cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Opioid Use Is Not Associated with Incomplete Wireless Capsule Endoscopy for Inpatient or Outpatient Procedures

Objective. Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is commonly used to directly visualize the small bowel. Opioids have variably been linked with incomplete studies and prolonged transit times in heterogeneous cohorts. We aimed to investigate the effect of opioid use on WCE for inpatient and outpatient cohorts. Methods. We performed a retrospective review of patients receiving WCE at our institution from April 2010 to March 2013. Demographic data, medical history, and WCE details were collected. Transit times were compared by log-rank analysis. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were utilized. Results. We performed 314 outpatient and 280 inpatient WCE that met study criteria. In the outpatient cohort, gastric transit time (GTT) was not significantly different between opioid and nonopioid users. Completion rates were similar as well (88% and 87%, ). In the inpatient cohort, GTT was significantly longer in patients receiving opioids than in patients not receiving opioids (44 versus 23 min, ), but completion rates were similar (71% versus 75%, ). Conclusion. Opioid use within 24 hours of WCE did not significantly affect completion rates for inpatients or outpatients. GTT was prolonged in inpatients receiving opioids but not in outpatients.
Certain bacteriostatic agents added to sera used in diagnostic tests for neurotropic virus infections.

Summary and Conclusions1. Zephiran and merthiolate 1:10,000 and sodium sulfathiazole 1:500 in normal rabbit serum had no virucidal effect upon Western equine and St. Louis encephalitis viruses as determined through serial virus dilutions under the holding conditions and dilution of a standard neutralization test.2. Mercuric cyanide 1:10,000 and phenyl mercuric borate 1:50,000 in serum under closely comparable conditions did not affect either of the above viruses or the Lansing mouse-adapted poliomyelitis virus.3. Phenyl mercuric borate 1:50,000 has been used over a period of one year in over 1,000 serum specimens which have been subjected to diagnostic tests. There has been no apparent interference. Many of these sera have been used repeatedly in neutralization tests against several neurotropic viruses and in experimental in vitro tests including mumps complement fixation tests. This agent has greatly reduced difficulties previously encountered due to contamination of sera during collection and routine ha...
α-Naphthylisothiocyanate Causes Neutrophils to Release Factors That Are Cytotoxic to Hepatocytes

Administration of alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) to rats causes acute liver injury characterized in part by hepatocellular damage and marked neutrophil infiltration, effects that resemble drug-induced cholangiolitic hepatitis in people. ANIT-induced liver injury is neutrophil dependent. Moreover, ANIT can activate neutrophils in vitro. Since neutrophil-derived proteases can mediate hepatocellular killing, we hypothesized that ANIT stimulates neutrophils to release proteolytic enzymes that are cytotoxic to hepatic parenchymal cells. To test this hypothesis, neutrophils were isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats and incubated with ANIT for 6-24 h. ANIT (6-50 microM) was not toxic to neutrophils as indicated by the lack of lactate dehydrogenase release into the incubation medium. The conditioned medium from ANIT-treated neutrophils (ANCM) was collected, centrifuged, added to isolated hepatocytes, and incubated for 8, 16, or 24 h. Conditioned medium collected from neutrophils exposed to 25 or 50 microM ANIT for 16-24 h caused hepatocellular damage as indicated by the release of alanine aminotransferase into the culture medium. The concentration of ANIT in ANCM was nondetectable (0.5 microM). Analysis of ANCM indicated the presence of both cathepsin G and elastase activities. Inhibitors of these enzymes afforded protection against ANCM-induced hepatocellular injury. These results indicate that ANIT causes neutrophils to release toxic proteases which cause hepatocellular damage in vitro.
Platelet-derived growth factor in Dupuytren's disease

This study investigated whether platelet-derived growth factor, a potent inducer of cell proliferation, was identifiable in association with myofibroblasts in Dupuytren's disease. Myofibroblasts in the hypercellular disease stages showed a strong reaction to platelet-derived growth factor antibody using light and electron microscopic immunochemical labels. Platelet-derived growth factor may play a role as a cellular signal for myofibroblast proliferation in the formation of the pathognomonic nodule in Dupuytren's disease.
Metabolism of 2-14C-(±)-Abscisic Acid in Excised Bean Axes

Excised embryonic bean axes (Phaseolus vulgaris, var. White Marrowfat) rapidly metabolize 2-(14)C-(+/-)-abscisic acid to two compounds, M-1 and M-2, which have very low growth-inhibitory activity. Chemical tests indicate the M-1 and M-2 are not previously described abscisic acid metabolites. M-2 accumulates in the axes and evidence is presented for the hypothesis that abscisic acid --> M-1 --> M-2. Zeatin, which partially reverses the abscisic acid-mediated growth inhibition of axes, neither decreases abscisic acid uptake nor causes any major changes in its metabolism. It was observed that axes transferred from abscisic acid-containing solutions to buffer resume control rates of fresh weight increase while still containing considerable quantities of abscisic acid.
Evoked fetal startle response: a possible intrauterine neurological examination.

