cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Designing for change

The ambition of every designer is the software equivalent of a cathedral. But maintenance programmers are more comfortable in a farmhouse than a cathedral. We argue that current design methodologies are oriented towards cathedrals, and we propose object oriented design techniques and tools that are suitable for farmhouses.During the lifetime of a useful program, its users requirements change and the code changes to track the requirements. The code drifts away from the original design, becomes increasingly brittle, and eventually can no longer be maintained; each repair introduces new faults. The cure for these ills--design for change--is well-known, but current design methodologies and tools do not facilitate useful changes.We describe a design tool that supports evolutionary object oriented design. Designers can create and modify designs, view them in textual and graphical form, check their internal consistency, and match them to requirements and code.To accomplish this, we use text, tables, and diagrams with multiple levels of formality. The tool processes formal entities completely (as a compiler can process source code completely); it stores, retrieves, and displays informal entities (whereas a compiler discards comments); and it can perform limited operations on semiformal entities. Our work borrows from formal specification techniques, but is intended for software that evolves.
Dance in Cambodia

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Toni Samantha Phim and Ashley Thompson Year: 2000 Pages: xii + 91 Publisher: University of Chicago Press Prices: $19.95 US
Activation of an endogenous retrovirus enhancer by insertion into a heterologous context.

Abstract An enhancer element is located in the U3 portion of exogenous avian retrovirus long terminal repeats (LTRs). A similar element has not been detected in the LTRs of ev-1 and ev-2, two avian endogenous viruses (evs) that normally are not expressed in vivo. Experiments were initiated to determine whether minor nucleotide differences in the U3 region of a previously untested ev that is ubiquitously expressed in vivo (ev-3) might confer enhancer function on the LTR of this provirus. This question was addressed by inserting U3 regions from ev-3 and from ev-1 and/or ev-2 both upstream of the herpesvirus thymidine kinase gene promoter and in place of the major enhancer domains of the Rous sarcoma virus LTR and determining their relative effects on transcription. U3 regions from all evs tested were unable to enhance transcription from the thymidine kinase gene promoter, indicating that nucleotide differences in the ev U3 regions do not affect their relative enhancer function and therefore are unlikely to play a role in their differential expression in vivo. Unexpectedly, however, all ev U3 regions were able to augment transcription in an orientation-independent manner in the ev-Rous sarcoma virus hybrid LTRs. Further experiments conducted to determine why this enhancer activity is not detectable in intact ev LTRs demonstrated that it was not due to removal of repressor sequences in the ev fragments used that might normally be present in intact ev LTRs. The lack of detectable enhancer activity in intact ev LTRs also was not explained by a defect in ev promoters that makes them unresponsive to enhancers in cis. These experiments therefore identify sequences that, although unable to function detectably as enhancers in their natural context, can function efficiently in a heterologous context. Data are discussed in terms of the modularity of enhancer elements and possible interactions between enhancers and promoter-specific sequences.
Toward an understanding of late life suicidal behavior: the role of lifespan developmental theory

Objectives: Suicidal behavior in late life differs in important ways from suicidal behavior that occurs earlier in the lifespan, suggesting the possibility of developmental differences in the etiology of suicidal behavior. This paper examines late life suicidal behavior within the context of lifespan developmental theory.Methods: This paper presents a conceptual framework for using lifespan developmental theory to better understand late life suicidal behavior.Results: We argue that the motivational theory of lifespan development, which focuses on control, is particularly relevant to late life suicide. This theory posits that opportunities to exert control over important aspects of one's life diminish in late life as a result of declines in physical functioning and other factors, and that successful aging is associated with adaptive regulation of this developmental change. Although continued striving to meet goals is normative throughout the lifespan, most individuals also increase the use of compensatory ...
In Defense of Credit Default Swaps

This paper is for the most part a refutation of the works of Hu and Black on the incentives created by credit default swaps in the bankruptcy context. We show that Hu and Black's concerns over empty voting and negative economic interest in the bankruptcy context are entirely without merit.
Features of cocaine dependence with concurrent alcohol abuse

In order to assess differences between cocaine dependence alone and cocaine dependence complicated by alcohol abuse, 34 subjects who met DSM-III-R criteria for alcohol abuse and cocaine dependence (COC-ETOH group) were compared with 39 subjects who met criteria for cocaine dependence only (COC-only group) with regard to demographics, substance use, and psychopathology. There were no differences between groups in age, race, employment or socio-economic status. The baseline depression and global severity scores in the COC-ETOH group were significantly higher than in the COC-only group. The COC-ETOH group was significantly more likely to experience a paranoid psychosis with cocaine use and significantly more likely to have abused additional substances in the month prior to study entry. The COC-ETOH group also attended significantly fewer medication management sessions during the 12-week trial. There were no differences between groups in the type or frequency of Axis 1 or Axis II disorders.
The potential role of nitric oxide in substrate switching in eosinophil peroxidase

