cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of Pyrolytic Carbon Arthroplasty for the Proximal Interphalangeal Joint

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rheumatic disease is one the most prevalent chronic illnesses in the country and is the leading cause of disability among U.S. adults. (1) The proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint of the hand is often affected. In a 2006 community-based study (N = 3327) by the Arthritis Research Institute of America, approximately 18% of those over the age of 40 demonstrated radiographic evidence of PIP joint osteoarthritis (OA). (2) By the year 2030, a projected 40 million people aged 65 years and older will have arthritis. (1) The social and economic costs of arthritis pose a substantial healthcare burden that is likely to rise as longevity increases and the population ages Treatment of PIP joint arthritis remains a difficult problem. Current treatment choices include medication, arthroplasty and fusion. Many patients can live with the pain, deformity, and weakness if it is not disabling. When pain becomes refractory to medications and weakness affects day-to-day activities, surgical treatment is often necessary to maintain reasonable hand function. Because most of the active arc of motion for the finger starts at the metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP), fusion of the PIP joint is generally acceptable. Although fusion can reliably decrease pain, the loss of motion of the PIP joint, particularly for the ulnar two digits, hinders hand performance because it creates difficulty in power grip. (3) The silicone-type implant has been used for MCP and PIP joint arthroplasty for the past 40 years. However, this type of implant is not anatomic and implant fracture and dislocation, inflammatory synovitis, joint deformity, heterotopic bone formation, erosive reaction to implant debris, and loss of motion are quite common. (4–12) It has been estimated that silicone-type implant arthroplasty is associated with a 19% complication rate. (4) Advances in small joint arthroplasty demand innovative, anatomic implant designs that are analogous to the advances in hip and knee arthroplasty. Recent development of a surface replacing implant using a novel material, pyrolytic carbon, appears to be promising and is gaining popularity for PIP joints of the fingers. Pyrolytic carbon is a synthetic material that is wear-resistant and biocompatible - unique properties that make it especially useful for small joint prostheses. (2) While most of the published literature using the pyrocarbon implant has thus far focused on the MCP joint, (4, 13–18) this will be one of the few prospective studies to evaluate the outcomes and complication rates for this type of implant for the PIP joint. Additionally, this study established an a priori protocol by applying physical measurements, a test that simulated activities of daily living (the Jebsen-Taylor Test), and a validated patient-rated outcomes assessment by using the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ). The specific aim of this study is to assess outcomes and complication rates of a consecutive series of patients undergoing PIP joint arthroplasty using the pyrocarbon implant.
Positive and Negative Effects of Adenovirus Type 5 Helper Functions on Adeno-Associated Virus Type 5 (AAV5) Protein Accumulation Govern AAV5 Virus Production

Full replication of adeno-associated virus type 5 (AAV5) is sustained by adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) helper functions E1a, E1b, E2a, E4Orf6, and virus-associated (VA) RNA; however, their combined net enhancement of AAV5 replication was comprised of both positive and negative individual effects. Although Ad5 E4Orf6 was required for AAV5 genomic DNA replication, it also functioned together with E1b to degrade de novo-expressed, preassembled AAV5 capsid proteins and Rep52 in a proteosome-dependent manner. VA RNA enhanced accumulation of AAV5 protein, overcoming the degradative effects of E4Orf6, and was thus required to restore adequate amounts of AAV5 proteins necessary to achieve efficient virus production.
MicroRNA-133a regulates DNA methylation in diabetic cardiomyocytes

We tested the hypothesis that miR-133a regulates DNA methylation by inhibiting Dnmt-1 (maintenance) and Dnmt-3a and -3b (de novo) methyl transferases in diabetic hearts by using Ins2(+/-) Akita (diabetic) and C57BL/6J (WT), mice and HL1 cardiomyocytes. The specific role of miR-133a in DNA methylation in diabetes was assessed by two treatment groups (1) scrambled, miR-133a mimic, anti-miR-133a, and (2) 5mM glucose (CT), 25 mM glucose (HG) and HG+miR-133a mimic. The levels of miR-133a, Dnmt-1, -3a and -3b were measured by multiplex RT-PCR, qPCR and Western blotting. The results revealed that miR-133a is inhibited but Dnmt-1 and -3b are induced in Akita suggesting that attenuation of miR-133a induces both maintenance (Dnmt-1) - and de novo - methylation (Dnmt-3b) in diabetes. The up regulation of Dnmt-3a in Akita hearts elicits intricate and antagonizing interaction between Dnmt-3a and -3b. In cardiomyocytes, over expression of miR-133a inhibits but silencing of miR-133a induces Dnmt-1, -3a and -3b elucidating the involvement of miR-133a in regulation of DNA methylation. The HG treatment up regulates only Dnmt-1 and not Dnmt-3a and -3b suggesting that acute hyperglycemia triggers only maintenance methylation. The over expression of miR-133a mitigates glucose mediated induction of Dnmt-1 illustrating the role of miR-133a in regulation of DNA methylation in diabetes.
Neutrino oscillations: past, present, and future

Abstract The status of the search for neutrino oscillations using accelerator, reactor, and atmospheric neutrinos is reviewed. The question of where and how to continue the search is addressed. It is argued that the best approach at this time is to follow the clues we have, both experimental and theoretical, in designing new experiments. The future of the field in terms of ongoing and proposed experiments is reviewed.
Research results from the Radio Astronomy Explorer.

