cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Renal sarcomas of childhood

Abstract Renal sarcomas in infants and children are extremely uncommon. Previously classifiedWilms tumors with unfavorable histology, these tumors were thought to be variants of Wilms tumors but in general have a worse prognosis. Our recent experience with 4 cases of renal sarcomas indicate that these tumors must be approached individually and treated appropriately. Their histologic picture and their varying response to surgery and chemotherapy suggest that these unusual tumors are not variants of Wilms tumors but instead sarcomas unrelated to the classic Wilms tumors.
Pressure dependence of Born effective charges, dielectric constant, and lattice dynamics in SiC.

The pressure dependence of the Born effective charge, dielectric constant and zone-center LO and TO phonons have been determined for 3C-SiC by a linear response method based on the linearized augmented plane wave calculations within the local density approximation. The Born effective charges are found to increase nearly linearly with decreasing volume down to the smallest volume studied, V/V0 = 0.78, corresponding to a pressure of about 0.8 Mbar. This seems to be in contradiction with the conclusion of the turnover behavior recently reported by Liu and Vohra [Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 4105 (1994)] for 6HSiC. Reanalyzing their procedure to extract the pressure dependence of the Born effective charges, we suggest that the turnover behavior they obtained is due to approximations in the assumed pressure dependence of the dielectric constant e∞, the use of a singular set of experimental data for the equation of state, and the uncertainty in measured phonon frequencies, especially at high pressure.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia Following a Myeloproliferative Neoplasm: Clinical Characteristics, Genetic Features and Effects of Therapy

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an uncommon, but often deadly complication of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Post-MPN AML usually occurs years after the initial MPN diagnosis with an average age of onset between 64 and 68 years. Chromosome abnormalities are common and many patients have cytogenetic changes that are associated with poor risk features. Post-MPN AML is characterized by acquired somatic gene mutations, but, interestingly, mutations thought to have an etiologic role in the MPN, such as JAK2V617F, are sometimes absent in the AML clone. Conventional AML-style treatment appears to have limited efficacy, although when coupled to allogeneic stem cell transplantation, some patients have long-term survival. Less-intensive therapies such as hypomethylating agents and the JAK inhibitor, ruxolitinib, may be effective in some patients. New treatments have prompted efforts to characterize therapeutic responses better.
Journey from Self-Efficacy to Empowerment

Vulnerable populations face barriers to care that affect health status. This paper provides a theoretical and empirical literature review of self-efficacy and its significance to nursing and the health care community. Theories that guide self-efficacy are briefly identified along with relevant propositions and relationships. Various studies are reviewed for theoretical basis, level of evidence measures, methods, findings and limitations. Implications for future studies and application to practice are evaluated and presented. Specific knowledge gaps are identified. Due to the lack of information on the relationship of self-efficacy and empowerment specific to vulnerable populations an avenue for future study is suggested.
Technical note: an improved McCutchen miniviscometer for connective tissue fluids.

McCutchen's miniviscometer is a Couette-type instrument that requires only 0.2 ml of synovial or other test fluid. The modification described here adds to the capabilities of the original: control of temperature good to ±0.2°C; increase of the maximum measureable viscosity at low shear rates (20 sec−1) to 3000 centipoise; and expansion of the usable range of shear rates to 20–1500 sec−1. The device is rugged and data are reproducible to ±1.2% (S.D.) of the mean over the full range of shear rates.
Preparation of layer structure birnessite by air oxidation: synthetic factors and framework dopant effects

Abstract Thermally stable magnesium-free layer structure birnessite (OL-1) has been synthesized and modified in the presence of other metal cations used as framework dopants by the air oxidation of Mn (II).
Abdominal Wall Hematoma in an Elderly Man

This report describes an abdominal wall hematoma that occurred in an unusual location and resulted in significant hemorrhage in a generally healthy individual. Angiography-directed therapeutic embolization was halted due to an embolic complication. Evidence of continued hemorrhage led to surgical intervention. After a right flank incision was made, fresh blood as well as approximately 1 L of clotted blood were evacuated from the abdominal wall. After resection of a portion of the twelfth rib, the twelfth intercostal artery was noted to be actively bleeding and was ligated. This operative procedure controlled the patient's blood loss. The etiologies, presenting findings, diagnostic studies, and modes of therapy reported for abdominal wall hematomas are reviewed.
Potential reproductive rate of a sex-role reversed pipefish over several bouts of mating

