cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transketolase haploinsufficiency reduces adipose tissue and female fertility in mice.

Transketolase (TKT) is a ubiquitous enzyme used in multiple metabolic pathways. We show here by gene targeting that TKT-null mouse embryos are not viable and that disruption of one TKT allele can cause growth retardation (≈35%) and preferential reduction of adipose tissue (≈77%). Other TKT+/− tissues had moderate (≈33%; liver, gonads) or relatively little (≈7 to 18%; eye, kidney, heart, brain) reductions in mass. These mice expressed a normal level of growth hormone and reduced leptin levels. No phenotype was observed in the TKT+/− cornea, where TKT is especially abundant in wild-type mice. The small female TKT+/− mice mated infrequently and had few progeny (with a male/female ratio of 1.4:1) when pregnant. Thus, TKT in normal mice appears to be carefully balanced at a threshold level for well-being. Our data suggest that TKT deficiency may have clinical significance in humans and raise the possibility that obesity may be treated by partial inhibition of TKT in adipose tissue.
A Tale of Two Courthouses: Civic Space, Political Power, and Capitalist Development in a New South Community, 1843-1940

"A Tale of Two Courthouses" argues that politicians in nineteenth century America used civic space as a means less to democratize local government than to consolidate power in the hands of an elite while, at the same time, producing a constituency for that rule. To demonstrate that point the histories of two successive courthouses in Union County, North Carolina, are examined in detail, connections being made among local efforts at economic development, two consolidations of power, and the building, maintenance, furnishings and uses of the courthouse buildings and grounds. In the end, the Union County courthouses proved instrumental to local elites in drawing political power to themselves and in legitimating that power by simultaneously excluding most citizens from the exercise of power while including them in the civic body through symbolic displays of unity such as Fourth of July parades.
Composite resident work week.

During a 4-week period, all residents in the Wright State University School of Medicine Department of Surgery residency program were required to keep a log of their daily activities. Times were collected for the following resident activities: patient rounds, work-ups, laboratory data review, consults, meetings with attending physicians or patient families, phone calls, teaching conferences, medical studient teaching, library time, clinics, attendance at codes, emergency department visits, on-call time, medical records committee meetings, and time scrubbed. The composite average weekly hours by resident year were 83.4 hours [postgraduate year (PGY)-1], 78.4 hours (PGY-2), 60.2 hours (PGY-3), 79.6 hours (PGY-4), and 80.9 hours (PGY-5). More than 50% of the resident work week cards were for less than 80 hours. Three activities (patient rounds, time scrubbed, and on-call) accounted for the majority of the residents' hours, but the average week, deleting educational and administrative hours, was less than 80 hours for all residents.
Treatment of symptomatic diabetic neuropathy.

Painful diabetic neuropathy is a common and particularly unpleasant long-term complication of diabetes that affects a significant minority of patients with distal polyneuropathy. After exclusion of other causes of neuropathic pain, attention should be focused on achieving optimal and stable glycaemic control avoiding flux of blood glucose levels, which have been shown to aggravate pain. Most patients will require pain control therapy and whilst the tricyclic drugs remain a first-line approach, their use is often hampered by predictable but troublesome side effects. Gabapentin, the only agent specifically licensed for the treatment of neuropathic pain in the United Kingdom, is useful in diabetic neuropathy and is generally better tolerated than the tricyclics. Additionally, other pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management approaches may be useful. Patient education has a significant role to play in the avoidance of late neurological complications. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Retrieval of Information from an Absorption Spectrum

Information about the pressure, temperature, and amount of gas in a sample and the spectral resolution of its absorption spectrum is obtained by nonlinear least squares analysis of the spectrum and sets of absorption coefficients derived from appropriate reference spectra of the absorber. Spectra of N2O are analyzed to demonstrate the technique.
Anemia of chronic kidney disease: CHOIR and the FDA.

Earlier this year, the FDA responded to the findings of CHOIR and several other studies by issuing a Public Health Advisory about the risks associated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, and introducing a black box warning to the labeling of these drugs. In this Viewpoint, Ajay K Singh responds to some of the criticisms that have been leveled at CHOIR and offers some practical advice for implementing the FDA's guidance.
Relationship between the major phosphorylated metabolic intermediates and oxygen affinity of whole blood in the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) during development