Extraterrestrial sources radiation including galactic, solar and magnetospheric radio emissions observed by RAE-I satellite at long wavelengths
Steroid Withdrawal Psychiatric Syndromes

AbstractIt is well known that alterations in steroid homeostasis can result in psychiatric syndromes. Although much has been written about psychopathology in Cushing's syndrome, Addison's disease, and steroid-induced psychiatric states, steroid withdrawal effects have rarely been discussed in the psychiatric literature, and the question sometimes arises as to whether steroid withdrawal psychiatric syndromes actually exist. We present here two case studies of psychiatric steroid withdrawal states followed by a review of the literature on steroid withdrawal, with particular emphasis placed on a comparison with steroid-induced psychiatric conditions. We tentatively conclude that although there are similarities between steroid-induced and steroid withdrawal psychiatric syndromes there are also potential differences including outcome ana response to treatment. Controlled studies will be required to test these hypotheses. A more intricate understanding of how the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and t...
Quantification of helix-helix binding affinities in micelles and lipid bilayers.

A theoretical approach for estimating association free energies of α-helices in nonpolar media has been developed. The parameters of energy functions have been derived from ΔΔG values of mutants in water-soluble proteins and partitioning of organic solutes between water and nonpolar solvents. The proposed approach was verified successfully against three sets of published data: (1) dissociation constants of α-helical oligomers formed by 27 hydrophobic peptides; (2) stabilities of 22 bacteriorhodopsin mutants, and (3) protein-ligand binding affinities in aqueous solution. It has been found that coalescence of helices is driven exclusively by van der Waals interactions and H-bonds, whereas the principal destabilizing contributions are represented by side-chain conformational entropy and transfer energy of atoms from a detergent or lipid to the protein interior. Electrostatic interactions of α-helices were relatively weak but important for reproducing the experimental data. Immobilization free energy, which originates from restricting rotational and translational rigid-body movements of molecules during their association, was found to be less than 1 kcal/mole. The energetics of amino acid substitutions in bacteriorhodopsin was complicated by specific binding of lipid and water molecules to cavities created in certain mutants.
Enhanced production of single copy backbone-free transgenic plants in multiple crop species using binary vectors with a pRi replication origin in Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Single transgene copy, vector backbone-free transgenic crop plants are highly desired for functional genomics and many biotechnological applications. We demonstrate that binary vectors that use a replication origin derived from the Ri plasmid of Agrobacterium rhizogenes (oriRi) increase the frequency of single copy, backbone-free transgenic plants in Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation of soybean, canola, and corn, compared to RK2-derived binary vectors (RK2 oriV). In large scale soybean transformation experiments, the frequency of single copy, backbone-free transgenic plants was nearly doubled in two versions of the oriRi vectors compared to the RK2 oriV control vector. In canola transformation experiments, the oriRi vector produced more single copy, backbone-free transgenic plants than did the RK2 oriV vector. In corn transformation experiments, the frequency of single copy backbone-free transgenic plants was also significantly increased when using the oriRi vector, although the transformation frequency dropped. These results, derived from transformation experiments using three crops, indicate the advantage of oriRi vectors over RK2 oriV binary vectors for the production of single copy, backbone-free transgenic plants using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.
Elderly mobility and mobility outcomes: households in the later stages of the life course.

Recent research has demonstrated that elderly residential mobility is conditioned more often by economic factors than is mobility in general. This article explores these issues specifically those related to the effects of mobility aging in place and migration on elderly economic well-being. Using the American Housing Survey national file for 1985 different types of mobility and migration for households in the later stages of the life course are examined. The evidence reiterates central city/suburban locational differences for the elderly emphasizes the role of house costs and house cost/income ratios in creating stress for the elderly and strongly suggests that the elderly population is not simply grouped into young-old old and old-old but is better treated in a continuum of life course changes. (EXCERPT)
PREVENTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MELPHALAN RESISTANCE IN VITRO BY SELENITE

Exposure of A2780 human ovarian tumor cells to a low concentration of melphalan in vitro for 7 d results in the development of melphalan resistance, which is dependent on elevated cellular levels of glutathione and glutathioneS-transferase. The inclusion of selenite (at concentrations as low as 0.2 ΜM) during the exposure to melphalan completely prevented the development of resistance. Selenite did not prevent the melphalan-induced increase in glutathione, but it did prevent the increase in the activity of glutathioneS-transferase. It also prevented the increase in the expression of the glutathioneS-transferase gene, suggesting that this may be the mechanism by which it prevents the development of melphalan resistance. The results of this in vitro study suggest that selenite may prove to be useful in preventing the development of drug resistance in vivo.
Brief report: On becoming a group therapist