The potential reproductive rate (PRR, the rate at which each sex could reproduce if given unlimited mates) has proven to be a useful tool in predicting the direction and strength of sexual selection. We conducted a 2-month study of the PRR in the polyandrous gulf pipefish, Syngnathus scovelli, a year-round breeder. In this sex-role reversed species, the female transfers eggs to a male's brood pouch during mating and thus renders him unavailable to mate for 2 weeks. We predicted females would have a higher PRR than males and that the rates in both sexes would change over successive breeding bouts in relationship to previous reproductive output. Females did have a higher overall PRR than males for the entire study period. However, PRR was not constant across individual breeding bouts. For each sex, the PRRs from the first and third bouts of mating were significantly higher than the PRR of second mating bout. Our results are consistent with individuals making trade-offs between current and future reproductive investment. We also discuss how ovarian morphology may contribute to elevated female PRR in this species. To our knowledge, this is the first study of PRR in a North American pipefish.
Transient Control of Separating Flow over a Dynamically-Pitching Airfoil

Transitory separation control of the flow over a 2� D airfoil that is dynamically pitching beyond the stall limit is investigated in wind tunnel experiments using pulsed actuation. Actuation is effected by a spanwise array of momentary, combustionbased actuator jets having a characteris tic time scale O(1 ms) that is an order of magnitude shorter than the convective time scale of the flow. The present experiments consider two stall configurations. In the first configuration, the actuation is nominally twodimensional and the actuator spans a stalled flow domain that is bounded by spanwise fences. In the second configuration the fences are removed and the actuation covers about 20% of the entire span of a fullystalled airfoil. In the nominally 2�D config uration, singlepulse actuation can significantly increases the lift over most of the oscillation cycle not only at poststall but also at angles of attack that are be low stall. In the 3�D configuration, a single pulse can increase the lift during a significant fractions of the oscillation cycle despite the massive separation on the outboard segments of the unactuated airfoil. Several actuation pulses distributed during the oscillation cycle can lead to a remarkable increase in lift over most of the cycle including at angles of attack that are below stall ostensibly by controlled trapping vorticity over the entire oscillation cycle.
Review of direct-acting antiviral agents for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

Introduction: Rapid breakthroughs in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have dramatically altered the treatment landscape for this chronic disease. In 2011, the protease inhibitors (PIs) boceprevir and telaprevir in combination with peginterferon (peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) were the first direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) approved in the United States for treatment of genotype (GT) 1 HCV. Several DAAs currently in late-stage clinical trials, including NS3/NS4A serine PIs, NS5A inhibitors, NS5B polymerase inhibitors (both nucleoside and non-nucleoside) and cyclophilin inhibitors, both with and without peg-IFN and RBV, are promising for the treatment of HCV. DAA regimens offer several advantages including that they specifically target HCV viral replication and thus appear to be less dependent on host characteristics, very high SVR rates accompanied by fewer side effects (SE) and lower pill burdens. A review on the treatment of HCV is important and timely as the development on DAAs is progres...
Neuroimaging of hallucinations: a review of the literature

While hallucinations have been described for over two millennia, their cause remains unclear. Brain-based models suggest that abnormal cerebral excitation and a lack of normal cerebral inhibition may play primary roles, but evaluation of these hypotheses has been hampered by difficulty in studying the hallucinatory state. Recent advances in neuroimaging have provided researchers with tools to study a variety of mental states, including hallucinations. We review the literature regarding the structural and functional neural correlates of hallucinations. Despite small sample sizes and methodological differences, several studies describe similar results: hallucinations are associated with sensory modality-specific activation in cerebral areas involved in normal sensory processing. Furthermore, neural activation may be specifically related to distinct phenomenological features of the hallucinatory experience. Further work is needed to better understand the neural basis of hallucinations.
Case study: faculty professional development workshops for innovation diffusion

Part of computer science education research focuses on the design of new technologies and techniques for improving educational experiences. However, for these systems and techniques to be truly impactful, their use must be disseminated to the larger instructor population. Single-instance workshops, where instructors are brought together to learn about a new technique or system so that they can possibly adopt it, are a common dissemination method. Unfortunately, rarely do we see reports regarding their effectiveness. In this case study, we report on two NSF-funded single-instance workshops designed to support adoption of the Ubiquitous Presenter (UP) active learning classroom presentation system. Though only 44% of workshop attendees used the system in their classrooms, 65% of those used the system repeatedly. Overall this impacted 1570 students. Additionally, 60% of our attendees used the active learning features of UP - a much higher usage rate than in the general UP user population. We reflect on the aspects of the workshops which seemed to promote, and hinder, instructor adoption and, finally, suggest some metrics for evaluating innovation dissemination workshops in general.
A generalized analytical theory for adsorption of fluids in nanoporous materials

