cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Low Rate of Bacterial Meningitis in Children, Ages 6 to 18 Months, With Simple Febrile Seizures

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2011; 18:1114–1120 © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives: This evidence-based review examines the risk of bacterial meningitis as diagnosed by lumbar puncture (LP) in children presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a simple febrile seizure. The study population consists of fully immunized children between ages 6 and 18 months of age with an unremarkable history and normal physical examination. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies that enrolled children who presented with simple febrile seizure to the ED and had LP performed to rule out meningitis. The primary outcome measure was the risk of bacterial meningitis based on findings of the LP. The secondary outcome was the rate of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis in children who were pretreated with antibiotics. Results: Two studies enrolling a total of 150 children met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The overall rate of meningitis was 0% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.0% to 3.0%). The rate of CSF pleocytosis in children who were pretreated with antibiotics was 2.5% (95% CI = 0.0% to 14.0%). Conclusions: The sample size of the studies included in this review is too small to draw any definitive conclusion. However, their findings suggest that that the risk of bacterial meningitis in children presenting with simple febrile seizure is very low.
State estimation with finite signal-to-noise models

This paper concerns the use of the finite signal-to-noise (FSN) model to design a state estimator. First, the sufficient conditions for the existence of the state estimator are provided. These conditions are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) and the parameterization of all the solutions is provided. Then an LMI based estimator design is addressed and the algorithm to solve the filtering problem is also given. The performance of the linear filter is examined by means of the numerical examples.
The Quest for Physical Education

(1971). The Quest for Physical Education. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation: Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 27-28.
Neutralino Dark Matter from Indirect Detection Revisited

We revisit indirect detection possibilities for neutralino dark matter, emphasizing the complementary roles of different approaches. While thermally produced dark matter often requires large astrophysical "boost factors" to observe antimatter signals, the physically motivated alternative of non-thermal dark matter can naturally provide interesting signals, for example from light wino or Higgsino dark matter. After a brief review of cosmic ray propagation, we discuss signals for positrons, antiprotons, synchrotron radiation and gamma rays from wino annihilation in the galactic halo, and examine their phenomenology. For pure wino dark matter relevant to the LHC, PAMELA and GLAST should report signals.
Prevention of congenital Chagas through treatment of girls and women of childbearing age

It is currently unknown whether treatment of Chagas disease decreases the risk of congenital transmission from previously treated mothers to their infants. In a cohort of women with Chagas disease previously treated with benznidazole, no congenital transmission of the disease was observed in their newborns. This finding provides support for the treatment of Chagas disease as early as possible.
REGULATION OF ENZYME ACTIVITIES IN DROSOPHILA: GENETIC VARIATION AFFECTING INDUCTION OF GLUCOSE 6-PHOSPHATE AND 6-PHOSPHOGLUCONATE DEHYDROGENASES IN LARVAE

The genetic basis of modulation by dietary sucrose of the enzyme activities glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) activities in third instar larvae of Drosophila melanogaster was investigated, using isogenic lines derived from wild populations. Considerable genetically determined variation in response was detected among lines that differed only in their third chromosome constitution. Comparison of crossreacting material between a responding and a nonresponding line showed that the G6PD activity variation is due to changes in G6PD protein level. These differences in responses are localized in the fat body, with 300 m m sucrose in the diet resulting in a sixfold stimulation of G6PD activity and a fourfold one of 6PGD in the line showing the strongest response. In this tissue, the responses of the two enzymes are closely correlated with one another. Using recombinant lines, we obtained data that suggested the existence of more than one gene on chromosome III involved in the regulation of G6PD in the fat body, and at least one of these genes affects the level of 6PGD as well.
Oncolytic Immunotherapy: Dying the Right Way is a Key to Eliciting Potent Antitumor Immunity

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are novel immunotherapeutic agents whose anticancer effects come from both oncolysis and elicited antitumor immunity. OVs induce mostly immunogenic cancer cell death (ICD), including immunogenic apoptosis, necrosis/necroptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagic cell death, leading to exposure of calreticulin and heat-shock proteins to the cell surface, and/or released ATP, high-mobility group box 1, uric acid, and other damage-associated molecular patterns as well as pathogen-associated molecular patterns as danger signals, along with tumor-associated antigens, to activate dendritic cells and elicit adaptive antitumor immunity. Dying the right way may greatly potentiate adaptive antitumor immunity. The mode of cancer cell death may be modulated by individual OVs and cancer cells as they often encode and express genes that inhibit/promote apoptosis, necroptosis, or autophagic cell death. We can genetically engineer OVs with death-pathway-modulating genes and thus skew the infected cancer cells toward certain death pathways for the enhanced immunogenicity. Strategies combining with some standard therapeutic regimens may also change the immunological consequence of cancer cell death. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of danger signals, modes of cancer cell death induced by OVs, the induced danger signals and functions in eliciting subsequent antitumor immunity. We also discuss potential combination strategies to target cells into specific modes of ICD and enhance cancer immunogenicity, including blockade of immune checkpoints, in order to break immune tolerance, improve antitumor immunity, and thus the overall therapeutic efficacy.
Extraction of four chlorophenoxy acid herbicides and picloram from surface wipes