Clinicians have become group therapists via many routes, either voluntarily or not. Group psychotherapy itself has had a checkered history, in that it has often been seen as an ancillary or a second choice form of treatment. Indeed, we know that there is a growing number of well-respected clinicians who are not only not ambivalent about being seen as group clinicians, but embrace this reality as a primary clinical identity. It has occurred to us that no one has looked deeply at this developmental path or what facilitates or inhibits movement along this path. This article is a preliminary attempt to initiate this line of study.
Low temperature channeling measurements of ion implantation lattice disorder in GaAs

Abstract Lattice disorder resulting from 140 keV Zn and 151 keV Xe implantations below 100 °K was studied by channeling effect analysis using 400 keV protons. Implantations and analyses were performed in the same system without warmup. Isochronal anneal curves show significant annealing of disorder below room temperature for low temperature, low fluence implants. The annealing is similar for both Zn and Xe implants and also is similar to previous measurements of the annealing of thermal conductivity following low temperature electron irradiation. For 298 °K implants, the disorder production is strongly dose rate dependent and increases significantly with increasing dose rate. For dose rates used in these measurements, the disorder production at 298 °K was greatly reduced from that for the low temperature implantations.
Recovery of volatile organics from small industrial sources

The recovery of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from contaminated air generated by small industrial operations such as coating operations and spray painting is an important alternative to other air cleaning techniques such as thermal or catalytic incineration. Three technologies—adsorption, absorption, and condensation—are discussed herein. The focus of this article, and by far the most widely applied technique, is activated carbon adsorption. Commercial systems are generally designed for gas streams containing roughly 300 to 5,000 ppm VOC at flow rates from 200 to 100,000 ft3 (STP)/min (5.7 to 2,830 m3 (STP)/min). General design parameters and costs, along with their application to example cases, are given for VOC recovery by activated carbon adsorption and condensation. No commercial systems specifically for VOC recovery by absorption have yet been reported, though this technology is extremely important for other air pollution control needs.
Effects of Grade Inflation on Satisfaction with Final Grade: A Case of Relative Deprivation

Summary The relative deprivation implications of grade inflation in American colleges were examined by testing the effects of different implied grade distributions on satisfaction with a hypothetical final grade. Subsequent to learning their midterm grade in a social psychology class, 72 college students indicated their level of satisfaction with final grades of A, B, and C when given information indicating either that their instructor was a “hard” or an “easy grader.” When midterm grade, which was inversely related to satisfaction with grades of B and C, was controlled, Ss in the “hard grader” condition were found to be more satisfied with all three hypothetical final grades than those in the “easy grader” condition. The effects of both midterm grade and grade distribution were explained in terms of relative deprivation, and their relation to grade inflation was noted.
Androgens alter brain catecholamine content and blood pressure in the testicular feminized male rat

Androgens interact with catecholamines in the central nervous system (CNS) to regulate many physiological processes including blood pressure (BP). To test the hypothesis that testosterone (T) and 5a-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) modulate CNS catecholamines and BP through androgen receptor (AR)-dependent and independent mechanisms, we used the testicular feminized male (Tfm) rat. Females that carry the AR mutation (Tfm mutation) on the X chromosome were bred with spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) males. The normal AR male and Tfm offspring were divided into groups: control, castrated, castrated, and T or (DHT) replacement. In both AR normal and Tfm males, BP was reduced by castration, but T restored BP in both groups. In the amygdale, castration decreased dopamine (DA) in both strains and both T and DHT restored it. In the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis castration increased DA which was further increased by DHT and reduced to normal by T in both strains. In the frontal cortex, castration reduced DA content in both strains but only T restored it to normal in SHR but not in Tfm. Brain norepinephrine (NE) content showed a significant strain effect for the preoptic area (POA), but no treatment effect. Although castration did not change NE in the amygdala or POA in either strain, both T and DHT increased NE in the Tfm castrates. Blood pressure was influenced by T manipulation and correlated most significantly with DA content in the amygdala, frontal cortex, and stria terminalis. These data demonstrate an action of androgen on brain catecholamines and BP, which is independent of the classic androgen receptor.
Synthesis, characterization and reactivity of MoCl2(O)(O2)(OPR3)2, OPR3=OPMePh2, OPPh3; an isomerization catalyst for some allylic alcohols

Abstract Adding one equivalent of H2O2 to compounds of stoichiometry MoCl2(O)2(OPR3)2, OPR3=OPMePh2 or OPPh3, leads to the formation of oxo–peroxo compounds MoCl2(O)(O2)(OPR3)2. The compound MoCl2(O)(O2)(OPMePh2)2 crystallized with an unequal disorder, 63%:37%, between the oxo and peroxo ligands and can be isolated in reasonable yields. MoCl2(O)(O2)(OPPh3)2 was not isolated in pure form, co-crystallized with MoCl2(O)2(OPPh3)2 in two ratios, 18%:82% and 12%:88%, respectively, and did not contain any disorder in the arrangement of the oxo and peroxo groups. These complexes accomplish the isomerization of various allylic alcohols at rates competitive to that reported for CH3ReO3.
Effects of Electrolyte Salts on the Performance of Li–O2 Batteries

The effects of lithium salts on the performance of Li–O2 batteries and the stability of salt anions in the O2 atmosphere during discharge/charge processes were systematically investigated by studying seven common lithium salts in tetraglyme as electrolytes for Li–O2 batteries. The discharge products of Li–O2 reactions were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The performance of Li–O2 batteries was strongly affected by the salt used in the electrolyte. Lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4) and lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiBOB) decomposed and formed LiF and lithium oxalate, respectively, as well as lithium borates during discharge of Li–O2 batteries. In the case of other salts, including lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiTf), lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), and lithium bromide (LiBr), the discharge products mainly consisted of Li2O2 and carbonates w...
Developmental biology: no red cell is an island.

