cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factor V Leiden (FV Leiden) and Strokes in Children with Sickle Cell Anemia(HbSS). 648

Stroke is a frequent complication in patients with sickle cell anemia. Recently, an increased prevalence of resistance to activated protein C (APCR) has been reported in patients with idiopathic thrombosis. The defect responsible for APCR is a point mutation in the factor V gene IFV Leiden which changes Arg at position 506 to Gln. The estimated frequency of FV Leiden varies from 2 to 5% in the white population with similar or lower frequency in the African American population. This study was undertaken to determine whether FV Leiden is a risk factor for strokes in children with HbSS. The FV Leiden mutation eliminates a restriction enzyme digestion site, yielding characteristic RFLP patterns for heterozygotes and homozygotes. Genomic DNA gDNA) was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify a 206 bp fragment of the gDNA containing the mutated site, followed by Minl-1 digestion of the amplified product. The digests were run on 4% Nusieve agarose gels and visualized with ethidium bromide. The expected patterns were 3 bands of sizes 123, 47 and 36 bp's in patients with the normal FV gene; 4 bands of sizes 159, 123, 47, 36 bp's in heterozygotes with Leiden mutation and 2 bands of 159 and 47 b's in homozygotes with the Leiden mutation. Eighteen patients (ages 4 -21 years, median 9.5 years) with Hbss and stroke on chronic transfusion therapy were studied. All patients were African American. Factor V Leiden was not detected in any of the patients studied, suggesting that it probably does not contribute to development of stroke in HbSS. There is no information to disclose.
EFFECTS OF SHOCK CONTROLLABILITY ON SUBSEQUENT AGGRESSIVE AND DEFENSIVE BEHAVIORS IN THE COCKROACH (Periplaneta americana)

Male cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) were exposed to either escapable, inescapable, or no shock in an escape task for three consecutive days. 24 hr. later they were placed individually in an aquarium with a naive cockroach and the frequency of aggressive behavior and defensive behavior was recorded by a blind observer. The inescapable shock group of cockroaches displayed less aggressive behavior and a greater tendency to retreat from social encounter than the escapable shock or no shock groups.
Effects of chronic copper exposure on the macrophage chemiluminescent response and gill histology in goldfish (Carassius auratusL.)

Abstract The effects of chronic copper exposure on the macrophage chemiluminescent response and gill histology in goldfish ( Carassius auratus L.) were determined. Fish were exposed to sublethal concentrations (30, 65, 100, and 175 ppb) of copper sulphate for 96 h. Pronephric (head kidney) cells were collected and were comprised on lymphocytes, thrombocytes, monocytes/macrophages neutrophils and eosinophils/basophils (cell types grouped due to difficulty in identification). There were no significant differences in population profiles of cells used for chemiluminescence studies after exposure to 100 ppb copper. Density gradient-separated cells were stimulated with zymosan, the luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) response was measured and the results were compared to non-copper exposed controls. There was a significant correlation between copper concentration and reduction in the time at which the peak CL response [time to peak (TTP) CL] occurred. In addition, there was a significant parabolic dose response curve for peak CL response, which suggests increased production of reactive oxygen intermediates by phagocytes from fish exposed to concentrations up to 100 ppb, followed by inhibition at 175 ppb. These results indicate that copper affects phagocyte function in a complex manner, stimulating or inhibiting production of reactive oxygen intermediates depending on copper concentration. Exposure to concentrations of copper also resulted in varying degrees of gill hyperplasia. The relative median severity score (a score assigned to each gill based upon the amount of hyperplasia seen in a histological section) correlated significantly with the copper concentration. In addition, there was a very high correlation between the degree of hyperplasia and the TTP CL response. Levels of copper in the head kidney of goldfish exposed to 100 ppb were similar to controls as measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Thus, changes in the CL response of head kidney phagocytes of fish exposed to copper may be caused indirectly, via effects on other immunoregulatory cells or other physiological mechanisms. We conclude that addition of heavy metals such as copper to water can modify the CL responses of phagocytes and alter the histopathology of the gills in C. auratus .
Regional and mucosal memory T cells

After infection, most antigen-specific memory T cells reside in nonlymphoid tissues. Tissue-specific programming during priming leads to directed migration of T cells to the appropriate tissue, which promotes the development of tissue-resident memory in organs such as intestinal mucosa and skin. Mechanisms that regulate the retention of tissue-resident memory T cells include transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-mediated induction of the E-cadherin receptor CD103 and downregulation of the chemokine receptor CCR7. These pathways enhance protection in internal organs, such as the nervous system, and in the barrier tissues--the mucosa and skin. Memory T cells that reside at these surfaces provide a first line of defense against subsequent infection, and defining the factors that regulate their development is critical to understanding organ-based immunity.
Status and performance of the Discovery Channel Telescope during commissioning