This communication deals only with the procedure used for the extraction and analysis of the ionic herbicices. Essentially, the wipe sample extraction involved the use of a potassium hydroxide. Extractions were performed in a heated sonic bath to facilitate hydrolysis of any ester forms of the herbicides studied. Following this extraction/hydrolysis, the alkali solution was washed first with petroleum ether and then with diethyl ether to remove possible interferences from nonionic pesticides and other contaminants. The next steps involved acidification of the sample and then extraction of the herbicide acids with diethyl ether. The ether extracts was dried over acidified sodium sulfate, concentrated, methylated, and analyzed by electron-capture gas chromatography
Differential effects of αCaMKII mutation on hippocampal learning and changes in intrinsic neuronal excitability

Alpha-calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (alphaCaMKII) is central to synaptic plasticity but it remains unclear whether this kinase contributes to neuronal excitability changes, which are a cellular correlate of learning. Using knock-in mice with a targeted T286A mutation that prevents the autophosphorylation of alphaCaMKII (alphaCaMKII(T286A)), we studied the role of alphaCaMKII signaling in regulating hippocampal neuronal excitability during hippocampus-dependent spatial learning in the Morris water maze. Wild-type control mice showed increased excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons, as assessed by a reduction in the postburst afterhyperpolarization (AHP), after spatial training in the water maze. Importantly, wild-type mice did not show AHP changes when they were exposed to the water maze without the escape platform and swam the same amount of time as the trained mice (swim controls), thus manifesting learning-specific increases in hippocampal CA1 excitability associated with spatial training. Meanwhile, alphaCaMKII(T286A) mice showed impairments in spatial learning but exhibited reduced levels of AHP that were similar to wild-type controls after water-maze training. Notably, both trained and swim-control groups of alphaCaMKII(T286A) mutants showed similar increased excitability, indicating that swimming by itself is enough to induce changes in excitability in the absence of normal alphaCaMKII function. This result demonstrates dissociation of alphaCaMKII-independent changes in intrinsic neuron excitability from learning and synaptic plasticity mechanisms, suggesting that increases in excitability per se are not perfectly correlated with learning. Our findings suggest that alphaCaMKII signaling may function to suppress learning-unrelated changes during training, thereby allowing hippocampal CA1 neurons to increase their excitability appropriately for encoding spatial memories.
Research on Internet Macroscopic Topology Structure

This paper is aim to introduce the research background and the significance of the complex network on Internet macroscopic topology structure , then three subjects are putted forward that Generation method, simulation study and Evolution analysis are important on research on Internet macroscopic topology structure. At last,explain and analyse the research method on Internet macroscopic topology structure.
Prenatal Sonographic Detection of Cleft Lip and Palate

With advancements in sonographic technology and in understanding of the sonographic appearance of the fetus, it is now possible to identify and characterize clefts of the lip, palate, and face. Thi...
Size-Dependent Positioning of Human Chromosomes in Interphase Nuclei

By using a fluorescence in situ hybridization technique we revealed that for nine different q-arm telomere markers the positioning of chromosomes in human G(1) interphase nuclei was chromosome size-dependent. The q-arm telomeres of large chromosomes are more peripherally located than telomeres on small chromosomes. This highly organized arrangement of chromatin within the human nucleus was discovered by determining the x and y coordinates of the hybridization sites and calculating the root-mean-square radial distance to the nuclear centers in human fibroblasts. We demonstrate here that global organization within the G(1) interphase nucleus is affected by one of the most fundamental physical quantities-chromosome size or mass-and propose two biophysical models, a volume exclusion model and a mitotic preset model, to explain our finding.
Patient-Centered Research: Invasive Allergic Fungal Sinusitis: A Patient with an "Asymptomatic" Invasion

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1). To be able to recognize allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS), a common and underdiagnosed condition.
Potential precision of a direct measurement of the Higgs boson total width at a muon collider

In the light of the discovery of a 126 GeV Standard-Model-like Higgs boson at the LHC, we evaluate the achievable accuracies for direct measurements of the width, mass, and the $s$-channel resonant production cross section of the Higgs boson at a proposed muon collider. We find that with a beam energy resolution of $R=0.01%$ (0.003%) and integrated luminosity of $0.5\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ ($1\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$), a muon collider would enable us to determine the Standard-Model-like Higgs width to $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.35\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$ ($\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.15\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$) by combining two complementary channels of the $W{W}^{*}$ and $b\overline{b}$ final states. A non-Standard-Model Higgs with a broader width is also studied. The unparalleled accuracy potentially attainable at a muon collider would test the Higgs interactions to a high precision.
Antitumor Activity of Triolimus: A Novel Multidrug-Loaded Micelle Containing Paclitaxel, Rapamycin, and 17-AAG