Eosinophil recruitment and enhanced nitric oxide (NO) production are characteristic features of asthma and other airway diseases. Eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), a highly cationic hemoprotein secreted by activation of eosinophils, is believed to play a central role in host defense against invading pathogens. The enzyme uses hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and bromide (Br - ), a preferred cosubstrate of EPO, to generate the cytotoxic oxidant hypobromous acid. The aim of this work was to determine whether NO can compete with plasma levels of Br - and steer the enzyme reaction from a 2e - oxidation to a 1e - oxidation pathway. Rapid kinetic measurements were utilized to measure the rate of EPO compounds I and II formation, duration, and decay at 412 and 432 nm, respectively, at 10 °C. An EPO-Fe(III) solution supplemented with increasing Br - concentrations was rapidly mixed with fixed amounts of H2O2 in the absence and in the presence of increasing NO concentrations. In the absence of NO, EPO-Fe(III) primarily converted to compound I and, upon H2O2 exhaustion, it decayed rapidly to the ferric form. NO caused a significant increase in the accumulation of EPO compound II, along with a proportional increase in its rate of formation and duration as determined by the time elapsed during catalysis. The time courses for these events have been incorporated into a comprehensive kinetic model. Computer simulations carried out supported the involvement of a conformational intermediate in the EPO compound II complex decay. Collectively, our results demonstrated that NO displays the potential capacity to promote substrate switching by modulating substrate selectivity of EPO.
Perioperative echocardiographic evaluation.

The integration of pre-, intra- and postoperative echocardiography has advanced the health of patients with congenital heart disease by providing an accurate initial evaluation, improving the timing and choice of intervention and detecting residual abnormalities in a timely fashion.
Increasing intensities of wide band noise increase [14C]2-deoxyglucose uptake in gerbil central auditory structures.

Summary The [ 14 C]-deoxyglucose (2DG) technique has been used to map the effects of increasing intensities of wide band noise on 2DG uptake in mongolian gerbil brain auditory structures. Animals were injected with [ 14 C]2DG and exposed to silence or continuous wide band noise at 25 dB, 45 dB, 65 dB, 85 dB or 105 dB SPL. Brains were removed, frozen-sectioned, and autoradiographed on X-ray film. The ratio of the optical density of gray matter structures to the optical density of cerebellar peduncles in each animal was used to semiquantitate the results. The dorsal and ventral cochlear nuclei, superior olive/trapezoid body, inferior colliculus, and the dorsal and ventral nuclei of the lateral lemniscus all showed increases in 2DG uptake during exposure to wide band noise (WBN). As noise intensity increased from 0 to 105 dB SPL, 2DG uptake increased regularly to a maximum at 85 or 105 dB SPL. As WBN intensity increased, deeper layers of inferior colliculus were activated. The medial geniculate nucleus and auditory cortex xhowed a lesser increase in 2DG uptake during noise exposure. Non-auditory structures, including the cerebellar cortex and the medullary reticular nuclei, showed no increase in 2DG uptake during noise exposure at any intensity tested.
Overstaging of transitional cell carcinoma: Clinical significance of lamina propria fat within the urinary bladder

Staging of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder relies on an accurate assessment of the depth of tumor invasion within the bladder wall and surrounding structures. Fat adjacent to muscle invasive carcinoma is often interpreted to represent full-thickness invasion of the bladder wall with extension into the perivesical tissues. We present a case report highlighting our finding of significant regions of fat within the lamina propria of the urinary bladder and its clinical importance with respect to the overstaging of carcinoma of the bladder.
Controlled fusion burning and current drive in a degenerate plasma

Summary form only given. In a Fermi-degenerate plasma, the rates of electron physical processes, such as collision, bremsstrahlung, inverse bremsstrahlung and Compton scattering, are much reduced due to the Fermi-Dirac statistics. Especially, ion-electron couplings (ion-electron collision and electron-ion collision) are vastly reduced. We use this fact about reduced ion-electron coupling in addressing two well-known plasma physics problems: advanced fuel burning and current drive. We show how, in a degenerate plasma, changes in the power balance for fusion make feasible regimes where aneutronic fuel can be ignited. For electron-based current drive mechanisms, the current drive efficiency is higher than n the classical prediction by more than a factor of 6 in a degenerate hydrogen plasma, mainly because the electron-electron collisions do not quickly slow down fast electrons. Moreover, electrons much faster than thermal speeds are more readily excited without exciting thermal electrons. In ion- based mechanisms of current drive, the efficiency is likewise enhanced due to the degeneracy effects, since the electron stopping power on slow ion beams is significantly reduced
Effect of atrial natriuretic peptide on ACTH, dibutyryl cAMP, angiotensin II and potassium-stimulated aldosterone secretion by rat adrenal glomerulosa cells.