Abstract The fetal startle reflex was studied in an attempt to provide an objective and quantitative estimate of the fetal neurological condition. This reflex is a normal response to a combined sound-vibratory stimulus in the healthy infant born after 30 weeks of gestation. It consists of a generalized paroxysmal motion that involves the whole body. Thirty women with uncomplicated pregnancies, who subsequently delivered healthy infants, were studied at term. Fetal movements were monitored by means of a real-time scanner. Placement of the transducer was such that it allowed for visualization of the long axis of the fetal forearm. A 3-second stimulus was delivered on the maternal abdomen over the fetal head with use of an artificial larynx. This device generates a mixed sound-vibratory output of 100 dB and 85 Hz. Sufficient visualization of the plane of forearm motion was possible 68% of the time, thus allowing for measurement of the duration of this motion. The results indicate that the mean duration of forearm motion in response to a 3-second sound-vibratory stimulus is 8.2 ± 2.3 seconds (±SEM). Since an immediate forearm motion was detected each time that a stimulus was applied, we conclude that the startle reflex does indeed exist in the fetus. This simple means of assessing the neurological state of the fetus may provide a way to evaluate fetal tone as it applies to antenatal fetal assessment.
An experimental determination of the Cr-DMB (DMB = 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene) bond energy in Cr(CO)5(DMB): Effects of alkyl substitution on chromium-olefin bond energies in Cr(CO)5(olefin) complexes

The chromium−olefin complex Cr(CO)5(DMB) (DMB = 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene) has been studied in the gas phase using transient infrared spectroscopy. This complex forms by addition of DMB to photogenerated Cr(CO)5 with a rate constant, kL = (7.0 ± 1.5) × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. The bond enthalpy for the DMB−Cr(CO)5 bond has been determined from the kinetics for the decay of Cr(CO)5(DMB) to be 20.1 ± 1.7 kcal/mol at 298 K. An energy decomposition analysis has been performed for a series of Cr(CO)5(olefin) complexes (olefin = DMB, ethylene, propene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, cis-2-butene, trans-2-butene, isobutene, and tetramethylethylene (TME)) using density functional theory. These calculations provide insights into trends in the chromium−olefin bond energy. The results reveal that the trend in bond energies in these complexes correlates with the number and the nature of the alkyl groups around the double bond, and that the dominant factor in this trend is the deformation energy of the olefin and Cr(CO)5, where the...
Polymorphism and evolution of the Rh blood groups.

With the aim of understanding the mechanism of maintenance of the Rh polymorphism in man, the probability and the first arrival time of an incompatibility mutant allele (recessive alleler) to reach a high frequency by genetic drift in a finite population and the allele frequency distribution under mutation pressure are studied. The deterministic changes in allele frequency in subdivided populations are also studied. The results obtained are as follows: (1) If the effective population size is 500–1,000, the probability of a single mutant allele to reach a frequency of 0.3 or 0.5 is quite small, and without recurrent mutation it is unlikely that the mutant allele becomes polymorphic. However, if the mutant allele happens to increase in frequency by genetic drift, the increase occurs quite rapidly. (2) In an infinitely large population the backward (u) and forward mutations (v) produce two stable equilibria, one of which has a frequency of 0.065 forh=0.05 and a frequency of 0.16 forh=0.01 whenu=v=10−4, whereh is the fitness reduction for the offspring from matingrr×RR. These frequencies are substantially higher than 0 but still lower than the frequencies in the European populations (0.3–0.6). In relatively small populations, however, the probability of the allele frequency being 0.3–0.6 becomes quite high ifh=0.01. (3) If a population is subdivided into subpopulations among which small migration occurs, stable equilibria may be developed. However, the equilibrium gene frequencies do not conform to the frequencies observed in the European populations. When the migration rate becomes higher, the stable equilibria disappear, but the gene frequency change in subdivided populations is generally much slower than that in a single random mating population, so that the Rh polymorphism may be maintained for a long time even if there are no stable equilibria. (4) If we consider all these factors together, it is possible to explain the Rh polymorphism in terms of the mutation-drift hypothesis without recourse to reproductive compensation. It seems that the Rh polymorphism is transient rather than stable.
Asymptotic study of the change-point mle in multivariate Gaussian families under contiguous alternatives

The problem of estimating an unknown change-point in the mean vector or covariance matrix of a sequence of independent multivariate Gaussian random variables is considered. Adapting the estimation methodology that Hinkley pursued for the case of abrupt changes, we develop theory for deriving the asymptotic distribution of the maximum likelihood estimator of the change-point when the amount of change is a function of the sample size and goes to zero in a smooth fashion as the sample size goes to infinity, yielding a contiguous change-point model. Simulations have been performed to illustrate the closeness of the asymptotic distribution with the empirical distribution, and to evaluate its robustness to departures from normality for reasonable sample sizes as well as parameter changes. Finally, we apply the methodology to estimate the change-point in the daily log-returns data of BLS (BellSouth) and VZ (Verizon) from NYSE.
A quantum informed continuum model for ferroelectric and flexoelectric materials

