cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emerging therapies for heart failure: renal mechanisms and effects

Improved understanding of the pathophysiology of salt and water homeostasis has provided a foundation for explaining the renal mechanisms of emerging therapies for heart failure, as well as why renal function might potentially be improved or harmed. These aspects are reviewed in this article for a number of newer therapies including adenosine, endothelin, and vasopressin receptor antagonists, as well as extracorporeal ultrafiltration. An appreciation of the complexity and sometimes opposing pathways of these approaches may explain their limited efficacy in early trials, in which there has not been a substantial improvement in patient or renal outcomes. In that there is often a balance between beneficial and maladaptive receptor actions and neurohumoral responses, this physiologic approach also provides insight into the rationale for combining therapies. Multi-agent strategies may thus maximize their effectiveness while minimizing adverse effects and tolerance. In this paper, the theoretical impact of the emerging agents based on their mechanism of action and pathophysiology of the disease is initially addressed. Then, the available clinical evidence for each class of drugs is reviewed with special emphasis on their effect on kidney-related parameters. Finally, a general overview of the complexity of the interpretation of trials is offered along with a number of potential explanations for the observed results.
Obesity and non-Hodgkin lymphoma survival in an ethnically diverse population: the Multiethnic Cohort study.

Obesity increases mortality for several malignancies, but for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), the association between body mass index (BMI) and survival is unclear. We examined the association of pre-diagnostic BMI with overall and NHL-specific survival in the multiethnic cohort (MEC) study of African Americans, Native Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Latinos, and Caucasians. MEC participants free of NHL at cohort entry and diagnosed with NHL during follow-up were included in the analyses (n = 1,331). BMI was based on self-reported weight and height at cohort entry and after 6.1 years of cohort entry. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) with BMI as time-varying exposure in relation to all-cause and NHL-specific mortality while adjusting for known confounders. The mean age at NHL diagnosis was 70.5 (range 45–89) years. After a mean follow-up of 4.3 ± 3.5 years, 667 deaths including 450 NHL-specific deaths occurred. In multivariable models, obese patients (BMI ≥30.0 kg/m2) had higher all-cause (HR 1.46, 95 % CI 1.13–1.87) and NHL-specific (HR 1.77, 95 % CI 1.30–2.41) mortality compared with patients with high-normal BMI (22.5–24.9 kg/m2). For overweight patients (BMI = 25.0–29.9 kg/m2), the respective HRs were 1.21 (95 % CI 0.99–1.49) and 1.36 (95 % CI 1.06–1.75). Cases with low-normal BMI (<22.5 kg/m2) experienced a significant 45 % higher all-cause and a 40 % higher NHL-specific mortality. After stratification by NHL type, the adverse effect of BMI was stronger for chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma than for diffuse large B cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. Pre-diagnostic BMI may be a suitable prognostic marker for NHL patients.
Magnetoplasma modes of a two-dimensional electron gas with spatially periodic charge density

Abstract The plasmon band structure of a two-dimensional electron gas with an arbitrary spatially periodic equilibrium density is studied.
Visualizing the History of Knowledge Production through the Bibliography of Philosophy

This paper examines prospects for visualizing historical bibliography, which studies the history of books and the people, institutions, and machines surrounding them. These studies have potential for revealing not only the history of knowledge production, but also for examining the evolving structures used to organize, catalog, and conceptualize that knowledge. This paper presents a case study in history of philosophy using data from the largest bibliography in the field, which was parsed to extract structured information about each work and its subject heading. Such data reveal (1) the emergence of particular topics across time and space, (2) transmission of ideas as measured through publication location and version information, and (3) the topical shifts in the field over time as reflected by subject classification of texts. Together, these statistical, geospatial, and network visualizations explore the potential of historical bibliography within the digital humanities.
Luminescent properties of GaN

Abstract Single-crystal vapor-grown GaN is an efficient source of u.v. (036μ) when excited optically or with an electron beam. At low temperature a photoluminescent peak is obtained at 3.477 eV; its temperature dependence is reported. A doublet at 3.37 eV has also been observed.
Studies on helminth immunity. II. Influence of Hymenolepis nana (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) in dual infections with H. diminuta in white mice and rats.

