cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statins, inflammation and deep vein thrombosis: a systematic review.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes both deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism. The 2009 JUPITER trial showed a significant decrease in DVT in non-hyperlipidemic patients, with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, treated with rosuvastatin. The effects of statins on thrombosis are unclear, prompting this literature review. A literature search was performed (1950 to February 2011) with MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PUBMED databases including the following keywords: “statins”, “hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors”, “VTE”, “PE”, “DVT”, and either “anti-coagulation” or “inflammation”. Editorials, reviews, case reports, meta-analysis and duplicates were excluded. Inflammatory biomarkers of DVT, include interleukin (IL)-6, CRP, IL-8, and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1). Statin therapy reduces IL-6 expression of CRP and MCP-1, usually elevated in VTE. Reduction of IL-6 induced MCP-1 has been linked to vein wall fibrosis, promoting post thrombotic syndrome (PTS) and recurrent DVT in patients. Also, our review suggests that the anti-thrombotic effects are likely exhibited through the anti-inflammatory properties of statins. This work supports that statin therapy has the ability to decrease the incidence and recurrence of VTE and the potential to decrease PTS. This is mainly due to the anti-inflammatory effects of statins and may explain why normolipidemic patients, with elevated CRP, appear to have the greatest reduction in VTE. Given their low risk of bleeding, statins have the potential to serve as a safe adjunctive pharmacological therapy to current treatments in select patients with VTE, however further investigations into this concept are needed and essential.
Temperature-Dependent Single-Molecule Fluorescence Measurements of RNA Motifs Melting

Single-molecule studies have proven to be a powerful technique for studying folding and unfolding of molecules like proteins and nucleic acids. Population histograms of the Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) values of double-labeled molecules allow us to discern subpopulations within the ensemble which were previously inaccessible in bulk experiments. Typically, changing solution conditions like pH and ionic strength populate different conformational states allowing the kinetics of folding to be measured. However, temperature as a parameter has not been explored in single-molecule folding studies due to instrument limitations. We have developed and characterized a temperature-controlled single-molecule experimental setup with a range of up to 65C. We used our setup to measure the temperature-dependent melting of nucleic acids motifs like junctions and loops.
Model analysis of box culverts subjected to highway loading

The strain distribution and the deflections of reinforced-concrete box culverts associated with highway loading are determined by testing scale models. Two types of scale models were constructured: 1/6-size concrete models and a 1/24-size photoelastic model. The concrete models were instrumented with electric-resistance strain gages, and the deflections were measured with dial indicators. Strain and deflection data due to live loading are compared with values from testing of prototypes. The results of testing indicate that box-culvert sections conforming to ASTM C 850 are overdesigned structurally. Testing of models of a redesigned box culvert indicates that they perform satisfactorily.
Improving rapid response operations in acute care delivery - part I: System modeling and performance evaluation

The number of potentially preventable hospital deaths in the US is astonishingly high. To improve patient safety and reduce hospital mortality, rapid response teams have been developed and implemented to provide a quick evaluation and treatment to patients with clinical signs of deterioration. In this paper, we present a preliminary study on modeling and analysis of the rapid response process in acute care delivery. Specifically, such a process is modeled as a complex network with split, merge and parallel structures. An analytical model is developed to evaluate the mean and variability of the decision time in the system, as well as the probability that such a decision is made within a desired time interval. In addition, system theoretic properties are investigated to provide directions for performance improvement.
Chromium isotopes and the fate of hexavalent chromium in the environment

Measurements of chromium (Cr) stable-isotope fractionation in laboratory experiments and natural waters show that lighter isotopes reacted preferentially during Cr(VI) reduction by magnetite and sediments. The 53Cr/52Cr ratio of the product was 3.4 +/- 0.1 per mil less than that of the reactant. 53Cr/52Cr shifts in water samples indicate the extent of reduction, a critical process that renders toxic Cr(VI) in the environment immobile and less toxic.
Space-filling curve ordered dither

Abstract This paper presents a new ordered dithering algorithm that improves the conventional ordered dither in image quality by using space-filling curves. In this method, dither thresholds are assigned to the pixels of an image by replicating a one-dimensional dither array over a space-filling curve that fills up the image. This method can be more flexible than other halftoning techniques in that it can generate both clustered and dispersed patterns of dots. Experimental results demonstrate that the new method can greatly improve ordered dither in image quality by generating clustered patterns of dots and simulate ordered dither by producing dispersed dot patterns.
Liquid chromatographic separation of enantiomers of β-amino acids using a chiral stationary phase

