cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
East-West Antarctic boundary in McMurdo sound

Abstract Common-depth-point seismic reflection profiling indicates that the crust beneath western McMurdo Sound is capped by a thin veneer of layered reflectors. The absence of deep, layered reflectors suggests the crust beneath the coast is made up primarily of intrusions which we associate with plutons generated during the Ross Orogeny. The layered reflectors dip and thicken to the east, away from the coast, where they are found at two-way reflection times of 7 s, corresponding to depths of 14–16 km. Reflection data support earlier refraction, gravity, and magnetic interpretations that indicate fundamental differences in the crust beneath McMurdo Sound and the Transantarctic Mountains. Differences may be due to early Paleozoic subduction of the Ross Embayment crust beneath the Transantarctic Mountains during the Ross Orogeny. Orogeny has produced an over-thickened crust beneath the Ross orogenic belt which was followed by several periods of reactivation including the Jurassic thermal event and the uplift of the present-day Transantarctic Mountains in early Tertiary time. The presence of the McMurdo Volcanics and preliminary interpretations of reflection data suggest that the Sound is now being thinned by processes of extension.
Husserl, Schutz, “Paul” and me: Reflections on writing phenomenology

This paper is a reflection on the boundaries of academic discourse as I came to be acutely aware of them while attempting to teach a graduate seminar in qualitative research methods. The purpose of the readings in Husserl and Schutz and the writing exercises was to assist students trained in quantitative methods and steeped in positivistic assumptions about research to write phenomenological descriptions of lived experience. “Paul” could not write the assigned papers due to a diagnosed writing “disability” but he did submit fictional stories and sketches which beautifully illustrated the concepts of Husserl and Schutz. Paul's disability presented a natural “bracketing” experiment which brought the positivistic assumptions surrounding academic research and writing to the forefront. I engaged in verbal dialogues with Paul, in which he discussed the philosophical ideas. My work with Paul highlighted the extent to which the academic lifeworld marginalizes those who seek to write from the heart, disguising even the work of those philosophers who wish to uncover direct experiences. The “crisis” of the sciences is the loss of meaning for life. (Husserl, 1970: 5) I want to touch a person's heart. I don't want to just itemize things...that's why I write the way I do. — “Paul” The world, the physical as well as the sociocultural one, is experienced from the outset in terms of types: there are mountains, trees, birds, fishes, dogs, and among them Irish setters ... they belong to the prepredicative thinking. The vocabulary and the syntax of the vernacular of everyday language represent the epitome of the typfications socially approved by the linguistic group. (Schutz, 1970: 119–120) Schutz talked about how we have to live, approach the world according to how we experience it, what we know, I pushed it (Schutz may not want it pushed). My idea is that we don't really learn about life, or ourselves or meaning until we challenge the boundaries of our lifeworld and the kinds of typifications we live according to. When those boundaries are pushed we get an idea of the vastness of life. — Paul
The effect of aromatic and sulfur compounds on partial discharge characteristics of hexadecane

Partial discharge (PD) characteristics of hexadecane were studied in a needle-plane electrode geometry under AC field with a 20 μm tip radius tungsten needle. PD experiments were conducted on samples containing known concentrations of aromatic and corrosive sulfur compounds. Partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV), streamer repetition rates, and phase resolved PD (PRPD) patterns were acquired. Ionization potentials (IP) and electron affinities (EA) of hexadecane and the additives were calculated with density functional theory (DFT) and correlated with the PD characteristics. Low IP and negative EA of the additives relative to hexadecane increased the number of positive and negative streamers initiated, except for additives that contained an electron donating group on the aromatic ring. Low IP and positive EA for polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and corrosive sulfur compounds decreased the number of negative streamers initiated due to large electron capture cross sections. Copper sulfide particulates caused the greatest changes in PD characteristics as a result of its semi-conductive nature.
Identification of GABA neurons in rat cortical cultures by GABA uptake autoradiography.

Autoradiographic studies of rat cortical cultures were conducted with tritiated transmitters and related drugs. Autoradiographs prepared from cultures incubated in [3H]GABA showed selective labeling: dense accumulations of silver grains over the somas and all processes of approximately 30–50% of the neuronal population, few grains over the non-neuronal cells. This labeling was blocked by diaminobutyric acid (DABA) and sodium-free media but not by β-alanine and thus has the characteristics of GABA uptake in other neuronal systems. There were no obvious differences in the size, shape, number of processes or distribution in the culture between neurons which accumulated GABA and those which did not. Similar cultures incubated in either [3H]glycine or [3H]glutamate and processed for autoradiography resulted in a much different distribution of silver grains than that seen for [3H]GABA. Following incubation in [3H]glycine, silver grains were distributed uniformly over all cells in the culture, both neuronal and non-neuronal. This distribution suggests a metabolic and not a neurotransmitter role for glycine in the cultures, as would be expected of neuronal cells derived from cerebral cortex. Glutamate incubations resulted in the appearance of silver grains over only the non-neuronal cells with very few over the neuronal population. Autoradiograms were also prepared following incubation in the potent GABA receptor agonist [3H]muscimol. These autoradiograms were indistinguishable from those obtained following [3H]GABA incubation. Thus, a finite population of neurons was densely labeled, the labeling was blocked by the GABA uptake inhibitors DABA, nipecotic acid, guvacine and Na+-free media, while substances which interact with the GABA receptor, bicuculline methiodide, THIP, isoguvacine and the noncompetitive antagonist, picrotoxin, were without effect. These results demonstrate that the affinity of muscimol for the GABA uptake site far outweighs its affinity for the GABA receptor site in autoradiographic experiments where intact cells are employed, presumably because its binding to receptors is fleeting. Therefore, muscimol autoradiography may not be informative about GABA receptor localization. These autoradiographic studies suggest that nearly half the neurons in our culture system are GABA neurons but disclosed no morphological handle for GABA neurons.
Granites: Relation of Properties in situ to Laboratory Measurements.