An analytical theory is presented for the adsorption of fluids confined in zeolites, molecular sieves, and other nanoporous materials. The theory takes advantage of the localized adsorption sites within a zeolite and develops a statistical mechanical lattice model of adsorption. The theory is completely generalized and can be used to model the lattice of adsorption sites within any arbitrary zeolite. The theory also has the advantage of requiring very few parameters: it requires only 4 parameters to describe the adsorbent, which can be obtained from a potential energy map of the adsorbent. No molecular dynamics simulations are required for parametrization. The theory incorporates both the atomistic structure of the adsorbent and the fundamental physical mechanisms, which dictate the behaviour of fluids confined in nanoporous materials. Finally the theory has the practical advantage of computational efficiency. The theory can generate a complete isotherm in approximately 1 minute on a desktop PC (300 MHz),...
Retardation measurement with capillary blood flow using enhanced polarization-sensitivity optical coherence tomography (EPS-OCT)

Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (PS-OCT) has been used to measure birefringence of biological samples, namely the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). The presence of blood vessels in biological samples complicates accurate measurement of tissue birefringence as a result of the Doppler shift in fringe frequency and the shadowing effect below blood vessels due to absorption and scattering of light photons by blood. We investigate phase retardation measurement with controlled capillary blood flow overlying a birefringent sample with enhanced polarization-sensitivity optical coherence tomography (EPS-OCT). The effect of blood flow on the calculation of phase retardation and tissue birefringence was studied in the polarization domain. Light propagating through an overlying moving turbid medium (blood) undergoes single or multiple forward scattering events and a Doppler shift in presence of flow. Light propagating through an overlying medium may introduce Doppler shifts of each polarization component and/or polarization shifts or retardation of light. While undergoing multiple forward scattering, each scattering event can modify the frequency or light phase delay. In successive scattering events, potential Doppler shifts and/or polarization shifts accumulate. Light propagating within the birefringent sample undergoes multiple forward scattering events leading to phase retardation between polarization components. This paper investigates phase retardation measurement underlying physiological blood flow rates (6, 12, 18, and 24μl/min) at a range of light incident angle (0-20 deg.) on the sample. With EPS-OCT, the effect of light scattering and differential Doppler shifts between the polarization modes on the measurement of phase retardation was within our speckle noise range.
Decomposition of aminophylline in suppository formulations

An aminophylline suppository product, when stored at room temperature, was found to be deficient in ethylenediamine content by the USP XIX assay and by a specific method for primary amines. The product also had a melting point that was considerably higher than body temperature. An accelerated decomposition experiment, conducted on normal suppositories of identical original composition, yielded a product refractory at steam bath temperatures and containing no ethylenediamine measurable by the USP assay. The suppositories from both the original sample and the decomposition experiment contained considerable amounts of a white material, which melted at ± 150° and which consisted of the diamide products formed by the reaction of ethylenediamine and the fatty acids present in coconut and palm kernel oils. The results, which confirmed the work of Cieszynski, showed that the ethylenediamine constituent of aminophylline can react with suppository base materials to produce insoluble amide decomposition products.
Effects of pollen selection on progeny vigor in a Cucurbita pepo x C. texana hybrid

We examined the effects of pollen selection for rapid pollen-tube growth on progeny vigor. First, we crossed a wild gourd (Cucurbita texana) to a cultivated zucchini (Cucurbita pepo cv ‘Black Beauty’) to produce an F1 and then an F2 generation. Half of the F1 seeds were produced by depositing small loads of C. texana pollen onto the stigmas of C. pepo. These small pollen loads were insufficient to produce a full complement of seeds and, consequently, both the fast- and the slow-growing pollen tubes were permitted to achieve fertilization. An F2 generation was then produced by depositing small loads of F1 pollen onto stigmas of F1 plants. The F2 seeds resulting from two generations of small pollen loads are termed the non-selected line because there was little or no selection for pollen-tube growth rate on these plants. The other half of the F1 and F2 seeds were produced by depositing large pollen loads (>10 000 pollen grains) onto stigmas and then allowing only the first 1% or so of the pollen tubes that entered the ovary to fertilize the ovules. We did this by excising the styles at the ovary at 12–15 h after pollination. The resulting F2 seeds are termed ‘the selected line’ because they were produced by two generations of selection for only the fastest growing pollen tubes. Small pollen loads from the F2plants, both the selected and the non-selected lines, were then deposited onto stigmas of different C. pepo flowers, and the vigor of the resulting seeds was compared under greenhouse and field conditions. The results showed that the seeds fertilized by pollen from the selected line had greater vegetative vigor as seedlings and greater flower and fruit production as mature plants than the seeds fertilized by pollen from the non-selected line. This study demonstrates that selection for fast pollen-tube growth (selection on the microgametophyte) leads to a correlated increase in sporophyte (progeny) vigor.
Evaluation of Two Numerical Wave Models with Inlet Physical Model