Abstract We examined the effect of rat a trial natriuretic peptide 1–28 (ANP) on ACTH, dibutyryl cAMP, angiotensin II and potassium-stimulated aldosterone secretion by dispersed rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. ANP inhibited ACTH, angiotensin II and potassium-stimulated aldosterone secretion with IC 50 's between 0.15–0.20 nM. Inhibition by 10 nM ANP could not be overcome with higher concentrations of these stimuli. ANP shifted the dibutyryl cAMP dose-response curve slightly to the right but did not blunt the maximal aldosterone secretory response. The sites of ANP inhibition in the aldosterone biosynthetic pathway for these stimuli were also examined. ANP inhibited activation of the cholesterol desmolase (CD) enzyme complex by ACTH, angiotensin II and potassium. Activation of the corticosterone methyl oxidase (CMO) enzyme complex by potassium was inhibited by ANP, however, activation by ACTH was not blocked. We concluded that: 1) ANP is a potent inhibitor of ACTH, angiotensin II and potassium-stimulated aldosterone secretion; 2) inhibition of ACTH stimulation is primarily due to lower cAMP levels and; 3) inhibition of angiotensin II and potassium stimulation reflects a block in the activating mechanism of the CMO and/or CD enzyme complexes, whereas CD but not CMO activation by ACTH is inhibited by ANP.
Energy efficient topology control in wireless sensor networks

Due to the limited resources available to the nodes (hosts) in the ad hoc wireless networks, the network lifetime is crucial for network operations. One effective approach is to keep the distance small enough among nodes to maintain the efficient network topology. This paper concentrates on the problem of choosing locations for relay node (relay hosts) such that the distance between nodes is at most δ i.e., the range of nodes. The main contribution of this paper is an optimal algorithm for maximize network lifetime by computing the locations for additional nodes and to increase the network lifetime in terms of connectivity. The quantitative analysis showed that after the application of the algorithm, the network consumes ((1/2)n + O(n3/2)) less energy.
Enhancement of Video Imagery by Modified Intensity-Dependent Spatial Summation.

A contrast-enhancement algorithm has been developed that avoids the often `flat,' noisy appearance produced by techniques that rely solely on the quantization properties of the input image. The algorithm is based on the theory of intensity-dependent spatial summation (IDS) which was first reported by Cornsweet and Yellot (1985). The initial intent of their paper was to demonstrate the theory's ability to replicate certain well-known effects in human vision, such as Mach bands, Ricco's Law, and Weber's Law. The model's implementation as an image enhancement routine has predominantly emphasized its ability to enhance edges. We have modified the IDS model to produce enhancement not only at the edges but throughout the entire image profile. Enhancement is achieved by minimizing the size of the point-spread functions generated over the input. Dramatic contrast gain is realized while limiting the amount of blur introduced to the output. As a comparison to histogram equalization, which possibly collapses quantization levels while balancing their distribution, and to IDS, which resolves the quantization levels of the image towards a uniform level (except at the edges), our algorithm preserves the original brightness gradations as it expands them. Thus, the shape- from-shading cues so important to the perception of form and contour are both preserved and enhanced.
Subthreshold Mechanisms Underlying State-Dependent Modulation of Visual Responses

The processing of sensory information varies widely across behavioral states. However, little is known about how behavioral states modulate the intracellular activity of cortical neurons to effect changes in sensory responses. Here, we performed whole-cell recordings from neurons in upper-layer primary visual cortex of awake mice during locomotion and quiet wakefulness. We found that the signal-to-noise ratio for sensory responses was improved during locomotion by two mechanisms: (1) a decrease in membrane potential variability leading to a reduction in background firing rates and (2) an enhancement in the amplitude and reliability of visually evoked subthreshold responses mediated by an increase in total conductance and a depolarization of the stimulus-evoked reversal potential. Consistent with the enhanced signal-to-noise ratio for visual responses during locomotion, we demonstrate that performance is improved in a visual detection task during this behavioral state.
Sex- and dose-dependent effects of post-trial calcium channel blockade by magnesium chloride on memory for inhibitory avoidance conditioning

Abstract Calcium influx through voltage-dependent Ca 2+ channels is critical for many neuronal processes required for learning and memory. Persistent increases in cytosolic intracellular Ca 2+ concentrations in aging neurons are associated with learning impairments, while small transient subcellular changes in intracellular calcium concentrations play critical roles in neural plasticity in young neurons. In the present study, young male and female Fisher 344 × Brown Norway (FBN) hybrid rats were administered different doses of magnesium chloride (0.0, 100.0, or 200.0 mg/kg, i.p.) following a single inhibitory avoidance training trial. Extracellular magnesium ions can non-specifically block voltage-gated calcium channels, and/or reduce the calcium conductance gated via glutamate and serine's activation of neuronal NMDA receptors. In our study, magnesium chloride dose-dependently enhanced memory compared to controls (significantly increased latency to enter a dark compartment previously paired with an aversive stimulus) when tested 48 h later as compared to controls. A leftward shift in the dose response curve for memory enhancement by magnesium chloride was observed for male compared to female rats. These findings provide further insights into calcium-dependent modulation of aversive memory, and should be considered when assessing the design of effective treatment options for both male and female patients with dementia or other memory problems.
Influence of machining on the strength of SiCAl2O3Y2O3 ceramic

Abstract The influence of surface machining on the mechanical strength of SiC ceramics was investigated in terms of surface roughness, residual stress, and surface morphology observation. Experimental results showed that the mechanical strength of the SiC ceramic appears to correlate with the surface roughness of the ceramics: the lower the surface roughness, the higher the flexural strength. An average four-point bending strength of as high as 700 MPa, which is higher by a factor of 1.8 than the ceramic with as-fired surface, can be achieved after the surface of the specimens is polished with a 600-grit fine diamond wheel. More extensive surface polishing deteriorates the strength by forming large surface pores which act as failure origins. Machining-induced compressive residual stress in the thin surface layer of the ceramic appears to increase the fracture stress to only a limited extent.
Esophageal carcinoma: current controversies.