Granite compressional wave velocity and electrical resistivity variations with depth, explaining discrepancy between in situ and laboratory measurements on dry samples
Transatlantic Ties in the Spanish Empire: Brihuega, Spain, and Puebla, Mexico, 1560–1620 . By Ida Altman. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2000. Pp. xii, 254. $46.00.

This book is constructed around the unusual circumstance that between 1560 and 1620 approximately 1,000 people left the Castilian town of Brihuega (population ca. 4,000) and settled in a single transatlantic destination, the Mexican city of Puebla. While emigration from Spain was not unusual, the concentration of settlers from one origin at a single destination was apparently unique. This circumstance allows the author to compare the behavior of communities with a common background in two different settings. The results are both interesting and frustrating.
Drugs and Myasthenia Gravis: An Update

Myasthenia gravis is a disease of the neuromuscular junction in which normal transmission of the neuron-to-muscle impulse is impaired or prevented by acetylcholine receptor antibodies. Several classes of drugs have been associated with clinical worsening of existing myasthenia gravis, and a small subset of drugs, most notably the antirheumatic agent penicillamine, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a variant of the disease. Recent case reports and other documented evidence link a number of specific agents with clinical worsening of myasthenia gravis.
Detection of intranuclear clusters of Sm antigens with monoclonal anti-Sm antibodies by immunoelectron microscopy

It has been shown that small nuclear RNA (snRNA) species U1, U2, U4, U5, and U6 are found in the nucleus in the form of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs), and that anti-Sm antibodies react with snRNP polypeptides, which are associated with all five snRNAs. We report here a novel intranuclear complex, denoted "Sm cluster," detected by immunostaining with monoclonal anti-Sm antibodies in HeLa cells.
Cumulative beam break-up in a periodic linac.

The problem of cumulative beam break-up for a coasting beam in a linac with periodically placed acceleration cavities and transverse focusing units is treated using a general technique. The equations of motion for a series of equally spaced pointlike bunches are reduced to a single Hill's-type differential equation, from which a transfer matrix for a single period is derived. The technique is applied to the special case of a single resonance impedance, yielding a result which is in agreement with that derived elsewhere. The case of two nearly degenerate resonances is investigated using saddle-point integration, in the limit of strong focusing.
AN ELECTROMECHANICAL NETWORK MODEL FOR FREQUENCY CONTROLLED INDUCTION MOTORS

ABSTRACT An electromechanical network model valid for small values of slip under steady state and dynamic conditions is given for frequency controlled induction motors. The model has been developed using the perturbation equations in the synchronously rotating reference frame and neglecting stator resistance and stator transients. Bode plots of incremental transfer functions relating speed and load torque as well as speed and stator frequency under constant volts/Hz control mode obtained from the exact and approximate models are compared with those of the electromechanical network model. The usefulness of the model in steady state and dynamic studies is discussed
Physics-based de novo prediction of RNA 3D structures.

Current experiments on structural determination cannot keep up the pace with the steadily emerging RNA sequences and new functions. This underscores the request for an accurate model for RNA three-...
Vortex strings and the antisymmetric gauge potential

Abstract The motion of vortex strings can be studied by coupling the string to an antisymmetric gauge potential. Including a short-distance cut-off we study the motion of a circular string loop.
Influence of mental practice on development of voluntary control of a novel motor acquisition task.