Abstract (1) 2,3-Diphosphoglyceric acid (2,3-DPG) is present in the erythrocytes (RBC) of the 68-day loggerhead turtle embryo and 44-day green sea turtle embryo at levels of 7.4 and 5.5 μmoles/ml of RBC, representing the major organic phosphate during the latter period of embryonic development. (2) Inositol pentaphosphate (IPP) is absent in the red blood cells of the embryos of both the loggerhead and green sea turtle. (3) Near equimolar amounts of 2,3-DPG and IPP are present in the erythrocytes of the adult loggerhead and green sea turtle. The total concentration of these two organic phosphates is approximately 0.75 μmoles/ml of RBC in the adult of both species. (4) There is a switch from embryonic to adult hemoglobin during development of these two species of turtles; the two embryonic bands have identical electrophoretic mobilities, whereas the two adult bands migrate differently on cellulose acetate at pH 8.6. (5) The whole blood oxygen affinity of the adult loggerhead and green sea turtle is 60.3 and 32.6 Torr, respectively. (6) The stripped adult hemoglobins in these two species of turtles show no change in oxygen affinity upon addition of 2,3-DPG, ATP, or IPP. (7) It therefore appears unlikely that whole blood oxygen affinity is controlled by organic phosphate modulation of hemoglobin function in these species of turtles.
Prediction of the diurnal cycle of clouds using a multimodel superensemble and ISCCP data sets

Clouds play a major role in the radiation budget of the earth-atmosphere system. They contribute to a high amplitude of variation on the time scale of one day. This has significant impacts on the climate of the earth. Current cloud parameterization schemes have significant deficiency to predict the diurnal cycle of cloud cover a few days in advance. The present study addresses this issue utilizing a two fold approach. We used four versions of the Florida State University (FSU) global spectral model (GSM) including four different cloud parameterization schemes in order to construct ensemble/superensemble forecasts of cloud covers. The results show that it is possible to substantially reduce the 1-5 days forecast errors of phase and amplitude of the diurnal cycle of clouds with this methodology. Further, a unified cloud parameterization scheme is developed for climate models, which, when implemented in the FSU GSM, carries a higher skill compared to those of the individual cloud schemes. This study shows that while the multimodel superensemble is still the best product in forecasting the diurnal cycle of clouds, a unified cloud parameterization scheme, used in a single model, also provides higher skills compared to the individual cloud models. Moreover, since this unified scheme is an integral part of the model, the overall forecast skill improves both in terms of radiative fluxes and precipitation and thus has a greater impact on both weather and climate time scales.
Residual effect of fertilizer phosphorus in lowland rice

To evaluate residual recoveries of fertilizer phosphorus (P) two field experiments were conducted in Quezon Province, Philippines during 1991 dry season, under irrigated condition. Average grain yield increase was 0.50–0.9 t/ha due to residual effects of inorganic fertilizer P, regardless of source. Residual effects of fertilizer P with Sesbania rostrata or alone increased grain yield by 0.3–1.0 t/ha over control. Significantly higher yields were obtained with S. rostrata fertilized with Morocco phospate Rock (MPR) and S. rostrata + MPR applied on rice than the control. Results revealed that there is a promising effect of residual P from the applied P sources in increasing rice grain yield. Total P uptake increased due to residual P from fertilizer P applied. Results suggest that increased P uptake increased dry matter and grain yield.
Medical informatics in the internal medicine clerkship: Results of a national survey

Background: Medical Informatics (MI) is increasingly a critical aspect of medical education and patient care.Aims: This study assessed the status of MI training, perception of needs and barriers for the implementation of MI curricula and utilization of information technology (IT) in patient care and medical education.Method: The MI questionnaire was a part of the 2006 Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine survey of 110 institutional members. Descriptive statistics were calculated using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 12 and all p-values are two-tailed.Results: Eighty-three (75%) members responded. Out of this, 52, 32.5 and 12% report that students receive MI training for patient care activities during pre-clinical years, third-year internal medicine clerkship or intersession, respectively. House staff critiques (46.4%), patient billing (44.1%), radiographic imaging (40.8%), accessing clinical data (37.3%), and student evaluations (36.1%) were areas in which 35% of respondent...
Adjuvant treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is a difficult and unsolved surgical problem. It remains one of the top five causes of cancer-related deaths and has the lowest 5-year survival of any cancer, largely due to late diagnosis, low resection rates, and local recurrence. Clinical trials examining the optimal timing and delivery of adjuvant therapies for pancreatic cancer have yielded controversial results. Although most experts agree that the addition of chemotherapy has survival benefit in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer, there is no consensus regarding the optimal therapeutic agents, timing (neoadjuvant versus adjuvant), and the addition of radiation therapy to the treatment regimen. Multiple phase III trials are in progress in efforts to examine these issues. Additionally, exciting progress has been made with novel chemotherapeutic combinations, and alternative treatment modalities including interferon-α, immunotherapy, and pancreatic cancer stem cells. Given the high failure pattern after surgical resection, with more than half of patients developing locoregional recurrence, all patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy are candidates for adjuvant therapy.
Multivariate recurrent events in the presence of multivariate informative censoring with applications to bleeding and transfusion events in myelodysplastic syndrome.

