsdus pa, as only the colophons of its two extant manuscripts would have us believe, and if it were his sole contribution to Buddhist logic and epistemology (pram ¯ an . a,
Another Score to Predict Ischemic Stroke Mortality

An 84-year-old man with a history of atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, and chronic renal insufficiency has a moderate to severe right middle cerebral artery infarct. He was not a candidate for intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolytics because of symptom onset on awakening and a completed infarct with no appreciable penumbra on computed tomography angiography or computed tomography perfusion. Following acute stabilization of patients like this man, the primary goals of care are to prevent complications and to begin rehabilitation. In addition, discussions with family regarding code status, end-of-life care preferences, and prognosis occur soon after admission. Clinicians generally rely on their anecdotal experience when these discussions occur, and these predictions have been shown to be relatively good. In one study of ischemic stroke patients, 90% of patients predicted to do poorly were dead or dependent at 6 months.1 However, clinicians tend to overestimate the likelihood of good outcome in stroke patients. In the same study, only 65% of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients predicted by clinicians to survive 1 year and be independent were actually independent (defined as modified Rankin Score ≤2).1 Having a quantitative estimate of mortality or outcome in a patient such as this gentleman can help guide family discussions, since reliance solely on clinical prediction is insufficient. Article see p 739 Multiple prognostic models for mortality and functional status in stroke patients have been developed and validated. Simple models that include only age and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale within the first 6 hours of symptom onset were shown to predict mortality up to 150 days poststroke.2 In this stroke population, mortality was predicted better by the models than by the treating physicians' …
Expander-based constructions of efficiently decodable codes

We present several novel constructions of codes which share the common thread of using expander (or expander-like) graphs as a component. The expanders enable the design of efficient decoding algorithms that correct a large number of errors through various forms of "voting" procedures. We consider both the notions of unique and list decoding, and in all cases obtain asymptotically good codes which are decodable up to a "maximum" possible radius and either: (a) achieve a similar rate as the previously best known codes but come with significantly faster algorithms, or (b) achieve a rate better than any prior construction with similar error-correction properties. Among our main results are: i) codes of rate /spl Omega/(/spl epsi//sup 2/) over constant-sized alphabet that can be list decoded in quadratic time from (1-/spl epsi/) errors; ii) codes of rate /spl Omega/(/spl epsi/) over constant-sized alphabet that can be uniquely decoded from (1/2-/spl epsi/) errors in near-linear time (this matches AG-codes with much faster algorithms); iii) linear-time encodable and decodable binary codes of positive rate (in fact, rate /spl Omega/(/spl epsi//sup 2/)) that can correct up to (1/4-/spl epsi/) fraction errors.
Intelligent detector design

As the complexity and resolution of imaging detectors increases, the need for detailed simulation of the experimental setup also becomes more important. Designing the detectors requires efficient tools to simulate the detector response and reconstruct the events. We have developed efficient and flexible tools for detailed physics and detector response simulation as well as event reconstruction and analysis. The primary goal has been to develop a software toolkit and computing infrastructure to allow physicists from universities and labs to quickly and easily conduct physics analyses and contribute to detector research and development. The application harnesses the full power of the Geant4 toolkit without requiring the end user to have any experience with either Geant4 or C++, thereby allowing the user to concentrate on the physics of the detector system.
Airway complications from topical mitomycin C.

Abstract Problem: Topical application of mitomycin-C appears to be a useful adjunct in reducing cicatricial scarring of the airways. Human and animal studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of mitomycin topically in the treatment of airway stenosis at concentrations ranging from 0.4 mg/cc to 10 mg/cc. Although no reports of mitomycin toxicicity have been reported in the otolaryngology literature, the ophthalmologic literature has documented serious, vision-threatening complications resulting from the use of topical mitomycin-C. The purpose of this study is to report complications related to mitomycin-C use in the treatment of glottic and subglottic stenosis. Risk factors associated with these complications are identified. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all patients treated by the senior author for glottic, subglottic, and tracheal stenosis during a 4-year period was performed to determine incidence of complications. Variables studied were: patient age and gender, location and severity of stenosis, medical comorbidities, length of procedure, postoperative instrumentation of the airway, and mitomycin-C concentration. Results: Sixty-six cases of adjuvant topical mitomycin-C use following laser laryngoscopic treatment and dilation for upper airway stenosis were identified in a total of 45 patients. Complications due to local toxicity of mitomycin-C occurred in 4 patients of 66 (or 6%), manifested by accumulation of fibrinous debris at the operative site, resulting in partial airway obstruction, and the need for emergent airway intervention. A significantly higher percentage of complications occurred when supersaturated mitomycin-C (10 mg/cc) was used (P Conclusion: Caution should be exercised when using topical mitomycin-C in the treatment of airway stenosis. Local tissue effects from fibroblast inhibition may, in some instances, lead to the accumulation of fibrinous exudates that can obstruct the airway in the early postoperative period. Significance: This is the first study describing serious complications and potential risk factors related to topical mitomycin-c use in the endoscopic treatment of upper airway stenosis. Support: None reported.
Event Self-Importance, Event Rehearsal, and the Fading Affect Bias in Autobiographical Memory

