cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plant Protein Intake is Associated With Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 and Serum Bicarbonate Levels in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: The Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study

Background Protein from plant, as opposed to animal, sources may be preferred in chronic kidney disease (CKD) because of the lower bioavailability of phosphate and lower nonvolatile acid load. Study Design Observational cross-sectional study. Setting and Participants A total of 2,938 participants with CKD and information on their dietary intake at the baseline visit in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study. Predictors Percentage of total protein intake from plant sources (percent plant protein) was determined by scoring individual food items using the National Cancer Institute Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ). Outcomes Metabolic parameters, including serum phosphate, bicarbonate (HCO 3 ), potassium, and albumin, plasma fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), and parathyroid hormone (PTH), and hemoglobin levels. Measurements We modeled the association between percent plant protein and metabolic parameters using linear regression. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, diabetes status, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, income, smoking status, total energy intake, total protein intake, 24-hour urinary sodium concentration, use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, and use of diuretics. Results Higher percent plant protein was associated with lower FGF-23 ( P = .05) and higher HCO 3 ( P = .01) levels, but not with serum phosphate or parathyroid hormone concentrations ( P = .9 and P = .5, respectively). Higher percent plant protein was not associated with higher serum potassium ( P = .2), lower serum albumin ( P = .2), or lower hemoglobin ( P = .3) levels. The associations of percent plant protein with FGF-23 and HCO 3 levels did not differ by diabetes status, sex, race, CKD stage (2/3 vs. 4/5), or total protein intake (≤0.8 g/kg/day vs. >0.8 g/kg/day; P -interaction >.10 for each). Limitations This is a cross-sectional study; determination of percent plant protein using the Diet History Questionnaire has not been validated. Conclusions Consumption of a higher percentage of protein from plant sources may lower FGF-23 and raise HCO 3 levels in patients with CKD.
Transient finite element method solution of oxygen diffusion in soil

Abstract An accurate knowledge of oxygen diffusion into the soil media is very important to characterize soil physical, chemical, and biological processes. Analytical solutions with limited initial and boundary conditions have limited applicability and are very lengthy. A finite element solution was obtained for the transient-state equation of oxygen diffusion from the atmosphere into the soil profile. For the finite element solution, the one-dimensional partial differential equation governing oxygen diffusion was formulated by using Galerkin method. Results of the numerical method were compared with the solutions obtained from analytical method for a specific problem. Finite element solutions showed excellent agreement with the analytical solutions. Results of this study show that finite element method is applicable with less efforts than analytical methods to accurately predict transient-state oxygen diffusion in soil media.
POWER FUNCTION BETWEEN DURATION OF FRIENDLY INTERACTION AND CONFORMITY IN PERCEPTION AND JUDGMENTS

Silmmary.-Undergraduate students (24 male, 24 female) participated in an experiment employing the autokinetic illusion to investigate the effects of durations of friendly interactions on conformiry. Subjects of each sex were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions: no confederate, 0-sec., 42-sec., and 420-sec. friendly interaction periods. The dependent measure was the difference in inches or fractions of an inch between subjects' and confederate's estimates. It was predicted that the 420-sec. treatment condition would produce a smaller difference in inches than either the 0- or 42-sec. condition. Results showed a significant effect of durations of friendly interaction on conformity. It was concluded that friendly interaction was a factor in determining conformity involving perception and judgment and could serve as a model for obtaining power function relationships using other social variables. Conformity is a genuine and pervasive aspect of social interaction. The question is how and when does conformity occur? Earlier experiments have shown thac the presence of others decreases variability of judgments in a number of situations ( 1, 2, 5). Blake's traffic signal study, as reported by McGinnies (3), demonstraced that more persons crossed the street on a red light when they observed a person whose dress appeared to be of high status committing the violation than when they saw a person who appeared to be of low status committing the same violation. Thus, status and the presence of others are among the situational factors influencing conformity. The present experiment employed the autokinetic illusion in an attempt to investigate the factors influencing conformity. It was hypothesized that subjects' escirnates would show increased conformity with the confederate's when the duration of friendly interaction was longer than when [here was less or no such interaction between them. Specifically, it was predicted that the duration of friendly interaction would produce the following order of differences in inches between subjects' estimates: 420 sec. < 42 sec. < 0 sec.
Long-wavelength-pumped upconversion single-photon detector at 1550 nm: performance and noise analysis

We demonstrate upconversion-assisted single-photon detection for the 1.55-μm telecommunications band based on a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide pumped by a monolithic PPLN optical parametric oscillator. We achieve an internal conversion efficiency of 86%, which results in an overall system detection efficiency of 37%, with excess noise as low as 103 counts s−1. We measure the dark count rate versus the upconversion pump-signal frequency separation and find the results to be consistent with noise photon generation by spontaneous anti-Stokes Raman scattering. These results enable detailed design guidelines for the development of low-noise quantum frequency conversion systems, which will be an important component of fiber-optic quantum networks.
“Making Good Use of Our Eyes”: Nineteenth-Century African Americans Write Visual Culture