Correlations between quantum mechanics and continuum mechanics are investigated by exploring relations based on the electron density and electrostatic forces within an atomic lattice in ferroelectric materials. Theoretically, it is shown that anisotropic stress is dependent upon electrostatic forces that originate from the quadrupole density. This relation is directly determined if the nuclear charge and electron density are known. The result is an extension of the Hellmann-Feynman theory used to quantify stresses based on electrostatics. Further, flexoelectricity is found to be proportional to the next two higher order poles. These relations are obtained by correlating a nucleus-nucleus potential and nucleus-electron potential with the deformation gradient and second order gradient. An example is given for barium titanate by solving the electron density using density function theory (DFT) calculations. Changes in energy and stress under different lattice geometric constraints are modeled and compared to nonlinear continuum mechanics to understand differences in formulating a model directly from DFT calculations versus a nonlinear continuum model that uses polarization versus the quadrupole density as the order parameter.
Fast-scanning THz medical imaging system for clinical application

Applications for terahertz (THz) medical imaging have proliferated over the past few years due to advancements in source/detector technology and vigorous application development. While considerable effort has been applied to improving source output power and detector sensitivity, significantly less work has been devoted to improving image acquisition method and time. The majority of THz medical imaging systems in the literature typically acquire pixels by translating the target of interest beneath a fixed illumination beam. While this single-pixel whiskbroom methodology is appropriate for in vitro models, it is unsuitable for in vivo large animal and patient imaging due to practical constraints. This paper presents a scanned beam imaging system based on prior work that enables for reduced image acquisition time while allowing the source, target and detector to remain stationary. The system employs a spinning polygonal mirror and a set of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) objective lenses, and operates at a center illumination frequency of 525GHz with ~125GHz of 3dB bandwidth. The system achieves a focused beam diameter of 1.66mm and a large depth of field of <25 mm. Images of characterization targets and ex vivo tissue samples are presented and compared to results obtained with conventional fixed beam scanning systems.
A parallel environment for structural analysis of range imagery

Rigid objects can be modeled by quadric or planar polyhedra. This representation allows low-level data driven algorithms to determine the identity and pose of an object. Before an object can be matched with an internal model, however, its image must be first segmented into basic components, such as smooth patches. This paper describes a low-level parallel range data analysis system that uses input range data to characterize the underlying scene in terms of the visible surfaces, using simpl0e, invariant features to generate a view independent description of the scene. The central components of the system are a parallel segmenter and a parallel surface fitter. The segmentation algorithms are based on the estimation of surface curvatures. Surface fitting allows for pose estimation and recognition of objects in range scenes. Mathematically, surface fitting can be formulated as an overdetermined linear system which can be solved in the least-square sense. Because of numerical stability and ease of implementation, the QR-factorization using the Givens transformation is suited for the parallel solution of overdetermined systems. We discuss the implementation of the range analysis system on a distributed-memory hypercube parallel computer.
Gaze-dependent and time-restricted visual acuity measures in patients with Infantile Nystagmus Syndrome (INS).

Purpose We report a new method of measuring visual function in patients with INS by demonstrating the effects of eccentric gaze and forced time restriction on optotype recognition. Design Cross-sectional, comparative case-series. Methods No-time-restricted acuity (NTRA) and time-restricted acuity (TRA) for 19 patients and 18 controls were measured at multiple horizontal gaze angles. Results INS patients showed a significant lower visual acuity than controls (P Conclusions Gaze-dependent visual acuity tested with and without time restriction may be a useful measure of visual function in INS patients and could be used in interventional clinical trials.
Influence, appraisals, and emotions in close relationships

Influence messages can be characterized along two dimensions: explicitness and dominance. These dimensions were cast as causally antecedent to cognitive appraisals which, in turn, were expected to shape emotional response. Two studies were conducted in which participants were asked to assume the role of message target and then view a video of an influence message. The first study made use of a gain‐assistance goal, and the second was constructed around a give‐advice goal. Whereas both studies show strong support for the appraisal‐emotion link, the effect of message form on appraisals was weaker and more complex than expected. The results imply that only a subset of the appraisals are relevant to influence attempts in close relationships. Furthermore, dominance and explicitness showed unique and nonparallel effects on appraisals. Implications for appraisal theory, politeness theory, and interpersonal influence are discussed.
Porphyrenediynes: synthesis and cyclization of meso-enediynylporphyrins

Synthetic methodology to prepare porphyrinylethynyl enediynes has been developed. Compared to phenylethynyl derivatives, a bulky porphyrinic substituent on the alkyne significantly increases the thermal barrier toward Bergman cyclization and leads to multiple photolysis products.
Electronic structure of exohedral interactions between C60 and transition metals