Red blood cells develop in the bone marrow in ‘islands’ nurtured by a central white blood cell. Work in mice shows that the retinoblastoma protein is crucial for these white cells to mature and form islands.
I can't talk to you if you say that: An ideological collision at the International Design Conference at Aspen, 1970

ABSTRACTThe 1970 edition of the International Design Conference at Aspen was the occasion for an ideological collision between a youthful, environmentally focused subset of attendees, and members of the design elite who organized the conference. The design students and environmental activists who executed the protests created disturbances throughout the six-day event and then, in the conference's summary session, read aloud and forced the conference to vote on a series of resolutions intended to improve the conference's, and the design profession's, engagement with social, political and specifically environmental issues. The fact that the multi-pronged internal critique leveled by these disparate groups led to a recalibration of the Aspen design conference's content and structure—not just in 1971, which was the most emphatic embodiment of change, but also in subsequent conferences at least throughout the 1970s—makes this conference an interesting case study of a disruption to, and a paradigm shift in, est...
Quantum genetic algorithm and its application to designing fuzzy neural controller

Aiming at the BP algorithm convergence difficulty for fuzzy neural controller with many parameters, a quantum genetic algorithm is proposed to optimize the parameters of a normalized fuzzy neural controller. In the proposed method, Chromosomes are comprised of qubits, and updated by quantum rotation gates, mutated by quantum non-gates. The probability amplitudes of each qubit are regarded as two coordinate genes, each chromosome contains two gene chains, and each gene chain represents an optimization solution, which can accelerate the convergence process and increase the successful probability. First, the parameters of the normalized fuzzy neural controller are encoded into an individual, and the initial colony is composed of some random individuals, then the global searching is performed by the proposed algorithm. Finally, the designed controller is employed to control an inverted pendulum system, and the simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Process complexity in semantic memory

Are sentences verified by a lone computational mechanism, or does this mechanism race in parallel with a generally faster search of semantic memory? Rejecting either the single- or dual-process account would clarify whether semantic memory is structured, or is a relatively unstructured (computational) system. This study examined verification reaction-time (RT) distributions for a dissociation between fast and slow RTs due to the manipulation of semantic variables. A race between a search and a generally slower computational process should yield a RT distribution whose fastest RTs are usually determined by the search and whose slowest RTs are usually determined by computation. If a manipulation affects these 2 processes differently, then fast and slow RTs will be differentially affected. Results from 3 verification experiments support this view. Other results suggest even greater process complexity
Predictive and diagnostic simulation of in situ electrical heating in contaminated, low-permeability soils.

By in situ heating, contaminants can be mobilized by vaporization, modified into a harmless chemical state, or entrapped by soil vitrification. However, effective heating may be difficult or impossible by depending solely upon conduction of heat externally applied to a contaminated target layer. Heating a layer internally by passing an electric current through it has been employed in several different in-situ remediation field experiments. The authors present a three-dimensional computer model of groundwater flow and transport in an electrically heated, partially saturated, porous regime. Simulations are used to show that the uniformity of heating can be enhanced by increasing the number of electrical phases employed in supplying current to the electrodes. However, a more serious concern for the field-scale application of this internal heating method is the nonuniform heating of the target layer because of large heating-rate differences between the near-electrode region and the center of the array. Finally, for a dissolved solvent like TCE, the authors show that ohmic heating is exceptionally effective at clearing the layer by vapor-phase partitioning. Once expelled from the low-permeability layer, the solvent that is not already thermally destroyed by a pyrolytic reaction is available for extraction. (A)
Interference and indistinguishability governed by time delays in a low-Q cavity

An interference experiment with signal photons from two parametric down-converters, based on the process of induced coherence without induced emission, has been performed. A low-Q optical cavity provides a possible time delay for the idlers. Whether the idler photon is to be delayed or not then determines whether the signal photon behaves like a wave and exhibits interference or behaves like a particle.
Hydrogenated amorphous si deposition for high efficiency a-Si/c-Si heterojunction solar cells