Summary.-The purpose of this investigation was to assess whether mental practice facilitates the development of voluntary control over the recruitment of the abductor hallucis muscle to produce isolated big toe abduction. A sample of convenience of 15 women and 20 men with a mean age oE 28.8 yr. (SD=5.7) and healthy feet, who were unable voluntarily to abduct the big toe, were randomly assigned to one of three groups, a mental practice group, a physical practice group, and a group who performed a control movement during practice. Each subject received neuromuscular electrical stimulation to introduce the desired movement prior to each of five practice bouts over a single session lasting 2 hr. Big toe abduction active range of motion and surface electromyographic (EMG) output of the abductor hallucis and extensor digitoruln brevis muscles were measured prior to the first practice bout and following each practice bout, yielding seven acquisition trials. Acquisition is defined as an improvement in both active range of motion and in the difference between the integrated EMG of the abductor hallucis and extensor digitorum brevis muscles during successive acquisition trials. Seven members of both the mental and physical practice groups and one member of the control group met the acquisition criteria. Chi-square analysis indicated the group difference was statistically significant, suggesting mental practice was effective for this task.
Adapting to a Warmer Climate of Scientific Communication

In a recent article in Mother Jones, science writer Chris Mooney (2013) noted how climate skeptics and evolution deniers have joined forces. Mooney (2013) laid out a number of hypotheses for this alliance. We argue that it is time evolutionists and climate scientists join forces in promoting the public understanding and acceptance of science. When we talk to evolutionary biologists about the unchanging proportion of the US population that accepts evolution (consistently lower than 50 percent over many decades), we get two basic responses: the deficit model and religious objections. The deficit model presupposes that students simply lack relevant scientific knowledge (i.e., they have a knowledge deficit). If people would just learn more about evolution, as this line of reasoning goes, they would become more accepting of it. It is true that evolution understanding is poor. However, the relationship between knowledge and acceptance is not that straightforward. In his article, Mooney (2013) cited research showing that more knowledge about climate change does not necessarily translate into greater acceptance, and the same is true of evolution (Sinatra et al. 2003). The view that the problem is merely a knowledge deficit is simply incorrect. Much more can and should be done to overcome knowledge deficits, but objections to science cannot be solved by following the recipe just add knowledge. If religious beliefs are standing in the way of closing the knowledge gap, the argument goes, and changing people’s beliefs is outside our purview, we really cannot do much to move the needle of acceptance. However, this creates a tautology: We cannot change beliefs, but beliefs stand in the way of gaining knowledge; knowledge gaps must be overcome to change beliefs, and around and around it goes. Actually, a large number of world religions accept science and scientific views on biological evolution. Many individuals who are on the fence are there because they mistakenly think that they have to become a nonbeliever to accept science. There are many students looking for what Sherry Southerland calls “a place to stand” that allows them to remain a person of faith and still accept the realities of our natural world (see Southerland and Scharmann 2013). Recently, a gathering of over 40 psychologists, science educators, and evolutionary biologists began to explore just what it is about evolution that makes it so vexing to teach and learn (see Rosengren et al. 2012). Briefly, some of the barriers to learning that we uncovered include conflicts with intuitive ideas, difficulty in overcoming misconceptions, the conceptual complexity of the information, challenges to an individual’s identity, and the emotional and motivational hurdles that students must overcome. These challenges are not unique to evolution. And although evolutionary biologists have been struggling to recognize and confront these barriers for nearly 100 years, another group of scientists has begun to tackle them head on with a sense of urgency: climate scientists. It is worth examining these shared challenges in more detail.
Event-related brain potentials reveal anomalies in temporal processing of faces in autism spectrum disorder

Background: Individuals with autism exhibit impairments in face recognition, and neuroimaging studies have shown that individuals with autism exhibit abnormal patterns of brain activity during face processing. The current study examined the temporal characteristics of face processing in autism and their relation to behavior. Method: High-density event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded to images of faces, inverted faces, and objects from 9 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (15–42 years old) and 14 typical individuals (16–37 years old). Results: With respect to a face-sensitive ERP component (N170), individuals with autism exhibited longer N170 latencies to faces than typical individuals but comparable latencies to objects. Typical individuals exhibited longer N170 latencies to inverted as compared to upright faces, whereas individuals with autism did not show differences in N170 latency to upright versus inverted faces. Neural speed of face processing, as reflected in N170 latency, correlated with performance on a face recognition task for individuals with autism. Conclusions: These data provide evidence for slowed neural speed of face processing in autism and highlight the role of speed of processing in face processing impairments in autism.
Effects of Asphaltene Aggregation in Model Heptane–Toluene Mixtures on Stability of Water-in-Oil Emulsions