The enantiomers of both alpha-substituted beta-alanines and beta-substituted beta-alanines may be chromatographically separated using silica-bonded chiral stationary phases derived from N-acetylated alpha-arylalkylamines. The amino acids are chromatographed as alkyl esters of N-3,5-dinitrobenzoyl derivatives; separability factors range from 1.11 to 1.65 for nine alpha-substituted beta-alanines and from 1.08 to 1.20 for nine beta-substituted beta-alanines. The enantiomers of beta-aminoisobutyrate and beta-leucine, chiral beta-amino acids occurring in animal tissues and physiological fluids, are among those resolved. The enantiomers of R,S-beta-aminoisobutyrate and several related alpha-alkyl-beta-alanines were prepared by chromatographic resolution of diastereomeric dipeptides.
Reliable light-tree construction with weighted SRLGs in optical networks

The construction of light-trees is one of the fundamental problems for all-optical multicast routing due to large emerging applications such as grid computing, IPTV, and distributed games. In this paper, we study the reliable light-tree construction (RLC) problem with the objective of maximizing the reliability of the multicast communication in optical networks. We first describe the network model, reliable function, and multicast request. We then formulate the reliable light-tree construction problem and prove that RLC is NP-complete. We provide an algorithm, named Minimum SRLG Cover (MSC), to achieve optimal solution in exponential time. Since RLC is NP-complete, we provide two greedy algorithms, named Reliable Shortest Path Tree (RSPT) and Quickest SRLG Cover (QSC). Numerical results show that RSPT and QSC obtain good results in both large and small problems. Numerical results also demonstrate that RSPT achieves better performance than QSC when the number of destinations is small while QSC is better when the number of destinations is large.
Theoretical model studies of intestinal drug absorption IV: Bile acid transport at premicellar concentrations across diffusion layer—membrane barrier

A general physical model is described for the simultaneous active and passive transport of conjugated and unconjugated bile acids from nonmicellar solutions in the ileum. It reduces to the passive absorption mechanism in the duodenum and jejunum. The model provides the basis for the experimental design of in situ studies and the quantification of physically meaningful and experimentally accessible transport parameters and of the effect of functional groups on bile acids. The interaction and factorization of (a) the permeability of the stagnant water layer, the lipoidal and aqueous channel pathway of the membrane according to the diffusion mechanisms, (b) the permeability of the membrane according to the active mechanism, (c) the bile acid concentration dependence, and (d) the pH and pKa are mathematically explicit. Theoretical computations indicated that the stagnant water layer may be the rate-determining barrier. A model is described for the first-pass absorption of bile acids from dilute solutions in the small intestine.
A survey of dietary supplement use during pregnancy at an academic medical center

Abstract Objective: This study examined the usage patterns of dietary supplements during pregnancy, providing information about type of supplements used, prevalence of use, and rationale for use. Study Design: A survey was distributed to pregnant patients who were touring the University of California, San Francisco birthing center or who were receiving care at the University of California, San Francisco Women's Health Clinic between November 1999 and March 2000. Results: Of the 150 surveys completed, 20 women (13%) used dietary supplements during pregnancy. The most common products were echinacea (4/45, 8.9%), pregnancy tea (4/45, 8.9%), and ginger (3/45, 6.7%). The most common reasons for beginning or discontinuing use of dietary supplements were to relieve nausea and vomiting (5/20, 25%) and to avoid potential harm to the fetus (5/20, 25%). All side effects were mild and included gastrointestinal discomfort in a patient using elderberry, taste disturbance in a patient using echinacea, and intestinal gas in a patient using borage seed oil. Most patients informed their primary care provider of their use of dietary supplements (15/20, 75%). Conclusion: The use of dietary supplements among pregnant women is low but is of concern because of the lack of safety data. Most patients use dietary supplements to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms and disclose such use to their primary care provider. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;185:433-37.)
Alienation and the adversary culture

T he word alienation is probably used less frequently in social science and intellectual discourse than it used to be (say, ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago), but the basic attitudes and ideas associated with the concept are very much with us. Alienation, or estrangement, qualifies one for "'membership" in the adversary culture, Alienation has increasingly come to mean an articulated discontent with existing social institutions and prevailing values, or with the gap between the ceremonial values and institutional realities. It is an outlook or state of mind that leads to or entails viewing one's own society with deep misgivings and suspicion; to be estranged means believing that the prevailing social order is deeply flawed, unjust, corrupt, and irrational, calculated to constrain or reduce human satisfactions. Such alienation readily shades into a chronic, low grade moral indignation and awareness of the ubiquitousness of injustice. The type of people who most frequently display these attitudes and beliefs are intellectuals, aspiring intellectuals, or quasi-intellectuals--sometimes also thought of as members of the "new class." They have been adept and vocal at expressing the discontents of life in the countries of the West and have invested prodigious energies in making inventories of the ills of these societies. Although the alienated outlook is infused with elements of social determin i sm-soc ie ty is held responsible for much personal unhappiness and failure--the estranged individual may lead a satisfactory personal life. Estrangement thus understood gives rise to the social-critical role. For many intellectuals such a role has come to play an important part in maintaining and enhancing their self-esteem. Bruno Bettelheim suggests another path to understanding the concept. Acording to him "alienation . . . is an estrangement from the world we live in, and from our inner life; it is also an inability to establish harmony within ourselves and between our inner self and our way of life in this world." These comments echo a conversation I had with him in the summer of 1986 in which he also emphasized his belief that, by and large, those who vehemently reject their social-cultural environment (that is, are alienated) are not happy people, not at peace with themselves, but deeply dissatisfied both with their personal lives and social environment. Bettelheim seems to believe that personal dissatisfaction precedes or underlies the social political kind and becomes projected upon the social setting. David M. Potter, the American historian, had expressed somewhat similar views, suggesting reasons that in the modern world personal unhappiness is more readily converted into social criticism:
Analytical and functional characterization of ultrathin carbon coatings for future magnetic storage devices