Triolimus is a first-in-class, multi-drug loaded micelle containing paclitaxel, rapamycin and 17-AAG. In this study, we examine the anti-tumor mechanisms of action, efficacy and toxicity of Triolimus in vitro and in vivo. In vitro cytotoxicity testing of Triolimus was conducted using two aggressive adenocarcinomas including the lung cancer cell line, A549, and breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231. The three-drug combination of paclitaxel, rapamycin and 17-AAG displayed potent cytotoxic synergy in both A549 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Mechanistically, the drug combination inhibited both the Ras/Raf/MAPK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways. Triolimus was advanced into tumor xenograft models for assessment of efficacy, toxicity and mechanisms of action. In vivo, a three-infusion schedule of Triolimus inhibited A549 and MDA-MB-231 tumor growth far more potently than paclitaxel-containing micelles and effected tumor cures in MDA-MB-231 tumor-bearing animals. Tumor growth delays resulted from a doubling in tumor cell apoptosis and a 50% reduction in tumor cell proliferation compared to paclitaxel-containing micelles. Enhanced anti-tumor efficacy was achieved without clinically significant increases in acute toxicity. Thus, Triolimus displays potent synergistic activity in vitro and anti-tumor activity in vivo with comparable toxicity to paclitaxel. These observations provide strong support for further development of Triolimus and an important proof of concept for safe, effective nanoparticle-based delivery of three complementary anti-cancer agents.
Inhibition by wine of tumorigenesis induced by ethyl carbamate (urethane) in mice

Groups of 18-21 male weanling C3H mice were given, as drinking fluid, tap-water, 12% ethanol solution, one of two commercial white wines, or red wine, ad lib. for 41 wk. Ethyl carbamate was added to each of the drinking liquids at levels adjusted to provide average daily ethyl carbamate intakes of 0, 10 or 20 mg/kg body weight. After 41 wk the cumulative survival of the mice given 20 mg ethyl carbamate/kg in water was depressed compared with the mice drinking wines or ethanol solution with this ethyl carbamate level. Both ethanol and wine treatments reduced the incidence of lung Clara-cell adenomas in mice given 10 mg ethyl carbamate/kg and reduced the frequency (number of specific tumours/number of tumour-bearing mice) of both Clara-cell adenomas in mice given 10 mg ethyl carbamate/kg and of alveolar adenomas in mice given 20 mg ethyl carbamate/kg. Wine treatments also reduced the frequency of hepatocellular adenomas compared with those of other treatment groups, and no hepatocellular carcinomas developed in any of the groups given wine, even with the 20-mg/kg ethyl carbamate dose. The incidence of hepatocellular adenomas in the groups given 10 mg ethyl carbamate/kg was, as shown by chi-square analysis, significantly reduced by the ethanol and wine treatments. The mean weight gains of mice on all the wine treatments were lower than those of water-treated mice and this may have been a factor in tumour inhibition; however, it is also possible that wine components other than ethanol may play a role in the inhibition of tumour development.
ALGORITHMS AND VISUALIZATION FOR SOLUTIONS OF NONLINEAR ELLIPTIC EQUATIONS

In this paper, we compute and visualize solutions of several major types of semilinear elliptic boundary value problems with a homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition in 2D. We present the mountain–pass algorithm (MPA), the scaling iterative algorithm (SIA), the monotone iteration and the direct iteration algorithms (MIA and DIA). Semilinear elliptic equations are well known to be rich in their multiplicity of solutions. Many such physically significant solutions are also known to lack stability and, thus, are elusive to capture numerically. We will compute and visualize the profiles of such multiple solutions, thereby exhibiting the geometrical effects of the domains on the multiplicity. Special emphasis is placed on SIA and MPA, by which multiple unstable solutions are computed. The domains include the disk, symmetric or nonsymmetric annuli, dumbbells, and dumbbells with cavities. The nonlinear partial differential equations include the Lane–Emden equation, Chandrasekhar's equation, Henon's equation, a singularly perturbed equation, and equations with sublinear growth. Relevant numerical data of solutions are listed as possible benchmarks for other researchers. Commentaries from the existing literature concerning solution behavior will be made, wherever appropriate. Some further theoretical properties of the solutions obtained from visualization will also be presented.
Polymorphonuclear leukocyte function in HIV-1-infected chimpanzees

The chemiluminescent characteristics of enriched populations of neutrophils from control and HIV-infected chimpanzees were assessed. Neutrophils from HIV-infected chimpanzees were suppressed in their ability to generate a normal response to particulate and soluble stimuli when compared to normal and hepatitis non-A, non B-infected controls. Particulate (latex beads) stimulation of neutrophils resulted in an aberrant response when contrasted with controls. Normal control responses were characteristically biphasic while the response from hepatitis NANB HIV-infected chimpanzees was not biphasic. Neutrophils challenged with a soluble (phorbol ester) stimulant also demonstrated a suppressed response. These data suggest that HIV infection has an additive suppressive effect on neutrophil function in chimpanzees previously infected with hepatitis NANB. The suppression of chimpanzee neutrophil function following HIV infection is similar to that seen in other non-primate viral and retroviral infections.
Spectrophotometric determination of the dissociation constant of the woods reagent