Abstract As part of an ongoing investigation into the stability of water-in-crude oil emulsions, model oils have been utilized to further probe the effects of crude solvency as well as specific resin–asphaltene interactions on emulsion stability. These model oils were constructed by dissolving varying amounts of resins and/or asphaltenes in a mixture of heptane and toluene. The resins and asphaltenes used in this study were isolated from four different crude types—Arab Berri (AB), Arab Heavy (AH), Alaska North Slope (ANS), and San Joaquin Valley (SJV)—and characterized in a previous study using heptane precipitation of the asphaltenes followed by an extrographic separation of the resins from silica gel. Asphaltenes dissolved in heptol at concentrations of just 0.5% were shown to generate emulsions which were even more stable than those generated from their respective whole crude oils. Some types of resins (e.g., from AH and SJV) also demonstrated an ability to stabilize emulsions although these resin-stabilized emulsions were considerably less stable than those prepared with asphaltenes. The primary factors governing the stability of these model emulsions were the aromaticity of the crude medium (as controlled by the heptane:toluene ratio), the concentration of asphaltenes, and the availability of solvating resins in the oil (i.e., the resin/asphaltene or R/A ratio). The model emulsions were the most stable when the crude medium was 30–40% toluene and in many cases at small R/A ratios (i.e., R/A ≤1). This strongly supports the theory that asphaltenes are the most effective in stabilizing emulsions when they are near the point of incipient precipitation. The types of resins and asphaltenes used to construct these model oils also played a role in determining the resultant emulsion stability which indicates the importance of specific resin-asphaltene interactions. The interfacially active components that stabilized these model systems were the most polar and/or condensed portions of the resin and asphaltene fractions as determined by elemental and neutron activation analyses. All of these results point to the significance of the solubility state of the asphaltenes in determining the emulsifying potential of these crude oils.
Linear search with bounded resources

A point is placed at random on the real line according to some known distribution F, and a search is made for this point, beginning at some starting points s on the line, and moving along the line according to some function x(t). The objective of this article is to maximize the probability of finding the point while traveling at most d units. Characterizations of simple optimal searches are found for arbitrary distributions, for continuous distributions with continuous density everywhere (e.g., normal, Cauchy, triangular), and for continuous distributions with density which is continuous on its support (e.g., exponential, uniform). These optimal searches are also shown to be optimal for maximization of the expected number of points found if the points are placed on the line independently from a known distribution F.
Desmoplastic malignant melanoma (a rare variant of spindle cell melanoma).

This is a detailed report of seven cases presenting a peculiar sequence of events which, starting from inconspicuous superficial melanotic lesions, generally located in the head and neck regions leads to the production of bulky subcutaneous tumefactions. These have the clinical and histologic appearance of locally invasive fibrous tumors. However, the elongated neoplastic cells are cytologically different from neoplastic fibroblasts, and these tumors behave as highly malignant stubbornly recurring and often metastasizing neoplasms. Some of the recurrences, as well as some of the metastases, are histologically acceptable as malignant melanoma of the more usual type. This appears to be a hitherto undescribed clinicopathologic entity, for which we suggest the term “desmoplastic malignant melanoma.”.
Flow-injection amperometry of cysteine and glutathione at an electrode modified with a ruthenium-containing inorganic film

A film that contains ruthenium oxide of mixed valences and cyanide (mvRuCN) on a glassy carbon electrode promotes the diffusion-controlled oxidation of cysteine and glutathione at 0.92 V vs. Ag/AgCl. These mediated oxidations allow the determination of these thiols by flow-injection amperometry in pH 2 solutions of 0.2 or 0.02 M K2SO4. Calibration curves are linear over about three orders of magnitude, and detection limits are in the submicromolar range with 7.5 μL injections. The sensitivity for cysteine is about 50 nA/μM with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The throughput calculated on the basis of peak widths was 140 samples/h. Experimentally, with a manual injector, 60 samples/h were routinely analyzed. The sensitivity for glutathione in 0.2 M K2SO4 at pH 2 is somewhat lower, 36 nA/μM. A single electrode was used for hundreds of injections over a 2-week period with no change in sensitivity. The mvRuCN-coated electrode is operated in a potentiostatic mode; reactivation of the surface between series of experiments was not necessary. The electrode was stored at open circuit in contact with an electrolyte solution when not in use.
Detection of Tectonic Stresses by New Velocity Depth Relation: ABSTRACT

Although the existence of tectonic stresses is known, so far no practical method has been discovered to locate and determine the magnitude of these stresses. It has been demonstrated that velocity of elastic waves in a rock is a function of stress in the direction of propagation. If a block is subjected to active tectonic forces, then it is expected that the velocity of elastic waves within that block would be a function of time. This idea can be utilized to study the active tectonic regions. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1090------------
A nonlinear renewal theorem for discrete random variables

Let X1,X2,…, denote independent, identically distributed, integer-valued random variables with span a and 1 and finite mean and variance µ and 0 0. Define a stopping time .The main result of this paper finds the asymptotic distribution of the excess , c >0 , as c->∞. It is shown that when is irrational, the asymptotic distribution of Rc has density . , where . When β=t/q is rational in lowest terms, a limiting distribution is also found, but it is more cumbersome.
Heterogeneous architectures for computational intensive applications: A cost-effectiveness analysis

Current workstations can offer really amazing raw computational power, in the order of TFlops on a single machine equipped with multiple CPUs and accelerators, which means less than half a dollar for a GFlop. Such result can only be achieved with a massive parallelism of the computational devices, but unfortunately not every application is able to fully exploit them. In this paper we analyze the performances of some widely used, computational intensive, applications, like FFT, convolution and n-body simulation, comparing the performance of a multi-core cluster node, with or without the contribution of GPUs. We aim to provide clear measure of the benefit of a heterogeneous architecture, in terms of time and cost, with a stress on the technology adopted at different levels of the software stack for the application parallelization.
Uncommon Etiology of Chest Pain: Pulmonary Sequestration