Ultrathin protective carbon coatings (5 nm) on top of magnetic hard disks deposited by filtered high current pulsed arc (HCA) were analyzed by various techniques. The films were compared to currently employed magnetron sputtered CNx overcoats in terms of functionality-determining film properties. X-Ray reflectivity (XRR) was used to determine film thicknesses and has been proved to be accurately applicable to carbon coatings down to ∼1 nm thickness. Time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) sputter depth profiling has proved similar carbon penetration depths into the unerlying magnetic media, both for HCA deposition and magnetron sputtering (MS), in spite of considerably higher deposition energies occurring during the HCA process. This fact suggests no negative impact on the macroscopic magnetic properties due to HCA deposition. The minimum thicknesses for full coverage of the media were evaluated by applying X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to the different film types. The results show a coverage limit of ∼1.0 nm for HCA coatings in contrast to ∼2.0–3.0 nm for CNx coatings indicating a significantly improved corrosion performance for overcoat thicknesses below 3 nm. Characterization with an AFM-based Nanoscratching technique suggests a more than two times increased resistivity against plastic deformation for HCA films compared to magnetron sputtered CNx overcoats.
Management of ventricular tachycardia in the absence of structural heart disease

Ventricular tachycardia most often arises from the ventricular outflow tracts in patients with apparently structurally normal hearts, and is often termed idiopathic ventricular tachycardia. These tachycardias are characterized by a left bundle branch block, inferior axis QRS morphology, and a unique electropharmacologic profile. The choice of treatment is dictated by the severity of symptoms, and ranges from observation for asymptomatic patients, to antiarrhythmic agents for those who are mildly to moderately symptomatic (eg, palpitations), to catheter-based ablation for those with more troubling symptoms or those who develop tachycardia-mediated cardiomyopathy. Antiarrhythmic therapy can be effective for arrhythmia suppression, and radiofrequency ablation has a high success rate (> 90%) with few procedural complications. In general, ventricular outflow tract tachycardia has a favorable prognosis. Exclusion of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy is important due to significant disparities in prognosis and treatment.
Controlling fluorescence intermittency of a single colloidal CdSe/ZnS quantum dot in a half cavity

We show that by placing a single CdSe/ZnS quantum dot (QD) near a high-reflective optical mirror, both the photoluminescence intensity and the blinking statistics can be modified significantly and controlled deterministically by changing the dot-mirror distance. The modified local optical mode density in proximity to the QD alters the internal dynamics of the QD, which controls its blinking behavior. Such external controls of single-QD blinking can help us to better understand the underlying mechanism of the blinking process and lead to interesting applications of such QDs.
The effect of photodynamic action on corneal cells in tissue culture.

Abstract The effect of photodynamic inactivation on corneal epithelial, stromal and endothelial cells was investigated in tissue cultures. In contrast to reports regarding in vivo studies, the in vitro treatment caused significant degeneration and growth inhibition of stromal corneal cells and less marked changes of epithelial corneal cells in tissue cultures. Stationary endothelial cells appeared least effected. The neutral red was seen in the intracytoplasmic granules and in time localized mostly in the perinuclear area, and to a lesser extent within the nucleus. The in vitro study of actively growing corneal cells appears to be a sensitive indicator of cell damage following photoinactivation.
The role of intrinsic efficacy in determining response to a β2-agonist in acute severe asthma