Prior research suggests that the negative affect associated with autobiographical memories fades faster across time than the positive affect associated with such memories (i.e., the fading affect bias, FAB). Data described in the present article reveal several moderators of this bias. The FAB is small when events are perceived to be self-important, psychologically open, or self-caused; it is large when events are perceived to be atypical of a person's life. The data also suggest that the FAB is especially large when events are rehearsed in the course of conveying events to others, or when events are being privately savored or solved; this effect does not emerge for various other forms of private rehearsal. Theoretical implications of these results are discussed.
Trace theorems and kinetic equations for non divergence free external forces

For a general class of time dependent linear Boltzmann type equations with (i) an external, non divergence free force terma a ∂u/∂ξ (ii) a collision term which can be written as the difference of a gain term involving a general nonnegative "collision frequencyn h(x,ξ,t) and a loss term involving an arbitrary bounded linear operator J, and (iii) a general boundary operator K which is a (strict) contraction, the method of characteristics and perturbation techniques are used to obtain the well-posed- ness of the initial-boundary value problem, provided the divergence b of a is bounded above. The functional setting is Lp, 1<p< + ∞ For time independent data the transport operator is shown to generate a Co-semigroup on Lp(Σdμ). The results are proven by generalizing a recently established theory of time dependent kinetic equations where the external force is divergence free with respect to velocity. Solutions on spaces of measures are discussed briefly.
Detecting topical events in digital video

The detection of events is essential to high-level semantic querying of video databases. It is also a very challenging problem requiring the detection and integration of evidence for an event available in multiple information modalities, such as audio, video and language. This paper focuses on the detection of specific types of events, namely, topic of discussion events that occur in classroom/lecture environments. Specifically, we present a query-driven approach to the detection of topic of discussion events with foils used in a lecture as a way to convey a topic. In particular, we use the image content of foils to detect visual events in which the foil is displayed and captured in the video stream. The recognition of a foil in video frames exploits the color and spatial layout of regions on foils using a technique called region hashing. Next, we use the textual phrases listed on a foil as an indication of a topic, and detect topical audio events as places in the audio track where the best evidence for the topical phrases was heard. Finally, we use a probabilistic model of event likelihood to combine the results of visual and audio avent detection that exploits their time cooccurrence. The resulting identification of topical events is evaluated in the domain of classroom lectures and talks.
Augustine's rejection of the free-will defence: an overview of the late Augustine's theodicy

Augustine is commonly considered the greatest early proponent of what we call the free-will defence, but this idea is deeply misleading, as Augustine grew increasingly dissatisfied with the view from an early point in his career, and his later explorations of the implications of his doctrines of sin and grace led him to reject free-will theodicies altogether. As a compatibilist, however, he continued to reject the idea that God is responsible for the advent of evil. His alternative was his often misunderstood claim that the primal sin had a ‘deficient’ cause, together with a version of what Alvin Plantinga has nominated the ‘felix culpa’ approach. Thus, Augustine was actually the free-will defence's first major Christian detractor, and by the end of his career he had become its greatest critic.
Mercury(II) partitioning from aqueous solutions with a new, hydrophobic ethylene-glycol functionalized bis-imidazolium ionic liquid