This paper evaluates the performance of two numerical wave models, GHOST and STWAVE, with measurements made in an idealized inlet physical model. The emphasis of this paper is on the overall performance of these models in coastal inlets. Both wave models are similar in that they employ a finite-difference method to solve the wave action conservation equation for the steady-state wave spectral transformation. However, these models differ in the computation of diffraction, reflection, wave breaking, and representation of the directional spectrum transformation. The models’ performance is compared with a new set of physical model data for four different idealized inlet configurations. Wave height is measured in the physical model by a linear array of capacitance wave gauges, and wave direction is measured by a remote-sensing video-camera system. The comparison with data is presented as mean absolute relative errors of wave height and mean absolute difference of wave direction. Both wave models produced simil...
Effect of ion induced damage on carrier lifetimes in strained CdZnSe/ZnSe quantum wells

Studies of the effects of reactive ion etching on molecular beam epitaxy grown CdxZn1−xSe/ZnSe strained quantum wells (QWs) using photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved reflectivity measurements are reported. The shallow (50 nm cap layer) QW samples exhibit a blueshift in their PL peak position as a function of etch voltage up to a certain point, after which the blueshift is reduced. The reduction in the blueshift of the PL spectrum is strongly correlated with a reduction in the carrier lifetimes measured by transient reflectivity. From these experiments we suggest that the initial blueshift is a result of ion damage at the surface interacting with strain in the QW. On the other hand, the reduced carrier lifetime at higher voltages is a result of more severe structural damage in the QW.
RISC System/6000 processor architecture

Abstract The 801 minicomputer 1 project at IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, NY, USA, in 1975 pioneered many of architectural concepts used in RISC including IBM's RT System. The paper describes a second-generation RISC architecture, the POWER architecture, which is based on subsequent research by the original 801 team and is used in the recently announced RISC System/6000. The architecture was designed to support superscalar implementations which can execute multiple instructions every cycle. It provides compound-function instructions which allow application path lengths to be less than would be required on many complex instruction set computers. The architecture also exploits advances in optimizing compiler and operating system technology. An extension to the original 801 virtual memory architecture for hardware support of database storage is also described.
Morphological characterization of rat entorhinal neurons in vivo: soma-dendritic structure and axonal domains.

We used in vivo intracellular labeling with horseradish peroxidase in order to study the somadendritic morphology and axonal projections of rat entorhinal neurons. The cells responded to hippocampal stimulation with inhibitory postsynaptic potentials, and thus likely received direct or indirect hippocampal input. All cells (n = 24) showed extensive dendritic domains that extended in some cases for more than 1 mm. The dendrites of layer II neurons were largely restricted to layers I and II or layers I–III, while the dendrites of deeper cells could extend through all cortical layers. Computed 3D rotations showed that the basilar dendrites of deep pyramids extended roughly parallel to the cortical layering, and that they were mostly confined to the layer containing the soma and layers immediately adjacent. Total dendritic lengths averaged 9.8 mm ± 3.8 (SD), and ranged from 5 mm to more than 18 mm. Axonal processes could be visualized in 21 cells. Most of these showed axonal branching within the entorhinal cortex, sometimes extensive. Efferent axonal domains were reconstructed in detail in 3 layer II stellate cells. All 3 projected axons across the subicular complex to the dentate gyrus. One of these cells showed an extensive net-like axonal domain that also projected to several other structures, including the hippocampus proper, subicular complex, and the amygdalo-piriform transition area. The axons of layer III and IV cells projected to the angular bundle, where they continued in a rostral direction. In contrast to the layer II, III and IV cells, no efferent axonal branches leaving the entorhinal cortex could be visualized in 5 layer V neurons. The data indicate that entorhinal neurons can integrate input from a considerable volume of entorhinal cortex by virtue of their extensive dendritic domains, and provide a further basis for specifying the layers in which cells receive synaptic input. The extensive axonal branching pattern seen in most of the cells would support divergent propagation of their activity.
Do Children and the Elderly Show Heightened Semantic Priming? How to Answer the Question.