Summary Background Current guidelines recommend repeated doses of albuterol for the emergency treatment of acute asthma. However, approximately one-third of patients show little or no initial response to this partial β 2 -agonist. Methods We conducted a randomized, double-blind, proof-of-concept study to investigate whether a full β 2 -agonist, isoproterenol, offers a therapeutic advantage in adults presenting with acute severe asthma (FEV 1 partial β 2 -agonist, albuterol. Study subjects were randomized to receive a 2-h continuous nebulization of either albuterol (7.5mg/h) ( n =10, mean FEV 1 =37% predicted) or isoproterenol (7.5mg/h) ( n =9, mean FEV 1 =33% predicted). Respiratory symptoms, vital signs and pulmonary function measures were collected. Results Subjects from both treatment groups had similar baseline characteristics. The percent improvements from baseline FEV 1 at 60 and 120min were significantly higher in subjects receiving isoproterenol than those receiving albuterol (44 vs. 17% and 63 vs. 24%, respectively, P P P P Conclusions Our data suggest that in subjects presenting with acute severe asthma who fail to show an initial response to albuterol, the use of a β 2 -agonist of higher intrinsic efficacy can be more effective in improving lung function and symptoms.
Impact of Product Design Representation on Customer Judgment With Associated Eye Gaze Patterns

Researchers often use simplified product form representations, such as silhouettes, sketches, and other two-dimensional representations of products, to examine customer preferences. While these simplified representations make the analysis procedure tractable, for example linking certain design manipulations to certain preferences, the reality is that people evaluate more sophisticated product representations during purchase decisions. This paper presents the results of a study where two groups of people were shown either computer sketches and front/side view (FSV) silhouettes or simplified renderings and realistic renderings of cars and coffee carafes. Human judgments measured included opinions, objective evaluations, and inferences. Results show a variety of phenomena including preference inconsistences and ordering effects. Data collected from an eye-tracker help to elucidate these findings.© 2012 ASME
Specific agglutination of Treponema pallidum by sera from rabbits and human beings with treponemal infections.

A method has been described for the preparation of Treponema pallidum suspensions that are suitable for specific agglutination studies and can be stored at 4°C. for months without loss of agglutinability. Such suspensions have been shown to react with two distinct antibodies in the serum of syphilitic animals and man: Wassermann antibody and a specific treponeme agglutinin. It has been demonstrated that the agglutination of treponemes by specific treponeme agglutinin is enhanced by heat treatment or aging of the suspension, and inhibited by a divalent cation, probably Ca++, normally present in serum. This inhibition has been overcome by the use of a chelating agent, ethylene-diamine tetracetate. These findings have been utilized to devise a simple agglutination test for the diagnosis of treponeme infections that is very sensitive and highly specific. This test has been carried out with 430 human sera, and a comparison has been made of the results of the agglutination, treponemal immobilization, and standard serological tests on these sera. The agglutination test appears to have a specificity comparable to the treponemal immobilization test and considerably greater than the standard serological tests.
Applications of object-oriented modeling: an overview

Even a casual reading of contemporary computer literature indicates that a lot of attention is being devoted to the object-oriented (00) approach. It is clear that all of us will be using 00 sometime in the future, if for no other reason than the arguable assertion that all major computer operating systems will eventually employ objects at their very core. The intent of this workshop is to draw together those who are employing 00 in their medical-imaging research so that they may benefit from knowing who else is engaged in 00 methodology. A secondary goal is to acquaint those who know little about 00 with the basic concepts.
Centrally synthesized maps of sensory space

When central neurons are arranged so that their spatial relationships conserve wholly or partially those in the peripheral sensory epithelium, the relevant portion or feature of the sensory epithelium is said to be mapped topographically. Retinotopic, tonotopic, and somatotopic maps are all examples of topographic projections. Here these maps will be termed ‘projectional maps’. The functional role of these maps is difficult to establish, because the coding of spatial information may not be the factor determining their topographic organisation. For example, a topographic map might also be a by-product of embryological and anatomical processes that have nothing directly to do with neural coding. A second class of brain maps exist which are not topographically related to their corresponding sensory epithelia. For example, neurons selective for sound-source locations form a map of auditory space in the external nucleus of the owl's inferior colliculus (see Fig. 1). Similarly, neurons selective for echo delays are systematically distributed in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat. The distribution of orientation-selective neurons in the monkey's visual cortex also belongs to this class of maps. In these cases, primary sensory cells neither register nor extract the location, delay, or orientation of a stimulus. The selectivity for these cues is created by neuronal circuits in which the neurons forming the maps are nodal points. In this way, neuronal selectivity for stimulus orientation is not generated in the eye but ‘synthesized’ in the cortex. Similarly, neuronal selectivity for binaural disparities is obviously not present in the ear. Tuning to a particular range of echo delays is also a property of central neurons. In this review these maps will be referred to as ‘centrally synthesized’ rather than ‘computational’ maps as they were named elsewhere, because the new term is more descriptive. The study of these maps may cast light on the significance of mapping in general as a method of neural coding.
Energy confinement studies in the Phaedrus-T tokamak