Abstract Experimental evidence indicates that in both white mice and rats the immunogenic tissue phase of Hymenolepis nana elicits an inhibitory reaction to infectivity and growth of the related but nonimmunogenic H. diminuta . A direct competitive effect of H. nana on H. diminuta —but not the reverse—is also demonstrated. Infection of white mice with eggs of H. nana sharply reduces infectivity and average size of a subsequent H. diminuta infection, whether the preceding H. nana infection is present or lost. When cysticercoids of both species are fed simultaneously to white mice, the H. diminuta infection is reduced in worm size and rate of infection. Simultaneous cysticercoid feedings in mice, preceded by an H. nana egg infection, result in a still more marked inhibition of the H. diminuta infection. In an initial feeding of H. diminuta cysticercoids, followed by one with H. nana cysticercoids, the effect on H. diminuta is roughly inversely proportional to the time interval between infections. In white rats, an infection with H. nana eggs challenged by H. diminuta cysticercoids results in reduced volume and weight of the H. diminuta worm burden as does an infection with H. diminuta cysticercoids followed by H. nana eggs. The tissue phase following egg infection with H. nana or the autoinfection tissue phase following cysticercoid feeding is considered to be the primary immunizing factor responsible for this cross-reaction.
Suppression of Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) by Endophytic Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin

The ubiquitous entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin was applied to whorl-stage corn plants, Zea mays L., by foliar application of a granular formulation of conidia and by injection of a conidial suspension. Plants were analyzed at harvest for presence of B. bassiana and for the amount of tunneling by laboratory-reared European corn borer larvae, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner). In 1989, 98.3% of the foliarly treated plants, 95.0% of the injected plants, and 33.3% of the nontreated plants were colonized by B. bassiana at harvest. In 1988, there were no significant differences between treatment effects on O. nubilalis tunneling in plants. In 1989, when environmental conditions were more conducive to fungal growth, tunneling was significantly greater in the control plants, followed by the injected and foliarly treated plants. When applied to foliage, B. bassiana provided the greatest amount of O. nubilalis suppression. The entomopathogenic fungus colonized the corn plant at whorl stage, moved within the plant, and persisted to provide season-long suppression of O. nubilalis .
Effects of chronic exposure to ethanol alone and in combination with desipramine on β-adrenoceptors of rat brain

The effect of chronic ethanol exposure alone or in combination with desipramine on agonist and antagonist binding to beta-adrenoceptors was studied in membrane preparations from rat frontal cortex and hippocampus. Ten day exposure of animals to ethanol vapor (25 mg/l) in inhalation chambers had no effect on binding properties of antagonist iodocyanopindolol (ICYP) in either brain region. However, ethanol in combination with chronic desipramine treatment prevented the reduction of beta-adrenoceptor density in frontal cortex produced by desipramine administration. Similar to its effects on antagonist binding, chronic ethanol exposure did not change the agonist isoproterenol binding characteristics measured in membranes from either rat frontal cortex or hippocampus. However, the combination of ethanol plus desipramine reduced the dissociation constant of the low affinity state of the receptor (KL) in frontal cortex from 23.1 +/- 3.7 microM in controls to 11.2 +/- 1.7 microM. Moreover, ethanol plus desipramine produced a greater decrease in the percentage of cortical receptors in the high affinity state for agonist (%RH) than did desipramine alone. This suggests that ethanol enhances desipramine-induced desensitization of beta-adrenoceptors in frontal cortex in spite of the prevention of reduction in density of the receptors. In hippocampal membranes, ethanol together with desipramine prevented desipramine-induced changes in agonist binding characteristics, i.e. the decrease in KH (dissociation constant from high affinity state of the receptor) and the consequent enhancement in KL/KH ratio. Thus, chronic exposure to relatively low concentrations of ethanol partially prevents effects of desipramine on beta-adrenoceptors.
Learning is organized by chunking

Chunking of items, with further organization of the chunks, has long been supposed to play a significant role in verbal learning. Spontaneous chunking in natural free recall learning is demonstrated directly by identifying clusters of items that recur together in different retrieval attempts, demarcated by different items or clusters. Trial-by-trial delineation of actual chunks and their organization in typical individual learning protocols demonstrates that items are spontaneously clustered into many small recurrent chunks, which remain intact when they are juxtaposed in higher-order organization of the basic chunks. Identification of the actual chunks in each retrieval permits trial-by-trial analysis of organization during verbal learning in terms of both basic clustering and higher-order organization of recurrent, well-defined clusters. Identification of chunking also allows analysis of the increasing rate of retrieval during learning in terms of individual items, items within chunks, and chunks.
Assessment of the relationship between self-reported smoking rate and ecolyzer measurement

The relationship between self-reported smoking rates and Ecolyzer measurements of carbon monoxide was assessed in a series of 4 studies. Factors such as the reactive effects of prior measurement and the time period of administration were examined. In general, a close relationship between Ecolyzer readings and self-reported smoking rates was found. Prior Ecolyzer testing did not appear to reduce the strength of the relationship of Ecolyzer measurement to self-report at subsequent administrations. Thus, support was found for the use of carbon monoxide measurement as a valid means of corroborating self-report data. Implications for future research in this area were discussed.
Recent doctoral dissertation research on gifted

Dissertation titles and abstract information contained herein are published with permission of University Microfilms International, and may not be reproduced without their prior permission. Complete copies of the dissertations may be obtained by addressing requests specifying Order Number to University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106, or by telephoning [toll‐free] 800–521–3042.
Soviet Pricing, Profits and Technological Choice