Abstract The electron distribution and orbital interactions of C 60 with metals coordinated at different sites on the outside of the fullerene are evaluated. These sites include the position of a metal atom directly above a carbon atom (η 1 site), the metal atom centered above two carbons of a pentagon or above two carbons between two pentagons (both η 2 sites), the metal atom centered above a pentagon (η 5 site), and the metal atom centered above a hexagon (η 6 site). The frontier orbitals of C 60 are illustrated first with three-dimensional orbital contour plots. A palladium atom is then used to probe the bonding at the different sites on the C 60 surface. The results with Pd 0 are compared to our earlier study with the harder Ag + ion in order to examine the effects of metal electron richness and size. In addition, these results are compared with the bonding to more traditional ligands that represent the hapticity of these sites, such as methyl (η 1 ), ethylene (η 2 ), cyclopentadienyl (η 5 ), and benzene (η 6 ). The strength of the metal-C 60 interaction and the amount of charge delocalized from the metal to C 60 is sensitive to the site of coordination, the electron richness of the metal, and distortions in the geometry of C 60 . As discussed in our previous work, the frontier orbitals of C 60 are well-suited for synergistic bonding of a metal atom to a carbon-carbon pair in an alkene-like fashion, in which the HOMO of C 60 donates carbon-carbon π bonding electron density to the metal, and the LUMO of C 60 accepts electron density from the metal into a carbon-carbon π* antibonding orbital. Although the HOMO and LUMO of C 60 describe the basic interaction, many frontier orbitals are involved. The site above the CC bond between two pentagons is favored over the site above the CC bond within a pentagon, and the interaction above the other sites is indicated to be net repulsive by these calculations. The differentiation between these sites increases with the electron richness of the metal center. The bonding of the metal to C 60 is generally weaker than to the small ligands, except for very electron rich metal centers where the bonding to the η 2 site between pentagons apparently becomes stronger than the bonding to ethylene.
Evolutionary and Functional Aspects of Pituitary Gonadotropins in the Green Turtle, Chelonia Mydas

Information on the pituitary gonadotropins in Chelonia mydas represents some of the most complete data available for any reptile and thus provides an important basis for evaluating evolutionary processes in tetrapod endocrine physiology. The two gonadotropins isolated from Chelonia pituitary glands show clear chemical and immunological homologies to mammalian follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). However, receptor studies and biological tests indicate that the functions of these hormones may be different in turtles and mammals. In particular, Chelonia LH shows an unusual ability to interact with FSH receptor sites and to stimulate physiological functions normally attributed to FSH. Results with Chelonia LH demonstrate that errors may arise from using mammalian hormones to investigate reproduction in turtles. Measurements of endogenous gonadotropin levels in the plasma of breeding and nesting Chelonia provide a different perspective of the potential roles of the FSH and LH from that obtained in physiological tests. In particular, FSH and LH secretion are markedly dissociated during the nesting cycle; FSH has only a transient peak during oviposition, whereas LH, along with progesterone, displays a pronounced “ovulatory” surge in the day following nesting. Preliminary studies with synthetic gonadotropic releasing factors in Chelonia suggest that these may be useful in inducing reproductive changes.
Restricted plane tree representations of four Motzkin-Catalan equations

Abstract Four equations are presented relating the well-known Catalan numbers and the Motzkin numbers mn, defined by m(x) = 1 + xm(x) + x 2 m 2 (x) = ∑ n=0 m n x n , first encountered in Th. Motzkin's paper (Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 54 (1948) , 352–360) in a circle chording setting. In this paper five pairs of subsets of the plane trees provide natural settings for the four equations. In these settings the equations are immediate consequences of “natural correspondences” of the plane tree families.
Solid phase synthesis of 1,4-benzothiazepin-5-one derivatives

Abstract The solid phase synthesis of 1,4-benzothiazepin-5-one derivatives, resulting from the reaction of resin-bound protected cysteine with 2-fluoro-5-nitro-benzoic acid followed by a reductive alkylation and an intra molecular cyclization, is described.
Recovery from perseverative behavior after entorhinal cortex lesions in rats.

In a previous investigation we observed that entorhinal cortex lesions produce an impairment in spatial alternation characterized by repeated responses in one direction (i.e. 'perseveration'). Since this impairment disappears at the same time when the dentate gyrus is reinnervated by several of its remaining afferents, recovery from perseveration and sprouting may be related. To test this possibility, we examined the performance of two groups of rats with bilateral entorhinal lesions: one group began testing for retention of an alternation task on day 2 after the lesions; the other group began on day 12 (i.e. the time at which hippocampal sprouting occurs). Both groups exhibited significantly greater perseveration than their respective sham-operated groups over the first 6-12 days of testing. Thus, postoperative testing was required to facilitate the shift from perseverative to non-perseverative responding independent of the time at which sprouting in the dentate gyrus became established.
On Linear Block Codes and Deterministic Compressive Sampling