Chest pain is a common presenting symptom in the emergency department. After ruling out emergent causes, emergency physicians need to identify and manage less commonly encountered conditions. Pulmonary sequestration (PS) is a rare congenital condition involving pulmonary parenchyma. In PS, a portion of non-functional lung tissue receives systemic blood supply from an anomalous artery. While most individuals with PS present in early life with symptoms of difficulty feeding, cyanosis, and dyspnea, some present later with recurrent pneumonia, hemoptysis, or productive cough. In this report, we present a case of PS in an adult with acute onset pleuritic chest pain.
Coherent Oscillations Produced by the Rapid Skirting of an Integral Resonance

Although it is well known that accelerating a cyclotron beam through an integral resonance generates a coherent oscillation of the beam, it is much less widely known that such oscillations can also be produced just by rapidly skirting the same resonance. The latter will occur whenever the perturbing field or the radial (vertical) tune changes so rapidly in the vicinity of the resonance that the accelerating beam cannot smoothly follow the resultant non-adiabatic shift of the equilibrium orbit. A straightforward analysis of these effects leads to a simple formula for the resultant growth of the oscillation amplitude. This formula is applied to an example recently found in superconducting cyclotrons when the radial tune dips rapidily, but briefly, down close to unity. Applications to other cyclotrons are also considered.
Petri Net Translation Patterns for the Analysis of eBusiness Collaboration Messaging Protocols

Electronic messaging protocols such as RosettaNet (RN) automate the asynchronous exchange of business documents between collaborating trading partners over the Internet. Such protocols commonly employ mechanisms such as retries, time-outs, and fault handling to overcome uncertainty in the timing and reliability of message transmission, receipt, and processing. To determine the reliability and performance of such a protocol under varying network and message processing conditions, we have developed reusable patterns for Petri net modeling of these common mechanisms and used them to assemble a timed Petri net simulation that represents the RN standard's behavior. The reusable patterns are derived through translation of the abstract representations provided in the RN standard into an executable model, paving the way for a multimodeling approach for supply chain communications. The resulting stochastic Petri net is simulated to generate performance curves guiding improved protocol reliability.
Bilateral projections from rat MI whisker cortex to the neostriatum, thalamus, and claustrum: Forebrain circuits for modulating whisking behavior

In rats, whisking behavior is characterized by high-frequency synchronous movements and other stereotyped patterns of bilateral coordination that are rarely seen in the bilateral movements of the limbs. This suggests that the motor systems controlling whisker and limb movements must have qualitative or quantitative differences in their interhemispheric connections. To test this hypothesis, anterograde tracing methods were used to characterize the bilateral distribution of projections from the whisker and forepaw regions in the primary motor (MI) cortex. Unilateral tracer injections in the MI whisker or forepaw regions revealed robust projections to the corresponding MI cortical area in the contralateral hemisphere. Both MI regions project bilaterally to the neostriatum, but the corticostriatal projections from the whisker region are denser and more evenly distributed across both hemispheres than those from the MI forepaw region. The MI whisker region projects bilaterally to several nuclei in the thalamus, whereas the MI forepaw region projects almost exclusively to the ipsilateral thalamus. The MI whisker region sends dense projections to the contralateral claustrum, but those to the ipsilateral claustrum are less numerous. By contrast, the MI forepaw region sends few projections to the claustrum of either hemisphere. Bilateral deposits of different tracers in MI revealed overlapping projections to the neostriatum, thalamus, and claustrum when the whisker regions were injected, but not when the forepaw regions were injected. These results suggest that the bilateral coordination of the whiskers depends, in part, on MI projections to the contralateral neostriatum, thalamus, and claustrum.
Comparison and implementation of a 16-bit fixed-point audio resampler

An audio resampler is built to convert the sampling rate from 44.1 kHz to 16 kHz. An interpolator and decimator are created separately to change the sampling rate by an integer factor. The low pass filters used by the interpolator and decimator are obtained by two different approaches: namely the window method and the equiripple design. Vie performances of these two filters are evaluated in terms of 3-dB bandwidth and pass-band signal to noise ratios. The filters are implemented using the multistage interpolated FIR approach. Polyphase structures are used to further reduce the computational load. The resampler is implemented on 16-bit fixed-point simulations. The described approach drastically reduces the filter order and thus the computational cost.
Gadolinium decreases inflammation related to myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury

Background: The lanthanide cation, gadolinium (GdCl3) protects the myocardium against infarction following ischemia and reperfusion. Neutrophils and macrophages are the main leukocytes responsible for infarct expansion after reperfusion. GdCl 3 interferes with macrophage and neutrophil function in the liver by decreasing macrophage secretion of inflammatory cytokines and neutrophil infiltration. We hypothesized that GdCl3 protects against ischemia and reperfusion injury by decreasing inflammation. We determined the impact of GdCl3 treatment for reperfusion injury on 1) circulating monoctye and neutrophil counts, 2) secretion of inflammatory cytokines, and 3) influx of monocytes and neutrophils into the myocardium. Methods: Rats (n = 3-6/gp) were treated with saline or GdCl3 (20 μmol/kg) 15 min prior to a 30 min period of regional ischemia and 120 min reperfusion. Sham rats were not subject to ischemia. Blood was collected either after 30 min ischemia or 120 min reperfusion and hearts were harvested at 120 min reperfusion for tissue analysis. Blood was analyzed for leukocytes counts and cytokines. Tissue was analyzed for cytokines and markers of neutrophil and monocyte infiltration by measuring myeloperoxidase (MPO) and α-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE). Results: GdCl 3 did not affect the number of circulating neutrophils prior to ischemia. Two hours reperfusion resulted in a 2- and 3- fold increase in circulating monocytes and neutrophils, respectively. GdCl3 decreased the number of circulating monocytes and neutrophils during reperfusion to levels below those present prior to ischemia. Furthermore, after 120 min of reperfusion, GdCl 3 decreased ANAE and MPO activity in the myocardium by 1.9-fold and 6.5-fold respectively. GdCl 3 decreased MPO activity to levels below those measured in the Sham group. Serum levels of the major neutrophil chemoattractant cytokine, IL-8 were increased from preischemic levels during ischemia and reperfusion in both control and GdCl3 treated rats. Likewise, IL-8 levels increased throughout the 3 hour time period in the Sham group. There was no difference in IL-8 detected in the myocardium after 120 min reperfusion between groups. In contrast, after 120 min reperfusion GdCl3 decreased the myocardial tissue levels of macrophage secreted cytokines, GM-CSF and IL-1.
The energy-limiting characteristics of a polarization-maintaining Sagnac interferometer with an intraloop compressively strained quantum-well saturable absorber

An experimental demonstration of an energy limiter for short pulses at 1550 nm is reported. The limiter is based on an optical fiber Sagnac loop with an intraloop dichroic saturable absorber based on an InGaAsP-based waveguide with compressively strained multiple quantum wells. The saturable absorber is placed asymmetrically in the loop and is used as a Kerr-like nonlinear phase shifter. The device is operated in a novel dual polarization scheme, which offers some unique advantages. Excellent limiting for noise reduction purposes is demonstrated with the device.
Use of a silklike bedding fabric in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Symptoms of atopic dermatitis are often affected by envi- ronmental irritants. Modulation of potential irritants may benefit such symptoms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a novel silklike bedding fabric for persons with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis. Participants with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis were provided a bed- sheet set. Eczema Area and Severity Index and Investigator Global Assess- ment were the primary outcome measures. Visual Analog Scale for itch and a quality of life were also evaluated. The Wilcoxon signed rank test indicated a significant decrease in severity, with the Investigator Global Assessment score decreasing from 2.05 to 1.74 at week 8 (p = 0.03), the Eczema Area and Severity Index decreasing from 2.63 at baseline to 2.19 (p = 0.014), and the itching score decreasing from 3.97 to 3.00 (p = 0.010). An increase in the study-specific quality of life index was also observed, changing from )0.08 (no change in quality of life) to 1.23 (some improvement) (p < 0.0001). Atopic dermatitis is commonly recalcitrant to therapy and synthetic silklike bed linens may have value as another option for the treatment of this disease. This pilot study demonstrated promising results that warrant confirmation in controlled clinical studies. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic pruritic, inflam- matory, immunologically based skin disease generally occurring in patients with a genetic predisposition. The etiology is unknown. The initial occurrence of AD is often during the first year of life, and although it may improve with age, it can persist or recur periodically. A family history of atopy (asthma, hay fever, AD) often accompanies AD. Symptoms can range from red skin with dry scale to acute vesicular lesions to painful fissures or chronic scaling thickened plaques. Standard therapeutic modalities are directed at con- trolling the predominant symptoms of the disease. These
Population-based prospective study of cigarette smoking and risk of incident essential tremor.

Background: Smoking cigarettes is associated with lower risk of Parkinson disease (PD). Despite the clinical links between PD and essential tremor (ET), there are few data on smoking in ET. One study showed an association between smoking and lower ET prevalence. We now study whether baseline smoking is associated with lower risk of incident ET. Methods: Using a population-based, cohort design, baseline cigarette smoking habits were assessed in 3,348 participants in an epidemiologic study in Spain, among whom 77 developed incident ET. Results: There were 3,348 participants, among whom 397 (11.9%) were smokers at baseline. Five (6.5%) of 77 incident ET cases had been smokers at baseline, compared with 392 (12.0%) of 3,271 controls ( p = 0.14). Baseline pack-years were lower in incident ET cases than in controls (9.2 ± 17.7 vs 15.7 ± 28.4, p = 0.002). Participants were stratified into baseline pack-year tertiles, and few incident ET cases were in the highest tertile (4 [5.2%] cases vs 431 [13.2%] controls, p = 0.039). In Cox proportional hazards models, the highest baseline pack-year tertile was associated with lower risk of incident ET; those in the highest pack-year tertile were one-third as likely to develop ET when compared with nonsmokers (relative risk [RR] 0.37, 95% CI 0.14–1.03, p = 0.057 [unadjusted model] and RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.09–0.90, p = 0.03 [adjusted model]). Conclusions: We demonstrated an association between baseline heavy cigarette smoking and lower risk of incident essential tremor. The biologic basis for this association requires future investigation.
Expression of ZntA, a Zinc‐Transporting P1‐Type ATPase, is Specifically Regulated by Zinc and Cadmium