We propose a general novel class of joint models to analyze recurrent events that has a wide variety of applications. The focus in this article is to model the bleeding and transfusion events in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) studies, where patients may die or withdraw from the study early due to adverse events or other reasons, such as consent withdrawal or required alternative therapy during the study. The proposed model accommodates multiple recurrent events and multivariate informative censoring through a shared random-effects model. The random-effects model captures both within-subject and within-event dependence simultaneously. We construct the likelihood function for the semiparametric joint model and develop an expectation–maximization (EM) algorithm for inference. The computational burden does not increase with the number of types of recurrent events. We utilize the MDS clinical trial data to illustrate our proposed methodology. We also conduct a number of simulations to examine the performance o...
The evolutionary history of protein domains viewed by species phylogeny.

Background Protein structural domains are evolutionary units whose relationships can be detected over long evolutionary distances. The evolutionary history of protein domains, including the origin of protein domains, the identification of domain loss, transfer, duplication and combination with other domains to form new proteins, and the formation of the entire protein domain repertoire, are of great interest. Methodology/Principal Findings A methodology is presented for providing a parsimonious domain history based on gain, loss, vertical and horizontal transfer derived from the complete genomic domain assignments of 1015 organisms across the tree of life. When mapped to species trees the evolutionary history of domains and domain combinations is revealed, and the general evolutionary trend of domain and combination is analyzed. Conclusions/Significance We show that this approach provides a powerful tool to study how new proteins and functions emerged and to study such processes as horizontal gene transfer among more distant species.
Testing models of information avoidance with binary choice dictator games

Abstract Standard social choice experiments generally force subjects to make decisions about giving money to another person, but the ability to avoid information outside of the lab could lead to less altruistic or fair behavior than such experiments tend to suggest. I expand on the design of Dana, Weber, and Kuang (2007) to better study information avoidance in an experimental setting. Subjects are given the chance to avoid information about a recipient’s payoffs in a dictator game. I vary the probability that a dictator’s payoffs will be aligned with the recipient’s in order to assess the role of beliefs on avoidance and test contradictory models. The within-subjects approach shows that even people who are generous in a stark choice will make self-serving decisions when they can avoid knowing the recipient’s outcome. People avoid information more often when the self-serving choice is unlikely to hurt the recipient, which supports Rabin’s model (1995) of moral rules and moral preferences.
The effect of azetidine-2-carboxylic acid on the synthesis of proline in Escherichia coli.

Die Beeinflussung der Prolinsynthese inEscherichia coli durch Azetidin-2-carbonsaure wird untersucht.
Human fetal retinal pigment epithelium suppresses the activation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells.

· Background: The suppressive effect of human fetal retinal pigment epithelium (HFRPE) on the activation of human CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells was evaluated in vitro. · Methods: Pure populations of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells were isolated from human peripheral blood-derived buffy coats by negative immunomagnetic selection. The purity of the cells was examined by flow cytometry using anti-CD3-FITC, anti-CD4-FITC, anti-CD8-PE, and anti-CD20-PE mAbs. HFRPE cells were isolated from fetal eyes and pure cultures were obtained. The effect of normal or IFN-γ-activated HFRPE cells at early (P3) or late (P6) passages on the activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells was assessed in two different T-cell activation assays. In both activation models anti-CD3 mAb (OKT3) provided the antigen-specific signal. The secondary signal for the activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells was provided with anti-CD18 mAb (TS1/18) and anti-CD28 mAb (9.3) in the first and the second assay respectively. Cross-linking of these soluble mAbs was performed with sheep-anti-mouse IgG-coated latex beads. The T-cell activation was determined by cell proliferation measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation. In each activation assay T-cells were incubated with HFRPE cells in a ratio of T-cells to HFRPE of 1:1 or 1:4. · Results: CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells were activated by cross-linking CD3 and CD18 in the first assay (CD3/CD18) and CD3 and CD28 in the second assay (CD3/CD28). In both assays HFRPE inhibited the activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. IFN-γ-activated HFRPE cells totally suppressed the T-cell activation at a 1:1 ratio. This suppressive effect was weaker at lower cell ratios. Some donor variation was observed in the inhibition at the lower cell ratios, especially for the inhibition of CD8+ T-cell activation with anti-CD3/CD18. The passaging of HFRPE cells did not alter their suppressive effect on CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. · Conclusions: HFRPE cells suppressed the activation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in vitro. These findings suggest that RPE-induced immune suppression may play a significant role in maintaining immune privilege in the subretinal space.
Rapid thermal annealing of YBaCuO films on Si and SiO2 substrates

A very rapid thermal annealing technique has been employed on sputter‐deposited YBaCuO films. After an O2 anneal (with or without a N2 preanneal) at temperatures as high as 920 °C for 8–12 s, films on (100)Si and on SiO2 /Si substrates exhibited superconductivity onsets above 95 K and zero resistance in the range 40–66 K.
Normal Mode Composition of Earthquake T Phases