Lowell Observatory's Discovery Channel Telescope is a 4.3m telescope designed for optical and near infrared astronomical observation. At first light, the telescope will have a cube capable of carrying five instruments and the wave front sensing and guider system at the f/6.1 RC focus. The corrected RC focus field of view is 30’ in diameter. Nasmyth and prime focus can be instrumented subsequently. Early commissioning work with the installed primary mirror and its support system started out using one of the wave front sensing probes mounted at prime focus, and has continued at RC with the recent installation of the secondary mirror. We will report on the on-sky pointing and tracking performance of the telescope, initial assessment of the functionality of the active optics support system, and tests of the early image quality of the telescope and optics. We will also describe the suite of first light instruments, and early science operations.
The Nuclear Moments of Technetium-99

The hyperfine structure in the optical spectrum of technetium has been investigated in the region 3600-7000A with a Fabry-Perot interferometer crossed with a quartz prism spectrograph. The light source was a liquid-nitrogen-cooled hollow cathode discharge tube. The nuclear-spin, magnetic moments previously reported by one of us are confirmed ($I=\frac{9}{2}\ensuremath{\hbar}$ and $\ensuremath{\mu}=5.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3$ nm) and are in agreement with a more recent nuclear induction measurement. The quadrupole moment of ${\mathrm{Tc}}^{99}$ is found to be: $Q=(+0.34\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.17)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}24}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$.
Generalized Hiller-Sucher-Feinberg identity

The identity recently derived by Hiller, Sucher, and Feinberg between a $\ensuremath{\delta}$-function expectation value and the expectation value of a smoothly varying operator is generalized. A discussion of the relative accuracy of the two expressions for approximate wave functions follows.
Thermodynamics of adsorption of binary aqueous organic liquid mixtures on a RPLC adsorbent.

Abstract The surface excess adsorption isotherms of organic solvents commonly used in RPLC with water as co-eluent or organic modifiers (methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran) were measured on a porous silica surface derivatized with chlorotrimethylsilane (C1-silica with 3.92 μ mol C1 groups per m2 of SiO2), using the dynamic minor disturbance method. The 5 μ m diameter particles were packed in a 150 mm × 4.6 mm column. The isotherm data were derived from signals resulting from small perturbations of the equilibrium between the aqueous–organic solutions and the adsorbent surface. The partial molar surface area of the adsorbed components were assumed to be the same as those of the pure components. The difference σ − σ i ∗ between the surface tensions of the adsorbed mixtures and that of the pure liquids was measured as a function of the organic modifier molar fraction. A simple and unique convention for the position of the Gibbs dividing surface was proposed to delimit the Gibbs’s adsorbed phase and the bulk liquid phase. The activity coefficients of the organic modifiers and of water and their thermodynamic equilibrium constants between the two phases were measured. The strong non-ideal behavior of the adsorbed phase is mostly accounted for by the surface heterogeneity. Some regions of the surface (bonded –Si(CH3)3 moieties) preferentially adsorb the organic compound while the regions close to unreacted silanols preferentially adsorb water.
Genetic Detection of Putative Hybridization between Native and Introduced Rainbow Trout Populations of the Upper Snake River

Abstract Native trout populations throughout western North America have declined because of habitat alteration, introgression with introduced trout, or competitive exclusion by nonnative species. Consequently, identification and preservation of native trout are now the goals of many management programs. We examined allozyme and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in seven naturally occurring populations and one hatchery population of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss from southern Idaho and northern Nevada to determine their genetic origins. Allozyme and mtDNA results were concordant in identifying three populations as genetically pure interior rainbow trout and one population as a hybrid swarm. Results for the remaining four populations were discordant. However, these latter four populations were best classified as hybrid swarms due to the nature of either the allozyme or mtDNA data, which included genetic characteristics of both coastal and interior rainbow trout. Our study demonstrates the utility of m...
Factors influencing the accuracy and precision of velocity‐encoded phase imaging

Velocity-encoded phase contrast imaging is being used increasingly in clinical imaging for quantization of blood flow. In this study, the accuracy and precision of ascending aorta flow measurements were found to depend on several subtle aspects of the scan prescription and image analysis. While the usual scan parameters such as TR, TE, and flip angle gave incremental changes in the flow measurements, four additional factors that had a much greater effect on the measurements were identified. These factors were (1) the zero velocity (background) pixel value, (2) the size and shape of the vessel region of interest, (3) the maximum velocity encoded in diastole, and (4) the temporal resolution. Statistical analysis was done on a total of 48 scans on nine normal subjects to confirm the significance of the measured differences using the various choices for each of these factors. These factors must be considered if accurate and precise measurements of blood flow are desired. Estimates of accuracy and precision suggest that quantitative flow measurements from velocity-encoded MR imaging can be clinically useful.
Analysis of three stimulation-seeking scales.