It is an article of faith in Western economic thought that the only useful prices are scarcity prices, that is, marginal-cost prices which equate supply and demand. This idea receives its most vigorous support when the pricing of inputs is to be used as a means of bringing about productive efficiency. Even some socialists accepted this view. In his essay, " On the Economic Theory of Socialism ", Oskar Lange [2, p. 94] wrote that " the rule to produce at the minimum average cost has no significance . . . unless prices represent the relative scarcity of the factors of production ". Official Soviet policy requires that prices of producers' goods be set so as to ensure a "profit for each normally functioning enterprise ". Prices obtained under these circumstances reflect production costs associated with the entire range of production techniques in use, rather than those associated with only the " marginal " technique. These prices do not in general equal marginal costs (and they do not equate supply and demand) so it is hardly surprising that Western economists are sceptical about their efficacy. In particular, because prices of intermediate goods do not reflect their relative economic scarcity, one would expect the Soviet pricing policy to have an adverse impact on technological choice. Nevertheless, I believe that Soviet pricing policy does not inherently result in inefficient production. With the aid of a mathematical model designed to resemble certain aspects of the Soviet economic framework, I shall argue that the Soviet pricing policy will, under certain conditions, tend to promote the adoption of optimal production techniques.
Space charge currents, domains and instabilities viewed with voltage contrast spectroscopy

Abstract We have used the voltage contrast mode of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to image deep level domains in semi-insulating (SI) GaAs n -i -n resistor structures. Our samples consisted of SI undoped, Cr doped and In alloyed liquid encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) material with alloyed AuGe/Ni contacts at spacings from 10 μm to 2.27 mm. By viewing the contact side of the samples with a scanning electron microscope while the devices were biased in the oscillation region, we observed domain formation and motion from cathode to anode in real time. We observe interactions between the propagating domains and the cellular dislocation structure in the SI GaAs. The spatial incoherence manifests itself as high frequency noise in the time series current waveform by producing an apparent higher dimensionality for the carriers. We also present the first time observation of chaotic behavior in an AlAs/GaAs superlattice structure.
Source-level IP packet bursts: causes and effects

By source-level IP packet burst, we mean several IP packets sent back-to-back from the source of a flow. We first identify several causes of source-level bursts, including TCP's slow start, idle restart, window advancement after loss recovery, and segmentation of application messages into multiple UDP packets. We then show that the presence of packet bursts in individual flows can have a major impact on aggregate traffic. In particular, such bursts create scaling in a range of timescales which corresponds to the burst duration. Uniform "spreading" of bursts in the time axis reduces the scaling exponent in short timescales (up to 100-200ms) to almost zero, meaning that the aggregate traffic becomes practically uncorrelated in that range. This result provides a plausible explanation for the scaling behavior of Internet traffic in short timescales. We also show that removing packet bursts from individual flows reduces significantly the tail of the aggregate marginal distribution, and it improves queueing performance, especially in moderate utilizations (50-85%).
Electric-field effect in InP quantum films

Atomistic calculations on the electric-field effect in quantum nanostructures are rare. In this work, field-induced energy shifts and wave function variations in InP quantum films of different orientations are calculated using an atomistic pseudopotential approach. The Stark shifts obtained from the atomic approach are found to be strikingly larger than what are obtained from conventional continuum theory. The field effects in In-terminated and P-terminated InP(001) films of the same thickness are found to be unexpectedly different. A strong field-induced coupling between the surface state due to the In dangling bond and bulklike state is revealed.
The effect of smoking intervention and an inhaled bronchodilator on airways reactivity in COPD: The Lung Health Study

Background The Lung Health Study (LHS), a 5-year, randomized, prospective clinical trial, studied the effects of smoking intervention and therapy with inhaled anticholinergic bronchodilators on FEV1 in participants who were 35 to 60 years of age and had mild COPD. Participants were randomized into the following three groups: usual care; smoking cessation plus inhaled ipratropium bromide; and smoking cessation plus placebo inhaler. This report evaluates the effects of these interventions, demographic characteristics, smoking status, and FEV1 changes on airway responsiveness (AR). Methods and results Of 5,887 participants, 4,201 underwent methacholine challenge testing both at study entry and study completion. All groups increased AR during the 5-year period. The increase in AR was greatest in continuing smokers and was associated with a greater FEV1 decline. An intent-to-treat analysis indicated no significant differences in AR changes among the three groups. Conclusions Changes in AR over a 5-year period in the LHS were primarily related to changes in the FEV1. The greater the decline in FEV1, the greater the increase in AR. Smoking cessation had a small additional benefit in AR beyond its favorable effects on FEV1 changes.
Allogeneic marrow transplantation for acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia in relapse using fractionated total body irradiation

Twelve patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in second to fourth remission received allogeneic marrow transplants following preparation with cyclophosphamide, 120 mg/kg and 1400 rad of fractionated total body irradiation. Two patients died of interstitial pneumonitis 32 and 62 days post-transplantation. Six patients relapsed between days 59 and 659 and four died of leukemia-related problems. Two patients who relapsed are currently alive, one in remission and one in relapse. Four patients are alive and free of disease 657 to 991 days following transplantation. This disease-free survival was not significantly better than the six of 22 disease-free survivors previously observed following cyclophosphamide and 1000 rad of total body irradiation given in a single exposure.
Improving the model development process: model testing: is it only a special case of software testing?