Summary form only given, as follows. Energy confinement has been studied on the Phaedrus-T Tokamak. The study was performed using (1) a diamagnetic loop to measure the total plasma energy, W, and global energy confinement times, /spl tau//sub E/; (2) Thompson scattering to measure the electron temperature, T/sub e/, and electron density, n/sub e/, profiles; (3) a visible bremsstrahlung diagnostic to determine bremsstrahlung emission profiles and thus the effective ion charge, Z/sub eff/, profiles; (4) pyrobolometers to measure the power leaving the plasma as radiation, P/sub rad/. The profile measurements allowed us to determine not only global confinement times but local electron energy confinement times. The study included data from different tokamak operating modes including ohmic, biased probe induced H-Mode and plasma with RF power at different phasings. How /spl tau//sub E/ scales with several plasma parameters, including line density, n/sub l/, plasma current, I/sub p/, toroidal magnetic field, B/sub T/, and RF power, P/sub rf/, has been studied. The determined plasma scalings are compared to several experimentally and theoretically derived scaling laws. The energy confinement time is also compared to the particle confinement time, /spl tau//sub P/.
Evaluating a Social Skills Program for Children with Learning Disabilities

ABSTRACT Children with learning disabilities are at risk for poor peer relationships even in the mainstreamed classroom. Possible negative consequences include poor school performance, delinquency, and mental and emotional problems as adults. The author discusses the implementation and evaluation of a social skills program for fifth grade children with learning disabilities (LD). A unique component of this program is the inclusion of nonhandicapped (NLD) children in the intervention. The author argues that modifying the negative attitudes NLD children have towards LD children is critical if we are to improve the social environment of children with learning disabilities.
Affinity separation of enzymes from mixtures containing suspended solids : Comparisons of magnetic and nonmagnetic techniques.

Agarose beads containing immobilized enzymes or affinity ligands have been made magnetically responsive by adsorbing freshly precipitated magnetite on their surface. These beads are used for affinity adsorption of proteins from complex mixtures containing suspended solids. The magnetically responsive beads and the unwanted (diamagnetic) solids are then separated by magnetic filtration. This magnetic adsorption scheme for direct affinity separation of enzymes from mixtures containing suspended solids is compared with a similar, but nonmagnetic, scheme in which the affinity matrix is supported on fiberglass cloth. The enzyme is allowed to adsorb in this matrix, and the matrix is simply removed physically from the suspension to achieve separation from the unwanted solids. The two methods seem comparable in their ability to separate a desired enzymatic activity. The magnetic methods are technically the more complex of the two, but are significantly the more rapid. The efficiency of separation of diamagnetic and ferrimagnetic solids in these biological systems by high gradient magnetic filtration is good.
Fabrication of nanocrystalline cobalt oxide via sol–gel coating

Abstract Nanocrystalline cobalt oxide thin films were fabricated by sol–gel processing method. The effect of cobalt salt amount in sol–gel mixture on film properties was investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Micropatterns of these sol–gel mixtures were fabricated by spin coating followed by a lift-off method. It is generally known that sol–gel processed films are difficult to etch or remove by chemical and plasma techniques. In this novel process, cobalt oxide microstructures could be fabricated by transformation of pre-fabricated nanocrystalline cobalt oxide particles in a sol–gel process. Also, the growth of carbon nanotubes on fabricated cobalt oxide films was investigated. It was found that different size multiwall carbon nanotubes could be grown on the cobalt oxide films depending on the concentration of cobalt salt in sol–gel mixtures.
Designing Interdisciplinary Assessments in Sciences for College Students: An example on osmosis

College science education needs to foster students' habit of mind beyond disciplinary constraints. However, little research has been devoted to assessing students' interdisciplinary understanding. To address this problem, we formed a team of experts from different disciplines to develop interdisciplinary assessments that target introductory college-level science. We started our project by focusing on osmosis, a topic that involves knowledge from multiple science disciplines. We developed an instrument focusing on this topic and administered it to 3 classes of college students. A Rasch partial credit analysis showed that the items demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. The findings also revealed the differences between student's disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding. The educational implications of the study were discussed.
A comparative study of electrochemically and fluorometrically addressed molecular reporter groups: effects of protein microenvironment.

Abstract To probe the effects of protein microenvironment on electrochemically and fluorometrically addressed molecular reporter groups, genetically engineered apo-cytochrome c peroxidase derivatives W51C, A174C, K243C, and S246C, each containing a single cysteine residue, were labeled at identical sites with two kinds of microenvironment sensitive reporters, either an electrochemically active sulfhydryl-reactive reagent, [Ru(II)(NH 3 ) 4 (1,10-phenanthroline-5-maleimide)](PF 6 ) 2 [RuPA4] or a fluorescent 6-acryloyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene [acrylodan] probe. Two types of sites were labeled with each probe based on their predicted solvent accessibilities from the known structure for holo-cytochrome c peroxidase. One set of sites (K243C and S246C) was selected to be completely solvent exposed, while the other two sites (W51C and A174C) were less accessible, residing in or near the heme binding site. Spectroscopic properties of the fluorescent probe were consistent with predictions for relative solvent accessibilities; however, even the less solvent accessible probes reported a quite polar environment, suggesting that this region of the apo-protein is either substantially solvent exposed or undergoes significant dynamic motion. A linear correlation was observed between the λ max of the metal to ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorption band of the RuPA4 complex and the acrylodan emission maximum for the four labeled apo-protein variants. The same trend occurred for the formal potential of RuPA4 versus the acrylodan emission maximum, with the exception of electrochemical probe behavior at position 174, possibly due to specific probe–protein interactions.
Microprocedure for Determination of Carbaryl in Blood and Tissues