A room temperature ionic liquid containing a bis-imidazolium cation incorporating a short ethylene-glycol spacer, 1,1′-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl)] bis[3-methyl-1H-imidazolium-1-yl]bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, has been prepared from the corresponding chloride salt, and the X-ray crystal structure of the low-melting hexafluorophosphate salt has been determined. The crystal structure reveals the ether linkage to be quite flexible and to participate in strong C2–H⋯O hydrogen bonds leading to asymmetry. The crystal structure of the bis-imidazolium salt incorporating a decyl-spacer, 1,1′-[1,10-decyl]bis[3-methyl-1H-imidazolium-1-yl] hexafluorophosphate, has also been determined and displays an all-trans (symmetric) conformation except at the beta carbon positions where a characteristic kink is observed. Introducing the ethylene-glycol functionality dramatically increases the distribution ratio of mercury ions, but not caesium, from aqueous solution to the hydrophobic ionic liquid, and from basic solution. This is the first example of pH dependent partitioning and stripping of mercury from ionic liquid/aqueous two-phase systems. The crystal structure of the related mercury(II) carbene complex, obtained from the reaction of mercury(II) acetate with 1,1′-[oxybis(2,1-ethanediyloxy-2,1-ethanediyl)]bis[3-methyl-1H-imidazolium-1-yl] tosylate, containing a three-ether spacer, in acetonitrile, reveals the possibility of a carbene extraction mechanism.
LH-Induced Steroidogenesis in the Mouse Ovary, but Not Testis, Requires Matrix Metalloproteinase 2- and 9-Mediated Cleavage of Upregulated EGF Receptor Ligands

Oocyte maturation and cumulus cell expansion depend on luteinizing hormone (LH)-mediated upregulation of membrane-bound epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like ligands, including amphiregulin, epiregulin, and betacellulin. These ligands then transactivate the EGF receptor (EGFR) after release by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). However, direct measurement of released EGF-like ligands or MMPs from granulosa cells has not been formally evaluated, nor has direct identification of responsible MMPs. Here we address these issues by analyzing LH-induced steroidogenesis, which is also MMP and EGFR dependent, in freshly isolated mouse primary granulosa cells. We demonstrate a correlation between amphiregulin and epiregulin mRNA induction and steroid production in LH-treated granulosa cells as well as in ovaries of human chorionic gonadotropin-treated mice. In contrast, LH does not alter Mmp1, Mmp2, Mmp3, Mmp8, Mmp9, or Adam17 mRNA expression. We demonstrate that, in primary mouse granulosa cells, LH triggers release of soluble amphiregulin that correlates with steroid production, both of which are blocked by MMP2/9 inhibition, confirming that MMP2/9 likely regulates LH-induced amphiregulin release and downstream processes. Notably, LH does not alter secretion of MMP2/9 from primary granulosa cells, nor does it modulate MMP activity. These findings indicate that, in the ovary, LH dictates EGFR-mediated processes not by regulating MMPs, but instead by increasing EGF-like ligand availability. In contrast, LH stimulation of primary mouse Leydig cells does not induce EGF-like ligand expression or require MMP2/9 for steroidogenesis, confirming marked differences in LH receptor-induced processes in the testes. Our results suggest that MMP inhibition may be a means of attenuating excess ovarian steroid production in diseases like polycystic ovary syndrome.
Strength and Failure Predictions for Glass and Ceramics

Fracture mechanics has provided the means for making failure predictions regarding the lifetime of a glass or ceramic component in service. The background necessary for making these failure calculations from crack velocity and fatigue strength data is presented. The analysis of these types of data gives conservative failure predictions for soda-lime glass in water. Also, how these fracture mechanics concepts (with the appropriate experimental data) can be used as an index to the fatigue resistance of a material is described.
Wireless interconnection within a hybrid engine controller board

Wireless interconnection within a hybrid engine controller board has been demonstrated by demodulating an AM signal transmitted with an on-chip antenna using a receiver located in the board. The receiver centered between 14 and 16 GHz uses a Schottky diode detector and should be able to support 400-Mbps data rate and ~15 cm range. The receiver does not require a crystal frequency reference. The measured peak conversion gain is ~35 dB, sensitivity over the band with minimum Eb/No of 14 dB for ASK is -58 dBm. The receiver occupies ~1.5 mm2 and consumes ~60 mW.
Removing Financial Disincentives to Organ Donation: An Acceptable Next Step?