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia has increased so substantially in the last two decades that adenocarcinoma now accounts for approximately one half of esophageal malignancies seen in the United States and Europe. The reasons for this histological change may be related to a parallel increase in the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in the Western world and the subsequent development of Barrett’s metaplasia. Controversies surrounding carcinoma of the esophagus that are currently the focus of study are the relationship of Barrett’s esophagus to the development of adenocarcinoma; whether adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and cardia is the same disease; the correct way to stage the disease; the treatment of disease confined to the mucosa; the extent of surgical resection to cure disease beyond the mucosa; the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of the disease; and the methods of palliating patients with incurable disease. Semin. Surg. Oncol. 13:217‐233, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Absence of furrowing activity following regional cortical tension reduction in sand dollar blastomere and fertilized egg fragment surfaces.

The purpose of the present investigation was to test experimentally the possibility that division mechanism establishment at the equator of sand dollar eggs may be a consequence of cortical tension gradients between the equator and the poles. Cytochalasin has been shown to decrease tension at the sea urchin egg surface. The concave ends of cytochalasin D-containing agarose cylinders were held against regions of the surface of Echinarachnius parma blastomeres and enucleated fertilized egg fragments. The ability to interfere with normal furrowing activity was used as a biological indicator of the effectiveness of cytochalasin. When agarose containing 2 μg/mL cytochalasin contacted the equatorial region of the blastomeres resulting from the first cleavage, or the equatorial surfaces of nucleated fertilized egg halves, furrowing was blocked, stalled or delayed, indicating that the concentration of cytochalasin was effective. When the same concentration of cytochalasin was applied to the poles, the cells and nucleated fertilized egg fragments divided in the same way as the controls, indicating that the effectiveness of the cytochalasin did not spread from the poles to the equator and that bisection did not interfere with the division of nucleated fertilized egg fragments. When the same concentration of cytochalasin was applied to diametrically opposed surfaces of enucleated, spherical egg fragments, there was no evidence of furrowing activity between the areas that contacted the cytochalasin or in any other part of the surface. Because of the tension-reducing effect of cytochalasin, a tension gradient existed between the regions affected and unaffected by cytochalasin. The results strongly suggest that establishment of the division mechanism by simple gradients of tension at the surface is unlikely.
Overestimation of postischemic myocardial stunning on gated SPECT imaging : Correlation with echocardiography

Background Postischemic global and regional left ventricular (LV) dysfunction on stressgated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is attributed widely to myocardial stunning. We sought to determine the specificity of gated SPECT for the detection of myocardial stunning after ischemic stress.
Constructing the Past: Assessment of Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Perception about History

The purpose of the study was to examine if and how elementary preservice teachers’ perceptions about history were changed upon their completion of a class project that engaged them in a discipline-specific inquiry as a method of teaching history. Surveys were administered to assess any changes in their perception of the history before and after they participated in the class project. The preservice teachers’ reflective writings were used to explore any themes that emerged about historical inquiry as well as to understand their development of pedagogical knowledge about teaching history. The study results provide implications for inquiry-based teaching in social studies education.
Effects of aprotinin on anticoagulant monitoring: Implications in cardiovascular surgery

Abstract This study was designed to evaluate anticoagulant monitoring of heparin and platelet function in the presence of aprotinin. Aprotinin added to heparinized whole blood at concentrations equal to (30 μg/mL), twice, and four times that used in cardiopulmonary bypass operations synergistically elevated the activated clotting time (ACT) (536 ± 73, 651 ± 86, and 787 ± 71 seconds, respectively) over the value with heparin alone (384 ± 66 seconds) ( p
Whistler mode based explanation for the fast reconnection rate measured in the mit versatile toroidal facility.

Despite the widely discussed role of whistler waves in mediating magnetic reconnection (MR), the direct connection between such waves and the MR has not been demonstrated by comparing the characteristic temporal and spatial features of the waves and the MR process. Using the whistler wave dispersion relation, we theoretically predict the experimentally measured rise time ({tau}{sub rise}) of a few microseconds for the fast rising MR rate in the Versatile Toroidal Facility at MIT. The rise time is closely given by the inverse of the frequency bandwidth of the whistler waves generated in the evolving current sheet. The wave frequencies lie much above the ion cyclotron frequency, but they are limited to less than 0.1% of the electron cyclotron frequency in the argon plasma. The maximum normalized MR rate R=0.35 measured experimentally is precisely predicted by the angular dispersion of the whistler waves.
A history of von Recklinghausen's NF1.