We suggest and explore a parallelism between linear block code parity check matrices and binary zero/one measurement matrices for compressed sensing. The resulting family of deterministic compressive samplers renders itself to the development of eective and ecient recovery algorithms for sparse signals that are not l1-based. Experimental results that we include herein demonstrate the utility of the presented developments. © (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
ADH and phorbol ester increase immunolabeling of the toad bladder apical membrane by antibodies made to granules

Polyclonal antibodies were raised to isolated toad bladder granules. On immunoblots, the anti-granule antiserum specifically stained components of isolated granules. Immunocytochemically, the anti-granule antiserum labeled the apical surface of the bladder. Immunolabeling increased at the apical surface when the bladder was exposed to antidiuretic hormone (ADH) serosally or phorbol ester (PMA) mucosally—conditions which stimulate apical granule exocytosis. The increase in granule epitopes on the apical surface was sixfold greater than the net increase in surface area.
Dopamine-dependent and dopamine-independent actions of cocaine as revealed by brain thermorecording in freely moving rats.

Brain temperature fluctuates biphasically in response to repeated, intravenous (i.v.) cocaine injections, perhaps reflecting cocaine's inhibiting effect on both dopamine (DA) transporters and Na + channels. By using a DA receptor blockade, one could separate these actions and determine the role of DA-dependent and DA-independent mechanisms in mediating this temperature fluctuation. Rats were chronically implanted with thermocouple probes in the brain, a non-locomotor head muscle and subcutaneously. Temperature fluctuations associated with ten repeated i.v. cocaine injections (1 mg/kg with 8-min inter-injection intervals) were examined after a combined, systemic administration of selective D1-like and D2-like receptor blockers (SCH-23390 and eticlopride) at doses that effectively inhibit DA transmission. In contrast to the initial temperature increases and subsequent biphasic fluctuations (decreases followed by increases) seen with repeated cocaine injections in saline-treated control, brain and muscle temperatures during DA receptor blockade decreased with each repeated cocaine injection. DA receptor blockade had no effects on skin temperature, which tonically decreased and biphasically fluctuated (decreases followed by increases) during repeated cocaine injections in both conditions. DA receptor blockade by itself slightly increased brain and muscle temperatures, with no evident effect on skin temperature. DA antagonists also strongly decreased spontaneous movement activity and completely blocked the locomotor activation normally induced by repeated cocaine injections. Although our data confirm that cocaine's inhibitory action on presynaptic DA uptake is essential for its ability to induce metabolic and behavioral activation, they also suggest that the physiological effects of this drug cannot be explained through this system alone. The continued hypothermic effect of cocaine points to its action on other central systems (particularly blockade of Na + channels) that may be important for the development of cocaine abuse and adverse effects of this drug.
Thermal stresses at high temperatures in stainless-steel rings by the moiré method

The research presented in this paper is a continuation of previous work published by one of the authors. Improvements in the techniques of recording and processing moire data in thermal-strain fields have extended the maximum temperature at which useful information can be obtained from 400 to 1600° F.
William russell: Educator and elocutionist

This article describes how William Russell, one of the early contributors to the elocutionary movement in this country, and at the time a prominent figure in the professional education movement, attempted to integrate his theories on education and elocution.
Subsequent Yield Surfaces for Annealed Mild Steel Under Dead-Weight Loading: Aging, Normality, Convexity, Corners, Bauschinger, and Cross Effects

Subsequent yield curves covering all four quadrants of axial stress-shear stress space were experimentally determined for SAE 1017 steel. Initial-yield test results for six different specimens under various combinations of axial load and twisting moments for dead-weight loading exhibited too much scatter to provide a definitive surface. However, after initial yielding of one to five percent a family of small-offset multiple probe yield curves was determined for each specimen. Subsequent curves in a given family of curves were derived from the preceding curves by either strain aging or loadings into the plastic range. Plastic stream increment vectors for zig-zag loading paths were determined. In general, natural aging and plastic straining resulted in smooth yield curves. There was some evidence to support occasional formation of well-rounded blunt corners under combined axial and shear loading. Subsequent yield surfaces underwent translation and changes in shape, and exhibited considerable Bauschinger and cross effects. In agreement with the maximum plastic work inequality all yield curves were convex and normality was obeyed.
The in vitro generation of lung and airway progenitor cells from human pluripotent stem cells

Lung and airway epithelial cells generated in vitro from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have applications in regenerative medicine, modeling of lung disease, drug screening and studies of human lung development. Here we describe a strategy for directed differentiation of hPSCs into developmental lung progenitors, and their subsequent differentiation into predominantly distal lung epithelial cells. The protocol entails four stages that recapitulate lung development, and it takes ∼50 d. First, definitive endoderm (DE) is induced in the presence of high concentrations of activin A. Subsequently, lung-biased anterior foregut endoderm (AFE) is specified by sequential inhibition of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and Wnt signaling. AFE is then ventralized by applying Wnt, BMP, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and retinoic acid (RA) signaling to obtain lung and airway progenitors. Finally, these are further differentiated into more mature epithelial cells types using Wnt, FGF, cAMP and glucocorticoid agonism. This protocol is conducted in defined conditions, it does not involve genetic manipulation of the cells and it results in cultures in which the majority of the cells express markers of various lung and airway epithelial cells, with a predominance of cells identifiable as functional type II alveolar epithelial cells.
Evolution of U.S. Domestic Airline Route Networks Since 1990