The numbers are all too familiar, and are repeated so often in the arena of kidney disease that they start to lose meaning, becoming slightly hollow, empty, and spoken with a feeling of resignation. There are >90,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list and this number is growing. The number
Audio Recording Everyday Talk

This article covers a number of strategies for audio recording everyday, naturally occurring interactions. Drawing on fieldwork where the author observed and recorded eleven key informants in New York City, the author provides a guide applicable to a number of research situations, but especially relevant to studies that require continuous observations—from unobtrusive to participant—across various social contexts. The author provides practical suggestions for choosing an audio recorder, recording in the field, managing informed consent issues, and addressing observer effects.
How can biochemical reactions within cells differ from those in test tubes

Nonspecific interactions between individual macromolecules and their immediate surroundings (‘background interactions’) within a medium as heterogeneous and highly volume occupied as the interior of a living cell can greatly influence the equilibria and rates of reactions in which they participate. Background interactions may be either repulsive, leading to preferential size-and-shapedependent exclusion from highly volume-occupied elements of volume, or attractive, leading to nonspecific associations or adsorption. Nonspecific interactions with different constituents of the cellular interior lead to three classes of phenomena: macromolecular crowding, confinement and adsorption. Theory and experiment have established that predominantly repulsive background interactions tend to enhance the rate and extent of macromolecular associations in solution, whereas predominately attractive background interactions tend to enhance the tendency of macromolecules to associate on adsorbing surfaces. Greater than order-of-magnitude increases in association rate and equilibrium constants attributable to background interactions have been observed in simulated and actual intracellular environments.
Health promotion behaviors in women with chest pain

Objective We sought to determine health promotion behavior (HPB) in women with chest pain (CP), and to explore the best predictors of HPB. Methods The sample included 39 women without previous coronary heart disease (CHD), between ages 30 and 65 years, who were admitted with low-risk or intermediate-risk CP. The Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile II, the CHD Knowledge Tool for Women, and the Benefits and Barriers Scales were used to measure HPB, CHD knowledge, benefits, and barriers to risk modification for the study. Results Women had low HPB scores ( X ¯ = 127.3 ± 23.5). The best predictors for HPB (adjusted R2 = .44) included educational level (β = .34, P = .010), hyperlipidemia (β = −.25, P = .05), benefits (β = .33, P = .017), and barriers to risk modification (β = −.41, P = .004). Conclusions Women do not practice HPB regularly. Women with less education, hyperlipidemia, lower perceived benefits, or higher perceived barriers to risk modification are less likely to practice HPB. Barriers exert the strongest influence on HPB.
Learning-Related Development of Context-Specific Neuronal Responses to Places and Events: The Hippocampal Role in Context Processing

Contextual information plays a key role in learning and memory. Learned information becomes associated with the context such that the context can cue the relevant memories and behaviors. An extensive literature involving experimental brain lesions has implicated the hippocampus in context processing. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms of context coding are not known. Although "context" has typically been defined in terms of the background cues, recent studies indicate that hippocampal neurons are sensitive to subtle changes in task demands, even in an unchanging environment. Thus, the context may also include non-environmental features of a learning situation. In the present study, hippocampal neuronal activity was recorded while rats learned to approach different reward locations in two contexts. Because all of the training took place in the same environment, the contexts were defined by the task demands rather than by environmental stimuli. Learning to differentiate two such contexts was associated with the development of highly context-specific neuronal firing patterns. These included different place fields in pyramidal neurons and different event (e.g., reward) responses in pyramidal and interneurons. The differential firing patterns did not develop in a control condition that did not involve a context manipulation. The context-specific firing patterns could modulate activity in extrahippocampal structures to prime context-appropriate behavioral responses and memories. These results provide direct support for a context processing role of the hippocampus and suggest that the hippocampus contributes contextual representations to episodic memories.
Genome-wide analyses identify transcription factors required for proper morphogenesis of Drosophila sensory neuron dendrites