3 measures of stimulation seeking were administered to 128 pre-freshman students and 97 general psychology students. Normative data were provided and compared with previous data. Significantly higher means and correlations among scales were obtained for the general psychology students than for the pre-freshman students. It is possible that the Sensation-seeking Scale (SSS) tends to measure more variable characteristics than SVS or CSI. However, it is equally possible that these differences may be due to lack of reliability of the SSS or the insensitivity of the other two to change. Which of the possibilities may be or is the case is not evident from these data.
Correlation of normal stresses in polystyrene melts and its implications

It is found that the principal normal stress difference, N1, in commercial polystyrene melts is a unique function of shear stress σ12, independent of temperature and molecular weight, An empirical expression representing this relationship is developed. The functional dependence reported does not represent data for narrow molecular weight distribution polystyrenes, generally significantly overpredicting N1 values. The basis for this behavior is discussed. The implications of the N1 − σ12 relationship to some rheological and processing problems are described.
Fogwater chemistry at Riverside, California

Fog, aerosol, and gas samples were collected during the winter of 1986 at Riverside, California. The dominant components of the aerosol were NH_4^+, NO_3^−, and SO_(42−). Gaseous NH_3 was frequently present at levels equal to or exceeding the aerosol NH_4^+. Maximum level were 3800, 3100, 690 and 4540 neq m^(−3) for NH_4^+, NO_3^(2−) and NH_(3(g)), respectively. The fogwater collected at Riverside had very high concentrations, particularly of the major aerosol components. Maximum concentrations were 26,000 29,000 and 6200 μM for NH_4^+, NO_3^− and SO_4^(2−), respectively. pH values in fogwater ranged from 2.3 to 5.7. Formate and acetate concentrations as high as 1500 and 580 μM, respectively, were measured. The maximum CH_2O concentration was 380 μM. Glyoxal and methylglyoxal were found in all the samples; their maximum concentrations were 280 and 120 μM, respectively. Comparison of fogwater and aerosol concentrations indicates that scavenging of precursor aerosol by fog droplets under the conditions at Riverside is less than 100% efficient. The chemistry at Riverside is controlled by the balance between HNO_3 production from NO_x emitted throughout the Los Angeles basin and NH3 emitted from dairy cattle feedlots just west of Riverside. The balance is controlled by local mixing. Acid fogs result at Riverside when drainage flows from the surrounding mountains isolate the site from the NH_3 source. Continued formation of HNO_(3(g)) in this air mass eventually depletes the residual NH_(3(g)). A simple box model that includes deposition, fog scavenging, and dilution is used to assess the effect of curtailing the dairy cattle feedlot operations. The calculations suggest that the resulting reduction of NH_3 levels would decrease the total NO_3^− in the atmosphere, but nearly all remaining NO_3^− would exist as HNO_3. Fogwater in the basin would be uniformly acidic.
Animated visualization of time-varying 2D flows using error diffusion

This paper presents a fast glyph-placement algorithm for visualization of time-varying 2D flow. The method can be used to place many kinds of glyphs. Here it is applied to two in particular: arrows in a hedgehog diagram and streak lines. It works by overpopulating images with glyphs, and then decimating them. The decimation phase uses error diffusion, but extends this halftoning technique to solve the problem of coloring a collection of shapes which do not lie on a raster grid. Because error diffusion is a greedy algorithm, the method avoids iterative adjustments of glyph positions, and is fast. When used to visualize static flow fields, the resulting images are free of grid and clustering artifacts. It can be extended to visualize time-varying flow fields, by modifying the error diffusion algorithm further to maintain coherence between frames in an animation.
Deep atomic force microscopy

The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) possesses several desirable imaging features including the ability to produce height profiles as well as two-dimensional images, in fluid or air, at high resolution. AFM has been used to study a vast selection of samples on the scale of angstroms to micrometers. However, current AFMs cannot access samples with vertical topography of the order of 100 μm or greater. Research efforts have produced AFM scanners capable of vertical motion greater than 100 μm, but commercially available probe tip lengths are still typically less than 10 μm high. Even the longest probe tips are below 100 μm and even at this range are problematic. In this paper, we present a method to hand-fabricate “Deep AFM” probes with tips of the order of 100 μm and longer so that AFM can be used to image samples with large scale vertical topography, such as fractured bone samples.
Religion and Bioethics: Can We Talk?

Religious voices were important in the early days of the contemporary field of bioethics but have now become decidedly less prominent. This is unfortunate because religious elements are essential parts of the most foundational aspects of bioethics. The problem is that there is an incommensurability between religious language and languages of public discourse such as the “public reason” of John Rawls. To eliminate what is unique in religious language is to lose something essential. This paper examines the reasons for the marginalization of religion in bioethics, shows the limitations of Rawls’s notion of public reason, and argues for a more robust role for theology in articulating a new language for public discourse in bioethics.
Barriers to minority participation in breast carcinoma prevention trials.