We study the differences in hydrogenated amorphous Si (a-Si:H) depositions between Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD) and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) for high efficiency a-Si/c-Si heterojunction (HJ) solar cells. In HWCVD, process gases such as silane decompose from the high-temperature hot filament. The resulting deposition is thought to be gentle due to the lack of ion bombardment that may cause damage to c-Si surface. In PECVD, process gases decompose from a high frequency electric field and ion bombardment is expected during the a-Si:H deposition. We found that the initial minority carrier lifetime of a-Si:H passivated high-quality n-type wafer was higher (about a ms) with the HWCVD process, and the final minority carrier lifetime (after 250°C annealing) was higher (over a few ms) with the PECVD process. These findings suggest that the damage from the ion bombarding in PECVD is not as detrimental as we expected; or if there is damage, it can be repaired by the annealing. We also speculate that the lack of further increase of the lifetime after annealing with HWCVD intrinsic a-Si:H layer can be related to the direct substrate heating from the hot filament during the deposition. A high substrate temperature will promote epi-Si growth and drive hydrogen out of the a-Si/c-Si interface to decrease the quality of surface passivation. To reduce the heating effect, a shutter and a low filament temperature are preferred. With the optimized process, we were able to fabricate HJ solar cells with high open circuit voltage of 714 mV and efficiency greater than 19% on an un-textured n-type wafer using the PECVD process, and independently confirm best efficiency of 19.7% on textured n-type wafer with the HWCVD process.
"The Trance of the Ecstatica": Margaret Fuller, Animal Magnetism, and the Transcendent Female Body

In Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845), the American feminist Margaret Fuller promoted the "magnetic" element of the woman as a source of liberation and empowerment. During the time that she was composing this work, animal magnetism, or mesmerism, was a popular form of medical treatment in America and Europe. Fuller suffered chronic pain from intense headaches and spinal curvature, and her letters and essays indicate that she found relief in magnetic treatments at a time when women were thought to be particularly susceptible to the mesmeric trance. Fuller's experiences with mesmerism not only provided a remedy for her physical ailments but also contributed to her theory of feminism. This essay examines mesmerism as a form of holistic healing for Fuller, tracing her journey from a woman encumbered by intense pain to a woman who celebrated her magnetic female body and the spiritual liberation it afforded.
Survivable virtual infrastructure mapping with dedicated protection in transport software-defined networks [Invited]

Efficiently mapping multiple virtual infrastructures (VIs) onto the same physical substrate with survivability is one of the fundamental challenges related to network virtualization in transport software-defined networks (T-SDNs). In this paper, we study the survivable VI mapping problem in T-SDNs with the objective of minimizing the VI request blocking probability. In particular, we address the subproblems of modulation selection and spectrum allocation in the process of provisioning optical channels to support virtual links, taking into consideration the optical layer constraints such as the transmission reach constraint and the spectral continuity constraint. We propose an auxiliary-graph-based algorithm, namely, parallel VI mapping (PAR), to offer dedicated protection against any single physical node or link failure. More specifically, the PAR algorithm can jointly optimize the assignments of mapping the primary and backup VIs by adopting the modified Suurballe algorithm to find the shortest pair of node-disjoint paths for each virtual link. Through extensive simulations, we demonstrate that the PAR algorithm can significantly reduce the VI request blocking probability and improve the traffic-carrying capacity of the networks, compared to the baseline sequential VI mapping approaches.
Recent Observations of Cyg X-3 at 365 MHz

FOLLOWING the announcement of the discovery1 of the great radio flare in Cyg X-3, we observed this object at 365 MHz using the Broadband-Synthesis-Interferometer2 at the University of Texas Radio Astronomy Observatory. The observations consist of measurements of the flux density, S, of the object (on the assumption that it is unresolved) at meridian transit on 20 day from September 6, 1972, to October 10, 1972, inclusive. We have also determined the position of the radio source to an accuracy of approximately 2 arc s. These observations can be made only once per day because our antennas are constrained to observe on the celestial meridian. In addition, the telescope was being modified when the observations began so the first two observations (on September 6 and September 13) are more uncertain than the following ones.
Genetic Risk Factors for Hepatopulmonary Syndrome in Patients With Advanced Liver Disease

Background & Aims Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) affects 10%–30% of patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension and significantly increases mortality. Studies in experimental models indicate that pulmonary angiogenesis contributes to the development of HPS, but pathogenesis in humans is poorly understood. We investigated genetic risk factors for HPS in patients with advanced liver disease. Methods We performed a multicenter case-control study of patients with cirrhosis being evaluated for liver transplantation. Cases had an alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient ≥ 15 mm Hg (or ≥20 mm Hg if age > 64 years) and contrast echocardiography with late appearance of microbubbles after venous injection of agitated saline (intrapulmonary vasodilatation); controls did not meet both criteria for case status. The study sample included 59 cases and 126 controls. We genotyped 1086 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 94 candidate genes. Results Forty-two SNPs in 21 genes were significantly associated with HPS after adjustments for race and smoking. Eight genes had at least 2 SNPs associated with disease: CAV3 , ENG , NOX4 , ESR2 , VWF , RUNX1 , COL18A1 , and TIE1 . For example, rs237872 in CAV3 showed an odds ratio of 2.75 (95% confidence interval: 1.65–4.60, P = .0001) and rs4837192 in ENG showed an odds ratio of 0.35 (95% confidence interval: 0.14–0.89, P = .027). Furthermore, variation in CAV3 and RUNX1 was associated with HPS in gene-based analyses. Conclusions Polymorphisms in genes involved in the regulation of angiogenesis are associated with the risk of HPS. Further investigation of these biologic pathways might elucidate the mechanisms that mediate the development of HPS in certain patients with severe liver disease.
Reversed halo sign--look for the mold within.