Abstract "Semantic priming" has two meanings, one an internal activation and the other a performance difference between responses to primed and unprimed stimuli. Individual and group differences in the performance difference score are heavily influenced by overall speed and/or accuracy and so are a flawed reflection of internal activation. These relationships obscure the meaning of many published findings of greater than normal priming difference scores in special groups, such as children and the elderly. Meaningful comparison of groups on the activation underlying priming difference scores requires removing the effects of overall performance level. We discuss ways of doing so. We make this argument in the context of semantic priming research but it applies equally to other paradigms that use difference scores for the comparison of groups of differing performance levels.
Tetrazole and Carboxylate Groups of Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists Bind to the Same Subsite by Different Mechanisms

To identify specific interactions between either the tetrazole or carboxylate pharmacophores of non-peptide antagonists and the rat AT1 receptor, 6 basic residues were examined by site-directed mutagenesis. Three of the mutants (H183Q, H256Q, and H272Q) appeared to be like wild type. Lys102 and Arg167 mutants displayed reduced binding of the non-peptide antagonist losartan. Examination of their properties employing group-specific angiotensin II analogues indicated that their effects on binding were indirect. Interestingly, the affinity of losartan was not altered by a K199Q mutation, but the same mutation reduced the affinity of angiotensin II, the antagonist [Sar1,Ile8]angiotensin II, and several carboxylate analogues of losartan. An Ala199 substitution reduced the affinity of peptide analogues to a larger extent as compared to the affinity of losartan. Thus, the crucial acidic pharmacophores of angiotensin and losartan appear to occupy the same space within the receptor pocket, but the protonated amino group of Lys199 is not essential for binding the tetrazole anion. The binding of the tetrazole moiety with the AT1 receptor involves multiple contacts with residues such as Lys199 and His256 that constitute the same subsite of the ligand binding pocket. However, this interaction does not involve a conventional salt bridge, but rather an unusual lysine-aromatic interaction.
Cultural issues and elder mistreatment.

The article is a brief discussion of a few of the complex issues that may represent a cultural component of elder mistreatment. Reference is made to historical perspectives and subcultures. The goals of the article are to broaden the discussion around the issues of elder abuse in various population groups and to consider some methods of intervention. Language: en
Behavior near constant solutions of functional differential equations

Techniques have been developed to determine in a systematic way the local behavior near constant solutions. Local integral manifolds play a very important role in this development, as they have also for ordinary differential equations. An attempt is made to indicate a few more applications of these methods to some problems in bifurcation in the spirit of Sotomayor (to appear) and to a growth model of Cooke and Yorke (to appear). It is also shown how to prove a theorem on stability under constantly acting disturbances using these methods.
Relationships between dietary cholesterol, cholesterol absorption, cholesterol synthesis, and plasma cholesterol in rhesus monkeys

Abstract The relationships between the cholesterol content of the diet, plasma cholesterol concentration, cholesterol absorption, and cholesterol synthesis (measured indirectly by desmosterol suppression technique) are explored in groups of high- and low-responding rhesus monkeys fed diets containing 0.02, 0.15 and 0.75 mg cholesterol/kcal. The cholesterol content of the diet (expressed as mg/kcal) is positively correlated with plasma cholesterol concentration and is negatively correlated with percent cholesterol absorption in both groups. Also the cholesterol content of the diet is negatively correlated ( r = −0.66) with cholesterol synthesis only in low-responders but not in high-responders. Similarly, the correlation between percent cholesterol absorption and cholesterol synthesis is significant in the low-responders ( r = 0.82, P r = 0.12, P > 0.1). Further, a negative correlation ( r = −0.61) is observed between cholesterol synthesis and plasma cholesterol concentration in the low-responders but in the high-responders, there is no relationship between the parameters. From these correlations we conclude that the higher cholesterol absorption in the high-responders than in the low-responders is one important mechanism responsible for the development of severe hypercholesterolemia in the high-responding monkeys fed cholesterol. The results also suggest that there might be a lower sensitivity in the feedback inhibition mechanism of cholesterol biosynthesis in the high-responding than in the low-responding rhesus monkeys.
Physiological assessment of muscle strength in vitro after direct injection of doxorubicin into rabbit sternocleidomastoid muscle.

Doxorubicin chemomyectomy is a potent method for the permanent removal of a muscle or group of muscles after direct local injection, and has been used successfully to treat blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm patients. The effi- cacy of doxorubicin chemomyectomy on reducing muscle strength after direct injection of doxorubicin into rabbit sterno- cleidomastoid muscle was tested. One- and 6-month postinjec- tion force assessment was performed in vitro to measure alter- ations in peak twitch and tetanic force generation, as well as fatigue responses for the treated muscles compared to control. There were significant reductions of both twitch and tetanic peak amplitudes in the doxorubicin-treated muscles. One month after treatment, the decreases in force were greater after 2 mg doxorubicin injections than after 1 mg doxorubicin. While there was a significant reduction in force generation after doxo- rubicin treatment, fatigue resistances for the doxorubicin- treated muscles were increased compared to the controls. There were significant reductions in muscle mass after doxorubicin treatment, and by 6 months, the myosin heavy chain isoform distribution was similar to normal sternocleidomastoid, except for an increase in slow myosin-positive fibers. Doxorubicin chemomyectomy resulted in a significant reduction in func- tional force generation in the treated sternocleidomastoid muscles. These findings suggest a potential clinical use of doxorubicin chemomyectomy to treat cervical dystonia pa- tients. © 2001 Movement Disorder Society.
Correlated Einstein model for the equilibrium properties of solids