In his 1854 speech “The Claims of the Negro Ethnologically Considered,” Frederick Douglass critiques the use of illustrated portraits in scientific works of mid-nineteenth-century ethnology. He describes how images of the “European face” are calculated to convey “beauty, dignity, and intellect,” while “The Negro, on the other hand, appears with features distorted, lips exaggerated, forehead depressed—and the whole expression of the countenance made to harmonize with the popular idea of Negro imbecility and degradation” (510). Douglass provides a unique glimpse into his own experience of nineteenthcentury visual culture when he concludes that while “[t]he importance of this criticism [of images of African Americans] may not be apparent to all;—to the black man it is very apparent. He sees the injustice, and writhes under its sting” (514). Douglass’s address engages directly with mid-nineteenth-century visual culture and its depictions of black life and selfhood. His commentary on the experience of viewing the images of blacks that appeared in newspapers and popular books at mid-century is part of a rich and complicated tradition of African American textual engagement with visual culture. Recent scholarship has begun to attend to the intersections between African American literature, material culture, print culture, and visual technologies, usefully troubling a set of artificial critical boundaries that often led text, image, and object to be considered in isolation from one another. Marcy J. Dinius, for example, has shown the necessity of approaching nineteenth-century visual culture through the textual, emphasizing what she calls the “cycle of mediation and influence between print and daguerreotypy” (5), or how a public came to know daguerreotypy, and later photography, in large part through what was written about these technologies. Specifically addressing the mutual influence of nineteenth-century visual culture and African American imaginative traditions, important recent volumes by Michael
A new spectral method for numerical solution of the unbounded rough surface scattering problem

A new spectral method is developed to solve the unbounded rough surface scattering problem. An unbounded rough surface is referred to as a non-local perturbation of an infinite plane surface such that the whole rough surface lies within a finite distance of the original plane. The method uses a transformed field expansion to reduce the boundary value problem with a complex scattering surface into a successive sequence of transmission problems of a planar surface. Hermite orthonormal basis functions are adopted to further simplify these problems to fully decoupled one-dimensional two-point boundary value problems, which are solved efficiently by the Legendre-Galerkin method. Numerical results indicate that the method is efficient, accurate, and well-suited for solving the scattering problem by unbounded rough surfaces.
Funding in Higher Education: Where Does Nursing Fit?

Resource allocation systems for higher education including funding formulas vary greatly with most models grounded in the traditional Arts and Sciences, that is, campus-based, large-classroom instruction. The implications for nursing, a clinical discipline, are monumental. Funding models in general use do not account for the requirements of nursing education related to clinical learning (vulnerable patients, liability, large number of contact hours in clinical laboratories). Little information related to funding issues in schools of nursing has appeared in nursing literature over the past 10 years, and there are limited data for administrators of nursing programs to use as benchmarks. Administrators in nursing education programs must acquire a better understanding of budget and finance systems in higher education at state and university levels. Likewise, nursing education leaders are challenged to collectively verify and clarify the unique needs of nursing education in the budget process and to become active in educating college and university administrators and state legislatures about these unique needs.
Different conformations of nascent peptides on ribosomes

The length at which the N terminus of nascent proteins becomes available to antibodies during their synthesis on ribosomes was determined. Three different proteins, bovine rhodanese, bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase and MS2 coat protein, were synthesized with coumarin at their N terminus in a cell-free system derived from Escherichia coli. A derivative of coumarin was cotranslationally incorporated as N-coumarin-methionine at the N terminus of polypeptides. The interaction of specific anti-coumarin antibodies with this N-terminal coumarin of ribosome-bound nascent peptides was examined. The results indicate that short nascent peptides of each of the three proteins are unreactive, that the length at which they become accessible to the antibodies is different for the three proteins, and that longer peptides differ in their reactivity. It is suggested that these differences are due to differences in the conformation acquired by the peptides as they are synthesized on the ribosomes.
SPOUSAL INFLUENCES ON TELEVISION VIEWING

Reciprocal influence of spouses on one another's television behavior are examined over a one-week period. Correlation between spouses in their viewing behavior revealed mixed evidence for either spouse exerting influence over the other. Inconsistencies were found between two separate samples, which may be due to the presence of others in the household exerting influence.
Latent preferences and valuation of wetland ecosystem restoration