While the study of genetic diseases is a rather recent development in science, von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis (NF1) has a rich pictorial history, seemingly dating back to the thirteenth century. In 1768, Akenside published a scientifically-based description of NF1, recognizing that the monsters of scholars, such as Pare and Aldrovandi, in fact suffered from a disorder of the nerves. The neuromas of NF1 were first detailed by Smith in 1849, but Frederick von Recklinghausen is credited with its discovery and coined the name of the disorder in 1882. NF1 research widely increased between 1909 and 1990, due to the erroneous diagnosis of the Elephant Man, Joseph Merrick.
Coarse-grained simulations of lipid bilayers

A minimal model of lipid molecules consisting of bead-spring representation is developed. The basic interactions are hydrophobic and polar interactions. Essential physical features of lipid bilayers are maintained using this model, and relatively long times can be simulated in comparison to atomistic models. Self-assembly from a random starting configuration to a bilayer can readily be followed using molecular dynamics simulations. The diffusion of lipid molecules well beyond their nearest neighbors is attained. As a basis for description of the model, the area per lipid, the bending modulus, and the area compressibility as a function of temperature and tail length are calculated. A liquid to gel transition is observed and quantitatively characterized. Both saturated and unsaturated lipids are treated.
The child, grown, becomes independent.

In the 1990s, Arthritis Care & Research (ACR Michael D. Lockshin, MD: Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York (Editor, Arthritis & Rheumatism). Address correspondence to Patricia P. Katz, PhD, Arthritis Research Group, University of California, 3333 California Street, Suite 270, San Francisco, CA 94143-0920. E-mail: patti.katz@ucsf.edu. Submitted for publication August 28, 2009; accepted August 28, 2009. Arthritis & Rheumatism (Arthritis Care & Research) Vol. 61, No. 12, December 15, 2009, p 1619 DOI 10.1002/art.25031 © 2009, American College of Rheumatology
Regioselective hydroborations of methylvinylchlorosilanes

Abstract The regioselectivity of the hydroboration of the methylchlorovinylsilanes, Cl n Me3− n SiCH CH2 ( n = 0 − 3), has been investigated using BH3←THF, 9-BBN, disiamyl- and dicyclohexylborane. Methylation of the adducts with methylmagnesium bromide is complicated by formation of tetraalkylboronates. Alkaline hydrogen peroxide oxidation of the boronates gives reasonable yields of the corresponding α- and β-trimethylsilylethanols for n = 0 and 1. For n = 2 and 3, conversion of the adducts to the corresponding α- and β- deuteroethylsilanes by treatment with excess sodium methoxide in methanol- 0 - d provides a more effective means of derivatization. Addition of the alkenes, n = 2 or 3, to excess BH3←THF gives ca . 90% of the α-boro-organo-chlorosilanes. For all of the alkenes, the dialkylboranes give ca . 80% of the β-boron adducts.
Structural Comparison of Hydrogen Silsesquioxane Based Porous Low-k Thin Films Prepared with Varying Process Conditions

The structures of hydrogen silsesquioxane based porous low dielectric constant (low-k) films (XLK) prepared with varying process conditions are characterized using a combination of high-energy ion scattering, X-ray reflectivity, and small-angle neutron scattering. We measure the film thickness, average mass density, density depth profile, wall density, porosity, average pore size, pore spacing, pore connectivity, and atomic composition. We compare samples with varying dielectric constants and degrees of cure or Si-H bonding fraction. The structural parameters are correlated with the chemical bond structure as measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The density profiles of the porous films were uniform, with a slight densification observed at the film surface. Films with similar k values but varying degrees of cure have almost identical structural characteristics. Lower dielectric constant films have larger porosities and average pore sizes but lower wall densities. The process conditions used to alter the dielectric constant affect not only the porosity but also many other structural parameters such as the wall density.
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN AGE OF ONSET FOR DELINQUENCY:RISK FACTORS AND CONSEQUENCES

ABSTRACT The age of onset of delinquency has long been viewed as a key indicator for further delinquency and criminality. However, studies on the risk factors for early onset of delinquency, age of onset, and the consequences of early onset have focused predominantly on males. The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences and similarities in risk factors for onset of drug use and frequency of arrest. It was hypothesized that 1) female early onset occurs at similar age from that of male early onset, 2) risk factors predictive of early onset will differ across genders, and 3) early onset in females will be predictive of frequency of subsequent arrests. OLS, logistic, and negative binomial regression analyses were used to evaluate these hypotheses regarding age of onset of delinquency, risk factors for onset, and frequency of arrest. Consistent with hypotheses, the presence of a distinct female group with early onset, although relatively small, does exist in these data. Differential predictors ...
Feasibility of using the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system in academic health centers: case series design on pain reduction after chiropractic care.