BACKGROUND Breast carcinoma prevention trials must recruit large cohorts of women who have an above-average risk of developing breast carcinoma. Recruitment for the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR) trial required volunteers to complete a risk assessment questionnaire form (RAF). Women whose estimated risk of developing breast carcinoma in the next 5 years was ≥ 1.67% based on the Gail model were invited to participate in STAR. Less than 4% of participants in the previously conducted P1 (tamoxifen vs. placebo) trial were minority women. We, therefore, studied barriers to minority participation in STAR among black, white, and Hispanic women who completed an RAF. METHODS The authors analyzed the association of Gail model risk factors, education, and insurance with race/ethnicity using chi-square tests and two-sided P values. They developed logistic regression models of trial eligibility, controlling for the Gail model risk factors, education, and insurance status. RESULTS Among 823 women who completed an RAF, white women were 10 times as likely as Hispanic women and 45 times as likely as black women to be eligible for STAR. Age at first birth (P = 0.04), having an affected first-degree relative (P < 0.0001), having had a biopsy (P < 0.0001), education (P < 0.0001), and insurance status (P < 0.0001) varied by race/ethnicity. All variables except insurance status were associated with eligibility when race was excluded from the model. In a model that included race/ethnicity, the same factors remained statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggested that both the race/ethnicity adjustment and socioeconomic factors were barriers to eligibility for and contribute to low minority participation in breast cancer prevention trials. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) discriminate between knowing and not knowing and collect information as needed before acting

Humans use memory awareness to determine whether relevant knowledge is available before acting, as when we determine whether we know a phone number before dialing. Such metacognition, or thinking about thinking, can improve selection of appropriate behavior. We investigated whether rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) are capable of a simple form of metacognitive access to the contents of short-term memory. Monkeys chose among four opaque tubes, one of which concealed food. The tube containing the reward varied randomly from trial to trial. On half the trials the monkeys observed the experimenter baiting the tube, whereas on the remaining trials their view of the baiting was blocked. On each trial, monkeys were allowed a single chance to select the tube containing the reward. During the choice period the monkeys had the opportunity to look down the length of each tube, to determine if it contained food. When they knew the location of the reward, most monkeys chose without looking. In contrast, when ignorant, monkeys often made the effort required to look, thereby learning the location of the reward before choosing. Looking improved accuracy on trials on which monkeys had not observed the baiting. The difference in looking behavior between trials on which the monkeys knew, and trials on which they were ignorant, suggests that rhesus monkeys discriminate between knowing and not knowing. This result extends similar observations made of children and apes to a species of Old World monkey, suggesting that the underlying cognitive capacities may be widely distributed among primates.
Dirac-equation impulse approximation for intermediate-energy nucleon-nucleus scattering

In this application of Dirac phenomenology a relativistic impulse approximation is used to describe proton-nucleus elastic scattering at intermediate energies. The results demonstrate the superiority of this relativistic treatment over the nonrelativistic impulse approximation, especially with regard to spin observables. The method has important implications with respect to the extraction of neutron distributions.
Limited anterior cystotomy : A useful alternative to the vaginal approach for vesicovaginal fistula repair

In developed nations, vesicovaginal fistulas are most commonly encountered as a complication after gynecologic surgery. Most fistulas are corrected using a transvaginal approach; however, complicated cases often require intraabdominal repair. A novel abdominal approach is described, using a small anterior cystotomy and omental pedicle interposition.
GABA receptors are increased in brains of alcoholics

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor binding was increased in postmortem brain samples of chronic alcoholic patients compared to control patients. Numbers of binding sites were augmented in alcoholic brain, with no change in affinity. Muscarinic cholinergic and benzodiazepine receptors did not differ between controls and alcoholic brains, while a modest reduction in beta-adrenergic receptors may have been related to postmortem receptor changes. The results suggest that GABAergic mechanisms might play a role in chronic alcoholism.
From Laplace to Langlands via representations of orthogonal groups

In the late 1960s, Robert Langlands proposed a new and far-reaching connection between the representation theory of Lie groups over real and p-adic fields, and the structure of the Galois groups of these fields [24]. Even though this local Langlands correspondence remains largely conjectural, the relation that it predicts between representation theory and number theory has profoundly changed our views of both fields. Moreover, we now know enough about the correspondence to address, and sometimes solve, traditional problems in representation theory that were previously inaccessible. Roughly speaking, the local Langlands correspondence predicts that complex irreducible representations of a reductive group G over a local field k should be
Effect of ligaturing on puparium formation in the larva of the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans Westwood.

IT has been known for a long time that the application of a ligature posterior to the brain in the larva of the blowfly, Calliphora erythrocephala Meig., prevents the pupation of the posterior part, provided that the ligature is applied before a “critical period” in the development of the larva has been reached1. If the ligature is applied after the critical period has passed then the whole larva darkens and forms a puparium.
A Computational Model for High Speed Screening of Polymer Microstructures

In this paper we outline a computational strategy that permits the modeling of simultaneous interactions between very large numbers of polymer aggregates. Using a multiparticle diffusion method, we have simulated the dynamics of phase coarsening which can serve as the basis of conducting virtual combinatorial experiments and high-throughput screening of pore size distributions for ultrafiltration membranes.
Law in and Legitimacy South Africa