Effective testing of software is an important concern in the software engineering community. While many techniques regularly used for testing software apply equally well to testing the implementations of simulation models, we believe that testing simulations often raises issues that occur infrequently in other types of software. We believe that many code characteristics that commonly occur in simulation code are precisely those that the software testing community has identified as making testing challenging. We discuss many of the techniques that software engineering community has developed to deal with those features and evaluate their applicability to simulation development.
Developmental Physiology of Bean Leaf Plastids III. Tube Transformation and Protochlorophyll (ide) Photoconversion by a Flash Irradiation

A light flash of about 1 millisecond duration elicits tube transformation in paracrystalline prolamellar bodies as well as maximal protochlorophyll(ide) photoconversion in etiolated bean leaves (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). These findings support a more detailed hypothesis on the linkage between tube transformation and protochlorophyll(ide) photoconversion than has been offered previously.
Assessment and management of the painful shoulder.

Abstract The shoulder joint is a complex structure composed of intricate bony architecture and an ornate system of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. What many refer to as the “shoulder joint” is actually a combination of 4 articulations—the glenohumeral joint, acromioclavicular joint, sternoclavicular joint, and the scapulothoracic articulation. These structures work together to provide the shoulder complex with multiple degrees of freedom, which allow the upper extremity to be abducted, adducted, rotated, flexed, and extended. Although this flexibility is vital for positioning the arm in space, it can make the evaluation of pathology difficult. Furthermore, neck pathology can refer pain to the shoulder, which may require a screening evaluation of the neck. This article reviews the relevant anatomy and discusses an approach to the differential diagnosis of shoulder pain.
US Federal research & development funding: Strategic trade policy tool, by-product of military competition, or politics as usual?

ABSTRACT Svensson (1998, Kyklos 51(2): 259–75) asked whether strategic trade theory or aspects of sectors' political influence accounted for OECD governments' research and development funding, but he did not consider the roles of military spending or electoral politics. We examine US government research and development (R&D) expenditures during 1958–1998 to assess all these perspectives. Because expenditures were often undisclosed, disclosure itself must also be modeled. Disclosure and reported spending levels are affected by the same considerations that affect funding for other programs. While some variables invoked by strategic trade theory or models of arms races have their expected relation to reported funding, the marginal effects of employment, political concentration, and electoral votes are far larger. For the US it thus appears that the role of strategic trade policy or military security in government R&D expenditure patterns is relatively modest. Its government R&D funding is largely a matter of...
Avian Lymphomatosis as a Neoplastic Disease

Abstract THE apparently conflicting reports concerning the etiology and transmission of lymphomatosis have made it difficult to formulate a concept of the nature of this disease. Some have concluded that it is a virus disease in the usual sense of the term, while others believe it to be comparable to the recognized avian neoplasms. It is the purpose of this paper to defend the neoplastic concept of lymphomatosis by pointing out its similarities to the recognized neoplastic diseases of animals in general. The available data on this subject have been collected in widely scattered areas, under very different conditions, and by the use of strains of experimental animals whose similarity, as to resistance or susceptibility, have not been determined. Interpretation of data collected under such variable conditions is indeed hazardous. In spite of these difficulties, it seems advisable to review briefly the evidence supporting the neoplastic nature of lymphomatosis, for our . . .
The cross-cultural field excursion initiative: An educational approach to promote cultural competency in student pharmacists

Abstract As the demographics in the United States (US) are becoming increasingly diverse, it is essential that pharmacists provide culturally competent care to the diverse patient populations they serve. Cultural appreciation is highlighted in the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education's (ACPE) curricular guidelines and addressed in the Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) supplemental objectives to guide curriculum development. 1,2 Therefore, Colleges of Pharmacy are charged with employing effective strategies to help student pharmacists develop cross-cultural skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of cross-cultural field excursion initiatives as a means to encourage cultural competency in student pharmacists. Eighteen student pharmacists participated in a field excursion to Kalaupapa, Molokai to explore the cultural implications of Hansen disease on the population of Hawaii. The excursion included the writing of a pre-trip research paper, a visit to Kalaupapa, Molokai and a presentation to their classmates upon return. Following this experience, 17 of the 18 participants took part in focus group discussions to explore the primary research question "Are cross-cultural field excursion initiatives a viable way to increase cultural competency in student pharmacists?" The findings suggested that an educational format that combines independent research, a field excursion, post-trip presentations and focus-group discussions does promote cultural competency and that the experiential nature of this initiative had a significant impact on the participants. Further research is needed to determine whether the knowledge gained from this experience is carried forward and applied to their clinical practice.
FOXOs, cancer and regulation of apoptosis

Forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factors are involved in multiple signaling pathways and play critical roles in a number of physiological and pathological processes including cancer. The importance of FOXO factors ascribes them under multiple levels of regulation including phosphorylation, acetylation/deacetylation, ubiquitination and protein–protein interactions. As FOXO factors play a pivotal role in cell fate decision, mounting evidence suggests that FOXO factors function as tumor suppressors in a variety of cancers. FOXOs are actively involved in promoting apoptosis in a mitochondria-independent and -dependent manner by inducing the expression of death receptor ligands, including Fas ligand and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, and Bcl-2 family members, such as Bim, bNIP3 and Bcl-XL, respectively. An understanding of FOXO proteins and their biology will provide new opportunities for developing more effective therapeutic approaches to treat cancer.
World Heart Day 2002 The International Burden of Cardiovascular Disease: Responding to the Emerging Global Epidemic

World Heart Day is September 29, 2002. This occasion provides an opportunity to recognize our successes in science and clinical care, to survey the present and future challenges at home and abroad, and to seek opportunities for international partnerships in addressing the burgeoning global epidemic of cardiovascular disease. The final decades of the twentieth century represented a period of unprecedented success for the cardiovascular biomedical enterprise in advancing the knowledge of cardiovascular disease. Scientific progress in understanding the mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases fueled the proliferation of new methods for prevention and treatment, clinical trials to critically test these interventions, and evidence-based practice guidelines to distill these scientific advances broadly into clinical practice. Despite major steps forward in the fight against cardiovascular disease, there is compelling evidence in the United States that we have not been fully effective in translating, disseminating, and expediting the adoption of scientific advances to improve outcomes for our society. We have failed to develop public health infrastructures and healthcare systems in parallel with the scientific progress to implement effective, evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies. Hence, we have not realized the potential of our scientific discoveries for improved cardiovascular health. A recent Institute of Medicine report1 underscored this dilemma, indicating that “between the care we have and the care we could have lies not just a gap, but a chasm.” The chasm may impede our efforts to achieve the Healthy People 2010 Objectives for the US population, as established by the Department of Health and Human Services.2 The US healthcare system is facing serious access and quality issues. Large segments of the US population do not have access to mainstream health care. These include the uninsured, a segment of the population that includes not only the unemployed but also many self-employed and low-wage earners. It …
Optimization of stepper parameters and its design rule for an attenuated phase-shifting mask

An attenuated phase-shifting mask is favorable lithography technique for enhancing the depth-of-focus for isolated hole. However, it is restricted by sidelobe printing at dense array holes. To reduce the sidelobe printing, various methods such as surface insoluble layer, add an auxiliary hole, and optimization of NA and sigma were investigated. The method of surface insoluble layer was not effective for the dense array holes and CD uniformity was not improved. The method that adds an auxiliary hole at sidelobe position of highly dense array pattern can reduce the sidelobe printing completely, but mask CD and mask defect inspection as well as automatic layout of auxiliary holes for nonrepeating patterns in periphery area will be issued. In order to optimize the NA and sigma value, DOF and sidelobe printing were considered. Also CD control is studied by considering the CD linearity and optical proximity correction (OPC) as mask print bias is applied. Design rule for attPSM was suggested at optimized and fixed conditions.
Clinical assessment in infancy utilizing structured playroom situations.

Abstract This paper describes our experience with structured playroom laboratory situations which have proven to be useful in the evaluation of social-emotional development in infants. We believe a reliable and valid clinical instrument for infants should (1) be standardized, (2) involve direct observation, (3) assess multiple lines of development, (4) represent an efficient use of time, (5) be amenable to objective measures, and (6) allow as much as possible for the expression of spontaneous and typical patterns of behavior. Major elements of the observation session include (1) free play involving the mother and her infant, (2) comparison of the infant's response to a similar approach by the mother and an unfamiliar person, (3) a developmental testing situation during which the infant's responses to mild frustration and his or her motivation to master the environment can be observed, and (4) a brief maternal separation and reunion. In addition to normal infants from middle and low socioeconomic backgrounds, clinical populations with which the authors have worked include abused and/or neglected and premature infants. Typical reactions of normal infants during each of the segments as well as behaviors which may be cause for clinical concern are described.
Scanning Microscope For Optically Sectioning The Living Cornea