Understanding the nature of the coupling between the underwater acoustic field and the land seismic field is important for evaluating the performance of the T-phase stations in the International Monitoring System for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. For upslope propagation in an ocean environment, the places where underwater acoustic field energy couples into the land seismic field are determined to first approximation by the local water depth and the normal mode composition of the acoustic energy. Therefore, the use of earthquake-generated Tphases as natural probes of water-to-land coupling characteristics is aided by knowledge of their modal composition. Data collected by a 200-element, 3000-m-aperture vertical hydrophone array during a 1989 experiment in the deep northeast Pacific Ocean are used to determine the mode composition of T-phase arrivals from two mb4.1 earthquakes near the west coast of the U.S., one occurring offshore and the other on land. Results from an eigenanalysis approach and conventional mode decomposition for the two events are consistent and show that at 5 Hz, the offshore event’s arrivals have higher-order mode content compared to those from the event on land. Single hydrophone recordings at Pt. Sur of two mb 4.4 Hawaiian events in 1996 and 1997, one occurring offshore and the second on land, display time-frequency arrival structures that are explainable by the dispersion characteristics over the oceanic path. Although other effects due to complex source time functions and shear wave and dispersive propagation effects along the initial land path cannot be separated with these single element data, differences in these two events’ arrival structures suggest differences in normal mode content consistent with those seen in the pair of 1989 events. Ocean-path dispersion also appears to play a significant role in determining the in-water arrival structure from a 1995 French nuclear test at Mururoa. Recordings of two Hawaiian events in 1997 by the T-phase station VIB and the seismic station at Berkeley illustrate that the water-land coupling confuses the relative timing between normal modes, resulting in apparent loss of information about the source.
From the genius of the man to the man of genius, Part one: A slippery subject

The two articles that comprise this analysis springboard from the availability and increased popularity of the term genius to nineteenth and twentieth century educational scholars and its (temporary) location along a continuum of mindedness that was relatively new (i.e., as opposite to insanity). Three generations of analysis playfully structure the argument, taking form around the gen‐ root’s historical association with tropes of production and reproduction. Of particular interest in the analysis is how subject‐formation, including perceptions of non‐formation and elusivity, occurs. I examine this process of (non)formation within and across key texts on genius, especially in relation to their narrative structures, key binaries and sources of authority that collectively produce and embed specific cosmologies and their moral boundaries. The argument is staged across two articles that embody the three generations of analysis.
Use of threshold decomposition theory to derive basic properties of median filters

Necessary and sufficient conditions for a binary signal to be invariant to median filtering are derived. Proof is shown that one pass of a recursive median filter on a binary signal results in a new signal that is invariant to further median filtering. A technique is described whereby threshold decomposition theory and the stacking property can be used to generalize these results so that they may be applied to arbitrary k-valued signals.
Characterization and localization of an aldehyde dehydrogenase to amacrine cells of bovine retina.

An enzyme of bovine retina that catalyzes oxidation of retinaldehyde to retinoic acid was purified to homogeneity and a monoclonal antibody (mAb H-4) was generated. MAb H-4 recognized a single component (Mr = 55,000) in extracts of bovine retina and other bovine tissues. The antibody showed no cross-reactivity with extracts of rat, monkey, or human retinas. A 2067 bp cDNA was selected from a retina cDNA expression library using mAb H-4. The cDNA hybridized with a similarly sized, moderately abundant mRNA prepared from bovine retina. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that the cDNA contained a single open reading frame encoding 501 amino acids that have 88% sequence identity with the amino-acid sequence of human hepatic Class 1 aldehyde dehydrogenase. Amino-acid sequence analysis of purified enzyme demonstrated that the cDNA encodes the isolated enzyme. MAb H-4 specifically labeled the somata and processes of a subset of amacrine cells in bovine retinal sections. Labeled amacrine somata were located on both sides of the inner plexiform layer, and their processes ramified into two laminae within the inner plexiform layer. The inner radial processes of Muller (glial) cells were weakly reactive with mAb H-4. Weak immunostaining of amacrine cells was found in monkey retina with mAb H-4, but no signal was detected in rat or human retina. The results provide further evidence for metabolism and function of retinoids within cells of the inner retina and define a novel class of retinal amacrine cells.
The Carboxyl Terminus of the α-Subunit of the Amiloride-sensitive Epithelial Sodium Channel Binds to F-actin

The activity of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is modulated by F-actin. However, it is unknown if there is a direct interaction between α-ENaC and actin. We have investigated the hypothesis that the actin cytoskeleton directly binds to the carboxyl terminus of α-ENaC using a combination of confocal microscopy, co-immunoprecipitation, and protein binding studies. Confocal microscopy of Madin-Darby canine kidney cell monolayers stably transfected with wild type, rat isoforms of α-, β-, and γ-ENaC revealed co-localization of α-ENaC with the cortical F-actin cytoskeleton both at the apical membrane and within the subapical cytoplasm. F-actin was found to co-immunoprecipitate with α-ENaC from whole cell lysates of this cell line. Gel overlay assays demonstrated that F-actin specifically binds to the carboxyl terminus of α-ENaC. A direct interaction between F-actin and the COOH terminus of α-ENaC was further corroborated by F-actin co-sedimentation studies. This is the first study to report a direct and specific biochemical interaction between F-actin and ENaC.
Pricing and disseminating customer data with privacy awareness