Abstract We employ a latent class choice model to evaluate the effects of alternative ecological characterizations of wetland functions and services on individual preferences, and to determine whether socioeconomic factors and psychometric measures of environmental attitudes can explain differences in individual's preferences and values for wetland restoration. This analysis combines a multiattribute choice model with information on individual's characteristics to evaluate preferences for restoration of the Greater Everglades ecosystem, one of the largest and most comprehensive wetland ecosystem restoration projects. To identify potential endpoints for Everglades restoration, two alternative ecological characterizations of the ecosystem were developed using the familiar distinction between function and structure. Survey data from a representative sample of the general population were used in a split-sample design based on the ecological characterization treatment. Within each subsample, the latent class analysis identified three groups who varied in their preferences for ecosystem restoration and socioeconomic profiles. The ecological characterizations had a significant influence on respondents' preferences and willingness to pay (WTP). The subsample responding to the structural characterization had a significantly larger share of respondents in the group who favored proposed restoration plans than the functional attribute subsample. In both subsamples, the group who favored restoration had a higher WTP for restoration than other groups. The latent class analysis also revealed socioeconomic and attitudinal factors that explain some of the heterogeneity in preferences and WTP within each subsample; this heterogeneity would not be identified with a standard choice model. In the context of Everglades restoration, the results provide a baseline assessment of public support and WTP that suggests an emphasis on structural rather than functional restoration endpoints. The approach described in this article can be used in other policy studies of wetland ecosystems because multiple ecosystem services can be represented within a stated choice survey and differences in preferences and values for these services can be measured.
Prostaglandin E and F2α secretion by glandular and stromal cellsof the pig endometrium in vitro: Effects of estradiol-17β, progesterone, and day of pregnancy

Abstract Prostaglandins (PGs) are believed to play important roles in the establishment of pregnancy. Glandular and stromal cells were isolated from pig endometrium on days 11 through 19 of pregnancy and cultured in the presence of estradiol-17β (E2) and progesterone (P4) to determine the effect of day pregnancy and steroids on the secretion of PGE and PGF2α. Estradiol at concentrations between .01 and 1 μM did not affect PGE and PGF2α secretion into the medium by glandular and stromal cells. Progesterone (.1 μM) suppressed (P
Multiculturalism Incorporated: Student Perceptions

Multicultural education has transformed higher education both in terms of research and in terms of student experiences. Given the complexity of our institutions, the overall effects of these transformations are mixed. Building on the successes and strengths of multicultural education as it is currently incorporated in institutions and programs will involve better understanding how it is perceived, positively and negatively, by those who are experiencing it first hand. In this article we seek to contribute to this reflection through a discussion of a survey of students’ perceptions of multiculturalism in a large first-year program in a research university.
Precompound decay in heavy ion reactions via the hybrid model

The hybrid model for precompound decay is applied to the calculation of neutron spectra following the $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$ and $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ bombardment of $^{165}\mathrm{Ho}$ at 220, 292, ${(}^{20}$Ne), and 300 ${(}^{12}$C) MeV. Results are compared with experimentally deduced angle integrated spectra and with results of the Boltzmann master equation. Both models give excellent agreement with experimentally deduced spectra.
Quality control for bacterial inhibition assays: DNA fingerprinting of microorganisms by rep-PCR

Abstract The bacterial inhibition assay (BIA) has been useful in a variety of newborn screening tests. BIAs rely on specific bacterial indicator strains as standardized components in different assays. Recently, DNA fingerprinting methods have been developed for eubacteria which utilize conserved repetitive DNA sequences. The repetitive DNA sequences, REP (Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic) and ERIC (Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus), can be used as oligonucleotide primer binding sites for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of unique DNA sequences located between the repeats. Repetitive sequence based PCR, generally known as rep-PCR, allows the production of species- and strain-specific genomic fingerprint patterns following size-fractionation of the amplified DNA fragments by agarose gel electrophoresis. Two Bacillus subtilis strains, ATCC 6051 and 6633, currently used in newborn screening BlAs were distinguished by rep-PCR. Using rep-PCR to fingerprint bacterial strains collected from different newborn screening laboratories, an anomalous sample was revealed which yielded rep-PCR fingerprint patterns distinct from other laboratory samples of the same strain. Genomic fingerprinting by rep-PCR may be useful for quality control of specific bacterial strains used in BIAs.
Critical dynamics of random copolymer melts

Abstract The transport properties of an AB random copolymer melt near the order-disorder phase transition are examined by using a mode coupling approach. The key parameters of the model are the volume fraction of type A monomers, f, the Flory χ parameter, and a parametert λ that characterizes the monomer sequence distribution. The equilibrium phase diagram for this model of random copolymers contains a Lifshitz point at λ = λL. For λ λL the fluctuations first become unstable at infinite wavelength giving a binary fluid type transition. Our analysis shows that for λ ϵ − 3 2 , where ϵ = (T − Tc)/Tc is the dimensionless difference between the temperature and the critical temperature. For λ >λL, there is a very weak divergence in the viscosity, but the Onsager coefficient diverges proportional to ϵ − 1 2 for ϵ − (λ - λ L ) a 1 , and proportional to ϵ − 3 4 for ϵ − (λ - λ L ) « 1 . The dependence of the Onsager coefficient and viscosity on χ, f and λ are explicitly determined.
The physiological effects of cigarette smoking: Implications for psychophysiological research