This mticle examines whether anti-apartheid lawyering might have legitimized the South Afncan legal system by asking what black South Ahcans actually thought of that system. Perhaps surprisingly, blrcks, and in particular African, appear to have accorded the legal system a measure of legitimacy despite the oppression they often suffered at its hands. Three paradigms of African opinion are offered to help us understand the complex African response to the legal system: the conservatives, forbearing, mutely concerned with such issues as order and security, and perhaps disposed to be deferential to institutions of white authority; the speakers, fueled by faith in the truth or power of their speech, and welcoming the opportunity to be heard that courts could povide; and the activists, adamantly detennined to bnng down apartheid, and judgrng institutions and people by their conhibution to that goal. For men and women thinking in these ways, anti-apartheid lawyering probably did contribute to legitimizing the legal system and that system's ideals. But this partial legitimation of the legal system is, in the end, no came for regret; instead, it may have helped the new South Africa begin building a nation governed by law.
Spectroscopic and Kinetic Studies of PKU−Inducing Mutants of Phenylalanine Hydroxylase: Arg158Gln and Glu280Lys

Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) is a tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent, nonheme iron enzyme that catalyzes the hydroxylation of L-Phe to L-Tyr in the rate-limiting step of phenylalanine catabolism. This reaction is tightly coupled in the wild-type enzyme to oxidation of the tetrahydropterin cofactor. Dysfunction of PAH activity in humans leads to the disease phenylketonuria (PKU). We have investigated two PKU-inducing mutants, Arg158Gln and Glu280Lys, using kinetic methods, magnetic circular dichrosim (MCD) spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Analysis of the products produced by the mutant enzymes shows that although both oxidize pterin at more than twice the rate of wild-type enzyme, these reactions are only similar to20% coupled to production of L-Tyr. Previous MCD and XAS studies had demonstrated that the resting Fe-II site is six-coordinate in the wild-type enzyme and converts to a five-coordinate site when both L-Phe and reduced pterin are present in the active site. Although the Arg158Gln mutant forms the five-coordinate site when both cosubstrates are bound, the Fe-II site of the GIu280Lys mutant remains six-coordinate. These results provide insight into the PAH reaction and disease mechanism at a molecular level, indicating that the first step of the mechanism is formation of a peroxy-pterin species, which subsequently reacts with the Fe-II site if the pterin is properly oriented for formation of an Fe-OO-pterin bridge and an open coordination position is available on the Fe-II.
Characterization of microscopic surface breaking cracks using the near-field intensification of nondestructive laser-generated surface waves

Optical generation and detection of surface acoustic waves provides a non-contact, remote means of characterizing microscopic surface-breaking cracks in aerospace and industrial materials. Surface ultrasonic displacement fields generated by a non-destructive, laser induced thermoelastic mechanism and detected with an interferometric probe allow for an all optical and spatially adjustable (spot-size, beam shape, beam separation) utlrasonic NDE system. Location of surface-breaking cracks is achieved through observation of a near-field intensification of the detected ultrasonic signal in the vicinity of the crack. The near-field intensification was found to be optimized by scanning both the source and detection beams with specific spatial variables. This non-contact, laser beam scanning NDE technique, allows for imaging capabilities to further enhance surface-breaking crack characterization.
Casimir effects in gravitational interactions

We present a calculation of the two-graviton exchange contribution to the law of force between a test mass and a fluctuating mass distribution in the limit of large distances. We find an interaction potential which varies with the distance as ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}7}$. The effect is suppressed by the square of the Planck length ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{P}$, so that this gravitational Casimir effect is only theoretical, i.e., too small to presently be measured.
MR marrow signs of iron overload in transfusion-dependent patients with sickle cell disease

Magnetic resonance (MR) marrow signal in the axial and appendicular skeleton of 13 transfusiondependent and chelated pediatric patients with sickle cell anemia (SSD) was compared with marrow signal in six non-transfusion-dependent patients with SSD. Hepatic, pancreatic, and renal MR signal were also evaluated. Indication for hypertransfusion therapy was primarily prior history of stroke. Transfusion-dependent patients had evidence of iron deposition throughout the imaged marrow and the liver, despite deferoxamine chelation therapy. Non-transfusion-dependent patients did not demonstrate grossly apparent signs of iron overload. Red marrow restoration was present in the spine, pelvis and long bones and, in some patients, within the epiphyses. Marrow edema secondary to vaso-occlusive crises was evident in the metaphyses and diaphyses of long bones in areas of both red and fatty marrow and was best seen using fat-saturated T2-weighted imaging techniques.
Effect of Transmembrane Electrolyte Diffusion on the Detection Limit of Carrier-Based Potentiometric Ion Sensors