A 56-year-old woman with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia on prophylactic antimicrobial agents (levofloxacin, voriconazole and acyclovir) was started on broad-spectrum antibiotics for neutropenic fevers. While blood, urine and sputum cultures remained negative, she continued to have cough and fevers. A computerized tomogram (CT) scan of the chest showed a large area of consolidation with central ground-glass opacity, the reversed halo sign (Fig. 1). Her antimicrobials were broadened to include amphotericin-B to cover for mucormycosis, and caspofungin was added as adjunctive therapy. Although fungal serologies and a subsequent bronchoalveolar lavage were negative, her respiratory symptoms continued to improve on antifungal agents. Figure 1 CT scan of the chest showing central ground glass opacity (red arrow) surrounded by a large (6 × 5 cm) mass-like ring of consolidation (black arrow) representing the reversed halo sign. The halo sign is a CT scan finding of ground-glass opacity surrounding a pulmonary nodule or mass, while the reversed halo sign is a focal area of ground-glass opacity surrounded by a crescent or ring of consolidation.1,2 While several infectious, inflammatory and neoplastic processes can be associated with these signs, they are highly suggestive of invasive fungal infection in immunocompromised patients.1,2 A halo sign is associated with pulmonary aspergillosis while a reverse halo sign is more suggestive of mucormycosis in these patients.1 Though not pathognomonic, these signs are helpful for initiation of empiric antifungal therapy in suitable clinical settings.1,2
Cytogenetic damage of bone marrow cells produced by chronic alcohol consumption.

Abstract Pair-feeding of rats with nutritionally adequate liquid diets containing 36% of total energy either as ethanol or as additional carbohydrate (in the controls) resulted in blood ethanol concentrations similar to those observed in alcoholics. Alcohol feeding for six weeks increased the frequency of micronuclei in bone marrow erythrocytes, an index of chromosomal damage in precursor cells. This was associated with bone marrow hypoplasia and erythrocyte macrocytosis, alterations commonly found in alcoholics. By contrast, acute ethanol administration produced no changes in the bone marrow. Cytogenetic damage of stem cells could lead to alterations persisting after alcohol withdrawal beyond the life span of effector cells.
Contrasts in the chemistry of trinuclear cluster complexes of osmium and ruthenium. Formation of a fischer carbene or a functionalized μ3,η2-vinylidene group

Abstract The complex Os3(CO)12 (1) is alkylated with organolithium reagents to give [Li][Os3{η1-C(O)R}(CO)11−] ([Li][2]). Attempts at electrophilic alkylation of such salts has been unsuccessful. Acidification of a tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution of [Li][2] leads to Os3(CO)11(THF) (3). Metathesis of [Li][2] with [PPN]Cl ([PPN]+ = (Ph3P)2N]+) accompanied by exchange of THF by CHCl3, leads to a solution of [PPN][Os3{1,2-μ-OC(Me)}(CO)10] ([PPN][4]). Acidification of the latter gives Os3{1,2-μ-H; 1,2-μ-OC(Me)}(CO)10 (5). Alkylation of [PPN][4] with ROSO2CF3 gives the bis-acyl derivative Os3{ηx-C(O)R}{μ-OC(Me)}(CO)9 (6). This reacts with water to give a small amount of Os3{1,2-μ-X; 1,2-μ-OC(Me)}(CO)10 (7, X = Cl, or I) along with the two principal products, the Fischer carbene complex Os3{1,2-μ-H; 1,2-μ-OC(Me)}{1-C(OR)Me}(CO)9 (8, R = CH3, CD3, C6H5), and Os3{1,2-μ-(OH); 1,2-μ-OC(Me)}(CO)10 (9). Complex 5 is deprotonated by alkyl lithium reagents at 25°C; at −30°C, however, it is alkylated to give [Li][Os3{C(O)R}{μ-H,μ-OC(Me)}(CO)9] ([Li](10)). Electrophilic alkylation of this salt with R′OSO2CF3 at 25°C leads to cluster complexes containing a Fischer carbene group, Os3{1-η1-C(OR′)R}{1,2-μ-H; 1,2-μ-OC(Me)}(CO)9 (8, R = R′= Me; R = Me, R′ = Et; R = Ph, R′ = Et) in high yield. Treatment of Ru3{1,2-μ-H; 1,2-μ-OC(Me)}(CO)10 (11) with LiR at −30°C leads to [Li][Ru3{C(O)R}{μ-H,μ-OC(Me)}(CO)9] ([Li][12]). Electrophilic alkylation of these salts, however, leads to the elimination of acetaldehyde along with the formation of double CH oxidative addition products, Ru3{μ-H}2 {η2,μ3-C(OEt)C(H)}(CO)9 (13). Starting with Me2NH instead of alkyllithium in this sequence gives Ru3{μ-H}2{η2,μ3-C(OEt)N(Me)C(H)}(CO)9 (14).
Bubble formation in a single-jet gas-solid fluidized bed