A prototype of a clinical optically sectioning, two-dimensional redox fluorescence imaging microscope is described. Ultraviolet light from an arc lamp is conducted to the optical system with a quartz optical fiber. A variable slit projects the light onto the cornea after passing an excitation interference filter. The dipping cone of the microscope applanates the cornea and focuses the light onto the endothelial cell layer which is 6 microns thick. The fluorescence emission from the mitochondrial reduced pyridine nucleotides (NADH + NADPH) is detected by a microchannel plate-gated intensifier attached to a Newvicon Video Camera and a digital image processor. The intrinsic natural cellular fluorescence is imaged and is indicative of the cellular state of oxidative metabolism. In addition, an optically sectioning microscope was developed with an optical spectrum analyzer to characterize the fluorescence spectra from thin layers in the cornea and ocular lens. Its unique feature is that the scanning objective is attached to a piezoelectric driver and scans the eye from the tear film to the aqueous humor. The depth resolution is 6 microns with an 100 x objective and 18 microns with a 50 power objective (100 micron slits). The applications include fluorescence measurements on biological layered structures. The present study involves the noninvasive measurement of oxidative metabolism of the component layers of the in vivo cornea. Finally, the utility of confocal microscopy in ophthalmology is demonstrated as a series of confocal images of the rabbit cornea with a depth resolution less than one micron.
Infant‐parent psychotherapy with an autistic toddler

Presentation d'une approche psychotherapeutique parent-nourrisson incluant des techniques d'education specialisee et bilan de son application pendant 3 ans et demi aupres d'un enfant autistique
Characterization of rabbit myocardial phospholipids with 31P nuclear magnetic resonance

To reduce chemical modifications of phospholipids during extraction and analysis, we developed and evaluated a method for analyzing tissue phospholipids with 31P NMR. Our results indicate: (1) 31P NMR of chloroform/methanol tissue extracts is a convenient and rapid technique for characterizing myocardial phospholipids. (2) Normal rabbit myocardium contains little, if any, lysoglycerophospholipid. (3) Conventional extraction and chromatography of phospholipids may convert choline and ethanolamine plasmalogens to lysoglycerophospholipids by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis.
Assessing the Cognitive Development of Counseling Students: Changes in Epistemological Assumptions.

The author investigated the cognitive development of counseling students at 3 points in their training. A cross-sectional analysis of 205 counseling master's students at 13 colleges and universities showed a linear trend between the students' progression through the program and their cognitive development. Initial results of a longitudinal study of students in 2 counseling programs corresponded with the results of the cross-sectional data. The results of the cross-sectional and initial longitudinal studies lend initial support to the idea that it may be possible to capture the broad development of counselor education students with a generalized model.
A computer aided cost estimation system for BGA/DCA technology

Abstract The last decade has seen an increasing demand for smaller and more densely populated printed circuit boards (PCBs). This is partly due to the market driven need within the electronics industry of reducing the size of products while concurrently enhancing their capabilities. Consequently, the electronics packaging industry is relying upon area array technologies such as Ball Grid Array (BGA) and Direct Chip Attach (DCA) as possible replacements for the traditional peripherally leaded surface mount packaging formats. However, since these technologies are still in their nascent stage, the cost benefits obtained from them need to be quantified in an effort to aid in justigying their use. This paper describes a Computer Aided Cost Estimation (CACE) system which has been developed to justify the use of BGA/DCA devices.
Gardner Murphy's Double-Aspect Psychology:

The present article is a sympathetic appraisal of Gardner Murphy's (1895–1979) “biosocial” psychology. Biosocial psychology is presented not as a personality theory but as one attempt to conceptual...
Probing the mechanistic aspects of the chromium salen catalyzed carbon dioxide/epoxide copolymerization process using in situ ATR/FTIR

Abstract Studies of the copolymerization of CO 2 and epoxides have been the staple of our group's research program for the better part of a decade now. During that time, the incorporation of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR/FTIR) spectroscopy has greatly enhanced the kinetic and mechanistic investigations performed. However helpful, there are some difficulties, e.g., phase partitioning, that we have discovered and overcome in that same time period. The greatest step forward was achieved by the incorporation of 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)-ethyltrimethoxysilane (TMSO) as an epoxide for performing accurate kinetic studies. Herein, we discuss the development of this technique into one of the mainstays within our laboratories, highlighted by our most recent catalyst system that utilizes (salen)Cr III X/cocatalyst where salen: N , N′ -bis(salicylidene)-1,2-ethylenediimine, X: Cl − or N 3 − and cocatalyst: N -methylimidazole, phosphines and PPN + salts. Through altering the cocatalyst, ligand architecture and initiator, this catalyst system has proven to be one of the most industrially viable catalysts currently being studied.
Trustworthy Software:Why we need it, Why we don't have it, How we can get it