A microprocedure was adapted for the extraction and cleanup of carbaryl from blood and tissues of animals poisoned with this insecticide. Ball-mill extraction using acetone and methylene chloride, removal of lipid material by a freeze-out procedure, and florisil microColumn cleanup were employed. Derivatization of carbaryl with heptafluorobutyric anhydride in the presence of trimethylamine allowed rapid processing for gasliquid chromatographic separation on 3% OV-17 and electron-capture detection. Limits of carbaryl detection were 0.02 ppm for blood and 0.1 ppm for tissue. This procedure allowed simultaneous processing and sensifiv e detection of carbaryl in numerous small samples.
Activated carbon regeneration apparatus

Etude experimentale ayant pour but la determination de la vitesse et du degre de la regeneration thermique du charbon actif
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Nanoindentation

A molecular dynamics model of a nanoindentation experiment was simulated in order to calculate the elastic modulus of several different Lennard-Jones (LJ) solids. It was found that the elastic modulus increased significantly as the depth of the potential well that describes the interactions between the atoms in the sample was increased.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Religious Influences on Preventive Health Care Use in a Nationally Representative Sample of Middle-Age Women

Despite the many benefits of preventive services, they are often underutilized. Social factors, such as religion, can figure prominently in these discrepancies by either creating barriers or facilitating use. Using data from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS, 1992-1996), the current study examines the relationship between religious attendance, religious salience, and denomination and three types of female preventive services in a sample of middle-age women (N = 4253). Findings indicate that women who attend religious services more frequently use more mammograms, Pap smears, and self-breast exams. In addition, women belonging to Mainline Protestant or Jewish denominations use certain preventive services more than Evangelical Protestants. Finally, women with higher levels of religious salience are more likely to conduct self-breast exams. These findings add important information to the public health literature concerning factors that influence preventive service use. They also add to the growing field of religion and health research where preventive health care use is emerging as a possible mechanism linking religion to a wide variety of physical health outcomes.
Viscosity Effect On The AFM Force Measurement

Atomic force microscopy based techniques have been used in the investigation of protein folding/unfolding in order to study the protein properties at the single molecule level. These experiments are performed in buffer solution, where the AFM cantilever is used to exert and measure the mechanical forces on the protein molecules under study. Due to the motion of the cantilever relative to the liquid, a viscous drag force, which can be significant when the liquid is viscous or the cantilever's speed is high, acts on the cantilever. The irregular shape of the liquid chamber and cantilever, and the special boundary conditions of the fluid make this problem complicated and difficult to solve analytically. We measured the viscous drag forces on different cantilevers for several different cantilever speeds in solutions of different viscosities. The results show that the viscous drag on a cantilever is determined by its geometry, its relative speed, the viscosity of the solution, and the separation between the cantilever and the sample surface. This method will be useful to make corrections to the unfolding force data of proteins as well as that of AFM based force measurements.
Evidence That the Mouse 3′ κ Light Chain Enhancer Confers Position-Independent Transgene Expression in T- and B-Lineage Cells

One of the major obstacles for successful application of murine leukemia virus (MLV) vectors to genetic therapy of lymphocyte disorders is low levels of transgene expression or the eventual loss of...
Agents used in the prevention and treatment of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-associated symptoms and ulcers

Coprescription of gastroprotective agents is a common practice for patients requiring nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy, although there is limited evidence that some of these agents are effective. The prostaglandin analog misoprostol and the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole appear to be efficacious in decreasing NSAID-associated ulcers. Misoprostol has also been shown to decrease NSAID-associated gastrointestinal (GI) complications by 40% compared with placebo. Despite the efficacy of these drugs, their effectiveness in the general population has not yet been adequately determined with respect to reduction of symptoms and improvement in patient quality of life. Sucralfate and bismuth appear to be largely ineffective, and histamine receptor antagonists, when given at traditional ulcer-healing doses, decrease symptoms and duodenal ulcers only. The issue of outcomes research, therefore, needs to be more fully incorporated into any analysis of the effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of the widespread clinical use of such gastroprotective drugs.
Striatal volumes and dyskinetic movements in youth at high-risk for psychosis.