Organizations today regularly share their customer data with their partners to gain competitive advantages. They are also often requested or even required by a third party to provide customer data that are deemed sensitive. In these circumstances, organizations are obligated to protect the privacy of the individuals involved while still benefiting from sharing data or meeting the requirement for releasing data. In this study, we analyze the tradeoff between privacy and data utility from the perspective of the data owner. We develop an incentive-compatible mechanism for the data owner to price and disseminate private data. With this mechanism, a data user is motivated to reveal his true purpose of data usage and acquire the data that suits to that purpose. Existing economic studies of information privacy primarily consider the interplay between the data owner and the individuals, focusing on problems that occur in the collection of private data. This study, however, examines the privacy issue facing a data owner organization in the distribution of private data to a third party data user when the real purpose of data usage is unclear and the released data could be misused.
Quantitative characterization of degree of mixedness of lova grains

Abstract A wide-angle x-ray diffraction technique developed earlier by the authors to characterize the degree of mixing in concentrated suspensions is applied to the quantitative characterization of the distributive mixing achieved in extruded LOVA grains, to demonstrate the applicability of the technique towards total quality assessment of energetic grains. The samples included LOVA grains which were either processed in a batch mixer and ram extruded or processed and extruded using co-rotating twin screw extrusion.
Bimodal radio frequency pulse distribution of intracloud-lightning signals recorded by the FORTE satellite

[1] The FORTE satellite's radio frequency receiver payload has made millions of recordings of lightning discharges. The most commonly occurring such radio emission arises from intracloud (IC) electrical breakdown and is usually recognizable by a pulse followed by a delayed echo from the ground reflection. We show that these IC pulses have two polar opposite types that together account for much of the pulse population. One type is a very bright pulse characterized by extended width (>2 μs), deep random fading within the pulse, and lack of prior pulses within a flash to which it belongs. The other type of IC pulse is two orders of magnitude less intense and is characterized by narrow width (<0.1 μs), a simple pulse shape evidencing no random fading, linear polarization, and occurrence in close association with other such pulses within the same flash. We develop the characteristics of these two pulse types by extensive statistical analysis of FORTE data. We relate the two pulse types to prior observations by other instruments.
A morphological and histological comparison of the initiation and development of pecan ( Carya illinoinensis ) somatic embryogenic cultures induced with naphthaleneacetic acid or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

Somatic embryos produced in vitro may exhibit structural abnormalities that affect their subsequent germination and conversion into plants. To assess the influence of auxin type on embryo initiation and development, a morphological and histological comparison was made of pecan (Carya illinoinensis) somatic embryogenic cultures induced on media with naphthaleneacetic acid or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), using light and scanning electron microscopy. Both auxins promoted enhanced cell division, particularly in subepidermal cell layers. However, notable differences were observed in mitotic activity, location of embryogenic cell proliferation, epidermal continuity, callus growth, and embryo morphology. Cultures induced on naphthaleneacetic acid had embryogenic regions composed of homogeneous, isodiametric, meristematic cells. Embryos derived from these cultures generally had a normal morphology, were single, and had a discrete apical meristem. In contrast, tissues induced on media with 2,4-D had more intense and heterogeneous regions of cell division. Proliferating cell regions were composed of meristematic cells interspersed with callus and involved more extensive regions of the mesophyll. Marked callus proliferation caused epidermal rupture in some areas. Embryos induced on medium with 2,4-D had a higher incidence of abnormalities that included fasciated, fan-shaped, and tubular embryos. Defined apical meristems were often lacking or partially obliterated due to callus proliferation. The heterogeneous, often intensive proliferation of cells in cultures induced with 2,4-D may interfere with normal patterns of embryo development.
Density Dependence of the Compressive Behaviors of Closed-Cell Al Foams Manufactured Through Powder Metallurgy Route

The compressive deformation behaviors of closed-cell Al foams manufactured through powder metallurgy route with various relative densities have been studied. The high-density specimens displayed smoother stress-strain curves and more stable compressive behaviors. The stress-strain curves for low-density specimens displayed a regular fluctuation and more than one stress drop were observed. This can be attributed to the different deformation mode due to density variation. The effect of relative density on the stress drop ratio was studied. The results show that the stress drop ratio decreases with relative density. The compressive deformation mode changes as the relative density is <0.15.
Static and dynamical distortions of helium clusters