Abstract The spectrophotometric determination of the dissociation constant for the Woods reagent, 2-hydroxymethyl-6-(2'-hydroxymethyl-5'-hydroxy-4'-pyrone-6')-pyranyl[3,2-b] pyiaia-4,S-diove, which contains one weakly ionised phenolic hydroxyl group, is presented. The value of 9·7 × 10−9 is the average of the values obtained for the dissociation constant at wavelengths 270 mμ and 315 mμ. The best recommended value of the dissociation constant for the Woods reagent is 9·7 × 10−9, which is obtained from the plot of log R against the corresponding pH values according to equation (2) and extrapolating to pH 0.
The financial role of merchants in the development of U.S. manufacturing, 1815–1860

Abstract Thus most early American manufacturing firms existed as a partnership (formal or informal) between technically knowledgeable factory owners or managers on the one hand, and mercantile capitalists on the other. Sometimes (as in the rail and textile mills) these alliances developed when merchants, perceiving a new market and seeking a profitable outlet for unused resources, pooled their funds to construct a factory, engage a supervisory staff, and commence production. On other occasions established manufacturers took in merchant partners in order to secure capital. Thus Jones and Laughlin. Jobbers and commission merchants became involved as a logical consequence of their role as distributors and suppliers. Whatever the particular circumstances, the ultimate effect of these relationships was to open a channel through which capital poured from the mercantile sector into the manufacturing sector of the economy. Merchants were the agents of transfer, a role which resulted naturally from their position at the nexus of American commerce. When American markets for manufacturers grew in the early nineteenth century, their expansion presented both an incentive and a compulsion for mercantile participation in manufacturing finance. The incentive was the profit potential of trade in domestic products; the compulsion derived from the need to control large and dependable supplies in order to maintain control of trade flows that carried increasing quantities of manufactured products as the nineteenth century progressed. While entrepreneurs built the factories and devised ways to run them, merchants provided agencies of distribution and finance. Only the preexistence of a prosperous, experienced, and efficient mercantile community permitted such a rapid development of mass production in America, for although many artisans perceived the great potential of expanding domestic markets, few of them possessed the capital or mercantile expertise to take full advantage of the growing opportunities. Had early American producers been wholly dependent upon their own resources in operating their firms, or wholly dependent upon retained earnings in expanding them, the pace of industrialization would have been retarded. Merchants, however, drove the economy forward by supplying the needed capital and mercantile skills to the emerging industrial sector. Out of this symbiotic combination of old mercantile wealth and talents, and new manufacturing technologies, emerged two of the pillars of American industrial maturity—the factory system that produced the goods, and the specialized institutions that financed their production and distribution.
Lymphoepithelial cysts of the oral mucosa.

Abstract Twenty-one cases of biopsied lesions diagnosed as lymphoepithelial cyst have been reported. With no predilection for either sex, these rare lesions occurred primarily in the floor of the mouth as small, nodular, asymptomatic swellings of unknown duration and were interpreted most often as mucoceles. They were excised and none recurred. Histologically, the small cysts were lined with stratified squamous epithelium which was surrounded by lymphoid tissue with follicles. Although the cause is uncertain, both the proliferation of entrapped ductal epithelium in ectopic lymphoid tissue and the obstruction of a tonsillar crypt may give rise to lymphoepithelial cysts.
Dynamics of binary phase separation in liquid He-3-He-4 mixtures

Binary phase-separation dynamics in liquid mixtures of He-3 and He-4 has been investigated near the tricritical point with laser-light scattering techniques. Rapid decompression of the mixtures results in quenches into the miscibility gap so that both the metastable and unstable (spinodal) regions can be probed. Quenches into the unstable region allowed measurements of the normalized dynamic structure factor S(k,t) that confirm the dynamical scaling hypotheses for spinodal decomposition. Measurements made for concentrations well away from the tricritical value show different behavior and suggest the presence of a spinodal boundary. Forward scattering intensities for shallow quenches probe nucleation phenomena and permit quantitative measurements of anomalous super-cooling as a function of quench rate. Comparisons with data in organic binary mixtures are given.
Organizational Inertia and Resistance to Change

(1976). Organizational Inertia and Resistance to Change. The Educational Forum: Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 33-36.
Effect of trace element vanadium on superplasticity of 5083 aluminium alloy sheets

The effect of trace element vanadium on the superplasticity of 5083 aluminium alloy sheets was studied by high temperature tensile optical microscopy. The results showed that trace element vanadium added into 5083 alloy could refine the fibrous structure of the rolling sheet, restrain the grain growth during recrystallization, and improve the superplasticity of 5083 aluminium alloy. The size of recrystallized grains of the sheets was reduced from 100 to 20 μm, and the elongation percentage of 5083 aluminium alloy sheets in 510°C was improved from 208% to 254% after the trace element vanadium was added into the conventional 5083 aluminium alloy.
The patent system and the transfer of technology to developing nations