This paper examines how the networks of both legacy airlines and low-cost carriers evolved and adjusted to the changing competitive and economic environment between 1990 and 2003. The route networks of Air-Tran, America West, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Northwest, Southwest, United, and US Airways are examined. Several measures of operational characteristics are developed and applied to the principal hubs and other dominant airports of each of these carriers. Particular attention is paid to the strategic use of regional jets operated by affiliated carriers and the extent to which passengers used connecting flights as opposed to direct flights. The analysis focuses on how these airlines adapted their use of hubs and route networks during periods of economic growth and recession and how they adapted to other changes in the competitive environment. The legacy airlines have not backed away from the traditional hub-and-spoke network, nor is there evidence of reduced emphasis on connecting traffic. I...
Length Scaling in Spacecraft Dynamics

Length-scaling represents a new degree offreedom for spacecraft mission design. This paper presents a method for comparing the length scales of arbitrary spacecraft and uses this approach to evaluate the relevance of 12 environmental forces and torques. Three sample spacecraft geometries are considered: a sphere, a cube, and a thin square plate, at three near-Earth altitudes: 500, 1000, and 10,000 km. This analysis offers a guide for orbit and attitude simulations of small bodies, by suggesting which effects can and cannot be neglected for a given environment and error tolerance. This approach to length scaling may enable extremely small spacecraft to exploit unfamiliar dynamic behaviors that result in solar sail maneuvers, atmospheric reentry, and Lorentz propulsion.
Archaeological Contributions to Climate Change Research: The Archaeological Record as a Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental Archive*

Recent decades have seen a resurgence of interest in human ecodynamics—the relationship among climate, environment, and culture. Most published research concentrates on the potential causal role of climate and environment in culture change. We approach the issue from the other side: The archaeological record often incorporates important, sometimes unique, proxy records of climate, of environment, and of change in both. We detail four case studies, from South America, Southwest Asia, North America, and the Shetland Islands. In each case, the paleoclimatic and/or paleoenvironmental data resulted from multidisciplinary archaeological projects whose major objective was to understand past human behavior. Nevertheless, in each case, the projects generated important information about the natural world in the past. Often, these data play a role in modeling future climatic and environmental change of potential significance to humans. We note a growing use of archaeological proxy data by climate scientists and pred...
Inhibitors targeting hepatocyte growth factor receptor and their potential therapeutic applications

The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met signaling pathway is important in mediating a wide range of biological activities, including embryological development, wound healing, tissue regeneration, angiogenesis, proliferation, survival, scattering, motility, invasion and morphogenic differentiation. HGF and/or c-Met are expressed at abnormally high levels in a large variety of solid tumors. Various c-Met mutations have been described in many solid tumors and some hematologic malignancies. Therefore, inhibition of the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway has great potential in molecular targeted cancer therapy. Many patent applications associated with inhibition of the HGF/c-Met axis have been published in the past few years. There are four small molecule c-Met inhibitors presently in clinical trials. This review focusses on recent patent applications for small molecule c-Met inhibitors and their potential applications in cancer therapy.
First complex, then simple

At the start of a data analysis project it is often suggested that the researcher look first at multiple simple models. That is, always begin with simple, one variable at a time analyses, such as multiple single-variable tests for association or significance. Then, later, somehow (how?) pull all the separate pieces together into a single comprehensive framework, an inclusive data narrative. For detecting true compound effects with more than just marginal associations, this is easily defeated with simple examples. But more critically, it is looking through the data telescope from wrong end.
Inspiring Medical Students to Pursue Surgical Careers: Outcomes From Our Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Program

Background The past several years have witnessed a dramatic decline in the number of general surgery residents pursuing cardiothoracic surgery residency training. We believe that attracting individuals to pursue surgical careers should begin during the formative years of medical education. We implemented a program to introduce first-year medical students to cardiothoracic surgery and laboratory research. Methods In 2003, we began a program providing an introduction to cardiothoracic laboratory research and surgery for medical students. Students are competitively selected for our three-part 8-week summer program. First, students are paired with a cardiothoracic surgery attending for shadowing in clinic and the operating room. Second, students actively participate in large-animal operations in the laboratory. Finally, students complete a clinical research project under the direction of a laboratory resident and faculty mentor. These projects are the students' own. They are responsible for presenting their findings to the division of cardiac surgery at the end of the program. Results Since 2003, 18 students have completed the program. Each one has completed a project, collectively resulting in 39 peer-reviewed manuscripts. One student has published 28 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Of 10 students eligible for residency, 8 have applied in general surgery or surgical subspecialty (3 general, 2 plastic, 2 cardiothoracic, and 1 neurosurgery). Conclusions Implementing a program to introduce medical students to clinical and laboratory surgery has been successful, as measured by academic productivity. Eighty percent of eligible students entered a surgical field. Programs like these serve to stimulate interest in our specialty.
Application of the Principles: Career Counseling and Interventions