We examine the effects of impurities (“doping”) and rotational excitation on the structural and energetic properties of helium clusters. Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) techniques are used to study ground and rotationally excited states of pure and doped clusters. We use exponentially correlated wave functions and treat the molecular impurities as rigid. Whereas pure HeN show essentially monotonic decay of density from a central maximum value, addition of impurities induces local ordering of He to an extent dependent on the impurity-He binding. Rotational excitation of HeN gives rise to extremely large centrifugal distortions. The location of impurities also appears to change upon rotational excitation. The implications of these distortions on impurity spectra are discussed for SF6HeN, and compared to recent experimental results.
Octopus bimaculoides (Pickford & McConnaughey, 1949): a marine invertebrate host for ectoparasitic protozoans

. During the laboratory culture of the California mud-fiat oetopus. Octopus bimaculoides(Pickford & McConnaughey, 1949), concurrent infestations of ectoparasitic flagellate and ciliate protozoans were discovered when examining sick and dying animals. The flagellates, similar to the bodonid parasite, Ichthyobodo necator (Henneguy, 1883), were small (3–9 μm total length) and infested any surface epithelia exposed to sea water. The larger ciliates (l5–30 μm total length), believed to be ancistrocomids, were found only on the gills. This is the first documented report of ciliate or flagellate ecto-parasites infesting cephalopod molluscs. Flagellate infestations were first manifest on the dorsal arms and mantle surfaces of O. bimaculoides as white spots visible when the octopuses were in dark colouration. Lesions formed at the centres of the spots and the interspersed lesions eventually connected. Once the parasites damaged the epidermis, secondary bacterial infections caused lesioning. Both parasites heavily infested the gills. Clinical signs first appeared at 2 months post-hatching (0-5 g). Octopuses seemed to become refractory to the disease beyond a size of 25 g. No effective treatment was found for these infestations. It was possible to eliminate parasite spread in the laboratory by prefiltering water to l μm. The source of the parasites was the wild octopus population of the southern California coast.
Genotoxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): recombinogenesis by biotransformation products.

Abstract A coplanar polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) when eaten by test animals increased the rate of recombination in somatic cells, indicating a new mechanism of action for these compounds. Using the eye-mosaic test a high bioactivation strain of Drosophila that consumed 4,4′-dichlorobiphenyl (4,4′-DCB) manifested a genotoxicity rate that was three-fold greater than that in animals fed the solvent-spiked medium. This compound was not genotoxic in a suppressed bioactivation strain indicating that genotoxicity requires bioactivation of the compound. High bioactivation test strains made heterozygous for a paracentric inversion, a chromosomal rearrangement that suppresses homologous recombination, exhibited significantly reduced genotoxicity after treatment.
Dexamethasone suppression, protirelin stimulation, and insulin infusion in subtypes of recovered depressive patients

Twenty-eight patients (10 bipolar, 13 depressive spectrum disease, and 5 familial pure depressive), recovered from depression for an average of 1 year, underwent a series of basal and provocative endocrine tests. No significant differences were found among depressive subtypes in thyrotropin, cortisol, or growth hormone measurements either before or after provocative testing with the exception of growth hormone response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Patients with depressive spectrum disease showed a significantly different growth hormone response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia than patients with bipolar disorder, a finding which suggests differences in alpha-adrenergic receptor sensitivity between these groups.
Transcatheter cardiac fistula repair with the amplatzer duct occluder: A case report and review

Background: Clinically significant cardiac fistulas occur rarely and traditionally are surgically repaired. We describe the first known case of percutaneous closure of a left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) to left atrium (LA) fistula formed as the result of aortic valve replacement surgery. Case report: The patient was an 86-year-old woman with a history of aortic valve replacement who began complaining of shortness of breath 7 years later. Initially she was misdiagnosed as having mitral regurgitation. However, a transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) showed the presence of a 7.5 mm fistula between her LVOT and LA, producing a large regurgitant jet. As she was not a good surgical candidate, she underwent percutaneous closure. An Amplatzer Duct Occluder 9-PDA-006 (10 mm × 8 mm) device was successfully deployed in the fistula using TEE guidance. On follow-up, the patient described marked improvement of her symptoms. Discussion: In the rare case of cardiac fistulas that are deemed high risk for surgical intervention, a percutaneous approach with an occlusive device offers promise in treating these patients.
Household Bargaining Power and Agricultural Supply Response: Evidence from Ethiopian Coffee Growers

Summary This paper investigates whether preference heterogeneity between spouses contributes to limited cash crop production in Southern Ethiopia. Using the value of livestock each spouse would take in the event of divorce as a measure of bargaining power; this paper shows a significant negative correlation between the bargaining power proxies and coffee output. Livestock ownership during marriage does not have a significant impact on coffee production. In contrast to the case in commercial production, women’s exit options have a weak, positive effect on production of the staple crop, enset.
Submarine Geology of the Western Coral Sea