The present study was designed to determine the specific physiological effects of two experimental conditions, smoking and mock smoking (puffing on an unlit cigarette), with smokers and nonsmokers. Two groups (smokers versus nonsmokers) with nine subjects each (five females, four males) participated in the present study. Physiological measures included alveolar carbon monoxide (COa) levels, skin resistance, heart rate, and finger temperature across a standard session sequence. The results of the COa assessment indicated increments only in the smoking condition. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) across skin conductance, heart rate, and hand temperature were initially performed, followed by univariate analyses of variance (ANOVA) for each physiological measure. Post hoc analyses were performed using orthogonal polynomial trend analyses. A number of significant differences were found. Discussion focuses on the need for experimental controls related to cigarette smoking in psychophysiological research in general, and in hand temperature biofeedback training in particular.
CoupTFI interacts with retinoic acid signaling during cortical development.

We examined the role of the orphan nuclear hormone receptor CoupTFI in mediating cortical development downstream of meningeal retinoic acid signaling. CoupTFI is a regulator of cortical development known to collaborate with retinoic acid (RA) signaling in other systems. To examine the interaction of CoupTFI and cortical RA signaling we utilized Foxc1-mutant mice in which defects in meningeal development lead to alterations in cortical development due to a reduction of RA signaling. By analyzing CoupTFI−/−;Foxc1H/L double mutant mice we provide evidence that CoupTFI is required for RA rescue of the ventricular zone and the neurogenic phenotypes in Foxc1-mutants. We also found that overexpression of CoupTFI in Foxc1-mutants is sufficient to rescue the Foxc1-mutant cortical phenotype in part. These results suggest that CoupTFI collaborates with RA signaling to regulate both cortical ventricular zone progenitor cell behavior and cortical neurogenesis.
A Decision of Which I Am Still Proud

On 8 December 2009, Emilio Gatti and I celebrated the 50 years of scientific cooperation and a very nice friendship. Everything began when I was a student of physics at the University of Rome. At the beginning of 1959, I was working on a coincidence spectrometer for nuclear physics, the subject of my thesis. It became clear to me that I would have never been a good physicist without a sound background in instrumentation techniques. I had read a couple of Prof. Gattis papers, and they convinced me that the best school to approach the instrumentation techniques would be Prof. Gatti's</
Helical TomoTherapy in the treatment of central nervous system metastasis

In this report the authors review the use of radiotherapy in the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) metastasis. They comment on different treatment methods for both intracranial and extracranial CNS metastasis and discuss some of the evidence supporting the use of radiotherapy in these settings. Recent advancements in radiation oncology technology are briefly reviewed with a focus on the advantages and disadvantages of helical TomoTherapy‐based treatment strategies. A review of pertinent current literature was performed. TomoTherapy research currently underway at the University of Virginia Health System is discussed and a representative case is presented. Radiotherapy for CNS metastasis is an effective treatment that provides palliation of symptoms and confers a survival advantage on selected patients. Advances in radiotherapy techniques continue to improve the therapeutic ratio for patients with CNS metastases. Helical TomoTherapy offers distinct advantages for patients with CNS metastatic disease by sparing normal tissue when intracranial or extracranial disease is targeted.
Stiffness Evaluation and Damage Detection of Ceramic Candle Filters

This paper presents a nondestructive evaluation method to identify the structural stiffness of ceramic candle filters. A ceramic candle filter is a hollow cylindrical structure made of a porous ceramic material used in advanced, coal-fired power generation systems. The candle filters need to sustain an extreme thermal and chemical environment over a great period of time to protect the gas turbine components from exposure to particulate mater. A total of 92 new candle filters and 29 used candle filters have been tested nondestructively using a dynamic characterization technique. All filters were subjected to an excitation force, and the response was picked up by an accelerometer in a free-free boundary condition. The frequency response function and vibration mode shapes of each filter were evaluated. Beam vibration equations and finite-element models were built to calculate the filter’s dynamic response. Results indicate that the vibration signatures can be used as an index to quantify the structural properties of ceramic candle filters. The results also show estimations of the overall bending stiffness values for four different types of candle filters. The used filters show a trend of stiffness degradation, which was related to the filter’s exposure time. Damage detection procedures using modal strain energy and finite-element simulation were studied for detection of a localized damage in the candle filter. The location and the size of the damaged section can be identified using the measured model strain energy.
Marked improvement of severe polyneuropathy associated with multifocal osteosclerotic myeloma following surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy

We describe a patient with a 3 year history of progressive polyneuropathy that rendered him severely quadriparetic and bedridden. Work up revealed an IgG lambda monoclonal spike and multifocal osteosclerotic myeloma. Remarkable improvement followed combined treatment with surgical excision, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy using chlorambucil, danazol, and hydrocortisone. Hence, we believe that aggressive local therapy associated with systemic chemotherapy should be considered in severely affected patients with multifocal osteosclerotic myeloma and peripheral neuropathy.
Some new non-Riccati algorithms for continuous-time Kalman-Bucy filtering

In this paper we consider the problem of determining the error covariance matrix (and hence the gain) in Kalman-Bucy filtering, utilizing the smallest possible number of time-invariant, first-order differential equations. The traditional method requires the solution of a matrix Riccati equation containing 1/2n(n+1) such equations. Here we demonstrate that, under certain conditions, onlypn equations are needed, wherep is a number which often is much smaller thann. This is an improvement on the previous non-Riccati algorithms developed by Kailath and Lindquist. The reduction is achieved by exploiting certain time-invariant integrals of this system. This paper complements our previous papers [11, 12] in that the present method is more direct.
Prospective strategies to enforce selectively cell death in cancer cells

Although induction of apoptosis (cell death mediated by caspases) determines response to cancer therapy, this approach is limited by lack of selectivity in available apoptosis-inducing agents. Furthermore, most cancers, almost by definition, are resistant to apoptosis, growth arrest and cell senescence. Then, how can anticancer agents kill cancer cell without unacceptable toxicity to a patient? The potential therapeutic approaches range from selective inhibition of antiapoptotic pathways, antiangiogenic therapy, tissue-selective therapy (including immunotherapy) to exploitation of, for example, drug resistance, oncoprotein addiction, unrestricted cell cycles, hypermitogenic and hypoxic features of cancer cells. These overlapping and complementary approaches rely on rational drug combinations (at mechanism-based doses and sequences) aimed at matching targets. To ensure killing of cancer cells selectively, we may combine apoptosis- and senescence-inducing agents with inhibitors of apoptosis (to protect normal cells), inhibitors of signal transduction with cell cycle-dependent chemotherapy, antiangiogenic agents with hypoxia-inducible factor-1 inhibitors, tissue-selective therapy with differentiating agents and activators of death receptors with chemotherapy. In theory, consecutive use of these drug combinations may control cancer.
Natural history of severe reactions to foods in young children

Nine children with very severe adverse reactions to foods during the first 2 years of life were followed to determine the subsequent course of their reactions. Cautious challenges were given in these children over a period of time. Three of nine children can tolerate the offending food in usual portions; four of nine can tolerate small amounts of the offending food; and two children continue to have reactions to small amounts of the offending food. At some time each of these children have exhibited significant positive wheal and flare reactions when skin tested with extracts of the offending food. This study demonstrates that some children with severe reactions to foods may lose their frightening reactivity to foods over time. Very careful challenges in these patients are thus justified to save families from prolonged anxiety about accidental ingestion, which inevitably occurs.
Modulation of cell growth and transformation by doxycycline-regulated FGF-2 expression in NIH-3T3 cells.

The single-copy fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) gene encodes four coexpressed isoforms of different molecular masses. The 18-kDa FGF-2 is primarily localized in the cytoplasm, whereas the higher molecular mass isoforms (HMW FGF-2) localize to the nucleus and nucleolus. The overexpression of either 18-kDa FGF-2 or HMW FGF-2 promotes cell transformation in a dose-dependent manner. In NIH 3T3 cells, the selective overexpression of HMW FGF-2 but not of 18-kDa FGF-2 confers upon the cells the unique phenotype of growth in low serum-containing medium. Thus, the distinct intracellular localization and the level of expression of FGF-2 are pivotal requirements for the differential effects of FGF-2 isoforms on the cellular phenotype. On this basis, we established a doxycycline-regulatable FGF-2 expression system that permitted us to regulate the expression of each isoform in a time- and dose-dependent manner. We analyzed the growth properties of cells in the presence and absence of doxycycline in both normal and low serum-containing medium and in soft agar. The doxycycline-activated expression of 18-kDa FGF-2 did not allow growth in low serum medium. The growth of cells expressing HMW FGF-2 was increased by doxycycline under all three conditions, and a relationship between the level of HMW FGF-2 expression and cell growth was observed for all three conditions. This doxycycline-regulatable FGF-2 expression system provides a mechanism to analyze changes in FGF-2 targeted pathways and genes and to characterize pathways specifically activated by either the 18-kDa FGF-2 or the HMW FGF-2 isoforms.
Cross-Cultural Research in Psychological Development in Rural Communities