Dendrite arborization patterns are critical determinants of neuronal function. To explore the basis of transcriptional regulation in dendrite pattern formation, we used RNA interference (RNAi) to screen 730 transcriptional regulators and identified 78 genes involved in patterning the stereotyped dendritic arbors of class I da neurons in Drosophila. Most of these transcriptional regulators affect dendrite morphology without altering the number of class I dendrite arborization (da) neurons and fall primarily into three groups. Group A genes control both primary dendrite extension and lateral branching, hence the overall dendritic field. Nineteen genes within group A act to increase arborization, whereas 20 other genes restrict dendritic coverage. Group B genes appear to balance dendritic outgrowth and branching. Nineteen group B genes function to promote branching rather than outgrowth, and two others have the opposite effects. Finally, 10 group C genes are critical for the routing of the dendritic arbors of individual class I da neurons. Thus, multiple genetic programs operate to calibrate dendritic coverage, to coordinate the elaboration of primary versus secondary branches, and to lay out these dendritic branches in the proper orientation.
Pro: the routine use of aprotinin during pediatric cardiac surgery is a benefit.

ORE THAN HALF of the children undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in North America are younger than 1 year old, and neonates comprise approximately 36% of this group. 1 Many of these children undergo multiple-stage reconstructive procedures as well as repeat operations to replace conduits and valves, which are often performed at low temperatures with long bypass times. Bleeding complications are common and are secondary to increased tissue friability, extensive suture lines, and increasingly complicated surgical repairs. In addition, clotting mechanisms are incompletely developed in infants, and they tolerate hemorrhage and tamponade poorly. These issues underscore the need to develop therapeutic modalities directed at the attenuation of the inflammatory reaction and coagulation cascade initiated by CPB. Several studies in children suggest that aprotinin is beneficial for pediatric patients during cardiac surgery. Aprotinin, isolated in 1930, is a serine protease inhibitor that has been used in numerous clinical settings, including acute pancreatitis, adult respiratory distress syndrome, trauma, and septic shock. In the 1960s, aprotinin was used in adult cardiac surgery in an attempt to reduce excessive blood loss thought to be due to increased fibrinolysis. By 1984, the benefits of aprotinin in pediatric CPB were being studied, and decreases in postoperative blood loss and fibrin split products were demonstrated. 2 Attention has turned to aprotinin's potential as a kallikrein inhibitor to attenuate the inflammatory response associated with CPB. Numerous studies have demonstrated a reduction in blood loss associated with aprotinin use in pediatric CPB. Herynkopf et aP noted that homologous donor exposure was decreased by about half in the patients who received aprotinin. A study of children undergoing repair of tetralogy of Fallot showed significant decreases in the total volume of blood loss and blood transfused. 4 Penkoske et al 5 showed similar decreases in blood loss, volume of transfusion, and number of units transfused. In pediatric lung transplants, Jaquiss et al6 demonstrated that high-risk patients receiving aprotinin bled less than, or similar to, low-risk transplant patients who had not received aprotinin. In a study at this institution, aprotinin decreased the number of
An independent, inverse association of high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol concentration with nonadipose body mass

Background: Increasing body mass index (BMI) is associated with progressively lower serum HDL-cholesterol concentrations. although the underlying body-composition compartment accounting for this unfavorable lipid change remains uncertain. Objective: Because growing evidence favors a role of lean tissue in HDL homeostasis, the hypothesis was tested that non-adipose tissue components of body mass explain the inverse association of HDL cholesterol and BMI. Design: Fasting serum lipid concentrations and body composition [total, subcutaneous, and visceral adipose tissue; adipose tissue-free mass (ATFM): and skeletal muscle by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging and body cell mass by 40 K counting) were evaluated in healthy adults. Body-composition compartments were expressed as height 2 -normalized indexes. Results: An inverse correlation was observed between serum HDL cholesterol and BMI in women (n = 68; R 2 = 0.08, P = 0.023) and men (n = 61: R 2 = 0.07, P = 0.046). Significant inverse correlations (P = 0.005-0.02) were also observed between HDL cholesterol and nonadipose components (ie, ATFM, skeletal muscle, and body cell mass) but not between HDL cholesterol and any adipose tissue component. The association between HDL cholesterol and ATFM remained significant after serum triacylglycerol was controlled for. When BMI was entered into the HDL cholesterol-ATFM regression model, BMI was not a significant independent variable. The strongest correlate of serum triacylglycerol was visceral adipose tissue (P = 0.002 for both women and men). Conclusions: Lean tissues and body cell mass appear to account in part for the long-observed inverse association of HDL cholesterol and BMI. These observations suggest a link between nonadipose tissue compartments and the greater cardiovascular risk associated with high BMI.