Objective The purpose of this study was to test the utility of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) as a resource for collecting data on patient-reported outcomes (PRO) within academic health centers at a chiropractic college; and, to describe changes in PRO following pragmatic chiropractic care incorporating instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) on pain symptoms.
Reaction of acetone oxime with dialkylmalonyl chlorides. Synthesis of 2-(2-propenyl)isoxazolidine-3,5-diones and 2,2-bis-(2-(4,4-dialkylisoxazolidine-3,5-dione))propanes

Reaction of acetone oxime with dialkylmalonyl chlorides in the presence of triethylamine gave as products 2-(2-propenyl)-4,4-dialkylisoxazolidine-3,5-diones 4 and 2,2-bis-(2-(4,4-dialkylisoxazolidine-3,5-dione))propanes 5. The 4,4-dialkylisoxazolidine-3,5-diones 6 and dimethylketoximyl 4,4-dialkylmalonates 7 were formed as minor products. Compounds 4 are stable in refluxing ethanol and in aqueous solution. Compounds 5 are stable when heated in refluxing toluene in the presence of either pyridine or monochloroacetic acid.
Fabrication of Net-Shape Functionally Graded Composites by Electrophoretic Deposition and Sintering: Modeling and Experimentation

It is shown that electrophoretic deposition (EPD) sintering is a technological sequence that is capable of producing net-shape bulk functionally graded materials (FGM). By controlling the shape of the deposition electrode, components of complex shapes can be obtained. To enable sintering net-shape capabilities, a novel optimization algorithm and procedure for the fabrication of net-shape functionally graded composites by EPD and sintering has been developed. The initial shape of the green specimen produced by EPD is designed in such a way that the required final shape is achieved after sintering-imposed distortions. The optimization is based on a special innovative iteration procedure that is derived from the solution of the inverse sintering problem: the sintering process is modeled in the ‘‘backward movie’’ regime using the continuum theory of sintering incorporated into a finite-element code. The experiments verifying the modeling approach include the synthesis by EPD of Al2O3/ZrO2 3-D (FGM) structures. In order to consolidate green parts shaped by EPD, post-EPD sintering is used. The fabricated deposits are characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The experimentally observed shape change of the FGM specimen obtained by EPD and sintering is compared with theoretical predictions.
Denoising using adaptive thresholding and higher order statistics

We showed that a hard threshold for wavelet denoising based on higher order statistics is comparable to a second order soft threshold. The hard threshold can made adaptive by using a third order statistic as an estimate of the noise. In addition, the relationship between an adaptive hard threshold and retaining a fraction of wavelet coefficients is shown. Qualitative and quantitative metrics based on the mean-squared error are used to compare the hard thresholding and a soft-thresholding technique, BayesShrink.
Fischer–Tropsch synthesis: effect of small amounts of boron, ruthenium and rhenium on Co/TiO2 catalysts

The effect of the addition of small amounts of boron, ruthenium and rhenium on the Fischer–Tropsch (F–T) catalyst activity and selectivity of a 10 wt.% Co/TiO2 catalyst has been investigated in a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). A wide range of synthesis gas conversions has been obtained by varying space velocities over the catalysts. The addition of a small amount of boron (0.05 wt.%) onto Co/TiO2 does not change the activity of the catalyst at lower space times and slightly increases synthesis gas conversion at higher space times. The product selectivity is not significantly influenced by boron addition for all space velocities investigated. Ruthenium addition (0.20 wt.%) onto Co/TiO 2 and CoB/TiO2 catalysts improves the catalyst activity and selectivity. At a space time of 0.5 h-g cat./NL, synthesis gas conversion increases from 50–54 to 68–71% range and methane selectivity decreases from 9.5 to 5.5% (molar carbon basis) for the promoted catalyst. Among the five promoted and non-promoted catalysts, the rhenium promoted Co/TiO 2 catalyst (0.34 wt.% Re) exhibited the highest synthesis gas conversion, and at a space time of 0.5 h-g cat./NL, synthesis gas conversion was 73.4%. In comparison with the results obtained in a fixed bed reactor, the catalysts displayed a higher F–T catalytic activity in the CSTR. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Application of duplex ultrasound imaging in determining in-stent stenosis during surveillance after mesenteric artery revascularization