The detection limit of carrier-based ion-selective electrodes is explained by the presence of a locally elevated concentration of measuring ions at the sample−membrane phase boundary. Since ion-selective electrodes are responsive to phase boundary activities, such elevated concentrations render the potentiometric sensor insensitive to dilute bulk concentration changes. Different mechanisms for the continuous release of measuring ions from the membrane are conceivable. The extraction of inner electrolyte into the backside of the ion-selective membrane is predicted to lead to a concentration gradient of electrolyte across the membrane and therefore to a net flux of measuring ions from the inner filling solution to the sample. This effect is described by an extended model that respects the relevant extraction and diffusion processes. The extent of coextraction at the backside is predicted on the basis of potentiometric measurements on the range of anion interference. These predictions are found to relate wel...
The Most Agreeable of All Vices: Nietzsche as Virtue Epistemologist

It has been argued with some justice by commentators from Walter Kaufmann to Thomas Hurka that Nietzsche's positive ethical position is best understood as a variety of virtue theory – in particular, as a brand of perfectionism. For Nietzsche, value flows from character. Less attention has been paid, however, to the details of the virtues he identifies for himself and his type. This neglect, along with Nietzsche's frequent irony and non-standard usage, has obscured the fact that almost all the virtues he praises are intellectual rather than moral. The vices he most despises include dogmatism, intellectual partisanship, faith, boredom, the desire for certainty and pity. The virtues he most appreciates include curiosity, honesty, scepticism, creativity, the historical sense, intellectual courage and intellectual fastidiousness. These tables of values place Nietzsche squarely among so-called responsibilist virtue epistemologists, such as Lorraine Code and Linda Zagzebski, who emphasize that knowledge is infus...
Ciliary dynein of Paramecium tetraurelia: photolytic maps of the three heavy chains.

The ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia presents a powerful system to define the structural basis for dynein functional diversity within a single cell. This analysis will depend on the biochemical resolution of the dynein proteins. As an important first step, the three heavy chains of the ciliary outer arm dynein of paramecium were characterized. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation in a high salt buffer separated the dynein into a 22S species, which contained the α and β heavy chains, and a 12S species, which contained the α chain as well as the inner arm dynein heavy chains. Both the 22S and 12S species retained enzymatic latency as indicated by stimulation of MgATPase activity by 0.1% Triton X-100. An unusual ATP-independent V1-like photolysis of only the β chain provided the basis for estimating that the β chain contributes almost half of the 22S MgATPase activity that is susceptible to V1 photolysis. The combination of the density gradient separation of the partially dissociated dynein and the ATP-independent V1-like photolysis of only the β chain led to the unambiguous assignment of the V1 photolytic products to the appropriate parent heavy chains. An estimate of the molecular sizes of the three heavy chains was obtained. The photolytic peptide maps, which define the ATP-binding domains, were determined for the three heavy chains. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Interaction Between Disk Lubricants and Solvents in the Dip-Coating Process

It has been reported earlier that, keeping all other factors fixed, the disk performance could vary significantly depending on the choice of solvent used in the dip-coating process. We surmised that the difference in the ability of solvent to disrupt the intermolecular hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl units of Z-dol or Z-tetraol would lead to a different structure or arrangement of the lubricant molecules as the solvent evaporated in the dip-coating process. Using proton NMR and IR spectroscopy, four solvents, hexafluorobenzene, Vertrel-XF, HFE7100, and FC72, were examined for their ability to disrupt the hydrogen bonding of Z-dol and Z-tetraol. The study has revealed that the said ability increases in the order of FC72 < HFE7100 < hexaflurobenzene < Vertrel-XF. Z-dol molecules, for example, are completely separated from each other in Vertrel-XF, but maintain their intermolecular hydrogen bonding in FC72. It has also revealed an extraordinary formation of complexoid between HFE molecules and Z-tetraol with MW n of ∼2000. The complexoid has a specific stoichiometry of (Z-tetraol) n (HFE) ∼15 n and is not miscible with HFE. The formation of such complexoid was not observed for Z-tetraol of larger MW n (3000).
Application of IEEE802.1x Protocol Based on EPON System

IEEE 802.1x is a port-based network access control protocol, the one of the newest authentication protocols. With the MD5 algorithm as an example, this paper introduces the type of protocol packets and the authentication process in detail. The authentication port is apart from the business stream based on the logical port. The business stream is transmitted over the controlled port, but the authentication stream is transmitted over the uncontrolled port. Therefore, the port control and authorization for users can be carried out. In this paper, two authentication methods based on EPON system are studied in detail. The 802.1x authentication protocol has many advantages, such as low-cost, simply and so on. It can satisfy the requirement of intelligent distribution network communication system.
Analysis of the conduction–radiation problem in absorbing, emitting, non-gray planar media using an exact method

Abstract Systems in which both conduction and radiation are the dominant modes of heat transfer are important in many engineering applications and various numerical methods exist to analyze such systems. An exact solution to the conduction–radiation problem in a one-dimensional, planar, absorbing, emitting, non-gray medium is presented. The method uses an integrating factor to solve the radiative transfer equation and variation of parameters is used to solve the energy equation. The model is verified by comparing the temperature profiles calculated from this work to those found using numerical methods for both gray and non-gray cases.
Infant Formula Promotes Bone Growth in Neonatal Piglets by Enhancing Osteoblastogenesis through Bone Morphogenic Protein Signaling