The last decade has witnessed an increased interest in investigating the effects of various environmental factors on cognitive development. Many of these studies measure developmental differences between rural and urban groups, either within one culture or across cultures. The findings frequently demonstrate that urban children acquire some cognitive and memory skills earlier than rural children. Instead of attempting to analyze the factors that may be responsible for the rural groups’ lower performance, investigators usually resort to explanations in terms of a “lack” in the rural environment and assume that they are dealing with a “deprivation.”
Clonal variation for phenotypic plasticity in the coral Madracis mirabilis

Morphological plasticity is common among clonal organisms, including scleractinian corals, yet the role of phenotypic plasticity in coral ecology and evolution is largely unexplored. Additionally, it is unclear how much variation in plastic responses exists among individuals, populations, and species, and thus how much potential there is for natural selection to act on coral reaction norms. In the branching coral Madracis mi- rabilis, corallite architecture and density, branch diameter and spacing, and overall aggregate morphology all vary among environments. To examine the role of phenotypic plasticity in generating these patterns, clonal replicates of five genotypes of M. mirabilis were trans- planted from each of two source populations into four treatment environments on the north coast of Jamaica. Flow rate, sedimentation, irradiance, water temperature, and salinity all varied among these environments. DNA fingerprinting was used to ensure that the 10 transplanted genotypes were genetically distinct. Six morphological traits (intersepta area, septa length, columella area, corallite area, corallite spacing, and branch tip diameter) were measured after transplantation to determine whether they were altered in response to en- vironmental conditions. Because these traits were correlated, principal components analysis was used to define new, uncorrelated traits for analysis. Four of the five corallite traits and branch diameter were significantly affected by the environment, demonstrating that mor- phological variation among environments in M. mirabilis is due in large part to phenotypic plasticity. No difference was detected between the two source populations in the magnitude or direction of their plastic responses, but there was substantial variation among genotypes (genotype 3 environment interaction). Many of the phenotypic changes of both populations resulted in the transplants becoming morphologically similar to resident conspecifics in each treatment environment. Genotypes from both populations were able to maintain similar growth rates under diverse environmental conditions. Such morphological convergence by phenotypic plasticity may expand the ecological range of this species by enabling genotypes to tolerate spatially and temporally variable environments.
'Necessary Evil': Perspectives on West German Arms Transfer Policies

The recent evolution of West German arms transfer policies is related to legal stipulations, socioeconomic interests, local politics, a need for anonymity in controversial dealings, and particularly to a more autonomous foreign policy. New 1982 guidelines allowed increased arms sales flexibility to conflict-ridden and strategic regions such as the Middle East. Despite government attempts to limit terrorists' access to arms, international arms production remains largely unregulated. The Foreign Ministry has the prime role in controversial sales authorizations, but Germany's many interlinked private arms contractors and subcontractors, lured by relatively high profits, do most of the promotions. Local and national political factions are keenly interested in the disposition of contracts and regulations. Future arms sales will depend on Europe's and Germany's increasing foreign policy assertiveness, and on the direction of European weapons technology.
Cost-effectiveness of ensuring hepatitis B protection for previously vaccinated healthcare personnel.

Objective To examine the cost-effectiveness of pre- and postexposure approaches for ensuring hepatitis B protection among previously vaccinated healthcare personnel (HCP). Design A decision-analytic model was developed for alternative strategies of ensuring hepatitis B protection under assumptions of 68% and 95% long-term protection after a primary vaccination series. Costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost from infections were estimated, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated relative to a no intervention alternative over 10 years of intervention. Separate analyses were performed for trainees and nontrainees, using the healthcare system perspective. Trainees face higher risk of exposure and likely received primary vaccination as infants. Setting General healthcare settings. Participants Trainee and nontrainee HCP. Interventions Preexposure testing for antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen followed by additional vaccination for HCP without protective antibody levels; postexposure evaluation and management for HCP reporting blood or body fluid exposures Results The preexposure strategy prevents more infections and has higher costs than the postexposure strategy or no intervention. For trainees, 10-year preexposure evaluation ICERs are $832,875 and $144,457 per QALY for 95% and 68% long-term vaccine protection, respectively. Trainee 10-year postexposure evaluation ICERs are $1,146,660 and $191,579 per QALY under the 95% and 68% long-term protection assumptions, respectively. For nontrainees, 10-year ICERs are $745,739 and $1,129,286 per QALY for the preexposure and postexposure evaluation strategies, respectively. Conclusions ICERs may inform decision makers as they decide whether the added cost of the preexposure strategy provides sufficient value in preventing infections.
Input modeling tools for complex problems

A simulation model is composed of inputs and logic; the inputs represent the uncertainty or randomness in the system, while the logic determines how the system reacts to the uncertain elements. Simple input models, consisting of independent and identically distributed sequences of random variates from standard probability distributions, are included in every commercial simulation language. Software to fit these distributions to data is also available. In this tutorial we describe input models that are useful when the input modeling problem is more complex.
Incorporating Mortality Risk into Estimates of 5-Year Glaucoma Risk