The Coral Sea Basin was probably formed by late Eocene to early Oligocene rotational spreading accompanied by large-scale subsidence of the basin9s margins. An erosional unconformity, previously identified on seismic reflection records across the marginal Queensland Plateau, is dated as early Miocene and represents the initial marine transgression onto the basin9s margin. Subsidence continued, accompanied by faulting which subdivided the margin into a series of four plateaus, generally bounded by one or more of the four submarine troughs. Subsidence rates averaged 17 to 24 cm/1000 yrs for the Coral Sea Basin since lower Miocene time. Thick terrigenous turbidite sequences derived from New Guinea were deposited in the Coral Sea Basin during the last glacial stage, but predominately calcareous pelagic sediments have accumulated since then. Holocene pelagic sedimentation rates are 3.6 cm/1000 yrs, whereas glacial Pleistocene rates are higher by at least a factor of four.
Density of states in a vortex core and the zero-bias tunneling peak

Scanning-tunneling-microscope measurements by Hess /ital et/ /ital al/. of the tunneling conductance into a superconducting vortex core show a pronounced peak at small bias. We show that this peak is due to the quasiparticle bound states in the core. A numerical (and approximately self-consistent) solution of the Bogoliubov--de Gennes equations yields the /ital local/ density of states in the core, which resembles the tunneling conductance once we account for thermal broadening effects. We find additional structure in the local density of states which should be observable at lower temperatures.
Strategies for minimizing blood loss in orthopedic surgery

Several major orthopedic surgical procedures including hip arthroplasty, femoral osteotomy, and spinal fusion may result in significant blood loss and the need for allogeneic blood transfusions. Due to the heightened awareness of the potential deleterious effects of allogeneic blood product administration, several techniques have been evaluated to determine their efficacy in limiting perioperative blood loss. The following article will discuss the options to limit the need for allogeneic blood product administration during orthopedic surgical procedures. These techniques include: general considerations, autologous transfusion therapy, intraoperative and postoperative blood salvage, pharmacologic manipulation of the coagulation cascade, and controlled hypotension. Undoubtedly, many of these techniques are effective alone; however, the goal of performing major orthopedic surgical procedures without the use of allogeneic blood products can only be accomplished by combining several of these techniques.
Stratigraphic Relations of Phosphate- and Gypsum-Bearing Upper Miocene Strata, Upper Sespe Creek, Ventura County, California: GEOLOGICAL NOTES

Economic gypsum and possibly economic phosphate deposits occur in the marine, upper Miocene, Santa Margarita Formation of upper Sespe Creek. The Oligocene-Miocene section preserved in this area is only 4,000 feet thick whereas to the north and in the Ventura basin equivalent strata are 12,500 feet thick. The paleotectonic setting of the area seems to have been that of a platform between two basins. This type of setting occurs elsewhere in the Coast Range Miocene.
Factors influencing variable outcomes after ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest of 15 minutes in dogs.

Abstract Animal experiments with cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) despite controlled insult and post-insult life support, have yielded variable individual outcomes. This report concerns 10 dog experiments with a standardized model of VF cardiac arrest with no flow for 10 min followed by CPR basic life support (BLS) from VF 10 to 15 min and then CPR advanced life support (ALS) with epinephrine at 15 min. Defibrillating countershocks began at 17 min, for restoration of spontaneous circulation. After controlled ventilation to 20 h and intensive care to 96 h, outcome was evaluated using the overall performance category (OPC) 1 (normal) (n5) vs. OPC 2–4 (impaired) (n5) ( P P = 0.03). Among postarrest variables, postarrest reperfusion pressure pattern (initial hypertensive bout), blood glucose, cardiac output, Hct, pHa, PaO 2 and Paco 2 were the same. Our data support the importance of maximizing coronary perfusion pressure not only for restoration of heart beat but also as a possible predictor of improved cerebral outcome.
Religious Pluralism in Twenty-First-Century America: Problematizing the Implications for Orthodoxy Christianity

This article aims to situate Orthodox Christianity within the context of American religious pluralism in the twenty-first century. It explores the role of Orthodox Christianity, as both subject and object, in the evolution of American religious identity, with particular focus on the domestic, international, and transnational factors that account for the locus of Orthodox Christianity in debates about the religious dimensions of collective identity in America. The article concludes that internal pluralization is redefining the identity and mission of Orthodox Christianity in America, such that the consolidation of a distinct type of American Orthodoxy may allow for a renegotiation of the place of Orthodox Christianity in the American public sphere in the twenty-first century.
Exact Analysis of Dynamic Sliding Indentation at any Constant Speed on an Orthotropic or Transversely Isotropic Half-Space

plane-strain study of steady sliding by a smooth rigid indentor at any constant speed on a class of orthotropic or transversely isotropic half-spaces is performed. Exact solutions for the full displacement fields are constructed, and applied to the case of the generic parabolic indentor. The closed-form results obtained confirm previous observations that physically acceptable solutions arise for sliding speeds below the Rayleigh speed, for a single critical transonic speed, and for all supersonic speeds. Continuity of contact zone traction is lost for the latter two cases. Calculations for five representative materials indicate that contact zone width achieves minimum values at high, but not critical, subsonic sliding speeds. A key feature of the analysis is the factorization that gives, despite anisotropy, solution expressions that are rather simple in form. In particular, a compact function of the Rayleigh-type emerges that leads to a simple exact formula for the Rayleigh speed itself. ©2002 ASME
A comment on smoothness of viscoelastic stresses