Abstract This paper examines the patent system as a source of technological information and its role in the transfer of technology to developing nations. Included are the activities of the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies in the transfer of technology from developed nations to developing nations. It also examines the successes and obstacles in the transfer of technology.
The child as a member of the family system

In the past, approaches to the analysis of early socialization have emphasized the importance of the mother-child dyad. As researchers have broadened their interests to include the father's role in early socialization the need to conceptualize the infant as a member of a family has emerged. The usefulness of general systems theory for concept totalizing the young child as a member of a family, a living system at the level of the group, is explored. Current research findings are related to a system framework and suggestions for conceptualizing the steady state processes of the family are proposed.
DO MEN “NEED” A SPOUSE MORE THAN WOMEN?: PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE FOR MEN AND WOMEN

This study examines how important men and women feel marriage is for men and for women. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, we find that both men and women feel that men need to be married more than women do. Women are more likely than men to think that both men and women can have satisfying lives without marriage, but they are also more likely to think that only women can have satisfying lives without marriage. Younger, more educated people are less likely to emphasize marriage. On the other hand, religious people and those who are married with children are particularly likely to think that neither men nor women can have satisfying lives without marriage.
Ethnic cohesion and division among American Jews: The role of mass‐level and organizational politics

Abstract Mass‐level and organizational politics contribute both to ethnic cohesion and division among American Jews. Political cohesion at the mass level, measured by location on the liberal side of the mass political structure, serves as a structural source of ethnic cohesion for many American Jews who are not characterized by alternative structural and cultural sources of ethnic cohesion, as measured by embeddedness in structural and cultural networks of interaction. However, political divisions among American jews converge with religious divisions and with variations in structural and cultural cohesion and assimilation; consequently, politics provides one of several reinforcing cleavages in the American Jewish community. Individual‐level data from the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey are used to support these claims. A strong linkage exists between patterns of ethnic cohesion and division and the role of politics at the mass and organizational levels. Jewish organizations involved in politics sha...
A calorimetric study of the binding of 2'-deoxyuridine-5'-phosphate and its analogs to thymidylate synthetase.

Abstract The binding of dUMP, dTMP, UMP, and 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridylate (FdUMP) to Lactobacillus casei thymidylate synthetase (TSase) was examined by direct thermal titration. The binding of each ligand was examined in two different buffers, so that proton interactions could be observed. In agreement with an earlier study (N. V. Beaudette, N. Langerman, R. L. Kisliuk, and Y. Gaumont, 1977, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 179 , 272–278) , dUMP binding is driven predominantly by enthalpy changes at pH 7.4, with 0.77 ± 0.07 mol of protons binding along with the substrate. When the pH is decreased to 5.8, binding affinity increases, and a substantial increase in the entropic contribution to the binding is observed. In contrast to the binding of protons with substrate at pH 7.4, protons are released at pH 5.8. The proton effects suggest a model in which binding occurs through an electrostatic interaction between dianionic nucleotide and protonated enzyme residues. Binding of FdUMP at pH 7.4 involves the uptake of protons, and is also predominantly driven by changes in enthalpy. A good fit to the thermal data is obtained using the single-site binding constant, K = 9.5 × 10 4 m −1 . Our earlier interpretation ( Arch. Biochem. Biophys. , 1977, 179 , 272–278) of the thermal data indicating two sites is in error. Preliminary date are presented which suggest that two-site binding of FdUMP occurs on prolonged incubation during equilibrium dialysis. Binding of the product dTMP shows different behavior. The reaction is entropically driven, suggesting that a significant hydrophobic interaction occurs between the protein and the 5-methyl group of the nucleotide. Only 0.48 ± 0.08 mol of protons are absorbed at pH 7.4. Binding of the nucleotide UMP could not be detected at pH 7.4.
Numerical techniques for excitation and analysis of defect modes in photonic crystals.

Two numerical techniques for analysis of defect modes in photonic crystals are presented. Based on the finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD), we use plane wave incidences and point sources for excitation and analysis. Using a total-field/scattered-field scheme, an ideal plane wave incident at different angles is implemented; defect modes are selectively excited and mode symmetries are probed. All modes can be excited by an incident plane wave along a non-symmetric direction of the crystal. Degenerate modes can also be differentiated using this method. A proper arrangement of point sources with positive and negative amplitudes in the cavity flexibly excites any chosen modes. Numerical simulations have verified these claims. Evolution of each defect mode is studied using spectral filtering. The quality factor of the defect mode is estimated based on the field decay. The far-field patterns are calculated and the Q values are shown to affect strongly the sharpness of these patterns. Animations of the near-fields of the defect modes are presented to give an intuitive image of their oscillating features.
Spectrometer for astrometric interferometry

I present a spectrometer for a dispersed-fringe optical astrometric interferometer. The two primary requirements, that integration time and systematic error be minimized, do not interact, and both are met. The integration time at the minimum is only a weak function of the parameters, allowing adjustment for secondary criteria such as cross-dispersion resolution without significantly increasing integration time.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Interaction between two Rydberg series of autoionizing levels in barium