We have become increasingly dependent on a national technological fabric that contains software, computers, and communication networks as essential components. Unfortunately, our ability to build affordable software systems for which there exists compelling evidence that the systems delivers their services in a manner that satisfies certain critical properties has not kept pace with the importance that these systems play in our lives. I think that there are five basic research issues that I think we must address if we are to advance our ability to build trustworthy software.
Winter‐time near‐surface currents in the strait of Juan de Fuca

Abstract During November 1976 to February 1977 near‐surface wind, current and temperature measurements were made at three sites along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Strong tidal currents and major intrusions of warmer, fresher offshore coastal water were superimposed upon the estuarine circulation of near‐surface seaward flow. The r.m.s. amplitudes of the diurnal and semidiurnal tidal currents were ∼30 cms‐1 and 30–47 cm s‐1, respectively. The vector‐mean flow at 4 m‐depth was seaward and decreased in speed from 28 cm s‐1 at 74 km from the entrance to 9 cm s‐1 at 11 km from the entrance. On five occasions intrusions of 1–3 C warmer northeast Pacific coastal water occurred for durations of 1–10 days. The 25 cm s‐1 up‐strait speed of the intrusive lens agreed to within 20% of the gravity current speed computed from Benjamin's (1968) hydraulic model. The near‐surface currents associated with the intrusions and the southerly coastal winds were significantly correlated, indicating that the intrusions were initiat...
What Is Wrong with This Picture

As part of an institutional review board–approved study of blood collection tubes, paired blood samples from renal dialysis patients were collected into plastic tubes (BD Vacutainer) with and without thrombin-based clot activator. All tubes contained barrier gel. Fig. 1 shows thrombin-containing tubes with blood from 2 study patients. Fig. 1. Blood samples from 2 patients after centrifugation at 1700 g . Both tubes contained a thrombin-based clot activator. 1. What is unusual in the image? 2. What is a …
Development of Gas-Phase Reaction Mechanisms for Nitramine Combustion

A methodology for developing gas-phase reaction mechanisms for nitramine propellants is discussed. Examples of fundamental kinetic experiments and detailed modeling calculations are given that emphasize a hierarchical construction procedure for both the types of experiments necessary for collecting kinetic data and the specific chemical submodels that need to be studied. In particular, three kinetic submodels of increasing complexity are described with selected results from flow reactor experiments. With kinetic data generated from these experiments and others, chemical submodels are developed and validated by comparison of model predictions with experimental measurements using reaction flux and sensitivity analyses to guide the process. Collectively, the submodels, validated over the entire range of experimentally studied conditions, are assembled to form the gasphase nitramine combustion mechanism. Because of the nature of the developmental procedure, e.g., the necessity for different types of experiments, ranging from "microscopic" measurements of isolated reaction rate constants to "macroscopic" studies on kinetic mechanisms in flames, the process is inherently iterative. As an example of this iterative procedure, numerical results are presented on the ignition behavior of hexahydro-l,3,5-trinitro1,3,5-triazine (RDX) after updating a previously developed model with recent results from submodel validation experiments. These results show changes in the pathways of many secondary species involved in RDX decomposition.
Understanding the transition from alternative medicine to mainstream science: the homocysteine theory of heart disease and the crucial role of effective mentoring

A deficiency of effective 'mentoring' may contribute to the relatively low quality of alternative medicine research and to the medical/scientific community's reluctance to consider even its most promising theories. This hypothesis derives from a case-study of the homocysteine theory of heart disease (HTSD), one of only a few recent theories to have made the transition from 'alternative' to 'mainstream'.
Major depression and immunity: Preliminary evidence of decreased natural killer cell populations

1. Alterations in cellular immunity have been suggested to occur in major depressed patients. 2. To investigate the populations of B-cells, T-cells and T-cell subsets in major depression, the authors utilized monoclonal antibody techniques to enumerate the number of total lymphocytes, B-cells and T-cell subpopulations in recently admitted patients with major depression or non-affective disorders. 3. The authors also studied the relationship between the immune state and hypercortisolism as measured by post-dexamethasone serum cortisol. 4. The preliminary findings from this pilot study suggest that major depressed patients may have altered cellular immunity as demonstrated by lower numbers of natural killer cells. 5. Further study will be necessary to confirm the trend for lower numbers of T-cell lymphocytes and T-cell subpopulations including helper cells, suppressor cells and natural killer cells in patients with non-suppression of serum cortisol following dexamethasone.
Myosin light chain 2-based selection of human iPSC-derived early ventricular cardiac myocytes