Objective Currently, there are no well-established duplex ultrasound (DUS) criteria for the evaluation of the mesenteric arteries after stenting for occlusive disease. Previous studies suggested DUS velocity criteria in the native superior mesenteric artery (SMA) overestimate stenosis in stented arteries, but most studies have not evaluated DUS imaging after SMA stenting longitudinally. This study was undertaken to determine the accuracy of DUS after mesenteric artery revascularization and, in particular, to evaluate the utility of DUS imaging for the detection of in-stent stenosis (ISS) of the SMA. Methods A retrospective record review was performed for all patients who underwent SMA stenting for chronic mesenteric ischemia at a single institution from January 2004 to May 2011. Results Mesenteric artery occlusive disease resulted in 24 patients undergoing mesenteric stenting of the SMA alone (n = 20) or the SMA and celiac artery simultaneously (n = 3). The mean ± standard deviation peak systolic velocity (PSV) in 13 prestent DUS images of the SMA was 464 ± 130 cm/s. Prestenting angiography revealed an average SMA stenosis of 79% ± 14%. After stenting, completion angiography in each case revealed .05). Follow-up SMA DUS imaging showed an average PSV of 335 ± 138 cm/s at 0.9 ± 1.5 months, 360 ± 143 cm/s at 4.8 ±2.6 months, and 389 ± 95 cm/s at 14.4 ± 5.1 months. A significant difference existed between the prestent and the first poststent mean SMA PSV (P Conclusions Consistent with other reports, our data demonstrate the PSV in successfully stented SMAs remains higher than the PSV threshold of 275 cm/s used for the diagnosis of high-grade native SMA stenosis. In addition, in-stent SMA PSVs did not significantly change over DUS surveillance for patients who did not undergo reintervention. Thus, obtaining a baseline DUS early after mesenteric stenting should be considered to compare future surveillance DUS. An increase above this baseline or an in-stent SMA PSV approaching 500 cm/s should be considered suspicious for ISS, but larger prospective studies will be required to validate these preliminary findings.
Freeing the Insane

THIS CONTEMPORARY photogravure of Tony Robert-Fleury’s 1876 painting famously depicts Pinel Freeing the Insane. Completed more than three quarters of a century after the event, it portrays several stock figures in the tradition of asylum art: a woman (on the ground) tearing at her clothing, 2 huddled melancholics, a tense maniac, and a woman (at right) with a vacant stare chained to the wall.1 In the center is a limp and passive woman, whose stance emphasizes her unthreatening nature. She is being freed from her chains as the commanding figure of Dr Philippe Pinel looks on. This scene in Robert Fleury’s painting is often said to have taken place during the French Revolution as a psychiatric parallel to larger political events: the rights of man extended to the (female) inmates of a mental asylum. In fact, however, Pinel unchained the female patients at Paris’s Salpetriere hospital in 1800.2 He did not entirely abandon physical restraints, but when necessary, he confined the more agitated and potentially dangerous patients to the gentler control of the recently popularized strait-jacket. This was part of a widespread asylum reform movement that began during the late 18th century and continued well into the 19th.3 Lay asylum superintendents and early medical “alienists” (psychiatrists) in Italy, England, France, and the United States contributed to humanizing the treatment of the insane by making confinement less brutal and treatment more gentle and interactive. Pinel in particular spent a great deal of time with his patients, listening attentively as he recovered their life histories. His was a newly sympathetic attitude toward the insane: he tried to make contact with their remaining vestiges of reason, rationally reconstruct their mental world, and—after a momentary act of identification—lead them back to sanity.4 Dr Pinel freeing the insane in the courtyard of the Salperiere. Gravure by Goupil after the painting by Robert-Fleury. Courtesy of the National Library of Medicine. Thus, while the scene in Robert-Fleury’s painting did not literally represent a moment during the French Revolution, it did capture the spirit and the deeper political sentiments of that revolutionary age. The new “moral therapy” developed by Pinel and his contemporaries in the reformed asylums was fundamentally based on the idea of freeing mental patients’ trapped humanity. This liberation allowed for a therapeutic doctor–patient alliance that was sensitive to the life situations and social circumstances of the “madmen” and “madwomen,” who were formerly treated as subhuman. This was appreciated by the young Sigmund Freud, who looked at Robert-Fleury’s painting when he attended J. M. Charcot’s lectures at the Salpetriere during the winter of 1885–1886. As Freud said, “In the hall in which he gave his lectures there hung a picture which showed ‘citizen’ Pinel having the chains taken off the poor madmen at the Salpetriere. The Salpetriere, which had witnessed so many horrors during the Revolution, had also been the scene of this most humane of all revolutions.”5(p17–18)
Late Endophthalmitis after Filtering Surgery

The variety of types of underlying glau­ coma present in our series of 11 cases is shown in Table 1. Seven had had thermal sclerectomies performed by alternately in­ cising sharply and cauterizing the limbal wound until a fistula is made into the ante­ rior chamber. Three patients had posterior lip sclerectomies performed with a Holth punch. Two or three bites of sclera were taken from the posterior lip in the manner described by Haas and Iliff. A single pillar iridencleisis operation was performed on one patient. Tenon's capsule resections were not performed in any case. Ten of the 11 filter­ ing blebs were described postoperatively as thin-walled and cystic, and their size ranged from one and one-half to three clock hours. Postoperative tensions ranged from 5 to 22 mm Hg with two eyes in chronic hypotony (Cases 7 and 8) . The time elapsing between surgery and the onset of infection was from four months to 11 years. The average was 45 months.
Polarization-sensitive spectral-domain optical coherence tomography using a single line scan camera.