Although dyskinesias may be one of the first behavioral indicators of progressive striatal dysfunction, a mechanism critically implicated in the pathogenesis of psychotic disorders, little is known about the association between striatal structures and abnormal movements in high-risk populations. Thirty participants with a prodromal syndrome were rated for dyskinetic movements and underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Volumes of striatal brain structures were delineated. Elevated hyperkinetic movements were found to be associated with smaller putamen and results were replicated in the antipsychotic naive portion of the sample. Participants who converted over a 2-year follow-up period showed significantly smaller striatal volumes and a trend towards elevated dyskinetic movements, relative to those who did not convert. Movement abnormalities may reflect a striatal pathology that is present before formal psychosis onset, and potentially reflective of a heightened vulnerability for conversion.
Late-Postnatal Cannabinoid Exposure Persistently Increases FoxP2 Expression within Zebra Finch Striatum

Prior work has shown that cannabinoid exposure of zebra finches during sensorimotor stages of vocal development alters song patterns produced in adulthood. We are currently working to identify physiological substrates for this altered song learning. FoxP2 is a transcription factor associated with altered vocal development in both zebra finches and humans. This protein shows a distinct pattern of expression within Area X of striatum that coincides with peak expression of CB1 cannabinoid receptors during sensorimotor learning. Coincident expression in a brain region essential for song learning led us to test for a potential signaling interaction. We have found that cannabinoid agonists acutely increase expression of FoxP2 throughout striatum. When administered during sensorimotor song learning, cannabinoids increase basal levels of striatal FoxP2 expression in adulthood. Thus, song-altering cannabinoid treatments are associated with persistent increases in basal expression of FoxP2 in zebra finch striatum. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 2010
An Efficient Montgomery Exponentiation Algorithm for Cryptographic Applications

Efficient computation of the modular exponentiations is very important and useful for public-key cryptosystems. In this paper, an efficient parallel binary exponentiation algorithm is proposed which based on the Montgomery multiplication algorithm, the signed-digit-folding (SDF) and common-multiplicand-multiplicand (CMM) techniques. By using the CMM technique of computing the common part from two modular multiplications, the same common part in two modular multiplications can be computed once rather twice, we can thus improve the efficiency of the binary exponentiation algorithm by decreasing the number of modular multiplications. By dividing the bit pattern of the minimal-signed-digit recoding exponent into three equal length parts and using the technique of recording the common parts in the folded substrings, the proposed SDF-CMM algorithm can improve the efficiency of the binary algorithm, thus can further decrease the computational complexity of modular exponentiation. Furthermore, by using the proposed parallel SDF-CMM Montgomery binary exponentiation algorithm, on average the total number of single-precision multiplications can be reduced by about 61.3% and 74.1% as compared with Chang-Kuo-Lin's CMM modular exponentiation algorithm and Ha-Moon's CMM Montgomery modular exponentiation algorithm, respectively.
Detection of numerical aberrations of chromosomes 7 and 9 in cytologic specimens of pleural malignant mesothelioma

BACKGROUND Accurate diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma (MM) in effusion fluid specimens can be challenging. Previous cytogenetic studies demonstrated that chromosomal aneusomy is commonly associated with MM. The authors attempted to determine whether the detection of numerical chromosomal aberrations in the effusion fluid specimens could be a useful diagnostic adjunct in morphologically inconclusive cases for MM. METHODS The authors analyzed 17 cytologic specimens (15 pleural fluids, 2 fine-needle aspirates) of histologically confirmed MM obtained from 16 patients using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with centromeric chromosome 7 and 9 probes. Seventeen benign pleural effusion fluid specimens containing reactive/benign mesothelial (RM) cells were used as controls. After destaining of Diff-Quik–stained smears, the slides were hybridized using a standard FISH protocol. One hundred cells/probe/case were counted manually. RESULTS For chromosome 7, polysomy (defined as ≥ 3 signals/nucleus in >10% of the cells) was present in 88% and 0% of the MM and the RM cases, respectively. Trisomy (defined as 3 signals/nucleus in > 5% of the cells) was present in 77% and 0% of the MM and the RM cases, respectively. Tetrasomy (defined as 4 signals/nucleus in > 10% of the cells) was present in 29% and 0% of the MM and the RM cases, respectively. The mean values of positive cells showing polysomy 7 and trisomy 7 were markedly different in MM and RM cases (39% vs. 4% and 31% vs. 1%, respectively). The frequency of polysomy 9 and trisomy 9 in MM and RM cases was 69% vs. 13% and 62% vs. 6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that polysomy of chromosome 7 or 9 is a common finding in MM but uncommon in RM. Therefore, in conjunction with cytomorphologic and clinical suspicion of MM, detection of numerical chromosomal aberrations of chromosome 7 using FISH with routine cytologic smears can be a valuable diagnostic adjunct. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2003;99:233–9. © 2003 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.11398
Large-signal circuit-based time domain analysis of high frequency devices including distributed effects