All cells have developed various mechanisms to regulate precisely the availability of important micronutrients such as zinc and copper; in many cells, this regulation is mediated by P1-type ATPases. Most of the P1-ATPases have been described very recently, and little is known about their molecular mechanism and regulation. Here, we demonstrate that the expression of ZntA, a Zn,Cd-transporting P-type ATPase of Escherichia coli, is specifically regulated by the transported cations, cadmium and zinc. Nickel, cobalt, and copper did not induce the expression of ZntA, even when present at concentrations as high as 0.6-1 mM. The effect of zinc and cadmium on the ZntA expression is concentration dependent, the apparent Km for Cd (19 microM) being markedly lower than that for Zn (100 microM). This metal selectivity is opposite to the known metal selectivity of transport by ZntA. Thus, we speculate that, to maintain zinc concentrations in the cell in the presence of cadmium, ZntA probably interacts with other proteins that modulate the ZntA selectivity towards transported cations.
Inversion of a seismic transmission response

Traveling waves are used not only in exploration geophysics but also in other disciplines faced with remote detection problems. A physical system may be described in terms of the input (the source), the medium, and the output (the received signal). The received signal can be made up of either transmitted waves or reflected waves. Two types of inverse problems can be considered, namely, the inverse source problem and the inverse medium problem. In the inverse source problem, the objective is to determine the source. In the inverse medium problem, the objective is to determine the medium. Thus, in terms of this general classification, four types of problems can be encountered, namely, an inverse source problem with transmitted waves, an inverse source problem with reflected waves, an inverse medium problem with transmitted waves, and an inverse medium problem with reflected waves. Let us look at nature. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. The transmission of starlight though the atmosphere makes the star twinkle...
A Linearity Improvement Technique for Thin-film Barium Strontium Titanate Capacitors

A device architecture is proposed to improve the linearity of barium strontium titanate (BST) capacitors while maintaining the tunability and the quality factor. Thin-film parallel plate capacitors are fabricated utilizing the proposed architecture. The measurement results successfully demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. Up to 14 dB of improvement on IIP3 is observed.
γ-H2AX Dephosphorylation by Protein Phosphatase 2A Facilitates DNA Double-Strand Break Repair

Phosphorylated histone H2AX (gamma-H2AX) forms foci over large chromatin domains surrounding double-stranded DNA breaks (DSB). These foci recruit DSB repair proteins and dissolve during or after repair is completed. How gamma-H2AX is removed from chromatin remains unknown. Here, we show that protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is involved in removing gamma-H2AX foci. The PP2A catalytic subunit [PP2A(C)] and gamma-H2AX coimmunoprecipitate and colocalize in DNA damage foci and PP2A dephosphorylates gamma-H2AX in vitro. The recruitment of PP2A(C) to DNA damage foci is H2AX dependent. When PP2A(C) is inhibited or silenced by RNA interference, gamma-H2AX foci persist, DNA repair is inefficient, and cells are hypersensitive to DNA damage. The effect of PP2A on gamma-H2AX levels is independent of ATM, ATR, or DNA-PK activity.
Rhizomucor variabilis var regularior and Hormographiella aspergillata Infections in a Leukemic Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient with Refractory Neutropenia

Rhizomucor variabilis and Hormographiella aspergillata rarely cause human infections. This report details a fatal case of a 14-year-old female with leukemia posthematopoietic cell transplant and relapse with refractory pancytopenia. The patient first developed an R. variabilis var. regularior palate infection and later developed a cutaneous H. aspergillata infection while on posaconazole and caspofungin therapy.
Predicting Intrinsic Disorder From Amino Acid Sequence