Using a three-step laser excitation approach, we have studied the autoionizing ${(6{p}_{j}nd)}_{J=3}$ states of neutral barium. The $6{p}_{\frac{3}{2}}\mathrm{nd}$ series is essentially unperturbed and exhibits a constant quantum defect and autoionization widths which scale as ${\ensuremath{\nu}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, where $\ensuremath{\nu}$ is the effective quantum number. The $6{p}_{\frac{1}{2}}\mathrm{nd}$ states are narrower than the $6{p}_{\frac{3}{2}}\mathrm{nd}$ states and are perturbed by their interaction with the $6{p}_{\frac{3}{2}}\mathrm{nd}$ states. The perturbation leads to variations in the quantum defects of the $6{p}_{\frac{1}{2}}\mathrm{nd}$ states and departures from the ${\ensuremath{\nu}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ scaling of the widths. The interaction is most apparent in the excitation of the $6{p}_{\frac{3}{2}}10d$ state which is degenerate with the $6{p}_{\frac{1}{2}}\mathrm{nd}$ states for $n\ensuremath{\sim}20$. The observed excitation spectrum clearly shows the influence of the degenerate $6{p}_{\frac{1}{2}}\mathrm{nd}$ states and is shown to represent the spectral density of the $6{p}_{\frac{3}{2}}10d$ state. This spectrum as well as all the above-mentioned observations may be connected by a quantum-defect treatment.
Multispectral photometry of the Moon and absolute calibration of the Clementine UV/Vis camera

Abstract We present a multispectral photometric study of the Moon between solar phase angles of 0 and 85°. Using Clementine images obtained between 0.4 and 1.0 μm, we produce a comprehensive study of the lunar surface containing the following results: (1) empirical photometric functions for the spectral range and viewing and illumination geometries mentioned, (2) photometric modeling that derives the physical properties of the upper regolith and includes a detailed study of the causes for the lunar opposition surge, (3) an absolute calibration of the Clementine UV/Vis camera. The calibration procedure given on the Clementine calibration web site produces reflectances relative to a halon standard and further appear significantly higher than those seen in groundbased observations. By comparing Clementine observations with prior groundbased observations of 15 sites on the Moon we have determined a good absolute calibration of the Clementine UV/Vis camera. A correction factor of 0.532 has been determined to convert the web site (www.planetary.brown.edu/clementine/calibration.html) reflectances to absolute values. From the calibrated data, we calculate empirical phase functions useful for performing photometric corrections to observations of the Moon between solar phase angles of 0 and 85° and in the spectral range 0.4 to 1.0μm. Finally, the calibrated data is used to fit a version of Hapke's photometric model modified to incorporate a new formulation, developed in this paper, of the lunar opposition surge which includes coherent backscatter. Recent studies of the lunar opposition effect have yielded contradictory results as to the mechanism responsible: shadow hiding, coherent backscatter, or both. We find that most of the surge can be explained by shadow hiding with a halfwidth of ∼8°. However, for the brightest regions (the highlands at 0.75–1.0μm) a small additional narrow component (halfwidth of
Odd-Bit Quadrature Amplitude-Shift Keying

The selection of a particular signal set design for a bandwidth-constrained multiple amplitude-and-phase-amplitude-and-phase-shift-keyed (MAPSK) communication system with a linear additive Gaussian noise channel is influenced by a number of factors, such as average and/or peak signal-to-noise ratio for a given error probability, dynamic range of signal amplitudes, simplicity of generation and detection, and number of bit errors per adjacent symbol error (Gray code properties). This paper compares two possible quadrature amplitudes-shift-keyed (QASK) signal sets when the number of bits per symbol is odd (for the even-bit case, the square array is the only viable QASK choice). The "symmetric" QASK version outperforms the "rectangular" QASK set at a very modest implmentation penalty.
Decentralized acquisitions—A future trend?

Ces elements de reflexion concernent les bibliotheques universitaires ou de recherche aux Etats-Unis
Treatment of Chiari I malformation in patients with and without syringomyelia: a consecutive series of 66 cases.

Object The authors describe the results of performing a standard posterior craniovertebral decompression and placement, if indicated, of a syringosubarachnoid shunt for the treatment of patients with Chiari I malformation with and without syringomyelia. Methods This is a retrospectively analyzed consecutive series of 66 patients (mean patient age 15 years, range 1–53 years). The uniform posterior craniovertebral decompression consisted of a small suboccipital craniectomy, a C-1 laminectomy, microsurgical reduction of the cerebellar tonsils, and dural closure with a synthetic dural graft to increase the cerebrospinal fluid space at the craniocervical junction. The presence of a large syrinx, with significant thinning of the spinal cord tissue and obliteration of the spinal subarachnoid space, particularly when combined with syrinx-related symptoms, was an indication for the placement of a syringosubarachnoid shunt. In 32 patients Chiari I malformation alone was present, and 34 in patients it was present in...
Thermal Properties of Fuzzy and Starch-coated Cottonseeds