A fully distributed equivalent circuit model for MESFET is presented in this paper. The distributed circuit model incorporates sufficient number of segments to account for accurately wave propagation effects along device width. For the first time, distributed model having several segments is analyzed in time domain, which has the capability to evaluate large signal behavior. For a given MESFET, passive equivalent circuit elements are extracted from full wave simulation of the passive part as coplanar-coupled transmission lines using finite difference time domain technique. Active equivalent circuit elements are obtained from full hydrodynamic simulation with Curtice large signal model. The two equivalent circuits are combined together to form the basic unit segment. Several high frequency and high power characteristics of transistors are investigated and compared with previously published results.
Anthropology in Area Studies

▪ Abstract After 1989, the interpretation of a complex set of disputes and exigencies settled into a conventional narrative of paradigm shift, in which the intellectual past became essentialized as “traditional area studies” and “classic anthropology.” This approach obscures the processes of engagement (including dispute) by which disciplinary change occurred. The Area Studies1 engagement with interdisciplinary colleagues and voices from the “area” has been critically important over several decades. Necessarily, the intellectual terms for addressing other interlocutors about regional conditions and events have differed according to the experience of the area in changing universalist politics and analysis. The area/anthropology intersection is examined for Africa (where race is basic to disputes), Latin America (where the place of culture and race in political economic arguments is central), and Europe (where culture and nation are at issue). During the 1990s a collective approach to areas emerged. Anthrop...
Directed Canonical Analysis And the Performance of Classifiers under Its Associated Linear Transformation

Directed canonical analysis is presented as an extension of the general form of canonical analysis, which is a method for reducing the dimensionality of multivariate data sets with minimum loss of discriminatory variance. The reduction takes the form of a linear transformation, y = Cx, that condenses the discriminatory variance onto a relatively few, high-variance orthogonal discriminant axes. Canonical analysis is developed as an analog to the one-way MANOVA. The directed extension allows user-specified contrasts to define linear relationships that are known or suspected to exist within the data. The linear transformation C is defined by means of the symmetric canonical form of the matrix eigenproblem. Canonical and principal components transformations and various distance classifiers were applied to 3 representative remotely sensed MSS data sets. Results indicate that use of a piecewise maximum likelihood classifier with the directed canonical discriminant axes will give the best overall combination of classification accuracy and computational efficiency if adequate sample sizes are available to estimate category statistics. For small sample sizes, piecewise Euclidean distance with the general canonical axes is recommended. In canonically transformed space, Euclidean distance is equivalent to the Mahalanobis classifier.
Lek Structure and Male Display Repertoire of Blue-Crowned Manakins in Eastern Ecuador

Abstract. Among lek-breeding manakins (Pipridae), courtship repertoires are extremely diverse and have played a central role in establishing phylogenetic relationships within the family. Behaviorally, Lepidothrix is among the least known genera in the family, with brief accounts published for only two of the eight species. Here, I describe the lek structure, territory characteristics, vocalizations and behavioral display elements of the Blue-crowned Manakin (Lepidothrix coronata coronata) in eastern Ecuador. From 2003 to 2006, I located all leks in two 100-ha study plots (average of 13.5 leks 100 ha-1) and recorded behavior at individual territories in ten leks. Males displayed solitarily or at exploded leks with up to seven individual territories of ∼0.1 ha; within a lek, territory centers were separated by about 90 m. Males in definitive and predefinitive plumage (2 years and older) held stable territories, whereas first-year, female-plumaged males did not hold stable territories but sometimes associate...
The dark side of galaxy colour

We present age distribution matching, a theoretical formalism for predicting how galaxies of luminosity L and color C occupy dark matter halos. Our model supposes that there are just two fundamental properties of a halo that determine the color and brightness of the galaxy it hosts: the maximum circular velocity Vmax, and the redshift zstarve that correlates with the epoch at which the star formation in the galaxy ceases. The halo property zstarve is intended to encompass physical characteristics of halo mass assembly that may deprive the galaxy of its cold gas supply and, ultimately, quench its star formation. The new, defining feature of the model is that, at fixed luminosity, galaxy color is in monotonic correspondence with zstarve, with the larger values of zstarve being assigned redder colors. We populate an N- body simulation with a mock galaxy catalog based on age distribution matching, and show that the resulting mock galaxy distribution accurately describes a variety of galaxy statistics. Our model suggests that halo and galaxy assembly are indeed correlated. We make publicly available our lowredshift, SDSS Mr < 19 mock galaxy catalog, and main progenitor histories of all z = 0 halos, at http://logrus.uchicago.edu/�aphearin