Applications of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived-cardiac myocytes (hiPSC-CMs) would be strengthened by the ability to generate specific cardiac myocyte (CM) lineages. However, purification of lineage-specific hiPSC-CMs is limited by the lack of cell marking techniques. Here, we have developed an iPSC-CM marking system using recombinant adenoviral reporter constructs with atrial- or ventricular-specific myosin light chain-2 (MLC-2) promoters. MLC-2a and MLC-2v selected hiPSC-CMs were purified by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and their biochemical and electrophysiological phenotypes analyzed. We demonstrate that the phenotype of both populations remained stable in culture and they expressed the expected sarcomeric proteins, gap junction proteins and chamber-specific transcription factors. Compared to MLC-2a cells, MLC-2v selected CMs had larger action potential amplitudes and durations. In addition, by immunofluorescence, we showed that MLC-2 isoform expression can be used to enrich hiPSC-CM consistent with early atrial and ventricular myocyte lineages. However, only the ventricular myosin light chain-2 promoter was able to purify a highly homogeneous population of iPSC-CMs. Using this approach, it is now possible to develop ventricular-specific disease models using iPSC-CMs while atrial-specific iPSC-CM cultures may require additional chamber-specific markers.
Mechanisms of Spectral Tuning in Blue Cone Visual Pigments VISIBLE AND RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY OF BLUE-SHIFTED RHODOPSIN MUTANTS

Spectral tuning by visual pigments involves the modulation of the physical properties of the chromophore (11-cis-retinal) by amino acid side chains that compose the chromophore-binding pocket. We identified 12 amino acid residues in the human blue cone pigment that might induce the required green-to-blue opsin shift. The simultaneous substitution of nine of these sites in rhodopsin (M86L, G90S, A117G, E122L, A124T, W265Y, A292S, A295S, and A299C) shifted the absorption maximum from 500 to 438 nm, accounting for 2,830 cm−1, or 80%, of the opsin shift between rhodopsin and the blue cone pigment. Raman spectroscopy of mutant pigments shows that the dielectric character and architecture of the chromophore-binding pocket are specifically altered. An increase in the number of dipolar side chains near the protonated Schiff base of retinal increases the ground-excited state energy gap via long range dipole-dipole Coulomb interaction. In addition, the W265Y substitution causes a decrease in solvent polarizability near the chromophore ring structure. Finally, two substitutions on transmembrane helix 3 (A117G and E122L) act in combination with the other substitutions to alter the binding-pocket structure, resulting in stronger interaction of the protonated Schiff base group with the surrounding dipolar groups and the counterion. Taken together, these results identify the amino acid side chains and the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for a majority of the opsin shift in blue visual pigments.
A survey of hydrogen bond geometries in the crystal structures of amino acids

An analysis of the geometries of the hydrogen bonds observed by neutron diffraction in thirt-two crystal structures of amino acids shows the following results. Of the 168 hydrogen bonds in the data set, 64 involve the zwitterion groups  and CO2. Another 18 are from to sulphate or carbonyl oxygens. The majority, 46, of these H … O bonds are three-centered (bifurcated). Nine are four-centered (trifurcated). The geometry in which the three-centered hydrogen bond involves both oxygens of the same carboxylate group is not especially favoured. When it does occur, one hydrogen bond is generally shorter and the other longer, than when the bonding involves oxygens on different carboxylate groups. The shortest hydrogen bonds are the OH … O C, from a carboxylic acid hydroxyl to a carboxylate oxygen, and NH … OC when the nitrogen is the ring atom in histidine or proline. Carboxylate groups, on average, accept six hydrogen bonds, with no examples of less than four bonds. The reason for the large number of three-centered H … OC bonds is therefore a proton deficiency arising from the disparity between the tripled donor property of the groups and the sextuple, on average, acceptor property of the carboxylate groups. There is good geometrical evidence for the existence of H … O and H … Cl− hydrogen bonds, especially involving the hydrogen atoms on α-atoms.
A direct method for obtaining effective pair interactions in binary alloys

It is shown that effective pair interactions (EPI) in disordered binary alloys can be calculated accurately and reliably by direct averaging over a small number of randomly selected configurations within the framework of the recursion method. This approach is illustrated on a canonical tight-binding Hamiltonian and relies on the 'orbital peeling' technique to calculate energy differences directly, without large subtractive cancellations. The results are checked for convergence, both as a function of the number of configurations and the number of levels of the continued fraction, and are also compared with more elaborate calculations. The main advantages of such a real-space method are the computational simplicity and the possibility to treat deviations from lattice periodicity. The EPI are basis quantities to understand the phase formation and stability of substitutionally disordered solid solutions.
Late development of umbilical metastasis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for a gallbladder carcinoma.

A periumbilical mass developed 47 months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Pathologic examination of this mass showed features of moderately differentiated papillary adenocarcinoma, similar to that identified within the previously removed early stage (pT1b) gallbladder carcinoma. The cause of this at the laparoscope port is unclear. after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder carcinoma has not been reported previously. We reported a case with late periumbilical tumor seeding at the navel trocar insertion site in a 65-year-old female. A review of the preventative information of tumor recurrence and management is discussed. The use of gasless laparoscopy, slow desufflation, trocar site washout, wound protector and specimen bags are recommended.