Abstract The jet instability and bubble frequencies in a single-orifice 2-D gas-solid fluidized bed were studied by flow visualization and measured by means of a high-sensitivity capacitance probe. The influence of a series of parameters, including particle size (0.105–0.590 mm), particle density (590–3990 kg/m3), probe vertical location, jet flow rate ( 0.5 x 10 -4 −35 x 10 -4 m 1 /3 ) and background gas flow rate (0–4 times minimum fluidization velocity), on the bubble frequency was investigated. For the smallest particle size studied, the jet instability frequency was in good agreement with a 2-D version of a simple model due to Davidson and Harrison. The data show a systematic deviation from that model for increasing particle size. The model is then modified to account for the fact that with large particles, gas leakage from the forming bubble to the surrounding emulsion phase becomes important. The modified leakage model agrees well with the experimental data. Bubble coalescence at the tip of the jet was shown to result in bubble frequencies which are simple subharmonics of the basic pinching frequencies of the jet.
Fatty acid composition of rat hearts as influenced by age and dietary fatty acids.

Fatty acid composition of neutral and polar lipid fractions from rat hearts was determined in rats of different ages as their diet source changed. Piebald rats were weaned at 21 days and were fed standard lab chow. Lipids from rat hearts, mothers milk and lab chow were purified on a Sephadex G-25 fine column and separated into neutral and polar lipid fractions by silicic acid column chromatography. These lipid fractions were then hydrolyzed and methylated with BF3 in methanol, prior to gas liquid chromatographic separation on a 1/8 in. × 10 ft aluminum column of 15% EGS on 80–100 mesh acid-washed Chromosorb W. Three major fatty acids in the neutral lipid fraction comprised 72% of total neutral lipid fatty acids from young hearts. At sexual maturity (at least 74 days old) C18∶1 was the major fatty acid, followed by C16∶0 and C18∶0. The same three fatty acids comprised 83% of total polar lipid fatty acids, but C18∶0 was the major fatty acid, followed by C16∶0 and C18∶1. The fatty acid composition of dietary lipids influenced the total neutral lipid fatty acid composition of the rat heart, but had little influence on the fatty acid composition of the polar lipid fraction.
Effects of real-time transcription on non-native speaker's comprehension in computer-mediated communications

We performed an empirical study to understand the relative contributions of real-time transcription to a non-native speaker's comprehension in audio/video meetings. 48 participants were assigned to 2 presentation modes (audio, audio+video) and 3 transcription modes (no transcript, real-time transcripts in the streaming mode, transcripts with all past records) in a 3x2 factorial experimental design. The results suggest that comprehension can be significantly improved for both audio and audio+video conditions when real-time transcription is provided. Also, the participants reported positive subjective responses to the presence of real-time transcription in terms of usefulness, preference, and willingness to use such a feature if provided. No cognitive load issues were reported by the participants in the ability to synthesize across modalities. Implications for system development and design, as well as future work utilizing automation speech recognition to provide the transcripts are discussed.
Worldwide experience in sales taxation: Lessons for North America

Worldwide fiscal experience over the past twenty-five years indicates steady expansion in the political and academic constituency for expenditure taxation, including indirect taxes on consumption. Retail levies have emerged as the preferred method of indirect taxation of consumption, as older, pre-retail sales taxes have proven unsuited to modern economic structures. Increasingly, reform of sales taxation has involved a shift to one particular form of tax, the European Community type of value-added tax (VAT). This consumption tax option is again a topic of policy debate in North America, particularly in Canada where a VAT was under active consideration in 1985. This paper sifts through worldwide experience with broad-based sales taxes to identify lessons for tax policy in North America both in the short and longer-run. It indicates that the reputation of such taxes as regressive instruments may have been much exaggerated, and that in any case methods are available, particularly in Canada, for resolving equity issues in sales taxation. The VAT is shown to have marginal economic and administrative advantages over single-stage federal retail taxes in both Canada and the US. However, these advantages are not nearly so significant as in European countries where the VAT was adopted there. Further, sensible debate over the merits and limitations of the VAT in North America will call for much closer scrutiny of the problems unique to this form of tax. Finally, three political issues that were not significant in Europe will likely have an important bearing on any future choices of sales tax instruments, both in the U.S. and in Canada.
The Effect of Hierarchical Cues on the Learning of Concepts from Prose Materials

The effects of conceptual hierarchies as supplemental aids to textual materials was investigated. Sixty-five fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students were given a 1000-word reading passage describing the real number system. One group received a conceptual hierarchy in addition to the text; one group was asked to draw this hierarchy from the information in the text; a control group read the text. The group that was provided with the hierarchy scored significantly better than the control on Production and Comprehension subtests. The ineffectiveness of the draw hierarchy treatment was due to the inability of subjects to construct the hierarchy. Those able to complete the hierarchy scored significantly higher than control on Production and Comprehension subscores and on the total test. No differences were found between the successful drawers and the group provided with a hierarchy.
Nanoscale Temperature Distributions Measured by Scanning Joule Expansion Microscopy