Relatively few studies have examined the effects of formula feeding relative to breast-feeding on bone in the neonate. Using peripheral quantitative CT scan and histomorphometric analysis, we demonstrated that neonatal piglets fed with soy-based formula (SF) and cow milk-based formula (MF) for 21 or 35 d had greater bone mineral density and content than breast-fed piglets (BF) (P < 0.05). Osteoblast numbers and bone formation rate at postnatal d 35 were greater in SF compared with other groups (P < 0.05), whereas osteoclast numbers were lower in both MF and SF groups than in the BF group (P < 0.05). Osteoblastogenesis was greater in ex vivo bone marrow cell cultures from SF than in MF or BF piglets (P < 0.05). Bone formation markers in serum were greater, whereas bone resorption markers were lower in the MF- and SF-fed groups than in the BF group (P < 0.05). Bone morphogenic protein (BMP) 2 and alkaline phosphatase mRNAs were upregulated in the MF and SF groups compared with the BF group (P < 0.05), whereas receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand was downregulated (P < 0.05). Extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38, Smad1/5/8 phosphorylation, and runt-related transcription factor 2 expression were greater in bone from the MF and SF groups compared with the BF group (P < 0.05). In vitro studies showed that 2.5% serum from SF- or MF-fed piglets was able to stimulate osteoblast differentiation but not in the presence of the BMP blocker noggin. Therefore, formula feeding promoted bone growth compared with BF. SF piglets had the highest bone volume over tissue volume. This suggests that SF-fed piglets may have the best quality bone. The anabolic effects of SF on bone appear to be mediated through enhanced BMP signaling.
ADC Values and Prognosis of Malignant Astrocytomas: Does Lower ADC Predict a Worse Prognosis Independent of Grade of Tumor?—A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to determine via meta-analysis whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) predicts astrocytoma prognosis independent of grade. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Survival data were subjected to Mantel Haenszel analysis in four qualifying studies. Stratification by tumor grade was also performed. RESULTS. The survival rates of malignant astrocytomas, grade 3 and 4 (p, 0.004 and < 0.0001, respectively) were worse below a specific ADC value, independent of grade. CONCLUSION. Low ADC values correlate with poor survival in malignant astrocyto-mas independent of tumor grade.
Smad4 inactivation predicts for worse prognosis and response to fluorouracil-based treatment in colorectal cancer

Aims To determine whether expression of Smad4, a tumour suppressor found to be absent in 10% of colorectal cancer (CRC), is associated with outcomes in patients with CRC. Methods Tumour samples from 241 consecutive patients with CRC who underwent upfront colon resection between 2005 and 2009 were obtained. Triplicate tissue cores from resected primary colon tumours and matched normal controls were used to construct the tissue microarrays (TMAs). We examined the expression of Smad4 using immunohistochemistry. Clinicopathological records were obtained for all patients. TMAs were reviewed by two pathologists and scored as either ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ for nuclear staining. In total, 21 of 241 tumours (8.6%) were Smad4 negative. Results Loss of Smad4 expression correlated with significantly worse overall survival (OS) (p=0.011) and disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.024). Patients with loss of Smad4 expression had a median OS of 31 months compared with 89 months positive Smad4 expression. Loss of Smad4 remained significant on multivariate analysis for OS (p=0.0097). In patients with node-positive disease, loss of Smad4 predicts for worse DFS (p=0.012). In patients with metastatic and recurrent disease, Smad4 loss predicts for worse OS (p=0.012). Of the patients that received capecitabine over the course of their treatment, those with Smad4 loss (n=13) had significantly worse DFS (p=0.003) and OS (p=0.0007). Conclusions Loss of Smad4 expression is associated with worse DFS and OS in multiple subsets of patients with CRC. Further studies are required to validate our findings and ascertain the role of Smad4 status in the management of this disease.
Substrate Specificity and Alkyl Group Selectivity in the Metabolism of N-Nitrosodialkylamines

Abstract Metabolic activation may be a key step in determining the tissue specificity of carcinogenic nitrosamines. In previous work, we characterized P450IIE1 (an acetone/ethanol-inducible form of cytochrome P-450) as the major enzyme for the metabolic activation of N-nitrosodimethylamine. In this work, we investigated the metabolism of other N-nitrosodialkylamines in rat liver microsomes and in reconstituted monooxygenase systems containing purified cytochrome P-450 isozymes. The enzyme specificities in the metabolism of N-nitrosoethylmethylamine and N-nitrosodiethylamine were similar to those of N-nitrosodimethylamine; i.e., these substrates were more efficiently metabolized by acetone- or ethanol-induced microsomes than by other types of microsomes. However, substituting one methyl group with a benzyl or butyl group, as in N-nitrosobenzylmethylamine or N-nitrosobutylmethylamine (NBMA), substantially changed the enzyme specificity. P450IIE1 efficiently catalyzed the demethylation but not the debutylation of NBMA, whereas P450IIB1 (a phenobarbital-inducible form) efficiently catalyzed both the debutylation and demethylation reactions. In the demethylation of NBMA by P450IIE1, the addition of cytochrome b5 markedly increased the activity at low but not at high substrate concentrations, suggesting a decrease in Km value. This effect, however, was not observed in the debutylation of NBMA by P450IIE1 or P450IIB1, and in the demethylation of NBMA by P450IIB1. These studies demonstrate the substrate specificity and alkyl group selectivity in the metabolism of nitrosamines by cytochrome P-450 isozymes.
Volunteering and the Long Civic Generation