Abstract Bulk thermal properties (heat capacity, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity) of fuzzy and starch-coated cottonseeds were determined in the temperature range of 20–50°C as a function of bulk density (256–600 kg/m 3 ) and moisture content (2–50% d.b.). The heat capacity of the cottonseeds remained almost constant with increasing bulk density and it linearly increased with increasing moisture content. It was determined to be between 1·20 and 2·95 kJ/kg K and between 1·31 and 3·16 kJ/kg K for the fuzzy and the starch-coated cottonseeds, respectively. The thermal conductivity linearly increased with increasing density and moisture content. It ranged from 0·0859 to 0·4422 W/m K for the fuzzy cottonseed and from 0·1318 to 0·5219 W/m K for the starch-coated cottonseed. The thermal diffusivity linearly decreased with increasing density and moisture content. It was obtained between 0·48×10 −4 and 1·51×10 −4 m 2 /s for the fuzzy cottonseed and 0·53 ×10 −4 and 2·17×10 −4 m 2 /s for the starch-coated cottonseed. Linear regression models for estimating these thermal properties as functions of the bulk density and the moisture content fitted the experimental data well. The starch coating did not significantly affect the heat capacity of the cottonseed. However, it led the thermal conductivity and the diffusivity to increase.
Normal left ventricular mechanical function and synchrony values by speckle-tracking echocardiography in the transplanted heart with normal ejection fraction

Background The purpose of this study was to describe the normal values for strain (S), systolic strain rate (SRs) and synchrony by speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) in heart transplant (HTx) recipients who had normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and no clinically significant complications. Methods We evaluated S and SRs in 40 HTx patients at 1 year after transplant and 82 healthy controls with STE using velocity vector imaging. Results Mean (SD) global longitudinal S and SRs, respectively, were lower in the transplant group compared with controls [−13.43% (2.39%) vs −17.28% (2.30%), p −1 vs −0.96 (0.13) s −1 , p p p = 0.6). Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study describing normal values for S and SRs and synchrony by STE in a HTx population with normal LVEF: longitudinal S and SRs were reduced; circumferential deformation indexes were normal; and left ventricular synchrony was preserved.
5α-Androstane-3α,17β-diol activates pathway that resembles the epidermal growth factor responsive pathways in stimulating human prostate cancer LNCaP cell proliferation

5alpha-Androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol (3alpha-diol) is considered to have no androgenic effects in androgen target organs unless it is oxidized to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (5alpha-DHT). We used microarray and bioinformatics to identify and compare 3alpha-diol and 5alpha-DHT responsive gene in human prostate LNCaP cells. Through a procedure called 'hypervariable determination', a similar set of 30 responsive genes involving signal transduction, transcription regulation, and cell proliferation were selected in 5alpha-DHT-, 3alpha-diol-, and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-treated samples. F-means cluster and networking procedures showed that the responsive pattern of these genes was more closely related between 3alpha-diol and EGF than between 5alpha-DHT and 3alpha-diol treatments. We conclude that 3alpha-diol is capable of stimulating prostate cell proliferation by eliciting EGF-like pathway in conjunction with androgen receptor pathway.
The isolation of lectins on acid-treated agarose.

Abstract The ability of several D -galactose and N -acetyl- D -galactosamine-binding lectins to bind to Sepharose was investigated. Lectins from soybean, Wistaria floribunda, Bauhinia purpurea alba, and Sophora japonica could be isolated by affinity chromatography on acid-treated Sepharose 6B. These lectins would not bind to untreated Sepharose 2B, 4B, and 6B. The binding of B. purpurea alba and S. japonica was temperature-dependent. The S.japonica lectin would bind only at high p H . Ricinus communis toxin also showed a temperature-dependence of binding; acid-treated Sepharose 6B was a better affinity support for the toxin than was untreated Sepharose 4B . Lectins from lima bean, Dolichos biflorus , and kidney-bean phytohemagglutinin did not bind to Sepharose under any of the conditions studied.
Manfred R. Schroeder: Challenge the Present and There Is a Better Way

I worked with Manfred Schroeder for about 25 years at Bell Telephone Laboratories starting in May 1961. The entrance hall of the Bell Labs building at Murray Hill, NJ had an inscription attributed to Alexander Graham Bell that said “Leave the beaten track and you will find something you have seen never before.” Manfred always inspired me to look for things one has never seen before. Digital computers were emerging in the 1960s with great promise and we used computers to do many new things: simulation of acoustics of concert halls, studying sound decay in rooms using ray tracing, and producing high‐quality speech at low bit rates. This paper will highlight a few examples. Manfred had been deep in the area of vocoder research then, but we started on a new track leading us ultimately to code‐excited linear prediction. This set the spark for expanding the use of cell phones worldwide. As a manager, Manfred Schroeder was uncompromising in pushing for scientific excellence resulting in success; Bell Labs had a fearsome reputation of being the best.
Dechlorination of Lindane, Dieldrin, Tetrachloroethane, Trichloroethene, and PVC in Subcritical Water