The purpose of this short note is to demonstrate that viscoelastic stresses are not necessarily smooth functions even in the absence of singularities in the flow geometries. Specifically, it is shown that, in general, the smoothness of stresses should be expected to deteriorate with increasing Weissenberg number if the flow has an interior stagnation point. The singularity exists not only at the stagnation point, but on the entire streamline downstream of this point.
Birefringence and polarization dependent absorption in sheared colloidal crystals

Abstract We have measured the birefringence which results when high density colloidal crystals are sheared. In addition, we observe polarization dependent absorption by colloidal crystals suspended in solutions containing donor-acceptor molecules such as merocyanine.
The measurement properties of the role conflict and role ambiguity scales: A review and extension of the empirical research

The measurement properties of the Rizzo, House and Lirtzman (1970) role conflict and role ambiguity scales have been debated in the research literature for several years. The criticisms are that the scales do not measure separate constructs and are contaminated by method variance. However, some researchers have presented evidence supporting the scales' continued use as independent measures. We attempted to clarify the running debate by re-examining these issues and presenting additional data, which focused on the item level of analysis. Using confirmatory factor analyses and item statistics, we show discriminant validity for the role conflict and ambiguity scales across three diverse samples of workers. We also contend that the evidence for method bias is not as strong as previously argued.
Application of Principal Component Analysis to CHAMP Radio Occultation Data for Quality Control and a Diagnostic Study

Abstract A principal component analysis (PCA) method is applied to Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) level-2 radio occultation (RO) observations and the corresponding global analyses from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) in March 2004. The PCA is performed on a square symmetric vertical correlation matrix of observed or modeled RO profiles. By decomposing the matrix into pairs of loadings (EOFs) and associated principal components (PCs), outliers are identified and important modes that explain most variances of the vertical variability of the atmosphere as represented by the GPS RO data and the NCEP analyses are extracted and compared. Specifically, a quality control of RO data based on Hotelling’s T 2 index is applied first, which removes 255 RO profiles from 4884 total profiles (about 5%) and smoothes the distributions of PC modes, making the remaining GPS RO dataset much more meaningful. The leading PC mode for global refractivity explains 60% of the total variance and i...
The Relationship Between the Side-Lying Endurance Test and Ultrasound Thickness Measurement for Abdominal Muscles

Background: Low Back Pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder in the different societies. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the side-lying endurance test and ultrasound thickness measurement of the anterolateral abdominal muscles. Patients and Methods: A convenience sample of 55 subjects, aged 20 - 30 years, participated in this study. Endurance of abdominal muscles was measured using side-lying endurance test in all subjects. Ultrasound thickness measurement for the Transverses Abdominis (TVA), Internal Oblique (IO), and External Oblique (EO) muscles was performed on the right side at rest in supine position. Results: The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient between the variables of the study showed no significant relationship between the side-lying endurance test and ultrasound thickness measurements of TVA (r = 0.06, P = 0.65), IO (r = 0.06, P = 0.62), and EO (r = 0.08, P = 0.54) muscles. The significance level of 0.05 was chosen. Conclusions: It seems that there is no significant relationship between the side-lying endurance test and abdominal muscles thickness.
On languages specified by relative acceptance

Abstract For any language A , the class NP( A ) of languages accepted in polynomial time by nondeterministic oracle machines with A as oracle set is characterized in terms of the regular sets and the operations of homomorphic replication and intersection. A similar characterization is obtained for the class EXRUD( A ) of languages that are extended rudimentary in A . Other classes which can be similarly characterized are described.
Heterogeneous nucleation of solidification in atomized liquid metal droplets

Abstract A model is developed where the heterogeneous nucleation of solidification in atomized liquid metal droplets is controlled by one of two types of catalyst particles. One type, designated “static”, is pre-existing in the bulk melt and changes little throughout subsequent processing. Static catalyst particles are modeled as small spheres whose potency is prescribed by wetting angle and size. Large particles are more potent catalysts than small particles of the same species. The distribution of static catalyst particles amongst the atomized droplets is quantified by an expression based upon Poisson statistics which considers both the number density and potency of catalysts in the melt. The model can account for the major features displayed by the nucleation of droplets as measured by droplet emulsification experiments. Consideration of nucleation in droplets not containing a pre-existing catalyst particle leads to the hypothesis that a second type of catalyst particle, termed “dynamic”, can form in the individual droplets after the atomization event and at large supercoolings. The importance of careful processing on the control of the two types of catalyst particles and hence on the generation of consistently large supercoolings in atomized droplets is emphasized.