This article is designed to apply the Principles of Empirically Supported Interventions to the research related to career counseling and interventions. Although there is empirical support for career interventions in general, there is significant variation in effectiveness among different treatment approaches. The most effective interventions are individual career counseling and career classes, whereas workshops/structured groups and career classes are the most efficient method of providing services to the largest number of clients. Although the findings are somewhat tentative, there is preliminary support for the inclusion of five critical ingredients in all types of career interventions. Additional research, however, is needed to identify which clients benefit from which interventions under what circumstances.
Feasibility of achieving gain in transition to the ground state of C VI at 3.4 nm

We present numerical studies of recombination gain in the transition to the ground state of H-like C (2→1 transition at λ=3.4 nm). It is shown that high gain (up to about 180 cm−1) can be achieved using currently available, relatively compact, laser technology. The model includes the ionization of the plasma by an ultraintense, ultrashort laser pulse, followed by plasma expansion, cooling, and recombination. Transient population inversion is generated during the recombination process. We investigate the behavior of the gain with respect to different plasma parameters and pump pulse parameters and explain how the different properties of the plasma and the pump pulse affect the gain.
Reforming and fixation of carbon oxides in atmospheric pressure non-thermal CO/CO2 plasmas

Climate change concerns and the desire for chemical storage of alternative energy sources have increased interest in finding efficient techniques for the dissociation and sequestration of carbon dioxide. Here we study the chemical kinetics and role of non-equilibrium plasma conditions in the conversion of carbon oxides from one form to another. Namely the dissociation of CO2 to CO and the polymerization of CO to C3O2 (Carbon suboxide, C3O2 is a little known oxide of carbon which is solid and stable at ambient conditions.) With such knowledge new and attractive utilizations of CO2 may be realized. In the dissociation of CO, theory suggests that non-thermal plasmas will be more efficient than thermal techniques (48 kJ/mol vs. 340 kJ/mol). With gas chromatography measurements of produced gases, time resolved power measurements and emission spectroscopy measurements of non-equilibrium temperatures we are investigating the kinetics and efficiencies of carbon dioxide dissociation. Solid deposition of carbon oxides is known to occur in plasma discharges in carbon monoxide. C3O2 may be useful as a carbon fixation technology and also in the creation of storable, carbon neutral, solid fuels. Historically the deposits have been observed in low pressure plasma discharges; using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) we show that it is also possible for such depositions to readily take place at atmospheric pressure.
PATRICIA COVARRUBIAS , Culture, communication, and cooperation: Interpersonal relations and pronominal address in a Mexican organization . Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. Pp. xxiv, 161. Hb $60.00.

For those who find it useful to conceive of a language as a meaning-conveying instrument embedded in a cultural system, this brief, well-written treatment of pronominal address in Spanish will hold few surprises, but it will provide welcome and well-reasoned documentation of the major positions, supplemented by equally welcome expansions and elaborations of familiar points. Speakers of Spanish tend to address some interlocutors on some occasions using second-person verb forms, while addressing others, or the same on different occasions, using third-person forms, variably reinforcing the verbal morphology with the pronoun tu in the first cases and usted in the second. The author investigates alternative forms of what she calls “pronominal address” (irrespective of whether the pronoun is actually used), with data obtained from observations of workers at a construction company in Veracruz, Mexico, and from their own explanations of why they use one address form or the other. A good sample of the data is provided, presented in standard Spanish orthography with good, readable translations into English. For theoretical underpinning, the author offers the ethnography of speaking (Hymes 1962) and speech codes (Philipsen 1997).
Enron's Ethical Collapse: Lessons for Leadership Educators.

Top officials at Enron abused their power and privileges, manipulated information, engaged in inconsistent treatment of internal and external constituencies, put their own interests above those of their employees and the public, and failed to exercise proper oversight or shoulder responsibility for ethical failings. Followers were all too quick to follow their example. Therefore, implications for teaching leadership ethics include, educators must: (a) share some of the blame for what happened at Enron, (b) integrate ethics into the rest of the curriculum, (c) highlight the responsibilities of both leaders and followers, (d) address both individual and contextual variables that encourage corruption, (e) recognize the importance of trust and credibility in the leader-follower relationship, and (f) hold followers as well as leaders accountable for ethical misdeeds.
Acoustic correlates of lexical accent in Turkish