By virtually every conceivable measure, civic participation is on the decline in America. Volunteering is one important exception. An analysis of a newly available archive of national surveys finds that the frequency with which Americans volunteer has increased 20% since the mid-1970s. However, nearly all of that increase is concentrated among older Americans, who are volunteering twice as frequent in the late 1990s as their same-aged predecessors did in the 1970s. Meanwhile, volunteering has actually decreased among middle-age adults, who once were the voluntary sector’s most reliable source of donated labor. The reasons for increased volunteering among seniors remain elusive. Tests of various hypotheses, from improved health and financial conditions to increased spare time, do not explain the explosive increase. Nonetheless, it is clear that a powerful and mysterious force is pushing seniors toward greater volunteer involvement, and non-profit groups should tap into this particularly civic age group bef...
Focal lamina cribrosa defects associated with glaucomatous rim thinning and acquired pits

Importance Considering the potential clinical importance of focal lamina cribrosa (LC) defects as a characteristic structural feature in glaucoma and a risk factor for glaucomatous visual field progression, it may be helpful to know the structure of focal LC defects and the spatial relationship between them and glaucomatous optic disc changes such as neuroretinal rim thinning/notching and acquired pits of the optic nerve (APON). Objective To investigate structural and spatial relationships between focal LC defects and glaucomatous neuroretinal rim thinning/notching and APON. Design In a cross-sectional analysis of data from an ongoing, prospective, longitudinal study, serial enhanced-depth imaging (EDI) optical coherence tomographic (OCT) images of the optic nerve head were obtained from patients with glaucoma and reviewed for focal LC defects (laminar holes or disinsertions). Anterior laminar insertion points and edges of laminar holes or disinsertions were marked in EDI-OCT images, reconstructed 3-dimensionally, and superimposed on optic disc photographs. Setting A glaucoma referral practice. Participants Two hundred thirty-nine eyes (120 patients) were examined. Fifty-four eyes were excluded because of an incomplete horizontal or vertical set of serial EDI-OCT images or poor-quality EDI-OCT images owing to media opacity, irregular tear film, or poor patient cooperation. Among the remaining 185 eyes, 40 (from 31 patients) had laminar holes or disinsertions and were included for analysis. Main Outcome Measures Presence, extent, and location of laminar holes or disinsertions. Results Among 185 eyes, 11 laminar holes and 36 laminar disinsertions were found in 40 eyes. Superimposed images of the 3-dimensionally reconstructed focal LC defects and disc photographs showed that the outline of the LC defect corresponded almost precisely to that of clinical APON for 6 laminar holes and that the LC defect was much larger than and enclosed APON for 10 laminar disinsertions. The remaining 5 laminar holes and 26 laminar disinsertions corresponded to focal neuroretinal rim loss, with no evidence of APON in disc photographs. Conclusions and Relevance Focal LC defects (laminar holes or disinsertions) are associated with neuroretinal rim loss and APON. The extent of LC defects can be visualized more effectively on EDI-OCT images than by clinical examination.
Design limitations of powertrain electronics — Automotive EMC challenges

Today's safety features for modern vehicles require electronic controls for many functions such as engine command, fuel injection of diesel or gasoline, air bag deployment, and gas/brake pedal operation. Powertrain Electronics such as the Engine Control Module (ECM), Power Control Module (PCM), Diesel Control Module (DCM) or Vehicle Control Module (VCM) support these functions when utilized. The ElectroMagnetic Compatibility (EMC) performance of these modules is challenged by small physical areas and volumes that are required by the vehicle manufacturer and the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design. The challenges are due to: 1) the large sizes of PCB components such as Capacitors and Inductors; 2) the increasing number of the Integrated Circuits such as IGPT, VSEP, the rapidly increasing number of In/Output pins, and the complexity of connectors, causes even further reductions of available PCB area for EMC components; 3) Ground Via Port Techniques required for thermal management and caused by High Voltages or Currents of IGPT-elements. This paper reports on the design limitations for the issues described above. The conclusion of this is that the EMC performance of these Modules is compromised when enough space is not allocated for EMC components. In addition, compact PCB elements with small sizes are not available for applying EMC Design Rules such as In-/Output filtering, grounding or Multi Layer traces/planes decoupling. A study about the challenges of Ground Via Ports required to achieve Dynamic Thermal performance and Automotive EMC will conclude the present investigations.