We introduce scanning Joule expansion microscopy (SJEM), which is a new thermal imaging technique with lateral resolution in the range of 10-50 nm. Based on the atomic force microscope (AFM), SJEM measures the thermal expansion of Joule-heated elements with a vertical resolution of I pm, and provides an expansion map of the scanned sample. Submicron metal interconnect lines as well as 50-nm-sized single grains of an indium tin oxide resistor were imaged using SJEM. Since the local expansion signal is a convolution of local material properties, sample height, and as temperature rise, extraction of the thermal image requires deconvolution. This was experimentally achieved by coating the sample with a uniformly thick polymer film, resulting in direct measurement of the sample temperature distribution
NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS ON ACOUSTIC RECIPROCITY IN COMPRESSIBLE POTENTIAL FLOWS IN DUCTS

A reciprocity theorem for the scattering matrix for the propagation of acoustic modes in a duct with acoustically hard walls or with acoustically absorbing walls has been given in a companion publication. It was found that for a source at a specified end of the duct, suitably scaled reflection matrices in direct and reverse flow have a reciprocal relationship. Scaled transmission matrices obtained for direct flow and reversed flow with simultaneous switching of source location from one end to the other also have a reciprocal relationship. A reverse flow theorem for the equivalent one-dimensional propagation model, which is a good approximation to the three-dimensional model at low frequencies, was also obtained. In this case, using reciprocity and acoustic power conservation arguments it is additionally found that the acoustic power transmission coefficient is the same for a source at either end of the duct for a given flow direction. This result leads to an invariance theorem which relates acoustic power propagated due to sources of equal pressure amplitude at the two ends of the duct. A numerical verification of these reciprocal relationships is given here for propagation in axially symmetric (circular and annular) ducts with multi-modal propagation and at low frequencies when a one-dimensional model is appropriate.
Vertebrate head induction by anterior primitive endoderm

In vertebrates the antero-posterior organization of the embryonic body axis is thought to result from the activity of two separate centers, the head organizer and the trunk organizer, as operationally defined by Spemann in the 1920s. Current molecular studies have supported the existence of a trunk organizer activity while the presence of a distinct head inducing center has remained elusive. Mainly based on analyses of headless mutants in mice, it has been proposed that the anterior axial mesoderm plays a determining role in head induction. Recent gain- and loss-of-function studies in various organisms, however, provide compelling evidence that a largely ignored region, the anterior primitive endoderm, specifies rostral identity. In this review we discuss the emerging concept that the anterior primitive endoderm, rather than the prechordal plate mesoderm, induces head development in the vertebrate embryo.
Improved discharge characteristics using MgO single-crystal particles and advanced CEL structure

— Pioneer Corporation introduced plasma-display-panel (PDP) TVs in 2005, which achieved the highest dark-room contrast ratio of 4000:1 at the time. These PDPs had a novel discharge cell structure consisting of a crystal emissive layer (CEL) on a MgO protective thin film. This cell structure is refered to as a CEL structure. Magnesium-oxide single-crystal particles, which have a unique luminance peak around 230–250 nm and a good exo-electron-emission property, were found to be an excellent material for CEL and were utilized in CEL panels. In 2007, newly developed PDP TVs in which CEL was formed on a phosphor layer, in addition to the previous CEL structure, were introduced, and this discharge cell structure is refered to as advanced CEL structure. By using the new cell structure, the opposed discharge characteristics have been drastically improved, and a stable reset discharge has been realized with only a weak opposed discharge. As a result, black luminance has been drastically reduced, and a dark-room contrast ratio of over 20,000:1, the highest ever reported, has been achieved.
Integrating the immune system with the regulation of growth and efficiency

Muscle growth in meat animals is a complex process governed by integrated signals emanating from multiple endocrine and immune cells. A generalized phenomenon among meat animal industries is that animals commonly fail to meet their genetic potential for growth in commercial production settings. Recent evidence indicates that adipocytes and myofibers are equipped with functional pattern recognition receptors and are capable of responding directly to the corresponding pathogens and other receptor ligands. Thus, these cells are active participants in the innate immune response and, as such, produce a number of immune and metabolic regulators, including proinflammatory cytokines and adiponectin. Specifically, the transcription factor, nuclear factor kappa B, is activated in adipocytes and muscle cells by bacterial lipopolysaccharide and certain saturated fatty acids, which are potent agonists for the Toll-like receptor-4 pattern recognition receptor. Receptor activation results in the local production of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and creates a local environment by which these cytokines regulate both metabolic and immunological pathways. However, adipocytes are also the predominant source of the antiinflammatory hormone, adiponectin, which suppresses the activation of nuclear factor kappa B and the production of proinflammatory cytokines. The molecular ability to recognize antigens and produce regulatory molecules strategically positions adipocytes and myofibers to regulate growth locally and to reciprocally regulate metabolism in peripheral tissues.