Pure water has been used to dechlorinate aliphatic organics without the need for catalysts or other additives. Dehydrohalogenation (loss of HCl with the formation of a double bond) occurred at temperatures as low as 105−200 °C for 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, lindane (1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane, γ-isomer), and dieldrin (1,2,3,4,10,10-hexachloro-6,7-epoxy-1,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydro-endo, exo-1,4:5,8-dimethanonaphthalene). Complete loss of the parent compounds was achieved in less than 1 h at 150, 200, and 300 °C for 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, lindane, and dieldrin, respectively. The initial dechlorination of lindane had an activation energy of 84 kJ mol-1 with an Arrhenius pre-exponential factor of 1.5 × 106 s-1. Dehydrohalogenation of lindane formed trichlorobenzenes, followed by subsequent hydrolysis and hydride/chloride exchange to form chlorophenols, lower chlorobenzenes, and phenol as the major final product. Reaction of poly(vinyl chloride) at 300 °C for 1 h formed aromatic hydrocarbons ranging...
Probing the conformation of the fibronectin III1-2 domain by fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Fibronectin (FN) matrix is crucial for cell and tissue functions during embryonic development, wound healing, and oncogenesis. Assembly of FN matrix fibrils requires FN domains that mediate interactions with integrin receptors and with other FN molecules. In addition, regulation of FN matrix assembly depends on the first two FN type III modules, III1 and III2, which harbor FN-binding sites. We propose that interactions between these two modules sequester FN-binding sites in soluble FN and that these sites become exposed by FN conformational changes during assembly. To test the idea that III1–2 has a compact conformation, we constructed CIIIY, a conformational sensor of III1–2 based on fluorescent resonance energy transfer between cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins conjugated at its N and C termini. We demonstrate energy transfer in CIIIY and show that fluorescent resonance energy transfer was eliminated by proteolysis and by treatment with mild denaturants that disrupted intramolecular interactions between the two modules. We also show that mutations of key charged residues resulted in conformational changes that exposed binding sites for the N-terminal 70-kDa FN fragment. Collectively, these results support a conformation-dependent mechanism for the regulation of FN matrix assembly by III1–2.
Identification of two Drosophila TGF-β family members in the grasshopper Schistocerca americana

Intercellular signaling molecules of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily are required for pattern formation in many multicellular organisms. The decapentaplegic (dpp) gene of Drosophila melanogaster has several developmental roles. To improve our understanding of the evolutionary diversification of this large family we identified dpp in the grasshopper Schistocerca americana. S. americana diverged from D. melanogaster approximately 350 million years ago, utilizes a distinct developmental program, and has a 60-fold-larger genome than D. melanogaster. Our analyses indicate a single dpp locus in D. melanogaster and S. americana, suggesting that dpp copy number does not correlate with increasing genome size. Another TGF-β superfamily member, the D. melanogaster gene 60A, is also present in only one copy in each species. Comparison of homologous sequences from D. melanogaster, S. americana, and H. sapiens, representing roughly 900 million years of evolutionary distance, reveals significant constraint on sequence divergence for both dpp and 60A. In the signaling portion of the dpp protein, the amino acid identity between these species exceeds 74%. Our results for the TGF-β superfamily are consistent with current hypotheses describing gene duplication and diversification as a frequent response to high levels of selective pressure on individual family members.
Biological and chemical properties of chinchilla pituitary prolactin

Abstract The lactogenic activity of chinchilla pituitary prolactin was demonstrated by morphological stimulation of milk secretion in mouse mammary tissue cocultured with chinchilla pituitary explants. Eight pituitaries maintained in cultured for 8 days secreted 6 mg of protein which was recovered from culture medium by salt precipitation. The steady-state secretion rate obtained after 5 days in culture was 60 μg/pituitary/day. The major lactogenic components of the pituitary secretion products were purified by gel electrophoresis. Lactogenic activity was associated with three electrophoretic variants. These proteins were further characterized by molecular exclusion chromatography using Sephadex G-25 and G-100 in which they migrated as proteins of the same Stokes radius. Molecular weights of these proteins were 22,500 ± 1000 as determined by electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Chinchilla prolactin appears to be similar to other mammalian prolactins with regard to lactogenic properties, molecular weight, and susceptibility to deamidation.
Specific deterrence and the infrequent use of sobriety checkpoints

The research and practitioner literature has generally established that frequent, well-publicized sobriety checkpoint programs produce reductions in drunk driving and related social ills through increasing the perceived risk of apprehension in the general population. As such, the accepted measure of whether a checkpoint program ‘works’ is general deterrence. However, infrequent sobriety checkpoint programs do not produce general deterrence and there is no established alternative for defining the effectiveness of such programs. Given that infrequent checkpoint programs are a fiscal reality in many locations, we argue for a simple specific deterrence metric for monitoring the impact of such programs. Specifically we compare the mean number of Driving Under the Influence arrests on checkpoint days versus non-checkpoint days. We use data from a police department in the Upper Midwest to demonstrate the practical use of such a metric and discuss the implications for maintaining such programs or shifting resources towards saturation patrols.