Phonologists have long discussed the properties of ‘stress’ in Turkish, though there are some authors that suggest that Turkish is actually a pitch-accent language. As a first step in determining whether Turkish should be grouped with pitch-accent languages such as Basque and Japanese or with stress-accent languages such as English, this experimental study provides a detailed phonetic examination of word-level accent in Turkish. Seven female native speakers of Turkish were recorded saying 40 target words in three repetitions. The results show that there are significant differences in duration, peak amplitude, and peak F0 between words with final vs. non-final lexical accent. The magnitude of the duration differences, however, is not likely to be sufficiently perceptible to be a reliable cue to accent placement. The F0 peaks were dramatically different between lexically accented and unaccented syllables. A discriminant analysis confirms that F0 is the most robust cue, followed by intensity and then duration. The current study also provides a method for determining lexical accent placement in words where accent placement has been disputed. That is, a marked drop in F0 signals that the syllable preceding the drop contains the lexical accent.
Motion drift modeling and correction for downscale video transcoding

Inter frames in compressed video make transcoding a complicated task since motion information is involved. This is especially true for downscale (spatial resolution) video transcoding in which input motion information cannot be precisely mapped to the output, which causes motion drift. Often carried out in full resolution, the drift compensation loop is computing intensive. In this paper, we model the entire process of downscale transcoding and propose a transcoding architecture that performs all computing-intensive loops in reduced resolution. We show that the computing load is significantly reduced while the quality is preserved.
Phytochemical Investigation of Arctostaphylos columbiana Piper and Arctostaphylos patula Greene (Ericaceae)

Improved methods of extraction and new techniques of isolation and identification of 11 components from the title plants were conducted. A solvent mixture of diverse polarity extracted four polycyclic compounds, a hydrocarbon, two flavonoids, and four phenols. Another phenolic, assumed to be widespread in the family, could not be shown to be present. Antibacterial and antifungal activity was found in the extracts obtained from both plants.
Cross-Layer Design of Distributed Sensing-Estimation With Quality Feedback— Part I: Optimal Schemes

This two-part paper presents a feedback-based cross-layer framework for distributed sensing and estimation of a dynamic process by a wireless sensor network (WSN). Sensor nodes wirelessly communicate measurements to the fusion center (FC). Cross-layer factors such as packet collisions and the sensing-transmission costs are considered. Each SN adapts its sensing-transmission action based on its own local observation quality and the estimation quality feedback from the FC under cost constraints for each SN. In this second part, low-complexity myopic sensing-transmission policies (MPs) are designed to optimize a trade-off between performance and the cost incurred by each SN. The MP is computed in closed form for a coordinated scheme, whereas an iterative algorithm is presented for a decentralized one, which converges to a local optimum. The MP dictates that, when the estimation quality is poor, only the best SNs activate, otherwise all SNs remain idle to preserve energy. For both schemes, the threshold on the estimation quality below which the SNs remain idle is derived in closed form, and is shown to be independent of the number of channels. It is also proved that a single channel suffices for severely energy constrained WSNs. The proposed MPs are shown to yield near-optimal performance with respect to the optimal policy of Part I, also in this issue, at a fraction of the complexity, thus being more suitable for practical WSN deployments.
Meprin A metalloproteases enhance renal damage and bladder inflammation after LPS challenge

Meprin metalloproteases, composed of α and/or β subunits, consist of membrane-bound and secreted forms that are abundantly expressed in proximal tubules of the kidney as well as secreted into the urinary tract. Previous studies indicated that meprin metalloproteases play a role in pathological conditions such as ischemic acute renal failure and urinary tract infection. The aim of this work was to examine the role of meprins in endotoxemic acute renal failure using meprin α knockout (αKO), meprin β knockout (βKO), and wild-type (WT) mice. Differences among the responses of the genotypes were observed as early as 1 h after challenge with 2.5 mg/kg ip Escherichia coli LPS, establishing roles for meprins in the endotoxemic response. Meprin αKO mice displayed lower blood urea nitrogen levels and decreased nitric oxide levels, indicative of a decreased systemic response to LPS compared with WT and meprin βKO mice. Serum cytokine profiles showed lower levels of IL-1β and TNF–α in the meprin αKO mice within 3 h after LPS challenge and confirmed a role for meprins in the early phases of the host response. Meprin αKO mice were also hyporesponsive to LPS administered to the bladder, exhibiting significantly less bladder edema, leukocyte infiltration, and bladder permeability than WT mice. These data indicate that meprin A contributes to the renal and urogenital pathogenesis of endotoxicity.
Theory of ferromagnetic hysteresis: determination of model parameters from experimental hysteresis loops

The authors describe how the parameters defining hysteresis in the theory of hysteresis can be obtained from a set of experimental magnetization measurements. The hysteresis parameters can be calculated from the anhysteretic susceptibility at the origin, the coercivity, the remanence, and the coordinates of the hysteresis loop tip. The ability to calculate the hysteresis parameters from a set of experimental data is a key step in the process of utilization of the hysteresis model. The algorithm that has been developed successfully determines the values of the parameters to within a few percent in most cases. >