Blind predictions of intrinsic order and disorder were made on 42 proteins subsequently revealed to contain 9,044 ordered residues, 284 disordered residues in 26 segments of length 30 residues or less, and 281 disordered residues in 2 disordered segments of length greater than 30 residues. The accuracies of the six predictors used in this experiment ranged from 77% to 91% for the ordered regions and from 56% to 78% for the disordered segments. The average of the order and disorder predictions ranged from 73% to 77%. The prediction of disorder in the shorter segments was poor, from 25% to 66% correct, while the prediction of disorder in the longer segments was better, from 75% to 95% correct. Four of the predictors were composed of ensembles of neural networks. This enabled them to deal more efficiently with the large asymmetry in the training data through diversified sampling from the significantly larger ordered set and achieve better accuracy on ordered and long disordered regions. The exclusive use of long disordered regions for predictor training likely contributed to the disparity of the predictions on long versus short disordered regions, while averaging the output values over 61-residue windows to eliminate short predictions of order or disorder probably contributed to the even greater disparity for three of the predictors. This experiment supports the predictability of intrinsic disorder from amino acid sequence.
Accuracy of CT for the detection of pleural adhesions: correlation with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Study objective: The presence of pleural adhesions may render video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) difficult or impossible. The aim of this study was to assess the value of chest CT in the detection of pleural adhesions prior to VATS. Design: Prospective study of the accuracy of chest CT in detecting pleural adhesions prior to VATS. Setting: Tertiary-referral teaching hospital and Veterans Administration hospital. Patients: Between July 1994 and March 1995, 63 consecutive patients undergoing 64 VATS procedures were evaluated with chest CT prior to surgery. Measurements and results: Preoperative scans were interpreted by consensus of two pulmonary radiologists prior to surgery. Suspected pleural adhesions and other findings related to the pleura were recorded on a form given to the surgeon prior to VATS. The surgeon confirmed or excluded each suspected adhesion during VATS, and documented any other lesions not identified preoperatively. Patient-by-patient and lesion-by-lesion analyses were performed. Pleural adhesions were correctly identified by CT in 28 of 39 cases (sensitivity, 71%) and excluded in 18 of 25 cases (specificity, 72%). On a lesion-by-lesion basis, 73 adhesions were identified during VATS, of which only 28 were identified prospectively at CT. There were 45 missed adhesions and 20 adhesions that were suggested falsely (sensitivity, 38%; specificity, 46%). Eighteen pleural spaces were correctly identified as being free of pleural adhesions. Conclusions: CT is moderately sensitive and specific for preoperative identification of pleural adhesions in patients undergoing VATS but its accuracy is poorer for individual lesions. (CHEST 1999; 115:423‐ 427)
Gestational Exposure to Elevated Testosterone Levels Induces Hypertension via Heightened Vascular Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Signaling in Rats

Pre-eclampsia is a life-threatening pregnancy disorder whose pathogenesis remains unclear. Plasma testosterone levels are elevated in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia and polycystic ovary syndrome, who often develop gestational hypertension. We tested the hypothesis that increased gestational testosterone levels induce hypertension via heightened angiotensin II signaling. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with vehicle or testosterone propionate from Gestational Day 15 to 19 to induce a 2-fold increase in plasma testosterone levels, similar to levels observed in clinical conditions like pre-eclampsia. A subset of rats in these two groups was given losartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist by gavage during the course of testosterone exposure. Blood pressure levels were assessed through a carotid arterial catheter and endothelium-independent vascular reactivity through wire myography. Angiotensin II levels in plasma and angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression in mesenteric arteries were also examined. Blood pressure levels were significantly higher on Gestational Day 20 in testosterone-treated dams than in controls. Treatment with losartan during the course of testosterone exposure significantly attenuated testosterone-induced hypertension. Plasma angiotensin II levels were not significantly different between control and testosterone-treated rats; however, elevated testosterone levels significantly increased angiotensin II type 1 receptor protein levels in the mesenteric arteries. In testosterone-treated rats, mesenteric artery contractile responses to angiotensin II were significantly greater, whereas contractile responses to K(+) depolarization and phenylephrine were unaffected. The results demonstrate that elevated testosterone during gestation induces hypertension in pregnant rats via heightened angiotensin II type 1 receptor-mediated signaling, providing a molecular mechanism linking elevated maternal testosterone levels with gestational hypertension.
Decreased Asialotransferrin in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with Childhood-Onset Ataxia and Central Nervous System Hypomyelination/Vanishing White Matter Disease

Background: A biomarker for the diagnosis of childhood-onset ataxia and central nervous system hypomyelination (CACH)/vanishing white matter disease (VWM) would have clinical utility and pathophysiologic significance. Methods: We used 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis/mass spectrometry to compare the cerebrospinal fluid proteome of patients with mutation-confirmed CACH/VWM with that of unaffected controls. We characterized selected spots by in-gel digestion, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry, and nanospray Fourier transform mass spectrometry. Results: A specific transferrin spot pattern was detected in the CSF samples of the CACH/VWM group (n = 7), distinguishing them from the control group (n = 23) and revealing that patients with CACH/VWM have a deficiency of the asialo form of transferrin usually present in healthy cerebrospinal fluid. The glycopeptide structure, determined from isolated transferrin spots by use of in-gel digestion and extraction, was found to be consistent with earlier reports. Conclusions: The transferrin isoform abnormality in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with CACH/VWM appears unique and is a potential clinical diagnostic biomarker. The rapid, efficient diagnosis of this disorder would have a significant impact on clinical studies exploring new strategies for the management and treatment of this disease.