The correlated Einstein model (CEM) is a new approach to the problem of determining the equilibrium properties of anharmonic solids. It is based on the use of the zeroth-order term in an expansion for the average of a product of one- and two-particle functions, where the average is a classical canonical average for a system of independent Einstein oscillators. The parameters that characterize the oscillators are chosen so that the first- and second-order terms in the expansion vanish. A diagrammatic representation of the expansion is given. Explicit formulas for determining the Helmholtz free energy of a monatomic cubic crystal are given and are evaluated both for a Lennard-Jones and a $\frac{1}{{r}^{12}}$ potential. The results obtained are compared with available Monte Carlo values. The CEM is found to be at least as accurate as the uncorrelated-pairs approximation, the cell-cluster method, the simple cell model, and improved self-consistent phonon theory.
Statistical Limitations of Domestic and International Transportation of United States Foreign Trade: 1970 (Public Use Tapes) with Special Reference to the United States Great Lakes Region

Abstract The research results reported in this paper are based on an analysis of a subset of the data contained on the Domestic and International Transportation of U.S. Foreign Trade: 1970 (Public Use Tapes) released by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census in 1972. No remotely similar data source has existed since 1956. A comprehensive review of the survey's sampling process reveals the limited usefulness of the data; the weighting scheme employed permitted very accurate estimates of critical characteristics of the population but resulted in intolerable sample variability when concerned with other characteristics for selected sub-populations. This finding restricted the authors’ effort to a descriptive rather than an analytical re-evaluation of the geographic region served by the Great Lakes in international shipping of general cargo. The authors indicate that the Great Lakes-related subsample studies suggest that the U.S. Great Lakes economic region consists of only six states bordering the Lakes: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
High-speed fluorescence detection of explosives vapor

High-density optical arrays of fluorescent micrometer sized sensors show promise for detecting low level vapor phase explosives and explosives-like compounds. Imaging software and a high-speed CCD detection system are used to capture changes in a temporal response pattern upon pulsatile vapor delivery to the sensors. Nitroaromatic compounds, such as 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) and 1,3-dinitrobenzene, which are often present on the solid surface above buried landmines, are used to train pattern recognition networks for vapor phase detection. We have demonstrated previously that approximately 9 ppb 2,4-DNT can be detected when signal processing schemes are employed.
Comparison of the Faraday rotation for the two- and three-dimensional models of the inversion layer in a metal-oxide-semiconductor system

We have previously calculated the Faraday rotation due to the inversion layer in a metal-oxide-semiconductor system, using both a three-dimensional model and a two-dimensional model for the inversion layer. However, in the limit of the inversion-layer thickness going to zero, the results for both models should be the same, but they are not. Here we show that if the three-dimensional model is extended to include multiple-reflection effects within the inversion layer, we do get agreement. We conclude that the two-dimensional model automatically takes multiple-reflection effects within the inversion layer into account and that this also explains the source of the dependence of the Faraday rotation on the oxide layer which we previously obtained in the case of the two-dimensional model.
The base-rate fallacy in the context of sequential categories.

Three experiments assessed base-rate utilization in a paradigm in which the relevant categories of the population were trials in sequences of variable length. In one version of stimulus materials, for example, a trial was represented by a toss of a coin, and a sequence was a series of coin tosses. Since each described sequence was to end upon the scoring of a “hit” in any trial, the likelihood of a trial’s being attempted was a decreasing function of its position in the sequence. Subjects who estimated the particular trial upon which the hit in a sequence was most likely to occur showed a significant tendency to ignore the probable higher prevalence—the greater base rate— of early trials in the overall population of atttempts, typically estimating that the hit in the sequence was equally likely on any trial. This tendency, however, was modified by the specific problem context. In all experiments, significantly more normatively correct estimates were made in the coin context, in which the disparity between base rates of early trials and later trials was most pronounced. Although subjects in the third experiment who had previously taken a statistics course displayed superior performance on the coin problem, there was no evidence of transfer of this superiority to another context. These results are interpreted within the theoretical framework of the base-rate fallacy. In particular, the article discusses implications of the finding that general base rates may be ignored even in the absence of specific diagnostic indicators.
Metabolic profiles predict adverse events after coronary artery bypass grafting