Purpose To incorporate mortality risk, a potentially important factor to consider when deciding whether to initiate therapy for ocular hypertensives, into estimates of 5-year glaucoma risk. Design Comparison study of estimates of glaucoma risk that do and do not account for mortality risk. Methods We computed 5-year risk of glaucoma for a set of hypothetical glaucoma suspects. We then determined their 5-year risk of death using the Charlson index, which is based on age and comorbidity, and computed mortality-adjusted 5-year risk that the individual will develop glaucoma before death. Results Accounting for mortality risk reduces the risk of developing glaucoma in one's lifetime. For example, a 75-year-old patient with an unadjusted 5-year glaucoma risk of 51.0% can have mortality-adjusted 5-year glaucoma risks of 41.8% (18% relative risk reduction) or 20.2% (60% relative risk reduction) assuming the patient has a Charlson comorbidity score of 1 or 3, respectively. Conclusions Shortened life expectancy reduces 5-year risk of developing glaucoma. Thus, mortality risk is another factor clinicians should consider when deciding whether to initiate treatment of glaucoma suspects.
Characterization and utilization of a novel triflate ionic liquid stationary phase for use in comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography

A novel triflate (trifluoromethylsulfonate) ionic liquid (IL) thin film (0.08 microm) stationary phase was implemented for use within the second column of a comprehensive GC x GC configuration. The first column in the configuration had a 5% phenyl/95% dimethyl polysiloxane (DMPS) stationary phase with a 0.4 microm film. The DMPS x IL column configuration was used to separate a mixture of 32 compounds of various chemical functional classes. The GC x GC results for the IL column were compared with a commercially available polar column (with a 0.1 microm PEG stationary phase film) used as the second column instead. Additional studies focused on the rapid and selective separation of four phosphorous-oxygen (P-O) containing compounds from the 32-compound matrix: dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), diethyl methylphosphonate (DEMP), diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP), and triethyl phosphate (TEP). van't Hoff plots (plots of ln k vs. 1/T) demonstrated the difference in retention between the P-O containing compounds (with DMMP reported in detail) and other classes of compounds (i. e., 2-pentanol and n-dodecane as representative) using either the IL column or the commercial PEG column. The selectivity (alpha) of the triflate IL column and the commercially available PEG column were also compared. The IL column provided significantly larger selectivities between DMMP and the other two compounds (2-pentanol and n-dodecane) than the commercial PEG column. The alpha for DMMP relative to n-dodecane was 3.0-fold greater for the triflate IL column, and the alpha for DMMP relative to 2-pentanol was 1.7-fold greater for the triflate IL column than for the PEG column.
New Challenges in Detecting, Grading, and Staging Endometrial Cancer After Uterine Morcellation

Abstract Study Objective To evaluate the accuracy in diagnosing endometrial disease after uterine morcellation. Design Prospective case series. Setting University medical center. Patients Five women undergoing hysterectomy without morcellation because of benign indications and 5 women with endometrial cancer. Interventions Uterine specimens were obtained from all 10 study patients. The uteri were sent for pathologic analysis, processed, and fixed according to standard protocols. A single investigator then morcellated all 10 uteri. A single pathologist blinded to specimen group reviewed each specimen. Main Results The pathologist identified endometrial cancer in 4 of 5 specimens of known cancer. The fifth specimen was interpreted as benign despite the presence of grade 1, stage IA endometrial adenocarcinoma. None of the morcellated specimens could be staged. Conclusion The increasing use of uterine morcellation will result in new challenges for gynecologic oncologists secondary to difficulty in detection, and accurate grading and staging of endometrial cancer.
Directional Adhesive Structures for Controlled Climbing on Smooth Vertical Surfaces

Recent biological research suggests that reliable, agile climbing on smooth vertical surfaces requires controllable adhesion. In nature, geckos control adhesion by properly loading the compliant adhesive structures on their toes. These strongly anisotropic dry adhesive structures produce large frictional and adhesive forces when subjected to certain force/motion trajectories. Smooth detachment is obtained by simply reversing these trajectories. Each toe's hierarchical structure facilitates intimate conformation to the climbing surface resulting in a balanced stress distribution across the entire adhesive area. By controlling the internal forces among feet, the gecko can achieve the loading conditions necessary to generate the desired amount of adhesion. The same principles have been applied to the design and manufacture of feet for a climbing robot. The manufacturing process of these directional polymer stalks is detailed along with test results comparing them to conventional adhesives
Summary of palaeomagnetic results from West Antarctica: implications for the tectonic evolution of the Pacific margin of Gondwana during the Mesozoic

Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is the western keystone of West Antarctica. Recent palaeomagnetic results from Lower Cretaceous (c. 117 Ma) plutonic and volcanic rocks from MBL in conjunction with a previous palaeomagnetic result from New Zealand suggest that eastern MBL and the Eastern Province of New Zealand originated in a position adjacent to Weddellia (Antarctic Peninsula, Thurston Island, and EIIsworth-Whitmore Mountains blocks) as part of a continuous Pacific convergent margin. This is far from their previously assumed position adjacent to the Western Province of New Zealand and North Victoria Land. The ll7Ma palaeomagnetic pole for eastern MBL constrains the last movements of the Weddellia blocks related to spreading in the Weddell Sea to postdate the initial opening phase of the Weddell Sea. A c. 100 Ma pole for the amalgamated mid-Cretaceous MBL is consistent with like age poles from the Thurston Island and Antarctic Peninsula blocks but all are significantly offset from a newly constructed apparent polar wander path for East Antarctica. From this it is concluded that there has been palaeomagnetically resolvable post-100Ma motion between East Antarctica and the Pacific-bordering blocks of West Antarctica as a result of extension in the Ross Sea, Ross embayment, and Byrd Subglacial Basin.
Ionic reverse osmosis membranes of grafted polyethylene

Membranes of graft copolymers of polyethylene with poly(sodium styrene sulfonate), poly(4-vinylpyridinium methyl bromide), and poly(sodium acrylate) were prepared by using the technique of peroxide grafting. The reverse osmosis characteristics of the membranes were examined as a function of grafting yield. In these membranes, the grafting can be considered as a process of introducing ionic sites, and it depends on the conditions of the grafting reaction, such as monomer concentration and temperature. However, the overall reverse osmosis characteristic is not only dependent on the number of ionic sites introduced but also on the swelling capability of the membrane. Consequently, the salt rejection of grafted membrane of a fixed graft yield depends on the conditions of the grafting reaction. All grafted membranes which have grafting yields above a certain value behave as normal ionic polymer membranes, and their interrelationship of salt rejection and water permeability follow the general dependence found for ionic polymer membranes.
Propagation Effects at Millimeter Wavelengths

The lower atmosphere can affect millimeter wave communication system performance by producing large variations in singel level. Several different propagation phenomena are responsible: absorption by oxygen and water vapor, scattering by turbulent fluctuations in the index of refraction, and attenuation by clouds, fog, or rain. Models are available for the calculation of propagation effects on a path when the meteorological conditions are known. This paper reviews the available propagation models for the prediction of link reliability.
Rolling to the nonplegic side: influence of teaching and limb strength in hemiplegic stroke patients

This study was undertaken to determine in patients with hemiplegia; (1) the influence of patient teaching on independence in rolling to the nonplegic side; and (2) the relationship between limb muscle strength and independence in rolling. Twenty patients who had experienced cerebrovascular accidents were studied. Their capacity to roll to the nonplegic side before, immediately after, and five minutes after instruction was measured. Also measured, but with a hand-held dynamometer, was the static strength of seven muscle groups of each extremity. The mean strength of each extremity's muscle groups was calculated and normalized against (divided by) body weight. Correlations were calculated between normalized strength scores and rolling capacity. The Cohran Q test demonstrated that the proportion of subjects rolling independently was significantly different before and after teaching. Rolling capacity during every trial was significantly correlated with the static strength of the limbs of the nonparetic side. ...
Worth the Risk? Relationship of Incentives to Risk and Benefit Perceptions and Willingness to Participate in Schizophrenia Research

Objective: Providing incentives for research participation is widely practiced but minimally studied. In schizophrenia research, questions about capacity to consent and potential vulnerability may raise concerns when offering incentives for participation. Despite empirical attention focused on consent and decision-making capacity in schizophrenia, the issue of incentives has been essentially ignored. We examined willingness to participate in research, in relation to perceived risks and benefits, among people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Method: Forty-six people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder rated perceived risks and benefits of 5 hypothetical research vignettes. They also indicated whether they would be willing to participate at each of 5 incentive levels (including no compensation). Cognition was assessed with Mattis Dementia Rating Scale. Results: Ratings of risk and potential personal benefit were inversely correlated. For all scenarios, significant correlations were found between perceived risk and willingness to participate for greater compensation. Conversely, lower perceived likelihood of benefit was associated with a higher compensation threshold for participation in each scenario. Even at the highest proffered payment level for each scenario, however, a substantial proportion of respondents were not willing to participate. Risk assessment and willingness to participate (at all levels of compensation) were not associated with demographic variables or cognitive status. Conclusions: Determining whether incentives impede voluntarism remains an important task for empirical ethics research. Assessing potential research participants’ understanding and perceptions of risks, benefits, and alternatives to participation will help ensure that informed consent fulfills its mission—embodying the ethical principle of respect for persons.