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography can be used to measure the birefringence of biological tissue such as the human retina. Previous measurements with a time-domain polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system revealed that the birefringence of the human retinal nerve fiber layer is not constant, but varies as a function of location around the optic nerve head. Here we present a spectral-domain polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system that uses a spectrometer configuration with a single line scan camera and a Wollaston prism in the detection arm. Since only one camera has to be synchronized with other components in the system, the design is simplified considerably. This system is 60 times faster than a time-domain polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system. Data was acquired using concentric circular scans around the optic nerve head of a young healthy volunteer and the acquisition time for 12 circular scans was reduced from 72 s to 1.2 s. The acquired data sets demonstrate variations in retinal thickness and double pass phase retardation per unit depth that were similar to data from the same volunteer taken with a time-domain polarization-sensitive system. The double pass phase retardation per unit depth of the retinal nerve fiber layer varied between 0.18 and 0.40 degrees/μm, equivalent to a birefringence of 2.2 ∙ 10-4 and 4.8 ∙ 10-4 respectively, measured at 840 nm.
Determining Anisotropic Film Thermal Properties Through Harmonic Surface Heating With a Gaussian Laser Beam: A Theoretical Consideration

The phase of a temperature field resulting from the harmonic surface heating of a film can contain sufficient information to determine the film thermal properties. The case of a film having anisotropic properties and heated by a Gaussian laser beam is analytically analyzed. The transient part of the solution is expressed in terms of a complex temperature field to relay both amplitude and phase information. A general solution for the temperature distribution throughout the film and substrate is presented and analyzed to assess strategies for resolving multiple thermal properties of the film based on the underlying heat transfer. A sensitivity analysis is performed and two limiting cases of the solution are analyzed to resolve the in-plane conductivity, across-plane conductivity, and heat capacity of the film using surface temperature phase measurements.
Developmental changes in infants' bisensory response to synchronous durations☆

Abstract The present set of studies was concerned with the development of bisensory response to synchronous durations. Infants viewed pairs of checkerboards where each member of the pair flashed at the same rate but differed in the duration of each flash. Visual preferences were studied in silence as well as in the presence of a tone whose duration and onset/offset characteristics corresponded to one member of the visual pair of stimuli. Results indicated that 3-month-old infants did not make bisensory matches of duration. In contrast, 6- and 8-month-old infants exhibited evidence of bisensory matching in that, in general, their looking at the visual stimulus corresponding in duration to the auditory stimulus was greater than was their looking at the non-corresponding stimulus. Synchrony played a major part in this matching in that when the corresponding auditory and visual stimuli were put out of phase with one another, no evidence of bisensory matching was obtained.
Finite time transport in aperiodic flows

Abstract We study the transport of particles in a general, two-dimensional, incompressible flow in the presence of a transient eddy, i.e., a bounded set of closed streamlines with a finite time of existence. Using quantities obtained from Eulerian observations, we provide explicit conditions for the existence of a hyperbolic structure in the flow, which induces mixing between the eddy and its environment. Our results can be used directly to study finite-time transport in numerically or experimentally generated vector fields with general time-dependence.
LACTATE DEHYDROGENASES IN SPERMATOZOA: SUBUNIT INTERACTIONS IN VITRO.

Abstract The sperm-specific lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isozyme from human, bovine, and murine sources has been dissociated, and its subunits have been recombined with subunits from the other forms of the enzyme. New LDH's are generated and have been characterized on the basis of substrate and coenzyme specificity. The properties of these new molecules are a reflection of their subunit composition, which, in turn, must determine either directly or indirectly the characteristics of the catalytic site(s) of the enzyme. The observations reported here demonstrate that the sperm-specific LDH contains polypeptide subunits which differ from those in LDH 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The enthalpy of solution of gaseous hydrogen fluoride in water at 25 °C

Gaseous hydrogen fluoride was dissolved directly in excess sodium hydroxide in a calorimeter. To reduce the magnitude of the corrections to the ideal gaseous state, the gas was introduced at pressures of about 350 and 150 Torr in two sets of measurements. At 25 °C, the standard enthalpy of solution for HF(g) = (H+ + F-)(aq) was found to be -(14.72±0.10) kcal mol−1.
Why can't CAD be more like Lego? CKB, a program for building construction kits

The paper describes CKB (Construction Kit Builder), a computational design environment based on defining, then working within, a system of components and rules for their placement. In construction details, the components and placement rules are standard; in less routine design tasks they are not. CKB uses a constraint-based, object oriented, system architecture to provide two levels of design support. At the higher level, designers of technical systems use CKB to specify components and rules for their positioning. At the lower level, building designers use CKB to lay out components of these systems.
Explorer 35 observations of solar-wind electron density, temperature, and anisotropy.

Explorer 35 observations of solar wind electron density, temperature, and anisotropy analyzed and compared with previous measurements
Comparison of biologic effects of ACTH protein and ACTH peptide given by continuous injection.

SummaryA comparison was made of some of the metabolic and morphologic effects of ACTH protein and ACTH peptide given by continuous subcutaneous injection to normal (300 g) male rats for a period of 10 days. The signs of hypercorticalism were adrenal hyperplasia; thymus atrophy, loss in body-weight, rise in urinary NPN, glycosuria and pathologic changes in the stomach and kidneys. ACTH protein had about twice the biologic activity of ACTH peptide as measured by the above criteria, but was significantly less active than the peptide in causing depletion of adrenal ascorbic acid.