Objective Clinical models incompletely predict the outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting. Novel molecular technologies can identify biomarkers to improve risk stratification. We examined whether metabolic profiles can predict adverse events in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods The study population comprised 478 subjects from the CATHGEN biorepository of patients referred for cardiac catheterization who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting after enrollment. Targeted mass spectrometry-based profiling of 69 metabolites was performed in frozen, fasting plasma samples collected before surgery. Principal components analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression modeling were used to assess the relation between the metabolite factor levels and a composite outcome of postcoronary artery bypass grafting myocardial infarction, the need for percutaneous coronary intervention, repeat coronary artery bypass grafting, and death. Results During a mean follow-up period of 4.3 ± 2.4 years, 126 subjects (26.4%) experienced an adverse event. Three principal components analysis-derived factors were significantly associated with an adverse outcome on univariate analysis: short-chain dicarboxylacylcarnitines (factor 2, P = .001); ketone-related metabolites (factor 5, P = .02); and short-chain acylcarnitines (factor 6, P = .004). These 3 factors remained independently predictive of an adverse outcome after multivariate adjustment: factor 2 (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.10–1.38; P P = .04), and factor 6 (odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.27; P = .03). Conclusions Metabolic profiles are independently associated with adverse outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting. These profiles might represent novel biomarkers of risk that can augment existing tools for risk stratification of coronary artery bypass grafting patients and might elucidate novel biochemical pathways that mediate risk.
Likelihood to Vote, Candidate Choice, and the Third-Person Effect: Behavioral Implications of Political Advertising in the 2004 Presidential Election

This study found that levels of likelihood to vote can be predicted by the third-person effect. Unlike past studies that treated support for censorship as the main consequence of the third-person effect, this study is the first to examine the direct political implications of the process. A judgment task experiment of 340 individuals who were shown four ads from the 2004 Bush and Kerry campaigns yielded support for both the perceptual and behavioral hypotheses. The authors present paternalism as a theoretical rational for this occurrence. If individuals feel that others who are less knowledgeable or politically sophisticated than they are might be more likely to be persuaded by political advertising, they in turn would attempt to compensate for other's perceived ignorance by taking political action such as voting.
Scanning Electron Microscopy in Forensic Science

Scanning electron microscopy is providing increasingly definitive solutions to criminal problems since its commercial debut in 1965. This has been due to the ability of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to simultaneously produce several electron probe-induced signals from the specimen, which generate readily interpretable images of surface topography and material composition. The successful applications of these signals are determined by sample preparation and instrumental parameters. No other microbeam technology combines high resolution (2–5 nm) of the topographic (secondary) electrons with large depth of field for three-dimensional viewing. The SEM is indeed ideal for stereomicroscopy. The versatility of the SEM stems from its additional capability to process each specimen signal by various contrast enhancement methods, such as line scanning, deflection modulation (DM), area mapping, etc. These methods allow an intuitive, stylistic, and synthetic analysis of the image and are ideal for quality control analysis. Digital SEMs have pioneered in automated image processing and unattended search and analysis of particulates. The combined SEM and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) is the most definitive technique in testing for gunshot residue (GSR) particles, collected by the glue-lift technique. In the analyses of other trace evidence, such as hair and fibers, in physical matching, and in nondestructive elemental analysis of physical evidence, the SEM/EDX is the most efficient of all microbeam technologies. From firearms, bullet wounds and human bones, to plants, pollen and fungi, the list of criminal evidence examined by SEM/EDX is endless. However, the SEM/EDX is not ideal for quantitative analysis of elements present as traces (<1% w/w). The SEM lacks the three-dimensional sectioning abilities of scanning beam confocal microscopes. The imaging capabilities of the SEM surpass these limitations. The SEM is, therefore, a major tool in forensic research and investigation.
Historical foundations of hormesis.

The present paper provides an historical assessment of the concept of hormesis and its relationship to homeopathy and modern medicine. It is argued that the dose–response concept was profoundly influenced by the conflict between homeopathy and traditional medicine and that decisions on which dose–response model to adopt were not based on “science” but rater on historical antipathies. While the historical dispute between homeopathy and traditional medicine has long since subsided, their impact upon the field has been enduring and generally unappreciated, profoundly adversely affecting current drug development, therapeutic strategies and environmental risk assessment strategies and policies.
Notes on the role of hydrogen ion concentration and buffer systems in the preparation of ophthalmic solutions.

Abstract In this paper various buffer systems are listed and an analysis is made of their usefulness as pharmaceutical buffers. A report is also made of the results of a thorough study to determine the optimum p H level at which solutions of the more common ophthalmic drugs should be buffered in order to assume maximum stability and therapeutic efficiency. These ophthalmic drugs are then classified into five groups and five buffer systems are recommended to the pharmacist for compounding pre‐scriptions calling for these drugs.
Dengue Virus Utilizes a Novel Strategy for Translation Initiation When Cap-Dependent Translation Is Inhibited

Viruses have developed numerous mechanisms to usurp the host cell translation apparatus. Dengue virus (DEN) and other flaviviruses, such as West Nile and yellow fever viruses, contain a 5' m7GpppN-capped positive-sense RNA genome with a nonpolyadenylated 3' untranslated region (UTR) that has been presumed to undergo translation in a cap-dependent manner. However, the means by which the DEN genome is translated effectively in the presence of capped, polyadenylated cellular mRNAs is unknown. This report demonstrates that DEN replication and translation are not affected under conditions that inhibit cap-dependent translation by targeting the cap-binding protein eukaryotic initiation factor 4E, a key regulator of cellular translation. We further show that under cellular conditions in which translation factors are limiting, DEN can alternate between canonical cap-dependent translation initiation and a noncanonical mechanism that appears not to require a functional m7G cap. This DEN noncanonical translation is not mediated by an internal ribosome entry site but requires the interaction of the DEN 5' and 3' UTRs for activity, suggesting a novel strategy for translation of animal viruses.
Interhemispheric neocortical connections of the corpus callosum in the reeler mutant mouse: A study based on anterograde and retrograde methods†

Interhemispheric neocortical connections are widely distributed through the corpus callosum in the mouse. Callosal connections are present in all cytoarchitectonic fields except field 25. The distal extremity representations of SmI, and MsI the representation of the mystacial vibrissae in SmI, and the more peripheral field representation of VI are relatively acallosal. Dense projections lie in the midline or truncal representations of SmI, MsI, SmII, at the vertical meridian representations bordering field 17, and medial to the AI representation. The radial distribution of terminals is bimodal in most cytoarchitectonic fields. It is unimodal in the supracallosal segment of field 29b and fields 49 and 27, trimodal in fields 13 and 35. The cells of origin of callosal fibers appear to have the same topographic pattern of distribution as the callosal terminals, observing the same steep and gradual density gradients. No cells giving rise to callosal axons are identified in the acallosal regions of fields 2 and 17. Further, superficial focal lesions in cortical areas which receive callosal connections give rise only to homotopic contralateral degeneration. Acallosal areas of 17 and 2 give rise to no callosal connections. The cells of origin of callosal connections are located at all laminar levels of the cortex and include pyramidal and polymorphic cells but not the granule cells of layer IV.
Forms and Functions of Telomerase RNA

Telomerase adds single-stranded telomeric DNA repeats to chromosome ends. Unlike other polymerases involved in genome replication, telomerase synthe- sizes DNA without use of a DNA template. Instead, the enzyme active site copies a template carried within the integral RNA subunit of the telomerase ribonucleo- protein (RNP) complex. In addition to providing a template, telomerase RNA has non-template motifs with critical functions in the catalytic cycle of repeat synthesis. In its complexity of structure and function, telomerase RNA resembles the non- coding RNAs of RNP machines like the ribosome and spliceosome that evolved from catalytic RNAs of the RNA World. However, unlike these RNPs, telomerase evolved its RNP identity after advent of the Protein World. Insights about telomer- ase have broad significance for understanding non-coding RNA biology as well as chromosome end maintenance and human disease.
An American Perspective on the U.K. Financial Services Authority: Politics, Goals, & Regulatory Intensity

Although similarities between the British and American systems of financial regulation are often remarked upon in academic commentary, the organizational structure of financial supervision in the two countries has diverged substantially in the past decade, as the United Kingdom has now largely consolidated its financial regulatory agencies in the Financial Services Authority whereas the United States has maintained the world’s most decentralized and fragmented collection of financial supervisory agencies. In this essay, Professor Howell Jackson explores various reasons why financial regulation in these two countries differs so dramatica lly in organizational structure. Focusing first on the differences in political economy that surrounded the enactment of the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 in the United Kingdom and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 in the United States, Professor Jackson discusses deeper differences in the regulatory philosophies of the two countries and also presents data on the relative intensity of financial regulation in both jurisdiction. He speculates that the comparatively more ambitious regulatory agenda of the U.S. system pushes the country towards a more elaborate system of financial oversight that is inherently more difficult to consolidate. In the United Kingdom, in contrast, the goals of the financial regulators are more modest and, to the extent that cost efficiency is one of the country’s regulatory objectives in the field of financial regulation, that policy tends to foster a less cumbersome system of financial regulation that more easily accommodates consolidation of regulatory functions. The paper concludes with some broader comparative data suggesting that while British financial regulation may be less intensive than financial regulation in the United States, it is substantially more intensive than financial regulation in many other jurisdictions, particularly civil law jurisdictions on the Continent.